Discounts

PlayBook dropping to $199 in Staples Black Friday deal?

The discounts keep coming for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The latest comes from a leaked Staples ad found by TechCrunch. The office-supply retailer appears to be offering the 16GB PlayBook for $199 as part of its Black Friday special. A full listing of Staples' Black Friday specials can be found here.

This marks the steepest price cut yet for the PlayBook, which stumbled out of the gate and hasn't sold particularly well despite a spate of recent discounts. RIM has seeded the developer community with thousands of PlayBook tablets and is pushing heavy promotions to move its inventory. More importantly, it wants more consumers using its next-generation operating system, which will eventually power its high-end smartphones. … Read more

Scoot over, Groupon, Google Offers has an app now too

Daily deal-aholics now have another avenue for purchasing discounted local offers, thanks to the arrival of the new Google Offers app for Android.

Simple and straightforward, the app immediately serves up a list of location-specific deals upon first launch. You can swipe up and down through the list, or tap any deal to see its price, number of purchases, and time remaining. From the deals list, you can also swipe left to see your Google Offers history, including Purchased, Saved, and Used or Expired deals.

The Google Offers app (download) is available now for free in the Android Market. And … Read more

How to find discount codes for (almost) everything you buy

You know the old saying: nothing ventured, nothing discounted. Or something like that.

If you buy a lot of stuff online, you've no doubt experienced the pang of longing that occurs when faced with a Discount/Promotion Code box on an e-tailer's checkout page. If only you had a code, maybe you'd save a few bucks. Or even score free shipping.

Before you click Submit Order, it pays to spend a few minutes code-searching. There might just be one out there waiting for you to copy and paste.

For example, I recently ordered a bunch of water … Read more

Retailers offering discounted PlayBook tablets

Let the BlackBerry PlayBook sale begin.

Best Buy's Canadian Web site and Staples were the first retailers to offer steep discounts on Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet. Staples is selling the low-end 16-gigabyte model for $299.99 after a $100 discount and another $100 mail-in rebate. Best Buy, meanwhile, is selling the same model for $399.99, but throwing in a $100 store gift card.

The discounts were first identified by BGR, which also reported that Wal-Mart is offering the tablet for $250 in an unadvertised sale.

The new prices mark RIM's and the retailers' latest effort … Read more

How to find the best online deals on electronics

While big retailers like Amazon and Best Buy are trying to persuade you that their price cut is the best bargain you'll get on that laptop, tech-savvy shoppers are quietly scoring ridiculous deals only the Internet could offer.

There's a good reason why you haven't heard of sites like SlickDeals and DealsPlus before: tech shoppers in the know are good at keeping secrets. The deals are first come, first served, and usually sell out by the end of the day.

Well, I think it's about time I share this secret to best prepare you for your … Read more

BlackBerry PlayBook tablet prices edge down more

BlackBerry PlayBook prices are beginning to see a slow but steady descent at major U.S. electronics retailer Staples, in the wake of a sharp, though temporary, discount earlier this month at Best Buy.

This also comes after RIM reported lackluster earnings on Thursday and said it would start several programs to drive PlayBook sales.

On Thursday, RIM said it has shipped only 200,000 PlayBooks in the fiscal second quarter, less than half of the 490,000 tablets analysts had expected.

Staples began cutting the price on the 16GB PlayBook earlier this month, reducing it to $449.99 from $499.99. Now it has applied the same discount for the 32GB and 64GB models. Those drop to $549 and $649 from $599 and $699, respectively.

Earlier this month, Best Buy offered the 64GB PlayBook at $549.99, $150 off the original price of $699.99. But that discount lasted only a weekend.

The PlayBook is one of the few non-Apple tablets being sold at retailers that doesn't come with Google's Android operating system. Instead, it uses the BlackBerry Tablet Operating System, based on QNX technology. The same technology that will begin to appear on BlackBerry phones next year.

The 7-inch tablet has some fairly robust hardware, including a 1GHz dual-core processor from Texas Instruments, a multitouch capacitive 1024x600 screen, front and rear cameras, Micro USB and Micro HDMI ports, and 1080p HD video. Access to 3G networks is via BlackBerry phones. … Read more

Refurbished iPad 2s arrive in Apple's online store

Apple is now selling refurbished versions of the iPad 2 through its U.S. online store, a first since the popular tablet was launched in March.

Apple is carrying both colors of the device at different storage capacities, though all except for two of what's currently in stock are the models with either Verizon or AT&T's 3G networking built in, as opposed to the less expensive, Wi-Fi-only models. Apple is also not offering any of the entry-level 16GB capacity models.

As for the discount, which is one of the main reasons to purchase a refurbished product … Read more

The 404 888: Where you have a weak electrochemical bond (podcast)

You can stop holding your breath for someone to port Android onto the HP TouchPad--it turns out someone already has, in secret! This Reddit thread has pictures and video evidence of an HP TouchPad purchased at Best Buy on Saturday that boots up with Android already on it.

And if that doesn't work out, Hack N Mod is offering a $1,500 bounty to anyone who can successfully achieve the five different tasks involved in rooting and booting Android.

In other news, did you know that the "Fifth Element" movie was based on only the first half of director Luc Besson's original 400-page script? Reddit strikes again and tells us that the second story, called "Mr. Shadow," wasn't made, but we can't help but dream about its story...

Also, PETA is launching a porn Web site that pulls the old bait 'n' switch by drawing in Netizens with dreams of dirty movies, then exposing them to gruesome movies exposing the mistreatment of animals. Those two things go together, right?

The 404 Digest for Episode 888

A guy who gets a TouchPad at Best Buy discovers Android already on it. Modders offer a bounty for an HP TouchPad Android port. PETA plans to launch a porn site. Today I learned that "The Fifth Element" was based on only the first half of Luc Besson's original screenplay.

Episode 888 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

RadioShack runs temporary discounts on iPhone 4

While not quite the fire sale of a now more-than-year-old product, RadioShack is selling Apple's iPhone 4 at a discount for the next 12 days.

From now through August 20, RadioShack is cutting $30 off the price of Apple's iPhone 4, as well as the iPhone 3GS. Deeper discounts can be had if buyers bring in their iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS and use the company's Trade and Save program, which it's had going since before the iPhone 4 went on sale.

RadioShack and Target unofficially lowered pricing on phones at the end of last month, … Read more

The 404 870: Where we've gone to ludicrous speed (podcast)

Nintendo just announced disappointing sales of its 3DS hand-held gaming device, and a discounted sticker price to go along with it. Is an $80 drop and 20 free games enough to build momentum for the tepid gaming device?

Check out today's show to find out, and to also hear about an AirBnB user's home getting completely thrashed, the hubris of Domino's 7x7x7 deal, and our tips for Colin Farrell in the remake of the movie "Total Recall."

The 404 Digest for Episode 870

Airbnb.com user's home gets completely trashed. Nintendo slashes 3DS price to $169.99.

Episode 870 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more