Finding Black Friday Laptop Deals

Continuing with our featured posts on Black Friday 2010, here is a guest post from Nico who tweets about deals and sales.

As Thanksgiving is around the corner, many shoppers are excited about the day where retailers offer items for nearly half off. This day is known as Black Friday and it occurs every year. During most Black Fridays, you will see people camping out of your local Best Buy or department store waiting for the doors to open so that they can rush in and get the item(s) that they’ve been targeting before someone else snatches it.

Most people, like myself, are usually looking for the latest electronics to hit the stores. A lot of people get excited because of the big sales on laptops that are being offered. It’s only once a year that your able to get a laptop for half the price it is usually worth and that is on Black Friday.

However waiting in that long line can be a hassle. Nobody likes to stay awake all night with a bunch of eager people that will be rushing to get the same item you’ve been eyeing the whole night. This is the main reason why I usually shop for laptops for sale online. It is the most convenient way of making a Black Friday purchase without people pushing and shoving you when the doors open. There are many good deals online to look for an affordable laptop that is suitable for you.

 Tigerdirect.com is a website that offers great discounts on laptops every Black Friday. Usually there are deals for online shoppers and deals for store shoppers for finding the best laptop brand for their needs. Finding a laptop shouldn’t be too difficult online since it is easy to see the variety of different computers they have including the specifications. The best way to find a good deal is to sign up for the stores specializing in Black Friday deals. That’s how I found out about a few different models of HP laptops on sale last year and ended up buying one for each of my kids. You can sign up for alerts for your electronic store to remind online subscribers that there is an exclusive offer in place that you may intrigue you.

These are just a few of the ways to find a good laptop on the day after Thanksgiving. As Thanksgiving is almost just a week away, it is a good time for potential laptop buyers to begin looking for the best laptop that is suitable for them. The rise of the use of the internet allows consumers to shop at the comfort of their own home. What better way is there to shop after you get a brand new laptop that you just purchased online at a price that’s a bargain?

Related posts

• Black Friday Laptop Deals For 2010 (0)
• Black Friday Online: Shopping For Laptops (0)
• Black Friday Laptop Deals (0)
• Reader Reviews: HP Pavilion (0)
• Buying Your First Laptop (0)

Black Friday Laptop Deals

Black Friday 2010 is just around the corner, and with it the opportunity to find some excellent deals on all sorts of products. There’s no guarantee you’ll find any particular item or that you’ll be able to get the Black Friday pricing — often, the biggest savings are strictly limited in quantity and sell out within moments. But if you have some flexibility in terms of what you’re looking for, and do a little research, Black Friday can be a great time to purchase cheap laptops on sale.

Your first task is to check around on the Internet beforehand to see if any Black Friday deals are leaked. Some chain stores such as Best Buy may intend to offer a big sale on laptops, and this can help you plan which stores to visit to maximize your chances of finding what you want. Also, bear in mind that people are more likely to compete with you for the items if you go to the stores commonly associated with electronics, so remember to check out other locations such as Staples or Office Depot as well.

Another strategy is to look to Internet retailers for specials. Many popular laptops for sale such as Toshiba, Asus, Sony, or Samsung are available through a number of online stores. Again, the most commonly thought of retailers for laptops are also the most likely to be sold out quickly, so build a list of all online stores you can think of that has laptops in their inventory. And don’t forget places like Dell or Sony’s online store — sometimes the manufacturers themselves will offer you great deals on Black Friday and you might be able to score laptops under $300.

What features should you look for in a laptop? You should try to buy a system with at least a dual-core CPU, 250GB hard drive, 4GB memory, a DVD+R/DVD-R/RW drive, 802.11n Wi-Fi built-in, and Windows 7 installed. This combination costs around $650-700 online, but look to buy for $100-150 less on Black Friday (or 15-25% off). Also look for TV-out capability, which will likely either be S-Video or DVI if present on the laptop; this can allow you to use your laptop to stream services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon On-Demand to your television set. Blu-Ray drives have also come down in cost lately, so keep an eye out for those as well if that interests you. Lower-end laptops are available for around $500 if you are unconcerned with performance, but you should ensure they come with a better operating system than Windows 7 Starter and more than 2GB of memory.

