Microsoft unveils $99 4 GB Xbox 360 + Kinect promotion

Today, Microsoft launched a promotion that offers customers a 4 GB Xbox 360 with Kinect for $99. Customers, however, must sign up for two (2) years of Xbox LIVE at $14.99/month and if the customer breaks the contract, he/she will be subject to early termination fees. The deal is very similar to what has been used in the mobile phone industry for years now - a cheaper product by signing a contract.

The promotion is currently being offered only at Microsoft Stores, but may expand to other venues in the future.

Deal of the Day: “Speaktoit Assistant” for iOS free for first 100,000 customers today

Back in October of last year, we introduced you to "Speaktoit Assistant," a Siri-like alternative for Android OS devices. The app allows users to ask general questions and receive intelligent responses in return, both via text and voice. The app also has the ability to update Twitter and Facebook statuses via voice. It launched on iOS (App Store link) back in late January for $0.99.

Today, Valentine's Day 2012 (February 14), Speaktoit Assistant will be free to download for the first 100,000 customers. If you're not on an iPhone 4S (or don't want to jailbreak to get Apple's Siri), Speaktoit Assistant seems to be one of the better alternatives available for download today. While it doesn't have the same integration that Siri has with iOS, it has the ability to answer a wide variety of questions.

If you download the app, be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Deal of the Day: Xbox LIVE 12-month Gold membership for $36

Normally costing $59.99, Microsoft is now offering up a twelve-month Gold subscription to Xbox LIVE for $35.99, which saves you a sweet $24. The offer is available online only via the Microsoft Store website and gives you all of the features of a Gold subscription, which includes multiplayer capabilities, chatting with friends, and more, for a cheaper price than normal.

This is a pretty good deal, so we recommend picking it up if you're a serious gamer. Let us know if you do in the comments below!

Deal of the Day: Verizon Wireless offering HTC ThunderBolt for free under contract

Yesterday, Verizon Wireless updated its website to reflect a promotion for the aging HTC ThunderBolt 4G LTE smartphone. The carrier is now offering the device for free under a new, two-year contact, however, considering that the phone was initially unveiled at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it may not be the best phone for power users.

Nonetheless, the HTC ThunderBolt sports a 4.3-inch, 480x800 WVGA resolution touch screen display, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The smartphone is powered by a 1 GHz processor and Android OS 2.2. The ThunderBolt was the first 4G LTE device on Verizon Wireless' network.

Please keep in mind that this deal does include some online discounts, meaning you may not be able to do take advantage of it in-store.

Deal of the Day: RIM selling any model of the BlackBerry PlayBook for $299

Earlier today, Canada-based Research in Motion revealed its plans to offer every model of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet for $299.00 until February 4. Yes, any model - whether it be the 16 GB, 32 GB, 0r 64 GB, you'll be paying $299.00 for it.

It appears as though this is RIM's latest attempt to get rid of the remaining PlayBook inventory as the tablet's initial launch was arguably one of the biggest failures of 2011.

All three models of the PlayBook are currently in stock and said to be shipping within 7-14 business days on RIM's online store.

$15 off iTunes Gift Cards at Staples

Staples has an amazing offer right now that includes iTunes Gift Cards for as low as $.79 with free shipping.

The deal, which was pointed to by Dealspl.us, includes adding an eligible gift card to your Staples cart in $15, $25 or $50 amounts and adding coupon code "25172" (without quotes). The coupon code will take $15 off the total order with a gift card. Another item must be added to the cart as well but this can be something cheap such as paper clips that come as low as $.79. Buyers can choose in-store pickup or free shipping to an address.

In addition to iTunes this deal also works for AMC and Staples Gift Cards, Staples does offer a number of other gift card options but it isn't confirmed to work with others, yet. You are only allowed to use the coupon code once per order so if your looking to buy multiple orders you'll have to do it separately without logging in. Multiple orders also require deleting cookies after each order or Staples will know you already claimed the code. I was able to do three separate orders on three different cards.

Deal of the Day: ‘Flight Control’ iOS game free for one day

Popular iOS game Flight Control, developed by Firemint, is free to download today, December 10, 2011; the promotion is part of EA Daily Deals. The game normally costs $0.99 and has recently been updated with new maps, features, and achievements.

