Frugal Christmas Gifts for 2010

Christmas 2010 is approximately 24 days away and holiday shopping is well under way.

Not everyone can afford expensive gifts this Christmas because of the state of the economy, therefore, I put together this SQUIDOO web page with frugal gift ideas for the whole family.

The gift ideas presented in the web page are all under $20, but still cool holiday gifts.

You will find gift ideas for men, women, boys and girls in various categories. 2011 Calendars also make a great Christmas gift and there are lots to choose from. Happy Shopping! : )

Poster: Buy at AllPosters.com

2010 Holiday Gift Guide for the Family

Christmas 2010 is 32 days away and time is flying by way too fast. Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Chances are, you haven't!

Not to worry though, if you're still wondering what the hottest gifts of the season are. I've put together this comprehensive Holiday Shopping Guide in which you will find unique Christmas gift ideas for the whole family.

You will find gift ideas for men, women, children, teens -- even gift ideas for the Christian family and fitness buffs. Also, included are Christmas Gift Basket ideas and special discounts.

Wishing you the best as you holiday shop for your family, friends and co-workers!

Poster: Buy at AllPosters.com

Most Popular 2011 Wall Calendars

The New Year 2011 is just around the corner, to be precise 43 days, 13 hours and 10 minutes away based on EST.

If you're like me, you like wall calendars because they help organized. You can get a wide variety of unique 2011 calendars like motivational, humor, spiritual, celebrities (Justine Bieber, Lady Gaga, Betty White and of course Barrack Obama), sports, nature, wild life and many others to suit your taste.

Also, you will find some of the most popular New Year's resolutions. You can take a poll yourself as well.

I've also put together Squidoo web pages with unique Christmas gifts ideas for your children, teens as well as Christmas gift basket ideas.

Christmas 2010 Gift Ideas for Teens

Christmas 2010 is 37 days away and there are malls, stores and online retailers are bustling with shopping activity. There are many sales all over, but as usual it can get overwhelming.

I've put together a SQUIDOO web page with unique and popular gift ideas for teenage boys and girls. You will find this web page very useful in helping you choose amazing Christmas gifts for teenagers.

I've listed down the top selling gifts in various categories for both, boys and girls so you will find it easy to browse through.

Also, you will find Christmas gift ideas for Children 12 and below.

Happy Christmas shopping!

Christmas 2010 Gift Basket Ideas

A couple of days ago, I wrote a blog post on Christmas Gift Ideas for Children. There are only 50 days until Christmas and time seems to be flying by quickly.

Today, I've listed down several Christmas Gift Basket Ideas in a Squidoo lens. Gift baskets are a unique Holiday gift because they are for the whole family and you can get very creative with it. You get a variety of choice and at reasonable price ranges too.

If you'd like, you can even create your own home-made Christmas gift basket and I show you how to do so with an instruction video in this Squidoo lens.

Hope you find these gift ideas useful for your Christmas gift shopping in 2010!

Christmas 2010 Gift Ideas for Children

There are approximately 52 days left until Christmas and wow, where has the time flown by. Sooner than we know, the day will just fly by and we will be hard pressed for time.

I know Christmas is not all about gifts, but I'm sure most of us do want to get into the spirit of giving and sharing. In the next few days until Christmas, I will be presenting the hottest and most popular gifts for 2010.

Hopefully, this list will help take away some of the stress involved in the decision-making process. In fact, I've already created a SQUIDOO LENS in which I've listed down some of the most popular gifts ideas for children. I've also listed down what each gift is about, so you can take a quick peek.

Wishing you the best as you prepare yourself for the festive Christmas holiday season!

Amazon Kindle Price Slashed

On June 21, 2010, the Associate Press reported that Amazon cut Kindle (e-reader) price to below $200. I just confirmed that this is indeed the case.

If you click on the Kindle picture on the left, you will notice that Kindle Wireless Reading Device now costs US$189 plus taxes.

The online retailer Amazon.com has previously reduced the price of the Kindle device which was originally priced at $399.

The price drop is probably because of the recently launched very popular and hot device, the iPad. Either way, it's great news for consumers!

The Kindle has become a popular device and a great gift idea for many since it launched in 2007. If you haven't come across the Kindle, here is a quick review of some of its features:

Well, first of all, it's quite light (10.2 ounces) and slim so you can easy to carry around.

The Kindle is a stand-alone device and doesn't require to be connected to a PC. It's wireless, requires no set-up, cables or software to be installed.

It's got a very long-lasting battery life. A single charge will last 1 week with wireless on and 2 weeks with wireless off. The e-reader comes with a U.S. power adapter and a micro-USB cable for charging from a computer USB port.

Amazon doesn't charge extra for wireless connectivity, so you don't have to pay additional monthly fees. Wireless is accessed through GSM technology.

Books can be downloaded wirelessly in less than 60 seconds from over 100 countries around like Australia, Hong Kong, Germany, Japan, Norway, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom and others.

You can read the Kindle in the sunlight with no glare as the screen reflects light. You can even change the size of the font to suit your needs.

