iPhone 4S Available for Pre-Order Now Starting at $199

If you followed our liveblog, have read about the iPhone 4S camera upgrades or even seen our featurette looking at the hottest new iPhone features for Small Biz, then you’re probably as excited as we are for the iPhone 4S. With top-notch voice control brought to you via the new app Siri which promises to answer questions, control your calendar, and help you find anything you need, the iPhone 4S should prove to be an incredible phone for users on-the-go.

Now available on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, you can pre-order the iPhone 4S on Apple.com today. Starting at $199 with a contract, the iPhone 4S is a great deal for those interested in finally upgrading from the 3G or 3GS, or for those with the iPhone 4 but who simply must have Apple’s latest tech. If you’re interested in comparing the various carrier’s voice and data plans (spoiler: AT&T and Verizon are cheaper for voice and mobile hotspot features while Sprint offers a cheap unlimited data plan) then check out Apple’s price comparison chart. Like the iPhone 4 before it, you can even pick up an unlocked iPhone 4S at full price. For users not wanting to get sucked into a 2 year contract, this will allow you to use your iPhone on pay-as-you go services as well as offer the most flexibility when traveling abroad. While not shipping until November, the contract-free iPhone 4S may also be pre-ordered directly from Apple’s site. Read More

Get Rid of Your Wallet, The Future of Money is Here: Mobile Payments from Mastercard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njjREhucsLE

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend MasterCard’s Media Day event in NYC. The invitation was rather vague as to what to expect, though I did know that it concerned mobile payments. What shocked me was that this wasn’t some test demo of a future technology—MasterCard has teamed with Google’s Wallet software, Citi credit cards, and Sprint’s phone network to put together live shopping experiences that we can expect to actually be using in a few weeks. This holiday season, most of us will be pulling out wallets stuffed to the brim with receipts, coupons, wish lists and more. But if you’ve got a supported phone with NFC technology on Sprint, then you could be tapping your cell phone all over the place, making everyone else look distinctly 20th century. Read More