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Guides

3 Facebook Tricks You Might Not Know About

Facebook is used for everything these days. And despite the fact that you probably log in to Facebook every day (and most likely don’t even bother to log out), you might not know about these 3 neat tricks you can use on the social media platform.

Know when pictures of you are made public, and have the final say as to who sees them

Sure, Facebook sends you a notification whenever someone tags you in a picture. So technically, you should be aware of where your pretty face is being posted, and by whom. But what if you missed or dismissed the notification and can’t quite remember who posted what where? To see all the pictures you’re tagged in, go to the Activity Log and click on Photos, then Photos of You. You then have a few choices, like seeing all public pictures you’re tagged in and whether or not they appear on your timeline. You can modify these settings using the “edit” pencil icon.

See messages Facebook has sent to your ‘spam’ folder

Technically, Facebook doesn’t even have a “spam” folder. But it does have a “Message Requests” folder, where Facebook sends what it thinks is junk ‘mail’ so you don’t have to do it yourself. Unfortunately, Facebook’s sorting powers aren’t always efficient. Messages sent from people you may (or may not) know or be friends with might end up in there, so it’s worth taking a look at that folder from time to time. Mine usually are messages that I have no interest in, but I once found a message from a complete stranger who shared my last name and who was looking for a long-lost relative. I wasn’t the person she was looking for, but we had a nice chat nonetheless.

Log out of any device wherever you are

Have you ever borrowed a friend’s computer to check your Facebook account while visiting and realized when you got home that you forgot to log out? I have. It’s good to know that you can log out of any device remotely. Just go to “Settings”, then “Security and Login” and then “Where You’re Logged In”. From here, you can see all the devices you’re logged in on and log out of however many you want to, or scroll all the way down to log out of all of them at once.

Now go check that hidden message folder!

Jul 23, 2017 0 comment

Guides Smartphones

Guide to Buying iPhone Insurance

written by Elias Stevens

Phone accidents can happen to anyone and the expenses that arise from a cracked, dented, bent or drowned iPhone could be far reaching. According to statistics from SquareTrade, insurers of personal tech, damaged iPhones have cost Americans $10.7 billion between 2007 and 2014. Most of that money was spent on replacements and repairs. Since Apple charges for uninsured repairs and their basic AppleCare does not cover incidental damage, an insurance plan for your iPhone could come in handy.

1. What to look out for while shopping for insurance plans

What features should the insurance package include? The consumer should look out for the duration of time covered by the insurance, whether you will pay a one-off fee or the fee is paid on a monthly basis, the deductibles, the cancellation policy of the plan and the incidents covered such as theft, loss and water damage. The plan should also be clear on the replacement policy and outline how many replacements are allowed, the model of the replacement and the guaranteed time when the replacement will take effect.

2. Getting the best price

A good policy should come with reasonable pricing. There are cheap packages that start from as low as £3 per month, but they will usually have lots of exclusions such as water damage and screen damage. So when picking your policy make sure you check to see if everything you feel you need covering if covered. While considering pricing, apart from the monthly fee one should consider the excess fees. An excess fee is a set amount you will need to pay upfront before any claim is settled on top of your monthly fee. Companies may sneakily lower the monthly fee by upwaiting the excess fee, meaning at first glance it appears cheaper, but if you need to file a claim it may actually come out the same or more expensive than policies with more expensive monthly fees and reduced excess fees. The last thing to think about is how to find good deals. Price comparison sites are a great way of comparing a huge range of insurance providers so that you are able to find the best price quickly.

3. Insurance policy providers

There are many different companies offering iPhone insurance policies. The most obvious option being companies that specialise in iPhone insurance such as specific gadget and mobile insurance providers. Then there are Apples own insurance plans known as Applecare and AppleCare+ which is more comprehensive than the basic AppleCare and includes protection against accidental damage etc. There are also other insurance providers like Asurion who work with telecoms like T-Mobile and Verizon under different policies. Protect Your Bubble, SquareTrade, Greek Squad and Ensquared are just a few of other insurance providers with policies for iPhones.

