by erin thursby
Men can be hard to gift shop for. They tend to buy what they want and shrug when you ask them what they want for Christmas. If you do manage to drag something out of them, it’s usually something stunningly expensive-like a home theatre system.
If your guy likes tech, USB gadgets might be your answer. You can now get USB memory drives in everything-from the shape of Princess Leia’s head to fruit or a Lego piece.

USB Mix Tape
Remember when you’d give your boyfriend a mix tape for Christmas? Same concept here. The memory stick fits into a carrying case and container that looks like an old school mix tape-which you can label accordingly. ($19.99, 1ofakindstuff.com)

USB Beverage Chiller
He spends a lot of time on a computer and he likes his beverages icy cold. What better gift than the USB beverage chiller? It attaches to the computer via a USB port. Basically, it’s a glorified coaster, but he’ll love it because it’s technology. ($39.95 redenvelope.com)

USB Heated Mug
Instead of keeping things cool, this item keeps your beverage warm. It’s actually a mug that’s insulated, plus it stays warm via USB port ($25, gadgetbargains.com)

USB Missile Launcher
It comes with three foam missiles to launch at your target. Who wouldn’t want this? ($38.99, perpetualkid.com)

USB Pet Tag
If you’ve got a man who loves his dog this will make for a great stocking stuffer. Basically you store all of the dog’s info on the USB drive, including his contact info should the pup go missing. Anyone with a USB drive can take it off the dog’s collar and read the info. ($39.95, toptagpetid.com)

USB Pets
Electronically powered pets for your desktop. Because real pets can be so much trouble. A running hamster in a wheel, an iguana, an owl or a parrot are some of the pets you can choose from. My favorite is the hamster. The faster you type the faster it runs in its little wheel. This site is British, so you’ll have to do a bit of conversion. Lots of other USB gadgets to choose from. (deviltronics.com)

USB Swiss Army Knife
Swiss Army Knives are supposed to have everything you need to survive, and possibly to trim your nails. This knife includes a USB memory device. Just in case. ($34.95, swissknifeshop.com)

USB Roll Up Piano
Sure, it’s gimmicky, but it’s fun. Includes 100 tones, 100 pre-recorded instruments, the ability to record your own beats and songs plus much more. ($37.90, play-asia.com)

Ion USB Turntable
For the music lover with a vinyl collection, go for this silver turntable, which also includes software to preserve those vinyl tunes as MP3s or other digital music files. Best of all, it’s compatible with the Mac or the PC. You can find the same item at Urban Outfitters for $50 more, but you’ll get to look at it. ($100, thinkgeek.com)
But if there’s one place you should look for all of your USB gift needs, it’s usbgeek.com, home of many USB gadgets, chargers and keyboards. Want a solar powered USB ($32) to charge something? They’ve got it. They even have USB powered Christmas trees.
If you really want to go geek-there’s thinkgeek.com, which has all sorts of strange USB attachments, like a digital microscope ($199) or a wi-spy spectrum analyzer ($199). Not every item is as pricey; high and low end geekery is represented here, from about $10.