Section: Computers, Mobile Computers The cheap, lounge-around-the-house tablet we knew as the CrunchPad has been pronounced dead in a very anti-climactic way. Michael Arrington’s home-grown dream was intended to be debuted at the Real-Time Crunchup on November 20th. With the end so near in sight, the developers could practically taste the sweet release of their creation to the public. However, according to Arrington, a shocking e-mail from one of the partners on the project tried to shut Arrington and his Crunchpad team out completely, stating that the shareholders backing the project wanted to release it without any involvement by Arrington. In his post following the incident Arrington made a very good point that releasing the Crunchpad without him is like, “This is the equivalent of Foxconn, who build the iPhone, notifiying Apple a couple of days before launch that they'd be moving ahead and selling the iPhone directly without any involvement from Apple.” Despite the lack of statement from Fusion Garage (the team partnered with Arrington), things are definitely looking shady. Arrington did say that, “We will almost certainly be filing multiple lawsuits against Fusion Garage, and possibly Chandra and his shareholders as individuals, shortly.” Read [TechCrunch] Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle  As people waited outside Walmart at three in the morning, there were others that stayed at home, slept in and ordered all of their Black Friday goods online. In fact, according to the data presented by marketing firm Coremetrics, average online sales jumped 35% from last year going from $126.04 for the average online order to $170.19. As a result, there was a 18% increase in the number of items purchased this year from 4.56 to 5.40 items.
Also from the data provided by Coremetrics, it seems people are being smarter about their purchases. With an increase of 40% in the bounce rate, (the number of people who left a site after viewing only one page) it is seen that people are shopping competitively online like they do at brick and mortar retail stores. Essentially, this is showing us that our economic depression seems to be receding. Black Friday sales are often good representations of how the holiday shopping season is going to be. And with these results, it looks like we could be bouncing back. Read [Mashable] Full Story » | Written by Greg Billetdeaux for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, Green, Miscellaneous, Transportation 
We all are guilty of letting our foot off the brake in anticipation for a green light only for it to be a green arrow. Wouldn't it be great if the stoplights told us how long we have to wait? I mean, they have signs that tell you how long you have to wait before you can cross the street on foot, why not in a car? Well a man named Damjan Stanković has a solution. It is being proposed as an economic solution for stoplights. With a progress bar wrapping the light telling you how much time is left, Stanković claims this will lessen the amount of gas we waste or keep angry driving at bay. He backs up these arguments by saying that if you know how much longer you're going to have to wait, you can shut off your engine and relax. I see this idea as being quite valuable. My feet are always itching to go at stoplights and my eyes are always staring at the other stoplights waiting for them to turn yellow. I also happen to drive an old '93 pickup that gets 12 mpg if I'm lucky so this might help in that aspect as well. Read [Yanko] Full Story » | Written by Greg Billetdeaux for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  Since introducing the Nook, Barnes & Noble has had quite the mixture of both good and bad press. The device itself has proven to be quite popular, with pre-orders continually being pushed back. Just earlier to today we found that the device won’t be in high-traffic stores until December 7. Now, it appears those who pre-ordered it early will not receive their Nooks as planned, either.
According to Matthew Miller of ZDNet, he’s received an email from Barnes & Noble stating that his Nook will be delayed. According to the email, his Nook should be expected by December 9. To compensate, B&N has upgraded him to overnight shipping, and given him a $10 online gift certificate. From personal experience, having put in an order for the Nook on October 20th, I can say I have not yet received such an email. Although, my shipment still hasn’t shipped according to B&N, so its likely I, and other early buyers will be receiving emails soon. Barnes & Noble hasn’t said just how many Nooks have been sold, though Sony and Amazon refuse to release numbers as well. Presumably the number is fairly large, or the Nook’s production is slower or more troublesome than expected. Hopefully the devices will be shipped before Christmas for those who have been promised such. It is sad to have to wait any longer for the Nook, but it should hopefully be worth the wait. Read [ZDNet] Read [Barnes & Noble] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Laptops, Features, Contests Its time for another giveaway here on Gadgetell, and as you will see, this one is just a little different than our last. That said, we do have to thank HP. But with that out of the way, the contest is for a brand new HP Envy 15 notebook and will run from today (November 30) through December 13. In terms of the notebook, again, it is an HP Envy 15 and here are some bullet points that should get you excited. - This is HP's fastest consumer notebook and the world's thinnest, lightest quad-core notebook PC.
- It offers maximum speed and mobility with the upcoming Intel Core i7 Processor and up to 16GB of DDR3 1066 MHz system memory with four SODIMM memory slots.
