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Philly newsies to offer Archos Arnova 10 G2 tablet for $99 with subscription bundle
Taking a cue from other publications pushing tablet content, two major Philadelphia newspapers are offering discounted subscriptions bundled with a discounted device to read it on -- the Android-based Arnova 10 G2. The Philadelphia Media Network and Arnova will offer the tablet for $99 when purchased with a two-year digital subscription to The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News for $9.99 a month, or $129 for the year. That tally is substantially lower than the HK $1,680 (around $250) mark that the slate alone hit when it launched last month, but it's not apt to attract too much attention outside of Brotherly Love's favorite locale. So... which paper's lined up to play copycat? Check out the more coverage link after the break for some hands-on video with the tablet.
File under "ick": NYC iPad demo units sporting bacteria
Maybe it's not surprising that a flat surface touched by thousands of fingers would end up harboring some nasty critters, but the Daily News has a word to the wise for iPad shoppers in the Big Apple: BYO hand sanitizer. The paper surreptitiously swabbed and cultured samples from iPads at the 5th Avenue flagship store and at the unfortunately-nicknamed "Meatpacking" store on W. 14th Street. Turns out those oleophobic screens don't repel everything. One of the cultures turned up Staphylococcus aureus, a nasty pathogen that's responsible for skin infections and other illnesses. Another showed less-virulent yeast and bacterial contamination. Apple insists that it keeps the iPads clean and that the stores are a healthy environment... but perhaps a small dispenser of antibacterial wipes would be in order. In the meantime, before and after playing with those iPads -- wash your hands! Note: As commenters have pointed out, the Daily News neglected to sample other commonly-touched items like subway railings and doorhandles -- chances are they would have found similar bugs in those places, too.
Philly columnist defends FPS-infused Army Recruitment Center
At the beginning of this month, a swarm of protesters descended upon the Army Recruitment Center housed within Philidelphia's Franklin Mills Mall. Their qualm with the Center focused on its use of first-person shooters to attract young, Call of Duty-experienced potential recruits. Now, a few weeks after the protest march, Philadelphia Daily News columnist Christine Flowers offers a different look at the technologically endowed Recruitment Center, and the controversy that's been surrounding it as of late.Flowers, a conservative, Philly-based lawyer, doesn't see the Center's use of games as an enticing trap for impressionable adolescents. Instead, she agrees with the sentiment of the Center's manager, Maj. Larry Dillard, who sees the technology as a way to boost "transparency." Flowers writes, "There's no subterfuge in giving someone an accurate picture of the army experience." Any veterans in the audience today that want to compare "the army experience" to a few rounds of America's Army?[Via GamePolitics]
