Amazon.com is considering the introduction of a service that would let customers pay for goods in brick-and-mortar stores using their mobile phones. This info comes from “two people with knowledge of the project” so we don’t have any confirmation just yet.

This service would use near field communication (NFC) technology, which allows devices to transmit data like payment information, loyalty points and coupons by simply tapping them against special cash registers. It makes sense for Amazon to venture into this field since Microsoft, Apple and Google are said to be planning software, devices or services with NFC themselves. If this does happen it should happen within six months time.

Some gamers have been complaining about headaches and eyestrain when playing the new 3DS console. It seems like it is only a few users right now who are having trouble playing games on the console comfortably. But Nintendo’s UK PR head Rob Saunders says that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and that a risk of discomfort comes with the territory when you are talking 3D content.

Like with any activity that is strenuous on the eyes, he advises that people take breaks. Maybe they could use that break time to go outside and enjoy some nature. Watch a butterfly glide on the breeze, if you know what such a creature is. Feel the warm sun on your pale gamer skin. Whatever. Just don’t stare at a tiny screen all day and you should be fine.

Yesterday we reported that someone had found some keylogger software on some new Samsung laptops. We knew it didn’t make sense for a popular brand to take that kind of risk and as it turns out, it was all a misunderstanding.

The confusion apparently comes from the fact that the VIPRE security software mistakenly identified Microsoft’s Slovene language folder (“SL”) as Starlogger. Samsung managed to recreate it from an empty c:\windows\SL folder, Bottom line is that Samsung laptops are safe.

Star Wars fans have some good news today. The Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Star Wars: Original Trilogy and Star Wars: Prequel Trilogy Blu-ray sets now have a firm date. They will have a September 16th arrival.

That’s a Friday, so feel free to plan a party and dress up as your favorite Jedi or Ewok, then enjoy your geekend. Mark your calendars. Do or do not buy, there is no try. May George Lucas’ money printing machine be with you, and so on.

The MIX Wireless Mini HTPC keyboard mouse is a palm-sized 2.4GHz RF wireless keyboard which only needs batteries and a free USB port to operate. So obviously it makes a good choice for HTPC use.

The device features an optical touchpad, so you can interact more easily with your operating system and it will operate from within 10 meters of range. The device measures just 109mm x 59mm x 18mm and weighs just 93 grams.

Remember that Atari in a guitar hero guitar that I made awhile back? Well, here someone has crammed a full PC inside of an actual guitar. This mod comes from Journaldugeek user Joss.

Joss squeezed in a Intel Quad Core Q6700, Asus motherboard, 4 Gigs of RAM, 80GB raid, a MSI 8800 GTX graphics card and a 650W PSU Thermaltake Blue Evo power supply in a low range Ibiza guitar. Playing PC games on this thing would be very fun.

Acer’s Iconia-6120 is amazingly drool worthy. Those who have been waiting to preorder in the US and Canada now have a price and release date. It will run you $1,199.99 and for that price you get a touchbook with two 14-inch Gorilla Glass touchpanels, a Core i5 CPU, 4GB of memory, integrated Intel HD graphics and 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium.

Other features include USB 3.0 support, a 640GB hard drive, a 1.3 megapixel camera, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, HDMI output, and gigabit Ethernet. Amazon and other e-tailers should be taking orders right about now.

If you are an Android user, we have some good news. Google has announced that testing of Android’s in-app purchasing system has officially begun. A full roll out is planned for next week. Android devs can now add in-app products to their software that is currently available, set prices, and set up a test account to make sure that the entire process works smoothly for users next week.

Google had said that in-app purchases were coming last month, so devs have been waiting patiently. Are you going to take advantage of in-app purchases when it goes live? It should be a better way to upgrade apps.

It had been thought that the iPod Classic would be discontinued. It was introduced nearly ten years ago after all. Last September Apple introduced new iPod models for every line except the iPod classic, so people just assumed it was going to be ditched. The iPod classic is still available, but has not been updated since September of 2009, again fueling speculation.

Well, when you want answers it is best to go straight to the source. So someone emailed Apple CEO Steve Jobs back in September after the device failed to receive an update. Steve responded, telling them that the company has “no plans” to discontinue the iPod classic. You can all rest easy now.

The number of Xbox 360 users who download games is on the rise. 55 per cent of all Xbox 360 users bought at least one downloadable game last year. That number is up from 43 per cent in 2009. Also according to data from market research firm EEDAR, 50 per cent of PlayStation 3 users and 43 per cent of Wii users are down loading games.

Those PS3 numbers are up from 42 per cent in 2009, with the Wii numbers up from 37 per cent. So yes, it looks like downloading digitally is on the rise. Should Gamestop be worried? Probably not yet, but they must be keeping a sharp eye on these figures.

If you didn’t already get the Droid R2-D2 edition, than all of you wannabe Luke Skywalkers out there have another option. This R2-D2 case for your iPhone. Nothing is cooler than making a phone look like a Star Wars robot after all.

This one features sculpted details and is a StarWarsShop exclusive iPhone 3G hard case. It may not pal around with C-3PO and beep and chirp at you, but it’s the next best thing to having an actual droid.

If you were waiting for Dell to release a WiFi-only version of the Dell Streak 7, it looks like you are in luck. The guys over at StreakSmart have discovered a WiFi-only mobile device from Dell that received WiFi certification from the WiFi Alliance.

The device is model number M02M002, which syncs up with the 3G + WiFi Dell Streak 7′s model number M02M. Since the device has been certified to be single-mode WiFi-only, this can only be a WiFi-only version of the Dell Streak 7. Dell had never officially announced that they were going to launch one, so this is a nice surprise. The device was even spotted on Amazon up for pre-order at $379.99, though we don’t have any ship dates.

Looking for a Weather radio? If so, the Eton ARCPT300W weather radio can be powered by a trio of different sources. There’s the hand crank that charges the Ni-MH battery, three AAA batteries, and the AC/USB adapter.

Some other features of the Eton weather radio include an LED flashlight, an AM/FM tuner and it supports all seven NOAA weather band channels. Great thing to have in your emergency kit. It will cost you $69.99 and being prepared is well worth it.

According to tips from part suppliers, ASUS and Intel are planning a low-cost netbook that would help minimize the impact of tablets like the iPad. The netbook would cost $250 or as little as $200. Cost savings would come from the choice of OS: the netbook would run Chrome OS or Android 3.0, and in doing so drop the Windows 7 license.

We aren’t sure which of the two platfoms would be used, but it would probably be Chrome. The netbook would be for the second half of the year. It will be interesting to see how this plays out? Can they really hurt iPad sales? Maybe just a little, but iPad won’t even notice.

When it comes to computing, the keyboard is pretty boring. Do we even know that it is there anymore as we mindlessly mash key after key? Well, AVS Gear wants to spice up your computer time and let you know that the keyboard is still there with their ZIPPY BL-741 LED backlight keyboard. They sent us a review unit so we could check it out. The ZIPPY BL-741 offers a 512-color level, allowing you to adjust the colors the way you want them.

You can adjust the brightness in dark settings and it consumes low power. You also get triple-color LEDs and an On/Off switch to regulate the backlight atmosphere.