When it comes to buying presents for women, it's relatively easy. Anything pretty or expensive is the best option, go for designer labels when it comes to clothing or perfume and even if you get it wrong, your efforts will be appreciated - just make sure you keep the receipt for exchanges! There is a whole, massive business aimed at gifts for women and product design has come so far as to supply enough stuff to kit out whole shops with gifts that are ideal for women.

So, it would seem men have never had it so easy when gift shopping for women. But how do we cope when it comes to buying something for the man in our lives? How many men have a drawer full of socks that they'll probably never get round to wearing? How many men have sets of nasal hair trimmers that they don't intend to be using for another thirty years or so? Well, times are a-changing. Product design has taken a step forward, the worm has turned and men are now being recognised as those in need of thoughtful gifts. Well, would you believe it!

So, if your man has a birthday coming up, if there's an anniversary approaching, if you've bought yourself something really, really expensive or if you've crashed the car or burnt the house down and are worried about telling him, just present him with one of these babies first. He'll be putty in your hands.

Many new inventions come from innovative ideas thought up for movies. For those house burning moments, buy him the ultimate boys toy. The Thunderball Jetpack will set you back 62,500 pounds but will make any man feel like James Bond. Well, for a minute at least as that's as long as the fuel lasts.

For the woman with the smaller budget, you could always make him feel more of a man. Don't just give him the remote control, give him a remote control changer gun. He can feel like a big hard man, aiming his gun at the TV and demanding it change channels it's much more of a bargain at less than a tenner and is probably the type of silly gift you would get early on in a relationship, when you still do things just because you can.

The Gyrocopter is an offering from the realms of product design that is perfect for a wedding anniversary. Well, a biggie anyway. Just over 11,000 pounds this little vehicle resembles a cross between a helicopter and a plane and can keep going for about 130 miles. They do travel at up to 100 mph but because they come as kit form he will have to build it first. So, that's a day trying to build it, then a day getting over his annoyance at having to read the building instructions, followed by an hour's flying. That gives you plenty of time to nip to the shops and exchange the crotchless knickers that he thought would be a good gift for you (him) for something more tasteful.

When it comes to choosing gifts, do remember that men can be as clumsy as a clumsy thing on a clumsy day. If your man is of this variety then he may appreciate the JCB tough phone. This mobile phone is shock proof, water proof, dust proof and drop resistant so there really is no reason for him not to be able to ring home and let you know where he is.

Billed as one for the boys, I'm not so sure that we couldn't all get a great deal of fun out of this toy for the grown ups. The underwater ski scooter is a gadget that will pull you along underwater at speeds of up to 3.3 miles per hour for up to two hours at a time. Prices start from 164 pounds and are the ideal gift to convince him that all you need now is a Caribbean holiday to use it on. After all, it wouldn't be quite the same trying to get through the sludge at Yarmouth on it.

Last but not least, we have a result from product design that will bring out the child in all of us. Fifteen quid for a voice changer will be money well spent for hours of fun making voices sound like a different gender or even like a baby's. Sneak up on him when he's alone in the garage and you'll be amazed what he can get up to.