Back to School
Reminder: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Back To School Deal Ends This Saturday
Aug 31st
Looking for a new Windows PC for school and want to take advantage of Microsoft’s buy a Windows PC and get a free Xbox 360 back to school deal? Then we recommend you hurry as the deal ends this Saturday, September 3rd.
For those who’ve never heard of this deal, it basically works like this. If you’re a student and you buy a new Windows PC at $699 or more Microsoft will throw in a free 4 GB Xbox 360 to go with it. The deal is open to both high school and college students and all you have to do to get it is show your Student ID if your buying in a store or a enter your .edu email address if you’re buying online at sites like the Microsoft Store, Dell.com or HP.com (this is the email address your college gives you once you enroll). If you’re a high school student and don’t have that .edu email address, try chatting with an online sales rep or calling the company’s sales line (their phone numbers are usually listed at the top of their sites). And remember, the deal also isn’t necessarily done by all stores (Staples and Best Buy, for example, don’t offer it), so you’re probably better off buying online or calling your preferred store before you go to make sure you get the deal.
So yeah, if you want that new PC and free Xbox you better hurry before the deal ends.
LG Thrill 4G Release Date Announced– Coming September 4th for $100
Aug 31st
Waiting for AT&T to release their 4G, glasses-free 3D beast also known as the LG Thrill 4G? Well, your wait is finally almost over. Beginning this Sunday, September 4th, the Thrill 4G can be yours for a solid $100 with a new 2 year contract and data plan.
For those who don’t know, the Thrill 4G is one of AT&T most powerful 4G Android phones to date, with some pretty powerful specs like a dual-core 1 GHZ processor (so everything you do on it from 3D gaming to basic texting is fast and smooth), dual 5 megapixel back cameras with a second front camera for video chat (so you can not only watch 3D but shoot 3D videos too), Android 2.2 (though hopefully it will soon be upgraded to the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread. AT&T and LG also have given the Thrill 4G special 3D apps like a 3D version of YouTube and the LG 3D Space app store so you can make full use of that 3D screen), support for AT&T’s 4G HSPA+ network, and of course that amazing 4.3 inch qHD glasses-free 3D screen (and since it’s a qHD screen everything from those 3D videos and games to your texts and Facebook will look great).
We were pretty impressed when we saw the Thrill 4G, and at just $100 it looks to be a solid deal for AT&T users looking for a powerful phone for back to school but don’t want to pay over $100 (and some places like Target are even offering it for just $80 on contract).
You can see more of the Thrill 4G at AT&T’s preview page here.
Sprint Releases BlackBerry Bold 9930– Drops Price To $200
Aug 21st
That was quick. Today is the day Sprint’s new BlackBerry Bold 9930 and Torch 9850 are finally released, and if you were looking pick up that new Bold 9930 today just got a lot better for you. Sprint has wised-up and dropped the new Bold’s price from the previously announced $250 on new 2 year contract and data plan down to a much better $200 on contract (the Torch 9850′s price is still $150). Specs on the new Bold are still the same, but it’s still nice to see Sprint drop the price the day the phone goes on sale. Let’s hope Verizon and T-Mobile (particularly T-Mobile) drop their prices soon too.
You can order the new Bold 9930 from Sprint here.
Back To School Deal of The Day: PS3 Now Only $249
Aug 18th
Sure it’s no free Xbox 360, but if you were looking for a PS3 for your dorm room now is probably the best time to get one. Sony this week has announced that they have dropped the PS3′s price $50, with the 160 GB version now starting at $249 and the 320 GB version coming in at $299. Sure it’s not a huge price drop, but we’ll gladly take it and it’s a pretty solid deal particularly if you don’t plan on buying a new laptop for school (or aren’t buying one at the minimum $690 to get the Xbox 360 deal).
And it’s even better when you think of everything else a PS3 can do beyond gaming, like watch Blu-ray movies, stream videos from Netflix/Hulu Plus/YouTube, go online from your TV, or even watch games with the MLB.TV or new NFL Sunday Ticket apps (which is also coming to the PS3 this season and you don’t need to have DirecTV to use it. The NFL Sunday Ticket app does need you to pay a pretty expensive $339.95 for the season– or $5 more than what DirecTV subscribers pay– but you do get access to 14 out-of-market games per weekend and the Red Zone Channel, all in HD).
If you’re going off to college and want TV but don’t want to pay the crazy cable/satellite fees (or are just looking to save serious money by ditching cable/satellite entirely), the PS3 and its new price look to be perfect for you.
T-Mobile’s BlackBerry Bold 9900 Price and Release Date Announced– Launching In Stores August 31st
Aug 16th
Well T-Mobile BlackBerry friends, it’s finally your turn. Verizon, Sprint and AT&T all announced when their new BlackBerry 7 phones will be launching and now T-Mobile has joined the fun. At the end of the month (aka August 31st) this new 4G Bold 9900 can be yours for the pretty expensive price of $299.99 with new 2 year contract and data plan. If you’re asking us we’d recommend waiting a few days or weeks for this to drop to a much more reasonable $200 on contract (and yes we wouldn’t be surprised to see someone like Best Buy, Walmart or Amazon do this so close after launch. It’s a great BlackBerry but not one worth $300), but if you need a new T-Mobile BlackBerry before school starts this still looks to be by far the best T-Mobile has ever offered.
