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sdn40

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Posts posted by sdn40

  1. Has anyone seen a date yet for the $29.99 Echo Dots?

     

    I was given instructions to get these for gifts recently so I need at least 2, maybe 3 and it sure would be easier to get them from Amazon than at the other stores that are advertising them as doorbusters on BF.

    I don't believe they are listed as doorbuster at Best Buy

    Can someone give the the condensed version on how you use the Echo Dots?

    Plug it in, acquire your wireless internet signal via app on phone or tablet - done.

    For various uses - youtube videos are your best source of info - the list is long - getting my daughter one this year

    The dot is definitely the way to go if Echo is your choice

  2. Not to mention the shipping games they are playing. I'm convinced they hold back on shipping in order to try to make Prime more appealing. Sometimes they even hold just one item.

    I plan accordingly and take advantage of the lower prices and the reviews (be careful of those as well, make sure they aren't fake).

    They are still the best place to shop, and they know it, but they aren't what they used to be

    • Like 1
  3. Both my iPhone's are with them so I'm not going anywhere. I'm pleased with my service with them but I am interested in learning more about the fine print. Just want to know how much they will add to my bill for the mini. Thanks for the heads up I will do my research.

     

    I am not an expert, but it all has to do with the data plan they make you purchase for it. Expensive and near useless as you burn thru it in no time. And of course overage costs are off the charts. A friend of mine who was not well informed was shocked at what it was costing her and she went in and told them to shove it. Don't know how that ended. Also if you have to make payments on it, it's no longer the advertised price, you may have interest tacked on. Make sure you know the numbers. They try to hide the real final costs. At the end of the day, buying one that isn't attached to a carrier is the much better deal 99.99% of the time.

    • Like 1
  4. I am surprised as well. Although, I want to say the iPad mini 2 is essentially the same price it was last year once you factored the gift card in, I believe. There is a lack of gift cards with Apple products throughout the ad; last year it seemed like they gave a gift card with everything.

     

    Maybe there was some feedback. I'm one that says just cut the price, stop trying to make me come back and spend even more money via a card.

    I'll take the $20 cash savings over a $20 gift card (that you always seem to spend $50 to use) every day of the week

  5. I'm sure you have already done this, but make sure you know what your daughters expectations are. She may no longer want or need to be in the immediate rush of things. I'm sure she knows what may be in store for herself as well and understands that some adjustments may need to occur. At the end of the day, spending BF with her mother and or friends in whatever capacity possible is what really matters. That trumps any dumb doorbuster. She can be part of a pre or post shopping restaurant or coffee shop stop as well so add that in if you already haven't. Never lose sight of the fact that its not about the items in the shopping cart, but the memories of the journey.

  6. We always do gift cards to Target, Subway along with some Lindour chocolates or fancy candy.  However, IF I could score a nice Yeti mug on BF for $20 or less would be great!

     

    How about $10 ??

    Do yourself a favor and google Ozark Trail mug. They sell them at Walmart and there are dozens of youtube videos where they compare exactly to the Yeti. I think Yeti even has a lawsuit against Ozark Trail.

    They come in 2 sizes. Some Walmarts were selling out as people were buying them and trying to ebay them.

    • Like 2
  7. Yea, just remember you are paying a heck of a premium for the portability of the tablet portion of the Surface. To use it as a laptop, you are not saving any space. Also make sure you know what kind of keyboard and screen you are getting. A portable system with a tiny, low resolution screen and crappy keyboard make for an expensive system that is a pain in the butt to use. I haven't researched it at all, so I don't know if that's the case, but just giving a heads up that there are most certainly some compromises with that system that you have to be willing to live with. Cost being number one. You really have to know if you can get the most out of what the Surface has to offer because you can get a really nice laptop for a lot less

  8. I've been researching for my daughter (I'm anti-Apple). My research thus far:

    Ipad Mini I has a non retina screen and operating system may not have much time left. I will stay away from that.

    Difference between Mini II and III is negligible, so much so that III is not an option for me

    Mini IV is pricey - but it is an upgrade. Just too much for my liking.

    The sweet spot is definitely the Mini II and can be gotten refurb from Apple

    Ipad Air 2 refurb might be worth it - it has the better chip and bigger screen

    Refurbs come with new case and battery regardless of whats wrong, and a one year warranty

    As always - do your research

  9. I wasn't a believer in Chromebooks - but I am now. 

    Bought one for my 10 year old daughter last year and she loves it. They come in colors kids like, they are light, very tough to get a virus, and you don't have to worry if someone sits on it or steps on it because they are affordable. Schools use Chromebooks so it also gets them a head start. I even bought myself one for browsing. As always, do your research. Windows machines seem like a tangled mess to me now. 

  10. This site is slowly dying [emoji17] not as many people with the first ad only days away. No annual "guess the ad" posts. What happened?

     

    Not surprising. It's no longer an underground secret of stolen scans. Every Tom Dick and Harry knows whats on sale long before Gray Thursday. I'm guessing more and more stores will just go ahead and release their ads two weeks ahead of time. The fun is slowly being sucked out of Black Friday

  11. Against my anti - Apple beliefs, I may be looking for an ipad for my daughter. In school internet seems to only be Apple friendly for some reason.

    I'm all about original refurbished if I can do it, and there are many available currently on Apples website.

