Best Buy Launches Black Friday in July Sale, Discounts iPad Air 2 by $125
Best Buy is offering a “Black Friday in July” promotion this weekend, which will see the company offering significant discounts on many products. One of the major deals included in the promo is a price cut on iPads, dropping the price on the iPad Air 2 to the lowest we’ve seen since the tablet launched last October.
Best Buy is discounting its lineup of Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 models, dropping the price on the 16GB model from $499 to $374.99. The 64GB model is priced at $474.99 instead of $599, and the 128GB model is available for $574.99, down from $699. Discounts are available on all colors of the Wi-Fi iPad Air 2.
Best Buy’s Black Friday discount is scheduled to begin on July 24 and last through July 25, but customers who sign up for a Best Buy account can get early access to the deals beginning today. Signing up for an account is a free process, but does require a phone number and an email address.
In addition to offering a discount on the iPad Air 2, Best Buy also has several other Apple-related deals worth checking out. The 2.2GHz 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro with 16GB of memory and a 256GB SSD is available for $1,749.99, a discount of $250.
128GB iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models from Sprint are available at a $100 discount with a two-year contract, dropping the price on the devices to $299.99 instead of $399.99. There’s also a deal for a free Jawbone UP2 Activity Tracker with the purchase of any smartphone from Sprint.
Unrelated to its Black Friday promo, Best Buy is also offering discounts on the 128GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 3, dropping the price by $150 on both the Silver and Space Gray models. With the discount, the tablet is available for $449.99 instead of $599.99.
These deals, particularly the discount on the iPad Air 2, are likely to go quickly, so MacRumors readers hoping to get an iPad at a discount might want to purchase today. Deals are online only today, but will be available in store on Friday and Saturday.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy.
‘Life is Strange’ episode 4 enters a ‘Dark Room’ next week
Life is Strange is about to get dark. Well, darker than all of the surreal time travel, stormy nightmares, missing-person mysteries and straight-up death contained in the first three episodes. Episode four, Dark Room, hits Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Steam on July 28, next Tuesday. Life is Strange is partly a cinematic coming-of-age tale featuring Max — a young girl who returns to her hometown to find her best friend vastly changed — and partly a sci-fi mystery as Max realizes she can control time. She uses her power to get out of increasingly dangerous jams and in the search for a missing girl, Rachel Amber. According to the trailer for Dark Room, this one is going to be tense (spoiler warning for all three previous episodes).
“Max realizes that changing the past can lead to painful consequences and that time is not a great healer,” the video’s description reads. “Her investigation into the disappearance of Rachel Amber begins to reach a thrilling conclusion as she finds the Dark Room.”
Developer Dontnod (of Remember Me infamy) and publisher Square Enix announced today that they’ve sold more than 1 million copies of Life is Strange. Dark Room is the penultimate episode, setting up for what is sure to be a dramatic finale. We’ve been playing through Life is Strange live on JXE Streams, and you can find those videos here: episode 1, 2 and 3.
Via: @LifeIsStrange
Source: Square Enix
‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ hits PlayStation 4 and PC in 2016
When Square Enix announced Rise of the Tomb Raider at Gamescom last year, it dropped a bomb: The game would be exclusive to Xbox platforms, meaning PlayStation 4 and PC players wouldn’t get to touch it. At least, not for a certain amount of time. Square Enix today confirmed that Rise of the Tomb Raider will indeed hit PC and PS4 after a period of Xbox exclusivity: It will launch on Windows 10 and Steam in early 2016, and PS4 in late 2016. Rise of the Tomb Raider is slated to hit Xbox One and Xbox 360 this year on November 10th.
“The game will be a console exclusive to Xbox One and Xbox 360 for one year after its initial launch, coming to PlayStation 4 (PS4) in Holiday 2016,” Square Enix says. “Renowned developer Crystal Dynamics, a Square Enix studio, is leading development in the latest entry in the iconic series for additional platforms.”
After the announcement of Rise of the Tomb Raider‘s Xbox exclusivity, a vocal set of fans took to the internet to express distaste at the decision. For months after the game’s reveal, Microsoft and Square Enix had to clarify the definition of an “exclusive,” eventually noting that the companies’ partnership had “a duration,” giving a sliver of hope to Sony and PC fans everywhere. Turns out, “a duration” translates to “about a year.”
Source: Square Enix
Despite recent challenges, Makerbot opens new factory in NYC
The past few months haven’t been easy for Makerbot, after an internal restructuring resulted in layoffs of one-fifth of its workforce. But that doesn’t seem to be affecting the company’s progress, as it has announced the opening of a new, 170,000-square-foot manufacturing center in New York City. For Makerbot, it means being able to double the production capacity of 3D printers, as well as offer better quality assurance for these machines — and, considering a recent lawsuit, the timing couldn’t be better. This doesn’t only signal a commitment from Makerbot to continue growing itself, but also help a struggling 3D-printing industry. The huge, upgraded space (pictured here) is located in Brooklyn’s Industrial City, so you can expect Makerbot’s 3D printers to keep the “Made in Brooklyn” branding for at least the next ten years.
[Image credits: Louis Seigal]
Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Science
Via: Adafruit
Source: Makerbot
Apple wants to put Touch ID on your TV remote
Apple has reportedly been awarded a patent that incorporates a biometric scanner into the Apple TV remote control. This fingerprint reader could serve a variety of functions such as adjusting the volume and display based on each household member’s personal preferences or automatically logging users into their personal streaming accounts. It could also serve as a means for authorizing iTunes downloads. Plus, if Apple begins pushing Apple TV as a hub for future home automation systems, as has been speculated, the biometric remote could act as a universal controller for those features as well.
