Good Gift

[Tom]

I'm delighted with my MS Optical Desktop (1) one less wire trailing across the desk (2) a fingerprint reader on the keyboard (it knows all my bank logins etc and enters them at the touch of a finger) (3) lots of useful shortcut buttons on the keyboard (4) the curved profile of the keyboard is marginally more comfortable to use.

[James]

Sounds good Tom.

My only computer / internet related gift was Google Hacks (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596004478/freedigitalph-21), which shows you how to use the Google API.

Oh, and three X-Box games:

Outrun 2 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000197Z1W/freedigitalph-21)

Pro Evolution Soccer 4 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002LIFG8/freedigitalph-21)

Top Spin (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002ZO1KI/freedigitalph-21)

[David]

I had an enhanced MS keyboard which I have now ditched. They have this really annoying function lock which means that you can't use Print Screen and the Function keys without toggling the lock - drove me completely mad since I often use that combination when working between Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

Why mess with a logical and simple/standard keyboard? I now use a very cheap but perfectly formed Cherry keyboard - bliss. On the other hand (literally) I have a MS cordless mouse and that is a dream.

[Tom]

Yes - it does have some oddities. For example, as delivered the keyboard could not be used to wake-up the computer from standby mode. MS have an absurdly obscure section of their website on how to edit the registry to get round the problem. I couldn't manage it but Henry had the bright idea of change the power mode from S1 to S3 in the Bios and this did the trick. But I ask you: is this any way to treat consumers. Fortune has an interview with a lifetime PC user who bought an iPod and thought it so easy he bought a G5. He finds that equally easy and is switching over his office.

The unbeatable feature of the MS keyboard is fingerprint to bank and all other websites which require a login. Its fabulous.