Tag Archives: price

LG Quantum lands on AT&T today for $199.99

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Just one week ago three Windows Phone 7 powered devices hit the U.S. market–the Samsung Focus and HTC Surround found a home in AT&T and the HTC HD7 teamed with T-Mobile.  Today the LG Quantum rounds out the AT&T trifecta of WP7 launch devices.  Nothing crazy here: 3.5 inch display, 1GHz processor, full slide-out horizontal QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, flash, 16GB of built-in storage, and 720p HD video recording, and DLNA streaming support.  Plus 10 free apps will be waiting for you to download; they’re available through the LG app store within the Windows Phone Marketplace.  All this for $199.99 on a new two-year contract.  Shipping today.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading LG Quantum lands on AT&T today for $199.99 →

Samsung Galaxy Tab release date and price roundup

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About one month ago Samsung and mobile operator partners detailed Galaxy Tab offerings.  Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile put their cards on the table, while U.S. Cellular said it it was coming soon and AT&T remained silent.  Today the latter two carriers shared their respective release dates and pricing schemes, so I thought it’d be helpful if I charted out each carrier’s Tab information.  So without further ado:

Verizon: $599.99 (no contract required); optional 3G plan- $20/month for 1GB of data; released 11/11

Sprint: $399.99 (new 2-year contract required); $29.99/month for 2GB or $59.99 for 5GB; releases 11/14

T-Mobile: $399.99 (new 2-year contract required); $24.99/month for 200MB or $39.99/month for 5GB released 11/10

AT&T: $649.99 (no contract required); $14.99/month for 250GB pay-as-you-go plan or $25/month for 2GB pay-as-you-go plan; $50 Media Hub Movie Rental credit with purchase for a limited time; releases 11/21

U.S. Cellular: $599 (no contract required) or $399 (contract required); $14.99/month for 200MB or $54.99/month for 5GB with tethering enabled; releases 11/19

Been looking for an iPad alternative?  This Android (Froyo) based tablet is it.  That is, until iPad 2 comes out.

Droid 2 Global finds its way to Verizon

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Two new Droid phones in one week!?  Hot damn!  OK, it’s not that exciting since this latest iteration is essentially identical to the Droid 2.  What differentiates it from its slightly older sibling is three-fold: it is “global ready”, meaning its got CDMA/GSM dual-mode functionality, it packs a faster 1.2GHz processor, and it comes dressed in a white coat.  The rest of the specs are standard: 3.7″ WVGA multitouch display, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera with auto focus, WiFi, Bluetooth, DLNA Wireless, 8GB internal memory (expandable up to 32GB), Android 2.2.  It’s available for purchase today at Verizon Wireless for $199.99 on a new two-year contract.  If you travel ’round the world and need a dual-mode world phone and enjoy the Android experience, check the ‘ol BlackBerry and pick up the Droid 2 Global.

Note: Neither Motorola nor Verizon has officially announced the introduction of this device; it just happened to show up on the VZW website for sale.  If/when either of these companies feels like pushing out an official press release regarding the Droid 2 Global, check back at this space for those details.

[Via Verizon]

Three U.S. Windows Phone 7 devices available today

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Of the ten Windows Phone 7 launch devices, three of them are making their way into the States today.  AT&T’s got the Samsung Focus and the HTC Surround, and T-Mobile offers the HTC HD7.  All three devices cost $199.99 after signing a 2-year contract, or $500 if you decide to opt out of the contract before purchasing.  Bet you’re wondering about the other two U.S. WP7 phones, both of which include slideout QWERTY keyboard.  AT&T’s LG Quantum is up for preorder now at $199.99, and the Dell Venue Pro is still marked as “coming soon”, though it’s expected to hit stores on 11/17 for $199.99 on contract.  As usual, this space will be updated when the official word hits the streets.

Microsoft’s totally revamped, moderntastic mobile OS has finally arrived people!  Will you be one of the early adopters to give one of the launch handsets a spin?  Brush up with specs and features here.

