Gizmodo

8 Examples of How NOT to Fix Your Gadget Problems [Tgif]

Sean Fallon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:20:00 -0500

Our Friday lists are all about gadgety fun and leisure, but sometimes technology can be frustrating—and there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to handle it. This is definitely the wrong way.

If you have a problem with you TV, like a certain 70-year old Missouri man did with his converter box during the DTV transition, DO NOT get loaded, shoot it and engage in a standoff with the police. [Link]
If you work in a tech-related retail store, DO NOT do what 29 year old Aaron Seiber did and stab yourself so you don't have to go. Making up a phony story about a skinhead attack to the police doesn't help matters either. [Link]
If you have trouble getting up the stairs, escalators are a real lifesaver. However, DO NOT use one like the man in this video.
If your phone dies, DO NOT take it to get fixed and threaten to shoot it in the store with the 9mm concealed in your jacket. There are no cellphones in prison—unless you have a really good hiding place (and there is only one really good hiding place). [Link]
If you have a tall hedge, and no gadget designed to trim it, DO NOT raise your ride-on mower up with a crane to do the job like this lunatic from New Zealand. [Link]
So you have bought a new phone and you are not sure what to do with your old one. Unless is is complete garbage, DO NOT smash it. Get some money for it or donate it to charity. If you want an iPhone to smash, there are cheaper ways to do it. [Link]
If you're kid acts up in a Verizon store, DO NOT drag him around on the floor with a leash. Someone with a cameraphone is bound to make a video of the whole incident and share it with the police.
If your internet connection goes down while playing an online game, DO NOT vent your frustrations by grabbing a knife and stabbing the first 15-year old girl that walks down the street near your home. You could wind up in a mental hospital with pending manslaughter charges. [Link]

The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy [TVs]

Gary Merson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:20:00 -0500

We've teamed up with the HD Guru himself, Gary Merson, to publish the absolute best five TVs you can buy right now. As you'll see (and might already notice above), there are some surprises on the list.

Panasonic Z1

Panasonic's flagship HDTV is its thinnest 54-inch plasma HDTV ever, with only 1-inch depth. They did it by eliminating a third sheet of glass found in all other plasmas except Pioneer's Kuro, and bonding the anti-reflective coating directly top glass. The Z1 employs SiBEAM's 60GHz 1080p for wireless glitch-free images sent via the included transmitter/media box from up to 30 feet away. The Z1 has THX picture mode and a custom calibration mode, plus nice bonus features including VieraCast Internet connectivity for YouTube and Amazon VOD and an SD card reader for photos. The Z1 delivers amazing performance with full 1080 line motion resolution, accurate HD color, deep black levels and 96Hz for judder free movie viewing.

The sexiest HDTV of 2009, the TC-P54Z1 will set you back $4000.

Pioneer Kuro Signature

You know it's been a weird year for TVs when not one but two of our top picks are no longer being manufactured, but are still being sold. Pioneer's sweetest (and last) Kuro line is technically a monitor: There's no tuner or audio. But the Signature models offer the deepest black of any high definition display on the market—without any white-letter-on-black-background halos occasionally seen on LED-based LCD TVs. The Signature models features hand selected parts, 2.5-in. depth, Custom Calibration, 72Hz refresh and control over the internet via its Ethernet connection. The Pioneer uses a single top sheet of glass to minimize internal reflections, with the anti-reflection coating bonded directly to the surface.

The Signature models are available at scattered retailers around the country in the 50-inch size (PRO-101FD) for about $3000 to $3500, and 60-inch size (PRO-141FD) for $4000 to $4800.

Samsung LNB8500

The 8500 series is Samsung flagship LED LCD TV. It feature packed with thin 1.6-inch depth, white LED local dimming backlights for improved uniformity, dual-chip 240 Hz plus a scanning backlight for excellent motion resolution and the best black level of any LED LCD observed to date. The 8500 features four HDMI inputs plus internet connectivity with Flickr, YouTube, weather, news and other widgets. It also has a PV+C input for connection to your computer or HTPC. This is a benchmark LED LCD to judge against every other make and model.

All this performance comes at a price. The LNB8500 series comes in 46-inch (UN46B8500) and 55-inch (UN55B8500) screen sizes, currently on Amazon for $2620 and $4020, respectively.

LG LH90

This LG has all the hot LCD performance features video freaks crave, including white LED dimming backlights for excellent black levels, wide viewing angle LCD IPS panel, accurate color, and 240Hz (120 refresh + scanning backlight) for excellent motion resolution. This LG also has all the tweaks anyone could ask for including ISF CCC mode for calibration, THX certification and LG's "picture wizard" for user set-up without calibration discs or external test signals. The LH90 isn't the thinnest LED LCD, but it more than makes up for it with its price.

The LG LH90 series is available in 42-, 47- and 55-inch screen sizes at street prices that are considerably lower than many competitors' edge lit 120 Hz LED edge lit models. The 42LH90 is online for $1200 to $1500; the 47LH90 sells in the $1700 range; and the 55LH90 goes for $2200 to $2800. In case you couldn't tell, the LH90 series is the value/performance leader of the pack.

Sony XBR8

A comparable model never replaced Sony's 2008 flagship model in 2009. It is the only HDTV available with separate red, green and blue LED backlights (rather than all white), with local dimming for deep black levels. Though slightly thicker than other TVs in its class, the XBR8 has accurate HDTV color, enough brightness for a beach house, a non-glossy anti-glare screen coating (rare for 2009), 120Hz refresh rate and Sony's Bravia Engine 2 signal processing.

You can still find the XBR8s—we spotted the 46-inch KDL-46XBR8 for under $2200 and the 55-inch KDL-55XBR8 for under $4000.

Gary Merson is the HD Guru, the industry's leading HDTV journalist. He's been reviewing TVs for well over a decade, and recently wrote a guide to choosing an HDTV.

Hansa Smart Shower Has Three Options For Your Head and One For Your Crotch [Showers]

Sean Fallon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:19:00 -0500

If you can't afford a ridiculously tricked out shower, the next best thing might be a Smart Shower from Hansa. It has a standard shower, cascade and hand shower mode for your head an a pivoting spray for your crotch.

Well it could be used for your crotch if you are tall enough, or you have a weirdly high crotch with a weirdly short torso. Either way, it's a sweet-looking fixture with a lot of options. [Hansa via Trendir]

Camangi WebStation: 7 Inches of Android Tablet for $400 [Tablets]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0500

The Camangi WebStation has been floating around for a few months now in little more than proof of concept form. Now, it's on the cusp of being a real product, released next month for $400.

The system runs Android 1.5 through its 7-Inch (800×480) glass touchscreen display, plus you get Wi-Fi (b/g), GPS , microSD reader, 2MP camera, .3MP webcam and a USB port that can always add 3G (though, the whole idea becomes sort of silly at that point).

Plus, a built-in stand on the back means it can double as a picture frame. Yes!!
My only concern is the bit of lag you notice in this video. If the final production models have that issue ironed out, this could be an attractive little tablet. [Camangi WebStation via Gearlog]

YouTube Shuts Down API Access, Leaves Set-Top Boxes High and Dry [YouTube]

John Herrman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:59:41 -0500

There are two ways for a device to access YouTube: either through the regular web interface, i.e. Flash, or for cleaner integration, through its back end APIs. As of December, Google is shutting off the tap.

The news comes from the COO of Syabas, the company that makes the Popcorn Hour set-top box. Up until now they'd had a loose agreement with the 'Tube: They can stream video from YouTube for free, but YouTube can change the terms of the deal whenever they want. Which they did!:

YouTube has always retained the right to change its terms of service in the future should it ever wish to do so. As a result of Google's decision, Syabas is no longer allowed to access YouTube through its APIs. To be clear, Syabas is not being singled out. With the exception of a few strategic partners Google has chosen to work with, the company has informed Syabas they are asking all over-the-top device makers that are currently connecting to YouTube content through its APIs to take down the service.

To quote every set-top box manufacturer in the world, probably: "shit." YouTube access had become the kind of thing you take for granted in a connected box or Blu-ray player, and it was nice to have. Now, it'll be limited to devices like the PS3, Wii, and TiVo—backed by the kinds of players who have the clout to pressure Google, or the money to pay them—leaving everyone else to search for some kind of hacky workaround.

I understand that Google wants to squeeze some ad revenue out of YouTube, and that letting anyone and everyone access raw, ad-free through the backend probably isn't the best business plan, but this isn't Hulu—it's not like they have many powerful content providers to appease, just a bunch of teenagers with webcams. Set-top box folks: watch your free video cornucopia dissolve on December 2nd. [Syabas via Engadget via Lifehacker]

Black Friday Deals: The Only List You Need [Top]

Kyle VanHemert — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:20:00 -0500

Black Friday is a week away, and thousands of markdowns are already announced. Our master list of Giz-friendly deals—a hefty read—includes similar items priced differently at different stores. Keep it refreshed, cuz we'll be updating it all week.

