Thanks a lot Apple. With the announcement that Cupertino's holiday product line-up is set, the rest of the computing industry seems content to do the same. Sure; if I peeled the onion back from the consumer level view, I am sure there are dozens of neat things just preparing to hatch. But I am talking about actual new product launches between now and Saint Nick taking his annual ride. The only cool thing I see hitting the street that is not already on a shelf somewhere is the Barnes and Noble Nook. A product which I am already a supporter of before its impending launch.

If I were in my less mature and frivolous youth, I would have already purchased a Viliv something or other, and maybe another netbook. Maybe. I did just complete a major sell-off of all of the extra workstations in the 'WERKz because so many of them went unused. But the sheer lack of anything interesting and new on the market is making me downright antsy.

For those feeling the same way, and in better financial times than I am, some companies have the answer. That is to pick up something not new, but previously out of your price reach. Verizon is one such vendor. They are subsidizing the Sony Vaio P for a mere $199 with a 2 year contract.

The Vaio P is a respectable piece of kit. Over-priced, as is the case with the majority of Sony's product lines, the Vaio P is a hard sell at its normal price of $850 or more; $300 more than the most expensive NetBook, and more expensive than the new trend of razer-books. Being able to buy one at less than 50% of its stand-alone street price should be tickling more than one techno-nerd looking to score a piece of self-funded gadgetry before the holidays hit.

Having one of these to cart home would be an enjoyable capture. While it is true that you have to invest in a 2-year data plan with Verizon, that seems almost a commodity these days. A 2-year plan, at least in the US, is the norm, so it should not hit the average buyer as anything uncomfortable.

Truth be told that if I had not just switched to Sprint, this is a deal that would definitely have had me jumping. The Vaio P, at least in design and aesthetics, is a far step and away from the rest of the bargain basement fodder typical of the netbook strata.

Oh well. I'll have to leave this to some other lucky sucker and be satisfied with my other gadgets. Still. Black Friday is just around the corner, and I think eTailers have finally figured it out. They need to offer competitive prices online that encourage users to stay at home instead of getting in line at a brick-and-mortar shop at 5 AM.

While I am supposed to be abstaining, if something absolutely incredible goes live on an online Black Friday sale, I am not certain how I am supposed to resist. I might need to go camping and leave all gadgets at home so I can not possibly even look at a BF website out of curiosity (or fear).

So I wonder how much more a second data line with Verizon would really cost me?

- Vr/Z