This nothing like the CES to get the gadgets section full of items. It is also no surprise that a number of large electronic companies have waited to unveil new and up coming items. Dell has unveiled a number of new items that they will be selling within the coming year. They are sub divided into three headings, smartphones, laptops and tablets.

Smartphone:
In terms of smartphones, Dell is moving into that business. They showed the Mini 3. This phone is a phone that is based off the Andriod phone and was developed in conjunction with AT&T. The phone will be available on AT&T’s network, which makes it the first Andriod based phone to appear on the network. Also, Dell has an agreement with other service providers outside the US such as Vodafone in Europe, Australia and New Zealand; AT&T in the United States; M1 and Starhub in Singapore; Maxis in Malaysia; China Mobile in China; and Claro in Brazil, to sell the Mini 3.

This move to develop smartphones, was out of Dell’s participation in a study of those types of phones.

“Smart phones are an extension of Dell’s strategy to develop intelligent and more mobile products that meet the needs of operators and customers,” said Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions. “The Mini 3 is a result of listening to customers and creating products that allow people to do the things they want, whenever and wherever they want to do them.”

Source:

Laptops and Personal Computers:

It’s no surprise that that majority of the new from Dell was about computers. To be correct, the news was mainly focused on gaming

and studio computers. They announced the new Alienware M11x, the revamp of the Studio 14 and the continued improvement to the Inspiron line.
(All information was taken from the press releases)

Alien M11x:
· The Alienware M11x demonstrates the graphics power of a 15-inch laptop in an 11-inch form factor

· Play all of your games and media, whether at home or away, at HD 720p resolution

· With the Alienware M11x, gamers can enjoy the feel of the gaming without compromise anywhere they go

The M11x is a part of the Mx line which also includes a 15 and 17 inch laptops. Stats can be found for both of these laptops on Alienware’s site. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a information on the status of the M11x on the website.

Studio:

· Refreshed Studio laptops feature Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and are perfect for sharing photos, music and videos with friends and family.

· Portable Studio 14 available in North America later this month with prices starting at $699.

· Studio 15 has high-definition, 15.6-inch LED widescreen design and is rich with multimedia technology, like True HD resolutions that show off content crisply, starting at $849

· Studio 17 features beautiful 17.3-inch display, with unbelievably realistic audio. Prices start at $949

Tablets:

The last thing that Dell announced was the 5 inch tablet. To date I am unable to find anything about the tablets specs, only images takenfrom the press release. At this time, all I can say is, it looks pretty. When I am able to provide more information, since there was none in the press release, I will post it.

Dell’s Alienware line of gaming PC’s have made an announcement about a partnership with Steam. Gaming Desktops and laptops such as the Area-51, Aurora, M17X and M15X will now have Steam pre-installed on each system. On top of that  that that ever so popular physics puzzle game Portal. You remember portal right? I mean how can you not!?

What does that mean for PC gamers? Well according to the press release,

With Steam pre-installed on all these PCs, Alienware gamers can expect a higher level of service from their gaming experience right out of the box as existing Steam gamers may simply sign into their account to access all their purchased products. Customers new to Steam will find over 950 games at their finger tips, all supported by automatic updates, the Steam Friends Community of networking services, and more.

That’s not too shaddy for those of us you enjoy our PC games. If anyone is a little vague on that Steam provides on their service of games, you should check out http://store.steampowered.com/.

An easy start is to get them something new to play! Aion ($46.99) is the newest MMO to be released and has been getting some rave reviews. Released by NCSoft in September 2009, there has been a steady buzz around the game, and I’ve known several people who have given up other MMOs to play this one. From all I’ve seen and read it’s a pretty solid game, and will appeal to most fans of the genre. And if they’re already playing Aion, why not snag them one of the cool shirts that Jinx just released?

If your friends or family are already playing another game, you can always buy them game time via cards or offer to pay for in game items to help them boost their characters or explore new regions. Blizzard sells pre-paid cards for game time in World of Warcraft ($29.99) and so does Warhammer Online($29.99), Age of Conan ($25.99), and Lord of the Rings Online ($29.99). These will give them 60 days of free time to play in their game of choice!

