discount

To counter AT&T's offer of a free month of data with the purchase of a new iPad 2 or original iPad, Verizon stores are offering the first-generation iPad at a heavy discount--the Wi-Fi-only option is priced at just $299.

Checking online, AT&T's offer is clearly available, but there is no mention of the deal on Verizon's Web site.

The news comes from The Appera, an iPhone and iPad gaming site, citing deals site Slickdeals reporting that Verizon corporate stores are participating in the discount for original iPads until they sell through their stock.… Read more

For many seasoned travelers, making a trip as stress-free as possible means having booked a place to stay well in advance, especially for busy metropolitan destinations. However, the world in which we live is not always ideal, and last-minute plans are bound to be necessary from time to time. HotelTonight, a new travel-friendly app for the iPhone, aims to make that requirement as easy--and affordable--to deal with as possible.

As far as travel apps are concerned, HotelTonight is limited in scope, though that fact does not impede its usefulness. The app is designed specifically to help users find and book … Read more

If you're feeling a bit like George Costanza in the Seinfeld episode "The Wallet," chances are you have a few too many scraps and cards stuffed into your carryall. Luckily, we live in the digital age, where much of the information you need to keep on your person can be stored in your mobile phone. For example, for those of us who cart around a cadre of gift cards from various establishments, JunoWallet provides an app for that, and it's available for both iOS and Android devices.

You can read the full review of the iPhone … Read more

It was just two months ago that refurbished iPads first hit the Apple Store, bringing a $50 savings to all three Wi-Fi models. (Since then, Apple has added the 3G iPads to the refurb catalog as well, again at a $50 discount.)

If those price reductions weren't significant enough for you, how about this: Apple just lowered refurbished iPad prices even further.

Right now, and for a "special limited time" (Apple isn't saying how long, but my guess is until stock runs out), you can get a refurbished 16GB iPad for $429, a 32GB iPad for $499, … Read more

With the holiday season upon us, many laptop shoppers are looking for a new system as a gift for either a lucky recipient or themselves. To assist you in this noble endeavor, we've been tracking the most promising laptops from the second half of 2010, from entry-level systems starting at well under $500 to $1,000-plus high-end multimedia and gaming rigs.

Unlike our previous review roundups, our net is cast a bit wider this time around, and includes both retail-specific systems as well as laptops you can order directly from the manufacturer. Additionally, we've decided to focus on … Read more

In the days leading up to Black Friday, we've spotted a few more notable laptop sales, particularly on Apple's MacBook laptops -- which are top of many wish lists.

This is especially notable, as MacBooks (and indeed, most Apple products) are rarely offered at any discount from Apple's list price. These deals come from Apple re-sellers, who are likely eating the cost of the discount to get shoppers into their (virtual) stores, in the hopes of loading them up with accessories and extras.

Click through the slideshow above for some of the lowest MacBook prices we've … Read more

To increase consumer adoption of its operator-assisted telematics service, OnStar is working with auto insurance companies to offer its subscribers discounts on their policies.

OnStar's data shows their subscribers are safer drivers and more conscientious on the road. Its service also help insurance companies lower loss and reduce insurance claims, said OnStar spokesperson Jim Kobus. If stolen, a GM vehicle equipped with OnStar has a higher chance of recovery before it ends up in a chop shop, and in the event of an accident, OnStar's operators are automatically alerted and use the car's telematics to help first … Read more

Devops is a relatively new concept that centers around the interdependence of development and operations and has been on the rise in the Web 2.0 world of virtualization and the cloud. The characteristics of devops include concepts like "architect, developer, tester, product manager, project manager--all in one" and "ability to write code beyond simple scripts" all working toward an ideal of managing infrastructure in an automated fashion.

One of the players in this market is Luke Kanies, founder and CEO of the Puppet Labs, which provides support and service to users of the Puppet open-source server automation tool, and is hosting its Puppet Camp 2010 next month in San Francisco. (Disclaimer: I serve as an adviser to Puppet Labs.)

I asked Kanies some questions about devops, automation, systems management, and the cloud.

Q: Give us a brief overview of the rise of devops and why it matters? Kanies: Devops is essentially a cultural movement toward more development-like operations. First and foremost this means acknowledging and impressing the fact that your infrastructure is code, so you should be using developer tools and practice to maintain and interact with it. It also means that you should have the same requirements of your infrastructure as you do of your applications--you need an API, high quality data, version control, access control, auditing, and more.

The reason it matters is that the problems of IT have outstripped its ability to deal with them--our tools and practices largely aren't built for a world where you can turn up 36,000 machines in a week or deploy 1,000 machines an hour, nor where your boss can expect full deployment of an application across thousands of nodes in seconds or minutes rather than weeks or months. Devops attempts to fix these problems with a culture and practice that adopts and adapts development tools in the infrastructure and builds a culture of delivery and agility. … Read more

It's one thing to buy a CD or a toaster oven online, but what about audio components? Wouldn't it be great to compare one speaker with another? With receivers it's impossible to gauge the touch and feel of the controls online. Sure, professionally written reviews can steer you in the right direction, but in the final analysis buying a hi-fi or home theater is mostly about personal taste. Buying "the best" at the cheapest price isn't always the ideal option; I think it should be more about getting the product that's right for you.

Sadly, expert advice isn't so easy to find, now that more and more independent brick-and-mortar audio shops have closed. That's no concern for buyers who happily forgo the advantages offered by the shops in favor of the lowest possible price. The online retailer can easily afford to give greater discounts; they don't have to pay high rent for a showroom, have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in demonstration units, provide on-site service technicians, and pay sales commissions. They can pass some of their savings onto their customers. Everybody wins, or do they?

I don't think so; it's the buyer who is losing out. Yes, the online discounters and factory-direct companies can always undercut the independent brick-and-mortar guys, but how do their customers know they're buying the speaker, amplifier, or turntable that best suits their needs? Have they listened for themselves and heard three or four competing speakers with their own ears? And if they wind up with a malfunctioning piece of brand new gear, they'll have to deal with it on their own. They won't get a "loaner" to use while they wait for the repair or replacement unit. Hookup questions will be answered by an anonymous person on an 800 line, not by the sales person at the local shop who knows you by name. … Read more