10. Secret Laptop Sleeve

First up is a novel idea to deter the would-be laptop thief on your commuter train. The secret laptop sleeve is a light-hearted solution that transforms your laptop into a battered jiffy bag complete with a realistic but bogus address label and postal stamp. Great for preventing laptop crime but be careful not to leave it unattended on the counter of your local post office or you’ll be chasing after a Royal mail van.

9. Pebble Portable Charger

Its pocket-sized dimensions may be deceiving because this portable power storage device packs a meaty 5000mA punch. When you consider that an iPhone battery is 1200mA, this means you can use it to recharge your handset four times over with no need for a plug socket. Ideal for watching films on long-haul flights.

8. Wiki USB Fridge

Within seconds of plugging in your USB fridge, the cold plate chills to the perfect temperature for helping keep your beverage cool. This is the must-have office desktop gadget, ideal for preparing a refreshing Diet Coke on a hot summer’s day or – depending how your week is going – maybe something a little stronger.

7. Belkin Washable Computer Mouse

This water-resistant computer mouse can survive spills and even be hand-washed under the tap. Parents of young children who share an equal love for sticky jam sandwiches and the CBeebies website should see some practical uses for this gadget.

6. The Personal Soundtrack Shirt

If you’ve been there done that and bought the T-shirt, we bet you haven’t got this one in your collection yet. It’s an amazing new wearable audio solution, a T-shirt with a speaker built in the front. It will provide a soundtrack to your daily life as you press the appropriate button on the pocket-sized remote control.

5. Ironkey Military Strength Flash Drives

This is a USB memory stick with a difference. Described as one part thumb drive and two parts mission impossible, this device holds up to 8GB of information but includes a hardware encryption chip that scrambles your data so as to be completely unreadable without a password. Following 10 incorrect password attempts, the encryption chip self-destructs, making the contents totally unreadable.

4. Zeal Optics GPS Goggles

If you’re planning a skiing trip this year, a pair of Zeal Optics GPS goggles will make you the talk of the slopes. This groundbreaking piece of kit features a colour LCD display in the lower corner of their polarised lens showing real-time stats such as time, speed, altitude, vertical distance travelled, temperature, location. All this information appears as though it is floating six feet in front of you.

3. RIM BlackBerry Presenter

More than just a gadget, this one could definitely be passed off on expenses as a vital business tool. Research in Motion are selling a pocket-sized presenter designed to link your Blackberry with a computer monitor or projector. Leave your laptop at home and present Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 slides straight from your handset.

2. Amazon Kindle

They said the e-reader would change the way we buy and read books for ever and, judging by the success of the Amazon Kindle this year, there may be more than a whiff of truth in this rumour. It can store thousands of books but weighs less than a single paperback. Built in Wi-Fi allows you to browse and download new titles wherever you are. Proof to the non-believer that gadgets can offer education value as well technical kudos.

1. The Apple iPad

It just had to be number 1, didn’t it? This uber-gadget made a huge splash when it appeared in April this year then proceeded to sell over 3 million units in its first 80 days. However, if you’re still one of the unlucky ‘have-nots’ you might want to add it to your Christmas list or write Santa a grovelling letter…

Happy gift hunting! Please remember the above items are not tested by us and their inclusion in this article does not necessarily constitute a recommendation.