Christmas means many things to many people, but the joy of giving to others as well as to oneself is universal. Sometimes, though, those presents from others don't quite fulfill your own cravings. Thus the days after Christmas often involve satisfying those unmet desires. For IT pros and technology lovers, those desires include gadgets and cool apps.
Before the holiday shopping season got off in earnest, InfoWorld highlighted several possible gifts that real geeks would love -- eschewing the obvious tech toys such as the Nintendo Wii, Apple iPhone or iPod Touch, and Alienware Area-51 gamer's dream notebook. In case your friends and family didn't take the hint, we're again presenting seven items (and a new honorable mention) that go beyond regular cool so you can satisfy that unmet desire for a real geek's toy.
InfoWorld's must-have gadgets
Sun Microsystems Project Sun Spot Development Kit sensor and robotics kit
Honorable mention: Trossden Robotics Phidgets sensor and controller kits
Vudu Box movies-on-demand server
Amazon.com Kindle wireless e-book reader
Fujitsu PalmSecure PC Login Kit biometric mouse
AMD ATI TV Wonder 650 Combo USB HDTV converter for PCs and Macs
T-Mobile HotSpot @Home base station for cellular/Wi-Fi combo phone service
Data Robotics Drobo intelligent backup drive
And if you're still looking for a new smartphone, be sure to check out our iPhone evaluations and our head-to-head smartphone comparison.
Sun Microsystems Project Sun Spot Development Kit sensor and robotics kit
Why you must have it: If your happy childhood centered around your Heathkit radio, computer, or home audio electronics kits, you'll drool over Sun Microsystems' Project Sun Spot Development Kit, a battery-operated platform for development of radio-controlled sensor networks, robotics, and personal consumer electronics. Each kit comes with a base station and two Spot devices, each of which, in turn, includes a processor, a radio, a sensor board, and battery. You can also add servo motors and your own sensors on top of the acceleration, temperature, and light sensors that come with each Spot. You program and build the Java VM-based Spots to do whatever it is you want to build; examples of Spot applications developed so far include microwave detection, robotic-arm control, and slot-car control.
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Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
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The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
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