2012 Black Friday Deals: Best Buy

Best Buy will be opening their doors for Black Friday @ 12am.  Here's a list of tech toys and gadgets that may be worth the camp out.  Best Buy will be issuing tickets to people waiting in line two hours before the Midnight opening.

Best Buy, Friday November 23rd @ 12am:

*Toshiba 40″ Class LCD 1080p HDTV - $179.99

*Toshiba Smart Blu-Ray Player - $39.99

*HP Intel i7 17.3" w/ 6GB DDR3 & 750GB HDD - $529.99

*LG 27" Monitor - $199.99

*Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 White 7″ Tablet + $20 Best Buy Gift Card - $179.99

*Nikon Coolpix S9050 - $129.99

*Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR w/18-55mm IS Lens - $599.99

*Blu-ray titles starting from $3.99

*Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle - $199.99

*PlayStation 3 250GB Bundle - $199.99

*3DS Holiday Bundle w/ Super Mario 3D Land - $149.99

*iPad with Retina Display and iPad 2 (both 16GB w/ Wi-Fi) - Save $40-$60

*MacBook Pro - $1199.99

*Kindle Fire HD + $30 Best Buy Gift Card - $199.99

*Samsung Galaxy S III + $100 towards any tablet, laptop or eReader - $49.99 w/ 2 yr contract

*Garmin NUVI 50LM - $99.99

Don't feel like leaving the house? The Ad also states there will be an online sale starting on Thanksgiving day! To view the complete Best Buy Black Friday Ad, click here.  

Click here to view the Wal-Mart Black Friday Deals! 

Source: Best Buy

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2012 Black Friday Deals: Wal-Mart

It's that time of year again! I don't know about you, but I love Christmas.  You know what else I love? Awesome deals on Black Friday! Though, I will admit, I hate the lines and pushing and fighting...but that's what makes Black Friday...right?!

Anyways...Wal-Mart released their Black Friday ad online and here is just a break down of some of the cool tech toys and gadgets that will on sale.  Wal-Mart will be holding 3 Events! Event 1 starting at 8pm, Thursday Evening concluding with Event 3 starting at 5am, Friday Morning.  Here's what I got for you:

Event 1: 8pm Thursday Evening:

*Xbox 360 4GB SkyLanders Bundle - $149

*Sony PS3 Bundle - $199

*Wii - $89

*Videos Games starting at $10

*Blu-ray movies starting at $3.96

Event 2 Doorbuster Deals: 10pm - 11pm Thursday Evening ONLY

*iPad 2 16GB w/ WiFi & Bonus $75 Wal-Mart Gift Card - $399

*LG Blue-ray Player - $38

*32" LCD 720p 60Hz Emerson HDTV - $148

Event 2: 10pm Thursday Evening

*40" LCD 1080P 60Hz Emerson HDTV - $198

*HP Laptop 15.6″ 4GB memory 320GB Hard Drive - $279

*Sony PS3 Bundle - $199

*HP Deskjet 1056 Printer - $19

*Nikon D3000 Digital Camera/Lens Kit  - $449

*Nook Color 8GB Tablet - $99

*GARMIN 5" Touchscreen GPS - $69

*1TB Toshiba Portable HDD - $59

Event 3: 5am Friday Morning:

*50" LCD 1080P 60Hz Emerson HDTV - $298

*70" LED 1080P 120Hz SHARP HDTV - $1798

...And so much more.  View the complete add here!

Source: Wal-Mart

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Facebook & Google Are Tracking You! Stop IT!

Alright, it comes to no surprise that Facebook apps and Google search are tracking your searches and what not. Let's face it, everyone on the web is trying to track you! But you're probably telling yourself that you've implemented deep security settings to stop that from happening.  Are you sure?  Really? You know it's difficult to keep track of every privacy setting you need to tweak.

That's where Privacyfix comes into play.  It's a FREE plugin extension for Chrome and Firefox browsers.  Simply download the plugin and it'll scan your currently-logged-in Facebook and Google accounts, showing you want tweaks need to be done to your privacy settings.  Pretty cool, huh?  It'll even show you which ones you already have in place! (No, it won't tell you 'Good Job!', but nonetheless, you can give yourself a pat on the back)

It'll also give you instructions and show you other websites that you've happen to come to visit and tell you whether you are sharing your data or if they're tracking your activity and will let you fix that issue right then and there!!  So go on ahead and download the FREE Privacyfix extension for Chrome and Firefox, today, and feel better about your privacy and tracking issues from here on out.