UPDATE: We had to add a Page 2 with TVs, Video Games, Printers and Software

Doorbuster items marked with an *

Cell Phones

AT&T Sony Ericsson W518a - Free w/2 Year Contract * [Best Buy]
BoostMobile Motorola Clutch i465 - $59.99 [Best Buy]
DLO Jam Jacket For iPhone - $9.99 [Best Buy]
Jabra BT-2080 Bluetooth Headset - $19.99 [Best Buy]
LG Chocolate Touch From Verizon w/Two Year Activation - $0.00 * [Best Buy]
MiFi 2200 By Novatel Wireless w/Two Year Activation - $0.00 [Best Buy]
Mobile Broadband Card 598U By Sierra Wireless w/Two Year Activation - $0.00 [Best Buy]
Motorola S9 HD Stereo Bluetooth Headset - $49.99 [Best Buy]
Net10 Samsung T401G - $39.99 [Best Buy]
Sprint BlackBerry Curve 8330 Smart Phone - Free w/2 Year Contract [Best Buy]
Sprint Samsung Instinct S30 - Free w/2 Year Contract [Best Buy]
T-Mobile Motorola Renew Phone - $7.99 [Best Buy]
Verizon Wireless DROID - $199.99 w/2 Year Contract [Best Buy]
Verizon Wireless Motorola Rival - Free w/2 Year Contract * [Best Buy]
Virgin Mobile Kyocera X-tc - $49.99 [Best Buy]

Computer Accessories

 APC 450VA Battery Backup - $19.99 [Staples]
APC 550VA Battery Backup - $24.99 [Office Depot]
Acer 17.3" Blue Laptop w/4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive and Windows 7 Premium (Online Only) - $498.00 [Wal-Mart]
All Case Logic Laptop Sleeves - 50% Off [Office Depot]
Altec Lansing VS2621 PC Speakers - $19.99 [Staples]
Any Business Case, Sleeve, or Backpack - 40% Off [Staples]
Belkin 6-Outlet Surge Protector w/Left Extension Cord Combo - $5.99 [Staples]
HP 15.6" Notebook w/Intel Processor, 3GB Memory, 250GB Hard Drive (Model # G60-519WM) - $298.00 * [Wal-Mart]
HP 17" Notebook w/4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive (Model # G71-329WM) - $398.00 [Wal-Mart]
HP OfficeJet J4680 Wireless All-in-One Printer - $49.99 * [Office Max] HP OfficeJet Pro 8500 All-in-One Printer - $139.99 * [Office Max] HP Wireless Mouse (Black) - $9.99 [Staples]
Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Combo - $39.99 [Office Max] Logitech QuickCam Pro Webcam - $49.99 [Office Max] Logitech V220 Optical Wireless Mouse - $9.99 * [Office Max] Logitech V450 Wireless Laser Notebook Mouse - $14.99 [Staples]
Logitech Z13 Speaker System - $29.99 [Office Max] Logitech C600 Webcam - $39.99 [Staples]
Logitech Illuminated Keyboard - $29.99 [Staples]
Logitech LX6 Cordless Optical Mouse - $7.99 [Office Depot]
Microsoft Lifecam VX-5000 Webcam - $9.99 * [Office Max] Microsoft Mobile 300 Mouse (Pink) - $4.99 * [Office Max]
Microsoft 4000 Wireless Laser Keyboard/Mouse Set - $29.99 * [Staples]
Microsoft Digital Media Keyboard 6000 - $12.99 [Office Depot]
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 USB Keyboard - $19.99 [Dell]
Microsoft VX-3000 LifeCam Webcam - $9.99 [Staples]
Height-Adjustable Mobile Laptop Cart - $17.99 [Office Depot]
Moble IT Retractable USB Hub - $4.99 [Office Depot]
Targus 208-CD/DVD Album - $9.98 [Staples]
Targus Chill Mat Notebook Fan - $9.99 [Staples]
USB Web Cam - $9.99 [Office Depot]
eMachines 15.6" Notebook w/AMD Processor, 2GB Memory, 160GB Hard Drive (Model # EME627) - $198.00 * [Wal-Mart]
iHome Wired Optical Mouse - $6.99 [Office Depot]

Computers 

Acer Aspire One 10.1" Netbook w/ 1GB RAM, 160GB HD, Windows XP - $149.99 * [Office Max]
Acer Aspire 15.6" Widescreen Notebook Computer w/AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core Processor L310, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive - $379.99 [Office Depot]
Compaq Presario Dual-Core Desktop w/ 3GB RAM, 500GB HD, Windows 7 - $239.99 * [Office Max] Acer Netbook 10.1" Computer w/Intel 1.6GHz Atom Processor N270 - $199.99 [Office Depot]
Compaq CQ4010F Desktop Computer w/AMD Sempron LE-1300 Processor, 2GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive - $229.99 [Office Depot]
Compaq Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor, 1GB Memory, 160GB Hard Drive - $179.99 [Best Buy]
Compaq Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor, 1GB Memory, 250GB Hard Drive - $229.99 [Best Buy]
Compaq Presario AMD LE-1300 Desktop w/18.5" Monitor - $329.99 [Office Depot]
Dell 10.1" Inspiron Mini 10V Netbook w/Atom 1.6Ghz Processor N270 - $249.00 [Dell]
Dell 10.1" Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor, 1GB Memory, 160GB Hard Drive - $379.99 [Best Buy]
Dell 14" Inspiron 14 Notebook w/Intel T4300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive - $599.00 [Dell]
Dell 14" Studio XPS 13 Notebook w/Intel P7450 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive - $999.00 [Dell]
Dell 15.6" Inspiron 15 Notebook w/Intel T4300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive - $549.00 [Dell]
Dell 15.6" Studio 15 Notebook w/Intel T6600 Processor, 4GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive - $499.00 [Dell]
Dell 15.6" Studio Laptop w/Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive - $599.98 [Staples]
Dell 16" Studio XPS 16 Notebook w/Intel P7450 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive - $999.00 [Dell]
Dell 17" Studio 17 Notebook w/Intel T4300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive - $749.00 [Dell]
Dell 20" Studio XPS 8000 Desktop w/Intel i5-750 CPU, 6GB RAM, 750GB Hard Drive - $899.00 [Dell]
Dell Desktop PC w/AMD Athlon X2 215 Processor, 4GB RAM, 640GB Hard Drive, 20-inch LCD Monitor - $499.98 [Staples]
Dell Inspiron 537s Desktop w/Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive - $349.00 [Dell]
Dell Inspiron 537s w/Intel E5300 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, w/20" LCD Monitor - $499.00 [Dell]
Dell Inspiron w/Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 Processor, 3GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive - $499.00 [Dell]
Dell Studio Desktop w/Intel E7500 Processor, 6GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, w/18.5" LCD Monitor - $699.00 [Dell]
Dell Studio Desktop w/Intel Q8300 Processor, 6GB RAM, 640GB Hard Drive, w/20" LCD Monitor - $749.00 [Dell]
Dell Studio Slim Desktop w/Intel E5400, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, w/18.5" LCD Monitor - $599.00 [Dell]
Free Software w/Purchase of Computer - Free [Office Depot]
HP 15.6" Laptop w/Intel Celeron Processor 900, 3GB RAM, 160GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 - $299.98 * [Staples]
HP 15.6" Laptop w/Intel Pentium Processor T4300, 4GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 - $399.98 * [Staples]
HP 15.6" Notebook w/AMD Turion II Dual Core Processor M500, 6GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 - $599.99 [Best Buy]
HP 15.6" Notebook w/AMD Turion II Dual Core Processor M500, 8GB Memory, 500GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 - $699.99 [Best Buy]
HP 17.3" Laptop w/Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive - $599.98 [Staples]
HP Desktop AMD X4 Quad Core, 8GB Memory, 1TB Hard Drive w/20" Monitor, HP Deskjet DJ350 Color Printer & Windows 7 Home Premium - $499.97 [Best Buy]
HP Notebook Computer G60-508US w/Intel Celeron Processor 900 - $299.99 [Office Depot]
HP Notebook Computer G71-343US With Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6600 - $449.99 [Office Depot]
HP Pavilion Desktop P6229PG w/20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - $499.99 [Office Depot]
HP Pavilion All-In-One 19" Desktop w/4GB Memory, 500GB Hard Drive, MS213 AMD - $598.00 [Wal-Mart]
HP Pavilion Desktop w/AMD Processor, 3GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive, w/20" Monitor (Model # P6243w-b) - $398.00 * [Wal-Mart]
HP Pavillion Slimeline Intel E5300 Desktop w/20" Monitor - $519.99 [Office Depot]
HP Pavillion Slimline s5220f Desktop Computer w/Intel Pentium Processor E5300, 4GB RAM, 640GB Hard Drive - $369.99 [Office Depot]
Macbook 13.3" Notebook w/2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 Memory, 250GB Hard Drive, w/$150 Gift Card - $999.99 [Best Buy]
Sony 15" Laptop w/Intel Dual Core Processor, 4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 - $399.99 [Best Buy]
Sony 15" Laptop w/Intel Dual Core Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD, Windows 7, Sony Headphones, Built-In Blu-ray, Blu-ray Movie - $479.97 [Best Buy]
Sony 15.5" Laptop w/Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 Processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive - $649.98 [Staples]
Toshiba 15.6" Widescreen Notebook w/AMD Turion II Dual-Core Processor M500, 3GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive - $469.99 [Office Depot]
Toshiba 16" Laptop w/Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 3GB DDR3 Memory, 250GB Hard Drive (Model # L505-S5984) - $399.99 [Best Buy]
Toshiba 16" Laptop w/Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 4GB DDR3 Memory, 320GB Hard Drive (Model # L505-S5984) w/Printer and Case - $499.97 [Best Buy]
Toshiba 17" Notebook w/AMD Turion II M500, 3GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive - $499.99 [Office Depot]
Toshiba L505-S5998 T4300 4GB RAM, 320GB HD Notebook - $399.99 [Office Max]
eMachines Desktop w/AMD Athlon Processor, 3GB RAM, 320GB HD, Windows 7, w/18.5" LCD Monitor and HP Deskjet Printer - $299.97 [Best Buy]