Before you shop, make a list of the features that are important to you in a laptop, and carefully compare them before you buy. Sometimes Black Friday electronics are stripped-down versions of regular electronics with a minor modification to the model number, so check each feature line-by-line. If in doubt, don’t buy; it’s better to pay a little extra down the road than to regret your purchase for years to come. If you’re planning on playing games, read as many gaming laptop reviews as possible, before you buy.

Hopefully, this will help you work out a plan to find the best deal on the laptop you want on Black Friday. There’s no one place to go or one perfect strategy, but between research of stores in your neighborhood and stores online you can maximize your chances of finding the deals that suit you.

Related posts

• Cheap Laptops For Students (10)
• 10 Most Popular Laptops On Sale (6)
• Save Money On Laptops (0)
• Top 5 Laptops For Individual Needs (7)
• Sony Joins the 3-D Laptop Arena: Can it Match Up? (1)

How To Get The Best Deal On A Laptop

Purchasing a laptop is an important and rewarding process. If you do it right, you can find a product that fits your needs at a good price. If you do it wrong, you can wind up spending too much money on a piece of technology that does things you don’t want it to do, doesn’t do things you wish it did, or doesn’t work at all.

So, where to begin my search, what should I look for and how will I know what is the best laptop brand for my needs? I think you need to evaluate a series of questions about yourself and your computer usage to begin narrowing down the number of options. There are at least a few hundred choices, but you can quickly narrow it down once you know the following: *Apple/Mac or PC? *10-12 inch, 14-16 inch, or 17-19 inch? *Gaming or heavy video editing? *Speed and memory? *Price? *Brand? *Deals? Let’s walk through each one and by the end you should have a good sense of a few solid choices.

Apple computers are known for being slick, simple to use, beautifully designed, great for video editors, and generally expensive. PCs are known for being technically adaptable, fast, great for business, and generally affordable. Those are stereotypes that have begun changing over the years but still generally hold true.

The next major decision is size. Smaller 10-12 inch computers, also known as netbooks, make great portable devices. They work best as a secondary computer for use in web browsing, notetaking, and general work on the go. Medium sized 14-16 inch laptops are ideal for general use and can be either portable or used as a stationary computer. The screen is large enough to be comfortable but not so large as to be cumbersome. Larger 17-19 inch screens are beautiful and functional but not so portable. They’re best for graphic designers, gamers, and those who want a sleep alternative to a desktop computer that they can still unplug and pack into a suitcase.

Gaming and heavy video editing requires special features. For one, speed is a primary concern, so you’ll need a top of the line processor with lots of RAM (random access memory). You’ll also need a high end graphics card. Gaming usually happens on PCs, but video editing tends to happen on Apples.

As for speed, even those not doing heavy gaming or editing may want a zippy device which can handle multiple programs and windows running at the same time. If you tend to do 15 things at once, make sure that you opt for a faster chip with more RAM. If you are more of a simple web-browser and occasional document writer, you’ll be fine with less.

More costs more. Price is where all of these options come together. Apple is more expensive. Better chips, graphic cards, and more RAM are all more expensive. If you’re looking for the best laptop deal, a cheap 10 inch computer with full capabilities can be had for $300 dollars. An average, fully loaded 15 inch computer could be had for $700 if its a PC and $1200 if it’s an Apple. A high end, large screen gaming/graphics/business laptop could run into the $2500-4000 range. Brand choice is partly a matter of preference and partly a matter of reputation. Apples are known for being well made, so there is no concern there. PC brands with the best reputation are HP and Dell laptops, followed by Toshiba, Sony, and Acer. A newer company ASUS has been making neat devices that many people like.

