How To Find The Best Laptop Deals

Finding a special laptop deal or price is within every shopper's reach. It's mainly knowing where to look!

Simple as that statement may sound, many people in the market for a new or used laptop don't know where to look for that special laptop or notebook deal. They simply don't know how to proceed or what steps they should take to find the laptop deals that do exist, sometimes right in they very own neighborhood.

Simple shopping tips or advice that may take 100s off the price of a new or used laptop. Most of these shopping tips or guidelines fall within the realm of common sense. Common procedures that will reduce the price tag on your next laptop purchase.

Here's a short run down on some shopping tips you can try:

Use The Internet

Your neighborhood is the whole world. We are no longer confined to a small shopping location or area. We have the whole world at our disposal because of the Internet. Use it!

Use the Internet to find online stores, information, special deals or offers. Use Froogle! Its a great starting point. Use online notebook guides to find the top rated laptops, many of these sites will also have special deals or links. These sites know their laptops -- use their knowledge and expertise to find the right notebook computer for you.

Comparison Shop

Perhaps, one of the best ways to get a great bargain, is to Comparison Shop to compare different products and prices. Again, the Internet is ideally designed to give you mass amounts of data and information. It makes comparison shopping a real breeze. Use online sites like Pricerunner.com, PriceGrabber.com, NextTag.com, Shopping.com and don't forget Google's Froogle.com!

These comparison shopping sites will list the best laptop deals and prices for you. More importantly, they will also rate the service and support given by each of these online stores. Very important when you're buying online. Make sure you check out the store's warranties, return policies, service records and customer ratings.

Refurbished Laptops

The real special deals are reserved for refurbished laptops. Many times you can get a great laptop at a very reduced price by purchasing a refurbished laptop. Make sure you get a warranty or buy extra warranty, even then the price will still be worth your while. You can buy a refurbished laptop for a fraction of its original price. Check online for sites selling refurbished laptops or check your local dealer.

Make sure the dealer is legitimate, and watch out for stolen laptops. Be extra careful to get the needed warranties, bill of sales, etc. when buying a refurbished laptop.

Close-out Sales, Liquidation

Keep your eyes peeled for close-out, fire, and liquidation sales. Laptop technology is changing at a fast pace, many lines are discontinued to make room for newer inventory with the latest technology. Many of these close-out sales will offer great laptops at reduced prices.

Don't Forget eBay

The shopping Mecca of the modern era; don't forget to check out eBay. You may find some very special deals. Again, make sure you check out the seller's past history.

Coupons

Mail-in rebates, coupons, online special deals -- all these offer great savings to the observant shopper. Don't buy a laptop until your have searched for coupons or discounts, special deals and the like. Dell is famous for its coupons. Don't buy a Dell Laptop without using one of these coupons. You will save 100s off the price of your laptop.

Other notebook makers such as Toshiba, Apple, Sony... offer great online deals and discounts... search for these before you purchase your laptop.

Don't Forget To Haggle

If you're buying a laptop from your local dealer, don't always take the sticker price as gospel. Ask for a special deal, you may be pleasantly surprised at the savings. This works best with independent dealers who can offer you a special deal. If you're a regular customer, the better the deal you should demand!

In conclusion, just use some common sense before you buy your laptop. Use the Internet to check out and comparison shop for the best laptop deals. Use coupons and mail-in rebates whenever possible. Watch out for great close-out, or liquidation sales and don't forget to check out refurbished laptops. Last, but not least, if you get the chance, don't forget to haggle. It's a centuries old technique that still works. It may just get you the best laptop deal.

For a whole range of Laptop Deals and Discount Coupons - Visit This Link: Dell Notebook Coupons

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Features Of Your MP4 Player

When MP3s came into the market, they were a huge hit. They were small and portable, and owners could listen to all their favorite music while on the move. Now you have the MP4 player, such as iPod, with even more advanced, attractive features!

With the MP4 player (iPod), you can not only listen to your favorite songs, you can also watch your favorite movies, music videos, and TV shows, along with all your MP3 songs. It can do other things as well - you can listen to FM radio stations, you can record voice notes, and on some devices, you can even read your favorite ebooks.

Since 1993, when the MP3 technology was first introduced in to the market, it had been the most important music format. The recent introduction of the MP4 with its more compressed audio format has again changed the way digital sound is perceived. Most people might not be aware of how the MP4 differs from the MP3 and think that MP4s are more compressed and hence smaller than the audio files in the MP3 format; others assume that these two represent different technologies.

There are both common features as well as distinctions between MP3 and MP4 players. The most important point that comes to the mind when you compare the two, is that the MP4 format has properties that make up for all the shortfalls of the MP3, and the quality of perception of the files in the MP4 format is much better when compared to the MP3.