Digital Cameras

 Ativa Digital 1080p HD Video Camcorder 4x Optical Zoom - $89.99 [Office Depot]
Canon 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera, EOS Rebel XS - $569.99 [Sears]
Canon 980IS 12.1MP Digital Camera - $279.99 [Sears]
Canon EOS Rebel T1i D-SLR Camera w/18-55mm IS Lens - $699.99 [Best Buy]
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Grey) - $149.99 [Best Buy]
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Teal) - $149.99 [Best Buy]
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case (Grey) - $179.99 [Best Buy]
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case (Teal) - $179.99 [Best Buy]
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS 10.0-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera - $149.99 [Office Depot]
Canon PowerShot A1100 12.1 MegaPixel Digital Camera w/4x Optical Zoom, 2.5" LCD (Silver) - $129.99 * [Staples]
Canon PowerShot SD780 IS 12.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - $179.99 [Office Depot]
Canon Powershot SD780 IS 12.1MP Digital Camera - $179.99 [Sears]
Canon Rebel Tli Camera w/55-250mm IS Telephoto Lens and Lowepro D-SLR Bag - $849.97 [Best Buy]
Canon Rebelx XS Digital SLR Camera & Canon EF 75-300MM Telephoto Zoom Lens - $669.98 [Sears]
Disney Pix Micro Digital Cameras Designed For Just For Kids - $9.99 * [Sears]
Flip Ultra Camcorder w/2" LCD - $129.99 [Staples]
Free Canon Photo Printer With Purchase Of Any Digital Camera (After Rebate) - $0.00 * [Staples]
Fuji J29 10MP 3X Zoom 2.7" LCD Digital Camera Bundle - $89.99 * [Sears]
Fujifilm FinePix A170 10.2 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera (Silver) - $59.99 [Dell]
Fujifilm Finepix Z37 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case - $149.97 [Best Buy]
Fujifilm Finepix Z37 Polka Dot 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera - $119.99 [Best Buy]
GE A1250 12MP Digital Camera - $69.99 * [Sears]
Hi Pro Camera Kits - 50% Off * [Sears]
Insignia 720p HD Camcorder - $69.99 [Best Buy]
Insignia NS-DSC10A 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Pink) - $49.99 * [Best Buy]
Insignia NS-DSC10B 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Blue) - $49.99 * [Best Buy]
Jazz T20 4X Digtal Zoom 1.5" LCD Camcorder - $19.99 * [Sears]
Jazz T55 Camcorder - $49.99 * [Sears]
Kodak 10.0 MegaPixel Digital Camera w/Memory Card And Bag - $79.99 * [Staples]
Kodak CD80 10.2MP, 3x Zoom Digital Camera 2.4" LCD 2GB Card And Case - $79.99 * [Sears]
Kodak EasyShare C140 Digital Camera With 7" Kodak Digital Photo Frame - $109.99 [Best Buy]
Kodak EasyShare C180 10.2 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera w/Kodak P820 8" Digital Picture Frame - $99.99 [Dell]
Kodak EasyShare C182 12.0 Megapixel Digital Camera - $69.00 [Wal-Mart]
Kodak EasyShare CD80 Digital Camera Bundle - $79.99 [Office Depot]
Kodak EasyShare M381 Digital Camera w/Case & Tripod - $169.99 [Office Depot]
Kodak EasyShare Z915 Digital Camera w/Case & Charger - $199.99 [Office Depot]
Kodak M1063 10.3MP Digital Camera - $89.99 [Sears]
Kodak Z950 12 Megapixel Digital Camera - $149.99 [Office Max] Nikon L20 10 Megapixel Digital Camera - $79.99 [Office Max] Olympus X905 10MP Digital Camera - $49.99 * [Office Max]
Nikon COOLPIX L20 Digital Camera - $99.99 * [Sears]
Nikon CoolPix S230 10MP Digital Camera - $139.00 [Wal-Mart]
Nikon Coolpix 12MP S570 Digital Camera - $149.99 [Sears]
Nikon Coolpix L100 10.0 MegaPixel Digital Camera w/15x Optical Zoom, 3" LCD (Black) - $199.99 * [Staples]
Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera - $299.99 [Best Buy]
Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case - $329.97 [Best Buy]
Nikon Coolpix S60 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera (Red) - $179.99 [Best Buy]
Nikon Coolpix S60 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Extra Battery and Case - $209.97 [Best Buy]
Nikon Coolpix S570 12.0 MegaPixel Digital Camera - $149.99 * [Staples]
Nikon Coolpix S570 12.0 Megapixel Digital Camera - $149.99 [Office Depot]
Nikon D3000 10.0 MegaPixel Digital Camera - $499.99 * [Staples]
Nikon D3000DX 10.2 Megapixel D-SLR Digital Camera w/10-55mm VR Lens - $499.99 [Best Buy]
Nikon D3000DX 10.2 Megapixel D-SLR Digital Camera w/10-55mm and 55-200mm Lens and Bag - $599.97 [Best Buy]
Olmpus FE-4000 12MP Digital Camera - $99.99 [Sears]
Olympus Stylus FE 4000 12.1 MegaPixel Digital Camera w/4x Optical Zoom - $99.99 * [Staples]
Samsung C10 SD 1200 Digital Zoom 10X Optical Zoom 2.7" LCD Camcorder - $149.99 * [Sears]
Samsung Compact Full HD Camcorder - $399.99 [Sears]
Samsung SL40 12.2MP Digital Camera - $79.99 [Sears]
Sony 4GB Camcorder - $249.99 [Sears]
Sony Cyber-Shot H20 10.1MP Digital Camera - $249.99 [Sears]
Sony Cyber-Shot W180 10.1MP Digital Camera - $99.99 [Sears]
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC S930 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera - $79.00 [Wal-Mart]
Sony Cyber-Shot W220 12.1 MegaPixel Digital Camera w/4x Optical Zoom - $129.99 * [Staples]
Sony Cyber-Shot W220 Digital Camera - $129.99 [Office Depot]
Sony Cyber-Shot W290 Digital Camera w/Case & Charger - $229.99 [Office Depot]
Sony Cyber-Shot W180 10.1 Megapixel Digital Camera (Black) - $99.99 [Best Buy]
Sony Cyber-Shot W180 10.1 Megapixel Digital Camera w/Flexpod and Camera Case - $119.97 [Best Buy]
Sony DCR-SR47 60GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder - $299.99 [Sears]
Vivitar Digital Camera Bundle - $49.99 [Office Depot]

Digital Media Cards

 Olympus 2GB xD Memory Card - $4.99 [Office Max] PNY 4GB Flash Drive - $9.99 [Best Buy]
PNY 4GB MicroSD HD Memory Card - $9.99 [Best Buy]
PNY 4GB SDHC Memory Card - $9.99 [Best Buy]
SanDisk 2GB SD Card - $5.99 [Sears]
SanDisk 4GB Memory Cards Or Flash Drive - $8.99 * [Sears]
SanDisk 4GB Ultra II SDHC Memory Card - $12.99 [Office Depot]
SanDisk 4GB microSD Memory Card - $7.99 [Office Max] SanDisk 4GB SDHC Card - $4.99 [Office Max]
SanDisk 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo - $14.99 [Best Buy]
SanDisk 4GB SDHC Card - $8.00 [Wal-Mart]
SanDisk 8GB SD Card - $19.99 [Best Buy]
SanDisk 8GB SDHC Card - $14.99 [Sears]
SanDisk 8GB SHDC - $19.99 [Office Max]
SanDisk 8GB Memory Stick PRO Duo Memory Card - $24.99 [Office Depot]
SanDisk 8GB SD Memory Card - $14.99 [Office Depot]
SanDisk 8GB Ultra II CompactFlash Memory Card - $19.99 [Office Depot]
Sony 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo - $12.99 [Sears]
Sony 4GB Memory Stick - $20.00 [Wal-Mart]

DVD Players

Coby 7" Portable DVD Player - $49.99 [Staples]
Curtis DVD Player AR - $17.99 * [Sears]
GPX 8" Portabe DVD Player PD808BU - $79.99 [Sears]
GPX BD707B DVD/CD Boom Box w/7" LCD Display - $99.99 * [Sears]
Insignia Blu-ray Disc Player (Model # NS-BRDVD3) w/Superman Returns or Beetlejuice Bluray - $99.99 [Best Buy]
Magnavox DVD Player with VCR - $49.99 * [Sears]
Magnavox DVD Player with VCR - $49.99 [K-M]
Magnavox NB500 Blu-ray Disc Player - $78.00 * [Wal-Mart]
Memorex 1080P HDMI Upconvert DVD Player - $29.99 [K-M]
Memorex Compact DVD Player With Progressive Scan - $19.99 [Target]
RCA 7" Dual Screen Portable DVD Player With Car Adapter - $88.00 [Target]
RCA 7" Portable DVD Player - $47.00 [Target]
Samsung BD-P1590 Blu Ray Player (Saturday) - $148.00 [Wal-Mart]
Samsung BD-P1600 Blu-Ray Disc Player - $149.99 [Best Buy]
Samsung BD-P4600 Blu-Ray Disc Player - $279.99 [Best Buy]
Samsung Blu-ray Disc Player (Model BD-P1600-A) - $149.99 [Sears]
Sony BDP-S360 Blu-Ray Disc Player - $149.99 [Best Buy]
Sony BDP-S360 Blu-Ray Player with $20 Gift Card - $149.99 [Target]
Sony BDP-S360 Blu-Ray Player - $149.99 [Sears]
Sony BDP-S369 Blu-Ray Player - $148.00 [Wal-Mart]
Sony DVD Player DVP-SR200P - $34.99 [Sears]
Sylvania 7" Portable DVD Player - $49.99 * [Sears]
Sylvania 7" Portable DVD Player - $49.99 * [K-M]

