Back to School
Today in Video Game Pricing: Nintendo DSi and DSi XL Going Down, Xbox Live Prices Going Up
Aug 30th
Today brought some pretty surprising out of the blue video games news that could be both good or bad depending on what gaming system you’re into. Let’s start with the good news– if you’ve been interested in picking up a Nintendo DSi or DSi XL, well, starting September 12th, you can get one for $20 cheaper. Yup, starting September 12th Nintendo’s hit portable game systems will now be $149.99 (for the DSi) and $169.99 (for the DSi XL). And while this still is no 3DS, if you’ve been wanting something very portable and entertaining to kill time with on the bus to school, this should be really great news.
The new Xbox Live Gold pricing for the US, UK, Canada and Mexico
Now to the bad. Beginning November 1st, Microsoft will be raising the prices on their Xbox Live Gold subscriptions (the one you need to watch Netflix, check your Facebook, or play games online) from up to $9.99 for a 1 month subscription (previously $7.99), $24.99 for a 3 month subscription (up from $19.99), and $59.99 for a 1 year subscription (up from $49.99). What this means is that if your subscription is running out anytime soon, we’d recommend going to your local Best Buy, Target, Walmart or heading over to Amazon, Buy.com or the Microsoft Store and picking up a new subscription card today (we recommend heading to the Microsoft site here and re-upping your current subscription for one more for only $39.99– $10 off the current price and $20 cheaper than the new price). If you’re unsure when your Xbox Live Gold subscription expires, just head over here to find out.
While we’re talking about video games– what video game system and games are you going to be playing/ looking forward to playing this year, or are you a “good student” and gonna save the gaming for vacations and the weekends? Sound off in the comments.
Don’t Buy that New iPod Yet– Apple Holding a “Special Event” September 1st
Aug 25th
Remember how a couple of weeks ago we wrote about how Apple might be planning to release some new iPods soon? Well, get ready as they may be coming next week. Today Apple sent out invites (see the pic above) for yet another “special event” they’re hosting next week (September 1st), and as we can clearly see from the “Apple Guitar” this event (like all previous September Apple events) looks to be iPod and media related.
So what can we expect? New iPod Touches are pretty much all but confirmed, and there’s a ton of rumors going around about them packing those dual cameras for FaceTime as well as a Retina Display and Apple A4 processor like the iPhone 4. An update to the Apple TV is also gaining strong in the rumors, particularly that it will now be running its own custom version of iOS with no hard drive built-in (the current Apple TV has 160 GB built-in)– instead relying on an all new streaming music and video service for content (this is yet another item gaining a lot of strength on the rumor wire, with the talk being that Apple is releasing their own 99 cent movie and TV show rentals as well as some form of streaming music service from iTunes to your particular iDevice of choice).
What does all this mean to you? If you plan on buying a new MacBook for school and getting the free iPod you should probably hold off on it for just a few more days– as that deal runs until September 7th and this event is on the 1st. And if you’re going for a free iPod Touch you may as well get the latest and greatest right?
Remember to check back next Wednesday for our complete breakdown on whatever it is that Apple reveals.
The Teen Review: BlackBerry Torch
Aug 24th
One of the growing must-haves for any teen going back to school is a new cell phone– and for more and more teens that cell phone is a smartphone like an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry.
A couple of weeks ago, AT&T and RIM (the makers of the BlackBerry) released the next generation of the BlackBerry platform, the touchscreen slider BlackBerry Torch with the all new BlackBerry 6 OS. So, if you’re going back to school and on AT&T, is this new BlackBerry better than other phones like the Samsung Captivate and iPhone 4? Does BlackBerry 6 have enough to keep the BlackBerry in the game with iOS, Android, webOS and the upcoming Windows Phone 7? For all those answers and more, read on for our full teen review!
T-Mobile Drops More Info on Mysterious HSPA+ Phone, Motorola Charm
Aug 19th
A few weeks ago T-Mobile launched a new teaser page touting an upcoming launch of their all new HSPA+ phone, or a phone that has access to T-Mobile’s latest and fastest 3G network with 4G-like speeds (up to a whopping 14.4 Mbps, or faster than many of us even get in our homes!). Today, T-Mobile dropped some more clues on what this mysterious but already awesome phone might be– and while we still don’t know what exactly it is, when it’s coming, or how much it will cost– we do now know the name. Everyone, say hello to the T-Mobile G2.
That’s pretty much all T-Mobile wants to share today (though now we do know that it will be an Android running phone with close Google ties– maybe even being the phone to launch the next version of Android, version 3.0 aka Gingerbread? While that is purely my own guess at this point, I could see that happening considering T-Mobile’s mention of the G1 and how it was the first Android phone. To me it’s only fitting that Google’s next big leap be the next generation of the G1, and 3.0– which is said to be coming before the end of the year– has all the promises of being that next big thing in Android). In meantime, we’re all gonna have to sit tight and wait it out for the next few weeks until T-Mobile decides to share some more. You can also sign-up today at T-Mobile’s “teaser” page to get emailed once more details become available.
Moving on in T-Mobile Android news, Motorola and T-Mobile today finally announced pricing and release for the upcoming Motorola Charm (Android with a BlackBerry-like design as you can see in the pic above). This is very good news for anyone looking for a cheap but solid smartphone and doesn’t need/want all the bells and whistles of phones like the myTouch 3G Slide and Vibrant. The Charm will be launching just in time for school– next Wednesday August 25th– for a very solid $74.99 with new 2 year contract and data plan. For a full recap of what the Charm is, see our previous post here.
Not a bad day to be a T-Mobile user indeed. So, anyone else wanna throw in their guess what the mysterious G2 is?
The Teens Guide to Back to School: Tips for Buying a New Computer– The Basics
Aug 3rd
Unfortunately, in life all good things like summer must come to an end and we have to return back to our regular ways of life and school– something that is now approaching rapidly as the calendar turns to August. With schools starting to begin over the next few weeks, we want to help make sure you go back fully prepared (gadgets wise at least). Over the course of the rest of the summer we plan to have a whole bunch of posts and guides on a whole bunch of ways to survive– and possibly even enjoy– the coming school year, and we’re gonna kick off this “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 you should have.
Amazon Updates the Kindle
Jul 29th
Just in time for the beginning of the Back to School shopping season (something we’ll have covered down to the smallest details over the next couple of weeks to make sure you head back to school with all the right tech), Amazon has announced an updated version of their very popular Kindle.
This 3rd generation Kindle comes with a whole bunch of updates and improvements to help it put up a better fight with some competing eReaders on the market (*cough* iPad *cough*), and while I’m still not sure it is better than a Barnes and Noble Nook or iPad, Amazon has made the choice between the three a lot tougher.
