AMAZON SELLERS CHARGING FOR FREE PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS

A report in Tuesday’s Washington Post reveals that Amazon is apparently selling free public-domain eBooks that have had their license information stripped. The eBooks in question originate from Project Gutenberg and are available there for free in a variety of formats including ePub, HTML and Kindle.

Project Gutenberg was founded by eBook inventor Michael Hart and is known as the first generally available collection of free eBooks. It is also maintained by volunteers who are not paid for their services.

Amazon’s alleged practice of selling rebranded Gutenberg eBooks is not illegal — in fact it doesn’t even violate Project Gutenberg’s license terms. It is, however, unethical at best and very disturbing at worst. In response to inquiries, an Amazon spokeswoman told the Post, “These books were uploaded by a third party using our self-service platform. I’ve sent your note to the appropriate team internally.” Amazon did not state that the Gutenberg eBooks would be removed from its Kindle store, nor did it condemn the practice of selling reformatted versions of free public-domain eBook files. [BGR]

EU TO FORMALLY INVESTIGATE GOOGLE FOR DOWNGRADING SEARCH COMPETITORS

Way back in February, the European Union announced its intention to look into allegations made against Google that the search leader wasn't ranking its competitors fairly in the results it delivered. Well, that fact-finding mission seems to have unearthed at least some hint of impropriety on Google's part, as it's now shed the "preliminary" label and has become a full-on antitrust probe. The original complaints came from EJustice.fr, Foundem.co.uk, and Microsoft's price comparison service Ciao, and they're still the basis of the investigation, though secondary issues, such as Google's conditions for advertisers and the way it tracks ad campaign data, will also be looked at. Let's not forget, however, that we're still dealing with allegations here, and it's going to be quite tricky to show any misdoing without delving into Google's famed algorithms and internal practices. [Engadget]

VERIZON HOSTING LTE CONFERENCE TOMORROW

Verizon Wireless has gotten very serious lately about its LTE deployment (I won't call it 4G since it isn't according to all governing bodies).  Tomorrow, December 1st, they will host a new conference to discuss their plans in more detail.

Tony Melone, VZW's chief tech officer, will be on hand to answer any questions beyond the already known facts that 38 metropolitan areas will be getting the LTE treatment in December, accounting for a cool 110 million Americans who'll be able to ride the lightning of faster internet speeds on the move.

We will do a round-up post of the conference tomorrow.

It should be interesting to hear his answer to the inevitable question "what is 4G". [Engadget]

RICHARD BRANSON LAUNCHES PROJECT - AN iPAD ONLY MAGAZINE

Richard Branson couldn't be outdone by his rival billionaire Rupert Murdoch. Project, an iPad only magazine, has officially launched today. While it is currently only available in Italy and the UK, it is expected to hit US shores shortly. The magazine app is (or will be) available on iTunes. The app itself is free, however the magazine will cost $2.99 for "a full month's worth of updating content."

The first issue features interviews, both audio and video, with Jeff Bridges. Jeff is starring in the upcoming sequel to Tron. Also Earth 2.0 and a "well-informed Godzilla." [Engadget]

IS COMCAST EXTORTING SERVICE PROVIDERS WHO DELIVER VIDEO?

Level 3, who recently signed a deal to become the primary provider for streaming Netflix content, was pressured by Comcast to pay a "recurring fee" "to transmit Internet online movies and other content to Comcast's customers who request such content." After a few days of negotiating, Level 3 paid the fee, ensuring uninterrupted service for Netflix subscribers.

Thomas Stortz, Level 3's chief legal officer, said this in a statement earlier today:

Level 3 believes Comcast's current position violates the spirit and letter of the FCC's proposed Internet Policy principles and other regulations and statutes, as well as Comcast's previous public statements about favoring an open Internet. While the network neutrality debate in Washington has focused on what actions a broadband access provider might take to filter, prioritize or manage content requested by its subscribers, Comcast's decision goes well beyond this. With this action, Comcast is preventing competing content from ever being delivered to Comcast's subscribers at all, unless Comcast's unilaterally-determined toll is paid - even though Comcast's subscribers requested the content. With this action, Comcast demonstrates the risk of a ‘closed' Internet, where a retail broadband Internet access provider decides whether and how their subscribers interact with content.