Droid Pro lands on Verizon Wireless November 18 for $179.99

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Right on target, Verizon Wireless has spilled the deets regarding the release of “the first Android-based smartphone optimized for business use.”  Droid Pro will be made available for Verizon Wireless customers November 18 for $179.99 after signing a new 2-year contract and sending in a $100 mail-in rebate.  Been salivating at the sight of this Android/Blackberry hybrid handset of sorts since Moto announced it in early October?  Better your odds of picking up the device on launch day by filling out a preorder form at VZW’s website starting tomorrow (11/9).  Full PR after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Droid Pro lands on Verizon Wireless November 18 for $179.99 →

320GB PlayStation 3 is Move-less

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Want a 320GB PlayStation 3 console but don’t care for the PlayStation Move motion accessory?  Sony’s got you covered.  Earlier this week the makers of PS3 introduced a new SKU into the market.  For $349.99 you get the 320GB PS3 console (the largest storage capacity next-gen console) and a DualShock 3 controller.  This new standalone PS3 model is available today.  But before you decide to make a decision at the counter, take into consideration your other options.  (1) For $50 less you can get the 160GB PS3; (2) for $50 more you can get the 320GB PS3 w/ Move bundle (which includes one Move controller and Sports Champion game).  Don’t need the large capacity?  Absolutely sure you don’t want to get off the couch and interact with games in a new way?  Ultimately, the choice is yours.

[Via PlayStationBlog]

Verizon & T-Mobile introduce new tiered data plans to compete with AT&T’s offerings

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Remember back in June AT&T marked the beginning of the end for “unlimited” data plans for cell phone users?  Well direct competitors Verizon and T-Mobile recently jumped onto the tiered data plan bandwagon, so let’s have a look-see.  Unlike like AT&T’s data-capped plan that forces new subscribers to choose between 200MB and 2GB options, Big Red and T-Mobile are keeping the unlimited $30 smartphone 3G data plans (for now).  What’s changed is the addition of cheaper options for less data-heavy users.  The breakdown is fairly simple.  VZ subscribers can now choose from the $30 unlimited option and a new $15 150MB/month option with $0.10 per MB overage.  T-Mobile subscribers can go unlimited for $30 or pay $15 for 200MB/month.  You can pick up the latter option for only $10/month for “a limited time” if you sign a new 2-year contract with it.  And that’s about it.  What’s interesting here is that VZ and T-Mobile have decided to keep the unlimited option, while AT&T has eliminated it for new customers (if you had it before the changes AT&T let you grandfather it).  I’m oh-so curious to follow the journey of the unlimited data plan; with such a big push toward tiered data plans, it’s starting to seem like carriers are moving away from it.  Will it survive in a 4G world?

[Via Engadget, here & here]

E-ink, shme-ink, says Barnes & Noble; meet Nook Color

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Yesterday Barnes & Noble unveiled the next version of their Nook e-reader.  Nook Color is more than a simple e-reader, proclaims B&N; they call it a “reader’s tablet.”  Let’s run through the impressive specs and features, shall we?  The new Nook was designed in collaboration with industrial designer Yves Behar and it packs a 7-inch (1024×600) LCD color touch display (from LG) that can show more than 16 million colors and has a wide viewing angle thanks to integrated IPS screen technology.  The “VividView” display is covered with a lamination screen film that promises to minimize glare.  E-ink is no where to be found here–this is LCD all the way.  Liken this to iPad reading, not Kindle reading.  It’s light and portable at 8.1” (height) by 5” (width) by 0.48” (depth) and 15.8 ounces.  Built-in 802.11 b/g/n WiFi is used to explore, purchase, and share content.  A 3G model was not announced.  There’s 8GB of internal storage, and that can be expanded up to 32GB thanks to the microSD slot.  B&N claims it has an eight hour battery life with WiFi turned off–a steep price to pay for color support (the original Nook boasts a 10-day battery lifespan).  Nook Color runs Android all across its 7-inch touchscreen (the original Nook features a large E-ink screen with a small Android-powered touch display below it).  Swiping through books and pinch-to-zoom are present and accounted for.