Both the iPhone/iPod touch (App Store link) and iPad versions (App Store link) of Flight Control are free to download today.

Deal of the Day: Amazon selling a slew of Verizon Wireless smartphones for $0.01 (new line only)

Amazon's Wireless Division has launched a huge sale on nearly all smartphones that Verizon Wireless currently offers, pricing the devices at a mere $0.01 (one penny). The deal is valid through October 17, 2011 and is available for smartphones such as the HTC Droid Incredible 2, the Motorola Droid Bionic 4G, the HTC Thunderbolt 4G, and the HTC Trophy. The two notable exceptions of this deal are the iPhone 4 and the upcoming iPhone 4S (which doesn't come as a surprise to us). 

The offer is also only valid for accounts with a new line of service, meaning you won't be able to upgrade an existing line with these phones, unfortunately. 

Either way, this is a very good deal for those who are new to Verizon Wireless or will add a new line. 

Deal of the Day: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2012 for iPhone and iPad free

EA has dropped the price of its Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2012 game for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch for one day, September 23, 2011, to free (normally $4.99). EA frequently does this, but usually drops prices to $0.99, not all the way to being no charge at all. 

You can download Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2012 for your iPhone or iPad here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tiger-woods-pga-tour-12/id427647815?mt=8.

Be sure to pick this up if you were considering to purchase it!

Best Buy giving away 8 GB iPhone 3GS for free

Best Buy has begun selling the two-year old 8 GB iPhone 3GS (Best Buy link) for free today. The deal is only valid with a new two-year contract from AT&T and you must purchase one of these in-store - orders cannot be placed online. Previously, the iPhone 3GS was available at a very low cost of $49 (again with a two-year contract). 

Just to refresh your memory - the iPhone 3GS sports a 480 x 320 resolution display, a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, and voice control capabilities. 

Are you going to think about picking one of these up? 

[UPDATE x8] Best Buy selling off remainder of its HP TouchPad stock at 12 AM ET

Despite reports throughout the past few hours that Best Buy has sent back all of its 250,000 HP TouchPad units to HP, the company announced that it will begin selling the tablet once again beginning at 12:00 AM Eastern Time tonight. Best Buy listed the TouchPad as "unavailable" roughly 24 hours ago after HP began sending notices to retailers and resellers to lower the price of the TouchPad by as much as $350. 

It was then rumored that Best Buy sent back all of its 250,000 units of the TouchPad to HP, seeking full credit for the unsold tablets. 

Best Buy says that, once you purchase the TouchPad, it cannot be returned. There is a limit one (1) per customer, as well. Customers purchasing the tablet will have a one-year warranty through HP on the TouchPad. Finally, Best Buy confirmed that any TouchPad purchases made after June 19, 2011 are subject to receiving the difference in price (16 GB model for $99.99 and 32 GB model for $149.99).

We expect these units to go very quickly, so be sure to be on right at midnight if you plan to pick one up. 

UPDATE: Best Buy has updated its announcement to state that only Best Buy stores will be selling the TouchPad. BestBuy.com has no more stock of the TouchPad. We'll keep you updated. 

UPDATE 2: We've received word that Kmart is now claiming they have the TouchPad in stock. However, it is currently being listed at full price. We are still trying to confirm whether a price change will occur or if Kmart will match. Link: http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_020V003998876000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1.

UPDATE 3: We can confirm that Kmart does not have any stock of the TouchPad. However, according to online technicians, Kmart will be price matching the TouchPad when it comes available again sometime this week. 

UPDATE 4: Best Buy has once again updated its announcement, stating that BestBuy.com may actually have limited stock available at some point in the day. We'll keep you updated.  

UPDATE 5: Best Buy has updated its product pages for both the 16 GB model and 32 GB model to reflect the new prices. The items are still being listed as out of stock, but could appear available at any second. We'll continue to update as we learn more. 

UPDATE 6: Looks like onSale in conjunction with MacMall has marked down their HP TouchPad stock on Amazon.com to the clearance pricing.  16 GB here and 32 GB here.  Get them while they last!