Comcast claims that their "toll" has nothing to do with Netflix or video traffic in general but rather with the amount of traffic Level 3 is pushing off onto Comcast's intertubes. In a statement tonight the company said:

We are happy to maintain a balanced, no-cost traffic exchange with Level 3. However, when one provider exploits this type of relationship by pushing the burden of massive traffic growth onto the other provider and its customers, we believe this is not fair.

Indeed, recent reports suggest that Netflix is responsible for a fairly absurd amount of bandwidth, and as Wired points out, the contracts that dictate who is responsible for carrying what traffic are largely left undisclosed to the public. Comcast's statements (unsurprisingly) shift the debate from one of net neutrality to the esoteric and largely uninteresting business of service providers negotiations.

Regardless, Level 3 says they'll be taking the matter to government regulators soon—hopefully there will be sufficient outrage at some point in the process to get Comcast to back down. [Gizmodo]

LEAKED: LG STAR

More photos of the LG Star have emerged.  These show an HDMI out port and Froyo.  It is expected the Star will ship with Gingerbread.  The leaker, over at AndroidForums, also claims the Star has a 480x800 resolution screen, a Tegra 2 chip and forward-facing camera. [Gizmodo]

WINDOWS PHONE 7 UPDATE COMING IN JANUARY; WILL BE 'MASSIVE'

Microsoft has been talking about Windows Phone 7 updates since long before Windows Phone 7 was even released. While the OS’ launch was a bit rushed, Microsoft is to be commended for taking a pretty open stance and choosing to talk about upcoming functionality instead of shrugging off inquiries as most companies do.

WP7 users should be happy to learn that many of the upcoming features Microsoft has been discussing could be coming as soon as January in a major update. According to Windows Phone 7 developer Chris Walsh, who claims to have inside knowledge of the update, Microsoft’s upcoming software bump will be “massive.” Expected features include copy/paste, free voice-guided Bing navigation, custom ringtone support, a third-party multitasking solution and more. Needless to say, all of this functionality is sorely missed in Windows Phone 7 as it stands today. [BGR]

ANGRY BIRDS CHRISTMAS VERSION COMING TO AN iPHONE NEAR YOU

The popular mobile game Angry Birds will soon be offered in a Christmas version. The new holiday version follows the Halloween-themed Angry Birds game offered on the iPhone and iOS devices in October. That version didn’t please some Angry Birds fans because aside from the theme the game really didn’t offer anything new. The good news is that if you bought the Halloween version you’ll be getting the Christmas one for free.

If you’re an Android user don’t fret. A free ad-supported Christmas version of the game is also coming for you as well. Rovio, publisher of Angry Birds, confirmed the upcoming Christmas version of the game via Twitter. [Geek]

TABLETS AFFECTING PC SALES SAYS GARTNER

Gartner’s worldwide PC shipment estimates have been downgraded and it seems that tablets are to blame. The research firm had originally estimated 18.1% growth in 2011 PC shipments compared to 2010. Gartner’s latest estimates have dropped the 2011 forecast to annual growth of just 15.9%.

So what kind of hit can PC’s expect to take as a result of tablets? Gartner believes that media tablets will displace around 10% of PC units by 2014. Apparently tablets aren’t the only thing that PC manufacturers should be worried about either. Raphael Vasquez, a research analyst at Gartner, says:

PC market growth will be impacted by devices that enable better on-the-go content consumption such as media tablets and next-generation smartphones.

That means that smartphones and tablets are giving PC shipments a one-two punch stunting their growth.

Gartner went on to point out four additional dynamics which are currently challenging the PC industry. This includes the fact that emerging markets are driving growth gaining more than 50% of the total worldwide PC market by the end of 2011. That growth may dry up due to the looming shadow of consumers who could bypass the traditional path to their first PC in favor of an alternative device.

