Bzzzzrrrreeeeepehkhkhkhhhhhhhk! Build your own Noise Toy with this new kit from electronic noise group the Loud Objects (http://www.loudobjects.com)! Plug in your headphones and glitch out, or jack into an amp and play it as an instrument. These kits come with a custom-printed circuit board, a noise generating microchip from their live performances, two buttons for modulating the sound, headphone jack and battery. For the adventurous, the noise toys can be reprogrammed to create your own digital instruments (free online sample code gets you started). Required skill: elementary-level soldering - Link.

If you have to ask why anyone would want a high-powered laser, then you and I are very different people. You can skip this article. For all the rest that appreciate the sheer joy that a ridiculously expensive and marginally dangerous handheld laser can bring you, then let me introduce you to the Photonic Disruptor from Wicked Lasers. Those in the know will recognize the company as the manufacturers if some of the most powerful green lasers in the market, and the Photonic Disruptor in an interesting new addition to their lineup. read more...

This guy doesn't look like he can rip you limb from limb — awww, heck. He's as harmless as he seems. This little robot from Wowwee scoots around on three wheels and his whimsical looks could melt the hardest heart. He'll cost $99 in the next few months, so save up! WowWee

Another holiday season, another robot toy that offers a tantalizing glimpse of a future robot toy/robot domestic that sucks less. This year's robot of record is the Tomy i-SOBOT, a mini-humanoid that retails for a fairly affordable $299.99 ($243 at Amazon). read more...

The Chumby has been a tinkerer's must-have gadget for over a year, even though the Wi-Fi-enabled squeezable device hasn't yet shipped. Available in a preview version for $179.95, the Chumby has captured so much interest because it's a home appliance for showing useful information in the right size--and can be tweaked and programmed for to customize. read more...

One a billionth of the energy from the sun hits us, but you can do a lot with it! Here are some great gifts and projects for the maker in your life who like solar! Brighten their holiday, literally! Ra ra ra! - Link.

In last year's Holiday Gadget Guide, I reviewed the wonderful then-new LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT system. It's a year later and my admiration for this product has only grown. It has been enthusiastically embraced by robot hobbyists and professionals, educators, kids of all ages, R&D departments looking for quick n' dirty prototyping components -- 1,001 uses. read more...

Have first-person shooters turned us into a nation of campers? You know, those guys who we loved to hate (but loved to be), that found a nice hiding spot with their sniper rifles and just sniped for the entire round, racking up kills faster than you? Now your kid can be a %$#&@*% camper, too, with the Nerf N-Strike Longshot. read more...