PC Mike -Tech News

We’re getting used to tech companies naming parks, buildings and sports stadiums after themselves. But now they’re naming whole towns. Texas town renamed Dish in deal.

I’ve written before about my ID theft problems since my mail was stolen in August and thieves took those blank checks sent out unsolicited by credit card companies. Today’s mail broght my latest statements from Chase. The good news is there were no more unauthorized charges. The bad news is that Chase continues to pack the billing envelope with blank checks, despite my demand that they stop sending them to me.

This is shaping up as another record year for online holiday shopping.: MIKE WENDLAND: Free shipping may boost online holiday shopping.

The Web sites offering early peeks at Black Friday sales lists continues to grow. I did a Free Press column on it -  MIKE WENDLAND: Smart shoppers get sales info early - and an NBC-TV High Tech Talk video.

It sounds like a tacit admission that there really is a problem with scratches on the nano. Apple now Bundles Cover To Stymie iPod Nano Scratches.

My review of the new BlackBerry 8700 is up at Freep.com: MIKE WENDLAND: The whole world in your hand. But so is a WMV video review I put together showing the new model next to the old.

Still another new media giant jumps on the on-demand bandwagon… AOL to webcast classic TV shows. Tapping into the no-longer-in-syndication vaults of corporate partnner Warner Brothers, AOL plans muti-channel Web-only runs of old shows that can be watched via streaming video on your computer. There’s no charge, but they make you watch four 15-second commercials per episode.

Granted, since I’ve been testing out a new BlackBerry 8700 this week, I’m paying a lot more attention to all these stories about the patent infringement suit against RIM, the maker of this awesome little e-mail machine (look for my Detroit Free Press review Monday). Link: Nasty Thorns In The BlackBerry Patch .
But over the past week, back home in Michigan, in Florida and in Georgia, and all along highways and byways in between, I’ve been connected to my office and e-mail and readers and work contacts and friends as if I was home. The new BB, which works on Cingular’s speedy EDGE network, is really much faster than the older models I’ve tested. I haven’t missed a beat staying connected and haven’t once needed to pull out my laptop and find a wi-fi hotspot or Net access.
I’ve read the news, filed blog updates (including this one) and even written a column on the 8700.
While I know the BB will face stiff new competition in a couple of months from the new Treo 700 that will run on Verizon’s network, it’s clearly the dominant device in mobile connectivity right now and this pending lawsuit looms as a major threat to RIM.

The old saying that it’s pretty hard to ever really erase something from a computer sure seems true in this case.  Accused wife-killer Googled ‘Neck,’ ‘Snap,’ Among Other Words.

"And she said… what?… hang on a sec… Put the cash in the bag NOW! … Sorry, had some work to do… and you were saying?" Robber hits banks while talking on cell phone.

Why do I think this is some sort of delayed April Fool’s Day joke? Link: Company works on providing broadband by gas lines.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when all the stores roll out their best shopping values of the year. Its so called because that’s when many break into the black, that’s how busy they get. Online, speculation and leaked early sales notices abound.
At GottaDeal.com, a special Black Friday area is already filled with rumored ad postings for the post-Thanksgiving sales. Most retailers don’t launch those ads until a day or so before Thanksgiving. And what early shoppers armed with the list do is buy the items they want now and then return them for price adjustments afterwards. That’s one reason so many hot items are sold out so quickly.
Retailers dont like this sort of thing but, despite threats and even past suits, the lists keep getting leaked and posted.
That’s also happening at the Black Friday 2005 site, where the sale prices from a slew of national retailers are now up for review long befre they will officially be published. This site will even e-mail you when new lists become available.
Other sites with Black Friday lists include KeepCash.com, FatWallet.com and DealTaker/com.
And over on Bargainshare, they’ve posted an excellent Black Friday 2005 FAQ guide on how to shop for bargains and get what you want.
I’d like to hear from any of you who use these lists. ( mike AT pcmike DOT com).