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Garanti Bank issues PayPass-enabled wristwatch in Turkey
Apparently, even swipeless credit cards are too much of an inconvenience to carry around in Turkey, or else Garanti Bank and MasterCard are just doing a fine job of whispering PayPass into those ears that are now tuned in. Gimmick or not, the two firms have partnered up to dole out a few limited edition timepieces that not only sport embedded PayPass modules to skip the painful John Hancock procedure altogether on basic, low-dollar purchases, but also feature a flashy and surprisingly tawdry motif. The bright orange watch rocks a few soccer balls, er, footballs on the face, and also includes a handy date feature to keep you on track. No word on exactly how one would go about procuring one of these contactless payment watches, but if your Garanti account is pushing six or seven figures, we'd say you've got some leverage.[Via TechDigest]
Seattle Mariners DS: exactly what the US market needs
If you happen to be a Seattle Mariners fan, and you're in the area, rush down to Safeco Field to pick up one of these bad boys -- this is a US-exclusive Lite with the team's logo embedded into the shell. This is exactly the kind of thing we need to see more of in North America if Nintendo wants to continually rock out US sales like those in Japan. More cool stuff like this, less commercials during kiddie cartoons. Mainstream, here we come! There are only 2000 of these special edition Lites, and this is everywhere on the 'net today, so we expect a few fans may end up trolling eBay with tears in their eyes in a few weeks. It's too bad Nintendo doesn't own a sizable interest in the St. Louis Cardinals -- then we'd finally be able to convince a certain mother unit that the DS is even more awesome than the Wii![Via NeoGAF]
Best Special Edition ever? Stranglehold SE exclusive to the PS3
Wow. After years of videogame special editions including nothing more than a making-of DVD or a lame in-game item, Midway Games has decided to up the ante considerably. Included with the exclusive PS3 special edition of Stranglehold is a full-length high-def remastering of John Woo's greatest movie (and Stranglehold prequel), Hard Boiled.A stunning example of 90's Hong Kong cinema, Hard Boiled pretty much put John Woo on the map. Starring Chow Yun Fat as the hardened Hong Kong cop Tequila, the violent action movie has some of the most memorable shoot-outs in the genre. The finale, a 30 minute gun fight in a crowded hospital remains one of the most intense scenes in an action movie to this very day. A classic in every sense of the word, the movie has had a bumpy release history in the US. The DVD has been out of print for many years, and the Criterion Edition will command prices upwards of 100 dollars on eBay. But now, thanks to Midway, for just 10 extra dollars ($70US total), you can get the special edition of Stranglehold with the first ever HD remastering of Hard Boiled. Suddenly, my interest in this game just went from moderate to INSANE. [via blu-ray.com]
Mobile Suit DS Lite
As if packing 500 characters, 300 mobile suits, and over 120 stages from 15 different Gundam series wasn't fan service enough, Bandai Namco plans to release a special edition DS Lite bundle with SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive. The customized, crystal-white handheld will feature the same red branding seen on Amuro Ray's Rx-93 ν Gundam in the animated film, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack. It's doubtful that the strategy-RPG game or the DS Lite will ever make it stateside, so interested parties will likely have to settle for importing when the title hits Japanese shelves this August 9th. The bundle's 21,840 yen price tag comes out to approximately $183, but expect to pay a premium if you're buying from an online shop. Head past the post break for a look at SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive's packaging and screenshots.
Samsung NV3, now in gold ("OPL") and silver
Same NV3, same 7.2 megapixels, same 3x optical, same optical image stabilization, same media playback features, but now Samsung is giving you the privilege of paying even more to buy it in some special edition colors. The $350 US camera will run you £199 and £229 (about $400 and $450) for silver and gold "OPL" (Oriental Plant Lacquer) when they're loosed in February and March, respectively.
