The Gazaro Insider

Filter Real-time Deals by Category!

Will — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:18:14 +0000

Thanks for your feedback on Pulse: the Real-time Deal Tracker for Computers and Electronics!

As many of you know, we released Gazaro Pulse into the new Gazaro Labs section of our website last week. If you haven’t already seen it, Gazaro Pulse displays a real-time stream of deals on computers and electronics, in real-time as we crawl the web. All of the deals are graded using the Gazaro DealScore, so the great deals have a DealScore between 8 and 10.

After we release it, we asked you to let us know what you think, positive, negative or indifferent. Well, thank you for your overwhelming response! By far the most requested feature was to help you find the best computers and electronics deals, filtered by category.

Well, you spoke and we listened! We are pleased to announce that you can now filter the real-time stream of deals by product category. Using a simple, drop-down menu, you can choose to see products from one of our three top-level categories: Computers, Electronics, or Video Games. This focuses the stream down to just the products that are of interest to you, and slows it down in the process. Or, if you want to drink through the deal firehose, just leave the filter on All Categories.

If you haven’t seen Pulse yet, check it out!

More Feedback…please!

We are insatiable for your feedback! We launched Gazaro Labs to show you the innovative new tools we are working on to help you find great deals on computers and electronics more quickly. Let us know what you think about our latest changes, and what more you would like to see to help you find great deals.

Coming Soon…

You will soon see even more enhancements to Gazaro Pulse and a few more Gazaro Labs projects that we have been working on. In the meantime, check out the updated Gazaro Pulse and let us know what you think!

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Announcing Gazaro Labs and Gazaro Pulse!

Will — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:22:54 +0000

Just launched: Gazaro Labs

At Gazaro we are always developing new ways to find the latest and greatest deals for you in computers and consumer electronics. Today, we just launched Gazaro Labs as a testing ground for these experiments, so that you can catch a glimpse into what we are working on. If you like what you see, let us know!

Keep your finger on the pulse of great deals in electronics with Gazaro Pulse!

Watch in real-time as Gazaro finds and evaluates DealScore(TM) on over 400,000 products daily from all over the internet. As each deal is found and the DealScore is calculated, you will see a new blip on Gazaro Pulse. Discover the best (and worst!) deals in real-time. If you see a great deal – click on it and view all of the product’s details on Gazaro.

DealScore Scatter Graph

See the distribution of deals plotted by DealScore vs. Price. Some interesting trends emerge and you can easily spot the great deals on electronics and computer products!

DealScore Timeline Plot

The heartbeat of deals. This line shows you the DealScores as they are generated. Keep an eye out for the great deals: a DealScore in the range of 8 to 10 out of 10 typically occurs only 1 time out of every 1,000 products that we monitor!

Stream of Products

As each deal is found it appears in the stream of products. If you see a good deal, click the title to head over to Gazaro for the full details.

Feedback Encouraged!

We have released Gazaro Pulse to Gazaro Labs to get your feedback! We want to know what you like and don’t like, so that we can continue working to help you find the very best deals! If you have any ideas you want to share with us, contact us at: drop-us-a-line@gazaro.com.

Thank you, and happy deal hunting!

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Finding Amazing, 1-in-a-1000 Deals on Computers and Electronics!

Alex — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:24:18 +0000

It has been a little while since we last posted, but it’s for a good reason! We have busy squirrelling away on a site redesign, which we are happy to say is now live! We made a number of changes for our 3.0 release, with the objective of making it easier than ever for you to find amazing, 1-in-a-1000 deals on computers and electronics products.

Why do we call them 1-in-a-1000 deals? Well, we did some analysis, and here is the simple math:

We check prices on about half a million computer and electronics products every day(!)
About 5,000 of those end up getting a Gazaro Deal Score of 8.0 or higher out of 10
So, that means that any product with a Gazaro Deal Score of 8.0 or higher out of 10 is an amazing, 1-in-a-1000 deal!

