Sony phasing out 120GB and 250GB PS3 SKUs, the latter now going for $299 at Fry’s

From a supply chain management standpoint, this all makes sense — why have four separate PS3 SKUs with various HDD sizes when just a pair will do? After announcing last week that a 160GB and 320GB PS3 Slim would be making landfall in the US and Europe, it seems as if Sony has decided to phase out the existing 120GB and 250GB flavors. There’s no definitive word on when production on those will stop (we’re surmising that the stop order has already been placed), but it looks as if some retailers are already starting up fire sales on the now-old models. For those curious, that’s a Fry’s installation pictured above, which is selling their leftover 250GB units for just $299, or the same price as the incoming 160GB unit. Decisions, decisions…

Sony phasing out 120GB and 250GB PS3 SKUs, the latter now going for $299 at Fry’s originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dish Network survey hints at Google TV pricing options

So just how much would you pay for a set-top box or Blu-ray player with Google TV built in? That appears to be what Dish Network is trying to find out with this online survey sent to potential customers, laying out some of the features offered and presenting several different pricing options from a one time up-front purchase of up to $300 at retail or cheaper possibilities with a monthly fee (pictured above). It also helpfully points out that Dish will be the only one with “advanced integration,” meaning search across internet sources, TV listings, VOD and programming stored on the DVR at launch to probe the potential of enticing switchers. Check out the gallery for all the questions and imagine what fits your budget before Google TV gets real this fall.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Dish Network survey hints at Google TV pricing options originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Killer 2100 network card sees $40 price drop, adoption by Alienware

For a computer peripherals startup, there’s nothing quite like landing a contract with the big boys, and that’s precisely what the whiz kids over at Bigfoot Networks have done. When we spoke with company executives back at Computex, we got the impression that they were pushing for OEM integration, and if you’re going to aim, you may as well aim high. As of today, Dell’s Alienware line can be configured with one of the well-regarded network cards pre-installed, and while you may find it impossible to believe that a NIC could lower your ping time, quite a few critics have been proven wrong. The card can be added to the Alienware Aurora, Aurora ALX, Area-51 and Area-51 ALX desktops, and if you’ve already got a tower you’re pleased with, you’ll probably enjoy the $40 price drop on standalone retail units. If you need your memory jogged, that makes the once-$129.99 card a far more tantalizing $89.99.

Continue reading Killer 2100 network card sees $40 price drop, adoption by Alienware

Killer 2100 network card sees $40 price drop, adoption by Alienware originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notion Ink Adam priced at $498, lives up to promise of being below $499

Notion Ink, the plucky Indian startup intent on shaking up the tablet industry, was most recently spotted turning over the sofa cushions looking for spare change, but that isn’t stopping the company from announcing pricing for its mythical first product. The Adam, it has now been revealed, will be available for $498 with WiFi, 3G, GPS, and a Tegra 2 system-on-chip powering things, with prices dipping down to $449 if you exclude either the 3G or Pixel Qi display option, and $399 if you drop both and make do with a WiFi-only LCD-based tablet. That certainly adheres to the promise of aggressive pricing, but the Q3 launch — which in itself was a slip from a Q2 pledge — has now also been definitively scratched off the board of possibilities, as the device won’t be submitted to the FCC for certification until November. Notion Ink claims that from there on it’ll be just a matter of waiting on the FCC to clear the Adam for its US launch, which could happen in late 2010 or CES 2011 at the latest. Or, you know, never.

Notion Ink Adam priced at $498, lives up to promise of being below $499 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo issues a 3DS release date date

Find the headline confusing? Well, the explanation won’t help to assuage the muddle much. A Nintendo spokesman told Bloomberg Japan that Ninty plans to announce the Nintendo 3DS price and release date on September 29th. Thus far, we’ve only seen speculation about pricing (between $249 and $299) and release dates (between October and March, 2011). So yeah, we still don’t know when or for how much but at least we know when we’ll find out when and for how much. Make sense?

Nintendo issues a 3DS release date date originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Streak Priced at $300 For ATT

After months of teasing, Dell’s 5-inch tablet-phone hybrid called the Streak finally has a price tag. The Streak will cost $300 with a two-year contract on AT&T. An unlocked version of the device will cost $550.

Dell is yet to announce exactly when the Streak will hit retail stores in the U.S. but it is accepting pre-sale orders from customers on its site. The device will initially be available in black with a red color variant introduced later this year, says Dell.

