Beginning May 20, students going back to school can get a steal on an Xbox 360 when they buy a qualifying Windows PC for $699 or more. I say a steal because, you’ll feel like your stealing since the 4GB Xbox 360 is free.

That’s right! Get a free Xbox 360 with a band new PC for back-to-school.

Microsoft offered his promotion last year and it they will repeat the offer this year. In the United States you must buy a $699 PC, while in Canada you’ll get a free Xbox with a $599 Windows PC.

Outlets offering the deal in the United States include the following:

• Best Buy
• Dell
• Fry’s Electronics
• HP
• Microsoft Stores
• NewEgg

Canadian buyers can shop at:

• Best Buy
• Dell
• Future Shop
• Staples
• The Source

Many students will either start or return to college this summer and fall. A new notebook and an Xbox 360 will come in handy.

Use the computer for all those papers and projects. Get on the Xbox to play some games or use one of the many video apps, like Netflix or Hulu to watch TV and movies over the campus network. You can hook them up and play movies, videos, music and slide shows streamed from your computer. Maybe your dorm room will serve as the hub of fun and entertainment on your floor.

You’ll have to wait tilt he 20th to see which computers qualify for the deal at the various sites. The HP Envy Sleekbook 4t-1000 might offer a great option at $699.99 from HP directly. Its one of those new and thin 14″ models that offers some decent specs in a smaller form factor. Since you have the Xbox for gaming, you don’t necessarily need a powerhouse machine to carry to class and work on the papers you’ll write in the library.

The Toshiba Portege Ultrabook also might quality at $799.99 over at Best Buy. It offers a 13.3 display along with a 128GB SSD. it should provide enough battery life to get through your day and enough power for your basic student activities.

If you’re not satisfied with just Xbox gaming, then Dell’s Alienware M14x Gaming Laptop might show up on the list at nearly $1100. They build these for power with Core i5 or i7 processors at least 6GB of RAM. You also get at least 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with Optimus graphics powering a 14″ display. If you’re wiling to pay extra you can get 1600×900 resolution display. Dell recently refreshed the processor on these to offer the latest greatest.

You’ll find plenty of options at the above retailers, so check with them Sunday to see what you can get. For further details see the Windows Team Blog.

Students Get a Free Xbox 360 with $699 Notebook Purchase is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

When you think of gaming notebooks, normally your mind goes to the recently refreshed Alienware systems, but now you can get your Xbox 360 gaming on with a custom built Xbox 360 Slim notebook. If  you want, you can even get the Xbox gaming notebook customized with a custom engraving and your choice of paint.

This isn’t the Xbox 360 laptop as created by Ben Heck, rather it is a creation of a tinkerer named Ed who recently purchased a CNC machine and went to work.  The end result is an Xbox 360 notebook that can go wherever you want to go and can be played almost anywhere thanks to the built in LCD display.

The setup has a 17″ 720p display, component out, backlit buttons and feature built in wireless, USB ports and a network port. Unfortunately there is no Kinect port. Thee is no battery, but the power supply is built in, so you only need to carry a cord.

If you want an Xbox 360 laptop of your own, you can order one from Ed for $1,600 with an Xbox 360 Slim 4GB. There are plenty of options, and if you supply your own Xbox 360 the price drops.

Via TechnaBob

An Xbox 360 Laptop You Can Buy: Gaming Notebook is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Rivet is a tiny piece of Mac software that will help you stream video, music and photos to an Xbox 360. Many people have their iTunes library of music and movies on their MacBook which can’t stream to the Xbox 360 by default. Following this simple guide, you can take that library on the road with you to a friend’s house and stream it to their Xbox 360 and then bring it home and do the same with yours.

We just purchased an Xbox 360 and figured it was impossible to view videos saved in iTunes on the new entertainment console. But thankfully we found Rivet. This tiny program, which only costs $20, will do the job very simply. In fact it was as easy as downloading, installing, configuring and turning on the Xbox 360. The Little App Factory offers a free trial that lets you stream 25 movies or songs before paying.