Here are some more of the goodies that we have included in our latest release:

Redesigned homepage highlighting top deals, as determined by the Gazaro Deal Score, across a number of electronics categories such as Home Entertainment, Digital Cameras & Photography, Computers & Networking, and Video Games
Redesigned product pages that display the product’s price across multiple retailers, the Gazaro Deal Score, and expandable detailed Price History graphs for all listed stores
New and improved listings of comparable products
Options for easy bookmarking and sharing of amazing deals to social media networks

You can view a summary of the changes in the really sweet pictorial that Brad put together, or read more about it in our press release.

We hope you like the changes, and that it is not easier than ever for you to find amazing deals on computers and electronics. But hey, let us know either way, and let us know how we can make it even easier for you to find amazing deals on the computer and electronics products you want to buy. Just drop-us-a-line@gazaro.com – we would love to hear from you!

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Winner of the Flip MinoHD Camcorder: Jennifer!

Will — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:26:15 +0000

I am pleased to announce that we have determined the winner of Gazaro’s contest to win a Black Flip Camcorder! And the winner is… Jennifer B from Aurora, Colorado!

We will be shipping the brand new Flip MinoHD Camcorder to Jennifer today. For those who didn’t win, keep an eye on the Gazaro Twitter account or this blog to hear about our next exciting giveaway!

If you are still interested in the Flip MinoHD, check out our article on why the Flip MinoHD is better than an iPhone 4 and then head over to Gazaro.com to buy one today!

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Best HD Camcorder: Flip MinoHD or iPhone 4?

Will — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:20:09 +0000

If you haven’t heard, the iPhone 4 was announced earlier this month, and is set to be released in the US and other countries tomorrow! One of the major features that Apple has added to the smartphone is an HD video camera. The iPhone 3GS shot videos too, I’ve made quite a few of them, but the iPhone 4 raises the bar in this department.

Since here at Gazaro we are big fans of the Flip MinoHD (we are giving one away right now!), now is a great time to see if iPhone 4 has what it takes to compete with the Flip in the compact video camera department. I collected the technical features of the Flip MinoHD and iPhone 4 into the table below:

	iPhone 4	Flip MinoHD
Price	$199 (two-year contract)	$199
Storage	16Gb (shared w/ OS, music, apps)	4Gb
Battery Life	unknown	2 Hours
HD Video	720p	720p
Frame Rate	30 fps	30 fps
Focus	Tap to focus	Fixed Focus
Zoom	unknown (still pictures at 5x)	2x digital zoom
TV-Out	Cable $50+	Cable Included
Tripod Mount	No	Yes
Editing	On-device (iMovie for $4.99)	Software for computer included
Dimensions	4.5″ x 2.31″ x 0.37″	3.94″ x 1.97″ x 0.63″
Weight	4.8oz	3.3oz

As you can see, the iPhone 4 beats the Flip MinoHD in most of the technical categories. Though there are two big ones that we need to consider: Price and Convenience.

Flip MinoHD Price vs iPhone 4

Price is tough due to the iPhone 4 being a smartphone, typically subsidized by wireless carriers in exchange for multi-year contract agreements. In the US that carrier is AT&T, who sells the iPhone 4 for $199 with a two-year contract.

Ignoring the contract for the moment, that puts the iPhone 4 at the same price as the Flip MinoHD which also costs $199 – though unlike the iPhone 4, the Flip camcorders often can be found on sale for a large discount, such as this deal on Amazon that Gazaro currently is tracking – just $151.95.

If are going to get a new phone (and contract) anyway, the fact that the iPhone 4 comes with a contract doesn’t really matter – and makes getting one a no brainer given the little price difference and many other benefits of the iPhone and iOS. If however, you already have a phone and are still tied to a long contract, it would add even more to the cost of the iPhone 4 to cancel your current contract and start a new one. The Flip will ultimately be the cheaper option regardless of whether you need a new phone or not, especially if you can find one on sale.

Flip MinoHD Convenience vs iPhone 4

There is a saying that the best camera is the one you have with you. In that instance, the iPhone 4 is definitely the best, since practically no one goes anywhere without their cellphone. Another factor to consider is whether you want to bring two devices with you, a phone and a Flip MinoHD, or if it would be significantly more convenient to have just one device. But there is another way to look at this convenience: do you really want your cellphone tied up being your video camera too?

