Geek lovers' Top 10 holiday wish list

1. The gift of digital music ($10 and up)
The beauty of this gift isthat you don't have pick out a CD at your local mall. The recipients decidewhat they want. Whether you want to make a one-time purchase for someone or giveyour kids $10 worth of music per month without setting up a credit card-enablediTunes account for them,  Apple's Music store makes it possible. To set up acredit card-free iTunes account, use Apple's allowancefeature. (Make sure iTunesis downloaded and installed first and that you have your own iTunes account.)Pick any allowance level (for example $10 per month). Then, if you don’t wantthem to automatically get a fixed credit per month for free music,  immediatelycancel the periodic allowance. The result is an allowance-based iTunes accountwithout any allowance established. Now, to buy your kids some music on a one-timebasis, just buy them a giftcertificate (they come in increments of $10). Or, if you just want to buysomeone some music, you can get them an iTunesMusic Store Card.

2. Shield those legs (and fertility) from crispy notebooks ($29.95)
Just last week, a study by StateUniversity of New York researchers concluded that the heat generated by laptopscan significantly elevate the temperature of the scrotum, potentially puttingsperm count at risk. But did they tell us notebook users something that wedidn't already know -- that notebook computers can get hot enough to fry yourhoney's legs off? So, regardless of gender, LapWorks’ LapTop Desk isone gift that your significant other is bound to love. Not only does the LapTopDesk offer a variety of positions that will suit any user, but it even makes iteasier to work with a notebook computer while lying in bed. Best of all, whenfolded up, it's super light and thin which means it doesn't add much additionalweight to your favorite geek's computer bag. LapWorks has two models -- Version2.0 and the newer Ultralight. The Ultralight is lighter and thinner thanVersion 2.0 (which I wroteabout more than two years ago), but it's also not as sturdy. Even though I haveboth, I still prefer the older "version 2.0.".

3. RAMcharge his or her memory ($50 and up)
Is someone you know alwayscomplaining about how slow their system is? Sometimes, a little extra randomaccess memory (RAM) will do the trick. Thanks to some extra RAM, several of mycomputers that were designed to run Windows 98 are running Windows XP or recentversions of Linux without breaking a sweat. Even your favorite Mac addict willappreciate some extra RAM, especially if they're upgrading to one of the newerversion of Mac OS X. Hint: Unless you know exactly what you're doing, call yourlocal computer store and ask for advice on what type and amount of RAM wouldmake the most sense.

4.  2004 -- Year of the Digital SLR ($899 and up)
Until recently, getting thebenefits of a digital camera (e.g.: look ma, no film!) combined  with thebenefits of a single lens reflex camera’s (choice of films, aperture settings,and shutter speeds, not to mention "what you see is what you get"), would setyou back many thousands of dollars. But now, things are changing.

Although the prices can only go down from here, my wife and I finally bit thebullet this year and bought a digital SLR camera as our Christmas gift to eachother. After taking some incredible pictures with a D70 that was loaned to mefor testing by Nikon, and after playing around with a friend’s Canon EOSDigital Rebel (the D70's leading competitor), the D70 took our hearts, and ourmoney. That's not to say that you wouldn't be satisfied with the EOS. Althoughthe D70 has a few features that my Digital Rebel-toting friend was jealous of,he has no regrets about owning his Digital Rebel. What sealed the deal for mywife and I was the ability to re-use all of the lenses that we had purchasedfor her old Nikon N70 35 mm SLR.

Indoors, the camera produced equally beautiful photographs and they only gotbetter when I set up Nikon's SB800 speed flash. Sure, like any flash, the SB800can be mounted directly on the camera. But why bother? It's wireless. If yoursignificant other already has a D70, then the SB800 makes for the perfectcompanion. If not, and you’re ready to take a deep plunge into your bankaccount for a Christmas gift, Nikon is offering a $100 rebate. We picked RitzCamera.comas our source. For $1,200(after rebate), you get the D70 with the same Nikkor lens (the 18-70mm AF-SDX f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED) that Nikon packages with the D70 when it's sold as abody/lens kit (Ritz sells the camera without the lens for $999(before rebate) which is also a great deal).  In the New Year, I’ll write up afull review of the D70 (especially now that we own one).

5. When the SLR doesn't fit ($220)
Almost two years ago, Iwrote a story (see Desperatelyseeking digital camera nirvana) that reflected my need for a digitalcamera, as well as my hesitance to buy one. My angst was traceable to the waydifferent camera types were pulling me in different directions. Should I go forbroke and get the incredibly versatile but bulky digital SLR? Or should I buy acamera less capable but small enough that I could carry it with me at alltimes -- and never miss a shot? Or, should I find a compromise camera with muchof the flexibility and versatility (but not all) found in a digital SLR in apackage that's small, but not so small that you can always have it with you inyour shirt pocket?

