We only have to look at a newspaper or watch the news to know that the economy in America is hurting. With the build up to the holiday season here that means that many wish lists this holiday season will remain wishes with consumers not being able to spend like they have in previous years.

A new study from Research and Markets claims that a full 24.1% of respondents do not plan to purchase consumer electronics items this holiday season. With consumer electronics one of the perennial top choices on wish lists that is an impressive number of shoppers not buying. Two years ago 19.4% of consumers didn’t plan to buy consumer electronic items.

Mgestyk Technologies wants to bring gesture control to your home PC. They want to do it by using just a 3D camera and proprietary software. The Mgestyk gesture control system is can capture small hand movements and then translate them into commands. The commands can be applied to nearly all windows applications, but more importantly video games. It looks like it works pretty nice, but it looks like there’s some lag. It’s also a bit dorky looking shooting a gun. Pricing is expected to be around $150. No details on availability just yet, but you can sign up on their mailing list to get updates.

You might remember this virtual nerd girlfriend from several months back. The Dennou AR Figures virtual 3D girlfriends are for those extra lonely nerds who don’t get out much. I think the idea is that you would want to check in on her now and then, apply spankings as needed and occasionally give her gifts, all safe in the knowledge that she can’t run or call the cops.

You install webcam software and when your camera detects the special cube onscreen, it puts a 3D companion into your environment. It’s available right now in Japan for $125. And we don’t want to know what you two do in your spare time. A slightly NSFW video below

Have you ever wished you had a real-life replicator that can actually create 3D objects from nothing? Like the Star Trek Replicator? It’s here. Actually 3D printers have been around for awhile, but are just now getting small enough to fit onto your desk. The Objet Alaris 30 is a compact desktop 3D printer that uses a peripheral with PolyJet Photopolymer Jetting. This helps it produce 600 x 600 dpi objects up to 11.5 x 7.7 x 5.9 inches in size.

That’s an improvement over the 5-inch cube that they did last year. The printer can manufacture small moving elements as thin as 0.0011 inches. According to Objet, the Alaris 30 Desktop 3D Printer will give you 36 hours of unattended printing from your 3D CAD files. No word on pricing or availability.

Jedi can bowl a perfect game every time by using the force, no balls are necessary. But since you haven’t apprenticed under Yoda, you could use some help. These Brunswick Star Wars Viz-a-Ball bowling balls may be just what you need to give your game a boost while simultaneously getting laughed at by those around you.

Or maybe not. You may just be trading a plain gutter ball for a fancy gutter ball. They’ll cost you between $92-$120 each. There’s Yoda, C-3PO, Darth Vader and even a Darth Maul ball. Who knows, before you know it you may be joining the Bespin Bowling League and low-fiving Ugnaughts. (I apologize for that nerd joke and regret that I even know what an Ugnaut is)

Web cams have just gone all view-master on us. The Minoru looks like a super-cute Japanese robot and is designed to deliver the Internet experience in 3D. The stereo webcam uses two lenses to form one image that appears three-dimensional…when the viewer wears a pair of 3D glasses. When are we gonna get beyond these nerd glasses?

It’s compatible with chat services like Skype, AIM, and Windows Live Messenger. Apparently the device can take 3D photos and output 3D video that’s uploadable to YouTube too. He’s part E.T., part Wall-E and he’ll be on sale in December for $100.

Behold. This new 9,000-square-foot, 3-story spaceship is called “Second Solar” and it has just been constructed in the German city of Böblingen. It’s a real looker. It’s got “giant engines, a thermal shell to protect the crew and landing runners designed to cope with unknown surface conditions.” And it was designed for the children. It’s amazing what can happen when a nation that loves David Hasselhoff stops watching Knight Rider re-runs and thinks about the children.

It’s an interactive exhibit designed by Different Futures for the Sensapolis fun park. Inside you’ll find such things as a 3D theater, a lab, alien breeding ground, a medical center and a warp-core. Pay attention nations of the world. Especially you U.S.A. This is how you need to treat your kids. I propose we have one in each state. It’s too damn awesome for words.

You know, I don’t know what this says about us as a society, but for some reason this gadget truly exists. What we have here is an authentic beer-filled USB flash drive that even features 3D “optional customizable floating objects” inside. With this liquid storage device you can celebrate your love of beer by always having some with you.

