(Credit:
memeticians.com)
If you're cursing yourself for sleeping through Black Friday, you can still indulge your inner cheapskate today on Cyber Monday! No, it's not what you're thinking, dirty birdy--Cyber Monday is the first Monday after Thanksgiving when all the vendors come together to tempt you with online deals and take whatever coins are left in your bank account.
Since it's our first day back, we take the first half to update each other on our holiday festivities: Jeff visited the Norman Rockwell Museum, Justin is missing an arm after shooting guns in the Garden State, and Wilson stuffed himself silly with a batch of be-deviled eggs. I also suffered through "Twilight: New Moon" and "Ninja Assassin" over the weekend. Which movie deserves the award for least entertaining flick of the year? Check out our full review!
And speaking of Cyber Monday, Wilson digs up a controversial story about an "Adult-only" app arriving on the Android marketplace. The steamy app is pseudo-cleverly called "MiKandi" and according to Phandroid, the app only works with the Android. Sorry, iPhone users, your Web browser will have to do.
We're super excited to be back and ready to tackle the rest of 2009 with more giveaways, surprise guests, and a series of year-end wrap-up episodes coming your way, so don't miss an episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast. While you're listening, leave us a voice-mail at 1-866-404-CNET and give us your two cents. You can also send us an e-mail at the404(at)cnet[dot]com or just leave a comment on this blog!
EPISODE 476
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(Credit:
Jacques Gene)
Chances are good that someone on your shopping list is pining for an iPhone for the holiday season. If you know of such a person, then we've got a surprise Black Friday deal for you. AT&T is offering refurbished 16GB iPhone 3Gs for $49 for new customers. That's the shipped price, and they're even waiving the activation fee, normally $35.
The refurbished units have the same warranty as new units so you don't have to worry about getting someone junk. As an owner of a refurbished 3G I can attest to the quality of the devices.
Of course a two-year contract with AT&T's iPhone plan is required, but anyone who's asking for an iPhone probably already knows this. Currently, the 16GB black is out of stock, but the 16GB in white is still available.
(Credit:
Best Buy)
Every year, the Black Friday online circulars hit the Web, and lots of sites round up every Black Friday tech deal under the sun. If you want to see massively long lists with loads of models names that make no sense to you, go over to our friends at ZDNet or Gizmodo. They've done an excellent job compiling everything.
However, if you're trying to sort the real deals from all the crap that's being advertised to lure you into the stores, I've done my best to surface some of the more attractive options out there. The truth is a lot of the so-called deals are already available online from stores like Amazon and others--but a few items do stand out.
Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some deals may appear better to you than us, but here's what we've picked so far. If you feel we missed anything, feel free to point it out in the comments section below, and we'll add it to our showcase. Also, noted doorbuster items will only be offered in limited supplies, so get to stores early--or don't bother.
Click on any image below to start the slideshow.
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Screenshot by John P. Falcone/CNET)
Kindle competitors such as the Sony and Barnes & Noble make a big deal of the fact that their e-book readers are compatible with the ePub file format. That means, unlike the Kindle, that the Sony Reader and forthcoming B&N Nook (as well as other e-readers) can be used to read tens of thousands of free Google Books. Just choose a title, download the ePub version, and transfer it to the compatible reader of your choice. Yes, nearly all of the books and essays in question are public domain classics (and not-so-classic) of yesteryear--the works of authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and the like. But free's free, and these are the sort of canonical works of art that bookworms appreciate reading and re-reading ad infinitum.
But fear not, Kindle owners: you too have access to many of the same public domain titles, numbering in the thousands. The problem is finding them. While many of the freebies tend to pepper the Kindle top seller lists, Amazon doesn't make it easy to find a comprehensive list.
That's where jungle-search.com comes in. ... Read more
On Sale Now: $259.00
View the latest prices for Amazon Kindle wireless reading device (U.S. and international wireless, latest generation)
On Sale Now: $489.00
View the latest prices for Amazon Kindle DX
Vizio's VBR110 goes sub-$100 for Black Friday at Costco.
