Not all advertised items are really that special!

I’m a crazy gadget freak. My prime consideration when buying gifts is electricity: If it buzzes, lights up, or moves I’m all over it!

Holiday shopping in the USA traditionally kicks off with “Black Friday”, the day after Thanksgiving. Although not quite the bonanza it’s rumored to be, many retailers do offer compelling Black Friday deals. Here are my favorites for 2010:

• The Amazon Kindle is the best holiday gift this year in my opinion. It’s fairly affordable (as electronics go) and desirable to a wide range of adults, both male and female. Seriously, I can’t imagine anyone wouldn’t want one!
  • I bet Amazon’s Black Friday sale will see a reduction from the already-reasonable $139!
  • Or Best Buy will have the Nook for $99 on Thursday if you’re looking in that direction.
  • Don’t buy the cheesy Pandigital e-readers. They’re more expensive than a Nook or Kindle and, well, terrible.
• Want a tablet? Even after almost a year, Apple’s tablet is the hands-down best, and the iPad is the most-desirable electronic gift for adults (according to Retrevo) and number 3 for kids (according to Duracell).
  • Hit all the TJ Maxx and Marshalls stores in your area looking for a $399 iPad.
  • Best Buy is offering $50 off the Verizon Galaxy Tab, but it’s still no match for the mighty iPad.
  • Staples’ $399 ViewSonic Android tablet isn’t even marked down but it’s fairly cool anyway. It’s not yet available on Amazon, but Staples claims to have it in stock.
  • Skip the Augen 7″ Android tablet at Kmart, even at $139. The reviews are, how shall we put it, “unfavorable“. Same goes for the Sylvania tablet at Toys R Us. In fact, don’t buy any of the multitude of off-brand Android tablets you’ll find for under $200 – they’re all junk! This makes Sears’ offer of a Velocity Micro tablet amusing at $250!
• Want an iPod Touch?
  • Apparently, the “iTouch” is the number-2 most-requested gift for kids, with 13% asking for one this Christmas! The iPhone 4 is number one…
  • Best Buy is offering the 8 GB iPod Touch with a $30 gift card, but Toys R Us beats them with a $50 gift card on every iPod Touch! Radio Shack’s $20 offer pales in comparison, though their $15 offer on the iPod Shuffle isn’t bad.

• Need portable storage?
  • Best Buy has a 1 TB Western Digital My Passport Essential SE portable hard drive for $89. That’s $60 off MSRP and $40 less than Amazon.
  • Or you can pick up a 1 TB Seagate FreeAgent Go portable hard drive for just $89 at Staples. It’s not a GoFlex, but that’s still really cheap.
  • Walmart (ugh) will have a Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB Portable Hard Drive for just $39, too. That’s $30 less than Amazon’s regular price.
• Cheap Macintosh computers are hard to come by.
  • Best Buy is offering a $125 gift card with the 13″ MacBook Pro or iMac. That’s $40 less than Amazon’s price for the MacBook Pro and $85 less for the iMac!
  • Neither can’t match MicroCenter’s $200 instant deals, but at least Best Buy is available nationwide.
• Best Buy will also have $50 iTunes gift cards for $40 – buy a pile!
• Need a PC laptop? Read What To Look For In A Laptop (Holiday 2010 Edition) first!
  • Best Buy has a nicely-equipped 15″ HP Core i3 laptop for $499.
  • Staples also have a solid HP 17″ laptop with a Core i3 CPU at $499 after rebate.
  • I can’t recommend any of the junky laptops Walmart and others has on sale.
• Looking for an awesome printer? B&H Photo has the cool HP ENVY 100 on sale for $189! Otherwise, the killer HP Photosmart eStation C510a with the Zeen tablet is $360 at Amazon.
• I’m going to order a discounted copy of Office 2011 for Mac OS X from Amazon.com: Home & Student is just $79 for a single license or $109 for a 3-pack! Note that neither includes Outlook if that’s what you’re after. That’s Office for Mac Home and Business 2011, and it’s $182 for a 1-pack.
• How about a camera!
  • Though not a special discount, the $550 Sony NEX-3 Camera at Amazon remains a killer deal.
  • It’s outdated, but the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 is really unbeatable for $399!
• Toys R Us has some Lego sets at 30% off: My favorite is the 6754 Family Home. I’d also grab the $10 Lego alarm clock or $65 Star Wars biofeedback Force Trainer ’cause it’s freaky.
• Finally, head to JC Penney and get a home popcorn cart for $99 after rebate!

What Not To Buy

Some things aren’t worth what you think they are. Do not buy these, even as gifts.

