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Amazon begins deliveries to US and UK customers on a Sunday
If you can't wait for the working week to begin again in order to receive your latest delivery, Amazon has some good news for you. The company says it has teamed up with the US Postal Service (USPS) to deliver packages to all customers on Sundays, starting this week in New York and Los Angeles. Amazon's so excited that "now every day is an Amazon delivery day" it'll expand its service to include customers in Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Phoenix and other US cities within the next year. There's no word on whether the company intends to bring extended weekend deliveries to other countries, so for now, people living in Amazon's first two test cities will be the only customers seeing the new Sunday delivery promise when they go to checkout. Update: The Wall Street Journal reports that Londoners will get Sunday deliveries too. Amazon is set to use its own vehicles to deliver packages "later this month." We've also updated the article to show that, contrary to wording in Amazon's press release, Sunday deliveries will be available to everyone -- not just Prime members.
Saints Row: The Third free to play, on sale this weekend on Steam
Despite its crass and often offensive tone, Saints Row: The Third was quite well done, and turned the well-traveled sandbox urban action genre on its head a few times. Don't believe us? This weekend is your chance to find out for free, as the game is free-to-play until Sunday over on Steam. For the cost of your bandwidth and an hour or so of downloading, you can take a trip to Steelport, and be both disgusted and thrilled at the same time.And if you like the game as much as we did, you can buy it on Steam for just $13.59, 66% off of the standard price. This one's not for the kids, but it is as much fun as you'll have flying around in a hovercraft all year long.
Seattle Indies Expo kicks off on Sunday, Sunday, Sunday
The Seattle Indies Expo is hosting a plethora of playable indie games at the Digipen Institute of Technology Redmond campus, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Sunday. Sunday Sunday Sunday, to be exact.SIX will have Skulls of the Shogun, Mark of the Ninja, Perspective, Super Amazing Wagon Adventure, The Bridge and a slew of other under-the-radar games to play, as the Powerthirst announcer in the above video demonstrates. Admission to SIX is free, but getting your hands on some of these games before any of your friends is priceless.
How to: Make your own Bitizen
If you've been playing the app Tiny Tower as much as I have (and since it's free and great, you probably should be), you have likely imagined yourself as a Bitizen, one of the little residents of the floor-by-floor residential and commercial construction that is your own tiny tower. And thanks to this tutorial by developer and pixel art creator Brandon Trebitowski, you can make that a reality. He's essentially reverse-engineered the design of the little Bitizen characters (though he admits they're not in as much detail as the Retina Display-enabled game versions), and walks you through step-by-step in Photoshop how to make one of your own design. All it takes is some Photoshop grid shadings and a little coloring, so you don't even have to be a super great artist (or like me, have any design skill at all) -- just keep tweaking it until it looks right. I love it -- just like NimbleBit's own Ian Marsh, I look forward to having a Bitizen of my own as a Twitter avatar. Now I just need to figure out how to open up this Photoshop template...
Still need an iPad 2? Head to Best Buy on Sunday, Sunday, Sunday
Well now, this is interesting. We've been hearing a lot of chatter about Best Buy and the iPad 2, rumors that the company was sitting on a giant pile of tablets ahead of some great event. Well, now we have an interesting tip that says the company will tap into that stock-pile ahead of a big Sunday launch. According to the above image, stores will, in general, have a minimum of three slates each -- which in many cases isn't going to be enough. Good, then, that the company has a guide on how to "minimize customer disappoints." BBY has earlier said that it is fulfilling reservations first, so if you're still holding your ticket but not a tablet this might be a good time to give your local big box a ring. [Thanks, Anonymous]
Two New Jersey Apple Stores to open for non-retail activity on Sundays
Good news for New Jersey residents living in Bergen County. The two local apple stores in Paramus and Woodcliff Lake will soon be open on Sundays, ifoAppleStore reports. Due to blue laws that are still in effect in the county, these Apple stores are the only two Apple retail outlets that are currently closed every Sunday. Blue laws, implemented decades ago, have remained on the books in some locations across the U.S. They were originally adopted to set aside a day for religious observance; many people enjoy the break from the hustle and bustle of modern life. To work around these Sunday commerce restrictions, the Apple stores will be open for non-sale activities such as customer training sessions and Genius Bar visits. Retail purchases will not be allowed during store hours. Presumably, the stores will adopt Apple's current schedule and will be open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. It will be interesting to see how this plan works out. Each store averages 2,600 visitors each day and it is inevitable that each retailer will encounter numerous customers confused and upset by their inability to make a purchase. Perhaps they'll be redirected to the online Apple Store instead.
