The great thing about online shopping is that you can find almost any gadget you can think or imagine of; the hard part is finding a website that actually sells it. If you’re looking for something cool and inexpensive this Christmas, we’re here to provide you a list of 30 online shopping stores for geeky gadgets for all ages.

Geeky presents make great gifts in spite of its lack of practicality in some cases, but unlike other made-in-the-mill presents, you know when this gift is the perfect one for your geek (or yourself). And the great thing about some of these gifts is the customizable option for that extra, personal touch and the direct reference to the games, movies and cultures that geeks so dearly love.

We can’t still get past the idea that some of these things exist here in the real world!

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ThinkGeek

For major geek gadgets and toy fans, ThinkGeek is one of the most popular sources for everything geek and much more. They sell geeky clothing, accessories, jewellery and computer stuff for people of all ages to have fun with.

Meninios

A small site with cool and simple gifts that have everything a geek can relate to. From kitchen wear like mugs and placemats, to funky iPhone cases and other 8-bit design stuff, you’ll be sure to find something here that would make an awesome Christmas gift.

Firebox

Firebox is a site with loads of geeky gifts to choose from. They have categorized their site so it’s easy to find something for him or her. They sell a wide variety of geeky clothing, gadgets, toys and home decorations to get anyone excited.

ParamountZone

If you would buy a geek-inspired gift even though it does nothing, you have found your second home. They sell electric cigarettes (no smoke included), mug warmers, popcorn maker, a melting clock, hangover kits, a gravity defying wine bottle holder, and entertaining alarm clocks.

Gadgets and Gear

The name of this website just gives it away; for the most random and slightly useful gifts, check this site out for cool gadgets and gear like candy, jelly beans and gumballs that taste like bacon, a variety of cool watches (look at that Higgs Boson watch!) and much more.

Latestbuy

Have grandparents (or parents) who have passed their first half-century milestone but is still young at heart when it comes to gadgets? Check out the Gifts for Oldies category on this site: an LED magnifying glass, the pocket umbrella, USB photo scanner, heatable slippers and more.

Gifts

This site has plenty for the average man or woman but what’s great about it is the gift-o-matic, the filter that helps you make faster decisions by giving you your options all in the same page. For the completely clueless, they have their top 10 gift ideas that will surely give you some new ideas.

Treat Him

Check this out ladies, here is a site dedicated to gifts for men. You can get personalized gifts like mugs, candy, phone cases or jewellery and other gifts related to sports, gadgets, and drinking or even something romantic to celebrate a magical Christmas together. Where’s the ‘Her’ version?

I Want One Of Those

Another site filled with random gadgets, some more useful than others but cool nonetheless. They have candy vending and grabber machines and even an edible scrabble game. Other items for sale include unique mug designs and toys enjoyable by all ages.

Prezzybox

Here’s a site that has unique, exciting and some weird gifts for everyone you can imagine. Helicopter rides, chocolate pills, slush makers, a book rest lamp, wooden watches, and a blaster gun for the iPhone (gamers, rejoice!).

Cygnett

How bout a more colorful option for someone’s newly purchase smartphone that protects the device at the same time? Cygnett not only caters to the Apple fans with their variety of iPhone, iPod and iPad cases but also to other brands like Samsung, HTC, Blackberry and Motorola.

Japan Trend Shop

If you think that gadgets based in the US are not all that exciting, then try this website to find unique little gadgets trending in Tokyo. They have gadgets, lifestyle and beauty goods some with unique functions and methods that make an interesting Christmas gift. We won’t vouch for the weirdness of the items, though.

Adafruit

For the ultimate electronic geek, check out Adafruit as it sells small electronics to help you make little robot-like projects for all ages and skill level. There is also a tutorial section for beginner and advanced projects which you can buy and make on your own.

Mobile Brando

This website has few gadgets and a wide variety of cases for all your smartphone needs. It caters to most of the popular smartphones out there and has cases with different functions and styles to suit anyone’s taste.

SplitReason

For people who love games and nerdy shows, SplitReason is a site that has every popular game referenced on their apparel. They have Zombies, classic quotes and famous characters used in their T-shirt designs.

Star Wars Merchandise

When buying a Christmas gift for a Star Wars fanatic, check this website out as it has official Star Wars merchandise and collectibles of all kinds, including collectibles, books, music, toys and even sporting goods.

Photojojo

If you know someone who is always taking pictures on their iPhone, Photojojo has many additional attachments to the iPhone camera that churns out pictures of different effects. They also sell handy tripods and cases among colored lenses specifically for the iPhone.

