As someone who typically ends up frustrated on Black Friday, I must admit that I couldn't help but check many of the Black Friday "leaks" that have been bombarding the Internet. It's like pressing a button that says "DO NOT PRESS!" I just can't help it.

Apparently, though, I'm not the only one. Google data shows that the "upswing" for Black Friday searches started two weeks earlier this year, according to an article in the Advertising Age. Meanwhile, the number of shoppers who plan to get their Christmas shopping started on Black Friday rose to 16 percent this year from 10 percent last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers (there's an International Council of Shopping Centers?).

Still, some are projecting Black Friday to be just that — black. Nielsen, the NPD Group and the National Retail Federation have all released buzz-killing predictions as far as sales. I'm no economist but I don't need to sleep at a Holiday Inn last night to figure out why. (As Bill Clinton once so eloquently put, "It's the economy, um, you not-so-smart person!")

Meanwhile, Retrevo's Director of Content Andrew Eisner is predicting many "mediocre deals" masquerading as Black Friday bargains. These include discounts that aren't as big as they seem to be and the pushing of outdated items.

Now, one can't fault someone for thinking Eisner's comments may have to do with Retrevo promoting its own product and pricing analysis (not to mention its Black Friday Real-Time Resource Center). Still, I know from personal experience that he also kinda' has a point. Fortunately, Google and the entire Interwebs is your friend so you can do your due diligence in researching products before pouncing on a deal.

As for me ... well, while I'm always tempted to line up in the cold with complete strangers just for a chance to get a good bargain, the reasonable person that resides in the little room in my mind always steps up in the end and tells me that it's better to go to bed and sleep on these things instead. Still, I understand the allure of the ever-powerful Black Friday deal. What about you?

Photo by Jason Hidalgo

In looking at portable DVD players as About.com's portables guide, one of the things I've learned is that companies who make the devices apparently hate names. And when I say names, I mean just basic names.

Forget simple names like Wii or Walkman. Instead, all you get is a mish-mash of letters and numbers that is just about as easy to remember as the name of that bad guy in the Superfriends cartoons who you have to trick to say his name backwards. Now, I'd tell you what the dude's name is. But I honestly can't remember it — just like the name of many of these portable DVD players out in the market today. I don't know about you but I'm guessing there's probably a reason why Apple didn't name its iPod the JXCSF1000945@.

Kindle, BlackBerry Bold, PlayStation — those are all easy-to-remember names that help establish mindshare within the market. But (insert generic letters and numbers here)? Hold on while I get a pen and paper.

Which brings us to my latest portable DVD review: Toshiba's SDP93S. Like the Sony DVP-FX930 I reviewed before it, the SDP93S is an excellent player. I just hope you can remember what either those two are called when you try looking for them at your favorite retailer. On that note, please feel free to check out the Toshiba SDP93S review.

Photo by Jason Hidalgo

It isn't quite "We Are the World." But I finally managed to do my part — for the children — and get my kids' electronics guide up.

I actually plan to add more devices as I review worthy gadgets that make the cut. So think of this list as a living, breathing organism that will continue to evolve over time.

In the meantime, please check out the guide as I've spent many a late night testing, writing, and testing again to get the guide up before Thanksgiving. (Cue violin music here.)

If not for me, then at least do it — for the children.

GIFT GUIDE: Cool Electronics For Kids

Photo by Jason Hidalgo

What happens if you try googling "Google books" and "preliminary?"

Well, if you do it as of this posting, then you'll actually find out that a federal judge in Manhattan just granted preliminary approval to a revised settlement between Google and groups representing authors and publishers.

For those who haven't heard, the lawsuit came about as a result of Google's efforts to make digital scans of books available online via its Google books initiative. The suit was filed by authors and publishers who complained about potential copyright violations and non-compensation.

The preliminary approval is already sparking all sorts of debate ranging from the scope of the settlement to options for authors who may not necessarily want to settle. The revised settlement itself came about due to concerns expressed in some circles, including the Department of Justice, that the original pact was uncompetitive and favored Google too much.

Anywho, reading up on all the legal talk surrounding this case has made me hungry and sleepy. Now I can't decide if I should eat or sleep. Maybe I should google for a solution online.

Amazon's fight against an online sales tax came to the forefront yet again after the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report slamming the online giant's arguments against being subjected to such a tax.

