Gift-giving season cometh. What computer hardware/peripheral would you like?

[cranioscopical]

No, no, no!  I'm not offering to give it to you!

I'm just interested to see members' wish lists.

And, if you can remember, what would you have liked one year ago?

[zridling]

A big fat 8Gb USB stick. Last year? A new laptop for the spouse was required. Fortunately, she's a 'normal' user, ha!

[Edvard]

I've been drooling for an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 ever since they came out.

And a decent video card. srsly. I've been limping along on a Riva TNT2 for about 2-1/2 years now...

[Deozaan]

My wife gave me permission to get a Drobo last year, but I decided not to because it was expensive and she didn't fully realize what it was. (She thought it was a complete computer instead of just for hard drives.)

I'm not sure if this counts since it may not be considered computer hardware/peripheral, but this year I would like a Skype WiFi phone. Specifically, this one: Belkin WiFi Phone. It's like a cell phone but it connects to whatever WiFi internet connection it can so you can take your Skype on the go, and not be stuck with using a headset on your computer all the time. I miss a lot of calls because if I'm not at my computer with my headset on, I won't hear the "ringing" of Skype.

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[mouser]

I got a panasonic electric shaver a while ago which is the first electric shaver i ever liked.  I have not turned back since.  Really surprised me! I love it.  This isn't the exact model, this one is a little nicer:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16896200145


I definitely recommend it if you have the cash -- a very luxurious gift for someone, though it must be said that electric shavers seem to be one of those things that some people like and others don't, so it's a risky gift to get someone. .

[cranioscopical]

I got a panasonic electric shaver a while ago

Glad you liked it, but I was thinking more about computer-related hardware (and should have been more explicit)

[Deozaan]

I got a panasonic electric shaver a while ago

And this doubles as, what, a mouse? 

Maybe it's powered by a USB cable?

[40hz]

Since we're dreaming, I'd like an Edirol UA-101 (or FA-101) Computer Recording Interface.
Ten channels of 24-bit audio goodness. It doesn't get much better than this.

(I wanted one last year - and I'll probably still be wanting one next year too! )


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[cranioscopical]

I got a panasonic electric shaver a while ago

And this doubles as, what, a mouse? 

Maybe it's powered by a USB cable?

Oops!  While you were posting I realized that I was being just too much of a smart-arse and so modified the post 

[cranioscopical]

FWIW I would like what I'd consider to be a top-notch SSD but I'm not sure that such a thing exists quite yet.

I don't think I found any computer hardware that appealed to me at this time last year.

[Deozaan]

Oops!  While you were posting I realized that I was being just too much of a smart-arse and so modified the post 

Heh heh. Caught you red handed/Quoted for truth.

[Edvard]

Since we're dreaming, I'd like an Edirol UA-101 (or FA-101) Computer Recording Interface.
Ten channels of 24-bit audio goodness. It doesn't get much better than this.

How about decent USB audio support on Linux? Would that count as 'better'?

[scancode]

I'd kill mouser for a DM²

It's an USB toy, but it can be converter into a fully working MIDI controller using some hacked drivers.
$20 on eBay, $130 on local stores... OUCH!

Life sucks!

Heh.

[f0dder]

FWIW I would like what I'd consider to be a top-notch SSD but I'm not sure that such a thing exists quite yet.
I don't think I found any computer hardware that appealed to me at this time last year.

I have my hardware needs pretty much covered, so a top-notch SSD is one of the few things I'd like as well. And yes, they do exist - Intel has some preeeeetty sweet drives out:
http://www.intel.com/design/flash/nand/index.htm
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3403
http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/15433/1

...and iirc there was an article a week or so ago about another company launching even faster SSDs - can't find it right now though, and might've been paper launch whereas those intel SSDs should be available now. If you sell your soul, anyway.

[4wd]

...and iirc there was an article a week or so ago about another company launching even faster SSDs - can't find it right now though, and might've been paper launch whereas those intel SSDs should be available now. If you sell your soul, anyway.

Perhaps SanDisk ?

Currently, I'd like a decent 13.3" laptop, nothing too flash but definitely better than the current craze of netbooks.

[Darwin]

...and iirc there was an article a week or so ago about another company launching even faster SSDs - can't find it right now though, and might've been paper launch whereas those intel SSDs should be available now. If you sell your soul, anyway.

I think Samsung announced a next generation SSD recently. Think I read it at Tom's Hardware...

A google search turned this up:
http://gizmodo.com/393198/blazing-samsung-256gb-ssd-is-the-one-weve-been-waiting-for

Thanks, Chris. Now you've got me droolling over this 

[cranioscopical]

Thanks, Chris. Now you've got me droolling over this

  Intel and Hitachi are collaborating, I believe.

[40hz]

Since we're dreaming, I'd like an Edirol UA-101 (or FA-101) Computer Recording Interface.
Ten channels of 24-bit audio goodness. It doesn't get much better than this.

How about decent USB audio support on Linux? Would that count as 'better'?

Yes it would. But I said "since we're dreaming." I didn't say "since we're hallucinating."

P.S. My girlfriend just read your wish for decent USB on NIX. Her comment: "Well...it's good to have a dream."

[allen]

I'm a cheap date. I love the Arc Mouse.

[tranglos]

UPS. The one thing I've been pushing down my shopping list forever. Especially after I read about formatting the batteries, tons of related problems people post about, and realized I didn't understand a thing about it. But if it were a gift, I'd just start using it...

[tranglos]

...or a bigger desk for the puter, with enough room to fit a third monitor... I'd buy the monitor myself, thank you, but I can't be bothered to hand over hard cash for a stupid desk!

[Music_Guy]

USB Hub but that's a little boring. Make it a surround sound system or finally my Mackie HR624 that I'm waiting on for studio monitors. I'd imagine any music and games on that would be too rediculous also.

[Shook]

I'd love to have a new CPU... Really, my current one is the bottleneck of my PC in several games now, GTA IV amongst them. I'm almost certain that it might improve performance in other places as well. (Good god, i know that this can be misread as... You know, but that is not what I'm talking about. >.>)
A new GFX card wouldn't be bad either, though it isn't on the list of top priorities. My GeForce 8800 has served me quite well so far... And if my older brother gets a new one, i can run two 8800's in SLI. And that would, as far as i know, be some pretty darn serious graphical processing power.
It's mostly the CPU that's pressing though, but that will also require a new motherboard, unfortunately. I suppose that's on my list as well then.

[Lashiec]

I'd like an external hard drive for backups. Yeah, that's all I want, I could make the case for more RAM or a new GPU, but I don't really need them right now.

...or a bigger desk for the puter, with enough room to fit a third monitor... I'd buy the monitor myself, thank you, but I can't be bothered to hand over hard cash for a stupid desk!

This. Well, not the third monitor, but a second one and more desk space for it would be useful in certain situations. Alt-tabbing gets maddening after a while.

[SKesselman]

I'm a cheap date. I love the Arc Mouse.
(see attachment in previous post)

I think I've got you beat on this one.
I want to replace a peripheral, my $500 POS HTC Touch Dual, with a non-peripheral
that being a $20 camera phone (already have replaced the camera this week)