Be the hero under the tree: Here's the secret on saving 30-50% off name-brand, high-tech Christmas presents.

Christmas sure has changed since I was a kid.

When I was eight, as my youngest is now, I looked forward to GI Joe action figures, a new football or even my dream present: a 5.5 HP cherry-red go-kart with a genuine vinyl driver's seat. The Sears catalog was my obsession and the closet thing to electronics I experienced was my sister's EZ Bake Oven.

Now, unless the present goes beep or has rechargeable batteries, my kids are just not interested. Subjectively, this isn't an issue until it comes time to pull out my wallet and pay for these miracles of technology. As soon as my AmEx card starts to cry from all of the overuse, I start looking for alternatives that deliver the same quality, but is easier on my bank account.

Then, I found out about certified, reconditioned products. These are often lightly used or completely untouched items returned to the manufacturer by the original purchasers. By law, they cannot be resold as new, so the manufacturer sells them at a discount- sometimes a big discount- to smart consumers looking for a great deal. The reasons for return are many: the buyer may have changed their minds, the product is the wrong color, there was a minor repair needed or simply there was no one to sign for the delivery.

Is this Kindle 8.9 HD new or used?
If you can't tell, why not save some money?
(amazon.com)

The manufacturer takes the returns, repairs them if necessary and thoroughly tests them to confirm they're operating properly. Then, they're resold with the manufacturer's full warranty.

The pros of this kind of purchase are obvious. The price is lower- sometimes 30-50% lower than the identical brand-new product. The testing procedure after repair is often more rigorous than at the factory of origin and can spot and correct problems before the product heads out of the door.

Cons? Sometimes, selection is severely limited to stock on hand and your choices of colors, sizes, memory capacity, etc. may change every week. Older models may be your only choice or the reconditioned products may be completely sold out, forcing you to spend more to buy new.

Here are three of the most popular companies that recondition and sell their products:

Apple  

The secret to buying reconditioned at Apple is checking back daily and buying as early as possible as these bargains go fast. Everything from iMacs, iPods and iPads are available as well as closeouts and clearance products.  Everything is guaranteed and the prices are pretty good too, And, hey...it's Apple!

Go to this URL to shop:  http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals

Amazon

Not long ago, I bought a certified, factory reconditioned 8.9" Kindle HD tablet for around $125 less than new. It works perfectly and with the savings, I was able to upgrade from 32 gigs of memory to 64 gigs and I also bought a case and extra charger and still saved around $85 from the identical new product. If anything does go wrong, the excellent Amazon customer service will take care of business and repair or replace my tablet with no trouble. But, so far, my tablet is humming along nicely. Remember to ensure that the tablet is reconditioned and certified by Amazon itself and no other 3rd party.

Go here to see more reconditioned Amazon products: Certified Reconditioned Kindles

Dell

As one of the largest manufacturers of all things computer, Dell has a thriving refurbishment and clearance business not only for home or casual use, but also business and corporate products for the big boys. Selection may be small, but with persistence and a bit of luck, you just might run across a terrific deal for yourself.

Go here to spend your money: Dell Outlet

If you can't find your ideal gift on these sites, simply Google "reconditioned ---------" along with the item of your choice. For the most peace of mind, ensure the product is reconditioned and guaranteed by the original manufacturer and you'll have the happiest 8 year-old in the neighborhood.

Now, let's see if anyone reconditions 5.5 HP cherry-red go-karts with a genuine vinyl driver's seat...

Three Video Streaming sticks compared: How does the Amazon Fire TV Stick, the Roku Streaming Stick and the Google Chromecast help you cut the cable TV habit?

We have a Smart TV in the living room. All by itself, the TV is able to connect to the internet using its built-in WiFi connection to access video services like Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and others. It's a great way to connect these services without running extra wires and occupying another electrical outlet.

