Amazon is running a deal on the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi, selling the new-ish Sprint smartphones for $80 and $25, respectively, with a two-year contract and free activation.

The Pre runs for $150 directly from Sprint, while the Pixi normally sells for $100. You have to deal with $100 mail-in rebates on both phones, too, whereas the Amazon deal includes an instant discount. The free activation deal lasts until November 23rd.

Palm Pre Phone (Sprint) [Amazon.com]

Palm Pixi Phone (Sprint) [Amazon.com]

[via Barron’s]

Oh, I get it. It’s called “Shack” Friday at Radio Shack instead of Black Friday. Because “shack” sounds like “black” and “shack” is part of Radio Shack’s name. So basically, they just switched the two words around. I get it.

Know what else? The damn sale starts on Thursday! What a world! “Most stores open at 10 AM Thursday,” says the circular. And then they open at 5:30 in the morning on Friday! That’s Shack-rilege! See how I worked the name of the store into that one?

UPDATE: Radio Shack’s PR team was kind enough to send over high-resolution images of the national circular. Here are the links to the images:

Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3

Anyhoo, here’s the good stuff. Doorbusters are marked with an asterisk.

Automotive

Gigaware Car Charger for iPod – $10.00

Sirius Stratus 5 Dock & Play Radio + Car Kit – $29.99

XM onyX Satellite Radio – $59.99

Blank Media

25-Pack of Gigaware 16X DVD-Rs – B1G1F

50-Pack Of Gigaware 52X CD-R – B1G1F

Gigaware 25 Pack of 16X DVD-Rs – B1G1F

Gigaware 50 Pack of 52X CD-Rs – B1G1F

Cell Phones

BlackBerry Curve 8520 (w/2-Year Agreement) – $0.00

Gigaware High Power Docking Speaker For iPod – $49.99

LG Xenon Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $0.00

Motorola CLIQ w/Motoblur (w/2-Year Agreement) – $79.99

Motorola i776 Cell Phone – $69.99

Nokia 2720 No-Contract Mobile Phone – $9.99

Palm Pixi Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $99.99

Palm Pre Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $99.99

Plantronics E210 Bluetooth Headset – $19.99

Samsung Impression Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $29.99

Samsung Instinct S30 Cell Phone (w/2-Year Agreement) – $0.00

Samsung Mantra Cell Phone – $29.99

Snap-On Covers for iPhone 3G or Blackberry Curve 8300 – $9.99

Computer Accessories

Gigaware 1.3MP Webcam w/Microphone – $14.99

Gigaware 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System – $10.00

Gigaware Folding Notebook Cooling Pad – $10.00

Gigaware VoIP USB Headset – $10.00

Gigaware Wireless Optical Mouse – $12.99

Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo – $19.99

Netbook Accessory Bundle (USB Hub, Mouse, Earbuds, Cooling Pad) – $29.99

Pinnacle Ultra-Compact USB HDTV Tuner – $39.99

Computers

Acer 11.6″ Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor Z520, 2GB Memory, 250GB Hard Drive – $249.99

Acer 15.6″ Notebook w/AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor, 4GB Memory, 320 Hard Drive – $399.99

Digital Cameras

Buy Any $89.99 Camera In This Ad, Receive a Free Polaroid Pogo Mobile Printer – $0.00

Casio Exilim 10 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera Gift Bundle – $89.99

Kodak MD81 12.0 Megapixel Digital Camera – $99.99

Nikon S220 10 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $129.99

Olympus 12 Megapixel 7x Wide-Angle Zoom Digital Camera – $149.99

Vivitar 8.1 Megapixel 2x Optical Zoom Digital Camera – $49.99

Digital Media Cards

Sandisk 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo – $9.99

Sandisk 2GB Type-M xD-Picture Card – $9.99

Sandisk 4GB MicroSDHC Card – $9.99

Sandisk Standard SDHC Card – $9.99

DVD Players

Memorex Upconverting DVD Player – $29.99

Samsung BD-1600A Blu-ray Disc Player – $149.99

Electronics

Casio 32 Mini-Key Electronic Keyboard – $29.99

Discovery 54-Key Electronic Keyboard – $29.99

Discovery Kids Digital Camcorder – $39.99

Emerson Portable CD+G Karaoke Player – $29.99

Gigaware 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $29.99

Gigaware Micro Projector – $99.99

MagicJack VoIP Kit – $29.99

Motorola 4-Pack of 2-Way FRS Radios – $29.99

Panasonic DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone System w/4 Headsets – $69.99

