Popular Science gifts

Need a present for someone who is difficult to buy for? Try one of our recommendations - they've all been reviewed here and have that touch of science and the ability to fascinate. Unlike our book reviews, which include all books we receive good and bad, our gift reviews only cover the products we highly recommend.

Bargain Gifts - low budget but still an exciting and different present - under £12 (under $25)
20Q	Radica	Brilliant "20 questions" AI device that guesses what you are thinking of. Fun to play with a real "how did it do that?" feel	Electronic Game
Digital camera memory cards	Various	Digital cameras are great, but rarely have enough memory. Extra memory is now very affordable - there's little point in going for less than 2Gb - and makes a great gift	Photographic/electronics
The Global Warming Survival Kit	Brian Clegg	In some ways reminiscent of those "how to survive a crocodile attack" type books, but on the all-too-realistic threats posed by climate change. Works both as a gift book and as a useful reference to have around the house.	Book
Light Years	Brian Clegg	The story of humanity's exploration of light. Combination of good history with fascinating new light science. New edition. Very approachable people-centred science book that makes a great present.	Book
Moon Map	Moon Poster	A very detailed photographic map of the moon, plus all sorts of information and mini-articles. A poster that would grace any home observatory, office or bedroom..	Poster
Organizing a Murder	Creativity Unleashed	The ultimate murder mystery party resource - an ebook with twelve different mysteries to solve, ideal as you can print off answer sheets, clues etc.. These mystery games seem to appeal strongly to those interested in science and maths	Downloadable ebook
Solar Airship	Science Museum	Immense, eight metre long airship that flies by solar heating. It might be an immense binliner, but it really is great fun. Needs good weather.	Toy
Rubik's Cube	Winning Moves/Drummond Park	There has never been a puzzle to beat it, and the classic Rubik's Cube is still an excellent choice. A new generation is discovering this old favourite.	Puzzle
The Universe Next Door	Marcus Chown	Things to make you go "wow!" in this elegant collection. Strange concepts at the edge of scientific theories	Book
Wholly Irresponsible Experiments	Sean Connolly	Sixty-five fun science experiments to do in the home, learn a little science and make a mess while your at it (hence irresponsible). An excellent gift for parents who like to do things with their children, or older kids.	Book
Wind-up LED Torch (flashlight)	Active Products/Dynamo	The simple addition of a dynamo to a torch makes so much sense. Great budget gift that's environmentally friendly too	Torch (flashlight)
Why the Toast Always Lands Butter Side Down	Richard Robinson	Subtitled The Science of Murphy's Law. A witty and light exploration of how our brains fool us to make everything seem to go wrong	Book

Midrange Gifts - presents that make the difference £15-40 ($25-80)
The Egypt Code	Robert Bauval	Don't be put off by the new-agey title: this is a real thriller of an exploration of the relationship between Ancient Egyptian buildings and stellar observation.	Book
Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 Ultimate Edition	Focus	The world's most famous encyclopaedia in its newest incarnation. So much more useful than the paper version, with excellent content including Children's Encyclopaedia if slightly challenged by online rivals.	Software
No Two Alike	Judith Rich Harris	A real page turner as the author explores how personalities differ, with a style that owes as much to a murder mystery as a science book	Book
The Oxford Dictionary of Scientific Quotations	W. F. Bynum and Roy Porter	Massive collection of quotations by scientists and about science. A surprise on every page in this definitive collection	Book
Redshift 6 Premium Edition	USM/Maris/Focus	A strong challenger for Starry Night - not quite as good as Starry Night Pro Plus, but equal to Starry Night Pro, and a bargain. Includes telescope control. Recommended..	Software & DVD
Skype phones	Various	Attractive cordless phones that works both with your ordinary telephone line and Skype internet calls.	Internet phone
Starry Night Complete Space & Astronomy Pack	Imaginova	Probably the best planetarium software there is, coupled with an ejoyable DVD More expensive than Redshift, but the ultimate.	Software & DVD

Special Gifts - when you want to go that little bit further £60-200 ($100-400)
Clix	iRiver	For once a really different looking MP3 player with a clever screen that doubles as a control. Excellent cradle adding extra fuctionality. You'll love it or hate it	MP3 player
Digital Photo Frame	Philips	Everyone loves digital cameras, but it's a pain not being able to display your pictures without printing. These stunning digital frames take the images direct from your digital camera	Photographic/electronics
New iPod Nano	Apple	The ultimate style accessory. Not as good as the Zen as a player for a PC user, but ideal for Mac users or style lovers. Good capacity of up to 1000 tracks	MP3 player
Kindle	Amazon	You'll love it or hate it, but you can't ignore Amazon's Kindle 'wireless reading device.' We haven't a review yet, but it has to be here. Books, newspapers, web access - all without connecting to a PC.	Electronic book reader
Max-Joy	Maxfield	Robust, easy to use MP3 player for younger users. Sounds good and has the ability to accept memory cards to add extra space cheaply.	MP3 player
Starry Night Pro Plus	Space Software/Avanquest	Superb planetarium software for serious amateur astronomers with a wealth of features and information and superb detail. Includes telescope control. Recommended..	Software & DVD
Tokyo Flash Watches	TechDeals	Totally outrageous watches with unique visual style. Don't bother if you want a watch to tell the time - but you can't dispute that they're eye-catching.	Watch
Zen	Creative	Simply the best MP3 player around - all the style of its competitors, plus better PC compatibility than Apple equivalents Huge capacity of up to 16,000 tracks, in credit-card sized player.	MP3 player

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