Price Trends: 55" 1080p LCD HDTVs

Big screens require a big budget, so if you're in the market for a super-sized LCD, you should expect to pay upwards of $1,000. However, recent deal data suggests relief could be coming in soon. Back in May we saw a 55" 120Hz LG LCD go for $999 (free shipping), the lowest price ever for any brand-name 55" 120Hz set.

In addition, in June we listed a $989 55" 240Hz LCD, albeit from a third-tier brand (ProScan). Still, we hope these manufacturers can push their name-brand counterparts to price these coveted TVs south of the $1,000 mark.


*55" 60Hz sets were not included in any of this data.

Previously:
Price Trends on 42" LCDs
Price Trends on 46" - 47" LCDs
Price Trends on 52" LCDs

Price Trends: 52" 1080p LCD HDTVs

Unlike their 42" and 46" counterparts, 52" LCDs are currently on the rebound with most prices pointing up. 60Hz and 120Hz sets have been neck and neck for the past few months, but they've recently spiked above the $1,000 mark. On the high end of the spectrum, 240Hz and LED sets are comfortably above the $1,500 mark, although prices on LED sets recently took a dive (and from the looks of our June data, it appears the trend will continue with prices dipping even lower).

It's worth noting that we haven't listed any 52" 3D LCD deals. In fact, we've only listed one 52" 3D TV deal and that was for a plasma TV. The majority of big-screen 3D HDTV deals fall under the 55" category, which we'll take a look at next week.

Previously:
Price Trends on 42" LCDs
Price Trends on 46" - 47" LCDs


(Best deal for a 50" plasma in May: $599)

Price Trends: 46" - 47" 1080p LCD HDTVs

46" and 47" TVs are quickly becoming the new standard for HDTV owners. Fortunately, that means an abundance of deals on these sets. On the entry-level side, both 60Hz and 120Hz displays are virtually neck and neck price-wise, so there's no reason to settle for a 60Hz set.

If you want to future-proof your TV (and who doesn't), 240Hz and LED-backlit TVs are dropping in price with deals for the past two months comfortably coming in below the $1,000 mark.

However, it's worth noting that the price drop on LED-backlit LCDs is being led by 3rd-tier vendors, particularly ProScan. A set from Vizio, Toshiba, or Sharp still sits in the sub $1,200 range. Meanwhile, 3D LCD HDTVs in this size category have taken a massive drop (all of them from Samsung), although the cheapest 3D TV is still $466 over the price of the most affordable LED TV.

Previously:
Price Trends on 42" LCDs

Thoughts on Hulu Plus

After countless rumors and leaks, yesterday Hulu finally announced the first wave of its new premium service — Hulu Plus.

The new service will cost $9.99/month and grant you access to a deeper library of content than what the current free version of Hulu offers. In other words, you'll not only get current shows and episodes, but entire back catalogs with every episode from every season. And here's where it really gets interesting, Hulu Plus will be available as a free app for the Apple iPhone and iPad, for the Microsoft Xbox 360 (coming in 2011), and Sony Playstation 3. In addition, it will be built into select Sony and Vizio television sets and Blu-ray players. (At launch, only Samsung TVs with access to the Samsung App Store will be able to download the Hulu Plus App.)

The free version of Hulu will still be around, but for serious TV junkies, Hulu Plus promises hours of TV available any time from a handful of mobile and living room devices. However, I personally think Hulu Plus is a horrible deal. Here's why:

Advertising
The current version of Hulu has embedded ads, albeit short and not as many as traditional TV, but it's a free service, so you really can't complain. Hulu Plus on the other hand is not free and yet it will also include ads. Now you could say, "I pay for cable TV, and I still get ads," but cable TV gives you access to tons of shows from various networks. Hulu Plus will only grant you access to shows from ABC, Fox, and NBC. (And with ABC wanting to break off and do its own thing, I wonder how that will affect Hulu's content.)

Value/Money
Personally, I think $9.99/month is expensive. Very expensive. That's $119.88/year that you could otherwise pocket. What bothers me the most is that Hulu Plus is not an answer for cable cutters. Like I said above, the majority of content will come from three networks so if you're a fan of Iron Chef, International House Hunters, or Dinner Impossible, Hulu Plus is essentially useless. (And let's not get started on sports, news, or music stations, none of which you'll find on Hulu Plus.)

