Xbox 360

Turn the car around; no need to go out to the nearest Redbox anymore, as the company's Redbox Instant arm is coming to Xbox 360 in the "very near future." Current participants in the Redbox Instant beta will receive an email invite to the Xbox Live app within weeks.

Redbox Instant monthly subscriptions are $8 per month for DVD rentals plus unlimited streaming or $9 per month for Blu-ray rentals plus unlimited streaming. In the Xbox Live app, users can also opt to purchase and rent new releases without signing up for the monthly service.

Between Netflix, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go, we've found plenty of ways to get your movie on through the Xbox console. Which service do you prefer?

Busting through Target's doors on Black Friday is the best way to work off a Thanksgiving feast, especially when there are serious gadget deals at stake. This year, start your postturkey exercise early, since Target stores will open Thursday, Nov. 22, at 9 p.m. I repeat, Black Friday sales at Target actually start on Thursday, as in, Thanksgiving Day. No pressure.

So plan ahead, and hit the bull's-eye before the rush by checking out these amazing Black Friday (or, Thursday) tech deals at Target.

Apple Products

• When you buy any iPad, get a free $60 Target gift card.
• Pick up a 16GB Apple iPod touch ($195) and receive a free $40 Target gift card with your purchase. A 16GB iPod nano ($149) earns buyers a $20 gift card.
• Buy the iPhone 4S for Virgin Mobile with no contract ($499) and get a $100 Target gift card in return.

More gaming console, ereader, camera, and TV doorbusters after the break.

Xbox will always be a home for Halo (4 coming soon!) buffs, but last week's Xbox Music launch and today's release of Xbox SmartGlass confirm the gaming console is switching gears to entertainment this holiday season.

With the SmartGlass app, phones, tablets, and computers control media on the Xbox 360. Users can move around the dashboard, pause/rewind movies, surf the Web through the TV display, and input text using their tablets and phones. The mobile device essentially becomes an interactive remote control, making it easier than ever to employ the Xbox 360 for nongaming purposes, like watching ESPN or HBO GO.

SmartGlass isn't called smart for nothing — it's an intelligent companion too. The app feeds devices more information about the TV show you're watching (like who plays Game of Thrones' Khaleesi) or real-time scoring from a game on a different channel.

The app is available starting today for Windows 8-compatible tablets and PCs, and within the next couple of months for Windows Phone, iOS, and Android devices.

Former cable subscribers that fled the rigors of triple digit monthly bills for the comforts of their Xbox 360 console-based video streaming have a new app to add to their at-home entertainment options — Amazon Instant Video. Xbox Live Gold is required to access Amazon's library of 120,000 movies and TV episodes and Amazon Prime members get the added benefit of an extra 17,000 instant videos to choose from. The app even includes Kinect functionality so you can shout and wave your viewing choices without searching for the remote or game controller.

Amazon Instant Video isn't the only streaming option for Xbox users though; while services and entertainment channels may vary by region and country, these seven other Xbox Live apps may have you cutting the cable cord for good.

• HBO GO — If you're already an HBO cable subscriber, this will stream your favorite HBO programming directly into the Xbox dashboard.
• Hulu Plus — Catch up on a broad selection of network television programming and movies at $7.99 per month.
• Comcast Xfinity — Available to Xfinity TV subscribers, Xfinity On Demand brings the most current episode of shows, along with season archives, and movies to the Xbox Live dashboard.
• Vevo — Check out the latest music videos without cramming around a computer screen or worrying about software plug-ins.
• Verizon FiOS TV — Available in time for the holiday season, Verizon is slated to bring a selection of live TV channels to Xbox 360 that will also be integrated with Kinect.
• Netflix — Netflix has long been available on Xbox Live, but it's a classic complement to the slew of new programming on the platform. This may be the call to drop the DVD subscription as well.
• Youtube — Don't forget the viral videos. You can still view the buzz-worthy videos of the Internet with YouTube on Xbox.

There's a book series, a film series, a Florida amusement park, a London studio tour, and, coming this Fall, there will also be the Harry Potter For Kinect video game! Based on the eight films, the game gives diehard fans a chance to experience the movies' most memorable moments for themselves, whether as a character or as their own avatar. Check out the top four reasons we're excited to play:

• Pretending we're wizards: Thanks to hands-free and voice-recognition technology, users can cast spells using physical maneuvers or by calling out spell names. We're already practicing our "Expelliarmus!" technique.
• Flying (sort of): It's a dream come (virtually) true. Gamers will have the opportunity to fly on a broomstick for their very own Quidditch match.
• Walking in Harry's shoes: With the game, users can experience some of Harry's classic moments, like choosing a house at Hogwarts, visiting Ollivanders, and confronting He Who Shall Not Be Named in a final, dramatic battle.
• Some friendly competition: Select co-op gameplay to connect with wizardly friends, and master lessons so you can challenge other opponents in competitive minigames.

Do you plan to buy Harry Potter For Kinect?

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Our long wait for the Kinect Star Wars game is finally over! Landing on store shelves today, non-Jedis can now use the Force to battle Darth Vader himself, fly through pod races, and dance the Clone War battles away in groovin' competitions.

After months of waiting, we're excited for the motion-based Star Wars game, but it has us wondering what other movies would make thrilling Kinect games. We're adding these movies to our Kinect dream list; what movie would you like to play a part of in Kinect?

• Harry Potter — There's an amusement park in Florida and a studio tour in London, but for fans that can't travel to these destinations, casting spells and vanquishing Dementors the Kinect way would be just as wizardly.
• The Hunger Games — A story with the premise of adolescents killing other adolescents as part of a nationwide reality TV show is disturbing, and any video game would be just as gruesome to imagine. However, just the talents exhibited by Katniss, like archery and hunting, could make for interesting interactive role-play.
• Lord of the Rings — Enter Mordor? No problem in Kinect form! If you've read all the books and obsessively watched all the movies, a Kinect game of the hobbits' journey is the last step in a complete Middle Earth adventure.

See two more movies we'd like to play on Kinect after the break.