Electronics

 1.5" Digital Photo Frames - $7.99 [Office Depot]
2GB Pulse Smartpen w/$30 Gift Card - $169.99 [Best Buy]
4-Device Universal Remote - Free After Rebate [Staples]
AT&T DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone System with 4 Handsets - $59.99 [Sears]
AT&T DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone With Digital Answering System - $49.99 * [Staples]
All Philips HDMI Cables With Any TV Purchase - 15% Off [Sears]
Ativa 8" Digital Photo Frame - $49.99 [Office Depot]
Belkin HDTV Starter Kit - $34.99 [K-M]
Bose In-Ear Headphones - $89.99 [Best Buy]
Brother P-Touch PT-1290 Electronic Labeler - $9.99 [Office Depot]
Canon Vixia HD HF20 Camcorder - $499.99 [Best Buy]
Canon Vixia HD HF20 Camcorder w/Extra Li-Ion Battery & 8" HDMI Cable - $599.97 [Best Buy]
Casio Keyboard With Stand And Song Book - $49.99 [Target]
Cobra Radar Detector - $29.99 * [K-M]
Cobra Two Way Radio Pair - $19.99 * [K-M]
Coby 7" Digital Photo Frame - $29.99 * [K-M]
Coby 7" Digital Photo Frame - $29.99 * [Sears]
Coby 8" Digital Photo Frame - $49.99 [Sears]
Coby 7" Portable Digital TV - $99.99 [Staples]
Digital Decor Color LCD Key Chain Holds 48 Pictures - $10.00 * [Target]
Dynex 7" Digital Photo Frame - $29.99 [Best Buy]
Emerson 3-Handset DECT Phone Bundle - $39.99 [K-M]
Emerson Portable Karaoke CP398 System - $29.99 [Sears]
First Act Electronic Drum Set - $35.00 [Target]
GE 6 Foot HDMI Cable - $9.99 * [Target]
GPX 2.1 Channel DVD Home Theater System - $39.99 [K-M]
GPX Portable Karaoke Machine - $39.99 [Best Buy]
HP 8" Digital Picture Frame 512MB Memory - $109.99 [Staples]
HP 10" Digital Picture Frame 512MB Memory - $139.99 [Staples]
Insignia 7" Digital Photo Frame - $44.99 [Best Buy]
Jazz VGA 4X Digital Zoom 1.5 in. LCD Screen Pocket Digital Camcorder - $19.99 [K-M]
Kodak EasyShare P720 7" Digital Frame - $49.99 [Sears]
Logitech Harmony 510 Advanced Universal Remote - $39.99 [Best Buy]
Maxell Noise-Canceling Headphones - $20.00 [Staples]
Memorex 7" Widescreen Portable DVD Player - $29.99 * [Office Max] Memorex Micro Speaker System for iPod - $11.99 [Office Max] Memorex Home Audio System For iPod - $49.99 [Target]
Memorex iPod Clock Radio - $25.00 [Staples]
Midland LXT360VP3 2-Way Radios - $24.99 [Staples]
Motorola H390 Bluetooth Headset - $9.99 * [Staples]
Omnitech 12" Digital Picture Frame - $69.99 * [Staples]
Omnitech Bluetooth Speakerphone - $20.00 [Staples]
Omnitech Digital Photo Ornament - $10.00 [Staples]
Omnitech Mini-Speaker - $9.99 [Staples]
Panasonic DECT 6.0 Digital Cordless KX-TG9332T Phone Answering System (After Rebate) - $29.99 [Office Depot]
Panasonic DECT 6.0 Expandable Cordless Phone System w/3 Handsets - $59.99 [Best Buy]
Panasonic DECT 6.0 Expandable Cordless Phone w/Digital Answering Machine - $49.99 [Staples]
Pandigital 9" Digital Photo Frame - $59.99 [Best Buy]
Pandigital 10" Digital Photo Frame - $69.99 * [Sears]
Phillips 4-Device Remote Control - $9.99 [K-M]
Plantronics Explorer Bluetooth Mobile Headset 220 - $14.99 [Office Depot]
Sharp Handheld Calculator - Free After Rebate [Staples]
Skull Candy Ink'd Earbuds - $9.99 [Staples]
SmartPants 8.5" Digital Photo Frame - $49.99 [K-M]
Sony DCR-SR47 Handycam Camcorder - $249.99 [Best Buy]
Sony DCR-SR47 Handycam Camcorder w/Extra Li-Ion Battery & Bag - $299.97 [Best Buy]
Sony DCR-SX40 Handycam Camcorder - $199.99 [Best Buy]
Sony DCR-SX40 Handycam Camcorder w/Extra Li-Ion Battery & 8GB Memory Stick - $259.97 [Best Buy]
Sony E10 Ear Buds Headphones - $4.99 [Sears]
Sony Earbuds - $4.99 [K-M]
Sony Earbuds - $7.99 [Office Depot]
Sony Reader Pocket Edition And Cover With Light Combo - $214.98 [Staples]
Sony Reader Pocket Edition Cover With Light - $54.99 [Staples]
Sony Reader Pocket Edition With 5" Display - $199.99 [Staples]
Sony Reader Pocket Edition w/$30 Gift Card - $199.99 [Best Buy]
Sony Reader Touch Edition And Cover With Light Combo - $319.98 [Staples]
Sony Reader Touch Edition Cover With Light - $59.99 [Staples]
Sony Reader Touch Edition With 6" Screen - $299.99 [Staples]
Sony Studio Monitor Headphones - $9.99 [Best Buy]
Sony Wireless Headphones - $29.99 [Sears]
Sungale 7" Widescreen Digital Photo Frame - $29.99 * [Office Max] Sungale 7" Digital Picture Frame - $29.99 * [Staples]y
Uniden DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone w/5 Handsets & Digital Answering Machine - $59.99 [Staples]
VTech DECT 6.0 Expandable Cordless Phone System LS6215-2 w/2 Handsets - $44.99 [Best Buy]
Verizon 100 Cordless Phone w/ 2 Handsets - $19.99 [Office Max]
iHome Dock - $9.99 [K-M]
iHome PC Accessories - $9.99 [K-M]
iHome Portable Alarm Clock Speaker iPod Dock - $39.99 [Best Buy]
iHome Portable iPod/MP3 Speaker System - $9.99 [Sears]

GPS

Garmin GPS Friction Mount - $14.99 [Best Buy]
Garmin Nuvi 205 GPS - $89.99 * [Sears]
Garmin Nuvi 205 GPS Navigation System - $99.99 * [Best Buy]
Garmin Nuvi 255WT GPS Navigation System - $129.99 [Best Buy]
Garmin Nuvi 1200 GPS Navigation System - $119.99 [Office Depot]
Garmin Nuvi 1300 GPS Navigation System - $149.99 [Office Depot]
Garmin Nuvi 1350T GPS System - $179.00 [Target]
Lowepro Black Neoprene Sleeve - $7.99 [Best Buy]
Magellan RoadMate 1220 GPS - $84.99 * [K-M]
Magellan RoadMate 1220 GPS - $89.99 [Sears]
Magellan RoadMate 1440 GPS - $119.99 * [Sears]
Magellan SE4 GPS - $89.99 [Best Buy]
TomTom 540S Portable GPS Navigation System - $149.99 [Best Buy]
TomTom GO 630 GPS Navigation System - $169.99 [Office Depot]
TomTom GO 730 Portable GPS Navigation System - $174.99 [Best Buy]
TomTom ONE 125-SE GPS - $59.00 [Wal-Mart]
TomTom ONE 130 GPS - $79.99 [Sears]
TomTom ONE 130 GPS - $77.99 [Office Depot]
TomTom ONE 130 GPS - $79.99 [K-M]
TomTom XL325 GPS - $89.00 [Wal-Mart]
TomTom XL325S GPS - $99.99 [Sears]
TomTom XL325S GPS - $99.99 [K-M]
TomTom XL 330 GPS Navigation System - $97.99 [Office Depot]
TomTom XL 340S GPS With Case - $97.00 [Target]

