Amazon.com have been running the $100 Gift Card Promotion on Ultrabooks for a while now but it ends on Saturday the 21st July. It’s a good week to buy though because there are some new 2nd-gen Ultrabooks in stock now. If you’ve been waiting, strike now! 
I’ve spent some time going through the offers available and I’ve come up with a selection to suit different types of buyer. Take a look below… Here’s a link to all the Ultrabooks available in the promotion right now.
Today is a great day. Why, you ask? Because the Humble Indie Bundle program just announced something awesome: their first ever Humble Bundle to include Android versions of 5 excellent games. First, let me tell you about the Humble Indie Bundle:
The Humble Bundle Inc. puts together gaming bundles which feature notorious indie games which are “donated” by their respective developers. The bundle is then sold with a name-your-own-price model and you get to decide where the money goes — to the developers, to Humble Bundle Inc. (so they can continue doing what they do), or to charity (or to all three). So not only is it a good cause (if you direct your money toward charity), but it’s also a great way to get some excellent games on the cheap! What’s more, the games are cross-platform, DRM-free, and redeemable on Steam if you’re that sort of gamer.
All Humble Bundle games have been cross-platform for PC/Mac/Linux, but this is the first time where Android versions of all the games are included as well.
The list of games for this bundle includes nothing but award-winning heavy-hitters:
I’ve played all of these except Anomaly, and can confirm that they are great games. Did I mention that the soundtracks come along with the purchase as well? Really, you can’t go wrong here. Of course you should try these demos first to ensure the full games will run acceptably on your Android device. This is a limited offer which will only run for another 14 days. What are you waiting fo? Get ’em while they’re hot!
Thanks to the folks over at deal-a-day site, Woot.com, you have the option of picking up the first ever Honeycomb tablet, the Motorola Xoom, for $399. This is a refurbished 32GB WiFi-only unit. The 10.1 inch tablet is running Honeycomb 3.1 (the latest version).
If you don’t mind picking up a refurbished unit, you’ll be saving yourself a cool $200 off the asking price of $599 that you’ll find for a new WiFi-only Xoom direct from Motorola. This deal even beats the device new from Amazon which would run you $499.
It is my personal opinion that Honeycomb is not yet good enough for the mainstream. If you want value in a tablet today, go buy an iPad 2. The Xoom itself is a decent bit of hardware, if a bit heavy, but the software still needs time to mature. The Android Marketplace is not yet loaded with enough Honeycomb apps to make the Xoom shine as a tablet, and the Honeycomb interface is not intuitive enough for your average user.
That said, you may not be a mainstreamer, and may be willing to put up with Honeycomb’s rough edges for the sweet customizability that is Android’s hallmark. If that’s the case, we’ve had our hands all over the Xoom; if you need some questions answered, feel free to comment below. We’ve also got some Xoom related content that might aid in your potential purchase decision (also check below for specs):
Have a look at the specs:
Don’t forget that this deal be completely gone at 1AM EST, and may sell out (likely will!) before that time comes. Best of luck!
News flash! Woot.com is throwing out the Archos 7 tablet out for an amazing $79.99.
Ok, the truth is that you’re not buying the best of breed tablet this is a refurbished 7 inch (800×480 resolution) WiFi enabled tablet that comes with an old Android 1.6 operating system . The screen is resistive meaning that the touch screen is not going to be responsive to finger action so you will end up pecking with your fingertips instead.
It also runs an old 600Mhz Rockchip processor which is very slow when compared with the current tablets running Tegra2 1Ghz but if using the Archos mostly for audio, video, eBook reading (ie, not a lot of finger to screen interaction), and basic web browsing sans Adobe Flash, then this device will suit you.
Also note that also doesn’t give you the fancy accelerometer (meaning no auto-rotation of the screen), in-built GPS, Bluetooth connectivity or any video output capabilities that most of us take for granted on the most expensive Android tablets these days.
The Archos 7 does comes with some good features though it has a mini USB2.0 interface which allows the tablet to be presented as a mass storage device to the PC for convenient file transfer and also has a kickstand which allows it to be propped up for easy screen viewing. Video playback is around 7 hours.
It comes with 8GB storage and give you the option of expanding more memory via the micro SDHC slot.
I reckon this is a great economical entry tablet for those of you that are looking to dip your feet into the Android tablet waters or looking for a good mobile multimedia entertainment companion.
As usual, remember that Woot.com is a deal a day, so if you’re interested, best to hurry down to their website today before the deal is gone, or before they sell out of stock!
Oh Woot. You always catch me with an awesome tech-related deal right when I’m about to head to sleep. Today the masters of the deal-a-day sale, Woot.com, have a refurbished original iPad 64GB WiFi + 3G for an impressive $499.
If you’re looking to jump into the iPad game, this is a pretty good deal as it beats Apple’s own refurbished iPad offering by $160 (24%). Woot’s price also shaves $120 (19%) off of a brand new original iPad from Amazon.
Data on the iPad is hassle free as you don’t need to sign up for a contract and can purchase data a-la-carte great for trips when you’re unsure whether or not you’ll have access to WiFi.
If you’re wondering if you should instead go with an iPad 2, all you need to know is that the iPad 2 is thinner, lighter, somewhat faster, has front/rear cameras, and is available with AT&T or Verizon 3G. It’s also more expensive.
The iPad is an undeniably well built tablet that still offers one of the better tablet experiences available on the market.
