The phone looks set to provide an appealing alternative for many basic phone users too, especially children, due to the non-rechargeable battery. Of course, this all comes at a cost, and while the device certainly has a design flair to it, there’s no “smart” appending to the phone. As such, there’s no data connectivity, Angry Birds, or other such necessities for many smartphone-desiring kids.

But the real drawback of the product has nothing to do with the GSM-based device itself, but rather the cellular connectivity that one must purchase. For an emergency device to make sense, it needs to be something you can throw in the glove-box and forget about until the inevitable emergency happens. But cellular plans are not designed like that, and carriers charge by the month; even prepaid plans expire rather rapidly. As a result, while the battery will be as active as an Energizer Bunny, the chances that your prepaid plan is still alive and well are as remote as the location you’ll no doubt be stuck in.

Like its cable counterparts, Dish has looked into the maw of continuing video subscriber defections and realized that something needs to be done. Unlike cable service providers, Dish is willing to use acquired assets to construct a mobile broadband wireless business that follows the same general satellite-cellular technology curve as LightSquared — without LightSquared’s ongoing battles with the GPS industry and the FCC over interference issues. Dish chairman Charlie Ergen says his spectrum is clean and interference isn’t an issue.

If that’s the case, GPS interference is the only thing that won’t be an issue because the rest of the idea — launching a new wireless offering in a cutthroat market dominated by Verizon Wireless and AT&T — has caused even the most bloodthirsty cable service providers to quake like the Cowardly Lion facing Toto. As shown by Cox’s retreat from the market this week, it’s not just a tough business to enter; it’s a forbidden place surrounded by yellow tape.

And yet, for Dish, launching a wireless network is a reasonable avenue to take to preserve a longstanding satellite video business. “Strategically,” Ergen says, “we have to be in something other than a standalone video business as a company.”

Strategically, that’s right. Dish hasn’t been shy about expanding its horizons beyond standalone video delivery already. The satellite provider has cozied up to cable operator Charter Communications on a broadband data trial that has also benefited Charter’s broadband-first profile. Dish has also acquired Blockbuster Video to combat cable behemoths like Comcast and Time Warner and their ties to expansive programming libraries.

Strategically, going into wireless is smart because it adds a service that, right now, only the telcos can offer. If the spectrum is clean, technologically it’s feasible. On any scale, the suggestion deserves applause just for chutzpah and for admitting that video is no longer enough to drive a service provider’s business.

More likely, it’s the opening salvo of what will become a partnership for Dish with a mobile provider or even a cable operator like Charter. Strategically, that would make even more sense because, when it comes to wireless, cable operators are in the same situation as satellite providers: providing standalone video service isn’t enough anymore.

Sony has supported both 3D games and Blu-ray players on its PlayStation 3 console as part of its cross-division Sony “3D World” initiative. According to NPD’s 3D 360 Monitor, consumer awareness of 3D capabilities for home videogame consoles has grown significantly in the past several months, no doubt driven by the PS3. However, as it revealed plans for its “next-generation portable” (NGP), Sony is foregoing stereoscopy on the powerful handheld’s 5” OLED display.

Nintendo, on the other hand, does not support 3D output on its home console, the Wii, but could do much to promote the 3D ecosystem as it drives exposure for the Nintendo 3DS around its March 27th U.S. launch. The company will deploy 5,000 kiosks to retail stores and also equip a mobile sales force with the goal of exposing one million consumers get to its 3D experience. According to NPD’s 3D 360° Monitor, theaters are the most popular place where consumers experience 3D, but consumer exposure at retail has also grown dramatically in the last several months. With a $249 price point, no need for special glasses, and a promising content library, the 3DS addresses many 3D pain points.

Of course, there are other differences that may make the 3DS a less viable proxy by which to judge the prospects of 3D in the home overall. Despite Nintendo previously holding the door open to the 3DS as a vehicle for movie distribution, last week’s announcements did not venture beyond games as commercial content. Regardless, Nintendo’s outreach and the quality of the 3DS’ 3D experience will no doubt reach many consumers who have not previously considered a 3D electronics product, much less a portable device.