Hard Drives

 LG External Slim Portable USB 2.0 DVD Drive - $49.99 [Best Buy]
Seagate FreeAgent Docking Station - $19.99 [Office Max]
Seagate 500GB Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive - $59.99 [Office Max] Seagate 1TB External Hard Drive - $69.99 * eBay [Staples]
Seagate 1TB External Hard Drive - $79.99 [Office Max]
Seagate 1.5TB External Hard Drive - $99.99 [Office Depot]
Seagate 1.5TB External Hard Drive - $139.99 [Staples]
Seagate 2TB FreeAgent External Hard Drive - $179.99 [Office Depot]
Seagate 320GB Expansion External Portable Hard Drive - $59.99 [Office Depot]
Seagate 640GB FreeAgent Go External Portable Hard Drive - $119.99 [Office Depot]
Seagate 750GB Free Agent Go External Portable Hard Drive - $149.99 [Office Depot]
Verbatim 1TB External Hard Drive - $79.99 [Office Depot]
Western Digital My Passport Essential 320GB Hard Drive - $49.00 [Wal-Mart]
Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB Portable Hard Drive - $69.99 * [Staples]
Western Digital Elements 500GB Portable Hard Drive - $59.98 [Target]
Western Digital 500GB My Passport Elite Portable Hard Drive Titanium - $79.99 [Best Buy]
Western Digital 1TB 3.5" External Hard Drive - $78.00 [Wal-Mart]
Western Digital Elements 1TB Desktop Hard Drive - $59.98 [Target]
Western Digital 1.5TB My Book Home Edition External Hard Drive - $119.99 [Best Buy]
Western Digital WDTV Media Player - $74.99 [Best Buy]

Home Theater

4' Monster Cable 700 Series HDMI Cable - $49.99 [Best Buy]
Ativa Home Theater System 5.1 - $39.99 [Office Depot]
Init Cherry Wood Stand With Mount For TVs Up To 46" - $99.99 [Best Buy]
Init Cherry Wood w/Black Glass Shelves TV Stand - $149.99 [Best Buy]
Klipsch Icon 2-Way Triple 5.25" Floorstanding Speaker - $186.99 [Best Buy]
Klipsch Icon 2-Way Triple 6.5" Floorstanding Speaker - $236.99 [Best Buy]
Samsung 5.1 Channel 1000W Home Theater System With Blu-ray Disc Player - $399.99 [Best Buy]
Sony Bravia DAV-HDX589W 5.1 Channel 1000W Home Theater System - $279.99 [Best Buy]
Sony STR-DH800 7.1 Channel 770-Watt A/V Receiver - $279.99 [Best Buy]
Tilting Wall Mount For 30"-56" Flat-Panel TVs - $99.99 [Best Buy]

Monitors

Acer 20" HD LCD Monitor - $79.99 [Best Buy]
Dell 20" S2009W HD LCD Monitor - $99.99 [Best Buy]
Dell 21.5" S2209W Full HD Widescreen Monitor - $144.00 [Dell]
Dell 23"SP2309W Full HD Widescreen Monitor w/Webcam - $219.00 [Dell]

MP3 Players

3 $10 iTunes Gift Cards - $25.00 eBay [Best Buy]
Apple 8GB iPod 5th Gen Nano (Black) + Wall Charger & Case - $159.97 [Best Buy]
Apple 8GB iPod 5th Gen Nano (Blue) + Wall Charger & Case - $159.97 [Best Buy]
Apple 8GB iPod 5th Gen Nano (Pink) + Wall Charger & Case - $159.97 [Best Buy]
Apple 8GB iPod 5th Gen Nano (Purple) + Wall Charger & Case - $159.97 [Best Buy]
Apple 8GB iPod 5th Gen Nano (Silver) + Wall Charger & Case - $159.97 [Best Buy]
Apple 8GB iPod Nano With Free $15 Gift CardApple 8GB iPod Nano With Free $15 Gift Card - $145.00 [Target]
Apple 8GB iPod Touch 3rd Generation w/$30 Gift Card - $199.99 [Best Buy]
Apple 32GB iPod Touch With Free $30 Gift Card - $295.00 [Target]
Ativa 2GB MP3 Player With Video And FM Radio - $17.99 [Office Depot]
Ativa Speaker Dock For iPod PF112 - $19.99 [Office Depot]
Bose Sound-dock Series II Digital Music System - $269.99 [Best Buy]
Element 2GB Stick MP3 Player - $9.99 * [K-M]
GPX 4GB MP3/4 Player - $32.99 [Sears]
Mach Speed MP3 Player - $24.99 * [Sears]
Memorex Docking Clock Radio For iPod - $34.99 [Office Depot]
Microsoft Zune 120GB MP3 Player - $199.99 [Dell]
Power Pack for iPod/iPhone - $19.99 [Best Buy]
RCA 1GB Sport MP3 Player - $13.99 * [Sears]
Sandisk 4GB Fuze MP3 Player (Black) - $44.99 [Best Buy]
Sandisk 4GB Fuze MP3 Player (Blue) - $44.99 [Best Buy]
Sandisk 4GB Fuze MP3 Player (Red) - $44.99 [Best Buy]
Sony Speaker Dock Clock Radio For iPod Or iPhone - $79.99 [Office Depot]
Sylvania 4GB MP3 Player - $19.99 [K-M]
iH4 iHome Alarm Clock For iPod - $29.99 * [Sears]

Networking and Wireless

D-Link Basic N Wireless Adapter - $19.99 [Office Depot]
D-Link Basic N Wireless Router - $19.99 [Office Depot]
Linksys Wireless-N Rangeplus Adapter - $39.99 [Office Depot]
Linksys Wireless-N Rangeplus Router Or Adapter - $39.99 [Office Depot]
Linksys Wireless-N Ultra RangePlus Broadband Router w/4-Port Switch - $59.99 [Best Buy]
NetGear Wireless N Router (Model # WNR2000-100NAS) - $49.99 [Best Buy]

Portable USB Storage 

Ativa 4GB USB Flash Drive - $7.99 [Office Depot]
Lexar 32GB TwistTurn USB Drive - $59.99 [Office Depot]
SanDisk 8GB Cruzer USB Flash Drive - $14.99 [Office Depot]
SanDisk 16GB Curzer USB Flash Drive - $27.99 [Office Depot]
Sandisk 4GB USB Flash Drive - $8.99 [Sears]
Sandisk 32GB Cruzer USB 2.0 Flash Drive - $49.99 [Office Max]

UPDATE: This list is so long we had to add a PAGE 2...

Click HERE for TVs, Video Games, Printers and Software

Build-Your-Own Fleshlight: What, No Armpit Option? [Sex]

Adam Frucci — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:14:35 -0500

Now, you can design your own Fleshlight to your exacting specifications. Can you only climax when making love to a see-thru coinslot in a blue tube? Welcome to Pleasure Town, weirdo! [Fleshlight]

Scientists Develop Phaser That Can Stun (Worms) [Science]

Adam Frucci — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:40:00 -0500

The good news: scientists have developed a Star Trek-like phaser that can be set to stun. The bad news: it only works on worms so far.

Researchers have now found a way to paralyse tiny worms when they expose them to ultraviolet light. Even when the ultraviolet light was turned off the animals stayed stunned. However, if they were subsequently exposed to a different form of light they recovered again and were able to move.

The researchers claim that this is the first time that such an effect has been demonstrated in an animal. Although some of the worms died, most of them lived through the process.

The effect is caused by using a molecule which changes its shape when exposed to ultraviolet light.

Well, it's a start I suppose. [Telegraph via The Daily What]

Microsoft Denies Programming NSA-Accessible Backdoors Into Windows 7 [Nsa]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:32:37 -0500

Hey now! Just because the NSA helped Microsoft hone the security of Windows 7 doesn't mean Microsoft designed special backdoors for the organization to spy on us...right?

In a response to Computerworld's article on NSA involvement in Windows 7 development, Microsoft stated: "Microsoft has not and will not put 'backdoors' into Windows."

Not to nitpick here, but doesn't this denial leave another "door" open? As in, couldn't the NSA have stuck their own backdoor into Windows 7 while official Microsoft employees turned a blind eye? Or—and this may come as really shocking—could Microsoft have simply lied to us in the interest of national security??

Of course, but if you freak out over this potential lack of digital autonomy, you're clearly a terrorist. [Computerworld via Digg]

Flo TV Shown Off On The iPhone For Reasons Unknown [IPhone Apps]

John Herrman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:32:19 -0500

I get that this Flo TV iPhone demo is just a proof of concept. That's fine! I'm just a little confused as to what the concept is.

Is it just what they're showing us? A Flo TV app, that requires some kind of accessory to tune into broadcasts? That's possible, but given how well the iPhone can stream video over 3G, it'd be a hard sell, even with Flo TV's cable-like channel selection. It would also help if said accessory wasn't larger than the actual iPhone.

Or is it to foster excitement over the idea of native Flo TV hardware support in the iPhone, like in the HTC Imagio? Because that will never, ever happen. So again, why? [Electric Pig]

Amazon Preparing Better Kindle Ebook Management System in 2010 [Kindle]

Sean Fallon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:26:00 -0500

Specifics have not been announced, but Amazon noted via their Kindle Facebook page that a more user-friendly, organized ebook management system will arrive as an over-the-air update in the first half of 2010.

As many Kindle owners already know, keeping a large number of books on the device can get a bit unruly—so this would be a welcome update. It's also good news for people on the fence about whether or not to get a Kindle or a Nook over the holidays. It appears that the Kindle is going to be the only game in town until after the new year. [Kindle Facebook via Gadgetell]

Pistol-Rifle Converter Lets Your Pistol Dream Rifle Dreams [Guns]

Apoorva Prasad — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0500

Yes, believe it or not, this Pistol-Rifle system, which I spotted at Milipol 2009, converts any standard pistol into an assault rifle. Gimmicky? Mostly.