Furthermore, do you really need access to every episode of 30 Rock, Family Guy, The Office, etc. That's a lot of content and I bet most subscribers won't get the most from their money. Instead, you'll end up paying your monthly cable bill and paying an additional $10/mo. for Hulu Plus. You're being milked for access to content you most likely won't watch. And if you do watch it, do you really want to watch it from an iPhone or iPad (as great as those screens may be)?

Google TV
Hulu Plus will launch with Samsung as its HDTV partner. Interestingly enough, Sony (which is partners with Google on its Google TV initiative) will also get Hulu Plus embedded into its TVs and Blu-ray players. Even the PS3 will get Hulu Plus (late July) beating Microsoft's Xbox 360 to the punch. The difference here is that Google TV will be free, whereas Hulu Plus is not. It's too early to tell which company will offer the better service, but to our wallets, Google TV + the non-subscription version of Hulu sounds a lot better than Hulu Plus.

Netflix
A lot of the back catalogs that are available on Hulu Plus are also available via Netflix and the latter only charges $8.99/mo. for unlimited streaming (that also includes the rental of 1 DVD out at a time per month). There's no point in having both Netflix and Hulu Plus and cable TV.


That said, Hulu Plus does have some notable features. The fact that most of its content will be HD (720p) is a huge plus. The flexibility of watching content on your TV, computer, or mobile is also very intriguing. Enough to pay $10/mo. — probably not.

Price Trends: 42" 1080p LCD HDTVs

Some good news to report on the LCD front. Prices on 42" LCD HDTVs are all on the decline, with the exception of two categories — 60Hz LCDs and 3D LCDs. The latter is understandable, given the newness of the technology, but it's a bit surprising to see deals on 42" 60Hz LCDs on the rebound. In fact, 120Hz and 240Hz LCDs are cheaper than 60Hz LCDs.

Meanwhile 42" LED LCDs have dropped dramatically, thanks to a push from 3rd tier vendors like ProScan (you can actually buy a 3rd tier LED LCD for just a few bucks more than a name brand 60Hz LCD). But fear not, brand-name LED LCDs are not that much costlier. Missing from the action are 42" 3D LCDs. (The majority of 3D TV deals we see are for screens 46" and up.)

Here's where the prices stand as of May. (S&H is included when applicable.)

42" 1080p LCD HDTVs
60Hz: $635
120Hz: $499
240Hz: $588
LED-backlit: $649
3D: N/A

(best deal for 42" Plasma in May: $469)

Swype Review

I've been using Swype for just shy of two weeks now and while there are a lot of things I like about it, there are just as many things I can't stand about it. Here are a few of my likes and dislikes about this virtual keyboard app. (I tested it on a Motorola Droid smartphone.)

Pros
* After the first day or so with Swype, you realize you actually do type faster when using it. I'd say I'm at least 25% faster with Swype than my otherwise hunt and peck typing.

* It's fun to use. For me personally, that's a huge plus. The iPad is just a tablet, but it's fun to use. Android is just another smartphone OS, but it's fun to use. Likewise with Swype. Swiping your finger across a virtual keyboard is a lot more fun then tapping along a virtual keyboard.

* It makes typing with one hand simple. Huge plus!

Cons
* Your fingers must to be dry to use Swype. While that may sound obvious, let me explain a bit. It's currently summer in NYC with temperatures rising up to 92 degrees Fahrenheit. If your phone's screen (or your finger) is even the slightest bit humid or damp, Swype will be a pain to use because your finger won't glide on the phone's surface. It'll just smudge along. Likewise if there's a mist in the air or if it's slightly drizzling and your screen gets even the slightest drop of rain, Swype will be annoying to use.

* Although Swype supports different languages, you must set the keyboard to that language for it to recognize certain words. This is a huge setback because I text in both English and Spanish and having to drill into the settings and toggle between languages each time I want to type in a different language is tedious and a major drawback.

* Swype is quick when you type words that are already in its database. If you like inventing words or abbreviations as you text, you'll find that Swype slows you down. This to me is the app's biggest flaw. When you type a word not found in its catalog you have to thumb through suggestions the app thinks you're trying to type, but if none of them are correct, you then have to type the word out yourself and save it so that the app remembers it. I constantly make words up, so I found this very annoying. You're essentially typing the word out twice. Once to see if it's in Swype's database, and again to insert it into Swype's database if it's not.