The other two TVs are in the master bedroom and den. These are not Smart TVs but still have a way to get the subscriber services because they're both hooked up to individual XBoxes. It's not such a big deal in the den, where my kids play video games, but the one in the master is used solely to access Netflix so my wife can watch "Orange is the New Black" in peace. Without much room on the dresser for both the TV and the console, the whole arrangement looks messy and its a pain to turn on the box, sign in to XBox live, find Netflix, sign into that, enter your specific saved search and on and on...

She's been getting tired of this unsightly, tedious arrangement and so have I. Luckily, the tech industry has spotted an opportunity and has filled it with some interesting solutions.

The first few products consist of a small box the size of a paperback book. Several companies produce this kind of product including Roku, Sony, Amazon Fire TV and others. They are simple plug n' play devices that deliver all of the content anyone could possibly want.

No bigger than the palm of your hand.
(courtesy: The Verge)

The problem is that each of these products are still a box that needs to be stored somewhere and yet another electrical plug that needs a spot on the power strip. If this is not an issue for you, by all means go ahead and acquire one or more of these for your entertainment setup. But, there is another option.

If size matters to you (insert inappropriate joke here) there are some great video-streaming  products out there that not only deliver the same content as the set-top boxes, but do it in a small package no larger than a pack of gum.

The main players in this game are the Google Chromecast, Roku Streaming Stick and the Amazon Fire TV stick. Size wise, they're all about the same and the prices range from $35 for the Chromecast, $39 for the Amazon and $49 for the Roku.

Invisibly turn your dumb TV into a smart one in seconds
(courtesy: techradar)

All of them use your television's HDMI port to get power (no AC plug!) and deliver the HD content to the TV. And, because of it's small size, it vanishes behind the TV. Two out of three come with a remote (Chromecast uses an app you download to your smartphone) and that's it.
 My family cancelled our cable and we pay a combined $15/mo for unlimited streaming of thousands of TV shows and movies. We call it "semi-cable" and don't miss Ch**ter cable at all.

CNET.com compared the three big players discussed above and produced a handy chart to compare and contrast them for your review. Go to the article here.

Techradar did the same. Go here for another opinion.

And, here's yet another comparison from gadgetreview.com.

Amazon's page for the TV Streaming Stick is here. Although they are so back ordered that you can expect delivery after the New Year.

Amazon Kindle Fire vs Google Nexus 7. Which is better?

Last year, Amazon shocked the gadget loving world when they debuted the Amazon Kindle Fire, small form factor computer tablet with a 7" screen, 8G of storage and the ability play games, read books and playback movies on demand. Amazon offered all of this for the small form factor price of less than $200(US).

Kindle Fire- Not bad at all.
(amazon.com)

At first, Amazon barely broke even on each Fire sold and made a bet it would make a profit from apps, movies books and other items purchased from Amazon itself. Now, the parts used to make the Fire have dropped in price and Amazon is actually making a modest profit on each Fire it sells plus the app store money it banks every day.

The Nexus 7- Looking good.
(pocket-lint.com)

Not to be outdone, Google has now put its Nexus 7 on the market to compete with the Fire. Same size screen, but with the guts of its more powerful, and larger (10.1") competitors that allows it to process video, audio and other data more quickly. The Nexus 7 also has a better screen with higher definition and uses the latest iteration of the Android operating system called "Jellybean". Plus, Google sells the Nexus 7 for the same low price as the Fire- $200.

Uh-oh. two competitors for the exact same price? This looks like a battle royal of 7" tablets! How do you, as a consumer, make a smart buying decision when choosing between these two mini-tablets? Which one is the better choice? Which one is best for you and finally, which one should you buy?

Wired.com has compared these two tablets and has the scoop on both and what they offer to customers looking for a quality experience in the smaller tablet form.
Go there now to read the article and decide for yourself.

Oh- one more thing...

Rumors are strong in the computer world Apple will soon introduce a 7" tablet of their own. A mini-iPad would really cause a ruckus and turn the market on its ear.

