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In what could possibly be a move to weaken its rivals stronghold in the US smartphone market, Nokia announced that it will soon be embedding Microsoft Exchange Activesync on all of its S60-powered mobile phones. If you’re wondering how many S60 models of phones Nokia has, last time we check it was around 43.

With Microsoft Exchange Activesync on their mobile phones, users will have quick access to Microsoft’s corporate email system when they buy any of those Nokia models. Previously, Nokia was offering Microsoft’s mobile email client via a download system to only a few of Nokia’s mobile phones. But existing Nokia users found it difficult to download the email client. With the planned integration of the email client as a standard feature of its S60 phones, Nokia is hoping to attract more smartphone users into buying their units since setting up the email client to access their corporate email can be easily done by the users even without the help of their IT department.

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The web mail scene has been dominated by either Gmail, Yahoo! Mail or Windows Hotmail for quite some time now. Although there have been many other web-based email systems who have tried to enter the fray, none has been successful as of yet. So it would seem that GMX Global Mail Exchange may be up to a tough task of getting into the web mail niche.

GMX Global Mail Exchange aims to provide an alternative web mail solution for home users as well as small and medium sized enterprises. It’s your typical web based email that supports POP3, IMAP and SMTP protocols and mobile devices. GMX also allows you to create up to 10 additional emails that all forward and can be checked from your main account, which is a nice way to keep your main email address a little more private. If you notice too much junk or spam from one of your alternates simply delete it and start with a new one.

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Sections: Communications, Email / IM, Web

Best Buy has updated their HD DVD Trade-In website and is now offering up some pricing details. Sadly it seems that most people would be better off keeping the players and simply using them as an up-converting or spare DVD player around the house.

Remember those Toshiba A2 players that we were seeing become quite affordable, they are now, according to the Best Buy Trade-In website worth a measly $39.60 and that is assuming its in good condition with the remote, power cord, and manual included. Coming in a little less than the A2 is both the A3 at $32.40 and the A1 at $36.90. As for the Xbox HD DVD player add-on, that is at a sad $18.90.

While the pricing may seem low, I suppose it is nice that the offer is at least available, just not sure how many people would find it worth the time to complete the offer.

Read [Best Buy Trade-In]

• Black Friday deals round-up [updated]
• Circuit City’s Cyber Monday 2008 game deal - buy a game, get a gift card
• Best Buy offers selected Cyber Monday 2008 game sales

In a move to help those upset customers who purchased an HD DVD player, Best Buy has announced they will begin offering $50 gift cards for those who made their purchase before February 23, 2008. Considering the HD DVD players will still function and work fairly nice as an up-converting DVD player this $50 gift card offer sounds nice, but just in case you absolutely want it gone, there is also a trade-in program to consider.

The $50 gift card offer requires the HD DVD player have been purchased at Best Buy, however, and this is where some good news comes in. The Trade-In Center Program will allow anyone to trade in their ‘old’ HD DVD player and also their HD DVD movies whether purchased at Best Buy or not. This program will begin on March 21, 2008 and you can visit BestBuyTradeIn.com to get an “instant estimate of the value of your HD DVD player and movies.“

We have also seen a similar return policy from other big-box retailers Circuit City and Future Shop, I wonder who will be next.

Read [Best Buy]

• Black Friday deals round-up [updated]
• Circuit City’s Cyber Monday 2008 game deal - buy a game, get a gift card
• Best Buy offers selected Cyber Monday 2008 game sales

Thanks to a leaked memo entitled “HD DVD - The End” that was posted on an internal Circuit City forum we have learned about the possibility of having your HD DVD player exchanged for a new Blu-ray player to include a Playstation 3.

With that, you cannot expect to simply walk in and hand over your current HD DVD player and just walk out with a new Blu-ray player. There are a few small (and obvious) catches. Circuit City is basically granting an open ended return policy for HD DVD players, and you will have to pay any difference in price. Also noted in the memo is that if you no longer want the HD DVD player and also do not want to purchase a Blu-ray player you will be given a gift card refund for the amount the player originally cost. Similar to other software and media titles, they (once opened) are not able to qualify for a refund.

Sounds like a great way to stay current with your next-generation player. It does make you wonder why other big-box retailers do not have a similar policy in place, or just how soon they will start one up.

Continue reading to see the full memo that had been leaked…

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