Blog Archives for November 2011

The dealnews Podcast is sending Episode 187 your way. Catch it ... with your ears! This week, our panel gives a post-game wrap-up of Black Friday 2011: what was hot, what was not, cheers, jeers, and more. Also: Jeff reviews the Motorola DROID RAZR. It's fun stuff!

A house isn't a home without love — and a comfy couch. dealnews is here to help you find the best prices on accoutrements to furnish your abode. We've rounded up this week's home good bargains for just about every room in your house and are proud to offer four Editors' Choice deals from sofas and mattresses, to shower and bath hardware.

We're guessing that you bought yourself a little holiday gift this past Black Friday, but also thought of your loved ones — and now you have to wrap all those presents. To avoid sending all that wrapping paper to the landfill this Christmas, Green Dad has some eco-friendly tips, several of which are also conveniently good for your wallet too.

It's so easy to overspend during the holiday season if you aren't careful; constantly making purchases throughout the month can add up. But nobody wants to kick off the new year with a load of debt! Be wise about your shopping habits this year by keeping in mind a few of these tips to avoid overspending.

The leaves have fallen, and have been raked and bagged. Now snow season is making its way down from the northern climes, and you'll soon have to shovel before you can walk in a winter wonderland. Before you resign yourself to breaking your back tossing snow with the standard shovel, read our feature on the various snow-removal options available — including a pretty nifty levered shovel — that can make your life easier.

We've acquired data about last year's shopping trends, to see what we can expect from this year's holiday season. But we want to hear from you! When are you doing your shopping? Will you buy mainly online or in-store? And what products are you planning on getting? Click here to read the infographic and take our poll.

Another Black Friday is on the books, and while you have another day of good deal-shopping ahead of you on this lovely Cyber Monday, it's time to asses the deals we've seen so far. Who served consumers well, and who stumbled? Read the fifth annual dealnews awards for the best and worst of Black Friday to find out!

Smack dab between Black Friday and Cyber Monday sits Small Business Saturday, a shopping day intended to help the independent retailers of the world. But what's in it for shoppers? As it turns out, Small Business Saturday offers consumers a unique shopping experience, deals with money-back savings, and a whole lot of good will.

Suit up and save big with the Best Black Friday clothing deals that are still available. We've found five Editors' Choice deals for men and women's apparel: a Macy's coupon for $10 off $25, an extra 40% off Levi's, $20 at Old Navy for $10, and more!

Although we've said that toys aren't the best thing to buy on Black Friday, we recognize that many people are itching to get the shopping done. If you just can't put it off, then peruse our roundup of the best Black Friday toy deals that are still available. We've found five Editors' Choice deals: a Gingerbread Boy or Girl from Build-A-Bear for $5 each, a talking bacon plush toy, a Little Tikes outdoor bouncer for $150, and more! New deals are popping up by the minute, and prices are subject to change, so please be sure to check before you buy.

Smile and say cheese for our roundup of the very best Black Friday camera deals we've seen so far. We've found five Editors' Choice deals that are still available: Canon Rebels T1, T2, and T3 each under $650, a waterproof 3D camera, and more. New deals are popping up by the minute and prices are subject to change, so please be sure to check before you buy.

We've been keeping our eyes on the hotness meter all morning, putting together a roundup of the very best of Black Friday's tablet and eBook reader deals we've seen so far. We've found five Editors' Choice deals: an Apple iPad for $480, a B&N NOOKcolor for $119, and three other devices for under $300. New deals are popping up by the minute, and prices are subject to change, so please be sure to check before you buy.

We've been sitting behind our laptops all day, putting together a roundup of the hottest notebook deals from Black Friday sales that are still available for you to compare. We've found five Editors' Choice deals: three HP notebooks, a MacBook Air for $850, and a 16" Gateway for $330, but new deals are popping up by the minute.

Get a clear picture of Black Friday's best HDTV deals with our roundup of the hottest offers for you to consider and compare. We've got a pair of LG HDTVs, a Sony BRAVIA 60" 3D-Ready Widescreen LED-Backlit LCD HDTV for $1,399, and deals on everything in between.

We've been keeping our eyes on the hotness meter all morning, putting together a roundup of the very best of Black Friday's Blu-ray players and disc deals we've seen so far. We've found five Editors' Choice deals: Blu-ray movies starting at just $4 each, a refurbished Blu-ray player with Netflix for $35, and more, but new deals are popping up by the minute.

We've been keeping our eyes on the hotness meter all morning, putting together a roundup of the very best of Black Friday's video game deals so far. We've found five stellar deals: Batman: Arkham City, Halo Reach, Kinect Sports: Season 2, and more.

Every day is almost like Black Friday when it comes to daily deal sites, but how do their offers stack up against deals from retailers on the actual shopping holiday itself? Last Black Friday, sites like Groupon and LivingSocial caught some flack when they ignored the shopping holiday and offered only their standard discounts. This time around, we may be in store for something special.

