The Cheapskate

Save up to $5 on each game in Konami's impressive iPhone catalog.

I once wrote for an app review site where the guidelines insisted price shouldn't factor into a game's rating. Nuts, right? That's like saying as long as you like the car you're test-driving, forget about the sticker.

For a cheapskate like me, price absolutely matters, which is why I'm happy to see every game in Konami's iPhone catalog temporarily on sale for 99 cents each.

That includes Metal Gear Solid Touch, which is widely regarded as one of the top iPhone shooters. It normally sells for $5.99 (and was $7.99 at launch).

Other 99-cent titles include:

• DanceDanceRevolution S
• DanceDanceRevolution S+
• Field Prowlers Police Rush (a brand-new game)
• Frogger
• Krazy Kart Racing
• Power Pros Touch
• Silent Hill The Escape
• Silent Scope

These prices are good until Saturday (November 21), at which point they'll return to their previous levels: anywhere from $2 to $6.

Most of Konami's games have earned pretty high ratings from users, but there are some--like Frogger and Power Pros--that I just wouldn't buy for $2 or $4 (respectively). (Again: cheapskate.)

But 99 cents? That's my trigger point, the number that pushes me into what-the-hell mode. So I'm stocking up.

How about you? Does price factor into whether you'll buy an iPhone/iPod Touch game? If so, what's your magic number?

Well, here's hoping you waited on that $99 refurbished iPhone 3G, because as of Monday you can get a new one for the same price. Apple just announced at WWDC 2009 that the 8GB iPhone 3G will stay on the market for $99.

Forget refurbs--now you can get a new iPhone 3G for just $99.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

So what do you think? Now that you can finally get a shiny new iPhone with a full warranty (one year) for less than a hundred bucks, will you pull the trigger?

Based on the comments in last week's aforementioned refurb post, I'm guessing no. For most of you, it's not the price of the hardware that's objectionable, but rather the service.

AT&T still charges a minimum of $70 per month for minutes and data. In these craptacular economic times, that's just too much. Me, I'd love to give the missus my current iPhone and snag myself a 3G S, but then I'd be looking at nearly $150 per month. She'd kill me, and I'd probably let her.

Thoughts? Is the iPhone 3G (and/or 3G S) just that good that you'll pay whatever extortion Apple and AT&T want? I'll admit I'd be lost without mine; I use it all day every day, for countless purposes. Damnit.

Update: AT&T dropped the price of refurbished 8GB iPhones to $79.99. My advice: steer clear. It's well worth the extra $20 to get a full one-year warranty. But the 16GB model is down to $129.99 (though currently out of stock). That's pretty tempting.

You can get a refurbished iPhone 3G for $99 right now.

At next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, we should find out if the rumors of a $99 iPhone are true.

Of course, savvy shoppers know that it's already possible to buy an iPhone for $99: For several months, AT&T has offered refurbished 8GB models for that tempting price.

(More recently, the company dropped the price of refurbished 16GB iPhones to $149, but at the moment those are out of stock.)

Obviously it makes sense to wait a few days and see what develops at the conference. After all, if you can buy a new iPhone 3G for $99, why go with a refurb? On the other hand, if the rumors don't pan out, you stand to save $100 (or $150 if you choose the 16GB model).

What's more, the only real downside to buying a refurbished iPhone is the warranty: 90 days instead of 12 months. That's probably a deal-breaker for some, but at least you can add an extended warranty and still come out ahead.

Personally, it's not the price of the hardware that bothers me: It's the $70 minimum monthly service charges. Forget the $99 iPhone--I want a service plan that's under $50. Somehow, I doubt very much we'll hear that kind of announcement on Monday. Sigh.