Productopia | Carl Laron

Are you completely stumped on what to buy that special someone but don't want to do something gauche like just coming out and asking him or her? Here's an idea: Instead ask what type of smartphone he or she owns. According to a study by the folks at Retrevo.com, the type of smartphone a person owns sheds some interesting light on their personality and what type of gifts would thrill them most this holiday season. Read more

Netflix, which pioneered the online disc rental concept, has announced its first streaming-only subscription plan. Long anticipated, especially after the company launched a similar plan in Canada earlier this fall, it's priced at $7.99 per  month. That, not coincidentally we are sure, is the same as the recently lowered price of the Hulu Plus streaming service. Those who were clamoring for a less-expensive streaming-only Netflix plan are likely pleased. On the other hand, those who still want physical media (DVDs or Blu-ray Discs), or would like to see an occasional new release or two, are probably wearing a frown after learning that they'll need to dig deeper into their pockets each month as the cost of Netflix's traditional plans are going up. Read more

Ebook readers are dead, the pundits cried after the debut of the iPad last summer. Not so fast, the public replied, as e-reader makers cut prices to deal with the reality of the post-iPad world. Fast-forward to today, and e-readers are expected to be a popular holiday gift for 2010. Because of that, it's no surprise the e-readers are also the subject of lots of Black Friday offers. Some of the deals are sure to be best sellers; others belong on the clearance table. Read on to see which is which. Read more

With Black Friday circulars from most of the major retailers now leaked and posted online at sites like BFads.net, it's time to step back and see what's in store for shoppers hoping to put a new HDTV under the tree for the holidays. Looking through the ads, we were struck with a sense of déjà vu all over again (with apologies to Yogi Berra) as we saw many identical sets at retailers such as Walmart, Best Buy, and Sears being offered at nearly identical prices. At the same time, we saw a handful of deals just good enough to lose a little sleep over. As you might expect, the sets with the best performance and best features are only seeing modest reductions, if any at all. On the other hand, you can save a stack of greenbacks if you're willing to accept a TV from a lesser-known maker and put a greater premium on value than on getting the absolute best picture quality. Here's what we found. Read more