Built by CAA Tactical, it adds a stock, front grip, picatinny rails, sight/scope and extra mag holder, while being compatible with a silencer. But it doesn't extend the barrel, for instance, nor can it replace pistol ammo with the larger cartridges assault rifles use for range. Nor can you go from semi to full auto, of course.

It may not turn your pistol into a true rifle, but the Pistol-Rifle converter does make the pistol more steady and therefore more accurate. I unfortunately did not get to actually use it, unlike the guy in the video below, so I can't say for sure if it really helps. [CAA Tactical]

Apoorva Prasad is a freelance writer and photographer based in Paris, France, who recently covered the Milipol 2009 military-police expo for us. He has a thing for holo-scoped assault rifles, and sounds disappointed when admitting he's never been Tased.

Barnes & Noble Ruins Nerd Christmas [EReaders]

John Herrman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:41:52 -0500

Nobody has any idea if the Nook is actually any good yet, but no matter: It's the perfect holiday gift, in theory! Or at least it was, until Barnes & Noble ran out of them.

Granted, it's a little worrisome that Barnes & Noble was taking preorders before letting reviewers have their say, so maybe this enforced waiting period is a good thing. At any rate, it'll be January—well after we'll have run B&N's Android-powered ereader through its paces—before anyone who hasn't already placed their order will get one. UPDATE: Some mild reprieve, from B&N themselves:

Barnes & Noble expects to have a limited stock of devices available in its highest-volume stores during the holiday season.

GO GO GO GO! (In a few weeks.) [B&N via Bits]

Mons Lavabo Sinks: Monstrously Eco-Friendly [Concepts]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:20:00 -0500

The best thing about these Mons Lavabo concept sinks isn't their charming, monster design. It's that they're eco-friendly, promising to prevent children from wasting water. So just how does that work?

When a child begins washing their hands, the sink calmly advises them to, "HURRY UP YOU LITTLE FUCKER OR I WILL BITE YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF AND CHEW YOUR BONES RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU! YOUR LITTLE ARMS WILL BLEED ALL OVER THE PLACE, SPILLING OUT MY MOUTH AND ONTO THE FLOOR. YOUR DEATH WILL COME SLOWLY AS YOUR PERCEPTION PAINFULLY FADES TO GREY AND THEN BLACK—BY THE WAY, YOU WON'T BE GOING TO HEAVEN BECAUSE THERE'S NO GOD, SO YOUR BODY WILL JUST ROT IN THE GROUND AS EXISTENCE AS YOU KNOW IT CEASES FOR AN ETERNITY YOU'LL NEVER SEE. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHAT DAD WILL SAY WHEN HE SEES THE MESS YOU MADE! WHAT A FUCK UP! NO WONDER YOUR PARENTS ARE GETTING A DIVORCE! WHAT? THEY DIDN'T TELL YOU? WELL STOP YOUR GODDAMN CRYING ABOUT IT, TEARS ARE A WASTE OF PRECIOUS WATER!"

(Or the sink uses an IR sensor, like you find in public rest rooms.) [Design Boom via inhabitots via inhabitat]

Atom Processors To Get the 32nm Treatment in 2011 [Intel]

John Herrman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:19:05 -0500

Attention, people who like to maintain a complete mental taxonomy of every processor: Cedar Trail has been outed as the new Atom platform for 2011, with the name Cedarview going to the processor itself. Along with 32nm fabrication, some goodies:

According to Fudzilla, the platform will include a new memory controller to accommodate DDR3 RAM which, despite supporting two slots, will remain single-channel. Pineview, the next Atom before Cedarview, hasn't even shipped yet—that's expected to be the beginning of next year—so it's interesting to glimpse this far into the future, where Atom, such as it is, will remain positioned almost exactly where it is now. Oh well! [Fudzilla—Disclaimer: That Atom sitting on the penny up there is an older version (not that the new one will look any different, at all)]

Best Buy Selling Super Cheap HDTVs Online...Right Now [Dealzmodo]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:55:55 -0500

I don't know that we'd recommend buying a Dynex set, but $500 for a 40-inch, 1080P LCD is a tad tempting. Best Buy also has 32-inch models for $300 and a 50-inch (720P) for $650. [Best Buy via Black Friday]

Specs Leak on the Motorola Motus? [Rumor]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:44:40 -0500

Usually there's at least a week of lag time between a photo leak and a spec leak, but BGR seems to have acquired full specs on the just-outed Motorola Motus.

* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
* Tri-band 7.2Mbps HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100MHz)
* 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
* 256MB RAM
* aGPS
* Wi-Fi
* 3.1″ capacitive 480×320 display
* Bluetooth 2.0
* Weight: 133g
* 1400mAh battery
* microSD slot
* Qualcomm MSM 7201A CPU
* MOTOBLUR

Yup, it does look a whole lot like a AT&T-3G-friendly CLIQ with Wi-Fi, which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all. [BGR]

Sometimes, Dreams Come True [IPhone Apps]

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:40:00 -0500

In 2007 I whined and whined asking for an iPhone Software Developer's Kit. Back then, I asked for five apps. It took two years, but today I've got them all. The last one just came in yesterday.

It's not Voice Candy, but Voices looks as good, if not better: Retro tape recorder and microphone, cute icons, simple touch interface, and sharing via Twitter, Facebook, and eMail, so you can spook everyone with that infernal Reverse Voice effect. For $1, it's impossible to resist.

[iTunes App Store—Thanks Juanlu and Lisa Bettany, who stars in the Voices' promo video]

Now that I think about it, most of the apps I pasted in this graphic are now in the iPhone in one form or another.

Are you still missing a favorite?

Dell's Net Income Drops 54% [Dell]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:31:36 -0500

Bad news for Dell. With quarterly earnings reports in, their year-over-year revenue has dropped 15% to just shy of $13 billion, and their net income dropped 54% to $337 million. Surprisingly, Dell's home PC business is up 17% from last year, but they're making less money off it, with revenue in that sector down 10%. [Electronista]

MidiFighter Melds Music and Button Mashing [Mods]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:20:00 -0500

With absolutely no practical use for it whatsoever, I'm lusting hard after this 16-button, arcade-style MIDI controller available in a solderless kit you can assemble in just 5 minutes.

For sale November 30th in a limited run of 200 units, the kits run around $125 (plus the cost of buttons, as I understand). As for the final built product, it features 16 programmable buttons and LEDs that allow you to cue your MIDI samples with all the finesse of button mashing Shredder to death.

The only possible point of improvement would be a coin slot mandating occasional quarter-purchased continues. Or, you know, the addition of even more buttons (which is technically feasible with some modification to the kit). [djtechtools via MAKE]

Google Adding Automatic Captions to YouTube Videos [YouTube]

Adam Frucci — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:15:56 -0500

Google is bringing its Google Voice speech recognition tech to YouTube, creating automatic captions for deaf and hearing-impaired users. Get ready for hilariously incorrect captions!

Because the speech-recognition technology is still a work in progress, Google is launching the automatic captioning service on the YouTube channels of just a handful of partners, including PBS, National Geographic and a few big universities. But the company promises that the technology will improve over time - and it hopes for a much broader rollout.

In the meantime, Google is adding a new "auto-timing" feature to its existing manual captioning service to make it easier to use. Video creators will now simply have to create a text file with all the words spoken in a video and Google's speech recognition technology will take it from there - matching the text to the words as they are spoken. Google hopes this will encourage more users to add captions to their videos.

[AP]

Google Is Reaching Way Too Far Into our Lives [Google]

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:05:00 -0500

I hate to say I told you, but I told you. The prophecy is true. Now, when it's just too late, you finally understand. [Style14 via Engadget]

Banned Xbox Users Plan a Class-Action Lawsuit, Accuse Microsoft of a Vast Conspiracy [Xbox 360]

Adam Frucci — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:02:29 -0500

Microsoft recently banned a whole lot of modded consoles. Was it to prevent piracy, or was it a conspiracy? A new lawsuit is positing the latter theory.

Here's what Texas-based law firm AbingtonIP says to justify their new suit:

Although modification of Xbox consoles is arguably against the terms of use for Xbox/Xbox Live, Microsoft 'conveniently' timed the Xbox console ban to coincide with the release of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 game and less than two months after the release of the very popular Halo 3: ODST game.

I'm not sure that modding consoles is "arguably" against the terms of use; it is against the terms of use. And why wouldn't they want to keep people from pirating their biggest game of the year?

Certainly, anyone who is banned who hasn't modded their console has a legitimate bone to pick with Microsoft, and there's no defending their heavy-handed banning tactics and their collateral damage. But to suggest they're intentionally banning legit accounts in order to get people to sign up again, well, that's pretty stupid. [TG Daily via Engadget]

Create Some Black Friday Worst Case Scenarios [Photoshop Contest]

Adam Frucci — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0500

Next Friday is the dreaded Black Friday, the day when stores have their biggest sales and people turn into bargain-crazed animals. Bad things will happen. But worse things could happen. What's the worst thing you can envision going down?

Send your best entries to me at contests@gizmodo.com with Black Friday Disasters in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Send your work to me by next Tuesday morning, and I'll pick three top winners and show off the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it!

The Future of Apple, According to Its Biggest Fans [Concepts]

John Herrman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:46:31 -0500

Also known as the entire technology press amirite? Ha? In all seriousness though—Maclife asked various bloggers, journalists and tech personalities what their dream Apple products would be, and mocked them all up in detailed renders. Here's what happened:

Veronica Belmont, of Tekzilla/Mahalo/BOL fame/general video on the internet fame, sees Apple finally going ahead with that Courier concept Microsoft keeps dragging their feet on. Or, Apple subsumes Microsoft entirely. What do you know, Belmont?

