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  • What Can You Expect to See on Sale This Black Friday?

    What Can You Expect to See on Sale This Black Friday?

    Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, and shoppers continue to break sales records every year. The massive sale extravaganza is a complete madhouse at certain retailers, and for good reason: the sales are absurd! This year, Black Friday falls on November 23 – but you don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to start scoring deep discounts.

    Every retailer is trying to grab your attention with incredible deals on Black Friday. If you’re looking to save some money for holiday shopping, here’s what you can expect to see on sale this Black Friday!

    Last Year’s Best Black Friday Deals

    If you want to know what to expect for Black Friday this year, you’ll want to look back to the deals offered in 2017. Each year, retailers keep their sales consistent, offering the biggest bonuses and markdowns on the hottest, most sought after products of the year. Last year, retailers released a host of incredible discounts – and those specials were unveiled as early as November 9th. Some of the top deals shoppers scored included:

      • iPhone + Gift Card Offers: Customers who purchased an Apple iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus received a $300 Walmart gift card.
      • Samsung Galaxy + Gift Card Offers: The popular Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8, and Galaxy S8 Plus came with a $300 Walmart gift card.
      • PlayStation Bundle Discount: Buy a PlayStation 4 bundled with GranTurismo Sport and a virtual reality set for $100 off.
      • Nintendo Discount: The popular Nintendo Switch console with two controllers and a carrying case was priced at $299.
      • Xbox One X Discount: The Microsoft Xbox One X console with 1 terabyte of storage space was priced at $499.
      • Smart LED TV Discount: A Sharp 55” 4K Smart LED TV was discounted down to just $298.

    Shoppers went wild for these steals – and this year, you can expect Walmart to offer equally great deals for Black Friday.

    Black Friday Sales to Expect This Year

    It’s easy to predict what kinds of deals you can expect to see for Black Friday 2018. Each year, retailers tends to offer similar discounts and bundled packages on new smartphones, TVs, video games and consoles, and so many more tech products. Before retailers releases its 2018 deals in early November, here’s what we’re expecting to see on the list of deals:

    Smart Speakers

    Smart speakers have been some of the hottest Black Friday sellers in recent years, especially now that big names like Amazon and Google are essentially all-in on the connected home. Expect more of the same for shoppers in 2018, with lots of deals on Alexa and Google Assistant gadgets, smart thermostats from names like Nest and Ecobee, home surround sound smart speakers, connected lighting kits, video doorbells app-enabled robot vacuums… you name it.

    Smartphones + Gift Cards

    New iterations of both the iPhone and the Galaxy have been released, along with plenty of other popular smartphones from LG, Huawei, and more. One of the biggest draws Walmart offers year after year is a special on the most sought after smartphones – and for 2018, we can expect to see gift card offers equal to or better than last year’s deals. Expect to see the newest smartphones, from the iPhone XS and XS Max to the Galaxy S9 and Note 9, offered with a gift card of $300 to $350.

    These types of deals reoccur year after year, and they’re a safe bet at large retailers. If you’re planning on upgrading to a new phone or giving one as a gift, keep this in mind!

    Video Game Consoles

    Speaking of the Nintendo Switch, its sure to be a hot seller this year. The little hybrid console is primed for the release of Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Pokemon Let’s Go! and Super Mario Party. Those big-name games will make the console a must-have for gamers this holiday season, so expect to see it discounted.

    For an example, last year retailers had deals including the console, a carrying case and a game for only $300. That’s the normal MSRP of the system, so the carrying case and game were simply all-upside! This year we expect to see similar sales at various retailers. The Super Smash Bros and Pokemon bundles of the Switch are likely targets for big sales. Both include unique docks and controllers based on the games that are bundled in! They’re both likely to be hot-ticket items this year.

    Microsoft and Sony also offer their Xbox and PS4 at $300, respectively. While we don’t expect to see these systems discounted any, it wouldn’t be surprising to see deals including games or controllers as bundles at $300. These sales are more desirable to retailers: they offer value to the consumer while not digging into the company’s profits. In fact, they could even help offload hardware like controllers or carrying cases while increasing traffic around the holidays.

    TV Deals

    You can also expect to see great discounts of TVs. Interestingly, TVs are one of the few things that hasn’t increased in price year over year with inflation. Instead, it’s more affordable than ever to get a big, flat-screen HD TV. That goes double during Black Friday sales when everything has huge discounts!

    Last year large retailers had 55-inch 4K displays as low as $300. Those kinds of prices were around $200-$300 off of MSRP. A lot of retailers even used those huge TV discounts as one of the biggest draws to shopping in their store during the huge holiday sales.

    As crazy as this sounds, you might even be able to pick up 4K Smart TVs for as little as $250 on Black Friday. These deals are sure to be red-hot to boot. Make sure you’re early in line to snag these deals! TVs are one of the fastest-moving items on sale during Black Friday. If you’ve been holding off on upgrading, this year is going to be a really good time to pull the trigger on an upgrade. Given the trajectory of large flat-screens, it’s likely that this year will have some of the lowest prices ever for them.

    There are sure to be dozens of more awesome deals to be found at major retailers this Black Friday. Ads indicating sale prices are usually out by mid-November, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for early indicators of the big deals this season!

