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"\r\n\r\nThe holiday season approaches, and it is time to whip out your wallet and spend your year\u2019s savings on the people in your life who grudgingly tolerate you so long as you keep them plied with new toys.\r\n\r\nThis year, we\u2019ve funded a heap of projects on sites like Kickstarter, and we\u2019ve seen somewhat fewer finished products than that. But there are more than ever that have successfully navigated the waters from crowdfunding to the market.\r\n\r\nThere\u2019s something particularly cool about the fact that the next gift you buy may have been one validated and funded entirely by consumers, taking back power from giant corporate deciders. Needless to say, Steve Jobs would not be happy about this state of affairs, but there\u2019s plenty to like about it.\r\n\r\nWhat could you be stuffing stockings with this year? Here are some of our favorites to get you started.\r\n\r\nWineHive\r\n\r\n\r\nHere\u2019s a low-tech but awesome invention. If you keep a little bit of wine on hand or a lot, the WineHive really is a one-size-fits-all solution. That\u2019s because the product\u2019s beehive-like structure means you can expand your wine storage perpetually. It\u2019s made out of aluminum, so it\u2019s sturdy and should last a long time.\r\n\r\nPrices range from $95 for a 2-pack to $275 for a 6-pack. Each pack holds six bottles of wine.\r\n\r\nSettlers of Catan\r\n\r\n\r\nLove board games, in particular the classic Settlers of Catan? Check out this Settlers of Catan board, which also comes with many of the pieces involved. They\u2019re all made of birch and are laser-cut and etched, and the board itself has a leather backing. You\u2019ll need a copy of the game for the cards, cities, roads and so on, but it\u2019s a beautiful handmade board for the board game lover in your life.\r\n\r\nThe price for this one is pretty steep at $430. At least the shipping is free!\r\n\r\nThe Cosmonaut\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Cosmonaut is a small gift both in price and size. It\u2019s a wide-grip stylus for capacitive touchscreens, built for the iPad and iPhone but workable with every device using the same touchscreen technology. It\u2019s perfect for jotting down notes and sketching out ideas.\r\n\r\nThe Cosmonaut will set you back only $25.\r\n\r\nCableKeeps\r\n\r\n\r\nThere\u2019s nothing wrong with the wall chargers that come with the iPhone and iPad, but they could be better. CableKeeps make add-ons for those chargers that secure your USB cable to the adaptor so they don\u2019t get separated, and makes it easy to quickly wrap the cord up around the charger before you pack it away. There\u2019s the Goldie for iPhones and iPods and the Nibbles for your iPad.\r\n\r\nCableKeeps save space, and keep you from losing cords \u2013 or breaking them, if you\u2019ve got some bad wrapping habits! Not bad for $16. You can get all five colors for $60 if you\u2019re into that kind of thing.\r\n\r\nThe WINGStand\r\n\r\n\r\nThere are many keyboards and stands available for the iPad, but many of us already own an unused Apple wireless keyboard. Why not save some money and use that? The WINGStand makes it possible, acting as a stand for iPads and even iPhones and iPod touches that sits perfectly on the Apple keyboard (and probably some others). It\u2019s also a perfectly usable stand with no keyboard at all.\r\n\r\nThe WINGStand will set you back about $15.\r\n\r\nGoPano Micro\r\n\r\n\r\nThe GoPano Micro is a pretty crazy piece of technology. It uses a curved mirror to gather light from all around you and funnels it into the iPhone camera. This means you can take 360 degree videos or photographs. This isn\u2019t just iOS 6\u2019s panoramic photographs \u2013 you can capture the action around in all directions simultaneously, without missing things as you turn around.\r\n\r\nThe GoPano Micro is just $60.\r\n\r\nElevationDock\r\n\r\n\r\nDocks for devices have never really interested me \u2013 flimsy bits of plastic that keep something upright on my desk? Meh. But the ElevationDock for your iPhone, which we\u2019ve covered before, is different. It\u2019s a very simple design that looks great and is precision cut out of solid aluminum, giving it heft so your phone isn\u2019t thrown around the desk. This is the first product I\u2019ve seen that makes me want a dock \u2013 practical, substantial, and befitting of the iPhone\u2019s aesthetic.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s a little pricy compared to other docks, naturally, at $89.\r\n\r\nCruxSKUNK\r\n\r\n\r\nThe WINGStand is a great way to make do with what you have, but what if you want something designed with the iPad in mind? The CruxSKUNK is a super thin, MacBook Air-inspired take on the iPad keyboard case. The housing looks like a laptop, and the product\u2019s slogan is \u201CTurn your iPad into a laptop.\u201D Functionally, other products do something similar, but this is the only one that\u2019s going to feel like you\u2019ve got a notebook on your lap.\r\n\r\nYou can pre-order the CruxSKUNK for $179, but its arrival isn\u2019t too far off. The current estimate is that the device will ship by December 18th, just in time for Christmas.\r\n\r\nPebble\r\n\r\n\r\nPebble is an e-paper watch for iPhone and Android. Much of the time, Pebble is going to be a device for checking the time \u2013 though it\u2019ll give you a broader range of well-designed clock faces than any other watch.\r\n\r\nThe rest of the time, it\u2019ll be giving you on-the-fly information from smartphone apps designed to work with it. We\u2019re already pretty mobile, but cutting out the step of reaching into your pocket every time you want to see your notifications or other information? Awesome. You can even set up your own custom notifications using IFTTTT or Pebble\u2019s own tools.\r\n\r\nThe Pebble is $150, but won\u2019t ship until early 2013. Given the demand for it on Kickstarter, you may know someone who is willing to wait for the late gift.\r\n\r\nLockitron\r\n\r\n\r\nLockitron is another one that\u2019ll be too late for the holiday season, coming in May 2013. But it\u2019s too awesome too leave out. It\u2019s keyless entry powered by your iPhone.\r\n\r\nBasically, you fit a device over your door lock, which connects to your WiFi. You then use an app to lock or unlock the door, which can be used anywhere in the world. You\u2019re on holiday overseas but your mom needs to get inside to feed the dog? No worries.\r\n\r\nLike Pebble, Lockitron will have an API that allows you to code and customize to your heart\u2019s content. There\u2019s a heap of potential for this one.\r\n\r\nLockitron will set you back $179, and don\u2019t remember \u2013 the second batch goes out in May, 2013.\r\n\r\nIf nothing here takes your fancy, check out Outgrow.me \u2013 a service that keeps track of all the funded and completed Kickstarter projects. While some of these products are pre-order only you can filter down to those products sold by the site.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nImage Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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