    Question is, will the availability of these items be more and more scarce as xmas draws near ?

    I'm kind of thinking they will be gobbled up and be hard to get once December hits.

     

    Am I right ?

  12. Kohls is an absolute zoo here. 

    Compounding matters is the fact that their checkouts are not just in one location which causes mazes of people throughout the whole store. 

    You would have to give me mucho Kohls cash just to walk in there in the heat of BF, much less try to buy something and check out

  13. Beware of your expectations. Most mainstream cameras these days are pretty good at what they can do. Peoples expectations make them seem like bad cameras.

    Number one on the list is low light / indoor shots. Unless you have a higher end camera and or are a master at custom settings, temper your expectations. Point and shoots simply cant deal with these conditions the way most people would like them to. Throw in some movement and you can forget about it entirely. IMO for the most part, if you stick with a name brand decent camera and take pictures in decent light, not much separates them

  14. FYI on chromebooks.

    I just purchased an Asus C300 for my 10 year old daughter's birthday. I was a bit skeptical, but totally happy with the purchase. Chromebooks usually come in color combos kids love. They are feather light. The simplicity of Chrome prevents kids from messing things up, you can refresh the machine in less than 60 seconds. Also lots of schools are using Chromebooks so it certainly doesn't hurt to have your child get a leg up. The screens are not top of the line as far as viewing angles etc, but my daughter said hers is just fine. Also I think you have to use a wireless printer. For internet and youtube and google docs, I wouldn't hesitate to go this route again. And for the price I dont have to be too crazy about her having an accident with a more expensive windows machine. Google "Best Chromebooks" and you will get a great idea of which names keep popping up. Sometimes simple is much better

    • Like 1
  15. Can someone tell me whats so great about these things and what they even do?

     

    They are a heavy bass headphone accompanied by a genious marketing campaign. There are numerous headphones that produce a more accurate, better sound for less money, but don't have the street cred or look so they get passed over by the younger generation. 

    • Like 1
  16. Sorry. Amazon (courtesy of the Kindle) has the e-book market by the balls, and they have shown no compunction about giving 'em a little squeeze every now and then. However, you CAN get Kindle apps for lots of other devices, which means consumers can very easily choose devices that will enable them to buy Kindle books AND still read books in other formats (so it's not really like Apple).

     

    Also, the Kindle Fire models are Android tablets, with the limitation that you don't get access to the Google Play store, and have to buy your apps through the Amazon Appstore. On the other hand, there's something to be said for having immediate access to Amazon customer service if you have even the slightest hiccup with your tablet.

    Thanks for the info. I knew there was a reason I shied away from the Kindle. I'm one of those that doesn't like to be told I have to buy special programs from a special place at most likely a special price; ala Apple.

  17. A google search will answer your question. You will get no updates on either of the tablets. From my research, it may be a deal the day you buy it, but will it still be a deal in two months when it becomes a paperweight ? There is an article saying the walmart tablet is in the top 5 to avoid, and the kmart tablet ..... is a kmart tablet.

    I don't want to be too critical, and far be it for me to understand someone else's financial situation, but I will say this. If you buy a doorbuster at a cheap price and it is a pain in the butt from day one, and dies with no warranty support, it's essentially a waste of money and a frustration for your kids. My ex bought my daughter a doorbuster mp3 player and it was a nightmare just to get music on the thing and soon found its way into a drawer, my daughter disappointed. When it comes to a tablet, I wanted my butt to be covered by a warranty and I want the thing to do what its supposed to do. That lead me to the Sero 7 Pro. Plugged it in and my daughter was watching you-tube videos and listening to music in 5 minutes. I paid $129 and $15 for the extended warranty. I am guaranteed that my daughter will have a working tablet for 2 years, even if she breaks it. Now that's a bargain. It will also receive software updates, something your doorbusters will not get. Can you buy a $49 tablet and get lucky ? Sure. Would I bet my money on it ? No. Remember google is your friend, get a warranty, and there is always a good reason why the doorbuster is so cheap and the store doesn't carry the item every day.

    • Like 1
  18. we had them replace 1 and they were great about it...they sent us a refurb but said it was still covered so no worries...within 6 months refurb had same issue. I really was ready to blame myself (and my kid) and then started researching....it is/was a major issue with them. My step moms went within the yr. Was replaced and replacement went before another year was up...so between just the 3 of us we had 6 kindles ALL do the same exact thing. I have called till i had the # memorized. I have done live chats. The answer is "yes there was an issue with the charging ports. Its been fixed in the new HD one though" basically across the board. I would even PAY to have it serviced but they don't offer it. Honestly a company that will not service its own proprietary hardware is not a company I will continue to shop with

     

    Ok the front runner for me so far is the 99$ one at walmart. Tell me why I dont want it LOL  http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/BlackFridayScans/WalMart/18

     

    front runner for DD is $70 from kmart http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/BlackFridayScans/Kmart/31

     

    My question is....to not have to station people at 2 stores is the $29 savings worth it??? is the Walmart one a better deal? am i missing something obvious?

    A google search will answer your question. You will get no updates on either of the tablets. From my research, it may be a deal the day you buy it, but will it still be a deal in two months when it becomes a paperweight ? There is an article saying the walmart tablet is in the top 5 to avoid, and the kmart tablet ..... is a kmart tablet.

    • Like 1
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