Content and apps time.  The NOOKbook Store includes over two million books for Nook owners to preview and purchase.  NOOKnewsstand brings a whole slew of newspapers, periodicals, and magazines to Nook; they include The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA TODAY, Rolling Stone, Esquire, US Weekly, National Geographic, Martha Stewart Living, Cosmopolitan, and Elle.  Periodicals will be available by subscription and single copy.  Reading is optimized for the touchscreen; ArticleView allows you to customize the reading experience to your liking.   NOOK kids brings over 130 digital picture books and 12,000 chapter books aimed at children.  AliveTouch enables children to interact with words and pictures; it also gives them the option for the device to read a story aloud (death to parenting!).  The Read In Store program allows Nook owners to read Nookbooks for free one hour at a time inside B&N stores only.  With the LendMe app, owners can lend their friends books and request to borrow books from friends; sharing books is free and books can be lended for up to 14 days.  Books can be recommended and shared with friends over Facebook, Twitter, and email; yes, the Nook has gone social.  Since Nook Color technically is a tablet too, developers can now create engaging apps for the device.  B&N calls them “extras” and those available at launch will include Pandora (for music streaming), Quickoffice (for reading Microsoft Office files, PDFs, JEPGs, and more), and games (crossword puzzles, Sudoku, chess, etc.).  Though it runs Android, users will not have access to the Android Market or Market apps.  The upswing?  A full browser is included to surf the web (Flash is not supported).

Nook Color hits store shevles November 19 for $249.  You can preorder today at the B&N website.  It will go on sale at Walmart, Best Buy, and Books-a-Million in late November.  Full PR after the break.

In addition to announcing Nook Color, B&N took time to share details about a pending software update for the original Nook (WiFi) and Nook (WiFi+3G) models.  Expect faster page-turn speed, improved search functionality, customized B&N Library organization, password protection, and continuous reading across all NOOK devices and software.  Firmware update 1.5 will be available as a free download via WiFi this November.

[Via B&N; Engadget]

Continue reading E-ink, shme-ink, says Barnes & Noble; meet Nook Color →

HP gives in, officially unveils Windows 7 powered HP Slate priced at $799

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After almost an entire year of teases, demos, random resurfaces, and handlings on YouTube, the once mysterious HP Slate has been formally announced and detailed.  What was originally intended for the consumer market has been tailored and made destined for “business, enterprise and vertical customers.”  (You can thank HP’s aquisition of Palm and their current plans of designing webOS tablets for this slight shakeup in marketing.)  By now you should know the Slate’s specs by heart, but let’s run through them anyway, you know, for fun.  Weighing in at 1.5 pounds, the Slate features a 8.9-inch (1024×600) capacitive multitouch display, 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor, 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD, 802.11n WiFi, rear-facing 5 megapixel camera (for taking still images and video), front-facing VGA camera (for video chat), and a Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video accelerator to help provide 1080p video playback.  Ports-wise there’s 1 USB, a headphone jack, an SD card slot, and a mic.  A myriad of buttons surround the bezel; there’s a home button, a keyboard button that brings up and hides the on-screen keyboard, volume up/down buttons, and a Ctrl-Alt-Delete key.

The Slate 500 runs a clean version of Windows 7 Professional; you won’t find any kind of HP skin here, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences.  Unlike Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android Froyo platform, Windows 7 was not designed from the ground up for touch input.  A capacitive screen and a fairly speedy Intel processor will get the job done, but just barely.  If you are willing to learn how to navigate a made for mouse-and-keyboard OS using your fat fingers, go for it.  All I’m saying is that it might be hard to justify dropping $799 for a tablet of this kind.  A worthy iPad contender this is not.  If you’re anti-Apple, I’d recommend purchasing the Samsung Galaxy Tab over the Slate any day.

But enough of my gripes.  Let’s talk Slate accessories and release details.  It ships with a Wacom active digital pen to use for note taking and writing emails.  It also comes with a dock fitted with an HDMI port for video out and a “portfolio” case.  Again the Slate will ship for $799 and it’s coming to the U.S. first (at an undisclosed date) and will then be “evaluated for further market expansion.”

Look in the gallery below for stills and after the break for official PR.

[Via Engadget]

Nintendo Wii Remote Plus comes stateside for $39.99, bundled inside celebratory red Wii console

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We knew it was coming, but Nintendo has made it official.  The Wii Remote Plus (or the newly designed Wii-mote with the MotionPlus accessory built inside) is coming to U.S. Wii players for an exciting low price of $39.99.  Ninty confirms the Wii Remote Plus will become the new standard Wii-mote to come stuffed inside all Wii packages and bundles when it releases November 7.  It will come in the following tints: white, pink, blue, and black.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game, Nintendo decided to deck out the Wii in a red coat of paint for Japanese gamers.  Today I am happy to announce that the company who invented Mario is bringing the celebratory console to the States.  In addition to the red Wii console, the limited edition bundle includes a red Wii Remote Plus and matching Nunchuck, Wii Sports, and a copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii.  The bundle costs $199.99 and ships November 7.

