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New Xbox 360 4GB ships August 3rd for $199, Kinect standalone priced at $149, bundle coming this holiday for $299
Amazon Germany just couldn't keep a secret. Microsoft's just announced that a shiny new Xbox 360 Arcade replacement -- with 4GB internal flash memory, a matte finish, and built-in 802.11n WiFi -- will be shipping August 3rd for $199.99. A stark difference in capacity to the current 250GB model, but at least it's cheaper. Looking ahead to November, the standalone Kinect, it's coming for (yeah, you guessed it) $149.99 with Kinect Adventures. Act surprised, Microsoft would really like you to. As for the pièce de résistance -- that'd be the 4GB console, Kinect sensor, and game -- that's due out "this holiday" for $299.99. Press release after the break, pretty pictures just below. Update: Looks like the Britons will be paying £129.99 for Kinect. %Gallery-97791%
Apple introduces new iPod shuffle colors, adds a new $59 2GB model
Along with the new iPod nano, iPod touch and iPod classic updates, Apple today also introduced 3 new colors of the iPod shuffle, a special stainless steel edition, and a 2GB model for $59. The new colors are green, pink and blue, and are available for both the 2GB and 4GB models. Also, there's a new $99 4GB stainless steel model, available for $99, $20 more than the regular 4GB colors. Finally, there's a new 2GB model of the 3rd generation shuffle, available for $59, and also comes in black, sliver, green, pink and blue.
Aiptek's tiny PenCam HD Trio camcorder looks more like a highlighter
Peoples' pants must be getting smaller, because so too are pocket camcorders shrinking down. Despite not making any dubious "world's smallest" claims, Aiptek's latest is one of the most slender we've seen that's able to shoot high-def video, and quite possibly the first with a 1.1-inch OLED screen on the back for previewing what your footage might look like on a First Class Forever stamp. It'll shoot video at 720p30, capture 5 megapixel stills, and record them both to 4GB of internal memory -- good for about two hours' worth of footage. You can upload to YouTube straight from the camera's (Windows-only) software, or spin it to your TV through the integrated HDMI port. It sounds like quite a nice little package, and while we wouldn't expect the video quality to knock anyone's proverbial socks off, given the brand we wouldn't expect a shockingly high price, either. But, that we can't say for sure, nor when these will be available. [Via OLED-Display.net]
Xbox 360 Jasper motherboard with 512MB storage hitting US stores
When the Jasper motherboards started showing up in Xbox 360 consoles late last year there was reason for excitement -- quieter fans, more efficient design, and 256MB of internal storage to set gamers free of overpriced memory cards. Now the systems are receiving an unannounced storage boost, with an XboxHacker forum member braza noticing that his Japanese Arcade model sported a 4GB 4Gb Samsung NAND chip. That's twice the size of the old one, giving the equivalent of a 512MB internal memory unit. That first system was manufactured in April, and they're starting to hit US Arcade units as well. As of now we're not sure if there's a way to tell from outside the box whether you have this beefier revision of Jasper, but we're sure your local retailer wouldn't mind if you just bought their entire stock of consoles and ripped them all open to see.Update: Oops, that's a 4Gb (gigabits) NAND chip, allowing for roughly 512MB (megabytes) of internal storage.
Eye-Fi Pro wireless SD card hands-on
We're all pretty spoiled in these digital days; not that long ago taking a look at a vacation's worth of photos required a trip to the store, a couple of hours (or days) wait, and then the better part of an afternoon getting fingerprints all over a stack of poorly composed shots that you daren't throw out because you just paid good money to have them printed. Now you pop a memory card into your computer, wait a few seconds for them to fly into an appropriately labeled folder, and then... probably forget you took them. It's so much easier it's hard to fathom the process getting even more simple, but that's what Eye-Fi has done with its line of wireless flash memory cards, which beam pictures directly from your camera. The company has just announced the $149, 4GB Eye-Fi Pro to make the process even more direct, letting you send pictures straight to a computer while also adding some additional features that pros and semi-pros will appreciate. We put it through its paces after the break.
New iPhones approved in capacities from 4GB up to 32GB?
