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With the worldwide success of the Apple iPad, computer manufacturers around the globe are getting ready to release some fierce tablet style devices. Over the last 6 months news from different manufacturers have been heating up regarding the development of an iPad competitor. Asus which is best known for revolutionizing the Netbook industry with their EEE PC series of laptops, is set to drop an EEE PC Tablet device. The Taiwanese giant which is also known for producing both stylish and luxurious devices like their Bamboo and Leather designed ultra-portables, should have no problem coming up with a new sexy EEE PC based Tablet that can compete in this new market niche.

In order to challenge with the mighty iPad, Asus has elected to power the device with the Android OS. I think this is a smart move considering that Apps really drive these types of devices. The reason for Apple’s success is heavily due to the App store which offers thousands of games & apps. With the Android market place growing rapidly (nearly at 100k apps), the choice for using Android should see far more success than a Windows 7 based Tablet. In terms of the hardware Asus usually deliver something both solid and sexy. Their recent UL Series and new 1018p Netbook indicate slim/aluminium are all the rage this year. Experts expect the Tablet to be unveiled at CES 2011 and should be running Android 3.0 (gingerbread) to boot. Still no word on street date and pricing. Stay tuned for more.

Probably the most common way people hear about Gazelle is from their friends and family that have tried it out. We think it’s a little more than simple word of mouth and believe that each of you inspires those around you to consume in a better way. Whether it’s to recycle, trade up, or reCommerce for any of the top 10 possibilities, you inspire all of us.

So to round out the list, a great “inspiring” entry from @rchains on Twitter.

@gazelle_com Gazelle helps me INSPIRE my child to recycle. It is never too early to learn how to care for our planet! #gazelle100

In honor of her submission, she’ll win a selection of toys made from recycled materials from Green Toys. And we’ll be adding a twin gift to the gift pack for our 100,000th customer. Thank you to everyone who participated. We had so much fun reading your entires and can’t wait to give this awesome gift pack to our 100,000th customer. Stay tuned to find out who it will be….

The “OFFICIAL” Top 10 Possibilities of reCommerce

1. Go Green: Eco Friendly gift pack

2. Upgrade: $15- Apple gift card

3. Help a friend: $100 to use towards a good deed

4. Get Away: $400 to spend at Marriott hotels

5. Indulge: $100 spa gift certificate

6. Donate: $100 donation to charity of choice

7. Shop: $100 Walmart gift card

8. Save: $100 cash

9. Declutter: $100 gift card to Container Store

10. Inspire:

The Galaxy S smart phone from Samsung has officially hit yet another U.S. carrier today. This time AT&T drops some Galaxy S love with the new Captivate i897. The Captivate will feature different styling characteristics compared to the original Galaxy S and the T-Mobile Captivate. Personally I think the design does not do this powerful monster justice. The outdated square styling makes it more reminiscent of an HTC Pure on AT&T. Anyway, back to the specs…The Captivate will still be rocking the same specs as the rest of the Galaxy S line-up so you can’t take away that from the device. The Galaxy S line-up as a whole represents one of the most powerful devices on the U.S. market to date. In terms of price AT&T has set this Android monster at $199.99 after a 2yr deal. For the full spec list check out the details below.

SPECS:

• Android 2.1 )S
• 480 x 800 pixels, 4.0 inches
• TouchWiz 3.0 UI
• 16GB storage, 512 MB RAM
• microSD up to 32GB
• 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus
• video 720p@30fps
• 3G/BT/WiFi/GPS

Welcome to the first edition of our new “TopTech 5 Friday”. Every Friday we will be putting our top five buys in consumer electronics, and our top trades in reCommerce. From phones and cameras, to gaming and apps, TopTech Friday will keep you up with what’s hot and what’s not.

To kick things off on TT5F we start the show with….(drum-roll please) QWERTY phones! Although these types of devices have been somewhat shadowed over the last year from touchscreens, QWERTY phones still reign supreme among most business users. Now check out how the GazelleLab rates the top 5 buys and trades for QWERTY phones. Enjoy!

We can’t say it better than today’s winner did:

@judipcook on Twitter said, “@gazelle_com Gazelle helps me END THE CLUTTER in my house. I was able to get rid of all the old gadgets kicking around. #gazelle100″

Decluttering your house by cleaning out all the gadgets lurking in the back of desk drawers and in boxes on closet shelves is a great way to free up space and earn extra cash. And since Gazelle provides free shipping for all boxes worth at least $1, you can go ahead a load it up with anything from our 20 categories.

Today’s winner receives $100 gift card to The Container Store, where you can get virtually everything you could ever need to organize your life. The same prize will be added to the prize pack for our 100,000th customer.

Thanks @judipcook for your great entry. There’s one more to go and we’ll be selecting our final winner on Monday so get your tweets and posts in over the weekend to be considered. Below is the list so far- what do you think is missing?