- Versatile storage options include the ability to add two solid-state drives in a RAID-0 configuration to improve the overall speed of the ENVY 15 while providing ultimate disk performance.
- A choice of two 15.6" HP Brightview high-resolution LED backlit displays, including the Full High Definition LED HP Ultra BrightView Widescreen Display with up to 300 nit, provides the best display experience for a notebook in this class.
- But this beauty is also a beast. Envy features the new Intel Core i7 processor which delivers ultimate mobile performance for the most demanding tasks from video editing to intense games. A 15.6” diagonal Brightview widescreen display and ATI Mobility Radeon™ 4830 discrete graphics processor produce the clearest, brightest visuals for viewing Blu-Ray5 and 1080p content.
This contest is also a little more involved, and will require more than just a simple comment or tweet but at the same time it should also be lots more fun. In short, its time to create a video! Here is a list of the guidelines that you will need to keep in mind. - Videos may be SD or HD, live-action, or animation, and must be under 100 MBs in size.
- Videos must clearly answer the question "What do you want the new HP Envy to do for you?"
- Videos must be posted to YouTube, and announced on Twitter with the hashtag #HPEnvy and @gadgetell
- Due to this video contest being run on multiple blogs, entries are limited to a single submission on one blog only.
- All content must be owned by entrant.
- Anything depicting violence, bodily harm (including cigarette smoking), profanity, nudity or explicit sexual content, or unlawful activity, including underage drinking, binge drinking, or gambling is not permitted in any video submission.
Finally, this one is only open to US residents. Product [HP Envy 15] Images [HP Envy 15 on Flickr] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Features, Contests As mentioned in the previous post, we had two sets of headphones. Therefore we picked two winners for the Kicker headphone giveaway. Anyway, without any further adieu, here are the two winners; - gambits1990 from Twitter
- katmagick from the comments
Now the ball is in your court. What I need is for you to send me an email (robert (at) gadgetell (dot) com) and let me know where to send your headphones. And because I am always anxious to free up some space here in the office, the quicker I hear from you the quicker these will go in the mail. Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Video, HDTV, Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Imaging, Digital Cameras  Dell has some decent deals going on their products such as laptops and monitors, which are predictable. What isn’t predictable are the deals on Sony, Vizio and Sharp HDTVs, Fuji cameras, and TomTom GPS. As of late, Dell has been making some sweet deals on others goods.
Here is the Cyber Monday rundown:
Mini 10V, Windows 7, $249 after $119 off
Inspiron 17, $549 after $267 off
Dell 24” Monitor, $184 after $75 off
Sharp 47” HDTV, 1080p $799 after $400 off
Vizio 40” HDTV, 1080p, $499 after $100 off
TomTom One, $79.99 after 35% off
Fuji 10mp Camera bundle, $159 after $100 off Deal page: [Dell] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  The Kindle ebook reader from Amazon is on a roll. Amazon boldly announced that they have sold more Kindle’s this month (November) than any month prior. And that is before CyberMonday.
Perhaps proving the axiom: competition is good; many ebook enthusiasts await the arrival of the Nook, the Barnes and Noble alternative. Competition from the likes of Sony to netbooks to even iPhone and iPod touch all faced down the Kindle. But yet, Kindle sales grow. "Kindle is a great gift for anyone who loves to read and it's flying off the shelves faster than any other product Amazon sells," said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "We're seeing lots of people buying from one to a handful of Kindles as gifts for friends or family, as well as many businesses and other organizations buying Kindles in large quantities for their employees or customers."
The press release issued by Amazon seems aimed to get their brand out as the established as the Nook suffers with slow availability. Word is many won’t see a Nook or even get the chance to buy one before the holidays. The recently announced firmware upgrade, improving battery life by 84% certainly makes the reader more attractive. Could this be the ereaders going mainstream? Product Page: [Amazon] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks It looks like those waiting to be able to visit a Barnes & Noble retail location to check out the Nook in real life are going to have to wait just a little bit longer. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, the Nook will not be “available for sale or for demonstration purposes” until December 7. And on top of that, it looks like those display units will at least initially only be available at the “highest-volume stores.” But on the positive side, those who placed a pre-order when the Nook first became available should be expecting to receive a delivery sooner than later. Additionally, anyone that placed their pre-order before November 20 are still being told to expect a pre-Christmas delivery. Read [WSJ] and [Reuters] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Mobile Anyone looking for an LG Rumor 2, or for that matter, anyone looking for a low priced but decent phone may want to listen up—for a limited time, Sprint is offer the LG Rumor 2 for free. First things first though, this offer is only valid today November 30 and tomorrow December 1. In short, the LG Rumor 2 can be purchased for free. That price comes after a $170 instant savings and a $79.99 web special and along with a two-year agreement. Bottom line, visit the Sprint website and select the LG Rumor 2, agree to a two-year commitment and be happy having paid nothing. Additionally, the LG Rumor 2 is available in black titanium, orange or vibrant blue. And to top this offer off just a little bit is free shipping and free activation. Product [Sprint] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  T-Mobile has announced the launch of its new prepaid plan, dubbed T-Mobile Complete. The plan, which the company designed to appeal to the Hispanic market, offers unlimited talk for $50 a month, unlimited talk and text for $60 a month, and unlimited talk, text and data for $80 a month. That data includes unlimited BIS and the BlackBerry Curve will be available for purchase with the plan. Other phones available with the plan include the Samsung Gravity, Samsung t239 and the Samsung t229. The Curve will retail for $299 while the Samsung phones will be offered for $149, $79 and $59 respectively. The phones and T-Mobile Complete are available exclusively at select Best Buy and Walmart stores. Whether this will be enough to soothe the black eye the company has given itself with its repeated service outages and last month's Sidekick data fiasco remains to be seen.
