Steam Summer Sale Almost Over

If you haven't been on Steam in the past week, then you may have missed that fact that the yearly summer sale is going on right now. Everyday from July 30th to June 10th yields new daily sales at 1 PM EST. These daily sales are huge sales of some of the hottest titles. Games like Mass Effect, Fallout, and Magicka, all on sale now. The best strategy is to wait for your game to go on sale during a daily deal. Even though the game may be discounted because the sale, a heavy discount could happen if it is on the list of daily deals. If the game you want does not hit the daily deals rack, buy it on the last day while it is still discounted. This is always a good rule of thumb so you don't lose money on your purchase. Here is an example: Magicka was discounted to $6.69 because of the sale, but it made it to the daily deals section and was discounted to $3.39. That is when I bought it. Next day, price went back up to $6.69. You can find all the steam deal by heading over to www.steampowered.com

~Dave

Get Ready For the New Apple

Image from Macrumours

As expected, Apple is ramping up for their annual WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference) 2011. As seen from the signs being put up, it would seem the rumors are true. To be announced this year will be OS X Lion, the brand new operating system from Apple, iOS 5, the brand new mobile operating system from Apple, and what looks like iCloud.

 iCloud is what is rumored to take the place of MobileMe. Again, as far as rumor goes, iCloud is going to be $25 a year, which is awfully inexpensive and worth paying for. In addition, iCloud will include the ability to hold all your songs AND movies. This would be a huge move on Apple's part seeing as Google and Amazon both tried to beat them to the gun with a cloud service. 

Next, there is Lion, which we don't know much about (that is of course assuming you haven't read any of the leaked information on the internet). Lion will not only bring some amazing new features, but it will also utilize TRIM for SSDs, a necessity at the moment when using an SSD. Lion is suppose to be a blend of iOS and OS X, so we will see how that goes over. I for one am skeptical on whether or not people will like the idea. Hopefully, Lion is not put at a price points that is more then Snow Leopard was. Snow Leopard was well priced, and I believe if Apple does this again it would definitely be good for them.

Finally, as far as iOS goes, I am hoping it brings some major changes. First, I would like to see more voice commands. One in particular I would like to see is being able to read off your text message and having the phone compile it for you. In addition, I would like to see a brand new messaging system, one with more options when you get a message. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything else I might want changed. I am sure what ever Apple does it will be for the better.

~Dave

Tech Sales Are Coming

I see Memorial Day as the day that marks the start of summer sales for technology. The major hitter is usually July 4th in terms of how many items are on sale. Most new technology for the year is released during the summer, thus the old inventory needs to be cleared out. So if you needed that brand new 23" screen, an SSD, or even some other piece of technology, now is the time to look into buying them. If you don't mind have something that is fairly recent and only slightly outdated, then now is the time to buy. While new products will be selling full price, things comprobable to those product will be on sale due to the fact that they are not new. However, if you are really picky and want a really low price, then wait until the holiday season. I for one am looking for a good price on SSDs. In particular I am looking for 2 6Gb/s SSDs and 1 3Gb/s SSD. I plan on making all three boot drives for different computers. Hopefully there are some good sales this summer.

~Dave

New Apple Store 2.0

Image credit of macstories

 The brand new Apple Store is out, and it has iPads.... lots of iPads. To help aid the potential customer in choosing products Apple has provided them with a iPad that has a special program on it. The special program will show you everything from specs to pricing. This doesn't get rid of the employees, but it does  make the need for them a little less. This also saves paper since there is a digital display that can be updated at any time. Not only is this great for potential customers, but it also sets the potential customer up to want to buy more then one product. Prior to this, Apple had little slabs that had the specs and pricing printed on it. By replacing that with an iPad, customers end up using two devices instead of one; thus, the possibility that they will sell two devices at once it higher. It is a brilliant marketing technique, and I wouldn't be surprised if other stores start copying this too. 

You can call over a specialist using the new iPads on display

Even your iPads get iPads so you can learn about your iPad.

~Dave

Good Timing Gamestop

Yesterday I received an email from Gamestop promoting their new sale. Boy did I laugh when I saw what it was. Due to the reason events with Sony's PSN, it would seem Gamestop is trying to empty out stock. This means you could get a PS3 for as little as $200. Wether or not you need one is up to you, I myself was always looking into a Blueray player. Most likely I will pass this one up, but it is something to think about. Plus, when PSN does come back up, anyone who uses this promotion should really not give any information to PSN no matter how safe Sony claims it is. Another possibility is that Sony knows their sales will drop due to the recent incident, thus they may have instructed sellers to put a sale on to keep the sale of their consoles going. What ever it may be is unknown, however if you need a PS3 now is your chance to get one at a low price.

