Last week I posted part one of the Top Ten Electronics Gifts for 2009 covering my picks for numbers ten through six. And now we have, live and in color, without further ado: THE TOP FIVE.

Pause for applause.

Cue Queen's "We Are The Champions." Thank you, thank you. Okay, enough with the second stage comedy, let's dive right in.

Kicking things off this week in the number five spot:

If you are involved at all with any social networking sites, it's probably a safe bet to assume that you have at least a few pictures of yourself up and maybe those of some close friends as well. Even if you are a novice participant in those arenas, you probably have a blog or at least a cool image that you have set as an avatar that you share with others on your IM program of choice.

As more and more people open up large segments of their lives to the ever-expanding online global community, the popularity of websites dedicated solely to photo sharing continues to grow. Sites like Photobucket have been used for years as huge image repositories for blogs and websites.

These types of sites have led to the birth of massive photo sharing hubs such as Shutterfly, Kodak EasyShare, Snapfish, Flickr, and SeeHere, just to name a few.

This week, in our continuing quest to bring you the week's best in money-saving articles, we present six missives ranging from the truly informative to the head-scratchingly absurd. Submitted for your reading pleasure, there's a signpost up ahead.

Your next stop, the Cat Herding Zone.

So this week, as promised, I am kicking off my list of top ten holiday gifts in the consumer electronics realm. The following represents the types of products that look to be hot sellers this holiday season. To make the list seem less broad, in some cases I have picked specific brands that will likely be at the top of everyone's wish lists in their respective categories.

I really tried to focus this list on those items that have been reduced in price and--coupled with some great Black Friday sales or Cyber Monday deals--could be scooped up at a tremendous bargain. After part two next week, if you agree, disagree or are left wondering why your most sought after item didn't make the cut, drop a comment and let's keep the discussion going until the last of the turkey is gone and the mistletoe starts to whither away.

Now that the Holiday shopping season is upon us, it's time to...what's that? You thought you had a few more weeks to kill before you had to even start thinking about gift buying, long lines, and bank account breaking? Hahaha, oh no my friends! Wasting away the next few weeks can mean missing out on some of the best bargains available.

Every year it seems the holiday shopping season gets moved up sooner. This year several retailers, both online and off, started their big festive season pushes in August. For the most part, however, many seasonal deals started to appear in full force the day after Halloween. The days of procrastination paying off in last minute bargains are slowly fading away into the past.

So, in honor of slow-cooked turkey, pine needles littering the floor, festivals of light and quick kisses under strategically hung mistletoe, I'm going to give you a brief primer in getting the jump on cool holiday tech deals that won't put you in the poor house come January 1st.

We all want to be among the first to own the latest toys and gadgets that hit the market. More often than not, the biggest barrier to scooping up that hot new product is the high cost associated with most new consumer electronics upon initial release. This is where discount websites and online stores specializing in bargain-priced tech become your best friends. Before you can dive in and grab that new iPod, flatscreen TV or computer program, you'll need a plan of attack to best maximize your savings potential.

Here are some things you need to know, what types of deals to look for and which websites are the best when it comes to specialized consumer technology.

Recently arriving on the scene to take the digital camera world by storm is a brand new offering from Samsung. The new TL220 DualView digital camera is not only being lauded for its deeply innovative features, but also for its simple to grasp interface and the great price attached to it.

Our love affair with the Internet is at an all-time high. As a result, we are constantly seeking out new ways to connect with friends, family, and vast stores of digital information no matter where we happen to be throughout our day.

This week I want to talk a bit about wireless internet connectivity. Specifically, I want to offer some tips on the cheapest ways to use wi-fi. What is Wi-Fi exactly? Very simply, W-Fi enabled devices allow you to connect to the internet from any location, indoors or out, as long as you are in close proximity to a wireless network. Interconnected access points, often colloquially referred to as "hotspots," serve as the central connection zone that can be anywhere in size from a small room to a large area covering several miles.

Here are the two main ways to save while connecting online via Wi-Fi technology:

As the home video gaming phenomenon has grown, so too has the offshoot market of portable video games. Portable video game systems are not new however. They have been around in one form or another since the early '80s. But with the dawn of the iPhone, PDAs and the dominance of the Nintendo DSi, the game has truly changed.

Significant developments have been made over the years in the overall quality, graphical presentation and complexity of the systems available to the public. Many portable games may not be up to the exact level of their console counterparts, but they are becoming pretty close. From adventure games to sports simulations, complex puzzle games to the return of side-scrolling classics, there is a lot of fun being had on trains, planes, and in outdoor areas across the world.

AM, FM--these former stalwarts of traditional radio are quickly becoming dinosaurs associated with a past life defined by strict corporate control, static-filled reception, as well as uninspired and repetitive music and talk rotations. The future of radio is satellite and the future is now.

Actually, the future has been here for quite some time. Recently, however, the satellite radio market has truly taken off with consumers and experts alike. No longer do you need to worry about losing your favorite station when you leave town or drive out of broadcast signal range. Satellite reception guarantees that the signal will reach your receiver anywhere across the country.

