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RIM lowers minimum app prices on BlackBerry World
BlackBerry-toting penny-pinchers have cause to rejoice, as RIM is introducing lower price tiers in BlackBerry World, starting with the British Pound and Euro. New price tags have yet to take hold across the board, but the the UK will see their lowest level fall from £1.00 to £0.75 (around $1.20). When it comes to the Euro, prices will vary by country, and we spotted apps as low as €0.75 ($1) on Spain's version of the shop. According to RIM, the tweak takes currency exchange rates and VAT requirements into account, and is an effort to gain a competitive edge and catch the eyes of consumers. It's certainly a far cry from how things used to be.
$149 WiFi-only Nook confirmed, 3G price dropped to $199 (update: official)
Turns out all our snooping was spot on with this one. We first spotted a simpler, cheaper Nook making its way through the FCC late last month, and then only last night we got tipped off to a $150 price point for the e-reader sans cellular connection. Now Best Buy has confirmed the whole thing with its listing of the BNRV100 model, which comes in over $100 cheaper than Barnes and Noble's original ($259), although Best Buy has seen fit to give that a price trim as well. We like where this is going, especially if it triggers B&N's competitors to lower their own fees. [Thanks, Paul] Update: Barnes and Noble has now gone fully official with its new $149 Nook. The 3G version has taken a price drop to $199 as well, matching the pricing indicated by Best Buy. B&N is today also outing its firmware version 1.4, which allows the free use of AT&T wireless hotspots everywhere.
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server pricing is good for business
In this morning's rush to figure out what had changed at the Apple Store, one of our readers pointed out that Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server (US$499 for an unlimited license) was priced lower than Leopard Server (US$999 for unlimited users). While this is nothing new -- we've known about the price change since June -- it bears repeating. For businesses with small, single offices to large enterprises with racks full of Xserves, Snow Leopard Server makes a lot of sense. That $499 license provides a lot -- a mail server (not Exchange-compatible, however), CalDAV server for group calendars, group-wide Time Machine backups to a server, a podcast producer, a wiki server, an iChat server, and the new Mobile Access Server, in addition to a plethora of other administrative and client management options. Along with the Xserve, which I've found to be comparably priced to other enterprise-class servers, and the Mac mini, which makes a great little inexpensive headless server for small offices, Apple has created a set of powerful business tools. Considering that it's now half the price of Leopard Server, Snow Leopard Server is something that more system admins may want to look at, especially in Microsoft-dominated shops.
On the DL: Apple's U2 iPod goes 5.5G, falls to $279
After Apple launched the not-exactly-6G iPod at the "It's Showtime" event, we had plenty of fun dissecting the new nano and handling the appropriately dubbed 5.5G iPod, but we couldn't help but notice how the dear ole U2 iPod was apparently uninvited to the refresh party. Apple has finally got around to bringing the long-standing "special edition" 'Pod to 5.5G specs, as it now sports the "brighter display," extended battery life, and a new model number (MA664LL/A) to boot. Aside from getting the 5.5G goodies (and a coupon for an "exclusive" half hour U2 video download), the real news is the price drop; while the engraved signatures of Bono and friends (and that blaze red click wheel) still demand a premium, the coinage required to pick up a 30GB U2 iPod sank from $329 to $279 -- a whole $50 -- to fall more in line with its standard $249 sibling. For a second there, we just figured the U2-branded 'Pod was stuck in a moment it couldn't get out of.[Via iLounge]
Sony lowers price of PlayStation 2 to $129.99
A little earlier than expected, Sony announced today that they've reduced the recommended retail price for the PlayStation 2 from $149.99 to $129.99/$139.99 CND. Just as the earlier report suggested, Sony didn't opt for a more dramatic $99 price drop, instead going for a more subtle cut ahead of this May's E3. So, will Microsoft follow suit by cutting the price of the original Xbox from $149? Considering the company's willingness to leave their previous generation console behind, we'd say the chances are unlikely. Meanwhile, the Nintendo GameCube has been sitting pretty at a $99 price point since September 2003.Read the relevant section of the press release after the jump.
