With Thanksgiving swiftly approaching, it seems like the right time to start thinking about which new electronics and gadgets are going to be the “must haves” of the Holiday season.  According to a recent holiday electronics article, netbooks might be at the top of the list.

So, what’s a netbook?  The term refers to lightweight, low-priced notebook computers, usually $350-$500, designed for light duty.  Many Acer Laptops, and Asus notebooks fall into the netbook category.

The Acer Aspire notebook above includes a 1.6 GHz, 1GB RAM, a 120 GB hard drive, a webcam, and wireless capabilities.  There’s also a multi-card reader, and 3 USB ports.  Not bad for just over $375.  I found this Acer notebook at J&R.

Jumping on the netbook train, HP recently released 3 new netbook notebooks.  They are priced between $379 and $699.

If you want to add that Saturday afternoon gaming experience to your Monday morning office experience, here’s something to add to your collection of iPhone accessories.  Marware’s Game Grip fits both iPhones and the iPod Touch, for a a video game controller feel while playing iPhone games.  But is it useless foam, or finally a worthwhile iPhone gaming attachment? Gizmodo and CrunchGear seem to be voting “useless foam”.

The Game Grip includes silicone grips, a silicone cover for your iPhone, and a silicone cover and spacers for your iPod touch.  You can charge your gadgets with the Game Grip in place, and wear your earbuds or headphones.  The Game Grip is available for pre-order at Marware for $50.  Zowee, 50 clams?

Still haven’t picked up that Blu-ray disc player?  You might want to hurry (or not), because according to Robin Harris over at ZDNet, “Blu-ray is in a death spiral“, and will be little more than a “videophile niche in 12 months”. Here’s some of the interesting evidence Harris cites for the eventual demise of Blu-ray discs.

Upconversion DVD players:  With DVD players that up-play standard quality DVDs to near HD quality, the hype surrounding the viewing quality of Blu-ray discs is lost.

Licensing Fees:  There are whopping Blu-ray licensing fees implemented by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) for producers who want their productions available on Blu-ray.  $3K per project, plus additional annual fees.  That might be okay for a multi-million dollar film budget, but it’s not likely to be affordable for others.

Time Lost:  The HD DVD/ Blu-ray war took a couple of years to sort out…so all the while, technology was advancing, leaving Blu-ray a little outdated.

What do you think…is it the beginning of the end for Blu-ray discs, camcorders, and other gadgets? Hitachi doesn’t appear to think so.  They just released a new line of Blu-ray/DVD hybrid camcorders.

Here’s an assortment of geek-worthy toys for gadget gurus everywhere. First up, and my favorite of the three, is this remote control Multi-Color LED light, which would be a perfect addition to your Halloween props. The color-changing LED light plugs into a standard light bulb socket, and can produce dozens of colors.  You can even adjust the brightness and adjust transitions from color to color.  I found it at ThinkGeek.

Ooh, and here’s a kinda spooky, kinda goofy, computer accessory, just in case you’ve ever wanted to wear your USB drive on your finger.  The skull rings above are made by Solid Alliance and they open up to reveal a USB gadget with 2 GB of storage space. The skull rings are available at Geek Stuff 4 U for $145.  May the force be with you.

And, if you’re into robotic toys, you should check out this guinea pig robot named Gupi.  The virtual pet makes more than 30 noises and responds to your voice.  He charges via the carrot, and comes with a cardboard house.  You can find Gupi the guinea pig at I Want One of Those.Com.

Every collection of Halloween decorations should include a fogger, and I think this is the best of all the Halloween fogger gadgets I’ve looked at this year.  Shaped like a witches’ cauldron, the fogger has multi-colored lights, and you can use it indoors or out.  Best of all, it uses tap water instead of fog juice.  The cauldron fogger is available at Oriental Trading Company for $54.99.

This sign made me laugh, and it reminded me that I’m due for a new DVD player.  Mine’s acting up, and I want to be able to play my Hithcock DVDs at my Halloween party.  What’s Halloween without Norman Bates? The illuminated Bates Motel sign is one of many officially-licensed Universal Studios Halloween decorations, and you can find it at Costume Hub.

First, let me say that I understand the convenience of Bluetooth headsets for those who have to be on the phone all the time, and the added safety of not fumbling around with a cell phone in the car. I get that. But is there anyone else out there who thinks that these things are just plain goofy looking-especially when they’re worn as a “look how important I am” accessory?

I’ve ran into people at the grocery store, at my son’s football games, and at restaurants, wearing Bluetooth headsets who clearly dig having a cool looking gadget hanging from their face. I have a name for the Bluetooth accessorizing crowd - “Spaceman Spiff” (the fearless, outer space-gallivanting alter-ego of Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes).

As I near the end of my rant, let me recap. Bluetooth headsets certainly are a wonder of modern technology, and I totally get the use for them. But when you walk around looking like your headset is wearing you, rather than the other way around…something’s gotta give. And as for wearing one while consuming a meal at a restaurant….don’t EVEN get me started.

Halloween props, especially remote control Halloween props, are some of my favorite gadgets. Have you checked out some of the high tech Halloween decorations available this year? This remote control grim reaper is 5 feet tall and has red light up eyes. The reaper mounts on an included pole and rolling base which is disguised by the flowing shroud.

The remote control allows you to control front to back, and side to side movements. Just for some added spookiness, the grim reaper also laughs, and has pose-able arms. For indoor use only. I found the remote control grim reaper at Buy Costumes. Com for $69.99.

Tired of getting neck cramps from talking on that teeny little cell phone even when you’re at home?  This Bluetooth cordless phone lets you sync up your cell phone (actually, up to 12 of them) so you can take and make cellular calls with a full size handset.  The V-Tech LS5145 Bluetooth phone stores up to 100 phone numbers, and has polyphonic ringtone capabilities.  You can also add your own ringtones from your MP3 player or PDA.

The Bluetooth phone handset includes caller ID and stores up to 100 previous calls. It features a full color screen, and comes with some animated wallpapers for all of you who like to customize your gadgets. According to J&R, this handset won’t interfere with your home wireless network.   The VTech LS5145 Bluetooth cordless phone is listed for 129.99 at J&R.