• E-book readers and tablets are “ecosystem devices”. Why even consider an off-brand device that lacks books or apps? And considering the aggressive pricing from Apple and Amazon, you’re not really saving much money.
• Do not buy charging mats. They require special add-ons to electronic devices. Although the Duracell and Powermat devices are being widely-pushed, geeks don’t want them!
• Do not buy off-brand GPS devices, either. You’ll wish you opted for a Garmin nüvi 1300 or Magellan RoadMate 1470.
• Same goes for still and video cameras – get a Canon, Sony, Nikon, or Flip.

I’ll be updating this post as I spot more interesting deals. Happy consumer-ing!

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends $11 my way! But many of these links just go to other stores or the products themselves. I’m not trying to get rich with this list, I just picked the things I like and Amazon happens to have the best prices more often than not!

Image credit: “Look K-mart…” by Cosmic Kitty

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | The Best Black Friday Deals For Nerds Like Me (2010 Edition)
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1. What are vital records versus ordinary records? I like this suggestion from another attendee: “Vital Record” is, by definition, a record without which the organization could not continue to function.
2. Would you consider Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable receipts and related backup documentations vital records? They may be vital to some businesses and not vital to others. I suspect that these would be much more vital in the short term and much less important after the year is closed out. But I can imagine scenarios where they would be required for decades.
3. It was mentioned that it was risky to scan paper into a electronic format without a written, compact retention policy. My question is this: If you are in the process of setting policy and adding to your policy and procedures manual is it still ok to scan? My boss has pushed for me to begin the conversion process even though I haven’t managed to complete the new policy and procedures. I think this is his way of showing his superiors that we are making progress on a project that they weren’t neccesarily behind in the first place. I would worry that you’ll waste effort scanning documents that shouldn’t be saved. But it’s better to duplicate and waste some effort than to not save at all. So scan away! But get that policy done too!
4. What about TIFF storage? Is that still viable? and For long term storage, why isn’t tiff G4 an option? TIFF is certainly a widely-used format for images, and G3 compressed TIFF will probably be readable a century from now (assuming we’re still here!) Plus, TIFF is (usually) lossless. However, it’s very flexible, and a TIFF file can contain lots of different data – you could easily create a TIFF that won’t be readable next week! Also, there have been some patent/royalty arguments about TIFF and related technologies. Finally, TIFF files tend to be huge (since they’re lossless) compared to other (lossy) formats. I like open standards like PNG better since they’re fully documented and portable, but TIFF is probably a decent choice.
5. When storing paper does the newer printing technology – inkjet, laser etc. match the archival quality of older paper and inks? and What do we need to know about the kind of paper that should be used for long term archiving? I’m concerned that newer technologies, including printer tech, won’t last like old ones. I have impact-printed pages from the 1980s that look like new, and laser-printed pages from the 1990s that are clear and clean. But my old inkjet pages are very faded. Now, this could have to do with the paper I chose, and it could be that old inkjet isn’t a predictor of new inkjet, but I’m skeptical. HP claims that their Vivera inkjet ink will last “108 years”, which seems oddly precise. I guess they took a Photosmart printer back to 1900 and printed out some pages? In all seriousness, be concerned about any claims like this that cannot possibly be tested. And consider handling as well – proper temperature, humidity, and storage will make documents last much, much longer!
6. Dry caskets of nuclear waste are dangerously radioactive for over 10,000 years. Consider the “pancake” drive: titanium disks written with an ion beam in both analog and digital. Even without ASCII, it can be read with an electron microscope. Now that is longterm storage. Do you really trust current formats for 50-100 years? Think of how much change there has been in the last 50 years. and If There was not a question of Blu-ray discs lasting for decades , what is your opinion on the technology as a viable archive solution? I’m skeptical of all unprovable longevity claims, since media has never lived up to them in the past! If I had to guess, I’d say that mechanical devices like disks and tapes will have more problems than plain discs, and that optical will last longer than magnetic. So I bet Blu Ray media will outlive most other current mainstream media.
7. If it isn’t vital you should not convert. On another project (our archives) I am trying to save and prevent any further damage to the records because they are currently stored in a basement with water leaks, rats, and no climate control. Is this instance how do you weigh the vital and non-vital? Specifically, I was asked to bring in outside companies to see what they had to say and get quotes after my warnings and price estimations were rejected. Any suggestions on how to get across the importance of not allowing these records to just rot? Rats don’t make great records managers! Seriously, though, I’d say that something is seriously out of whack when records are stored like this. Maybe you should come in to work one day and claim that all of the records are destroyed and see what reaction you get? But be sure to have another job lined up before you pull this stunt…
8. I just want to point out there is a whole profession that deals with this every day – the Archivist. Information can be found at www.archivists.org – they even have a group of Business Archivists that you can talk to. Thank you for that link – I’ll look into it!
9. Can you provide more information on what Open Standard Format is? I like standards that are well documented in public places – ASCII charts are freely available and widely distributed, for example. These are a message to future generations – when you encounter this file, decode it with this chart! But proprietary formats concern me, especially when their documentation isn’t freely available and open.
10. When will the presentation slides be available? The webinar and slides should be posted at AIIM’s site within two weeks.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2008. | Thoughts on Long-Term Archiving
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Let’s take a look at what we know and what we don’t, starting with the firmest information.  And read to the end to see my own wild speculation…

