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Dec 31 2008

PS360 up for auction on eBay

Posted by: admin in All Tech

Yes, you read the title correctly. Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. Up for auction on eBay is a PS360: an Xbox 360 in a PS3 case.

ps360

Yes, you read the title correctly. Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. Up for auction on eBay is a PS360: an Xbox 360 in a PS3 case. It only plays 360 games, not PS3 games; I’d be more impressed if it supported both. If you can read through all the spelling and grammatical errors, here are the builder’s step-by-step instructions. This guy also made a Wii64 that plays Nintendo 64 games in a Wii console. Not really necessary, but it’s a little cool.

Dec 27 2008

CrunchDeals: T-Mobile phones and service on the cheap

Posted by: admin in All Tech

T-Mobile is either full of holiday cheer or they’re trying to make room for new devices. I’m inclined to believe the latter. The Shadow II is rumored to launch sometime next month, so it’s a perfect time for team magenta to begin clearing out old stock. I’m not sure about a replacement for the Pearl 8100, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a newer model coming soon.

Anyway, the Shadow is now priced at $30 while the Pearl 8100 is going for $50. Both require a 2-year contract. If you sign up for T-Mobile @ Home service between now and Sunday then you get the first month free. And certain accessories are 50 percent off.

T-Mobile

Dec 26 2008

Digital TV converter coupons running out

Posted by: admin in All Tech

As we swiftly approach the Dec. 31st deadline to order a $40 TV converter box coupon, last-minute coupon requests are swiftly depleting the subsidy program funds.

As we swiftly approach the Dec. 31st deadline to order a $40 Television converter box coupon, last-minute coupon requests are quickly depleting the subsidy program funds. Consumers who wait too long to request government coupons to subsidize converter boxes for the digital TV transition in February might end up not getting one. We’ve known about this for almost a year now. You snooze, you lose.

However, there’s still hope for you lucky procrastinators. Congress may pass additional funds in early January for the coupons before they completely run out. There are currently 1.5 million requests per week for these coupons, so get in line now before it’s too late.

Dec 26 2008

Digital Television converter coupons running out

Posted by: admin in All Tech

As we swiftly approach the Dec. 31st deadline to order a $40 Television converter box coupon, last-minute coupon requests are swiftly depleting the subsidy program funds.

analog-tv

As we quickly approach the Dec. 31st deadline to order a $40 Television converter box coupon, last-minute coupon requests are swiftly depleting the subsidy program funds. Consumers who wait too long to request government coupons to subsidize converter boxes for the digital television transition in February may end up not getting one. We’ve known about this for almost a year now. You snooze, you lose.

However, there’s still hope for you lucky procrastinators. Congress may pass additional funds in early January for the coupons before they completely run out. There are currently 1.5 million requests per week for these coupons, so get in line now before it’s too late.

Dec 26 2008

Informal Central Ohio Meet-up on December 29 in Columbus, Ohio

Posted by: admin in All Tech

I’m proposing we’ve a get-together at the Surly Girl Saloon [Map] in the Short North on Monday at 6pm. It’s between holidays, it’ll be nice and cozy, and we can speak of many things, including but not limited to, cabbages and kings. Please email john@crunchgear.com if you plan on stopping by.

I’m proposing we’ve a get-together at the Surly Girl Saloon [Map] in the Short North on Monday at 6pm. It’s between holidays, it’ll be nice and cosy, and we have the ability to speak of many things, including but not limited to, cabbages and kings. Please email john@crunchgear.com with the subject line “COLUMBUS” if you plan on stopping by.

I’ve a BB Storm on hand so you can ridicule it on Monday. Ohio start-ups, please bring some marketing materials.

Dec 24 2008

Nicholas’ fondest Christmas memory

Posted by: admin in All Tech

“The Man” is making us doing a little thing about some of our favorite Christmas memories involving gadgets. This is mine.

xmasd

“The Man” is making us doing a tiny thing about some of our favorite Christmas memories involving gadgets. This is mine.