Phone owners can also look to banks for their Cellular Telephone Protection covers. The phone owner pays an agreed amount called a cellular plan monthly using their credit card/debit card. The banks don’t have a limited contract term, and you can file up to two claims per year. Lastly, find out if you can include your iPhone in your homeowner’s insurance, and the extra cost per month.

Jul 10, 2017 0 comment

Guides

Third-party services your business needs to grow

written by Web Desk

No business is an island. And we mean that in the actual sense possible. Big conglomerates do this, successful businesses are doing this. If you are to succeed in your trade, you need the help and expertise of providers who will help you make the most out of your tools and strategies.

Here are a couple of third-party services you should consider to make your business grow.

IT support services. One of the major challenges your business will face and trying to handle all IT support in-house can result to a large amount of money. Not only will you need to regularly train staff to keep them updated on all of the modern technologies, but you’ll also be facing the cost of things like new hardware, replacement hardware for old/broken ones, software and more.

Eliminate this issue by outsourcing to IT support services to get rid of these costs and substitute them with one monthly fee that will not change unless agreed upon, so you always know what exactly you’re spending.

Accounting services. You may know the ins and outs of your business, but in some cases, good accounting can be hard. For the sake of your business, it’s recommended to hire a company that offer professional accounting services. Many business owners benefit by making use of accounting related services as they can assist you with many processes, including business finance advice, bookkeeping services, auditing, taxes, etc.

By hiring professionals that will focus on your accounting and financial needs, you will be able to focus more on the core business activities, grow your brand, and earn a profit.

Merchant services. Merchant services, particularly advanced ones give businesses the ability to provide electronic transactions to their customers. Before your business can make use of merchant services, you must first have a merchant account. A bank will provide your business with a merchant account upon request and approval. Merchant accounts are crucial for a business if it processes credit and debit cards.

Through merchant services, you’ll be able to process credit and debit card transactions, accept fuel cards, accept payments by check provide employees with payroll cards, and accept gift cards.

Printing services. Did you know that up to 40% of IT help desk calls can be traced to print-related issues? This can take highly-skilled IT staff away from profit-creating work. This shows that managing a printing fleet is complex and time-consuming. Many organisations also suffer from increasing costs to their printing environment because of lack of visibility, undiscriminating printing practices, or not having enough number or type of printing devices.

If your business uses or relies on printing, then you need professional print services starting with print consulting, change management up to fleet management.

End Note

Not only can third-party providers save your business money, they can also boost organisational productivity at the same time. While addressing issues by yourself is definitely possible, it won’t allow you to handle issues appropriately and continue to run your business effectively at the same time.

As your business continues to grow and progress. It will only be natural to look for more ways to improve your processes and increase production to gain more profit. Start with the above services as you see fit.

Jun 8, 2017 0 comment

Computer Software Guides

Bombed your Hard Disk? – Hard Disk Recovery for Beginners

written by Elias Stevens

Hard Disk Recovery isn’t that hard

It seems like such a long time since we thought of this one. A recent hiccup in our operations brought everything back to remembrance–because we had to do this again. It wasn’t any one person’s fault really. If we had to blame anyone, we’d blame our coffee pot going empty late one night and sleep typing. Bombing your Disk Drive is no laughing matter. Hard Disk Recovery is one of the most time consuming processes and if you happen to have erased data that costs money? That’s an extra headache and crossed fingers you have to deal with when you start to consider your options for Hard Disk Recovery. Thankfully, we’ve already had the bad luck of doing just that and what we’ve learned is going to help you navigate this strange new world.

The first thing to remember is not to panic

These things happen and at most you might have a few days to recoup. At worst you’re looking at a week and possibly finding older copies of files that couldn’t be recovered. Hard Disk Recovery is not a guaranteed thing. You’ll probably lose some portion of what you erased even when recovered. You just have to hope what’s lost forever isn’t a file that’s irreplaceable.

Next we need you to get to this website for Data Rescue PC.

Once you have that downloaded, install, and move to the next step.

Upon opening the application you get to choose which disk drive to look through. Choose the one you want and begin scan. If you need to stop, just click on the box in the upper right corner of the dialogue box and it will ask you if you want to create a scan.bin file in to save where you’re going to leave off once you quit. It would be a great idea to save it under a name you’ll remember and put it in a place you won’t forget it.

