Nintendo announced yesterday that it sold 400,000 Wii U consoles in the US during its first week (which was November 18-25), but it’s a bit unfair to compare those sales to the Xbox 360′s for a couple of different reasons. Remember, the Wii U suffered from stock shortages, so it’s possible that Nintendo would have sold more Wii Us if it had product to ship. We should also consider the fact that Microsoft was offering some pretty attractive deals on Xbox 360 bundles, whereas Nintendo wasn’t offering discounts on the Wii U since it’s a brand new machine.

In any case, the week of Black Friday was pretty great for Microsoft, at least as it relates to the Xbox 360. Microsoft also said today that sales of Halo 4 exceeded expectations during the week of Black Friday, though sadly didn’t give any specific sales numbers. We’re still waiting on those numbers, in fact – Microsoft hasn’t had any problem gloating about the amount of money Halo 4 has pulled in since launching earlier in the month, but has yet to talk actual sales numbers.

Earlier today, Microsoft told us that it has sold 40 million Windows 8 licenses since the new OS launched last month. Add that to the company’s previous report that it had sold 70 million Xbox 360s worldwide, and Microsoft’s executives have plenty of reason to be smiling this evening. Did you take advantage of the deals and pick up an Xbox 360 last week?

Collectively, Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2012 “were the best ever for the Kindle family.” The company had more than doubled last year’s sales numbers, and while they don’t disclose any specific figures, it’s not too hard to believe. The $130 Kindle Fire deal was simply too good to pass up for a lot of people.

Amazon did release a couple of statistics and facts that might prove interesting for you. First of all, the top four spots on the worldwide Amazon best sellers list are Kindle ereaders and tablets. Also, Amazon claims the Kindle Fire HD to be the most gifted and most wished for product on Amazon since its launch.

Sadly, the Kindle Fire deal is over, and you’ll have to go back to paying at least $160 for the last-generation tablet, but that’s still a decent price. However, for just a bit more cash, you can pick up the newer Kindle Fire HD for only $200. That’s probably a better bet if you’re wanting to get the latest and greatest.

The team at Piper Jaffray spent a total of ten hours on Black Friday, monitoring both the Apple Store and the Microsoft Store at the Mall of America, which are across the hall from one another. They noticed that there was almost 50% less foot traffic at the Microsoft Store than there was at the Apple Store. They also noticed that consumers bought 17.2 items per hour at the Apple Store and only 3.5 items per hour at the Microsoft Store. What’s perhaps even more fascinating about that fact is that all but two of the Microsoft purchases were Xbox 360 games.

However, probably one of the most interesting statistic that the research team came up with during their time at the mall, was that Apple sold around 11 iPads per hour, while Microsoft didn’t sell a single Surface tablet. Then again, the team only spent two hours at the Microsoft Store, but during those two hours, Apple sold 22 iPads.

According to Piper Jaffray, which did the same exact observation and survey last year during Black Friday, traffic at the Apple Store was up 31% from last year’s Black Friday. However, sales of Macs and iPads were down in 2012. Last year, Apple sold an average of almost 15 10-inch iPads per hour at the Mall of America, while this year only saw 6.7 per hour. Mac hourly averages were down 60% since last year as well.

[via Fortune]

“So what do you think of the autumn sale?” one of my friends asked.

“Not impressed,” I replied. The look his face indicated that he agreed with me.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good deal as much as the next gamer, and I am always willing to spill some serious cash during a Steam sale. I went into the autumn sale thinking that I was going to be buying up games left and right, but we’ve now entered the final day of the sale and so far I’ve purchased two games for a grand total of $17.48. I’m in fine standing with both my bank and my girlfriend as a result, but I can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed.

There have been some good deals, to be sure – earlier in the sale, Skyrim took the stage as a featured deal, and right now Dishonored and Torchlight II, the latter of which being one of my 2012 favorites, are both 50% off. The problem, though, is that there’s going to be another Steam sale in less than a month. It’ll be big too, as Steam holiday sales always are. The autumn sale just pales in comparison to the blowout events that the holiday and summer sales have traditionally been, which leaves me wondering why we even need the autumn sale in the first place.

I understand why the autumn sale exists – everyone is going nuts over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so Valve holds a sale of its own to net some of the shoppers who have cash and are ready to spend it, provided the deals are good enough. With the autumn sale, however, it’s hard to get excited in the same way I’m excited for the holiday sale. In fact, it feels like the autumn sale is intentionally watered down in anticipation of the incoming holiday sale. It’s shorter than its summer and holiday siblings, there aren’t any publisher catalogs on offer, and the discounts don’t seem as deep. So, what’s the point when the holiday sale is knocking on the door?

