It’s that time of year again! Christmas! Here are my top items to grab this holiday season for the modern techie:

Roku Streaming Player

Are you a cable cutter? Tired of watching all your content on your laptop? Grab one of these magical little boxes and stream your favorite content right to your HDTV. The Roku Streaming Player ($49) can stream movies from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, NHL Gamecenter, HBO GO, and more. There’s no additional monthly fees, but you do need subscriptions to those video services whenever it applies. It’s really a companion to something like your Netflix streaming subscription. You can install apps as well, but those have been slow to be developed. I’m not really into playing Angry Birds on my big screen.

I chose the Roku over Apple TV. Shocker! I’m an Apple fanboy after all. Add-on boxes and features should be open and support multiple video services. Roku is all about choice. Starting at $49, Roku has superior video quality and more choices for content than Apple TV. Both are easy to use, but Apple TV’s premium price can’t be justified.

Amazon Kindle Touch

When the iPad was announced and Steve Jobs showed a demo of iBooks, I thought “Kindle Killer”. When Amazon released a Kindle reading app for the iPad I thought “suicide”. I was dead wrong. Kindle apps on multiple platforms was the gateway drug. The latest versions of Kindle, starting at $79, is an evolution of their e-Ink reader lineup. Like previous Kindles, it comes with wifi and an optional 3G modem so you can download books anywhere. What I really like is the Kindle Touch ($99), which features an e-Ink touch screen. You can highlight passages, take notes, look up words, and tap the screen to turn pages.

My favorite feature is called X-Ray, which is like a mini Wiki for your book. Ever find yourself stopping your reading session to lookup info on what you just read on wikipedia? X-Ray pulls all that info in for you and makes it readily available.

Why Kindle Touch over iBooks on the iPad? eBooks on Amazon are usually a few dollars cheaper. Buying books on Amazon won’t tie you down to a specific platform the way iBooks does. You can buy a book once and read it on any device, including your browser. Your books are also stored for free on Amazon’s cloud “forever”, so you never have to worry about losing them.

Jambox by Jawbone

Looking for some external speakers to compliment your mobile device? I’ve always admired powerful Bose SoundDock, which was specifically made for the iPod. It’s sexy, portable, and can fill an entire room. However, it came with a big price tag. Enter the super portable Jambox by Jawbone. These are the same guys who make the popular bluetooth headset for your cell phone. Jambox ($199) is a speaker system that packs a 10hr internal rechargeable battery, bluetooth, blast 85 decibels, all enclosed in a beautifully designed package that can comfortable lug around in your cool fanny pack. This thing is tiny, but the sound is impressive. Another cool feature is that you can use it as a speakerphone because it comes with a built in microphone.

Yosemite by James Perse

James Perse clothing embodies Southern California living and its state of mind. Chic, modern, clean, and simple. Yosemite is James Perse’s active wear collection. Think of it as the luxury and stylish version of UnderArmour. Their Raglan performance jersey ($105) for example has an aggressive sporty look, yet it’s elegant and can be worn when walking around the beach. Their flagship store in Malibu is worth checking out. The store front resembles a giant pool deck. It will make you want to grab a chaise longue and a mojito to sip on.

Linus Roadster Sport

I make no effort to hide my distate for hipster culture. Jack Kerouac, v-Neck tees, PBR, and riding around on fixies are not my cup-o-tea. During a visit to Venice beach, a sleek little bike caught my eye. It was thinly framed, cleanly designed, no crazy handle bars. It was “Frenchy” European. A hint of foofoo in a sea of generic street bikes or overly aggressive mountain bikes.

The Linus Roadster ($579) is a beauty. It’s classic like a Porsche Speedster. Form meets function. A beauty to look at or ride. I can get very poetic about this thing, so I’ll make it short. Look at the picture. Close your eyes. Imagine riding it on a sandy path by the beach. Outfit it with a rear rack mount just like a Speedster. I want one.

What’s on your list?

Thanks for reading! So what’s on your list? What items would you like for your December holiday? Go ahead, go crazy! Let everyone know below or tweet me @modernrockstar