The times have definitely changed. I am in the process of (hopefully) getting rid of five computers and 2 game systems. I will likely have as much to write about the things I am not buying this year as the things that I am. And so, let's get that topic started right now. There are already a handful of products on the market that, while perhaps not quite lackluster, have not sufficiently piqued my interest to force me into the early-adopter zone. Let's take a look at a few.

First up is the Amazon Kindle. In its second iteration, a lot of people think that eBooks are the new killer app. I like eBooks. I like the concept, I like the format, I like the things that they do for a gadget geek's lifestyle. Right now I am in the middle of reading Nelson DeMille's The Gatehouse in eBook format, and it's a blast.

But...I am reading it on my Motion Computing LE1600 TabletPC. This is a device that I would own regardless of whether or not I read eBooks. The unit cost me $650 used. Amazon wants more than half of that for a Kindle2. And guess what? I still can not read it on the plane during take-off and landing. My LE1600 does a whole mess of stuff, including acting as my primary work PC. It is an iTunes rig, I can watch video on it, surf the web, work on my website, and attach accessories to it like a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers and use it as a full PC. The Kindle2 does not do any of these things. The unit is steeply priced for a device that does not do that much, but still has the same airplane usage restrictions as a full-blown laptop. No thanks. I'll pass.

Oh yeah, and its display is only in Black and White.

Second up are MiDs, Mobile Internet Devices. I want one. I want one bad. And I don't mean the hobbled little Nokia devices that they keep coming out with that can not do anything other than surf the web. I want a device that provides a near-UMPC experience. With a nearly full-blown OS. And it needs to be able to play video, and audio, and hold my entire iTunes collection. In a pinch I need to be able to post everything from a tweet to a mini-blog post.

But most of all, I need to stop being teased. If I go to Dynamism one more time and see that every device that is a true MID is still listed as "available for pre-order", I'm going to have a conniption. This is ridiculous. These things are scampering all over the place in Japan and Korea. Is it that much to ask for, like, two models to be available in the US by now?

So, congratulations, Intel and the rest of your cohorts. I will not be buying a MID this year. Not because I do not want to. But because you continue to not deliver them for purchase in this country. Thanks a lot.

Last but by no means least on my "not gonna purchase it this year" is an upgrade to my iPhone. I already skipped the 3G iPhone. Mainly because my 2G iPhone was torquing me off on a daily basis. And it still does. Do not get me wrong. My current iPhone is a good multi-media phone. But the next thing that will replace it will be a 2nd smartphone to compliment the one I use during the week. No matter what Apple has planned to roll out this summer, there is just no way that they are going to deliver the range of functionality that my WinMo phone has. Its [my current iPhone] replacement will be a small form-factor WinMo phone to be a weekend replacement for my Tilt. I love you Apple, but your phone is not getting it done for me because I am so dependent on my PIM.

So that's it. I am interested in hearing what gadgets you guys perceive are held as the new hotness but you are personally electing to take a pass on. Comment away. There's always more.

- Vr/Z.