Pandigital 10.1″ Digital Photo Frame – $79.99

Sanyo 720p High-Definition Video Camcorder – $169.99

Skullcandy Headphones – $9.99

USB Turntable – $79.99

Vivitar 720p High-Definition Video Camcorder – $69.99

GPS Systems

Garmin Nuvi 255W 4.3″ Widescreen GPS – $119.99

Garmin Nuvi 265WT 4.3″ GPS w/Free Lifetime Traffic Updates – $169.99

Mio 4.3″ M400 GPS – $79.99

TomTom XL 330S GPS w/Free Dash Mount – $99.99

Hard Drives

Iomega 320GB Portable Hard Drive – $49.99

Miscellaneous

5×7″ Recordable Talking Picture Frame – $10.00

Duracell Color Charger w/2 AA Rechargeable Batteries – $10.00

Enercell Holiday Bettery Tin – $9.99

ESPN GameDay Universal 4-in-1 Remote – $10.00

Gigaware 1.5″ Digital Photo Keychain – $10.00

Gigaware Crystal Skin for iPod Touch – $10.00

Gigaware Laser Etched Skin for iPod Touch – $10.00

Gigaware Retractable Rapid Home Charger for iPod/iPhone – $10.00

RadioShack 25-Piece Mini Tool Kit – $10.00

RadioShack 4.3″ GPS Soft Case – $14.99

RadioShack GPS Home AC Charger – $14.99

RadioShack Weather Cube Radio – $10.00

Rechargeable Spotlight – $10.00

Swiss+Tech Micro-Max 19-in-1 Tool Kit – $10.00

MP3 Players

8GB iPod Touchw/$20 GC – $199.99

Gigaware 2GB MP3 Player – $19.99

Gigaware 4GB MP3 Player – $39.99

Gigaware MP3 Accessory Kit – $9.99

iHome Computer Stereo Speakers w/Dock for iPid – $29.99

iLive 2.1 Home Theater Upconverting DVD System w/Dock for iPod – $99.99

iPod 8GB Nano w/$15 GC – $149.99

iPod Accessory Kit – $30.00

Sansa 2GB Clip Plus Music Player w/1000 Song Music Card – $49.99

Sound Bar w/Dock for iPod – $69.99

Networking

Netgear WNR1000 Wireless-N 150 Router – $34.99

Portable USB Storage

Sandisk 2GB USB Flash Drive – $4.99

Sandisk 4GB USB Flash Drive – $9.99

Televisions

AOC 22″ 720P LCD HDTV – $199.99

Auvio 3.5″ Pocket Digital TV – $79.99

Auvio 7″ Portable TV – $119.99

Samsung 32″ LCD HDTV – $399.99

Video Games

DualShock 3 PS3 Wireless Controler – $29.99

Gigaware Recharging Station for Nintendo Wii – $12.99

Nyko Wand for Nintendo Wii – $24.99

V.Motion Game Console – $34.99

Xbox 360 Elite System w/$60 Cash Back & 2 Games (Lego Batman and Pure) – $299.99

Radio Shack Black Friday Ad [BlackFriday.info]

More Black Friday deals…

Palm Pixi Review: Not for everyone, but it fits a niche
NASA: We found water on the Moon
Japan to operate solar energy station in outer space
Review: Alesis DM6 Drum Kit
Google Chrome OS To Launch Within A Week

Palm and Sprint have taken a very different approach to the launch of the Pixi than they did with its slightly older and slightly brawnier brother, the Palm Pre. In the days leading up to the Pre, both parties were on full attack mode; keynotes were held, massive tradeshow booths were built, full page newspaper ads were run, and countdowns ticked away. With the Pixi? They’ve got a commercial.

Compared to Palm’s last run, the marketing campaign surrounding the Pixi is decidedly more average – and after spending a few days with the phone, I’d say they made the right decision there.

Read the rest of this entry at MobileCrunch >>

It’s a new day at Palm. The Pixi, Palm’s Treo-esque addition to the WebOS line-up, is getting new commercials without Miss Crazy Face and her magical Pre. Instead, you get hot people taking pictures of each other and having fun.

This is the kind of commercial that I call the McCafe (or Devin’s lifestyle in Seattle) – excited people doing something exciting. It’s a big departure from Palm and a points to a move towards the mainstream.

It’s a nice change and look forward to our Palm Pixi review shortly.

This is one of the smallest netbooks I’ve had the pleasure to carry. It weighs less than three pounds and is about 12 inches long. It is quite thin and the 10-inch, 1280×720 pixel screen is covered in glossy glass. The keyboard us tucked tight against the screen giving you about four inches of palm space on the wrist-rest/trackpad portion versus the same space for all the keys.

The model we tested had a 120GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and a Intel Atom Z530 Processor running at 1.6 GHz. I has an SD card slot, SIM slot, and supports WiFi and Bluetooth. It includes an HDMI out port and a 1.3 megapixel camera. It is made of lightweight aluminum and has a definite MacBook feel except for the rounded front and top.

It also includes integrated A-GPS and GPS along with Ovi Maps, Nokia’s mapping software. It runs Windows 7 Starter edition. More on that shortly.

So what is this thing?
If your first question about the Booklet 3G is “Where can I buy it?” you may be slightly surprised. The Booklet is selling at Best Buy for $299.99 with two year Data Connect contract which ensures you’ll have 3G Internet in areas, presumably, where AT&T 3G is supported. It costs $599.99 without contract.

What you’re essentially buying here, then, is one of the first carrier subsidized netbooks. The question, here, then is whether to buy one of AT&Ts other mobile offerings for about $300 (*cough* iPhone *cough*) or a laptop with a keyboard and Windows 7. Call me old fashioned, but my money is still on a 3G phone when it comes to anything with a screen and a Mi-Fi dongle when it comes to portable networking. To lock yourself into one laptop for two years, especially one so underpowered, is, unfortunately, folly.

The Booklet scored 2.2 on the Windows Experience Index which puts it in the same classification as that old Dell in the closet or a potato ricer. It got 774 on GeekBench, a fairly lackadaisical score considering the year old MSI Wind scored 837.

The question, then, is whether this thing is a really big cellphone or a small, underpowered laptop. Given that you can’t make calls on it, I’m aiming for the latter. The buy-in required to own it is also a bit onerous.

Bad News: It’s Laggy
The biggest problem I found was lag. Closing a window takes a few seconds while browsing the web is an exercise in frustration. Because the processor can’t render pages fast enough you find yourself waiting quite a bit. YouTube videos took quite a while to load while other Flash load times were interminable. Netbooks were designed for web use and this is one slow web device.

The trackpad buttons are also a bit hard to press, which adds insult to laggy injury.

Good News: It literally lasts for hours
At first couldn’t test the battery on this thing because I didn’t have enough time to sit around and watch it. This laptop literally keeps going and going. It’s rated for 12 hours and I saw about 10 hours in movie playback. That’s great.

