By Winda Benedetti, contributor
Do you stay up late at night, scouring the Internet for news of the latest tech gear to hit store shelves while simultaneously weeping at the sight of those tiny little digits at the bottom of your emaciated bank account?
Do you see other people’s sleek, powerful and super-cool gadgets and worry that your own gadget just doesn’t measure up?
Do you covet that sexy young gizmo your neighbor is always fawning over?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you, too, may suffer from an incurable case of gadget envy. But not to worry ... you are not alone. We, too, possess the heart of an early adopter but the wallet and wary sensibility of a cautious consumer.
Click on the \"Next\" button above to get a look at nine devices we don't really need but, despite ourselves, really really want. Why must these gadgets tempt us so?
Tell us: Which gadgets do you covet most?
";
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Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i-1].body = "
Damn you, Apple, with your stylish devices and your insidious marketing! I have a perfectly good iPhone 3G and yet I desperately want the new iPhone 3G S. Its zippy wireless connectivity, video-recording capabilities and voice-controlled dialing are just so ... sexy.
I can’t tell you how much I wish I would \"accidentally\" drop my current iPhone (on the concrete and beneath a fast-moving cement truck) just so I could justify spending the $500 it will cost me to purchase a new 3G S. Of course, the smarter thing to do would be to wait until I qualify for the (somewhat) less expensive upgrade option.
No matter how I cut it, it will cost me multiple hundreds of dollars to buy the new 3G S — multiple hundreds of dollars that it seems like I spent just yesterday on my plain ol’ 3G (which launched only 11 months before its flashy new sibling.) And I don’t have that kind of dough lying around the place. After all, I’m just a journalist, not one of those App Store developers making bank on fart applications.
";
Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i++] = new Array("","Flip UltraHD ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/FlipHDPureDigital.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Pure Digital", "273", "349", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i-1].body = "
Gosh, Mom, all the cool kids have a Flip Video camera. Why can’t I have one? Whyyyyy?
Well, you see, because we already have a video camera that works just fine. Sure, it’s a little bit clunky (unlike the svelte little Flip) and it doesn’t shoot high-def video (unlike the new Flip UltraHD). And it doesn’t have that flip-out USB arm that makes you look all go-go-gadget-go (hellooooo Flip). But still ... it works just fine. So stop your whining.
Pure Digital worked pure marketing magic when it came up with the Flip two years ago. Combining solid video quality with a stylish, slip-in-your-pocket size and a reasonable price tag, it became the perfect gadget for parents wanting to capture video of their kids and for kids wanting to capture video of themselves and then upload it to the YouTubes.
And Pure Digital’s camcorders just keep getting more flippin’ cool. The new Flip UltraHD — with its two hours of recording time and two-inch screen — is the current object of my desire. Yeah. I want one of these. I really, really, want one. But I’ll probably wait until my current video camera kicks the bucket or until the Easter Bunny brings me the $200 I need to pay for it.
";
Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i++] = new Array("","GeForce 3D Vision Kit","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/GeForce3DVisionNvidia.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Nvidia", "273", "411", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i-1].body = "
I like to play video games. And I definitely like the idea of making my video games even more immersive. And gaming doesn’t get more immersive than when you’re playing with Nvidia’s new GeForce 3D Vision Kit — a set of glasses and gadgetry that makes you see your games in honest-to-goodness stereoscopic 3-D. We’re talking games like “Left 4 Dead,” “Devil May Cry 4” and “Call of Duty 4.”
In order to use the 3D Vision system, you have to own a computer that runs Vista or Windows 7, an Nvidia GeForce graphics card and a 120 Hz monitor. You can buy the basic kit with the wireless glasses and software you need for $200, or you can buy a bundle that includes a 120 Hz LCD screen for $600.
While this is actually a pretty good deal for what it offers, it’s still too rich for my blood. One day though, I suspect we’ll all be seeing our video games this way.
";
Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i++] = new Array("","Squeezebox Boom ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/SqueezeBoxBoomLogitech2.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Logitech", "273", "410", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i-1].body = "
I love music. And I love the idea of having access to the massive amount of online radio in one convenient-to-use and cool-to-look-at boom box.
With that in mind, I’ve been eyeing Logitech’s Squeezebox Boom for some time now. With this portable box, you can tune in to the many thousands of Internet radio stations (both paid and free) with ease. It connects to your home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Meanwhile, you can use the Squeezebox Boom to stream music directly off your computer’s hard drive.