    Laptop & Tablet Deals

    If you’re looking to pick up one of the best laptops or a new MacBook, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the best times to do fetch a winning deal. And, with this year’s celebration of shopping quickly approaching, you might want to gear up for the big day and see how you can ensure you only get the best price.

    Big name brands like Dell, Lenovo and HP should all see price drops for their range of laptops, both budget and high-end. Last year, Dell’s XPS 13 and XPS 15 laptops saw liberal price cuts, and we hope to see similar slashing this year. They are two of the best laptops money can buy, so if you find those getting discounted on Black Friday, definitely consider purchasing them.

    Price cuts to Microsoft’s excellent range of Surface devices are also a common sight on Black Friday. Microsoft just announced the Surface Pro 6, and while Black Friday will be too soon for that new device to see price cuts, it means that its predecessor, the Surface Pro 2017, has a good chance of seeing some decent price cuts. Keep an eye out for the affordable Surface Go as well – we suspect Microsoft will make some prices cuts there as well.

    But, what about Apple? Apple’s MacBook notebooks don’t often receive sizable price cuts, but in recent Black Friday events we’ve seen some good price cuts emerging from retailers like B&H Photo and Adorama. If you don’t mind getting somewhat older MacBook hardware from a year or so ago, then you should be able to score yourself a neat MacBook deal on Black Friday. Finally the new iPad Pro was recently unveiled this year so Apple will undoubtedly have Black Friday deals for their most recent flagship product.


  • 5 Google Home Devices You Need

    5 Google Home Devices You Need

    The Google Home is getting better and better and that’s not going to change any time soon, especially considering Google’s artificial intelligence prowess. Google Home is a huge help to people who want a personal assistant for household tasks.

    But perhaps the best thing about the Google Assistant has nothing to do with the Assistant itself, but more to do with the fact that it can be used to control such a huge range of smart home devices. Unfortunately, not all smart home devices are created equal. If you’re looking to control your home with the Google Assistant, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the right products.  That’s why we’ve put together this guide — to help you find the best Google Assistant-compatible products out there.

    Things like setting the lights, thermostat and music are as easy as using your voice with Google Home. To help you automate all the little things, here are the top 5 Google Home Devices you need for your home!

    Must-Have Google Home Devices

    Nest Thermostat

    The Nest Learning Thermostat is a great smart home device that works with Google Assistant. If you’re the kind of person who likes saving money on your power bill and keeping your home’s comfort front and center, you’ll want the Nest system. You can control your home’s temperature with your voice through Google Assistant or through the Nest app.

    The best part of this system, however, is the “Learning” part. The thermostat should learn your routine as you use it and develop a profile for you. This means that it will try to change the temperature intelligently before you even ask it to. When working properly, this means it keeps your power bill down and works invisibly. You shouldn’t even notice the system, as you’ll always be comfortable in your own home! How great is that?

    Nest Cam

    On the same note as the Nest Thermostat is the Nest Cam. Retailing at $300, the Nest Came is a pretty handy device. For one thing, it comes included with a Google Assistant, so you can control it with your voice out of the box. It’s also a great companion to an existing smart home system! It’s easily one of the best home security solutions for the money.

    If you’re often away from home and want to be able to keep an eye on things, the Nest Cam has you covered. Whether you’re checking in on pets or kids, or just making sure no one is in there when they shouldn’t be, the Nest Cam is super handy. It can even be set to function by being motion-activated. Hopefully you won’t need it, but it’s great to have! You can even view the camera’s feed from your smartphone over the internet.

    Phillips Hue

    The best way to equip your house with smart lights is through the Philips Hue system. These smart lightbulbs are really rather intuitive, and they work well with Google Assistant. The bulbs come with a variety of uses, as they can connect to several different smart home systems. If you have Alexa, for instance, these work well with that system too!

    To get started with Hue you need a Hue Bridge. Once you have that you can simply add more Hue bulbs to your Hue system. You can control the lights entirely with your voice, turning them on or off or even changing their colors. It’s a small touch, but it makes you feel like you’re living in the future when you can control your house with your voice!

    Hue makes it easy to set up and control the lights in your entire house. You need only get a Hue Bridge connected to your Google Home system. Then, you just tell it which bulb is in which room. You can even control the lights from a smartphone app while you aren’t home!

    Belkin WeMo

    The WeMo system by Belkin is a way to turn nearly any device into a smart device. WeMo plugs are smart switches that can simply be toggled on or off. That means if you plug a lamp into one, you can name that switch “lamp” and command it with your voice. Calling out “Google, turn off the lamp,” is a pretty satisfying command.

    The possibilities for WeMo are pretty wide and varied. It’s hard to overstate how handy this is for anything you want to become a smart device. Your speakers, your fans and the like can all be connected via this smart system. Talk about an easy way to get everything connected!

    Chromecast

    Ever wanted to pull up YouTube videos on your TV with your voice? Then you want a Chromecast. Simply tell Google what you want to see on the TV from the internet and Chromecast has you covered. It’s really quite satisfying to control your TV with your voice, and Chromecast isn’t even that pricey!


  • Cyber Week 2018!

    Cyber Week 2018!

    Cyber Week isn’t just for Black Friday leftovers. Every year, Black Friday gets a ton of attention for being the best time to save on holiday shopping. However, some of the best deals you can find come courtesy of Cyber Week! The week after Black Friday is a fantastic day of online deals and it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon.

