Google Nexus One: Google’s highly anticipated cell phone will allegedly be sold to the general public for $530 unlocked, or $180 with a two year plan.  The subsidized phone is only available through T-Mobile so customers using other cell phone providers will have to pay the full $530.  There is some indication that the phone which is manufactured by HTC will only work with GSM networks, meaning that Sprint and Verizon customers may not be able to use the phone.

Verizon customers, however, have access to the Motorola Android phone, which is one of the hottest phones on the market today. It uses Google’s Android operating system. Here are some good Android resources to look at:

Andriod Tips
Android Tips #2

According to Information Week, “Specs reported for the Nexus One mention Wi-Fi connectivity, a 5- or 6-megapixel camera, and a 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen. Broadcom’s BCM4329 chip, also said to be included in the Nexus One, is capable of providing 802.11n, Bluetooth, and FM technologies.”

There is some word that the Nexus One will represent a unification of the Android phones.  Developers have had difficulties coming up with applications for the Android, as the differences in the phones made developing aps cumbersome. They have since returned to iPhone work.

The FCC is also said to be very pleased with the Google Nexus One, as it will show a diversion of exclusive deals between phone providers and phone companies. For instance, you can only get the iPhone on the AT&T Network and you can only get the BlackBerry Storm on the Verizon network.

Those pumped about the Google Nexus One will have to fork over $530 or they will have to sign a contract with T-Mobile. There will be hefty fees for early contract termination.

The holiday shopping season will continue on Christmas Day online and the day after Christmas in stores, with some retailers already announcing their special post-Christmas deals.

Shoppers heading out on Saturday, December 26, 2009, will likely find Christmas wrapping paper and decorations at discount prices everywhere. Some stores, however, are offering discounts on much more.

Walmart announced they will offer electronics and toys at heavier discounts than they did before the holidays, according to the Wall Street Journal.  Some of the sale items at Walmart include an eMachine 250-gigabyte netbook for $228, and extensions of previously announced holiday deals, such as Blu-ray movies for under $20.

The retailer wants to provide “additional savings for items that customers will be looking for after Christmas,” according to Walmart representative Melissa O’Brien.

Toys ‘R’ Us will feature a “buy one, get one half off” game sale on all console and some Nintendo DS software starting Saturday through January 2, 2010, according to GameDaily.com. The sale includes Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, and PS2 titles, along with Nintendo DS games that are $20 or less.

Best Buy will have computer deals offered online starting on Christmas Day (Friday) and in stores on Saturday.  These deals include a Lenovo netbook for $197 and computer specials through January 2, 2010, for “for those with gift cards in hand,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

“Gift cards have been popular for Best Buy this season, and we thought it made sense to reference their use for these deals come Christmas Day and after,” a Best Buy press release stated.

Radio Shack will have free shipping on thousands of products online on Christmas Day, and sales include mobile-navigation devices and cameras.  The store’s 48-hour after-Christmas sale will include free phones with a two-year agreement, phone accessories, and music.

Target will reportedly offer deals on laptops and other electronics.

J.C. Penney will open some of their stores at 5 a.m. on Saturday, with an after-Christmas wake-up call that customers can sign up for on their mobile phones.  Their deals include more than 100 doorbuster items.  Store hours are also being extended on Sunday, with stores opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 7 p.m.  To sign up for the wake-up call and to view the ads online, click here.

As children of the world prepare for Santa Claus’s visit on Christmas, they can track him online by radar thanks to the 2009 NORAD Santa Tracker.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will track Santa Claus by radar as he makes his annual trip across the world on Christmas Eve.  Children can go to NORAD’s Web site to see where the jolly fellow and his reindeer are located at the time.

“Amazingly, Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature, which allow our satellites to detect Rudolph and Santa,” according to the NORAD Web site.

Google Earth will also track Santa this year.

The NORAD site also includes a countdown until Santa’s flight begins, updates from the North Pole, and frequently asked questions about Santa  (for example: how does he get down the chimney?)

For more information, click here.

SkyGrabber is a download which allows users to intercept text messages, music and movie downloads, and more.  SkyGrabber is said to be the culprit behind insurgents hacking US Drone planes and reviewing footage.

