Bleak Black Friday predictions
While the rest of the week, we've talked about some of the highlights for Black Friday, leave it to the downers like John Biggs from CrunchGear and Seth Porges from Popular Mechanics to rain on the crazy parade. We talk about the quality of Black Friday gadgets, the ones to avoid, and the ones you should really be looking out for.
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3DTV: The next big thing or next big flop?
Panasonic is showing off a 50-inch plasma TV which aims to bring 3D TV from the movie theater to the home theater. That's all well-and-good, but even if the company has managed to fix the persistent headaches, awkward motion and other issues that have plagued 3D in the past, does it actually add anything to the experience? We talk to John Biggs from CrunchGear and Nate Lanxon from CNET UK, who aren't totally sold on the idea either.
What's your take? Are you eager to have a 3D set in your living room? Sound off in the comments, or send a video response to our YouTube Channel.
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Is Windows 7’s preorder hype founded in reality?
Earlier today, UK websites had a bit of trouble handling a surge in preorders for Windows 7. Obviously, early adopter types are virtually lining up to get their hands on the next-gen OS officially, but why? Is it the fact that they've tested out the release candidate and it's exceeded expectations, or is it because the OS is so much less expensive on pre-order? We ask CNET's Molly Wood and CrunchGear's John Biggs their take on the situation.
Molly thinks its all about the benjamins, or lack thereof. The pricing structure that is as low as about $50 is really appealing right now to consumers, and Molly contends that if Microsoft wants to think about long-term success with this operating system, it'd behoove them to drop the price. Permanently.
John thinks in addition to the attractive pricing, Microsoft has gone out of their way so that the OS is about the furthest from a shock as possible. With the availability of both a beta and a release candidate, any self-respecting early adopter has at least installed the OS on a machine they don't care about, so people know what to expect when the real deal goes gold, which lowers the barrier for purchasing a boxed copy.
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Which smartphone are you buying?
It's been a rather eventful June thus far, with Apple unveiling the iPhone 3GS, Palm releasing the Pre, and today RIM announced the BlackBerry Tour. Each phone has its own ups and downs, but which phone is going to end up in your pocket?
We ask John Biggs of CrunchGear, and Jason Hiner of TechRepublic their takes on the latest crop of smartphones. John's phone of choice looks to be the iPhone 3GS, while Jason is eying the Pre. Both of our panelists think the real news this summer is that those cheaper, free with contract feature phones look to be going the way of the dodo, especially with a $99 iPhone on tap.
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