Maybe this is all in my head. Maybe the problem is with me and not with the sale itself. With the holiday sale on the horizon, I’m hesitant to spend money during the autumn sale because there’s a feeling that they might be even cheaper in just a few short weeks. Even if I see a deal I know is good on a game I’ve been wanting to play, I question whether or not I should take advantage of it since I know (or at least assume) I’ll spend a lot of money during the holiday sale.

I can’t be the only one who feels that way, can I? I’d be interested to see how many people bite during the autumn sale in comparison to the summer and holiday sales, because I would imagine that the numbers for the autumn sale end up falling short. Valve – and other digitial distribution platforms for that matter – have something of a unique problem here. Most retailers don’t hold a holiday sale on the scale of Valve’s, only hosting massive sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Since PC gamers are used to blowout holiday sales and therefore expect them year after year, it makes pulling off an equally impressive Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale a bit trickier for those in the digital distribution arena.

What about you – has this been a great sale for you, or are you like me and feeling a little underwhelmed at the end of it all?

According to the numbers for the holiday season to date (Nov 1-23) $13.7 billion has been spent online, which is a 16% increase compared to last year. The exact dollar amount in online sales for Friday, November 23 was $1.042 billion. That made Black Friday the busiest online shopping day in 2012 and was a 26% increase versus Black Friday 2011.

The numbers also show that significantly more than normal amounts of shoppers went online on Thanksgiving day, November 22 spending $633 million for a 32% increase compared to the previous year. One of the more interesting facts about the significant uptick in online shopping on Black Friday is that many online retailers hold their best deals for Cyber Monday, November 26.

If you’re wondering what the most popular website was for online shopping on Black Friday, Amazon takes that award. The second most popular website for online shopping was Walmart, followed by Best Buy, Target, and Apple. So far, the biggest growth in online purchases has been digital content and subscriptions. Rounding out the rest of the top five in order for the biggest growth compared to last year are toys, consumer packaged goods, video game consoles and accessories, and consumer electronics.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, it turns out the holiday was Instagram’s biggest day ever, with tons of users taking pictures of Thanksgiving dinner and uploading them to the service. AT&T is offering refurbished iPhone 5s on its website for $99 a pop, while we caught a glimpse of the HTC Deluxe in a leaked press shot today. Nokia suffered a pretty big setback today when the head of its camera and imaging department, Damian Dinning, announced he would be leaving the company, and T-Mobile’s online stock of the Nexus 4 was brought down to nothing in mere hours after the Google Play Store linked to the listing.

The long-awaited Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition was given a gameplay trailer today while we learned that mobile data usage has doubled in the past year. The Samsung Galaxy Camera will be launching in Canada on December 7, and Nintendo has partnered with HMV to give some early Wii U adopters free games when the console launches in Europe. Nexus 4 LTE functionality has been unlocked through the use of a simple hack, and the Toyota Prius has been named the car least likely to be stolen, despite its relative popularity. Finnish police have taken a nine-year-old’s Winnie the Pooh laptop for suspected file sharing, and scientists have studied the dwarf planet Makemake for the first time.

Finally tonight, we have a number of reviews for you to read through. Cory Gunther gives us his review of the Barnes & Noble Nook HD, while Chris Burns reviews the Acer Aspire S7 and the AERIAL7 TANK DIY over the ear headphones. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy your weekend!

We had a lot of talk about Black Friday deals and sales today, with Apple kicking off its Black Friday festivities at midnight on November 23. Xbox Live has plenty of deals for you to take advantage of as well, while we heard that Steam will be kicking off its autumn sale tomorrow. T-Mobile strengthened its 4G network in a number of markets today, while the 2013 Nissan Leaf was revealed in Japan. A new survey is saying that kids want Apple products most for Christmas, with new rumors tipping the Galaxy S IV for a February 2013 launch.

A snazzy looking white Nexus 4 has popped up on TalkTalk, while Lenovo unveiled the new ThinkPad Carbon Touch today. The FTC may not have enough evidence to hit Google with an antitrust lawsuit, and Razer has released its new Death Adder 2013 gaming mouse. Reggie Fils-Aime is saying that the Wii U has a long way to go, while Nintendo says that more Wii U stock is on the way, with the US as a priority. Skype 3.0 has landed on Android, and today was the 27th birthday of Windows 1.0 (they grow up so fast).