You can have the Kindle read out books to you out load through the Text-to-Speech feature. You can even share your favorite passages on social networks like Facebook and Twitter directly from the device.

Below is a brief video review of the Amazon Kindle:

Apple Says 3 Million iPads Sold

As per Apple Inc., it has sold a total of 3 million iPads in less than three months since the iPad was launched in the retail market.

It launched in early April in the US and in June in Canada, Asia and Europe.

It plans to launch in July 2010 in other countries like Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore.

Overall, the Apple iPad lives up to its expectations from the amazing slick look, speed in accessing apps, battery life and overall versatility.

CLICK HERE for a detailed review on the Apple iPad.

Below is a brief video review of the Apple iPad:

Free $75 Amazon Gift Card Limited Time

Amazon.com is offering a free $75 gift card until June 27, 2010 (or while supplies last) when you purchase an HP Pavilion dv4-2173nr laptop.

I've used several brands of laptops in the past 20 years. The top two that I've had a great experience with are Toshiba and HP (Hewlett Packard). They are reliable, perform exceptionally, reasonably priced and look great.

This specific laptop is great for students or anyone who uses a computer to do word processing, uses the internet, social networking, blogging, home-based businesses, playing videos, doing presentations, etc.

Below are features & specs of the HP Pavilion dv4-2173nr laptop:

• Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-430M processor 2.26GHz
• Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Display: 14.1" Diagonal WXGA HD HP BrightView Widescreen
• Memory (RAM): 4GB DDR3
• Hard Drive: 500GB (7200RPM) SATA
• Weight & Dimensions: 5.20 lbs; 13.15" x 9.45" x 1.34"/1.57"
• Battery Life: Up to 3.75 hours
• Wireless: Wireless LAN 802.11b/g/n WLAN
• Optical Drive: Intel® HD Graphics with up to 1696MB

CLICK HERE for more detailed information on this HP laptop

This promotion is specific to products sold by Amazon.com only and doesn't apply to the same products sold by other sellers.

CLICK HERE for complete terms and conditions.

Steve Jobs Unveils iPhone 4

Today June 7, 2010, Apple Inc. CEO, Steve Jobs unveiled the much anticipated iPhone 4 (4th generation iPhone) which is one of the best and most beautiful device that Apple has ever come out with (as per Mr. Jobs).

So how does it compare to the earlier iPhone 3GS model? Well, from what has been revealed, it has an all-new design: glass on the front and rear and stainless steel sides. It's 4 times better in many areas and has 100 new features.

Let's review some of the features that are suppose to impress:

• 24% thinner (9.3 mm) than the iPhone 3GS
• Front-facing camera
• Integrated antenna within the structure of the phone
• Higher resolution (960 x 640 pixels)
• 800:1 contrast ratio
• IPS technology for better color wide viewing

Watch this short video from CNET News showing Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone 4:

What is the Difference Between HD and 3D?

3D (3-Dimensional) technology seems to have come to the forefront, thanks to the blockbuster world-wide success of the movie Avatar and other releases in the 3D category.

So what is 3D anyway and how does it compare to HD (High-Definition)?

CLICK HERE TO VIEW 3D 101 VIDEO TUTORIALS!

Well, HD (also known as Hi-Def) is video picture quality with considerably higher picture resolution than the traditional Standard-Definition (or SD).

HD generally has about 1 to 2 million pixels per frame which is probably 5 times compared to SD. Therefore, the picture quality is very high and sharp, you can’t compare the quality to SD.

3D on the other hand is another dimension altogether. When watching video in 3D format, the pictures seem to jump outside the screen giving it a real-life-like experience (as if you were experiencing it right there and then). 3D experience is achieved through a technique called Stereoscopy.

It’s based on the way the human brain and eyes work together. An individual’s pupils of the eye are about 6.5 cm (or 2.5 inches) apart, therefore each eye views a scene from a different angle and generates a unique image. 

The brain then merges the images to create a single picture. The slight difference between the image from the right eye and the image from the left eye allows the brain to judge the depth.

There are currently three kinds of 3D technology on the market and each one works differently:

The first one, anaglyph technology, is the most famous one (think red/blue paper glasses) but usually the 3D effects are not so great. This technology has been used countless times in movie theaters, as the typical red and blue glasses are inexpensive.

The second one, polarized (or passive) technology, is the technology you have been exposed to when watching a 3D movie in an IMAX theater (e.g. Avatar 3D, Alice in Wonderland 3D, etc.). To create that 3D effect, two images are projected onto the same screen through different polarizing filters. The viewer wears low-cost eyeglasses which also contain a pair of different polarizing filters.

The third one, active technology, is the most recent one that is quickly becoming the standard in terms of 3D watching at home. With this technology, an HDTV will display one image to your left eye and one image to your right eye.

Active liquid crystal shutter glasses are then worn by the viewer and quickly block each eye in sequence to ensure that each eye only sees the corresponding image being displayed on the 3D TV set.