Additional factors include cash-strapped consumers putting off PCs in favor of media tablets and extending average PC lifecycles. Hosted virtual desktops are also applying pressure to PC shipments as businesses and consumers look for ways to cut hardware costs by accessing desktop resources using thin clients or refurbished PCs. [Geek]

WOOT OFF!

We got us a Woot Off!  Hit up Woot.com for some good deals

GAYS, LESBIANS, BISEXUALS MORE LIKELY TO USE INTERNET

According to the Spring 2010 Experian Simmons GLBT study, gays/lesbians/bisexuals (GLB) are above average in internet usage. A little over 46% of the group ranks above average for Internet Activity, while just under 17% are average. In comparison just under 33.5% of heterosexuals are above average, while almost 23% are average. Experian Simmons' definition of Internet Activity is it "indicates the overall general online activity level for a respondent".

Interestingly, if we look at just gay men versus heterosexual men the gay men's group jumps to almost 52.5% for being above average for internet activity while the heterosexual men's group slips slightly to just under 32.75%.

All four groups, GLB, Heterosexuals, Gay men and heterosexual men all are about the same level for being below average for internet activity, ranging from 25% for gay men to 28.75% for heterosexual men.

If we look at propensity to be above average by group we find the gay men are 55% more likely to be above average in internet activity and GLB as a whole are 37% more likely. Heterosexuals are 1% less likely to be above average in internet activity and heterosexual men are 3% less likely to be above average.

The study is of LGBT and heterosexual adults 18 years of age and older.

About Experian Simmons: Experian Simmons brings consumer targets to life with vivid and complete profiles including lifestyles, attitudes, purchase behaviors and media use.  For over 50 years, Experian Simmons has delivered the superior consumer research insights that performance-driven marketers need to make confident decisions necessary to grow their business.  The high quality custom and syndicated research privides clients with fast and easy access to vivid consumer profiles of national and local populations, including detailed insights into the multi-faceted Hispanic community.

COMCAST HAVING ISSUES ACROSS EASTERN SEABOARD

Twitter's abuzz with angry Comcast customers tonight, as internet service is down in Boston and parts of the eastern United States, a situation the company's since confirmed at its official Twitter account. Comcast's calling it an unexpected outage and says that "engineers are finalizing the correction" as we speak, though it's admittedly been a couple of hours since that tweet. Meanwhile, Twitter at large seems to have figured out it's a Comcast DNS issue, and have had some luck switching to alternate servers like Google's at 8.8.4.4. and 8.8.8.8. Let us know if those work in comments after the break... assuming you manage to find this post in the first place given the present state of your connection. [Engadget]

RUMOR: FACEBOOK TO LAUNCH VIDEO CHAT

Facebook may be about to introduce a video chat feature if evidence found in the social network’s site code is to be believed.

Tal Alter from Green Any Site was working on a Facebook application when he came across an object in the Facebook site code called VideoChat. The options listed with the object made it clear this was for a video streaming service (see image above), and it even contains references to Skype.

Further digging by Tal found hooks for support in Internet Explorer, plugin support for ActiveX, and links for the Skype SDK. He also discovered Facebook is bucket testing this feature with certain groups of users as the object wasn’t appearing every time Tal refreshed the page he was looking at.

All the evidence points to Facebook introducing its own video chat platform as part of the social network, or at the very least allowing access to video through 3rd party solutions such as Skype. [Geek]

RUMOR: APPLE'S MACBOOK PROS TO LOSE OPTICAL DRIVE; GAIN SSD AND LIGHT PEAK

According to the three guys over at the Three Guys and a Podcast podcast, April 2011 will see a significant refresh of the Intel’s Light Peak technology.

Light Peak is the real, super exciting addition here: it’s basically a super high-speed data technology that not only outperforms USB 3.0, but also replaces all the other various cables you use in a computer, like HDMI to SATA.

According to the eponymous Three Guys, Apple is going to ditch optical drives across the board, which makes a lot of sense: Apple’s new business is pushing content digitally, whether media or software. Need to read a CD or DVD? You’ll need to buy an external drive. If you’re unwilling to part with a DVD burner, Apple is expected to keep a legacy MBP around to appease you, but expect even that to go the way of the dodo in a generation: Apple’s embracing the future, and that means embracing digital delivery as well as ultimate mobility. [Geek]

APPLE REJECTS ANDROID FOCUSED MAGAZINE APP

A magazine app from Danish company Mediaprovider has been rejected from Apple's App store because it featured exclusive content about the Android operating system, Media Watch has said.

