cheap
Latest
Optoma HD20 projector cracks the $1,000 barrier
It looks like sub-$1,000 pricing is shaping up to be the new 1080p as the headline spec for projectors tempting you to reach for your wallet. Don't get us wrong -- $999 isn't exactly in the "impulse buy" category, but it opens up projectors appeal tremendously. Optoma's HD20 has joined Vivitek's H1080FD in the $999, 1080p, DLP-powered beamer segment. Competition is always good, and the HD20 is happy to oblige by bringing 1,700 lumens, a 4000:1 contrast ratio, two HDMI inputs, and a bulb life of 4,000 or 3,000 hours depending on whether you take in the movies in "standard" or "bright" mode. Oh yeah, and the Optoma name might be a little more familiar to consumers than Vivitek, too. Competition is good, indeed.
Authenticators back in stock at the Blizzard store
Good news for those of you who haven't yet been able to grab an authenticator -- the units are back in stock at the Blizzard store (for both the US and Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America, with the EU version available over on their store). The price remains a cheap $6.00, and this latest version features art from Starcraft II.Which, now that I think about it, pretty much confirms that it will work not only with World of Warcraft, but all Blizzard games going forward. Obviously, with Starcraft II not even in beta yet, hackers and scammers aren't exactly targeting it, but Blizzard is thinking ahead, so if you don't have the tech yet, now's your chance to pick it up (at least until they run out of stock again).And don't forget -- if you don't have an authenticator yet, but do have a compatible mobile phone, you can always pick up the Mobile Authenticator. Especially if you have an iPhone or an iPod touch, free is the way to go.
Vivitek to shake up HD projector market with 1080p H1080FD at $999
Sophomore slump? Fuhgetaboutit. After announcing its very first projectors last year with little to no fanfare at all, Vivitek is looking to get everyone's attention with an all new 1080p model that should hit US retail outlets this August. If all goes well, the company's H1080FD will hit just before CEDIA kicks off, and it'll be based on Texas Instruments' S450 chip / light-engine design with Dark Chip II technology. Other specs include 1,800 lumens of brightness, a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, a pair of HDMI ports, composite / S-Video / component inputs, an RS-232c control connector and a 12v trigger -- in other words, even the so-called AV junkie should find plenty to adore. If you're curious just how big of a deal this is in the sector, just have a look at how stoked Sanyo was to introduce an entry-level 1080p beamer 11 months ago at twice this price. [Via AboutProjectors]
Dinner and a movie or... an iPhone?
It was inevitable. One day the iPhone was going to turn into an impulse purchase. In two short years we've gone from the iPhone as a serious $500 commitment to a grab no more expensive than dinner and a movie. The AT&T store now has a refurbished 8GB iPhone 3G for $79, with free two-day shipping, a $20 savings over the cost of a factory-new iPhone 3G. (You'll have to enter your zip code on that landing page to click through and see the refurbished unit's price.)Of course, your dinner doesn't make you return every month for two years, for a total outlay well over $2000. However, most people now consider cell phone plans -- even their associated data plans -- to be as utilitarian as the electric bill. So scoring a small hand held computer with a phone function on a whim just seems... as benignly impulsive as going out to dinner and a movie. Ahh, the good ol' days. When people stood in lines to spend $499 (or, in my case, $599) just for the chance, nay, privilege of owning one of these. And back then it didn't even have iFart applications on it.
Wal-mart rolls back cheap Blu-ray player price to $98
Like Blu-ray but hate spending lots of money? The guys at FormatWarCentral spotted the Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-ray player cold lampin' on the shelf of a local Wal-mart now permanently rolled back from $168 to a mere $98. as usual, you'll pass up the newest, fastest, internet-connected-est features of high end Blu-ray players, but for less than a hundred it's hard to complain. We know many probably missed out on the Meijer deal last month, anyone planning on picking this one up for a second -- or first -- Blu-ray player? We'll see how long Sony avoids the "battle to the bottom" now.
Meijer's brand new $99 (shipped) Blu-ray player brings joy to skinflints everywhere
Whether you want one for a cheap Father's Day gift, player for a second room, or just a low barrier to entry for Blu-ray ownership we certainly won't judge, and we suspect more than a few will be tempted by Meijer's offer of a $99 Curtis Mathes branded CMMBX130 Blu-ray player. Add on coupon code DOTMJR09 for free shipping, and its easy to over look its lack of surround sound analog outputs or Profile 2.0 support for the cheapest new Blu-ray player we've ever seen. Inside is the same Broadcom 7440 chipset that powered much higher priced players from Samsung and others in the past, so while the absolute latest in energy efficient, fast loading, BD-Live connected goodies may escape you, we figure that extra Benjamin or two in your pocket will be more than enough to compensate.Update: Looks like it's sold out now, sorry folks![Via Dealnews]
The Daily Grind: What MMO would you like to see go free to play?