Alienware "Special Edition" m5790 offers up overclocked Core 2 Duo
It seems that the "most powerful" laptop in Alienware's ever-growing lineup has already lost its crown, as the (somewhat) budget-friendly m5700-series has received a new member, and the "Special Edition" m5790 delivers a base price that won't elicit rage from the SO, but offers up an overclocked CPU option to satisfy your speed cravings nonetheless. Aside from the 17-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600, gigabit Ethernet, 56k modem, Bluetooth, WiFi, and combo drive, the machine seems fairly vanilla, but if you cough up $800, you can get an overclocked 2.66GHz Intel T7600G Core 2 Duo processor to spice things up. Among the other upgrades that push the pricetag on this lower-end machine up into the clouds are a $200 UXGA screen, $430 for 2GB of DDR2 RAM, $270 for 200GB of HDD space, $600 for a built-in Blu-ray drive, and $350 for ATI's Mobility Radeon X1900. So if you're in the mood for seeing just how much self-control your mousing finger really has, surf on over to the read link and (try to) buy only what you want need.[Via TGDaily]
LG re-ups Black Label with Shine Designer's Edition
LG Electronics announced its latest addition to their popular Black Label series of phones, the Shine Designer's Edition. This phone is decorated in a special font that was designed by renowned Korean designer Li Sang Bong and has an poem inscribed on the back of the phone by Yoon Dong Joo, a popular poet from Korea. With no other changes being made to this sleek handset other than the exterior, we wonder just how much it will cost. Guesses anyone?
Get your Hot Shots Golf: Coca-Cola special edition PSP at eBay
I'm sure you're all aware of the Signature PSP lineup by now, but did you know Sony teamed up with Coca Cola to manufacture 1,300 Hot Shots Golf: Coca Cola Special Edition PSP bundles in Japan last year? The bundled Hot Shots game, which Coca Cola gave away in contests, was basically a big commercial for the company as it featured Coca Cola advertising, clothing and even bottle-shaped golf clubs.Unfortunately, the contests are all over and you can't win one anymore. However, if you have about $660 burning a hole in your pocket, the bundle can be all yours via an eBay auction here. You even get the prize letter from Coca Cola to make you feel like you've won something.
Ricoh unveils First Anniversary GR Digital camera
Following up on Canon's own celebratory diamond IXUS, Ricoh is tooting its own horn by releasing a vividly-colored GR Digital to commemorate 10 years of the GR series and the first anniversary of its digital flavor. Presumably sporting the same 8-megapixel sensor and peculiar fixed lens, this special edition boasts an unmistakable paint job featuring "a blue sky and clouds" with "angel figures on the front and top of the enclosure," care of renowned Japanese illustrator Katsuya Terada. In addition to the atypical artwork, the camera includes a wrist strap and angel-themed dust cloth, and unsurprisingly lacks an MSRP -- but considering these units are limited to 1,000 (and the ordinary version already demands $700), only the most serious Terada aficionados should probably apply.[Via PhotographyBlog]
Pokemond Diamond and Pearl break sales records?
We knew the launch was crazy, but this is ridiculous: some (unconfirmed) sources over at 4 color rebellion are stating that the entire launch allocation of two million copies of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl have completed sold out ... in less than a day. Furthermore, half a million DS Lites (including the new special edition, shown here) flew off the shelves as well. Next week's sales numbers should be ... interesting, to say the least. We're not sure, but this might be an all-time sales record in Japan, and if one takes into account the proportional population of Japan versus the U.S., Pokemon Diamond and Pearl exceeds even Halo 2's ridiculous first day numbers (2.4 million sold in 24 hours). Take that, Master Chief.
Winning Eleven Special Edition DS
So, Nintendo finally tossed us a bone and set the Black and Pink version of the DS Lite for release in North America. Still, any real gamer knows that all the awesome special edition everythings are Japan-only, and this little beauty is no exception. Soocer/football fans, go ahead and drool...the stylistic playbook sketch makes the Onyx Lite that much hotter. Sure, if you want it badly enough, you can import it...but who knows how much you'll be paying?
An exhaustive list of DS variants
We knew Nintendo is down with special editions, but we never suspected it had gotten this bad. I mean, there's over 30 different units here! Collectors the world over are being crushed under the weight of such pressures. If you want to know what the Japanese, Australian, or European DS systems look like, they're here. How about Alan Cumming's or 50 Cent's? They're there too. Mario Kart special editions, Electroplankton special editions, Nintendogs special editions, all there! Even these glittery thingies (pictured) which are only available at the Nintendo World Store in NYC are there.Nintendo, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. I know you can get better... just be sure to make a Zelda one first!
