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Intel's 34nm-based 320GB solid state drive creeps closer to reality
Hankering for an SSD that's as big as your traditional HDD? So is Intel, or so we hear. In fact, we've been hearing whispers that a capacious 320GB solid state drive was in the works since January, and now those whispers have been upgraded to library-like voices. According to the generally reliable Golum, Intel's so-called Postville SSD family is well on its way to reality, and with them should come much needed price drops. The new series should top out at 320GB, with an 80GB and 160GB version falling underneath. Word on the street has it that both of the smaller two will be around $100 cheaper than the same-sized X25-M drives, though there's been no leaks on the 320GB model's MSRP. Still, Intel has a golden opportunity here if it'll just get these things to market -- a cheap(er) SSD with a brand name like Intel could blow the solid state market wide open.[Thanks, Marius]
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.
Amazon's Kindle 2 gets a $60 price cut, now at $299
Nearly five months to the day after Amazon introduced its Kindle 2 e-reader, the company has decided to hack a full $60 off of the price tag in order to offer it to US consumers for $299. Sneaking under that magical $300 mark could allow the outfit to move an awful lot more of these buggers, and with the competition finally heating up, we'd say it's probably a solid defensive move as well. So, are you interested in pulling the trigger now that the Kindle 2 is under three bills? Or is that e-book app on your smartphone doing just fine?[Thanks, Michael]
Sony's Stringer dismisses PS3 price-cutting threats by noisy Activision CEO
We can attest that Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony, is a pretty nice guy. But all the PS3 price-cut chatter from industry analysts and gaming execs seems to have the man riled as he tries to keep Sony afloat. Responding directly to Robert Kotick's threat to stop developing Activision titles on the PS3 (and PSP) due to the console's relative high price, Stringer told Reuters, "He likes to make a lot of noise. He's putting pressure on me and I'm putting pressure on him. That's the nature of business." When asked about the logic of not cutting prices, Howard said, "I (would) lose money on every PlayStation I make -- how's that for logic." True, until the 45nm Cell processor launches allowing for a cheaper, cooler running slim PS3 later this year, right Howie... wink, wink?[Via GameDaily]
Pachter: Wii price drop coming before the holiday
Michael Pachter loves low prices. First he does flip floppings around the PSP Go's price and now he's predicting a Wii price drop later this year. He notes that "Wii supply has finally exceeded demand," and that he "expect[s] Nintendo to cut the price of the Wii before [the] holiday." If true, this would be the first price drop since the Wii's release in late 2006.Alternatively, Nintendo could simply bundle the system with software in order to persuade people to buy the system. Wii Sports was a good enough selling point back in ought-six, so why not a Wii, Wii Sports Resort and Wii MotionPlus bundle? Still, Pachter's pretty well known around these parts, so he's bound to be right. Who knows, maybe the price drop will arrive just in time for the Wii HD announcement, right Michael?
Sony timing its PS3 price cut to roll with Madden, homework?
Sony showed us a lot of things at this year's E3 -- some expected, some rather less-so -- but they didn't show us the primary thing shareholders and fans were hoping for: a price cut. That most expensive of gaming consoles still retains its lead in the brutal MSRP wars, but a Sterne Agee analyst indicates that Sony is just biding its time. According to the always accurate "industry sources," the PS3 will receive a $100 drop sometime in the middle of August, just in time for the launch of Madden NFL 10. That would also coincide with back to school shopping, apparently a popular time for buying consoles by parents who want to give their kids every chance in the world to fail thanks to spending too much time robbing graves in Uncharted.
Apple's 8GB iPhone 3G falls to $99 on contract
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Apple_s_iPhone_3G_falls_to_99_on_contract'; No interest in the iPhone 3G S? How's about an 8GB iPhone 3G for $99 on a new 2-year AT&T contract? That's exactly what was just announced at WWDC 2009, and yes, this new price is effective today. We're guessing any remaining 16GB iPhone 3G units will be scrounged up at closeout rates as well. Oh, and if you're mid-contract on AT&T (with any phone), you'll be asked to shell out a whopping $299 for one of these 8GB units or $399 / $499 for the 16GB / 32GB iPhone 3G S. Frankly, that upgrade deal reeks compared to the offer that was passed along to those who upgraded from the iPhone to iPhone 3G (mid-contract users paid the same as new / renewing contract users), but then again, the original iPhone was only sold in unsubsidized (and thus, crazy expensive) form.Read - AT&T press releaseRead - Apple pre-order page
Clarion MiND price falls nearly 50 percent, makes beeline for cereal boxes
Hey, industry -- are you seeing this? People just aren't that into MIDs, sorry! Nary eight months after Clarion's Atom-powered MiND MID went on sale for the not-at-all-seductive price of $649.99, the evidently undesirable device has dropped to around $350. Right now on Amazon, the red and white units are priced at $342.83 and $360.87, respectively, while the black version is still holding its value just a wee bit better. Unfortunately, something tells us this thing is on the REDFLY plan, which should put it within a cheap plastic bag in your Frosted Flakes by the year's end.[Via Pocketables]
Apple Store down on a Sunday?
