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Dear Santa...

20071115 [Computer Buyer]

More top Christmas gadget gifts

1 Samson G-Track Recording your voice is a tricky business. Plugging a cheap mic into your PC's microphone jack really won't cut it for a professional-quality music track or podcast. But who wants to get involved with audio interfaces and XLR inputs and ohms? The Samson G-Track is a microphone and mixing desk in one, and plugs into your PC via USB. It has an input for an electronic instrument, if you want to play and sing at the same time, and even an LED to tell you it's ready to record or you're singing too loudly. Forget roadies tripping over your cables - it doesn't even need a mains lead. And, it says here, 'the large diaphragm mic, complete with 19mm capsule and 3-micron membrane, helps ensure crystal clear, studio-quality results.' So there. £99.99 inc VAT @ www.dolphinmusic.co.uk

2 Echo Bot Record ten seconds of anything - you shouting 'Get your own computer!', or whatever - and the Echo Bot will remember it while you find a suitable place to stick it (it has suckers for feet). When your victim is detected by Echo Bot's green eye, the recording is played back. Heh heh. Whoever you'd think of buying this for is probably the worst person to own it. £6.95 inc VAT @ www.firebox.com

	3 Tokyo Flash watches According to their PR, these newly imported timepieces 'are sure to be a huge hit with the gadget-mad sci-fi fans and techno-geeks.' OK... well, anyway, they're quite cool. £60-£99.90 inc VAT @ www.techdeals.eu

4 Tape2PC USB Cassette Deck Before MP3, before CD, there was the Compact Cassette. Never knowingly untangled, it allowed you to record over the same bit of decreasingly magnetic brown gumf again and again, until not only could you not remember what you'd put on which tape, but you still didn't know when you played it back. Now, the next time you discover a box of your Radio 1 Top 40-derived mixes lurking in the cupboard under the stairs, you can fast-forward it into the 21st Century. The USB Cassette Deck lets you... well, it's pretty obvious what it does. To help you do it, it comes with Audacity and EZ Tape Converter software. Best of all, though, it has two decks, so you can forget the 21st Century and record tape to tape. Of course, it's far too posh for its purpose, but isn't that the definition of a gift? £99.95 inc VAT @ www.firebox.com