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Best Buy to slash prices for old Xbox 360 special edition bundles tomorrow? (Update: yes)
Let's face it: despite the new Xbox 360 being joyously quieter and more efficient, the previous model still manages to seduce some of us with its sexy curves. Speaking of which -- according to Joystiq's source, Best Buy's going to kick off August by lowering the prices for the Splinter Cell: Conviction and Final Fantasy XIII previous-gen Xbox 360 bundles. For just $299 -- $50 off the current price point (and $100 off the launch price) -- you still get a copy of the corresponding game title, a 250GB HDD, and two wireless controllers. So that's gaming sorted for the summer; now put that $50 towards some cooling aid and you're good to go. Update: and the new prices are live. Grab them while they're hot.
O2 offers early iPhone 4 upgrade amnesty in bid to retain customers
Would you look at that. Following in the footsteps of AT&T, O2 has today announced it'll allow current customers to pay off the remainder of their contracts at a discounted rate when they re-up with the network for the iPhone 4. Irrespective of how much you're paying now, the UK carrier will charge you a flat rate of £20 ($29) for each leftover month. Considering most iPhone users rock out at £30 and above, that's a solid 30 percent discount (or contract amnesty, however you wanna view it) for the impatient types. Of course, you'll be trading away your usual 14-day cooling off period if you take them up on this deal, so you'd better make doubly sure you want the iPhone 4 on O2 before taking the plunge.
OnLive offering one year free membership to pre-registrants
Smart move by OnLive today. The controversial streaming game service is offering to waive the $14.95 monthly access fee for a full year (originally it was 3 months) for anyone who enthusiastically pre-registered early -- many of you we suspect. It's even tossing in a coupon for a free game when you register for the offer. The only catch seems to be the credit card required to complete registration as proof that you're over 18. If you didn't pre-register then tough luck, no offer for you. But at least you can take comfort in knowing that a small army of gamers will be taking the service to task unencumbered by membership fees. In other words, we'll know right quickly if OnLive can live up to its "ultra high-performance" streaming gameplay on entry-level PCs and Macs. [Thanks, Michael M.]
OnLive pre-registrants get free game and one-year subscription
Sometimes, it really does pay to take a leap of faith when it comes to investing in a new piece of technology. For example, OnLive had promised a free three month subscription to the first 25,000 people who pre-registered for the streaming game service. For unknown reasons, that offer has been sweetened -- now, this group is being offered a free game download, as well as a free year of OnLive service with no obligation to continue subscribing once said year has passed. If you were one of the 25,000 who jumped on the OnLive wagon early, check your email before June 3 to get in on this super attractive offer.
Verizon CEO: We want the iPhone
Almost since the day it was revealed to the public, American customers have been clamoring for the iPhone to be made available on Verizon's network. Many potential iPhone buyers have cited their distaste for AT&T as their primary reason for not jumping on the iPhone train, and the chant has been relentless for almost three years now: "We want the iPhone on Verizon!" One more voice has joined that chorus: the CEO of Verizon, Ivan Seidenberg, told Apple outright that Verizon wants to carry the iPhone on its network. Nothing coy about it: if Apple will build it, Verizon will come. This is a complete 180 from Verizon's stance in 2005, when Verizon rejected Apple's iPhone offer, saying they couldn't come to a deal that was "mutually beneficial." Seidenberg reportedly brought up his overtures to Apple following the recent Wall Street Journal report on the forthcoming Verizon iPhone. This could mean a couple of things: either there's no Verizon deal yet and the Journal's report was premature speculation, or there is a deal in progress, but the final details have yet to be hammered out. Verizon has very likely spent the past three years kicking itself over its rejection of the iPhone three years ago. Here's hoping a Verizon-Apple deal does eventually come to fruition. It would be a big win for both companies, but more importantly, it would be an even bigger win for US customers. [Via MacRumors]
GameStop giving $20 credit for your crummy presents
Sorry, that headline is a bit misleading -- GameStop's not going to give you $20 store credit in exchange for that Family Matters-branded Snuggie. Rather, the retailer has an extensive list of good and terrible games you might have received this holiday season, which your local 'Stop will give you a Jackson's worth of credit for. The offer's running until January 10, so you've still got time to decide whether you can muster up the courage to ask Maw Maw for the gift receipt, or whether you should just cut your losses.
