MusicRadar has vowed to do Christmas differently this year. Rather than being part of the last-minute hordes as we pick up the bulk of our presents a minute before closing time on Christmas Eve, we’re getting our gift-buying done well in advance.

And you can, too, particularly if you’ve got a hi-tech musician on your must-buy-for list. We’re sure that he or she will be delighted to rip of the wrapping off any of the following - not least the much-talked about Raspberry Pi.

What could be better than being able to say that you’ve bought someone a whole new computer for Christmas? This barebones Linux-powered PC is now available with 512MB of RAM, and it’s increasingly being used as a music making platform (see the Piana synth and Korg MS-20 controller project for evidence).

Your only problem might be getting a slice of the Pi - these things are selling like hot mince pies.