Once upon a time, when I was about 8 years old, my family was preparing to go on vacation to France. My brothers were being pains in the ass, as is their wont, and upset me to the point that I was sent to time out upstairs, alone. Great. The night before a huge vacation and I’m upstairs eating old pizza. A couple of hours pass and everyone goes to bed, but then we lose power during the middle of the night. Naturally this breaks all of my family’s alarm clocks, causing us to be late to the airport. In a hurry, my family leaves without me. Now what do I do?

As I remember it, I did crazy kid stuff: using aftershave (and then getting stung!), jumping on my parents’ bed, etc. It was pretty cool for a while, till these two burglars showed up. At first I was scared, but after talking to the neighborhood Boo Radley, I got some nerve and really did a number on these guys.

I fired a BB gun at them, made the stairs all slippery, rigged a light in the basement with an iron, super-heated a doorknob so that the burglar burned himself, put nails on some of the basement steps, burned one of the guys’ head with a torch, put Christmas ornaments on the floor underneath the window and swung paint cans into their faces! Now that’s how you use gadgets!

It was the best Christmas ever.

Photo: Flickr

Dec 24 2008

Best Purchase to get pink Instinct, Treo Pro 850 soon?

Posted by: admin in All Tech

bestbuytreo850 We already know that these two phones are Sprint-bound in January but BGR is reporting that Ideal Buy stores will see the Sprint Treo Pro 850 and a pink version of the Samsung Instinct in the near future. A pink version? That’s their answer to everything!

bestbuytreo850

We already know that these two phones are Sprint-bound in January but BGR is reporting that Best Buy stores will see the Sprint Treo Pro 850 and a pink version of the Samsung Instinct in the near future. A pink version? That’s their answer to everything!

Looks like the unlocked price of the Treo is $699.99, though that’ll likely be subsidized when it shows up. The number’s cut off from the Instinct shot, but I betcha a buck it’ll cost the same as the regular Instinct. It’s just pink, after all.

Although both screens state that the phones entered Best Buy’s system on December 8th, that’s apparently normal and means that the devices are on their way. None of this is 100% set in stone — as it was sent in via an anonymous tip — but it’s much too boring to be fake.

Dec 22 2008

Judge approves gigantic Circuit City loan but there might be a lot more store cl

Posted by: admin in All Tech

Circuit City has had a rough year. We know that, but the bankrupt electronic retailer was allowed a breath of fresh air today as a Judge approved $1.1 billion in financing and other changes which might involve closing a lot more locations.

Circuit City has had a rough year. We know that, but the bankrupt electronic retailer was granted a breath of fresh air today as a Judge approved $1.1 billion in financing and other changes which might involve closing a lot more locations.

The new package from Bank of America replaces the $1.3 billion loan backed by the company assets. This money will allow the retailer to continue operations and keep paying employees their dismay wages.

In addition to the new round of financing, the judge is allowing Circuit City to break a bunch of agreements between employees and service contracts alike. Most notably is the agreement that involved paying 40 employees severance packages, including former CEO Phil Schoonever who took the company and chucked it against a shit covered wall, that Circuit City can now void.

There is more though. It seems that part of the ruling grants Circuit City to break leases on buildings and such. Does this signal more store closings are coming?

Circuit City now plans to break a total of 304 leases. That includes 150 leases it had already received approval to break earlier this month for places where it no longer operates stores, which the company said cost $40 million annually.

Circuit City operated 670 retail locations before it closed 155 of them in November. If the company plans on closing another 150-odd stores, that would only 370 locations. Now, some of those leases could be warehouses and other facilities, but those cannot account for all of ‘em. The last round pulled the retailer out entirely of some markets and another round could leave even more areas without a Circuit City. Not that Ideal Buy - or most consumers - would mind.

More details are sure to drop soon and we’ll pass ‘em along as they become available. Any disgruntle Circuit City employee can always drop a comment below for a real-life account of what’s going on at the City.