DirecTV survey suggests NFL Sunday Ticket on Apple TV
A recent marketing research survey from DirecTV suggests its popular NFL Sunday Ticket may land on the Apple TV. The survey quizzes DirecTV customers about different bundles and pricing plans for both the digital and regular Sunday Ticket subscription. A footnote for the internet-based, digital version offers the option for watching Sunday Ticket on your TV when it is connected to an Apple TV, as well as a Boxee Box or a Roku player. While far from a confirmation, these surveys are often used to gauge the potential interest in a feature before it is rolled out. Currently, the NFL Sunday Ticket lets you watch every game, every Sunday on your TV via satellite or over the internet. The internet version is separate from the satellite service and streams HD-quality football to your desktop PC or a mobile device including the iPhone and the iPad. Yes, the iPad app is an option for catching up on the games while lying on the couch, but watching football on the big screen via your Apple TV would be so sweet. Fingers crossed that this survey is a harbinger of good things to come for football fans that own an Apple TV.
Talkcast Tonight: Heat and Speculation Edition, 7PT/10ET
It's Sunday, and that can mean only one thing: Tonight we'll be rocking the Talkcast at 4pm Hawaiian/7pm Pacific/10pm Eastern time. Our usual suspects will include me, your host for the evening. We'll have some discussion of Microsoft's cute new ad campaign, and of course, a portion of the program will also be dedicated to my favorite pastime: rampant geeky postulating! This week from my house* we have a tired old perennial favorite, some video format rumors, Apple TV (among others) updates, and a debate over AppleTV specs and what they should be in that next rumored update. Note: West Coast Host means you also get an opportunity to join in on the infamous (and delightfully unrecorded) Aftershow. Prepare to answer the ultimate question, "Caller -- what are you wearing?" Your calls and questions help us make the show the best it can be, otherwise I'm just talking to myself! To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, the embedded Facebook app, or the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (yay for free cellphone weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Gizmo or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Be there or be four sided with right angles! *That would be Kelly's House Of Crackpot Theories, a place where hypotheticals roam free.
WoW Insider on WIUX's Canoodle Strudel this evening
Canoodle Strudel is a radio show about gaming, hosted on Indiana University's WIUX radio station (they're the ones who put together all of these custom Soul Caliber IV videogame characters), and the guys there have kindly invited WoW Insider on their show tonight. I'll be on the phone with them from Chicago to talk gaming, World of Warcraft, MMOs in general, and all the big news out of Wrath of the Lich King starting tonight at midnight Eastern.It should be a good time -- even if you're not in Bloomington, Indiana, there is a live stream on their website that plays really well in iTunes, so if you're awake around midnight this evening (finishing up those dailies or farming those last few motes), feel free to tune in and check it out. We're not sure if they can do call-ins, but even if not, you can always send us a tip with a suggestion of what you'd like to hear and I'll do my best to get it on the air.The show starts around midnight on the East Coast (and goes pretty late, I believe), but if you're up for some late night Sunday Warcraft discussion, definitely tune in.Update: Time zone fixed.
