2 Dec 2013

Dell introduces two 4K monitors

by | posted in: Technology News | 0

4k-logoI’ve been a big fan of high density displays ever since I laid eyes on the iPhone 4’s display. Since then I’ve been keeping my eye on high resolution displays. I’m not running out and buying 4K HDTVs yet (I’m actually waiting for reasonably priced OLEDs first) but I have been keeping my eyes on 4K displays of all shapes and sizes.

I’ve owned three of Dell’s UltraSharp line of monitors. They’re fantastic monitors and when Dell announces a new set of monitors, I’m there to check it out.

The 32″ crowning jewel known as the UltraSharp UP3214Q will set you back $3499.99 and the more affordable 24″ UltraSharp UP2414Q can be yours for $1399.99. Those prices are a too rich for my blood but the 28″ UltraSharp UP2815Q that Dell says will debut next year for under $1000? That piques my interest.

17 May 2011

Pre-ordering Adventures

by | posted in: Editorials & Features | 2

bestbuy-logoThe last game I pre-ordered was Metal Gear Solid 4 which came with a whole slew of bonuses that I eventually didn’t care about. Since then, I haven’t pre-ordered a single game unless there was some sort of deal.

Even though I’ll probably grow tired of Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer and scoff at the campaign, I went ahead and pre-ordered it for $49.99 at FutureShop. The thing about Call of Duty games is that you’ll most likely get your money’s worth in return via trade in promotions like those found at GameStop. Most of the time, it’s a one for one trade towards a game. The trade in value is that high.

My next tale is one of regret. I assumed the Xbox 360 version of L.A Noire would be the one to get, but it turns out it isn’t. When GiantBomb goes out of their way to mention platform differences, it’s enough for me to switch platforms. Unfortunately for me, changing platforms wasn’t so easy.

I ordered my copy from BestBuy.ca for $50.99 before taxes. A decent discount considering it’s a new release. (I also got 800 Reward Zone points ($10), but that doesn’t really count.) So I noticed that my order status was still “In progress” so I rang BestBuy customer support and asked if I could simply change versions. I was disappointed to hear that wasn’t possible; not without voiding the discount.

Refusing to pay full price, I thought back to last Friday and Dell.ca’s L.A Noire promotion. It was a mere $5 off, but Dell.ca allowed me to use my $20 MasterCard that I received from a mail in rebate offer in conjunction with my regular BestBuy VISA. In the end I paid $62.14 for the PlayStation 3 version of L.A Noire which shipped out today.

That was quite a bit of fuss to get the “superior” version of a game, next time I’ll take my brother’s advice and buy both versions and cancel/return the one I don’t want.

Duh.

19 Apr 2011

Portal 2 (PS3) Arrived On Time

by | posted in: Editorials & Features | 0

bestbuy-logoThe only time I actually pick up games in a retail store is after a GameStop PowerTrade promotion. Otherwise, I’m waiting patiently at home for my game to arrive via mail or download. Downloading from Steam is dependent on Valve’s servers and my ISP which means I can usually get an game within an hour or so.

By mail, I was waiting anywhere between a couple of days to a whole week before my game would get here. But thanks to FutureShop and BestBuy’s earlier shipping practices, I’ve been receiving games on day one. I received Portal 2 today and I also received Killzone 3 on its launch day.

This has been great.

These two electronic giants are doing right by their consumers with this.

Amazon.ca has been pretty consistent, but instead of getting my game on day one, I get a nice shipping notice saying that it was on its way. Today is Tuesday which means I should be expecting a package by Friday at the latest.

Dell.ca seems to be the most inconsistent. If it’s in stock, I get it the day after release. If it’s not in stock, it can be up to a week. And worse of all, they use Purolator which means I need to find an inconvenient Purolator station.

On a whole, games have been arriving in a timely fashion. I wish every retailer was shipping their merchandise out early, but I can’t complain if I’m not paying for shipping. I’d love to have Amazon Prime option here in Canada, but that’s probably not going to happen any time soon. We don’t even have all the different types of merchandise available in Amazon.com.

Baby steps, I guess.

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