For example, if you spent the morning taking some great videos, then have to ration out your remaining battery life for the rest of the day so you can still receive calls. Or if after a long day of work your iPhone 4 is low on battery, leaving you unable to capture a video later that night. Sometimes it just isn’t convenient to have all of your devices crammed into one smartphone!

Another issue with using your iPhone as a video camera is the chance of the video being interrupted by a phone call. If you were taking a video at your child’s baseball game, and they were up at the plate, about to hit an amazing home run – and your phone rings as they swing – the iPhone 4 would stop recording video and ruin any chance of being able to see that amazing hit again. A bit dramatic, but I have lost a few great videos myself due to phone calls coming in a bad times on my iPhone 3GS!

Flip MinoHD or iPhone 4?

If I weren’t tied to my phone contract for another two years, I’d be jumping at the opportunity to get an iPhone 4. Since a new phone doesn’t make sense for me right now, the Flip MinoHD would be an excellent fit for me – given the low price and strong feature set.

It really comes down to your needs. If you are in the market for a small HD camera of decent quality AND a cellphone, the iPhone 4 is a no-brainer. If on the other hand you don’t need a new phone since you are already in a contract or just don’t want one, the Flip MinoHD in an inexpensive way to start shooting HD quality videos. If you are not trying to make every device obsolete with a smartphone that does everything, get a Flip and you won’t regret it – better yet, win one in our contest for a Flip MinoHD!

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Win a Flip MinoHD Video Camcorder from Gazaro!

Will — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:56:13 +0000

The chance you have been waiting for is finally here – Win a Flip MinoHD Video Camcorder!

Today is the first day of Gazaro’s new contest, with an awesome new prize! Up for grabs is a new Flip MinoHD Video Camcorder, an amazingly small high definition digital video camcorder. It shoots directly to the 4Gb internal flash memory, making it quick and easy to transfer to your computer for editing. It packs an impressive amount of video recording capabilities into a camera small enough to slide into your pocket when not in use.

How do I WIN?

The contest is quite simple – visit the contest page at http://www.gazaro.com/black-flip-camcorder, enter price prediction (what you think the price will be on June 28, and hit submit!

It can’t be that easy!

It is! In fact, it gets better – if you want additional attempts to predict the price, we have a number of quick ways to earn extra guesses. You can challenge your friends on Twitter and by e-mail, “Like” Gazaro on Facebook, and blog about your prediction – earning extra guesses for each!

The contest is open to the US and Canada only. If multiple people have the correct price prediction, a random draw will determine who wins. Submit your prediction today!

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Laser Printers or Inkjet Printers – which should you buy?

James — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:56:33 +0000

When purchasing a new printer for your home or office, it can be difficult to decide which type to go with: inkjet or laser. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages so you will need to know these before shopping. Price varies greatly as does print speed and the quality of the print job does differ between the two styles. The best way to determine which model is right for you is to figure out exactly what your printer will be used for. This will help to narrow your choices and tell you if an inkjet or laser printer will be better for your situation.

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers are easily found in retail stores and range in price from $40 to around $300. They are generally more user friendly than laser printers and are perfect if your main wish is to print photos as they can reproduce colors quite accurately. Ink cartridges can be refilled which may save you money over the long term also. Drawbacks of this type of printer include the slow print time as well as a lower quality of print. If you wish to increase the quality of the text, print speed will decrease considerably. Also, resolution and sharpness of the print may not be as precise. Yet, if you are in need of a compact printer for basic text and photos, this is the style for you.

For example, here is an excellent inkjet printer from Epson, the Epson WorkForce 310 All-In-One Color Inkjet Printer. It is currently on sale for just $59.95 (54% off!). This printer is on for a great price, prints in color, and doubles as a fax machine/copier.

Laser Printers

Laser printers are becoming more readily available and prices on this style of printer are decreasing somewhat. Although laser printers do cost more than their inkjet counterparts, $300 to $1,000 for a black and white printer and $1,000 to $3,000 for a color model, you can print five pages on a laser printer for every one that an inkjet model will produce. This is very helpful if you frequently print large documents. A laser printer is remarkably precise and operates at a much lower decibel level, if that is of concern. Yet, laser printers do take up more space so this needs to be taken into consideration.

