Have a Geeky Valentine’s: 14 gifting ideas for 14th Feb, 2014

If binaries are your thing and digital hearts are what make your heart flutter, let this Valentine’s Day truly bring out the geek in you. Skip the wine and chocolates, or simply add any of the below recommendations to them. Either way, hit the right level of geekiness with your partner and Cupid will be just around the corner to make this day a very special one. Pick up that funky phone case she always wanted or that elusive dance game for his PS3. You’ll have yet another excuse to dance the night away. These gifts will help you spell out ‘L0v3’ to the special person in your life.

If you want to reach out and touch your valentine in the most emotional way possible, take them back to a geeky memory of their childhood.
The technological potential and creative engineering offered by Lego Mindstorms will evoke your sheer amazement and adoration of the product.
Gift your valentine a box of this amazing product and spend a fun filled geeky valentine, bringing the creatures of your imagination to life.

Price: Rs. 36,999 (Price varies from model to model)

	1. Camera lens coffee mug This camera lens mug is the perfect gift for any photographer, aspiring or professional. Your simple gesture of love will remind him of you during his morning coffee and also convey the message that you understand and encourage his passion. Camera lens mugs come with a lid that helps keep your coffee hot or cold, depending on your preference. You can be carefree about stains and odour too since they have a stainless steel interior. Be informed, however, about whether your boyfriend/girlfriend is a Nikon or Canon fanboy. Getting the wrong brand could have a backlash. Of course, you could also make them happy with a real lens, assuming you’re a rich partner and don’t mind investing Rs.12,000-1.5 lakh on a gift. check out the Caniam Thermos Lens Mug With Lid. Price: Rs. 1,499/-  (Differs from size to size)
2. Teddy bear shaped Stereo speakers This iPod/iPhone dock, in the form of a cuddly teddy bear, is one of the cutest and most creative pieces of technology available out there. The jack cable is hidden inside the arms of the bear, while the speakers are located inside its feet. Besides, the dock runs on batteries, eliminating the need for messy wires. Also, the iPhone DJ Teddy is also compatible with other mobile phones that support MP3 and MP4 formats. Tie a colour co-ordinated ribbon around its neck and include a few chocolates in its arms. DJ Teddy is bound to sweep her off her feet and give you the satisfaction of being the perfect valentine. Price: Rs. 2,250/-
	3. USB-powered cup warmer Geeks are often workaholics, or usually just engrossed in something fun and smart, tending to lose track of time. As their beloved, you naturally want to care for and nurture them. You’ll typically find a geek occupied with a laptop/PC/gaming console. Time is lost and the world is forgotten about, including that tepid cup of coffee. The portable USB cup warmer, once plugged into any of their devices will keep their coffee warm for them until the last drop. Most cup warmers come with additional USB ports that let you charge multiple devices, making it an instant winner. So gift your sweetheart one of these, or buy a pair for the both of you. Pour cups of coffee and lose yourselves in long conversations or games or any activity that portrays you in a favourable light as the perfect valentine date. Price: Rs. 534/-
4. High-resolution eBook reader with built-in light Is your significant other someone who just can’t put his/her books down? Are they story addicts, who need to read everywhere they go? Or is s/he a digital freak who’d only read a book if it was on a gadget? This Valentine’s Day get them a Kindle Paperwhite, which they can easily carry with them everywhere they go. The Kindle Paperwhite will give them access to a wide and constantly growing selection of books and magazines. This e-book reader will ensure that your partner doesn’t need a bunch of boxes for his/her entire collection of literary pleasure. If you share your partner’s love for books and want someone to discuss them with, the Kindle Paperwhite will pave the perfect path for long book discussions on many of your dates. Price: Rs. 9,999/-
	5. Cable managers If your techie sweetheart is not as mad about Valentine’s Day as you are, get them something small, functional and inexpensive, but amazingly retro. This cassette cable manager is the perfect gift for those who enjoy the convenience of modern day gadgets, but love the old school style. The added advantage of untangled earphones and easy access to them in a messy bag would definitely bring a smile on their faces. In fact, get a pair if you like and look like the classic retro couple that you are. Price: Rs. 219/-
6. Consoles Are you always complaining to your boyfriend that he spends more time gaming with his friends, than with you? This Valentine’s Day show him that you still love him. Surprise your boyfriend with a PS4 and he’ll fall in love with you all over again. Yes, it’s a little too expensive, but then who said that love doesn’t come with a huge price tag. Today, console manufacturers are pushing the limits of enhancing the personal gaming experience. With a private gaming console at your disposal, make this experience a lot more fun by joining him in it. For all you know, you might enjoy it and the two of you will be planning gaming dates sooner than you know. Price: Rs. 39,990/-