One you get Rivet loaded on your MacBook, it places an icon in the menu bar. That icon also serves as the menu for the app. Click it to view the options. You can check to share or not share your movies, music and photos through the application. The preferences dialog box will also let you choose what to stream, set settings for each media type, and to change network settings. There isn’t much to change to get it to work. Rivet is also supposed to work with the PS3 console, but we haven’t tested that.

After setting up the software, turn on your Xbox 360. From the Xbox menu go to the My Xbox item and choose any of the three kinds of libraries. We first tested the Video Library playing the great Civil War film God’s and Generals. It worked Flawlessly. It does not stream video downloaded from iTunes. It works well on movies that you create or that you rip from your own DVDs.

Xbox 360 lists sources

Songs are grouped much like they are in iTunes. You can play music categorized by artist, genre, and via your iTunes playlists. The sound is excellent. It won’t stream DRM infested music.

Xbox 360 My Videos listing iTunes movies

We had trouble with our pictures. It will stream pictures into slideshows from iPhoto, Aperture or just your picture folders. We set it up to show iPhoto library pictures. A couple of our iPhoto sets would not stream, but when we went into the photos item and streamed our pictures that way, it worked well. The slideshow quality is as good as your picture quality. It gives a kind of Ken Burns panning effect. The program can also stream pictures from Aperture and your Photos folders. You can add other folders via the settings box of the program’s menu on your Mac.

Streaming God's and Generals movie on the Xbox 360

This is the simplest way to get iTunes content onto your Xbox. The software transcodes the video and audio to be viewable on the Xbox if needed. The quality of the streams is as if you were watching it on any other Apple approved device like the Apple TV. We were very pleased and happy to pay the $20 to get this to work. The only disappointment was that it doesn’t work with movies downloaded from the iTunes store. However, DVDs backed up using Handbrake and imported into iTunes worked fine.

Pros:

• Easy to set up
• Stream quality is great
• No streaming hiccups
• Worked on all content with no DRM

Cons:

• Won’t stream copy protected content downloaded from iTunes store

How to Stream Your iTunes Library to Xbox 360 from a Mac [DRM Free] is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Microsoft will be officially supporting the use of their wildly popular Kinect Xbox 360 add-on for use on the PC with an SDK to arrive this spring. The Official Microsoft Blog made the announcement Monday.

Microsoft won’t be creating a consumer product themselves, yet. But they will offer a free downloadable software development kit aimed at “academic researchers and enthusiasts” many of whom have already been finding interesting ways to use the device. The video below is of a person using the Kinect to control a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner.

The Microsoft Kinect is a gaming add-on for the Xbox 360 which takes video of a user and translates her physical movements into gaming motions. For example, kicking a soccer ball in a game requires mimicking actually kicking a ball with a foot as the user stands in front of a calibrated camera.

The Kinect sold millions of units during the holiday shopping season and made our list of the ten most exciting new gadgets of 2010. We gave it our nod for just this kind of potential. We hope that someone will find a way to create a user interface control for a PC that will allow users to control Windows via hand motions and head movements. Imagine a dialogue box that asks for OK/Cancel input and just nodding your head deliberately to say OK instead of having to click or going back in an Internet browser by swiping a hand in front of the camera. There has already been talk of it being incorporated into Windows 8 whenever it ships.

At CES 2011 Microsoft’s keynote address included information on how they will be adding Kinect style controls to things like Netflix and other non-gaming implementations on the console. This tipped off the growing community of Kinect hackers that something like this would be coming soon. But few likely expected it to happen this quickly. This is a positive sign.

Microsoft Kinect Officially Supported on PC in Spring is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

During the Microsoft CES 2011 Keynote Steve Ballmer and others from Microsoft announced some interesting improvements to the Xbox including Kinect control of both Netflix and hulu coming this spring.

Kinect is the new add-on for Xbox 360. The idea is “you are the controller”.  As a resuilt, using gestures and voice, the Xbox Kinect lets users control the games and interface of the system. Now they are going to have full control of the Netflix and hulu PLUS applications running on the Xbox 360 coming this Spring.