So who is it good for?
I feel that the Booklet is an odd chimera by any standard. It’s a netbook by one of the most famous cellphone makers and it’s subsidized like a cellphone but is not worth its unsubsidized price. In a nutshell, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Perhaps there is a market out there for subsidized netbooks. Perhaps a fleet of these things given out to a sales force in lieu of BlackBerrys might make sense. However, I’d be hard-pressed to find a mobile professional who wants to skimp on processor power to get WWAN capabilities.

I think devices like the Booklet are filling a hole in the market that will soon be overtaken by standalone, wireless WWAN-to-WiFi devices or, dare I say it, WiMax dongles. Until then, devices like this will fill that void although I feel that the end user will be underserved with these devices.

However, Nokia has proven it can make and build a nice netback, all things being equal, for the low end of the market. Is it a dream device? No, but it’s a strong showing and if they can get the unsubsidized price down to the subsidized price I’d be willing to recommend it to the general user.

So the TwitterPeek gives you an always-connected view of Twitter over a nationwide cellular network. You can tweet and twat all you want. The device runs $99 with 6 months of service or $199 with a lifetime of the device service.

I’m sure the TweeterPeek is a wonderful device, but most feature phones now include a Twitter app. So if you’re really getting into Twitter, first reevaluate your life, and then check out your cell phone provider’s offers to make sure you simply can’t upgrade your phone to get access to Twitter. Or you can just drop $200 on the TweeterPeek and call it good. Your call.

Peek Unveils TwitterPeek – Making It Affordable for Millions More to Twitter on the Go

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Peek, the maker of the award-winning Peek email and texting device, debuts the world’s first Twitter mobile device today exclusively on Amazon.com. TwitterPeek promises to unleash the thrill of Twitter on-the-go by enabling millions to tweet interesting news, stories, and ideas as soon as they happen – in real time – without an expensive smartphone or data plan.

Twitter has become a worldwide phenomenon, but – until now – the millions of Twitter users without a smartphone haven’t been able to fully experience the fun of Twitter on-the-go. “TwitterPeek will make it easy and affordable for everyone who doesn’t have a smartphone to really enjoy Twitter on–the-go,” said Peekster-in-Chief Amol Sarva.

TwitterPeek delivers the world of Twitter in a sleek, palm-sized gadget sure to top this year’s holiday gift list. “Twitter die-hards will appreciate its ‘always-on’ instant tweet delivery and newbies will finally ‘get Twitter’ once they have TwitterPeek in hand,” continued Sarva. “Even businesses that Twitter will dig TwitterPeek as a convenient way to stay connected with their customers.”

At $99 including unlimited nationwide service, TwitterPeek offers affordability no smartphone can match and a user experience far superior to SMS text messaging Twitter with a traditional cell phone.

Key features of TwitterPeek are:

Unlimited tweets and direct messages
Always-on instant tweet delivery
Views links (as plain text) and Twitpic images
Nationwide coverage. No wi-fi signal necessary.
Full QWERTY keyboard, color screen, click scroll wheel
30-day money back guarantee
1-year manufacturers warranty
Availability:

TwitterPeek is available exclusively on Amazon.com and TwitterPeek.com from November 3, 2009.
The original Peek Classic and Peek Pronto email and texting mobile devices are available at Amazon.com, GetPeek.com, Costco.com, and select Blockbuster and RadioShack stores.
Cost: TwitterPeek

$99 includes device plus 6 months of unlimited Twitter service ($7.95 per month for service thereafter)
$199 includes unlimited Twitter service for lifetime of device
No contracts

First, a note on my current mousing habits. I’ve used a Logitech MX Revolution for about six months now and I’m hooked on its dual scroll wheels and various buttons. I am, obviously, not Steve’s target market. However, I’m happy to try any mouse for a few days and I often find that my hand and work-style changes to match the idiosyncrasies of the pointing device in question. I’m sure if you gave me a mouse shaped like a carrot (or just a carrot) I could get used to mousing on it. Sadly, if you give me a mouse the shape of an orthopedic shoe insert, I’m going to have a little trouble.

The mouse’s much vaunted multi-touch surface is a gimmick. At best you can do a two-finger swipe left or right to scroll through files and pictures or change from browser tab to browser tab. One finger, wheel-less scrolling is odd in that it adds momentum (you can turn it off) that will spin you past your desired point with an errant flick of your finger. There is no pinch or twist and you’d have to do something like a Vulcan salute to do a pinch or spread on this thing anyway since your thumb and ring finger always have to be clutching the mouse.

This brings us to the second point: you can never let go of this thing. The mouse resolution is very low so you have to pick it up often to get across a large screen (I have two screens, so it takes about three lift and moves to get the mouse over to the other screen). And you’re supposed to hold it with the afore-mention crab-grab with your thumb and ring finger and perhaps the pinkie. The mouse is too small for my man-hands to grab and cover so there’s always a bit of space between the surface of the mouse and the palm.

This all adds up to a frustrating departure from standard mousing procedure. While I’m sure some of you consider this the Delicious Mouse of Happiness, I just can’t wrap my head around this odd device.

Insult to Injury
Best of all, even if you install a fresh copy of Snow Leopard you can’t use this mouse without installing a specific mouse update. This isn’t explained at first so you flail at the mouse like a penitent until the update comes down the pipe. This is explained in the tiny, tiny twee little manual.

Bottom Line
I’m down with trying new things. I just ate ossobuco for the first time recently and that has marrow in it. However, as Sascha Segan pointed out, Apple seems to focus all their negative energy on making the worst mice known on the planet and then using delightful adjectives like “Mighty” and “Magic” that slowly become ironic.

