One hot item is the 2nd generation 16GB iPod Touch.  (This editor has a 1st generation version and thinks it is the coolest thing since sliced bread!)  The second-generation iPod Touch includes features that are light-years ahead of the competition, including games, email, Wi-Fi music downloads, video rentals, and an integrated App Store for adding thousands of custom features.  CNET gives it 4 ½ stars (out of 5) and users have given it a solid 4 stars.  Pick it up for about $300 and let the fun begin.
 


Okay, let’s say you like your dork but not $300 worth – how about something that is more in-line with our economic situation you say.  Ask and you shall receive:

How about a basic phone replacement like the Samsung Knack SCH-U310.  The Knack is one of the best basic phones on the market. If you need a handset for making calls, you can't go wrong – about $40

Or how about the Pantech Breeze?  This is an attractively slim flip phone with a large keypad, a display with big fonts, and a really easy-to-use interface. It also has a VGA camera and three quick-call keys for emergency purposes.  CNET says, “The Pantech Breeze is definitely ideal for senior citizens and those with disabilities, but it's also an all-around great phone for anyone who wants a decent entry-level handset.”

Got a business traveler in your gift circle?  Let them show how cool they are on the road with Microsoft's Arc mouse.  The Arc’s unique, collapsible design saves bag space and secures the wireless receiver.  It is easy to set-up and is almost as functional as its form is pleasing.  About $50.
 
 
 
 
What about keeping in the spirit of our glitzy ski resorts you say?  We want excess – say ‘YES!’ to EXCESS!  Ok, here ya’ go:
 
Gear head and geek?  How about the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 featuring a surprising amount of well-executed tech for what's ostensibly a Detroit muscle car. The 6.1-liter HEMI offers plenty of grunt and performance meters in the instrument clusters track acceleration and grip. Starting at $42,245 – tricked for just over $45K.
                                 
 


More of a club head than a gear head?  How about a Caddie – a Caddie Golf Cart?  For just $14,000, you can get a 2007 Honda Fit. But who needs a real car when, for the same price, you can roll around in the Berline Cadillac Escalade golf cart, fully pimped with 15-inch rims. This chromed-out electric cart tops out at 20 mph and comes equipped with an Alpine CD system!

                                                               Which would you rather have???


Or how about this:  the Fairlight Xynergi Media Production Center – what in the name of St. Nick is that you ask?  Well, as CNET put it:  “You could stick with that plain-old, boring beige keyboard that came with your computer. You could. Or you could step up to the plate, drop $28,000, and get the Fairlight Xynergi Media Production Center. Yes, 28 grand is a ton of cash, but this is more than your average keyboard. Engineered for multimedia professionals, the keyboard comes with its own digital media engine as well. Not only that, but the illuminated keys change functions and what they display based on what program you're using. That's 28-grand worth of fancy.”
 


And finally (with a special thanks again to CNET), what every studio apartment in Aspen or NYC needs.  A stereo speaker system:           
 
              
 
Aperion's Intimus 533-PT speakers are really good. At $1 million, Kharma's Grand Enigma speakers better be good. The Dutch company's higher-than-high-end speakers top HigherFi's list of the world's most expensive speakers, and we're betting they have the sound to match the price. If the system is within your financial means, you'd better hurry up and buy them; there's only one of them in existence.  Just be sure your ‘studio’ is at least 6000 square feet or so….
 
Well whatever your budget, or not, here’s wishing all of you a happy and healthy holiday season from everyone here at Cheers and Jeers!