Hasta La Gadget!

Did you know that on this day in the year 2000, Bill Gates stepped aside as chief executive and promoted company president Steve Ballmer to the position? Now that you’re so smart, why not shop smart as well? Here are Gearlog’s deals for Tuesday:

1. Save $100 off of Dell’s 27-inch UltraSharp Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor with coupon code 6CJ26HHQRW7W03 when you check out. The monitor is normally $899, but this brings it down to $799. Also, you can save $50 on select monitors with coupon code FW17QS3LZ5MJ3J. Both offers end on January 28, so hurry. [Via Bargainist.com]

2. Amazon’s deal of the day saves you 65 percent on Blu-ray 3-packs. Choose from the Sci-Fi Superheros Bundle (Ghost Rider, Underworld, Resident Evil), British Action Bundle (Casino Royale, Layer Cake, a Knight’s Tale), or War and Politics Bundles (Vantage Point, Black Hawk Down, the Patriot). The packs usually cost $97.86, but you can get one for $63.41.

3. Save 50 percent off of electronic accessories at Zagg.com. Choose from ivisibleSHIELDS, laptop speakers, and earbuds, and apply coupon code SHOWSP09 when checking out to save 50 percent off of your entire purchase. The offer’s ending is unknown. [Via Bargainist.com]

The very shoe-like 2010 Toyota Prius has made its official debut at this week’s Detroit Auto Show. The company estimates it’ll have a 50 MPG rating — up from 46 MPG in the previous model — and there’s a bigger, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine for improved highway mileage. In addition to Power and Eco driving modes, EV Drive will let you run on battery alone for about a mile, which if nothing else should provide a little extra push for getting to the gas station when you’ve held off for too long. One of the coolest (literally) new features is the optional solar panels in the moonroof that will generate power for circulating air and keeping the interior temperature from going too high. If that’s not enough, there’s a remote-controlled A/C system that can run on battery alone and lets you set the temperature before you get in. Check out the read link for more specs and the full press release.

Filed under: Transportation

Next-gen Prius now official, uses solar panels to keep car cool originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The WSJ reports that Obama’s pick for FCC chairman is Julius Genachowski, Obama’s top tech adviser. He’s the mastermind of the Obama’s technology and innovation plan that supports net neutrality and ubiquitous cheap broadband.

Genachowski, a Harvard Law classmate of Obama’s, served at the FCC during the Clinton years before putting in time at Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActive Corp. and founding the venture capital firm LaunchBox Digital. And he’s almost exactly what Obama promised his FCC chair would look like.

He promises to be a different kind of FCC chair that current chairman Kevin Martin. Most crucially (for nerds), Genachowski supports net neutrality, while Martin was opposed to it, or at least the government mandating it. Martin also had a streak of relaxing media ownership rules, while Genachowski’s plans call for “media-ownership rules that encourage more diversity.” And telecoms like Verizon will probably be sad Martin is going away since he definitely played favorites with them over cable (allegedly inappropriately so).

One thing they agree on, though, is cheap broadband for all—Martin said at CES that a broadband connection is as important being connected to the phone system. But we’re sure they’re gonna go about giving broadband to all in different ways.

We like a fair bit of what Martin has done—the open 700MHz auction, for instance, and who can really hate him for busting Comcast’s balls all the time?—but we’re ready to see what the new guy can do.

Update: Here’s some more on Genachowski from the WSJ and what it might mean for the FCC. [WSJ]

Toy maker Uncle Milton has introduced Force Trainer, a game that utilizes NeuroSky’s brainwave-controlled gaming technology. In a manner similar to the Mind Flex we got our heads on at CES, the young Jedi dons a wireless headset that communicates with a simplified EEG. If you focus well enough, the “training sphere” rises in a 10-inch tube. Seems pretty harmless, no? At least until your humble child starts lifting rocks and choking people by simply furrowing their brow and gesturing menacingly. If you find this an acceptable risk (or you feel the need to work on your own mental prowess) the thing should be available this fall for just under $100.

Filed under: Gaming

Star Wars Force Trainer teaches children to kill… with their minds originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Things are, as they say, rough all over–even for Sony. According to Reuters, the Japanese electronics giant is expected to suffer a loss of $1.1 billion–the first annual operating loss in 14 years.

The loss is, at least in part, due a combination of poor sales and a stronger yen. The company’s stock has suffered a big hit as well, dropping 9 percent, reducing its market value from $22 billion to $20 billion.

Last month the company began a restructuring plan, cutting 16,000 jobs, including 8,000 regular workers–that’s 4 percent of its global workforce.