4GB to 32GB -- that's one hell of a range, but we're hearing from a trusted source that new iPhones in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities just garnered approval by the PCS Type Review Certification Board, the standards body responsible for certificating handsets for use with some carriers (AT&T, for instance). If true, this would lend credence to the belief that Apple will be introducing at least two new models this summer -- ostensibly at WWDC, until we're told otherwise -- because it seems unlikely that the company would be looking to wrap high-end hardware around ridiculously light storage or vice versa. If this means AT&T's going to be able to sell sub-$100 iPhones, it reinforces a precedent set by devices like the E71x that consumers can (and should) expect hot smartphone hardware for shockingly little cash. We'll drink to that.
YuuWaa's hardware flash drives combine serious online storage with a silly name
There is certainly no shortage of backup solutions available for people with data that they'd rather not have disappear, and realistically that's probably everyone reading this, but there's always room for tech that makes the process easier. That's what YuuWaa's thumb drives pledge to do. Plug one into your PC (no Macs allowed) and you'll automatically be prompted to create an account and upload whatever you store on the drive. There are two models, a 4GB "Go" for €19.99 ($27) and a 8GB "Plus" flavor for €29.99 ($40), each offering twice their capacity in online storage -- storage that's free for half a year but thereafter costs between $3 and $6 a month to keep your files alive and, optionally, shared online. For that money you could just buy yourself a new thumb drive a few times a year, and we all know you can never have too many of those.[Via Everything USB]
Samsung's 30nm NAND chips give birth to 32GB memory cards
Remember the halcyon days of 2007, when Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" rocked the charts and Samsung revealed its 30-nm manufacturing process, promising a 128GB memory card in every digicam? We're still not quite there yet, but the company is finally releasing the first cards to utilize that manufacturing process, the biggest offering 32GB of storage goodness. That's twice the capacity of its 40nm cards, which never made it past the 16GB mark. 30nm moviNAND chips are in production now in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB sizes, and hopefully will hit retail before that 33 megapixel Mamiya we've had on order finally ships.
The limits of Video Mode Ultra
I think I've found the limits of Video Mode Ultra -- when we first hard in the 3.1 patch notes that Blizzard was adding in a superspecial video mode for high-end computers to use, I was excited. I just recently "updated" my PC (read: "it broke and I had to spend a lot of time and money to fix it"), and it's been running like butter, so I was interested in putting it to the test. The day after the patch dropped, I flipped the switch to Ultra, and had no problems -- until this past Saturday. While wandering around Dalaran, I noticed my framerate had dropped quite a bit. I lowered a couple of the environmental settings just a bit and I was fine again, but apparently even with a 2.5 GHz quad core CPU, 4gb of RAM, and a GeForce 9600GT, Video Mode Ultra is still just a little too hardcore for me.What's interesting is that I ran Wintergrasp a few times before having those slowdowns in Dalaran, and never had a problem. But then again, Blizzard did say that they had spent a lot of time making sure Wintergrasp was streamlined enough to run huge battles with minimal slowdown, so maybe Dalaran didn't get that same makeover. And I should say as well that I had no issues anywhere else in the world -- even my Naxx run the other evening looked perfect with Ultra flipped on.Having a "future" graphics mode on PC games is nothing new -- for most games, the highest graphics setting is usually "experimental," so there's a little leeway in terms of release time (the game looks good with current hardware, but even better with next year's gear). And Video Mode Ultra is just that -- Blizzard trying to send a shot across the bow at those who are already saying the graphics look a little dated.
Eye-Fi's 4GB WiFi SDHC cards start to ship out
Nah, Eye-Fi's latest Secure Digital cards still aren't nearly as capacious (nor as cheap) as other alternatives on the market, but good luck getting that free-after-rebate 8GB SDHC card from IAWANNA Corp. to upload images via a wireless hotspot. We pinged the company today to see if the company's 4GB Explore Video and Share Video SDHC models were shipping out, and we were informed that orders placed over the web were indeed leaving the docks. If you're not kosher with handing $99.99 or $79.99 (respectively) over through the intertubes, both devices will splash down in stores starting on April 19th.
