Samsung is planning to launch its Galaxy Note II device in mid-November with five major carriers, the handset maker announced today. Specific pricing and retail availability is up to each individual carrier to announce at their leisure, but on the bright side, if you've had the Galaxy Note II on your radar, you can go ahead and put it on hour holiday wish list, regardless of whether you're an AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, or U.S. Cellular subscriber.

Imagine, if you will, a world in which blind loyalty trumps common sense and critical thinking, where the power of marketing and the corporate hype machine are so strong that reasonably intelligent consumers are reduced to social status seeking nitwits on a late night television talk show. Sadly, you don't have to imagine such a place. It already exists, as Jimmy Kimmel proved when his camera crew took to the streets of Los Angeles and handed people an iPhone 4S, and then asking them what they thought of the new iPhone 5 they where holding.

Apple's iPhone 5 is finally here, and it's pretty much everything that's been rumored in the weeks and months prior to today. It has a half-inch larger touchscreen display that's now 4 inches with an 1136x740 resolution, which marks the first time the iPhone has deviated from using a 3.5-inch screen; there's a 4G LTE radio tucked inside; Apple upgraded the system-on-chip (SoC) to an A6 processor; and yes, it's officially called the iPhone 5 and not simply iPhone or 'new iPhone' (a la the third generation iPad).

In just one more day, Apple is set to announce the iPhone 5, and if you find that about as exciting as watching paint dry, perhaps Amazon has something that's a little more up your alley. For a "very limited time only" (how very limited, we don't know), you can pick up Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III device for a Benjamin ($99.99 shipped), plus a $35 activation fee, provided you agree to a two-year service agreement.