So, What Do YOU Want This Holiday?

[Janak Parekh]

In theory, the gifts are purchased and wrapped, right? And if they're not, either you're not celebrating a holiday this week, or you're supposed to be out there right now beating back the crowds. :lol: So, now comes the fun part, guessing what you're getting... and what you'd like.<br /><br />I'll start. I know for a fact that I'm not getting this, as it's not yet available in the US and expensive to import... but, still, I want one: the new <a href="http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/PCG-X505/index.html">Sony PCG-X505</a>. Yes, I know it's a Sony, but bear with me: this demure little laptop is under 2 pounds, about half-an-inch thick, and still packs in a full keyboard and a 10.4" screen, which is critical for usability when doing complex tasks; anything smaller and I'd rather use my Pocket PC. (Click for a larger picture...)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20031223-SonyPCGX505-full.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20031223-SonyPCGX505.jpg" /></a><br /><br />And the best part? They had to forego the internal Memory Stick reader because of a lack of space... so I can buy it with my conscience intact. ;) But not my wallet: Dynamism <a href="http://www.dynamism.com/x505/">sells it</a> for $3,499 and up. :cry: I'll wait for it to officially come to these shores. Our pal pt, in the meantime, had the opportunity to <a href="http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/010993.php">take pictures of the unit</a> for Gizmodo.<br /><br />Now, it's your turn. Tell us what you want! It doesn't have to be electronics... but electronics are fun to drool over. I want pictures too! Maybe... <a href="http://products.jacuzzi.com/nd/WpbProdInfo.d2w/DETAIL?&PG=La%20Scala">this jacuzzi with a built-in 43" LCD screen</a>?

[shawnc]

Ipaq 4155.......AND the good fortune to get it to work with my 802.11g home network. My wife already got the 4155, just waitin for the opportunity to put it on the road (about 5 more hours to go).

Sorry.....no pic's. Happy Holidays :D :) !

[BTS]

I would love to have a keyboard for my Toshiba e750. Let's hope my wife got the hint (all the swearing trying to write an e-mail with Transcriber!). :)

I would also love an iPod or RCA Lyra. Mind you I received a 128 MB CF card from a friend last night. I'm enjoying my tunes as we speak!

[yawanag]

Me? I'm waiting for the XDA II to hit US soil. I check everyday even though I've read that it probably won't be in the US until late 2004. I'm praying that they'll move that time up. Actually, I was hoping for Christmas but that doesn't seem likely.

[Pat Logsdon]

I really only want two things this Christmas (that I have a chance of getting, that is!):

A new desk (http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/addtionalImage.asp?pageID=307). I bit the bullet and decided to ask for a very nice desk to put all of my gadgets on, instead of a new gadget to put on the old cluttered desk. I am thinking of the future, you see, as this new desk has more surface area for more gadgetry. :mrgreen:

Creative I-Trigue 2.1 speakers (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007AKC1/ref=pd_sbs_vg_1/102-0840630-8502515?v=glance&s=videogames&n=507846). Right now I'm using a Frankensteinian fusion of an old Sony "boombox" stereo body and two old Fisher speakers from another old stereo. They're very loud, and the sound is nice, but the whole set-up consumes half of my desk space. Time for something a bit smaller and up-to-date.

[bkerrins]

I certainly agree with Janak about Sony and their silly memory stick. The laptop looks cool, but what I really want is a new job. Our department is moving to Canada and I'm staying in the Bay Area.

[Jeff Song]

I would personally like to get the XDA II as well. However, by the time that comes to the US, I bet the ipaq PPCPE will be out, and I'd opt for that one instead (accessories for ipaq I have already).

[shawnc]

I bit the bullet and decided to ask for a very nice desk to put all of my gadgets on, instead of a new gadget to put on the old cluttered desk. I am thinking of the future, you see, as this new desk has more surface area for more gadgetry. :mrgreen:

SS,

Nice strategy. An empty desk gives the illusion of fewer gadgets whereas a full desk......well, you get the picture. I may have to try that in 2004 :wink: .

[ZiL]

I got my gift 4 weeks ago :D, I couldnt wait more working with out it. It's a Dell Latitude X300 and Im pretty happy with it. It weight's only 3 lbs and is 0.8" when it's closed. Icludes all the goodies I could want for and more, tripple band WiFi a/b/g, BlueTooth, usb 2.0, FireWire, no obsoleete ports! (lpt, serials, ps2 are gone for good) and it has a built in SDCard reader :twisted: (that was the click to buy it). In terms of specs it's a Pentium Centrino 1.2ghz low voltage, 60gb HD :twisted: 640MB ram. I got it with the external cdrw/dvd combo drive (I dont use optical media often) 2 standar batteries (2 hours max) with an extended battery (5 hours max). I also bougth an incase bag made for iBook 12" but the X300 fits on it perfectly. It's a really quality bag.