UPDATE 7: onSale has sold out of its 16 GB TouchPad stock. The 32 GB model is still available at the cheaper price. 

UPDATE 8: MacMall has updated their website as well, expect heavy traffic, but you can get a TouchPad here

HP TouchPad price lowered to $100 (16 GB model) and $150 (32 GB model)

As noted by PreCentral, HP has begun informing its affiliates, retailers, and resellers to lower the price of the TouchPad tablet computer from $399.99 to $99.99 and $499.99 to $149.99 for the 16 GB and 32 GB models, respectively. The drop in price of the TouchPad follows an announcement from HP that it will be killing off all webOS-based devices. 

HP will be lowering the price of the TouchPad beginning Saturday 8/20/11. This is the lowest price ever for the TouchPad so please post it as soon as it goes live.

16GB TouchPad- $99; 32GB TouchPad - $149

Retailers like Best Buy Canada and Future Shop have already changed the price of the TouchPad and others are expected to follow within the next few hours. 

Barnes & Noble offers students free books, apps with NOOK purchase

Bookseller Barnes & Noble announced Monday its own back-to-school promotion offering students over $100 in free books, study tools and applications with any new NOOK purchase. 

Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world’s largest bookseller, is helping students get ready for the new school year with a special offer:  more than $100 in free books and study tools with the purchase of a new NOOK product.  The new limited-time promotion includes a complimentary academic content package with purchase of The All-New NOOK or NOOK Color today through September 11.

This new promotion, which has already begun,  is available to students that buy online from Barnes & Nobles' website or at any Barnes & Noble bookstore through September 11. Customers can choose new purchases of either the All-New NOOK Simple Touch Reader or the NOOK Color to qualify, priced at $139 and $249 respectively.

Students that register their new product before October 31 will receive an email with unique access codes to download all their free content. Free content includes books such as A Tale of Two Cities and Beowulf with study content including Spark Notes for To Kill a Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby. In addition, new student customers may receive educational applications such as Fliq Notes and Fliq Tasks at new extra charge. 

This offer is only available to students who buy directly from Barnes & Noble, bookstore or only. Customers who buy from other online retailers or college campus stores may not receive the promotion. Somewhat suprising the press release released says: "Students – and anyone who wants to catch up on the classics – can enjoy a free collection...." Also looking through the fine print on the back-school-promotion page you won't find anything that says this offer is limited to students. Therefore it would seem like the bookseller is making this available to anybody who would like to receive it after buying a new NOOK device. 

HP TouchPad down to $300 at Staples

After the news that the 16GB HP TouchPad was only $379.99 over at Woot!, Staples upped the ante by dropping the price all the way down to $299.99. Recently, HP cut the factory price down to $399.99 so this recent Staples coupon became much more valuable to potential customers:

Personally, I haven't seen any reputable 10-inch tablet at this price before, so this is quite the deal in my eyes. Here are a few details: 

• The coupon is print-out only, so you must go to a brick-and-mortar Staples location to use it.
• You may use it on BOTH the 16GB and 32GB models.
• It is valid through August 7th, so you don't have too late of a notice.

With Staples being a big retailer for back-to-school shopping, I can see many college students buying one due to the great price and sleek look. Reviews of the TouchPad have been mainly neutral with some pointing out bright spots in the webOS software. Here's an excerpt of Engadget's, which was printed when the 16GB TouchPad was $499.99:

...if the TouchPad were $100 less we could maybe see giving it a go, if only to root for the underdog.

Deal of the Day: HP TouchPad for $379.99 (16 GB, Wi-Fi model)

Woot is offering everyone the HP TouchPad 16 GB Wi-Fi tablet for a price point of $379.99. Normally, the same model costs $399.99 and considering that Woot's product is still listed as "new," you can't go wrong if you're looking to pick one of these up. 

The HP TouchPad sports a 9.7-inch display, a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, and the latest version of webOS, which features powerful multitasking capabilities.  

Please keep in mind that Woot generally runs out of units, especially for products like this, before the end of the day. If you're looking to pick one up, be sure to do it sooner rather than later. 

Nexus S free with contract from Best Buy Wednesday

Best Buy announced Tuesday that the retailer will offer the Nexus S from Google free with a new two-year contract activation from AT&T, Sprint or T-Mobile on Wednesday. 

