Daily deal – Kensington iPod and iPhone battery pack for $26.24 (after rebate)

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for a product I reviewed last year. The Kensington Mini battery pack and charger for iPod and iPhone is (as the name implies), a portable backup battery pack for your iPod or iPhone.

The device can charge off any USB charger or USB port, and comes complete with a retractable miniUSB charging cable.

The battery pack can add up to about 30 hours of music playtime, 6 hours of video, or 3 hours of talk time. To start charging your device, you simply plug the battery pack into the dock connector of your iPod.

When I wrote my review, this product retailed for about $47. It has since come down in price, and is on sale at Buy.com for $36.24. The deal gets even sweeter once you apply the Kensington $10 rebate to your purchase.

The rebate form is valid for purchases made till January 11th, so don’t wait too long. Buy.com will ship the unit for free.

Daily deal – Shure I2C-MP noise isolating headset for $39.69

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Shure I2C-MP stereo noise isolating headphones. These headphones combine passive noise isolating headphones with a microphone. The combination means you can use them on your regular MP3 player as well as a compatible mobile phone or smartphone.

They have been tested with the Apple iPhone and the Blackberry Curve, but should work on any phone with a 3.5mm stereo headset jack. If you plan to use these headphones on the “old” iPhone, you’ll need to order a headphone adapter, thanks to the silly recessed headphone jack design.

These headphones normally retail for a little over $100, but Amazon.com has them on clearance for just $39.96. Of course, at this low price there is a slight trade-off; they do not feature a call pickup/hangup button. This means you’ll have to reach for your phone to control the call.

Despite that minor detail, under $40 for a pair of Shure noise isolating headphones is quite a bargain. The advantage of noise isolating headphones is that they are very light, and they don’t require batteries to operate.

The headphones include a personal fit-kit consisting of several different earpieces and a nice Shure carrying case.

Remember, Amazon ships their own items for free (when over $25), and Amazon Prime members can get these headphones sent with 2-day shipping for free.

Daily deal – Targus notebook accessories kit for $9.99

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Targus Mobile Essentials notebook accessories kit.

Included in the kit is a wireless optical mouse, a pocket USB 2.0 hub, a USB numeric keypad and 2 different pocket surge protectors (a must have in my opinion).

The kit usually retails for around $40, but Frys.com has it on sale for just $9.99. As with all Fry’s items; you can place an order to be shipped to you, or you can save the $6 shipping and order online for pick up at your local Fry’s store.

The kit contains all the parts you need to work more efficiently on your laptop when you are traveling, and the pocket sized components mean you won’t be adding too much bulk to your luggage. If you plan to use your laptop anywhere with sketchy electricity, then the surge protectors could be a real lifesaver as they’ll help protect your cherished laptop from all kinds of nastiness.

Daily deal – APC UPB10 battery pack for $14.95

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is the kind of product you should buy first, then decide whether you really need it.

The APC UPB10 is a small external Lithium-Ion battery pack suitable for charging most USB powered devices. This includes most Blackberry devices, iPod devices, the iPhone and almost every other smartphone on the market.

The device comes with a standard USB cable for charging off your PC or existing USB charger. To charge your device, you simply plug it into the UPB10 and let it do its work.

The 10Wh capacity of the battery is sufficient to fully charge most devices once or twice.

A device like this can be a true lifesaver, if you have ever found yourself stranded at an airport with a dead phone , or mid-flight with a dead iPod, you’ll learn to appreciate the ability to breathe some life back into your gadgets. Just remember to carry your USB cable wherever you go, or to buy a spare.

The UPB10 normally retails for about $50, but Frys.com has it on sale for just $14.95. Shipping is about $6 for most destinations, and lucky readers with a local Fry’s store can opt for in-store pickup to save the shipping costs.

Daily deal – Sanyo VPC-E2 waterproof digital camcorder for $199

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 digital camcorder. This 8 megapixel camera has all the features you’d expect from a digital video camera, including a swiveling screen, a 2.5″ LCD screen, up to 8 hours of video (on an 8GB card) and the ability to capture video in 60 frames per second in VGA resolution.

What makes this camera different, is the ability to work underwater – and not just “splashes of water”. The VPC-E2 is waterproof enough to work in up to 5 feet of water for 30 minutes. Of course, this does not make it your next best diving buddy, but you should be able to film some nice clips of your kids diving, or of the underwater environment on your next vacation.

The VPC-E2 comes complete with a rechargable battery pack, charger, Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0 (for video editing), a soft case and a hand strap.

The camera is on sale at Amazon.com for just $199, making it one of the cheapest true underwater video cameras on the market.