Inspect a gadget

With the whole of the internet at your disposal, there really is no excuse for buying all your nearest and dearest a pair of socks and a box of Quality Street this Christmas.

But where to start? There are lots of online gadget shops out there, but it's always good to get a personal recommendation. That's where blogs come in. In a series of (ok, three) posts, I'll be rounding up the best of the blogs' Christmas gift recommendations, starting today with gadgets. Post two later this week will look at ethical and green goodies you can buy online, and number three, next week, will pick the best of the offerings on eBay.

The net is the natural home of the gadget-loving early adopter, so you are really going to have to pull your finger out to find a gadget that even they won't have heard of, let alone bought, yet.

That item could just be this toothbrush holder (pictured left), featuring a "built-in anti-microbial UV light bulb designed to sanitize your utensils dentata in between uses", according to Gizmodo. Even if they don't have halitosis issues, this will look pretty cool by the sink of the geek in your life.