According to the nonpartisan center, Amazon's contention that collecting a sales tax would be "administratively burdensome" and also "unfair" in states where they don't have a physical presence pretty much doesn't hold water. For one, the retailer already collects taxes in practically every state for merchants that do business on its site. The center also contends that Amazon does not pay tax even in some states where it has a physical presence.

As someone who lives in a state that has an Amazon distribution center and has also bought tons of stuff from the retailer, I can confirm that I have yet to pay sales tax for my purchases. I must also admit that the lack of a sales tax is a big incentive for me to shop at Amazon, especially for bigger ticket electronics that qualify for free shipping. If all things were equal, I'd likely go to a brick-and-mortar store due to the instant gratification factor.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned report also says that states lose more than $7 billion in revenue a year due to uncollected sales taxes online. To be honest, I'm actually quite torn on this issue. I love the savings I get from not paying sales tax online but I also understand the point that state advocates make, along with the gripes of brick-and-mortar retailers who have to pay sales tax.

What do you think?

Barnes & Noble's gift cards and online gift certificates get some extra use "mid-December" with the company announcing that recipients can start using them for payment at the B&N eBook store.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the move comes along the heels of the nook eBook reader launch, which officially flips its virtual pages on the market this Nov. 30. And given the buzz surrounding the device, it certainly makes business sense to allow folks to use gift cards and online gift certificates for eBook purchases — especially when your customers are clamoring for it.

The company hasn't provided a specific date for the new policy to take place but the nook blog writes that an announcement is forthcoming. For more info on the nook, you can check out the official Barnes & Noble nook site.

Photo © Barnes & Noble

Regular visitors to this site have likely noticed that there's been a preponderance of kids' gadgets on the site lately.

Now before folks start getting any weird ideas involving male biological clocks or what-have-you, there's actually a pretty simple explanation. I'm just getting ready to release a holiday gift guide featuring kids' electronics. But while there's certainly a lot of devices to choose from, I want to make sure that I at least give the items a try and seek feedback from the target audience before I recommend them.

On that note, here is the latest device to make the cut: LeapFrog's Text & Learn Kids' PDA. Now the device isn't actually a PDA in the real sense of the word. Giving something like that to kids would be just plain wrong. What it is, is a device that teaches kids about the alphabet, shapes, and even operating a QWERTY keyboard. Want to learn more? Then go ahead and read my LeapFrog Text & Learn review.

Photo by Jason Hidalgo

I don't know why, but I have a soft spot for cute things. Whether it be puppies, kittens, or babies, seeing something adorable just makes me want to start rambling in baby talk and pretty much make a fool of myself.

With that interesting bit of blackmail material now out of the way, let's turn our attention to the I-Dog Soft Speaker. Just like tacos need both hard-shell and soft-shell offerings to satisfy the masses, manufacturer Hasbro thought that also offering a softer, more huggable version of their original robot I-Dog speaker is a good idea. As a connoisseur of tacos of all textures, I can't say that I find that logic faulty.

The I-Dog Soft retains the speaker functionality of its smaller, hard-shell cousin, so you can continue to plug in your iPod or other music source to the thing and hear your tunes come out from its fluffy innards. More importantly, the thing looks so gosh-darned cute in a robotic kind of way. Who's the good, wittle, squishy-wishy, doggy-woggy-goo?

Um, on that note, here's my I-Dog Soft Speaker review.

Photo © Hasbro

Are you bananas for robots? Then here's one mechanical toy that you just might go ape for.

Bossa Nova's Prime-8 robot gorilla brings some fist-pounding action and a fiery temper to the toy robot segment. Plus it runs to boot. That isn't good news for house pets and young kids who have mean older siblings.

Anywho, to find out if this robot ape has gift-giving potential for you, check out my Prime-8 review.

Photo by Jason Hidalgo

One of the things that surprised me most when I took over this site was how popular portable DVD players were. Visitors to the Portable Electronics site just love reading about this stuff.

Rocket scientist that I am, I thought, "Jason, ya gotta do more portable DVD player reviews." I'm such a freaking genius.

On that note, I've decided to review Sony's — take a deep breath now — DVP-FX930. You know, Sony's really got to start picking easier-to-remember names for their portable DVD players. This thing sounds like it races around Le Mans or fires missiles or something.

Weird naming aside, this particular player is actually popular for a reason. To find out more, read my Sony DVP-FX930 review.