Source: Privacyfix

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Random Tech #110: LIFX - The Wi-Fi Enabled Changing Color Light Blub

So what is LIFX?...

"LIFX is the smartest light bulb you've ever experienced. It's a wifi-enabled, energy efficient, multi-colored bulb that you control with your iPhone or Android. LIFX gives you unprecedented control of your lights, reduces your energy costs, lasts up to 25 years and delivers an amazing range of experiences we think you’ll love."

Created by Phil Bosua and his team, this project was posted on Kickstarter, with a goal of $100,000 that was met within days and is now has backers of over $1 Million!  So if you would like to pre-order, $69 gets you one, $119 two, $196 four, $294 six, $392 eight and $490 for 10.  Check the demo video below!

Source: Kickstarter

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Random Tech #109: Kevin 'Google' Bacon

Google has done it again with hiding an Easter egg within their search engines.  Google has now offered a way for you to calculate how many degrees (Six Degrees) your favorite actor falls from Kevin Bacon.  So for the sake of arguments between you and your fellow movie watchers, just type in "bacon number" followed by your actor of choice.  Have fun!

Source: Google

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Random Tech #108: Wirelessly Controlled Roaches

Indeed, you read that title correctly.  North Caroline State University scientists have placed a mircocontroller on the cockroach, wired to it's antennae, to...well...control it, WIRELESSLY!

The microcontroller is wired to the roach's antennae and cerci.

The cerci are sensory organs on the roach's abdomen, which are normally used to detect movement in the air that could indicate a predator is approaching - causing the roach to scurry away. But the researchers use the wires attached to the cerci to spur the roach into motion. The roach thinks something is sneaking up behind it and moves forward.

The wires attached to the antennae serve as electronic reins, injecting small charges into the roach's neural tissue. The charges trick the roach into thinking that the antennae are in contact with a physical barrier, which effectively steers them in the opposite direction.

Take a look at the video below of the wirelessly controlled roached and see how science has doomed us all once again.  Have a great weekend!

Sources:  NC State University

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FREE SOFTWARE SATURDAYS: Wunderlist

A tad late on last weeks Free Software Saturday...But, without further do, I present you with Wunderlist!  Wunderlist is a Free Task Management software with its main goal is to make it simple and available on almost all platforms and devices.  Adding task, dragging them around, starring them and managing them are all easy and if you don't have it installed on a PC, you can easily use the available webapp!

Wunderlist makes it downright simple to organize your daily life. Just create a list and start filling it with things that need to be completed. Keep track of your more important tasks with reminders and notifications. You can even create a new task for Wunderlist straight from your email inbox. Oh, and did we forget to tell you? Its free!

Some of the key features of Wunderlist are:
*Syncs with the webapp and apps for Mac, Android, iPhone and Blackberry
*Share your list with friends on social network sites like Facebook and Twitter
*Add notes and task, even by email
*Organize them through a drag and drop interface
*Assign deadlines
*Filtering/Starring system
*Themes
*...and more

Keeping up with the spirit of Back to School, Wunderlist is an essential to keep you organized with everything and able to access it from anywhere and share it with anyone! From scheduling homework, to planning the next party to reminding yourself about writing an article for your blog (yes, I know and I'm sorry), Wunderlist has you covered! Download it today.

Download: Windows v1.2.4
Source: Wunderlist

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Random Tech #107: Android Easter Eggs

Here's something neat.  From Gingerbread (2.3) to Jelly Bean (4.1), Android has included an Easter egg which all happen to be accessible the same way. Android’s Easter eggs pay tribute to nyan cat, Tron, zombies, and jelly beans. Each Easter egg is themed to fit with the Android version’s release name.

So how does one access these Easter eggs?  First, go to the Settings screen on your Android device and tap About Phone or About Tablet at the bottom of the screen.

Then find the Android version on the about screen and quickly tap it several times!  (Note: Look for "Firmware version" on Gingerbread (2.3) devices)

Below you'll see screen shots of the different Easter egg images and/or animations found throughout different Android versions:

Gingerbread (2.3)

Honeycomb (3.0)

Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0)

Jelly Bean (4.1)

Hit the source link for more animations on Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean!

