Daily Deals: iPhone 4 Pre-orders, $699 Mac mini, $929 MacBook

We kick-off another Tuesday with three hardware deals. This is the first day Apple accepts pre-orders for the recently-unveiled iPhone 4. The 16GB model is $199 while the 32GB version is $299. Also, we have the just-announced refresh of the Mac mini, complete with aluminum body, 2.4GHz processor and 320GB hard drive for $699.

Along the way, we’ll check out the latest crop of App Store price drops, including a touch-screen version of the classic “Clue” mystery game. We’ll also look at some new iPhone software, along with hardware for your iPhone or iPod.

As always, details on these and many more items are available at CoM’s”Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

The new iPhone 4 is powered by the Apple A4 processor and features a new 326-ppi (pixel per inch) Retina 3.5″ display running at 960×640. A gyroscope has also been added, which when coupled with the accelerometer, allows for 6-axis motion sensing. A front-facing camera for video conferencing is new, while the rear-facing camera has been upgraded to 5 megapixels and now features an LED flash. It’s also capable of recording 720p video at 30 fps. Other new features include 802.11n wireless networking, dual microphones, a larger battery, and more.

Update: The Apple Store is currently down.

Update 2: The store is now back up, but AT&T’s servers are preventing many people from placing an order.

Today, Apple updated its Mac mini desktop lineup. Most notable is the new aluminum unibody enclosure, which stands just 1.4″ tall and features an easy-to-access memory panel. Other new features include an HDMI output, NVIDIA GeForce 320M on-board graphics, and Secure Digital card slot.

The base Apple Mac mini costs $699 and features an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz dual-core processor, 2GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme (802.11a/n wireless), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, and OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The $999 Apple Mac mini Server steps up to a faster Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz dual-core processor, 4GB RAM, two 500GB hard drives, and OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server, but lacks the SuperDrive found in the base model. Both are available from the Apple Store with free shipping. Sales tax is added where applicable.

The Apple Store now has stock of 39 factory-refurbished unibody MacBook Pro notebooks in its Special Deals section, with prices starting at $929. [Combined with free shipping, that puts most systems at lowest-we’ve-seen prices.] (It’s also the largest stock of refurbished MacBook Pro systems we’ve seen at one time.) Sales tax is added where applicable. All come with a 1-year Apple warranty, the same as new Macs. Items are removed from Apple’s site when they sell out. Notable systems:

Refurbished MacBook Pro MB990LL/A Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz 13.3″ (pictured) for $929
refurbished MacBook Pro MB991LL/A Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz 13.3″ for $1,189
refurbished MacBook Pro MC118LL/A Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz 15.4″ for $1,349
refurbished MacBook Pro MC226LL/A Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz 17″ for $1,869
refurbished MacBook Pro G0GW7LL/A Core 2 Duo 3.06GHz 17″ for $2,149
see all refurbished MacBook Pro Laptops

Buy.com offers the Miccus ChargeBlock for iPhone and iPod, model no. CBFI-01, for $19.99 with free shipping. (That matches our March mention and is the lowest total price we could find by $7.) This external battery measures 1″ and boasts up to 11 hours of audio, 3.5 hours of talk, 3 hours of video, and 2.5 of Internet from a single charge.

Today only, REI-OUTLET offers the Oregon Scientific Action Helmet Camera, model no. ATC-2K, for $49.93. Activate this link and it drops to $39.93. Shipping adds $5.99, or choose free in-store pickup. (That’s $10 under our December mention and the lowest total price we could find by $39.) Sales tax is added where applicable. It features a 640×480 resolution at 30 frames per second, hands-free recording, 32MB of on-board memory, and SD card expansion up to 2GB. It’s shock-resistant and waterproof up to 10 feet.

Meritline.com offers this iPhone / iPod Car Charger for $3.99 with free shipping. (That’s $2 under January’s mention and the lowest total price we’ve seen for this particular charger.) It features support for iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPod models with a dock connector. It also has a spare USB port for charging other devices.

The iTunes App Store offers downloads of LightBike2 for iPhone / iPod touch for free. (That’s the lowest total price we could find for this new, Tron-like game.)

Walmart offers the Sony Altus Wireless Speaker System with iPod Dock, model no. AIR-SW10TI, for $178. (With free shipping, that’s $9 under our mention from two weeks ago and the lowest price we could find by $51.) Sales tax is added where applicable. It features a built-in FM tuner with 20 presets, 50-watt subwoofer, LCD display, and infrared remote. It’s compatible with iPhone and most iPod models.

The iTunes App Store offers downloads of NBA Live for iPhone / iPod touch for 99 cents. (That’s a $4 drop since yesterday and the best deal we’ve seen for this basketball game.)

Below are downloads of several applications which have dropped in price and are available for a limited time from Apple’s App Store. These apps are created for the iPhone and iPod touch, and are compatible with the iPad but will run at a significantly lower resolution. (Check the individual apps for further information.) Each is the best deal we’ve seen on that title. The deals:
CrunchFu for 99 cents ($1 off): Exercise motivator
Clue for 99 cents ($1 off): Point-and-tap mystery game
Ravensword: The Fallen King for $1.99 ($3 off): Action adventure game
Puppet War: FPS (pictured) for $1.99 ($1 off): First person shooter
Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior for $2.99 ($2 off): Fighting game
Need For Speed Undercover for $2.99 ($2 off): Racing game
Groups 2: Contact Management with Style for $2.99 ($3 off): Contact management
The Sims 3 World Adventures for $4.99 ($2 off): Life simulation game