(Credit: Vizio)We knew it was coming and now it's here: Costco will be serving up Vizio's entry-level VBR110 Blu-ray player for $99.99 on Black Friday. As usual, this comes with the disclaimer: "While supplies last."
In case you're wondering, while the VBR110 is an entry-level player that retails for around $150, it does have an Ethernet port and BD-Live capabilities. And you also get a free HDMI cable.
Here's a complete list of all of Vizio's Black Friday deals:
- Vizio VBR110 Blu-ray player with free HDMI cable: $99.99 at Costco and online at Costco.com from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($40 savings).
- Vizio VSB210WS sound bar with wireless subwoofer: $199.99 at Costco from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
- Vizio VA19LHDTV10T 19-inch HD LCD TV: $178 at Wal-Mart; available now through the end of the year ($30 savings).
- Vizio VA26LHDTV10T 26-inch HD LCD TV: $248 at Wal-Mart from November 21 to 27, while supplies last ($99 savings).
- Vizio VO320E 32-inch HD LCD TV: $339.99 at Sam's Club, Samsclub.com, Costco, and Costco.com; available now through November 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
- Vizio VL320M 32-inch full HD 1080p LCD TV: $399.99 at Costco from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($50 savings).
- Vizio VO400E 40-inch full HD 1080p LCD TV: $599.99 at Costco from December 3 to 20 ($100 savings).
- Vizio VF550M 55-inch full HD 1080p 120Hz LCD TV: $1199.99 at Costco and Costco.com from November 27 to 29, while supplies last ($300 savings).
In a troubled economy, companies and consumers are looking for any advantage they can get. So it is that Best Buy is jumping the gun by as much as nine days on Black Friday, announcing that, starting immediately, shoppers can get Black Friday bargain pricing on select products.
The electronics retailer says that the come-hither pricing will be offered on "certain models of flat panel televisions." It will also feature reduced pricing on some home-theater products. The deals are available in-store and online.
"Best Buy is committed to continuing to offer a superior shopping experience this holiday season," Best Buy's vice president of home theater said in a statement. "Customers can be confident that they are getting some of the best prices in the industry, as well as the convenience of being able to shop when and where they want either in store or online."
Unfortunately, the selection of products that Best Buy will be offering at a discounted price isn't all that deep. A handful of Dynex-branded HDTVs will have a lower price starting on Thursday. The company will have Black Friday pricing on some Samsung HDTV models starting on Sunday. Best Buy didn't provide much more information on the models or the products that will be reduced in price ahead of the Friday after Thanksgiving, historically a huge day for shopping--and bargains.
Regardless, it's an interesting strategy on Best Buy's part. As a company that doesn't have a major direct tech competitor in the big-box space, it's in an enviable position. But the reduced pricing might be a response to expected deals from online sites, such as Amazon.com, that consistently beat Best Buy on pricing. Either way, Best Buy didn't say why it has decided to reduce prices on the early side.
But we can still guess. So what do you think? Why has Best Buy decided to reduce pricing so soon? Are the deals likely to make you start shopping sooner? Let us know in the comments below.
See also: Be prepared for Black Friday tech deals
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
Wal-Mart deals are heating up for Saturday.
(Credit: Wal-Mart)Not content to wait until Black Friday, Wal-Mart announced Wednesday that it will deliver some great deals on assorted tech products this weekend.
Customers shopping in-store on Saturday will find several deals. The company said it will sell the 46-inch Panasonic TC-P46U1 1080p plasma HDTV for $788 that day. It also plans to sell the 42-inch Sharp LC-42SB45U 1080p LCD for just $498.
Besides that, Wal-Mart plans to sell a 15.6-inch HP notebook for $298, a Sony Blu-ray player for $148, and a Magnavox upconverting DVD player for $29.
But it might be the offer on the Xbox 360 Arcade that will attract the most attention. According to Wal-Mart, it will sell the Xbox 360 Arcade for its standard price of $199, but include a $100 Wal-Mart gift card with that purchase. That can cover almost the entire cost of an additional controller and a single game. It can also cut a big chunk out of the cost of a hard drive add-on for the console, if consumers decide to go that route.
