Drew's Deals

Home Theater on a Budget.

Mina Meawad — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:39:09 +0000

So you want a decent home theater system but you can’t get over the cost of one. You hear your co-workers talking about how they spent thousands of dollars on their system and the thought of that makes you cringe. What if we can put together a sweet system for less than a thousand dollars including the TV? Thats right less than $1000 who loves you? You know DrewsDeals has your back.

Lets start with the sound system

When it comes to sound you have thousands of choices even when you’re on a budget. After doing our research we narrowed things down a bit for you by selecting what we thought would be the best by categories and here are our winners:

If you’re looking for a simple COMPACT surround sound system with big sound its hard to beat this Logitech Z Cinema Advanced Surround Sound System from TigerDirect it’ll set you back $79.99 and its a lot of value. This setup will give you good sound and its easy to connect however it doesn’t have a DVD player, Digital Audio Inputs, or true surround sound system since it utilizes 2 speakers and a woofer. Also since it only supports 3.5mm inputs you’ll need to use this Cables To Go 6-Foot Y Adapter 3.5mm to 2-RCA Plugs to connect some of your equipment to it.
If you’re looking to step up to True Surround Sound then its hard to beat this RCA 5-Disc DVD/CD Home Theater System this thing has pretty much everything including a 5-Disck DVD/CD player, 250 Watts of power, AM/FM stereo, as well as a USB input for your MP3 players and such. The only thing that it doesn’t have is DVD upconversion.
Which brings us to the third option True Surround Sound With DVD Upconversion and if that’s what you’re looking for we got you covered there too with this Philips HTS3565D/37 1000 Watt DVD 1080P HDMI Upconversion Dolby Home Theater with iPod Dock. That’s right boys and girls 1000 watts DVD Upconversion and an iPod Dock.

Now Lets move on to TV’s

As I’m sure you already noticed the prices of TV’s has come down quite a bit and while for there are a lot of quality TV sets out there, there is also quite a bit of junk. You may think that you have to pay top dollar for big brands such as Sony and Samsung to get a quality TV but that simply isn’t true. If you want the latest and greatest out there then yes you’ll need to pony up the cash however make sure you understand what the specs mean before purchasing. For example most of us want a set with a super high contrast ratio, 1080p resolution, and 120Hz refresh rate (for LCD’s) and while those things are great my question to you is why do you want those things?

First lets go over this Contrast ratio thing did you know that there isn’t an industry standard for contrast ration? Meaning each manufacturer has their own standard for rating so essentially this is a useless spec when comparison shopping. Now lets look at the refresh rate in order to decide on what you need ask yourself what will you use the set for? If you’re going to use it for advanced gaming then the 120Hz refresh rate is something to consider otherwise normal 60Hz is sufficient since video doesn’t refresh that quickly. Now as far as resolution is concerned its true that 1080p is the greatest thing out there and you’ll notice a difference between 720p and 1080p if you’re watching a 50″+ from a distance of 8ft or closer and if I’m sitting that close to 50″+ TV I won’t be able to see the full screen without scanning across the screen. That being said lets get into it we’ll break it down by size:

Lets start with the 32″ size we found 2 great deals 1 is a new Toshiba the other a Refurbished Sharp:

37″ sets: Lets Start with this Hot Deal from Amazon Sharp Aquos LC37D43U 37-Inch 720p LCD HDTV For $579.99 Now this set is refurbished however it sells new for $1049. If you’d prefer a new set consider this Toshiba 37 720p LCD HDTV 2x HDMIfor $599.96.
42″ Sets: When it comes to this size I highly recommend the LG 42LG30 the reason I recommend it so Highly is we bought one as a gift for my in laws and it is a fantastic set. You can get it through TigerDirect for $699 or Amazon through their sellers. If you want a 1080p set consider this
TOSHIBA 40″ 1080p LCD HDTV 40RV525U For $769.99
46″ + Sets: When it comes this size I was only able to find 1 good set within our budget and that is the Westinghouse TX-47F430S 47 LCD HDTV Dispaly from TigerDirect

Media Streaming Devices:

Yes thats right what better way to enjoy that sweet TV and surround sound system than to be able to watch movies, TV series, all kinds of good stuff from Netflix, Amazon and more anytime you want. While there are a few devices that stream from Netflix I highly recommend the Roku Digital Video Player for $99. It can stream from Netflix in HD as well as from Amazon. Also its likely that they’ll add other sources such as Hulu.

You may have noticed that I didn’t list a Blu-Ray plyer in this post the reason for that is I truly believe that it won’t be long when everything moves to streaming media and Blu-Ray will become obselete. I hope you found this post useful and we’ll do our best to keep this updated with the latest and greatest.