    The deals don’t just suddenly end with the passing of Black Friday, and your excitement about them doesn’t have to either. Cyber Week is filled with great savings and sales, without the lines and occasional negativity that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do all of your shopping online rather than in stores this year, make sure to bookmark the latest offers all week. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best of Cyber Week.

    Cyber Week 2018

    This year, Cyber Week is Monday November 26th through Sunday December 2nd. Most online retailers offer their best deals from Monday through Friday, though not everyone does this. Keep your eyes peeled for great deals! For what it’s worth, many retailers have largely begun to conflate Black Friday and Cyber Week deals as online retail has become more lucrative.

    Cyber Monday has historically been a single day of online deals, but since online shopping has become so huge in recent years, this shopping holiday has become more of a shopping holi-week. You can expect to see many of the same deals on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday that you will see on Monday.

     Here are some examples of deals you might see on Cyber Week from top retailers!

    Amazon
    Best For: Gaming and toys, smart home, and almost anything else you can buy online.

    While plenty of other retailers offer Cyber Week sales, none of them match Amazon’s. Last year, we saw three times as many Cyber Week deals at Amazon as the next highest retailer.

    Amazon also has a large number of Black Friday deals on their Fire tablets, Fire TV Stick and Echo devices, among other things. Expect these huge discounts to continue during  Cyber Week. There will likely also be Lightning Deals all throughout the week that you can save a ton on, so stay posted!

    Walmart
    Best For: Parents (and kids, too) and homeowners.

    Like Walmart’s sprawling stores, you’ll find sales on just about every product category on Cyber Week. There were also steals on more practical purchases for parents, including car seats and children’s bedroom sets, as well as household necessities.

    Walmart will be offering sales on a number of things to compete with Amazon’s line. Items like Google Home, 4K TVs and the like will all be discounted through their website. Also, expect to see discounts on home appliances like microwaves, toasters and the like. This is a great opportunity for buying gifts for new homeowners, or just updating your own home!

    Target
    Best For: The hottest Cyber Week TV sales.

    Two-thirds of Target’s Cyber Week sales last year were the best bargains on televisions anywhere. Last year’s sales saw fantastic prices on sets ranging from 40″ to 80″, but the best prices were on high-end 70″ and 80″ 4K sets, some of which hit the lowest prices we’d ever seen on TVs in that class.

    Target will have similar sales to Walmart and will likely be selling things at a similar price. We recommend double-checking against Walmart when shopping Target to make sure you find the best deals. Target also has a wide range of electronics you can expect to see on sale, which are the hot-ticket items this time of year!

    Best Buy
    Best For: Electronics of all kinds.

    Last year, Best Buy didn’t offer a ton of Cyber Week sales, but the majority of them were stellar. Look for bargains on home security items and last-generation smartphones — last year’s sales offered the lowest price on the iPhone 7 we’d ever seen. Expect some excellent TV sales, too.

    Expect to also see discounts on high-end PC gear like gaming keyboards and mice. Chairs for computer gaming are also likely to be discounted at a great rate! Consider checking Best Buy if you’re looking for electronics that Target and Walmart don’t usually sell.


  • Cyber Week 2018!

    Cyber Week 2018!

    Cyber Week isn’t just for Black Friday leftovers. Every year, Black Friday gets a ton of attention for being the best time to save on holiday shopping. However, some of the best deals you can find come courtesy of Cyber Week! The week after Black Friday is a fantastic day of online deals and it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon.

    The deals don’t just suddenly end with the passing of Black Friday, and your excitement about them doesn’t have to either. Cyber Week is filled with great savings and sales, without the lines and occasional negativity that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do all of your shopping online rather than in stores this year, make sure to bookmark the latest offers all week. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best of Cyber Week.

    Cyber Week 2018

    This year, Cyber Week is Monday November 26th through Sunday December 2nd. Most online retailers offer their best deals from Monday through Friday, though not everyone does this. Keep your eyes peeled for great deals! For what it’s worth, many retailers have largely begun to conflate Black Friday and Cyber Week deals as online retail has become more lucrative.

    Cyber Monday has historically been a single day of online deals, but since online shopping has become so huge in recent years, this shopping holiday has become more of a shopping holi-week. You can expect to see many of the same deals on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday that you will see on Monday.

     Here are some examples of deals you might see on Cyber Week from top retailers!

    Amazon
    Best For: Gaming and toys, smart home, and almost anything else you can buy online.

    While plenty of other retailers offer Cyber Week sales, none of them match Amazon’s. Last year, we saw three times as many Cyber Week deals at Amazon as the next highest retailer.

    Amazon also has a large number of Black Friday deals on their Fire tablets, Fire TV Stick and Echo devices, among other things. Expect these huge discounts to continue during  Cyber Week. There will likely also be Lightning Deals all throughout the week that you can save a ton on, so stay posted!

    Walmart
    Best For: Parents (and kids, too) and homeowners.

    Like Walmart’s sprawling stores, you’ll find sales on just about every product category on Cyber Week. There were also steals on more practical purchases for parents, including car seats and children’s bedroom sets, as well as household necessities.

    Walmart will be offering sales on a number of things to compete with Amazon’s line. Items like Google Home, 4K TVs and the like will all be discounted through their website. Also, expect to see discounts on home appliances like microwaves, toasters and the like. This is a great opportunity for buying gifts for new homeowners, or just updating your own home!