If you do any serious mousing at all, avoid the Magic Mouse.

That’s all. I just wanted to register a facepalm at this ridiculous talking point. I’m sure the new iMac screen is great (better than mine, to be sure), and actually it looks like a pretty good deal, but “better than HD” is just about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.

Update: Sorry if it wasn’t clear; by “at least that resolution,” I mean 1920×1080, i.e. HD. That’s why saying “better than HD” is meaningless, almost every monitor is better than HD. Also, I am not criticizing Apple, people. If you read the post, you will find I praised the monitor. I’m criticizing a phrase I’ve seen bandied about recently. Time to chill out.

Pricing details are as follows:

It will cost just $99.99 with a two-year service agreement, after a $50 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate and be available at Sprint stores, online at www.sprint.com, through telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1, and at Best Buy, RadioShack and select Wal-Mart stores.

To refresh your memory, the Palm Pixi is the second WebOS phone, this time with a Treo-esque keyboard.

Palm Pixi Available Nov. 15 for just $99.99
Exclusively from Sprint
Application development for Palm webOS devices powered by America’s most dependable 3G network will be a leading topic at Sprint’s Open Developer Conference starting today
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Oct. 26, 2009 – Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced Nov. 15 as the first day of nationwide availability for Palm® Pixi™, exclusively available on America’s most dependable 3G network1 from Sprint2. It will cost just $99.99 with a two-year service agreement, after a $50 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate and be available at Sprint stores, online at www.sprint.com, through telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1, and at Best Buy, RadioShack and select Wal-Mart stores.
“We are excited to offer the new Palm Pixi to our customers in time for the holiday season, and it’s a great addition to Sprint’s industry-leading device portfolio,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Simply put, this phone is fun and easy to use; with its multi-touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, it’s a great device for messaging and social networking at a price everyone can enjoy, and delivers so many of the great features people love about Palm Pre™ in a fantastic new form factor, making it a huge hit for consumers.”
Running the Palm webOS™ mobile platform, Palm Pixi lets the user keep multiple activities open and move easily between them, like flipping through a deck of cards, using natural gestures. This allows for easy movement between messaging and email or searching the Web while listening to music, and items are rearranged simply by dragging them. Universal search also makes finding things easy, providing results from both the device and the Web.
Palm webOS brings together the user’s most important information from their phone, at work or on the Web into one logical view. In addition to linking information from Google™, Facebook®, Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® and LinkedIn®, Palm Pixi adds Yahoo!® integration to Palm Synergy™3. Palm Synergy offers:
• Linked contacts – A single view that links contacts from a variety of sources, so accessing them is easier than ever.
• Layered calendars – Calendars can be seen on their own or layered together in a single view, combining work, family, friends, sports teams or other interests, and the user can toggle to look at one calendar at a time, or see them all at a glance.
• Combined messaging – See all the conversations with the same person in a chat-style view, including MMS, even if it started in IM and switched to reply with text messaging. The user can also see who’s active in a buddy list right from contacts or email, and start a new conversation with just one touch.
A new Facebook application will be available with Palm Pixi, so users can see and comment on all the latest news from friends and easily update their status. Palm Pixi features an exposed full QWERTY keyboard, multi-touch screen and a durable, removable rubberized back cover.
While Palm Pixi comes with a charger included in the box, Palm recently introduced the Touchstone™ charging dock, the first inductive charging solution for phones. Touchstone, along with the Touchstone compatible back cover (both sold separately), allows Palm Pixi to be set on top of the dock without worrying about connection, orientation or fit. The device remains active while charging, allowing access to the touch screen, movies or video, or the speakerphone option. Touchstone is available in Sprint stores nationwide for $79.99 and includes a Touchstone charger and USB wall charger. The Pixi Touchstone back cover is also available for $19.99 (plus taxes).
Palm Pixi requires activation on a pricing plan including unlimited data, such as Sprint’s Everything Data plans with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM, which give customers unlimited mobile calling on the Sprint network to and from any U.S. wireless carrier, unlimited nationwide texting, email, Web browsing and much more, starting at just $69.99. The Simply EverythingSM plan from Sprint offers a truly unlimited experience for only $99.99 per month, a savings of $1,200 over two years versus a comparable AT&T iPhone® plan4. (All price plans exclude surcharges and taxes. Other exclusions apply.)
Customers who subscribe to an Everything Data plan are also automatically enrolled in Sprint Premier, the industry-leading loyalty program. The Premier program provides customers with great benefits such as annual upgrades, discounts on accessories, anniversary rewards, rate plan checkups and “first to know” information about the latest at Sprint.
Palm Pixi will take advantage of the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming), which reaches more than 269 million people, 18,652 cities and 1,838 airports. The Sprint Networks (inclusive of data roaming) have more than twice the coverage of AT&T’s current 3G network and more than 15 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, both based on square miles5.
Sprint is also the only wireless carrier to offer Ready Now with trained retail associates to work one-on-one with customers to personalize their Palm Pixi, set up features and demonstrate how it works before the customer leaves the store. Customers have the choice of sitting down with a Sprint retail associate at the time of purchase or they can schedule an appointment for a later time at www.sprint.com/storelocator.
Application developers will have a chance to learn more about Palm webOS at Sprint’s ninth annual developer conference beginning today in Santa Clara, Calif. The Sprint Open Developer Conference is open to all developers and will feature information through speaker sessions and coding camps on developing applications for a range of platforms, including webOS. Palm is a premier sponsor of the conference, and Ben Galbraith and Dion Almaer, directors of Developer Relations for Palm, will be giving a keynote address in addition to running several breakout sessions and coding camps focusing on the webOS platform. For details, go to http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2009.
Customers who would like to register to receive additional information about Palm Pixi can register at www.palm.com/pixi.

