pricecut
Latest
Acer remembers netbooks were supposed to be cheap, drops price on Aspire One
Not sure if you noticed (though you probably did), but these so-called netbooks never actually ended up being nearly as inexpensive as we were all led to believe. Matter of fact, some manufacturers even took the liberty of charging more than basic 15-inchers as they pimped the whole "pay a premium for portability" aspect. Nevertheless, we're glad to see the stickers declining on at least one subset, as Acer has announced price drops today on its Aspire One. The Windows XP unit will fall to $349 (from $399), while the Linpus Linux Lite model will sink to $329 (from $379). Best of all, the longevous six-cell battery-packin' flavor is now $399. Full release is after the break.
Sprint drops Phone-as-Modem plan to $15 per month, adds stipulations
So there's good news and bad news, and we're not even giving you the option of choosing which you'd prefer to hear first (hint: it's the good). Sprint has dropped the price of its Phone-as-Modem plan (capped at 5GB monthly) to just $15 per month. Now, the rest of the story. First off, you must own a Power Vision phone with connection capabilities to a laptop. Next -- unlike the old PAM plan which ran $49.99 / month all by itself -- this "attachable plan" requires you to have another data plan already on your account. For instance, the BlackBerry Personal Pack ($30 / month) or the Worldwide Data Plan ($70 / month). In the end, it looks as if tethering in and of itself got cheaper, but those newfound strings that are reportedly attached will likely cause some frustration.[Via phonescoop]
Radio Shack ad confirms Xbox 360 price cuts?
According to our good, dear, beautiful friends at Joystiq (and Radio Shack, incidentally) the Xbox 360 family is going to be seeing those rumored price cuts in the very near future. Falling right in line with that chatter we heard at the beginning of the month, a leaked Radio Shack circular seems to indicate that there will be reductions across the board for the console, with the 60GB version clocking in at $299, the Elite running you a cool $399, and the Arcade setup dropping to a totally affordable $199 (we're looking at you, potential Xbox LIVE opponents). Sure this could all be some Photoshop wiz's idea of a hilarious joke, but we're keeping the fingers and toes crossed over here. Target date for truth? September 7th -- so stay tuned.
Softbank lowers minimum iPhone 3G plans, begins taking reservations
Softbank can safely say it has a pretty decent quarter here recently, but compared to NTT DoCoMo, it's looking weak. The exclusive iPhone 3G carrier in Japan has decided to answer outcries of "too expensive!" by lowering the minimum monthly data charge that each iPhone 3G user must pay. Previously, users were forced to hand over ¥5,985 ($55) per month for unlimited data; now, users can pay just ¥1,695 ($16) per month to cover 20,175 packets of data "after which users will pay per-packet until 71,250 packets, at which time the previous ¥5,985 charge is reached and further data use is not charged." In semi-related news, the carrier has also announced that it will begin taking reservations for the handset, so yeah, there's that.
Xbox 360 Arcade dropping to $199 on September 7?
We've been hearing whispers that an Xbox 360 price cut is in the works, and now we're starting to see some evidence -- VGChartz scored this image of an unknown retailer's inventory system showing the 360 Arcade dropping to $199 on September 7th. There's no word on whether the rumored 60GB and Elite price cuts are coming as well, but they'd certainly be welcome -- and with Rock Band 2 scheduled to hit just a week later, we'd say next month is looking like a good one for Xbox fans.
Mole sez Xbox 360 price cuts coming in September: Arcade for $199
Microsoft's 20GB Xbox 360 Pro already stooped to $299, but one particular mole -- the same one who correctly called the 60GB edition of the console -- is suggesting that further slashing is in store. To be specific, we're talking about a $199 Arcade (no HDD), $299 Pro (60GB HDD) and a $399 Elite (120GB HDD), all of which should be available at those prices sometime next month. Furthermore, it's likely that Microsoft will toss out a few bundles in order to reel in the holiday shoppers, though details are sparse about which ones we'll be seeing. Our take? Hold off just a bit -- we get the feeling this here is more than hot air.
