Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we all know what that means… It’s time for another Black Friday! Ah yes. The biggest shopping day of the year. Parents get up at the crack of dawn to race each other to Best Buy, Toys ‘R Us, Target, where ever, to get the presents that their kids want more than anything. Eyes will be gouged out, toes will be stepped on, and hair will be unceremoniously pulled from scalps.

It’s a very pleasant American holiday, trust me.

Naturally, it’s a big time of year for those of us in the tech industry. It’s also interesting to see what kind of deals various companies pull out of their behinds to make their product the Tickle Me Elmo of the tech enthusiast crowd. But what I’m trying to figure out is what the heck I want for Christmas! My family is giving money to Heifer International this year, but I still might get a little something-something for myself. Other than the gaming PC (which is a project in the works, for sure), I can’t really think of anything I need (or want).

What are the top presents you’re hoping to get this year? What are you buying for your family and friends? Is it mostly tech, or are you going another route? Are you going to wait for Cyber Monday, and buy everything online?

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Engadget is reporting that Palm has folded on the Foleo, and I just wanted to throw in my $0.02 and say “Good for you, Palm!” I was vocally opposed to the device in the past (the only time I can recall ever devoting an entire post to a device I openly mocked) and I’m glad that they’re giving it the ‘ol heave-ho.

Makes me wonder what other devices made it to market that should have never seen the light of day. There have been some products out there that have left me scratching my head, but what are your favorites?

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Now playing: The Stills - Love & Death
via FoxyTunes

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Yesterday I went over to the Apple Store at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, to cover the line over there for CNET TV and to secure another test unit iPhone for our labs. I was there for about 4 hours, and by the time 6PM rolled around, the line was pretty damn long. I wasn’t intending on buying an iPhone that day, but when I got up to the counter and the smiling Apple clerk asked me what he could get for me, I blurted out “Two eight-gigers, please!” I caved under the non-pressure.

So now I have an iPhone of my very own. The one you see above isn’t mine, but Ryan’s. The reason why you don’t see mine is because I realized that I still have ’til the 10th of July before my T-Mobile contract is up. I’ve already spent $600–I’m sure as hell not going to spend another $200 just so I can use it now. Oh, but is it ever hard not to activate that sucker. You can’t do anything without activating it! Luckily, I’ll be surrounded by them both at home and at work, so I won’t feel like I’m missing out too much.

I have to tell you, I didn’t want to get sucked in like this, but it’s cool… really cool. Yes, the keyboard can be a little flaky. And yes, the EDGE kind of sucks. But my initial feeling is that it’s a very fun and easy to use phone. I guess I’ll have to wait until the week of the 10th to give my full impressions!

In the meantime, the real phone/MP3 player pros at CNET have taken their First Look, so go check that out.

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I already got into a little trouble with Palm this week (Palm OS is SO NOT going away! Seriously, guys!) but I can’t resist discussing the Palm Foleo that was announced at the fancy D: All Things Digital conference in San Diego today.

What the heck is this thing supposed to be all about? A tiny computer-companion to your Treo? I don’t know about your briefcase, but I had to buy a whole new purse to fit all the gadget junk I carry around and I’m sure as hell NOT planning on buying an even bigger one. That is, unless it’s Marc Jacobs and under $200.

I digress. The whole point of having a smartphone is so you can take your work away with you, on the go. That’s why they do amazing things like e-mail and web browsing. Which, incidentally, is also all the Foleo does. Oh look! I just saved you $430!

Dear gadget elves:
Please make smartphones smarter or laptops smaller. Doing both of those things would also be fine. My gadgets do not need “companions,” they’re doing just fine on their own, thank you.

Wow, I’m being mean tonight! I think I’m just bitter that I’m not at D. Rafe was there and actually saw this thing, and he loves it! Ryan, not so much.

Image credit: Palm.com

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