~Dave

A Small Lesson About Online and In Stores

After this whole ordeal with choosing where to buy the book, I learned something. Online is always cheaper then in stores. When I went to the store to pick up the book, it was full price, were as online it was half that price. I asked the cashier why the price was at full and not the price stated online. She explained to me that online stores have no overhead. In other words, they don't have anyone they have to pay, unlike stores who have to pay their employees and buy the books. In addition, the store provides a convenience for you by allowing you not to wait for shipping. You can order the item in the store and get it in minutes, unlike online that makes you wait. Online also has shipping cost, which runs the price up a little bit, but not by much. It really boils down to if the customer is willing to wait. If you are not willing to wait, you pay the extra bit of cash and drive to the store. If you can wait, you order online and receive the book when it is delivered. This was the little lesson I learned when I went to purchase my book.

~Dave

By End of Day

We have all been there, waiting for a package to be delivered by UPS. While waiting, you constantly refresh the page with the tracking number to see if anythings changed. This was me yesterday as I waited for my package from Newegg to be delivered. While constantly refreshing, I noticed the site said delivery "By End of Day" in both the early delivery section, and original delivery section. I had sense of what this meant, but I wanted to be sure.

The first way in which I attempted to find the answer was by using Google. Most sites said the day ended at 5'ish, but I knew that couldn't be right because I had gotten packages after 5 o'clock before. I kept searching, but still nothing. When I gave up on Google, I closed the tab and returned back to the UPS page. it was then I noticed that the words "In Transit" were underlined, usually meaning there is a link of some sort. I hovered my mouse over it and to my surprise it brought up a little box with delivery hours listed. "9 to 7, possibly later" is what it said. Who knew that what I was looking for was right under my nose the entire time!

~Dave

Quest to Obtain an iPhone

I had it all planned yesterday. I was going to try and pre-order my iPhone. How hard could it be? All it required was going online and filling out a form. Plus, from the sound of it they would have plenty in stock. Well, boy was I wrong. I went on late in the afternoon and they were all sold out. I couldn't believe it. So then, when is my next chance to get one? Next Wednesday... at 3:01 AM. That is right, I have to get really early if I want to get a hold of one of these phones before they sell out completely. That, you know, is what will happen. Over all the hype they will sell like wild fire and no one will be able to acquire them. This may not be black friday, but it is one of those products you must really make an effort to get if you want one. If you don't you will miss your chance at one. Most likely they will be "in short quantity". Another one of those great sales statements. That statement makes people go nuts over a product. It is as if the world will end if they don't get one. I am going out of my way to get one because of the unlimited data plan. I want to make sure that I secure a phone with that plan before they take remove that option. Which, as some of you may know, they will be doing. Verizon will be moving to a tiered data plan, so I have to get this unlimited plan. This way, I will be "grandfathered" when they release the new plans. We shall continue this story next Wednesday. Have a good weekend everyone!

~Dave

Verizon iPhone Pre-Orders

Today the Verizon iPhone goes on sale for pre-order. This, however, is only for existing Verizon customers. If you are new to the Verizon Network, you will have to wait until February 9th. Many sites released reviews last night for the phone, saying it was a great improvement over AT&T when it came to dropped calls. Many said the issues were few and far apart. However, Verizon does have a slower network then AT&T, but that is not a big problem if you have been with the Verizon network for a while. If you are an existing customer, it won't bother you. Overall many said it would be worth buying, I am still trying to figure out pricing. I plan on getting one if the pricing works out. Speaking of pricing the phone will start with a $40 plan for voice, 450 minutes that is. With text that is an extra $20. If you want unlimited voice, you will have to shell out $70. Then there is unlimited data, which will cost $30. Finally, there is the mobile hotspot which will set you back another $20. Each of these prices are a per monthly cost. This means you can expect to pay around $100 a month. My issue is finding out whether I will be charged extra as my phone is an added line. You can pre-order your iPhone now on Verizon's website. Well, I am off to the Verizon store to try and figure out my pricing issue. If all goes well I may have an iPhone by next week!