Every few months we get a press release about some great device from a no-name manufacturer who promises to change the world. One example was the TXTR reader from Germany last January. Another is zzzPhone, a company selling dual-SIM Android powered smartphones from China. Neither company produced much of anything.

Era of the Silicon Valley success story – two guys making something cool in a garage and selling it – is over, at least in hardware. The costs of making consumer electronics, including cellphones and computers, on a small scale have risen so much as to be prohibitive and then the marketing costs of that same hardware is even more prohibitive. Whereas, once, two nerds in a basement could build a computer company I worry that it takes more resources than any one man or woman can muster these days to even approach something like success.

DOA

The first sad truth is that most consumer electronics cannot be made in “expensive” countries like the US or the Euro zone. During a visit to the Suunto watch factory in Finland, for example, I learned that while many of the watches are made near Helsinki a large percentage of them are made overseas and drop shipped from Asia. The company just couldn’t make anything in bulk without resorting to off-shoring. This means you either invest in an expensive small run of hardware overseas, something the Asian manufacturers do not do particularly well, or invest in a massive run of inexpensive hardware in Asia that you risk having to recycle if your company goes belly-up.

This doesn’t mean you can’t make it big anymore. Take TiVo, for example. It sprung out of obscurity a decade ago and filled a niche in the living room that has yet to be challenged by any manufacturer. Unfortunately, when someone – probably Samsung, LG, or Apple – figures out how to take over the DVR market, TiVo is toast. The same is true of Palm who, to all intents and purposes, is now a small company. The big guys are eating their lunch thanks to Android and it will take some fancy footwork to survive. The small guys are, sadly, always at the precipice of failure.

Other companies like Neuros and Slingbox simply sell a wrapper for their software. Sometimes this works but sadly it also leads to retrenchment when companies like Slacker pull out of the hardware business due to lack of interest and cost. Then there are success stories like like FyreTV [NSFW] which will do well because they focus on porn. Not everyone can focus on porn.

When in doubt, do this.

The second problem facing small CE companies is marketing. Micro-companies like Zeo and FitBit get a huge initial boost thanks to online media but then disappear once the news cycle has moved on, leaving the companies with amazing technology in the dark. This is an era of constant marketing, a situation that forces companies like Apple and Sony to put their message in front of consomers almost constantly in multiple media.

Anecdotally, I’ve seen companies receiving 8,000-10,000 pageviews with one good launch, more if its an interesting product. That initial boost translates into a percentage of good sales – those are good eyeballs, not just random traffic – but it rarely turns into repeat or continuing business.

That said, here are some of the best practices I’ve seen from small to medium CE companies who know how to do it right. This may not apply to you and yours, but it’s something to think about when you get excited about a product (Gizmondo anyone?) only to find it has crashed and burned.

1. Tell multiple stories. When you start out you have one story: Why your product is good. Prepare multiple stories for the next few years including ideas tagged to pressing issues of the month or year. Do you have a fitness gadget? Work on a story about post-holiday stress and weight gain. Have a DVR? Put yourself in the Super Bowl frenzy with blogger outreach and giveaways. That first boost is nice but if you’re a small company it’s the next four boosts that will push you through the rest of the year.

2. Price yourself competitively if not suicidally. Even if it’s suicidal, price yourself at just above the average price in your market. Aiming at rich, cosseted professionals is nice but the sharper Image model of doing business is over. Consumers want more for their money (even if they often get considerably less) so while $999 might seem like a nice number for a NAS or a piece of audio gear the consumer is more accustomed to $499.

3. Be quiet. Hide your light under a bushel. Patent your idea and don’t launch until the product is completely ready. I’ve seen too many companies splattered with the vaporware monicker because they failed to deliver on time or at all. Once you’re done, support your product forcefully and quietly. If someone has a problem, address it quickly. Send out new hardware before putting someone through tech support hell.

4. Change your trade dress regularly. This fickle market thinks anything that looks the same as it did last year is old. Why do iPods change every few months? People want to think they’re buying the new hotness, not the old and busted. If you can’t change your trade dress, change your website.

5. Slow and steady wins the race. None of the greats made it overnight and it’s harder than ever to truly make it. If you’re a small CE manufacturer, Godspeed. It’s a tough race so don’t sprint it.

For a great look at this topic, read The Song of the Powersquid, our 6-part story on the creation of a CE product.

Tokyo-based home electronics company Lancerlink [JP] has announced the Finemini720 today, a palm-sized LCOS projector. Sized at just 50×150×125mm, the device weighs 800g. It’s equipped with a 25W LED, produces 55 lumens of brightness and produces 1,280×768 resolution images.

The Finemini720 features a 200:1 contrast ratio, supports 1080p and also offers an HDMI interface.

The device will go on sale in Japan in December, but Lancerlink hasn’t announced a price yet. People living outside Japan might want to ask if the Japan Trend Shop or Geek Stuff 4 U can get one for them.

Via AV Watch [JP]

CrunchGear: Tell me about yourself.

Johan: I started out studying industrial design at Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden, but later found out I wanted deeper understanding of engineering and construction for designing, so I enrolled at Malmo University, where I pursued a modern engineering degree that blended product design with traditional mechanical engineering. My greatest design schooling came from my first job at Curve ID, an industrial design consultancy in NYC that has collaborated with international clients and brands such as Nike, Colgate, Altec Lansing, and Kenneth Cole, where I learned many of the basic design skills. I have also worked as a designed in France and in Sweden before moving across the water to Copenhagen, Denmark.
As a product designer at GN Mobile, I work on investigating and developing future design concepts for Jabra Bluetooth headsets.


