The Best Last-Minute Guy Gifts on Yahoo! Health

If there's one thing every guy is used to hearing at the holidays, it's the cry of the frustrated gift-giver. "You're such a hard guy to buy for," goes the complaint. "So I got you some socks." Now, socks are great. Men need socks. But they're not exactly holiday home runs, if you know what I mean. You want to know what a guy really wants for the holidays? Toys. Trinkets. Gadgets that keep us entertained long after the frenzy of wrapping paper has faded from memory, and help us do more, better, and faster. We don't want sweaters. We'll wear our socks until they're full of holes. And gift certificates can seem about as fun to unwrap as pound cake. So quit trying to harvest our hints (we're not dropping them), give up the secret shopping routine, and appeal to our inner three-year olds with this surefire gift list, compliments of my Men's Health gear guru and Senior Editor Matt Bean:

Apple iPod shuffle, $79

Bigger isn't better when it comes to something you have to lug around in your pocket. I'd rather let my 80 gigabytes of music stay on the computer, where they belong, and clip this smart, svelte little player onto my collar or jacket instead. The 240 songs it holds are more than enough music to last a week of commuting or jogging, and the ingenious, clip-like design always keeps the controls within reach.
Nikon D40 SLR Camera Kit, $600

Point-and-click cameras can feel flimsy, but the high-quality SLR (single lens reflex) cameras that professional photographers use have been too expensive for the average guy. This rig is the first to turn amateurs into auteurs for around $500. There's no better rig for the family's wannabe Ansel Adams.
Garmin Forerunner 305 Heart Rate Monitor and Watch, $376

There's a strange thing that happens when you start charting your workouts with this GPS unit and heart rate monitor: You become obsessed with running, hiking, or cycling faster, longer, and harder than you ever would have with just a simple stopwatch. I call it the speedometer effect-once you learn how fast your engine can go, you can't wait to rev the engine. Better yet, the combination of GPS and heart rate data help you learn just how effective your training really is, and adjust it for greater gains.
Cameron Detour Putter, $300

One thing crystallized for putting pro Scotty Cameron after he analyzed slow-mo Tiger strokes: People don't swing their arms straight back and forward, like a pendulum. We swing in a slightly curved path. This natural curve is replicated by the body of this putter, encouraging proper form as you swing. It's a smart upgrade that will take strokes off your game, guaranteed.
Dyson Root Handheld Vacuum, $150

Most handheld vacuums slack off when it comes to sucking up serious grime. This one actually has the chops to make dust disappear. But that's not why it's on this list. A vacuum? For guys? Trust me on this one. The phaser-like gun design trumps the feeble competition by turning even the messiest of guys into dust busters. This thing is just a blast to use, and if we're going to do some chores, we might as well feel like Captain Kirk in the process.