Nokia's N810 stoops to a mouthwatering $299
It's a common problem, really. You're eager to get Windows 3.1 back into your life, but you've no N810 to install it on. Good news retro software aficionados -- said internet tablet has just tumbled to $299.99 (at CompUSA, at least), a full $90 less than the price we cheered over in March. Yeah, that 800 x 480 resolution display, VGA camera and full QWERTY keyboard is more attainable than ever, but with the possibility of a bombastic successor just around the bend, would it pay off even more to wait? The world may never know (although that's highly unlikely).[Thanks, Vamsi]
Microsoft confirms: Xbox 360 60GB for $349, 20GB now at $299
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Microsoft_confirms_Xbox_360_60GB_for_349_20GB_now_at_299'; Microsoft has confirmed that the 20GB Xbox 360 console has received a $50 price cut to $299, and taking its place in the $349 tier is a new 60GB console arriving early August. The Xbox 360 Arcade (i.e. no HDD) will continue to sell for $280 and the Elite (120GB) model will sell for $449. We wouldn't blame if you if you felt this was old news: rumors of the 60GB model date back to mid-June and it seems like every major retailer confirmed the price cut in the last week. Now if only someone can explain to us why anyone would continue to buy the HDD-less Arcade model when you can get a 20GB hard drive for only $20 more ...%Gallery-27273%
Target confirms $299 Xbox 360 Pro; Arcade still $280, says CC
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Target_confirms_299_Xbox_360_Pro_Arcade_still_280'; That leaked Target circular was dead-on: beginning July 13th (today!) the mega retailer is offering the 20GB Xbox 360 console for $299.99 (a $50 price drop) along with a free $25 Target gift card. That's great news and all but we've been confidant about that price drop for weeks now; what we weren't sure about was whether or not the Xbox 360 Arcade or Xbox 360 Elite would see similar drops, or if the $50 discount on the 20GB console is simply a clearance sale to make room for the rumored-to-be-introduced-shortly 60GB console. According to a real-enough looking Circuit City ad for the week of July 27th (note: Soul Calibur IV listed as "in store Tuesday") the Xbox 360 Arcade will still be $280. Depending on how you factor in that $25 Target gift card, the 20GB Pro system could actually be cheaper than the hard drive-less Arcade, at least while it's still on store shelves (note: the Target ad clearly states "Quantity limited"). So, permanent $50 price cut or clearance sale on the soon-to-be outmoded 20GB model?Update: Microsoft confirms.%Gallery-27273%
Xbox 360 Pro hits $299 in Target stores
We're not exactly sure what kind of behind-the-scenes relationship Target has with Microsoft, but this marks the third time by our count in which it has revealed something pretty important about the Xbox 360 before Redmond told anyone else (on the record, that is). Whatever the case, the Xbox 360 Pro is being let go at Target's brick-and-mortar locations (read: not online, so you'll actually have to slip some shorts on and leave the basement) for $299.99. Guess that confirms the US price drop, huh?[Thanks, Ryan]
Palm Centro drops to $70 on contract with AT&T
Remember how we told you to expect some totally edge-of-your-seat, riveting price news in regard to Palm's Centro? Yeah, how's about $30 off? Presumably in conjunction with the iPhone 3G launch, AT&T has hacked the Palm Centro down to $70 after rebates (from $100) with a two-year agreement. There's no telling if the new price will sashay on over to those CDMA carriers or not, but we've got our fingers crossed real tight.[Via Electronista]
Sony's CFO says no PlayStation 3 price cut is planned
Sure, we've heard Sony fib about a forthcoming PS3 price drop before, but we're inclined to believe Mr. Nobuyuki Oneda on this one. The aforesaid chief financial officer told a forum in Singapore that "this year, [Sony's] strategy is not to sell more quantity for PS3 but to concentrate on profitability." He outrightly added that Sony's "plan is not to reduce the price." Yeah, we all know the Xbox 360 will be getting a little easier on the wallet, but with the public's newfound interest in the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray abilities, we too see no reason for Sony to take an even bigger hit. After all, this console is still widely regarded as the best deal going for those interested in a Blu-ray deck, and we don't see that changing in the very near term.Update: In somewhat unrelated news, Sony will be fixing consoles bricked by firmware update 2.40 for free.
Xbox 360 Pro for $299 all but confirmed
We got this handy little Xbox 360 Pro cheat sheet sent to us by a GameStop manager, who also forwarded it to our BFF's at Joystiq, which pretty much confirms those widely-spread suspicions of a 360 price drop. It looks to be the very real deal, and is good news for the Xbox fanboy looking to at last populate every room in his house with the charming white box, now selling at that magical $299.99 pricepoint, with refurb'd 360s dipping to $279. Obviously it's not happening until Sunday the 13th, but that should give you the requisite time to scrape together those pennies. Unfortunately, it looks like the $279 price on the Arcade isn't budging, but don't stop believing. More promo material after the break.
More Xbox price cut rumors swirl
The chatter surrounding a possible Xbox 360 price cut got a little louder today, as several news outlets have picked up on an anonymously-sourced Hollywood Reporter piece claiming that Redmond will drop the 360 Pro's price to $299 sometime before E3. That jives with all those leaked ads that hinted at a July 6th date, so we'll see soon enough -- and we'll bet you that extra $50 the $279 360 Arcade sees some price cut love as well.[Thanks, cbost]
Rumors: Xbox 360 at E3 - new 60GB model, pricecut, both?
