Thursday Recap: Parallels Birthday, Atari Turns 40, Virgin Mobile Expands Retail
Thursday Recap: Parallels Birthday, Atari Turns 40, Virgin Mobile Expands Retail
Seems like day two at the Google I/O developer conference was more about iOS users today, with both Google Chrome and Google Drive apps finally making their way to the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. But that's not all this fine day has in store for you: Save big on Parallels Desktop 7, sign up for a Verizon Share Everything plan or celebrate Atari's 40th birthday -- it's all here for Thursday, June 28, 2012.
Parallels Birthday Sale: Get Desktop 7 for Cheap, Today Only
Parallels is celebrating a birthday, and that could mean big savings for you! Thursday, June 28 only, the company is marking down the price of Parallels Desktop 7 by up to 65 percent off. The only catch is the price goes up five percent every two hours, so you'll need to act quick to grab it at a great price. Customers who share their deal via Facebook or Twitter will also be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a new iPad, so there's an extra incentive to grab a copy today.
Verizon's Share Everything Plans Now Available
As we reported earlier this month, Verizon Wireless beat rival AT&T to the punch when it came to creating data sharing plans for families and users with multiple gadgets. Big Red's solution, Share Everything, officially rolls out today and allows users to connect up to 10 devices to a single data pool, including smartphones, tablets and mobile hotspots -- and the Mobile Hotspot feature is thrown in at no additional cost. If this kind of shareable data isn't enough, the plans also include unlimited talk and text, but as many users have discovered, they're not saving all that much over existing individual or family plans in many cases. To find out what you might pay, jump over to the company's online data calculator and see if it's right for you.
Rumor: Battery Issues Plague Next iPhone
At this point, few people believe that Apple won't make the leap to 4G LTE with this year's iPhone, and that means battery life is going to be a key issue with the next handset. According to AppleInsider, Cupertino may be facing problems achieving that goal, with a rumor circulating from a Chinese news website that claims "only 30 percent of the battery volumes produced currently meet Apple's standards." But not to worry -- the unidentified battery vendor is hard at work resolving the problem with Apple. "If there is a battery challenge, we trust that Apple will be able to figure it out in time for a September launch," Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, who first discovered the rumor, told investors today. Whew! Feels like we all just dodged a bullet, doesn't it…?
Atari Turns 40 (Gulp!), Offers 100 Greatest Hits Free
TIME Techland has a great profile this week on Nolan Bushnell, the iconic founder of Atari, which turned 40 years old on Thursday. Founded on June 27, 1972, Atari Inc. soon got to work on Pong, which would become the springboard for a string of hit arcade games through the 1970s and 1980s, including Breakout (which Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak worked on), Asteroids, Centipede and Tempest. Bushnell left Atari back in 1978, before the company exploded with the Atari 2600 home game system. In celebration of the 40th anniversary, the company updated its Atari's Greatest Hits app this week, offering all 100 games free. The only catch is, once you delete the app or install it elsewhere, you'll have to buy them via in-app purchase (99 cents each or $9.99 for everything).
Virgin Mobile Opening Retail Stores for Prepaid iPhone Launch
Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting that Sprint-owned Virgin Mobile plans to open 10 retail stores in Chicago on Friday, just in time to celebrate being the second prepaid carrier to offer the iPhone. (Cricket Wireless launched the device on June 22.) The move also marks a departure from the company's normal way of doing business through retailers such as RadioShack, Target and Best Buy. "We think there’s good demand for high-end devices like the iPhone in the prepaid market,†explains Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. “There’s a misperception that the prepaid market is only for people that are economically challenged. That’s not the case. Our expectation, based on preorders, is that the iPhone will do very well on Virgin.†The carrier is already offering the iPhone for sale on its website, and the Chicago-area retail stores opening tomorrow are part of an eventual national rollout.
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