Source: HowToGeek

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FREE SOFTWARE SATURDAYS: Mendeley Research Manager

A new school year is upon us and some of us will be tackling research papers, and we all know how much we dread doing that.  Researching takes a lot time and a lot of organization.  Especially if it's group project.  If only there was something that would help organize your documents and help collaborate with others when needed.  Oh wait, there is...and the best part, it's FREE!

Mendeley is a free reference manager and social network that helps you  manage your research, collaborate with others online and find new research.  All you have to do is download the free program and drag all your documents.  It will then extract all the relevant information, such as title, journal, authors and keywords and help you track your documents when you need them.  It also does the following:

Reference Manager
Generate citations and bibliographies in Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, and LaTeX.

Read and Annotate
Open PDFs and capture your thoughts through sticky notes and highlights.

Add and Organize
Import and organize PDFs from your computer, EndNote™, Papers or Zotero

Collaborate
Connect with colleagues and securely share your papers, notes and annotations

Backup, Sync and Mobile
Access your papers on the web, iPhone or iPad.

Network and Discover

Discover papers, people and public groups.

Pretty neat, right?  Available for both Windows and Mac. So help yourself by becoming more productive and organized with your research papers for a smooth school year.  Stay tune next week for another neat Free Back to School app!

Download Link: Mendeley v1.6 (Windows) // Mendeley v1.6 (Mac)
Source: Mendeley

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FREE SOFTWARE SATURDAYS: GIMP Photo Editor

You've heard of Adobe Photoshop and graphic designers and photographers dub it to be the best photo editing software, ever!  Well, that's great and all, but some of us can't afford the program. Even the student discount version is $200...yikes!  

So, what's the alternative?  I'm glad you asked!  It's GIMP.  I'm sure you've heard that program thrown out in a conversation at least once.  GIMP runs and feels just like Photoshop that it's often dub as the 'Free Photoshop.'  However, if you've played with Adobe Photoshop, there's going to be a learning curve with GIMP.  Some features you'll come across will act differently but will get the job done.

The interface is sleek and lines up almost with Photoshop.  GIMP will launch 3 windows with two side toolbar and the editing window.  There have been mixed reviews of the program, but whether you're an amateur or a professional, both sides have come to learn and love GIMP.  Give GIMP 2.8 for Windows, Mac and Linux a try today!

Download: GIMP 2.8

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Random Tech #106: Build Your Own Mecha for $1.4 Million

That's right! You can have your very own, drive-able Mecha for just merely $1.4 million!

Suidobashi Heavy Industries has put the finishing touches to its latest project, the 4.4-ton Kuratas. Mobile suit obsessives around the world can thank artist Kogoro Kurata and robotics expert Wataru Yoshizaki for the robot frame, which has space to house a pilot inside. The mech's touchscreen UI even includes a Kinect-based movement interface and the shudder-inducing "smile-activated" twin BB gatling guns.

You can customize your Mecha with some cool 'gang' colors.  However, the $1.4 price tag doesn't include the leather interor, the cup holder or a 'phone chubby.'  But it does include the ability to make phone calls direct from the cockpit, so you can tell your enemies that you're coming for them.


So ready to put that second mortgage on your house and deplete your life savings and children's college fun?  Then hit the source link to customize your very own Mecha!  Also check out the two videos below:

Sources: Suidobashi Heavy Industries // Engadget

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FREE SOFTWARE SATURDAYS: Growl (Notification Program for Windows)

Recently, Mountain Lion OS was released for download for all Mac users.  A neat feature that came with the OS was the notification center.  It will show you alerts in the upper-right of their screen, without interrupting what they're doing.  You can chose banner notifications and sound alerts.  It even has social network intergration as well.

Well, that's all great and dandy for Mac, but what about current Windows users?  That's where Growl comes into play.


Put simply, Growl lets you know when things happen. Files finished downloading, friends came online, new email has arrived - Growl can let you know when any event occurs with a subtle notification. The rest of the time, Growl stays out of your way.

