Stuff Geeks Want

Sony’s top of the line MDR-NC500D headphones are the first to feature “digital” noise-canceling technology. The technology includes what Sony bills as artificial intelligence, adjusting the level of noise canceling based on an analysis of environmental ambient noise.

Sounds good to us—especially since Bose always needs to be given a run for its money. (Speaking of which, users seem to either think the world of the Sony pair or think Bose has them creamed… so be ready to either be pleasantly surprised or unpleasantly disappointed).

Normally $399 (including from our beloved Amazon), we want you to get the best deal so score them here instead:

Buy for $246.99+shipping from Provantage

Do you have crappy cell phone reception in your own house or apartment, or in your office building? Yeah, so do we, and it sucks balls. Why don’t cell phones work better everywhere like they’re supposed to?

Enter the ZBoost Cellphone Signal Extender.

With a ZBoost, you can take your one bar of cell phone reception and boost it up to normal levels so that you can actually use that cool Apple iPhone you bought with crappy AT&T cell coverage in your area.

There are three models. One that works with AT&T, Verizon and Alltel. One that works with T-Mobile, Metro PCS, Cricket, Suncom, and Sprint. And a dual-band version that works with all phones except Nextel. Why would anyone be a Nextel customer anyways?

Go to ThinkGeek, pick the model that works best for you, order it, spend five minutes installing it, and sit back and bask in the glory of your geekness. Then invite all the girls over that you had over that one time that couldn’t get good cell reception either, and have a party.

Price: $250 – $350 from ThinkGeek.com (search for “Cellphone Signal Extender”)

Behold, the lowly dishwasher. Forever neglected and taken advatange of, until that day it breaks down and forces you to wash your wares Amish-style.

But rejoice! That broken dishwasher is an excellent reason to install a Bosch Integra 800-series dishwasher, the Ferrari of dishwashers, if you may.

Forget the dishwasher laundry list of features, like 9 wash cycles and 24 hours delay start: the most important attribute of this elegant monster is its noise level, a mere 42 dB. This makes it the queitest full-size dishware on the market, meaning you’re unlikely to even notice when it’s working (most “quiet homes” have about 40dB of noise, apparently).

If $1,549 (from #1 online appliances retailer AJ Madison) is out of your budget, Bosch also serves up the Integra 500-series and 300-series, which share the same sharp looks of their big brother but trade off some features (and noise) for a lower price tag, starting under $800.