Overall, I like Swype. It's a lot of fun, and depending on how you text, you'll find it does speed up your ability to text. But for me personally, I invent new words with every e-mail I send and having to "save" those words in Swype's catalog slows me down to the point where I might as well just continue with my hunt and peck typing. I'll give Swype a few more days before uninstalling it for good.

Deal of the Day: eBook Reader Edition

Barnes & Noble kicked off the week with a big surprise. The company announced a price cut on its nook eBook Reader slicing the price from $249 to $199. In addition, B&N announced a new Wi-Fi only nook that will sell for $149. Personally, I find that $149 nook very tempting. I got the chance to play with the nook back at CES and although I didn't like the interface, B&N has updated the firmware and I'm hoping it's gotten better (and faster) since then. Regardless, $149 is still a great price for a name-brand eBook reader.

Not to be outdone, Amazon quickly reacted to B&N's price cut with a price cut of its own, slashing the price of its Kindle 2 to $189 (a $70 price drop). Not only did Amazon steal B&N's thunder, but they also managed to undercut them with a $189 3G and Wi-Fi eBook Reader.

Like I said, I personally find the $149 nook reader more appealing and here's why. Both the nook and the Amazon Kindle 2 are entering their silver years and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a Kindle 3 or nook 2 for the holidays. As a result, I'm less inclined to spend over $150 on an aging eBook Reader. Nevertheless, you can compare the two (and some other) eBook readers in our eBook Reader Cheat Sheet.

OpenTable: Eating out on the cheap?

Living in NYC, it'd be a sin not to take advantage of all the restaurants the city has to offer. Only bad thing is that living in NYC also means eating out can get expensive very quickly. So I decided I'd try a little experiment. I'm going to use OpenTable to try and rack up as many rewards points as possible and see if that makes eating out any cheaper at all.

OpenTable is a free online service (there are also iPhone and Android apps) that lets you make reservations at select restaurants in select cities via the Internet. You can make them in advance or in real time (the latter is kind of cool, 'cause it lets you search for restaurants with no wait time while you're out and about). The other cool thing is that OT offers a rewards program for frequent users. You get 100 points for standard dining reservations, or if you make reservations at select restaurants you get 1,000 points. What do those points earn you? You get dining checks, which you can then use when you eat out. Here's how the rewards system works:

2,000 OpenTable Points = $20 OpenTable Dining Cheque
5,000 OpenTable Points = $50 OpenTable Dining Cheque
10,000 OpenTable Points = $100 OpenTable Dining Cheque

OT is not new and there are plenty of other ways to save money while eating out, but I figured I'd start off with OT since a friend told me they saved a good amount of money via OT. I'll follow up in a month and see how many (or little) OT points I've managed to collect.

Deal of the Day: Swype Beta for Android for free

This one is for all you Android fans out there. Swype is offering a beta of its app for free. Swype is a new way of using your virtual keyboard. It lets you spell words by simply tracing your finger on the corresponding letters without ever lifting your finger from the virtual keyboard. A lot of people say it helps them type faster. I got a preview of this at CES and I gotta admit, I was and still am very skeptical about this app (why do I want to re-learn using my keyboard), but I downloaded the app anyways.

A few minor things you should know before installing Swype:
1)After registering online, it might take a few minutes to receive the Swype e-mail (which contains the download link).
2)You'll have to allow your Android phone to install 3rd party apps to DL Swype (you can switch it back after).
3)You'll have to set "Swype" as your default keyboard.

Otherwise, the download is quick and easy. So far, using Swype has felt like playing a geeky "word" game, which is a good thing. I'm not as fast with Swype as I am touch-typing, but I've only been using it for 10 minutes. We'll see how this goes.

Deathwatch: Boxee Box

Last week, the folks at Boxee announced that their Boxee Box — which was shown at this year's CES and set to debut this month — is being delayed till November. While it wasn't one of my favorite CES streaming devices, I did have my eye on it because I liked the updates Boxee had been making to its software and of course, the more options people have, the easier it will be for them to cut cable.

