Here's a little Friday fun for all you game fans: From now until Oct. 25, the insanely popular puzzle game World of Goo is on sale--and you get to name the price.
It normally sells for $20, but in honor of its first birthday, developer 2D Boy decided to run a little experiment. (Check out the results on the company's blog. Very interesting stuff.)
Basically, when you click the Get It button, you're whisked to a PayPal page where you specify your "donation" amount. (No PayPal account? Click the "continue" link on the left side to use a credit card.)
So, what'll it be? A penny? A five-spot? A sawbuck? If you're honestly not sure what the game is worth, download the demo before you pick a number. World of Goo is available for Windows, Mac, and even Linux systems.
I'll admit I wasn't familiar with the game when I heard about this promotion, but it's without a doubt one of the cutest, weirdest, and most inventive puzzles I've ever played. You don't have to take my word: GameSpot awarded it a 9.0, as did several thousand readers.
I'm not going to reveal what I paid for it, as I don't want to influence anyone one way or the other. But I did pay for it--and definitely more than a penny.
How about you? Are you going to get your Goo on? If so, what's a fair price? (And how much did you actually pay?) Let's hear from you in the comments.
You read right: This refurbished Eee PC Netbook is just $129.95 plus shipping.
(Credit: Asus)Holy dirt-cheap Netbooks, Batman! Geeks.com has a refurbished Asus Eee PC 900 for $129.95. (Make sure to apply coupon code 900M at checkout to get that price.) Shipping will run you about $10.
As you might expect, this is not exactly a powerhouse PC. The 900 comes with a 900MHz Celeron processor, 512MB of RAM, and a 4GB solid-state drive (SSD).
Translation: forget Windows. This baby runs Linux, which is absolutely fine for stuff like e-mail, Web, and other basics--but no doubt a deal breaker for some users.
The limited storage poses some problems as well, though you can always expand it by popping in an inexpensive SD card or USB drive. This is a machine best suited to those who work primarily on the Web.
And for that it's aces. I assumed that such a heavily discounted system would have a supertiny screen, but the 900 actually has an 8.9-inch LCD. And Asus Netbooks typically have comfy keyboards, so you should have no trouble getting some work done.
Because it's a refurb, the warranty expires after 90 days. I have no problem with that; the thing barely has any moving parts anyway.
So, if you're looking for a cloud-friendly Netbook at an impulse-buy price, this is the best deal I've seen. I'd say the sellout risk is high, so grab one while you can.
The $299 Inspiron 15n runs Linux, but so what? You can always load up Windows 7.
(Credit: Dell)Zowie! For less than the price of some Netbooks, you can get yourself a full-blown Dell notebook. Here's the deal: Dell is offering the Inspiron 15n for just $299. That's undeniably amazing, though there are a few caveats.
First, these are new units, not refurbs, and you don't have to deal with any rebates. Ahhh...gotcha! Those aren't caveats at all. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
The real consideration for most buyers is that the Inspiron 15n runs on Ubuntu Linux 8.10--a great operating system by all accounts, but no good if you need to run Windows apps. (I know, I know, there's always WINE, but I don't consider that a viable solution for everyday users. Yell at me in the comments if you disagree.)
Of course, you could always replace Ubuntu with, say, the Windows 7 Release Candidate, which is available free of charge and will run until March of next year.
If you think you'll go that route, I highly recommend spending an extra $35 to upgrade the Inspiron's Celeron processor to a 2GHz Pentium Dual Core T4200. The Celeron's fine for Linux, but a weakling for Windows. (Actually, it might be OK for 7, which manages nicely even on low-powered Atom processors.)
Everything else about the Inspiron is rock solid, including its 2GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, DVD burner, and 15.6-inch wide-screen LCD. You also get a four-cell battery and one-year warranty.
I wish I could say that you'll get out the door for $299, but Dell charges $29 for shipping, and you may have to pay sales tax as well. Even so, this is a fantastic bargain for anyone seeking a full-fledged notebook at a Netbook price.
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