Samsung’s BlackJack II (SGH-i617) will go on sale on Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. Just in black for now, but it will be available in red wine on December 12th. Get it from AT&T online and retail locations for US$149.99 with a new two year contract, after a mail-in rebate.

Exclusive to AT&T, the SLM is a durable, brushed-metal finish clamshell-shaped device that will be available first in brown and then blue later this year. It is packed with features and services beyond Napster Mobile, including AT&T Video Share, mobile banking, AT&T Mobile Music, stereo Bluetooth technology, a 2.0-megapixel camera with video capture, external memory microSD and advanced messaging options.

With Napster Mobile, customers can download five tracks a month with the Napster Mobile Five-Track Pack option for a discounted price of $7.49. Songs can be purchased a la carte for just $1.99.

At 3.17 ounces in weight and one-half inch thick, the SLM has a 96- by 96-pixel 65K color screen and a 176- by 220-pixel 262K TFT internal color screen.

Available through AT&T retail locations or at http://www.att.com/wireless for a special introductory price of $149.99 after a two-year contract activation agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate.

You can now pre-order the $199 Venus and $299 Voyager through Verizon. The Venus is slated for release on November 19th with the Voyager to follow on the 21st.

His maps won’t get you from A to B, but Denis Wood’s diagrams definitely tell something unique about a given area. The illustration above shows a neighborhood’s phone, cable and power line setup. "We did a lot of walking and looking to make this map."

It’s surprisingly cool, in a weird first of the month kind of way.

If you wonder why a benign ferris wheel is shown here, it is ConnectLand’s USB Ferris Wheel Phone Stand. If your life is hopelessly boring, then you might enjoy this USB-powered (or 2 AAs) that will let you know when you have a phone call. The wheel spins and plays music and makes you feel 5 years old again.

What the heck. It’s only $27 and you can pass it along to the kid next door. Check the YouTube Video

Features:

• Incoming phone call alarm with rotation of the Ferris wheel
• Funny tune with On/Mute/Off switch
• Ferris wheel with 11cm diameter and 10 fun-seeking figures
• 2 LEDs in red and green colors
• Powered by USB or 2 AA batteries
• Dimensions: 22 x 9.2 x 18cm
• Weight: 305g