BoingBoing's/MAKE's Mark Frauenfelder goes as DIY-y as is humanly possible, and projects a future in which Apple is just a bunch of dudes with Arduinos and a pair of pliers. You see, we'll just buy Apple's designs, and your iMake object printer will print them out.

Brian Lam, Man With Hat, just wants his iPhone to get reception in San Francisco, for once. Hence, bunny ears.

There are a couple more, and they're all in the same whimsical, not-quite-serious vein. Check them out at [Maclife]

Atlantis Engines...or Mickey Mouse Goes to Space [Image Cache]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:40:00 -0500

Shot: The three main engines of the Space Shuttle Atlantis photographed from ISS as it docks. Jesus says it looks like Mickey Mouse. I think it looks like the photographer should move, quickly. Get the wallpaper-sized version at NASA. [NASA]

The Polaroid Ring [Retromodo]

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:20:00 -0500

Diamond rings, Lego rings, or Polaroid ring? As long as it's not the horrible teeth rings, you will be ok. [Etsy via Obsolete]

Apple vs Microsoft Wars Pit Shareholders Against Steve Ballmer [Blockquote]

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

This year's Microsoft shareholder meeting wasn't a lot of fun for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Chairman Bill Gates, thanks to shareholders grilling him about Apple and the iPhone with questions like the above. Ballmer smacked him right back:

There's certainly always opportunities for improvement. There is a group of people with whom our market share is less. You take any country, including this one, and you say, how are we doing? The truth of the matter is, we do quite well. Even among college students, we do quite well. Do we have an opportunity for improvement? We do. Some of that is marketing some of that is phase of life.

It is important to remember that 96 times out of 100 worldwide, people choose a PC with Windows, that's a good thing. Even in the toughest market, which would be the high end of the consumer market here in the U.S., 83 times out of 100 people choose a Windows PC over a Mac.

Ballmer also remarked that Apple has gained a few "couple of tenths of a percent of market share," but when the audience chuckled, he was prompt to say correct them:

Every couple of tenths matter. They matter when we're increasing our Bing market share, too.

Ooooooh, you are good, Mr Ballmer, you are good. There were many other piercing questions about the iPhone, Android. Check them out at [Techflash]

Guy Marries Video Game, We Don't Judge [Video Games]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:40:00 -0500

That Nene Anegasaki, she's a charmer. She's also a video game character from extreme dating sim Love Plus, now wedded to a flesh and blood gamer.

The two were married when a man brought his DS along with a copy of Love Plus to a church in Guam. There's no word on honeymoon plans, but the two will be holding a small reception for family, close friends and the internet on November 22nd. (Seriously, there will be a webcam and stuff.)

It just goes to show, the power of Woman has no bounds. Stick her in a digital fortress, simplify her beauty to Nintendo DS rendering limits and give her a shrill, anime voice. Woman will triumph all the same. [Tiny Cartridge via technabob]

Insane Weapons, Robots and Spy Gear from the Paris Military-Police Expo [Weapons]

Apoorva Prasad — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0500

The Milipol exhibition in Paris is where all the pros play with the military-industrial complex's hottest toys. I used special commando skills (and a press badge) to infiltrate the premises and show you the world's freshest, most mind-blowing security tech.

To bypass the gallery format, click here. And no, this is not a holiday gift guide.

OSA PB2 "Less-Lethal" Multipurpose Pistol
Ever since I watched Rosa Klebb trying to kill Bond with her shoe-dagger, I considered the Russians the world experts in tiny hideaway weapons. The PB2 is an eeency-weeency little double-barreled "less-lethal" pistol weighing less than 7 ounces, firing anything from rubber bullets to flares to flashbangs. It's also got a safety and integral laser sights, which can be upgraded to near-Scott-Summers strength on order. Just don't practice on some poor country bumpkin like they did here. [OSA]

DrugWipe by Securetec
The DrugWipe is what makes the customs guys all-knowing. It's a tiny drugtest in a pocket. These plastic sticks can test up to four classes of illegal drugs in a single go. According to Securetec's PR guy, your saliva can give you away 12 hours after doing—or even just being near—cocaine, weed, opium, meth or whathaveyou. All the government grunts have to do is wipe your tongue. Won't open your mouth? They can also swipe your sweat and random stuff you're carrying. [Securetec]

Spy Watch
When I approached the director of a small security/protection company to ask about this normal looking watch, he wouldn't tell me a whole lot. What I managed to squeeze out of him is that although it's normal size, it also records audio and video. Near the 2 o'clock mark you can see a tiny lens, activated by buttons on the side. He wasn't the only cagey guy on the show floor—the guys in a nearby booth forbade me from taking pictures of their micro surveillance gear.

Trikke uPT
The Trikke uPT (ultralight personal transporter) was the funnest (and funniest) thing at the entire expo, and that's saying a lot when you're surrounded by a pirateload of guns. It's an idea so simple its inventor, the dark-suited Dutchman whizzing around on it, couldn't figure why his potential buyers would spend any money at all on the wayyyy more expensive Segways parked in the next booth. The uPT is a trike tricked out with a 250-watt electric motor and a 22-mile range lithium-ion battery; it weighs just over 37 pounds. And like that blasted Segway, there are plenty of models to choose from. [Trikke]

RiotBot by Technorobot
The RiotBot is billed by its makers as "the first robot for riot control." It uses a PS3-looking remote controller to zip this PepperBall-equipped metal beast at 12 miles/hour into all kinds of riots. The carbine fires at 700 rounds per minute and can be operated for 2 hours. [Technorobot]

MaxFit Gloves
It's usually next to impossible to do precise tasks with gloves on. Most of the time, your hands move around in the gloves, you can't feel what you're holding and you end up feeling as useless as a eunuch in a whorehouse. But the MaxFit workgloves are fanfriggintastic. They were the thinnest, grippiest workgloves I had ever worn. Their try-out test was having me grip an Armor-All lubed PVC tube, then try to twist it out of my hand—it didn't budge. Unfortunately, though the site advertises that it's good for construction, DIYers and "fall yardwork," I couldn't help but wonder what ulterior activities they were promoting it for at a security show. [MaxFit]

Piexon Guardian Angel
The Guardian Angel is a tiny plastic toy that looks like your niece's water pistol, but it's actually a lightweight, disposable two-shot explosive-propelled pepper-spray gun. The cartridges give it way more range than a spray can. Just don't carry it around in Scandinavia or other places where it's banned, or they'll arrest you for it (like they nearly did with me two months ago). By the way, it's interesting to note that the Piexon website names "liberal politics" as a chief reason for needing more protection these days. [Piexon]

Rimmex 288 Prototype Amphibot
The Rimmex 288 is a prototype amphibious robot that can roll straight into water—streams, rivers and lakes mostly, or just very muddy terrain—and then roll right back out again. Its single arm with 6 degrees of freedom can be swapped with whatever you like—from a gun to an x-ray, apparently, depending on your, uh, objectives. [ROV Developpement]

GameStop's Black Friday Console Deals Are Kinda Weak [Black Friday]

Danny Allen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:56:33 -0500

The Xbox 360's Elite's $300 holiday pack already includes Pure and Lego Batman, and GameStop is adding your choice of CoD 4 or Bakugan Battle Brawlers. The $300 120GB PS3 bundle gets Little Big Planet and God of War Collection.

Painfully, the ad makes it look like the God of Collection is two separate games. A quick comparison of Black Friday console deals from the big guys:

Walmart
• Playstation 3 Console w/Infamous & Batman Arkham Asylum Games + Dark Knight Blu-ray – $300

Best Buy
• Sony PlayStation 3 Package w/120GB Console, Little Big Planet, and Ratchet and Clank – $300
• Xbox 360 Elite 120GB with Pure and Lego Batman + four games: Sonic the Hedgehog, Spider-Man Web of Shadows, Wall-E, and Ghost Recon 2 – $300

So if you're after an Xbox 360 Elite, then Best Buy seems to be the clear winner so far, while for me, Walmart's PS3 deal looks like the pick of the crop. GameStop does have a bunch of cheap games, though. Check out the listing at: [Kotaku]

Self-Explanatory [USB]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:44:20 -0500

See subject, IMDB quotes section for more. [Geek Stuff 4 U via UberGizmo]

Second Generation Pogoplug Lets You Share Multiple USB Drives Over the Internet [Internet Sharing]

Rosa Golijan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:29:04 -0500

Like the prior model, the new Pogoplug allows for USB drive sharing over the Internet. It'll run for $129, still have no service fees, take up to four USB drives, and have Twitter and Facebook integration.

Aside from automatically syncing content with a Mac or PC, you can share and watch movies, listen to music, or view photos directly through the Pogoplug website and even on an iPhone. Since we looked at the original version, Pogoplug has apparently made some upgrades to add a drag-and-drop interface and sharing over social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. But as we mentioned back then, while this is a great interface and solution, you are going to be relying on the company staying in business in order to be able to share data.

That one downside or not, the Pogoplug still remains a far quicker solution that setting up a separate Windows Server or similar, so if you're not put off by the $30 price increase since the original, you can pre-order now.

