NEIMAN Marcus, a luxury retailer in the US, is well-known for its annual shopping catalogue or “Christmas Book” released before year end, which lists some of the “fantasy gifts” that many people can only dream of.

The list, which has gifts ranging in the millions as well as hundreds of thousands of US dollars, always makes it to the news when the catalogue is announced and released to some 1.8 million people in the US. Among the tech products listed in its latest catalogue include a US$75,000 (RM255,000) robot that can recognise your family members and talk to them.

Although the exact specifics aren’t available, wouldn’t it be nice to have a robot at home to talk to if you’re home all alone?

The other wackier product is a US$1.14 million submarine that can take you down to the depths of the sea. So how about a “20,000 leagues” under the sea this Christmas, for a change? Another product that seems more “logical” is the US$73,000 diamond-encrusted mobile phone. The Vertu Signature Diamond Phone has 7.2 carats of white and pink diamonds and works in more than 150 countries.

Obviously designed for a lady, the manufacturer says it’s meant for a woman who enjoys all the finest things in life.

And extreme sports lovers can get their very own Rocket Racing League Team for a cool US$2 million. Instead of racing on the highways, speed demons can now race in the skies for an adrenaline rush unlike any other. Although those holiday gifts seem a little bit far-fetched, tech gadgets and products are nevertheless, some of the top buys during this gift-giving season.

Topping the list in the US, for example, are the iPhone, the Nintendo Wii console, global positioning system (GPS) kits and digital cameras.

Although the iPhone hasn’t arrived on our shores, all other tech gadgets topping the list there are available here and will make good gifts.

Happy shopping and Merry Christmas, folks!