As the holidays approach, I thought it would be a great time to share the tech gadgets I have on my wish list this season.  This list is a collection of the gifts I hope my family, friends and readers are generous enough to send my way this holiday season and an assortment of great gifts for the technophile in your life.

Jonathan’s Top 10 (in no particular order)
Computing: Apple MacBook Air
$1800-$2500
http://www.apple.com/macbookair/
Since I rarely get the opportunity to sit at my own desk and always seem to be lugging a 15-inch laptop around, my shoulders are sore and drooping. If someone buys me this, it will reduce my bills from the chiropractor.  The MacBook Air, newly updated to include more cache, faster RAM, a larger hard drive and 4x improved video performance, has not put on any weight.  Still just as thin as the original, the MacBook Air now has enough getup-and-go to make it an impressive business tool.

Apple MacBook Air

Phone: Blackberry Storm
$199 (with contract)
http://www.blackberry.com/blackberrystorm/
This phone has been on my radar for some time. The Blackberry Storm, exclusively from Verizon, is RIM’s stab at the iPhone and the first touch-screen Blackberry.  I was going to blindly recommend this phone, but Mark Farnan with Strategists, LLC managed to get one in my hands before its release. RIM’s solid track record of great hardware combined with the secure, stable and easy-to-use BlackBerry operating system continues with the Storm. It has an amazing feel and design, and includes a multi-touch display, instead of touch sensitive; though late to the game, it is clear RIM learned from other manufacturers’ failed attempts at iPhone killers.  Released on Nov. 21, the Storm is the first iPhone competitor I have seen that actually competes.

Blackberry Storm

Productivity: Pulse Smartpen 1GB/2GB
$150-$200
http://www.livescribe.com/
As digital as I am, I still love my Moleskine. But, then, I still have all the issues associated with taking notes.  I don’t write everything down that turns out to be important; I don’t remember who’s phone number I wrote down; I don’t remember why I wrote something; I cannot share my notes; I have to retype my notes. The list is endless. That’s where the Pulse Smartpen comes in. Just updated to work on Mac and Windows, I can record as I write. If I forget why I wrote something or need to rehear my conversation, I just tap on the text with the Pulse and it plays back.  Then through the Pulse, I can upload my writings and audio to my computer, search my written text, listen to the audio, and organize my pages, print, PDF, and share my notes publicly or privately.  The only drawback is the LiveScribe dot paper required for the Pulse to record your writing.  However, LiveScribe sells notebooks, Moleskine-like journals, and the paper can now be printed at home.

Home: LG BD300
$350
http://us.lge.com/bluray/
Since Blu-ray won the HD war, I finally feel comfortable actually getting a player, and, with my occasional need for instant gratification and all the new Netflix streaming devices, I want one of those too. But now, I will have a DVD player, Netflix streamer and Blu-ray player, and I really hate cables and all the space that clutter under my TV. Enter the LG BD300.  One device that plays Blu-ray at full 1080p, upscales my regular DVD to near HD and instantly streams my Netflix queue to my TV.

Play: BUG
$349-$629
http://www.buglabs.net/
A toy for nerds, BUG is where programming and LEGOS meet.  A PDA-sized Linux computer with attachable modules to add a screen, a GPS, a camera and a motion sensor.  With modules attached it can be programmed to do anything from Geocaching (http://www.geocaching.com/) to taking photos when it senses movement.  It is great toy for experienced programmers and a great learning tool for people interested in programming.

Computing: MacBook
$1300-$1500
http://www.apple.com/macbook
Just updated and made from a single piece of milled aluminum, the MacBook is the perfect blend of power and size. Larger in size, the MacBook is much more powerful than the Air, but similar in capability to the more expensive MacBook Pro. It is a professional machine at a consumer price.

MacBook

Productivity: Peek
$80, plus $20 per month
http://www.getpeek.com/
A simple one-use tool, the Peek checks e-mail.  That is all it does, and it does it very well.  The perfect device for the person who needs to access e-mail, but does not need all the hassles associated with smartphones.  Think of it as a Blackberry Light.  Nationwide coverage lets you read and reply to a maximum of three e-mail accounts (gmail, hotmail, yahoo, POP3, etc) for only $20 a month with no contracts.  The Peek lets you check your email while allowing your phone to just be a phone.

Peek

Home: Flip Mino/Flip MinoHD
$180-$230
http://www.theflip.com/
In the time since my Flip Mino review, Flip Video has released the MinoHD, an updated version of the flip featuring a widescreen resolution of 1280×720 pixels.  The MinoHD would be a great gift for anyone also receiving a new flatscreen TV.  Also, the Mino and MinoHD can now be custom designed with images from Flip Video’s gallery, pattern generator or any image or photograph you want to upload.  The flip could be great stocking stuffer for anyone from YouTubing children to spouses also getting a widescreen TV.

Personal: iPod nano 8/16GB
$149/$199
http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/
It will be a sad day when the iPod looses its place on the holiday gift list.  Recently revamped, the new iPod nano stakes its claim by offering a menagerie of colors, increasing the size of the widescreen display and adding an accelerometer that activates Cover Flow when tilted and shuffles your music when the nano is shaken.  The new larger screen is perfect for playing games, sharing photos and watching video.  Though always unnecessary, Apple’s preemptive strike to keep the iPod fresh will no doubt be successful this holiday season.

iPod nano 8/16GB

Play: Pleo
$350
http://www.pleoworld.com/
Remember Furby? Well, meet Pleo. Modeled after a newly hatched Camarasaurus, Pleo is the next generation robotic pet.  State of the art artificial intelligence combined with touch, motion and visual sensors and hundreds of motors gives Pleo emotions and lifelike interactions with its environment.  Pleo starts as a hatchling, and then develops independently; no two Pleos will behave the same.  Very resilient, it is a great gift for any child over the age of eight, gadget lover or family in need of a hypoallergenic pet.  Late and limited release last year made it difficult to get, but now Pleo is available and ships immediately.

Pleo

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