Posted 03/12/10 at 08:47:51 AM by Paul Lilly

Short and to the point, Apple this morning has started accepting pre-orders for its upcoming iPad tablet, which will be available on April 3 (Wi-Fi) and late April (Wi-Fi + 3G).

As a reminder, pricing breaks down as follows:

• 16GB Wi-Fi: $499
• 32GB Wi-Fi: $599
• 64GB Wi-Fi: $699
• 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $629
• 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $729
• 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $829

Shipping is free, and Apple's wording makes it sound like the tablet will be delivered on the day of its release (or April 5 if Saturday delivery isn't available in your area). If you don't want to chance it, you can also opt to reserve a copy at your local Apple Retail Store and pick it up between 9AM and 3PM.

So, who's in for one (or two, which is the pre-order limit)?

Pre-order Page

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Posted 01/06/10 at 10:23:58 AM by Paul Lilly

The cat was already out of the bag yesterday thanks to a trigger-happy webmaster at Amazon, but today the Kindle maker officially introduces the Kindle DX with Global Wireless. This new version of the 9.7-inch wireless e-book reader now offers wireless content delivery in over 100 countries, Amazon says.

"Kindle DX is great for personal and professional documents, cookbooks, and textbooks -- anything that is highly formatted. Documents look so good on the big Kindle DX display, that you'll find yourself changing ink toner cartridges less often and printing fewer documents," said Ian Freed, Amazon.com Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "Now Kindle DX with Global Wireless lets customers enjoy the ease of Whispernet wireless delivery of books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and documents while traveling in over 100 countries worldwide."

In case you missed the original DX the first time around, this larger-screen e-reader offers 2.5 times the surface area of the Kindle's 6-inch display and includes 16 shades of gray.

The Global Wireless version is available for preorder for $489 and will start shipping on January 19.

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Posted 11/30/09 at 07:30:10 AM by Paul Lilly

Barnes & Noble's shortage of Nook e-book readers may be more serious than initially thought, and that could mean bad news for customers hoping to purchase a Nook in-store in time anytime soon. In order to deliver preordered devices to consumers before the holidays, the company on Sunday said it will delay shipments of its Nook e-reader to stores.

"We expect to have them in our highest-volume stores on December 7th and in a very limited number," Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said, according to Reuters.

Barnes & Noble originally hoped to have a limited number of Nooks in some of its stores by November 30, but that no longer appears likely to happen. High demand caused the company to sell out of its newly launched e-reader earlier in the month, a situation some analysts say may end up helping sales of Amazon's Kindle.

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Posted 10/29/09 at 11:45:59 AM by Paul Lilly

We suspect there's going to be a lot of interest in Motorola's upcoming Droid smartphone, which is set to launch on November 6. And if you're itching to get your hands on one, Best Buy is already taking preorders for the handset, and the best part is they'll remove the hassle of dealing with the $100 mail-in-rebate and issue the kickback as an instant savings instead.

"We're excited to feature this new device for our consumers, as it represents the latest and greatest in mobile technology," said Best Buy Mobile President Shawn Score. "Bringing the Droid to Best Buy Mobile expands our already unmatched assortment of smartphones allowing customers to compare high-end devices like the iPhone 3GS, HTC Hero, and Droid all under one roof. The fact that customers can purchase the phone first at Best Buy through the pre-sell is an added bonus."

This is similar to what Best Buy did with the Palm Pre, and we imagine an even better turn out this time around. Motorola's Droid is poised to become the first Android 2.0-based smartphone, and has the best chance of all Android handsets to date at challenging Apple's iPhone.

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Posted 10/21/09 at 12:30:00 PM by Paul Lilly

Harry Potter may have what it takes to defeat the evil wizard Lord Voldermort, but J.K. Rowling's character proved no match for Microsoft, who's upcoming Windows 7 took the Amazon UK preorder crown previously held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

"The launch of Windows 7 has superseded everyone's expectations, storming ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the biggest grossing preorder product of all-time at Amazon.co.uk, and demand is still going strong," says Brian McBride, Amazon UK MD.

Who cares, right? Not so fast. This serves as more proof that even after stripping away all the marketing hype and rave reviews, people are actually buying the OS rather than being scared off by past failures (Vista) and any fears that their hardware may not be up to snuff.

Or as Gizmodo puts it, "technology is more powerful than magic." To put it into perspective, Windows 7 was able to drum up more sales in the first 8 hours of preorder availability than Vista was able record altogether.

One more day, folks.

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Posted 08/19/09 at 08:14:12 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Microsoft has turned British passports into Windows 7 discount coupons. According to the British arm of tech website Cnet, the full version of Windows 7 Home Premium will be selling for about $105 (£65) in the UK, at almost half its US price, which is $200 (£122). The full version in the UK is even cheaper than the upgrade version on the other side of the Atlantic. The upgrade version costs $120 (£72) in the US. 

An Amazon.co.uk spokesperson told Cnet that this unbelievable price is to stay indefinitely. However, Microsoft is still to return the website’s call for comment on the issue. Ask your British cousins to carry some spare Windows 7 Home Premium copies in their baggage the next time they sail across.

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Posted 07/11/09 at 10:11:30 AM by Paul Lilly

July 11 crept up fast, and ignoring the "or while supplies last" clause, today is the last day you can preorder upgrade versions of Windows Home Premium and Professional at reduced rates. For those of you who have been without Internet and managed to avoid any computer savvy friends for the past week, pre-sale pricing runs $50 for Premium and $100 for Professional, down from $119 and $199, respectively. Get the full scoop on pricing here.

You can choose among several online retailers participating in the preorder program, which include:

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• CostCo
• Frys
• Office Depot
• Office Max
• Sam's Club
• Staples
• Tiger Direct
• Walmart
• Newegg
• Nebraska Furniture Mart

For those of you not yet ready to jump on the Windows 7 bandwagon but fear the reduced rates may be too good to pass up, there's a chance Microsoft will release a Family Pack good for up to three PCs. Rumors of the Family Pack spread like wildfire when a handful of online retailers leaked the product SKU along with pricing information (most of those pages -- though not all -- have since been pulled, probably at the request of Microsoft). It looks like the Family Pack will run about $145, but bear in mind no official word has come out of Redmond. As Clint Eastwood would say, 'Are you feeling lucky?'

Plenty more Windows 7 coverage right here on Maximum PC:

Windows 7 Buyer's Guide: Which Edition is Right for You?
Windows 7 Upgrade Guide: All Your Questions Answered!

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Posted 06/22/09 at 07:56:30 AM by Paul Lilly

Not a whole lot separates Asus' upcoming Eee PC 1005HA from the already available 1008HA launched earlier this year. We're talking about a user-replaceable battery, a slightly thicker shell, and, according to Engadget, no more recessed ports and port doors.

Familiar specs include an Intel Atom N270 processor (1.6Ghz), 1GB of DDR2 memory, 160GB hard drive, WiFi, 1024x600 LCD display, and Windows XP. But it's the removable battery that might ultimately make the 1005HA more popular than the 1008HA, even though Asus claims up to 8.5 hours of run time on the stock 6-cell unit.

No word yet on when the new model will ship, but you can grab one on preorder from Amazon for $350.

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