Sounds complex, doesn’t it? While SkyGrabber sounds like a sophisticated government-grade program – it’s not.  In most cases, a SkyGrabber download costs less than a tank of gas.  For just $25.95 you can download information without even having your internet connection on.

According to the Web site,

SkyGrabberis offline satellite internet downloader. It intercepts satellite data( movie, music, pictures ) that downloadind by other users and saves information in your hard disk. So, you’ll get new movie, best music and funny pictures for free.

Wow.

I can’t help but wonder if the tabloids and gossip magazines used programs such as SkyGrabber to get information for their stories.  In the litigious society we live in, I really don’t think that tabloids would run stories without having at least some form of proof that a story could be true.

With the advent of SkyGrabber and reports that it can be used to hack some of our military’s most sensitive information, it wouldn’t be surprising if this type of software will become illegal over time. 

Head on over to www.skygrabber.com to check out this download.  The site was so popular today that there were actually times when the site was completely unavailable.

Some customers in North America experienced e-mail delays on their BlackBerry devices on Thursday, Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) announced.

Customers “may be currently experiencing delays receiving e-mail” but phone services and PIN-to-PIN messaging are not affected, the company announced in a statement.  

RIM apologized for any inconvenience and said technical teams were working to resolve the problem.  The cause of the problem and when it would be fixed was not yet known.

The outages began around 3 a.m. (ET) on Thursday, with Verizon, AT&T and Sprint all reporting that some BlackBerry users on their networks were affected, according to reports.  Some customers had their e-mail restored around 11 a.m. (ET) on Thursday, according to reports.

The Google phone, aka “Nexus One” is expected to be a big hit for Google.  The Google phone will be sold by the Web site directly, instead of through cell phone providers.  How the Google phone business model works out will be interesting, as many times phone manufacturers strike deals with specific providers who then use the phones to lure customers to their plans.

Take for instance the Apple iPhone. The iPhone has had the biggest hype up until the Droid was announced. The iPhone is available only through AT&T, and many people switched providers just to be able to have the exclusive phone.

On the other hand, the Google Phone Nexus One will be available to purchase and then customers have the flexibility to purchase whatever plan they desire.  This is great for Google and great for consumers, as they will have the freedom to keep their phone and make their own choices.

What type of features will be on the new Google phone?  So far, all that is known is that the Google Phone will feature a high resolution OLED display, snapdragon CPU, and microphone.  It is rumored that it will run on the Google Android operating system.

Given the fact that Google has the capability of real-time searches, and many other features the Google Phone is expected to be the best phone on the market.  Many are very excited for its release.  I know I am.

Read more about the Google Phone here.

Read more about the Droid here, and check out Droid tips here and also here.

Can you wait for the Google Phone, Nexus One?

The Google Nexus Onecould be the name of Google’s smartphone.  Google’s smartphone is just in the prototype state.  Prior to “Nexus One” the name thrown around was “Passion.”  The unique thing about Google’s exclusive phone is that it will be sold online, and then you will have to buy your own service plan.  This business model is different than they typical model where handsets are made and sent to phone companies who then sell them to consumers.

The current business model allows phone companies to lure consumers to change providers. For instance, the Apple iPhone is only sold to AT&T customers.  The touch screen BlackBerry Storm is only available through Verizon, as is the Droid, which operates on the Google Android OS.

Read more about the Droid here, and check out Droid tips here and also here.

The Google Nexus One may strain relationships with partners, as purchasing a phone directly from Google may compete with a company’s existing Droid based phone.  However, the Google Nexus One may mark the entry of the search engine giant into the field of electronics and technology.  It is rumored that if the Google Nexus One is successful in the marketplace, Google will also sell netbooks that have the Google Chrome OS.

Google has announced that their employees are “dogfooding” this Holiday season, meaning that they are testing out the platform that has been developed.  Google says:

“We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.”