Beginning at 12:00 a.m. EST on August 3, the Nexus S from Google will be available free of charge to new or upgrade customers with a new two-year service agreement. The deal will last until 12:59 a.m. EST on August 4.

All three versions of the smartphone will be available for this offer for carriers AT&T, Sprint and T-Mbile. Customers can take advantage of the sale at all Best Buy locations including Best Buy Mobile specialty stores and online at BestBuy.com/Mobile. 

Final Cut Pro competitors discount software among Apple’s woes

It's no secret that Apple's newest update to Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Pro X, has been met with some poor reviews and unhappy customers. Now competitors Adobe and Avid look to take advantage of not-so-happy users or those who chose not to upgrade with heavy discounts to Adobe Creative Suite CS5.5 Production Premier, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and Avid Media Composer 5.5.

Avid announced Thursday the discount for Media Composer 5.5 for Final Cut Pro users that have not yet upgraded to Final Cut Pro X. The software will be priced at $995 for eligible customers, greater than 50-percent off. The deal will be available July 5 and run through September. 

Adobe announced Friday a discount of its own software Creative Suit CS5.5 Production Premier and Premier Pro CS5.5, both of which launched in April. Customers eligible for the switcher programs can receive a 50-percent savings on both prices of software. The deal is available for video professionals who have purchased any version of Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer. In addition, eligible Adobe suite and point product customers also can receive the offer.

Deal of the Day: $2 credit for Amazon MP3 Store using promo code

Amazon is currently offering all MP3 Store account holders a $2 credit via a promotional code. All you have to do is type in CLOUDMP3 into the text box on this webpage: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000296831. The code is valid up until June 30, 2011. 

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and download that song you've been wanting!

Apple finally launches 2011 Back to School promotion

Apple has finally launched its 2011 Back to School promotion for students and faculty. For the first time Apple will include a $100 Mac App Store gift card instead of the usual free iPod touch.

When you buy a new qualifying Mac with Apple education pricing* from June 16, 2011, through September 20, 2011, you’ll get a $100 Back to School Card to use on the Mac App Store, the App Store, the iTunes Store, and the iBookstore.

The promotion begins today and goes through September 20. The credit in the Mac App Store is also good for the iTunes Music Store and iTunes App Store since all stores are tied together to the same account. Meanwhile, MacRumors is reporting that European Apple stores have also launched their deals offering 65 British Pounds in the UK and 75 Euros in Europe to the Mac App Store. 

College students and parents buying on behalf of students for college qualify for the deal. Faculty and staff at any grade level also qualify for the promotion. In addition, school board members and elected educations officials are eligible. 

Qualify computers are the iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro and Mac Pro. The Mac Mini does not qualify. Any refurbished Apple computers do not qualify as well. 

Qualifying purchases must be made directly from Apple or at an Apple Authorized Campus Store. When buying from Apple the Back to School Card will be included with your purchase. Those who purchase at a campus store must fill out a claim and mail it to Apple after the qualifying Mac as been paid for. All claims must be made within 90 days of the purchase date.

All Macs purchased now will also get a free upgrade to Mac OS X Lion when released. See a full copy of Apple's Terms and Conditions for the 2011 Back to School promotion here.

iTunes Gift Cards on sale at Best Buy

Best Buy has all iTunes Gift Cards at 15% off currently. Not only are these gift cards good for the iTunes Music Store but also the iTunes App Store, Mac App Store and iBookstore. Ever since Costco decided to stop selling Apple products, because of the iPad incident, discounted iTunes Gift Cards have been hard to come by. This is the first time since December 2010 I can remember seeing them on sale.

At 15% off gift cards come out to be:

• $100 iTunes Gift Card - $85
• $50 iTunes Gift Card - $42.50
• $25 iTunes Gift Card - $21.25
• $15 iTunes Gift Card - $12.75
• Three $10 iTunes Gift Cards - $25.50

All iTunes Gift Card purchases come with free shipping. This deal could end anytime so if your a big customer of iTunes it might be a good idea to stock up on credit.

Update:

As of the night of June 14, 2011 the sale is over.