Section: Computers, Software / Applications With Windows 7 now out in the wild for almost a month, Microsoft has time to unleash another beta product on us for testing. This beta comes in the form of Microsoft Office 2010. The Office 2010 beta will feature everything minus the online version, which is currently being tested within Microsoft. Somewhat surprising for a public beta, the Office 2010 beta offers everything in the office suite. So it has Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Outlook and all those other programs most people don’t know how to use like OneNote, Access and Publisher. Office 2010 apps still feature the “ribbon” UI found in Office 2007, but it has been changed somewhat. In terms of entirely new features, Outlook will be able to be linked to social networking sites. First offered is Windows Live (obviously), and LinkedIn will be added sometime early next year. There is also the aforementioned online version, which will be paired with the new SkyDrive feature to give users 25 GB to store and sync their office documents. Office 2010 is said to have improved interaction with Windows 7 and its taskbar, which makes sense. That doesn’t mean other users can’t download the beta, it’s free for anyone using Windows XP SP3 and later. With the forthcoming Starter edition which is said to be free for new computers, maybe Microsoft will be able to increase usage of the newest version of Office. Outside of a work environment, or after buying a new PC, users seem to not upgrade their office suite very often. For example, the .docx file format still hasn’t really achieved full support from users, with some just ending up confused. The new features do seem interesting, hopefully Microsoft will add them to the Mac OS X releases soon as well. Read [CNet News]
Read [Microsoft] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellular Providers  If T-Mobile is trying to drive themselves out of business they are doing a pretty good job. First there was the great Sidekick Nightmare, which caused most U.S. users of the device to lose their data and the company to temporarily halt sales, and then a few weeks ago T-Mobile customers had to contend with an outage that left them unable to make calls or send text messages. Now it gets even worse.
The company is now reporting that it has discovered a data breach at its U.K. headquarters. Staff there was caught selling customers' personal information to numerous third parties. Those parties then approached customers who were soon to be out of contract with sales pitches for other carriers. T-Mobile said this was done without its knowledge and that those responsible will be prosecuted. T-Mobile, which recently announced plans to merge with fellow U.K. provider Orange, seems to be a company totally out of control. The constant service issues, and the severity of them, paired with this latest news, have left them with a very black eye that won't soon heal. Their advertising and P.R. people have their work cut out for them! Read [PC World] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks Sony has just added the Reader Daily Edition to the available category, well a little more specifically, the available for pre-order category. That said though, there are not many more details than what we first learned back in late-August. But just as a refresher, the Reader Daily Edition will sell for $399.99 and is expected to begin shipping sometime in December. Feature wise the Reader Daily Edition will offer a full-touchscreen 7-inch display and an aluminum exterior casing. This model will also feature built-in 3G (tied to the AT&T network) and be able to offer users on the go access to the Sony eBookstore as well as newspaper and magazine content. Of course, the newspaper and magazines have not yet been finalized and will be “unveiled within the next month.” Read [Sony] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Video, DVD/DVR/Blu-ray, Communications, Cellphones, Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Gadgets / Other  We have seen a few good deals coming from Walmart including the $30 Pixi and the BlackBerry offers. Not to mention the sales on video games. But after digging through the leaked sales flyer for Black Friday, we now have a complete list of nice prices—including a Blu-ray player for $78. Of course this is a lower end model, its the Magnavox NB500 and it normally retails for $129, but still $78.
Anyway, in addition to the low-priced Blu-ray player, Walmart also has a good selection of HDTV’s, computers, digital cameras, GPS units. Here is a quick rundown of some of the deals that can be found, but the full list can be found by hitting the ‘read’ link below. DVD Players - Magnavox NB500 Blu-ray Disc Player - $78.00
- Samsung BD-P1590 Blu Ray Player (Saturday) - $148.00
- Sony BDP-S369 Blu Ray Player - $148.00
Televisions - Emerson 32” LC320EMFX LCD 720P HDTV - $248.00
- Emerson 42” PL-P42W-10A Plasma 720P HDTV - $448.00
- Flat-Panel TV Stand - $89.00
- Philips Large Fixed TV Mount - $69.00
- RCA 46” LCD 1080p HDTV (Online Only) - $688.00
- Samsung 32” LN32B360 LCD 720P HDTV (Saturday) - $398.00
- Samsung 42” LN40B500 LCD 1080P HDTV (Saturday) - $598.00
- Samsung 42” PN42B400 Plasma 720P HDTV (Saturday) - $548.00
- Samsung 46” LN46B500 LCD 1080P HDTV (Saturday) - $848.00
- Samsung 50” PN50B400 Plasma 720P HDTV (Saturday) - $698.00
- Sansui 19” HDLCD1909 LCD HDTV - $128.00
- Sayno 50” DP50719 Plasma HDTV - $598.00
- Sony Bravia 32” KDL32L504 LCD 720P HDTV - $378.00
- Sony Bravia 40” KDL40S504 LCD 1080P HDTV - $598.00
- Sony Bravia 46” KDL465504 LCD 1080P HDTV - $798.00
Computers - Acer 17.3” Blue Laptop w/4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive and Windows 7 Premium (Online Only) - $498.00
- eMachines 15.6” Notebook w/AMD Processor, 2GB Memory, 160GB Hard Drive (Model # EME627) - $198.00
- HP 15.6” Notebook w/Intel Processor, 3GB Memory, 250GB Hard Drive (Model # G60-519WM) - $298.00
- HP 17” Notebook w/4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive (Model # G71-329WM) - $398.00
- HP Pavilion All-In-One 19” Desktop w/4GB Memory, 500GB Hard Drive, MS213 AMD - $598.00
- HP Pavilion Desktop w/AMD Processor, 3GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive, w/20” Monitor (Model # P6243w-b) - $398.00
Digital Cameras - Kodak C182 12.0 Megapixel Digital Camera - $69.00
- Nikon CoolPix S230 10MP Digital Camera - $139.00
- Sony Cyber-Shot DSC S930 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera - $79.00
GPS - TomTom One 125-SE GPS - $59.00
- TomTom XL325-SE GPS - $89.00
Read [BlackFriday.info] Via [Gizmodo] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
FROM GAMERTELL - The Walmart Black Friday 2009 ad is out! Get a DS lite for $98. Get an eMachine laptop for $198. Get a Sansui 19” HDTV for $128. Xbox 360 Arcade Madagascar bundle with 1 game and 2 movies $199. 120gb PS3 with 2 games and 1 movie $299.