[Image Credit: Robert S. Donovan/Flickr]
Filed under: Peripherals, Apple
Source: Patently Apple
NVIDIA SHIELD Portable gets Android 5.1, Chromecast support, and more
A software update is rolling out right now to the SHIELD Portable that includes the latest version of Android, Chromecast support, and the removal of select apps and games. Despite the SHIELD set-top box becoming NVIDIA’s go-to device, the company has not completely abandoned its handheld game console. The device is seemingly still relevant enough for NVIDIA to provide it with Android 5.1 Lollipop and Chromecast support. The latter, though, has resulted in NVIDIA ending Miracast support.
This is the SHIELD Portable’s first software update in almost six months.
Hit the break for the official changelog.
-
Android 5.1
- Upgrade to the latest Lollipop OS
- Fixes a bug that does not allow books to be read in the Google Play Books app
- Permanently removes Sonic 4, Episode II, Expendable: Rearmed, and Android Browser
-
Adds support for Chromecast
- Enables SHIELD portable as a source device for Chromecast or any Google Cast Ready device connected to your TV
- Miracast is no longer supported
- Updates Twitch app with latest version
Source: NVIDIA
Come comment on this article: NVIDIA SHIELD Portable gets Android 5.1, Chromecast support, and more
Rumored Moto X (3rd Gen) making its rounds in white and gold
Just yesterday the rumored Moto X (3rd Gen) showed up in an array of pictures, and now it’s making its rounds on social media once again, only featuring a golden frame.
The image showed up on popular Chinese social media website Weibo, and has also been circulating Google+ by way of user hellomotoHK. The image shows that the Moto X (3rd Gen) could feature a golden metallic frame with a gorgeous white and textured back panel.
This could mean that Motorola will be offering a golden frame option in its Moto Maker this time around. Pricing could prove to be a little more expensive, as wooden backs through the Moto Maker also costed an additional charge. Considering that gold is the hip thing for smartphones this year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see an added surcharge for that extra glimmer on your smartphone.
We’re expecting to hear an official unveiling of the Moto X (3rd Gen) at Motorola’s press conference in New York City on July 28.
Only a few more days until we can see Motorola’s next big move.
source: hellomotoHK (Google+), Weibo
via: Droid-Life
Come comment on this article: Rumored Moto X (3rd Gen) making its rounds in white and gold
Motorola accidentally posts Moto Maker options for upcoming Moto G (2015)
The newest range of devices from Motorola will be unveiled on July 28, but leaks are showing no signs of stopping until then. While the Moto X has been Motorola’s flagship device, the Moto G has served as a valuable mid-range phone. The Moto G (2015) will step things up a by joining the Moto X with Moto Maker customization this year. At some point yesterday, Motorola accidentally posted the options available through Moto Maker for the new Moto G, showing that the phone will be unique to its owner.
Buyers will be able to choose among different front panels, back panels, accents, memory, FlipShells, and wallpapers. Those different areas total thirty-nine choices.
A decision regarding price will have to be made when it comes to memory. The base model features 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, both of which can be raised together to 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The page that displayed all of this information, which is now defunct, did not include the price for either memory option.
Source: /r/Android (Reddit)
Come comment on this article: Motorola accidentally posts Moto Maker options for upcoming Moto G (2015)
JustWatch app now available on Android
In a world full of streaming and online video services, figuring out which service any particular title may be available on and for how much is becoming increasingly complicated. This is where JustWatch has jumped in by providing a custom search engine just focusing on a variety of online video streaming services for movies and TV shows. After launching earlier this year via a browser interface for the desktop, JustWatch has now released a dedicated Android app for users on the move.
JustWatch is able to access a variety of services including Netflix, HBO NOW, Amazon, Instant Video, Hulu, Crackle, Vudu, and others. The search engine that JustWatch built is capable of checking all of these services at once to display results for users. JustWatch also includes a timeline option so users can see what new titles have been recently added to any of the services.
JustWatch also incorporates a Price Drops feature to help users spot deals that may have surfaced each day. Users can also use a Watchlist feature to create a queue of movies and shows.
You can get JustWatch in the Google Play Store now using one of the download links below.
source: JustWatch
Come comment on this article: JustWatch app now available on Android
The Grand Tournament is Hearthstone’s next huge expansion, coming in August
Blizzard Entertainment, the popular video game developer, yesterday announced a giant expansion to its card battler Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. The new expansion is called The Grand Tournament and will become available sometime this August.
When I said this expansion is giant, I meant it. The Grand Tournament will bring 132 brand new cards that will introduce new spells, weapons and characters. This is perhaps the biggest news when talking about the expansion, since many players have been complaining that the game could use a refresh. Some of the new cards have already been revealed on the official Hearthstone website, and a new card will be revealed every day until the expansion launches.
The Grand Tournament will also bring a new game board that’s tournament-themed, which you can see below:
There will also be a new keyword present in the expansion. When utilizing your Hero Power while a minion with the new “Inspire” keyword is on the board, a number of new effects will take place, depending on which card is played.
The Grand Tournament will launch in August for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices, though no official launch date has been given yet. As an added bonus, starting next week, players can pre-purchase a bundle of 50 Grand Tournament card packs for $49.99. These packs also include a brand new card back, making this an even sweeter deal.
If you’d like to get a better look at what this expansion will bring to the table, be sure to follow the source link below for more information. And be sure to check out the official expansion trailer attached below!
So, who’s excited?
AIVAnet 