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

Happy Friday! Munch on these headlines with your break-time snacks.

A new clothing line offers wearers the ability to recharge mobile devices using built-in solar panels and control them with armband touchpads. Simply taking an mp3 player out of your pocket and being conscious enough to charge either at home, at the office or in your car? How totally passe!

A Mass. company announced that rocker-wannabes can order their Rock Band 2 avatars in the form of 6-inch figurines starting this week -- because who doesn't want their Rock Band alter-ego jamming on a shelf in a work cubicle? Count me and Galena in! Also available through the Rock Band site is merch from your customized rock band -- but is it too uncool to wear your own band's shirt while rocking out?

Microsoft and social network Facebook announced this week that Facebook has intergrated Microsoft's Live Search into its site. It's not clear whether this will increase Microsoft's traffic, but brand awareness of the Live Search is sure to rise. It's good to be the king.

In other Facebook news, a security company has determined up to 40% of the profiles on the social network are fakes used to push malware. Users responded to questions, 'Isn't everyone fake on Facebook?'

Microsoft has announced a new XBox Live Experience for its users, due Nov. 19 in a downloadable update. Upgrades to the system include a social environment with Wii-esque animated avatars that serve to represent gamers in party games and comminucations -- punctuating te growing seperation from reality and the gaming world.

Best Buy is launching an in-store brand of electronics it says were developed form big-name manufactures using customer input. So, basically, a store brand. Says a company insider, 'Heck, it works for cereal, why not mp3 players?'

Have a great weekend, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Labels: Best Buy Blue, facebook, figurines, merch, Microsoft Live Search, Rock Band 2, tech clothing

Let's take a peek around the web for this week's top stories, shall we?

I joked about it a few times, but joke no more: Google's gPhone is real. The phone, called Dream from vendor HTS, will debut in Oct., according to reports, and will feature Google's mobile OS Android. Set to cost around $200, much less than the iPhone iterations, this one definitely has Steve Jobs shaking in his arrogant boots.

Oh Bill Gates, how you disappoint me. Jerry Seinfeld? Really? He hit his peak in the early 90s, recently made a bad kids-only-like-it cartoon, and you hire him to help give Microsoft a new image? I'm not surprised the public berated it and you've been forced to drop the not-funny Seinfeld ad campaign after only 2 commercials. Sheesh. Way to get my back after all those compliments. Alas, there is a light -- perhaps the second phase of the $300 M ad campaign, poking fun at Apple and embracing the 'I'm a PC' image, will be better received.

Yikes -- scientists have been forced to shut down the Large Hadron Collider after only a day of use after a massive cooling mechanism failed. Whoever designed that part is SO fired. Thankfully, engineers have got the 17-ton component fixed and the LHC is back online.

Google made some big headlines this week -- in addition to the gPhone thing -- with a controversial UK decision to allow ads from religious groups opposing abortions, a new deal Google signed with GE to develop and promote sustainable energy solutions, and an announcement the company is moving ahead with an advertising deal with Yahoo despite worries form the government.

New games in stores this week include Stars Wars: The Force Unleashed. Finally, Lucas comes out with something awesome that totally lives up to expectations. This will be the hot one, so I hope you have your copy reserved. I will be chilling on the couch 'navigating' it this weekend -- or rocking out to Rock Band 2, which looks very cool and lets you use downloaded songs in tour playlists. It also allows you to form a band online and battle against other online bands. Very cool.

Have a great weekend, everyone -- catch you on the flip side!

Labels: Apple, CERN, Force Unleashed, gates, geek lingo, Google, hts dream, i'm a PC, Large Hadron Collider, microsoft ad campaign, online, Rock Band 2, seinfeld, Star Wars, sustainable energy, Yahoo