We all seem to have that one game that hangs on the edge of our radar -- taunting us with alluring gameplay mechanics while still being just expensive enough for us to pass up the offer. You want to play it, you really do, but you just don't want to pay that much for it.Yet, Dungeons and Dragons Online has shown that it's certainly not impossible for developers to embrace a new business model. So that now begs the question, "What game would you jump all over if it went free to play?" If you could choose any game in the whole MMO genre, what game would it be?Furthermore, why that particular game? What about it makes you want it to be free, so you can get your paws all over it? Speak to us, oh readers, via that little comment box below, and shout your opinions to the internet beyond!
Buy some MMO games, save some cash on Steam this weekend
We're not usually ones who talk about sales or point out discounts, but this is one of those offers that we just couldn't refuse. It's the weekend, so Steam has to put some of their games on sale, as per the usual. This weekend however, it's most of their massively multiplayer collection.This isn't just a select few games. No sir. We're talking about EverQuest, Everquest II, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Lineage, Lineage II, City of Heroes, the Guild Wars trilogy pack, Age of Conan, EVE Online, and Vanguard have all been discounted. Most of the games have been marked down by 20%, but EVE Online has been cut down by 50% while EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey has been slashed by a 75% hit, bringing it down to the wonderful price of 10 bucks! That's all of EverQuest II for 10 bucks!So why are you still here, reading this post? Get over to Steam!
Kaloki Adventure and Peggle on sale, plus free music
If you didn't jump to pick up Kaloki Adventure [App Store link] after our first look last week, now's your chance: the game is on sale today (not tomorrow, apparently -- you've got under 24 hours) for just $1.99, a buck cheaper than the usual $2.99 price. The game offers some fun but casual real-time strategy business simulation, so if your dream has ever been to own a burgeoning spaceport, they don't come cheaper than that.And as an added bonus, NinjaBee is also offering a catchy tune from the game's soundtrack on their website for the low, low price of completely free. It's the jumpy, swingin' background music to the main gameplay, composed by Eric Nunamaker, who's apparently been working on video game music for quite a while.Oh, and finally, while we're talking about awesome iPhone games on sale, Peggle is only a buck. 'Nuff said.
Vizio's VBR100 Blu-ray player delayed until August
Ruh roh -- bad news for those holding tight for Vizio's entrance into the Blu-ray world. After April came and went with nary a hint of the firm's VBR100 Blu-ray player shipping, we decided to inquire about its status. The outfit's primary press contact informed us that it now "looks more like August at this point" in terms of a ship date, and we're still waiting to hear back on the whos, whats, wheres and whys. We're crossing our fingers that late summer will bring more features and a lower price point in exchange for our patience, but we aren't getting our hopes up too high just yet.Update: According to Vizio, there won't be any changes made in the unit while we wait. Bollocks.
GAME-800 all-in-one handheld tries out a new control scheme
We'll hand it to whatever Chinese company conjured up the GAME-800 -- there's at least a smidgen of ingenuity here. Granted, we suspect it's all for the worse, but we digress. The GAME-800 all-in-one handheld does just about everything save for make calls; we're talking an MP5 (seriously) player, text and photo viewer, camera, NES / GBA emulator and even support for video playback. Internally, you'll spot 4GB of storage, which complements the integrated SD expansion slot nicely. There's also a TV output, 3.5-inch QVGA display, twin 3.5 millimeter headphone jacks and USB 2.0 connectivity. We might say it was actually worth he $69.99 asking price if not for our befuddlement relating to those awkwardly sorted directional arrows, but until we see support for an external game pad, we'll pass.[Via technabob]
LG's GB210 makes phone calls, looks okay, promises nothing
Nah, this one won't make your eyes quite literally pop out of your head, but it'll handle the basics just fine. LG's GB210 sports a candybar frame, 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, built-in FM radio, MP3 player and a 1.77-inch display that greatly assists Earthlings in making phone calls. You probably won't find this one wandering too far from its home market of Ukraine, but folks in the region shouldn't have to pay more than 950 UAH (around $118).[Via UnwiredView]
Qualcomm makes a play for the sub-$150 smartphone market with new chipset
In a press release recently issued by Qualcomm, the company states that it's taking direct aim at the sub-$150 smartphone market with a new chipset on offer. The platform -- known as the MSM7227 -- is apparently designed with higher-power, lower-cost handsets in mind, offering HSDPA / HSUPA radios, a 600MHz CPU, 320MHz application DSP, 400MHz modem processor, hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, Bluetooth 2.1, and GPS support integrated in a 12mm x 12mm chipset. The MSM7227 can also supposedly handle 8 megapixel camera and 30 FPS WVGA encoding / decoding with ease, and is capable of supporting Android, S60, Windows Mobile, and BREW platforms. Given the company's recent foray into Snapdragon and other pricier options, it's interesting to see them taking a shine to the low end of the market. We know that ASUS are planning on launching a cheaper Eee phone sometime soon, and they're currently snuggling up to Qualcomm for chip duty on an Android device. Is this the year we'll see the rise of the smartphone version of the netbook (cheap, plentiful, almost disposable)? Only MWC knows for sure.[Via The Inquirer]
Samsung outs another low-end candybar overseas with the E1070
If the E1110 / E2510 handsets from Samsung were just too vivacious for your tastes, why not simmer on the freshly unveiled E1070 for awhile? Expected to launch later this month in Eastern Europe (along with other less developed markets, we presume), this simplistic mobile does little more than make and receive calls. It features includes a 128 x 128 resolution display, send / end buttons, a number pad, a battery and all the correct internals necessary to handle cellular communications. Niceties like a camera and multimedia player are nowhere to be found, but for just 650 CZK ($30), we'll let it slide.
