Feeling Blu(-ray)
You could do a lot worse than the LG BD530 Network Blu-ray Disc Player ( www.amazon.com; $69.28)which proves that the prices of these items have definitely decreased over the years, while the players still perform wonderfully. This player supports YouTube streaming, DivX HD, Picasa and BD Live. Even if you don't know that those last items are, you'll appreciate this Blu-ray player.
Say you, say me
Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking ( www.nuance.com: $99) lets you control virtually every aspect of your computer by speaking. Yes, you can actually speak to write e-mails, draft memos, surf the Web, start and close programs, use menus, etc. (And, for Mac users, Dragon recently added Dragon Dictate 2.0 to its product line.) There's no word on if the computer can get you coffee.
Glove love
Reflecting one of the hottest trends of the season, Freehands gloves ( www.freehands.com ) are designed to help people keep in touch by making it easy to use handheld devices without removing gloves in cold weather. A quick flick of the caps exposes the user's thumb and index fingers to text, e-mail and play games.
(Over)stock characters
Overstock ( www.overstock.com ) has been known for years for offering cool items at rock-bottom prices (as well as occasional free shipping)and this year's no exception. The Chinon CH-210 3.5-inch TFT Display Digital Photo Frame Alarm Clock/ FM Radio/ Music Player-4 ($47.99) plays slide shows directly from your camera's SD card, while the Fuji Depot Black Galaxy 15.4-inch Laptop Messenger Bag is a stylish way to carry your computer. Lastly, after a long day, who wouldn't want something like a hand-crafted teak wood foot massager ($33.49) to make life a little bit more bearable?
Feel the noise
Phiaton's PS 20 NC Earphones ( www.phiaton.com; $149) can make that next "L" ride a lot more pleasant because it features noise-cancellation technologytherefore, saving you the displeasure of hearing someone yap on his or her cell phone about how that doctor's visit went. Moreover, the "half in-ear" design provides maximum comfort and delivers carefully balanced bass and treble equalization for enhanced sound quality.