    Target
    Best For: The hottest Cyber Week TV sales.

    Two-thirds of Target’s Cyber Week sales last year were the best bargains on televisions anywhere. Last year’s sales saw fantastic prices on sets ranging from 40″ to 80″, but the best prices were on high-end 70″ and 80″ 4K sets, some of which hit the lowest prices we’d ever seen on TVs in that class.

    Target will have similar sales to Walmart and will likely be selling things at a similar price. We recommend double-checking against Walmart when shopping Target to make sure you find the best deals. Target also has a wide range of electronics you can expect to see on sale, which are the hot-ticket items this time of year!

    Best Buy
    Best For: Electronics of all kinds.

    Last year, Best Buy didn’t offer a ton of Cyber Week sales, but the majority of them were stellar. Look for bargains on home security items and last-generation smartphones — last year’s sales offered the lowest price on the iPhone 7 we’d ever seen. Expect some excellent TV sales, too.

    Expect to also see discounts on high-end PC gear like gaming keyboards and mice. Chairs for computer gaming are also likely to be discounted at a great rate! Consider checking Best Buy if you’re looking for electronics that Target and Walmart don’t usually sell.


  • Cyber Week 2018!

    Cyber Week 2018!

    Cyber Week isn’t just for Black Friday leftovers. Every year, Black Friday gets a ton of attention for being the best time to save on holiday shopping. However, some of the best deals you can find come courtesy of Cyber Week! The week after Black Friday is a fantastic day of online deals and it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon.

    The deals don’t just suddenly end with the passing of Black Friday, and your excitement about them doesn’t have to either. Cyber Week is filled with great savings and sales, without the lines and occasional negativity that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do all of your shopping online rather than in stores this year, make sure to bookmark the latest offers all week. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best of Cyber Week.

    Cyber Week 2018

    This year, Cyber Week is Monday November 26th through Sunday December 2nd. Most online retailers offer their best deals from Monday through Friday, though not everyone does this. Keep your eyes peeled for great deals! For what it’s worth, many retailers have largely begun to conflate Black Friday and Cyber Week deals as online retail has become more lucrative.

    Cyber Monday has historically been a single day of online deals, but since online shopping has become so huge in recent years, this shopping holiday has become more of a shopping holi-week. You can expect to see many of the same deals on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday that you will see on Monday.

     Here are some examples of deals you might see on Cyber Week from top retailers!

    Amazon
    Best For: Gaming and toys, smart home, and almost anything else you can buy online.

    While plenty of other retailers offer Cyber Week sales, none of them match Amazon’s. Last year, we saw three times as many Cyber Week deals at Amazon as the next highest retailer.

    Amazon also has a large number of Black Friday deals on their Fire tablets, Fire TV Stick and Echo devices, among other things. Expect these huge discounts to continue during  Cyber Week. There will likely also be Lightning Deals all throughout the week that you can save a ton on, so stay posted!

    Walmart
    Best For: Parents (and kids, too) and homeowners.

    Like Walmart’s sprawling stores, you’ll find sales on just about every product category on Cyber Week. There were also steals on more practical purchases for parents, including car seats and children’s bedroom sets, as well as household necessities.

    Walmart will be offering sales on a number of things to compete with Amazon’s line. Items like Google Home, 4K TVs and the like will all be discounted through their website. Also, expect to see discounts on home appliances like microwaves, toasters and the like. This is a great opportunity for buying gifts for new homeowners, or just updating your own home!

    Target
    Best For: The hottest Cyber Week TV sales.

    Two-thirds of Target’s Cyber Week sales last year were the best bargains on televisions anywhere. Last year’s sales saw fantastic prices on sets ranging from 40″ to 80″, but the best prices were on high-end 70″ and 80″ 4K sets, some of which hit the lowest prices we’d ever seen on TVs in that class.

    Target will have similar sales to Walmart and will likely be selling things at a similar price. We recommend double-checking against Walmart when shopping Target to make sure you find the best deals. Target also has a wide range of electronics you can expect to see on sale, which are the hot-ticket items this time of year!

    Best Buy
    Best For: Electronics of all kinds.

    Last year, Best Buy didn’t offer a ton of Cyber Week sales, but the majority of them were stellar. Look for bargains on home security items and last-generation smartphones — last year’s sales offered the lowest price on the iPhone 7 we’d ever seen. Expect some excellent TV sales, too.

    Expect to also see discounts on high-end PC gear like gaming keyboards and mice. Chairs for computer gaming are also likely to be discounted at a great rate! Consider checking Best Buy if you’re looking for electronics that Target and Walmart don’t usually sell.


  • Are You Giving the Best Gifts? Our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide

    Are You Giving the Best Gifts? Our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide

    It can be really difficult to find the right gifts for all your loved ones around the holidays. There are just so many great tech options out there for gifts! From smart watches to video games to entertainment, we’re running down some of the best gift options this season! Here’s our 2018 holiday gift guide!

    2018 Holiday Gift Guide

    Apple Watch Series 4

    The series 4 Apple Watch is a fantastic piece of technology. A gorgeous OLED display shows off your fitness tracking, music or weather in beautiful colors. This wonderful little watch is weather-resistant and is even waterproof enough to go swimming with you. If you know an active, outdoorsy type who also wants a stylish watch, consider getting them an Apple Watch.

