Microsoft is ready to take on the iPad. A report from the New York Times says Microsoft is going to unveil a slew of tablet devices at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Microsoft hasn’t had much luck in the tablet computing business in the past. Thanks to the success of the iPad, the public is more keen on the idea of incorporating tablets in their everyday lives. Microsoft will take the consumer’s newfound interest in tablets, and combine that with its Windows 7 operating system.

If that 4GB Xbox 360 bundle from the Microsoft Store isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, perhaps you would like to give Dell’s offer some consideration. Unlike the aforementioned deal, Dell’s 4GB Xbox 360 bundle includes Kinect. With the holiday season and Kinect inching closer, expect more retailers going all out for your dollars.

Alienware is aiding in the digital download movement with the M11x gaming laptop, a system one observer at E3 2010 referred to as “a netbook on steroids.”

Alienware has finally released a gateway (pun partially intended) gaming laptop for those who want a high-end gaming system but typically cannot afford one.

Just before E3 2010, Alienware sent me the M11x gaming laptop to test and use while covering the expo.

Our M11x unboxing photo gallery shows the main components of the laptop out of the box…

Alienware has been known for offering high end gaming PCs with awesome looks and performance. At CES 2010 the company unveiled its latest incursion into the portable gaming market, the M11x.

Small and lightweight notebooks have been increasing in popularity lately due to portability and low price. These notebooks often sacrifice power for size but that’s not the case with the M11x. It comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and an Nvidia GeForce GT 335M GPU. These would take a toll on a notebooks battery life but the M11x also comes equipped with Intel’s integrated graphics so that users can change on the fly for less graphics intensive applications. Battery life is said to be around 3 hours when gaming and it goes up to 6 hours for regular use.

The M11x is only 11-inches and it comes with a 720p HD display with a resolution of 1336 x 768. It is only 4 pounds and also has the trademark Alienware looks, with an awesome backlit keyboard.

For the fourth day of Dell’s “8 Days of Deals” sale, the site is now offering two game systems.

The first is an Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle for $270 (and free shipping) after a $30 mail-in rebate. It appears to include two games: Lego Batman and Pure.

The second is a Nintendo DSi for $155 (also with free shipping) after a $15 mail-in rebate.

Both have already been on sale for a day so the deal lasts only one more day (all of the items are available for two days or until the items are sold out).

The other limited-days deals include…

Dell has started it 8 Days of Deals program for December 2009. For the first day of the deal (December 4, 2009) you’ll find a Wii console for $185 after a $15 mail-in rebate.

Dell has also done well and made the shipping free. The site indicates that the Wii will be available for only two days at the price.

Dell is making this weekend a great one to be a gamer. Sales on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP consoles are now available at reduced prices. Most of what is available are bundles which make these deals even harder to pass up. Dell is offering free shipping too. If you still have some cash left over from the holidays and are looking for a new console, give these a look.

Here is a list of what Dell is offering:

Oh Dell, just when we thought you had gone the way of the Wii for your console relations, you sneak in a little something extra.

In Dell’s printed Holiday Gift Guide for December 2008, hidden under an extra flap from the front cover adhered with sticky goo is a deal called the “Xbox 360 60GB HD Holiday Bundle. The bundle includes a 60 GB Xbox 360 Pro and two free games, Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda. Priced at…

Tech and computer retail store Micro Center has a whole bunch of stuff on sale starting Black Friday (November 27, 2008) through the whole weekend. It begins at 8 a.m. on Friday and ends 6 p.m. Sunday, November 30, 2008.

Sale items include Acer PCs for $299, 22 in. flat screen monitors for $199, 1GB MP3 player for $0.99, a min tripod for $0.99, cameras, computers, printers,, RAM, video recorders, hard drives and more. Some deals may also be availabel on the web site, though not likely the one-day in-store sale items.

I’ll stick to the game deals for now:

• Friday only, $50 gift card for any Xbox 360 console purchase (Xbox 360 Arcade for $199, Pro for $299 and Elite for $399)
• Friday only, World of Warcraft for $39.99 and Battle Chest for $19.99 (reg. $39.99)
• Friday only, free $10 gift card with full-price ($59.99) purchase of Fable II, Halo 3 or Gears of War for Xbox 360.
• Two DS bundles, the Cobalt blue with Flash Focus for $139.99 and the Crimson red DS with Mario Party DS for $149.99.
• Build Your Own Wii Bundle for…