RIM’s stock took a jump after an analyst predicted that BlackBerry 10 has a 20 to 30 percent chance of success, and Nokia released HERE Maps for iOS. Sony pushed update 2.0 for the PlayStation Vita out the door today, while Gearbox released Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage for Borderlands 2. Finally tonight, we’ll end with a couple of interesting stories from NASA: it turns out that the Mars Curiosity Rover has discovered something big that NASA isn’t telling us, while scientists have snapped a picture of the Super-Jupiter planet Kappa Andromedae b. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night everyone!

Notable Arcade games receiving discounts includes such titles as Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Rock Band Blitz, Daytona USA, and Magic 2013. Those are all half off, but there are also some deals on Games on Demand titles to take advantage of. Portal 2, Dead Island, and Left 4 Dead are all ten dollars off through Games on Demand, and Microsoft has a healthy amount of discounted DLC on offer too. Finally, if for some reason you’re in the market for new avatar items, a selection of those have been discounted as well.

These deals are live now and will be available until Monday, November 26. That means you’ve got just under a week to stock up on cheap games, so if you miss out on this sale, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. We’ve heard good things about Magic 2013 and love Rock Band Blitz, so if you don’t know which games to buy, those might be good ones to start with.

Of course, if you don’t yet have an Xbox 360, Microsoft’s got Black Friday deals for you too. Sony will also be dropping prices on PS3s for Black Friday, so you’ve got quite the selection to choose from if you’re looking to pick up a new console. Are you going to pick up any of these Xbox Live goodies?

[via Major Nelson]

Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t teased any of their deals yet, but you can most likely expect the number of deals and the amount of savings to be minimal. Apple has never really taken part in Black Friday sales to a major extent, so we wouldn’t expect it to be any different this year. However, we can guess that they may have some good deals on iPads according to the teaser image above.

However, as far as other products from Apple, there’s been no word on what they’ll be discounting. The only way to find out is to wait until Friday in order to see what they have on sale. Online deals will start at midnight PST (3 am EST), so if you live on the east coast, be prepared to set your alarm for the middle of the night.

As far as retail locations, Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue location in New York City will open its doors at midnight, but most locations will open up at a more reasonable hour around 6-7 am, depending on the location. You can see what the holiday hours are for your local Apple store by visiting the company’s website.

[via BGR]

PlayStation Vita bundles will sell for $199 each, and will come in three different bundles. One will come with a limited edition white Vita with Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation and a 4GB memory card. The other two will come with a black WiFi Vita model with either Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified and a 4GB memory card, or Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.

Sony will also have a $199 PlayStation 3 bundle that will include a 250GB console, Uncharted, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Infamous, Infamous 2, and Infamous: Festival of Blood, as well as a 30-day subscription to PlayStation Plus. Sony will also be offering DualShock 3 controllers for $39.99 “at select retailers nationwide.”

Microsoft will also be offering console bundles for their Xbox 360, but the bundles will vary between different retailers. Walmart will have a special edition white 4GB console with Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure and a Skylanders figurine for $149. Best Buy, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, and Newegg will have a 250GB Xbox 360 with Forza 4: Essentials Edition and Skyrim for $199. Target, Amazon, Sam’s Club, Meijer, Kmart, and Microsoft Stores will have a 4GB console bundled with a Kinect sensor and Disneyland Adventures for $199. GameStop will be offering a 250GB console with Call of Duty: Black Ops II for $249, RadioShack will have a 4GB console with a wired headset for $169, and Toys R Us will offer a 4GB console with a $50 gift card for $179.

Microsoft will also be discounting a handful of games at select retailers, and will also be offering a three-month Xbox Live subscription for $12.99. The games include Dance Central 3, Kinect Sports Ultimate, and Fable: The Journey for $29.99 each. Forza Horizon will be discounted to $39.99, and the purchase of Halo 4 at either Target or Amazon will net you a $20 gift card (plus a $10 instant video credit when you buy the game at Amazon).

The deals are available at your local Microsoft Store and they have been gong since midnight last night. That may mean many of the items on sale are gone at this point. You can get up to $200 off an Xbox Ultimate Gaming Bundle. The Kinect Sensor is available for $99.99 rather than the $149.99 it normally costs. If you want a Windows Phone you can get at least one unnamed handset free.

One of the better deals is on a new Acer Touchbook If you want the Acer Iconia dual-screen Touchbook can be had for $599 rather than the $999. You can also get a Sony S137GX notebook online only for $599, that’s $400 less than normal. There are also discounts on games in the store. These are some pretty nice deals.

