Best Christmas 2012 gifts under £50

Operating on a tight budget this year but still want to find your pal the perfect tech gift? Just take a look-see at what we've found for you.

Raspberry Pi Model B

£26, uk.rs-online.com
If you’re shopping for a true tinker-happy tech nerd, we’d advise you to consider this ultra-cheap, ultra-compact bare bones PC, which costs less than a round of drinks but can be used for everything from media streaming to gaming.
Read our review

USB Digital Microscope

£35, iwantoneofthose.com
It may only sport a 1.3MP sensor, but this dinky USB device (compatible with Windows, not Mac sadly) will reveal details you’d never normally see, dishing up magnifications between 35x and 136x.

Nyko PlayPad for Android

£40, nyko.com
This neat, rubberised Bluetooth controller makes playing games on an Android phone or tablet a much better experience than with touch controls – and it’s small enough to carry around with you too. There’s even a handy kickstand in the case to keep your phone upright.
Read our review

Lomography Diana Mini

£35, amazon.co.uk
Lomo’s cheapest snapper won’t serve up shots worthy of the Sunday supplements, but the plasticky point-and-shoot delivers interestingly lo-fi results without having to faff about with Instagram filters. And you can take 72 shots on a regular roll of film, thanks to its square format squashing two images in each frame.

Sennheiser CX 495

£35, sennheiser.co.uk
Give someone the gift of excellent audio quality this year with these budget in-ears, which do a sterling job of replacing the tinny buds supplied with smartphones and music players. Nice, tightly controlled stereo sound and balance are the watchwords.