    This watch sports a robust suite of fitness tracking, from sleep monitoring to heartbeat readings and more. It’s hard to describe how handy a smart watch is unless you’ve used one. If you know someone who would love to be more organized and have a fitness tracker that looks great, this is the gift for them!

    Bose SoundSport Wireless

    The Bose SoundSport Wireless headphones are great for the active person in your life. These impressive Bluetooth headphones have a lot to love in a little package. They retail for $150, making them a relatively mid-level point for Bluetooth headphones. The SoundSport Wireless headset is waterproof and sweat-resistant, making it ideal for jogging or working out.

    Additionally, these headphones sport an inline mic, making them great for answering calls while listening to music. There’s even a control bulb inline where the mic is so you can adjust the volume and skip songs without having to dig your phone out! If you’re looking to spend a little bit on an active loved one, this is a great gift to consider!

    Amazon Echo Spot

    Everyone has heard of Alexa, Amazon’s handy personal AI assistant. The Amazon Echo line of smart-home speakers has made her a household (ha) name. Everyone knows the Echo line for the excellent voice-integrated control of smart home functions. The Echo Spot is looking to add a visual element to the proceedings. If you know someone who has been dying to have an Alexa device and loves visuals along with convenience, this is the gift for them.

    The Echo Spot is the midway between the base-level Dot and the full-blown video-enabled Show. The Spot also falls between the two devices in price, retailing for only $130. That makes it a great gift for someone who loves their Echo Dot but wants something more in-depth for coordinating their smart home. Consider this device if you’ve got an undecided smart home adopter who you want to spend a little bit of money on.

    GoPro Hero4 Session

    We’ve all got that friend or family member who just loves going on crazy adventures. Whether they’re up hiking in the mountains, getting caught on a big wave or base-jumping from a crazy height, they’re out there. That’s the person you should get a GoPro Hero4 Session for! This mid-tier GoPro is in the sweet spot on both price and functionality. Coming in at $225, this POV camera won’t break the bank.

    For that price, you get a ton of great features. This camera is rugged, waterproof and durable. You can rest assured that it will survive most any adventure. It also shoots fantastic, high-quality video, making it a must-have for adrenaline-seekers. It’s also pretty small and really light, making it ideal for fast-moving adventurers who can’t lug around massive cameras.

    Nintendo Switch

    If there’s a gamer in your life who has been dying to play Nintendo games, consider getting them a Nintendo Switch. The system is a little pricey, coming in at $300, which makes it a pretty high-end gift. However, the system sports a very unique angle on console gaming. When docked, it functions as a normal console-to-TV system, like the PS4 or Xbox One. When undocked, however, the system becomes something like a portable gaming tablet.

    This is made more impressive by the stellar lineup of exclusive games on the system. Super Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are three massive notables on the system. Whether you’re shopping for a little one who loves Mario or a grown loved one who just wants to game, this is a great capstone gift.

  • iPad Pro 2018 Review Roundup: Is it Worth the Money?

    iPad Pro 2018 Review Roundup: Is it Worth the Money?

    The iPad Pro 2018 is here, and the reviews are rolling in. The question on everyone’s mind is whether the new iPad is actually worth the price tag. Well, we’ve got the roundup you’ve been looking for! From new features to returning peripherals, here’s what to expect from the iPad Pro 2018!

    iPad Pro 2018 Review

    Digital Trends

    The Specs

    First things first: the iPad Pro 2018 is an absolute beast from a technical standpoint. Much like the iPhone X set a new bar for smartphones in 2017, the iPad Pro is really the bar for tablets. The A12 Bionic chip that powers the tablet is a marvel, multitasking and running at blistering speeds. The massive, gorgeous AMOLED screen really has to be seen to be believed. If you haven’t seen the newest generation of Apple screens you won’t understand just how gorgeous this display is.

    The 2018 iPad Pro also sports the front-facing, depth-sensing equipment to power Face ID. There’s no home button and no fingerprint scanner, so your only option for biometric scanning is Apple’s excellent Face ID. It works great in landscape or portrait mode, in high or low light and in whatever surroundings. If you’ve used the iPhone X, you know what to expect here. Really, this iteration of the iPad could have been named the iPad X.

    The presence of that depth-sensing front-facing camera array also means that Memoji and Animoji both work on this iPad. Really, if you just think of this as a giant iPhone X, you won’t be far from the truth.

    Design

    And, much like the iPhone X, this iPad has hardly any bezels. The screen is huge compared to the body, leaving a scant amount of excess around the edges of the screen. In fact, the 12-inch model is noticeably smaller in profile than the 2017 version with the same screen size. This design is clean and attractive and really fits the iPad’s existing design ethos. While the sleek, rounded lines of the iPhone line might look odd at this scale at first, they really grow on you.

    Aside from these minor touches, however, the iPad Pro hasn’t changed too much. The lack of a home button does make the device much cleaner in appearance. It’s easy to tell that this is a new era of Apple product design at a glance. Again, the comparisons to the iPhone X come easily. That goes for the lack of a headphone jack, too, sadly.

    That’s right: there’s no proper headphone jack. The only port on this year’s iPad is a USB-C port. We were surprised to see that there was no Lightning port this time, but that’s a good thing. It makes finding conversion dongles much easier. It also means you’ll need to invest in Bluetooth or USB-C headphones for use with this device. Which is sort of a bummer.