Aluminum MacBooks unstable after 3rd-party RAM upgrade
Lucky enough to have purchased one of those shiny new unibody MacBooks? If you happen to be in the market for a RAM upgrade you may want to hold off for a little while. It seems the latest MacBooks are a little more fickle about the RAM they support than previous models.Users on the Apple Support Discussion forums are reporting problems with third-party RAM upgrades, noting system instability and lock-ups. Even users who have purchased RAM from providers that pride themselves on Mac compatibility such as Crucial and OWC are seeing the same issues. It seems that the only solution is to take out the third-party RAM and use Apple-branded RAM. International users with no access to an Apple store are currently out of luck. Of course, Apple will only officially support their own branded RAM from Samsung; upgrade kits of this sort are apparently working without issue. Unfortunately for many, however, acquiring these modules has become somewhat of an act of futility as Apple's online store says the upgrade kits are unavailable for owners of the 2.0 and 2.4 GHz MacBook. Many are guessing-slash-hoping that the problem is caused by the newness of the DD3 spec. modules in Apple's line of notebooks. Until the situation gets clarified, users are having to swap RAM repeatedly in search of a kit that will work. Hopefully Apple will shed some light on the problem and everyone can go back to getting RAM from third-party sources. Had any luck (good or bad) upgrading RAM in your new MacBook? Let us know in the comments![via jkOnTheRun]
Apple, Walmart to do $99 4GB iPhone?
Look, we know you've been holding out for the iPhone to hit Walmart before you pick it up, sandwiched between the fishing gear and row upon row of exercise videos -- and we don't blame you. You'll ride your shopping cart down the wide aisles like a chariot, and when you get home with the phone you'll dial up all your friends and let them know how much cheaper your iPhone was than theirs. What was that? Yeah, the new word on the street is that Walmart is getting a 4GB iPhone 3G for a mere $99, according to Boy Genius Report, and while BGR was previously reporting a November 15th launch date at Walmart, and can't vouch for the accuracy of this new report, Walmart training materials (pictured above) have been seen in the wild, so there's a grain of truth to this madness somewhere. Plus, a $99 iPhone just sounds so Walmart-ey, doesn't it?[Via Mac Rumors]
New MacBooks and MBPs can handle up to 6GB of RAM
Is it just me or is it pretty mindblowing what Moore's Law is doing to our computers these days? I remember when 64mb of RAM was great, and even a few years ago, I wondered why anyone would ever use 1GB of RAM (I've got 2GB in my gaming PC, and I still almost think it's too much). But apparently TidBITS has been doing some testing, and they've discovered that not only can the new MacBooks hold 4GB of RAM as Apple recommends for a limit, but stuffing a whopping 6GB in there is possible and doable. There are two DDR3 slots in the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros, and they come with either 1GB or 2GB in each DIMM slot.TidBITS says you can switch out one of those 2GB DIMMs for a 4GB, and voilà, as long as they're the same speed and type, apparently almost everything is hunky-dory. TidBITS says there are two drawbacks: one, that dual-channel architecture requires identical DIMMs, so that's out if you're running a 4GB and 2GB configuration. Plus, it'll cost you an arm and a leg, especially if your leg is priced at around $600, which is what a 4GB stick runs. Even the DDR2 is pricey at that level (then again, if you don't like memory prices, just wait about five minutes, because that's basically how often they change).And for some reason, there's an issue with running two 4GB sticks in there (for a total of 8GB), but TidBITS surmises that may be fixed by the time Snow Leopard rolls around. Personally, I'd love to see a program that needs 6GB of RAM -- maybe a high end 3D modeler or a financial simulator of some kind. But it's good to know that if you really need that much memory (and have the cash to spend on it), there you go.