Although Google's platform is in competition with Apple's, it stirs up accusations that Apple's censorship is too far-reaching and hypocritical. There's already an Android news app available in the App Store called Androidworld Reader, as well as various apps that have content about other operating systems. But Mediaprovider's Brian Dixen told Media Watch that his app, Android Magasinet, was rejected primarily for its Android-focused content.

"It's funny really because I don't think we would sell many magazines on Android through Apple App Store, but the question is where this is going," said Dixen, who thinks that Apple is too heavy-handed with its censorship.

Dixen has had other apps published in the App Store with no problem, he said. Both iPhone Magasinet and Gear, apps that deal with iPhone info and news about consumer electronics respectively, are both available for download.

Apple also blocks all apps that contain any kind of nudity, even those that are educational.

This isn't the only area in which Apple has been criticized for its censorship. The iPhone ignores all language that Apple has deemed foul in text messages as well. [PC Magazine]

RUMOR: GOOGLE SNATCHES UP GROUPON OR ARE THEY COMPETING FOR A 3RD?

Rumors of a Google Groupon acquisition are circling through the blogosphere and for good reason. Groupon CEO Andrew Mason’s Twitter account does reveal some interesting activity, namely a vaguely implicit conversation had with Google M&A lead Neeraj Arora back in September.

The exchange doesn't mean that Google acquired Groupon two months ago, however it’s interesting to note that the ongoing dialogue between the companies has been public since then. Mason’s end statement “thanks – gotta leave some for the rest of us :-)” alludes to Google and Groupon possibly going after the same third party company, with Groupon in the lead. This is also around the same time that a rumored Yahoo deal fell apart. [TechCrunch]

CYBER MONDAY DEALS ROUNDUP

It's Cyber Monday - the online equivelent of Black Friday shopping. Below is a roundup of some of the best deals out in ether.

Cameras

Nikon Coolpix 12.1MP S70 slim digital camera — $159 @ Best Buy
Kodak EasyShare M590 slim digital camera — $114 @ Amazon
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 micro-4/3rds digital camera — $399 @ Amazon

Computers

HP Pavilion desktop AMD quad-core, 8GB, 1TB – $629 @ HP
HP Pavilion dv6t notebook Intel Core i3, 6GB, 500GB — $599 @ HP
CyberpowerPC Intel Core i5, 4GB, 1TB, 1GB ATI GPU — $599 @ Newegg
iBuyPower Intel Core i3, 4Gb, 1TB, 512MB ATI GPU — $499 @ Newegg
Dell Zino HD nettop AMD dual-core, 3GB, Blu-ray — $349 @ Dell

Computer Accessories

8GB Kingston flash drive — $9.95 @ Buy.com
2TB Seagate HDD — $69.99 @ Newegg
Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless Router — $29.99 @ Newegg
OCZ 240GB SSD — $399 @ Newegg
HP Deskjet D2680 — $29.99 @ HP
Kingston 64GB SSD — $89.95 AR @ Buy.com

Gadgets

Refurb 3G Barnes & Noble Nook ereader — $99.99 @ Buy.com
Brother Labeler — $9.99 @ Buy.com
Free Insignia GPS with purchase of iPod touch — @ Best Buy
Xbox 360 Live Bundle — $249 @ Walmart
Free Shipping at ThinkGeek
30-70% off Watchismo Watches
20% of ScottEVest gear with the coupon code CYBER20

Thanks to TechCrunch for compiling this list!

SYMBIAN FOUNDATION SHUTTERING WEBSITES; SOURCE REPOSITORIES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

Every official Symbian website will be shuttered on the 17th of next month. That goes for every page from symbian.org down to the Symbian Twitter and Facebook feeds, and the source code itself will be shelved. If you want access to any of it, even the databases of user-generated bug reports, you'll have to ask the Foundation for a hard copy and pay a nominal media and shipping fee after January 31st.