Me likey. But, frankly, I can also use my home computer to access all the Internet radio I want. Granted, it’s not as portable or as sleek ... but it also won’t cost me an extra $300. Rumor has it that a new Sqeezebox is on its way ... one with a touch screen. Does that mean the Boom’s price could drop into a more affordable range or will I simply have yet another Squeezebox device to lust after?
";
Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i++] = new Array("","Kindle 2 ","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/Kindle2SideShot.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Amazon", "273", "377", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i-1].body = "
I’m not particularly inspired by the new, bulky Kindle DX digital book reader, but I would very much like to call the smaller Kindle 2 my own. I love the idea of being able to tote around some 1,500 books in one sleek, geek-chic package (that also happens to give me on-the-fly access to a store filled with hundreds of thousands of additional books and publications). And Amazon even dropped the price of the Kindle 2 this week from $360 to $300.
It's so very tempting. But here’s the problem. Across the room from me sits a shelf full of paper books just waiting for me to finally read them. And then there’s this thing called the public library ... where they let you read all the books you want for free. And free makes even $300 look pretty darn expensive.
";
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Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i-1].body = "
Isn’t it written in stone somewhere that thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s robot?
A couple of my geekier friends own Roombas and really like the way these hard-working and easy-to-use bots sweep and vacuum their floors for them while they go about doing more important things (like shooting videos with their Flip cameras and whispering sweet nothings to their new iPhones). And what’s not to like? Let’s face it, the Roomba is the closest we’ve come to realizing the dream of having our very own Rosie the Robot maid from \"The Jetsons.\" And I waaaaant one!
Meanwhile, iRobot — the maker of these domesticated droids — recently launched a new “Pet Series” of Roombas designed to do some heavy duty Rosie action on homes over-run with hairy beasts. While I don’t own single pet, I am the lucky owner of a new rug that sheds as if it were a pack of Afghan hounds. You wouldn’t believe how much time I spend chasing away the synthetic furballs gathering in the nooks and crannies of my abode. And so when I go to my happy place, I imagine the Roomba 562 Pet Series buzzing about my house, sucking up the carpet fuzz as I lounge on my couch sipping a cocktail and reading my Kindle.
Alas, when I snap out of my happy place, I remember that I own a perfectly serviceable broom and dustpan. Sometimes, when I’m sweeping, I like to make robot noises. Beep. Beep. Boop. Boop. It makes the robot envy a little less painful ... and only slightly more pathetic.
";
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Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i-1].body = "
Speaking of robots that I absolutely don’t need and yet want any way, I’d like to thank Gizmodo for bringing Sega Toy’s Dream Cat Venus to my attention.
Occasionally I start thinking that I want a cat. And then I remember that they leave hairballs all over the place. And then I remember that I have a rug that already does that for me. And then I remember that I don’t have that Roomba I mentioned earlier. So, well, you can see my problem.
The solution: a robo-cat that reacts to human touch realistically ... sort of. It purrs when you talk to it and nuzzles when you pet it. It does not, apparently, shed or scratch up the furniture or try to trip you as you walk down the stairs. But it does cost $150 and, frankly, it looks kinda creepy. OK, a lot creepy.
";
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Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i-1].body = "
The husband and I have been on the hunt for a new bed ever since ours developed a Grand Canyon-like sinkhole down the middle. While shopping, I came across architect/artist Alberto Frias’ Transport bed and immediately got a bad case of the wants.
I’m not sure how much, uh, marital action we could get in this egg-pod-bed-thingy (talk about tight spaces). But holy wow, we sure would be relaxed. It comes with a round, temperature-and-motion-controlled water bed as well as a built-in L.E.D. lighting system and a sound system with a bumpin’ subwoofer. Allegedly this futuristic womb “allows people to escape into a trance-inducing field of color, music and vibration.”
Talk about escaping to my happy place. But since the Transport costs more than any car I’ve ever owned ($19,000), my husband and I will just have to settle for sleeping in our sinkhole.
";
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Tech_9GadgetsWeEnvy[i-1].body = "
This product isn’t even on the market yet and I already envy the people who are sure to have it as soon as it hits stores. I mean, it’s everything we ever dreamed our gadgets could be.
This phone — unveiled by LG Electronics at CES earlier this year — doubles as a watch that you wear on your wrist. And not only does it have a full touchscreen interface and 3G capabilities, it also has video calling. Yes, video calling!
At long last we can live out all of our Dick Tracy fantasies. But for what price? Orange mobile carrier in the UK announced this week that they’ll begin carrying the watch/phone in August. But there’s no word yet on pricing or U.S. availability.
I’m going to guess most of us will be priced right out of ownership. Yes, my friends, brace yourselves for another bout of gadget envy.
Tell us: Which gadgets do you most want but don't really need?
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