Here some photos of it from a review I read before buy it at anandtech.com:
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/system/laptop/Dell/LatitudeX300/system_open_sm.jpg

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/system/laptop/Dell/LatitudeX300/system_front_sm.jpg

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/system/laptop/Dell/LatitudeX300/system_left_sm.jpg

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/system/laptop/Dell/LatitudeX300/system_back_sm.jpg

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/system/laptop/Dell/LatitudeX300/system_right_sm.jpg

http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/system/laptop/Dell/LatitudeX300/system_top_sm.jpg

InCase Laptop Bag:

http://www.goincase.com/images/DetailLaptopPackMoyaOvervie.jpg

Now Im waiting for my wallet to get well again so I can buy the iPaq h4155, The lack of wireless in My h1910 is gettin me mad :evil:

Happy christmas to all PPCT readers!!! :)

[arnage2]

ive got my 4155, ill have a zodiac1 tomorrow. I really want a fujitsu lifebook p5000(d) its bad ass small and very powerfull. I also want a Techart porsche 911 gt2. For a cool $250,000+. My dad said that we can aford a quarter million dollar car.

[Paul P]

Yes, I know it's a Sony, but bear with me: this demure little laptop is under 2 pounds, about half-an-inch thick, and still packs in a full keyboard and a 10.4" screen, which is critical for usability when doing complex tasks; anything smaller and I'd rather use my Pocket PC.

And it's fanless too. Still trying to figure out that one.

[Deslock]

I'm a big fan of small, lightweight laptops, and that Sony is some-tasty. But IMHO the Panasonic W2 is still the king. It weighs more and is a little thicker, but it has a bigger screen, bigger keyboard with more travel, internal CDRW/DVD, and 7-hour-battery life (as well as SD-slot, 802.11b, etc). Well worth carrying around an extra 1.1 pounds (W2 is still a featherweight at 2.8 pounds). And it's ~$2000.

Personally, I have enough toys and all I want for Christmas is good health and happiness for all... though I wouldn't mind Santa bringing a Canon EOS Rebel digicam or a bluetooth GPS :mrgreen:

[Janak Parekh]

I'm a big fan of small, lightweight laptops, and that Sony is some-tasty. But IMHO the Panasonic W2 is still the king. It weighs more and is a little thicker, but it has a bigger screen, bigger keyboard with more travel, internal CDRW/DVD, and 7-hour-battery life (as well as SD-slot, 802.11b, etc). Well worth carrying around an extra 1.1 pounds (W2 is still a featherweight at 2.8 pounds). And it's ~$2000.
Yup, that one has caught my eye too... although, in my case, smaller is better, as I sometimes need to drag the unit around NYC, and even a ~ 3lb laptop gets heavy after a while. I carried a Sony SR17K for a couple years, and I gave it up, even though it was 2.9 lbs.

Personally, I have enough toys and all I want for Christmas is good health and happiness for all... though I wouldn't mind Santa bringing a Canon EOS Rebel digicam or a bluetooth GPS :mrgreen:
But of course. ;)

--janak

[jonlien2003]

IMHO, the best lightweight laptop is the Toshiba Portege R100. It is available now in the US.

[Janak Parekh]

IMHO, the best lightweight laptop is the Toshiba Portege R100. It is available now in the US.
Ooooooo. 8O This one is new. I still want sub-2lbs, but this might be close enough... and a 12" display. My only nit: only 1024x768. What were they thinking? ;)

Choices, choices. :lol:

--janak

[miterb]

Having suffered through the worst of the trials with my Toshiba e-740 I would still like to upgrade to the e-805 and its VGA screen. I read a lot in bed and the better screen would be a great addition and I would still have my wireless to get e-mail in the middle of the night.

Too bad I still have 8 months to go on the extended warranty I bought. Maybe early in 2005 I can upgrade.

Brad

[Gator5000e]

I want the new Samsung 63" HD Plasma TV. :mrgreen: Ok, so it isn't a pocket pc. I can wish, right and it is technology.

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

[dmy]

Why wait since you can get as-good today for a heck of a lot less cash. Check out the Sharp Actius MM10 (http://www.sharpsystems.com/products/pc_notebooks/actius/mm/10/). all of .52 inches thick, 2.1 pounds, Transmeta CPU, 512Mb RAM, 15Gb hard disk, 10.5inch display and a full size (and comfortable) keyboard. Oh.... and a solid 9 hours on the battery.

