Stuff Geeks Want

This has got to be one of the nerdiest things we’ve ever seen.

Presenting the Connect-a-Desk:

And while the Connect-a-Desk promo video is pretty horrible, we have to believe that the product could actually be pretty useful in the right circumstances.

Like, if you want to look like a complete dork, you definitely need one.

And you can buy it from Amazon… can you believe that? Yes, for $40 or so, this thing can be yours.

Man I love innovation.

Cool Feet.

Simple, unobtrusive, clean.

These detachable laptop lifters are designed to be easy to use, and will hold your laptop up at a comfortable angle, just high enough to let air circulate underneath it, and low enough to still use the built-in keyboard and trackpad. Love it!

And only $10.50.

Like most sensible people, we’re Mac users here at StuffGeeksWant. But as sensible people, we can also recognize and appreciate a well engineered computer when we see one, even if it doesn’t have an Apple logo.

To that end, we present Alienware’s new Area-51 m17x High Performance Notebook Computer. (Don’t call it a laptop, unless you like having 10+ pounds sitting on top of you.)

The Area-51 m17x boasts specs that will have MacBook Pros cowering in fear:

• up to 2.9GHz Core 2 Duo Extreme
• dual-video cards: 2x256MB Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT (the MacBook Pro has one like this), 2x512MB 8700m GT, or an insane 2x512MB 8800M GTX
• 17-inch 1920×1200 display
• up to 3 internal hard drives for 1.5TB, or go for dual-64GB solid-state drives
• available Blu-ray reader or 2x Blu-ray burner

There’s other goodies like 7.1 high-definition audio, a built-in subwoofer, and 7-in-1 memory card reader, but let’s face it: you’re not buying this thing to upload your photos to Flickr.

The all-new Area-51 m17x starts at $2,199 but can quickly rise to over $6,000 with options. Pricey, sure, but at least it comes pre-loaded with Vista Home Edition!

The MacBook Pro is the geek’s ultimate “do it all” machine. The Mac OS X operating system is based on Unix, so any developer will be at home on this machine, and with Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac or Apple’s Boot Camp, any Windows User can run Microsoft Windows software natively too. It’s a “do it all workhorse” that just happens to look like a million bucks.

My MacBook Pro of choice is the 15″ 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2GB of RAM, a 200GB hard drive, Apple’s DVD/CD burning SuperDrive, and a glossy screen. Other’s opt for the larger 17″ version, thought I can’t seem to ever enjoy carrying that big of a laptop around with me.

The aluminum case will make you think this machine was made by the Swiss, just because it’s so clean and crisp and well built. The backlit keyboard will help your geek work late into the night without the lights on (which I’m sure he or she will be prone to do).

(If a MacBook Pro is too much money, check out the almost-as-slick black MacBook for $1,399 after Amazon’s exclusive $100 rebate.)

The One Laptop Per Child initiative is an awesome undertaking, and one we support wholeheartedly.

Any program that has a mission like “To provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment and express themselves” is something we can definitely get behind, which is why back in November, we signed up to “Give a laptop” to a child in the third-world, and as a bonus, we got one for ourselves.

We have a three-year old in the house who started playing with his new OLPC this past weekend, and while he’s still a little young for it, we’re confident that he’ll grow into this “child’s laptop” about the time his Dad outgrows it. If you have a few dollars to spare, we’d highly recommend supporting this cause with your donation, as we can tell the thought and care that went into designing the OLPC will set this program up for success well into the future.

If you want to keep up with what’s happening with the OLPC, check out OLPCNews.com.