Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Looking for a great Black Friday phone deal?  If so, you may want to check out the Motorola ZN5 because T-Mobile will be dropping the price down to free.  The good news here is that you can still take care of all your Black Friday shopping and not worry about missing out because T-Mobile has turned this into a Black Friday weekend and this offer is valid from November 28 through November 30. 

The one catch, which may be a deal breaker for some is that you still have to pay $99 at the time of purchase because the free comes in the form of a mail-in-rebate.  Also, as you would expect, you will also be required the accept the standard two-year agreement. 

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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

Today in the USA, we honor our soldiers.  While today’s soldiers are usually outfitted in the latest gadget gear we all know about, Gadgetell takes a look back at previous generations of gadgets.  Our findings might surprise you.

Motorola intros the WWII RAZR

Meet the Moto SCR-536.  Imagine the soldiers dancing in a foxhole when the CO calls with the “Hello Moto” ringtone blares.  OK, maybe not.  But this is the real deal, the Handie-Talkie was the world’s first two-way AM radio.  It weighted just under 7 lbs and had an 8-hour talk time.  I’ll avoid any comparisons to Moto’s current line up, feel free to make your own and chuckle.  Moto’s device was way ahead of the competition and up to 26lbs lighter.  Way out in front.

See what other odd gadgets we’ve found.

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We have recently seen the Motorola AURA in all its expensive glory, and now there seems to be another twist in the story.  The twist is thankfully just in the rumor stage, and although we are not sure it is believable, it kind of sounds like it would be something that Moto would do with a luxury handset.

The story goes that a “source close to the company” has leaked some information stating that any AURA owners will not be able to resell the phone on eBay.  In fact, the source has stated that anyone who buys an AURA will have to “sign into a contract that states they can’t sell it on eBay.”  Plenty more after the break.

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Motorola has announced that its MOTOZINE ZN5 will be available via T-Mobile for $99 with a two-year service agreement.  The MOTOZINE was first announced this past June.

At first blush, the MOTOZINE looks like a very simple phone.  Its secret—a 5 MP camera packing lots of goodies, including some Kodak technology, Xenon flash, auto-focus, and a multi-shot mode.  It also has special capture and edit modes (like a panorama mode).  Photos can uploaded to photo sites directly from the phone via Wi-Fi, printed via Bluetooth or USB, or sent out via MMS.

The design of the phone is clean and the screen size is decent relative to the size of the keypad.  The phone is lacking a QWERTY keyboard, though this is not necessarily a negative.  Why use words when you can say it with a picture?

Check out the phone [Moto ZN5]

• Grab a Google Android G1 for $125
• Slacker 2GB WiFi player just $49 today only
• Gadgetell Video Review: Kodak Zi6 HD camcorder

Each year we are offered tricks and treats by tech companies.  Some products turn out better than we hope and some far worse than we ever imagined.  For this Halloween Who’s on Crack, let’s take a look at who has offered more treats than tricks.

As promised, I am not including Motorola in this list, though I think we all know they belong here.  With that, I give you my trick or treat list.

See who made my list by following me.

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Motorola recently announced the availability of 2 new GPSs that they claim are perfect for drivers who are traveling in unfamiliar territory.  Both are set to be available exclusively at RadioShack.

Let’s begin with the MOTONAV TN20.  It sports a 3.5-inch touch screen with a backlight that automatically adjusts to the surrounding light (meaning whether it is day or night, it will brighten or darken accordingly).  In addition, all street names and directions are spoken, comes with a POI database of over one million places, and 2D and 3D map displays.  Maps are also provided by NAVTEQ.  Get more details after the break.

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This is where we call out by names the actions and companies that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  Technology is an odd realm where PR speak doesn’t hold a lot of water if the 1s and 0s don’t line up.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

Check out my mockery of:

• Cell phone carriers
• Dell
• Asus
• Motorola (yet again)
• the gaming industry

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Better start writing to Santa folks because this one doesn’t come cheap.  Introduced on Tuesday, Motorola’s new AURA might even make Hugh proud.

It sports the “world’s first circular display” and certainly doesn’t lack colors, it has 16 million of them with a 300 dpi resolution. That cyclops display is covered with Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens.  What does that mean to you?  The lens is made of one of the most scratch resistant materials on the earth.

Find out more details about this phone including the unbelievable price after the break.

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Motorola’s new VC6096 is a cross between a netbook and an Internet Tablet.  It does support Internet connectivity, Wi-Fi, and can act like a computer in some ways, but it doesn’t have the slick look of a netbook or an Internet Tablet.

It is mostly meant for the car as it comes with integrated GPS with a SiRF Star III GPS receiver.  Also, it comes with a 6.5-inch touch screen, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 3.5G GMS HSPDA WWAN connectivity, as well as 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi.  The nice thing about all this Internet connectivity options is that you can always be connected wherever you are.  Many GPSs don’t offer Internet connectivity yet, so this is something that make its unique from other devices. 

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