"THE era of boy's toys is officially over.

British women are now spending almost as much on gizmos as their male counterparts. And experts say the ""gadget girl"" generation could be the future of the hi-tech market.

Oliver Irish, editor of gadget magazine Stuff, said: ""I think next year will see women spending just as much money as men and we may even see them overtake us.

""There's a whole lad culture around gadgets - we are all into James Bond and Q - but increasingly we are seeing women buying these things. Manufacturers would be stupid to ignore that and, while some of them patronise women by just making something pink and fluffy, I think we'll see a lot more thought going into how to market gadgets to women.""

To mark the trend, Stuff has published a guide to the musthave gadgets for girls.

Leading the list is a trendy and colourful mobile phone that has a camera and a spring-loaded cover.

Other must-haves include a compact digital camera, coloured iPod mini and kitchen scales that not only weigh foods but also tell the user how much protein, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate and calories they contain.

According to a recent poll by Kwik Save stores, women spend nearly Pounds 200 a year on new technology - which is only Pounds 30 less than men.

According to Katie Lee - the editor of female gadget - the mobile phone is the key to the female interest in gadgets.

She said: ""Phones have really been the catalyst.

Everyone needs one now and I think they are driving the whole market for gadgets.""

Ms Lee claimed that the gadget girl generation was not interested in technical details, adding: ""We don't really care about how much memory something has, what really matters is how useful it is to everyday life.

""Of course, it has to look good too but the key really is: will we use it?

Women don't buy gadgets just for the sake of having the latest technology.""

Ms Lee said the ultimate female gadget was Apple's hugely popular iPod mini.

""The iPod mini is probably the best-selling female gadget out there, looks great and comes in different colours but also does something we want - lets us listen to music.

""That's really the selling point - it is something that women will actually use every day.""

. The Stuff magazine Christmas supplement is out on Friday.

TOP 5 GIZMOS

1 Samsung SGH-E800 mobile phone (about Pounds 199, depending on tariff) - the compact phone also has a camera and colour screen.

2 Pentax S5i digital camera (Pounds 250) - thin camera with high- quality images and a large screen.

3 Apple iPod mini (Pounds 175) - still the king of personal music players, the smaller unit has a larger memory. But the good news for girls is that it comes in a range of funky colours.

4 Pure Digital Elan radio (Pounds 79.99) - digital radio offers a wide choice of stations and this smart, stylish and competitively priced item has proved a popular buy.

5 Diet Control kitchen scales (Pounds 29.99) - tells you the protein, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate and energy content of more than 400 foods."