Depending on your Hard Disk capacity the scan will take between an hour to overnight. When we first scanned our 4TB HDD it took us all night. This task WILL use a large percentage of your CPU so it would make sense to do this scan when you won’t be using your PC.

Once you start, find something else to do, kick up your feet, take a nap, read a book, or go out and have a drink.

When the scan is finished, open your scanned partition and choose what you want to save. Prompts onscreen should help you navigate and answer any specific questions but the process is pretty straightforward.

ProSoft Engineering Inc. Data Rescue PC Download Page

Please don’t hesitate to watch our video where we install a Hard Disk, write to it, erase it, then recover it here:

Hard Disk Recovery Video

Save

Oct 1, 2016 0 comment

Computer Hardware Gadgets Guides

Everything You Need To Know About Ink Cartridges

written by Web Desk

You simply cannot go shopping for some great ink cartridges if you do not know what the available types are. The printer cartridges are normally created in work with a family of printers or with a specific device. You can find them in many combinations, based on the device that they are intended for. It is hard to find them on the lists of the best gadgets available on the market since they are fairly simple at the core. However, there are still various things that you have to consider as you shop.

Before you go shopping for printer cartridges, remember the following factors so that your choice could be really simple.

Understanding Less-Known Terms

Printer cartridges are normally really general but in some cases you will end up seeing some terms that you surely do not know much about. This includes:

Combined and single color ink cartridges – cartridges normally come as combined units or as single units. Black is normally a single unit because of the fact that most people print a lot of text. Higher end printers can include combined cartridges with black, yellow, cyan and magenta, used in different percentages to create all colors.
Starter or high capacity cartridges – starter cartridges are normally included in the printer when you buy it. These are smaller than the regular size. As opposed, the high capacity cartridges will include much more ink than a standard ink cartridge.
Dye-Based or Pigment Based – These are the two types of ink that are included in cartridges these days. The pigment ones will be better when you print on paper while the dye based cartridges will soak in paper so they are better on other surfaces.

Ink Cartridge Types

The ink cartridge type that you need will depend on the model and make of the used printer. You need to research availability and costs of the replacement cartridges even before you purchase the printer. That is because in some cases you will end up paying a lot more than you imagined on the long run.

The most common ink cartridge types that you will buy in your life are the following.

OEM Ink Cartridges

These cartridges are basically manufactured by the same company that also made the printer. They will normally be of the highest possible quality. There is a guarantee that fit will be perfect and the yield will be as high as it can be while failure rate will be the lowest. The problem with them is that they are normally expensive. If you value precision and lasting results, these are the ones you will want to take into account.

Compatible Ink Cartridges

These are cartridges that are made by another company, a third party manufacturer. They are sold new and are normally really cheap when compared with the OEM ink cartridges. In many cases the design will fit various printers. That is not always a rule as there are OEMs that patent designs, making it quite impossible to find a legal replica. Third party cartridges can end up not fitting as well as the OEM item does.

One thing of importance that should be mentioned is that these are cartridges that will not offer the same quality as the OEM models. In the event that you need durability, print accuracy and completely crisp quality, you will have to focus on the OEM models instead of the compatible ones.

Other Ink Cartridge Types

You can also buy refurbished or remanufactured cartridges. These are older ink cartridges that were refilled after being reconditioned. Empty or discarded cartridges will be taken by a third party service or by the OEM and repaired. Then they are cleaned and ink is added. Based on what original item was used, the quality that appears varies.

Many think that the refilled cartridge is the same as the remanufactured cartridge. This is not the case. In this situation we have cartridges that were only refilled, not reconditioned. In many cases they can be pretty messy and quality does tend to vary the most.

Replacing And Storing The Ink Cartridges

Before you buy ink cartridges for your printers, you want to look at storing and replacing them. Such information can be quite important, based on printer model. There are so many things that people are not aware of and that can lead towards the unwanted situation in which the cartridge is damaged to the point of no possible repair.

Make sure that you will keep the printer cartridges away from direct sunlight, extreme heat or extreme cold. Both refurbished and OEM cartridges are going to remain in a much better working condition when this is the case. All printer manufacturers recommend that you will replace the ink cartridge before it will run out of ink. That is because damage can be caused when using ink cartridges that do not have ink or that include dry ink. The printhead is the part oc the cartridge that is the most important. Make sure that you do not touch it when you replace the printer.

