Nanos and iPods and Gadgets - oh MY!

Well, Logan is sick. Again. It's that time of year though. All the usual suspects are out in full force, making their impact infecting hapless children everywhere! Advertisers are always pulling new tricks from their proverbial "hats", but right around this time each year manufacturers step up their game as well. The latest "attraction" to catch my discerning son's eye? The video Nano! ayiyiyiyiyiiiii!!!! Yeah, it looks "cool". Probably has all kinds of neat tricks up its sleeve, but it's not something I need to worry about my son losing. No matter, it has taken hold in his impressionable mind and infected him with a serious, perhaps incurable unless he finds himself in the possession of said Nano, case of Stuffitis. YES! It's a real disease! Just ask Dave. Or Shegazelle. Or any other number of reasonable people trying to change their family trees. I know all about Stuffitis. I often catch a "sniffle-wiffle" of it myself, but I am more inclined to deny my own desires than my son's. *sigh!* He's got a monster of a case. What to do? How do I "spoil" him, while simultaneously teaching him the virtues of saving money and spending well and the like? Have him save allowance toward his own "blow fund" that he can then put toward its purchase, with his Dad matching him dollar for dollar? Seem reasonable? I don't know. I'm pretty done with the lavish techno-gifts that are so tiny, with even tinier parts and accessories, so as to be lost that much more easily. Actually, I've never purchased any of these types of gifts for my son. Every handheld game, cell phone, mp3 player, and the like have come from relatives. I have purchased him a couple of games for his Gameboy/Nintendo DS gaming systems, but only because they were dirt cheap on Black Friday. He is, however, growing up in an age of technology in which I don't want him to fall behind or be ignorant of. (I'm still amazed at the number of people in my generation and even younger who don't know how to operate a computer, with the exception of MySpace! Shout out to P.J.! lol) So, I have a dilemma on my hands. At least, I think it is. Maybe someone out there can just clear it up for me real quick-like and I'll focus my brain cells on doing my whole THREE math homework problems! (I know, I think I'm dreaming about how easy this teacher is being...) Help!!??!!!