Also coming in conjunction with their partnership with ESPN is live interaction while enjoying sporting events. One of the first major sports events will be the NCAA National Football championship game between Auburn and Oregon, next week. Users will be able to interact, post their comments, and predict a winner while seeing other viewers inputs as well. This will be available to Xbox Live Gold members. It is called College Bowl Showdown.

In the early days of Windows Microsoft released an avatar based chat system called Microsoft Chat. Now with the Xbox Live there will be what they call Avatar Kinect which will be able to use the Kinect sensor to recognize things like facial expressions as people chat in a 3D environment on their Xbox 360 with Kinect. This will interface with online social sites like Facebook.

During the Xbox portion of the Microsoft Keynote they bragged about the Xbox now being a decade old and having the most popular platform for the last 6 months. They now have 30 Million Xbox Live users and have sold 50 Million unites worldwide. They predicted they would sell 5 Million Kinect units during the holiday season and beat that estimate by over 3 Million worldwide making it the fastest selling new technology project ever.

Below is a demo of the Kinect:

Microsoft Announces Xbox Kinect Controls and Xbox Live Avatar at CES 2011 is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

2010 was an interesting year for tech toys and gadgets. We share with you our most exciting or interesting new items introduced in 2010. To make the list only one criteria had to be met. It had to make us say, “Wow! That is so cool!” as we reach for our wallets. We count down our most exciting new gadgets for this past year.

10. The Glif

The Glif was introduced to the world as a Kickstarter project from Studio Neat, a pair of creative guys who like the iPhone 4, but really like it’s camera and screen. They wanted to devise a way to hook their iPhone up to a tripod so they could do a little high quality video and image capture. And the result was The Glif.

The reason we got so excited is we agree that the camera on the iPhone is truly great. Being able to carry around this little mount along with our iPhone and a small tripod we can now use the iPhone to do HD quality videos of some of the products we review, family photos, and pretty nature shots. Sure you wouldn’t use it for serious professional image capture. Or would you? The camera is not that good, but it is good enough for many of our simple needs and the glif makes a small HD camera or point-and-shoot still camera unnecessary.

In addition to hooking the iPhone 4 up to a tripod, you can use it as a stand so you can watch video or show off pictures at your desk or on a plane. If you use Facetime, this would be a great tool for holding the iPhone 4 on your desk.

9. Nook Color

Tablets are taking over and digital book readers are now becoming mainstream devices. When people who need help loading pictures on the digital photo frame, begin buying a Kindle, then you know the era of digital books is here.

The reason we chose the Nook Color as our ninth most exciting new tech toy of 2010 is more about what it might do in the future than what it does now. We are taking a leap of faith by selecting this one.

The Nook Color is an eBook reader that has a bright and beautiful color screen. It runs an older version of the Android operating system from Google. And that makes it an Android tablet. There has been talk that sometime in early 2011 it will be updated to Android 2.2 AKA FroYo. It does not have the Android Market Place and likely won’t then either. But with an SD card this little 7″ color tablet can be rooted and forced to run Android apps once that update comes. As a result, not only might it read eBooks and do a little web surfing (which it can now), but it might also be able rooted and then Kindle books with Amazon’s app, play Angry Birds and so much more.

We haven’t even told you the exciting part yet. This thing only costs $250. To root it you will need a 64GB microSD card which can add another $175. But that’s not bad for a 7″ tablet running Android 2.2 with apps.

8. Wireless 4G

4G is the next iteration of wireless broadband. It is exciting because it is fast. Sadly it is also not available in much of the country, but should be more widely available in 2011 and nearly everywhere that 3G is available now by the end of 2012.

Verizon’s 4G technology is called LTE and is mostly available in bigger markets with NFL teams. The rest of us will have to wait for a year or two. But it is so fast, that a recent test found that the network would let you download your 5GB limit in about half an hour. They should be offering phones from Motorola and Samsung according to a report cited by our colleagues at Gottabemobile.com.