Tactx keyboard from Alienware

For the World of Warcraft fan, I found many things that one could buy, but I’ve narrowed it down to just a few products. First off, from the official store I have to recommend either Murky or Lurky ($15 each) plush dolls for either kids or for adults (My Murky sits on the top of my computer). Also along the kids line, if you have a guildmate or friend who just had a new baby or is expecting, I highly recommend the “My Other Stroller is [Epic]“ onesie from Jinx. For the more grown up WoW fan, you can also get a Horde or Alliance appropriate beanie so that they can show their pride throughout the winter! In general the majority of the WoW collection at Jinx is pretty awesome, and it’s all reasonably priced.

Now if you want to get your friends some new gaming peripherals, I recommend checking out the latest Alienware line which I have previously covered. The TactX mouse and keyboard are a little more pricey, but they’d be a great gift idea, especially if they’re in need of an upgrade. Also in November, Creative will be releasing special WoW themed headsets that look great and will help show your Horde or Alliance Pride! Another great item that you could get is the Xeno by Bigfoot networks. Cherithe recommended this in our gadget gift guide, and it’s definitely worth repeating! The Xeno is a great plug-and-play card that will prioritize gamng by bypassing your OS which enables smoother playing and voice chatting.

Now the other gift idea that you can do is for those fellow players who want to get something nice for an in-game friend or guildmate. You can save up to get them a vanity pet,  money for a new mount, or some new armor. It’s thoughtful, and something that will surprise them to see in their mailbox or a trade window! There are also the new in game pets that Blizzard released which you can buy from the online pet store: the Pandaren Monk who does some impressive kung fu and Lil’ KT who is the most adorable little lich!

I hope that this guide can help you out with some ideas for that MMO fan in your life. Have a great holiday and spread some /cheer!

There will be other perks as well, such as special offers from The Game Cartel’s affiliates (ie: Alienware and HiTech Tattoos).

For more information, we encourage you to check out The Game Cartel’s official website.

Here are the basics from the press release:

• Alienware M15x – The most powerful 15-inch gaming laptop in the universe. Sporting Alienware’s acclaimed new mobile ID which debuted with the M17x laptop, the M15x offers Alienware performance in a compact package guaranteed to appeal to mobile enthusiasts and hardcore gamers on the go. The first Alienware laptop to feature a mobile Core i7 processor, the M15x also offers a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M GPU* and up to 8GB DDR3 1333MHz memory* to take on, and dominate, even the most intense game titles. Prices start at $1,499 and additional technical specifications are here.
• Alienware Aurora and Aurora ALX – The Aurora is most upgradeable and the Aurora ALX is the most powerful MicroATX desktops Alienware has ever created. Featuring the latest Intel® Core™ i7 processors, including an optional Extreme Edition overclocked** to 3.6GHz, the Aurora line of desktops are designed to deliver the power needed for hardcore gaming, pro-level HD audio and video editing, 3D animation and more. To crank up your gaming performance, Aurora and Aurora ALX have options for dual 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics cards, up to 24GB DDR3 1333MHz memory[asterisk] or 12GB DDR3 1600MHz memory, respectively, and up to 2TB of hard drive storage – all in a compact, MicroATX chassis for taking up less desk space. Prices start at $1,299 and additional technical specs are here.
• Alienware Area-51 and Area-51 ALX designed for extreme gamers and tech enthusiasts who demand only the latest, most advanced equipment, the Area-51 line of desktops features Intel Core i7 processors factory overclocked* to an intense 3.86GHz for peak performance. To max out your graphics benchmarks, these systems offer the quad-GPU power of dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295 graphics cards. Other featured specs include up to 12GB DDR3* memory clocked at 1333MHz or 1600MHz, respectively, and six easy-access, cable-free hard drive bays that support both 7,200RPM and 10,000RPM drives, solid state drives and RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10 configurations. Prices begin at $1,999.

*Based on Futuremark 3DMark Vantage Extreme benchmark tests performed by Dell using Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M graphics card as baseline.