Where did I end up? (And where should you if you're looking for a gift forsomeone that doesn't want to miss any photo opportunity?) The KonicaMinolta Dimage Xg is the successor to the model  Xt that  I bought a yearand half ago and am extremely happy with.  At .79 inches thick and less than 5ounces, not only is the Xg tiny enough to fit in any pocket, but thiscamera is surprisingly versatilefor something so small. Inside the tiny package is a 3.2 megapixel stillimage/movie camera that contains a unique periscope-like 3x optical zoommechanism that doesn't require a protruding lens.

Ultimately, the route I tookto  outfitting the family with digital cameras (one digital SLR, onepocket-sized point-and-shoot) wasn't cheap. But, having the option to take thestunning photos that an SLR is capable of, while also having the option to packa camera when I have nothing with me for holding a camera but a shirt pocket isa decision we are not regretting one bit.

6. Prestone for a Notebook ($29.99)
Does your favorite notebookowner complain about how the fan in their notebook keeps turning on in order tocool off the system? A fellow PowerBook owner turned me on to MacMice's iBreeze and said itwas a must have. Since I don't have one yet, it's on my wish list. It'salready endorsed by someone I trust, so rather than re-wordsmith a descriptionof it, here's MacMice's:

"This is a product with just the right design features to satisfy eventhe most discerning Apple computer fan. Instead of using one large, loud fan,the iBreeze uses two small (60mm), fans, each operating at less than one-halftheir maximum rated speed. The iBreeze is a bit quieter than your internalPowerbook or iBook fan. And, as clutter is very inelegant, the iBreeze gets itspower not from an ugly wall transformer, but directly from the USB port of theconnected Powerbook. Not only that, but there's a female USB passthrough porton the iBreeze, so you don't even have to lose one of your precious USB ports.Any (low-power) USB device can simply be plugged into the rear of theiBreeze.".

I'm fairly certain that this would be just as helpful to someone using anIntel-based notebook-cum-hot plate (for Windows or Linux). Feel free to commentbelow if you can think of a reason why it wouldn't.

7. All your pictures tell a story (free)
 Whoever said cool stuffdoesn't come from Microsoft's Labs probably never saw the company's Photo Storytechnology. I first saw Photo Story -- one of Microsoft's best kept secrets --when Microsoft's Mobile Windows team was on the road demonstrating the latestgreatest version of its PocketPC operating system. There, on one of their demounits (an HP iPaq), a team member showed me how he had turned a bunch of hisdigital photos into a slide show with music, narration, and special effects. Asit turns out, Photo Story gets authored on a Windows PC, and can be e-mailedto-and-from and viewed on other Windows PCs. But they can also be synched upwith a Pocket PC.

Originally, Photo Storycould only be had with Microsoft's Plus! Digital Media Edition ($19.95). Plus!DME had some cool extras (like Windows Media Player skins). But it's probablynot worth the splurge now that Photo Story 3 can be downloadedfor free. So, if your budget is strapped, here's what to do. Download PhotoStory 3 and create some great Photo Stories that your loved ones willappreciate. Then burn the stories, as well as the download, onto a CD and giveout the CD. Your friends and family will not only love the stories, but they'llalso be able to reciprocate by authoring their own stories and sending them toyou.

8. Gale force winds in a can ($5)
Looking for the perfectstocking stuffer? Look no further than your local office supplies store whereyou'll find something that no computer user should be without -- a can of compressedair. I went almost 20 years without ever owning a can of this stuff andthen, a few weeks ago, I picked up a can to clean out my notebook's keyboard. Inever realized how dirty my keyboards and displays were until I cleaned themall with a shot of wind. Now I'm addicted. While it's not exactly the gift thatsays I love you, it's one of those practical gifts that fits perfectly into alow budget (or a stocking) and that no geek should be without.

9. 5.8 GHz Cordless Phone ($22 and up)
If you've got a favoritegeek, chances are that he or she has already gone wireless with a Wi-Fi setupfor their computers' Internet connection. But, because 802.11b and 802.11gWi-Fi products (the majority of the installed base)  use the 2.4 GHz frequencyto communicate, they can conflict with the oft-used 2.4 GHz cordless phones.The result? In my experience, if there's crackle of noise on the Wi-Fi network,it just tries again. But, if the Wi-Fi network interferes with the cordlessphone, the cordless phone may simply disconnect. The best way to prevent thisfrom happening is to get a cordless phone that doesn't use the same frequencyas the Wi-Fi network.

10. You can dress him up, but... ($40 and up)
 When ScottEVest came outwith its first garment for the geek on the go -- a vest that holds MP3 players,PDAs, large documents, phones, and other electronic accessories while hidingall the wires in concealed "channels" -- the company may have definedthe category of road warrior-ware. But the vest (which hassince been updated) was not the sort of garment that could be worn all thetime, to all occasions. Since that time, however, the company has come out witheverything from sport jacketsto neck tiesto slacksthat do what the original vest did -- they allow your favorite geek to go justabout anywhere with all of their mobile gear and look stylish too. On mypersonal wish list is the $40 TEC Windshirt.

You can write to me at david.berlind@cnet.com. If you're looking for my commentaries on other IT topics, check my blog Between the Lines.