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Portal gun to be auctioned off for Child's Play charity
The Portal gun. If you've been alive over the past year and change, you know exactly what we're talking about. We can safely say our lives were changed after spending a few good minutes with Harrison Krix's handmade replica in 2009, and soon you'll have the golden opportunity to know exactly what we mean. Krix has constructed a new Portal gun, one that's arguably more bodacious than ever, and there's only one way to get it: outbid the Bro Montana next to you on December 7th. A Child's Play Charity event auction will be held on that fateful day in Seattle, and it'll be the one and only opportunity to have the pink slip transferred to you. Of course, monies received from the auction will benefit Child's Play (a gaming industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in a network of over 60 hospitals worldwide), and the bragging rights afforded to the winner will be fairly epic in scope. Head on past the break for a video of what's up for grabs.
LG Quantum, HTC Surround and Samsung Focus: BOGO from AT&T starting Friday
Here's hoping you didn't choose to adopt early. Not even three weeks after Windows Phone 7 went on sale in the US of A comes this: a buy one, get one free sale christened by Microsoft and AT&T. Starting November 26th (that's Black Friday, we'll have you know), sleepy-eyed consumers can drag themselves into their local AT&T store in order to pick up an LG Quantum, HTC Surround or Samsung Focus in BOGO fashion -- best of all, you can mix and match, enabling users to snag a Quantum and a Surround (or a Focus) for just $199. Naturally, you'll still be signing a pair of two-year agreements with Ma Bell, but it's still the cheapest way to indulge in WP7 for the time being. There's no telling when the deal will end, but common sense would say to jump in early if you've got a hankerin'.
Dell US now offering Streak unlocked with Froyo, in Cherry Red
We knew good and well that Android 2.2 was sneaking out and making itself active on Dell's unlocked Streak units, but now it seems that the backlog of older units has been cleared. That has made way for new stock over at Dell's US site, with a 16GB Carbon Black unlocked Streak going for $579.99 with Froyo from the factory; the 32GB model is listed at $678.99. Curiously, that 16GB model is $30 more than what the unlocked Android 1.6 model went for back in August. Also, we're left to assume that even the "unlocked" models will still be SIM-locked to AT&T, though Dell does play up the fact that unlocked Streaks can be used as a mobile hotspot for up to eight WiFi-enabled devices without ponying up extra to Ma Bell. In related news, the long-awaited Cherry Red Streak is also on sale in the US of A, but you'll have to flip to page two down in the source link in order to find the 32GB and unlocked variants. Good luck wading through the options, champ. [Thanks, Jar Jar Binks]
Dell Inspiron Duo and speaker dock up for pre-order at Microsoft Store now, no clue when they'll ship out
The Dell-Microsoft symbiotic relationship continues where it left off with the Venue Pro, as another highly desirable piece of hardware has been made available at a Microsoft Store ahead of Dell: the transforming Inspiron Duo and its JBL-powered speaker dock. That's actually in your favor this time, however, as you won't have to trek across the countryside to one of Microsoft's seven brick-and-mortar stores, but rather grab the $549 convertible at Microsoft's website, and you can even get $50 off the audio station's typical $99 price. That said, these are most definitely pre-orders we're dealing with here and there's no expected shipping date on the site, so it's hard to tell if you're actually securing yourself the first spot in that "first week of December" line. They won't charge you until it ships, though, so if you're not willing to wait for our full review to see if that slick spinning screen is up to snuff, now is probably the time. [Thanks, Joe]
Jolibook now on sale in the UK, first batch of orders ships Monday
Looks like Jolicloud knows how to keep a product under wraps -- just ten days after revealing the Jolibook to the world, it's already on sale at a pair of e-tailers. Yes, it's just a netbook, and a fairly standard one at that -- you can cross the 10.1-inch WSVGA screen, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, 1GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive and 0.3 megapixel webcam right off your laundry list. But it does have the instant-on Jolicloud 1.1 OS on board, and a dual-core 1.5GHz Atom N550 processor to power through basic tasks, and for a confirmed £279 (about $443) it would also seem to have a price to match. Find it Vye or Amazon UK if you're already sold, and expect to actually receive it before long -- founder Tariq Krim tweets that orders placed this weekend will ship out Monday morning.