Indeed, the 3DS’ ability to take 3D photos will likely inspire interest in seeing those photos on larger displays than the one on Nintendo’s handheld. That can only help raise awareness of the potential of 3D and could help drive consumer interest in bringing stereoscopy to a broader array of entertainment and personal content.

To support these numbers we just released a survey of SMB buyers focused on companies under 1000 employees and found some optimism towards spending there, which is clearly borne out by the POS results. In the survey we dug a little bit deeper and tried to get at what SMBs intend to spend on in 2010 and whether this spending is above where they were in 2009. The results were extremely positive. More than 60 percent of those surveyed are intending to spend money in 2010 on PCs, networking equipment, and servers and 59 percent are planning to spend on storage equipment.

The main reason sited by companies for purchasing was to keep up with technology by upgrading their equipment. Almost 2/3 of purchase intentions were driven by the need to continue to upgrade their equipment. Certainly we have all been paying a lot of attention to the PC upgrade cycle in 2010 as the release of Windows 7 and the revived economy has helped spur interest in the upgrading clients.

Our survey found some interesting data in PC purchasing intentions. As we mentioned in the press release, PCs had the highest intention of being purchased in 2010 as well as the largest segment of companies planning to spend the same, or more, on PCs in 2010 as they did in 2009. Digging deeper we saw that PC upgrade intentions are very different by company size. Almost 80 percent of companies with more than 200 employees planned to spend on PCs as part of a long-term plan to upgrade equipment, a clear sign that Windows 7 is creating interest in larger firms. Conversely, only 65 percent of firms with less than 50 employees intended to upgrade for that reason. But 80 percent of firms of that size said they did intend to spend more, or the same, as last year. Among firms planning to spend less on PCs in 2010, 56 percent said they had replaced equipment last year and a whopping 75 percent of firms with under 50 employees said they replaced last year and would therefore be decreasing their spend this year. The bottom line then appears to be that sales will begin shifting to larger companies in the PC arena in 2010 as some portion of corporate budgets begin to be spent on new client systems.

Still, that exclusivity has made it difficult for consumers who would like to kick the Kindle’s keyboard before buying the product, an advantage that Amazon’s old rival Barnes & Noble has — and is exploiting — with its Nook device. While the Nook also began as a device distributed exclusively via its retailer, both products will now be sold indirectly, with the Nook on the shelves at Best Buy and the Kindle coming to Target.

 
The expanded distribution makes sense given the state of the e-reader market. Like other portable digital content devices, such as MP3 players, e-readers are high-tech products that appeal to consumers at Best Buy, and the retailer is devoting shelf space to them. However, like digital picture frames, they are also lifestyle products that have relatively strong appeal for women, hence the Target fit. NPD’s research has also indicated that e-readers are popular gift items, and having e-readers present at these retailers will enable them to partake further of the fourth-quarter frenzy of the holiday sales season.

 
Ultimately, both Amazon and Barnes & Noble care more about their digital bookstores than their digital book readers. Barnes & Noble, for example, is also the default bookstore on the forthcoming Plastic Logic and RCA devices, and Amazon, of course, will be happy to sell you a book to read on your iPad as well as on its Kindle. By opening up distribution, these retailers maximize their potential to sell more of their literary candy by having their candy machines in the homes of consumers who might not be as inclined to visit a physical or online bookseller. It also sets the stage for having a broader, more mainstream variety of content available to e-readers beyond bestsellers.

On Wednesday, Ross Rubin will provide insight on Black Friday pricing and promotions, as well as what those must-have gadgets will be when the doors open on Black Friday. On Black Friday, Stephen Baker will discuss his experiences as he heads out to the major retail stores to check out the deals, the hot sellers, and store traffic.

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