I'm eyeing one at the local Fry's and Micro-center.... $1300

Cheers,
D.

[Thinkingmandavid]

janak, that jacuzzi is the bomb! of course I do not ever see myself being able to afford it. wow, just imagine being able to watch tv at anytime, by yourself, with someone else,etc.

Surgicalsnack, that desk is a little small for me. I need a lot of space to do my studying for grad school. Actually, I have always liked a lot of space of desks. The clutter just gets to me.

Zil, that dell x300 is cool looking, sounds to me not a bad deal for the price. ARnage2 is referred to a company that I just love and that is FUJITSU! I have been wanting one of their ppc's but have not been able to afford one. I have had one of their laptops and just loved it. I am curretnly using a sony vaio :roll: and can not stand this thing. ONe day when I have the money I am going to buy a couple of FUjitsu's.

miterb, let us know how it turns out for you on that e805. I am currently using a toshiba e355 but will soon be upgrading to a 2215 it looks like.

For christmas? I do not know. My girl friend with me :D

[SassKwatch]

I'll start. I know for a fact that I'm not getting this, as it's not yet available in the US and expensive to import... but, still, I want one: the new Sony PCG-X505 (http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/PCG-X505/index.html). Yes, I know it's a Sony....
Have you looked at the Fujitsu P1xxx (http://webshop.fujitsupc.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=P1) series devices. I support 25 of these things at work. With the extended life battery and Crusoe processor, these are turning out to be great little units for our purposes....a SQL based application. A little thicker than the Sony and a *little* heavier, but not much. If there is a downside , it's the keyboard. Not too small, but not quite full-sized either...the keys are just small enough that us fat-fingered typists take a bit getting used to it. Very attractively priced compared to other sub-notebooks. IMO, Fujitsu's entire notebok lineup is well worth taking a look at.

As for myself, I actually went to the La-Z-Boy site a couple weeks ago to see if they were still offering the ethernet enabled recliner. Alas, it seems the answer is no. Should have jumped on it a couple yr ago when they first came out. Of course, with WiFi already in the crib, I guess a hard-wired chair would be kinda obsolete. :)

[Janak Parekh]

Why wait since you can get as-good today for a heck of a lot less cash. Check out the Sharp Actius MM10 (http://www.sharpsystems.com/products/pc_notebooks/actius/mm/10/). all of .52 inches thick, 2.1 pounds, Transmeta CPU, 512Mb RAM, 15Gb hard disk, 10.5inch display and a full size (and comfortable) keyboard. Oh.... and a solid 9 hours on the battery.
Single reason: you can't get more than 256MB on it. :( I was ready to buy it -- in fact, we talked about it on PPCT -- but that's not enough, especially when I'm programming. The cradle is an especially nice touch, too.

Have you looked at the Fujitsu P1xxx series devices. I support 25 of these things at work. With the extended life battery and Crusoe processor, these are turning out to be great little units for our purposes....a SQL based application. A little thicker than the Sony and a *little* heavier, but not much. If there is a downside , it's the keyboard. Not too small, but not quite full-sized either...the keys are just small enough that us fat-fingered typists take a bit getting used to it. Very attractively priced compared to other sub-notebooks. IMO, Fujitsu's entire notebok lineup is well worth taking a look at.
I saw them at CeBIT, and they are indeed cute, but a little too small for what I want. 1024x600 is a little too tight and the print was rather small. Plus, it also has max 256MB. :( But yes, the Fujitsu notebooks are indeed quite nice overall.

--janak

[SassKwatch]

I saw them at CeBIT, and they are indeed cute, but a little too small for what I want. 1024x600 is a little too tight and the print was rather small. Plus, it also has max 256MB. :( But yes, the Fujitsu notebooks are indeed quite nice overall.

Ahh...., if you're wanting to sling some code, then yeah, I guess these would fall a bit short of your needs. The small print thing is easily remedied though by installing the standard 'large' fonts. That's made all the diff in the world for our users.

[Janak Parekh]

Ahh...., if you're wanting to sling some code, then yeah, I guess these would fall a bit short of your needs. The small print thing is easily remedied though by installing the standard 'large' fonts. That's made all the diff in the world for our users.
Interesting. However, I generally avoid increasing fontsizes on my machines -- I've got too much going on. This is the same reason I held off the Sony Picturebooks a few years ago -- I like the "full" screen laptops... but yes, I could see it as immensely practical for people that demand size over functionality.

--janak

[notesguy88]

The iPAQ 4155 looks good for me, however I'm still happy with my iPAQ 3970 and using the Sandisk Wifi SD card. For now, I'm contemplating getting one of those Tablet PCs.