“These newest additions to the Alienware lineup represent the culmination of months of hard work, bringing together two world-class teams to create a family of world-class products targeting PC gamers,” said Arthur Lewis, general manager of Dell’s Gaming Group. “Our current offering of desktops, notebooks and peripheral products signals our commitment to providing the best PC gaming experience possible and to being the global industry leader for PC gaming products.”

Alienware also announced the ability for customers to customize the M17x laptop with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 in both single and ATI CrossFireX configurations. Information for the Aurora, Aurora ALX and M15x on Alienware’s website, and they will be available to order immediately! The Area-51 and Area-51 ALX should be coming soon and I would keep my eyes on Alienware’s twitter account for release news!

Also at the Tokyo Game Show, Alienware will have on hand the new peripherals I mentioned awhile back. I’m sure that the TactX mouse, headset and keyboard along with the OptX monitor will make great additions to the new desktops. I have to say that the ALX line is pretty impressive and the pricing seems reasonable. If you’re going to be at the Tokyo Game Show I’d recommend checking out Alienware’s booth and playing around with these new systems and the gaming accessories! For those unable to make it I have some images at the bottom of the post for those who would like to drool some more over shiny new computers. I will say that I hope everything isn’t all red. Knowing Alienware, you should be able to customize the lighting in the computers, as I know I would probably want blue or purple personally.

In June, Alienware had released one of the first of these with their OptX AW2210 Monitor ($299). A 21.5″ full HD monitor that has some great specs to it including two HDMI ports, adjustable stand, four USB 2.0 ports for connecting various peripherals, and low input lag. Sounds like a pretty good monitor if you do a lot of gaming, and I know I would love those extra USB ports in the monitor for connecting some external hard drives and my headset. You can never have enough USB ports in my opinion!

Alienware has also released the TactX Headset which has one real interesting feature to me: a retractable microphone. This would be nice to have for when I just want to have headphones on to listen to music or to work on a project and have no need of a microphone. The TacX Headset also is able to break down into three different parts for storage or transport. They also look pretty comfortable and are supposed to be lightweight, which is perfect for a long gaming session.

New to the gaming line are the TactX Mouse and the TactX Keyboard. Both are available for $99 and look to be great for gamers. The mouse will have nine different customizable buttons as well as five different user profiles. And if you like your computers to have their own lighting scheme as I do, you will be able to customize the colors with Alienware’s AlienFX lighting. The TactX Keyboard can also be jazzed up with the AlienFX lighting in two different zones on the keyboard, leaving you some interesting color combination possibilities. On the more technical side, the TactX Keyboard gives you access to unlimited profiles and six programmable macro keys. The gaming mode also disables the Windows key, so accidentally hitting that key won’t mess up your game!

Alienware also sent me this cool video of a retail concept that they built at a Micro Center in New Jersey. It looks pretty rad, and it will give people the chance to test out their products. I may have to make a trip to check this out at some point. I was also sent this mysterious image that hints at a new product line. I can kind of make out a computer tower and laptop, but not sure what’s on the right… so if you have any guesses leave a comment! Hopefully we will hear more about this new line soon!

Mountain Dew World of Warcraft Game Fuel

We recently covered the Mountain Dew World of Warcraft ad and spoke of our love that Mountain Dew decided to use females in their ad. The pairing of Mountain Dew and World of Warcraft Game Fuel is available for a limited time and is available in Alliance Blue or Horde Red.

Mountain Dew has created an online site Warcraft.com/dew where you can win just for drinking Mountain Dew Game Fuel. Every 15 minutes gaming prizes are being given away including Alienware notebooks, Razer Peripherals, and World of Warcraft gear.

To get you started, Mountain Dew has donated some prizes to give away! We have Game Fuel Soda packs and Game Fuel limited edition t-shirts to give away. To enter, comment below which Mountain Dew do you drink…Alliance Blue or Horde Red. Are you For the Horde? Or do you fight the good fight of the Alliance? We’ll choose winners randomly from the comments below.

UPDATE: Congrats to our randomly picked Mountain Dew Game Fuel Winners, Zel, Kevin and Crystalia! Please contact pr@gamingangels.com.