Assuming Nokia's promise to keep Symbian open-source still rings true, you might want to start stashing away the repositories and setting up mirrors before the Foundation drops off the face of the web -- and perhaps the Symbian crowdsource community, too. [Engadget]

US GOVERNMENT SEIZES DOMAINS; DUBIOUS WARRANT CLAIMS

US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may have crossed a line -- in the midst of nabbing counterfeiters this weekend, the government organization seized the domains of a torrent meta-tracker and a trio of music sites. Today, the picture above is the only thing you'll see if you go to Torrent-Finder.com, RapGodFathers.com, Dajaz1.com or OnSmash.com, as the ICANN domain registration for the four are now in the ICE's possession, presumably on suspicion of piracy. If you ask the original domain owners however, they'll vehemently refute such allegations -- the torrent site reportedly didn't even distribute torrents themselves, merely cross-referenced other sites that do, and a RapGodFathers representative told TorrentFreak that it had complied with all DMCA takedown notifications. Apparently the websites and servers themselves are still intact, and it's only the URLs at stake, as two of the four websites are already up and running at domains ending in .info. We have to admit, this particular brand of domain squatting could be an intriguing business model. Expect "seized domains" to be tacked onto the laundry list of "Valuable Items You Too Can Buy at Government Auction!" any day now. [Engadget]

iPHONE JAILBREAK ULTRASN0W WORKING ON iOS 4.2.1

Earlier this morning, dev-team member MuscleNerd tweeted that he, and his gang of merry men, have successfully tweaked their ultrasn0w iPhone unlocking tool to working on Apple’s latest mobile iOS iteration, 4.2.1. If you read further down the twitter timeline, it looks like — for the time being — ultrasn0w is only working on iPhone 3G/3GS handsets with a baseband of 05.15.04; the iPhone 4 uses a different baseband and still needs more work. Despite not having a one-stop unlock for all iPhones, the dev-team will release the working version of ultrasn0w for the iPhone 3G/3GS in the very near future — they will not make users of said handset wait until the iPhone 4 exploit is completed. [BGR]

MICROSOFT RESPONDS TO WINDOWS PHONE 7 JAILBREAK

Hot on the heels of the release of a utility for bypassing the Windows Marketplace and sideloading your own apps, Microsoft has released a brief statement on the state of the Windows Phone 7 hacking community.

"We anticipated that people would attempt to unlock the phones and explore the underlying operating system. We encourage people to use their Windows Phone as supplied by the manufacturer to ensure the best possible user experience. Attempting to unlock a device could void the warranty, disable phone functionality, interrupt access to Windows Phone 7 services or render the phone permanently unusable."

Of course they want to put the fear in people that may consider jailbreak their spanking new WP7 devices with cautions of bricking the phone. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft takes a hands off approach or plays a cat-and-mouse game with jailbreakers ala Apple. [WinRumors]

PIRATE BAY FOUNDERS LOSE APPEAL

The founders of Pirate Bay, a bit-torrent sharing site, have lost their appeal in Swedish court. Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and Carl Lundstrom were originally convicted of copyright circumvention in April 2009 after a lengthy and contentious trial. The Swedish appeals court has upheld that original conviction. The appeals court did reduce the jail time for the four members, Fredrik Neij will serve a 10 month sentence; Peter Sunde eight months and Carl Lundstrom four months, Gottfried Svartholm Warg was too ill to attend the trial and will be sentenced when he is well. With the reduced sentences the court also increased the monetary judgement from 30 million kroner to 46 million kroner (US $6.4 million).

The International Federation for the Phonographic Industry issued a statement saying:

Today's judgment confirms the illegality of The Pirate Bay and the seriousness of the crimes of those involved. It is now time for The Pirate Bay, whose operators have twice been convicted in court, to close. We now look to governments and ISPs to take note of this judgment, do the responsible thing and take the necessary steps to get The Pirate Bay shut down.