Read [Phone News] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other  Customers from around the country are complaining that the deals Walmart promised on Black Friday were given away ahead of time in a pre-sale procedure many are calling a scam because it was not made known to the public.
In Tracy, CA, customers who arrived before dawn to snap up the $198 eMachines laptop that was advertised as being on sale between 5am-10am discovered the stores entire inventory of 37 units had been sold the day before in a non-advertised pre-sale. The manager admitted there was no way for the general public to know about the pre-sale unless they called the store (and obviously there was no way for most people to know they needed to do that), and apparently had not told the line of customers that started forming around 3am that the laptop was not available. In Iron Mountain, MI, shoppers who arrived to purchase the electronic deals advertised to go on sale at 5am, such as an Emerson TV and the aforementioned laptop, were informed that all electronics had sold out at 3:30am despite the fact they had been advertised as not available until 5am. Shoppers in Harrisburg, PA and Kosciusko, Miss discovered that the eMachines laptop had sold out there by 2:30am as well. It seems the deception was done nationwide rather than confined to a few stores. I’m sure the FTC will take notice! Why Walmart decided to ignore its ad and deceive customers remains to be seen, but that’s exactly what they did. They advertised items as going on sale at 5am and then turned around and sold them all earlier with no notice. Here's what their Black Friday press release said: “Beginning at 5 a.m. on Nov. 27, store items from electronics to toys to apparel will feature prices that are sure to be at the top of gift lists this holiday season. Starting today, November 23, all of these special values can be viewed online at Walmart.com. Hit the Stores Friday Morning: $3 sleepwear for the family, a $298 laptop and more, Walmart's day-after-Thanksgiving event from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. highlights the gifts moms want for their family. All items are available in limited quantities. Sorry, no rainchecks.” What's the deal Walmart? Deceptive advertising is a big no-no so you'd better have a heck of an explanation. There is no excuse for misleading customers. If you had an experience like this at your local Walmart, please tell us about it! Read [Consumer Affairs] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Gadgets / Other Of all the personal media players out there, the Archos Internet Tablets seem to be the most overlooked. With five- and seven-inch models, running Android and varying storage sizes, the devices can arguably do much more than the Zune HD and iPod touch. Until now, however, the Archos Internet Tablet was limited in the apps it could use due to its larger screen. Previously, Archos ITs could only access apps in the AppsLib provided by Archos. Now, thanks to instructions from jkkmobile, users can access all of the apps in the Android Market in addition to Google apps for the platform usually reserved for “with Google” devices. With the release of the Droid, and Android 2.0 with the support for varying screen sizes, it is plausible that apps will now fit on the larger screens of the Archos devices. It is likely, however that many apps will not support the screen size, but that’s to be expected. From the looks of it, the jkkmobile instruction installs the Android Market from 1.5 and earlier, so it lacks the better looks of the Donut (1.6) Market. Looks aside, it still works as a means of downloading apps, and that’s what counts. So, if there are any apps for Android you’ve been dying to try (all that comes to mind is Google’s Listen), but don’t want to commit to two years with a Droid, Eris or Hero, the Archos Internet Tablet is now your chance. Maybe, if enough people stat doing it, Archos will push the Market in the next update, though that could just be wishful thinking. Read [jkkmobile] Image Source [jkkmobile] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
FROM GAMERTELL - Amazon is continuing it’s timed deals with sales items for the so-called Cyber Monday (Monday, November 30, 2009). The items are divided into three categories by price (under $10, under $25 and under $50) as well as by system. Note that the site is using the sale URLs as with… MORE » Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
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