Giving tech for the holidays is a lot like playing matchmaker — you want to hook up your recipient with something that'll bring comfort and joy but won't go psycho or leave the toilet seat up. So if you plan to play gadget Cupid this holiday season, here are some gift ideas so crazysexycool, their beneficiaries will smooch them under the mistletoe. Also, be sure to check out our list of non-techie gifts, too.

CELLPHONES

iPhone
 ($399; store.apple.com)
Yeah, yeah, you already know about the iPhone's Web browsing, multi-touch display, widescreen view and ability to walk on water. And you know patience pays off thanks to a smaller price tag. But even if the iHype has settled (somewhat) the iPhone still stands as a sexy stocking stuffer.

T-Mobile Sidekick LX
($399.99 before discounts; t-mobile.com)
The Sidekick LX has a swivel screen with hi-def LCD tech, Bluetooth capability and an ever-so-tactile QWERTY keyboard for the text-messaging fiend. It also lets you copy text from the Web, share pics with your messages as well as print or enlarge those images and get one-button MySpace access.

DIGITAL CAMERAS

Olympus Stylus 790 SW
($299.99; ritzcamera.com)
This bad boy can withstand a drop from up to five feet, a dunk underwater down to 10 feet and a drop in temperature to below-freezing (–10 degrees Celsius/14 degrees Fahrenheit). And so you won't fidget with too many buttons in your extreme conditions, the Stylus 790 SW has a Face Detection feature that automatically focuses on a subject's face for an optimal shot.

Vivitar ViviCam 6200w
($129.99; target.com)
Makes sense this shooter looks like a yellow submarine — the ViviCam 6200w is waterproof to 30 feet and is rubber armored for added durability. The two-inch LCD screen gives a nice view, too.

LAPTOPS

Small: Toshiba Satellite U305-S7477
($1,249.99; circuitcity.com)
How's this for computing power in a travel-friendly beauty: You get a 200GB drive, 2GB of memory and great battery life that lets you work or play for up to eight hours before a charge. There's also a fingerprint reader and built-in Webcam. All with a 13.3-inch diagonal display.

Medium: MacBook Pro
($1,999; store.apple.com)
Sure, the 15-inch MacBook Pro has a shiny aesthetic, but it's the little things that set it apart from other laptops, like a nifty magnetic power cord connection and illuminated keyboard. Then there's a big deal like Leopard, the Mac operating system with more than 300 new features such as a better screen Dock and Finder with Cover Flow like in iTunes. The $1,999 model chimes in with a 120GB drive and 2GB memory.

CAMCORDERS

Flip Video Ultra
($179.99 for 2GB; bestbuy.com)
The 2GB Flip Video Ultra holds up to 60 minutes of video so you'll have plenty of room for YouTube fodder in the palm of your hand. (A 1GB model for $149.99 holds up to 30 minutes of video.) Transferring said video to YouTube is also a cinch thanks to a USB connector and built-in software.

Sony MPEG4 Net-Sharing Cam
($199.99; sonystyle.com)
This little black number should give mighty fine video, what with various resolutions, picture stabilization and 4x digital zoom that promises “less distortion than previous types of digital zooms.” And even though the cam is tiny (a bit bigger than a deck of cards) you still get a generous 2.4-inch LCD display that rotates up to 270 degrees for varied viewing. The camera also pre-formats videos for Web video sharing sites — just connect the Net-Sharing Cam with the included USB cable to a compatible PC.

TOYS

“Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock”
 ($89.99 for Wii and PS2, $99.99 for Xbox 360 and PS3; major retailers)
“Guitar Hero III” calls down the thunder with new wireless guitars and more than 70 songs for some serious axe-slashing online and with pals in the same room. As for some names behind those “Legends of Rock,” guitar gods Slash and Tom Morello provide original guitar riffs for their boss battles while the Sex Pistols rerecorded “Anarchy in the U.K.” for the game.

Wowwee Alive Elvis
($299.95; sharperimage.com)
We knew it all along: The King lives as a life-size animated bust that talks and sings. Done up in a black leathery nod to his famous “’68 Comeback Special,” Elvis himselvis speaks 37 monologues and sings eight hits. He comes with a microphone remote and also plays tunes from an external player. Or plug in your own microphone and indulge in some of the creepiest karaoke on the planet.

René A. Guzman | 210SA Contributor