Keep in mind that when you buy an OEM cartridge and even some third party cartridges you will receive some manufacturer instructions. Respect everything that is mentioned as you remove or install the ink cartridges to be sure that no damage will happen to the printer.

Conclusions

At first glance it seems so easy to buy ink cartridges but as you noticed from above, there are many things that you have to know. Remember that you have to learn all that you can about the printer that you currently own. In some cases you will be faced with various choices that are not great and you will be tempted by the really low price. Make sure that you fully understand the exact quality that you are after and that you actually need. Do not make a sacrifice.

As an example, it is possible to save a lot of money when you buy compatible cartridges but if the quality of the print will not be as great as it should be, you will need to focus on the OEM cartridges. That is an issue with the professional users that simply cannot make any quality sacrifice.

Aug 1, 2016 0 comment

Guides

The Best Ways to Cash in Old Gadgets

written by Megan Ray Nichols

Take a look in a closet or drawer and there’s a good chance you’ll find at least a few broken or old electronic items stashed inside. They once were things you probably couldn’t live without, but now you may be wondering why you’re hanging onto them. Many people don’t know how to safely get rid of old electronics, so they put them aside and plan to deal them later.

Fortunately, there are several ways you can trade in those gadgets for cash or upgrades to simultaneously get rid of clutter and pad your wallet.

Sell them on eBay

This popular site is a good choice if your gadget is in relatively good condition. The amount of money you can expect to sell it for depends on the item and how many other people are offering similar items. If desired, you can allow people to buy the item at a set price, rather than dealing with the often-unpredictable bidding process.

Join a Facebook Group

If your gadget still works, or could at least be used for parts, consider joining a Facebook group for people who are buying or selling electronic items. Usually, it’s possible to find one in your community, which could help you save on shipping costs. However, some Facebook groups are only intended for people who want to give away items, rather than sell them, so you’ll need to read the rules carefully before posting.

Use the Amazon Trade-In Program

Amazon allows customers to take part in a trade-in program that accepts items including DVDs, electronics, and textbooks. A successful trade can earn you an Amazon gift card, and since the website is known as “The Everything Store,” you’ll probably be able to find almost anything you could ever need. Be sure to use the search feature beforehand to get a good idea of the amount you’d expect to get from the unwanted items.

Head to a Best Buy Store

Best Buy is another one of the many major retailers that offers a trade-in program, so people can exchange their old electronics for gift cards. This approach is a good route to take if you already have your sights set on a newer tablet or other gadget. There’s even an online calculator that allows you to estimate your average trade-in value, which could be helpful in determining whether this option is worthwhile.

Trade in Your iPhone at a Smartphone Shop

As technology advances, old standbys become replaced. Apple’s iPhone has experienced many changes that led to better battery life, improved screen brightness and faster processing speeds.

There are numerous places where you can trade in an old iPhone and upgrade to the latest model without shelling out too much cash. You may be able to receive a discount for several hundred dollars by trading in a like-new iPhone at one of the major smartphone retailers, such as T-Mobile or Verizon Wireless.

Responsible Solutions for TVs

Many people want to upgrade their TVs to new models because LED’s have a better picture quality, a larger screen size and the devices last longer since 70-80% of power is converted to waste heat. But what do you do with the old one?

If you don’t know of any relatives or college students looking to take your old TV off your hands you may be stuck with it. Why? In most states it’s actually illegal to toss older TV screens because they may contain toxic materials. Some stores, like Diamond Case Home Theatre, participate in recycling programs also offer store credit towards a new TV, which could save you a couple hundred dollars. Best Buy’s trade in program, as mentioned above, is another solution to consider. Then even offer home pick-up for larger items!

Get Acquainted With Gazelle

Gazelle is a well-known website where you can buy and sell used devices ranging from MacBook laptops to smartphones. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been paid out to the site’s users, and there is a 30-day risk-free guarantee for peace of mind if you’re in the mood to buy.