[BBC News]

RUMOR: iPAD 2 NEW FEATURES

We all know it it coming, but when and exactly what the iPad 2 will have has led to speculation and rumor. DigiTimes is reporting the iPad2's new features will include:

• Retina Display
• Thinner glass face to cut down on weight
• Front facing camera for Face Time
• 3-axis gyroscope
• USB connection port

It makes sense for the iPad2 to have Retina Display and we know a front facing camera was yanked from the current iPad just before it went into production, but the USB port is probably not going to happen.  Apple has indicated numerous times they want to leave USB and go with Light Peak, a technology they are developing with Intel. [DigiTimes]

CHEVY VOLT GETS MPG STICKER

Just days after the Nissan Leaf got its official MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) sticker (99 MPGe), the much anticipated Chevy Volt has received its very own sticker. According to the EPA, the Volt will achieve 93 MPGe running on just batteries and 37 MPG on the gas engine. According to the EPA, the Volt will only be capable of cruising 35 miles on a full charge, but the overall range of 379 miles ain't too shabby for a car of this size. This was one of the last hurdles GM faced in getting the Volt into showrooms, so be on the lookout for this vehicle cruising down the roads very soon.  [Engadget]

US TO GET RID OF COLOR CODED ALERT SYSTEM

The US Department of Homeland Security will be getting rid of the confusing color coded system that no one was able to understand. Since 2002, the department has used the 5 color system (blue, green, yellow, orange, red) to alert citizens to potential terrorist and security threats. The problem is no one really understood the color scheme or paid attention to it. Also, since its inception Homeland Security has never lowered it past the yellow (Elevated) level, essentially making the blue and green useless.

No word yet on what the replacement will actually be, but the AP is reporting the new system will be more descriptive. [Gizmodo]

ANGRY BIRDS DAY - DECEMBER 11

December 11th is the first annual Angry Birds day.  This is a special day when Angry Bird players come together  to discuss and play Angry Birds.   Rovio, makers of Angry Birds, also has a big announcement planned for that day.  The event will be held in Trafalgar Square in London.

There is a ton of speculation that the event will herald the announcement of Angry Birds for Windows Phone 7.  There is also some chatter that further announcements will include Angry Birds for consoles and an Angry Birds movie.  However, given Rovio's past events they could have something even bigger up their sleeves. [TechCrunch]

WINDOWS PHONE 7 GETS JAILBREAK

Windows Phone 7 has been jailbroken, meaning apps outside of the official Marketplace will be available to download and use, just like those offered to iPhone users through Cydia.

The jailbreak is called ChevronWP7 with the developers stating as part of the release today:

Today we have an exciting breakthrough for the Windows Phone 7 homebrew community – the ability for anyone to unlock a WP7 device without a Marketplace developer account.

Unlocking allows the sideloading of experimental applications that would otherwise can’t be published to the Marketplace, such as those which access private or native APIs.

The jailbreak comes in the form of an executable file that requires a USB cable to install. It’s also fully reversible leaving your WP7 phone intact if you decide to revert back.

It’s early days yet, but a jailbreak so early in the life of WP7 means we could have a healthy unofficial set of apps available within a few months.

Download the jailbreak executable at ChevronWP7.

ACER UNVEILS 3D LAPTOP

Wondering when computer makers would follow the lead of television manufacturers and get around to making an affordable 3D computer? Acer has just announced just such a laptop, the Acer AS5745DG-A54E/L (great name Acer, everyone will remember that one....NOT!)

The 3D notebook will feature a 15.6-inch screen, an NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M GPU with NVIDIA’s 3D VISION at 120Hz, a 2.53GHz Intel Core i5-460M processor, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB hard drive, HDMI, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi b/g/n and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. It also ships with 3D VISION glasses, of course. Pricing hasn’t yet been announced, though Acer did say the AS5745DG-A54E/L will be available in Japan on December 3rd for “less than” 100,000 yen, which is roughly $1,200 US. Acer has not yet addressed availability outside of Japan. [BGR]

GOOGLE TO REQUIRE RATINGS ON ANDROID APPS IN MARKETPLACE

A recent post by Google seems to indicate that the company will require application content ratings on all present and future applications listed in the Android Market.

