Gadgets You Never Knew You Needed: Ideas for Holiday Gifts - Gadget Sports Equipment

^{Image Courtesy of Big Smiley Toys}

Baseball is one of America's favorite pastimes. Kids love to play catch with their dads. Not only is it fun way to spend the afternoon but also a great way for parents to bond with their children. Gadgets sports toys make a simple game like catch even more fun-tastic and are a great gift idea for the holidays.

Air XXL Virtual Speed Radar Baseball is a unique gadget baseball that can calculate how fast you throw the ball then display that speed on a LCD readout right on the ball itself. It measures the speed miles per hour. The gadget baseball is made of leather, so it will have the feel of a real baseball. This gadget toy however is not one you can bat with, as the contact with bat will break the mechanisms inside the ball. Unique holiday gift idea priced reasonably at under $20.

Perhaps football is more the game for your family. Extreme Virtual Distance Football displays the distance thrown in yards on the football's LCD read out. Unfortunately it doesn't account for the rate of speed the ball is thrown. It's made from durable foam construction and priced at under $25.

If Baseball or football doesn't cut it for your kid, how about basketball? It's nearly impossible to have any mechanisms inside a basketball because you have to dribble the ball, however there's a way to keep your kid safe when they shoot hoops. Rebounding Net System is a net you set up in front of your basketball backboard which allows the ball to roll right back to the player. This will keep mom's flowerbeds from taking a beating but more importantly directs the ball back to your child--which hopefully prevents them from chasing a loose ball off the driveway onto the street. This is a smart way for everyone to enjoy a Saturday afternoon shooting hoops. Priced around $69-$99 depending on the brand you buy.

Soccer is more a universal sport for both girls and boys. With daylight savings time it does get darker earlier so a unique holiday gift idea is the LED-Lighted Glow in the Dark Soccer Ball, which has an off/on switch to light up the soccer ball. Runs on batteries, which are easy to replace. Material of the ball is the same as regular inflatable soccer balls made of a fiber-reinforced rubber-like polymer. Difference being this one lights up in the middle of the night. Priced around $25.

Whichever sport your child is into there's a unique sports gadget toy to think about to buy for them for the holidays. Once you see your kid lose him or herself play you'll ask yourself…

"How did I not buy this gadget gift before for the holidays?"

Charli "Chuck" Gulley is a screenwriter, filmmaker and freelance writer who lives in Southern California. Quite the tomboy as she enjoys Rugby, Fencing and touch football. She's an alumnus of the prestigious screenwriter's workshop, "Writers Bootcamp." Her passion is Hollywood, anything and everything to do with filmmaking. If you don't find her on set you can find her at the arcade playing air hockey and eating pizza.