Give Your Worn Earbuds to Earphone Solutions

Earphone Solutions is a website that sells high quality, upscale listening accessories such as earbuds. If yours are worn out or broken, take advantage of the trade-in program that could give you as much as $100 off a new pair.

Don’t Overlook Recycling

Don’t forget that recycling is a smart alternative to selling or trading your used devices. This is especially true if your items have little or no value. Recycling electronic items responsibly is important. If they’re discarded, they may leak harmful substances that can hurt the environment.

The Electronics TakeBack Coalition is one example of a campaign that’s making it easier for consumers to recycle their gadgets. It will help you find a verified recycling company in your area or locate a retailer that conducts a drop-off program.

Thanks to these resources, there’s no need to let your gadgets continue to gather dust. Start spring cleaning with enthusiasm to get rid of useless electronics, and you may end up with some extra cash too!

Apr 7, 2016 0 comment

Featured Guides Other

Black Friday is Upon Us – How to Navigate the Deals

written by Elias Stevens

Black Friday is Upon Us

40″ LED flat screen TVs on sale for $349.00, Brand-new lawn mowers with special financing available, and the dubious 40% off all women’s intimates at JCPenny. These promotions know no bounds, they ascend even up to Toyota dealerships with $4,000.00 friends and family rebates. We’ve all seen them. We’ve seen the newspapers with announcements that seem to creep earlier and earlier into the week. We should be calling this time of year “Retail Week” instead of “Black Friday” or something to that effect.

After perusing articles written over the past month or so I’ve come to conclude one thing. Everyone has their own opinions. What I do know to be true is something that most of us that work in retail already know.

Retailers make money even in the face of insane sales, navigating the shopping season get’s a bit tricky. Sit back, get a cup of coffee, and keep your credit cards in your pockets.

This advice is free.

What not to buy BEFORE Black Friday

TV’s especially 4K sets
Kindle Fire Tablets all sizes
Appliances
Laptops
Movies, Gaming Bundles, Streaming Systems, and Outerwear.

A great example of this section would be my own impatience. I went into Fry’s Electronics in Tempe, AZ a few weeks ago and I saw a 42″ 4K Sony Bravia on sale. I tried to buy the thing and was refused because the 20-something attendant didn’t know they weren’t supposed to be out on the floor–until I wanted to buy it. It was priced at $549.00 and I hadn’t seen it that low anywhere else. Frustrated, I settled and bought a 48″ 1080p Sony Bravia because I just wanted my TV and to start the 4 hour trip home.

While walking down the aisle last week I noticed Walmart has priced a 42″ 4K Vizio for 538.00. I can only imagine what it’ll be marked down to this weekend.

Cue facepalm.

While we can’t forecast what will sell and what won’t sell, we can reasonably assume that the draw this year is going to be both 4K and 1080p TV’s.

Our reasoning:

Retailers need to make room for 4K offerings for the next year as well as speed up 4K adoption rates for suppliers who want to push 4K sales across the board. More 4K sales means more support for higher streaming resolutions, higher graphics cards, faster computing, better Blu-Ray discs, basically all of these products supporting 4K is a cash cow for suppliers. Another factoid, more data bandwidth consumption due to 4K equals more money for Internet Providers.

1080p TV’s are on the way out.

In order to make room they need to be sold. It might be several years until they are the new 720p HD Plasma’s but more 4K means more money for everyone supporting the platform.

Kindle–well… tablets in general–, Laptops/PC’s, Gaming Console Bundles, and Movies are going to be discounted pretty deeply. The more of these items that are sold the faster the adoption rate for technology occurs and the more money suppliers can make on secondary tech such as more expensive Blu-Ray Players or Special Edition discs during the holidays.

The more laptops and PC’s that are sold equal a higher rate of adoption for the new Windows 10 Platform. Once that is done, developers can safely assume that supporting the new OS is going to be a lot less risky and more profitable. Gaming systems have always been high but with the sales offered during the holidays, we are definitely going to see the demand for software for these consoles spike in the next year or so. This keeps gaming developers happy right along with the hardware producers who get a little cut of that pie.

Appliances are like cars. They need to be sold so new models can be ordered. Look for a slightly older models in order to find the best deals.

