Well, here we are.  The last week before the holidays.  Channukah starts Sunday and Christmas will follow just a few short days later.  And to be honest, I have no idea what day is supposed to be Festivus.  Many of us are ready.  The presents are hidden and waiting to be wrapped, purchases have been finalized, and it will be weeks before that final credit card bill shows up in your mailbox.  To some of you, however, the last days before the holidays means time to start thinking about a gift.  Yikes!  But don’t panic.  This article is for you late starters.  Today, I want to take a look at two potential gifts for the gadget lovers in your life: The Wii Saber from DreamGear and the surprisingly cool Duck Bill Money Clip.  Before you tear your way through those empty shelves looking for the best of what’s left, take a look at these.

Glow Saber for Wii (Wii Saber)

I am a huge Star Wars fan.  Huge!  I have been in love with the movies, books, action figures, whatever since the original movie was released.  It was 1977 and I was 5.  I never looked back.  So, you can imagine my excitement when I was offered the chance to review a lightsaber for my Wii.  Now, I am not going to tell you that I ran out and bought a Wii just for this review.  That would have been a bit much.  However, I did take advantage of the opportunity to buy the Force Unleashed.  I mean, I had to have something with which to test these things, right?

So, the sabers themselves (the package includes two sabers blue and red) come in two pieces.  There is a hollow hilt, which is shaped remarkably like a Wii remote, and a short tube for the blade.  To set these up and get ready for the action, all you need to do is snap them together and insert your Wii remote (sold separately) in the back of the hilt.  But make sure they snap securely.  I had a little trouble with the blade not snapping in all the way, causing it to fall off in the middle of a game.  Once it is secured, though, just pop in two AAA batteries and you are ready to play.

The Wii Saber will even light up in authentic lightsaber colors (Darth Vader Red or Ben Kenobi Blue).  Unfortunately, waving it around will not make any cool lightsaber noises.  But something tells me that won’t be much of a problem.  Give these as a gift and stand back.  It’ll take 10 minutes to tear through that blister pack, and 10 seconds for him to start waving it around going, “vvvishhh-viishhhh”. 

Now, you could play a game like The Force Unleashed without one of these sabers, but I really found that the experience of using this just added a whole new dimension to the game.  When your character swings his lightsaber on the screen, you are not just waving around a remote control, you are swinging a saber of your own.  And this is not just a one trick pony.  It will work with any sword fighting game on your Wii.

This is the perfect gift for that Star Wars loving Wii fan on your last minute list (or was that a Wii loving Star Wars fan.)  The DreamGear Wii Saber is available at Dreamgear.net for just $34.99 per pack of two (Force powers not included).

Duck Bill Money Clip

This is a gadget site, so surely you would expect this last minute gift guide to highlight only gadget type gifts.  So, if we have a money clip here, then it probably has some kind of display, or beeps, or does something involving batteries, right?  Well, not so much.  This is just a pretty cool money clip, which not only will the gadget lovers in your life love, but so will any money lover…and in these tough economic times, don’t we all love what little money we have left just a little bit more than usual?

OK.  So, why a money clip?  I’ll be honest here.  I have always been a wallet person.  I really never considered a money clip until a few weeks ago, when I received an email from the folks over at Duck Bill Design.  They promised that this was a money clip unlike any other.  “One week,” they told me and I would never use a wallet again.  So, what the heck.  I am always up for a challenge.

So, what sets this one apart?  Well, we can start with the cool collectible case in which it arrived.  Complete with instructions.  Obviously, I am not the only wallet user they intend to challenge.  These instructions may be obvious to money clip users, but for those converting from a wallet asking where the heck do I put my cards, it is a very nice touch.

But the real reason I never used a money clip was security.  Every time I looked at one, I felt like my money was going to slide out and fall onto the floor.  Not so with the Duck Bill.  This one has an incredibly unique shape, which makes it look a little like a duck (hence the name).  What it does is fold back into itself, making a tight lock for your money.  This shape creates an interesting combination of securely holding your money, while allowing it to slide in and out easily with a slight tug.  Secure and easy.

Want a little extra touch of class?  The folks over at Duck Bill will even go ahead and engrave the clip for you.  I always think things look better with a bit of engraving.  Nice work.

Well, my week is not quite up yet, but so far I really have been impressed by the Duck Bill Money Clip.  Like I said, it is secure and easy to use, and feels extremely light in my pocket.   The Duck Bill Money Clip is available from Duck Bill Design for $36.  Add an extra $10 for engraving. 

So, there you have it folks.  Here it is, the day before Channukah starts and only a few weeks before Christmas.  You need some last minute gift ideas; we have some last minute gift ideas.  Good luck.  And Happy Holidays!

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