But the fun doesn’t stop there!  A special-edition Nintendo DSi XL bundle lands November 7, too.  The red DSi XL features three iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics and comes bundled with a copy of Mario Kart DS and preloaded with Brain Age games and a Photo Clock.  It’s priced at 179.99.

Let’s hear it for the most iconic video game characher ever–happy birthday Mario!

[Via Joystiq]

Back to the Mac: iLife ’11, FaceTime, Mac OS X Lion, MacBook Air

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Today Steve Jobs hosted an Apple keynote presentation appropriately titled Back to the Mac.  In it he demonstrated the new version of iLife ’11, highlighting major upgrades to iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand; introduced FaceTime for the Mac; previewed the next version of Mac OS X; and unveiled two new MacBook Air notebooks.  It’s breakdown time.

iLife ’11: The latest version of iLife packs the usual suspects–iPhone, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb, and iDVD.  The former three have been given major upgrades in functionality.

iPhoto ’11 features a new full-screen mode.  With a click of a button (the green [+] located at the top left corner of the window), desktop applications, the menu bar, and other distractions disappear.  In full-screen mode you take advantage of more screen real estate when viewing pictures in Events, Faces, Places, Albums, and Projects.  Projects is a new way to view your collection of books and letterpress cards on a wooden bookshelf.  The ability to create custom letterpress cards is a new feature; 15 distinct themes are at your disposal to customize and order directly from Apple to send to relatives and friends.  When you go to create a book or letterpress card, a new dynamic theme browser in carousel style will be presented to you.  There are also a bunch of new slideshow themes including Holiday Mobile, Reflections, and Places.  Want to email a group of photos to a friend?  Now you can create and send an email message within iPhoto; no need to jump out and into a mail client.  You can choose from eight themes to customize how you want your pictures to be presented in the email.  And lastly there’s Facebook enhancements.  Within iPhoto you can now publish photos directly to your wall or to an existing album, and if your friends leave comments on your photos you’ll be able to view them in iPhoto.  You can also tag faces and browse all of your Facebook albums in iPhoto; no need to jump out and into a browser.

iMovie ’11 features new audio editing tools.  Detailed wave forms are color coded, so now you can see where audio levels are too loud or quiet and adjust them properly.  Also there’s a new single-row view that shows you your entire movie project in one horizontal row, making it easier to edit your soundtrack.  One-step effects are also at your disposal.  Adding visual effects like instant replay, flash and hold, and jump cuts at beats can be done with minimal amount of clicks.  The new People Finder feature works similarly to Faces in iPhoto; the software will analyze your video to identify the parts with people in them.  It also finds the close-ups, medium shots, or wide angles making it easier to find these specific shots during an edit session.  There are two new themes: sports and news.  And now you can publish your movies directly Vimeo,CNN iReport, and Apple Podcast Producer in addition to iTunes, YouTube, Facebook, and your mobile devices.  Last there’s movie trailers.  You can choose from 15 templates to create professional-looking movie trailers out of your clips.  Apple commissioned the London Symphony Orchestra to record (in Abbey Road Studios) and perform original tracks for you to use when creating movie trailers.  Outline and storyboard views make it simple to put together a movie trailer in no time.

GarageBand ’11 includes two new features called Flex Time and Groove Matching.  Flex Time allows you to fix timing mistakes on the fly; you can literally click and drag any part of a waveform to change the timing of a note or beat.  Groove Matching is described as “an automatic spell checker for bad rhythm.”  If one (or multiple) instruments appears to be out of rhythm, all you have to do is select the one instrument that has the perfect rhythm (called the Groove Track) and all the other instrument tracks will instantly match it.  A new feature called “How Did I Play?” gives you the opportunity to play along with a piano or guitar lesson, record yourself, and test how you’re doing in real time.  Like Guitar Hero, the GarageBand lesson will keep track of your performance with a performance meter and show you missed notes in red to help you perfect your skills.  A track progess bar will show you how better (or worse) you’re performing a particular song by date.  Finally, there’s new lessons for piano and guitar, as well as new guitar amps and stompbox effects.