Items to avoid THROUGH Black Friday

This list is all about those things that have a logical reason behind avoiding them this shopping season. Looking at the sales during the winter months we typically always see the cold weather items going on sale in the summer, and vice versa. If anything we plan on seeing a reduction of 10% for those items that are usually already discounted throughout the rest of the year. An example is a cardigan you see at Charlotte Russe which is normally 85.00 marked down by 10% off what was usually already marked down by 20%.

Winter Apparel
Cars
Furniture
Exercise Equipment
Fine Jewelry
Apple Products (No Bias Here)

Cars usually go on sale toward the end of the year in December as dealerships want to move product. As a matter of fact, if you wait just one more month they may get desperate enough to let you sign off on a new car with subprime credit and no driver’s license–my brother-in-law–true story.

Furniture can seem enticing at low prices this weekend but based on historical trends, most furniture sales happen during the summer months as more people spend their time indoors during the fall and winter. New models of… new models of… new models of couch? (is that the correct way to say it?) also get released during the fall.

Exercise equipment comes out around January to make way for the New Years’ Resolution crowds. Wait until then to buy that deeply discounted treadmill or elliptical.

Fine Jewelry will have better sales just before Christmas. Although diamonds almost never go below a certain amount of money per carat they will certainly have a better deal even if it’s just the insurance that’s free with purchase.

Apple products from the Apple Store… (Apple boys and girls… don’t flame me just yet)

Let’s look at the facts:

Apple does not want to be associated with bargain products and low prices because like diamonds they’re selling an image.
They’re selling luxury and investment in premium product lines.
Looking back over the previous years, we didn’t see many sales except for gift cards from the iTunes store.

A good tip is to check third party retailers, they may have better deals.

Other things to avoid

Smart Phones
Computers and Laptops
Cutting Edge Gadgets
Used Gaming Consoles

In the age of Nextel and Sprint’s Wi-Max network, the big four were elbows deep in a system of using subsidized phones to push contracts. When they noticed the trend of users consuming more data the two biggest opted-out of providing new Unlimited Plans. This changed the way telecom did business forever. Fast forward to today, we have subsidized phones from only 2 carriers with 1 of them stopping the practice by the end of 2015. This promotes full up front pricing, installment payments based on credit, or the ubiquitous lease. What does this mean for me you ask?

You aren’t going to see many deals with free, low-cost, or otherwise cheap two year subsidized phones.

Buying a Computer in general seems to be a great option this season and it is… Unless you want to buy future insurance by looking for a product that dances on the bleeding edge of technology–which I recommend, by the way. Technology moves so fast we would rather see you buying at a slightly reduced premium–the best gear–in order to keep yourself from having to upgrade for at least 3 years.

Not only that but features editor Marcy Bonebright on Dealnews.com, reported back-to-school sales for PC’s and Laptops in July and September reign supreme with a 9% cheaper deal than even November’s best deals. 9% may not be a whole lot but if your looking for a gaming rig at around 1999.99 then that’s almost 200.00 in savings.

Used game consoles may be a terrible idea depending on where you go. Gamestop has their own in-house extended warranty you can buy but not much can be said on buying online from Amazon or Ebay. When brand new consoles like the PS4 and XBox One may even be on sale at ultra low prices. Buying a used system at only 50 dollars in savings compared to new… doesn’t make a lot of sense and you may find yourself wishing you hadn’t bought refurbed.

Things to consider

Staggered Sales across the weekend
Not everything is discounted… read (price gouging)
Some of the best deals are online
Check for Free Shipping
Stay Patient

One thing we noticed over the past year was different retailers offering special deals on several items but on different days of the week due to complaints from consumers that felt they were cheated when they came to stores for specific items and arrived only to find them sold out.

Mentioning this, not everything is going to be discounted. According to Shop Adviser on the Consumer Affairs’ website states:

As a matter of fact, Black Friday turned out to be the day on which shoppers begin to see prices spike on select items. On Black Friday itself, 24% of the toys on Shop Adviser’s list were priced above their initial holiday season price. The company’s survey last year pretty much confirmed that trend remains intact (Huffman, 2015).

Why the bait and switch?

