friday

Ask Maggie: Holiday smartphone deals and iPad-iMac choices

It's that time of year again when consumers dream of dancing sugar plums and gadgets.

From TVs to smartphones to laptops, device makers, retailers, and service providers are all pushing the hottest gear at low prices. There's no question the holiday shopping season has turned into a bargain hunter's dream when it comes to smartphones.

In this week's Ask Maggie column a reader asks if he should take advantage of these deals or wait until the new year to buy his first smartphone. With AT&T and Verizon Wireless offering some high-end smartphones for a … Read more

More Black Friday laptop deals: Apple MacBook Edition

In the days leading up to Black Friday, we've spotted a few more notable laptop sales, particularly on Apple's MacBook laptops -- which are top of many wish lists.

This is especially notable, as MacBooks (and indeed, most Apple products) are rarely offered at any discount from Apple's list price. These deals come from Apple re-sellers, who are likely eating the cost of the discount to get shoppers into their (virtual) stores, in the hopes of loading them up with accessories and extras.

Click through the slideshow above for some of the lowest MacBook prices we've … Read more

Black Friday monitor deals at Newegg

It's not every day you're able to purchase a 25-inch monitor for $170. Most monitor manufacturers are able to stay in business because of this fact, but for a couple days a year, some are willing to throw you a bone.

Newegg has started its Black Friday deals early by discounting several electronics products from the computer vendor's stock, including (so far) four computer monitors:

Monitor Was Now Hanns-G HZ251HPB 25-inch $240 $170 eMachines E233Hbd 23-inch $210 $120 Acer S211HLbd 21.5-inch $190 $130 Asus VE198T 19-inch $160 $90 Asus VW246H 24-inch $240 $170

Unfortunately, I've … Read more

Cell phone buying tips

Whether you're buying for yourself or for someone else, a cell phone can make a great gift for the holiday season. Parents can guilt their children into calling home more, young adults can graduate to their first smartphone, and cell phone newbies can finally take up the technology.

Before you go to the store and take advantage of those Black Friday deals, however, there are a few points to remember. Shopping for a cell phone is a little more complicated than buying other gadgets, as you also have to consider a service provider. But fear not; CNET is here … Read more

Black Friday cell phone deals

Black Friday brings some amazing deals on tech gadgets, including cell phones and smartphones. However, there's a lot to sort through, so to help make it easier, we've rounded up some of the hottest deals on handsets below.

Some of these promotions are happening now or extend beyond Black Friday, so you don't have to fight the crowds in order to take advantage of the sale. Happy shopping and enjoy the holiday!

Through November 29, Amazon is offering a selection of Android phones from Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T for just a penny. Models include the … Read more

Black Friday shopping: iPhone apps of the week

This week's post is a special edition of the iPhone apps of the week. Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, and though I can't help you beat the lines or navigate through the crowds, I've rounded up a couple of apps that might make your holiday shopping a bit easier. These apps are made for price-checking on the go, so you can make sure you're getting the lowest price for the item in front of you.

Amazon Mobile needs little in the way of introduction as the mobile companion to the popular shopping site, with a huge database of products so you can compare prices on the go. But I would also like to introduce you to TheFind, a new iPhone app with a unique set of shopping tools that help you get the most bang for your buck by working in tandem with TheFind.com. With these apps in your arsenal and a little luck, you might get exactly what you're looking for at prices that won't break the bank.

This week's apps are both tools for holiday shopping. Get quick access to a huge database of products and prices along with some helpful shopping tools to make your shopping experience easier.… Read more

Digital City 106: iPad updates; OnLive's MicroConsole; and a couple of cord cutters

TV guru David Katzmaier sits in for Joey this week, talking about his adventures in cord cutting. Like Scott, he also recently ditched his cable service for a mix of over-the-air and IPTV.

Additionally, Dan's iPad gets bricked by the iOS 4.2 update, and even our studio computer crashes, forcing an "a capella" version of the Digital City theme song.

Don't forget: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time!

Note: It's usually our video recording that ends up getting swallowed by our temperamental podcast system, but this time it's the audio version that's giving us some trouble--so stay tuned for the MP3 of this week's show.

Amazon Black Friday deal: $89 Kindle 2

Alert. Amazon just slipped a little Black Friday deal onto its Facebook page: $89 for its second-generation Kindle.

Here's the full text of the message:

Black Friday Deal: This Friday, 11/26, you can get our previous generation Kindle for $89! Our previous generation Kindle uses the old E Ink technology (the same E Ink as in the current Nook). Our all-new Kindle uses the latest generation E Ink (Pearl) for 50% percent better contrast, and is available at the everyday low price of ...$139.

We don't know how long the deal will last (it starts at 9 … Read more

Texting 911

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

The FCC is looking into letting people report emergencies over SMS and streaming video

Netflix launches a streaming-only plan, letting people ditch the DVDs

Amazon launches a Black Friday shopping page

Yelp introduces Check-In Offers, giving people discounts for location check-ins

Google TV serves up almost no TV now that Viacom joins the networks that block the service from playing their online content

Amazon allows you to give someone an MP3 as a gift

Google Docs has a Microsoft Office plug-in that lets you sync your desktop documents to Google Docs

Amazon launches … Read more

U.S. Cellular starts Black Friday deals early

Everyone wants to take advantage of the great Black Friday tech deals, but sometimes the thought of fighting the crowds is enough to make one stay home instead. Fortunately, for U.S. Cellular customers, the carrier is starting its holiday promotion early so you can beat the rush.

Starting today, U.S. Cellular dropped the prices on its entire Android lineup. From now through November 29, you can get the LG Apex and Samsung Acclaim for free after a $80 mail-in rebate. The Samsung Mesmerize is $100 less at $99 and the HTC Desire is $150 less at just $49; … Read more