The dealnews Podcast is broadcasting Episode 186 to your ears! This week, the gang talks about everything you wanted to know about Black Friday, including deals that might be worth shopping in-store for, things you should avoid buying, the Apple Black Friday sale, and more. Enjoy!

You know the holidays have come around again when your neighbor begins to set up his elaborate holiday display just after Thanksgiving. Don't be the only house on the block without some holiday spirit. We've got some tips on how to easily and cost-effectively embrace this celebratory winter season.

Numerous recent surveys have indicated that more consumers are planning to shop from their mobile phone during the holiday season, and several retailers predict increased numbers for Black Friday specifically. (It does seem pretty convenient, since Black Friday now starts on Thanksgiving day; you can shop without leaving the presence of family!) Will you partake in m-commerce this year?

Although we list hundreds of deals each day during Black Friday weekend, sometimes you'll encounter an offer while shopping that doesn't appear on our site. How then can you discern whether it's actually a great bargain, or if you can get a better deal somewhere else? Here's eight steps to follow to make sure you're getting the most out of your Black Friday purchases.

Every year during Black Friday weekend, the dealnews staff scours the Internet for all the deals that are fit to print. Since this entails a few extra-long shifts, we're also experts on how to cope with working late. We polled our staff to see what keeps them going during the shopping extravaganza and put it into our Black Friday Preparedness Guide!

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing about the future of Apple, Google, and Amazon? No? Well neither are we! That's why we put all the latest buzz from the Internet into one place, the Rumor Roundup! Go on, indulge your guilty pleasures!

Although winter has yet to start officially, the weather throughout much of the country already has got many looking forward to a warmer weather reprieve. But why wait six months for summer in order to exchange your boots for flip-flops and work emails for beach reads? Take a trip to Mexico while temperatures are mild and the beautiful beaches aren't overrun with co-eds on spring break. We've found six vacation deals for resorts on the Riviera Maya, in proximity to the cities of Cancún and Playa del Carmen.

Laptops are a hot item around Black Friday, so it comes as no surprise that we've already seen at least 65 laptop ads — with many more to come. To help you separate the gimmicks from the doorbusters, we've combed through each of the ads and highlighted the best laptop deals so far, including numerous offers that meet our Black Friday prediction prices.

Chances are your seasonal holiday shopping will cost you, even with all of the great dealnews deals you'll find. But there's something even better than a great bargain, and that's "free!" With Black Friday sales waiting in the wings, we've found five freebies that will help you stretch your holiday shopping budget just a bit further.

We here at dealnews can get just as excited about a great hard drive deal as we can any of the other "big" Black Friday offers. That's why we eagerly sifted through the hard drive ads that have popped up so far. Unfortunately though, we haven't found much to get excited about — yet.

One of the hottest items for Black Friday weekend is the HD television, with many sizes predicted to hit all-time lows. We've picked through the numerous Black Friday ad leaks to bring you the best HDTV offers that we've seen so far, which includes some impressive discounts from Target, Best Buy, Sam's Club, Walmart, and more.

Black Friday makes many of our staff members "feel like a kid in some kind of a store." (Simpsons reference, Google it.) So, while we're devoted to working the entire weekend to bring you the best deals on the web, we also like to take that time to do a bit of shopping ourselves. And wouldn't you, dealnews readers, be curious to know what our deal-shopping experts are on the hunt for? Look no further than our staff's Black Friday Wish List!

Black Friday is just around the corner, and while all of us at dealnews will say you're better off shopping online rather than in-store, there may be some deals that you think are worth trekking outside for, leaving the comfort of your home in the wee hours of the morning. So let's look at some ways to to optimize your Black Friday experience by prepping your car for the shopping madness.

Attention gamers looking for a bargain: dealnews has sifted through all the Black Friday ads on our site to bring you this roundup of video game console offers. We've highlighted some of the best deals that are rumored to be available, so you can start planning where to shop now.

The dealnews Podcast is ready to send Episode 185 your way! This week we talk about Google TV, the Steam service hack, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for Atari, and the low down on why more retail stores are opening for Black Friday on Thanksgiving.

While most HDTVs on sale during Black Friday will likely be from an unknown manufacturer, our research shows that you won't have to wait very long thereafter to see the same deep discounts on big-brand names. If you hold your horses remote and wait it out, you'll likely wind up with a better TV or a better price ... or both! But how long should you wait?

Most of us don't go around thinking about the joys of data storage, and then it happens: Your computer crashes, or you're in immediate need of a flash drive to hand-off an important document. We've got five data storage deals — four of which are Editors' Choice-caliber — that will address all aspects of your storage needs, from thumb drives to an SDHC card.

Black Friday is not just a day-long event — especially this year. Several stores have already announced plans to open at midnight on Friday, and some even on Turkey Day itself. Which stores are opening their doors first? And is the initiative to start so early actually a good thing?

Are you a person who likes to do your own home repairs? Just be sure you're equipped with the right power drill, one of the most useful tools for the budding repairman. With the appropriate bits, drills can drive or remove screws and bolts, cut with a saw blade, sand with a drum sander bit, polish with a wire brush, and much more. Here's a rundown of the features you should look for when shopping for a drill, as well as a handful of deals on both beginner's and advanced models.

