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November 20, 2008

Black Friday Deals

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving; it is traditionally the start of the holiday shopping season. For many stores it is the busiest day of the entire year.To kick off the sales most retailers promote heavily discounted products and usually open their doors early to shoppers, sometimes very early. A few stores are opening at 12:00 am! Most open at 5 or 6:00 AM. Many of the best deals are sold out minutes after the store opens.

Have you ever gotten up before dawn to shop on the day after Thanksgiving for bargains?
I have done it twice, I doubt I will ever do it again. Both times I had a good time, well at least it was memorable, but the crowds and sometimes limited supply of the red hot deals isn't worth it to me anymore.

But a few years ago I found Black Friday @ Gottadeal

 

 
and the Black Friday forums at Slickdeals.

The reason that I like these sites (and I am sure that there are many other worthwhile Black Friday sites) is that you can plan a strategy well before Thanksgiving.
- figure out what your priority purchases are,
- then map out the stores where you need to go,
- and some of the deals are available online.

Last year, I was able to take advantage of a smoking hot Black Friday deal and slept in on the day after Thanksgiving. I bought two Westinghouse 22" widescreen computer monitors for $169 each from Target.com. They arrived at my house a few days later in perfect condition. Still a good deal, it was a great deal a year ago.

And if you miss something on Black Friday, the following Monday is now known as Cyber Monday - on this day there are always some great deals at online sites.

Have you ever ventured out early in the morning on the day after Thanksgiving? Was it worth it?
Are you going this year?

Posted by Bob Gatton at 6:43 PM | Comments (1)

November 10, 2008

More iPhone Cases

I really like the OtterBox Defender case for my iPhone when I am at job sites, but it is a bit bulky. So I decided to check a few other options for use when I am not at a job site. Here they are:

Soft Cases

From iFrogz - the Silicone Wrapz - this is a basic silicone case for your iPhone. Its a little thicker than some of the other silicone cases, so it should offer a bit more protection. Being thicker is is slightly, just slightly, more difficult to use the buttons on the edge of the phone. Its available in seven different colors, shown here in blue. $14.99

The Incipio Gel Case for iPhone. This is a thin silicone case. It adds some protection for your phone, but probably not much. Unlike the iFrogz Wrapz is has cover for the volume control, nice, but this part of the case fell apart in less than a month. If you buy one, keep the receipt. I bought mine at the local AT&T store, so exchanging it for a new one wasn't a problem. I hope the first one was a rare defective sample. This case and the Marware Sport Grip case below have a 'soft' finish, it does have a nice feel. Available in seven different colors and comes with two screen films and a cleaning cloth. $19.99

The MarWare Sport Grip - is slightly thicker than the Incipio case. What makes this one different is that it covers the volume and the sleep/wake controls with raised silicone 'bumps' and it, and the OtterBox Impact, cover more of the phone that other cases, - even the 'home' button is covered. There is only one other button on the iPhone - the ring/silent button, they left this one exposed. I thought that having most of the buttons covered would make use a little more difficult, but it didn't. Included is a microfiber cleaning cloth and a screen film - its available in three colors and costs $19.99.

The OtterBox Impact - $19.95, available in black or white (shown below in white). This case is similar to the Marware Sport Grip in that it covers all of the buttons except for the ring/silent button. It has the thinnest sides and top, but they put extra thickness on the corners and back, area where the phone would probably land if dropped. There is a whole in the back, about the size of a nickel, so the Apple logo is visible.

Hard Plastic Cases

Another from iFrogz - the Luxe - this is a two piece plastic case that covers most of the phone except for the screen. Even though it is hard plastic it has a nice feel to it, iFrogz calls it a "velvety soft touch feel". And don't worry about the plastic scratching the back of the phone, the inside of the case that comes in contact with the back of the phone has a felt like substance that keeps the back of the phone from touching the case. The top half of the case is available in six colors, the bottom part is always black. It comes with one screen protector. The first time that you take the case off can be a challenge - just press the 'button' on the back of the case and wiggle the the two halves apart. $19.99

Power Support - the Air Jacket - this is a clear (also available in black) case that clips on the back of the phone. It comes with two films - one clear and one anti-glare for the iPhone screen. This case is very thin, it adds virtually no bulk to the phone, but probably won't offer as much protection as some of the other cases if you drop your phone - think scratch protection, not drop protection. And most of the edge of the chrome bezel around the screen is left unprotected. That being said, it is a classy case that only increases the bulk of by a tiny fraction. The films are my favorites, so far, I particularly like the anti-glare film. $34.99

Belt Clip Cases

MarWare SideWinder $34.99 - this case comes with a clear silicone case, holster, belt clip, microfiber cleaning cloth and a screen film. The silicone case by itself is a very good case, good feel and good coverage (if you just want the case, you can buy Marware's Flexi Shell case for $24.99) . Next the phone can go into the holster either screen first or screen out - nice - when the is screen faced in, it is protected. And the holster (with a detachable belt clip that does not swivel) has a retractable arm where you can wrap your headphone cable for storage. I don't listen to very much music on my iPhone with headphones, but I know that a lot of folks do. Those are the people that you see untangling their headphone cords all of the time. An alternative is to buy a set of earbuds/headphones that have a retractable cord. I am not the target customer for this product, but it is well designed.