[via GeekWire]

The Incredible 2 will be free with a new 2-year contact and the smartphone is one of the better offerings from Verizon. If a tablet is what you are looking for you might want to check out the special deal on the Xoom that Verizon has. The tablet is the Xoom packing 4G LTE connectivity and it is $199 with a new contract for data.

It is a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 resolution tablet that has a 2MP front camera and a 5MP rear camera. It runs Android Honeycomb and has a 1GHz dual core processor. The Sony Xperia Play smartphone is also free with a new contract and the Droid 3 will be $149.99 on a new contract.

[via LA Times]

If you’ve wanted a new iPod for a while, Apple has discounts on both the iPod touch and iPod nano. The touch is down to $178, a saving of $21, while the nano is $118, an $11 saving. MacBook Pro buyers can save $101 off a new notebook, with prices from $1,098.

Meanwhile, accessories and peripherals are also discounted in many cases, with both Apple’s own products and those of third-party manufacturers getting a Black Friday price cut. The Magic Trackpad, Magic Mouse and Bluetooth Keyboard are all down to $58, from $69, while there’s $21 off a Time Capsule or AirPort Extreme. iPad 2 Smart Covers are down to as little as $28.

Anybody tempted by something shiny with an Apple logo today?

That means, despite the iPad 2 having been on sale for months now, actually finding it at a cheaper price than Apple’s original RRP can be tricky. Apple is also offering the iPod touch at £154 and the iPod nano at £104, while the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro start at £768 and £918 respectively. An iMac will set you back £918.

As for accessories, everything from Time Capsules (from £228) through Bluetooth Keyboards (£48) and the Magic Trackpad (£48) are included, along with iPad Smart Covers from £24. Plenty of third-party manufacturers have got in on the action too, with iPhone and iPad cases, speaker-docks, accessories and more.

The iPods on discount are the iPod nano and touch with $11 off and the iPod touch will get discounts of $21 to $41. The iPad is being discounted based on the storage capacity with $41 to $61 off. Accessories for the iPad like the smart cover are on sale too with $11 off the plastic or leather options.

The sale will also see discounts on some third party items that are sold in the stores as well. The Mac computers are getting nice discounts of $101 off for each of the models. These are certainly not huge discounts, but it’s nice to see a discount at all on popular gear.

[via 9to5Mac]

Though the banners as of yet are only appearing in the UK, Australian, and Italian online stores, it should be rolling out to the US store shortly (hence the emphasis on it being a worldwide sale day for Apple). Unfortunately, at the current moment, We don’t know what exactly going to be on sale, or how much, but rest assured, we’ll have updates once we get more information. Until then, here’s all we have, including apparently the iPad, iPod, and various Mac models “for everyone on your list”:

Mark your calendar now, and come back to the Apple Online Store for the special one-day event. You’ll discover amazing iPad, iPod and Mac gifts for everyone on your list.

So SlashGear readers, what’s on your Black Friday wishlist from Apple this year? Apple’s Siri-enhanced iPhone 4S? A sleek and sexy iPad 2? A Mac? Which Mac? Go ahead and reveal to us in the comments below. And let’s hope that Apple will be nice enough to knock off a couple hard-earned dollars off your dream gadget come this Black Friday.

[via 9To5 Mac]

Back in October, Nintendo announced the blue special edition as a custom Olympics 2012 model set to commemorate the games set to be held in London, UK. The console – which includes Mario & Sonic and a matching blue Wiimote – would only be offered in Europe, however, with pricing yet to be confirmed.

It’s worth noting that Walmart already offers the blue Wii Remote Plus as a separate accessory, priced at $39.96, but currently only sells black and white versions of the Wii console to go with it. We’re guessing this blue Walmart Wii is the same hardware as the Olympics 2012 limited edition, which means no GameCube support.

Take note that all deals come with several clauses. They require a two-year activation service plan, the smartphones require AT&T voice and also the minimum $15 monthly data plan, and messaging devices are to be bought with a minimum $20 monthly text messaging plan. Not a bad deal, considering that you’re getting some pretty nice phones for, well, literally a cent.

The rest of the AT&T-packed weekend will feature these phone deals:

Saturday, Nov. 26 – All Windows 7 and certain Android devices are available for one cent.
Sunday, Nov. 27 – The BlackBerry 9860 is one cent and HTC’s Red Inspire is $30.
Monday, Nov. 28 – Select smartphones including the Motorola Atrix, Samsung Infuse, and HTC Inspire sell for one cent.

