Back in 2010, I used to write a wonderful roundup post entitled, “This Week On LaptopMemo”. Its goal was simple: to compress this week’s stories into one post, with links to each of the aforementioned stories. After its success, like a true oaf, I stopped writing it (due to laziness, I concur). So today, it’s been decided (confound it!), that This Week On LaptopMemo is back! It will be presented in different formats each week, but for the 1st week, it will be in the form of– dun dun dun —  bulletpoint links.

That all being said, let’s get on with this week’s best tech news, which had all the elements for awesomeness: a former CEO departs, tweets can be censored, and Apple has enough cash to make another Apple pie.

• Ruh Oh: Twitter Can Now Censor Tweets, If Required By Law
• Apple Q1 2012 Results: 37 Million iPhones, $46.3 Billion In Earnings
• Jon Rubinstein, former CEO of Palm, leaves HP
• Nintendo: The Wii U Will Launch Worldwide By The End Of 2012
• Ogio Bandit Backpack Review

Casino and poker apps were some of the most popular games for the iPhone right out of the gate, with developers immediately recognizing that the worldwide fondness for gambling would translate into plenty of downloads. One of the very first apps released (and still one of the more popular ones) is Apple’s Texas Hold’em app, which lets players battle it out against computer opponents in a variety of tournament settings, with each opponent programmed with their own particular strategies and tells.

Other popular casino-related apps include Zynga Poker (which lets poker fans from around the world log on and play in ring games and tournaments) as well as slots, craps, and video poker apps similar to what you’ll find at no download casinos online. These are for play chips only so you won’t be able to gamble for real money but you can learn the rules for different games, many of which also include strategy tips and pointers to make sure you’re using the best strategy for maximum success.

It’s always a good idea to read reviews before downloading apps, especially premium ones that you pay for. Keep in mind as well that you can tap into plenty of free apps that are gambling related but don’t contain any actual games, such as poker clocks for managing your own games at home as well as apps that update you on special deals to gambling hotspots such as Las Vegas or Atlantic City.

July 28, 2011 03:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Nintendo 3DS Price Drops to $169.99, as Great Value and New 3D Games Come Together

Star Fox 64 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and Kid Icarus: Uprising Prep Nintendo 3DS for a Strong Holiday Season

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nintendo of America today announced plans to drop the suggested retail price of its portable Nintendo 3DS™ system to $169.99 in the United States, as new games based on some of the world’s most beloved video game franchises head to the system. The new price, down from the suggested launch price of $249.99 and effective Aug. 12, makes an outstanding value even better and sets up a strong holiday season for the system.

“For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy now”

“For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy now,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “We are giving shoppers every incentive to pick up a Nintendo 3DS, from an amazing new price to a rapid-fire succession of great games.”

Nintendo 3DS has the strongest software lineup of any video game system this holiday season and the new price now opens up the glasses-free 3D experience to many more consumers. Building on the popularity of The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, which launched June 19, the upcoming game calendar is a Who’s Who of iconic video game franchises. Star Fox 64™ 3D arrives on Sept. 9, followed by Super Mario™ 3D Land in November, Mario Kart™ 7 in December and Kid Icarus™: Uprising during the holiday season.

In addition to great games, Nintendo 3DS has a host of attractive features* that make it the must-have video game system this season:

The new Nintendo Video™ service automatically delivers short 3D videos from the worlds of music, comedy, animation and Hollywood.
A free application allows Netflix members with unlimited streaming plans to instantly watch TV episodes and movies streaming from Netflix.
The Nintendo eShop is a digital store for Nintendo 3DS owners that provides access to a wide variety of downloadable content, such as original 3D software, classic games that have been re-mastered in 3D called 3D Classics, Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color “Virtual Console” games in their original 2D glory, and more than 350 Nintendo DSiWare™ games. Visitors can also view video game trailers, screen shots and product information for games, including those available at retail locations.

Since Nintendo 3DS launched in the United States on March 27, more than 830,000 people in the U.S. alone have purchased one to enjoy 3D visuals without the need for special glasses. These Nintendo 3DS owners represent some of Nintendo’s most loyal customers, and Nintendo is rewarding them for getting in on the action early with 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop.

These free games are available to anyone who owns a Nintendo 3DS system and uses a wireless broadband Internet signal to connect to the Nintendo eShop at least once before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 11. These users will automatically be registered in the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program. The program contains two elements:

Starting Sept. 1, Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES™ Virtual Console™ games at no charge and before they are available in the Nintendo eShop to the general public. These games, including Super Mario Bros.™, Donkey Kong Jr.™, Balloon Fight™, Ice Climber™ and The Legend of Zelda™, are slated to become paid downloadable games, but Ambassadors get them early for free. Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost.
By the end of 2011, Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games. These include games like Yoshi’s Island™: Super Mario™ Advance 3, Mario Kart™: Super Circuit, Metroid™ Fusion, WarioWare™, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong™. These games will be available exclusively to Ambassadors, and Nintendo currently has no plans to make these 10 games available to the general public on the Nintendo 3DS in the future.

More details about this program will be announced in the future.

Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

*Some features require a broadband Internet connection.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at http://press.nintendo.com, a password-protected site. To obtain a login, please contact Deanna Talamantez at 213-438-8742 or dtalamantez@golinharris.com. Users can receive instant Nintendo information by subscribing to the site’s RSS feed.