Gizmodo: premium

Rumor: A Premium App Store for Even Pricier iPhone Apps?

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EDT

Pocketgamer.biz, who we've never worked with before, says Apple may be working on a section of the App Store for more expensive (read: $20 and up) apps.

Regardless of the rumor's truth, they need some sort of method to separate the wheat from the chaff. It's a mess in that store, full of shit apps. We can't sort through them at 15k apps, how are we supposed to sort through them at 50k apps in two years? Impossible.

The idea behind this rumor is that free or very cheap apps have been more successful than their pricier counterparts in the App Store, and that a "premium" section could result in meatier profits for developers. Further, this is supposed to tie in with all that ballyhoo about the iPhone being the next great gaming system, as these new rich man's apps are rumored to be mostly games.

We're sure there'll be a wider variety in app price in the years to come, but at the moment, we can't think of a reason for a separate section based on price. Plus, no developer would confirm such a thing, so until we hear anything hard, this rumor will stay a rumor. [pocketgamer via Wired]

Evernote Lets You Sync Your Office Docs to Your iPhone

Seung Lee — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:00:00 EST

The latest update to Evernote adds a new feature to its premium version: adding, syncing, and accessing your Word, Excel, Powerpoint docs, or any other file you throw at it, on any device or platform.

Users will now be able to drop any file into a note which is then synchronized with the Evernote Service. The note is made instantly available to all versions of the app, including the one for the iPhone. While you won't be able to edit those files on the iPhone, you will be able to view, listen to, and even email them. Currently, this feature is limited to Evernote Premium. The service costs $5/month or $45/year if you pay annually. [Evernote via Wired]

Xbox 360 Core With HDMI Coming 9/1?

Jason Chen — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:00:45 EDT

Either this Best Buy listing is wrong, or there's a $349.99 version of the Xbox 360 Core with HDMI coming in September 1. We're leaning towards wrong listing since the box shows a Premium (the DVD drive is silver) and the price is of a premium, but who knows what's going on in Microsoft's stable. Personally the Xbox 360 Arcade rumor seems more likely, but we'll find out in about a week. [Best Buy]

HDMI Coming to Not-So-Elite Xbox 360s?

Matt Buchanan — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:32:17 EDT

A "mole" at Microsoft has told Ars Technica that after the current inventory is spent, they're going to "soft launch" new Core and Premium Xbox 360s in late August or September that are loaded up with HDMI and possibly quieter DVD drives, along with the long-awaited 65nm process CPUs. While this is complete hearsay, the guys at Ars have better bullshit detectors than most, and we've been expecting these updates for a while, so it's not exactly flailing speculation—but be sure to keep breathing. [Ars Technica]

VOCE: Premium Wireless Service

Mark Wilson — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 17:25:31 EDT

VOCE is a company offering what they have dubbed the world's first "premium wireless service." Here's the pitch:

Signing up costs you $500. You get an unlocked phone (like the Treo 680). Then, you pay $200/month for unlimited calls and GPRS data. The hard sell? You get a 24/7 personal assistant that is guaranteed to answer on the third ring. They are like a super 411 service that can research questions via Internet or phone for you. When they find the answer, they can call, text or fax you back.

As a writer constantly researching small details, a personal assistant could really help me out before my account were flagged for abuse. It's not a bad pitch, but is it worth the Beverly Hills marketing? We're not certain. – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via boingboing]

Dealzmodo: Xbox 360 Premium, $345

Travis Hudson — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:34:32 EST

Geeks.com has $55 of instant saving on the regularly prices $400 Xbox 360 Premium edition bringing the final price down to $345. The premium model includes the hard drive, wireless control, headset and HD cables. Even though you didn't ask me, I'll recommend Gear of War and Crackdown for your new, cheap 360. –Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via Dealhack]

Sony VAIO UX Micro PC Goes Premium

Travis Hudson — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 20:37:09 EST

Sony is introducing an update to their UX line of ultra-portable PCs with the VAIO UX Premium. This UMPC is the same as its predecessor (Intel Core Solo, Wi-Fi, 4.5-inch display, keyboard, etc), but the main difference is that it has a 32GB flash drive. Flash drive is always a plus because flash is faster, more reliable and provides a better battery life.

This premium edition VAIO UX will be available in Febraury for almost $2,500. – Travis Hudson

Ice Rocks Pre-Packaged Premium Ice Cubes

Gizloco — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 17:29:45 EDT

So perhaps these pre-packaged ice cubes aren't gadgets per se, but we've covered off-beat water products before with much success. Yes, Ice Rocks is nothing more than pure spring water that hermetically sealed inside ice cube tray containers. All you have to do is stick the Ice Rocks inside a freezer, then enjoy pure, premium spring water ice cubes. No price is listed for this vanity product, but a family size is coming soon. Oh boy! – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Ice Rocks via Popgadget]