    Peripherals

    The star of the show here, much like with the Microsoft Surface line, is the Pencil. The Apple Pencil was an excellent addition to the iPad ecosystem and remains a must-have. For whatever baffling reason, though, the Pencil from previous hardware generations doesn’t work on the 2018 iPad. What’s harder to believe, though, is that the new Pencil doesn’t even work on older iPads. This wouldn’t be as big a deal if the Pencil came with the iPad, but it doesn’t. In fact, it’s priced at a rather steep $129.

    That said, this new Pencil is awesome. It has more drag on the screen, which makes it feel like a real pencil. It magnetically snaps on the side of the iPad, which is also how it charges. It reminds us a lot of the Surface line of tablets and how its pen snaps on. It works wonders for artists.

    The folio keyboard is back, and, like the Pencil, costs a lot. It also doesn’t come with the iPad, and it starts at $179 for the 11-inch iPad. The 12-inch model costs a staggering $199. That means you’ll be spending a lot on an iPad, given that the 11-inch model starts at $799 and the 12-inch starts at $999.

    Bottom Line

    This year’s iPad line is absolutely astonishing from a tech perspective. The question remains, however, if this awesome tech is fully worth the high price tag. The iOS ecosystem is a bit stifling and doesn’t lend itself well to replacing full-scale laptops. The lack of a mouse makes editing text a bit of a pain, and that goes double considering the keyboard “trackpad” experience is so hit-and-miss.

    Maybe Apple will deliver with more robust apps to help make the iPad a bit more attractive as a Mac alternative. As it stands, however, the iPad is only really a good investment for creatives who really want to draw on an Apple-branded tablet. Until then, it’s a bit too expensive for the casual user.

  • Monday Movie Review: Bohemian Rhapsody

    Monday Movie Review: Bohemian Rhapsody

    Hooray,  Its Monday. That means like most of you, and the rest of the free world, I got to hit the theaters over the weekend. I like to do this every weekend. I wanted to take a little bit of time to tell you my experience at the movie,. Just a minute to shed a little insight and perspective on Hollywood’s latest hit. Seeing a great movie in the theater can be a life altering experience. It can also be an easy way to waste a couple of hours and 30 bucks. My hopes is that with a quick review from this self-proclaim movie connoisseur I can save readers  a few hours.  Or better yet, possibly change a few more lives. This week the Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody.

     

    Bohemian Rhapsody is the latest in the epic bio-pic set to secure a legends legend. A foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. In the process, cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like a family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.

     

    Bohemian Rhapsody 62% Life Altering

    As much as i’ve been anticipating this, I’ve managed to build a better legend of Freddie than this densely packed film of contrived , basic, and uneventful account of Freddie’s life. I left the theater knowing I got got, while still blaring Queens essentials from my car stereo. I got got, it isn’t the life changing trip to the theaters I anticipated, but its a decent enough movie.

     

    Rock You it Does Not

    The Story seems uncontested and meteoric rise to living legend status. I was expecting to get a some fascinating insight in to Freddie, I didn’t. They just sort of show up and magic happens. Take it to far, fight about it, break up, get back together for one last epic show. Wasn’t this the plot of Spinal Tap? My Take, Queens is great enough themselves to make this movie good, but a good Queen movie this is not.

     

    Queen’s lush, revolutionary sound and a lead singer, whose stage charisma and astonishing four-octave range made him one of the 20th century’s most beloved rock stars. The content  for a great Bio Pic is there, but it lacks the adversity, Queen rises quickly and doesn’t fall. There is a back story to what makes Faruk become Freddie. This isn’t it. Then it wraps up neatly, all the atonement and character growth packed in to a quick car ride to Wembley. This is where the movie gets great, Great from a movie perspective. Brain Singer manages to recreate Queens legendary performance in magnificent fashion. Shot for Shot, Minute for Minute. The movie scores on this 20 mins alone.  I will go back an watch this 20 min scene many, many more times.

     

    The Best Scene in the Movie

    In a negotiation and argument with their record company executive played by Mike “Waynes World” Myers. Excellent. In which they are arguing over the 6 min length of the song Bohemian Rhapsody being too long for radio play. Myers’s Ray Foster says “Teenagers will not crank up the volume in the car and sing Bohemian Rhapsody”. He may as well pause, look directly in to the camera and give a Wayne Campbell thumbs up and wink. Magnificently executed. Party On Wayne.

     

    Rami Malek

    Rami Malek stars as Freddie Mercury.  I just didn’t get a Freddie Mercury impression from him. More of an uninteresting Freddie caricature. He is getting rave review and Oscar buzz, I just don’t see it. My reaction, Rami’s casting was a miss. It seems like i’m alone on this though. Lucy Boynton ‘s Mary Austin was a character added to the film which has no point or real reason for being in the story. Its the same movie with or with out her. It seems like almost all the characters in this story didn’t really need to be there. Also when a guy says” you don’t need them” to bandmates walking out and quitting, He is obviously the bad guy, although I cant figure out why.

    Then there is Little Finger. Im sorry but I can not take Aidan Gillen seriously any longer. He is Little Finger doing Little Finger stuff and I cant get past it. I waited the whole movie for his betrayal. Turns out he was a solid guy? don’t believe it, he is Little Finger, he will betray you.