Well, that's unusual. Price drops? New gear? Regular maintenance? We'll know soon enough.Back up now... no visible changes reported and the main difference appears to be an enhanced UI for the shopping cart screen. Before & after pics below (thanks Joachim).Old cart UI:New cart UI:Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Intel further slashes SSD prices, ups production of 1.8-inch drives
Intel just cut a big chunk out of the MSRP on some of its SSDs a few months back, but it looks like it's already back for another go 'round, and it's also taking the opportunity to up the production on some of the models intended for netbooks and ultraportable laptops. The price cuts come to Intel's recently-fixed X25-M series of drives, with the 160GB drive dropping $100 (bringing its retail price down to $630), while the 80GB model dips a further $50 to $320, or close to half of what it originally cost when it launched back in December. What's more, while they aren't getting any cheaper just yet, Intel will reportedly be making more of its 80GB and 160GB 1.8-inch drives, which have apparently been in short supply since launching last year.
HP Firebird 802 gaming rig gets $500 price drop
Well, it's only been available for a few short months but HP has already seen fit to give its flagship Firebird 802 gaming desktop a fairly sizable price drop -- $500, to be specific. That includes a $150 cut to the $1,799 base price and a $350 instant rebate that brings the price down to a pretty darn reasonable $1,299, questionable keyboards aside. For those that haven't been pricing gaming rigs lately, that'll get you a Core 2 Quad 9400 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800S graphics cards (with 512MB of DDR3 memory on each card). Of course, any price drop of this size also invariably bring of the question "why?" and, in the case, the reasons are still a bit hazy. While HP discontinuing the line outright seems to almost certainly be out of the question, a slight revision does seem at least possible, if not necessarily imminent -- although, any way you shake it, $500 off is $500 off, so we're not complaining.[Thanks, Ali]
Samsung Instinct S30 coming to Best Buy at $49.99
You never really know what to expect when fishing for a new phone at Best Buy Mobile. Go in one week, and you'll see a strikingly pink Instinct for a strikingly large amount; go in next week, and you'll see the miniaturized version of the original Instinct for under 50 bones. If a new flyer is to be believed, the Samsung Instinct S30 will be offered up for just $49.99 on contract at Best Buy, which is a whopping $80 less than what Sprint itself will supposedly ask for it on April 19th. Too good to be true? We're hoping not.[Thanks, Kenny]
Xbox 360 Elite bundle rumored to include Halo 3 and Fable 2 for $400
Don't get all loony just yet -- this one's still a long, long way from panning out -- but ArsTechnica has it from a reliable mole that Microsoft is gearing up to ship an even more attractive Xbox 360 Elite. One that comes bundled with hits Halo 3 and Fable 2 for the same $400 that the console alone runs you now. We already heard last month that Microsoft was considering phasing out the standard Elite in favor of bundled "limited edition" models, so that certainly jibes. Though, we will caution you that the last time Ars's mole spoke of console price drops, he / she didn't completely nail it. While said mole did accurately suggest that a $400 PS3 would hit America before the 2007 holiday rush (it happened in late October of that year), the whole "$100 PS2" thing took a full two years to come to fruition. Then again, E3 is just around the bend...[Via Joystiq]
3K's Windows CE-powered RazorBook 400 netbook goes half price, still won't sell
Man, remember just how great of a deal this looked like when it launched at $299 in May of last year? Funny how things change so rapidly, huh? Well, it's pretty comical unless you're 3K Computers, who now has a pathetic excuse of a netbook that it can only sell by slashing the asking price from $299 to under $150. Nearly web-wide, legitimate e-tailers are selling the RazorBook 400 CE for less than half of its original MSRP, and we're not even a full year into its life cycle. But really, who's jonesing for a CE-powered netbook (we could just stop there, truthfully) with a diminutive 7-inch display, 128MB of RAM and a processor that's slower (in clock speed, anyway) than that found in HTC's Touch Diamond? If you're sheepishly raising your hand, the read link's got sucker your name written all over it.[Via Laptoping]
Analyst suspects Wii manufacturing costs are down 45%