But now with this delay and the Google TV announcement, I fear Boxee will be DOA. Making matters worst is the fact that the Boxee app itself has taken a turn for the worst this past month. (At least it has in my opinion.) It still runs smooth and it's still nice to look at, but I'd say more than 75% of the app/channels available are channels I don't care about. Onion Network, Justin TV, College Humor, LoL Cats, these are channels I never want to see on my living room TV. And you're going to charge me around $200 (that's the price point Boxee is giving) for this? No thanks! I'll stick with Roku.

As horrible as this may sound, I feel that Boxee is going the way of Joost, and we all know how that turned out. Furthermore, if Boxee does indeed ship its Boxee Box in November, it will go head-to-head with Sony, Logitech, and Google as they roll out Google TV. Boxee vs Google & Co. — that match won't last a day. Not to mention Microsoft and its Xbox 360 is getting a nice overhaul and some new content (ESPN3) around that timeframe too.

Unless Boxee can get their stuff in order, get some good solid content, and ship their device before fall, I'm giving up on them. Google, Hulu, and Roku are just a few of the companies you're competing with, and so far, Boxee hasn't given me any reason to wait it out for them.

Price Trends: Blu-ray Players

Chances are, when you think of cheap Blu-ray players you think of models from Insignia, Memorex, or Curtis Mathes. And while these manufacturers do indeed make the most affordable Blu-ray players (some of them hitting as low as $50), big-name manufacturers like Samsung and Sharp are also pumping out affordable Blu-ray players, many of which easily fall under the $100 mark. And these Blu-ray players aren't their first gen players either, but rather players with BD-Live and Netflix streaming.

3D Blu-ray players on the other hand are still prohibitively expensive. March marked their debut on dealnews, but even the best 3D Blu-ray player deal is still at least $100 more expensive than its non-3D counterpart. (3D players are marked in red in the above chart.)

So unless you own a 3D LCD TV and are thirsting for 3D content, there's absolutely no reason to jump on the 3D Blu-ray player bandwagon. Instead, time your purchase and you could get a solid Netflix-streaming model for well under $100. Check out our Blu-ray player deals here.

iPhone 4 = Meh

It's official, the new iPhone 4 was announced during yesterday's WWDC keynote. Almost everyone is praising Cupertino's latest smartphone, but I'm not sold on it. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed. I haven't had any hands-on time with it (maybe that will change my opinion), but here's a rundown of the phone's main features and why I'm meh on them:

Apple A4 Processor
The brains behind the iPhone 4 is the same processor (or a close relative to) the CPU found inside the iPad, the A4 Cortex processor. This is great news, as many people love the iPad's speedy responsiveness. However, I'm baffled as to why Apple is being so tight-lipped about the CPU's specs. We know that the Samsung Wave runs a very similar chip to the iPhone 4, but that's pretty much it. I'm just curious to know how fast this CPU can run. Regardless, the A4 on the iPhone 4 is a good thing.

Retina Display
I have no doubt that the iPhone's new display is better than the 3GS', but hearing Steve Jobs call it a "Retina" display makes me feel like he's selling me snake oil. Ok, so it has a 960x640 resolution (4x that of the iPhone 3GS) packed inside the same 3.5" screen. Personally, I'd rather have a larger screen than one with more pixels. Bragging about this new display feels like bragging about a 32" 1080p LCD. (Yeah, it's 1080p, but on a screen so small, will you notice the difference?) Your photos and text may look sharp on the new iPhone, but will you notice a difference on video or will the phone simply upscale video to 960x640?

Battery Life
Standby time: Up to 300 hours
Internet Use:
Up to 6 hours on 3G
Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback: Up to 10 hours
Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

When it comes to smartphone battery life, only one thing matters — how long will this smartphone let me surf the Web? If Apple's specs are reliable (they tend to be conservative with their battery ratings), then this is pretty damn nice and a huge plus for the iPhone 4. But again, there are so many factors that contribute to a phone's battery life. A smartphone that can last 2 full business days on one charge with a fair amount of use would definitely impress me.

HD Video Recording & Editing
The iPhone finally got a front-facing camera for making video calls. The feature is called FaceTime and it will only work via Wi-Fi from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4. (However, the door is open for other companies to develop apps that could make it work with other non-iPhones.) In addition, the rear camera got an LED flash and bump to 5MP. It can also do 720p video at 30fps. For an extra $4.99, you can download the iMovie app, which will let you edit your videos directly from the phone. Definitely welcome upgrades, but nothing we haven't already seen or nothing to wow about.

