Buy one, get one free.
In a move sure to resonate with recession-minded gamers, Activision's just-released Guitar Hero 5 game includes an offer to get the highly anticipated Van Halen version of the music game franchise for free.
As a value-based pushback against the Beatles: Rock Band juggernaut, it's an excellent idea. Guitar Hero 5 includes 85 tracks (versus just 45 in the Beatles game), plus 44 more in the Van Halen spin-off.
Guitar Hero 5 includes acts from Johnny Cash to Stevie Wonder to Tom Petty, while Guitar Hero: Van Halen has 25 classic VH songs, plus 19 more from "guest acts" such as The Clash and Deep Purple. If you're a VH superfan, note that the game reportedly excludes former members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, but does include current bassist Wolfgang Van Halen.
The free Van Halen game offer can be redeemed, according to the sticker affixed to the cover of our copy of Guitar Hero 5, by going to guitarhero.com/vanhalengameoffer and filling out an online form, including a unique serial number from the back of the Guitar Hero 5 instruction booklet.
The offer is good until October 1, and says to "allow up to six weeks for delivery," which should still put the Van Halen game in your hands before its official December 22 release date.
Update: After hearing from a few readers, we tried filling out the online form and got the following error message: "We're sorry, but due to overwhelming response we are having difficulties validating your code at this time. Please try again." A few hours later, we were able to complete the process, which ends with a printable form that has to be snail-mailed into a P.O. Box.
Fujitsu Siemens delivered an early holiday present to its U.K. customers late last week when it announced the "LifeBook4Life" program.
Essentially, anyone in the U.K. who buys a select LifeBook laptop and a three-year warranty will be entitled to trade the system in for a replacement laptop (of "comparable specification and value," with a 10 percent adjustment for inflation) after three years--and continue trading in LifeBooks every three years for the rest of his or her life. For free.
Sweet, no?
Naturally, we wondered if and when this particular idea would cross the pond to include the company's customers in North America. We asked our contact at Fujitsu, who replied that LifeBook4Life is U.K.-only at this time, but that they're "gauging the interest in such an offer in the U.S." Translation: if you're interested in buying once and enjoying laptops for life, make your voices heard.
Meanwhile, perhaps another manufacturer can crunch the numbers and determine whether it'd be worthwhile to offer some competition. I know I'd certainly be tempted to go with a particular laptop brand if I knew I'd get a fresh one every three years.
(Credit:
MUJI U.S.A.)
To celebrate the opening of their newest Times Square flagship location, Japanese retail store MUJI will give away 500 "Chronotebooks," their unique take on the classic (read: boring) paper planner.
(Credit:
MUJI U.S.A.)
The Chronotebook is Muji's update to the tired paper notebook planner. Where memopads and datebooks have cluttered lines and graphics, the Chronotebook only has a clock in the middle of the page: one for AM, one for PM. Users are free to organize their day around these clocks in way that's similar to a brainstorm. The Chronotebooks will sell in the new store for $4.95, but the first 500 people to step into the Times Square location will get one for $0.00.
So, what applications would you like to see on the iPhone or Apple TV?
A few of the applications already slated for the iPhone.
(Credit: Apple)Apple will develop new software applications and features for the products over time, and make those available for free, it said Tuesday during its earnings call. It's all related to some complicated accounting mumbo-jumbo that annoyed MacBook users back in January and February when they had to pay $1.99 to unlock a faster Wi-Fi chip they didn't even know they had.
By telling people the new stuff is coming up front--and by waiting to recognize a portion of the revenue from each sale--Apple avoids having to charge the fee and keeps those folks happy. It's not a lot of money, but it is sort of annoying.
But that's beside the point: Apple's going to give early adopters new applications for free as they are developed. What do you want in the iPhone or Apple TV? VoIP? Gaming software? Death rays? Post your wish list, and maybe we'll see them later this year.
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