This obviously isn't the sort of thing that Nintendo is going to come out and confirm itself, but analyst Koya Tabata of Credit Suisse has apparently determined, or at least guessed, that Nintendo has managed to drastically reduce the manufacturing costs of the Wii since its launch. Specifically, Tabata says that manufacturing costs are down a full 45%, which would of course also mean that Nintendo's margins on the console have increased proportionally, and that the chances for a price cut are now better than ever, especially in light of the newly cheapened PS2. According to Tabata, however, any price cut would likely first arise in emerging markets, with a drop 'round these parts anything but a sure thing.[Via Joystiq]
Sony: 'no plans' for a PS3 price cut
That PlayStation 3 price drop rumored to be coming tomorrow? Not happening, according to Sony. In a statement given to Joystiq, SCEA public relations manager Al De Leon says, "we do not have plans for a PS3 price drop, and any rumors to that effect are false and are the result of speculation." Although we wouldn't put it past the company to deny it up until the second before an official announcement, we seriously doubt Sony would announce any sort of price cut on the day it's most likely to get drowned out by fake PSP2 mockups. No word on that speculated $100 PS2, but we wouldn't get our hopes up here, either.
Global Sony announcement rumored for tomorrow, unicorns practically a lock
Take it for what it's worth, but Smarthouse has it on authority that Sony Computer Entertainment is gearing up to make a worldwide announcement tomorrow, and believe it or not, it could involve the PlayStation 3. Analysts (and patient consumers) have been anticipating a PS3 price drop ever since, oh, December 26th of last year, but we've seen absolutely zero evidence to make us believe that one is coming within the next 24 hours. And as Joystiq points out, each Sony region sets its own PS3 price independently. At any rate, we reckon a joint PS2 / PS3 price slashing could be on the table, but we'd highly recommend not getting your hopes up too high. Who knows -- we could be getting all worked up over a new firmware that unlocks HD DVD support.[Via Joystiq]
Sony's PlayStation 2 rumored to hit $99.99 in April
We've nothing to go on but a good man's word, but we're hearing that the permanent retail price of Sony's aged PlayStation 2 console will soon fall below the magical $100 mark. And really, it'd be about time. If you'll recall, Sony last adjusted the price of the PS2 in (surprise!) April of 2006, and if this here tip proves true, the company will select April of 2009 to push the MSRP down to $99.99. The image above comes from a generally trustworthy Kmart pricing system, and while we're certain you'd all love a PS3 price drop to follow suit, we've no reason to believe that one is close enough to touch. Update: As a couple of tipsters and commenters have pointed out, that screen's most likely from a K-Mart Remote Management Unit (RMU) screen. That'd make EVT SP "Event Special" -- or in other words, a sale price for the listed days of April 5 to April 11.
Linksys DMA2200 Media Extender plummets from $350 to $95
It was only a matter of time, really. Remember when Media Center Extenders were all the rage (yeah, for around ten minutes) at CEDIA 2007? Remember how everyone balked at paying $350 for one when you could just buy an Xbox 360 for the same amount and get two things in one? Apparently those "everyones" were right, as Linksys' slow-selling DMA2200 Media Extender has sunk from $349.99 on day one to $94.99 today at NewEgg. Quite honestly, this thing looks about 8.98 times sexier with its slim new sticker -- anyone thinking of getting into Extenders now that the barrier to entry is all but gone?[Via Slashgear]
Panasonic aims to skip over low-pricing e-tailers, focus on "value adding" distributors
We've already heard that Best Buy is aiming to spruce up its entire home theater department while undercutting Walmart, and now we're hearing that Panasonic individually is looking to stores more like Best Buy to sell its products. In a rather bizarre move, Panny is reportedly aiming to "tighten distribution" of its products by ditching dealers who add no value (and sell cheap) and sending more product to retailers who are willing to "implement Panasonic's stricter marketing policies and programs" (and sell high). Without getting caught up in the minutiae, what this essentially means is that it'll be harder for independently informed consumers to find Panny products on the cheap, but it'll be easier for the technologically illiterate to find Panny dealers surrounded by informed CSRs and information packets. It's possible that the company is simply trying to improve its image and appeal only to a certain class of people, but for those of us smart enough to do our own research beforehand, it looks like we'll be shopping other brands. Your loss, Panny.