Along with letting you know when things happen, Growl also gives you full control over how you are notified and what action (if any) you want to take in response to the notification. You can choose to be alerted with a visual indicator or an audible alert, both, or neither. You can choose the type of display that is shown, whether the display remains on the screen, the importance of the notification, and even if the notification should be forwarded to another computer. You can have notifications that trigger an email, run a script, launch a program, or are read out loud.

Great, friendly interface and easy to use.  Try it out today...for FREE, of course :)

Download: Growl v2.0.9
Source: Growl

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Random Tech #105: Xbox 360 Anti-Virus HDMI Cable

There's an actual HDMI cable company that is advertising their product to have:

"100% Mylar" double shield 1.3 grade cable with anti-virus protection to reduce virus noise and to obtain the perfect image transmission"

Because we all know when it comes to our precious Xbox 360, we're vulnerable to get viruses and the Red Ring of Death.  But never fear, this HDMI cable is the answer to our prayers!  But...it probably isn't.  

The question is, who would be dumb enough to fall for this?  Shut up and take my money! 

Sources:  Gizmodo // Geekologie

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Random Tech #104: 'Droid X360' PS Vita Style

It's a PS Vita! No, it's an Android Smartphone! No, it's...um...what is it then?  In a nutshell, something that looks like a PS Vita, without the back panel touch pad, running Android 4.0.  This little beauty comes from China from Shenzhen Xunlong.  Here are the specs:

"...you'll find a 1.5GHz processor, 512MB RAM, and a 5-inch 800 x 480 display. It actually beats the Vita in some areas, too, with a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera and 8GB internal storage, though it doesn't look like there's a rear touchpad. Instead, you'll find a bright green Android logo."

Kinda has the same specs as a smartphone...but it isn't.  It doesn't come loaded with emulators, but it has 'nine systems' built within it!

And as always, something like this will not make it to our shores and no word on pricing.

Source: Shanzhaiben <--Website in Chinese but has more images :)

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Free Software and App: Recuva & Dead Trigger

For the past two Saturday's, I've failed to post my weekly 'Free Software Saturday's.'  Well, to make up for it, I give you a post with not only a Free Software but also with a free Android App.  Let's begin the free software, Recuva (From the makes of CCLeaner)...and it's website does a great deal explaining what it does:

Accidentally deleted an important file? Lost something important when your computer crashed? No problem! Recuva recovers files deleted from your Windows computer, Recycle Bin, digital camera card, or MP3 player. And it's free!

The important thing here is that this file recovering program is fast, reliable and all-around user friendly.  On top of that, it's Free!  This program will most definitely come in handy when you have one of those 'Oops' moments when you delete something you didn't mean too.  Download/Source link below.

Our next Free item is an Android Game App called Dead Trigger.   This was previously on the Android Play Store for $0.99.  However, the makers of the game saw unbelievably high' piracy rates and due to this, the game is now Free.  (Still $0.99 on iOS)

Dead Trigger is your typical FPS Zombie killing game.  

The world has collapsed.

In 2012 modern civilization is coming to an end. Global economics have been disrupted, money has lost its value. People have risen against the ignorant politicians who were just lining their pockets – and they didn't spare any of them.

However, those who really ruled the world were prepared - and escaped. Suddenly billions of people died from a strange virus, while others turned into butcherly beasts with just one thought: 

TO KILL!

Only a few people on the planet have survived, at least until they run out of ammo... or learn how to stop them...

Well, I hope this makes up for the past two Saturday's.  Hopefully I'll remember this upcoming Saturday :/

Anyone got the case of the Monday's??

Sources: Recuva // The Verge

Download links:  Recuva // Google Play Store: Dead Trigger

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Random Tech #103: Furby Uprising

That's right! That lovable fur-ball that was cool at one point and became demonic afterwards, is coming out with a reboot later this year!  Here's the press release for the new 2012 Furby:

Children will be wowed this fall when they meet the FURBY creature, the adorable new plush friend that appears to develop a distinct personality based on the way kids play with it. Through a combination of interactive programming and robotic engineering, Hasbro has created a 'magical' creature with 'A MIND OF ITS OWN.' Feed it, speak to it, tickle it or play music for it – the personality of each FURBY is shaped by these experiences. Play nicely with FURBY and it may develop a sweet personality or pull, shake, and turn FURBY upside down and a mischievous demeanor may evolve. FURBY has numerous personality possibilities! Emotional and unpredictable, FURBY will let kids know how it feels through a series of animations displayed in its expressive LED eyes and the more kids play with FURBY the more FURBY changes. Tickle FURBY and hearts may appear in its eyes; feed it a hot pepper and you may see fire in FURBY's eyes. From hip hop to pop, pizza or sushi, each FURBY reacts differently depending on its personality...even if it's a satisfied burp after a big meal. When children first bring FURBY home it will speak FURBISH and the more FURBY interacts with its owner the more English it will start speaking. Each FURBY can also recognize another FURBY; place two side-by-side and they will interact, including dancing together to the same tune or having a conversation. For additional interactive FURBY fun, owners can visit the App Store to download the free FURBY app. Using the FURBY app, children can virtually feed their FURBY, access a FURBISH to English dictionary, and use the FURBISH to English translator (Not all functions of the App work with older devices.). At launch, FURBY will be available in six vibrant colors with four more fun colors available by the end of the year. Visit furby.com for more FURBY fun. Four "AA" batteries are required and not included. FURBY is available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.

It will priced at $60. Hit the source link below for more pictures and videos of the new 2012 Furby...

Sources: Engadget

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FREE SOFTWARE SATURDAYS: WinFF Video Converter

Today's Free Software is WinFF, the Free Video Converter.  Sometimes your mobile phone, gaming device or other media player won't playback your videos; they sometimes have standards of what format your video should be in order to playback video and audio. That's where WinFF comes in.  It can convert all your flv's, mov's, mpeg's and many more to other video formats, such as avi or wmv.

With it's easy step and simple to use interface, the user won't feel so overwhelm.  On top of the window there are six buttons: add, remove, preview and convert your files, and another one that gives access to the more advanced settings. 

Under the file list there is a drop-down menu that sets the destination file type, with some nice options like the "Audio", function that extracts the sound track from a video file and even handles music file conversion, and you also have a drop-down for the chosen format.  This option will differ depending on what option you selected before.

The drop-down also have specific formats for devices such as iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

Simply all you need to do is add your files to the list, pick an output folder and just press "Convert".

WinFF is not the only Free video converter out there.  Real Player also does the same thing.  It can also download flash videos from sites like YouTube.  Read more here.

Source: WinFF (Download) // Real Player [Archive]

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FREE SOFTWARE SATURDAYS: PortableApps.com

You're probably asking yourself, Portable...Apps?  That's right.  PortableApps.com is a website dedicated to providing you with Free application downloads that run off...wait for it...any removable storage media device, such as a USB or even in Drop-box!

A portable app is a computer program that you can carry around with you on a portable device and use on any Windows computer. When your USB flash drive, portable hard drive, iPod or other portable device is plugged in, you have access to your software and personal data just as you would on your own PC. And when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind.
No Special Hardware - Use any USB flash drive, portable hard drive, iPod/MP3 player, etc
No Additional Software - Just download, run the portable installer and go
No Kidding - It's that easy

What applications are available to you? For starters there are web browsers (IE, Firefox, Chrome), designing software (GIMP, XBlender, Inkscape), office suites (OpenOffice, Abiword), games and music apps...and so much more!

How to get started? Simple, just visit PortableApps.com and download the PortableApps.com Platform v10.1.2 to your USB.  You can find more detail instructions on how to install here.

Just like PortableApps.com moto: Your Digital Life, Anywhere.  Happy download folks!

Sources: PortableApps.com // 70 Free Useful Portable Apps

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FREE SOFTWARE SATURDAYS: Gadwin Print Screen

We've all heard of 'Print Screen'...you know, that hot key 2 keys to the right of the F12 key that when you press it, it will take a screen shot of your current desktop. Typically, once you take the screen shot, you'll go into Paint or some other picture editing tool to crop it.

Well, that's where Gadwin Print comes in handy. It replaces your 'Print Screen' hot key with some neat, cool features and settings. One of my favorites is the 'Square' setting (This is one of four capture settings). It's when you are able to capture what part of the screen you want, so that way you don't have to crop it afterwards.

You can even choose how you want the capture image and the quality of the image. It also saves on your Windows Clipboard, delay timer, option to include mouse in your screenshot, destination settings to save the file and more.

Pretty neat, huh? Hit the source link below to learn more and download the program. There is also a professional version available for purchase

Source: Gadwin Print

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