IPhone Price Drops

Four Mistakes Apple Made With The IPhone Price Drop

Don't get us wrong -- price cuts are a good thing. But yesterday's $200 iPhone price drop has left many current iPhone owners seething. Based on a lot of what we saw at the Moscone Center yesterday, it's clear that Apple made the following four mistakes:  

1. Lack of Tact
Most consumers are aware of how a product's life cycle works--but let's face it, few want to be openly reminded of it. It's a harsh reality, but the fact of the matter is that businesses essentially view consumers as people whose passions, interests, and material needs can be forecasted, quantified, and exploited for maximum profit. It's not unfair that Apple views its most loyal customers in the same fashion, but it's incredibly tacky that the company made that fact so palpable with its price drop. Seeing the evolution of the iPod is great, but it's not going to cause us to forget the $200 price difference.

2. Rushing the Timing
With more than 100 days to go before Christmas, we're not sure why yesterday's events took place ... well, yesterday. Even though the year is winding down, holiday shopping hasn't really kicked off yet, so one has to wonder whether or not Apple has yet another trump card and Moscone Center trip up its sleeve. It's clear that the company wants to get the iPod Touch into people's hot little hands as soon as possible, but cannibalizing its own business so quickly makes the company seem both short sighted and sloppy. 

3. Slashing a Little Too Much Off the Price
Say what you will about the folly of early adoption -- we've got a few who willingly paid the "stupid tax" within our ranks. But a drop of $200 after just 66 days means that the iPhone decreased roughly $3.03 a day in retail value between launch and yesterday's announcement. It's no secret that electronics drop in price over time, but such a deep and hasty discount makes trying to quantify the realistic retail value of the hardware confusing. A mistake of this nature just encourages pricing paranoia.

4. Showing Obvious Contempt for AT&T
According to our AT&T Wireless tipsters, the only notice employees on the front line received was an internal email and a text message -- and they apparently got the news shortly before the announcement. Even though Apple is known for shrouding its pricing in secrecy, not giving AT&T an adequate amount of time to prepare is just bad business -- both for a company that is tasked with scrambling to keep up and its customers who end up erroneously directing their ire towards the wireless provider. Paired with how Apple has also announced the Wi-Fi iTunes store and the introduction of its own ringtone platform, one can't help but notice how AT&T and its customers seem to be getting the short end of the stick repeatedly.

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Kodak C813 8.2 Megapixel Digital Camera Review

Finding a good and cheap digital camera is a challenge and today I’m taking a look at the Kodak C813 8.2 Megapixel Digital Camera. Like some other digital cameras I’ve looked at recently it sport the name of a historic camera company. Does it live up to its brand name history or is it just another ‘me too’ idea from a now irrelevant company? Let’s find out

First, I’ll point out that I’m more of a fan of old film cameras and that’s the benchmark I use when reviewing digital cameras like the Kodak C813 8.2 Megapixel Digital Camera. My first thought is how well does it take pictures. Do they look OK or are they blurry or grainy? From what I’ve seen this camera does well when taking pictures indoors at short range. The problems come in when you need to take pictures in bright sunlight and/or try to snap an action scene. In this case, the camera doesn’t perform that well, giving an overexposed look. It’s OK, I guess, just I’ve seen a lot better. This is probably just a limitation of the capabilities that can be built at its price point.

The Kodak EasyShare C813 8.2 Megapixel Digital Camera does have a macro, or close-up, focus mode and that does work well. The telephoto lens isn’t quite up to what you would get from a SLR film camera but is adequate enough. One problem here is that there is no viewfinder on this digital camera. This can make framing a shot more difficult under certain circumstances.

One thing to bear in mind as you shop around for the best price on the Kodak C813 8.2 Megapixel Digital Camera is that you can’t just count the camera alone. You will need to also purchase an expansion SD memory card for it and you’ll probably also want a docking station and a rechargeable battery pack. These are usually extras that will cost you more but there are also package deals available if you look. While the camera can operate on standard alkaline AA batteries, it will run through them fast.

The end result is that the Kodak C813 8.2 Megapixel Digital Camera is an adequate and inexpensive digital camera. It will get the job done for most casual photographers who don’t want to spend a lot of money. Practiced amateurs and semi-pros will probably be disappointed with this camera. But that shouldn’t stop you from taking advantage of a good price if you find one on the Kodak C813 8.2 Megapixel Digital Camera

Samsung t339 and Nokia 6301

The Nokia 6301 candybar phone and Samsung T339 flip phone are now available from T-Mobile, supporting T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service.

T-Mobile today announced the availability of the Nokia 6301 (specs) and Samsung SGH-T339 (specs), the newest additions to the growing lineup of phones that support T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service.

The Nokia 6301 is a sleek, stainless steel bar phone equipped with a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth and a music player (supports WMA, MP3, AAC and eAAC+). It also features a microSD memory slot supporting up to 4GB cards, instant messaging (AIM, ICQ, Yahoo and MSN), speakerphone, FM radio and a 2" screen (240 by 320 pixels, 16M colors).

Measuring 4.2 by 1.7 by 0.5 inches and weighing 3.2 ounces, the Nokia 6301 is available now from T-Mobile.

The Samsung T339 is a flip phone, featuring a 1.3-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, music player (MP3, AAC and AAC+), instant messaging, speakerphone and a microSD memory slot supporting up to 2GB cards. Its 262K screen offers a 176 by 220 pixels resolution.

Measuring 3.62 by 1.83 by 0.78 inches and weighing 3.3 ounces, the Samsung T339 is available now from T-Mobile.

Kodak easyshare 5500

Kodak EASYSHARE 5500 All-in-One Printer

Fantastic prints don't need to be expensive.
Kodak has developed a revolutionary inkjet system that gives you crisp, sharp black documents and brilliant photos that last a lifetime.* Save up to 50% on everything you print compared to similar consumer inkjet printers.**
Print, copy, scan, and fax
KODAK lab-quality pictures that last a lifetime* in as little as 28 seconds***
High-resolution 2.4 in. (6.1 cm) color display for easy photo cropping
Easy, one-click photo printing from most memory cards
Uses a convenient 2-cartridge, 6-ink system
Efficient and easy two-sided printing
35-page automatic document feeder makes copying, scanning, and faxing simple

Kodak easyshare 5500 PDF

Samsung Instinct review

The Samsung Instinct, Sprint's answer to the iPhone, finally has arrived. It's been two months since we first saw the slim touch-screen cell phone with a boatload of features, but now we've had the opportunity to kick its tires and run it through its paces. What we found is an innovative, powerful and easy-to-use device that matches the original iPhone in many ways. The Instinct's appealing design and plentiful features, particularly in the messaging and GPS areas, push it to the forefront of Sprint's lineup. Things got a little shaky on the performance side, but on the whole the Instinct is a cell phone worth knowing. It goes on sale June 20 for a still undetermined price, but we know it will cost less than $300 and it will require a Sprint "Simply Everything" plan. Until you can get one of your own, you can check out our full Instinct review or you can peruse our Instinct slide show.