Second Generation Pogoplug™ Unveiled Today
Next-generation Hardware Design and Software Provide Enhanced Storage, Multimedia and Social Media Capabilities

San Francisco, Calif. – November 20, 2009 – Cloud Engines, Inc. unveiled the second generation of the award winning Pogoplug multimedia sharing device today giving consumers more flexibility to store personal content safely in the home and access, manage, and share it from anywhere on the Internet. The new Pogoplug hardware sports a new design boasting multiple USB ports supporting up to 4 external drives for expanded data capacity. The new Pogoplug also gives users improved sharing capabilities, an easy drag-and-drop interface to create engaging multi-media slide shows, seamless media playback, and enhanced sharing with friends on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Pogoplug acts like a gateway from your home or office through the Internet. It allows you to access, share and even stream your personal digital media directly to anybody, anywhere in the world. Your content always remains physically in your home or office, making it secure, convenient and available on your terms. Pogoplug is perfect for those individuals with increasingly mobile lifestyles and small businesses in need of simple, inexpensive mobile data access solutions.

"The reaction to the Pogoplug has been incredible. By listening to user feedback and following our own product roadmap, we are bringing a great second-generation product that gives our customers access to a host of new features that both improve the function of the Pogoplug, and add to the fun of using it as well." said Daniel Putterman, CEO of Cloud Engines, Inc. "We are committed to giving our customers the best way to access their data from anywhere in the world, pushing the envelope with both product quality and design aesthetic. The result is what you see here today."

NEW HARDWARE
The new Pogoplug design retains the simplicity and ease of use of the original while listening to consumer feedback and adding the ability to directly connect up to 4 external hard drives at once. The resulting product boasts an improved design with greatly improved functionality for users with multiple drives and an increasing need for easy synching and sharing of their digital libraries. This upgrade turns the Pogoplug into an even more prominent feature in the modern digital home or small business.

NEW FEATURES

Automatically Synchronize Photos, Videos, Music and Other Selected Content
Users can synchronize their Pogoplug with their PC or Mac to automatically import new content from popular applications such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and iPhoto. This feature allows Pogoplug owners to "set it and forget it" and always have access to new photos, videos and music from anywhere on the Internet.

Drag-and-Drop Music and Photo Slideshows
Users can easily create and share fun and engaging slideshows using their stored photos, videos and music. Creating a slideshow with Pogoplug is as simple as drag and drop, and sharing these slideshows is just as easy as ever. Once a user's link is shared and viewed, their slideshow will immediately begin with the photos, videos and music they selected, playing seamlessly in the viewer's browser.

Easier Sharing with Pogoplug Address Book
Pogoplug Address Book greatly improves the speed and ease of use of sharing with a user's friends and family. Pogoplug automatically remembers all email addresses entered in a user's previous shares - even if that share no longer exists – and makes them available in an easy to use address book to make sharing truly one click away.

Global Search Across Multiple Drives and Pogoplugs
With support for multiple drives on a single Pogoplug (and multiple Pogoplugs on the same account) Pogoplug has added "global" search support across all of a user's Pogoplugs and drives. Search filters are now a distinct feature, allowing users to view all of their photos, videos and music in a single organized view, or to search for a specific file across all Pogoplugs and drives.

Organize Your Music, Photos and Videos
Pogoplug automatically displays music by Album, Artist and Genre, and shows cover art for quick access to a user's favorite music. Photos are now displayed by photo timeline and videos are only a click away, including the ability to watch a preview in the thumbnail itself.

Play movies directly from my.pogoplug.com, or even to the iPhone
Pogoplug now supports the playback of videos directly from a Pogoplug, with support for the most popular cameras, video cameras and mobile phones. Movies can be shared and viewed directly from the Pogoplug website – or even from an iPhone!

Pricing and Availability
We are currently taking Pre-Orders for Pogoplug at www.pogoplug.com Units will ship before the end of the year – just in time for the Holiday Season. The Pogoplug has a suggested retail price of $129, with no additional service fees.

[Pogoplug]

Microsoft, You Can't Win by Coming in Last Place [Software]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:22:37 -0500

I know Microsoft has only recently broken ground on Internet Explorer 9, but why would you ever release a graph in which you were the admitted worst at a task?

The graph above is a JavaScript performance comparison in which the same machine ran the SunSpider test (so shorter bars are better). Microsoft is comparing one, specific (but incredibly important) browser task to the competition's numbers, and as you can see, boy has IE improved over the years!

But it's still not enough.

I mean, kudos for the improvements, but you can't win by coming in last place. The disclaimer, of course, is a sort of "this is where we are today...just wait until you see us tomorrow!" kind of mentality. But you could ethically slap a "today" on everyone else on that graph.

For the optimists out there, Microsoft talked about some other big improvements coming to IE9, including HTML 5 support and GPU acceleration. More about that here: [IEBlog via PCWorld via Engadget]

First 3G BlackBerry Pearl 9100 Pics Leak [BlackBerry]

Danny Allen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:57:54 -0500

The true successor to the compact BlackBerry Pearl 8100 is styled like a slimmed-down Bold 9700. And while it ditches the "pearl" trackball for RIM's new optical touchpad, the QWERTY keyboard has made way for a reworked SureType setup.

CrackBerry says it's been sitting on the photos for a while, but was waiting for its tipster's go-ahead to run them. No specs yet, but we're told they're coming soon. Stay tuned. [CrackBerry]

Video: Sony's Massive 280-inch 3D LED Display [Sony]

Danny Allen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:34:35 -0500

Similar to Mitsubishi's 155-inch OLED screen, Sony's huge display is made of individual panels (70 smaller LED screens in this case) and is designed for outdoor marketing. You know, because we all carry around polarized glasses, right?

The "3D LED Wall" is on show at the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition in Japan, and really highlights just how much of a boner Sony has for 3D right now. They've got 3D laptops, TVs and Blu-ray players planned, and don't forget new games and a firmware update will bring 3D to the PlayStation 3 next year, too. [TechOn via Engadget]

Samsung Omnia II Hits Verizon December 2 for $200 [Samsung]

Danny Allen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:58:13 -0500

I still don't know why the Omnia II's 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen is resistive, but the WinMo 6.5 phone will go head-to-head with Verizon's own Moto Droid. Leaked docs suggest it'll be $200 on contract after $100 mail-in rebate.

As we noted when we first saw the ai.rs video below, the TouchWiz 2.0 UI looks nice, but the resistive touch lag is a shame given the 800Mhz processor. Still, there you have it. Engadget's tipster says the phone will hit telesales, online and retail stores on December 2. [Samsung via Engadget]

Omnia II (I8000) Specification

Network: HSDPA 7.2 Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps
EDGE/GPRS 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz
UMTS 900 / 1900 / 2100MHz
Display: 65K WVGA AMOLED Display (3.7", 480 x 800)
Advanced R-type Touch Screen
OS: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Camera: 5 Megapixel CMOS / Auto-Focus /
Dual Power LED / Face Detection / Smile Shot
Mobile Blogging / Geo Tagging / Photo Editor
Audio: Audio Format Support (MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA)
WMDRM, OMA DRM 2.1 / Find Music (Music Recognition)
Bluetooth® Stereo Headset (A2DP)
FM Radio with RDS / 3.5 earjack
Video: Video Format Support (DivX, XviD, H.263,
H.264, WMV9, MPEG4)
Video Recording & Playing (30fps@ D1(720x480))
Video Editing (Trim video, Audio dubbing,
Live dubbing, Add subtitle)
Value Added: A-GPS with Navigation (3D Map) / LBS
TouchWiz 2.0 UI with Mobile Widget / 3D Media Gate
Multi-task manager / 3D Interactive Games
Connectivity:Bluetooth® v 2.0 / USB 2.0 / Wi-Fi
Memory: Internal Memory : 2GB/8GB/16GB
External Memory : microSDHC™ (up to 32GB)
Size: 118 x 60 x 11.9 mm
Battery: Talk time : Up to 10 hours (3G)
Standby time : Up to 430 hours (3G)

Motorola Motus Android Phone Caught on Shaky Cam? [Android]

Danny Allen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:27:01 -0500

The Motus is rumored to be a mid-range Android phone due early next year, and if this supposed spy-shot is anything to go by, it'll look sorta like the CLIQ—but with a flatter, harder to use keyboard. [BGR]

Will eReaders Really Become Gaming Devices? [EReaders]

Danny Allen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:04:40 -0500

eReaders are getting powerful enough to become fully-fledged Internet tablets, but gaming devices? That's a new spin. Turns out Qualcomm has a detachable game controller add-on for that Snapdragon-powered eReader prototype we first showed you on Wednesday. Take a look:

Qualcomm says it'll be up to the various manufacturers to create devices built on this reference design, but Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity would make multiplayer gaming pretty interesting. Just depends if ARM-based operating systems, like Android, get the right games.

The concept has a 5.7-inch display that uses Qualcomm's "mirasol" screen technology that provides better battery life and smooth video playback. Problem is, for now, this reference is just a static-image prototype. Yet another eReader angle that we'll be watching for you, though. [SlashGear]

Chumby Guts Turn Anything Into a Chumby [DIY]

Rosa Golijan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:40:00 -0500

If you love the oh-so-adorable Chumby as well as some DIY, then the Chumby Guts kit is perfect for you. You can build your own crazy Chumby, but just don't cry over the brutal product name.

Chumby Guts are available for $139 and include everything you need to construct a Frankenstein's monster version of the gadget. [Maker Shed]