Technology-based gifts — while always welcome — can be a bit, well, boring. Here: some indulgent and unexpected choices.

For someone with a big project … and a really big desk: The 30-inch Apple Cinema Display monitor. More than 4 million pixels of gorgeous flat-screen glory. Utterly indulgent, but worth every penny. $2499 at Apple.com

For someone with a sweet tooth … and serious style: The gorgeous Dean & Deluca Package Cake, “wrapped” in a European fondant. For extra points, include Phillipe Starck’s Trowel Cake Server, to help them really dig in. Cake: $80 from Dean and Deluca (search for item #850033). Cake server: $108 from the MOMA Design Store

For someone who color-coordinates: Tivoli Portable Audio Laboratory (PAL). Big, beautiful sound from a pretty little package. Plug an iPod or CD player into this 6-inch-high, weather-resistant radio, known for fantastic reception as well as its fashion colors. $149 at Tivoliaudio.com

For someone who loves entertainment … and being first on the block:
Sony LocationFree TV. Watch your Tivo’d programs, local TV, or your DVD collection from anywhere in the world. The base station in your home streams the video over a broadband connection; the LocationFree TV screen — or your PlayStation Portable handheld! — receives it at the other end. All we can say is: Wow. TEDster Dan Dubno’s review (in his holiday gift guide), will get them started. $1099 w/7-inch TV at SonyStyle

For someone who’s kept their sense of humor: A mug inscribed with an ‘erasable’ Bill of Rights. Fill it with coffee, and the text disappears from the heat-sensitive ceramic. So long, civil liberties. Hello, seasonal satire! $12 from UncommonGoods.com

More ideas in Inspired Holiday Gifts, Part 1