if he is working then you give him a watch,he can wear it all the time & it'l remind him of you. or you can buy him some clothes,may be a tie. the best thing you can give him on his birthday is your valuable time. go out for a movie and dinner to a romantic place.
Go for something cheap but high-tech. Whether a card preloaded with phone minutes or iTunes or components for his Nintendo Wii gaming device, let it be small but practical - thus appreciated and something that will be used. If he uses it, he'll remember you with each use, as well as value your judgement.
Send him a birhtday card in the mail, not email. In it you can put an IOU for a date of his choice, no matter if it's something you hate like Nascar races. Also, a picture of the two of you together in a nice fram, maybe one of those elecronic pictures that chamges two or three times
What you should give your boyfriend for his birthday present depends on how long the two of you have been going together. If you just started going out get him a very generic gift such as a football if he likes sports, however if you have been toghther awhile a more personnal the gift is called for.
Give him something he has talked about but not asked for. It will show that you listen and cre about what he is interested in. Give him something that will last, not a consumable gift such as food or golf balls. Give him a nice watch or other piece of jewelry.
Normally boys do not take any gifts from their girlfriends but no his birthday we can give a new mobile or watch, e-card ,perfumes,clothes. These kind of things just make them happy but the thing which they can never forget is if we spend more time with them on their birthday