No man is complete without his toys. As you probably know, I’m a gadget freak. I’m a firm believer in how technology can make your life better. Unfortunately, technology also gets old and worn out. Case in point: I don’t understand people who use cell phones from 1994. Mine get all beat up very quickly, so I seem to get a new cell phone every year. I’m unintentionally on the cutting edge. Yeah, baby!

No, I don’t have to get the “latest and greatest.” The latest stuff usually commands a premium price, and there are often features that improve with every successive model. Don’t get me wrong; if money was no object, then I’d be buying stuff left and right. Who wouldn’t? A man can dream, can’t he?

2008 Toyota Highlander Limited

I consider this a toy and a mechanism for conveyance.  It has cool features that I’ve never had before, such as heated seats, AUX jack for my iPod, keyless ignition, remote start, 9 JBL speakers with subwoofer and 6-CD changer.  I know lots of vehicles have these features, but I’ve never had them before, and I’m easy to impress.

Sony 32″ Wega Trinitron

I bought this TV in 1999 after I walked into a PC Richard & Son in New Hyde Park. I saw how amazing A Bug’s Life looked on it, and I just fell in love. I’m waiting to get a plasma flat panel TV one day, but this is it for now.

Onkyo HT-s767c Home Theater System

Found something in my price range that had good reviews on C|Net. It’s a Onkyo 750-watt 6.1 surround box system:

• 6-disc DVD player
• A/V receiver supporting 6.1 DTS-EX surround sound
• 2 large front speakers
• 2 good-sized surround speakers
• 1 large center speaker
• 1 good-sized rear speaker (6 speakers so far!)
• the largest subwoofer I’ve ever seen

Tivo 80-hour Series 2 Dual-Tuner DVR

When our previous Series 2 Tivo died in June 2007, we went out and bought this bad boy. The remote works (always a plus), and it has dual tuners, so we can record two programs at the same time. Ah yes, my wife and I can stop fighting now.

RIM BlackBerry Bold

True to form, my last phone disintegrated into dust in my hands.  Am I just flowing with Dark Side energy?  My latest phone is the BlackBerry Bold, released in June 2008 here in the States.  The phone has the latest-and-greatest features for smartphones.  While it doesn’t have a touchscreen, it does offer:

• screen is VGA 480 x 320 pixels, 65K Color TFT
• HSDPA 3G
• updated BB 4.6 OS
• 802.11 b/g
• improved email (HTML)
• 2 megapixel camera
• supports MP3 +AAC + eAAC+. EAAC+ WMA, WAV
• Internal memory storage of 128 MB ROM, 1 GB onboard storage
• Bluetooth® technology v2.0

Dell Dimension 8400

After four years of slugging it out with my previous 1.6 Ghz Dell Dimension, I finally got a new computer in March 2005. I stuck with Dell, since I think they make quality products. Here are the quick specs:

• P4 3.6Ghz
• 3 GB RAM
• 250 GB hard drive
• 300 GB backup internal hard drive
• DVD-RW drive
• 256 Mb Geforce 6800 video card

Dell Ultrasharp 1905FP LCD

In March 2005, along with my new PC, I upgraded to a 19″ LCD monitor. Having built-in USB 2.0 ports is just a plus.

Logitech Z-5300

280 watts, THX-rated. These are great computer speakers.

Logitech Cordless Duo MX

I love this keyboard and mouse. I don’t have to tug and pull on any mouse or keyboard cords, and there are so many useful buttons.

HP LaserJet 1300n

Sick of inkjets that wear out in 3 months, we opted for a laser printer. Faster, stronger, better, and not as expensive as they used to be. We opted for the 1300n model, which came with a network card. Why? Because, being networked to the home LAN means anyone can plug into the network and independently print from anywhere in the house. She loves it. None of this Microsoft Windows Printer Sharing crap.

• Up to 1,200 x 1,200 dpi resolution
• Up to 20 ppm print speed
• 16 MB standard memory, expandable to 80 MB
• First page in just 8 seconds
• USB and parallel interfaces, optional networking

Apple iPod 16 GB Touch

This was a gift to replace my original 20 Gb Generation 3 iPod (my replacement also died). The Touch is pretty neat, I must say, but it has a tendency to act a little kooky, technically-speaking. After a few restores, and a trip to the Apple store, it seems to be working fairly well. The App Store, the ability to play video, use Facebook, check the weather…. the list goes on.

Canon Powershot S80

After our Sony DSC-P71 became too unusable, we plunked down some hard-earned, er, Best Buy gift cards to get a new digital camera. 8 megapixels, great auto and manual features, and easy to use. I picked up a 1 GB SD card as well. We couldn’t be more pleased.

Panasonic PV-GS250

I’ve never owned a camcorder before. Perfect for those “children learning to ride a cat” home movies.

It’s 3CCD, 10x optical zoom, Mini DV, IEEE and USB 2.0. Decent interface, and a nice sized LCD. Now if I could only use it more regularly.

Fuji Finest-AL

I didn’t learn how to ride a bike for many years, but then I learned by accident. I first got a BMX bike in 1985, and had a blast. Later, I graduated to a 10-speed bike in 6th grade, and I would bike everywhere.

After all these years, I really missed the feel of the wind in my face. In October 2002, I bought a new Fuji bike with an aluminum frame. I’ve been upgrading it since 2002, as I’ve added clipless pedals, a cushy seat, a cyclocomputer, frame pump, and a seat wedge.

Garmin nuvi 660

I’ve wanted a GPS device for a very long while now, but I couldn’t get myself to commit the generally high prices. Sure, I could have purchased one of the cheap $200 models, but come on. Slow screen redraws, no text-to-speech, no emergency Snickers hideaway space? No, not good enough. In April 2008, my wife got me the Garmin nuvi 660 for my birthday, ending the long debate. Widescreen 4.3″ screen, built-in traffic receiver (first 3 months of traffic subscription free), removeable nunchuks, any many other nice features. Did I mention the nunchuks?

Motorola HS820

One of the beauties of Bluetooth wireless headsets — I can leave the cellphone in the living room, and make phone calls while sitting in the bathroom. Yeah, now you’re wondering where I am when I’m speaking to you on the phone, aren’t you?

Logitech Procam 4000

I’ve always been intrigued by webcams, but now that I own one…..  why can’t we stream more frames per second?  It’s 2008 already.  Ah well, it’s good, it’s decent, I use it only rarely.  I don’t know many people who have one.

Apple Airport Express

We purchased the Airport Express with Airtunes. It has many functions, but our primary use is to wirelessly stream music from iTunes to the living room speakers.

Shure SE-210

Looking for a better portable music experience, I was on the hunt for something affordable.  The Shure SE-210 in-ear headphones were a mix of quality and price.  They take some getting used to, and you need to use the sleeves that best fit your ear canals, but they output your music with excellent clarity.

80 GB Sony PlayStation 3

My first console system since our 8-bit NES in the late 1980’s, so we’ve come a long away.  Cell processor, wireless controllers, 802.11 b/g wireless networking, Blu-ray, and the ability to watch streaming video.  It’s also beautiful to behold.