It’s always nice when our old gadgets and toys get some modern upgrades, but some things just should not be changed. The Etch-A-Sketch Freestyle gets rid of the traditional 2 controller knob design in favor of a single knob that can swivel 360 degrees.

I don’t know about you, but somehow this design feels like cheating. Half the fun of the classic version is that it requires some skill to use it. This is no Etch A Sketch.

It ain’t easy getting all of the cool toys you want in this economy. But Walmart aims to make it a little easier if you’ve been waiting to get a BlackBerry 9700 on Monday. The outfit is currently running a promotion from November 14th to the 20th where you’ll get a $100 Walmart gift card with every BlackBerry purchase.

No, it isn’t actual cash and it will take 4 to 6 weeks to get the card, but it’s still a sweet deal. And it’s as close as you’ll come to getting the BlackBerry 9700 for $99.99. Just be aware that the 2-year T-Mobile contract still applies. Consider it an early Christmas gift.

Is it a weapon? A PC from the future? The allspark? A cyborg heart from the year 2037? It’s actually BIll Owens’ award-winning NVIDIA ION Cube PC case mod, based on NVIDIA’s ION ITX motherboard. The aluminum case has UV green acrylic sheets, lit up with 4 cathode lights, and then placed on pedestal, where it rotates a full 360°.

The PC also features an x64 SSD by Corsair, 4GB RAM, and a 90-watt pico power supply, along with Windows Vista Premium, and an LG GH22 DVD Writer drive.

After countless iPod/iPhone docks that are all pretty much the same, the XML8110 Mechless Mobile Audio system manages to be unique. It combines an iPod docking station with a car stereo. On the surface it looks like a standard car stereo, but when you flip it down, the integrated universal iPod dock is exposed.

It will let you dock your iPod, charge the device, and users will be able to access all the playlists and music on the device. It also comes with a built in FM radio, EQ presets and an AUX In for connecting other devices. It will also allow users to take calls from their iPhone. With a corresponding iPhone app that’s also in the works, the integration between these two devices gets better.

Well if you don’t have a home theater Netflix streaming option yet, but own an internet-connected Sony BRAVIA TV, Netflix just went live. Just as they promised back in July. You’ll be watching your favorite flicks in no time now.

All you have to do is apply the latest software update and you’re ready to go. What will it be? A drama? Action movie? Comedy? Comedy is PS3 owners having to use a “DVD” to get Netflix working on their console. Feel free to laugh at them.

Bellperre is one of those companies that only offers handsets made from the finest luxury materials. With this phone they are keeping it as natural as possible, by including wood on the external chassis. Don’t worry, you still have the option to deck it out in tacky looking jewels.

Some of the woods available include hand-polished Steel, Rosé Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum and Brushed Black. It’s a nice loking phone, but let’s just hope that someone makes one that you and I can afford soon.

If you are one of the million or so Xbox Live users who were banned from the service, things aren’t as bad as we thought. Some modders are working on a solution that will revert the firmware to a state that is nearly the same as the stock firmware. Hopefully the end result means that you’ll be able to use your console again and not have to buy a new one.

Right now two fixes are being worked on: the iXtremeLT and one from Xbox-Scene. The first isn’t ready yet, and the latter works, but you should be aware, it is very complex.

PhoneSuit has a new iPod/iPhone gadget called the Primo battery pack. The device is available in white or black and the compact battery pack will deliver an 800mAh lithium-ion battery, good for up to 45 additional hours of iPod nano audio playback or 3-hours of 3G talk time on the iPhone 3G or 3GS.

The PhoneSuit Primo features a miniUSB port and even a front-mounted LED battery charge meter. You can pre-order the PhoneSuit Primo Micro Battery Pack for $35 on November 23rd when it’s released.

Put the video games down and play some Portable Air Hockey instead. This is a portable version that comes with an integrated fan within the puck, allowing it to float across a table or flat surface easily. All you need to figure out is how wall off the sides of your table so you aren’t breaking things.

Portable Air Hockey will cost you $14.99. For that price you get a puck, paddles and a set of nets. Sounds like a lot of fun.

[red ferret]

Sony’s VGP-BMS80 VAIO Bluetooth Laser Mouse features technology that is a little more serious than a typical mouse. This guy will give you wireless control of your PS3 or PC as long as it’s within range.

An optical sensor on top lets you use the mouse in the air like a trackpad, making it great for presentations. I guess you could say that this is the Vaio version of a wii-mote. It will cost you $80.

Google’s Chrome first announced in July, will be available within a week. Google had previously said to expect an early version of the OS in the fall.

Driver support will probably be a weak point, but apparently Google has a legion of engineers working on building hardware drivers. Word is that Google is mostly relying on hardware manufacturers to create those drivers. In any event functioning drivers is important to Chrome OS’s success. Soon we will find out how well it works.

Android smartphones are very hot right now and T-Mobile is trying to land as many of the devices as it can. We have already talked about the Behold II from Samsung before. The device sports Android and uses the TouchWiz user interface.

T-Mobile has announced that the Behold II will be coming to the network on November 18. The features of the device are already known, but in case you missed them, I will go over them again. The device has a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen and a 5-megapixel camera with zoon and flash. The camera can record video as well.

The desktop computer got its name because at one point the machines all sat on top of the desk rather than beside it as most do today. Dell has announced that its new Zino HD computer is now available in the U.S. and is sized to sit on the desktop again.

The Zino HD starts at only $229 and has HD capable graphics as standard. The device also has an HDMI out making it a great device for an HTPC system. Users wanting a more capable HTPC can add all sorts of options including a Blu-ray drive, more storage, more RAM, and a wireless remote.

I’m not even sure if you can still buy vinyl records today. I am sure there are people out there with huge record collections though that want to listen to the vinyl albums and turn their collection into digital files. Audio-Technica has unveiled its new AT-LP120-USB USB turntable system.

The player connects to a PC via USB and includes Mac and PC software that allows the tracks to be turned into digital format. The turntable supports 33-1/3, 45, and 78 rpm records and has a speed adjustment and speed indicator.

I have been looking out the windows trying to spot flying pigs since I read this. After years of fighting in courts, Intel and AMD have settled all antitrust and IP disputes. Intel got out of the thing paying only $1.25 billion to AMD.

That is a lot of money, but it’s not that much considering how bad things could have been. The two companies have also agreed to a 5-year cross-licensing agreement and Intel has agreed to abide by a set of business practice provisions.