Sharper Image

As you can tell by the image, Sharper Image has a wide variety of toys and gadgets for the whole family to enjoy this Christmas season. Other than toys, they have household items and electronics and even practical additions for your home.

Treadless

Threadless is a site that sells geeky T-shirts created by geeks from all over the world. Because these designs are original, they are unique and you’re bound to find something awesome within every geeky design.

X-Treme Geek

Ever had a handphone sanitizer? Or a smartphone stand in the shape of a spider? Fancy a ninja shape gingerbread mold or maybe an umbrella with the handle shaped like a sword’s? Regardless of which kind of geek you are, it’s amazing what you can find once you rummage around here.

Yoyo.com

Yoyo.com caters to the younger generation as stuff sold on its site include arts and crafts, kid costumes, puzzles and action figures. Help Santa make the best picks to win the heart of your young ones at home.

MiniInTheBox

What you can find here is pretty much what you can find anywhere else. What’s special about this site is the Under $1.99 category. For less than two bucks, you can actually find yourself some really interesting stuff to gift to others and yourself: car chargers, smartphone stands, screen protectors, lighters, pens, smartphone plugs, camera lenses etc. Start skimming!

Star Trek Store

Trekkies would probably know about this store way before this post but for the rest of us, it’s an amazing online warehouse of all things Star Trek. Costumes, apparel, stickers, towels, action figures and many more, ideal to make any Star Trek fan happy this Christmas.

SuperHappyStore

Looking for the remote control flying shark you’ve seen somewhere in the Web? Well, you’re going to find it at the Super Happy Store, along with lightsaber key chains, an automatic fish feeder, a clapperboard (and action!) alarm clock and a thumb drive (think literally).

FlashWear

Love laptop sleeves or out of the ordinary coat hangers (we found one that looks like a hammer stuck to the wall, and a ninja star coat hanger)? What about flashing T-shirts which have LED lights flashing symbols on your torso? Check out the site for more crazy and wacky stuff.

Edmund Scientifics

Omg, omg, omg science geeks, you’re up! I mean, your website is up. Find digital microscopes, chemistry sets, periodic table cartoon posters, starter kits for geologists, geneticists, paleontologists (dinosaur man!), rocket scientists, and Leonardo da Vinci fans.

Coolest Gadgets

If you have a musician wannabe at home, perhaps you should get them an actual keyboard rather than let them play music on the iPad, or just get one that plugs into the iPad. That would also do the trick. There are plenty of cool gadgets like that here in this aptly named store.

BudgetGadgets

This website is awesome because they offer free shipping for any number of items you purchase. They sell a wide variety of little gadget accessories for the smartphone and cars at very cheap prices. Want to shop on a budget? Then, check this place out.

SuperHeroStuff

Comic and super hero fans will enjoy stuff that are sold on this website. They have merchandise and apparels to get any comic geek excited this Christmas. They sell everything you can wear from jewellery to super hero undies – the ones you wear on the inside.

UncommonGoods

UncommonGoods sell things that are uncommon; things like a glass zipper bag, a DIY ukelele kit, plenty of odd earrings and necklaces, a periodical table shower curtain, eraser rings (more eraser than jewellery), mushroom kits, cheesemaking kits and a lot more things that are beyond description.

Before we had the Internet, the closest form of written communication we had were handwritten letters posted to family, friends and pen pals. Then there are the regular phone calls, family reunion meet-ups, parties, events etc.

As a whole, these offline social interactions had more depth than what we are experiencing online today because we could at least hear the tone of voice through phone calls or read the body language and facial expression of the new person we have just met at the party.

(Image Source: Hubspot)

Changing Times

Nowadays we prefer using emails, instant messaging (IM) and social networking sites. Make no mistake, I’m not denouncing these innovations that came about with the Internet. They are revolutionary tools that allow us to connect like never before.

(Image Source: Fotolia)

It’s hard to believe that we are now able to make contact with a stranger from the other side of the world in a matter of seconds. Work processes and collaborations can never be easier or smoother without the existence of these networks.

Benefits aside though, it seems that the unprecedented accessibility that has been granted to us may have now resulted in our overdependence to using the online amenities to carry out our social biddings.

Complement Vs. Replacement

It seems that there are two types of people; one who complement their offline social life with their online one, and the rest who pretty much replace their offline social life with the online one. You’d probably guess that it’s healthier to be the former than the latter, since most of us would say that social interaction should not only consist of what is being said, but also how it is being said.

Emoting with Icons

To make up for the lack of visual cues from text-based conversations, emoticons eventually came to be. Even then, we all know emoticons are simply not enough sometimes! There is far too wide a variety of emotions to capsulate them into emoticons like :) or :(.