Havok announces discount program for indie devs
Havok, developer and distributor of the powerful middleware engine of the same name, recently announced a new, altruistic initiative that should fill indie devs with gallons of holiday cheer. The aptly named Independent Developer Program offers the engine's entire software suite (Havok Physics, Havok AI, Havok Cloth, etc.) to developers at a "flexible and affordable" rate. Rather than licensing the tools directly, these developers sign up for an annual agreement with Havok, which allows them to prototype the tools, picking and choosing which ones they want to leverage for the creation of their latest opus. The recently downsized Krome Studios is the first outfit to benefit from the program. We really hope Sony Santa Monica is the next team to utilize the software, if only so we can make the following joke: "Sony tried Havok, and let slip the God of War." We're not certain it qualifies as "independent," unfortunately. Shucks.
Confirmed for Black Friday: Old Navy giving Lego Rock Band with $20 clothing purchase
We hope you've been putting off purchasing that that new fleece jacket you've had your eye on, because Old Navy will be running one hell of a video game deal this coming Black Friday. As suggested by a supposedly leaked circular earlier this month, anyone who spends $20 on the store's merchandise will receive Lego Rock Band for free on the platform of their choice. The rumored deal was recently confirmed by a television spot (which unfortunately has yet to find its way online). We contacted a handful of locations in Texas, Ohio and Illinois, all of which said the offer would be valid at their stores. However, both the advertisement and the store representatives we spoke to mentioned that copies of the game will be "extremely limited," so we suggest getting to your nearest store as close to its 3 a.m. opening time as your tryptophan-infused body will permit. .nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } Check out Joystiq's Black Friday Game Deals Hub or jump to a retailer guide below: Best Buy | GameStop | Kmart & Sears | Target | Toys"R"Us | Walmart For more Black Friday coverage, check out Black Friday Deals, Cyber Monday Sales, And other Black Friday 2009 stories today from Walletpop.com
Dell UK offers free flights to US or Europe with Inspiron or Studio 15 purchase
Dell's offering a free return flight (that's round-trip in Yanklish) from the UK to the US or Europe with the purchase of a £499 Inspiron 15 or £599 Studio 15. There are limitations such as airports (Heathrow and Gatwick only for trips to the US) and destinations (New York, Boston, DC, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon, and a few more city airports) but the offer seems to be a good deal if you're flexible and wanted to fly to any of these cities over the next year anyway. Just don't get too hung up on any one destination when submitting your request:The Booking Request Form entitles you, the bearer, to one return flight offer as specified, to one of the featured destinations. To obtain the flight you will be required to provide 3 alternative destinations and 3 alternative travel dates. Our booking agent will use all reasonable endeavours to meet your booking requests but this cannot be guaranteed and, in such circumstances, you will be offered an alternative.Still, if you're lucky enough to grab a coveted LHR to JFK slot, then a spot-check shows flights starting at about £400 in August 2009. In other words, the laptop is nearly free if you were already headed in that direction. So go ahead, you like to gamble, right?[Thanks, ugotamesij]
Get 50% off iPhone in Action until April 30
Some time ago I reviewed iPhone in Action from Manning. While there are other "starter" books out there, if you know how to code and you want to get up-to-speed on everything from web apps to the SDK, this book is a great primer. Of course, the pending 3.0 update to the iPhone's OS will add many new features, and the book's authors are hard at work with an update that I'm told will be available as a downloadable e-chapter. The authors will first serialize it on their blog, so you can keep up there as well.Until the update is ready the good folks at Manning have provided a code that'll get you 50% off iPhone in Action until April 30, 2009. To get the discount, just go to the site and when you order use this code: tuaw50. Remember, this is only for the current edition of iPhone in Action.
