Making Your List

iWear AV920
Vuzix – $350
Watching movies on your iPod Touch is cool, but when it comes to screen size, bigger is still better. The ergonomically designed iWear lets you upsize to a virtual 62-inch screen viewed from nine feet away in picture-perfect high-resolution 2-D and 3-D, and the small, built-in lithium battery provides five hours of continuous viewing.

Flip UltraHD
Flip – 8GB $200; 4GB $150
Flip has dominated the YouTube-friendly video-camera market, and the UltraHD is sure to further the company’s supremacy. The UltraHD shoots 720-pixel video —impressive for its class—has a two-inch LCD viewing screen, a nonslip rubber-like covering, and beefed-up memory. The namesake hideaway USB plug is still there for easy computer connectivity. We’d like to see Flip add a memory-card slot, but as far as complaints go, that’s minor.

Z.buds
Zagg $70 without mike; $80 with mike
Though Zagg is better known for its mobile screen protectors, the company also makes entry-level headphones called Z.buds. This 2009 CES Design and Engineering Showcase award winner more accurately reproduces audio than most headphones in its class. The buds are highly versatile, too, with sound-isolating iPhone and volume controls on a tangle-free, fabric cord.

HD Eco FlatTV
Philips – $1,199
Thin is in when it comes to Philips’ 6000 and 7000 series of stylish, flat screens. The new line is 45 percent slimmer, so a 42-inch display takes up only a little more space than a 37-inch screen. The speaker grille has been eliminated; the rich sound is powered from the back and throughout the acrylic edge around the set. And if your eco-friendly girlfriend has been after you to go green, talk up the proprietary dimming technology designed to adjust the TV’s backlight for better power efficiency. It’s a win-win for you.

Zune HD
Microsoft – 16GB black $220; 32GB platinum $290
Microsoft is ready to compete with the iPod—finally. This sleek and minimalistic-styled device has a multi-touch, 3.3-inch screen with a resolution of 480 by 272—only marginally inferior to the iPod Touch specs. The Zune also has a touchscreen QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi capability, and free HD Radio, a service Apple does not yet offer.

HT-CT500
Sony – $500
A slew of sound bars hit the market this past year, but Sony’s HT-CT100 was the critical darling. Building from its success, Sony launched this upscale version. The CT500 is 38 inches wide, packs 400 watts of power, and has the same S-Force surround technology that makes the space-saving system engulf the listener in audio pleasure.

HD 448
Sennheiser – $130
Step up your audio experience with Sennheiser’s latest circumaural headphones. They are lightweight (less than seven ounces) and comfortable, and the neodymium magnets churn out clean, accurate sound throughout the musical spectrum. The headset lacks digital sound-isolation technology, but the foam pads will block out most ambient noise.

VAIO W-Series
Sony – $500
Sony was slow to plunge into the Netbook pool, launching its version of the ultra-portable com puters this past summer. And though the specs are relatively standard for the industry—2.6 pounds, 10.1-inch LED display, three-hour run time, integrated camera and microphone, touch pad, 160GB Serial ATA hard drive—the W-series sports uncharacteristically cool style.

Everyman
FREETALK – $23
The affordable, lightweight FREETALK Everyman headset may be one of the best Skype-approved headphones on the market. It’s collapsible, robust, and won’t make you sound like HAL —thanks to the USB plug-in. The package includes a 3.5mm headphone jack for phone compatibility, too. It’s great for the home office. Not so great to wear in public.

Webcam Pro 9000
Logitech – $100
The Pro 9000, stocked with a Carl Zeiss lens and a two-megapixel HD sensor, shoots widescreen video at 720p HD quality. It’s compatible with most instantmessaging software, and automatically optimizes image quality in dim or backlit environments. Logitech’s RightSound technology improves audio quality, too.

Powermat
$99; receivers $30 to $40
Wireless charging has never been so easy. Powermat simultaneously charges three devices—including iPods, BlackBerrys, mobile phones, and handheld games—and all you do is drop ’em. Just plug in the Powermat and attach the appropriate receiver to your device. The mat also has a USB port and comes with a Powercube to charge a fourth device. Save space, save energy, ditch the wires.

T.55 USB
Stanton – $299
Still holding on to your vinyl records? The T.55 turntable with USB and RCA outputs comes with software that lets you transfer music from your 33 and 45 rpm records onto your Mac or PC, and edit out those noisy scratches. Also includes start/stop switches for mix or battle setup, a Stanton 500.v3 cartridge, and a manual pitch-control fader.

Expressionist Ultra
Altec Lansing – $200
This 200-watt powerhouse pumps out a lot of sound for a computer sound system. The 6.5- inch woofer produces throbbing bass, and the speakers each feature three-inch midrange and one-inch highfrequency neodymium drivers. The fingertip control is a notable desk accessory, but the postmodern aesthetic is what turns this system into a stylish statement.

Livio Radio
Livio – $200
Livio makes it easy to listen to Pandora and more than 11,000 free Internet radio stations at home or at the office. It uses a built-in Wi-Fi antenna to seek out a wireless network; it’s the only radio to offer Pandora’s “thumbs up, thumbs down” controls on the front panel and the remote. Livio also works with DSL and cable Internet, has an auxiliary output for your MP3 player, and can be hooked up to your home audio system.

Steel Square Chrono and Tank
Steel Cake – $175; $350
Steel Cake’s coollooking timepieces are solid and stylish. They’re built of stainless steel and feel like they’re indestructible. This two-year-old company was started by a former Diesel watch designer with a family tradition of working with timepieces, and we predict that it will be around for the long haul—especially since its hefty watches are getting photographed on the wrists of such heavyweight trendsetters as Kanye West.

Flasher
Anon – $75
Anon’s Flasher will make sure that your eyes will be stylishly protected even if your body parts are exposed to harmful UVA/UVB rays. The subdued style is versatile, so feel free to wear these shades for all your sunbathing or street-walking needs. They fit most face types, too.

Photo Jacket
Canada Goose – $695
This lightweight jacket was designed for action photographers, but even if you’re not trying to get that perfect outdoor shot, you’ll appreciate the waterproof protection, stowaway hood, and myriad storage pockets. It also features reinforced shoulders, two-way front zip and side zips for easy access, and Velcro wrist tabs to seal out wind and rain. Available in jet black, blue, green, and red.

Global Commuter
Eagle Creek – $135
Having to remove your laptop from its case for TSA officials at security can be a nuisance both to you and the people waiting in line behind you. But this briefcase-style, “checkpoint friendly” bag with a butterfly opening allows an unob structed view of your laptop, and should speed up the screening proc ess. Your fellow passengers will thank you. It holds a 17-inch laptop, converts to a backpack or slides on to a wheeled bag, and comes in black, brown, and sage.

Savant
Vestal – $220
Vestal makes watches for rock stars and music minded athletes, so the Savant, with its three independent time zones, is the perfect accessory for the bicoastal hotel trasher. Of course, it’s also great for a guy with a real life who just wants rock-star style that’s affordably priced.

The Navigator 2.0
Freestyle – $125
Built to last, Freestyle’s Navigator 2.0 features time, date, declination adjustment, 30-lap memory chrono, stopwatch function with two interval timers, three alarms, and a digital compass. The band, made of nonrestrictive permeable material, lets you buckle it wherever it best fits your wrist. And of course it’s water resistant up to 100 feet. With specs like these, the Navigator just might outlast you.