And if things ever get too dry and you find yourself in need of a hit, I’m sure you could break it and get just enough booze to wet your beak. Though I wouldn’t recommend it, you don’t wanna choke on those “optional customizable floating objects”. Storage size ranges from 128 MB to 8GB. You might also want to be careful that you don’t crack it and feed your laptop beer.

Smartphones are a relatively small percentage of all mobile phones on the market today. Despite the small percentage of smartphones, the devices are still where many manufacturers throw their coolest tech and hardest marketing push. T-Mobile has announced a smartphone that many have been waiting for.

The T-Mobile G1 is the first smartphone to be announced running the Google Android operating system. Android is open source and allows for lots of customization. The G1 offers 3G broadband and EDGE network connectivity, Wi-Fi, GPS and more. A slide out QWERTY keyboard complements the touch screen.

Strangely, there have been two separate accounts of a 4GB version of the new and improved nano showing up on store shelves in the Netherlands. Strange because there was no announcement and no mention of a 4GB nano at Apple’s “Let’s Rock” event, so this image is a bit of a surprise. The sources are claiming that this nano comes in all 9 colors and is priced at $169. They appear to be the real deal and some are saying Limited Edition, while others are thinking Apple messed up.

In2Games, developer of motion sensing gaming technology for the PS3 and Xbox 360, has released the first picture of their 360/PS3 motion controller. The Wii Nunchuck-like Gametrak Freedom is described as, “a remarkable ultrasonic 3D motion sensing technology which delivers performance, control and flexibility far in excess of that offered by existing technologies.”

In other words, they seem to be claiming that it beats a Wii-Mote. The device can be used with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, and features “proprietary and cutting-edge patent-pending ultrasonic technology to provide a true motion capture gaming experience. Unlike other motion sensing gaming systems, Gametrak Freedom accurately tracks the true 3D position and precise movements of up to four players, anywhere within a given environment, giving total control and unrivaled game play opportunities.” We’ll see what kind of software shows up for this device. For now the only game to make use of the controller is Squeeballs.

When it comes right down to it, entertainment is all about the sensory experience. It’s about feeling like we are there, even if we aren’t. The Wii has probably come the closest, but like other consoles, it leaves alot to be desired as far as fully immersing users. The Cocoon is a new VR system developed by NAU, which is a human-sized pod that you enter and it’s actually designed with videogames in mind.

The immersion and interactivity will take it light years beyond the Wii. It includes full 3D surround sound, and graphics as well as Internet connectivity, and could be the ultimate gaming environment to challenge friends from around the world. It may not show up in the home anytime soon, but when it does one future day, everything will change. Game graphics and audio are ready for it right now, but it’s the interactivity, interface, and total immersion that will set it apart. Most of Nintendo’s competitor’s were caught off guard with the Wii, but you can bet they are taking some serious looks at this future technology.

Microsoft added to its line up this week a new laser desktop set to help increase productivity amongst all you Windows users out there. It is called the Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 and it prices around $100.

The Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 includes Microsoft’s Wireless Laser Mouse 6000. It is described as “a full-size mouse with a right-handed ergonomic design that features a snap-in transceiver .” Included with this mouse is a the Wireless Keyboard 6000, Windows Aero-inspired keyboard which offers Microsoft’s Comfort Curve ergonomic layout with included six-degree curve.

It’s hard to take the Stix Wiimote knockoff for the PC seriously when it looks the way it does. It’s trying to hard. But the proof is in the play and at least one reviewer failed to shake any fun out of the thing. It’s only a 2D controiller after all.

The Stix 200 may look a lot like Nintendo’s wiimote, but it’s more like “a set of slightly unresponsive, highly inconvenient arrow keys” instead of an awesome motion controller. Like the device itself, the PC games that can be played with it are bad. The 3D-capable Stix 400 controller might do better, but the consensus seems to be that it’s not worth the bother after this review. The reviewer pretty much sums it up by saying, it’s the kind of gift “parents who can’t get their hands on a wii should get their children to make them cry.”

The camera gods of Olympus have rained down a fair number of new digital cameras this week – another one is a new member of the rugged Stylus SW series. It is known as the Stylus 1050 SW and you’ll find it pricing around $300 when it comes out in October.

The Stylus 1050 SW is a 10.1-megapixel shooter which Olympus says has a shockproof, waterproof and freezerproof body. It is available in four body colors and can be controlled with a simple tap on its top, back or sides, “which is made possible thanks to the new camera’s 3D accelerometer that detects the direction of the force on the camera’s body.”