apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I received a Tivoli Audio Model Two radio from my boyfriend - and it's awesome. Beautiful, excellent sound quality, small - everything everyone said it would be.

I have the pleasure of being able to pick out a new computer to get in April (once we know how much money to save), or sooner. I know I want a laptop, I primarily do basic computer stuff as well as photoshop/illustrator/developing websites etc. and I'd like to do more with tv/music than I currently am now, which is basically iTunes and some streaming video.

And, well, as your fearless co-editor of Unplggd, it wouldn't hurt if it was cool.

Caveats: I'm 99% sure it has to be PC because of the Adobe CS3 software I am getting in a week, and that it can't be exchanged because it's a gift to me from a friend of a friend (it's legitimate stuff, however).

Besides, an Mac is more expensive than I want to spend right now for what I would want to get in a Mac...I'm thinking in the $1k-$1200 range, but up or down for the right things is ok (and sale prices are great--get more for what you're willing to spend).

Frankly, I know about picking based on processor speed, memory and storage capacity, screen size, and even looking up user ratings--but I'm looking for advice from you, our faithful Unplggd readers...where to start for someone like me? Any specific recommendations??

I got a brand-spanking new iPod recently, and I've run into the problem of importing audiobooks. Has anyone dealt with this issue?

Is there a piece of freeware or reasonably priced software that will consolidate those hundreds of mp3 tracks into one m4b or aa file so that iTunes knows that it's an audiobook (that can be bookmarked) and not music?

Better yet, is there a way to get iTunes to do what I want directly?

i got a new hp desktop!!

I combined all my gifts into a Ricoh GR Digital on sale from Popflash. Loving it so far: http://flickr.com/photos/49649387@N00/

I got an 80gig classic iPod as a gift from my boss (yes, I love her), but I have yet to open it because I'm thinking of upgrading to an 8gig iTouch. I have a 2g nano now and I barely fill that up, so 80gs are useless to me. Thinking the iTouch would be fun for videos for my kid, etc. Thoughts, anyone???

Kate: I got a toshiba laptop about a year and a half ago, and the screen is going wonky. Newegg.com generally has very tech-savvy reviewers that I tend to trust more than the average site. Trade in CS3 and get a mac. ;) This is advice from a 15-year PC devotee.

Mangosteen, the only big disadvantage to the iPod Touch (aside from capacity) is that you have to look at it to use it. If you're not using it while driving, go for it.

I didn't get *any* tech for Christmas. It's a nice break. My fiancee and I shared 3 bottles of champagne and some modest gifts. I got my 2 favorite movies, though: Monsoon Wedding and My Neighbor Totoro.

I need to find a good portable iPod stereo with decent volume. Oh, and I'm selling a Toshiba laptop with a wonky screen. ;)

i would also suggest trying to trade CS3 in and get a mac as well. if you need other windows applications, you can always run them in parallels. i used to be a big PC guy, i was a computer programmer and never could understand why people wanted macs. so then i quit programming cause it was driving me crazy and got into graphic design, started using macs and never went back.

they're going to cost you a bit more, but i think they have a longer lasting quality. i have a pc laptop, 6 years old, battery is a dead brick, barely runs. i also have a g3 ibook that is like 6 or 7 years old and it still runs pretty good (besides the logic board that went out, but i was stupid and didn't get it fixed when they did it for free...)

Also, from first hand experience, vista sucks. i get pc magazine and they even had an article of the top 10 reason why vista is bad... So if you do get a pc, try to put XP back in it.

For tech for x-mas got a new point an shoot digital small enough to take with me most of the time when i don't want the slr. My wife's dad surprised the heck out of me and got me a tomtom gps. We just got married, so maybe that's why the higher notch of present, but seriously for the last 3 or 4 years i've gotten a bag of pistachios (and usually my wife got a few small things but not much, they's not big on x-mas, and she got an 80 gig ipod classic, so maybe he had the holiday spirit.) i'm a garmin guy for gps though, so i'm learning all the quirks of the tomtom.

I got an 8GB ipod touch, Bose headphones, and a Wii... it was a GREAT Christmas:-)

Mangosteen- I LOVE the ipod touch, the touch screen is awesome and wifi capabitilties rock. Keep you Ipod if you plan on using it for just videos and music, it can hold so many more movies and TV shows than the touch (each movie is about 4-6GB, so one movie and a hundred songs and your spent. But if you kept the ipos classic you can hold multiple movies and probably all the music your heart desires.

I got a new Panasonic cordless phone system with the new DECT 6.0 technology. NO more static! I can walk past the microwave, even into the hallway and there is no buzzing or static like I had with my previous phone. What a nice change.

I was also given a Panasonic DVD recorder as a re-gift after a friend upgraded his TV and the DVD recorder was not compatible. Haven't actually recorded anything yet but one of these days I will transfer stuff I've been saving on my DVR to a DVD. I'll close now as this post has too many acronyms.

I got a Region free DVD player, so I can play DVDs that I have only been able to find abroad.

Unfortunately, the exchange rate between the US dollar and the British pound made the DVD purchases quite expensive.

PriscillaAmber- you can compress your dvds down and fit a few more on there if you like. since my wife just got a classic, she wanted something on it, so i searched around and found software for it. I found a program called handbrake (i think it's only for mac). It's free, and the newest version is really easy. you just open it up, pick the dvd that is in your drive, it has a sidebar on the right, pick what you're converting it for, ipod has a high and low setting, choose where the file needs to go, and click go.

I took the incredibles dvd (which i had already converted to fit on a regular dvd though because i was copying it for my case, so i don't know the original size of it) and after it got done compressing it, about an hour later they file was around 800-900mb. his way you can drop the quality down since on a smaller screen you don't need it, and be able to throw a few of them in there.

if you need more instructions on it, just let me know.

I got a mini wireless mouse and a keyboard light that plugs into a USB port. Both from Restoration Hardware since my brother works there. I wanted the mouse that Kate was raving about last year and may still get one. This little on from RH is nice but eats up batteries.

Oh, I thought I'd mention that I'm going to start leading a team of volunteers to teach senior citizens how to use the computer. I have tried to get my mother to learn and she refuses so I'll just teach other seniors how to use it instead. I'm excited and will let you know how the process is going.