Last year, Buy.com started offering the unlocked iPhone 3G in the 16GB version for $799.99, now $899.99. The 8GB version can also be had for $674.90. Yesterday, Buy.com unveiled that the iPhone 3GS 32GB version is now also available unlocked, but with a hefty $999.99 price tag, that’s almost $200 more than what Apple charges for an official unlock version in Hong Kong (6,228HKD). I don’t know who would buy this in the States when you can get it subsidies on AT&T and unlock it yourself, but it’s good we have options.
According to my knowledge, unlocked 3G iPhones are not being sold by Apple nor AT&T in the US, but somehow Buy.com has the 16GB model for $799.99 with free shipping. That’s a $100 more than the contract-free (but not unlocked) iPhones that Apple and AT&T starting offering it’s customers last month, but this makes Buy.com the first major retailer to sell an unlocked iPhone in the US. They also state that the phone comes with full Apple warranty, which I thought Apple only honors when they are under an AT&T plan. Even more crazy, Buy.com in their product description references the iPhone previously being hacked and the “cat and mouse” game that is endured my Apple and many iPhone owners who have unofficially unlocked their iPhones. Is this a late April fools joke or is Apple and AT&T desperatly trying to get rid of inventory before the new iPhone gets unvil this June?
AT&T and Apple stores are now officially selling the iPhone 3G’s contract-free in the United States. The 8GB model is selling for $599 and both of the 16GB models are selling for $699. Sales at the AT&T Stores require customers to be an existing customer, while anyone can walk in the an Apple Store and snag one. The one per customer rule still applies.
Might I remind you that these phones are not unlocked and are still tied to AT&T. Given that the iPhone 3G will only work on AT&T’s 3G network in the United States, I don’t see any reason why anyone living in the US would peony up that much cash for a locked phone which they will most likely have to use with a carrier that is already offering a subsidies version. Not to mention, wouldn’t it be cheaper to enter in a contract ($199 for 8gb model) and cancel early ($175 early termination fee)? For international user’s this would however, be an opportunity for them snag a iPhone, which they can unlock for use in their choice of country, but wouldn’t you want to spend just a little bit more and get an officially unlocked iPhone here?
Some Windows users think they’re not cool enough to be a Mac person. Is that what Microsoft is really thinking? <a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:0bb6a07c-c829-4562-8375-49e6693810c7&showPlaylist=true&from=shared" target="_new" title="Laptop Hunters $1000 – Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion">Video: Laptop Hunters $1000 – Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion</a>
I’ve grown accustom to acquiring flash drives as their capacity became affordable and it looks like I’ll be adding one more to the collection. Lacie has release a flash drive designed by 5.5 Designers that is extremely beautiful yet simple. It’s designed to be carried around with your keys, so you’ll have it with you where ever you go. It comes in both 4gb ($18) and 8gb ($28) capacities.
Hot on the heals of Nitro’s $15 solution, the Dev-Team has announced that they too have jailbroken the second generation of the iPod Touch. It’s not conveniently packed into PwnageTool or QuickPwn yet, but I’m sure that will come soon.
Apple has just released their third generation of the iPod Shuffle and they are calling it the world’s smallest music player that also happens to be the world’s first talking one. The latest iPod shuffle comes equipped with 4GB of memory in silver or black priced at $79.99. The shuffle has always been hindered by the lack of a screen, but apple is hoping to replace that by having the shuffle speak to you. The new shuffle will be able to tell you the playlist you’re on (yes, you can have multiple playlist on the shuffle now), the name of the song and artist. But best of all, it will come with the new earbuds that are equipped with easy access controls. It’s available in stores today, expect it to ship in 3-5 business days if you order online.
Update: Because the new Shuffle doesn’t have any controls (other than the power and shuffle) on the device itself, it relies on Apple’s proprietary headphones to control the device. Non-Apple headphones will require a special dongle, but Apple states it’s working with third parties to bring other headphones to market. The new Shuffle is not as cool as I original thought, and customers in the market for a shuffle may not want this over the second gen model. Is that why Apple opted to keep the second gen Shuffle in the Apple Store?
Last Night, Joshua Topolsky, the editor-in-chief of Engadget nerded out on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. If you missed it, check out the NBC edit clip above as he explains and in some causes confuses the audience about the soon to be release Plam Pre. And do remember this coming Wednesday (March 11) Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht of Diggnation will be on the show, so check that out as well!
Microsoft’s hardware engineering team has revealed that they will be producing a USB powered laptop cooling pad (left on the pic above) that is slated to be released this July ($29.95). But WHY? This is a really bazar. Beyond the fact that Microsoft is in a market that they really shouldn’t be in, they are revealing a product that is a exact replica of Belkin’s F5L001 Laptop cooling stand (right on the pic above), which is cheaper ($20.95) and available now. I can’t understand what is going on in Redmond, are they just really bored?
The new FreeAgent 1TB external hard drive from Seagate is absolutely beautiful. A huge step up in design from their previous (brown finish) model. It has a nicer silver finish with an attractive LED, and is designed to either mount horizontally or vertically.
I bought this unit for the sole purpose of bucking up my Macbook and although some mac users found compatibility issues with this drive, I had no problems setting it up with Apple’s Time Machine. But be warned that the new Seagate FreeAgent drives officially only supports Windows systems. It comes formatted NTFS, so you will have to reformat it using the the Disk Utility if you’re on the Mac.
If you are using this device on a windows machine, Seagate provides a free backup utility on the drive. The first time you plug in your drive, it will ask you if you would like to install the backup software. Once installed, the software will allow you to automate the backup process of your entire machine or specific folders that you choose. This makes the FreeAgent a true plug and play backup solution for Windows users.
The unit is surprising quiet and the speed is remarkable competitive to other USB 2.0 hard drives. Overall, I am extremely pleased with this unit and for what it does it’s a great value at $100ish.