iLife ’11 is available for purchase today at $49.  A family pack, which includes 5 licenses, goes for $79.  Keep in mind iLife ships free with every new Mac. Continue reading Back to the Mac: iLife ’11, FaceTime, Mac OS X Lion, MacBook Air →

Samsung Galaxy Tab coming to Verizon Wireless November 11 for $599.99 [Update: Sprint & T-Mobile details]

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If you’ve been hunting for an iPad alternative to satisfy your tablet needs, look no further than here.  Samsung’s Galaxy Tab will be sold through Verizon Wireless for $599.99 come November 11.  You want specs?  Oh, I got specs.  The Tab sports a 7-inch (1024×600, WSVGA) multitouch display, 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, rear-facing 3 megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus, front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, 2GB of onboard storage with 16 GB pre-installed on a microSD card (expandable memory up to 32GB), 802.11n WiFi, A-GPS, and a headphone jack.  It weighs 13 ounces and is 12 millimeters thin; Sammy says it can “easily fit into a jeans’ backpocket”, but I’m not so sure about that.  The display supports full HD 1080p video playback and the rear-facing camera can shoot up to 720p at 30 fps.  The browser supports Adobe Flash Player 10.1.

The Tab runs Android 2.2 (aka Froyo) with a tweaked version of Samsung’s TouchWiz skin on top.  Google Maps Navigation and Google Goggles come preinstalled, along with Swype keyboard functionality.  Apps like Qik and Fring are available to download in the Android Market and can be used for video chatting over a WiFi connection.  In addition to its custom skin, Samsung is throwing in some of their own apps they think will be useful for users.  The Media Hub offers a “vast lineup of critically acclaimed films and TV programs for rent or purchase.”  Samsung has partnered with MTV Networks, NBC, Paramount, and Universal Studios Home Entertainment to bring media content to Tab owners.  Purchased content can be shared with up to five devices that carry the Media Hub application.  The Social Hub “works with the user’s Messaging and Contacts to initiate the sending and receiving of information, whether it is e-mail, instant messaging, social network updates or SMS messages.”  Also, calendar information from portal calendars like Google Calendar and social networks can be unified into one calender view.  There’s also a Document Viewer & Editor that can open and make changes to any Word, Excel, Powerpoint or PDF document, AllShare DLNA Technology can stream content to DLNA-compatable devices, and Daily Briefing gives you access to updated weather, news, stocks, and schedules.  Accessories will be sold separately: keyboard dock ($99.99), desktop dock ($49.99), car/GPS dock ($99.99).

The Tab will eventually be sold through all major US carriers (including AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile), but it’s coming to Verizon Wireless first.  The Tab on VZW will sell for $599.99 with no strings attached, meaning there’s no required 2-year contract obligation.  You can access the Internet on it using WiFi, and if you so choose you can add an optional 3G plan and pay $20/month for 1GB of data.  Users can access  V CAST Apps, Verizon’s mobile storefront for apps, and the Tab will come preloaded with V CAST Music, V CAST Song ID, VZ Navigator, Slacker Radio, Kindle for Android, BLOCKBUSTER On Demand, and a game called “Let’s Golf.”  Text, picture and video messaging is supported, but voice calling is not.  I repeat, the Tab is not a cell phone.  It may look like an oversized Android handset, but it cannot make and receive calls in the U.S.

Look in the gallery below to check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab from all angles, and jump after the break to watch a 10 minute “official demo” of the Android tablet.

Update (10/25): Today Sprint shared pricing details for their version of the Galaxy Tab.  Sprint customers can purchase the Tab for $399.99 with an obligatory two-year contract and they’ll need to cough up $29.99/month for 2GB of data or $59.99 for 5GB.  Preorders start today and it releases November 14.

Update 2 (10/27): T-Mobile will sell the Tab for $399.99 on a two-year contract.  A $35 activation fee is required.  Goes on sale November 10.

Update 3: The Tab is also coming to U.S. Cellular, but price and a release date have not been detailed yet.

[Via Samsung; Engadget, here, here & here; IGN]

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab coming to Verizon Wireless November 11 for $599.99 [Update: Sprint & T-Mobile details] →