Go ahead and tell us in the comments if you’re going to go for any of these deals. And which stores are SlashGear readers beelining for this Black Friday? What products do you readers want the most? Happy hunting this Black Friday!

[via GeekSugar]

ComScore has revealed the numbers for Black Friday shopping in the US for this Black Friday weekend and has tossed in the numbers for online shopping on Thanksgiving Day. According to the metrics firm Black Friday online shopping hit $648 million, which was a gain of 9% from last year when the economy was much worse for most people.

ComScore also points out that the holiday season 2010 has so far seen 11.64 billion spent online, a gain of 13% from last year. Thanksgiving Day is reportedly a lighter day for shopping but posted a large growth in online purchases with a 28% increase to $407 million. The site also shows that online websites that funnel people toward deals are also becoming increasingly important with the leading site getting 3.1 million visitors on Black Friday.

As for the HDTVs, the 40-inch NSX-40GT1 is down $100 to $899.99, while the 46-inch NSX-46GT1 is down $200 to $1,199.99. Best of all, you’ve got until November 29 to make your mind up, since Sony isn’t stopping the deals at the end of Black Friday.

We weren’t 100-percent convinced by Google TV and how street-ready the smart TV platform is when we reviewed Logitech’s Revue yesterday, but a couple hundred dollars off the sticker price of a new Sony HDTV might leave us a little more willing to accommodate the teething pains. As for the Blu-ray player, considering the NSZ-GT1 is now the same price as the Revue itself, it seems crazy not to opt for that over the Logitech.

The iPod nano, meanwhile, is down $21 on the 16GB model or $11 on the 8GB; as for the iPod touch, you can save $21, $31 or $41 respectively on the 8GB, 32GB or 64GB versions. The iPad camera connector kit is down $5 to $24, Apple’s wireless keyboard drops $5, and there’s $5 off both the Magic Mouse and the Magic Trackpad.

In the UK store, meanwhile, there are £81 savings on the iMac, MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air, while the iPad is down by £35. iPod nano savings are up to £10.99 while iPod touch discounts are up to £14.99. The deals are good for today, Friday November 26 only, but you may find better if you shop around official Apple resellers.

Plenty more deals to be had in The SlashGear Black Friday Deal Guide of Complete Excellence.

SlashINTERNATIONAL
“U.S. aircraft carrier heads for Korean waters” is not the first thing I wanted to read today when I went looking on an update for the situation unfolding between North and South Korea. If you’re the sort of person who keeps up with these sorts of events, or are at least a person who reads The Daily Slash on a daily basis, you’re aware that yesterday North Korea shelled a South Korean island, leveling a number of buildings and killing two civilians. Today, a U.S. aircraft carrier is on its way over there to… maybe sit around and have a glass of tea. Today the U.S. government expressed its belief that the North Korean aggression was an isolated incident that had to do with leadership change in Pyongyang (N.Korea’s capital), and that it hoped China would use its influence to stop additional “provocative behavior.” Further, Rueters reports:

North Korea said the shelling was in self-defense after Seoul fired shells into its waters near the disputed maritime border. The North’s KCNA news agency said the South was driving the peninsula to the “brink of war” with “reckless military provocation” and by postponing humanitarian aid.

So now the USS George Washington, capable of carrying 75 warplanes and a crew of over 6,000 has left a naval base south of Tokyo Japan and will be joining exercises with South Korea from Sunday to the following Wednesday, so says U.S. officials in Seoul. Read the full story over at [Reuters] and remember when you’re chewing on your roasted bird tomorrow that you should be thankful we’re not in more war than we’re already in and hope, wish, or pray for a peaceful solution to this terrible situation.

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
Verizon Wireless Add More Devices Into The Black Friday List And BOGA
HTC DROID Incredible Free Via Dell, Plus $25 Gift Card
Verizon Announced DROID Essential Packs For Holiday Offers
Opera Mini had 76.3 million users in October
UberTwitter Beta hits the iPhone

Android Community
Droid Incredible Free From Dell, Shipping, Activation, and a Gift Card Included
Yelp adds check-in offers for Android
Laptop Magazine reviews Viewsonic ViewPad 7 tablet
PC World runs down the best apps for Black Friday on Android
Motorola Defy coming to Telstra in Australia
FlightView Elite now available in Android Market for $3.99
OpenFeint brings 8 new titles to Android
Open your garage with your Android device [NEATO]
Samsung Epic 4G Game Gripper Available Now [NEATO]
PlayStation Phone arriving December 9th?
Creative ZiiO Android Tablet hits the FCC
DROID 2 Global gets officially announced, sort of