	7. Video Games Are you a couple who enjoys gaming, but still can’t enjoy it together due to different tastes in games? Buy yourselves some quality time together this year with fun games that both of you can indulge in. Games like Just Dance, that allow both of you to have a competitive swagger (whilst dancing your shoes off on popular tunes), Guitar Hero, where love be damned in front of the gods of rock and SingStar, where you try to one-up each other in terms of being the better vocalist will keep you both occupied for hours on end! Price: Rs. 2,149/- (Will vary from game to game)
8. HD video recording drone Having issues scheduling dates with your geek? Are they the kind who refuses to get out of his home and office or take a walk in the park? The Parrot AR 2.0 Drone can help make your day easier, if not solve this problem completely. A quadricopter attached with a camera, which can shoot HD videos and be controlled by any device with an Android or iOS platform will definitely make him get off his lazy bum. The otherwise intuitive device has a slightly complex learning curve that’s bound to keep him occupied for a long time outside and get some much needed sunshine! Price: Rs. 30,490/-
	9. Superhero USB flash drives Seen Avengers more than 10 times? Check. Have the limited edition Blu-Ray collection? Check.Have all the possible merchandise associated with the film? Check. What other possession would be worthy of fan geekdom while also being functional? The answer is this collection of USB drives fashioned around Iron Man, Thor and The Hulk. Gift this to your sweetheart and they’ll be like putty in your hands! Price: $112.99/-
10. Customised iPhone 4S/4 covers You may be one of those couples, who’ve been blessed with amazing photography skills − so much that you’re often the designated paparazzo clicking pictures of friends and family, with absolutely no one to frame the two of you. If that is the case, this Valentine’s consider getting your geekheart a Diffcase for his iPhone, so that you have your own personal collection of couple pictures. The Diffcase is not just any iPhone case. This rugged case has the ability to act as a tripod for your phone, allowing you to shoot pictures and videos on a steady base. The covers on the front and back of the case can act as sun shades, preventing a direct glare on the screen. Besides all these amazing features, the iPhone case also does a great job of protecting your phone. So, go ahead and enjoy your couple time, while recording memories. If the Director of ‘Oldboy” can shoot a short film on the iPhone, why can’t you! Price: Rs. 1,999/-
	11. Waterproof smartwatch with e-paper display Some of us find solace in spending time with our loved ones, while some of us turn to our gadgets. If your valentine belongs to the latter category and their comfort blanket is their phone, the Pebble E-Paper Watch could be the perfect gift for them. A concept out of the KickStarter project, the e-paper watch, unlike Galaxy Gear, can be used with both, iOS and Android devices. What earns it even more brownie points is its cost. It won’t cost you a month’s salary. An extension to your preferred phone, the Pebble can be connected via bluetooth and display notifications, control your music, keep track of your distance covered and data via GPS. And the best part is that it can display time too! Pebble Smartwatch for iOS and Android: Price: Rs. 12,741
12. Protective computer glasses When one terms himself or herself as a geek, it’s a given that they spend long periods of time staring at digital screens for work and pleasure. If this is your loved one’s lifestyle, you have every right to be worried about the health of their eyes. Go ahead and gift your loved ones a pair of Gunnar glasses, and be assured that they will thank you every day for it. Gunnar eyewear products not only understand the needs of your strained eyes, but also help you exude class and style. This range of glasses reduces the glare of digital screens, while enhancing contrast and details. This is the perfect gift for gamers, coders, graphic designers, animators, … well geeks overall. Price: Ranges as per model
14. Give them Stardom If you're feeling stellar, and have the money for it, get your significant other the best possible gift you can, as a geek. Give him/her a star to their name. Star Registrar offers a pick of any star in a constellation to be named for whoever you see fit. It's classically cheesy and brilliantly romantic. Even if your geek isn't into astronomy, the gesture is undeniably ginormous. Price: $124.99

Every geek has his own taste and style, but what makes planning surprises for them so appealing is the fact that they’ll find it very difficult to reject anything "geeky." If you’re a geek yourself, you’ll probably know what would work best for your partner. If not, don’t fret. Go all out and surprise them with something from this list. The effort and your consideration will be completely worth it and well reciprocated.

Opening Image Credit: How-To Geek

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Dominica Bairwa