What a way to kick of a Monday. After last night's torrent of marketing leaks, we woke up to these two fresh rumors concerning the Xbox 360 and Microsoft's E3 showing next month. At the current rate, we're statistically likely to discover every single surprise Microsoft had in store for E3 (and maybe a couple E3s down the road) but let's start here.TrustedReviews is following up on their earlier rumor of a new 60GB Xbox 360 model claiming that, after some evident equivocation, Microsoft is finally ready to announce it at E3 and release it as early as this August (pre-10th says their source). No information on how the larger hard drive would affect other SKUs – would the Arcade get a hard drive or would the Elite get bumped up? – but that's the way these things are.Second rumor regards a possible pricedrop to be delivered at E3 this year. Following last week's NPD data showing a slight dip in monthly 360 sales, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich said, "With E3 around the corner, we can expect Microsoft to make some type of announcement regarding a hardware price cut, the introductory of a new hardware SKU with new features, or both." Both sounds best here. How about a new, cheaper 60GB model?[Via Engadget]Source – 60GB Xbox 360 To Launch At E3Source – Microsoft to cut US Xbox 360 price at E3, says analyst
Analyst foresees PS3 gaining momentum, Xbox 360 price cut at E3
Things have been relatively quiet on the Xbox 360 price-cut front as of late, but EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich has now thankfully come through and stirred the pot a bit, saying that he thinks Microsoft is set to make an announcement about a price cut at E3 this July. That, he says, would be in response to the PlayStation 3's steady growth, which he expects to continue to out pace the 360, aided in no small part by exclusive titles like Metal Gear Solid 4. As if that wasn't enough speculation for you, Divnich further goes on to say that if Microsoft does in fact cut the price of the 360, Sony would likely follow suit with a price cut of its own within two months.[Via Joystiq, thanks Jerry]
World: 'How about a Wii price cut, then?' Nintendo: 'Ahahahaha'
Looks like we'll be waiting a little while longer for any price cut on the Wii. As in, until 2009. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has revealed to analysts that no price cut is planned for either the Wii or DS this year, and while both consoles are selling out pretty much everywhere, we can't say we're bowled over by that decision.As yesterday's financial report demonstrated, Nintendo's practically bathing in money, and it expects to make plenty more over the coming twelve months -- $5.14 billion of it, to be precise. If you are still searching for a Wii, looks like you won't even have the consolation of paying a non-launch price![Via Joystiq]
O2 slashing 100 from 8GB iPhone in UK
The whispers are true, or so it seems. According to Stuff, O2 is getting set to one-up T-Mobile's price cutting affair in Germany by hacking a full £100 from the 8GB iPhone in the UK (bringing it down to £169). Better still, the discount will apply regardless of which contract selection you make, whereas T-Mobile forced users to sign the dotted line on a pricey Complete XL plan. Unfortunately, the lower sticker only applies to the 8GB version -- the 16GB model will remain £329 -- but anyone who sprung for one of the former iterations within the last month will receive an "Ultimate Price Promise" £100 refund voucher. Before you dash out to cash in, it should be noted that the deal is set to expire come June -- and we certainly don't have to remind you what that could mean.Update: O2 just made it official.[Via Mobile Today, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
GameStop predicts $50 PS3 price cut
Video game retailer GameStop recently held a conference call to discuss its corporate earnings. In it, GameStop noted that both the Xbox 360 and PS3 are bound for a price cut some time this year. They're predicting a $50 price cut for both machines (the PS3 would start at $349 if this prediction comes true). However, GameDaily notes that "they did not get that information from the manufacturers, however; it's merely the retailer's educated guess."Price drops are a regularity in the industry, and we think the PS3 is due for one this year as well. An increasingly attractive software lineup coupled with a price drop is certain to boost Sony's install base.
Nokia's N810 internet tablet gets a $90 price cut
If you've been looking for some kind of incentive to dip into the savings account and splurge on a new gadget, this may be music to your ears. Nokia has just lowered the price on its jack-of-all-trades N810 internet tablet, shaving $90 off the MSRP to bring it down to a highly affordable $389.99. Of course, you can probably find the WiFi-sportin', QWERTY-havin', GPS-rockin' little guy slightly cheaper if you troll the internet (which we know you will). Before you lay down the cash, though, you might want to ask yourself this: does the price drop mean a new version is on the way, like, say... that WiMAX-equipped N830 we've been hearing about? It's a tough call, but we know you'll make the right decision.[Thanks, Tony S.]
