Gadgets Blog » Deal of the Day

Cool Items on a Budget: Printers, Hardware and More!

Dan Evans — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:18:43 +0000

Today we’re looking at some great gadgets available at some great prices, which should be a great asset to anyone feeling the post-Holiday crunch. This time of year can be excellent for a smart shopper, as there are plenty of deals to go around. Companies are trying to clear off their shelves for new products, but here at Smarter we have some great items and even better deals.

Great Deals on Game Controllers!
For an avid video gamer, the controller can make all the difference. For the major consoles, there can be a bit of a decision to make, as Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all have their own official controllers available, whereas third party developers oftentimes have units for significantly less. Alternative game controllers oftentimes boast features that can give huge boosts to the gaming experience. If you’re a PC or Playstation 3 racing fanatic, the Logitech G 25 Force Feedback Wheel provides one of the most realistic driving experiences available at a reasonable price for such a high-end steering wheel. Other great deals include the Thrustmaster Wireless Pad for the Playstation 3. It features a more naturally contoured fit to the hand that is very similar to the Xbox 360 controller. Also, the rubber grips function great during marathon gaming sessions and are a great cure for sweaty palms. If you prefer to stick with brand-name controllers, Nintendo offers a “Classic Controller” for the Wii that has the same shape and button scheme as the classic Super Nintendo controllers, which can be great for games where the Wii Numchuck isn’t a good fit for game play.

Great Deals on Dell Computer Hardware!
One great advantage of owning a PC desktop is the ease with which the hardware components can be upgraded. Instead of throwing down close to $1000 for a brand new machine, it’s straightforward to purchase and install new parts, such as video cards, sound cards, and memory. This extends the longevity of the computer, without the need for an entirely new model. Here at Smarter, we have some great deals right now on Dell hardware, which means it could be the perfect time to upgrade your machine. A Dell memory module is a great way to boost the RAM, giving increased computer speed and performance, while a Dell heatsink and fan can ensure the performance of your CPU, especially important if you opt to overclock your machine. If you’re in the market for a new PC, I strongly recommend looking into available upgrades first! You can save a lot of money by choosing to upgrade your current desktop instead of replacing it.

Great Deals on Printers and Scanners!
A great asset for a home office, a powerful printer and scanner can do everything from printing clear and crisp documents to vivid pictures. Throw in a powerful scanning unit and you have the ability to do all sorts of things, such as digitize an old collection of photos. This time of year is great for picking up some powerful printing and scanning units. If you’re a digital photo buff, Kodak makes an excellent EasyShare Photo Printer for quickly printing out digital photos with excellent clarity and contrast. For more conventional printing and scanning needs, an all-in-one unit like the Office Jet Pro 8500 allows for great flexibility and can handle bulk and high-quality printing. If you haven’t invested in a printer or scanner for a while, this is a great opportunity to track down some hot deals, and you’ll likely be impressed by the quality of most models on the market.

Image Source: masternewmedia.org

Good Prices on Gaming Consoles

colleen — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:29:38 +0000

Everyone loves a good game, but sometimes the good games don’t come all for the same gaming console. While each console has it’s own specific market or specialty, there are always games on more than one system that you want to play and fit your personality. But now it can fit your budget! Smarter.com offers you the ability to search for the best deals enabling you to buy 2 or 3 gaming consoles for the price of 1! Whether you want a Sony PSP or a Nintendo GameCube, there are plenty of options for money-saving purchases through Smarter.com.

When shopping for a gaming console, always always ALWAYS look at the types and prices of games for each system. While Nintendo Wii games range from $49.99-$149.99, Nintendo DS games can be bought for as cheap as $10, or $30 for the new releases. You want to think about functionality, too–do you want a one player handheld console, or a larger system that many players can use at the same time? But no matter your final decision, make Smarter.com a part of your search for the perfect gift of gaming console this holiday season:

Some top money-saver purchases for gaming consoles:

Sony PSP : $169.99

XBox 360 : $199.95

Shop for more video game consoles at Smarter.com.

Discounts on DVD Players

colleen — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:36:57 +0000

There are a few of us that can’t bear to get rid of that VHS player in the family den; we watch all of our old Disney tapes on it, and the family home videos, and the weddings and anniversaries of years and relatives past. But nothing new comes out on VHS anymore, so if you want to buy anything new, you need to invest in an DVD. We’ve all learned to cope with the transition, I think, but maybe some of the older relatives haven’t really felt the urge to invest in a new DVD player, thinking that they are perfectly happy watching and re-watching the movies of the past. But what about the movies of the future! Give the gift of the future to your favorite grandpas and grandmas, aunts and uncles this holiday season. Smarter.com offers the best comparison shopping so you save even when you’re splurging on gifts!

Here are some of the top DVD players on the market:

Toshiba HD DVD Player: $119.30

Samsung HD DVD Player in Black : $89.99

Find discount DVD players at Smarter.com.

iPod Car Adapters: Music for the Road

colleen — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:09:14 +0000

To grandmothers house…to great-grandfather’s nursing home we go….to sister-in-laws house we (begrudgingly) go…

Whatever song you sing on this road this holiday season, make sure the soundtrack is exactly your speed and style, no matter what the family has in store. It just takes a little preparation–maybe a CD for the road, but that gets old. You need an iPod dock, perfect for interchange between the cousin’s strikingly opposite music tastes. You need an iPod car adapter that’s compatible with all makes and versions of iPod, but is also compatible with your car. Don’t have a tape deck? Don’t get the tape deck adapter. Don’t have a cigarette lighter? Well, need I say what type of adapter you shouldn’t get?