Currently a great deal for a laser printer from Dell, the Dell 2330d Laser Printer is on for just $179.00, 28% off. This printer is black and white only, prints up to 35 pages per minute, and has a low cost per page based on ink usage.

It Comes Down to Your Need

Both printers are exceptionally dependable so the choice must be based on what you need your model to do. Operating costs tend to average out in the end so that should not be a major factor when purchasing. Determine what you need your printer to do and choose the appropriate type from there.

About the author: James Mowery is a computer geek that writes about technology and related topics. To read more blog posts by him, go to laptop computers.

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The Gazaro Girls’ Red Hot Deal of the Week: Printers!

E-ink vs iPad, eBook Reading Devices

James — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:55:02 +0000

Ever since Apple Computer announced the much anticipated iPad in January 2010, speculation on its effect on the future of e-readers has filled many a blog and website. There is only one real problem with an iPad vs. e-readers comparison. All the authors of all these reviews forgot one of the basic lessons of grade school mathematics. Do not compare apples and oranges (pun not really intended).

iPad Does More Than E-Ink

The iPad is not a dedicated e-reader such as Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook or the Sony e-reader, all of which have e-ink screens. It has more applications and future potential for services other than a wireless book reader such as Kindle. It can check your email and web surf for current events or whatever tickles your fancy. It can store a music or video library, an address book and more. This additional versatility is reflected in the iPad’s price tag. Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, has been working on a tablet computer for 30 years. No one works on a project for 30 years without a goal to be more than an electronic book.

Apple’s iPad does offer some advantages over the Kindle and other e-ink devices. Kindle offers 5 font sizes, iPad offers 10. Scrolling through the e-book is simple. A light finger tap on the right side of the screen scrolls forward one page. A light tap on the left side scrolls back one page.

E-ink Readers Better for Reading

The iPad as an e-reader cannot stand toe to toe with Kindle on the features that make e-readers simple to use. The iPad is a gangly awkward reading machine compared to Kindle. It weighs in at 24 ounces, compared to around 12 ounces for the smaller Kindle and the Nook. The larger Kindle weighs 19 ounces. It may not seem like much unless you read by holding the reader in front of your eyes with your hands. After 30 minutes of this, wrists will start to ache and burn. The iPad’s back is slightly concave so it will be unstable when placed on a flat surface. It is too large to carry in a pocket or a belt holder like the iPhone. There will probably be some great attache type cases that can be slung over a shoulder for ease of carrying.

The iPad’s full color screen makes it a great reader indoors. The Kindle’s e-ink screen is designed to replicate newsprint or a book page. Outdoors or any bright lighting is different. The iPad screen turns to glare and reflects the reader’s face in these conditions. The Kindle is very readable in bright sunlight. The e-ink screen also gives the Kindle a 7 day battery recharge cycle opposed to the 3 day cycle for iPad.

About the author: James Mowery is a computer geek that writes about technology and related topics. To read more blog posts by him, go to laptop computers.

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And the Winner is… Mike R from Timmins!

Will — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:52:56 +0000

Congratulations to Mike R from Timmins, Ontario!

Mike had the correct price prediction of $286.83 for the Acer Aspire One Netbook!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest, let us know in the comments if there is anything we can improve for next time we run a contest like this (likely very soon!).

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Winner of the Acer Netbook: Will be announced soon!

Will — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:41:44 +0000

Congratulations to the winner of Gazaro’s Win an Acer Netbook Contest. We have contacted the person who guessed the correct price for May 10th, and are waiting to hear back from them before we can officially reveal who won.

There were six people who correctly guessed the price of $286.83 – a slight increase from the price of $282.55 that is was at for the duration of the contest. Because six people had the correct price, we had to randomly draw one name of those six to win the prize.

We plan to do a statistical analysis of the results from the contest, which I will detail in a future blog post. Here are a few tidbits that we quickly calculated:

Highest Guess: $29,800.35
Lowest Guess: $2.66 (guessed by two people!)
Average Guess: $291.23 (might be slightly skewed by the $29k guess)

Stay tuned for the official announcement of the winner as well as our in-depth statistical analysis!

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