Tyan barebones servers @ geeks.com

Geeks.com slashes the price of several Tyan barebones servers with the coupon code "TYAN". The kits include a 1U case and motherboard. All cost about $30 for shipping.

• Tyan Transport GT20 Dual Xeon 1U - $79.99
  
• Tyan Transport GX28 Dual Opteron 1U - $99.99
  
• Tyan Transport GT24 Dual Opteron 1U - $99.99
  

iPhone 3G

So, like a loyal Apple fanboy, I lined up at the Temple of Apple in Burlingame on Friday to get my iPhone 3G. The new GPS and 3G data features are very nice, as is the proper headphone jack. Two things are not nice:

• I broke the glass by dropping the phone yesterday. I dropped the old one numerous times, and never broke it. This one took a simple tumble off of my desk and cracked. I blame it on the plastic case. There goes $35 to get new glass from Ebay. :(
• Sales tax on $399 instead of $199. This one probably merits a refund; a trip to the Apple store sometime this week to sort that out is in order.

Also, note for mobile users: the blog is available at http://m.foo-o-rama.com for all mobile platforms, courtesy of MoFuse.

iPhone v2 firmware, a bit early :)

If you have an iPhone now, and want to check out the new v2 features, you can install the new firmware (and browse and buy apps from the App Store) today. Grab the firmware file from here, update iTunes to the newest release, and go to the iPhone page. Hold down the Option key (ctrl-shift for Windows users) and click the "Check for updates" button. It will give you a file dialog where you can select the file you just downloaded. Update, and enjoy. Be warned that it does erase the phone in the process; your contacts, settings, and photos will be restored from backup, but you will need to sync your iTunes library again to get your music back.

Before you go off buying too many games in the App Store, I do have a small money-saving tip. Costco carries iTunes gift cards, four $15 cards ($60 worth) for $53 tax free, a cool 12% savings.

Free Slurpee!

After you pick up your iPhone 3G on Friday, you can hit up 7-Eleven for a free 7.11 ounce slurpee of your choice this friday, 7/11/2008. You can find a participating 7-Eleven store here.

Macbook Air - $500 price cut

Apple cut the price of the Macbook Air with 64gb SSD from $3199 to $2598 with free shipping. This is about the price refurb units have previously sold for, only brand new. This Macbook features a Solid State Disk for faster booting, quiet operation, and longer battery life. Other Apple Store deals include:

• Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.4GHz - $1699
  
• Refurbished MacBook 2.1GHz - $949
  
  

Acer 24" LCD just $359 at NewEgg

Newegg offers the Acer P243WAid 24" LCD monitor for $389. For NewEgg newsletter subscribers, coupon code EMCAHABAE cuts it a further $30 to $359. This monitor also ships for free.