[warpdrive]

I couldn't get to sleep, so I was thinking about all the money I've spent on equipment over the last year and what I've gained in the process.

I was thinking that the one thing that I was most impressed with among all the stuff I bought was my iPod Touch. I take it everywhere and as a media device, I can watch movies while waiting for my car to be serviced, enjoy my tunes in high quality sound (high bitrate encoding, and top grade headphones), and as an information device at the local coffee shop or around the house. At work I use it to listen to music which really enhances my day. Not that I couldn't do any of this stuff before but now it's done with one slick device that I say "cool!" every time I pull it out.

As for my home equipment, I think the biggest impact was to go HDTV. It's a quantum leap over regular DVD resolution, and I still marvel at watching HD channels every day. By top quality standards, my XBR LCD definitely isn't cinema quality, but the picture and colors just pop out....and that is something I appreciate every day.

What piece of equipment did you buy that makes you go Wow?