So when my colleagues at PCMag described Gears and Widgets as my personal blog that had a “healthy dose of Apple fanboyism,” I thought to myself, I’m not THAT much of an Apple fanatic, am I? I mean, I know I love Apple, and I know I love Apple products, but a fanboy? Hmm.

Well, I think they were right:

81%How Addicted to Apple Are You?

Yowza! I like to think I have a critical eye that can see through the Reality Distortion Field that Steve Jobs tends to put up around his products, but yeah, I’ll admit it. If I were headed out on a trip, I’d be bringing at least one iPod and my MacBook Pro. I do get warm fuzzies when I see other people using Macs, and I double-take in a coffee shop when I think I see someone using an Apple portable.

Anyway! Just a little holiday fun and levity for you! If you’re a Mac fanatic like me, you can see how addicted you are to Apple too:

[ JustSayHi :: How Addicted to Apple Are You? ]

As the year winds to a close, let’s take a quick look back at some of the best (and the worst) technology that made 2007 a great year in tech. 2007 brought us items like the new 20-inch iMac that’s been flying off of store shelves, Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch – two devices that have no equals in their markets, The RAZR2 V9M – the next step in the evolution of the amazingly popular RAZR (and I can say it’s wonderful, I have one), the SlingPlayer Mobile and the AppleTV, the Dell XPS M1330 powerhouse laptop, and more.

At the same time, 2007 is the year that brought us the Samsung Q1, Opera WebMail, and other now defunct applications and web services, terrible products, and mindless ideas. PC Mag has a rundown, with the highlights on the good stuff, and a quick look at the losers in each category as they move forward from desktops to laptops to digital cameras and software.

[ PCMag :: Best (and Worst) of 2007 ]

Although it’s a bit late to try and get gifts shipped to you in time for the holidays, a lot of people will likely rush out this weekend to try and get some electronics purchasing done. Lance Ulanoff over at PC Mag, has some very good tips for those of you thinking about gadgets and gear purchases this holiday season, and although the title of the piece is called “What Not to Buy in 2007,” after reading it, I think his suggestions stand for 2008 as well, without a doubt.

Obviously on the “Do Not Buy” list are the old fashioned CRT display. No, seriously, I don’t care how cheap it is, or whether it has a “super-ultra-giga-flat screen,” LCD displays are cheap, huge, take less power, take up less space, and all around way more awesome at this stage. The old story about CRTs being better for gaming or graphic design may have an echo or two of truth left in them, but the fact is that you can find affordable LCDs with amazing response time for even the most serious gamer, and you can find LCDs with incredible color calibration options for the same price as that old designer CRT.

Also on the list are things like PC-less media players like the Slacker, stand-alone devices like a copier, printer, and scanner instead of an all-in-one (I used to be in the camp that if a device did them all, it probably did them terribly, but times have changed!), and more. It’s a solid list, and definitely one to remember if you’re heading out for some last minute shopping for the geek on your list.

[ PCMag :: What Not to Buy in 2007 ]

This gorgeous laptop has been making the rounds for a while now, with WoW Insider even giving one away last week. This gorgeous Dell XPS comes in two flavors, one Alliance and one Horde, with a beautifully designed case that lets the world know that you’re a WoW fanatic. Under the hood is a pretty impressive laptop, to boot, with specs more than good enough for a decent WoW experience, and definitely enough for some of the best graphics the game can offer:

Full Specs:

* Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7500
* 2GB Memory 667MHz
* 17inch UltraSharp TrueLife WUXGA
* 512MB Dual NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT w/ NVIDIA SLI
* 200GB HDD
* Blu-ray
* Intel Pro Wireless 3945 a/g Mini Card
* Vista Ultimate
* Logitech Game Panel
* Ageia PhyX Accelerator
* 1 year warranty.

Included in the prize package:

* World of Warcraft game retail box
* The Burning Crusade expansion retail box
* Warcraft Battlechest retail box which includes Warcraft III & Brady Strategy Guide, Warcraft III: Frozen Throne Expansion Set & Strategy Guide
* World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness novel
* World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde novel
* World of Warcraft TCG: Heroes of Azeroth starter deck box
* World of Warcraft TCG: Through The Dark Portal starter deck box
* World of Warcraft: Behind the Scenes DVD “The Making of WoW”
* World of Warcraft Soundtrack on audio CD
* Brady Games World of Warcraft Master Guide 2nd Edition
* Brady Games World of Warcraft The Burning Crusade
* 1 World of Wacraft Beta Club card that can be used to access 5 future, unannounced WoW expansions
* 1 upgrade Certificate to flag your account as Collector’s Edition (both WoW & TBC) and allow you to claim the in-game pets from each game
* 1 Golden Ticket redeemable with FigurePrints to have a 3D action figure of your in-game character created
* 1 XPS backpack

If the specs don’t get you, the schwag will definitely win you over. The laptops are expected to go for over $4500, which will be more than enough to dim the sheen on all of the schwag and the impressive specs. But if you’re willing to spend the money, you absolutely love World of Warcraft, and you need to have your hands on some of the best portable gaming hardware on the market, then this laptop is for you.

[ ExtremeTech: Dell XPS Laptops for World of Warcraft Fans ]