Sprint started this party with WiMax. They claim that, with 4G, downloads will be up to 10 times faster than 3G. Their 4G is an “all you can stream, browse, email, chat, watch and game” network. So there won’t be the typical 5GB limit. The two interesting devices they offer are the HTC EVO 4G and the Overdrive 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot. The second one is like the MiFi – a wireless broadband router that can connect up to five devices to the Internet. We have more on the HTC below since it is our #7 most exciting new gadget for 2010.

AT&T is getting in on the 4G game too but won’t be leaping with both feet until 2011. They just bought some spectrum from Qualcomm to do just that.

7. HTC EVO 4G

This is really the combination of two exciting technologies for 2010. Android was announced before this year, but it has taken off as a mobile operating system this year. One of the most interesting Android mobile phones, according to the experts at Gottabemobile.com is the HTC EVO 4G. (See #8 on our list above)

According to our friend Chuong Nguyen, the HTC EVO 4G is the standout Android smart phone of the year. Here is what he said:

I think the HTC EVO 4G is one of the Android flagship phones and first 4G phone in the U.S. 2010 as the year when tethering became mainstream via phone maybe? And also the rise of mobile broadband use with increased smartphone adoption, leading to 4G marketing hype that also resulted in AT&T’s (unfortunate) cap on unlimited data. (Chuong Nguyen)

This beautiful wonder is now showing up at Best Buy, according to Nguyen.

6. Roku XDS

The first Roku actualy came out before 2010, but we’re cheating by putting the most recent update on the list because it is just awesome. If you are a Netflix customer, like to rent movies from Amazon or watch podcasts from Twit or Revision3, you will love the Roku XDS. With the addition of the Playon TV channel you can add dozens of other Internet streaming channels including some of the networks not available anywhere else but via a computer. And now there is also access to hulu PLUS.

The Roku XDS does wireless and Ethernet connectivity, HD signals via an HDMI port, streaming from a USB hard drive or flash drive, and has lots of content, including Blip.tv and Pandora. The remote is better than previous version now with more features, like a back button and a 30 second instant rewind button. Yet even with all the improvements it is still simple to set up and use. We had it hooked up and running within about 15 minutes. Of all the streaming to a TV Internet devices, Roku is the best. It is better than the AppleTV, Western Digital’s WDTV, Google TV and probably Boxee Box, although we haven’t tested that one.

The Roku comes in three different versions. The simple HD box is only $59.99 while the XD is $79.99 and the XDS is $99.99. The XDS can be purchased from Amazon for a slight discount at $95.75.

5. iPhone 4

Apple had some public relations issues with the iPhone 4 from a strange and possibly criminal leak to Gizmodo to some issues with their new external antenna. Despite all that, the iPhone 4 is one of the most popular consumer electronic devices of all time and still dominates the smart phone market. The addition of a front facing camera, the upgrade to the beautiful retina display, and the great HD camera that also takes great still images make this an exciting upgrade. Now with multitasking and better email support, the phone is even easier to use as well.

Below is a cool video showing off what you can do with the iPhone 4 video camera from Tested.com.

4. Microsoft Kinect

A few of our writers are excited about the Microsoft Kinect and some of their family members will be enjoying it this holiday season. The Kinect is an add-0n for the popular Xbox 360 gaming system. The device sold 2.5 Million units in its first 25 days on the market including the Black Friday weekend.

Taking a cue from the Nintendo Wii’s popularity Microsoft introduced the Kinect, a way of controlling the gaming system without the use of a controller. To kick a soccer ball just act like you are kicking. To run, start running. The Kinect has a camera that senses your movements and translates that into controlling the on screen action.

What is truly exciting is not just the gaming uses, but the way it is being hacked it to do other things. We think that soon Microsoft will add 3D motion sensing into Windows so that we can control our computers without need of a mouse or sometimes keyboards. And report says Microsoft is going to dramatically improve the sensor soon.

Bundled with an Xbox 360 and one game it costs $299. By itself it can be had for only $150.