Design
I don't see why people are so excited about the iPhone's "new" design. Don't get me wrong, I've liked the iPhone's looks since day one, but the new iPhone doesn't look that much different than the 3GS. Sure, it's thinner (which is great), but otherwise, it looks like an iPhone.

Personally, I'm just not sold on the new iPhone 4. Is it a horrible phone? Of course not, and I would definitely recommend it if you're trying to consolidate gadgets or if you have an iPhone 3G. Otherwise, I just don't see what all the fuss is about.

Price Trends: 10" Windows Netbooks

We railed on netbooks during this week's podcast. In the face of the iPad and all these do-it-all smartphones, we generally felt you could get by without one.

That said, it's interesting to see that deals on netbooks have hit an all-time low (matching the best deal we saw during Black Friday). Prices have hit the $200/$199 mark consecutively for the past three months, and early June data shows the trend will continue. I'd still pass on a netbook, but like I said — that's an all-time low. So if you're in the market, now's the time to look.

Tablet Wars: Everyone vs Apple

I've never been a fan of tablets. In fact, when Microsoft and Toshiba first launched their Tablet PC I remember attending the launch event and thinking — why? That said, I never wanted Apple to make a tablet either. Tablets were just awkward in my opinion. And then of course I spent a few minutes with the iPad and found myself more open to the thought of owning one. Don't get me wrong, the iPad has some serious limitations, but it's fun to use.

So naturally, all of Apple's competitors are now suiting up for a full-on tablet war. Dell has been working on its "Streak" device while this week Asus debuted its Eee Pad EP121. This 12" tablet will pack an Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor and run Windows 7. It's intended to be a hybrid e-book/entertainment device and it'll even pack a 2-megapixel webcam, but unfortunately those are the only details Asus is releasing. For me, that's just enough info to say "pass." I like the design of the Eee Pad, but the last thing I want is a tablet with Windows 7. For me, Microsoft will only taint someone's tablet. They had their chance. Unless they have something new to offer (and Windows 7 doesn't count), step aside.

If anything, I'm more excited about the news that the Lenovo Skylight will be paired with Google's Android OS. That's another tablet I could see myself buying and one that I think could better challenge the iPad. So what it boils down to is this — I don't want a slow, pokey OS on my tablet. I want it to be fast and do as many things as I want it to do (understanding that there might be limitations). So far Apple has shown what it can offer. Now it's time for Google's Android to take the spotlight.

Netflix on Roku Update

Roku has officially started rolling out its new Netflix update for its Roku family of players. What's cool about this update is that it finally allows you to browse, search, and add streamable Netxlix movies to your Instant Queue directly from your Roku box. (Prior to the update, you had to log on to your Netflix account via your desktop/laptop and add movies that way, which was a bit of a hassle — especially if you don't have your computer in front of your TV.)

Now with the update, you can just browse movies and add them straight from the Roku box. This gives the Roku boxes (and the Xbox 360) the upper hand in Netflix streaming, since they're the only devices that allow you to do this.

The update is expected to roll out to all Roku players this week and next week. Here's a quick video I shot of the dashboard. (Sorry for the film grain, shot this using the Motorola Droid.)

Price Trend: 55" LED LCD HDTVs

The final installment in our LED LCD Price Trend feature, today we're taking a look at price trends on 55" LED LCD HDTVs. But first a quick note. If you're wondering what happened to our price trend on 52" models, well, the truth is there just weren't many deals on 52" LED LCDs. Deals on 55" models, however, are everywhere.

That said, this past March 55" LED LCDs hit an all-time low of $1,575. Prices crept up a bit in April, but still remained under $1,800 for the fourth consecutive month. So if it's a large-screen HDTV you're after — this is the category you'll want to keep an eye on.


Price Trend: LED LCD 40" - 42"
Price Trend: LED LCD 46" - 47"

Price Trend: 46" - 47" LED LCD HDTVs

Continuing yesterday's price trend on 40" and 42" LED LCD HDTVs, today I'm posting the price drops on 46" and 47" LED-backlit LCDs.

