Getting to the stores in time for these toys might not be possible, but for the late Christmas shopper the answer to feeding the gadget-hungry might lie in the latest technology on the market.

Here is a round-up of some of the top lists of Christmas gifts as rated by CNET and PC Magazine, two publications I always check before making a big buy. The reason: their reviewers really take machines through their paces, using testing equipment poor columnists like myself cannot even contemplate owning.

Their Christmas picks are not budget toys. However most of the magazines have top picks for presents under $50 for example.

CNET has a straightforward top ten list, headed by the Sony PlayStation 3. The magazine calls it the most well-rounded of the new machines but balks at the $600 price for the Wi-Fi-enabled 60GB version. The $250 Nintendo Wii is rated as a “great buy” for the budget-minded.

The number two present choice is the T-Mobile Dash.

The cell phone beats out the Motorola Q due to its “good looks, integrated Wi-Fi, and superior call quality”, the magazine says. The 8GB iPod Nano is the next best must-have gadget followed by the Toshiba Gigabeat S MES30VW. The latter is a multimedia system that provides great sound, landscape video playback, support for tons of file types and subscription services, and compatibility with the Xbox 360, the magazine says.

“This is the new hard-drive multimedia portable to beat,” says CNET. In fifth spot is the Dell XPS M1710 (Core 2 Duo) laptop. The Core Duo-based M1710 laptop was already CNET’s choice for the best gaming notebook. “Now that it’s loaded with the mobile Core 2 Duo CPU, it’s practically unstoppable,” says CNET.

In sixth spot is the Sling Media Slingbox A/V, a $180 machine that allows you to watch video and television on the go. The Nintendo DS Lite ($129) portable gaming machine is pick number seven. The $Panasonic TH-50PH9UKI is rated by the magazine as the best value for a plasma HDTV, offering “clean video and deep blacks” for $2,500.

The number nine spot is held by V-Moda Bass Freq earbuds. And finally, the number ten pick is the Canon PowerShot S80, which CNET says is designed to come close to pleasing both novice and more-experienced photographers.

Meanwhile PC Magazine has created its holiday lists according to various categories. In the digital camera section, the magazine rates the Canon PowerShot A630 as the best compact going on the market. PC cites the camera’s 2.5-inch LCD and easy-to-use manual controls as the top qualities of the camera, which goes for between $239 to $405, depending on the supplier.

The best MP3 Player was the 8 GB Apple iPod nano.

There is no need for me to elaborate on a $250 product that created the market for portable digital music.

PC Magazine rated the Gateway FX510XT at the best gaming desktop on the market. If you do not balk at the $4,000 cost, then you will enjoy the one 1TB of drive space. Yes folks that is a data storage capacity equal to 1024 gigabytes. “The Gateway FX510XT is like an unmarked police car,” says PC. “It looks like a pedestrian tower PC that’s nothing special, but once it hits the game grid, it’s a force to be reckoned with.” In the business laptop category, the magazine’s top pick is the Apple Macbook Pro 15-inch (Core 2 Duo) .

With a processor speed of 2.33 GHz, a RAM of 2048 MB, the $2,400 laptop is rated as the fastest Core 2 Duo processor available on the market.

Want a high-definition TV? PC Mag picks the NEC 42XR4 as the best plasma HDTV on the market. For about $2,000 you get a 42-inch plasma TV with the best picture quality on the market. However PC notes the premium price doesn’t include many extras. The remote is near-useless in the dark, and to get the most out of it you’ll need to have it professionally calibrated, says PC.

In the cell phone category, the magazine gives top marks to the Palm Treo 700p, a $400 device with a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a “great balance” of features and applications. In the printer category the magazine picks the Canon Pixma MP600 Photo All-In-One ($233) as the best inkjet, laser and multi-function printer, and the Epson PictureMate Flash ($300) as the best photo printer.

Happy hunting, if you find any of these picks to your liking. Remember, the prices quoted are often at the top end. You can pick up some of these toys for much less, if you look around.

See you again on the other side of Christmas when I will do a look ahead at the upcoming trends in technology. Do you have any ideas what those might be in your segment of industry? If so send me a quick e-mail at elamin.ahmed[AT]gmail.com.

Season’s greetings!