Standard practice is to have sales to draw people in but mark up items to offset the cost of the sales. Coming to a department store you may see winter coats on sale (again, less 10% overall) and find that you like a pair of earrings that were priced at 149.00 marked down to 119.00 (originally 129.00 previously marked down to 109.99). This leaves you paying 10.00 more in some cases!

Retailers need to make money, bottomline.

Some of the best sales are online due to not having to worry about taking up valuable retail floor space. Online retailers are able to charge less than those stocking in-store solely based on overhead. But with this is a grain of salt. Make sure you look for free shipping, otherwise it may make more sense to go to the retail store and buy a slightly overpriced item–but what you pay you pay for being able to take it home and not having to pay shipping (Shipping gets included in the product pricing, but it is cheaper to ship hundreds of items at once than to ship one item at a time).

Remember, patience pays off. Last minute changes in item sales, restocking inventory without telling anyone, staggered sales throughout the week, and in an economy that always seems to be in recovery… merchandisers are going to be under a lot of pressure to sell. By the time Christmas rolls around we could see them bidding for your dollar.

Stores with the best online deals

According to Donna Doyle from Dealnews.com the best retailers to shop online with are:

Amazon
NewEgg
Best Buy
Walmart
Target

Why don’t you take a look at their sites using the links below for an idea of what they offer:

Amazon.com Black Friday Deals

Newegg.com Black Friday Deals

Bestbuy Black Friday Deals

Walmart Black Friday Deals

Target Black Friday Deals

Outliers

Some deals are only in-app for retailers (So far the main retailer doing this is Amazon. According to Lindsay Sakraida from Dealnews.com: …these deals can be found on the “App Only Deals” tab and “will be released daily from 3pm PT to 11pm PT starting Thanksgiving through Wednesday, December 9.” Shoppers can use the “Watch a Deal” function to be alerted via push notification about when these offers go live, which is a convenient way to avoid checking your phone all day.
You really, really have to watch your online purchases, make sure you’re able to get a refund and make sure you understand you may not get it even with money in hand. How fast can retailers–or anyone really–place orders, check inventory, update information, etc., if 10,000 people are all pressing “Buy Now” at the same time?

Cyber Monday

Finally we have a small list of top 10 stores for Black Friday Deals (average discount percentage in parenthesis) followed by the top 10 to avoid this season courtesy of Wallethub.com:

Top Ten Performers:

JCPenny (68%)
Kohl’s (66.7%)
Stage (63.9%)
Groupon (63.7)
Belk (59.5%)
Macy’s (56%)
Kmart (50.1%)
Panasonic (47%)
Fred Meyer (45.3%)
Office Depot and OfficeMax (42.8%)

Bottom Ten Performers:

Costco (19.5%)
Sam’s Club (24.9%)
Amazon (25.8%)
Big Lots (27.1%)
Walgreens (28.7%)
Toys R Us (28.9%)
Gamestop (29.2%)
Walmart (30.1%)
BJ’s (30.6%)
Home Depot (31.4%)

Afterword

There are many myths surrounding the hype. The worst is that you have to camp out at big box stores all night on thanksgiving or that people behave like animals and things get dangerous during the door opening. I’m telling you if you shop smart, and enter in this week with a game plan, the season should give you the best bang for your buck. What was Black Friday like for you?

Please take a moment to share your own Black Friday Experiences in the comments below!

Nov 24, 2015 0 comment

Guides

How to Make a Living as a Gadget Freelancer

written by GrowMap

If you love gadgets, you could be making a living using your passion and expertise. Due.com recently published a comprehensive guide to freelancing that will answer all your questions.

The biggest challenge many have is finding ways to turn their hobbies into an income. Here are many of the services freelancers in the gadget world offer to make a fine living:

Gadget Freelancer Review Writer

Do you love writing about the latest video game or cell phone? There is strong demand for writers to review new tech as it comes out and to share tips and tricks.

You could even write reviews of your favorite vintage technology or compile a history and turn it into an infographic or SlideShare.

Video Reviews

If writing isn’t your favorite activity, but you love to make videos you’re in luck. Video reviewers in the gadget world can make even more money than writers.

Build a following, and manufacturers will send you their latest devices. They tend to favor reviews that show you opening the box, and explaining all the features.