From Griffen - the Elan Clip - .this is a well made case if you want a belt clip option without adding much bulk.
It is made of hard plastic but does have a soft lining where it comes in contact with the back of the phone. It securely holds the phone, but does not offer any protection for the exposed front of the phone, and it does not hold the phone securely if you try to put the phone in face first. It also advertises that you have an iPhone, which may or may not be a good thing. The belt clip does swivel. It sells for $24.99 and a microfiber screen cleaning cloth and a very nice screen film are included.

Which one do I like when I am not on the job site with my iPhone securely in its OtterBox Defender? I like the iFrogz Luxe, its a nice combination of protection without adding much bulk. I also like the Marware Flexi Shell and Sport Grip. But there aren't any bad products in this small sampling of iPhone cases.

Do you use a case for your cell phone? Tell us the good and the bad.

Added January 21, 2009
Monster Cable sent me a sample of their L-R-G iPhone case ($49.95), but I think that the case they sent, a red and green leather case, was designed for women. So I gave the case to a friend - Melani. Here is her report, "It's attractive and well made done in colors reminiscent of Gucci or perfect for Christmas. The leather feels expensive but I can't help but feel its little flashy, in a good way, because it's a bit showy. I haven't been using the ring to wear it on my person or hang it from a strap but the flap feels very secure and doesn't seem like it would open if carried that way. One downside is you have to open the case and pull your phone out to use it, but otherwise, nice package and product overall."

A Monster representative sent me an e-mail after this was posted and told me the case is designed to clean the screen of the iPhone (or iPod Touch) each time you pull the phone out of the case. This is a nice benefit. I am constantly cleaning the screen on my iPhone.

Posted by Bob Gatton at 9:22 AM | Comments (1)

November 3, 2008

5 tips to mounting a TV on a wall from Zip Express Installation

Zip Express Installation is a relatively new company that is going head to head with Best Buy's Geek Squad and Circuit City's FireDog in offering nationwide home installation services through various retail outlets and direct to consumers, but they realize there are quite a few DIYer's out there, so here are 5 tips that they recommend when mounting a flat panel TV on a wall.

1. Product Knowledge: Make sure your TV has the ability to be mounted on a wall. This can be accomplished by reading the owner's manual or by asking the sales associate at the time of purchase.

2. Tools: Having the right tools for installation is crucial. Some basic tools needed include: a stud finder, screw driver, tape measure, socket wrench set, cordless drill and miscellaneous anchors and fasteners. Zip also recommends a second helper for lifting the TV.

3. Site Assessment: A best practice prior to any installation work being performed at your home is a site assessment. Please identify potential hazards in the area you will be cutting and drilling into the wall. Make sure electrical outlets in the area are shut off and your wall structure is sound for mounting.

4. Wall bracket: Make sure you have the correct wall bracket. This bracket must be able to match up with the bolt whole patterns on the back of your TV and have a load rating which will support the weight of your TV. Please check the bracket manufacturer to confirm this info.

5. Cables: Make sure you have the proper cables that meet local building and fire codes. It’s also important that your cables are the proper length for installation. For example, if you are installing your TV above the fireplace, Zip recommends 16 foot cables. For a table top TV set up and installation, 6 foot cables are recommended.

I would like to add a few more:

- measure twice, cut or drill once. (or if you are like me, measure about 5 times). Nothing looks worse than a wall mounted LCD or plasma television that is slightly crooked.

- if you need to move an electrical outlet use a professional, unless you are a competent in this field.

- depending on the size of the set, you might want more than one additional person to help with the lifting. For instance, Panasonic's TH-58PZ850U 58" plasma television weighs 128 pounds, their 103" plasma TV weighs 485 pounds - call everyone you know.

- depending on the room, you might want to consider a cantilever wall bracket; this way you can pivot the set to point at different parts of the room. Check out this one from OmniMount.

- I am not sure on their recommended cable lengths. From my experience, I have used cables that are more than 25 feet long for over the fireplace installations. I think that Zip Express Installation's suggestion is a good general recommendation, but installations vary.

- on the subject of over the fireplace installations - are you sure you want your set there? It can be a great looking installation, but in some rooms, you will be looking up too much at the set. For many people this can be uncomfortable. And some fireplaces, particularly older ones, throw a lot of heat straight up towards the television. This can slowly BBQ the TV. To test, start a fire and place your hand above the fireplace where you are thinking of installing the set. If it is quite warm, you might want to reconsider where you install the TV.

Comments? Do you have any more tips?

Posted by Bob Gatton at 4:34 PM | Comments (7)