Stern Pinball unveiled the Transformers pinball machine at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The Transformers Pin game and cabinet was designed specifically for home use. It features licensed Transformers art, music, speech, and sound effects, plus genuine Stern Pinball flippers, slingshots, and plunger.

The game measures 43" long, 21.5" wide, and 64" high and it weighs 120 lbs. Unfortunately you will not be able to recoup your $3,000 investment by charging your friends, since the game is permanently set on Free Play and offers no coin door.

The online product tracking service whohas.it is showing the Nikon D5200 is now available for pre-order at a few camera retailers. One retailer is showing "in stock", but it's unclear if it's the U.S. or Hong Kong model. Some Nikon customers are reporting that the retailer will cover repairs through an authorized Nikon repair center if there is a problem, but it's a bit pricer than the pre-orders.

The Nikon D5200 is the predecessor to the popular D5100. The entry-level DSLR features a 24.1MP DX-format CMOS sensor and an EXPEED 3 image processor for producing high-quality images. Its 39-point AF system ensures precise, quick focusing, and its 2,016-pixel RGB sensor plus Nikon Scene Recognition System helps analyze both color and brightness to best determine exposure settings.

RIM has sent out invites for its January 30 press event in New York City, where the BlackBerry 10 will make its world debut. RIM didn't provide many details about the event, but the tagline on the invite reads: "Re-designed. Re-engineered. Re-invented."

With its stocks and market share in decline, the BlackBerry 10 is considered RIM's last and only hope to turn things around. Delays with the BlackBerry 10 and RIM's new OS have not been a good sign. RIM is also expected to preview an new feature called "Notebooks" at the January 30 event.

Have you been looking for an easier way to send your friends $150 in "Prized Snow Crab Claws"? Then Facebook has answered your prayers by opening Facebook Gifts to all U.S. users! Now anyone can use the previously invite-only service to send candy, stuffed toys and even wine to their family and friends. Facebook is hoping the new service will replace virtual gifts or the "Like" button for birthday wishes, or other important announcements made on the social networking site.

Facebook Gifts is incredibly easy to use: All you need is a Facebook account (we all have that) and a credit card. Go to the Facebook Gifts page, select "Buy your friend a gift",choose a person from your friends list, choose the gift you want to send, pick a virtual card and customized message, enter your credit card, and that's it. According to Facebook, "your beautifully packaged gift" will get instantly delivered right to your friend's door. Wonderful!

Two of the most surprising hard to find holiday items this year have been the Nexus 4 and Samsung Chromebook. While Google's mishandling of the Nexus 4 has been well documented, not many tech blogs have been talking about the largely out of stock 11.6" Chromebook computer. However, unlike the Nexus 4, which has been backordered for weeks, the Chromebooks are available. You just need to know where to look, and act quickly because their in stock status has been changing rapidly.

At the time of this post the product tracking service whohas.it is showing both the 3G and Wi-Fi models as "in stock" at a few retailers. As I mentioned above, the availability of the Series 3 Chromebooks has been flip flopping a lot. So act quickly, get that Chromebook in your cart and cash out before it sells out again!

Update: Availability for the Chromebook has changed a few times since the time of this post. If you find the Chromebook is once again out of stock, you can sign up for and "follow" the whohas.it Samsung Chromebook tracker. This way you can be notified via email or mobile push notification when it's available again.

The USB Squirming Tentacle does not store any data, or do anything useful, but it is still pretty cool in a dorky way. The Cthulhu-inspired USB novelty's only tricks are consuming power from your computer so it can wiggle, and making sure virgins stay that way. It will make a great stocking stuffer for computer nerds, H. P. Lovecraft fans or slimy thing enthusiasts.

The USB Squirming Tentacle is available from ThinkGeek for $24.99. Read on for the official description.

Square Enix has announced today it will port the Nintendo 3DS version of Final Fantasy IV to iOS on December 20, and Android sometime in 2013. Unlike the original 1991 SNES verison which featured 2D visuals, the iOS and Android version will feature 3D graphics. The 3DS version also offered mini-games and brought new abilities plus a tweaked storyline. Pricing has not been announced, but expect to pay around $20 for the iOS version. The controls and framework are also expected to be similar to other mobile Final Fantasy releases.

Apple CEO Tim Cook told Brian Williams Apple will manufacture an entire lineup of Macs in the United States in 2013. When asked by Williams why Apple "can't be a made in America company" Cook replied that the engine and glass of the iPhone are produced in America, before adding ""we will do one of our existing Mac lines in the United States". Cook did not specify what lineup of Macs Apple will produce in the U.S. The entire interview will air on December 6, at 10 pm / 9c on NBC's Rock Center.

UPDATE: Nintendo has confirmed the "Wii mini" will be exclusive to Canada. It will retail for $99 and will not include Wi-Fi.

Canadian Best Buy jumped the gun by placing a pre-order ad for the new Wii Mini on its website. There is no actual Wii Mini product page, but the ad does reveal the revamped console will be available in red and black on December 7th. Pricing is still unknown.

The Wii's successor, The Wii U, launched on November 18, 2012. Nintendo managed to sell 400,000 units in its first week, and both the 8GB and 32GB models are largely sold out in the U.S.. The 32GB Deluxe Set, which normally retails for $350, is selling for upwards of $600 on online auction sites such as eBay. The high demand and shortage of Wii U consoles is making Nintendo's new gaming platform one of the most sought after holiday items this year.

Update (11/22/2012 7:10am): whohas.it is reporting the Nintendo Wii U 32GB (Black) Deluxe once again out of stock. The 8GB (White) Basic set remains in stock at several retailers.

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The last few days have seen rumors swirling regarding the alleged stockpiling of Nintendo Wii U units by retailers in preparation for a planned release of these units during the upcoming Black Friday shopping event. Those rumors remain unsubstantiated, but with Black Friday approaching, some retailers have once again begun making stock available to customers.

Retailer monitoring service whohas.it is reporting new availability late this afternoon and evening of both the Nintendo Wii U 32GB Deluxe and 8GB Basic models at several retailers (see up to date Nintendo Wii U availability here). Other retailers also made Wii U bundles available at various times today, which include add-ons such as games and accessories, albeit at a higher sticker price.