I posit that Bluetooth headsets are the most boring technology on Earth. Convince me otherwise.
We believe otherwise — and the Jabra STONE is evidence of how design is reinvigorating the Bluetooth headset category.

The product category is still in sort of its cradle, but as the mobile phone continues to play a larger role in the way we consume music and media, we can expect great enhancements in features and styles. With the right design, headsets can live up to their potential as a practical wireless solution that increases the ability to multi-task.

The engineering that goes into each headset is also rather complex – for the Jabra STONE, in particular, we were faced with fitting square components inside the headset without sacrificing the design. There’s a lot of technology – some of the smallest components in the market — packed into a device that’s so small and lightweight. This includes a touch volume panel that saves space inside the headset without jeopardizing the design and a chipset with built-in flash to save space inside the headset.

Where was the Stone designed? Does it have European genetics?

The Jabra STONE was designed in Copenhagen by the Jabra design team. It certainly bears a Scandinavian modern design heritage, though is also ergonomic in design. While many concepts that would evolve the Bluetooth category were presented in the planning stages, we ultimately selected an iconic shape with a sweeping design and minimalistic style. There is no wasted or extraneous material — every detail, part, and feature on the headset is necessary. The microphone boom arm in particular was a major focus for us on this headset, and the new, intelligent, proprietary Jabra-engineered technology within the headset allowed us to remove the boom arm from the face entirely without compromising audio quality. This was a major accomplishment from a design perspective – it’s a completely new, discreet look.

What is the lab like where you work? How much science goes into the design? How much art?

For the Jabra STONE, art and style were the starting point, whereas ‘science’ followed the shape. We believe style has to be the driver of headset design, now that many headset features are becoming standard, such as the dual-mic. The biggest challenge when style dictates the overall shape is finding a location for all the necessary technology that’s expected with a high end headset. It’s like trying to fit a square peg, or battery in this case, into a round hole. Once you understand the basic building blocks of headsets though, you can really create something different, and let design change a rectangular box into something really quite elegant.

What were the major difficulties in building this headset?

It was certainly one of the most difficult projects in terms of the engineering. The sweeping, rounded shape doesn’t lend itself to large, square batteries, so it was a process to find the right balance of talk time and the design of the headset itself. Another challenge was balancing the three key factors that drive the design: first, the sweeping shape in itself, which needs to be smooth; second, the STONE charger, which has to integrate perfectly with the headset to create a smooth shape; and last, the overall design needs to fit the gamut of ear sizes. All three have to be in perfect balance for the shape to work. Of course with the innovative headset shape alone, there were an array of mechanical engineering and production challenges with the materials used to achieve a twisting, sweeping, elegant design.

Why a stone? Where did you get the idea?

The Jabra STONE concept was developed based on feedback from our consumer research and our design heritage, with previous models like the JX10 and JX20. The idea behind the stone shape was to create something very natural, yet tactile and palm-sized. The stone-shaped portable charger was initially brainstormed as a simple carrying case solution for the headset, without a battery in it, but we’ve added an element of functionality to it. The smooth, round case complements the sweeping shape and rounded edges of the headset and unifies a number of shapes and lines into one simple elegant stone.

What’s next in industrial design? Have we hit a wall in terms of miniaturization?

We continue to push the boundaries of Bluetooth headsets with innovative design — and as with the Jabra STONE, we’ve creatively placed the battery and components in strategic places in relation to the ear. As the technical components become smaller and smaller over time, headsets will continue to evolve in both in terms of wearing-style and size. As the demand for Bluetooth devices increases – whether it be for hands-free driving solutions, increased productivity at work, etc. – we’re actually seeing our partners and manufacturers dedicate more energies to the miniaturization of importance, because we all recognize how important design is in terms of adoption.

Are you stoked about Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2? Dude, I am, but I don’t know if I’m willing to go out at midnight on November 10 to buy the damn game. If you are, click through for the full list of Best Buy locations that will be open to support your gaming addiction.

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[via Kotaku]

Let’s say you’re intrigued by Acer’s new Windows 7 Timeline ultraportables due to ship out this Thursday but you like saying “Gateway” more than you like saying “Acer” for some reason. You’ll be happy to know that Gateway (which is owned by Acer, by the way) has just announced two ultraportable computers that are spitting images of two of the recently-announced Timeline machines: an 11.6-inch model and a 15.6-inch model.

The 11.6-inch Gateway EC14 series is virtually identical to the Acer Aspire Timeline AS1810 series, save for a slightly lower MSRP ($550 versus $600) thanks to a slightly different CPU – the Gateway has a low-voltage Intel Pentium SU4100 at 1.3GHz with 2MB of L2 cache and an 800MHz frontside bus while the Acer has a low-voltage Intel Pentium SU7300 at 1.3GHz with 3MB of L2 cache and an 800MHz frontside bus.

As for the 15.6-inch model, the Gateway EC54 series and the Acer Aspire Timeline AS5810TZ series are identically spec’d and carry the same $650 MSRP. Granted, Acer/Gateway will likely be offering a myriad of different configurations for these machines so you may be able to find something that best fits your needs in a Gateway versus an Acer or vice versa.

Both are due this Thursday, October 22nd, when Windows 7 ships.

Full press release:

Thin-and-Light Gateway EC Series Notebooks Deliver Long Battery Life and Distinctive Style

All-day productivity, fun, communication with up to eight hours of battery life in head-turning lightweight and thin designs

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The new Gateway EC Series notebook PCs debut today in two of the most popular sizes for today’s busy computer users – 15.6-inch mainstream size for productivity maximizers and the 11.6-inch ultraportable size for road warriors – both delivering up to eight hours of battery life.