$8.99 can save you from a ticket

Mina Meawad — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:10:40 +0000

Do you live in a state where you can’t drive while yapping on the cell phone without a handsfree? If so and you’re hate having a wire dangling out of your ear. well Buy.com has you covered. With this:
Jabra Bluetooth Headset - Ear-bud, Over-the-ear BT2040 for only $8.99 including shipping. Thats right boys and girls a genuine Jabra bluetooth headset for $8.99 hurry up and get one because you know they won’t last.

TigerDirect Laptop Deals

Mina Meawad — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 02:15:01 +0000

TigerDirect is offering great deals on some of their finest laptops For example:

SAVE $200 - eMachines Notebook AMD Athlon 1.6GHz 2GB DDR2 160GB HDD 15.4″ WXGA WinVista Home Basic $399.99

SAVE $200 - Gateway Notebook Intel Pentium D 2.0GHz 3GB DDR2 250GB HDD 14.1″ WXGA Vista Home Premium Refurbished $499.99

SAVE $340 - HP Pavilion AMD Turion X2 2.10GHz Wireless 3GB DDR2 250GB HDD 15.4″ WXGA Webcam Vista Home Premium Refurbished $559.97

SAVE $400 - HP Pavilion Notebook AMD64 X2 2.0GHz Bluetooth Wireless 3GB DDR2 250GB HDD 17″ WXGA+ Webcam Vista Home Premium Refurbished $599.99

SAVE $530 - HP Pavilion Notebook Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz 802.11n 4GB DDR2 250GB HDD 15.4″ WXGA Webcam Vista Home Premium Refurbished $669.97

SAVE $300 - Samsung Laptop Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz Bluetooth 802.11n 3GB DDR2 250GB HDD 16″ TFT Vista Home Premium $749.99

SAVE $800 - Gateway FX Notebook Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83GHz Bluetooth 802.11n 4GB DDR2 320GB HDD 17″ HDMI eSATA Webcam Vista Home Premium $799.96

SAVE $400 - Acer Aspire Notebook Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83GHz Wireless 3GB DDR2 320GB HDD Blu-Ray/DVDRW 17″ WXGA+ Webcam Vista Home Premium $899.96

TaxCut Premium Federal + State + e-file $28.49

Mina Meawad — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:28:50 +0000

Yup its that time of year again. Time to pay up to Uncle SAM. And of course there are a couple of ways to go about this you can either go to a tax professional or do it yourself. If you choose the do it yourself method check out this HOT Deal.

Amazon.com is currently offering H&R Block TaxCut 2008 Premium Federal + State + e-file for $29.99 including shipping or download it for 28.49: TaxCut 2008 Federal+State+efile [DOWNLOAD] That includes federal efile, federal, and state that’s a $20 savings and a considerable savings when compared to Turbo Tax Premier. TaxCut is also capable of importing your data from TurboTax and other apps. So hurry on up and get over there since this is a limited time offer. This deal is so good I bought it myself.

Make sure to follow our Twitter feed for the latest hot deals.

Acer Aspire One A110-1588 Netbook $258.99

Mina Meawad — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:40:19 +0000

If you’re in the market for a netbook this is as good as its gonna get these days.

This thing has it all: Intel Atom processor, 1GB Ram, 8.9″ Screen, integrated webcam, and 16GB Solid State Drive. Click the Link for more specs:
Acer Aspire One A110-1588 Netbook Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz, 8.9 WSVGA, 1GB, 16GB SSD, Webcam, Wi-Fi, Windows XP Home From BUY.com

Save $400 on a Sony LCD and Blu-Ray combo

Mina Meawad — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:36:32 +0000

Amazon.com is offering an instant discount of upto $400 when you purchase this Sony BDP-S550 1080p Blu-ray Player along with select Sony Bravia LCD TV’s. This is a great deal considering the price on the TV is already very competitive and the quality of a Sony TV. To take adavantage of the deal click on this link: LCD Blu-Ray Offer then add the Blu-Ray player and DVD combination of your choice. Hurry this offer ends January 24th.

MacBook Air $999

Mina Meawad — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:50:28 +0000

Get a great deal on one of the hotest products of 2008. The apple store is offering a refurb MacBook Air for $999 Check it out.