Whatever brand you buy, try it out in person to see how it feels. Laptops are a very personal device and you need to like using it. Deals and checking out popular laptops for sale are the final concern. Like cars, laptops will come down in price before the next year’s new models come in. The worst time to buy a laptop is typically around the holidays or when students are going back to school. That’s when everyone buys one. A good idea is to select a few models that suit your needs and shop around for prices over a month or two. When a big sale on laptops pops up, take advantage of it. If you follow all of these tips, your laptop purchase should be a successful one.

Final thoughts: only buy the software you need. Great anti-virus software is available *free* online. Try AVG, Malware Bytes, and CC Cleaner. Microsoft Office-like applications can be had for *free* in the open source Open Office suite. Most insurance is not a great buy. The first year is always covered by warranty, and laptops rarely last more than 3 or 4. Just take good care of it and you should be ok. Good luck!

Related posts

• Buying A Laptop For Your Teen (0)
• 10 Most Popular Laptops On Sale (6)
• Top 5 Laptops For Individual Needs (7)
• Sony Joins the 3-D Laptop Arena: Can it Match Up? (1)
• Are You Looking For Laptops On Sale? (5)

Laptops Under $300

For those of us who are on a tight budget know how frustrating it can be to find a decent laptop. So, I went on a mission to find some of the best deals from some of the best laptop brands. Now, if you are going for laptops under $300. There are some considerable challenges. When it comes to computers, you basically get what you pay for. If you are simply looking for something to browse the internet on and send e-mail this would be a good price range for you. If you are looking for something fast enough to game on, then you would need something with a bigger hard-drive and processor speed. So here are the best deals that I have found for laptops.

The first is from Walmart where you can find quite a few popular laptops for sale. The brand is eMachines, it has a 10.1” screen, eM350-2074 Netbook PC with Intel Atom N450 Processor and Windows XP Home operating system. The price of this laptop is $258.00. With this laptop you have a 1GB system memory, which allows you to do all the basics such as surfing the internet, emailing and storing documents. You can store 106,000 photos, 45,000 songs or 84 hours of HD video. This model comes equipped with Wi-Fi, and an ethernet connection. This model also boasts a 1.3 megapixel webcam, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 (60 day trial), a 60 day trial of Norton Security and a four hour battery life. It weighs about four and a half pounds and if you order Site to Store you get free shipping.

The next model I found was a Dell Latitude D610 laptop which has been refurbished. The price of this laptop is $260.00. This model also has a 14.1” screen, CD burning capabilities, 64MB dedicated RAM, ATI mobility Radeon X300, and brand new the system costs $1940.00. It is a nice, sleek model, and weighs about seven pounds. There are four USB ports, and overall this seems like a really good deal for a tight budget. This Dell laptops model is available on Amazon.com.

The last model that I came across $271.80. This is the Acer AO532H 2223 ATOM N450. This Acer has a 10.1” screen. It has 1GB memory, a 1.66 GHz processing speed, Windows 7 Home Premium which is brand new. It’s hard drive capacity is 160 GB. This laptop also comes with an Integrated Acer Crystal Eye WebCam, an eight hour battery life and it only weighs about three pounds which is great for portability. This system also has WiFi internet capabilities as well as an Ethernet port. In my opinion this would be the best deal simply for the wight and the system specs. This would be a great computer and has more good reviews than bad. This item is currently available on Ebay.com. It also is a newer model with a warranty. I had an Acer a few years ago and the customer service center fixed my computer for free and shipped it back for free as well.

Now that you know a few options that are available for your budget. Keep an eye out for a big sale on laptops at your local electronics store.  I hope you find what works for you and enjoy your new computer.