Dell launched the Streak in U.K. last month. The Streak is targeted at smartphone users who crave a larger display but still need a device that’s portable and could potentially replace their phone. The Streak has a 5-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera, phone, browser and access to Android apps. But it doesn’t exactly succeed in trying to be bigger than the phone but smaller than the iPad. (Read Wired.com’s review of the Dell Streak.)

A major drawback of the Streak is that it uses version 1.6 of the Android operating system, while most smartphones today run Android 2.1. Google has already released Android 2.2 Froyo and some devices such as the Nexus One have gotten the Froyo update.

The Streak seems woefully behind the times but Dell says a Froyo update is coming “later this year.”

In the U.S., AT&T haters won’t have a choice when it comes to choosing a wireless carrier for the device. Dell doesn’t plan to support T-Mobile’s 3G network or certify the Streak for operation on the T-Mobile network.

See Also:

Photo: Dell Streak (Jon Snyder/Wired.com)


Apple to charge upgrade fee for iPads moving to iOS 4? (update: unlikely)

As if waiting around until fall to get iOS 4 weren’t enough of a downer for iPad owners, the latest rumor we’re hearing is that they’ll have to pay a fee in order to do so. That’s right, for the privilege of waiting patiently to get some semblance of multitasking on your slate device, you’ll have to pony up the cash — or so the story goes. Stuff has it on strong authority from app developers in the know that Apple will be asking for a (relatively small) tithe from those wishing to update their iPads when the leaves start turning amber. We’d advise keeping the pitchforks stowed for now — at least until there’s some solid corroboration for this — but then it’s not like Apple hasn’t done this before.

Update: Apple’s iPad licensing docs have been known to carry a provision that the “next major iPad OS software release” will be free, although iOS 4 and the word “free” do not happen to coincide in the same sentence — overall though, that renders this rumor rather less likely to materialize.

Apple to charge upgrade fee for iPads moving to iOS 4? (update: unlikely) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kin One drops to $29, Two drops to $49, data plans remain silly expensive

Best Buy’s already taken to offering Microsoft’s Kin One for free and the Two for $49 on sale, but it looks like Verizon’s officially lowering the price tag on its socialphones: the Kin One will henceforth be $29 while the Two drops to $49 for good. The ever-reliable Ina Fried at CNET says the move is a direct response to lagging sales; workers at one Verizon store told her that Kin devices are being outsold by the Palm Pre. (Ouch — for both the Kin and the Pre.) Unfortunately, both devices will still require a $29/month or higher data plan, making their total cost of ownership about the same as Verizon’s other, far more capable smartphones in the Droid line. Until Verizon wises up and drops the Kin’s data pricing to “insanely cheap” we can’t see sales ever taking off, especially since Windows Phone 7 is destined to utterly overshadow the Kin when it launches later this year. We’ll see — maybe that summer software update will blow our inner tweens away.

Kin One drops to $29, Two drops to $49, data plans remain silly expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell Streak now available unlocked for £449

Not a fan of being tied down to a single network? Neither are we, so let’s all hold hands and rejoice at the news that Dell’s 5-inch Streak has today become available to purchase unlocked over in the UK. Freedom lovers will have to pay a hefty £50 extra for being unshackled from O2’s chains, but the £449 ($676) price point remains significantly lower than the 16GB iPhone 4 and should prove mighty tempting. Then again, if you wait until next month, you might be able to import one from the good old US of A, where Dell will be selling the unlocked Streak at a thrifty $500. It all depends on what you have more of, money or patience.

[Thanks, Manuel B.]

Dell Streak now available unlocked for £449 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia N900 drops to $369, unlocked

Hard to believe but after all this time the N900 remains the most powerful handset in Nokia’s vast collection of cellphones. No other Nokia handset even comes close and that won’t change until Nokia launches the Symbian^3-powered N8 or the MeeGo-powered N9. So if you’ve got the dough and a certain inclination to write Python scripts on a Friday night, you might want to think about sliding $369 (down from $649 at launch or $479 currently at Nokia USA) Espoo’s way for a crack at the ARM Cortex A8 slider. Sure, it’s not the freshest face on the block, but the development community will certainly help eek-out every last bit of value for many months to come.

P.S. Don’t forget to apply the coupon code LL17PBSTFKZ440 to get the reduced price.

Nokia N900 drops to $369, unlocked originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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