While the device itself is usually the payment, YouTube reviewers also make money from the ads that appear on their videos.

PC Technician

Even though most devices are replaced rather than repaired, there are still people who provide hardware services, feature upgrades, and software installation.

There is steady demand for cleaning viruses off hard drives. If you’re particularly handy, you might even offer hard disk crash recovery services.

The best money is in getting a contract with a local business or school system. Or think outside the box and offer custom builds.

Most of the computer users you know don’t know how to maintain their computer, set up automated backups, or install a firewall. All of these are services you could be offering.

Network Installations

Many PC techs who have schools or businesses for clients get paid to install networks. With the increase in concern over how wi-fi affects health – especially in children – some are now returning to running ethernet cables to every desk.

Even if a company or school uses wireless, they may still need someone to configure a shared server or get all the devices talking to each other.

Operator Training

While you may think no one needs to be taught how to use their devices, you would be wrong. You could offer classes on how to use Windows 10 or the latest Mac OS.

Many applications are complicated, providing ample room for classes on everything from using Word to creating custom spreadsheets in Excel. (Some won’t even want to learn HOW to set up a spreadsheet – they’ll just pay you to create one for them.)

Smartphone Glass Replacement

I personally know someone who started a business replacing broken iphone displays. They service iphones locally and also through mail order – and they aren’t the only ones in their city.

This is a needed service in any city. You could specialize in iphones like they did, or in a particular brand of phone to get started and then expand into other types of smartphones or devices.

Remember that you will need to stock parts, so limiting the type of devices you repair reduces your initial outlay for parts.

App development

There are two ways to go with app development. Some try to make money selling their own apps while others get paid to develop apps for businesses.

Do your research here, as the number of apps uploaded every day is astronomical. Don’t assume that you will get rich on your very first try.

Check out our Best Practices for Promoting Android Apps and Promoting Apps for iPhones, Android and Other Smartphones for tips.

Getting Paid

The most important aspect of freelancing is getting paid. It is easier now than it was in the past to keep track of customers, create projects and tasks, and invoice them in a timely manner.

We used to have to do this in spreadsheets and create invoices manually, but now we can save all that in one place using Due.com. I wish it had been around when I first started freelancing.

Beginning freelancers should be careful not to take on too many expenses at first. Look for solutions that offer a “free forever” starter option like they do and then upgrade once you have more customers and need additional capacity.

Aug 25, 2015 0 comment

Featured Gadgets Guides Infographics Smartphones Technology

When Should I Buy My Child A Smartphone? – Infographic

written by Irfan Ahmad

The current generation of children is exposed to the world of technology at a very young age. It is not surprising to find a 1 year old comfortable with the workings of a touch screen device. However, this omnipresence of smart gadgets increases the onus on parents to ensure that their children are limited to their age appropriate introduction to gadgets.

This helpful infographic can serve as a guide to help parents understand what their child is ready for at any particular age. The most important point that leaps out at us is the 20-20-20 rule which talks about children looking up after every 20 seconds of their screen time, they should try to look at something 20 feet away. While the modern devices are definitely entertaining and often informative then can also adversely affect your kid’s eyes unless this golden rule is followed rigidly.

The guidelines and milestones here are fairly generic and each parent should decide the correct time span of digital viewing for their children basis the child’s personality and needs. However, one thing that stands for all children across borders is that exposure to any kind of an electronic device before 2 years of age is definitely not a good idea. These thumb rules can help you bring up a well-balanced child in this world full of gadgets and gizmos.

Infographic courtesy of: Teensafe and Gryffin.com

Jun 29, 2015 1 comment

Computer Software Featured Guides Security

Which Is The Most Secure Browser? – Infographic

written by Irfan Ahmad

“With every website you visit, you’re vulnerable to hackers out to steal your personal information. In the last year, the top 5 most popular web browsers had, on average, 186 vulnerabilities.

According to a 2013 Kaspersky Security study, 93.01 percent of online attacks came from malicious URLs, and US users had an online infection risk of 38.1 percent. So which browser should you use to keep your information secure?”

Take a look at this infographic to find out, which comes courtesy of Whoishostingthis.

May 12, 2015 0 comment