Cell Phone Deals and Reviews

Mina Meawad — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:12:06 +0000

To most of us the cell phone has become way more than a phone it is our music player, video player, email device, web surfing device, calendar, phonebook, etc. Therefore there is way more to consider when buying a cell phone these days. Add to that the hassle of which carrier to go with and getting the right phone at the right price and sometimes that can get overwhelming. Many people rely on buying the phone directly from the carrier’s website thinking the carrier will give them the best deal. Well unfortunately that isn’t so but thankfully there are places you can go where you can search for phones based on what you’re looking for as well as read reviews from people who bought the phone and lived with it for some time. Additionally these sites will also give you a much better deal on the phone than you’d get from the carriers.

While there are countless websites that claim to give do what I discussed above the 2 I always checkout and refer people to are Wirefly.com and LetsTalk.com. Both of these sites offer terrific deals on the handsets, user feedback, and great search ability and flexibility. And they also deal with all the national and most regional carriers providing options for family, and individual plans that suit your needs. I would highly recommend you try them out for your next phone and/or mobile accessories purchase .

LetsTalk.com, The Smarter Way To Buy Wireless

Wirefly - the #1 seller of Cell Phones and Cell Phone Plans

Finally A Windows Mobile Phone that is worthwhile

Mina Meawad — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:39:45 +0000

In the ever evolving world of cell phones Windows Mobile phones tend to be viewed as buggy, boring, cumbersome, and a pain to use. In many people’s eyes that is a well deserved reputation since Microsoft has done nothing to update the user interface of its operating system for God knows how many years. Since blackberry data was so expensive and the only affordable competition was the Palm OS which is so limited and outdated that it can’t keep up with today’s demands Microsoft was able to getaway with this outdated interface. However a year ago or so that all changed with the introduction of the mighty iPhone which forced manufacturers and consumers to rethink the cell phone. Since the release of the iPhone on at&t a whole plethora of touch screen devices were introduced in order to entice consumers. Devices such a the Samsung Instinct by Sprint as well as the LG Voyager and Dare by Verizon but while those devices wowed consumers they couldn’t provide the browsing experience of the iPhone and they also weren’t practical for the business person since they couldn’t do push mail, wireless sync, etc.

So whats a road warrior to do? Well after a half hearted effort by HTC with the original Touch, HTC got it right this time with the HTC Touch Diamond on Sprint and the HTC Fuze Black (AKA Touch Pro) on AT&T and Sprint. The differences between the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro are, the Pro has a hard keyboard yet is significantly heavier and a thicker than the Diamond also the Pro is expandable via Micro SD while the Diamond comes with 4 GB of internal memory and is not expandable.

These devices use the Touch-Flo 3D interface from HTC this interface allows for quick access to programs, weather, media, calendar, contacts, among other things. Whats cool about the interface is while it is pretty much finger friendly and you can tell that HTC wasn’t trying to imitate the iPhone instead the interface is unique and works well with the device. The interface is also carried into the rest of the Windows Mobile menus and options allowing the user to use pretty much do everything without a stylus. Also included on the Diamond is the fantastic Opera 9.5 browser which does a great job of rendering web pages and displaying them like a desktop would. Combine that with GPS, Wi-Fi, Ev-do 3G, a 3.2 mega pixel Camera, and the power and versatility of Windows Mobile and you got a wining formula

HTC did many things well with the Diamond however there are a couple of quirks that need to still be taken care of. One being the screen auto rotation doesn’t work with all the apps the other issue is the core windows mobile interface is still outdated. For example the office Mobile app, settings, etc are still a bit difficult to maneuver around.

A couple of weeks ago I myself upgraded to the Touch Diamond From the HTC Mogul and man what a difference. Gone are the lag time and low memory problems of the mogul the diamond is fast and the screen on it is absolutely beautiful and it is very pocket-able. So far I’m very satisfied with the device and I think you’ll be also. For more on the phone check out Mobileburn’s in depth review.

Our friends at Wirefly - the #1 seller of Cell Phones and Cell Phone Plans. Offer these devices for great deals. Check out the HTC Touch Diamond on Sprint and the HTC Fuze Black On AT&T.

SD/USB/MP3 Wireless In Car FM Transmitter w/Remote for $30.66

Mina Samaan — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:36:59 +0000

This is one of the most useful and least understood gadgets on the market. An FM transmitter creates your own small radio station from an Ipod, mp3 player, or even a cellphone that you can listen to from your cars radio tuner. Ive used this FM transmitter from buy.com. The nice thing about this one is that it gives you a powered USB port, so if you charge your phone over a USB port (like the iPhone, Pocket PC’s, etc) this can be your car charger as well. If you connect this to your cell phone, you can use the car speakers to listen to your phone calls (although this is not the best solution, but it works and low cost if your a college student like me). And it has a remote control.