Velocity Micro's 7-inch Cruz Tablet now shipping for $300
Not kosher with ponying up $500+ for an Android tablet? You've got options, kid. Velocity Micro's Cruz Tablet has finally hit the shipping stage, and sure enough, it's doing so in the month that was promised back in September. $299.99 lands you a 7-inch Android 2.0 tablet with an 800 x 480 capacitive touch panel, 512MB of RAM, 12GB of total storage, 802.11n WiFi, inbuilt speakers, a headphone jack, mini-USB port and a rechargeable Li-ion good for around ten hours of use -- or so they say. Of course, you'll be stuck accessing the Cruz Market rather than the bona fide Android Market, and you can forget about embedded 3G. But hey, it's three Benjamins sans any sort of life-altering contract. And that's got to count for something, right? [Thanks, Anonymous] %Gallery-107893%
Palm Pre 2 available unlocked from HP for $450, ships within 24 hours (update: $200 off for devs)
Get your SIMs ready, dear readers, for the unlocked GSM Pre 2 has made its promised debut on HP's online outlet. In spite of looking all too similar to its predecessors, this 1GHz device is still the best (read: only) option for getting your webOS 2.0 action going, so if you simply must have that experience on your smartphone, it's a no-brainer of a decision. HP will ship it to you in exchange for $450 and if all goes to plan, you could be swiping cards off your home screen in buttery smooth fashion by this time tomorrow. [Thanks, Michael] Update: Are you a dedicated webOS software developer? Then HP will kindly knock $200 off the price of the unlocked Pre 2 in order to facilitate the free flow of your creative juices. Thanks, Chieze O!
Nox Audio Scout mini headset on sale now, boasts world's smallest mic button and some decent sound
NOX Audio sprang out of obscurity this year with two pairs of stylish 'phones -- the moderately disappointing Specialist supra-aural cans with a retractable, flexible mic, and the promising Scout earbud headset pictured immediately above, now on sale. Even at first glance the Scout's not your average pair of in-line earbuds, connected to your phone of choice via a piece of rubber linguini that acts as a no-tangle cord, but they also have balanced armature drivers that delivered some surprisingly good sound even in the bustle of a busy trade show. (They've also got a ludicrously tiny send/end button for the headset buried in the cord's joint, if you're fond of playing spy.) We haven't had a chance to put our review unit through its paces quite yet, but if you want to give NOX the benefit of the doubt, you'll find the Scout at "select retailers" and the company's online store for $80 right now.
Dell Streak busts out a white back for Best Buy exclusive
Seems like Best Buy has developed something of a taste for snow-white exclusives, as it's now become the first retailer to offer up Dell's 5-inch Streak tabletphone with an alabaster case. We're hearing the only way to grab the new palette option is to go down to your nearest Best Buy store, though online reservation and payment is also available. Not every store has them just yet, so checking ahead of time might also be advisable. Skip past the break to see the new Streak's front end -- it actually retains a lot of the black bezel of its noir family mate.
Nook Color now shipping to early birds, limited retail
The $249 Nook Color has decided its November 19th shipping date wasn't soon enough so it's jumped ahead of it with pre-order deliveries starting today. Barnes and Noble's Nook-with-a-hook will be cheering those who reserved or pre-ordered it as shipping ramps up through this week, and there'll even be some "very limited" quantities that you'll be able to buy at retail locations like B&N, Best Buy, Walmart, and Books-A-Million stores. All of them should be getting live units for the curious to try out the Nook Color as well. As to the older, less chromatically able Nooks, B&N is promising a firmware update next week. Skip past the break for the full PR.
Universal remote arrives within a pillow, makes channel surfing hip again
It's a pillow. And a remote. And if your powers of observation are anywhere near "strong," you've probably deduced by now that you're looking at a universal remote control... albeit one that's wrapped within a pillow. We've seen similar creations come around in concept form, but leave it to the folks at Brookstone to turn this thing into a reality. Purportedly, this unit can be programmed to work with over 500 devices, and there's a power-saving auto shutoff feature that'll definitely be overrode by your incessant squeezing. We wouldn't count on this thing actually working well, but for $29.95 (in addition to the cost of two AAA batteries, of course), we highly doubt you'll find a more fashionable, lovable cube of cotton.
Samsung Galaxy Tab lands on Verizon for $599.99
So it was written, and so has it been done. Hot on the heels of T-Mobile, the little Samsung Galaxy Tab 7-inch Android tablet that could just hit Verizon retail for $599.99. Of course, that's before taxes and options for month-to-month data plans (with $35 activation fee) are factored in starting at $20 per month for 1GB on up to $80 for 10GB. So feel free to jump right in if the idea of waiting for a Super AMOLED version, a 10.1-inch flavor, or a tablet-tuned Android release sounds like crazy talk. [Thanks, Spencer T.]