SlashGear
HTC PB92300 hits FCC: new video calling Aria?
Sony 3D pro camcorder gets new video demo
LG HDTV NetCast update adds BBC iPlayer, Facebook, Twitter & more
Back to the Future Delorean gets the Flash Rods treatment [HE HITS ONE TREE THEN IT'S LONE PINE MALL]
Acer outs first 3D notebook in Japan
Movea turns your iPhone 4 into an Air Mouse for HTPC use
iPad waterproof case called Drycase unveiled [DUNK IT IN]
FreeOneHand iPad holder and stand is odd [JUST A POLE]
Android data theft exploit to be plugged in Gingerbread [Video]
Andy Rubin to release Android 2.3 Gingerbread on Dec 6?
Stern unveils limited edition version of Avatar pinball game [PINBALL FOREVER]
GoSmart Clip hangs your smartphone on the steering wheel [WHA...?]
ColorWare add new MacBook Air to line-up [BRIGHT]
iOS 4.3 due Dec 13 with News Corp “Daily” recurring subscription APIs?
Chinese gamer reportedly pays $677 per minute for IMAX-style big screen play [WORTH IT]
PocketBook Mirasol ereader due Q3 2011; IQ701 touchscreen tablet tipped
$89 Kindle 2 for Amazon’s Black Friday sale
Foursquare Mocks TSA Airport Screenings with “Baggage Handler” Badge [GG]
Content Rating System Coming to Android Market
Koostik Wooden iPhone Dock for Olde Fashioned Sound Amplification
Facebook to Trademark the Word “Face”
The SlashGear Black Friday Deal Guide of Complete Excellence
Microsoft Might Fund Halo Movie, Wants Your Mom to See It [AWESOME FRIGGIN AWESOME]
Black Friday Is Never Good For My Tech Addiction [COLUMN]
Nissan Reveals Fuel Efficient ECO Pedal System
PSP and UK TVs Updated by Sony to Work with Qriocity Streaming Movies
Pigeon Food Will Soon Turn Bird Crap Into Soap [LOLS]
List of GameStop Locations Open at Midnight on Black Friday
Obama Signs Another iPad in Europe [WHAT A COOL GUY]
Samsung 256GB SSD 470 Series [REVIEW]
Microsoft drop Drive Extender from Windows Home Server refresh
SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad released [UPDATE: ONLY works with Slingbox SOLO and Pro-HD]

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

Now remember, these are hand-picked by our staff, and almost certainly are the best deals you’re going to find on the products (or similar products) sold on Black Friday. If you’ve got any additions or suggestions you’d like to make, feel free to comment below and we’ll more than likely add them to the big lists. This list is centered around electronics, but isn’t limited to them, as we know you love accessories and wacky weirdness as well.

Online
One Year of Eye-Fi Premium [DISCOUNT REVEALED DAY OF]
StealthArmor full-body kits for $15 [$45 DISCOUNT]
$89 Kindle 2 for Amazon’s Black Friday sale
M&M’s All Orders Over $30 [20% OFF]
Clear Spot® 4G for $20 at Clear [SAVING $80]
17.3″ Sony VAIO VPCEC3AFX/BJ Core i5 Laptop w/1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD5650 & Blu-ray for $1,099.99 with free shipping at Sony Style [SAVING $100]
Vannen Artist Watches for HALF OFF at VannenWatches Online Store [SAVING $42]

In the Streets
Panasonic TC-P50U2 1080p 50-inch HDTV for $700 at Best Buy [SAVING $150]
Vizio XVT553SV 1080p 55-inch LCD HDTV for $1,498 at Sam’s Club [SAVING $149.99]
Sony 15.5″ VAIO Laptop with 3GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive and Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor Blu-ray player and Karate Kid Blu-ray Disk for $499 at Best Buy [SAVING $239.97]
HP Pavilion p6624y with a quad-core AMD processor, 8GB of memory, and a 1TB hard drive with 23-inch monitor and wireless printer for $600 at Best Buy [NORMALLY $100 MORE WITH NO ACCESSORIES]
Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 for $150 at Staples [SAVING $60]
Magellan Maestro 3100 GPS Navigation System for $129.99 at Radio Shack [SAVING $85]
Klipsch Synergy III 8″ 2-Way Dual-Woofer Floorstanding Speaker for $222.99 at Best Buy [SAVING $160]
PlayStation 3 80GB with 15 Blu-ray movies for $499 at Wal-mart [SAVING $200] — NOTE, this is SATURDAY ONLY
10.1″ Acer Aspire AOD255-2331 netbook for $179.99 at RadioShack [SAVING $100]
Nintendo Wii Console (Black) w/ Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Remote Plus for $169.99 at Best Buy [SAVING $30]
Gowalla/Amazon.com $50 Gift Code for FREE at Hidden Locations (SCAVENGER HUNT) [SAVING 100%]
HTC HD7 for FREE at T-Mobile [SAVING $199] – WHEN YOU BUY ONE AT FULL PRICE W/2-YEAR CONTRACT

Now REMEMBER, as you go out (or stay at home, for that matter) on this day of massive buyings and sellings, be safe, and remember that NO DEAL is worth getting punched in the face over.