Here are some options for iPod car adapters on the market, at the best prices:

CTA ICharge Car Charger For iPod : $7.08

Cassette Adapter: $11.47

Shop for more iPod car adapters at Smarter.com.

Save Time and Space with a Scanner

colleen — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:17:30 +0000

As the world becomes progressively more digital, sometimes the best thing to do is start storing and archiving things online, such as images, documents, class notes, resumes, job profiles, etc. Since some of us from the non-digital age still like to use carbon for copies, maybe it’s time to think about investing in a scanner. Scanners are very useful for quickly e-mailing or copying documents, or sending them to a professor or job inquiry. It’s like the days of faxing, except better and you don’t have to wait for a dial tone, or pay the local FedEx to use their fax machine. Scanners come in a variety of shapes, speeds, complexities and sizes; some of them come built into printers, which can be very useful for making copies. Smarter.com offers you the best of both worlds: shop your options, but know that with the comparison shopping tool, you’re always getting the best price.

Here are some of the top scanners featured on Smarter.com:

Canon DR1210C Flatbed Scanner : $325.00

HP Deskjet F4480 All-In-One Printer, Scanner, Copier: $69.97

Find more discount scanners at Smarter.com

Deals on MP3 Players

colleen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:35:32 +0000

Maybe you don’t have an iPhone or are too dedicated to the PC world to buy an iPod in general. That doesn’t mean you have to resort to 90′s era CD players and tape decks, though they are making a comeback in the vintage section. Here are some affordable MP3 players that would make for good Christmas gifts this year:

SanDisk Sansa View 8 GB Digital Media Player Black SDMX10R-8192K-A70 : $50.99

Wolverine ESP 5160 160 GB Digital Media Player Black – 5160 : $249.99

Shop though a variety of discount MP3 players.

External Hard Drives: Don’t Regret Not Backing Up!

colleen — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:39:44 +0000

Memory is the most valuable thing, in life and in your electronics. You never want to lose the records for your games, your homework papers, your financial figures, etc. So, what do you do? You need to back up your files on an external device to make sure, even if your computer crashes, your memory can still be retained. Think of all the valuable photos from years of vacations, papers and job applications, your resume, your address book, all of those things would be lost if your computer suddenly crashed (which they do, all the time. Believe me!) Smarter.com features some of the best external hard drives at the lowest prices. Take a look:

Verbatim 160GB External HardDrive: $61.16

Iomega UltraMax Hard Drive with 500GB Memory : $118.99

Shop thought a variety of discount external hard drives at Smarter.com.

Affordable Home Audio Systems

colleen — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:09:40 +0000

Everybody wants their home to be filled with joy, and one of the best ways to do that is fill it with sounds. Laughter, screams of delight, calls of welcome home, a telephone ring from an old friend, all of these things are joyous noises that fill it with memories and make a house a home. But what about a little music to set the tone? Your iPod speakers aren’t going to be enough to reach through the stories. What do you do if you want the whole family to enjoy the faint melody of Christmas carols, or some quality Beatles or Beethoven for the children to learn some “real” music. Consider these home audio systems found on Smarter.com:

Tascam CD-A700 Cassette CD Combo – CDA700 : $429

Sony CFDS01 CD Radio Cassette Recorder Boom Box: $40

Denon DN-C640 – Professional Rack Mount Slot-Load Network CD Player : $708.99

Deals on Television Stands

colleen — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:26:28 +0000

Recently we talked about smooth savings available for LCD televisions. But once you’ve made the commitment to a beautiful new television set, how do you display it in your home? Do you mount it on the wall? Give it a snazzy new stand? Maybe you just place it on the dusty mantelpiece where the last television was. But I have to say, if television is a viewing experience, you need to make sure the area around the television is as beautiful to view as what’s on the screen itself.

What I can tell you: Smarter.com is here to help you find the best stand for your television at the best price.

Here are some highlights from television stand savings:

Lovan L-MA1LS-AV4 – Matrix Series TV Stand 4″ With Extra Shelf from TVstands.com: $94.99 with free shipping, beating out its next competitor at $135 by a long shot!

Liberty Cherryview TV Stand : $679.00

Sleek with the look of a family heirloom, this beautiful crafted wood piece is elegant and timeless, and marked down from $829.00!

Corner TV Stand : $110.99

Comes with lots of CD and DVD storage, is compact yet sturdy.

Shop for more discounts on TV stands at Smarter.com.

Save on LCD Televisions

colleen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:13:30 +0000

Smarter.com is here to fuel all of your household needs, even those that are purely entertainment value. With football season underway, treat yourself and your loved ones to a new television. The comparison shopping style of Smarter.com will make even your biggest splurges affordable.

Here’s the top picks for LCD televisions through Smarter.com:

JVC P Series LT-47P789 47″ LCD TV – LT47P789: $1,091.51

LN-40A750 HDTV : $1,087.50

Shop for more affordable LCD televisions at Smarter.com.