MORE » Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  So much for having to head in to Walmart to score a low priced Palm Pixi because Amazon now has an offer of their own. For a limited time, well actually until November 23 customers can get a Palm Pixi for just $24.99. Which means you can save yourself five bucks, but better still, you can do so from the comfort of your own home.
Of course, there are a few catches with that price, but honestly would you expect otherwise. First, like I mentioned that offer is for a limited time only. But more importantly, you will have to agree to and sign a two year commitment with Sprint. With price drops like this, it seems like it is just a matter of time before the Pixi becomes free on contract. Still $24.99 is not all that bad. Product [Amazon] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Imaging, Digital Cameras Drop it from seven feet up, keep it under water for 60 minutes, let water freeze next to it; the new 12.1mp Casio Exilim G EX-G1 laughs it off. Dusting off the Exilim rectangle look, this new design is one of many that will fill in the adventure series says Casio. Available this December for $299, I expect to see this camera on a bunch of wish lists. This new Casio is just .78” thick, keeping it in the slender category. I am already appreciating the groove in the front to help with one hand operation while the large and well-spaced buttons on the back look perfect for gloved operation, nice when you are on the slopes. There is even an underwater bestshot setting, sweet. One of my favorite features of the Exilim cameras is the super-easy instant video capture button. You can always find it, as they mark it red and you can see it on the G1 meaning videos are a snap. The camera even has a interval mode that will take stills or movies at predetermined intervals which would be handy when you are bombing down a ski run or on the trail. Product site: [Exilim] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile TechCrunch is stacking up a bunch of rumors and is purporting that Google really does have a phone of its own brewing that they will bring to market on their own. This pinnacle of Android phone will be all Google power, optimized for every Google service (surely including Google Voice, now with VOIP???) and will be a thing of beauty and amazement for all to drool over. Forgive my sarcasm and hesitation on this one, I’ve been down this road before. Way back, in 2007, Google said cell phone should be free, supported by advertising. That got me to thinking, they could actually pull that off. After all, Google is an advertising company. Could they finally be prepping a way to make that happen? Free phones is nothing new but free service, well that would get some attention. After all, those of us with smartphones know the high price we pay to walk around with the internet in our pockets. Could Google be moving to provide free service in exchange for access to our eyeballs? How could they monetize it? Ads tacked onto emails sent from the phone, ala hotmail? Ads texted to you periodically? I’d put up with that to save the $70+ I spend monthly for service. With pre-screening surveys, Google could make it extremely targeted and a high value ad buy and we’d all agree to it. OK, not all. Telecoms would have to push the privacy issue to compete. They’d need to raise the fear in handing over all your data and preferences to Google. Their bread and butter are service charges. Google would provide a major disruption here. What do you think? Is the Google Phone real this time? Read: [TechCrunch] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, VoIP  It has been sometime since we last heard Vonage related news, well aside from the unveiling of Vonage World anyway. This latest bit is not a new product announcement, but may still come as good news for previous customers.
It seems that Vonage has reached a $3 million dollar settlement with 32 states. And this settlement means that previous customers, those that had trouble canceling and were billed after the fact may be eligible for a refund. The affected states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. But more specifically, the issue at hand deals with certain incentive programs that Vonage customer service reps were offering in an attempt at keeping you as a customer. And according to the Jacksonville Business Journal, those CSR’s were “sometimes too eager to earn their bonuses” and in turn made it “extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible” to cancel your service. Anyway, if you were one of those affected, or believe you were affected, you may want to pay attention and although your word alone will not guarantee a refund, it was suggested that if “you think you might qualify for a refund, contact your state attorney general’s office.” Read [Jacksonville Business Journal] Via [Consumerist] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Features, Gadgetell Announcements  Normally I would not double post an announcement so quickly, but we are looking for both a weekend and weekday blogger, that said, here is the (re)post of this announcement for anyone that may not read regularly over the weekend.