[Elad Yakobowicz]

"I want a BB gun"

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid"

- A Christmas Story

[dmy]

Single reason: you can't get more than 256MB on it. :( I was ready to buy it -- in fact, we talked about it on PPCT -- but that's not enough, especially when I'm programming. The cradle is an especially nice touch, too.
--janak

Yeah... the memory isn't stopping me so much as the graphics.... I'm in the market for a new Laptop for my wife, and I'm leaning to a Dell 8600. Not small and light by any means.... but that 15" wide-screen display keeps calling me.... and it'll be an at-home machine desktop replacement.

I'm lobbying for a new one for me too... and I'm gravitating more and more to the Sony Vaio V505DX. It's still light (at about 4lbs) and it's got DX9 capable graphics.... which for me would be a must-have..... if I can't get the company to buy me one, I'll go for the Sharp. I'll trade a little more weight for a DX9 capable system.... but that's the only thing I'd trade it for. (20K air miles over the past 2.5 months will do that to you).

D.

[Jon Westfall]

Peace on earth, good will toward men, an end to starvation worldwide, and....



http://www.cadillac.com/images/models/xlr/gallery/photoExt1_med.jpg (http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/models/gallery.jsp?model=xlr)

Are all I want for Christmas this year. Only 4 small requests. I mean the XLR is only $77,000.

Well, I can dream can't I?

[Kati Compton]

"I want a BB gun"

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid"

- A Christmas Story

Now, it's not just ANY BB gun. It's an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle....

[dean_shan]

Peace on earth, good will toward men, an end to starvation worldwide, and....



http://www.cadillac.com/images/models/xlr/gallery/photoExt1_med.jpg (http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/models/gallery.jsp?model=xlr)

Are all I want for Christmas this year. Only 4 small requests. I mean the XLR is only $77,000.

Well, I can dream can't I?

:drool:

[Jonathan1]

Screw a computer. I got a Select Comfort 5000 for X-mas. God know I've needed a new bed for a long time. The "BOWL" has needed to be chucked for a long time.

[ctmagnus]

Personally, I'm not particularly fond of mass-receiving (birthdays, Christmas, etc) so all I really want is Peace on Earth and goodwill towards all.

[Elad Yakobowicz]

Peace on earth, good will toward men, an end to starvation worldwide, and....



http://www.cadillac.com/images/models/xlr/gallery/photoExt1_med.jpg (http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/models/gallery.jsp?model=xlr)

Are all I want for Christmas this year. Only 4 small requests. I mean the XLR is only $77,000.

Well, I can dream can't I?

She's a beaut. Reminds me of the car I tried driving yesterday - Honda (S one million?) - and failed miserably at... that tricky stick-shift.

[tsb_hcy]

No thanks, I want a 19" screen on my laptop. 8)

[ricksfiona]

SPV e200. I'm struggling with my Nokia xxxx with a two-color LCD, no bluetooth, no GPRS! Help!!!

[bjornkeizers]

I only have a small wish this year: the $100 Aliens Quadrilogy DVD boxset! And I'm getting it too, seeing as how it's the only thing on my list :D

[rlobrecht]

"I want a BB gun"

"You'll shoot your eye out, kid"

- A Christmas Story

Now, it's not just ANY BB gun. It's an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle....

with a compass in the stock.

[beq]

Screw a computer. I got a Select Comfort 5000 for X-mas. God know I've needed a new bed for a long time. The "BOWL" has needed to be chucked for a long time.
I always fall for those commercial claims, so a few years back I couldn't decide between Select Comfort or Tempur-Pedic, finally got the former for the beds and the latter for pillows, pillowtop, etc :mrgreen:

[mrkablooey]

Screw a computer. I got a Select Comfort 5000 for X-mas. God know I've needed a new bed for a long time. The "BOWL" has needed to be chucked for a long time.
I always fall for those commercial claims, so a few years back I couldn't decide between Select Comfort or Tempur-Pedic, finally got the former for the beds and the latter for pillows, pillowtop, etc :mrgreen:

How has it worked out? Our "bowl" needs replacing soon, too. Maybe this will be a topic for the OFF-TOPIC forums. ;) Not sure whether SC or TP will be "better".

[konfoo]

A Sony U101

http://www.dynamism.com/u101/full/table.jpg

is what I got myself for xmas (well my birthday actually, which is damn close) ;-) Its about the size of 2 DVD cases stacked on top of each other, and worth every damn penny I spent on it.

[Kati Compton]

Yes - those U101's are VERY cute. Unfortunately, I can't figure out a way to justify getting one for myself. ;)

[Janak Parekh]

A Sony U101
It's indeed very cute, but what's interesting is that the full laptop I mentioned weighs the same as the U101... ;)

--janak