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(Credit:
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Gamers in the market for an
Xbox 360 will find a deal waiting for them at the online Microsoft Store.

The Xbox 360 250GB console is now on sale for $249.99, a full $50 off the usual price. This console offers 250GB of space on a removable hard drive, the usual wireless controller, a black headset, and a one-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold. Buyers can also add a 12-month Xbox Live Gold membership for $44.99, $15 off the regular price.

Those of you willing to cough up more cash can get the Xbox 360 250 GB Kinect Holiday Bundle for $349.99, down from $399.99. This kit throws in the Kinect sensor as well as two free games and a three-month Xbox Live Gold membership.

And for people in search of adventure in a galaxy far, far away, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Kinect Star Wars Bundle is selling for $399.99, also $50 off the usual price. This bundle offers a 320GB hard drive, custom-designed R2-D2 console and C-3PO controller, a white Kinect sensor, a wired headset, a copy of Star Wars Kinect, and a token that can be used to download exclusive Xbox Live content.

Microsoft has also kicked off a sale on several Xbox 360 games, including Mass Effect 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout, Zumba Fitness Rush, and uDraw Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat.

The online store provided no details as to when the Xbox sale ends or whether the price is valid at physical Microsoft Store outlets.

CNET contacted Microsoft for comment and will update the story when we get more information.

Social-media ad spending over the coming years.

(Credit:
BIA/Kelsey)

Although General Motors has decided that social-media advertising is not right for its business, a new study seems to indicate that few other companies agree.

Local-media consulting firm BIA/Kelsey yesterday revealed that U.S. social-media ad spending is expected to hit $9.8 billion by 2016, up from $3.8 billion last year. This year, companies are expected to spend $4.8 billion on social-network advertising.

BIA/Kelsey’s findings come at a time when one of the largest companies in the world, General Motors, is calling Facebook advertising into question. In a report yesterday, The Wall Street Journal said that GM has decided to pull $10 million in paid advertising from Facebook, claiming that the ads didn’t prove as effective as the company had hoped. GM did, however, say that it will continue to promote its brand on Facebook through free means.

But not everyone is so sure the blame should fall solely on Facebook and its advertising platform. A person familiar with the matter told CNET today that GM didn’t do what it should have in order to develop an effective ad campaign on Facebook.

“Facebook advised [GM] to invest more wisely in a campaign that would reach more people,” the source told CNET, adding that GM put too much of its money into the development of promotional apps and its corporate page.

“No one will know that stuff is there unless you use paid media to promote it,” the source said.

Looking ahead, the vast majority of social ads will be display ads, according to BIA/Kelsey, accounting for $9.2 billion in spending in 2016. By contrast, non-display ads in social media will generate $630 million in spending that year, the company predicts.

The 8GB Nook Tablet is an unbeatable deal at $149 shipped.

(Credit:
Barnes Noble)

The
tablet wars are on.

Just last month, Amazon slashed the refurbished
Kindle Fire to $139 (it’s now back up to $169). Today, Barnes Noble (via eBay) is offering the refurbished Nook Tablet for $149 shipped. Just to clarify, that’s the Nook Tablet, not the older Nook Color — which is what you usually see selling at this price.

What’s the difference? Physically, they’re just about identical, but the Nook Tablet features a faster processor, more RAM, and a microphone. The Nook Color was already pretty great; the Tablet is even better.

This is the 8GB model. That may not seem like a lot of storage for your books, music, videos, and whatnot, but because the Nook Tablet has a microSD expansion slot, you can easily (and cheaply) add lots more storage. (Just yesterday I posted a 32GB microSD card for $15. It’s since expired, but a good example of what’s out there.)

With rare exception, Barnes Noble’s refurbs arrive in indistinguishable-from-new condition. And they carry a full one-year warranty, same as new Nooks. For this particular product, there’s zero downside to going the refurb route — and 50 upsides. (A new Nook Tablet sells for $199.)

So, which is better, the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet? Right out of the box, I give the nod to the Kindle Fire for its slicker interface and nifty integration with Amazon Prime. However, I don’t like the location of the Fire’s power button, and miss having dedicated volume controls, which the Nook has. Plus, the Nook Tablet is easily transformed into a bona-fide
Android tablet by popping in an N2Acard or a Root My Nook Tablet card.

You can accomplish the same thing on your Fire by “rooting” it, but the process is more complicated and less reversible. Thus, for anyone seeking maximum versatility in a 7-inch tablet, I’d say choose the Nook.

For another take, check out CNET’s review of the Nook Tablet, which includes many comparisons to the Kindle Fire.

I’m liking this deal a lot for dads and grads, who are next up on the annual gift-shopping hit list. As always, just cheapin’ it real…

Bonus deal: Reader Brennan shared a sweet deal from ATT: the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone for $9.99 shipped (with a two-year contract, natch). This top-rated Android phone originally sold for $199.99 and features a 4.3-inch super-AMOLED screen, dual-core processor, and Android 2.3. (An Ice Cream Sandwich update is apparently just starting to roll out.)

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