Verizon finally aired their first ever commercial for their upcoming LTE network during last night’s Sunday Night Football. The Stephen Spielberg-esque ad ad features a lightning bolt delivered by snail mail, and confirms rumors that the network is “coming in December.” As previously noted, Verizon’s initial launch next month will be fairly significant, the 5-12 Mbps service covering 38 markets (roughly one third of the population) and 60 airports right out of the gate. We’re still waiting on Verizon to reveal their pricing for the speedier service, which as of last week the company still claimed they weren’t sure of.

Link to the original article…

After reading that a lot of my friends had hit up stores, waiting in line until 4am for $300 televisions or $180 laptops or some other madness, I decided to go the other way. I slept in – still suffering from the Thanksgiving food induced coma – and still got some killer deals via online purchases. But even that might pale in comparison to the upcoming Cyber Monday.

Where to go? Here’s a quick list:

Overstock.com – They have sales that have started on Black Friday and will continue through Cyber Monday.
Dealnews.com – Pretty much one of the deal sites that I go to almost daily.
Cyber Monday 2010 – Part of Bradsdeals.com that’s updated quite frequently.
Dealighted.com – A frequently updated list that scours Fatwallet, Slickdeals and other sites.
Top Hot Deal – A collection of heavily discounted Amazon offerings – I found Mad Men Seasons 1-3 on Blu-Ray for $9.99 here.

I’ll add more when I’m able to overcome my tryptophan overdose.

[ Links: Overstock.com, Top Hot Deal, Dealighted.com, Cyber Monday 2010 ]

I love gadgets almost as much as I like saving money and finding deals. Got word about Bradsdeals launching Black Friday 2010, a website dedicated to bring together all of the upcoming November 26th Black Friday Deals.

Brad Wilson, Founder of BradsDeals.com is proud to announce the launch of BlackFriday2010.com, the leading website devoted to researching, planning and executing a fun and successful Black Friday shopping strategy.

BlackFriday2010.com is the source for pre-released Black Friday ads for major stores. Visitors will find the latest holiday shopping news and tips, plus printable coupons and Brad’s handpicked deals, many of which are provided on an exclusive basis by retailers to BlackFriday2010.com.

“Black Friday is more than great deals and it is more than shopping,” said Wilson. “It’s a social event. Mothers and daughters, cousins, friends – they all research for weeks, scouring through our leaked Black Friday Ads, planning the timing and tactics they need to get the best deals.”

Last year, more than 10 Million shoppers saved money using the Black Friday site. The average consumer saved nearly 25% on their purchase.

In order to make shopping as simple as possible, Wilson will provide a free Black Friday iPhone app that allows shoppers to take all the store ads and information on the go.

So the site combined with the free Apple iPhone app makes for a killer way to save a lot of money this Black Friday. Oh… and Brad’s Deals isn’t just a one or two trick pony. Immediately after Black Friday, Brad’s Deals will unveil CyberMonday2010.com to help you save even more online.

Be smart, use BradsDeals.com and BlackFriday2010.com and don’t miss out on the savings this year.

[ Links: Brads Deals, Black Friday 2010, Cyber Monday 2010 ]

For once… I’m speechless. The B.O.N.D. (Built of Notorious Deterrents) bicycle has a bulldozer type track, an ejector seat and a flamethrower. Yep… a flamethrower.

Bicycle designed to combat the things that most annoy the urban cyclist. Handlebar-mounted flamethrower to stop motorists overtaking too close, ejection seat to deal with bike thieves and a caterpillar track to tackle potholes and snow. The B.O.N.D (Built of Notorious Deterrents) bike will be on show at Cycle 2010 on the ilovemybike.co.uk stand

Forget a fixie. I’ll take one of these bad boys.

[ Links: Gadget Review ]

Land Rover will be showcasing their most eco-friendly sport utility vehicle, the Land Rover Evoque during the Paris 2010 Motor Show on September 30th. However, some early information has already leaked out.

• Luxurious coupe design with a compact and more efficient footprint than other Range Rover models
• Targeting a new group of customers for the Range Rover brand
• Bold exterior is an evolution of Range Rover design language
• Strong, clean interior architecture with a contemporary and sporting feel
• Premium cabin with the high quality materials expected from a Range Rover.
• Available with full sized glass panoramic roof flooding the interior with natural light
• Use of efficient powertrain and advanced lightweight materials
• Smaller – at a 171 inches (434cm) it is 17 inches (432mm) shorter and 7 inches (178mm) lower than Range Rover Sport models
• Permanent all-wheel drive combined with turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an updated six-speed auto transmission deliver excellent perforrmance and fuel economy
• All-new 240 bhp 2.0-litre Si4 turbocharged engine combining six-cylinder refinement and performance with four-cylinder fuel economy
• All-new chassis specification delivers dynamic and agile handling across varied terrain, with optional Adaptive Dynamics featuring MagneRide™
• All-weather, all-surface capability with Land Rover Terrain Response®
• An extensive suite of Range Rover technologies including Bluetooth® audio streaming and optional Surround camera system
• To be sold in 160 countries worldwide, with deliveries from Fall 2011

With their new EcoBoost Si4 engine, the Evoque promises to be as fuel efficient as a 4-cylinder on the highway or in the city. With a release set for next Fall… I know what I’ll be saving for! No word on price yet though.

[ Links: Hello Evoque, Land Rover Evoque ]

In what looks a cross between the old Nike ACG water socks from the mid-1990′s and a hole puncher accident, the Nike Zvezdochka LAF – which actually are inspired by design of the Russian cosmonaut socks so they can get around whilst in space and is named after the dog that got blasted in space in the Sputnik 10 mission – is an interesting sneaker design by Australian designer, Marc Newson.

