Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Since it became an official standard in 1991, Moving Picture Experts Group -1 Audio Layer 3 (or MP3) has proven popular due to the fact that it is easily transferable, good quality and cheaper than hard copies.  So far it has been unpopular with record companies as a result of the close links it has to piracy, but recently Atlantic Records said that over 50% of their revenue was coming from digital sales.

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RadioShack’s Black Friday ad is now out and here’s what they are offering to those brave folks willing to wait in line for the 6AM opening:

• Canon PIXMA MX300 Office All-in-One Printer (Requires Purchase of EX-Z9 Camera) - Free after $50.00 MIR.
• Memorex MCC228 HD Digital Camcorder- $79.99 (regularly $119.99)
• TDK DVD+R Discs (50-Pack) - $7.99 (regularly $27.99)
• TDK DVD-R (50-Pack) - $7.99 (regularly $27.99)
• Casio EX-Z9 8.1MP Digital Camera Bundle- $99.99 (regularly $139.99)

Keep reading to see the entire list.

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Sections: Audio, Video, Computers, Gadgets / Other, Imaging, Web

After a bit of a delay, Dish Network has confirmed that they will be releasing the DTVPal DVR mid-December.  However, you can pre-order it starting next week.  Originally introduced as the EchoStar TR-50 when it was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show the beginning of the year, the slightly modified HD personal video recorder now has a spiffy new name to match its new look.  Continued after the break.

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I’d rather not tell you how I found this exclusive deal that will save you $29.99, but I can tell you to thank Oprah.  It seems odd to talk about her again after doing so a couple of weeks ago when she was pimping out the Kindle reader from Amazon.  This time, Snapfish.com was on her show on ways to unclutter your messy home.  Oprah touts getting rid of all your kids artwork and putting them into a keepsake book.

Um, sure Oprah, that is what I am going to do.  Nope, I am half way through making a book from the thousands of images my digital camera took on summer vacation.  Thank God for digital film.

So how do you get your free 8"x11” book free?

Here is the deal:

• Visit this link.
• Create an account or log in
• The credit will be added to your account, so you’ll see it at check out.
• upload photos, arrange, slap in some text
• click “order this book”
• pay shipping.  Sorry, Oprah doesn’t have any connections at the USPS.  Bummer.
• get book while reveling in the fact you beat the man this one day.

The catch

Sweet, right (aside from paying for shipping)?  You must visit this link and get the coupon added today.  You have up to Sunday to create and order the book.  Not a huge catch, but act now.

I’ve made photo books with Snapfish before and have been happy with the results.  I’ll be even happier not shelling out $30.  A big thanks to Snapfish and Oprah!

• Amazon Kindle sold-out, refurbs available in limited quantities
• Sprint’s Cyber Monday deals: free Centro and 5 others
• Grab a Google Android G1 for $125

Sections: Imaging, Accessories, Web, Websites

Following on the heels of its big brother the E71, Nokia just released its newest in their E-Line, the E63.  It’s a candybar style phone shooting to bring “the QWERTY keyboard form factor to a broader audience at a great price” according to the Nokia website. 

Unfortunately, Nokia isn’t telling too much about the inner workings of the phone or what all makes it different from the E71 quite yet.  What we do know is that what Nokia is using as its big draw is being able to switch back and forth with a single key press between the corporate e-mail and calendar mode with the personal mode which features e-mail, websites and photos.  Nokia also serves up 1GB of cloud storage on Ovi when you buy the E63.  And of course, there is the obvious Wi-Fi connectivity. . . .

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I’m a firm believer it’s pretty hard to go wrong with a Canon.  So, I was curious to see how the latest in their G-series measured up to its predecessor, the G9.  It seems as though they did pretty well.

Canon’s latest in their Powershot family is the G10.  It has some changes from the G9, although some of the problems that existed with the G9 are still present.  But, if you are looking for a good prosumer camera, without a “pro camera” price tag this one just may fit the bill nicely.

So what separates it from the G9?  Keep reading.

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We all know, love, hate and possibly do our best to ignore Black Friday.  For deals on gadgets and tech, you’d expect the main electronic stores to participate: Best Buy, Circuit City, maybe even Wal-Mart and Target.  You can add one more to that list that you probably wouldn’t expect: Walgreens.  Yeah, I wasn’t expecting it either.

Of course, a store like Walgreens doesn’t have a whole ton of electronic deals, but there are a few.  Some of its not too surprising, like a 10” LCD TV for $99, a 9 megapixel Kodak camera for $79 and a 2 GB MicroSD card for $9.  While they are good deals, their what you’d usually expect from a store like Walgreens.  However, there are two surprising additions.  One is an 8MP HD camcorder from Aiptek for $79.  The other being an $89 Nextar GPS.  Sure, they aren’t really big brand names, but what do you expect from Walgreens?

With the economy the way it is, and tech becoming more popular, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of these types of deals from other retailers for Black Friday.  Last year the big push was for HDTVs, which it could be this year as well.  One thing is definite, though, people like finding good deals on tech.

Read [BFads.net]

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Today we’ve got a guest post by Scott McGrath.  Scott has worked in the IT industry as a consultant and Sysadmin for 12 years, and has enjoyed communications gadgets since he got his Fisher Price telephone at 2 years of age.  Like what he said?  Hate what he said?  Go over to Scott’s blog at http://www.scamwagon.com and let him know.

Believe it or not, I’m in the market for a cordless phone.  Before you laugh, there’s actually plenty of reasons I maintain a land line, not the least of which is the fact that I have poor cell coverage at my home, and not the most of which is the fact that cellular usually can not hold a candle to the real deal PSTN or good VoIP line, in terms of quality.  Cordless phones still have life since some can pair to your cell phone so you don’t have to rush to find that tiny handheld when it rings.  If you’re a Skype user, you can be untethered with some cordless phones.

Continued after the break.

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This Tuesday, October 28th, NYC is cutting out analog television for three minutes.  They aren’t pulling any punches; analog signals will go dark between 5:58PM and 6:01PM right in time to mess up most news programs.

If you aren’t aware, on February 19, 2009, all television broadcasts in the U.S. will be digital.  If you (or more likely, your grandparents) have a television without a digital tuner, you will not be able to watch free over-the-air television without a converter box. 

Where did they get the idea to do this?  Maybe from some friends of ours.  Check out more after the break.

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It looks like HP is going to be rolling out a brand new netbook this December.  However, this particular model is not going to be for everyone.  The new model will be a special edition in partnership with Vivienne Tam.  As you can see from the recently released picture, the Vivienne Tam Edition will feature a nice floral exterior, which may be the barrier for some.  Keep reading for some speculative specs.

This netbook seems to be a nice improvement over the current HP netbook.  Many have voiced issues with the Mini-Note’s current VIA processor, and the Vivienne Tam Edition will be powered by an Intel Atom processor.  As of now, most of the specs have not been confirmed, but it is expected to feature a 10-inch display.

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