A close friend of mine gifted me a pair of Bang & Olufsen A8 headphones a few years ago and they have been the greatest set of low profile headphones I’ve ever used. They’re durable, sleek and most importantly comfortable. They even come with a 3 year warranty which I have used when the unavoidable accident of crushing your headphones occurs. Unfortunately, the A8′s are not smartphone compatible and I found myself having to unplug  them from my BlackBerry and remove them from my ears in order to answer a call. So I went to look into some other options including the Bang & Olufsen EarSet 3. The EarSet 3 is a mirror image of the A8 but with a slightly oversized round speaker/control for answering calls and a wrap-around-neck design. Wasn’t feeling ‘em. So I’ve been holding out for bigger and better. Looked into the Beats by Dr. Dre, not sold. Checked out the Bose MIE2i, same deal. But now Bang & Olufsen has wised up and released the EarSet 3i, basically a tweaked version of the EarSet 3. No more silly looking circle speaker and no useless wrap-around. The end product, a quality headphone with all of the necessary equipment. In other words, exactly what I’ve been looking for. Good thing I’ve got a birthday coming up! Also would make a great Father’s Day gift for those of you still looking for something for the old man.

For that early adopter who is most definitely going to buy a 3D HDTV this holiday season, help him lighten the load by gifting the Sony 3D Deluxe Starter kit. Personally I am not a huge fan of the whole 3D movement (although I do give James Cameron props for Avatar), but some people are really into it and now with sports being broadcast in 3D it is giving guys even more reason to jump at the chance to be the first guy on the block to be able to watch the game in 3D on Sunday. In addition to the pretty hefty price of a 3D TV (between $1,000 – $4,000) the 3D Starter kit is going to run you an additional $400. But hey, if you know someone who has to have it, it makes for a pretty unreal gift.  Besides the people marketing the product know that true early adopters are going to buy it regardless of the price.

For your entertainment, check out the following link for a video on Early Adopters Throughout History. Trust me you’ll enjoy it.

Hands down the best e-reader that’s out there with an endless number of titles and a screen that is made to be used in all light conditions. Amazon’s signature product sets the standard for holiday gifts on our gift guide. It’s a no-brainer for friends or family who love to read and is a great gift for when you just can’t think of anything else. Not to mention at $139 for the wi-fi model ($189 for wi-fi + 3G) it won’t exactly break the bank either. The new kindle is 21% smaller than its predecessor while still maintaining the same 6″ screen, it weighs only 8.5 ounces, holds up to 3,500 books, and has a battery that will last a month on a single charge just to name a few of its features. Perhaps one of the things that makes Amazon’s product stand out is that they offer free out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books which include some great classics. If your budget $100 and $150 bucks the new Kindle isn’t a bad option and I’m willing to be whoever you choose to give it to will agree.

As badly as I want an Apple iPad so I can knock off a couple pounds in my bag and save money by buying e-textbooks I have decided to wait for the, widely desired and uncertain, updated iPad 2.0.  So instead of purchasing an iPad as my big holiday buy I am saving up to snag an entry level Digital SLR.  Unlike the other Inside Thread Editors who are camera/photo buffs I am sort of a newbie. So I want to find a camera that is easy to use, takes solid photos and has features and settings to help make up for my lack of photography skills while I learn and try to get better. Stocked with 14.2 megapixels, SteadyShot INSIDE™ image stabilization, on-screen Help Guide, Graphic Display, 2.7″ Clear Photo LCD Plus™ display, high sensitivity ISO 3200, HDMI™ terminal, 18-55mm zoom lens the Sony a290 DSLR from the Sony Alpha line makes a great first DSLR for us rookies and comes in at under $500 similar to its entry-level class competitors like the Canon Rebel XS and the Nikon D3000. Be sure to shop around, you’ll be able to find these cameras at competitive prices if you do your research right.

For those of you thinking “Isn’t the iPod Touch exactly the same as the iPhone minus the phone of course?”, well we’re thinking it too. But that doesn’t mean we don’t love it.  The addition of standard and forward facing cameras (yup that’s right, that means FaceTime and 720p video recording for iPod Touch), the new Retina display in 960-by-640 resolution, and Apple’s new A4 core processor make this the fastest, thinnest, most entertaining iPod Touch ever made.  Other features include a mic and speakers built-in, Apple’s new Game Center which lets you play App Store games against friends anywhere in the world, and up to 40 hours of continuous music playback.  For those of you who might be loyal to BlackBerry or Android and don’t have an iPhone or just need a new iPod this is the way to go.  Available in 8 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB models.