Hasta La Gadget!

We doubt the July 15 delivery date is set in stone, but UK residents itching to get a little Hero in their lives are now able to pre-order HTC’s latest for £429 ($708). That’s pretty much what we’d expect for an unlocked set, but Orange is planning to offer the Hero free on contract, so we’d be inclined to hang on just a teensy bit longer. Video after the break.

[Via Phandroid]

Continue reading HTC Hero up for pre-order on Amazon UK: £429, July 15 delivery

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Hero up for pre-order on Amazon UK: £429, July 15 delivery originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tomorrow is today which makes it time to get your Windows 7 pre-order in. Amazon issued a big ‘ol press release telling us that it’s now offering the Home Premium Upgrade and Professional Upgrade packages for $49.99 and $99.99 though July 11th, while supplies last — nothing special there as it’s the standard pricing you’ll find at all your favorite on-line retailers. Amazon does promise, however, that you’ll “receive the product” when released to shops on October 22nd. Note a 3 per customer limit so don’t get greedy, ok? It’s not like Microsoft can just press the OS onto another disc or something.

Update: Reduce priced pre-orders for the UK won’t begin until July 15th with prices set at £49 for Windows 7 Home Premium E and £99 for Professional E, both will ship without Internet Explorer.

Update 2: For those wondering about the upgrade prices for Europe… there aren’t any. In the UK, the Home Premium “upgrade” is actually a full-version of the OS and will cost £80 (about $131), Professional “upgrade” will cost £190 (about $312), and Ultimate will cost £200 (about $328) until the end of the year — they’ll cost £150 ($246), £220 ($361), and £230 ($377), respectively, starting January 1, 2010. According to the BBC, Microsoft claims that it can’t offer the lower upgrade pricing ($120, $200, or $220 for Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate in the US) in order to comply with European competition regulations, a claim that EU regulators dismiss. As such, going from Vista to Windows 7 will require a clean install in the EU in order to remove Internet Explorer — no in-place upgrades will be possible according to Microsoft. Look EU, if you’re going to fine Microsoft billions for anti-competitive behavior then you have to expect this kind of tail-between-the-legs retribution, honest or not. You certainly can’t say that Microsoft is using its market dominance to push out the competition when Apple’s Snow Leopard is coming in September for a mere $29. Happy now?

[Thanks, Gavin]

Windows 7 pre-orders begin, now (update: but not for Europe) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS’ Eee PC 1005HA (the cooler, younger brother of the 1008HA) impressed us when we first caught a peep of it in the wild. Internally, the two netbooks are identical — but the 1005HA boasts a user-replaceable battery, and leaves out the recessed ports and port doors (which we found to be slightly annoying — though attractive — in our review of the 1008HA). Well, it’s up on Amazon for pre-order now, which means we might be seeing this one sooner rather than later. For now, it’s priced at $349.99, but we’ll see if that price holds when it’s actually available.

[Via Netbook Reviews]

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA up for pre-order on Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bad news for folks hoping a pre-order would save them from that yearly camp out in front of their local Apple Store: iPhone 3G S pre-orders have sold out, and folks who are making new pre-orders are being told that they’ll have to wait up to two weeks to get a phone. AT&T customers who do already have pre-orders in still have to line up at 7AM to nab a phone, but at least they’ve got a guaranteed slot if they show up, while the rest of the world will have to battle over remaining stock when Apple Stores open at 8AM and AT&T stores open to general customers at the same time. Looks like we might get a good riot or two out of this.

Update: AT&T just pinged us to clarify that it’s still accepting pre-orders, but not for delivery on the 19th, and online pre-orders will be shipped directly to your home, so you actually don’t have to hit up a store at all. But what fun is that?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

AT&T’s iPhone 3G S launch day pre-orders already sold out originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We get the feeling this isn’t the motion sensing surprise that’s likely in store for Xbox 360 fans at E3, but it’s still great to see this controller moving beyond the hype stage. After being spied late last year and detailed around two months ago, the Gametrak Freedom motion controller is now listed at GameStop with an October 15th ship date. The controller, which will come bundled with Squeeballs: Island Party for the Xbox 360, is already up for pre-order, promising gamers who shell out $69.99 a grand total of 11 motion sensing party games. Unfortunately, there’s no word on how much extra Freedom sticks will run, but based on the price of this kit, we’d wager not much.

[Thanks, Josh]

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Gametrak Freedom Xbox 360 motion controller up for pre-order with Squeeballs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 May 2009 23:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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