1. Go Green: Eco Friendly gift pack

2. Upgrade: $15- Apple gift card

3. Help a friend: $100 to use towards a good deed

4. Get Away: $400 to spend at Marriott hotels

5. Indulge: $100 spa gift certificate

6. Donate: $100 donation to charity of choice

7. Shop: $100 Walmart gift card

8. Save: $100 cash

9. Declutter: $100 gift card to Container Store

10. You tell us???

This morning in Cupertino California Apple held a press conference regarding the new iPhone 4. The main focus of the conference was to explain and and “educate” the public on why this antenna/reception phenomenon is happening. Check out the main focus points from the today’s conference below.

Key Points from Mr. Jobs

• The iPhone 4 is perhaps our best product. We’ve sold over 3,000,000 since we launched just three weeks ago
• Antenna Problems have been dubbed “Antennagate”
• The way we hold our phone is not unique to iPhone 4
• BB Bold 9700, HTC Eric, Samsung Omnia 2 all have same problem
• Place were problem occurs is “X marks the Spot”
• Only .55% of all iPhone 4 users have called about antenna issues
• AT&T’s return rate with the iPhone 3GS was 6.0%, iPhone 4 is 1.7%
• iOS 4.0.1 fixes the bars displaying inaccurately
• Every iPhone 4 owners gets a free case, People who bought the bumper will be refunded
• White iPhone: We will start shipping it at the end of this month
• July 30th: We’ll be launching the iPhone in 17 more countries
• Full refunds are available too if you are still not satisfied with the iPhone 4
• Bumper case promo to go until Sept 30th globally

There you have the key points from the event. So it looks like the iPhone 4 is once again perfect, and for doubting it we all get free cases. I guess bumper cases is more efficient than a complete recall.

So maybe it’s not the most fun, but some customers who gazelle like to take the cash and save it for a rainy day. That’s why today’s possibility of reCommerce is save.

Check out today’s practical winner:

@bdog80 who submitted his entry on Twitter:

@gazelle_com Invest! Use your money to make more money! #gazelle100

In honor of his entry, @bdog80 will win $100 cash to put in the bank or invest any way he chooses. We’ll also be adding the same prize to the prize pack for our 100,000th customer. Check out the prizes so far and remember we still have 2 more to go so keep submitting entries on Twitter and Facebook.

1. Go Green: Eco Friendly gift pack

2. Upgrade: $15- Apple gift card

3. Help a friend: $100 to use towards a good deed

4. Get Away: $400 to spend at Marriott hotels

5. Indulge: $100 spa gift certificate

6. Donate: $100 donation to charity of choice

7. Shop: $100 Walmart gift card

8. Save: $100 cash

Verizon and T-Mobile have simultaneously launched flagship Android devices on the same day. Both the Droid X and Vibrant have been highly anticipated phones since they were first announced months back. Similar in specs and in price point these 2 new Droid devices will give unsatisfied iPhone 4 users and Android up-grader’s alike  2 new options on both CDMA and GSM networks. For those set on the Vibrant but not T-Mobile, you can expect this Galaxy S rendition to launch on Sprint (Epic 4G), AT&T (Captivate), and Verizon (Fascinate). Check out the specs and details on both of these super phones below. Enjoy!

Motorola Droid X:

• Android 2.1 OS
• 1GHz Processor
• 4.3in TFT WVGA display
• 8MP camera
• 720p Video
• HDMI out
• WiFi, BT, GPS, 3G
• 8GB Flash Memeory/ 16GB micoSD included
• $199 after 2yr deal

Samsung Vibrant:

• Android 2.1 OS
• 1GHz Humingbird Processor
• 4.0in SuperAMOLED display
• 5MP camera
• 720p Video
• WiFi, BT, GPS, 3G
• 16GB storage/2GB micoSD included
• $199 after 2yr deal

Sure, you can shop with cash, but ever since we added Walmart and Amazon gift cards as payment options on gazelle.com we know that lots of customers use cash from their gadgets to go shopping. And what’s more fun than turning your used iPod into that top item on your Amazon wish list? So coming in as our 7th possibility of reCommerce is “shop,” and today’s winner is……

@Coffy73 who submitted the winning entry way back on June 30th via Twitter.

“Traded in my iPod Touch for a Walmart gift card. Recieved it the other day and went hogwild at the store =)”

This sounds like it was so much fun, we’re going to help her do it again. @Coffy73 wins $100 gift card to Walmart and the same prize will be added to our gift pack for our 100,000th customer.

We still have three more to go with #8 and #9 being picked tomorrow and Friday and our last winner on Monday so keep tweeting and posting your entries.

With the popularity of the Android OS rising, this year has produced some exciting handsets. With the release of phones such as the Desire, EVO, Incredible, and Nexus One from HTC; and the Droid, Milestone, and Cliq from Motorola… Android is booming. Over the next month we can expect even more great things from both Android and phone manufactures. The highly anticipated Motorola Droid X for Verizon is set to launch tomorrow. Other expected releases such as the Galaxy S (which will land on all major carriers here in the U.S.), Samsung Beam, Acer Stream, and the Droid 2 will give consumers more buying options across multiple carriers, brands, and form factors. To honor these new droids Gazelle is showing some Android love by offering a bonus to our customers who are looking to trade-up. For a limited time use bonus code DROID at checkout to receive a 5% bump in trade-in value on all Android powered devices. Happy Upgrading!