Peek CEO: buy two Peeks, your next iPhone or G1 bill is on us
Yesterday we sat down for an interview with Amol Sarva, CEO of the email-handheld startup Peek. We're in the midst of transcribing what was a fairly interesting conversation, but in the middle of our chat he proposed a curious deal, and we wanted to put it out there (as well as see the company put its money where its mouth is). Sarva and co. are pretty convinced that while the Peek may not be the perfect device for the hardcore gadget junkie, it is the perfect device for their moms or girlfriends (or boyfriends, we assume) -- in fact, they're so convinced that they're offering to pay a month of said junkie's iPhone or G1 bill (up to $150) if they buy a Peek for their mom... and girlfriend. According to Amol, if you buy two of the devices (which you can get for $79.95 right now) and activate them, the company will cover your November cellphone bill. Amol himself will be heading up this project, and as long as you place your order by December 1st, you can make the magic happen. Wildly, Amol says to just email him with the account info at: amol (at) getpeek (dot) com.
Comcast mulling Blu-ray purchases after VOD fun is over?
Not that a survey necessarily assures us that this will happen, but Comcast is at least thinking about offering its subscribers the option of buying a DVD or Blu-ray (HD DVD is mentioned, though we're hoping its an egregious oversight) once a video-on-demand movie is finished. No specific prices look to be hammered out just yet, but the questions revolved around how many discs users would buy at given price points or how many they'd buy if the cost of the VOD rental was discounted. Interestingly enough, rival Cablevision has been doing this with new release DVDs since February, though we're not sure if Comcast would be looking to Popcorn DVDs On Demand for its iteration of the service. Even if this does launch, would any of you buy your flicks in this manner?[Thanks, Nathan]
EVE Online 'Power of 2' subscription offer returns
War is coming. Whispers across the great expanse of space haunt the communication channels of those who would tune-in. Nations are moving with the sheer force and destructive potential of tectonic monstrosities, the outcome of which can only mean one thing. The EVE universe is about to change. It's up to iron willed pilots such as you to determine that fate.The Empyrean Age propaganda machine is already in full effect, and the recruitment drive has begun. CCP Games just sent out that communique above to 'Veteran' EVE Online subscribers. CCP has decided to bring back the Power of Two promotion for EVE Online, at least for those players who have taken advantage of the offer in the past. The Power of Two offer allowed a subscriber to open a second account, with six months of prepaid game time for $49.95, but only gave a small window of opportunity in which a player could sign up. The current offer, now dubbed a 'Veterans Package,' is really the Power of Two reloaded. It allows those who qualify to resurrect an inactive second account and give 6 more months of life to an alt, at that same rate of $49.95. The limited-time offer remains valid through June 27th, which coincides with the Empyrean Age expansion that goes live earlier in the month. No official announcement has been made at the EVE Online site yet, but players have already caught on to the Veterans Package offer.
Future Shop offers trade-in credit for HD DVD players, will donate old decks to charity
Slowly but surely, we're seeing retailer after retailer conjure up its own trade-in / exchange program to deal with the finality of the format war. Canada's Future Shop, however, has certainly put an interesting twist on things. First off, it'll accept standalone HD DVD players purchased from anywhere until April 3rd. In exchange, you'll receive $100 off the purchase of an LG or Samsung Blu-ray / HD DVD combo player, but not a standalone Blu-ray player of any kind. Unfortunately, that means your options are pretty limited, but we can certainly understand the retailer's desire to wash its hands of anything with an HD DVD logo on it. Better still, Future Shop will be donating all of the returned HD DVD players to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada "for use in their after-school and evening programs." Now if that's not a reason to trade-up, we don't know what is. [Thanks, Josh]
Palm tries to make a right with two wrongs
Sure, it's fun to carry around three, four, or even five devices at a time -- and now thanks to a new promotion from Palm, you can quickly up the number of gadgets hanging from your utility belt by two. Currently, if you purchase the PDA / smartphone-maker's $299 Palm TX, they'll throw in a $99 Zire Z22 for free. We're guessing those storage crates full of unsold product are probably starting to crowd Ed Colligan's basement.[Via Palm Infocenter]
Microsoft's "Vista for privacy" offer still on?