The tone of voice we hear over the phone is a much better indicator of emotions than these two-dimensional visual cues. When dealing with face-to-face interactions, there’s the entire package of body language, facial expression and voice to take into consideration.

Offline social interactions can hardly replace online ones. But how do we complement the former with the latter?

Strengthening Our Offline Social Life Online

Although interacting with others offline gives us an experience that no other mediums could, an online social life also offers something which offline life does not. Social networking sites like Facebook offer users a window to a world of ideas, cultural differences and perspectives that we would otherwise not easily have access to in real-life.

We get to hear about the latest news (or gossips) faster than before, even real-time, as the events unfold. This information can translate to conversational topics when we interact with others offline, thereby deepening the exchange we have with them.

Going online with social networking sites and IMs also opens us to new friendships that could not be forged otherwise due to geographical and cultural barriers.

Recommended reading: 10 Ideas to Simplify Your Online Life

The allure of Socializing Online

One reason for the reliance on online social communications is that there’s simply little or no commitment to the relationships made online. We can simply strike an online conversation with anyone, any time and end the relationship there and then, without carrying expectations to contact each other again. We don’t actually have to fix a time and location to meet up with the other party.

The flexibility of being able to go online even during the wee hours of the night to socialize is definitely a draw for many of us who are often strapped for time. We can even be who we want to be – such convenience is a valuable gift to many people who don’t mind settling for such relatively superficial social interactions to satisfy their social needs.

Achieving Balance between Both Worlds

However, the more time we spend socializing online, the less time we have to socialize offline. Also, once we settle into the comfort zone that is the online world, it will be harder for us to get out and interact with people in the real world.

The key is not to let online interactions replace interactions offline.

It’s easy to fall into such a trap when it’s so much more convenient to just keep in touch online. This is good practice so long as we stay mindful of the pitfalls. One way to achieve a balance between having an offline social life, and an online one, is to use the former to know new friends and the latter to develop deep relationships.

(Image Source: gellyroll)

Designating a specific time where we’ll go online to socialize will also help. This will not only prevent us from aimlessly chatting or surfing on Facebook, it will also keep us disciplined enough to focus on the tasks at hand while we’re at the screen.

Extending our offline social network to online activities like chatting and social networking sites is also a good way to attain balance. In essence, we are maintaining existing offline relationships so that they remain strong or even grow stronger the next time we see them.

Conclusion

Above all, there’s a need to recognize that quality social interaction exists in the offline realm rather than when we’re online. The only way to see that is to actually spend offline time with friends instead of hiding behind a screen all the time.

Read also: Get Off The Internet: A Challenge to Disconnect

Once we dedicate some time each week to hang out with our buddies, we’ll begin to re-experience the bonds that we’ve been missing out. That’s when we’ll naturally inch towards a healthy balance between the two worlds and appreciate that our online social life need not be a liability, but a potential boon to our overall social life.

The brand new Windows 8 is out and one key feature removed from the new OS is the Start Button; that iconic "Click here to Start" has been replaced with the new customizable Metro UI. Because of the Start Button’s absence, programmers have come up with many replacements to mimic the old Start Button.

Today, we’ve found a free program called Pokki which brings back the Start Menu to WIndows 8. If you’re imagining the standard Start Menu where all you get is the list of installed programs, then you’ll be surprised to see that Pokki has many other features and apps that work within its version of the Start Menu, despite not diverting from taking the place of the old Start Menu we so loved.

Recommended Reading: Customize Windows 8 Metro Tile Icons With OblyTile

Windows 8 Start Menu With Added Features

First of all, download and install Pokki. What is good about Pokki is that it is not ‘hardwired’ into the OS which means you can easily install and start using it without restarting your computer.

You can view all the installed programs on your computer when you click on the All Apps tab. You can also click on the Star icon to mark that program as a ‘favourite’.

A starred program will appear in the 4-by-4 grid when you first hit the start button or the windows key. You can also ‘favourite’ folders and websites that will be displayed here.

The search bar works the same way; you can immediately start typing the moment the Start Menu is shown. However, the Pokki search is also much more powerful as it can retrieve results for files, programs and even from the Internet.

Pokki App Store

Pokki also has an App Store where you can install apps like Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, games and much more.

Once you install an app, the app icon will be shown on the taskbar, together with your ‘favourite programs. You can remove icons by right clicking on them.

When opening one of the installed Pokki Apps, it will open in a new window. This is the same for apps like Facebook and Gmail which works like a web browser.

What’s awesome is that the apps work similar to your smartphone where you have real-time notifications and number badges on the icons.

With these few added features, Pokki makes a great Windows 8 Start Menu replacement. Do give it a try and let us know if you agree.