Very Likely 

• Further Mac Pro and Xserve updates are extremely unlikely.
• iTunes movie rentals are all but confirmed, but will it be version 8 or version 7.6? I bet on the latter.
• An update to the iPhone/iTouch (1.1.3) is in the wild and has received much press, plus it would be required to support those movie rentals, making a Macworld intro very likely.
• Leopard needs a rev, and 10.5.2 has been spotted (if you pardon the pun), so that’s a likely Macworld intro.
• Apple officially announced the iPhone/iTouch SDK back in October, and claimed it would be released in February, so it’s likely they’ll spend some time focusing on what it can and can’t do, and probably will introduce some third party apps, too.  Mac Rumors suggests a Sling Player app, at least, and I’m looking for some games.
• I expect a revved MacBook Pro, with the new Penryn CPUs, thinner and prettier, but nothing really amazing.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No

• I’ll bite on the long-talked-about subnote rumor, but it’s definitely not a sure thing.  I’m expecting a 12″ or 13″ subnote with flash storage (no internal hard disk or optical drive), and a super-thin aluminum and black (iPhone-type) case.  But I do not expect it will have a touch screen or tablet, though the funky touch pad might have some enhanced multi-touch capabilities.
• The early release of the big-box Macs suggests to me that we can expect updates to the portables, but the MacBook was just updated in November, so I expect it’ll be left alone for now.
• The Cinema Displays are getting long in the tooth, so they need a rev, and this would be a good time to do it.  I expect another aluminum and black look (like the newer iMacs), and would be shocked if iSight and an IR receiver wasn’t built in.  I’m also expecting expanded Windows compatibility, more aggressive pricing, and DisplayPort and HDCP, but all this might not be mentioned in the keynote.
• The demise of the Mac Mini has long been rumored, but I hope it isn’t true.  I’m looking instead for a new small desktop Mac with a new industrial design.  How about a PCI-Express slot, too?
• I’m definitely not expecting a 3G iPhone, though a 16 GB model and shuffled-down prices would be a good bet.

Wild Imaginings

• I don’t expect a big Blu-ray splash at this show.  The Warner Brothers announcement was too late to change product plans, and Apple was conspicuously waiting the HD war out on the sidelines.
• Something needs to be done with the Apple TV, and this might just be the big announcement.  I like the idea of this being Apple’s first Blu-ray product, and a Blu-ray Apple TV at a nice price to replace my DVD player might just get me off the couch and into the stores.  But I seriously doubt this Apple TV will have a tuner, let alone DVR capabilities.

The Big One

OK, that’s out of the way, that’s the show.  But wait, there’s one more wild imagining in my head…  As Jeremy Toeman pointed out, an enhanced Cinema Display could make a darn fine TV.  So let’s walk down this path a little…

Lots of folks were disappointed that Blu-ray drives remain unavailable, even on the new Mac Pro, and I just said I didn’t expect one in the revved MacBook Pro, either.  But what if Apple is ahead of us all on this one.  What if the update to the Cinema Display also included a Blu-ray drive?!?

Introduce a new line of displays – call them Home Cinema or something.  Put in an internal iMac-like Blu-ray drive that can both play standalone to the display or be connected to a computer (over FireWire or USB) and used as a computer drive.  Suddenly every Mac has a Blu-ray option, and those Cinema Displays start looking like a much better option than a Dell or ViewSonic at half the price.  Lots of folks would love a more-converged entertainment computer, and some might just buy the big Home Cinema as a standalone entertainment unit.

But let’s follow Jeremy’s suggestion a little further…  Roll the guts of an updated Apple TV (running full OS X) right into that Home Cinema and create a Macintosh Cinema.  It’ll have integrated iTunes movie rentals and Blu-ray, and could be used as a regular computer with the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

And roll out the guts of the Macintosh Cinema and you’ve got a worthy replacement for both the Apple TV and the Mac Mini.

And please, Apple, buy TiVo and integrate that, too!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2008. | Working Backwards Reveals Apple’s Macworld Plans
This post was categorized as Apple, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.