Section: Gadgets / Other  A still struggling economy and skyrocketing unemployment rates mean this holiday shopping season will be all about finding bargains and reducing spending. A new study out by Deloitte has found that more consumers then ever plan to use the web and their cellphones to find those bargains. They surveyed over 10,000 consumers about their holiday shopping plans.
The study found that 45% plan to use their cell phones to research prices and 32% will use them to search for discounts. 25% will even go so far as to actually buy gifts on their phones. The net will continue to play an increasing roll in holiday shopping. 22% said they will do most of their shopping online with 44% saying they will use online coupons to save money. 39% say they will use online reviews to make purchase decisions and 65% say they are likely to buy a product online after seeing it in a store or catalog. Social networking will be a big factor as well. The study found a whopping 54% of consumers plan to use social networking to research gift ideas, 52% will use online wish lists and 60% plan to use social networking sites to find discounts. What are your plans for your holiday shopping? Will you be cutting back? Buying online? Please leave a comment and share with us! Read [CNet] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile 
Fed up with trying to convince other manufactures to use their compression software, Saygus went about building their own phone to show it off. Last night, Saygus opened up on their plans and showed off their VPhone, an Android powered ODI phone that, fingers crossed, will get approved by Verizon soon. 2-way video is the key feature here (though according to Saygus, “the phone does everything better than everything else out there”) and Sayguys says it flies on even lowly Edge network, so 3G shouldn’t be a problem or worry to Verizon. Popular everywhere else, 2-way video has yet to make a big impression here in the US. Saygus is out to change that and the Vphone take 24 to 30 FPS. Working with Verizon, Saygus has put together a hardware project in just six months. The phone showed off last night was a little bulky but the features were impressive. All the standard stuff: GPS, touchscreen, Bluetooth, WiFi, 5MP camera, MicroSD slot (to 16GB), and 624MHz processor. One more stand out feature was the ability to turn the phone into a WiFi hub for up to 8 devices. Despite lots of phone on the table and a PR team assembled to show us phone, I sensed there was more to the story. When pressed, a non-subsidized price of $450 was mentioned; should Verizon approve the device, a subsidy will surely bring down the price to a reasonable level. I asked Saygus if we’d see a VPhone 2 or is the endgame for Verizon to put the software to work on its other phones and the response was Saygus is a software company. Company site: [Saygus] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Audio, Car Audio, Portable Audio, Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation 
Last night at CES Unveiled, Dual showed off two products to take note of. One was a stereo head featuring an innovative flip down iPod dock that costs just $99 and is found at Wal-Mart. The other was a GPS adapter every iPod touch owner should have. Both products looked to be priced below what I’d be willing to pay for them. The XML8110 in-dash stereo head is pretty clever. While many of us rely on a cradle and cables to broadcast our tunes over FM radio, this stereo head flips down to reveal an iPod dock and specific iPod controls. At just $99, I can’t vouch for the sound quality yet, though I’d guess it is better than the FM transmitter I’ve got working now. Beyond clever, the company is building an iPhone app to allow easier music controls at arms length. The dock charges the phone in addition to relaying the sound to your system. The head is available at Wal-Mart. 
The XGPS300 is even more clever. Besides being a GPS unit that connects to iPod touch (both generations), it can function as a back up battery. The GPS works as you’d suspect, a whopping 2.2GB but free app from the app store turns your iPod touch into a sweet personal navigation device with ease. The GPS/battery case also comes with a dashboard mount. The case can be plugged in to both DC power when in the car and has an AUX output for your tunes. Every question I fired at the rep came back with the answer I hoped for. The unit is impressive and costs just $179.99 and should be shipping by months end. Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Software / Applications, Gadgets / Other, ebooks I am not really sure how this one got by me yesterday, but given I tend to obsessively follow ebook reader news and still missed it, I figured someone else may benefit from the news. With that, Amazon has released the promised Kindle for PC app. Which means that Kindle readers will now have one more option for reading, and the PC app will also include Whispersync. For those not familiar with the Kindle or Whispersync, that is the technology that allows you to read across multiple devices without having to worry about where you left off. Whispersync also keeps your notes and bookmarks in sync between devices. Personally, and despite being an avid reader and Kindle user I am not sure how much use this will get from me. That said, it does seem to be a nice addition, and could serve readers in a way similar to that of the Kindle app on the iPhone—as a backup device that is used to read for a few minutes when the random opportunity pops up. Anyway, users can go ahead and download the Kindle for PC app now. The app itself is free to download, but the books are not. Instead those will have to be purchased, however they are typically priced at around $9.99. Read [Amazon] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Video, Content, Video Providers  Blockbuster has decided to begin testing a new pilot program that will allow in-store visitors to rent a movie on an SD card. The plan is simple, those entering a Blockbuster store will be able to bring in an SD card and rent a movie by way of a self-service kiosk. The movies will of course be filled with DRM and will expire after a pre-selected amount of time.
As far as pricing, $1.99 per movie. That said though, my first reaction is that these kiosks will be entirely harder to use for most of the Blockbuster visitors making them an incredible support nightmare for those employees who already do not care enough. That and, how many people have an SD card that will be larger enough to make this worthwhile, not to mention where are they going to play this. I am not sure of this following statement, but to me it seems most people want to watch movies using their DVD player, and lets face it there are little to none of those with an SD card slot. One can also make the television argument, but again not many of them have an SD card slot just yet. I can think of one good place or person that this will work well for—travelers. Of course, this would just add one more thing for them to add to their pre-travel to-do list. All things considered, I would not say this is a terrible idea, but I cannot say its a good idea either. Read [Fast Company] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile  Anyone looking to pick up a BlackBerry in the next week or so may want to listen up for a minute. It seems that Walmart is going to be offering a $100 gift card to anyone who purchases a BlackBerry between November 14 and November 21.
Of course, just like most of the other special offers involving cellphones, this one also requires you to sign a two-year agreement. But at this point that should almost go without saying. Anyway, other than the agreement, customers will need to purchase either the Curve 8310 or Bold 9000 with AT&T, the Curve 8330 with Sprint, the 8520 or Pearl 8120 with T-Mobile or the Storm or Storm II with Verizon Wireless. Also, this offer will be available both in store and online, however those who brave the in store purchase will get their $100 gift card on the spot. As opposed to waiting a few weeks by mail. Via [Gizmodo] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
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