Samsung Galaxy Tab fulfills its destiny, now available on T-Mobile for $399
Nothing unforeseen here, folks, just a friendly reminder that Samsung's Galaxy Tab has kept to its release schedule and is now available to purchase from T-Mobile USA. $399 gets you the 7-inch Tab plus a two-year contract with the American arm of Deutsche Telekom, or you can pay the full $599 and make off with just the tablet itself. Or you can even wait an extra day for Verizon to start dishing Android slates your way as well -- the choice, as always, is yours. Just try not to think about that gorgeous 7-inch Super AMOLED panel that Samsung's busy showing off in Japan right now. [Thanks, Aaron]
Droid Pro on sale a little early, shipping now
Verizon's been all kinds of leaky and loose with its Android lineup lately -- the Samsung Continuum was anything but a surprise, the Droid 2 Global is now on sale before even being officially announced, and now the Droid Pro is also on sale well ahead of its scheduled November 18th launch date. Whoops! If you'll recall, the Pro was only supposed to be up for pre-order now, but it's actually listed as "add to cart" on Verizon's site and tipsters have gotten overnight ship confirmations. Sure, we'll take early delivery of what should be one of Big Red's hottest phones -- but we can't help but wonder if Verizon's being this sloppy with device launches right now because it's focused on nailing the high-profile debut of something around January. [Thanks, Matt and anonymous]
Windows Phone 7 now on sale in the US
Check it Microsofties, it's time to get back into the game. While some phones have already launched in Europe and beyond, today is the first day that you can put down cash in the US for a Windows Phone 7 device all your own. The Microsoft online Store just loosed the HTC HD7 (T-Mobile), HTC Surround (AT&T), and Samsung Focus (AT&T). Rumor has it that the 4.1-inch Dell Venue Pro (T-Mobile) will be out on shelves at Microsoft retail locations today as well. So why not use that extra hour of wakefulness that Apple provided to think it over? Update: Prices drop to as low as $149.99 at Dell Mobility (which still doesn't list its own Venue Pro) and $99 at Amazon Wireless when purchased with new service plans. The LG Quantum is up for pre-order too with Amazon claiming an 8 to 9 business day delivery. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Bluetooth AirTurn BT-105 gets real, aims to flip digital music sheets on November 16th
Remember this guy? He's back, and better than ever before. In fact, he's bringing all sorts of good news for digital sheet music readers, namely that the AirTurn BT-105 is just weeks away from shipping. This Bluetooth-enabled system -- which links up with standard page-turners and connects with your iPad, Mac or PC in order to flip from page to page without ever taking your hand away from your McCartney replica bass -- even includes a debounce filter to prevent multiple page turns for each foot switch press. The system plays nice with forScore, MusicReader, and unrealBook, and the rechargeable battery is said to be good for a solid 100 hours. It'll ship to Americans on November 16th for the tidy sum of $69, but before you rush away and jot down the date on your pocket calendar, head on past the break and mash play. It's worth it, trust us.
ASUS Eee PC 1015T now on sale, complete with AMD V105 CPU
So, the mystery's solved. If you'll recall, we spotted ASUS' Eee PC 1015T sittin' pretty at Computex, but considering that the OS was wiped by the time we got to it, we were left to take the placard's word for it when it came to specifications. Now, B&H has begun to offer this bad boy here in the States, with $349.99 nabbing you a 1.2GHz AMD V105 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB (5400RPM) hard drive, ATI's Mobility Radeon HD 4250, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit panel, inbuilt webcam, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 32-bit copy of Windows 7 Starter and a six-cell battery. All told, it rings up at 2.8 pounds and should last anywhere between three and six hours on a full charge, but we're guessing real-world performance will swing towards the former. It's available right now in blue, black and white, and if you're looking for a way to stick it to Intel's sluggish Atom line, here it is.
Acer Aspire RevoView network media streamer ships this month in the UK
Hard to say if it's too little, too late, but one thing's for darn sure -- Acer definitely has a lot of competition to shake off if it wants this Aspire RevoView to truly succeed. Announced originally way back in May, this here network media streamer is just now gaining an image, price and release date. It's able to fetch content from USB hard drives, an internal 3.5-inch HDD, a memory card slot or the world wide web, but the latter seems contained to just YouTube, Picasa and Flickr for the time being. It'll push things out via an HDMI socket on the rear, and the bundled remote will keep your keister firmly planted while it's in operation. No word on whether or not this fellow will ever leave the confines of the UK, but it'll go on sale there next week for £119.99 ($193).
Archos 70 Internet Tablet now shipping for $279 with 8GB storage, Android 2.2
Archos wasn't going to settle for shipping a single Android device out today, no sirree -- the French PMP specialists are pumping out these 7-inch Archos 70 Internet Tablets effective immediately. $279 buys you a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, 8GB of flash storage, and Android 2.2 running on an 800 x 480 capacitive multitouch screen, with an OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics accelerator, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth and a front-facing VGA camera in an 11oz, 0.43-inch thin package that screams to be held. Sadly, you still won't find Android Market on here, though we'll give Archos credit for ditching most of the proprietary connectors and ports, which should make sideloading your own apps somewhat less of a chore. (There's also a microSDHC card slot.) Expect a 250GB hard-drive model to debut any day now for $350... along with our full review. [Thanks, androidboi]
ASUS finally ships Lamborghini Eee PC VX6, but mind that gas guzzler tax
It was introduced way back in June, but it looks as if ASUS has just now gotten its ducks in a row with regard to this speedster. The 12.1-inch Lamborghini Eee PC VX6 is now shipping across the pond, offering an Intel Atom D525 processor, NVIDIA Optimus graphics and Bang & Olufsen audio. It's available from a host of retailers for £499 ($798), and there's precisely zero doubt that you'll be buying one. Because, you know -- nothing goes together quite like bargain basement hardware and elitist branding, right? Bonus vid is after the break, if you're so inclined. Update: B&H has this guy for sale in America for $673! Thanks, Roland!