New iPod nanos apparently shipping in extra-small
It's a mystery: as Engadget reports, there are new iPod nanos showing up at some Dutch retailers... in a 4 gigabyte capacity. Huh? This wasn't part of the announcement last week, and it's not clear why you'd want to pick up a nano in a smaller capacity than the original iPod for actual use, as opposed to for its investment value.UK gadget site Pocket-lint has word from Apple that 4GB, 4th Gen nanos were produced "in a limited number" for some international markets, but they were never on the overall product roadmap. Were they intended to hit Dutch retail, or only for online sales? Could be a shipping mixup, could be clearing out inventory, could be on purpose -- but perhaps a collector's item for US customers.Now we have word from Dutch blog One More Thing that indeed the 4GB units are being sold, in all nine colors, for €119. Amazon's German site is also selling the units.Engadget has a lovely gallery of the low-cap iPods up for your viewing pleasure.
Mysterious new 4GB iPod nano 4Gs begin appearing on store shelves
Now this is an interesting development. According to two separate tipsters (with two sets of photos) Apple has released a third version of the new multi-hued iPod nano to the world -- a 4GB model. As there's been no announcement from the company, and there was certainly no mention of it at the 'Let's Rock' event, this is quite a head-scratcher. According to sources (and a Dutch retailer's site), the models are available in all nine colors and are priced at €119 (or about $168) -- though there seems to be some debate as to whether these lower capacity versions are limited editions or simply an incredible gaffe on Apple's part. Regardless, they appear to be the real thing, and they appear to be on store shelves right now (in some countries, at least). If you're looking for the ultimate Apple collector's item, this may be just the thing. Check out the gallery below for lots of looks at the mystery nano.Update: The UK's Pocket-lint got hold of an Apple spokesperson who told them Apple "made a limited number of 4GB iPod nanos for some international markets, but this is not one of our main configurations." Mystery solved, we guess -- but that "limited number" bit has us thinking this was still some kind of mistake.%Gallery-32101%Read - 4GB iPod nano 4G at Dutch retailerRead - New iPod nano, very briefly in 4 GB
Deal: 4GB Memory Stick for $20 ... again
Missed the deal on the 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo last month? It's okay, because they are offering the same deal again: twenty clams for a Memory Stick that will store 4GB worth of whatever you want on it. Though this will be sufficient for most user's demands, you may still find yourself needing more storage. At this price, you can afford to buy more than one. Take advantage of this deal here. [Thanks, burandon!]
Deal: 4GB Memory Stick for $20
Looks like the 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo is back on sale! Buy.com is selling the PSP-compatible memory card for only $20 -- that's the cheapest we've ever seen it. For many, 4GB offers enough space for music, movies and games. However, we're still keeping an eye on slowly falling 8GB Memory Stick prices. If we see a good 8GB deal, we'll let you know.
Memory Stick deals: 4GB for $30, 8GB for $60 [Update]
We haven't had a good deal on a Memory Stick in quite some time. Thankfully, buy.com is ready to help us out with a great deal on a SanDisk 4GB Memory Stick. The Memory Stick is available for $30, with free shipping. For many, 4GB is more than sufficient to store all your games, saves, movies and music. [Update: FRYS.com is also offering a $30 Memory Stick, with free digital movie.]If you need more space, the best deals we've found for larger Memory Sticks have been on amazon.com. They have a SanDisk 8GB card for $65 shipped [Update: Another 8GB card has been discovered on buy.com for $60], and a Sony 16GB card for $149 shipped.[Thanks, stephen!]
Deal of the Day: $30 4GB Memory Stick
The price of the Lexar 4GB Memory Stick continues to plummet. For those cheapstakes out there (that includes us), FRYS.com is offering this 4GB card for $30. Considering you can now download PS1 games, full PSP games and more on the PLAYSTATION Store, it seems like most everyone will want to upgrade. We're quite pleased with the amount of music, videos and demos the 4GB card can hold (although we're keeping an eye out on the 8GB Memory Stick!).Go to FRYS.com to take advantage of this great deal.[Thanks, stephen!]
Creative drops Zen pricing -- 8GB Zen now $149
Creative keeps slashing Zen prices -- just a couple weeks after cutting the 32GB model to $299, it's back with price cuts to the midrange. The 4GB Zen is now just $99, while the 8GB model falls to $149 -- the same price as the 4GB iPod nano, for those of you keeping score at home. Not bad, not bad at all -- but we'll wait to see what comes of this Zen Share rumor first.