~Dave

Sometimes, it is Best to Skip

As you may recall, yesterday I discussed a new game that was to be released. I had been eyeing this game, and was excited about its being released. Come the time at which the game was released, I had my money in hand and was ready to buy. However, before buying I wanted to double check that this was really the game I wanted. I wanted to check if this was really going to live up to my expectation. Was this going to be the Call of Duty killer my friend told me it would be? Would it surpass Battlefield Bad Company 2? I went online and searched google for reviews. To my surprise, many sites didn't like the game. Most said it was average, and the only gameplay mechanic it had going for it was the destructible environment. Graphics were sub par, and sound quality was below standards. I was really surprised. I had waited almost eight months for this game. So, with much vexation, I put my money away and saved it. Now that I look back on the whole event, I am glad I didn't spend my money. I can proudly say I am saving it.

~Dave

Best Buy is Really Strumming My Cords

I have been waiting since last year's E3 show for the ability to pre-order the pro Rock Band guitar. However, only Best Buy is selling it. And not only that, but you can only pre-order online for this guitar. Does not sound so bad right? Wrong! To pre-order online requires you pay the full amount up front. That means $279.99 on the spot. It is not like GameStop where you can put $5 down and then pay the full amount later. That is the reason I like GameStop over Best Buy, they are more reasonable. Now, Best Buy has some good costumer service, but options like this really annoy me. The reason GameStop is better is because putting $5 down first allows the buyer to save up for the final product. I do this with all my games, pre-order and then save up. This way I am able to buy the product when it comes out. So, if Best Buy wants my business when it comes to expensive products online, I suggest they change their pre-order policy. I am not shelling out $300 dollars on a product before it is even ready to ship.

~Dave

Looking for Yet Another Drive

After reading Lifehacker's Guide to "The Portable Hackintosh", I decided it would be worth a try. So now I am back in the market for a 16 GB flash drive. After reading around, and asking a few questions, I have acquired some information that will help me in my quest.

1. Buy Sturdy: You want a good encasing, not something that will break easily.

2. Good Key Ring: Should fit nicely on a key ring for easy access.

3. Don't Buy from Best Buy: I am in no way telling you not to, but it was said in all the places I was looking. The people said that Best Buy over charges.

4. Shop Online First: Don't just go into any store without researching, make sure you have shopped online first. There is a good chance that it will be on sale on a website, or just cheaper, then in stores.  

Doing this can save you money, and get a great deal on flash drives. It may be time, if you haven't already, to upgrade to a better flash drive. Floppy Disks are a thing of the past, and 1 GB of memory is the minimum now. If you use less then that, or use a Floppy Disk, I suggest upgrading.

 ~Dave

Nintendo 3DS Dated and Priced

Yesterday, Nintendo announced the price and date of the Nintendo 3DS. It also announced several games that would be coming to the console. The console is due out before the end of the first quarter, the exact date being March 27th. The price is a little steep in my opinion, coming in at $250. The reason I believe it is steep is because that is almost the same price as an Xbox or a PS3. To rank a hand held console at the same price is just absurd. Plus, the difference between this DS and the last one is the wireless card, the 3D, analog stick, a built in memory card, and the option of an SD card. That is not that big when you think about it. It also runs an updated version of the former operating system, which does nothing that impressive. It will be backwards compatible with normal DS games, and you will also be able to purchase old Gameboy Advance and Gameboy Color games. That annoys me too because I own older games. Why would I want to pay for them again? I see no reason to get on of these yet. Looks like I will be waiting on this one.

~Dave

Last Day to Grab Great Sales

Steam's amazing sales will end tomorrow, making today the last day to get any of the games you want. The sale has been going for over two weeks now, with new deals everyday. Rumor has it that today will be a recap of all the greatest selling games throughout the sale. That, in my mind, sounds like it would happen. However, if you get to the sale before 1 PM EST, you can get Half Life 2 on sale. It is an amazing deal for an amazing games, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Other games of note that you should pick up if they go on sale again are Super Meat Boy, Batman Arkham Assylum, Borderlands, Dragon Age Origins, Dirt 2, and Battlefield Bad Company 2. All of these are amazing games which you should check out. Due note that Dragon Age takes up 23 GB of space, so make sure you have space. I hope everyone got what they wanted from the sale, lets hope for just as good a sale next year!

~Dave

The Holidays Come to An End

After many sales, the holiday season has come to an end. Steam will be wrapping up its holiday sale this Sunday. Many stores are offering last minute price cuts, such as GameStop and Games For Windows. If you haven't gotten what you wanted already, then it is probably best you wait. Just around the corner is the new year, and many items drop in price then too. Some even go lower then they were during the holiday. That said, no games will be lower at the moment then the ones in the Steam sale, so make sure to pick up what you want out of that. Plus, in the new year there are many new things coming out, so you may wish to save your money for something then. And because the new year brings new items into the store, they tend to have clearance sales on items they don't want anymore, one that didn't sell well, or ones that they have too many of. So make sure to just keep an eye out for those sales.