The new Gateway EC Series models will both be available this week in retail stores nationwide with the launch of Windows 7.

The new Gateway EC58, EC54 and EC14 notebook PC lines deliver all-day productivity, reliable wireless connectivity and 6-8 hours of battery life, so customers can get more done while away from their home or office. Plus, the Gateway EC models let customers go longer without having to recharge, reducing energy consumption and making them very environmentally friendly.

The upscale and distinctive design of the new Gateway EC58 and EC54 lines is the ideal complement to its advanced battery life and thin-and-lightweight form factor. Both models start at only 5.29 pounds and are merely an inch thin, so they can be comfortably transported by hand or in a briefcase or backpack. The sleek form factor still has room for a large 15.6-inch LED-backlit HD widescreen display that delivers video in stunning detail, for excellent mobile cinematic entertainment. Plus, the EC58 and EC54 notebook PCs come in a sophisticated and understated design featuring a brushed aluminium alloy chassis available in Arctic Silver and Pacific Blue.

Mobile enthusiasts who want to remain connected and productive on-the-go will find the Gateway EC14 ultraportable notebook the ideal choice for them. With its 11.6-inch HD LED-backlit display, notebook-standard Intel processors and a full-size keyboard, customers can use it to enjoy web browsing, video chats and running all their usual applications. Plus, it’s designed for mobility — its integrated 802.11b/g/Draft N Wifi, compact form factor and low weight of only 3.79 pounds make it ready to take on the road. Flashy and fun in an eye-catching glossy chassis, the Gateway EC14 series comes in Cherry Red and NightSky Black.

“The new Gateway EC Series product lines were designed for the many PC users that have embraced the fun and productivity of being able to compute and stay in touch while away from their home or office,” said Ray Sawall, senior manager of product marketing for Acer America. “We’re delivering exactly what they need – incredibly long and reliable battery life, vibrant widescreen displays, and wireless connectivity – all in uniquely stylish thin and lightweight designs.”

Full Productivity and Entertainment in a Sleek, Lightweight Size

Elegantly crafted, the Gateway EC58 and EC54 Series notebooks are thin and light enough to take anywhere, and so stylish that customers will want to show them off. The slim one-inch profile simplifies mobility, since it’s easy to grip and handle on the go. The ultra-durable aluminium alloy design delivers excellent protection for the display, while the brushed silky smooth cover is upscale in its minimalist approach.

The high-capacity 6-cell Li-ion battery gives users up to eight hours of battery life for all-day productivity, fun and communications. Integrated 802.11b/g Draft-N wireless provides a reliable untethered connection to hotspots and wireless networks. Plus, the integrated webcam and digital microphone delivers smooth video and voice quality for real-time video streaming, online chatting, and video conferences. In addition, Gateway customers can enjoy even more uptime with the Gateway PowerSave one-touch key, which puts the notebook into energy conservation mode with a single touch. The Gateway EC58 and EC54 lines feature the Gateway MyBackup Manager for backing-up important files and information, as well as the PowerSave solution for maximizing battery life.

Designed to readily handle everyday computing tasks, the EC58 and EC54 notebooks use ultra-low voltage Intel Core 2 Duo and Pentium Dual-Core processors. The notebooks deliver excellent computing performance and generate low heat output, since they use Intel’s Laminar Wall Jet technology to cool internal components and the case. As a result, the Gateway EC58 and EC54 notebooks are incredibly comfortable in customers’ hands as well as on their laps.

On-the-go entertainment is dynamic and exciting with the large 15.6-inch LED-backlit display that features a 16:9 aspect ratio and 1366 x 768 (WXGA) pixel resolution. Images are incredibly clear and crisp, while the cinematic-quality video is realistic and smooth. Dolby Sound Room audio enhancement and two built-in speakers deliver crisp, natural surround sound to complement the stunning video.

Compact, Packed with Features

They eye-catching design of the Gateway EC14 Series lets everyone know it’s the ultimate notebook for on-the-go computing. Available with a 6-cell battery, the Gateway EC14 notebook line provides battery life of up to eight hours, so customers can use it nearly all day to stay in touch. This long battery life is the perfect complement to the ultraportable notebooks’ sleek size that measures only about an inch thick and weighs only 3.79 pounds.

Updating social networking sites and exploring web pages is easy with the EC14’s integrated Wifi 802.11b/g/Draft N. Plus, customers can capture video and photos and stay in touch via video chat with the integrated webcam and built-in digital microphone that provides excellent voice quality. Consumers will enjoy listening to audio with the Dolby Headphones and two built-in stereo speakers.

To ensure customers have all the horsepower they need to drive applications, the Gateway EC14 line is well-appointed with Intel Ultra Low Voltage Pentium Dual Core, Intel Celeron Dual Core and Celeron (single core) processors, a hard drive up to 500GB in capacity, a multi-in-1 media card reader and 4GB of memory that may be upgraded to 8GB.

The attention-grabbing design of the Gateway EC14 models is fun and youthful, while details such as rounded edges, engraved logo and silver trim make the design even more compelling. The textured palm rest provides a comfortable hand rest for consumers.

Gateway Extras Maximize Mobile Capabilities

The Gateway EC Series notebooks enhance productivity with a Multi-Gesture Touchpad that can be used with unique movements so customers can intuitively move through Internet sites and digital media. For example, customers can make an inward or outward pinching motion to naturally zoom in and out on photos. They can move two fingers horizontally to flip through photos and web pages. Also, customers can swirl their fingers in a circular motion to scroll through web pages, long lists of files and music playlists. The TouchPad can also be disabled with a one-touch button, eliminating accidental cursor movement with palms and wrists when using an external mouse.