Details are still fuzzy at this point, but according to an e-mail received by numerous tipsters, Microsoft is indeed offering up a free copy of Vista in exchange for their privacy. Yeah, even though it claimed otherwise late last year. According to the note, Redmond is viewing these folks as "registered members" of the Windows Feedback Program, and if they keep their guard down for the remainder of a three month period, they will seemingly receive a copy of its latest OS gratis. So, any others out there finding an unexpected message from the Big M regarding said offer? Let us know in comments below, particularly if you get any free wares or previously analyzed keylogging reports.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC Kaiser fans cough up over $5,000 for homebrew video drivers
Sure, it seemed like we'd heard the end of the story on HTC phones and the case of the missing drivers, but the cats over at the xda-developers forum have something else in mind. There is currently a $5199.51 bounty on offer from various members of the group for a hacker (or hackers) who can come up with drivers to get their Kaisers' Direct 3D up to par, thus increasing the video capabilities of the phone. If you've followed the case, you'll know that HTC has essentially stonewalled users looking for an upgrade to their poorly performing handsets, and has intimated that if customers want improved video performance, they should look to future hardware as opposed to upgrades on their current models. Clearly owners are looking to take matters into their own hands -- and they're willing to pay for it. We can't wait to see what they come up with, and if anyone out there has the ability and the time, here's a stack of cash that could be yours.[Thanks, Jaime]
FiOS TV celebrates one year, comes to more homes in New Jersey
Just as CES was hitting full swing here in Vegas, Verizon cranked up a party of its own in order to commemorate one year of FiOS TV in the Garden State. A dozen months back, the service initially launched in around 100 New Jersey communities, and as of today, FiOS TV touches some 270 communities in 15 counties. Thankfully, however, VZW actually invited quite a few individuals to join in the festivities -- namely residents in 11 Gloucester County communities, which can now order up FiOS TV in their neck of the woods. Also of note, customers in the area who sign up for the fiber-based television service by February 3rd (and have everything installed by March 1st) can look forward to receiving a free 19-inch Magnavox LCD HDTV. Not exactly a KURO or anything, but hey, gratis is gratis.Read - Verizon celebrates one year of FiOS TV in New JerseyRead - Verizon expands FiOS TV in New Jersey
VUDU box thrown in with select Sharp AQUOS LCD TVs
While Sony's effectively giving away BDP-S300s when you pick up a BRAVIA HDTV from SonyStyle, Sharp is hoping to up its holiday sales figures by bundling in a VUDU set-top-box. Starting now, consumers who pick up a select AQUOS LCD TV that's 42-inches or larger (trust us, there's quite a few choices) can also expect to receive a $399 VUDU box and a $50 movie credit to boot. Off hand, we don't see a definitive expiration date for the offer, but considering that it's billed as a "holiday" promotion (and only available directly through these two, sadly), we wouldn't sleep on this too long if you're remotely interested.
Microsoft pulls Vista from snooping offer
Yesterday, we told you about an offer wherein you could completely sacrifice your privacy for a free software bundle from Microsoft which included Windows Vista Ultimate and Office Ultimate '07, amongst others. Well, apparently the big M has decided to pull the offer of free software -- but still wants to track your digital footsteps and pry into your private dealings. Here's Redmond's official line to those inquiring about the discontinued offer: "Thank you for your interest in the feedback program. Due to high volume, we have reached our 'while supplies last' limit and have closed our free product incentive on 12/11/2007 at 2pm." Needless to say, they'd still love to have a look at your browser history, emails, IM logs, crash reports, and blood type.[Thanks, Jerry]