Happy Father's Day June 20, 2010

Father's Day, similar to Mother's Day, is celebrated on the third Sunday in June in honoring fathers and fatherhood.

Father's Day is celebrated on different dates in various countries world-wide. The first Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910.

Father's Day, just like Mother's Day, is become quite commercialized and that's what I don't like about any major holiday today.

The important thing is, not be caught up in the hype and celebrate because of the pressure that the world puts on us. But rather celebrate fathers because we feel it in our hearts to do so.

The way I look at it is why wait until Father's Day to celebrate or treat your father in a special way, do it as a lifestyle and do it unto everyone. That is, celebrate and honor people in your life on a regular basis when you feel led in your heart to do so.

If you're looking for some great Father's Day deals, you've come to the right place. Amazon has amazing deals, click the banner below and look for some deep discounts.



Wishing all fathers a Very Happy Father's Day - may the Lord bless each one of you and give your the strength and courage to stand up and do what is right for your children!

iPad is Coming to Canada on May 28, 2010

With the big buzz about Apple iPad before it came out, do you think now that it's officially out in the US, it lives to its expectations?

Well, YES and NO, you were probably not looking for that answer, but that's the nature of this slick device.

Let's review some of the good, the bad and the ugly - ok, "ugly" and "iPad" are not synonymous. So let's just stick to the good and the bad! ;)

Well overall, it lives up to its expectations from the amazing slick look, speed in accessing apps, battery life and overall versatility. If you were thinking it's going to replace your laptop or desktop, it ain't!

Ok, let's get into some of the details:

If you like your iPod Touch, than you will definitely like what the iPad has to offer because of its size and functionality.

The iPad touch screen is phenomenal with its crisp quality and easy to read at various angles. It will leave some finger print marks on the screen though.

The iPad battery will give you between 7 to 8 hours of full use may be slightly more, which is great!



The over-sized icons on the screen seem to be a waste of space as well as the distance between the icons and excessive margins around the sides.

The inclusion of the iWorks utilities gives it some functionality of a laptop. However, it doesn't replace your laptop if you will be doing more than just accessing email and little word processing. Note that the iWorks app does not come loaded with the iPad, you will have to buy it separately.

The iPad is great for browsing the web, however, if a lot that you do on your iPad will require Flash technology, then you may be disappointed because of the lack of Flash support on the iPad.

The iPad has no webcam as most of the netbooks and laptops have today, so that may be an issue for you. However, the device is great to watch YouTube videos because of its crisp quality.


I'm sure Apple will be looking at addressing the above issues in their next generation iPad. We will have to wait and see.

The iPad will be available on May 28, 2010 in Canada, Germany, UK and 9 other countries.

And countries like Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore will have to wait until July 2010.

Get the Apple iPad MB292LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi)

Have you bought an iPad yet? If so, feel free to share your thoughts, feedback, comments below.

Read more detailed first-hand reviews on the iPad at the links below:
- Craig Whisenhunt's Review
- S. Showalter's Review

Mother's Day Gift Ideas and Specials at Amazon!

         

Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries to honour and celebrate mothers and motherhood in many. It is generally celebrated in May, though some countries celebrate it during other months.

Mother’s Day celebration seems to have it roots from North America and Europe. Mother’s Day and many other celebrated days have become highly commercialized.

I’m not quite a proponent of celebrating special days as such – I’m more for doing things spontaneously. For example, if you want to bring your mom flowers or a gift, why wait until Mother’s Day.

Don’t be pressed into celebrating a specific day just because the majority of the world does so...do it because you want to, out of love!

Having said so, for those of you who celebrate Mother’s Day or who just want to bless your moms with a gift, this is the right place to be.

If you click the banner above, you will find tons of the most popular gift ideas in various categories. Some of the major gift idea categories as listed below:

- Jewelry (an extra 30% off at checkout)
- Beauty (top-rated scents, bath sets)
- Books (including the wireless Kindle)
- Clothing & Accessories (hand-bags, MP3 players)
- Kitchen & Home
- Gift Certificates
- And of course Flowers!

Wishing you a great shopping experience with excellent discounts as you celebrate you wonderful mother!

Welcome to Amazon Product Reviews & Deals!

Hello Special Deal-Seekers!

In this blog, you will find relevant product reviews and specials that you can purchase online at Amazon.

For those of you who don't know about Amazon, it is an American-based multinational e-commerce company founded in 1994 with headquarters in Seattle, Washington. It's America's largest online retailer as of January 2010.

You will find products like books, CDs, DVD, MP3s, PC software, electronics, video games, clothing, toys, and so much more. They operate distinct websites in US, Canada, UK, China, Japan, Germany and France.



Amazon has a lot to offer the consumer in terms of a worry-free shopping experience with information at their fingertips. They provide access to clear description and pictures of the product as well as reviews from other satisfied customers.

Find products at the Amazon websites is very simple with their effective search feature. You can also do comparison shopping to compare products features, price, etc.

Stay tuned for quality reviews and products discounts/specials on this blog site. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to post comments or contact me directly via email.

Have a fabulous day! : )