November 28, 2014

Merry Black Friday

Filed under: Main — admin @ 12:01 am

My son put it best: Christmas starts the day after Halloween. And Black Friday, supposedly the best shopping day of the year, doesn’t sneak up on anyone. The merchants have been touting it all month. It’s finally here.

I’m not going to whore the blog again this year. I put my sentiments into writing back in 2013, and you can re-read my comments from that post if you want to be enlightened.

For technology, my stocking is full enough. In fact, I feel guilty buying just one thing from Amazon. I generally let an item sit in my cart until I can find something else to buy.

I don’t know where that stipulation comes from. I mean, obviously Amazon doesn’t mind shipping me one measly SD card. Maybe I think it’s cheaper on the shipping, but with Amazon Prime the shipping is “free.” So I’m at a loss as to why I need at least two things every time I shop online.

If you’re giving into temptation, then here is what I recommend:

For a computer: Buy local. Avoid the Big Box stores and find a small, local business, what I call the “Mom & Pop” computer stores. Most cities over a certain size feature this type of retailer. They offer friendly service and generally provide support over the phone. They fix the PC right there in their shop, which is excellent.

For a phone: Android is my choice, of course. Samsung makes good phones, but I don’t like the physical Home button: It’s too easy to accidentally press that button in a pocket or purse. My favorite Android phone is the Nexus. If you want a phablet, get the Nexus 6. The Nexus 5 is small and sexy — if you can still find one.

For a tablet: Again, Android. The Nexus 9 just came out. It’s sweet, but I still prefer the Nexus 7 as a better size. Good news is that the entire Nexus line was upgraded to Android Lollipop. Or that could be bad news if you’re trying to sell books and the publisher doesn’t want to update the titles to Android 5.0.

Other gear: Yeah, whatever. I’m not particular to certain brands.

I recommend getting a good headset for use with your PC. For the phone and tablet, earbuds are the rage. If you want to speak into the device, get earbuds that feature a microphone.

These aren’t Christmas shopping suggestions, by the way. They’re good year ’round.

Enjoy the holidays with your family and friends!

3 Comments

  1. In the UK we never had black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving, we don’t have Thanksgiving!) I became aware of it via US TV shows, and last year Amazon UK held a Black Friday sale, this year every retailer is having Black Friday sales! Umm what is going to happen to the Boxing Day (Dec 26th) sales this year. I just think it could be another ‘the US is doing it, so are we’ thing, I was never one to criticise the US Cultural spread but this it seems wrong. (I don’t ‘have a nice day’ from waiters etc.)

    Comment by glennp — November 28, 2014 @ 5:44 am

  2. Since I learned of boxing day back in my 20’s, I’ve been celebrating it here. Rather than follow British Tradition (because Americans can’t wait to open their presents soon enough), I use it as an unwinding holiday, an “anything but” holiday. I’m not sure that will catch on.

    The recent history of Thanksgiving is one that caters to the merchants. Roosevelt got in trouble back in the 1930s when he changed the date of Thanksgiving, making it earlier so that the Christmas sales season was longer. That’s why I’m turned off by the whole nonsense. Christmas is a religious holiday, not an intensive, self-centered, obsession with material goods. Christ would be appalled.

    Comment by admin — November 28, 2014 @ 8:11 am

  3. Boxing Day in the UK is generally used as a ‘I have drunk/eaten so much I can’t move’ holiday rather than opening the presents day. So you are doing it right!

    Comment by glennp — November 29, 2014 @ 3:48 am

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