The Great British public has no imagination.

It has plumped for the technological equivalents of underwear for its top ten list of Christmas presents this year.

Name a really exciting gadget that you would really like for Christmas, and it won’t be on the list. Not the list compiled by publisher CNet UK, anyway.

1. Ooh, look, Sony has brought out a slim version of the PS3. That’s number one. Don’t worry that you’ve already got a PS3.

2. The iPhone isn’t on the list, but the HTC Hero smart phone is. Maybe it’s because it’s cheaper.

3. Those who don’t want a PS3 Slim still want the Blu-ray player, and have picked the LG 370. Honestly, the present is a boring as the name.

4. The Kodak Zi8 camcorder is for people who suddenly think they need to shoot in high definition (it’s in, right?) and yet don’t realise that with this sort of equipment their videos aren’t going to be much better than with a more feature-rich standard definition camcorder.

5. People who want to pretend they’re good at photography yet won’t invest in even a basic DSLR have been wowed with the megapixel count of the Samsung ST1000 and its touchscreen. Yawn.

6. I’m not a fan of Acer laptops, and sticking the name Ferrari on it doesn’t make it any better. If anything, it cheapens the name of Ferrari (not in reality of course).

7. I do like Sennheiser, but I’m surprised to see the cheaper end of their range (CX400s) in the top 10. Given that many people have said they are going to be spending more this Christmas, at least pick some Sennheisers higher up in the range.

8. When memory storage cards appear on a top ten list, we really are in trouble. OK, so the Eye-Fi card works over wireless, but when was it really a hassle to plug in a camera via USB or card reader. Anyone who says they need to share photos online instantly, without editing (censoring), is just asking for trouble. Especially over Christmas.

9. I predict a lot of disappointed people who get their 46-inch Panasonic Viera G15 home and then realise it’s too big for their front room. Honestly, most Brits don’t live in houses big enough for such a huge TV. Take a wander down a typical suburban street of terraced or semi-detached houses, look at the gargantuan monsters of black plastic and metal hogging the wall or window space, and then tell me I’m wrong.

10. Finally, we have the mutant pairing of an 8GB iPod Touch (whoa, don’t overdo the capacity) and a 5GB MiFi (wireless modem) that gives it Net access. One word. iPhone. OK, the iPod Touch is faster, but just use it with Wi-Fi.

Come on Britain. Let’s abandon our “sensible gadget” heads and stock our Amazon Wish Lists with more exciting gizmos.

1. LaCie Starck Desktop/Mobile hard drives

Desgned by Philippe Starck, these cool hard drives (one for the desktop, one for mobile users) look amazing, are made from thick aluminium casing, have a touch sensitive surface for quick launch of applications, and come with auto-backup software.

Lacie UK

2. Buffalo SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hard drive

Not only does Buffalo’s hard drive use the cutting edge USB 3.0 high speed interface offering up to 125MB/s data transfer rates, but its black curvy body is well worth showing off as you transfer high definition movies back and forth in mere seconds.

3. Buffalo MiniStation

Attractive portable hard drives from Buffalo feature built-in security and direct USB connection without the need for an additional power supply.

4. Toshiba portable hard drive

This 400GB portable hard drive from Toshiba has some cool blue swishes on it and has NTI Shadow backup software built in.

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5. Seagate FreeAgent Pro

Like orange? Try this desktop hard drive from Seagate: the FreeAgent Pro, available in a range of capacities and connectable via FireWire, USB 2.0 or eSata.

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6. Suissa Shadow Wooden external hard drive

If you yearn for a wood effect on your gadgets, check out this hard drive from Suissa.

As you can see, this maplewood drive has plenty of connectivity so it’s also a USB hub.

Each unit is built to order.

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7. Seagate eSATA external hard drive

Sports one of the most up-to-date data connections and 500GB of storage.

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8. Iomega Camo Ego hard drive

Check out the camouflage on this hard drive, the Iomega Camo Ego. It’s not just pretty colours either, as it has Drop Guard protection built in to protect data, plus a Power Grip band that is supposed to provide stability and extra durability.

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9. GigaBank 1TB hard drive

One terabyte of storage as two 500GB drives in an array, with some interesting curves on the body and stand.

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10. Anaconda 1TB hard drive

Not much to say about this drive, except to note the cool blue light swish on the front panel.

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11. LaCie Rugged XL hard drive

Definitely one for orange lovers who need rugged protection for their hard drive.

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12. Fabrik SimpleTech [re]drive

Offering Turbo USB 2.0 for 25% faster performance and an enclosure made from sustainable bamboo.

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