Deals on these TVs have been on a steady decline since April 2009. We saw a slight uptick shortly after the holidays (typically bad months to purchase a new TV), but then immediately fell into another steep price drop. Early May data shows that prices will drop by at least another $70, putting these TVs comfortably under the $1,000 mark. (Something tells me we can also thank the recent flood of 3D HDTVs for the price drop on LED LCDs.)

Deal of the Day: Sony Dash for $180 shipped

Good through May 31, Crutchfield is offering the Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer for $180 with free shipping. That's the first deal we've ever posted on the Sony Dash (which I've been coveting since CES). I almost pulled the trigger, but then realized it's only $20 off Sony's price, which is great (money saved is money saved, right), but I'm personally hoping for at least $50 off before I bite the bullet.

On the flip side, if you want to spend even less, HP is offering its 10" DreamScreen for $150 shipped. This model is older than the Dash, so I'd personally go for the Dash, but either way, both are on sale at the moment.

Price Trend: 40" - 42" LED LCD HDTVs

Unless you've purchased a new TV in the past few weeks, chances are your current set is starting to show its age. Built-in apps, wireless streaming, and touch-screen remote controls are just a handful of new features you'll find in today's TVs.

TV technology has also changed. By now you might have heard of LED LCD TVs. This LCD backlighting technology is better than traditional cold cathode fluorescent lamp-based backlighting (CCFL) because it allows for thinner TVs, it's more energy efficient, and it results in better picture quality. (Check out our HDTV primer for further details on these TVs.)

Initially, LED-backlit sets were broken into two camps: Full-array LED-backlit sets with local dimming and edge-lit LED LCDs. Full-array LED sets with local dimming allow the individual LEDs (which are arranged throughout the entire back panel) to turn on or off as needed. This luminance control greatly improves the TV's contrast ratio.

Meanwhile, edge-lit models, which feature LEDs only along the edges of the screen, don't offer local dimming, but do allow for extremely thin cabinets (since the LEDs are only along the edges of the set). Although many people loved the thin designs, some consumers complained that edge-lit LED LCDs suffered from poor color uniformity. As a result, full-array LED sets with local dimming provided the better picture, even though they were slightly thicker than their edge-lit counterparts.

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show both Samsung and Sony unveiled edge-lit LED LCDs capable of local dimming, marrying the best of both technologies. These sets have yet to be put to the test, but it's something to keep in mind as you browse through LED LCD HDTV deals.

That said, above we listed the best deals (shipping included when applicable) on all types of 40" and 42" LED LCD TVs. As you can tell, the first steady stream of deals hit in September. Prices are currently falling and early May data shows they will fall at least another $50 next month.

Click to see the latest deals on all 40" and 42" LED-backlit LCD HDTVs.

Want List

My lust list for the week....(in order of lustiness).


HTC Droid Incredible
There's only one thing stopping me from buying the Incredible. The fact that last night Verizon Wireless had an online special where I could buy one Incredible (for free) and get a second one for free. I don't know if that was a price mistake, but I didn't bite. And the reason I didn't bite is because I was viewing this from my Motorola Droid just before going to bed and fell asleep shortly after. Argh!! This afternoon the offer was gone. I'd now have to renew my 2-year contract and pay $99 for a new Incredible. Not bad, but I'm gonna wait till launch day, cross my fingers, and hope for another 2-for-1 deal.


Sony Dash
I fell in love with the Dash back at CES. Design-wise, it looked great and I've always wanted a bed-side tablet/alarm clock. I especially like that it streams Netflix (what doesn't nowadays) so I can fall asleep every night while watching a movie! (Or I can use it to surf Verizon Wireless' website before going to bed and fall asleep just as I find a good deal.)


Sennheiser CX 680
I need a pair of earbuds badly. I'm currently using Zune buds w/ my iPod (don't ask) and they're falling apart on me. PC Mag said these are the best gym earbuds you can buy, but the cheap part of me refuses to pay over $30 for a pair of buds. The reason? I sweat like mad and I know they won't last me more than a few months. A quickie Web search shows me that the cheapest (as of 4/28) price for these buds is $90 at B&H Photo Video. That's almost the price of an Incredible!


Apple iPad
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyone wants one. Add me to the list. Although I'll say this, my desire to own an iPad decreases with each day. If/when I do get one, I will try my hardest to be productive with it using cheap and/or free apps only. I refuse to let Apple's cash cow (iTunes) have its way with my wallet.