Race to Kunark with bonus XP Sundays
Our favorite events are ones that net us heaps and loads of experience points. What could be better than that? You have fun, and you become more powerful so you can have even more fun. It's a win-win situation. So we want to point out to all the EverQuest II players out there that SOE is running a bonus-XP event called "Race to Kunark."Players will receive 50% more experience than normal in both PvE and crafting "from midnight to midnight pacific time" on the two Sundays preceding the expansion's launch -- November 4th and 11th. This is a pretty nice boon for adventurers looking build up in so they can vanquish all the new monsters. So if you're an EQ2 player, make plans to order some pizza and start grinding this Sunday. Oh, and check out our overview of what Rise of Kunark has to offer if you're in the dark.[Via Stratics]
Sunday's ads bring GHIII deals and more
Today, Guitar Hero III hit store shelves, which means you should be looking for the best deals and get your purchase on. And since we're cool cats here at X3F, we figured we'd help you out by looking up the best GHIII offers, though we're leaving the purchasing totally up to you. Over at Best Buy, they are offering a free Sex Pistols faceplate for your guitar with purchase of any GHIII bundle, while Circuit City is offering a free guitar stand with any GHIII purchase (bundle or stand alone game). They are both equally good deals, so you'll have to choose which you prefer and which suits you best. Also, you may want to pick up a $2 GHIII keychain at Best Buy, because they're not only cool, but all proceeds will go to benefit the Boys & Girls Club. W00t to that.Best Buy also has the best free offers on two other new releases this week including a free Homer ball, free Homer poster and a free keycode to unlock the Medal of Homer level when you purchase The Simpsons Game. If TimeShift is more your thing, then pick it up at Best Buy this week, because you'll be treated to a free music CD priced at $14.99 or less. Remember, all these offers are only good through this Saturday, so be sure to take advantage of them while they last. Oh, and don't forget to pickup GHIII ... it's good times.
Finally, Wii at Gamestop and EB this Sunday
Looks like Gamestop can stop complaining about the Wii shortage -- this week. We received an internal Gamestop email (pictured at right) from one of our more reliable tipsters. The memo states that participating stores will receive 200 copies of Gamestop's sales flyers by today, which they must hold on to until Friday. The stores that received these flyers will receive "additional product featured in this ad." The stores are to hold all Wii hardware they receive this week for Sunday, along with the Xbox 360 Elite and PS2 (that puppy is still hot). This memo we received comes from the mid-East Coast. If you have a decent relationship with your Gamestop proprietor than you may be able to politely ask if they'll be a part of this little thing. Our source tells us that his store already has about 20 Wii, along with ten Xbox Elites (including black 120 GB hard drives, controllers and charge kits). So it looks like the first indicator your local shop is part of this sale is to check Friday and see if they've put out the flyers -- then get there early Sunday if you're still in need of Wii (or really want an Elite).[Thanks Anonymous]
Word on the street is Toys R Us will have the Wii this Sunday
Reader, and Toys R Us employee, HexiJosh wrote in to tell us that his store has received 24 Wiis, each designated for sale this coming Sunday. Of course, not every Toys R Us branch is guaranteed to get that many, as we're assuming it'll vary by location (that's what these corporate-like folk do), but the news of fresh stock is enough for us. We have friends and family that have seen the Wii in action because of us and still can't seem to find one.Will you get up early this Sunday and hit up the store for one? Plan on checking somewhere else this Sunday to finally score one?
Best Buy holding units for Sunday [update 1]
[Update 1: According to our mother-site Joystiq, Circuit City will also be hoarding Wii supplies for the 21st. Target will also have Wiimotes and nunchuks ... and heck, probably more Wii units as well. Good luck!]According to some highly overpaid analysts, the Wii is still very, very hard to find. See? You could be an analyst, too! Through rain and mud and Mordor, many of our readers have trekked away their nights and days looking for that elusive white box. We would send you ours, but Nintendo has keyed our Wii's to our genetic signatures, and will detonate upon transfer.Still, we feel as though we owe you guys a bit of assistance. And here it is: apparently, a (reputable) tipster has given word that Best Buy is stockpiling units for a January 21st (Sunday) release. Each store should have at least twenty units, and possibly around forty, but Best Buy will be announcing this lovely treasure trove in a weekly store ad quite soon. A word to the wise: the Wii is still hotter than Alpha Centauri, so don't think you won't need to work for it. Wake up early. You won't regret it.
Sunday at X360F: My fanboy cred
So, I was chatting with my new taskmaster and fellow Uno addict, Chris Grant, on Friday. I was informing him that I had experienced a power outage that zapped one of my posts. The outage effectively obliterated the first rendition of this post, if you must know. That's really a shame, as the first draft exuded a perfection that cannot be retold. Had you seen it, there's a good chance you would never have known sadness again. Anywho, in response to my story, Chris -- bastion of wisdom that he is -- told me I should get a UPS for my computer (no, not PSU, a power supply, silly). This would protect both my valuable computer and my posts. Now, it just so happens that I do own a UPS. It's just not connected to my computer. Read on to sneak a peek at my inner fanboy.