If this deal pertains to your interests, jump over to Woot.com to snag it before it sells out or vanishes at 12:59AM EST! (I’m calling and early sell-out on this one)
Update: As predicted, the Galaxy Tab has already sold out from Woot. Some interesting stats:
During the sale, Woot sold one Galaxy Tab every 27 seconds. The first one sold after only 1 minute and 42 seconds of the deal being available. Total number of units sold was 1755.
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Our favorite deal-a-day site, Woot.com, has a great deal on the tablet that’s been topping our popularity charts for months on end: the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
This particular version is a 16GB WiFi+3G model which doesn’t appear to be well priced on the surface until you realize that you don’t have to sign up for service with your purchase from Woot. A new Galaxy Tab from Sprint without the contract would run you $429. Woot is offering the device (refurbished) for $259 without the contract.
Just in case you aren’t familiar with the well respected tablet, here are the important bits:
Chippy has a wickedly detailed review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab should you desire to consult an expert about a potential purchase:
This is Woot we’re talking about here — they only offer one deal per day. After 12:59am EST, this deal will be gone (and will likely sellout even before), have at it!
The age of HDMI is finally upon us. Go to the store and pick up any HDTV and there’s about a 95% change that it’ll have at least one HDMI port. It’s not just TVs either. From the Motorola Atrix to the Acer Iconia Tab, HDMI is being included on a number of devices for connectivity to monitors and HDTVs.
However, as always tends to happen with new technology, people are jacking prices up tremendously (remember when DVD players used to cost $1000)?
Case-in-point. Motorola is so kind as to offer you a micro-HDMI cable that’ll go just perfectly with your new Atrix as an accessory on their site. How much do they ask for it? $40! And this is only a three foot long cable. Come on Motorola, surely you can do better.
If you are purchasing a cable (that isn’t proprietary) directly from the company that is also selling your gadgetry, they are likely buying from the same cheap source that you could find offered online and jacking up the prices to pass on to you. Cut out the middle man and go straight to the source.
Heading to your local electronics store is just asking to be ripped off. I’ve seen RadioShack asking $50 for a six-foot HDMI cable! The best you’ll find for a micro-HDMI cable from Best Buy is around $30.
With analogue signals, the components that the cables are made out of can arguably affect the quality of the signal as it passes through the cable. Companies like Monster charge some wicked premiums for analogue cables that are described as having a patented 24k gold contact 12-cut Turbine connectors for enhanced signal transfer inch and a dual solid-core centre conductors for deep, tight bass and smooth, natural midrange inch. I could dig up a number of debates about whether or not any of those features actually impact the quality of the signal, but do not let them pull this trick on you with the digital data that runs through HDMI cables.
As a digital stream, the data coming out of the other end of an HDMI cable is all-or-nothing. We’re talking ones and zeros here, not analog signals. As the ones and zeros travel through the HDMI cable, it doesn’t matter what material is conducting them, or how many carats gold your connector is plated in; the ones and zeros will still be read as ones and zeros once received, and that’s the beauty of digital signals.
Yes, quality of the cable is important so that you don’t see breakage after a short period of use, but do not let someone talk you up about the quality of the components in the cable and make you think that you’ll be getting better quality or clarity from the signal as it passes through based on materials this is total BS. (Did I mention that Monster wants $90 for a four-foot HDMI cable?)
Fortunately, it is possible, perhaps even easy, to find a great deal on an HDMI cable. Here are the places I’d check:
Deals.Woot.com The folks at Woot run a number of sites and you’ve likely seen us calling out relevant gadget deals in the past (no affiliation, we promise). They’ve got a neat site called Deals.Woot which is a community-sourced deal site. In a nutshell, community members point out good deals around the web and everyone benefits. The easiest way to approach looking for an HDMI cable is to simply type “HDMI inch in the search box at the top of the page. This’ll show you any currently running deals involving HDMI cables.
For instance, as of this writing, I see a six-foot HDMI cable for $2.39 (likely with a few bucks for shipping). Still, even if shipping was $10, you’d save 76% ($37.61) off of RadioShack’s ridiculous offer!
Amazon.com Amazon sells name-brand products but also functions as a marketplace for more obscure companies. Competition in the Amazon marketplace keeps everyone honest about their prices and the customer benefits. Remember how Motorola wanted $40 for a three-foot HDMI-to-Micro HDMI cable? One search for “micro HDMI inch on Amazon shows a six-foot cable of the same type for $2.85 (including shipping)! That’s a 92% ($37.15) savings which is quite impressive.
I hope this simple guide will help you not get ripped off on future HDMI purchases. Enjoy your cables and your savings!
If you’ve been eyeing the latest iPod Touch, the folks at Woot.com have the 32GB model for $229. This is a refurbished unit, but presumably it’ll work like new.
If you go the Woot route, you’ll save $70 (24%) over the price that you’d be paying if you bought one new from Apple, and $45 (17%) if you bought one new from Amazon. The deal also beats out Apple’s own price on a refurbished 32GB iPod Touch by $30 (12%).
The iPod Touch on offer is indeed the latest-generation (4th) model with an impressively sharp 960×640 display, A4 CPU, rear camera (with HD recording capability), and front camera for FaceTime connectivity (or any other app that uses the front cam). It’s also quite thin.
In the box you’ll find the 32GB refurbished unit, a USB cable for charging and syncing, headphones, and a quick-start guide. As far as I can tell it’ll come in the official packaging as well.
You can’t go wrong with the iPod Touch if you’re looking for a WiFi-only companion device that can easily fit in your pocket.
If you’re interested in this deal, head over to Woot.com. Don’t forget that they offer just one deal per day, so this one will be gone after 12:59AM EST! If you’re clicking on this link any later than the day when this article was posted, you’ll be greeted with some totally random deal!
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