What do you get for the person who hacks everything? We consulted the HuffPost Code team for answers. If you need some guidance on what to get the special developer in your life, may we suggest:
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Oculus Rift
The future is now: an immersive gaming experience is available for purchase. Oculus Rift has been successfully designed to be the leading virtual reality headset, it creates a stereoscopic 3D view with excellent depth, scale, and parallax. This is a necessity for anyone who wants to be inside the video game. Don’t believe us? Take John Carmack's word for it, it's received his seal of approval. The Developer Kit works with Windows, Mac and Linux PCs and is available for purchase on their website for $300.
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2. Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi is the finest small computer that money can buy, and it's only $25. Although it's only the size of a credit card, it can be plugged into a TV and keyboard and programed to make spreadsheets, games and more. The Model A is $25 and has 256MB RAM, and one USB port. The Model B is $35 and has 512MB RAM, 2 USB ports and an Ethernet port. Raspberry Pi Foundation’s mission is to teach children how to program, but they do a terrific job entertaining adults and seasoned developers too.
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3. Nanodots
Nanodots are tiny magnetic spheres that are precision-milled from sintered Neodynium-Iron-Boron to model atomic interactions at human scale. They're the ultimate desk toy. The mini magnets can be sculpted into a variety of shapes. Original Nanodots $39.95, Black Edition $44.95, Silver Edition $44.95 and Gold Edition $49.95 are available for purchase on their site. If you want to take your magnet exploration to the next level, checkout Nanodot Gyro.
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4. Sphero 2.0
Sphero is a ball-shaped mobile game system that pairs with smart phones and tablets, allowing the user to play interactive party games, take on solo challenges and augment reality. Sphero has the ability to light up and roll around on command. We love Sphero 2.0 because it can roll up to 7 ft per second and can travel up to 100 ft away from your bluetooth device. Sphero 2.0 is available online for $129.99.
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5. Touch screen gloves
Hands — coding hands, are a developers most valuable asset. Protect your favorite developers’ coding hands by purchasing them gloves. We recommend touch screen gloves for maximum warmth and functionality. Check out glove.ly’s selection with prices from 19.99 - 95.00.
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6. Safari Books Subscription
Safari Books is one of the most complete and comprehensive online libraries for books on software development, IT, and management. Want to get up-to-date on noSQL databases? Need to brush up on Scala? At $20 for 10 books per month or $43 for unlimited books, Safari Books is an affordable way to keep learning after college.
7. Amazon Web Services Subscription
Amazon Web Services are a collection of remote computing services that make up a cloud computing platform. The services are reliable, scalable, and relatively inexpensive with pay-as-you-use billing. AWS is a solid choice for any independent developer with ambitious computing and data storage needs.
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8. Drum Pants
Drum Pants, which consists of two sensor strips and a control box that attach to your clothes, allow you to play a beat by tapping your body. Each sensor can be programmed to trigger actions within a wide variety of apps, so the wearer can answer their phone, play a streaming video, cycle through a slideshow, or control a game. The software can connect with certain Arduino boards, in case an industrious programmer wants to use the sensor strips to control another gadget entirely. We recommend Drum Pants for any developer who likes to make a loud entrance at holiday parties. Drum Pants offers two versions: one for $99 and one for $139.
9. MakerBot
Those with a 3-D printer are only constrained by their imaginations. Help the web developers in your lives make the transition from creating software to physical objects with a MakerBot Replicator 2 for $1,999 or Replicator 2x for $2,399. Not sure if the printer is worth price? (It is!) Visit a MakerBot or Microsoft store to test drive a 3-D printer.
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10. We-Mo Switch
We-Mo switches connect your electronics and appliances to your home WiFi so you can control them from your smartphone or tablet. We-Mo also allows you to set schedules or turn your devices into motion-sensors for maximum control and efficiency. Now everyone can have a smart house! Available for purchase on Belkin from 49.99.
Oculus Rift
The future is now: an immersive gaming experience is available for purchase. Oculus Rift has been successfully designed to be the leading virtual reality headset, it creates a stereoscopic 3D view with excellent depth, scale, and parallax. This is a necessity for anyone who wants to be inside the video game. Don’t believe us? Take John Carmack's word for it, it's received his seal of approval. The Developer Kit works with Windows, Mac and Linux PCs and is available for purchase on their website for $300.
2. Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi is the finest small computer that money can buy, and it's only $25. Although it's only the size of a credit card, it can be plugged into a TV and keyboard and programed to make spreadsheets, games and more. The Model A is $25 and has 256MB RAM, and one USB port. The Model B is $35 and has 512MB RAM, 2 USB ports and an Ethernet port. Raspberry Pi Foundation’s mission is to teach children how to program, but they do a terrific job entertaining adults and seasoned developers too.
3. Nanodots
Nanodots are tiny magnetic spheres that are precision-milled from sintered Neodynium-Iron-Boron to model atomic interactions at human scale. They're the ultimate desk toy. The mini magnets can be sculpted into a variety of shapes. Original Nanodots $39.95, Black Edition $44.95, Silver Edition $44.95 and Gold Edition $49.95 are available for purchase on their site. If you want to take your magnet exploration to the next level, checkout Nanodot Gyro.
4. Sphero 2.0
Sphero is a ball-shaped mobile game system that pairs with smart phones and tablets, allowing the user to play interactive party games, take on solo challenges and augment reality. Sphero has the ability to light up and roll around on command. We love Sphero 2.0 because it can roll up to 7 ft per second and can travel up to 100 ft away from your bluetooth device. Sphero 2.0 is available online for $129.99.
5. Touch screen gloves
Hands — coding hands, are a developers most valuable asset. Protect your favorite developers’ coding hands by purchasing them gloves. We recommend touch screen gloves for maximum warmth and functionality. Check out glove.ly’s selection with prices from 19.99 - 95.00.
6. Safari Books Subscription
Safari Books is one of the most complete and comprehensive online libraries for books on software development, IT, and management. Want to get up-to-date on noSQL databases? Need to brush up on Scala? At $20 for 10 books per month or $43 for unlimited books, Safari Books is an affordable way to keep learning after college.
7. Amazon Web Services Subscription
Amazon Web Services are a collection of remote computing services that make up a cloud computing platform. The services are reliable, scalable, and relatively inexpensive with pay-as-you-use billing. AWS is a solid choice for any independent developer with ambitious computing and data storage needs.
8. Drum Pants
Drum Pants, which consists of two sensor strips and a control box that attach to your clothes, allow you to play a beat by tapping your body. Each sensor can be programmed to trigger actions within a wide variety of apps, so the wearer can answer their phone, play a streaming video, cycle through a slideshow, or control a game. The software can connect with certain Arduino boards, in case an industrious programmer wants to use the sensor strips to control another gadget entirely. We recommend Drum Pants for any developer who likes to make a loud entrance at holiday parties. Drum Pants offers two versions: one for $99 and one for $139.
9. MakerBot
Those with a 3-D printer are only constrained by their imaginations. Help the web developers in your lives make the transition from creating software to physical objects with a MakerBot Replicator 2 for $1,999 or Replicator 2x for $2,399. Not sure if the printer is worth price? (It is!) Visit a MakerBot or Microsoft store to test drive a 3-D printer.
10. We-Mo Switch
We-Mo switches connect your electronics and appliances to your home WiFi so you can control them from your smartphone or tablet. We-Mo also allows you to set schedules or turn your devices into motion-sensors for maximum control and efficiency. Now everyone can have a smart house! Available for purchase on Belkin from 49.99.