If you are ready to jump on the satellite radio bandwagon, there are a few things you need to know before making that first key purchase.

Gamers can rejoice: maybe it's due to the recession, maybe the competition is getting fierce, but the bottom line: lower prices on gaming consoles. According to a recent article in the L.A. Times, price slashing of gaming consoles is the latest tactic being used to boost sluggish sales.

Writers Alex Pham and Ben Fritz hypothesize:

"Who will win this price war? Consumers."

Recently a friend of mine asked me just what he would need to put together the ultimate home theater system for a reasonable price. Understanding that he didn't want to break the bank or take out a second mortgage on the house to create a great entertainment centerpiece, I gave him the basic essentials and a cool home theater system discount to get him started.

Here's the advice I gave him:

Adobe Photoshop is arguably the most recognizable imaging software on the market today. The brand is the popular favorite among amateur and professional photographers, graphic artists, digital painters, and designers the world over. Which is why have plenty on Adobe coupons for you to choose from. When it comes to image manipulation and enhancement, Adobe Photoshop is hands-down the king above all other similar software options.

Here are some reasons why:

Today, let's talk about free. Although Savings.com has a great selection of software deals, what better way to save than to pay nothing at all, right? For smaller projects that require less expertise, there are many free graphics programs out there. I've compiled a select few that I've tested and used--none of which are of the illegal download variety. But all are perfectly legitimate scaled-down alternatives to full-featured (and full-priced!) graphics software packages that I've picked up on through the years.

Whether you're a student heading back to school or a frugal consumer just looking to upgrade that old, moves-at-a-snail's-pace laptop that's dying a slow death on your desk, figuring out what to look for in a new laptop can be a bit of a chore. The first thing we all have to think of in these tough economic times is budget. It has never been easier to find a quality laptop for less from the top major brands as it is today.

Here are some guidelines regarding what to look for when you're buying a new laptop:

What is commonly referred to as "Next-Gen" in the video gaming world is the "Current-Gen." We now live in a gaming world dominated by Xbox 360, PS3 and the Nintendo Wii. All of you holding onto the past--well, it's time to let go as the development days are coming to an end for older systems such as the PS2. I'm going to break down what each system has to offer and what to look for to best enhance your overall gaming experience.

Until recently, the prevailing thought on digital cameras was that the more megapixels a particular camera had, the better that device was. So in an effort to purchase the very best, ultimate, state of the art, next-big-thing camera, everyone from your average amateur photo-philes to professional photographers ran out to get their hands on the most lavish digital cameras available. Often they paid unnecessarily high prices for digital equipment all because they bought into the false belief that an overabundance of megapixels would equal much better photographs.

I'm here to tell you this is simply not accurate. In this instance, less can be more.

Picking up where we left off last week, I want to talk a little bit about the differences and similarities between the two leading types of flat panel televisions: LCD and Plasma. Hopefully this will add to the knowledge you'll need in order to best select the HDTV that's right for you. I'll try to keep the technical jargon to a minimum, but some "geek speak" will be necessary.

So let's get to it...

If you've recently found yourself perusing the aisles of your local electronics store or poring over online sites researching your first LCD HDTV purchase, you have no doubt run into two identical TVs displayed side-by-side with no visible difference between them: two mirror image flat panel 42 inch plasmas or LCDs from the same manufacturer, whose only striking difference is in price. Most likely one of them was 720p and the other was 1080p. The price difference between the two can be upwards of nearly $250 - $700.

This has no doubt left you with a couple of nagging questions: 1) "Why?" and 2) "What the heck does 720p and 1080p really mean?" To keep your head from exploding from too much techno babble, I'll keep this brief, sans a lot of technical verbiage, and to the point. Hopefully this will help you decide just which one of those twin HDTVs to scoop up and take home.

Everywhere you look, it's iPhone this and iPhone that. With the release of the iPhone 3Gs many of you are probably asking "Yeah, but do I really need one to have a great touch-screen phone experience?"

Make no mistake, the 3G is one amazing device. From the nearly-everything-you-can-think-of apps store to the all-purpose entertainment-on-the-go nature of the device itself, the iPhone is one awesome piece of technology. But if you're just not an Apple fan or you don't want to switch phone services just to grab the latest version of their runaway hit (AT&T is currently the exclusive carrier of the iPhone), then you'll need quality alternatives to satisfy your touch-screen needs.

If you're like me, then the new Star Trek movie has you wishing that some of that cool sci-fi seen on the screen was already possible. While photon torpedos, holodecks and teleporters are likely some ways off, there are some cool modern-day future tech items worth having today.

Here are five futuristic gadgets that boldly go where no one has gone before:

You've no doubt heard by now about the impending switch from analog to digital as it pertains to your television viewing. Otherwise known as the DTV Conversion, (trust me, it's not as ominous as it sounds), this federally mandated switch was originally scheduled to take place on February 17th of this year. It was pushed back to June 12th to allow everyone a chance to purchase the necessary equipment. With that date fast approaching, here's the no-frills, bottom-line of why this is important to you.