MacDevCenter.com, part of the O'Reilly Network, published a holiday gift guide yesterday called Gifts and Gadgets for the Geek Minded. The author, Terrie Miller, published a similar guide at this time last year. Although the choices are oriented toward Macintosh users, there are a number of cross-platform picks.

I thought the most interesting suggestion was the Griffin Technology PowerWave USB Audio Interface & Amplifier. This is the kind of device that appeals to an audio enthusiast who has a Mac or a PC and wants more audio options than they can get out of the box. The PowerWave lets you separate the computer's audio output from typical sources of interference by externalizing it. The audio comes out through the USB interface into the PowerWave, which has a built-in 20-Watt-per-channel amplifier. From there, you can go directly to a set of standard stereo speakers, if you wish.

This built-in-amplifier is also a great way to hook an MP3 player up to a stereo system.

The PowerWave also serves as an integration point for a number of devices that are typically difficult to connect to your computer system. You can connect turntables and cassette tape players to the PowerWave in order to convert older recordings to MP3 format. Griffin has a Mac application called Final Vinyl that helps convert tracks from LPs to MP3 format. I can also see applications for integrating external audio during digital video production.

I'm really glad I read through Gifts and Gadgets for the Geek Minded and considered each one. I haven't thought about an external audio device like the PowerWave in a while. But, I have prosumer DV camera that's gathering dust at the moment, and I could see wanting to get a PowerWave into the mix if I decide to produce a DVD for my family.