Basically, MP4 is a container. So it has the capability to carry video as well as audio files. So the basic difference is that the MP4 contains the audio and video at the same time while the MP3 format can support only the audio files. The MP4 player (iPod) allows you to realize something bigger and better than anything you can imagine. It is a new concept known as Structured Audio, and it is a mode of describing sound in the most ultra-modern way.

The MP4 technology supports a quality of sound that represents the future standard for a variety of multimedia application , including computer music and gaming audio; hence one can think of the MP4 as the next step in the evolution of the file format that started with the MP3.

There are many types of MP4 players in the market. They are very light and have small screens of 1.2 inch, however some of them may have screens of up to 2 inches. The speakers are built inside the players and there are earphone sockets as well. It is not unusual to find OLED display characteristics. OLED produces brighter and sharper images as compared to LCD images.

A great characteristic of MP4 players (iPod) is that there are not innumerable buttons for the various commands. Only a few buttons are sufficient for the purpose. The memory is quite large at 8 GB for flash based and 100 GB in case of micro based hard drive .

The latest MP4 players (iPod) even support third party, flash memory cards, which are external... they even have USB support. Earphones and other accessories are also available with the MP4, but at times the quality may not be up to the mark.

Because of it capability of delivering both video and audio at the same time, MP4 devices (iPod) can offer an even greater range of features such as email, web browsing, instant messaging , music and video download, digital camera, bluetooth wireless technology and many more. Multiple language options and gaming capability add to its versatility. Features such as voice recording enable MP4 devices to be used not only for entertainment but also for professional purposes.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

This article can be accessed in portuguese language from the Article section of page http://www.polomercantil.com.br/ipod.php , http://www.polomercantil.com.br/mp4-player.php

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for Polomercantil

Your Guide To A Notebook

A notebook or laptop is nothing but a small portable computer that weighs 2.2 to 18 pounds (1 to 8 kg), that depends on its brand, style, size, material it is made of, and many other factors. Notebooks generally operate on a single main battery or through an external adapter that can both charge the battery and also supply power to the notebook.

Notebooks are adept at performing the same jobs like a personal desktop; the only difference is that they are generally less powerful for the same cost. They consist of similar components like desktop computers and execute the same functions, except that they are miniature in size and suitable for transportable use and effective power consumption. Notebooks usually have LCD and different memory modules. They have a built-in keyboard; input is done through a touchpad or a pointing stick, though an external mouse can also be attached.

There are different categories of notebooks. UMPCs are Ultra-Mobile PCs and are very portable. Since they are of a small size they can fit in a small touch screen while some other models have a minute physical keyboard along with a mouse interface. The other type is Ultraportables which are notebooks and have screens less than eleven inches and have less than 3.7 pounds (1.7 kg) of weight. They are generally used by business travelers, as they are small and light though very expensive. They have an extended battery life and integrated graphics. The other type of notebook is the Sony VAIO FJ76, and Dell XPS M1330 and XPS M1210. Then we have the mainstream notebooks that are more of budget desktops. And if you want desktop power, then you can opt for desktop replacement which can accommodate many performance components.

As far as the processors are concerned you should go for the fastest that your budget will allow. You can opt for Intel's Centrino that has great speed and also good battery life. Or else you can also go for the economic AMD's mobile processors whose performance still lags behind Intel. If you intend to watch DVDs on your notebook then go for wide screen ones that offer sharper, larger and great images. The only consideration is that they are not meant for carrying around a lot.

For great system performance it is vital to have enough memory (RAM) that will allow you to run many applications together. Adequate RAM is also essential for image and video editing, graphics work, and 3D gaming. Generally notebooks have a terrible sound quality so it is recommended to use speakers or headphones. These are some of the factors that you need to consider before buying a notebook.

Also keep in mind that like any electronic device, your notebook is vulnerable to accidents as well as system failures. It is recommended to get at least a three year warranty and also some additional insurance.

Health hazards related to using a laptop has been a controversial topic for quite some time. Researches have proved that heat generated from notebooks can raise temperature of scrotum, leading to reduced sperm count. A solution can be using it on a table or keeping it apart from the lap that will enable better cooling of the notebook and also prevent your lap from excessive electromagnetic radiation and heat.

Some of the famous brands that have notebook are Acer that have TravelMate, Ferrari and Aspire models; BenQ; Compaq with its Armada, LTE, EVO and Presario models. Other famous brands are Gateway, HCL, Lenovo, LG, Micro-Star International, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba and others.

This article can also be accessed from page Notebook_Guide