Listen up, Gadgetell is looking for a few good bloggers, well more specifically we are looking to fill two positions. The first being someone who can contribute often, and by often I mean on a daily, or at least an almost daily basis to include weekdays and weekends. I would say this person would average roughly 10 posts per week. The second being someone who wants to write primarily on the weekends. Of course, anyone who fills this role will be welcomed to post during the week. But the main focus is for weekend coverage. This person would most likely average about 4-6 posts per weekend. Assuming you are good with those roles and posting expectations—we need someone who loves tech. You know the type—the person who loves tech so much that other people get tired of hearing them talk because that is all they talk about. If interested, here is what you need to do to apply. Send an email to robert (at) gadgetell (dot) com and include; * For new bloggers, three sample posts that would fit on Gadgetell. Don't worry they will not be used, but we want to see what you are capable of.
* For experienced bloggers, show us some links to other writing that you have done. These should be relevant to tech and should also be current. Also tell us a little about you, what you currently do, how much time you can realistically dedicate to Gadgetell and why you think you would be a good fit. And make sure you let us know how to get back in touch with you, just in case we like what you submit. And, yes these are paid positions. Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Software / Applications, Web, Google  We heard the latest Chrome OS rumor last week, and it looks like it will at least be partially true. The news is official and comes courtesy of Google who have stated that they will be offering a “complete overview” of Chrome OS and giving some demos tomorrow November 19, 2009.
That said it also looks like we may also be getting a better idea of when we will be able to download and begin using Chrome OS. But unfortunately the “complete overview” comment is not really exact and a lot could be speculated from something as general as that. Anyway, you can be sure that we here at Gadgetell will pass on whatever new information becomes available about Chrome OS. I for one am anxious to give it a run through, but it looks like I still have a while for that as it was also noted that it will be launching “next year.” Read [TechCrunch] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Laptops, Netbooks  SquareTrade set off an ambitious study to compare netbooks and laptops failure rates of their customers. SquareTrade provides warranties on electronics as an aftermarket sale, so when something fails, they should know, right? Their study shows Asus and Toshiba tops the list in reliability but just how reliable are these devices?
The study performed by SquareTrade included laptops with sales over 1,000 units in an attempt to provide statistical significance. Unfortunately, we don’t know if there were 1,001 Asus machines vs 11,000 HP (who scored worst in the study). So there is some wriggle room. Overall, the 3-year malfunction rate for Asus is 15.6% while HP was 25.6%. The study also shed light on some other interesting questions. What is more reliable: netbooks or laptops? The study’s answer is in the 3-year range, netbooks have a 25.1% malfunction rate while laptops score 20.6% and premium laptops rate 18.1%. In short, the more you spend, the more reliable you gear is. Overall, 1 in 5 laptops fail in the first three years. The brand info is interesting but take it with a grain of salt. Study page: [SquareTrade] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  We have seen the reported shipping dates for those that are ordering a Barnes & Noble Nook online, but more recently it looks like the Nook will be in-store as of November 30.
This latest tidbit comes courtesy of a Barnes & Noble spokeswoman who told Computer World that “demo units and units for sale will begin shipping to stores on that date.” With ‘that date’ being November 30. Unfortunately it was not mentioned how many of the 774 retail locations would be getting these deliveries. Of course, this does follow the original announcement which stated that we would see the Nook in stores before the end of November. But strangely, one would have thought it would have been in store for Black Friday, which takes place on November 27 this year. Also, on a positive note, this in store date, assuming its accurate and your local Barnes & Noble has them in stock would get a Nook in your hands quicker than it will if you place your order online. Read [Computer World] Via [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Software / Applications  Flash, the ubiquitous plug-in that as of now is the go-to for Internet video or audio among other uses, looks to be improved greatly in the new 10.1 beta. Adobe is pushing to bring Flash to every platform, both desktop and mobile (excluding the iPhone thanks to Apple), and is adding features to support that. With the new Flash beta, Adobe is also pushing out an AIR 2 beta that will also add a batch of new features.
For Flash, possibly the biggest improvement lies in the new multitouch support. The update will make it work well with mobile devices such as WebOS and Android, but for now, with the beta being limited to desktop OSes, it is only usable by those with Windows 7 touchscreen PCs. Also important is GPU acceleration for H.264 video so video won’t tax the processor as much as it does now. However, graphics acceleration is limited to the Windows release as of now, which is depressing for Mac and Linux users, especially those who use Linux or Hackintosh netbooks. The updates for AIR will allow AIR apps to act more similar to regular applications. AIR apps will be able to access OS-specific APIs, such as being able to deliver Mac OS X’s Spotlight results. Apps will also be able to be distributed in OS-specific file types, rather than .air files which can be confusing to some users. AIR apps will also be capable of accessing USB drives, drag-and-drop of files in addition to a faster WebKit browser. Read [Webmonkey] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
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