Related posts

• How To Get The Best Deal On A Laptop (0)
• Top 5 Laptops For Individual Needs (7)
• Review: Dell Laptops (0)
• Reader Reviews: HP Pavilion (0)
• Why You Should Be Getting A Netbook (0)

Shopping For Cheap New Laptops

When shopping for a new laptop computer, the average consumer has two choices: spend a lot of money on a top-of-the-line laptop that performs outstandingly now but will be obsolete in three years, or spend significantly less on a computer that may not outperform its pricier competitors, but can easily be replaced when technology moves forward for a fraction of the cost. For most consumers, buying a less expensive computer is dollar-for-dollar a much better value, since even cheap new laptops have as much memory and processor speed as the best laptops of five years ago. New technologies have also increased the range of choices available to consumers, so there are now inexpensive and hardworking laptop computers to fit everybody’s needs.

The first question a laptop shopper should ask is, what will this computer be used for? A laptop that will be used mostly for word processing and business work should have different specifications than one that will be used to play computer games. For ultra-portable word processing, netbooks are a good choice. These small cheap laptops are smaller and cheaper than their bigger cousins, and usually fit into a standard bag for easy transport. They make great cheap laptops for students. Asus, Lenovo, and MSI are established netbook makers whose computers average in the low $200s. A laptop that will be used for graphics-intensive computer games or design, however, should have a larger screen and more memory. Toshiba, Compaq, and Acer all make good computers for less money: a basic Compaq Presario with 2GB memory costs around $299, and similar offerings from Toshiba and Acer are under $400.

The next question to ask is, what specific model should this laptop be? There are only so many ways to build a computer, and many companies offer copies of what is essentially the same computer. To decide between similarly-priced versions of the same thing, consider each company’s reputation for the durability of its products. How long does each company’s laptops typically last? What kind of guarantees do they offer on their products? Can a customer send in their broken laptop for repairs, or are there repair shops conveniently located? Since even expensive computers inevitably have hardware trouble, the laptop you buy may be less important than the service you buy with it.

The third thing to consider is, can a laptop be tested before it is purchased? Even if a laptop is bought online, often the same or similar model can be tested in stores to make sure it will meet the customer’s expectations. Before you order any laptop online, write down the maker and model and then check with local electronics stores to see whether they carry it in stock. Even if you plan to buy it elsewhere, it is worth the time to go and examine a computer in person to see whether you like the design and its performance.

Finally, the last thing to consider when buying a cheap new laptop is how to make it yours! Personalization is important and can make a computer something special, not just a tool. Cheap laptops are often more standardized than more expensive ones, with fewer custom options, so taking advantage of what customization is available can make a huge difference. Don’t like the boring back of your laptop? Consider buying a “skin” or wrap for your computer. Skins come in many colors and designs, from many different companies–some will even allow you to create your own design and have it custom-made. Accessories like skins or wireless mice can make your laptop experience more fun, more productive, and an even better value for your money.

Update: The following review was posted by reader Brandon A.

Recently, I purchased a HP G60-610CA Notebook for around $550 (although, it was on sale for a limited time), and thus far, I have been nothing but 100% pleased with it. It has a sleek and stylish design, great specs (250gb HD, 4gb RAM, 15.6? monitor, built-in webcam, microphone, and other features), and it runs better than I could have ever imagine. The 4 GB of RAM allows me to work on multiple tasks or run several programs all at once without sacrificing any speed or performance. The screen is just the right size (not too big and not too small), the mouse and keyboard both feel natural and are very easy to use, and it’s lightweight enough to have it with you on the go.

You really can’t go wrong with this model. No matter what you plan to do with your notebook, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no better choice than the HP G60-610CA Notebook. I needed a laptop that’s good for basic gaming, browsing the internet, communicating with friends, doing homework, and running high-intensity software, and to date, this one has delivered on all fronts with flying colors. There are other great laptops on the market, but I see no real reason to look any further than this one. Don’t miss out on this fantastic product!

Reader Question: What laptop would you recommend for someone who wanted to buy a cheap laptop?

