Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Howdy gadget fans.  As Iyaz mentioned last week, we’re taking part in The HP Magic Giveaway along with 49 other great blogs.  What’s the grand prize?  How about we give away $6,000 worth of HP hardware and software on Dabbledoo sites alone?.

Want a chance to win?  Sign up for a Dabbledoo account/profile so we can notify you right when the contest goes live!  Also with that account, you’ll be able to comment without entering your information, create a profile, upload a pic / avatar, and more!

You don’t want to miss out on $6,000 worth of computer stuff, do you?

• Win $6000+ of computer stuff with the HP Magic Giveaway
• HP’s Mini 1000 already supporting 3G?
• Micro Center’s Black Friday 2008 weekend sales

Originally, HP stated that a 3G-capable Mini 1000 would not be available until December.  However, at least one enterprising user seems to already have one in hand and already gotten the 3G working.  The details of this particular model are a little unclear, according to the forum posting, the user has a model #1033cl.  Based on some searching around, that model seems to be available only outside the US.  So, this is where it gets a little confusing, because he seems to be here in the US, as he mentioned that it is working on AT&T’s network. 

Now, is this a slip up on the part of HP, or are there more of these WWAN-equipped models out in-the-wild?  Fortunately, a quick check on the underside of your Mini 1000 will let you know if you have a WWAN-equiped netbook.  The slot (as pictured) can be found on the bottom and on the side of the battery slot.  Continued after the break.

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Are you ready to win over $6000 worth of computer stuff?  Well, here comes the HP Magic Giveaway and we’re going to help you win!  Gadgetell is participating in this giveaway along with 49 other blogs. 

How can you win?  What are the prizes?  Keep checking back with Gadgetell.com to find out!

Check out the The HP Magic Giveaway Landing Page.

• HP Magic Giveaway: Register for an account now to get a head start
• HP’s Mini 1000 already supporting 3G?
• Micro Center’s Black Friday 2008 weekend sales

You may remember about a week ago when Gadgetell posted the doorbuster/main sales from Wal-Mart.  Recently, they have unveiled their full Black Friday sales, and I must say, they are looking pretty good. 

Camcorders

They only have 2 camcorders listed for sale and one is the Pure Digital F230 camcorder which is selling for $79.00.  The other is the Samsung SC-DX103 Black DVD Camcorder.  It comes with a 2.7-inch wide LCD screen, 34x Optical Zoom, and SD memory expansion.  This camcorder will be on sale for $179.00. 

Keep reading for more deals on computers and televisions.

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HP is rolling out their newest TouchSmart and it’s a Tablet PC.  What’s the big deal?  Well, Gadgetell got a chance to actually play with the HP TouchSmart TX2 and it is really something.

At first blush, the TX2 looks like a standard Tablet PC with a hinge that allows the entire 12.1-inch screen to be turned around and folded down for a slate style experience.  The real fun is in the touch screen which is capacitive and not resistive; that means you don’t have to press the screen very hard for the computer to register inputs.  A simple tap to the screen is enough for the TX2.

Multi-touch

The laptop supports multi-touch input as well.  While Windows Vista doesn’t do multi-touch yet, HP has built this technology into the drivers.  The multi-touch inputs are translated into keystroke commands so you can have multi-touch beyond HP’s MediaSmart software. 

Plenty more including more pics and lots of specs after the break.

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While on a quick shopping trip to Staples to replenish ink for my printer (which apparently is filled with gold at the prices they charge) I was handed a sheet of paper listing some trade-in discounts for a myriad of products.  From routers to printers to laptops, the trade-in value was significant, enough to make me think, “Hey I’ve got an old router somewhere.“

Why is Staples hoarding old tech gadgetry?  Do they just reprice them and sell as new or is something else going on here?  Follow to find out.

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Looking to get an Eee PC for less than an iPod?  Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it?  Well, in its quarterly investors earnings call, Asustek announced a great number of things, including the fact that the baseline Eee PCs will be lowered to $200 by the end of 2009.  It seems 1.7 million Eee PCs were shipped last quarter, and Asus is expecting 1.8 million to be shipped this coming quarter.  There is some bad news for some, though.

Along with the price announcement, Asus announced that the 7” and 8.9” models will soon be phased out in favor of the 10-inch models.  That’s somewhat sad to me at least.  The 8.9” is the perfect size I think, especially if the screens on the 8.9” and 10” are the same resolution.

More after the break.

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Yet another case of the few ruining it for the many.  Due to “at least 40” reports of laptop batteries overheating and causing fires as well as potential property damage, Sony is recalling 35,000 Lithium Ion batteries in the US and another 65,000 in other countries.  In a stroke of genius, none of these batteries were actually put in Sony laptops.  Instead, most of them (32,000) are in HP Pavilion dv model and Compaq laptops, and to a lesser extent Toshiba Satellite and Tecra laptops (3,000) and only 150 Dell Latitude and Inspiron laptops.  The batteries were made way back in October 2004 to June 2005.

More after the break.

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HP has officially unveiled the Mini 1000 netbook, which serves as a follow up to the Mini-Note 2133.  And a nice follow up it seems to be, based on the specs and available options for the Mini 1000 it seems HP has taken some of the disappointing factors from their original 2133 netbook and made some notable improvements.

To begin with, the Mini 1000 will eventually be available in three models: you have the Windows XP based model that will start at $399, the Ubuntu-based Mobile Internet Experience (“MIE”) model that will start at $379, and the limited edition Vivian Tam model which will start at $699.  As of now, the Windows XP model is available for purchase, while the MIE model is expected in early January.  The limited edition Vivian Tam model will be available “in time for the holidays.“

Keep reading for more details.

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HP has just introduced their latest USB flash drive, and although flash drives rarely offer any unique features outside of the exterior design, the Floppy Drive Key does give you a little more.  The Floppy Key Drive is actually a two-in-one device that offers the traditional USB storage, but it will also work as USB floppy drive.

Sure for most people a floppy drive is long since outdated, but anyone who is still performing BIOS updates will likely find this useful.  The HP Floppy Drive Key has a small switch on the drive that allows the user to switch modes between functioning as a flash drive and a floppy drive.

The Floppy Drive Key is currently available from HP for a slightly expensive $79 (1GB) or $49 (256MB).  Aside from the convenience of having just one device, it may be a little more cost efficient to pick up an old school and much less expensive flash drive and look for a used external USB floppy drive.

Product [HP]

• HP Magic Giveaway: Register for an account now to get a head start
• A solution to your USB port wiring problems
• PlayStation 3 firmware 2.53 available now, may make you yawn