Issue 45.16
It is almost time for our annual review of deals coming up for the holidays. Black Friday deals are already being advertised by many stores and online vendors. Tying super deals to the day after Thanksgiving is giving way to early shopping and internet deals. We will review some of the best of the upcoming deals next time.
This week I wanted to let you know of some of the things out there that have been on the market for at least a few months and are becoming items that everyone would like if they can afford them. These make great gifts if they are in your budget.
The gift I gave our family last year that has been used almost continually since is the Amazon Echo. It connects to your wi-fi and can answer questions much like Siri and Cortana (though it doesn’t do navigation because it is not portable). The main thing we use it for however is music. It is voice activated and you can ask for information, to play a specific song or artist or one of your Pandora or Amazon Music radio stations. We ask it to play Sounds of Sunday each week and it gives us a variety of appropriate music. The grandkids love asking it to play their favorite songs or asking it silly questions. The “Echo” comes in three versions – The Echo at $180, the Tap at $130 and the Dot at $50. The Echo is on sale as I write this for $140 (which is amazing) but I am not sure it will be at that price when you read this. The Echo and Dot are voice activated and the Tap, as the name suggests, activates when you tap the top. The Echo and Tap have really nice speakers in the tall case. The Dot is very small but works just like the Echo. It also has a speaker but it is not as loud or rich a sound as the others. You can hook it up to an external speaker or stereo system through a cable or via BlueTooth. That is the one we will be giving as gifts to some people this year. It sounds great through my Ion Block Rocker Bluetooth Amplifier ($130) but not bad at all just the way it came.
Another great gift idea that is very popular is a variety of “smart” watches. Many of the high end ones connect to your Iphone or Android phone and work like a Bluetooth extension in addition to having some programs available such as activity and health monitoring. There are also similar products for children that have tracking capability so you can keep current on where your child is (or even where they have been during the day).
You can also watch for really good deals as we approach the holidays on large, flat panel TVs and other entertainment items. I am already seeing 55” TVs in the $350 range. Though they are not the high end 4K or Ultra types, they are serviceable and as good as the same size TVs that sold last year for $750. That is pretty amazing and opens some options for those of us on a budget that would like a big tv but have been resisting the cost. Keep an eye out for great laptop deals as well, but check out if they have sufficient memory, power and capabilities. Some companies are selling slow, limited computers at low price points. You may not be happy with those.
It is a good idea to check the reviews on any item you purchase – especially if it is purchased on the internet. Be sure to check out the vendor’s reputation as well, and always remember to have a backup of anything important.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 33 years, 26 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently works as a computer consultant. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.