Related posts

• Cheap Laptops For Students (10)
• Black Friday Laptops On Sale (0)
• 3 Tips For Buying Laptops On Sale (0)
• Why You Should Be Getting A Netbook (0)
• Three Tips For Finding Laptops On Sale (0)

Cheap Laptops For Students

Are you getting ready to start going to college soon and are looking at your options when it comes to finding the best laptop? Cheap new laptops are essential for anyone who is currently attending college or who will be attending soon. Sometimes you will have instructors who talk faster than you can write and you will not be able to catch everything that they are saying to write it down fast enough. With a laptop you will be able to type your notes directly into a text document and have them on hand when you are ready to study for a big test. You will also need to do a fair amount of research for some of the papers that you will have to write so you will need to have a good laptop to do your research with. Here you will find some of the best cheap laptops for students.

One of the most popular laptops on sale for students is the Toshiba Satellite. You will find several great features such as the 15.6 inch screen that will help you to have everything that you need for typing notes and doing research. This laptop comes with the latest version of Windows which is Windows 7 and has all of the storage you need for saving your documents that will be important for your classes. You will have 500 Gigabytes of storage which means that you will be able to store four years worth of notes. You will also get a DVD drive, an Intel Core processor, and a great graphics package making this one of the best cheap laptops to study for finals on.

Another great laptop for sale that college students like is the Compaq Presario. You will get many similar features that you will get with the above Toshiba including Windows 7 and a 15.6 inch display, but this laptop has a few different features. One thing you may notice is that it has half of the storage capacity of the Toshiba with a 250 Gigabyte hard drive, but that is still more than enough space to store your notes for the four years you will be in college. Also, instead of just having a DVD player you will get a DVD +/- R burner. That means you can make backup copies of your favorite movies or make presentations for your classes on a DVD disc.

There are a lot of other very cheap laptops that are perfect for college students that you may want to check out, but these two will give you plenty to make it through all of your classes and perform all of the tasks and assignments that you will have. If you are going to be attending college you will need to have a good laptop with you at all times.

Update: One of our long time readers, ‘Rick TLA’ gave us his suggestions for five of the cheapest laptops currently on the market.

1. 7” laptop by Ubisurfer: This 7” screen laptop is a product from Ubisurfer, a UK based company. They are offering free internet with the laptop. School students normally needs laptops for writing, painting and for doing internet browsing. So they don’t need any high quality laptops. The ubisurfer laptop can be used for all the purposes. There is no in built CD/DVD optical drive with the laptop. The specifications are, it comes out with 128MB RAM and 1GB hard drive. The cost of the laptop is just $180.

2. Laptop from Champion brand: This is one of the most cheapest mini laptop. Its been on the store with a one year warranty. Laptop has got a wider screen about 10.2”. the specifications are, N270 Intel Atom processor with 1GB RAM and 250 GB hard disk.Its cost is $328

3. ASUS Eee Pc 1005HA: This laptop has got lot of advanced techniques than the above ones. It has got 6 cell battery, used for playing videos. This laptop also has got 1 year warranty. The specifications are , a N280 processor with 1 GB Ram and 160nGB hard disk space.Its cost is about $383

4. Aspire One Laptop-AOD250: this laptop has got an in built multiple card reader and a wide display 10.1”. The laptop also got a web camera. The specifications are, a N280 Atom processor with a speed of 1.66 GHz and 1 GB RAM and 160GB hard disk space. It costs $428

5. Lenovo Ideapad S10 Laptop: This laptop is available in two colors, black and grey. The major advantage is that it has got 6hrs of battery power. The screen size is 10.1”. The specifications are, a N280 Atom processor, 1Gb RAM and 160GB hard disk space. The operating system installed is windows Vista, which can change according to the user need. The cost of the product is $437.

Reader Question: What is the most inexpensive laptop (brand and model) that you’re bought and were you satisfied with it?  

Related posts

• Top 5 Laptops For Individual Needs (7)
• Black Friday Laptop Deals (0)
• Save Money On Laptops (0)
• Laptops On Sale: What To Look For (0)
• Shopping For Cheap New Laptops (6)