They say Black Friday was so named because Philadelphia city officials usually braced themselves for “massive traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks” as people take advantage of the day off to shop until they drop for the holidays. In any case, those problems are non-existent when you shop online, and Dell has a lot of Black Friday deals for shoppers looking for a computer for themselves or loved ones.

Offer
End Date
Coupon Code

Complete desktop package featuring the Studio XPS 8000 desktop and 20″ monitor for only $999 after $329 instant off.
11/23/09 5:55 AM CST
None Required

Studio XPS 13 laptop only $999 after $369 instant …read more

According to research by warranty firm SquareTrade, you really get what you pay for, with premium-priced laptops lasting longer than their cheaper counterparts on average. Good news for those who’ve spent money for specs, bad for buyers trying to eke by on affordable netbooks; from the survey of 30,000 portables, netbooks have a 5.8% chance of failing within the first year.

Another notable trend becomes clear when comparing brands. Here’s the list of nine different brands, ranked from most reliable to least, in terms of malfunction rate:

Asus
Toshiba
Sony
Apple
Dell
Lenovo
Acer
Gateway
HP

Looks like Asus‘ marketing department have a new talking point to advertise, while Apple has …read more

There’s at least one advantage with the Alienware brand now under Dell’s control. How does paying only $99 for an Inspiron Mini sound? Buy any Alienware laptop or desktop and add an Inspiron Mini netbook for only $99!. Ends 12/23/09 5:55 AM CDT.

It also seems Alienware’s picked up Dell’s tendency to offer free shipping: Light Up The Holidays With Alienware and receive free shipping on all Alienware laptops and desktops. Ends 11/12/09 5:55 AM CDT.
Some more promos to check out:

Studio ONE 19 all in one desktop with touch screen monitor and free color upgrade for only $699! End Date: 11/30/09 …read more

The new Litl is basically a web-based netbook designed to work entirely on the web, allowing users to access prominent online applications like Flickr and Google Docs. The gadget, manufactured in China, enjoys the support of a minimalist-oriented marketing and design strategy. The design of the actual unit itself is special, especially as the display hinge flexibility allows the Litl to turn into a dynamic picture frame of sorts, showing pictures, weather forecasts, and of course the time. The emphasis on usability and simplicity looks promising.

Users cannot directly install applications on Litl; updates are streamed automatically via WiFi. There’s also …read more

Looking for a netbook to buy for my girlfriend—she always talked about getting a laptop to work at home, but was too timid financially to walk the walk—I found a vendor selling an MSI Wind U210 for around $485. That’s more expensive than NewEgg’s price of $430, but the extra cash was well-spent on a 9-cell battery. Here’s what I did before handing the netbook over to my girlfriend:
Took Pictures
Here are some pictures of the MSI Wind U210, featuring the netbook in various angles. Click on a thumbnail to see a large-size version of the picture:
Used Ninite
Ninite, if you recall, …read more

So the cat’s finally out of the bag: the Nokia Booklet 3G will cost 575 euros (around $820), as announced in Nokia World.
That’s a bit pricey in my opinion. Sure, the 12-hour battery life and two-centimeter thickness of the gadget justify this price somewhat, but not entirely. For a 10.1″ netbook, nothing probably beats Nokia’s offerings in terms of specs, integrated extras (like HDMI), and battery capacity, but there are surely equally portable offerings that also include a built-in USIM slot.
What do you think? Personally, I’d rather spend my hard-earned money on something slightly more bulky, but significantly more powerful. …read more

It’s true that technology has created new needs for us, which are ultimately not really vital to our existence. Laptops and desktops have made internet access “important” for a lot of people, but they won’t literally die if they can’t go online, right?
Still, the necessity that gadgets create in our lives is still very significant. We use them to work, avoid boredom, socialize with others, collaborate, and a whole lot more—in ways that are constantly changing.
That’s why these essentials also change, based on our changing sentiments. My laptop used to be a frequent companion, letting me work practically anywhere with …read more

Over at Gadzooki, I share five reasons why I’m excited about the Nokia Booklet 3G, the Windows 7 netbook announced yesterday by the dominant mobile company. Now that my initial excitement has worn off, here are four thoughts from my inner late-blooming skeptic:

Specs: Too Good to be True?
12 hours of battery life is awesome! But Nokia has learned to play the battery overestimation game? Will actual battery life be more like 3 hours, as the Booklet’s various connectivity features are generously used?
N-Gage Part Deux?
N-Gage was Nokia’s attempt to enter the portable gaming market through hardware. Will the Booklet 3G become …read more

True or false?

Or say the folks over at Lenovo. In any case, fans of the original Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook might be interested.
The S10-2 will come in two variants: The $349 one features a 89%-sized keyboard, an Atom N270 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB hard disk, an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, WiFi up to 802.11g, and a 6-cell battery, all running on Windows XP Home. The $399 variant has the same specs, but is 3G capable through an Ericsson transceiver. And yes, no Bluetooth is available on either build, if Lenovo’s publicity materials are correct.
Both variants will also feature a …read more