[Image credit: NoHoDamon]

But Black Friday changes everything for me. Not only is it a day that I look forward to each and every year, but it’s also a day that I spend a lot of money. I, like so many others around the U.S., am a sucker for a good deal.

I fully realize that by being a sucker for a good deal, I’m also playing into the retailers’ (and vendors’) favor and potentially losing the good commercial sense that I enjoy the rest of the year.

Whereas in April I might opt against buying a certain product because the price is too high, on Black Friday, I’m won over by the belief that “I won’t get a better deal if I wait, so I should probably just buy it now.”

It’s a thought that has been proven wrong time and again throughout the years, but each and every year, I anxiously await the newspaper ads, check out my favorite retailers’ Web sites, and start devising a strategy that can get me to the stores in the shortest time possible.

Now, the cynics out there might just ask why I haven’t learned my lesson. But those in my position understand my plight: I have a tech addiction. And as more products hit store shelves, the more of them I want.

I justify purchases of certain products based on how I believe I will use them: “See that cool iPod alarm clock over there? Well, I don’t like sleeping in all the time, so maybe if I had that, I could wake up sooner to the tracks I really want to hear.”

Next thing I know, that alarm clock is collecting dust next to the bed, since I refuse to set it each passing day. It’s a common issue, since my affection for technology clouds my better judgment at times. But it’s not something that I apologize for.

I simply love technology. I love the opportunities it affords and the problems it solves in my life. And I really do see value in the vast majority of products on store shelves. So, when I get the chance to save a few extra bucks on something that I think can help solve another problem, I typically jump on it.

Yes, I know that continues to feed my addiction. And I fully realize that such impulsiveness has burned me in the past. But when I get that single product for a great deal that I use each and every day, it makes it all worth it.

Say what you will about Black Friday, but this year, I’ll be out among the other shoppers trying to find the best deals on tech.

Who else will be out there with me?

Of course if your favorite store isn’t on the list for this Black Friday extravaganza, you’ll want to be in line for the 5AM opening like everybody else. Keep your eyes open for our big Black Friday list coming out later today as well.

[Via Joystiq]

R3 Media Network

Android Community
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iOS 4.3 due Dec 13 with News Corp “Daily” recurring subscription APIs?
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PocketBook Mirasol ereader due Q3 2011; IQ701 touchscreen tablet tipped
$89 Kindle 2 for Amazon’s Black Friday sale [MORE BLACK FRIDAY DEALS COMING YOUR WAY IN A BIG FAT POST TODAY]

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

The retailer isn’t saying exactly how many of the Kindle 2 units it has in stock, only that there is a “limited number,” and we’re guessing they’ll sell out fast. This particular unit has the previous-gen E Ink display and global 3G, but no WiFi.

Meanwhile, according to Amazon’s Kindle Facebook page, the retailer saw its biggest sales day ever for Kindles this week. No hard numbers, however, which Amazon seems generally reluctant to give out.

[via Me And My Kindle]

R3 Media Network

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Mobile Safari gets orientation API in iOS 4.2 for tilt-sensitive sites [IMA BARF]
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Apple Black Friday teaser promises discounts in US & international stores [MILLION DOLLAR DISCOUNT LETS HOPE]
Google Chrome OS netbooks delayed, but beta software release on track?

To see more wrap-up posts, follow the following tags: [The Daily Slash] or [SlashGear Morning Wrap-up]

“You’ll find dozens of great iPad, iPod, and Mac gifts for everyone on your list” reads the teaser, which – unlike with many retailers – is not limited to the US store. Instead, it’s Black Friday across many of Apple’s international stores, with the UK, French and German stores (among others) all running similar events.