“Please use our application ratings to help users determine whether your application and its content is appropriate for them,” reads the post. “This includes all the content in your app, including user generated content and ads, and content that your app links to.”

Applications can be rated all, pre-teen, teen, or mature and Google notes that “hate speech” is not permitted in the Android Market; Google is also mandating that applications that use location not be categorized for all users. [BGR]

BLACK FRIDAY DEAL ROUNDUP

Engadget has posted a great list of Black Friday deals. These are considered some of the best sales available.

Deals happening early

Dell's giving away a Froyo-packed Droid Incredible for free on two-year contract, with free activation and free shipping to boot, and you even get a $25 Dell gift card with your "purchase," too. Deal ends Monday, or while supplies last.

Lenovo is chopping some Benjamins off of select ThinkPads and ThinkCentre PCs, be sure to use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY.

Xbox Live's Thanksgiving Week sale goes through next Tuesday and includes discounts on tons of games, including discounts on Arcade games and Add Ons.

TokyoFlash is offering up to 50 percent off certain items as well as 15 percent off all watches beginning tomorrow online if you use the code BLACK.

Mimoco's got a sale going on already that runs through Cyber Monday. It includes a 30 percent discount off everything in their web store and free shipping if your purchase is over $30.

Samsung 46" 3D 1080p LED HDTV bundle for $1,520 at Newegg. This one comes with a Samsung BD-C5900 3D Blu-ray player, and a Shrek 3D Starter kit. All you need to do is add the television (which is regularly $1899) to your cart and use the coupon code EMCZZNN54.

MacMall's Black Friday event is going on right now and has some decent discounts, including a 13-inch MacBook Pro for $1,098. Their sale runs through Friday and is already underway.

EarphoneSolutions is offering 20 percent off site wide from now until Monday. Just use coupon code: CYBER2010

CyberPower and Newegg.com will make an AMD Athlon II and Intel Core i5-powered desktop system available at savings of more than 30 percent. The sale begins on November 24th and will run through Cyber Monday. Both systems have limited quantities so customers should plan on shopping early and visit the Newegg website to score some super holiday savings.

AMD's Facebook page is currently hosting a deal stream for notebooks, desktops, processors and other goodies featuring AMD technology, all of which were uncovered and tweeted with the #AMDdeals hashtag by AMD fans and shoppers all over North America.

Amazon VOD is offering a rental movie for 75% off through the 30th with the promotional code "RENTDEAL"

Apple authorized resellers MacConnection and MacMall have jumped the gun to offer discounts on Macs, MacBooks, MacBook Pros, iMacs, and even the new MacBook Air starting on Thanksgiving. They'll even throw in free shipping and a free printer with each Mac sold. MacMass is also offering a free copy of Parallels Desktop 6. Typically it's the resellers, not Apple, who offer the best Black Friday deals. See AppleInsider for a detailed rundown on the savings.


General sale resources

Newegg.com starts its sale today at 4:00PM EST. We'll update with the best deals as we find them.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 unlocked for $190. Sure, it's chained to an antiquated version of Android, but boy is it cheap!
Need an e-reader? Perhaps the $90 Aluratek Libre Pro will do. It doesn't have an e-ink screen, but what do you expect for $90? Well, if you're lucky at Amazon this Friday (see above) you could pay the same for a Kindle 2...
Itching for a gaming mouse? Newegg has deep discounts on three -- a $35 Logitech G500, $40 Razer Lachesis Banshee and a $45 Microsoft SideWinder X8. There's also a Logitech G15 gaming keyboard for $50, or $30 after mail-in rebate.
There's also a pair of super-cheap LCD monitors for $90 each -- the 20-inch LG W2043TE and the 19-inch ASUS VE198T.
Building a desktop PC? You're going to need some memory, and good luck finding a better deal than this 4GB of G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 for the low price of $50.

Walmart will have both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday sales that start at 3:00AM EST on both days.

Target starts its Black Friday sale at 4AM on Friday. (TGG does not condone shopping at Target due to their attempt to buy a homophobic Minnesota governor)

Deal Vista has a massive Black Friday spreadsheet that is not for the faint of heart!