Although all these deals will only be offered on Saturday in Wal-Mart stores, it should be noted that many of these deals are available now on Wal-Mart's Web site. That said, beware that the Xbox 360 Arcade offer is already sold out online. Anyone looking to capitalize on it will need to do so in a local store.
Wal-Mart's in-store special offers start at 8 a.m. local time on Saturday. It should be interesting to see if Amazon and other online retailers match Wal-Mart's offer at that time. We'll update this space if they do.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
We don't know how long it will last, but several blogs are reporting that Wal-Mart has rolled back the price on the $168 Magnavox NB530MGX to $98 (in-store only). Apparently, on Father's Day weekend, the same player was selling for $128.
Is the Magnavox NB530MGX any good? It's not a profile 2.0 player (so there's no BD-Live support) and it's about as entry-level as you get. But it is a Blu-ray player, so now all you people who said you'd only buy one when it cost less than $100 have to ante up.
OK, I'm kidding. Still, the fact that we're at $98 is meaningful, and I expect we'll see more of these types of deals as we head into the holiday season (and the recession continues), with better models showing up at less than $150.
But more importantly, when will the discs come down in price? That's holding people back from buying Blu-ray players more than the cost of the machine itself, is it not?
As always, feel free to comment.
Additional reading: Top 25 must-have Blu-ray discs, CNET's Best Blu-ray players
(Source: EngadgetHD via Format War Central)
Wal-Mart is already selling Vizio's 1080p VO420M for $697 online.
(Credit: Walmart)Following the demise of Circuit City, Wal-Mart's been making a big push into the electronics market, and one of its PR folks let us in on a couple of upcoming "deals" on certain LCD TVs. The sale runs from June 14-20, or while supplies last.
- Vizio VO420E 1080p 42-inch LCD ($697)
- Sony Bravia KDL-52S5100 1080p 52-inch LCD ($1,788)
- Sanyo DP37649 720p 37-inch LCD ($398)
We've seen lower prices on the Sony, but the Vizio and Sanyo look pretty close to rock-bottom. (Note: Just checked and Walmart is selling the Vizio VO420M) online for $697. The "M" and "E" series appear to be the same model--or at least very similar).
Update--Here are a few more electronics deals Walmart will be throwing out there for Father's Day:
- Magnavox NB500MGX Blu-ray Disc player ($128 )
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play Wii bundle with Wii Motion Plus Accessory and protective sleeve ($59.96)
- PS3 (80GB) Bundle including Quantum of Solace on Blu-ray Disc and the MLB '09: The Show ($399 )
- Dell Inspiron Black Notebook Computer ($398--not sure which model) or Dell Studio One 19 All-in-one Touch Desktop Computer ($848)
- Canon Pixma Ink Jet Photo Printer with Fax($69)
- Seagate Free Agent Go 250GB Portable Hard Drive($69)
For anybody who complains that Sony's Memory Stick Duo memory cards are too expensive compared with other forms of flash memory, DealExtreme has a solution. It's the StarJade SDHC microSD to Memory Stick MS Pro Duo Adapter Sleeve, which retails for a mere $2.85, including free shipping. Unfortunately, the only problem is that it's illegal (see "update" note at the bottom of the post).
A quick comparison on Amazon for prices of microSD and Memory Stick Duo reveals that an 8GB microSDHC card costs around $20 (with shipping), while an 8GB Memory Stick Duo card comes in around $34 with shipping. (Yes, the adapter supports higher-capacity SDHC microSD cards). Step up to a 16GB card and the delta is about $25, with entry-level 16GB microSDHC cards retailing for around $50.
The description on the product page says the adapter works with a wide variety of portable electronics devices, including cameras and audio players. We can't vouch for the reliability of the adapter but we did order a couple to test out, which we now realize may have been a no-no.
Note: This adapter won't work with the new PSP Go, which uses Sony's Memory Stick Micro (M2).
Update: Mike McCarthy of SanDisk writes: "The microSD-Memory Stick adapter is illegal, unlicensed and infringes on Sony Corp patents. Maybe it's cool to promote this stuff as a 20-year-old blogger, but I thought CNET would have higher standards." As a result of Mike's comment, we have summoned some maturity and edited the post.