Two new colorways are available, Mahogany (burgundy) and Aegean Blue paired off with Neutral Grey. The Zvezdochka LAF will be made available at the 21 Mercer Nike Store, which is located in New York City’s historic SoHo neighborhood, between Grand and Howard.

[ Links: SneakerFreaker via Nike Sportswear ]

Microsoft unveiled their new Internet Explorer today, in beta form and it’s a definite leap above their prior 3 iterations of their browser easily. With HTML5 support, built-in integration with Windows 7 and 32-bit and 64-bit versions for Microsoft Vista and Windows 7 as well as support for hardware acceleration and a real clean interface, Internet Explorer 9 is nothing like the versions before it – it actually works well and lacks that sluggishness in the UI.

The improvements to Internet Explorer are as much about what you don’t see as what you do see. Internet Explorer 9 has a streamlined design, fewer dialog boxes to click through, more intuitive navigation, and many new features that speed up your web browsing experience. Features like Pinned Sites let you pin your favorite website directly to the taskbar for one-click access. Other features, like hardware acceleration, deliver an all-around faster browsing experience. With Internet Explorer 9, websites perform and feel more like the programs you use every day on your PC.

The bad part? If you’re still running Microsoft Windows XP, don’t even attempt it. And to be honest, the integration in Windows 7 is a tad bit more in-depth and seamless than with Windows Vista – but the experience is close enough between the two operating systems that I think it’s merely reflective on my like of Windows 7 and my intense dislike for Vista.

Seriously though? I’m impressed. It’s fast – I mean like Opera 10.6 fast – and the UI is not in the way at all. Combined with Adobe’s release today of their 64-bit Native Flash 10.1 Player nicknamed “Square” (download here), it seems like Internet Explorer might become an option once again for developers and people who have long abandoned Internet Explorer since the very early Mozilla/Opera days… like me.

Bravo Microsoft. You’ve all but shut up my typical hatred for all things Internet Explorer. Besides speed and support for new technologies though, let’s hope you’ve worked on the security of this browser just as well. That’s the other reason I disliked Internet Explorer.

[ Links: Beauty of the Web, Download IE9 Beta ]

Looking more sinister than the previous keyboard enabled HTC G1, the HTC Desire Z is one slick looking piece of kit. Due to debut with Android 2.1 with Android 2.2 (Froyo) will be released shortly as a firmware upgrade.

Due to the Samsung supplied AMOLED shortage, this HTC will have an Super LCD instead. And the Desire Z will have the typical GPS, A-GPS, Wi-Fi and HSDPA connections. Disappointing bits, besides the Android 2.1 is that it comes with only a 5MP camera with a single LED flash. No word on which carriers will get this nor price yet.

Read further details about the HTC Desire Z.

Clearwire has kept their promise of bringing Mobile WiMax to New York City before the end of the year. Mailings are being sent out to customers informing them that Clear service “is finally available in New York City” for an initial offer of $35 a month for the first two months. The flyer amusingly offers a city of 8 million a free USB modem (usually $115) if they’re one of the first 20 to sign up for service. New York City is still only listed as a “a future Clear city” in Clear’s coverage map, and the company has yet to issue an official release, though these kinds of unofficial launches are not uncommon for the carrier.

Link to the original article…

Acer has introduced a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU based, Android 2.1 OS loaded smartphone named Stream at IFA 2010 held in Berlin, Germany from September 3 to 8.

‘Stream’ is loaded with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor and 3.7 inch AMOLED display. It also supports Acer UI 4.0, 512MB ram, Wi-Fi, GPS and micro HDMI.

Link to the original article…

Apple today unveiled their new Apple TV device, which as rumors had suggested costs $99, tops out playback at 720p and is focused on renting TV episodes for a dollar or new films for five dollars.

There’s no hard drive in this incarnation, with everything streamed via either 802.11n Wi-Fi or Ethernet connectivity. The unit also comes with Netflix streaming service embedded. As rumors also suggested, broadcasters are still afraid of cannibalizing their traditional TV cash cow, so Apple scrapped a more interesting subscription-based TV service for this fairly standard rental model, which only features content from ABC and Fox.

Great price, great option if you were looking for one that has no internal storage is basically a “rent only” device; however it is not for me.

Link to the original article…

The 2010 Tokyo Game Show, set to happen on September 16-19th, with the last two days typically set aside for public perusual and the first two days set aside for business-only announcements and closed to the public, will bear witness to Gamania showing off eight new titles. Never heard of Gamania? Time to up your game then.

Gamania Digital Entertainment announces that it will showcase their latest research and development (R&D) expansion and much anticipated second generation product lines at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2010. Among nearly 150 participating global companies, Gamania will have significant presence with one of the top ten largest booths, alongside other headline names such as Microsoft, Sony, and Square Enix. During the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, Gamania will be showing eight distinctive in-house products, while also exhibiting other works of entertainment, such as animation, web games, and mobile titles, heralding in Gamania’s “Universe of Fun”.

Gamania is behind certain games that will invariably come out in the US, like the popular cartoon show Hero 108 for the Apple iPhone and Facebook games, but while Gamania is huge in Hong Kong, they are lesser known in the US. Games like Reign of Assassins, based on the upcoming Chinese movie of the same name, infuse art and gameplay that translates well to us gamers and Core Blaze, based on the Unreal 3 Engine both look enticing to my western eyes. And that’s just a few of their offerings.

In simpler terms, let’s just hope that the games end up in European and North American markets soon enough too.

[ Links: TGS 2010, Gamania ]