~Dave

What Did You Get?

I hope everyone had a good holiday, I sure did. Of the many things I got this holiday season, one of my favorite had to be these Echo Touch Gloves. What makes them so special? Well, the tips of the pointer finger and the thumb a stitched with a special fabric. This fabric allows smartphone touch screens, and tablet touch screens, to recognize your touch. As many of you know, the common problem with using an iPhone or a Droid is the screen doesn't work when you have gloves on. Then you have to go through the hassle of taking your glove(s) off, freezing your fingers, and answer the phone call you are getting. These gloves solve that issue, and I am so happy I got them. I would not recommend using these while shoveling snow though. They are made of 100% polyester, which has a tendency to just soak up water. Then you get ice cold hands, and nobody wants ice cold hands. The gloves come in both men and women's versions. If you are still looking for a gift, this would make a great gift for someone who has a touch screen device. I can also tell you, they do keeps your hands fairly warm. I would recommend this to just about all of my friends.

~Dave

Hunble Bundle Christmas Gift!

The guys over at Hunble Bundle are still going strong with their charity promotion. However, they have added a new twist. If you pay, or have payed, $7.60, you will all the games from the last bundle with your purchase. That means you will get a total of 9 games! And, even better, you will also receive a Steam activation key for it too, so you can play your games on steam! Games included are World of Goo, Aquaria, Gish, Lugare HD, Panumbra Overture, and Samorost 2. Also, if you noticed, the previous pack had a bonus game. That may, or may not, be hinting at a possibility of an extra game for the bundle going on now. If there is no extra game, I would be fine. It is nice enough that they have given all this. The good thing is, that have raised over 1.5 million dollars from this! Remember, give a little something this holiday ;)

~Dave

Drink Like There is No Tomorrow

About two weeks ago I found this site, and when I found it there was a half price sale going on. Now, many of you may have friends who are gamers and don't know what to get them for the holidays. Hopefully by now you have something for them, but if you don't you can order something from here. The site is called Sanshee, and they specialize in making items based on video games. They make things from pokemon trainer badges, to shirts made by people. The shirts currently on sale are made by people on their website. They sell shirts made by people on their website if they like it enough. Due note that the shirts do not come pre-shrunk, that means buy a little bigger because it will shrink after the first wash. I do suggest the TF2 Scout shirts and the fallout shirt (seen above). Both make great gifts.

~Dave

Steam Sale is On!

Yesterday, Steam began its annual sale of games. The marketing tactic was very clever for this. The introduce the treasure hunt a few weeks back, and made a requirement to log on the last day, yesterday, to be entered in the grand prize drawing. Then, when everyone logged on yesterday, Steam put their sale on. That made everyone arrive and find all these great games on sale. Now, to start you have over 1000 games on sale. However, there are a select few each day that go on sale at a ridiculously low price. Yesterday's sale had Battlefield Bad Company 2 for about seven dollars, and Super Meat Boy for about three dollars. Other games to note were Deus Ex, Fallout 3, and Portal. What I recommend is not to buy everything you want today. Buy only the games that are on the daily sale first. If, by the end of the sale, the game you wanted did not become a daily, then go buy it for the price it is at. I have a feeling most of the valve games are going on sale, so I am holding off on Half Life 2 and Left 4 Dead at the moment. I am also hoping that Killing Floor goes on the daily sale. Make sure you also have a budget when going through your purchases. You don't want to overspend and then realize you spent too much. It is very tempting to want to buy everything at once. Refrain from that and just wait it out. While you are browsing, I do suggest checking out the website http://www.steamgamesales.com/ when you have a chance. The website shows you all the prices games on steam ever were, so you can gauge if the game you want may drop to a lower price.

~Dave

Minecraft Beta

Yesterday, or today the site is unclear, was/is the last day to purchase Minecraft Alpha. Today, the game is scheduled to go to beta, and with that the price will go up. Beta players will receive all updates until the full game for free, but those who purchased in alpha will receive the game and all the coming updates for free. For those of you who haven't heard of minecraft, let me explain. Minecraft is a single player survival game. You are thrown into a world and your objective is to survive as long as you can. You use the resources of the world to build shelter, tools, and other structures. You in turn use these things to survive. When you get really good at the game, you can do some really amazing things. You can build castles, battle ships, cars, pretty much what ever you can imagine you can build. All you need is the proper resources. The game is quite fun in my opinion, and can keep you playing for hours on end. More information can be found on the website, but I have provided that which I found most crucial.
http://minecraft.net/

~Dave