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10 Tech Holiday Gifts You Didn't Get, But Wish You Had

From slim smartphones to massive TVs, here's the tech that didn't arrive by reindeer express this year.

By Armando Rodriguez, PCWorld

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It's the day after Christmas, and your house still smells like Scotch pine and leftover fruitcake. Remnants of wrapping paper fill the trash bin, but what gifts do you have to show for your year of good behavior? A pair of socks that could double as ankle tourniquets and an ugly sweater that will forever remain buried in the back of your closet.

Here are the 10 tech gifts that you dreamed you'd be unwrapping this year, before Santa let you down.

Sony PS Vita Gaming Handheld

Price: $250 for the Wi-Fi-only version, $300 for the 3G version

Why you want it: Taking gaming to a new level, the PS Vita delivers stunning graphics that are about on a par with those on the PS3. Take a hike, Angry Birds. Uncharted has my vote for best mobile game of the year.

Why you didn't get it: Though Sony has already launched the PS Vita in Japan, you'll have to wait another two months before it arrives stateside. Unless, of course, you have a friend in Japan who is willing to buy and ship one to you.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Price: $300

Why you want it: The current king of Android phones, the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon boasts lightning-fast LTE network speeds, and it will always run the latest version of Google's mobile OS. With its a dazzling high-resolution display, the Galaxy Nexus would make you the envy of all your smartphone-touting friends.

Why you didn't get it: Either you couldn't break your current contract to swing the upgrade, or you're stuck on a carrier other than Verizon. Unfortunately, it ooks like you'll just have to wait until the next Nexus device launches...next year.

B&W Zeppelin Air

Price: $600

Why you want it: Our sister site, Macworld, had high praise for the Zeppelin Air iPod speaker dock, citing its beautiful design and crystal-clear sound quality. The Zeppelin also features AirPlay, which lets you stream music over your Wi-Fi connection from anywhere in your house.

Why you didn't get it: No one in your family wanted to give you another way to play your annoying polka music.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital Camera

Price: $1200

Why you want it: The Canon EOS Rebel T3i tops our digital SLR camera chart, thanks to its superb image quality and ability to record full HD video. This is the camera to buy if you're serious about photography.

Why you didn't get it: Unless you're a prolific shutterbug, you probably received a more reasonably priced point-and-shoot camera instead--or maybe your relatives figured that you could make do with your smartphone camera.

Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones

Price: $1400

Why you want it: You crave the best sound experience, and the dinky headphones that came with your media player definitely won't cut it. The Sennheiser HD 800 cans are undeniably pricey; but as any audiophile can tell you, Sennheiser always delivers superb sound quality.

Why you didn't get it: Persuading your significant other to buy you $1400 headphones is as easy as teaching a cat to juggle.

Optimus Maximus Keyboard

Price: $1800

Why you want it: The remarkable thing about the Optimus Maximus keyboard unique is that each of its 114 keys is actually a small display that you can customize to your liking. If you're a heavy Photoshop user, for example, you can program the keyboard to switch over to macros every time you launch that application. Normal keyboards simply can't compare.

Why you didn't get it: If you're anything like me, you take most of your meals at your desk--and those flashy LCD keys won't look as flashy when they get covered in grease and crumbs.

LG Infinia 47LW6500 3D LED TV

Price: $1900

Why you want it: This 47-inch beauty offers both a great picture and access to an array of smart media, including Amazon's on-demand streaming service. To top it all off, the LG Infinia 47LW6500 television also accommodates 3D, so you can get even more immersed in your favorite movies and games.

Why you didn't get it: You still have the HDTV that you bought last year, and 3D gives the rest of the family motion sickness.

AVADirect X7200

Price: $3200

Why you want it: You like to work on the go, but you want more power than a Macbook Air has to offer. The AVADirect X7200 is a tank of a laptop and provides excellent performance--as long as you stay tethered to a power source. With this machine, you can even play new game releases like Battlefield 3 and Skyrim.

Why you didn't get it: Considering how heavy this thing is, you'd probably have to hire someone to carry it around for you, which would raise the cost of ownership considerably.

Origin Genesis Power PC

Price: About $7000, depending on your configuration

Why you want it: The bigger question is, why wouldn't you want it? With a Sandy Bridge Core-i7 processor that the Origin has overclocked to 5GHz, plus three Nvidia GTX 580 GPUs and a liquid cooled interior, the Genesis Power PC is a beast of a desktop system.

Why you didn't get it: Take a look at that price tag again, and consider whether you really want to take out a small loan just to buy a new PC (even if it is awesome).

MS Watersports GmbH JetLev-Flyer

Price: $227,000

Why You Want It: A jetpack that relies on two high-pressure nozzles to propel the user skyward, the JetLev-Flyer is designed for operation over large bodies of water. It gives you the perfect way to show up an insufferable neighbor who never stops bragging about his jet ski.

Why You Didn't Get It: You don't have your own private lake on which to play with this quarter-million-dollar contraption.