Future presents for Christmas present

What are the cutting-edge gifts of this festive season? What would an electronics nerd willingly trade his grandmother for on 25 December? BBC News Online presents a geek's Christmas wish list.

1) Siemens SX45 and an IBM Microdrive

This is two gifts in one really, but they are a perfect pair and work very well together. The Siemens SX45 is a combined Pocket PC handheld computer, mobile phone and media player in one sleek, silver package. With a colour screen too.

The Siemens SX45

Out soon should be a version that can use the fast data services, known as GPRS, that many mobile networks are starting to offer to consumers. In the UK businesses have been able to use them for a while now.

With GPRS looking at Wap pages and sending e-mail is no longer a chore, instead they becomes useable and very useful.

The SX45 has 32MB of Ram onboard but it can also use IBM's microdrive - a tiny hard disk. The latest versions of the this tiny drive hold one gigabyte of data which is more than enough room for your MP3 files or even the odd movie. Just in case you get the urge to carry one around with you.

The downside is that these two gadgets are not cheap. The IBM Microdrive usually costs more than £200, and the SX45 is likely to cost more than £550. It can be used on the 02 (formerly Cellnet) network.

2) RioVolt SP250

It's a CD player. It's an FM radio. It's an MP3 player. It's all three. It's the RioVolt SP250.

The Rio Volt SP250

Sonic Blue was among the first to release a portable MP3 player back when the company was known as Diamond Multimedia, and the RioVolt is the latest music player to roll off its production line.

Recognising that people who play MP3s are likely to be big music fans, the SP250 also has a CD player onboard plus an FM radio when you want to catch up on the latest sounds rather than listen to some you burned earlier.

It can play regular CDs or ones filled with tracks in either MP3 or Windows Media formats. The latter is becoming popular with many music websites so this black beauty could prove popular.

Like many other portable players the SP250 won't skip and jump even if you do. It can stand up to 8 minutes of agitation before you notice the music skipping a beat.

Unfortunately the SP250 is only available in the US at the moment but is likely to make it to Europe sometime next year. The SP250 currently sells in the US for about $179.

3) An 802.11a wireless network kit

Eleven megabits per second is for wimps.

You don't need an aerial this big for a WiFi network

The boffins who drew up the wildly popular 802.11b, or WiFi, standard have been hard at work and accelerated the rate at which it can move data around.

Now instead of a paltry 11mbps, it can pump information around at the hair-raising speed of 54mbps. In a less than inspired decision, they've dubbed it 802.11a.

So, if you want absolutely the latest and greatest way to connect up your home network without needing wires, well not many of them, then an 802.11a wireless network kit should be on your list to Santa.

The only disadvantage is that it is illegal to use an 802.11a wireless network in the UK because the part of the spectrum it uses, the 5GHz band, is largely the province of the military.

Because 802.11a is a relatively new technology, prices for interface cards and network hubs that tie all the devices together are still high. In the US prices for hubs start at around $450 and cards for $250.

4) Sony DCR-PC9E digital video camera

Digital video cameras are shrinking all the time, packing ever more into a package a mouse would be ashamed to call a home.

Smaller and smaller: The Sony DCR-PC9E

Sony's DCR-PC9E continues this trend and, despite its small size, there are no significant features missing from this chunky gadget.

It has a Carl Zeiss lens, an 800,000 pixel CCD and battery life much improved over other earlier Sony camcorders.

Shooting movies is complicated enough as it is, and the DCR-PC9E does a good job of putting all the buttons and functions within easy reach. It's a boon for budding directors.

Unsurprisingly, this sophisticated camera is not cheap. Prices quoted range from £950 to over £1300.

5) Internet fridge from LG Goldstar

You may have to put the GR 1267 TR on your list for next year, because the net fridge is not set to be available in the UK until March 2002 at the earliest.

When it is though you will be able to use that dead time while you wait for the kettle to boil or your toasted sandwiches to cook to surf the net, order your groceries online and even look at BBC News Online.

The fridge is equipped with a large LCD touch-screen, plus camera, microphone and speakers. Also onboard is a PC that handles the interface for the fridge and any web surfing that you happen to do.

It connects to the net via a modem or broadband connection - the choice is yours.

Via the net connection, LG also keeps an eye on the health of your domestic appliance and allows it to report in if it develops a fault.

It's a nice feature if you run into technical difficulties soon after you take the wrapping paper off it.