Memorex MVBD-2510 Blu-ray player sinks below $100
Check it, deal seekers -- yet another milestone has been reached, though we get the idea the deal won't be around for long. The patently obscure Nebraska Furniture Mart (we know, right?) has just dropped the price on an unnamed Memorex Blu-ray player (we're betting it's the MVBD-2510) to below $100. Even for those that aren't within driving distance of an actual B&M location, you can pony up $10 or so on top of the $99.99 price tag in order to have it shipped your way. Just think, in six months we'll have a half dozen BD decks to choose from for under a Benjamin. Or so we very much hope.[Via SlickDeals, thanks Shaun]
AT&T letting go of 8GB refurb iPhone 3Gs for $99 on contract
Ha, you or someone you love just paid full retail for an iPhone 3G a few days ago, didn't you? We've always heard that the best deals come after Christmas, but people just never learn. All smack talk aside, those who didn't get a new cellie under the tree, but did acquire a Benjamin or so courtesy of cash-stuffed holiday cards, can certainly score a big deal today. AT&T is now offering the 8GB iPhone 3G in refurbished form for just $99 with a two-year agreement, while the 16GB refurb is $199 on contract in either black or white. Call us crazy, but we don't foresee these hanging around in stock for too awfully long.[Thanks, Brenson]
Pantech PN-820 smartphone returns to Verizon for $9.99
Desperately in need of a "new" (in terms of a never broken seal only) smartphone? Don't mind tinkering with the last version of Windows Mobile? No need for a QWERTY keyboard? If you were miraculously able to answer "yes" to the aforesaid questions, you're in luck! Verizon Wireless has finally accepted that no one in their right mind wants to pay a decent price for a Pantech PN-820 smartphone that's rockin' WinMo 5.0 and a design that's straight out of 2007 (literally), so instead of just lighting the remaining inventory on fire, it's doing the next best thing: offering it up for $9.99 on contract. The sad part is that this thing isn't even worth ten bucks with that hundred pound agreement tied to it, but we're sure a few suckers will bite. They're born everyday, you know.[Via RCRWireless]
Final Fantasy XI gets a fancy new price for one day only!
For today and today only, GameStop is selling their downloadable copies of Final Fantasy XI for only 10 US dollars! If you're thinking, "Well, it's probably only the original game and none of the expansion," then you would also be wrong! The version of the game that they're offering is the Vana'diel Collection 2008, which means it includes all of the expansions, even the newest expansion, Wings of the Goddess.So if you're looking for a new MMO to get into, don't have an amazingly powerful PC, and don't have much cash to spend, you might want to seriously consider this deal. It's 10 bucks for a game and 3 whole expansions, the first month free, and it's going on for today only!
Magnavox Blu-ray player to be $128 at Walmart on Black Friday
We casually mentioned this here deal a few days back upon spying Walmart's leaked Black Friday list, but just in case you missed it, there will be at least one Blu-ray player out there for well under $150. The Magnavox NB500MG9 (which is really a Funai NB500 underneath the logo) will be offered for just a buck twenty-eight on the day after Thanksgiving here in the US, and while it's far from the most highly acclaimed BD deck in existence, there's no denying that the price is right. Our hopes and dreams? That five other players undercut it.[Via DVICE]
Samsung offers up simplistic E1110 / E2510 handsets
If you can't appreciate the low-end with the elite, you'll probably find it impossible to respect Samsung's latest duo. The "classic" E1110 keeps it real simple with a 1.3-inch 128 x 128 resolution display, GSM 900 / 1,800 support, a 500 number contact book, MP3 ringtone compatibility, Bluetooth, 1.5MB of internal memory, USB 2.0 and a battery good for 8-hours of talk time (or 20 days in standby). Up next is the E2510 clamshell, which actually doesn't look too drab for a basic cellie. Features wise, it's rockin' a 1.9-inch 160 x 128 internal display, quad-band GSM support, Bluetooth / USB 2.0, 15MB of memory, a microSD card slot, FM tuner and talk time of 7-hours. There's no mention of price or global availability, so we'll just toss you a "good luck" on your hunt to find your next backup.