3. Apple MacBook Air

The Apple MacBook Air is the best ultra-mobile notebook we’ve ever used. In our review and our publisher’s review at our sister site, Gottabemobile.com, we had very little to say that was bad about this notebook. It is ultra light, ultra fast despite its ordinary specs, and we think it will be setting a trend for where notebook coputers will be going for years to come. Besides size and speed, it has a beautiful screen, a full keyboard, even on the 11″ model, and it has instant on capability if you use sleep mode instead of powering it down completely.

The battery lasts a good four to five hours on full screen brightness and more when you dim the display and turn off wireless except when you have to have it. The MacBook Air is a little expensive starting at $999. And the strength – the fast SSD – is also a weakness due to small size. But it is worth the trade offs. Below is our video review.

2. Samsung Galaxy Tab

Apple doesn’t get all the love this year. Samsung poked its way into our top three with their Android 2.2 tablet the  Samsung Galaxy Tab. We’ve only had limited time with it, but this is a great little tablet running Google’s FroYo. It will only get better as Google makes their OS more tablet friendly. If only the wireless carriers had not disabled the ability to make calls with it, something possible in other countries.

Smaller than the iPad, some say it has a better form factor with its 7″ display, making it easier to carry. The screen is bright and beautiful and with the Android Market Place it has plenty of great apps. There are also features the iPad doesn’t have like a camera and an SD card port.

We are not excited about the way the wireless carriers are selling the device. You can get it without a monthly contract but it is more expensive than the iPad. With a monthly contract it is only about $400 from a couple of carriers.

Currently the Samsung Galaxy Tab is available through AT&T for $649.99 without a monthly contract, Sprint and T-Mobile for for $399.99 with a monthly contract and $599.99 without one, US Cellular for $599.99 without a contract, and Verizon for $599.99 with a contract.

1. Apple iPad

No other device has captured our attention like the Apple iPad. It has been a revolutionary device for many of us here at Notebooks.com. Sure, some are not using it as much as they expected. But large numbers of people are buying them and many more are longing to.

The iPad is an iOS device just like the iPhone and iPod Touch. In fact the early criticism from many was, “It’s just a big iPod Touch!” And our answer is, “Of course.” But the difference is size makes all the difference in the world.

The ability to read, surf the Internet, check email, watch TV or movies with apps like Netflix, hulu PLUS, the ABC TV app, and the built-in YouTube and Video player all make this a wonderful personal computer with the emphasis on the word personal.

We’ve shared with you some wonderful iPad Apps in our iPad App of the Week series. Here are our top iPad Apps of the Year. And it is all about the apps, since that is what makes all the iOS devices great.

In reviewing devices we sometimes give a product high praise after a few weeks of use and then realize we were too generous. But occasionally we don’t fully grasp how useful a product can be at the time of our review only to discover after months of use that it is better than we thought. The iPad is just that kind of device. We called it functional. But today we would probably say it is life-changing. It has been just that. It has changed the way we consume content at home, do our work on the job, and research both at home and work. That’s why the Apple iPad is the most exciting new gadget of 2010.

You know a product is going mainstream when it gets metioned in some popular media outlets. Below is David Letterman’s hilarious Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself When Waiting In Line for the iPad.

The Apple iPad comes in a Wi-Fi only version with three storage capacities (16GB for $499, 32GB for $599 and 64GB for $699) and a Wi-Fi plus 3G version using the AT&T network again in three storage capacies (16GB for $529, 32GB for $629 and 64GB for $729). There are pretty good discounts on refurbished models at the Apple refurbished products store.

Top 10 Most Exciting New Gadgets for 2010 is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The names of our gadgets and technology companies can be a bit humorous, but these two comedians on the BBC take the naming humor to a whole new level with a pun filled skit shown below.

The skit covers the easy targets like BlackBerry, Apple, Orange and Windows and also is able to bring in the Xbox 360 for a final laugh. Say what you will about the tech naming schemes that revolve around fruits and the like, but they are a good deal better than the naming schemes used by some companies that make it impossible to know which laptop, netbook or processor is the newest!