Things are heating up! Stay tuned...

Buy a Nixie Clock for the person who has everything. I know they don't have this!

We all know the person: ho-hum about anything they receive for a gift or simply someone who posesses the ability to go ahead and purchase anything and everything they could ever possibly want so when the holidays or their birthday comes around, you're stumped and can't think of a unique gift for that person that would catch their attention or be something they don't already have.

Well, my friends, have no fear for I have the solution to your problem. I can pretty much gaurantee your friend will not have this object and it's something that is so cool, your friend will be impressed and remeber your gift for some time.

Behold, the Nixie Clock.

Behold.
(source: Amazon)

The what? Yup, the Nixie clock is indeed something that you don't see everyday. Each numeral is displayed on 1960's technology tubes that manufactuers import from Russia where these tubes are still made and used in "state of the art" equipment. You may have seen these tubes used in countdown clocks for the US space program in the early 60's. You can find out how a nixie tube actually works at the wikipedia article here.

Today, most of us use LEDs to display the time, but there is no denying these unique clocks and their appeal. Why I can't see something like this on the bedroom nightstand, I think it would be ideal in an office, den or even a living room.

Amazon has a nixie clock for sale for the somewhat rareified price of $209.95. Don't despair, though- there are many other makers that offer nixie clocks for far less and kits can be had for even lower prices. Just go to your favorite search engine and enter the term "nixie clock".

Now, your jaded "got it all" friend doesn't have to get another tie this year. Instead, give them a nixie clock and give them a real surprise they'll remember.

The Roku Box- Cable programming without the cable cost?

The mysterious "Little black box" is legendary. Investigators look for it when a plane crashes and it seems to be the brains for all of the new cars made today. It sits there and we don't know really what it does, but it always seems to work for us and make our lives somehow easier.

Well, to add to that legend here is another black box called the Roku.

The Roku little black box.
(source: Amazon)

The Roku is an electronic appliance- a black box, no less-  that uses the wireless internet in your home to connect to thousands of sources of video content across the globe. It sits quietly near your TV and delivers full 108op High Definition quality video to any television (now, whether or not your TV is 1080p capable is up to you).

Set up could not be simpler: plug in the box to your TV's video and audio inputs, connect to your wireless internet and that's it! You now have access to Netflix, Hulu Plus, MLB, NHL, listen to your music on iTunes and thousands of other sources provided to you instantly. Some, like Netflix and Hulu Plus charge a small monthly fee, others provide their content for free and more providers are added all the time.

Lastly, the cost of the Roku is the greatest, best shock- Full 1080 HD television for under $100. Plus, a basic Roku with standard definition and fewer of the bells and whistles can be had for $69.99. If I were you, I'd pop for the extra $30 and get the best box with the most stuff. Amazon has all of the flavors of Roku for sale and you can find it here.

Ironically, the only reason you'll continue to need cable is for the internet connection to keep you Roku well fed.

Amazon ain't just a river in Brazil

Begun by Jeff Bezos who was so broke at the beginning he used a door for a desktop (legend has it he still does), the company began in the mid-1990's as a book store, offering millions of titles.

Today, Amazon.com has grown into an online shopping giant, with hundreds of thousands of products (millions?) for sale. Not just books anymore, although those are available still, but music CDs, videotapes and DVDs, software,consumer electronics, kitchen items, tools, lawn and garden items, toys & games, baby products, apparel, sporting goods, gourmet food, jewelry, watches, health and personal-care items, beauty products, musical instruments, clothing, industrial & scientific supplies, groceries, and more (my fingers are cramping from writing all of these!).

Shipping is often little to free and prices are some of the lowest you'll find anywhere. Selection is virtually limitless and the customer service is world-class. Chances are, if you're looking for a rare, hard to find Hungarian widget with floral decoration, Amazon has it in five colors.

Click on the link to go shopping now.