Hasta La Gadget!

Nintendo really wants to make it up to those of you who already shelled out $250 for the 3DS, in light of the looming $80 price drop. You probably already knew that you’d be getting a pile of free NES games on September 1st, but you can also expect them to be updated and improved going forward. These aren’t going to be half-hearted ports that get pushed out to early adopters, riddled with bugs, and forgotten. Sometime later this year, they’ll be offered as payed versions through the eShop with features like multiplayer simultaneous play. The best part? Those eligible for the Ambassador Program will get free upgrades to retail version. One feature we can tell you wont be added though, is 3D — the classic titles like Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. will remain blissfully two-dimensional.

3DS NES Ambassador Program games will add multiplayer, other features originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 19:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let the speculation begin! It may not be a sign of an iPhone refresh, but we’ve received multiple tips today about an imminent price drop for Apple’s flagship smartphone. According to a pair of trusty tipsters, Radio Shack is prepping to cut the cost of AT&T’s 16GB iPhone 4 to $169.99, with a two-year contract, from $199.99. The 32GB version will likewise take a $30 plunge at the Shack, ringing in at $269.99, and the price of the 8GB 3GS will drop to $19.99. Phone Arena is likewise reporting on Target slicing up the old Apple price tag, but lists varying numbers based on carrier. If all this talk turns out to be true, those prices should be ripe for the picking starting tomorrow.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iPhone price cuts hitting Radio Shack, Target tomorrow? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on September 10, 2007 by CyberNet.

We’ve already heard over and over again that sales of CD’s are down, way down. People are turning to online services like iTunes to get their music and therefore have no reason to go out and purchase entire CD’s from retailers. The recording industry isn’t willing to let CD sales slip away quite yet though, so they’ve come up with a new way that they hope will help. Coming this Fall, users will be able to purchase Ringles (not Pringles) which will be a combination of singles from an artist, and a ringtone.

The term Ringles was approved by none other than the RIAA who also designed a logo to help "brand" it. As mentioned, a Ringle will include three songs.  One will be an original version of a song, the second will be a remix, and the third will be an older song from the artist. Additionally, a ringtone from the artist will be included. Thus far, Sony BMG (who developed the concept) and Universal Music Group are the only ones that will be making the  Ringles.

While it may not sound like a terrible idea, I’m doubtful that it will be successful.  First of all, each Ringle will cost anywhere from $5.98 to $6.98 which hardly seems worth it for three songs and a ringtone. I think consumers will quickly label Ringles a rip-off. Secondly, the music industry tried the whole "single" concept before and it didn’t really take-off. I don’t think adding a ringtone is going to make singles that much more appealing.

According to PC Magazine, we can expect to see these Ringles at some point in stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and Amazon. Anyone interested?

Image source

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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BMW’s been teasing us with its vision for electric motoroing for years, and today, folks, the trend continues. The German automaker has unveiled two concepts from its upcoming i sub-brand: the city-dwelling i3 and a rehashed version of its i8. This is the first time we’ve officially seen the smaller of the two, as the car formerly known as the Megacity had only been spied in an official render and during routine testing at the arctic circle. It’ll haul four peeps with its 150km range (around 100 miles) and accelerate from 0-60mph in around 8 seconds. As for those with range anxiety, the German company will soothe such fears with an optional range-extending motor dubbed “REx.” Either variant could land in your garage in 2013, where you’ll be able top them up in 6 hours with a standard socket, or up to eighty percent in an hour if you’re rocking a spiffy high capacity charger.

The i8, which you’ll recall for its radical aerodynamic design and hybrid diesel-electric drivetrain, has received a bevy of aerodynamic tweaks and junked its oil burner, opting for a gasoline one instead. Engine swap aside, the sporty coupé apparently drinks only 2.7 liters per 100km — 87 mpg (!) for yanks — which is unreal in a car that’ll accelerate to 62mph in 4.6 seconds. Sound too good to be true? We’ll have to wait until 2014 to see if München can make good on those promises, but in the meantime feel free to peruse the galleries, videos, and PR after the break.

Continue reading BMW unveils new i3 and revamped i8 concepts, we await our automotive future (video)

BMW unveils new i3 and revamped i8 concepts, we await our automotive future (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on August 20, 2007 by CyberNet.

Microsoft Monday

Bill Gates is known as the World’s richest man (although he was recently de-throned), yet most people really don’t know a whole lot about the name and face behind Microsoft. Today’s Microsoft Monday is all about Bill and some little known facts about him. We’ve also included a photo that shows the Microsoft team in 1978, and details about where everybody is now. I’m sure Gates wasn’t expecting his team would eventually leave and get into jobs like cattle ranching or creating the Cabbage Patch Doll, but they did!

Little Known Facts about Bill Gates

• William Henry Gates was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington.
• His SAT score was 1590. The top score for the test is 1600.
• By the age of 17, Gates had sold his first computer program, a time-tabling system for his high school, for $4,200.
• Gates told his university teachers he would be a millionaire by age 30.  He became a billionaire at age 31.
• While at Harvard, Gates co-wrote Altair BASIC, which became Microsoft’s first product.
• He met his wife, Melinda French, in 1987 at a Microsoft press event in Manhattan while she was a worker for the company.  They would go on to get married on New Years Day in 1994.
• In 2002, Bill Gates was considered more idolized than Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tungin a poll of teenagers in Hong Kong and China.  The survey was conducted by the City University of Hong Kong.
• He is currently having a building named after him at Carnegie Mellon University, called the Gates Building of Computer Science.
• Bill Gates earns $250 every second; that’s about $20 million a day and $7.8 billion a year!
• If he drops a thousand-dollar bill, he needn’t even bother to pick it up because in the four seconds it would take him to pick it up, he would’ve already earned it back.

Source

Where are they now?

This photo shows the early team that made up Microsoft in 1978. We know Bill stuck around, but what happened to the others? Everybody you see pictured except Gates, eventually left Microsoft (although Paul Allen is still a senior strategy advisor) .

• Pictured above is Bob O’Rear who was Microsoft’s Chief mathematician. He left Microsoft in 1993 and then went on to be a cattle rancher.
• Another example is Bob Greenberg who was a programmer. When he left Microsoft in 1981, he went on to help develop Cabbage Patch dolls!
• Marla Wood was a bookkeeper and left Microsoft in 1980 and then sued them for sex discrimination. Now she describes herself as a “professional volunteer.”
• Jim Lane was a project manager and left Microsoft in 1985, and eventually went on to own his own software company.

Source

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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