Hasta La Gadget!

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

Think the iPhone is a little too pricey? Good news,  now there’s a way to get one cheaper! The Apple Store recently added refurbished iPhones to the list of refurb products they offer which means you have the chance to own an iPhone for $100 bucks less than the new retail price. Apple says that they are certified, and as good as new: “We test and certify all Apple refurbished products and include a 1–year warranty.”

So now the 8GB model went from $599 to $499 and the 4GB model went from $499 to $399. Seeing as the iPhone has only been around for going on two months, I’m amazed that Apple has a stock-pile of refurbs around to be sold. The website says that it ships in 1–3 business days which means there will be no delay. They also offer free shipping.

I’ve purchased refurbished products in the past and never had any problems, although none of those purchases were from Apple. I’d assume though that buying an iPhone refurbished from Apple is no different and it’ll really be as good as new. Just $100 cheaper. Not a bad deal!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:

If the iPhone was Free…Apple Announces iPod Touch and $399 8GB iPhoneJobs Declines iPhone Price Drop RefundiPhone in the UK on FridayAvailable Today: 16GB iPhone & 32 GB iPod Touch

The ‘Kindle Keyboard’ has gotten a new name and price, but how long will it stick around?

I have no idea why you’d want to buy it, unless you do a lot of typing whilst reading a book, but the Kindle 3 has not only survived the keyboard-culling bloodbath that happened in New York yesterday, it has gotten a new, cheaper price.

$40 is the discount Amazon has settled on if you choose to accept ads on the new Kindles, and $40 is what Amazon has now lopped off the price of what is now called the Kindle Keyboard. The non ad-supported Kindle Keyboard is the same $140 as before.

Despite the name change, I have a feeling that these Kindles will be killed once production on the new models is going at full speed. Just take a look at their place in the lineup. To avoid things from becoming even more confusing, we’ll look only at the ad-supported prices, which is the new default positioning from Amazon. To remove ads from any of these, just add $40.

The cheapest Kindle is now the $80 Kindle. This lacks a keyboard (you “type” by moving a cursor over an on-screen keyboard using the d-pad) and has Wi-Fi only.

The Kindle Touch is $100, the same price as the Kindle Keyboard. The Kindle Touch 3G is $150, whereas the Kindle Keyboard 3G is $10 less, at $140. Weird, right? And certainly confusing, with models sharing price points.

But the oddest thing of all is the difference between the top-end e-ink Kindle and the color Kindle Fire when ads are taken out (there is no ad-supported Fire). The ad-free Kindle Touch 3G is $190. The Fire is $200. That tiny $10 difference is the best proof yet that Amazon is heavily subsidizing the Fire hardware to get the price down.

And this is something Amazon can easily afford to do because, unlike Samsung, Motorola and other Android tablet makers, Amazon will continue to make money on every Fire after it is sold. Movies, books, music: everything the average user puts on their Fire will be bought from Amazon. There’s no way other manufacturers can compete. Who the hell is going to buy a 7-inch Galaxy Tab now?

Kindle Comparison page [Amazon]

See Also:

• Playing With Fire: Amazon Launches $200 Tablet, Slashes Kindle …
• First Look: Up Close and Personal With Amazon's Kindle Fire …
• How To Strip DRM from Kindle E-Books and Others

Continue reading LaCie’s LaPlug turns your USB HDD into a network storage device, for LaPrice of $75 (video)

LaCie’s LaPlug turns your USB HDD into a network storage device, for LaPrice of $75 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  LaCie  | Email this | Comments

I use a scouring sponge to wash the dishes and frankly it’s disgusting. After use, it sits on the countertop looking innocent as its damp innards fester with multiplying bacteria until the next time I use it and it contaminates every dish, spoon and cup it touches.

So my poor, soon-to-be-poisoned dinner guests have reason for hope with Robert Audroué’s simply-named Sponge. It’s just like a regular sponge only instead of sitting in a pool its own effluent, it cleverly clips to the faucet, or any other available pipe, kept there simply by having a cut-out which lets it cling to a suitable fitting.

I showed this to the Lady, knowing exactly what she’d say. She thinks that it’s a terrible idea, that keeping anything wet — cloth or sponge — on top of the tap will cause it to rust through and spring a leak. But then, she comes from a place that believes that it’s fine to leave cooked fish out all day long before eating it, so you choose who to believe.

Either way, this hanging sponge at least keeps the kitchen sink tidy. It’s a shame I can’t buy this concept design in stores. I do, however, own a pair of scissors, and I will make my own as soon as the Lady leaves the apartment.

Sponge product page [Robert Audroué via Yanko]

See Also:

• Bizarre Sea Sponge Compound Finally Synthesized by Humans …
• EcoWash, a Dishwasher for Lazy Campers
• New Dishwasher Super-Arm Took 8 Years to Design

Despite Amazon’s curious decision to make the Kindle Fire a tall, thin tablet, it’s clearly made for reading. And news-hounds will be happy to see that the popular iOS and Android newsreader Pulse is coming to Fire.

Pulse pulls in your news feeds from Google Reader and shows articles to you in a very pretty grid of images. It will also pull in links from other sources like Facebook, Reddit, YouTube and Digg (remember Digg?)

Pulse is actually already available for Android, and can be had for free from Amazon’s Android app store. What’s most interesting is that Pulse, the company, is pushing this as if it were a new release for Kindle Fire. I expect this to happen a lot. In fact, given the expected success of Amazon’s $200 tablet, the Amazon app store will likely become the most important Android app store, quickly surpassing Google’s Android Market.

It may also make Android a better place for developers. Right now, most Android owners have their phones because they were the cheapest phone at the carrier’s store, and they don’t really use them as mini computers the way iPhone users do. And they sure don’t pay for apps.

The Kindle Fire, on the other hand, is designed to sell you stuff. People will buy it because they want to spend money, and Amazon will make it easy: The thing will arrive at your door already signed in to your Amazon account. Even Apple’s devices don’t do that.

Expect the Android software world to get a lot more interesting this November.

Pulse News product page [Amazon app store. Thanks, Jeff!]

See Also:

• First Look: Up Close and Personal With Amazon's Kindle Fire …
• Playing With Fire: Amazon Launches $200 Tablet, Slashes Kindle …
• Kindle Fire