Welcome on this frigid Halloween -- at least here in the Northeast. I've got my goth girl/skeleton costume on at work - -are you wearing something cool today? I'd love to see all of you geeking out with your tech-pop costumes! Do we have any Bill Gates impersonators or iPhones in the house? If so, send me pics!

Now, let's see... we've got news fron Dell and the Beatles, Kindle shout outs and a big announcement from Netflix, so let's get to the headlines!

-A few days ago I talked to you about Oprah's endorsement of the Kindle v1 -- well big news on the e-reader front: Alleged images of Kindle 2.0 (which Amazon.com still vehemently denies exist) has been leaked online. And, assuming that the images are valid, talk about a drool worthy gadget! Sleek shiny pearl-shaped keys... smaller page up/back tapes... and the curved corners and the slightly larger size are gorgeous. I changed my mind about Kindle v1 -- it isn't the coolest gadget that I want but don't yet have -- Kindle v2 is!

PS -- Thanks to BlogKindle.com for the tip and the praise a few months back for naming Byte-Sized one of it's favorite blogs of the week!

-Color is the new black in tech gadgets! Along with the new faces from The Flip and their awesome Mino, Dell will jump on the edgy-design bandwagon Nov. 11 when the made-to-order PC maker rolls out a new line of laptops that feature sleek, saucy designs. They look fantastic -- something every tech-ionista would be proud to pull out at a Starbucks next to a double tall sugar-free vanilla soy latte. Oh wait -- maybe that's just me...

-Hey, wait a minute, Mr. Postman! I've got a story for you -- it's been a hard day's night, but after working like a dog, MTV Network's branch Harmonix has struck a deal with The Beatles to incorporate the massively influential 60s pop band's hits into it's massively popular video game franchise Rock Band. I'm so excited -- I just see myself belting out "Love Me Do!" and "Yellow Submarine" (complete with the echoing callbacks in the final chorus) -- so excited!

-And, finally, big news for fans of Tivo and Netflix -- if you are a joint subscriber (as I am) you will have access to any of 12,000 TV shows and movies provided by Netflix to download directly on to you TiVo receiver -- as long as its series 3 or higher with HD capabilities. Talk about moving everything to the cloud -- this partnership is equally beneficial and awesome the consumers and the companies. Long live TiVo!

Labels: Amazon.com, Beatles, Kindle, Kindle 2.-, Netflix, Oprah, Rock Band 2, TiVo

This week's news was far too interesting to hang on to it all until Friday, and who wants to read stale bytes after the fact? So, here is a special mid-week update on the top tech news of the week!

Oprah has officially announced Amazon.com's Kindle is her new favorite gadget -- even going so far to call it 'life-changing.' It's possible this daytime dynamo's endorsement is all it will take for Kindle to become a household name -- let's hope she doesn't give it the Frey treatment later on while trying to boost her sagging ratings...

My favorite bookseller, Barnes and Noble (due to the uncanny ability of my local library-ish store never to feel full or overcrowded, even on Harry Potter release nights), has launched a social network that allows users to post up lists of their favorite books, lists of the books they want, and comments/reviews of new releases. And, it links with Facebook accounts, so you can keep your friends updated on your literary preferences, as well. Booksellers are getting desperate in these tough times to keep people reading -- and with Harry Potter and now the Twilight saga done, they are moving to the cloud. Methinks they should take a look at the blurb above on what their next digital move should be. Can anyone say, "Amazon.com partnership"?

This article on gaming consoles and their broken promises is a great read and brings back memories of previous claims of backwards compatibility and revolutionary technologies. Take a minute with your cup of coffee and give it a read. (Don't mind the creepy-looking gamer dude -- I'm sure it's just a bad picture...)

Netflix is rolling out a steaming-media player based on Microsoft's Silverlight technology, which, for the first time, is available for use on Macs with an Intel core. Am the only person who hears Livingston Taylor's "City LiiIIiights ... shining in your eyes..." when I read that name? I like it!

Labels: Barnes and Nobles, gaming consoles, Kindle, Microsoft, Netflix, Oprah, Silverlight, Social Network