Additionally, these new models come with Windows 7 Home Premium, which makes mobile computing more reliable and responsive, enhancing the user experience. In addition, the Gateway EC notebook lines are Energy Star qualified.

Configurations, Pricing and Availability

The new Gateway EC Series will be available beginning Oct. 22, each with Windows 7 Home Premium. Sample configurations and pricing are listed below.

Gateway EC1430u: MSRP $549.99

• Intel^® Pentium Dual Core Processor SU4100 (1.3GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 11.6-inch HD Widescreen Ultrabright LED-backlit TFT LCD (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio)
• Mobile Intel^®GS45 Express Chipset
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• 4096MB DDR2 Dual-Channel 667MHz memory upgradeable to 8GB
• 320GB⁽²⁾ 5400RPM SATA hard drive
• Integrated webcam
• Multi-in-1 digital media card reader
• Intel^® WiFi Link 1000 802.11b/g/Draft-N WiFi CERTIFIED® featuring MIMO technology
• Gigabit Ethernet LAN
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• HDMI port
• Multi-Gesture Touchpad with Keypad lock
• Standard 6-cell Li-ion (5600 mAh) Battery
• 3.08 lbs.
• 11.2” (W) x 0.87-1.18” to 1.18” (H) x 8.03” (D)

Gateway EC5409u: MSRP $649.99

• Intel Pentium^® Dual-Core Processor SU4100 (1.30GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 15.6-inch HD Widescreen Ultrabright LED-backlit TFT LCD (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio)
• Mobile Intel^®GS45 Express Chipset
• Intel^® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• 4096MB DDR3 Dual-Channel 1066MHz memory upgradeable to 8GB
• 320GB⁽²⁾ 5400RPM SATA hard drive
• 8x DVD-SuperMulti Double-Layer Drive
• Integrated HD webcam
• Multi-in-1 digital media card reader
• 2^nd Generation Dolby Sound Room^® Audio Enhancement
• Intel® WiFi Link 1000 802.11b/g/Draft-N WiFi CERTIFIED® featuring MIMO technology
• Gigabit Ethernet LAN
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• HDMI port
• Multi-Gesture Touchpad with Keypad lock
• Dedicated numeric keypad
• Standard 6-cell Li-ion (5600 mAh) Battery
• Gateway MyBackup Button
• 5.29 lbs.
• 14.85” (W) x 1.01-1.08” (H) x 10.0” (D)

Gateway Limited Warranty, Service and Support

The Gateway EC Series notebook PCs are backed by a one year warranty. Gateway’s commitment to quality and reliability is evident in its award-winning line of PCs as well as in its exceptional service and support programs. In addition to the company’s standard limited warranty options^, its extensive online support center helps customers maximize their PC investment; it gives them easy access to customer support representatives and information on important issues such as warranties, technical issues and upgrading.

We at CrunchGear seem to have opened some sort of strange Pandora’s Box resulting in a number of offers to send us marital aids for review. First it was the Sqweel and now it’s the Tenga Flip Hole. Mom and Dad: I’m sorry you wasted all that money on college for me.


The Tenga Flip Hole is a $70 Japanese sex jar (”onacup” in Japan) for men. It works thusly: You unpack it and open it up. Inside is a mass of strangely shaped and knurled silicone with an opening at the bottom. It is clad in hard plastic and those three knobs on the side allow for some sort of marionette-like method of pumping the plastic inside. It also has a fake hymen.

To repeat: It also has a fake hymen.

To use it you open it up, place a quantity of lubricant inside (”Mild, “Cool Ranch,” and “Wild” are the styles included with this kit), and then close it. You then introduce your male member into the hole at the bottom (past the freaking fake hymen) and manipulate the device until issue. You then wash the thing out and go eat a candy bar from the box that your son’s school is making you sell but since you work from home you can’t sell them in an office so they lie around the house all day and all you do is eat them because your wife doesn’t eat milk chocolate and you don’t have the will power to resist them, let alone resist twirling it into a Japanese sex jar.

While your own methodology may vary, I’m here to tell you that this is what sex will be like when we are colonized by the machines. Males will be given these devices to produce genetic material which will then be processed and pre-screened for genetic defects like “free will” by the robot overlords. The resulting slurry will be sent to the female inseminating fields where the next generation of bio-battery will be grown. The Tenga Flip Hole is what a robot thinks sex feels like: efficient, well engineered, and decidedly unnatural.

Sweet, merciful Cher. I had sex with a jar.

I received two of these devices from JList.com, a disposable model $12 U.S. Tenga model and this Flip Hole [NSFW link] (FTC please note: You are free to pick these up from my place of business in lieu of the standard disclosure documentation you will soon force us bloggers to prepare.) The $12 disposable model contained lubricant and was a one-time use device, something I cannot condone considering carbon footprint of waxing the dolphin inside a plastic cup and then throwing it away. I would say, however, that when using the Flip Hole you’ll want to use a lot of lubricant. It’s a tight squeeze, even for men as poorly endowed as me, and… I have a Master’s Degree in Business Journalism. Let’s not forget that.

Bottom Line
The world is full of lots of kinds of people. There are people who sing, people who dance, people who make gourmet cookies at a little place outside of the Hyannis Airport. And there are people who make onacups and people who have sex with those onacups. Now that I know what kind of person I am, I’m better for it.

Is it an amazing experience? If you’re alone and lonely and want to give Aunt Palm a rest, you know what? Yeah, it is a great time. I found I enjoyed it more in the company of my fine lady wife but that’s just how I butter my toast. You do what you need to do to get by. Different strokes for different folks, pip pip, cheerio.

Incidentally, Danny Choo has lots of photos of his Tenga Flip Hole. Go look at his.