Best Tech Gifts Under $100

Getting cool and fun tech gifts doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg, particularly if you're looking for accessories to popular products or whimsical gizmos. But even in the bigger categories like cameras, deals abound. Here's just a sampling of the cooler sub-$100 products I like this year, all of which are perfect stocking stuffers or gifts for coworkers.

Belkin SportCommand: Perfect for jocks, this "sports" remote control for the iPod lets users forward/advance songs, adjust volume, and pause the music up to 30 feet away. Users plug a transmitter into their iPod, stash the iPod away in their jogging shorts or ski jacket, then strap the water-resistant, flexible remote onto their arm. Only drawback: You can't scroll through your music collection, but it's great for adjusting volume and advancing/rewinding on playlists or albums. Dory wrote about this and other Belkin accessories in this post.

Boost Mobile i835: Giving phones is tough usually, given the complications of a contract and monthly fees, so I always recommend prepaid services like Boost, which require no contract, as wireless gifts. This year, Boost is on fire in the location-based services arena with Loopt, a "social mapping" service that lets friends stay in touch with each other via the phone's built-in GPS (for more info on how this works, check out my earlier post on Loopt). The phone, which comes in stylish white (the i835W) or standard black, is only $99.

FujiFilm FinePix A400: Amazingly, this isn't even the least expensive 4.1-megapixel camera out there, but it's a fine digicam with a 3x optical zoom, internal memory, an xD card slot, and a real viewfinder (so you can shut off the power-hogging 1.8-inch LCD screen and save battery life). It also runs, conveniently, on two AA batteries. The price hovers around $99.

i-Fish: It's the aquatic follow-up to last year's i-Dog, except it's not waterproof! But that doesn't mean this plastic robotic-fish-cum-iPod-speaker won't keep your coworker captivated for hours. It wags its fins, flashes all manner of lights, plays tunes in autonomous mode, or reacts to sound, music, and touch. Plug an iPod into its audio input and watch it perform water ballet on your desk. For more info, read my earlier post on the i-Fish. Around $30.

iKaraoke: This mic turns any iPod and FM radio into a karaoke system. The device has an FM transmitter that transmits the music on your iPod to a nearby FM radio, only with the vocal track muted, so the singing, good or bad, can begin.

Joby Gorillapod: This camera tripod has flexible legs that you can use to wrap around poles, tree branches, or other surfaces to create unique angles for self-portraits and more. Around $22.

Micro Mosquito: One of the hottest gifts of the season, the Micro Mosquito is the world's smallest RC (remote control) helicopter (see my earlier post on it). It's tough to fly at first, but it gets easier after a few hours. With tiny mosquito-like parts, this device is designed to fly indoors and might be broken by anyone under 12.

Snowman USB Drive: Okay, so it's kind of pricey (around $60 at Dynamism) for a 256MB storage drive, but the blue nose that lights up on this snowman-shaped peripheral from Japan will cheer up even the grinchiest Grinch. Or annoy them.

Zoundz: I'm obsessed about this musical game that features seven different pawn pieces and a musical board with flashing, colored "hotspots." Place the pawns on the hotspots to make music: Each pawn makes a different musical sound, depending on which hotspot it's sitting on. Read my enthusiastic review of Zoundz here. Mesmerizing for hours. Around $45.

Related links:

Holiday Gizmo Shopping Made Wacky