    The Final Thought

    Queen is an amazing band. There songs will be enjoyed by billions for centuries to come. This movie did not capture that.

  • What Can You Expect to See on Sale This Black Friday?

    What Can You Expect to See on Sale This Black Friday?

    Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, and shoppers continue to break sales records every year. The massive sale extravaganza is a complete madhouse at certain retailers, and for good reason: the sales are absurd! This year, Black Friday falls on November 23 – but you don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to start scoring deep discounts.

    Every retailer is trying to grab your attention with incredible deals on Black Friday. If you’re looking to save some money for holiday shopping, here’s what you can expect to see on sale this Black Friday!

    Last Year’s Best Black Friday Deals

    If you want to know what to expect for Black Friday this year, you’ll want to look back to the deals offered in 2017. Each year, retailers keep their sales consistent, offering the biggest bonuses and markdowns on the hottest, most sought after products of the year. Last year, retailers released a host of incredible discounts – and those specials were unveiled as early as November 9th. Some of the top deals shoppers scored included:

      • iPhone + Gift Card Offers: Customers who purchased an Apple iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus received a $300 Walmart gift card.
      • Samsung Galaxy + Gift Card Offers: The popular Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8, and Galaxy S8 Plus came with a $300 Walmart gift card.
      • PlayStation Bundle Discount: Buy a PlayStation 4 bundled with GranTurismo Sport and a virtual reality set for $100 off.
      • Nintendo Discount: The popular Nintendo Switch console with two controllers and a carrying case was priced at $299.
      • Xbox One X Discount: The Microsoft Xbox One X console with 1 terabyte of storage space was priced at $499.
      • Smart LED TV Discount: A Sharp 55” 4K Smart LED TV was discounted down to just $298.

    Shoppers went wild for these steals – and this year, you can expect Walmart to offer equally great deals for Black Friday.

    Black Friday Sales to Expect This Year

    It’s easy to predict what kinds of deals you can expect to see for Black Friday 2018. Each year, retailers tends to offer similar discounts and bundled packages on new smartphones, TVs, video games and consoles, and so many more tech products. Before retailers releases its 2018 deals in early November, here’s what we’re expecting to see on the list of deals:

    Smart Speakers

    Smart speakers have been some of the hottest Black Friday sellers in recent years, especially now that big names like Amazon and Google are essentially all-in on the connected home. Expect more of the same for shoppers in 2018, with lots of deals on Alexa and Google Assistant gadgets, smart thermostats from names like Nest and Ecobee, home surround sound smart speakers, connected lighting kits, video doorbells app-enabled robot vacuums… you name it.

    Smartphones + Gift Cards

    New iterations of both the iPhone and the Galaxy have been released, along with plenty of other popular smartphones from LG, Huawei, and more. One of the biggest draws Walmart offers year after year is a special on the most sought after smartphones – and for 2018, we can expect to see gift card offers equal to or better than last year’s deals. Expect to see the newest smartphones, from the iPhone XS and XS Max to the Galaxy S9 and Note 9, offered with a gift card of $300 to $350.

    These types of deals reoccur year after year, and they’re a safe bet at large retailers. If you’re planning on upgrading to a new phone or giving one as a gift, keep this in mind!

    Video Game Consoles

    Speaking of the Nintendo Switch, its sure to be a hot seller this year. The little hybrid console is primed for the release of Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Pokemon Let’s Go! and Super Mario Party. Those big-name games will make the console a must-have for gamers this holiday season, so expect to see it discounted.

    For an example, last year retailers had deals including the console, a carrying case and a game for only $300. That’s the normal MSRP of the system, so the carrying case and game were simply all-upside! This year we expect to see similar sales at various retailers. The Super Smash Bros and Pokemon bundles of the Switch are likely targets for big sales. Both include unique docks and controllers based on the games that are bundled in! They’re both likely to be hot-ticket items this year.

    Microsoft and Sony also offer their Xbox and PS4 at $300, respectively. While we don’t expect to see these systems discounted any, it wouldn’t be surprising to see deals including games or controllers as bundles at $300. These sales are more desirable to retailers: they offer value to the consumer while not digging into the company’s profits. In fact, they could even help offload hardware like controllers or carrying cases while increasing traffic around the holidays.

    TV Deals

    You can also expect to see great discounts of TVs. Interestingly, TVs are one of the few things that hasn’t increased in price year over year with inflation. Instead, it’s more affordable than ever to get a big, flat-screen HD TV. That goes double during Black Friday sales when everything has huge discounts!

    Last year large retailers had 55-inch 4K displays as low as $300. Those kinds of prices were around $200-$300 off of MSRP. A lot of retailers even used those huge TV discounts as one of the biggest draws to shopping in their store during the huge holiday sales.

    As crazy as this sounds, you might even be able to pick up 4K Smart TVs for as little as $250 on Black Friday. These deals are sure to be red-hot to boot. Make sure you’re early in line to snag these deals! TVs are one of the fastest-moving items on sale during Black Friday. If you’ve been holding off on upgrading, this year is going to be a really good time to pull the trigger on an upgrade. Given the trajectory of large flat-screens, it’s likely that this year will have some of the lowest prices ever for them.

