prices

Here's what an HD Zelda Wii U game might look and play like

LAS VEGAS--Nintendo held a few behind-closed-door meetings with an up-close and personal demo of the Wii U at CES 2012.

While the vast majority of demos and presentations were mostly stuff I had heard before, I was able to put together what playing a Zelda game on the Wii U might look and play like.

I had seen this quick Zelda on Wii U teaser video before, but through some generous imagination, I was able to carefully piece together how it could potentially work.

The Wii U's tablet controller's screen is very impressive, and would be the perfect … Read more

Ultrabooks: The next, cheaper phase

Toshiba is already pushing toward the next phase of ultrabooks--which can be summed up as making the skinny laptops more affordable.

Upcoming ultrabooks from Toshiba will break below the $700 mark, according to Carrie Cowan, a product manager in Toshiba's Digital Products Division. She spoke to CNET on Wednesday on the CES show floor (see video below).

To date, Toshiba's sole ultrabook offering has been the Portege Z830. Though it has been priced on occasion as low as $699 at Best Buy, it is usually listed at $799 or higher.

And Portege laptops are typically listed at even higher prices, as the brand represents Toshiba's upscale offerings.

But this spring Toshiba plans to bring ultrabooks into its most affordable Satellite line. That means prices at $699 and possibly even lower, Cowan said. … Read more

Fisher-Price wants your kids to watch TV everywhere

LAS VEGAS--Fisher-Price is coming out with a portable DVR that even a 3-year-old can operate. In fact, that's entirely the point.

Tonight at Pepcom Digital Experience the toy maker showed off its upcoming portable DVR players called Kid Tough, designed for kids 3 to 5. They're rugged devices that come in either blue or pink (clever, huh?) and that can record up to two hours, although the memory is expandable with a micro SD slot. The screen is a small but sufficient 3.5 inches and looks easy to use via a touch interface, which is what … Read more

Rumored three iPad model lineup could cut entry price to $299

The rumored expansion of iPad models this year may reduce the price of entry for owning an Apple tablet, if a new report is to be believed.

Despite having its report on Apple planning to triple its iPad lineup this year firmly rebuffed by many onlookers, Taiwan-based tech site DigiTimes today reiterated that assessment, also claiming that the change could bring big price cuts at the low end.

In a research report issued earlier today, the site once again asserted that Apple plans to expand its lineup of iPads by adding models that serve the "high-end segment" and &… Read more

Uber's 'surge pricing' surprises some users

Some Uber users are complaining of being taken for a ride New Year's Eve.

Many customers who summoned rides from the limousine-booking service with apps on their phones say they were surprised by the suddenly higher fees they were paying for short rides. Entrepreneur Brendan Mulligan, who says he has been using the service for nearly two years, was shocked to learn that he was charged five time what he normally would have paid for the ride home.

"We could have walked, as it's only about a mile, but it was late and we were tired," … Read more

LCD makers on hook for $553 million in price-fixing settlement

Seven LCD manufacturer including Samsung and Sharp this month agreed to pay $553 million to settle lawsuits that claimed the companies were colluding with one another to fix the prices of their panels for use in consumer electronics.

Legal documents filed last week, and picked up by Reuters, show that the collected fines total $553 million between the companies involved, and that said companies will be setting up antitrust compliance programs as part of the deal. Of that sum, about $501 million is going towards a refund program for consumers, and about $37 million is being doled out to governments … Read more

Sony releases impressive list of Vita U.S. launch titles

Just a few days after releasing the PlayStation Vita in Japan, Sony is now focused on the U.S. debut of the system, disclosing the entire launch and launch window lineup.

According to a post on Sony's PlayStation.Blog, games will range in price from $9.99 to $49.99, and all be available on the PlayStation Store as well. An impressive 25 games will launch side-by-side with the system on February 22, 2012. Gamers can get started shopping a week earlier on February 15 when Sony first-party games and accessories will go on sale, including the complete First Edition Bundle.

While I still think the Vita should come with a small-capacity Vita memory card, give Sony a lot of credit for putting together such an impressive and diverse collection of software for launch. There's something for everyone on this list and also what I think are at least three must-buy titles. It's a night-and-day comparison to what Nintendo offered earlier in the year with the 3DS.

I'm also happy to see that Sony is going to debut the all-but-necessary proprietary format Vita memory card at a lower-than-expected price, starting at $20 for 4GB. Sony also announced that inside each Vita box will be six AR play cards (sound familiar?) and a voucher for more AR mini-games from the PlayStation Network.

Read on for the entire launch and launch-window list and accessory dates and prices.… Read more

Can the PlayStation Vita succeed?

Rewind to E3, June 2011: we saw the PlayStation Vita. We marveled at its capabilities and its price. For $250--at the time, the same price as a Nintendo 3DS--Sony offered a far superior piece of hardware. We looked forward to its release at the end of the year.

Of course, that was then, and this is now. The Nintendo 3DS dropped its price to $170, still expensive but more sensible. The Vita will release in Japan on December 17, but in the U.S. the release has been delayed until February 22, 2012. Sony has been keen to make a comeback and make a new handheld game system to revive the flailing world of the PSP. Can it succeed?

Regardless of the hype and demand the Vita is able generate in the U.S., there's still a general sentiment of disappointment sweeping through the gaming community on this side of the world. As the Vita misses the 2011 holiday season, a huge loss of momentum follows. Instead of cashing in on becoming what would likely be the toy to get this year, the Vita will see a late February release, just in time to coincide with paying off bank-breaking gift-giving expenditures from a few weeks prior.

It's easy to make lofty accusations about missing golden opportunities and of course we don't know what truly influenced this decision made by Sony, but it's impossible to ignore the potential impact the Vita could have had in the U.S. before 2012 sets in.… Read more

Sony temporarily chops price of Reader Wi-Fi to $99

With all the major touch-screen e-ink e-readers now priced at $99, we've been wondering when Sony would give a price chop to its $149 Reader Wi-Fi (PRS-T1). Well, now it has--at least temporarily--dropping the price to $99 till December 24.

I've always liked the Sony Readers and the Reader Wi-Fi received generally high marks in our review, but it's hard to recommend with any enthusiasm when competing products form Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo come in at $50 less.

If $99 still doesn't sound good enough, here's another deal sweetener: Sony will also … Read more