Via Engadget

Funny Video About the Naming Schemes of Tech Companies from the BBC is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

One right after the other, the big three game console makers have been bragging about their sales, now with Nintendo joining in the dueling press releases. According to an AP story, Nintendo sold 600,000 Nintendo Wii gaming consoles on Black Friday. They also sold an additional 900,000 Nintendo DS handheld gaming systems on the same day.

Nintendo joins Sony, which reported moving 4.1 Million Play Station Move Controllers out to retailers, and the Microsoft Xbox Kinect, which was purchased at a rate of 2.5 million in its first 25 days. It is not unusual for gaming systems to sell well during the holidays. With the addition of motion controllers, the big three all have similar offerings this holiday season.

One big difference in the numbers reported is that Nintendo is reporting selling 1.5 Million gaming systems. Neither Microsoft nor Sony broke down how many of their sales were just the controllers or add-ons and how many were fully integrated bundles of the console with either the Move or Kinect included. So, perhaps there is still some juice left in Nintendo’s platform. Certainly the lower initial price has an impact on the sales. A Nintendo Wii with 1 controller and a pair of games is selling for $200 at Amazon. Add an additional controller set for $34 bringing the total for a system and two controllers to $234.

A similar bundle of the Playstation 3 with a 320GB hard drive and a single controller and Move controller is $400 at Amazon. Add a second controller for $45 and a second Move controller for $50 (sold out at Amazon) and you are playing nearly $500 for the ability to have two players simultaneously enjoy the new Sony system.

A 4GB Xbox 360 bundle with a game and a Kinect sensor is $375 at Amazon. An additional controller will cost $39. You don’t need to buy any additional hardware to get a second person playing Kinect games. It already works with two players out of the box.

As you can see, the Wii has a distinct price advantage.

Nintendo Joins Sony and Microsoft with Brisk Holiday Sales is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Upon hearing Microsoft’s announcement of 2.5 Million Xbox Kinects sold in the first 25 days, Sony must not have wanted to be upstaged. They announced that they have shipped 4.1 Million PlayStation Move controllers … to retailers, according to Engadget.

However, this is not comparing two of the same. Microsoft’s report was of sales while Sony is reporting the number shipped out to stores. What if 4 Million of them go unsold? That likely won’t happen, but before you believe reports that are misstating the facts, you should know that Sony isn’t releasing actual sales figures yet.

Also it is worth noting that to use PlayStation Move all players need a controller, unlike the Kinect which can act as the controller for everyone playing. So a family of Four will need to purchase four Move controllers while the same family would only need one Kinect accessory. This is important because it speaks to the install base for the technology which is often used by publishers to decide which motion based tech to use when making a new game.

Below is a review of the Move:

Sony Move on the Move with 4.1M PlayStation Move Controllers Shipped is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Dexter and True Blood fans hang on to your remotes, Tech Crunch is reporting that Microsoft is in talks with Showtime and HBO to bring programming from both premium networks to the Xbox 360 as a channel subscription and as a la carte downloads.

If this works out, it could easily turn the 360 into a full fledged home entertainment console once Hulu Plus is available in early 2011. The idea is that the HBO and Showtime services would work similar to the ESPN 3 offering which allows users to watch sports on their 360 over the Internet.

The addition of more online features is in addition to the use of your Xbox 360 as a receiver for U-verse, which launched recently allowing users of AT&T’s U-verse service to watch TV on their Xbox 360 as if it were a cable box.

Hopefully, since the HBO and Showtime offerings will be paid, users won’t be locked out of watching the content based on who their Internet provider is. Currently Time Warner subscribers are unable to watch ESPN3 on the Xbox 360 because Time Warner and ESPN are in an ongoing dispute that frankly reminds us of the BFF – I Hate You – BFF again relationships we observed in junior high.

If this works out, we wouldn’t expect to see an announcement anytime before CES 2011.

Microsoft in Talks to Bring HBO and Showtime to Xbox 360 is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.