Sounds awesome.  New technology is always exciting.  The Droid was met with a lot buzz and anticipation. The Google Nexus One will also be met with a lot of buzz and anticipation.  Will I try out the new Nexus One when it’s available?  I am not sure. I am too familiar with my BlackBerry, and old habits die hard.  However, if the features of the new Nexus One are interesting enough or sound like something that I can’t live without, I will definitely take the plunge…

Shoppers who have been busy searching the Internet for early reports on Black Friday deals will be happy to learn that Walmart has confirmed some of their sales for Friday, November 27, 2009, as well as weekly savings starting this Saturday on popular toys and video games.

Walmart’s Black Friday specials include 50-inch Sanyo plasma HDTVs for $598, Magnavox Blu-Ray disc players for $78, TomTom GPS systems for $59, $7 reversible fleece jackets, and $3 children’s sleepwear, according to Walmart representative Melissa O’Brien.

Some of the toys at Walmart stores that will be discounted (up to 60 percent) starting this Saturday through November 27, 2009, are EZ Bake Oven, Disney Princess Scooter, and Nerf N-Strike Vulcan, The Associated Press reported. Also starting this Saturday, customers purchasing certain gaming packages such as “Band Hero” and “DJ Hero” will receive a $40 Walmart gift card while supplies last.

Black Friday Guide

Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally marks the beginning of Christmas shopping in the United States. Many retailers offer doorbuster sales as an incentive for shoppers.

Check the following stories for more Black Friday deals:

Best Buy 2009 Black Friday Ads Revealed

Check Out Early Walmart Black Friday Deals

Target Black Friday Ads Leaked Online

Sears ‘Black Friday’ Sales Revealed

The following Web sites are dedicated to locating Black Friday deals for major stores such as Sears, Walmart, Toys ‘R’ Us, Target, Kmart, and more:

• BlackFriday.fm
• Black-Friday.net
• BFads.net
• BlackFriday.info
• BlackFriday.com
• BlackFriday.GottaDeal.com

Know of some good Black Friday deals? Leave them in the comments below.

Best Buy is the latest store to have its Black Friday advertisement leaked online.

Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally marks the beginning of Christmas shopping in the United States. Many retailers offer doorbuster sales as an incentive for shoppers.

Special deals and doorbusters for holiday shoppers at Best Buy on Black Friday include newly released CDs for $6.99, digital cameras for as low as $49.99, a digital camcorder for $69.99, a PlayStation 3 package for $299.99, a Web cam for $19.99, and much more.   For more on Best Buy’s Black Friday deals, click here.

View/download ad here: Best Buy Black Friday 2009 Ad (PDF).

The following Web sites are dedicated to locating Black Friday deals for major stores such as Sears, Walmart, Toys ‘R’ Us, Target, Kmart, and more:

• BlackFriday.fm
• Black-Friday.net
• BFads.net
• BlackFriday.info
• BlackFriday.com
• BlackFriday.GottaDeal.com

Know of some good Black Friday deals? Leave them in the comments below.

Target is the latest store to have its Black Friday deals leaked online as consumers continue to search the web for the scoop on this year’s holiday shopping deals.

Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally marks the beginning of Christmas shopping in the United States. Many retailers offer doorbuster sales as an incentive for shoppers.

Target’s Black Friday deals include $3 toasters and coffeemakers, deals on high-definition televisions, and discounts of 50 percent on clothes and toys, according to GottaDeal.com.  Brad Olson, founder of the web site, said Wednesday that he received a copy of the discount retailer’s ad.

(To view the list of Target’s sale items, click here.)

Target spokeswoman Sarah Boehle said the company “is unable to confirm the accuracy of any [Black Friday] two-day ads or pricing information that is posted online,” according to a CNN.com report.

“Each year we chronicle lots of excitement about our ads when we hear that they were prematurely leaked,’ said Boehle. “We really appreciate all the interest. We encourage consumers to look for our official [Black Friday] ad.”

Target is expected to release its weekly circular the week of November 22, 2009.

Several Web sites are dedicated to Black Friday sales for stores such as Sears, Toys ‘R’ Us, Target, Kmart, and more.  Here are a few to help shoppers get started:

• BlackFriday.fm 
• Black-Friday.net
• BFads.net
• BlackFriday.info
• BlackFriday.com
• BlackFriday.GottaDeal.com

 Know of some good Black Friday deals? Leave them in the comments below.