What remains to be seen is the extent of Apple’s discounting, which has tended to be underwhelming in comparison to the cuts their authorized resellers have offered. In 2009, for instance, while resellers cut around $300 from MacBook Pro and iMac systems, Apple reduced prices by a third of that amount. Still, given the persistent appeal of Apple hardware, and the company’s general tight control over retail pricing, if you’ve been considering picking up a new gadget then this Friday may be the right time to do it.

[via Apple Insider]

While the video game retail locations are probably safe bet, as are the larger electronics retailers out there, Sears will also have the new consoles in stock by the time Black Friday rolls around. The orange DSi, along with the green one, will retail for $150, and it includes one free title: Mario Party DS. So if you’ve been waiting to get your hands on a uniquely colored DSi, just wait a couple more days, and your dream could come true.

Press Release

NINTENDO ADDS COLOR TO BLACK FRIDAY WITH ORANGE, GREEN NINTENDO DSI BUNDLES

Nov. 22, 2010

Nintendo is giving Black Friday a splash of color with two new bundles for its hot-selling Nintendo DSi™ system. For the first time, shoppers can choose an orange or green system, which will be bundled with the Mario Party™ DS game. The new colors go on sale on Nov. 26 and will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of $149.99.

These new colors join Nintendo’s other great value bundles for the holidays that are being released in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros.™ game on the NES™. These include the limited-edition red Nintendo DSi XL™ bundle, which features a red Nintendo DSi XL system with three iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics, the Mario Kart™ DS game, and preloaded software titles including Brain Age™ Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock at a suggested retail price of $179.99. In addition to those preloaded titles, each Nintendo DSi system comes preloaded with Flipnote Studio™, which lets users create, upload and share their own fun animations.

Nintendo is also offering the limited-edition red Wii™ hardware that includes a new red Wii Remote™ Plus controller, a red Nunchuk™ controller, and games New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii and Wii Sports™ at a suggested retail price of $199.99.

Through the end of October, Nintendo has sold more than 43 million systems in the Nintendo DS™ family in the United States alone, according to the independent NPD Group.

For more information about Nintendo DSi, visit http://www.nintendodsi.com.

The app is called Black Flyday and it is available only on Android smartphones. The app is designed to allow friends that are shopping separately to share the good deals that they find in stores. The app uses GPS and the user can find deals within a certain radius of where they are. Then they can go to the stores and buy the items they find.

There are versions of the app for English and Spanish speakers and in addition to GPS enabled deals; the app has a bulletin board that users can share their deals on too. The app integrates Facebook Friends and it is free to use on Black Friday. Using the app after Black Friday is $9.99 for lifetime service.

Via Android Community

Today a company called Retail Decisions has released some information about overall sales during the two big shopping days for the retail industry as a whole. Sales of items on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined reached an estimated $5.3 billion in online sales.

That number represents an increase o 47% compared to the same period in 2008. The company also listed the most popular product purchased online during the shopping days. The top gadget was a TomTom GPS unit, Kodak digital camera was next, followed by the Nintendo Wii. The business hour for online shopping was from 1300 EST to 1400EST on Cyber Monday with $147 million spent in the hour.

The top ten most popular products were the Wii, nuvi 256WT GPS, iPod touch 8GB, D90 DSLR camera, digital Rebel XSI camera, nuvi 765T GPS, Wii Fit, iPod touch 16GB, nuvi 255W GPS, and Nintendo DS Pokemon pack.

Interestingly the categories with the most growth are things I would view more as household necessities rather than what people want for Christmas. The top growth category was tires at 118% with the second most growth in freezers at 104%. I guess people are buying things they need this Christmas rather than what they might want.

Alternatively there’s $21 off an Apple TV, bringing the mediaplayer down to $208, while the iPod nano and iPod touch get $11 and up to $41 knocked off respectively.  You’ll still get free shipping on anything over $50, too.

What we like most about Apple’s sale is that it’s not restricted to the US.  The company’s regional online stores are also showing discounts – how about £71 off a UK MacBook Pro or iMac? – and while there are no earth shattering deals to be had, given how relatively rare it is to see discounts on Apple hardware it makes sense to pick up your latest Cupertino gadget today rather than tomorrow.

The netbook is the Gateway LT that normally sells for $99. On Black Friday Verizon Wireless will offer the netbook for only $29. The machine has a 10.1-inch screen, 160GB HDD, and 1GB of RAM. Naturally, you will have to agree to a new contract and pay for service each month.

Verizon will also be offering the HTC Ozone for $9.99 and the LG Versa for $29.99, both are buy one get one free deals. The Mifi 2200 will sell for $49.99 after a $50 mail-n rebate on Black Friday. The specials are good from Friday the 27 through November 30.