Just a recap of the T-Mobile Bold’s features, for those who don’t know it’s pretty much the greatest BlackBerry released yet. Features on the new Bold include a much faster 1.2 GHZ processor with 768 MB of RAM (so everything from BBMing to browsing the web is much faster), 5 megapixel back camera with the ability to take 720p HD video (there is no front camera for video chat), the latest and greatest BlackBerry 7 OS, support for T-Mobile’s 4G network, and that awesome BlackBerry keyboard underneath that 2.8 inch multi-touch screen. Full info on the Bold 9900 can be found here.
BlackBerry Bold 9930 Now Available On Verizon
Aug 15th
Verizon BlackBerry users here is the news you’ve been waiting for: the Bold 9930 (aka the Bold Touch) is now finally available for you to order from Verizon for $250 with a new 2 year contract and data plan.
Specs wise the Verizon Bold 9930 comes with pretty much everything we expected: a 1.2 GHZ processor with 768 MB of RAM (so everything from BBMing to browsing the web is much faster), 5 megapixel back camera with the ability to take 720p HD video (there is no front camera for video chat), the latest and greatest BlackBerry 7 OS, and that awesome BlackBerry keyboard underneath that 2.8 inch multi-touch screen. Unfortunately, like Sprint’s Bold 9930 this Verizon Bold 9930 is also 3G-only which means you can’t use it on Verizon’s superfast 4G LTE network (something we were hoping Verizon would sneak in particularly since it’s a pretty expensive $250 on 2 year contract). For the full recap of what’s in this new Bold see our previous post here.
Basically, if you’re on Verizon and looking for a new BlackBerry for school this year, this is the one you’ve been waiting for.
More info: Verizon
Release Dates and Prices For Sprint’s BlackBerry Bold 9930 and Torch 9850 Leak– Are Both Coming Out On The 21st?
Aug 12th
While T-Mobile and AT&T haven’t given any word on when their new BlackBerrys will be launching (and Verizon hasn’t even officially confirmed which new BlackBerrys they’ll be getting– though we think we know one of them), it looks like Sprint will be the first to launch their new BlackBerry 7 phones. And just in time for you to get it before school starts too.
According to this latest leaked Sprint document on BGR (a site that we all know knows their BlackBerry leaks), Sprint will be releasing both their new Torch 9850 and Bold 9930 in about nine days, August 21st, for $149 and $249 respectively (with the usual new 2 year contract and data plan). If true– and we believe it very well may be as the release dates line up with some earlier rumors about the new BlackBerrys’ launch dates– this is pretty solid news for Sprint users.
Sure we think the 3G-only Bold 9930 is a bit expensive at $249 (even if it otherwise looks to be the best BlackBerry yet), and we’re not sure the Torch is worth nearly the same price as the more powerful and 4G capable Motorola Photon or HTC EVO 3D, but who knows– since Sprint or RIM haven’t actually confirmed any of this maybe they’ll bring the price down to the much more tempting $200 and $100 respectively (and if they don’t, maybe someone like Amazon or Best Buy will do it instead).
We’re obviously gonna keep searching for more on this, but if you’re on Sprint and want a new BlackBerry for the upcoming school year we really think you’re gonna want to wait a few more days to see if this becomes official.
More info: BGR, CrackBerry
The Teens Guide To Back To School: Best Cell Phones Right Now
Aug 8th
As important as it is to have a good laptop for school, it’s almost as important to have a good phone. We need them to text, check Facebook, go online, set alarms and reminders– heck, most of us could probably take better notes on our phones than on a laptop (if we were allowed)!
So in this issue of our back-to-school series we’re gonna take a look at some of the best cell phones available now on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon that you should definitely consider when you’re looking for a new phone for this upcoming school year.
The Teens Guide to Back to School: What You Need To Know For Picking Your Next Computer
Aug 1st
We know, we know– it feels like summer is only just beginning why are we starting to think about the next school year? Unfortunately as we all know all good things like summer must eventually come to an end and we have to return back to our regular ways of life and school– which we all know comes back way too quickly. As the back-to-school sales really begin over the next few weeks we want to help make sure you go back fully prepared, well, gadgets wise at least.
One of the toughest things today in back-to-school shopping is finding a new computer/tablet/phone that isn’t just cheap or good, but right for you and what you want and need it to do. We want to try to make this easier for you, and over the course of the rest of the summer we plan to have a whole bunch of posts and guides on good deals we see, some of our recommendations for a new computer, tablet or phone etc. In short, we’re here to help.
So with all that in mind we’re gonna kick off this back-to-school “series” with some tips on what you should look for when your out shopping for a new laptop for school and what are the basic specs that any 2011 computer you buy should have.
Best Buy Pulls Out Of Microsoft’s Free Xbox 360 Back To School Deal
Jul 25th
Looking to take advantage of Microsoft’s awesome back-to-school deal of a free Xbox 360 when you buy a new PC for $699 or more? Well, if you are then we recommend not picking up that new computer from Best Buy as they have pulled out of this back-to-school deal earlier this month. And while we couldn’t find out the reason that Best Buy isn’t offering this free 360 deal anymore, they have confirmed to us that they have stopped offering the deal.
HP, Dell, Amazon and the Microsoft Store are all still offering this deal (which runs until September 3rd and works as long as you have a high school or college student ID)– so if you were looking for a new computer at $699 or more and wanted that free 360 we recommend you look at one of them.
