Come Friday, November 25th, 2011, millions will dutifully line up at retail stores all across the USA. Then, on the following Monday, millions will visit the websites of their favorite stores, all looking for the best deals of the year.

CBSAtlanta.com says:

“Last year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) reported that 212 million individuals hit the shopping aisles on Black Friday. They spent an estimated $45 billion, or roughly $365 per person, which was up more than 6% from 2009.”



Source

(more…)

As we near the holiday shopping season, retailers will soon start rolling out the deals in an effort to entice shoppers to spend their hard-earned dollars. With the emergence of the Internet, and the 24-hour shopping cycle it provides, we have much greater shopping flexibility than we did 10 years ago, but the questions remains: Where are the better deals, online or in the store? And where do people prefer to buy their technology?


Source

Well, if you trust The NPD Group analyst firm, their research shows that when it comes to tech purchases:

“56 percent of people read up on new TVs at retail websites, but only 19 percent follow through with an online purchase – the lowest number for all included CE. Online smartphone shoppers weren’t too far off though, with 23 percent balking at the concept of purchasing a new phone online. Meanwhile, 52 percent of those buyers had looked up deals and other information on the web.”

So, based on this research, it looks like shoppers rely more heavily on the web for researching their prospective purchases than actually making them. Fair enough, but what if you want to compare prices and get the best deal on a wireless HTCP keyboard or computer to TV streaming kit? What’s the best way to determine the best value available?

For this task, the web has a clear advantage over brick and mortar stores since there are dedicated websites that can help you determine the best possible price for the exact product you need. Short of calling every Best Buy or Walmart in your area and asking for the best prices on a given product, the web is a far more efficient tool for determining value. One site that provides a robust price comparison platform is Pricewatch.com, which provides listings of the best online deals for many computer peripherals and products from tablets and printers to HDMI cables, adapters and motherboards.

Of course, you can always buy direct from the manufacturer by visiting sites like our own Shop.IOGEAR.com, but it’s really just a matter of convenience and how much research you’re willing to put into it.

The bottom line is, the holidays often bring out all sorts of deals. Cyber Monday, Black Thursday, free shipping, cash back on store credit cards and more are all used to motivate us as shoppers. And while these can sometimes motivate an impulse purchase, the best buy is always a well-researched one.

Don’t forget to check out our Twitter deals feed, which we update twice weekly with great IOGEAR deals.

On Sunday, September 25 the Simpson’s started their 23rd season, which includes the 500th episode, which is sure to bring out some interesting cameos. Anyone who’s been alive for the past two decades has seen at least one episode, and more likely, a lot more, so it’s nearly impossible to pick out a favorite.

Fortunately, the staff at Wired, took it upon themselves to choose the Best. Simpsons Clips. Ever, compiling favorites such as the Monorail episode, the Carny episode and many other animated highlights we’ve all enjoyed.


Source

(more…)

Mom loved getting hand-made cards, macaroni art and birdhouses when you were a kid, but with age comes the responsibility to honor your Mother with something a bit more useful. This could mean something useful like a new pair of garden gloves or set of knives (yaaaaawn), or you could express your never-ending appreciation with something more unexpected.


Before we get carried away with gifting, let’s get a grip and remember that Mother’s Day is really about spending quality time with the woman who went through serious amounts of pain to push you out into the world. If you can’t make the time to sit down and visit, have a meal or at the very least give mom a call, you shouldn’t even bother with a gift. More than anything, Mom wants an expression of love, the gift is simply complimentary. So don’t forget the hug!

(more…)

We have once again passed another Thanksgiving. As we slowly come out of our Tryptophan and pie-induced comas, it’s only natural to think, “what better way to work off those extra calories than to shop for some amazing deals”. As the first Monday after Thanksgiving is traditionally known as Cyber Monday, we thought we’d take a closer look at this online shopping day. Specifically, what changes are we seeing this year from year’s past.

Source

(more…)

Because of the economy slowdown, we have been witness to Black Friday like deals all throughout the year. So will this Black Friday be anything special, or more of the same?

Judging by the resources we are making available in this blog post, the answer is yes! Black Friday will still be a day to catch savings that ordinarily you would not have access to … at least all at once.


Source

(more…)

This is the case every year, it seems: once Halloween comes to a close, the ads and articles start appearing everywhere in the media, online and on TV, hinting to us that it’s time to start thinking about what to buy our friends and loved ones for the holidays. While we may try to ignore the ads and claim it’s too soon, time tends to fly and getting a head start on shopping for the holidays, or at least thinking about what to buy, should be considered right about now.

Electronics are always on the forefront of the most-wanted gifts on wish lists nationwide, and with that comes the need to be aware of what the latest and greatest technologies are. Electronic House, one of IOGEAR’s most-favored publications, has just rolled out those products they consider to be the hottest commodities this holiday season with their annual holiday gift guide.

(more…)

Father’s Day is June 20th and students are graduating from school in droves as summer fast approaches in the US. That means its time to consider what gifts to give that special someone, whether it’s a heroic father or a battle tested student warrior, you want to make sure your love and pride shines through. We have four cool products that we think will do the trick. Take a look and be sure give that special someone our highest regards. You will also want to check out our 20% off graduation and father’s day promotions.

(more…)

Is YOUR parent crying out for more technology? According to CNN, about half of web active parents ‘friend’ their children on Facebook. If this has YOU rushing for the privacy controls, don’t panic – here at IOGEAR we have some parent-friendly technology suggestions to celebrate Mother’s Day in style.

Flowers and chocolates may be the traditional way to thank that special mom in your life, but this weekend why not introduce Mom to gadgets that will keep her connected and tech-savvy?

(more…)

According to DigitalTrends.com, this year’s best high tech gifts are the: iPod Nano, HP Mini 311, Kindle DX, Barnes & Noble Nook, Samsung TL 225 Camera, Toshiba Regza SV670 Series 400, Motorola Droid, Dell Adamo, PS3 Slim and the Apple iPhone. We hope that you will receive at least one of these And if you did, in this post, we look at some interesting ways you can gain more value from some of these shiny new gadgets.

As you may know, at IOGEAR, many of our products are designed to give you increased value on products you already own; so we spend a great deal of time thinking about how our products can help you enjoy daily life. We hope these tips provide you with ideas to create more fun and value from your gifts.

(more…)