    There are sure to be dozens of more awesome deals to be found at major retailers this Black Friday. Ads indicating sale prices are usually out by mid-November, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for early indicators of the big deals this season!

    Laptop & Tablet Deals

    If you’re looking to pick up one of the best laptops or a new MacBook, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the best times to do fetch a winning deal. And, with this year’s celebration of shopping quickly approaching, you might want to gear up for the big day and see how you can ensure you only get the best price.

    Big name brands like Dell, Lenovo and HP should all see price drops for their range of laptops, both budget and high-end. Last year, Dell’s XPS 13 and XPS 15 laptops saw liberal price cuts, and we hope to see similar slashing this year. They are two of the best laptops money can buy, so if you find those getting discounted on Black Friday, definitely consider purchasing them.

    Price cuts to Microsoft’s excellent range of Surface devices are also a common sight on Black Friday. Microsoft just announced the Surface Pro 6, and while Black Friday will be too soon for that new device to see price cuts, it means that its predecessor, the Surface Pro 2017, has a good chance of seeing some decent price cuts. Keep an eye out for the affordable Surface Go as well – we suspect Microsoft will make some prices cuts there as well.

    But, what about Apple? Apple’s MacBook notebooks don’t often receive sizable price cuts, but in recent Black Friday events we’ve seen some good price cuts emerging from retailers like B&H Photo and Adorama. If you don’t mind getting somewhat older MacBook hardware from a year or so ago, then you should be able to score yourself a neat MacBook deal on Black Friday. Finally the new iPad Pro was recently unveiled this year so Apple will undoubtedly have Black Friday deals for their most recent flagship product.


  • Cyber Monday 2018: Are You Missing Out on the Best Savings?

    Cyber Monday 2018: Are You Missing Out on the Best Savings?

    Cyber Monday isn’t just for Black Friday leftovers. Every year, Black Friday gets a ton of attention for being the best time to save on holiday shopping. However, some of the best deals you can find come courtesy of Cyber Monday! The Monday after Black Friday is a fantastic day of online deals and it can be so easy to forget the online phenomenon.

    The deals don’t just suddenly end with the passing of Black Friday, and your excitement about them doesn’t have to either. Cyber Monday is filled with great savings and sales, without the lines and occasional negativity that come with Black Friday. If you’re looking to do all of your shopping online rather than in stores this year, make sure to bookmark the latest offers all week. We will be scouring the depths of the web to bring you the best of Cyber Monday.

    Cyber Monday 2018

    This year, Cyber Monday is November 26th. Most online retailers offer their best deals from Monday through Friday, though not everyone does this. Keep your eyes peeled for great deals! For what it’s worth, many retailers have largely begun to conflate Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals as online retail has become more lucrative.

    Cyber Monday has historically been a single day of online deals, but since online shopping has become so huge in recent years, this shopping holiday has become more of a shopping holi-week. You can expect to see many of the same deals on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday that you will see on Monday.

    Some advertisers have started referring to this phenomenon as Cyber Week, but not everyone has adopted this new model for the holiday season. Here are some examples of deals you might see on Cyber Monday from top retailers!

    Amazon
    Best For: Gaming and toys, smart home, and almost anything else you can buy online.

    While plenty of other retailers offer Cyber Monday sales, none of them match Amazon’s. Last year, we saw three times as many Cyber Monday deals at Amazon as the next highest retailer.

    Amazon also has a large number of Black Friday deals on their Fire tablets, Fire TV Stick and Echo devices, among other things. Expect these huge discounts to continue during Cyber Monday and Cyber Week. There will likely also be Lightning Deals all throughout the week that you can save a ton on, so stay posted!

    Walmart
    Best For: Parents (and kids, too) and homeowners.

    Like Walmart’s sprawling stores, you’ll find sales on just about every product category on Cyber Monday. There were also steals on more practical purchases for parents, including car seats and children’s bedroom sets, as well as household necessities.

    Walmart will be offering sales on a number of things to compete with Amazon’s line. Items like Google Home, 4K TVs and the like will all be discounted through their website. Also, expect to see discounts on home appliances like microwaves, toasters and the like. This is a great opportunity for buying gifts for new homeowners, or just updating your own home!

    Target
    Best For: The hottest Cyber Monday TV sales.

    Two-thirds of Target’s Cyber Monday sales last year were the best bargains on televisions anywhere. Last year’s sales saw fantastic prices on sets ranging from 40″ to 80″, but the best prices were on high-end 70″ and 80″ 4K sets, some of which hit the lowest prices we’d ever seen on TVs in that class.

    Target will have similar sales to Walmart and will likely be selling things at a similar price. We recommend double-checking against Walmart when shopping Target to make sure you find the best deals. Target also has a wide range of electronics you can expect to see on sale, which are the hot-ticket items this time of year!

    Best Buy
    Best For: Electronics of all kinds.

    Last year, Best Buy didn’t offer a ton of Cyber Monday sales, but the majority of them were stellar. Look for bargains on home security items and last-generation smartphones — last year’s sales offered the lowest price on the iPhone 7 we’d ever seen. Expect some excellent TV sales, too.

    Expect to also see discounts on high-end PC gear like gaming keyboards and mice. Chairs for computer gaming are also likely to be discounted at a great rate! Consider checking Best Buy if you’re looking for electronics that Target and Walmart don’t usually sell.