As we get closer to Black Friday, more and more ads keep finding their way onto the Internet. And with the number of rumored offers now mounting, it can be a tad overwhelming for a shopper to sift through. So allow us to assist you! We've rounded up some of the most notable offers, including a significant jump in electronics deals and a very impressive ad from Best Buy.

With its latest round of eBook readers, Amazon has solidified its position as the eBook juggernaut to beat. But Barnes & Noble isn't going to give up without a fight, and the once-dominant retail giant has followed suit and slashed prices on its new line of NOOK readers. But when it comes to deals and pricing, is Amazon still king of the hill? We dug through our deal archives to find out which tablet sees the better bargains.

Around Black Friday, the term "bait and switch" gets thrown around quite a bit, but let's be clear: There's "Bait and Switch" and then there's "bait and switch." One is a legal definition, prosecutable, and the other is colloquial, used liberally to designate unfair merchant practices. But in the Internet age, do retailers still attempt to use this promotional tactic to draw big crowds for Black Friday sales?

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing about the future of Apple, Google, and Amazon? No? Well neither are we! That's why we put all the latest buzz from the Internet into one place, the Rumor Roundup! Go on, indulge your guilty pleasures!

Known for its parks, the two tallest buildings in the world, Prohibition history, its theatre scene, Jazz, and more, Chicago has sights for all kinds of travelers. We've found several deals on flights, hotels, and entertainment to help make a trip to Chi-town as affordable and enjoyable an excursion as possible.

The holidays will soon be upon us, and where you get your toys may not be of that much concern to you, so long as you grab a bargain. However, our Green Dad columnist, Lou Carlozo, believes there are other concerns to keep in mind, like safety and eco-friendliness. So we've rounded up deals on some eco-smart picks that even adults will want to get their hands on, from flying discs to working windmills.

Nearly half of our readers are planning to stay at home on Black Friday, relishing the additional day off spent surfing the web for deals. But just because you're skipping the crazy lines in-store, does that mean you can also skip the early wake-up? Perhaps — but you may be missing out.

Did you know that you can buy everything you'll need to make Thanksgiving dinner on the Internet? Well you can! Check out our Online Thanksgiving Buying Guide, in which we show you how you can shop for the "big day" from the (relative) safety of your own home.

With features (and prices) that span from novice to professional, finding the right digital camera for your photography style can be a little complex. We're here to point out a handful of top digital camera deals, to help you shoot better photos. (See what we did there?)

Black Friday is still two weeks away, but already we've seen sneak peeks into Black Friday sales from a number of merchants. From Lowe's to Amazon and retailers in between, the sales are starting earlier and earlier each year. But are these Pre-Black Friday sales the cream of the crop for the season? We think not!

The dealnews Podcast is broadcasting Episode 184 towards you, so open your ears and let us in! This week, for the first time ever, our panel sits in the same room and records face-to-face-to-face! While staring at each other, we discuss Apple owning up to battery problems, Consumer Reports handing out a "recommends" to the iPhone 4S, Amazon's Kindle Lending Library, the new NOOK Tablet, Verizon doubling its data plans, and more.

It's still early, but already we've seen leaked Black Friday ads from Kohl's, Sears, Lowe's, JCPenney, Macy's, and more. (See that Black Friday tab on the top right? They're all listed there.) To get you started on your quest for rumored and confirmed Black Friday deals, we've rounded up some of the notable discounts from the early-bird ads.

Price matching can give consumers an edge when shopping over the holidays, but not every retailer offers a price match guarantee. Even those who do offer it will adhere to different policies, and some won't honor those policies at all during Black Friday weekend. We've gathered a few tips you should keep in mind when shopping this holiday season, as well as a couple merchants who offer the best policies for Black Friday.

Are you tired of reading rumors about the latest technology? Sick of hearing about the future of Apple, Google, and Amazon? No? Well neither are we! That's why we put all the latest buzz from the Internet into one place, the Rumor Roundup! Go on, indulge your guilty pleasures!

You may already be doing the math to see how you can afford some of your most-wanted purchases around Black Friday, and rather than running up a credit card bill, consider making small changes in the day to day. Follow these tips and before you know it, you'll have a fatter wallet to make the most of the deep discounts we're sure to see on Black Friday.

Did you know that some "energy saving devices," are products that just sport a green label in an attempt to get you to cough up the big bucks? Just because an item is deemed "energy saving" doesn't mean the doodad is actually doing any good. Green Dad looks at five gadgets and their potential energy saving capabilities.

November is the start of the holiday shopping season, and while there are plenty of discounts to be had, sooner or later you're bound to find yourself disillusioned with one of your purchases. That's when it pays to know your store's return policy. So before your next purchase, brush up on our return policy cheat sheet for 2011's top 10 most-deal friendly online stores.

The dealnews Podcast is broadcasting Episode 183 into your earholes! This week, the end of Bank of America's debit card fees, Apple iPhone 4S' battery issues, movie rental changes, Amazon's restricted gift card, and more.