Daily deal – Panasonic 40GB hard disk camcorder for $299

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for a Panasonic 40GB hard disk camcorder with 42x optical zoom and image stabilizer. What these terms mean to you and me is that the camera uses a hard disk to record your video instead of tapes or DVD’s. You will need to use your computer to edit the video, but then you are free to record it to a DVD or to watch the clips directly on your computer. Another option is to connect the camera directly to a compatible DVD recorder to “burn” the image to a disk.

The benefit of hard disk recording is that you no longer need to invest in tapes or mini-DVD’s, and that you can record much more without having to switch recording media (up to 36 hours). Any recordings you don’t want can instantly be deleted, and cherished recordings can be backed up on your PC.

The camera usually retails for around $350, but it is currently on sale through Amazon for just $299. It may be a little too late for your summer vacation, but it should come in handy for wacky Halloween video clips or for shooting Christmas morning.

Included with the camera is an AC adapter/charger, a battery pack, connection cables and a manual with software.
Since the item is over $25, Amazon will ship it for free, plus customers in many states will not be charged sales tax. You can read more about this camera here.

Daily deal – Altec-Lansing Orbit MP3 portable speaker for $15

by Scott Carmichael on

Back when I was just a Gadling rookie, my first product review was for one of my personal favorites; the Altec-Lansing Orbit MP3 speaker. The Orbit MP3 is a portable speaker for your iPod, mobile phone or other music player.

In the review, I mentioned the MSRP of $29.95 and the Amazon price of just $24.95. Since then, it has dropped another $10 and you can now pick one up for just under $15.

The speaker runs off 3 AAA batteries and has just one control; on or off. The device has a short audio cord that wraps around the unit, and a tiny flat spot for standing the speaker upright.

Despite its small size, it produces a surprisingly loud and clear amount of audio. Of course, since it is just a single speaker, you don’t get full stereo sound, but with the excellent volume and quality it produces, most people won’t even notice.

You’ll find the deal at Amazon.com and members with an Amazon Prime account will get free shipping, others will have to add another $10.01 to their order for the free super saver shipping.

Daily deal – Sandisk Sansa 1GB MP3 player for $6.99

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Sandisk Sansa 1GB MP3 player. This little player runs off a single AAA battery for up to 19 hours. The device supports your own MP3 files, or subscription based music with the Microsoft “Playsforsure” system. 1GB should be sufficient for about 240 tracks.

At just $6.99 (with $5 for shipping) it is a real bargain, but I do need to point out that it is refurbished, so it will most likely not come in a regular retail box, which makes it slightly less suitable for giving as a gift. The price is right if you just need a cheap player to keep the kids quiet during an upcoming car or plane trip.

The Sandisk Sansa features a built in FM radio, voice recording and a 5 band equilizer.

The player is on sale through “Woot Sellout”, which is the Woot.com storefront at shopping.yahoo.com. Simply click that link, and in the middle of the page you’ll find the deal. The $5 shipping charge is valid for up to 3 units, so take maximum advantage of the price by ordering multiple players! As always with Woot deals, when they are sold out, they are gone, so don’t delay!

Daily deal – Black and Decker 20 Watt portable charger

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s daily deal is for the Black and Decker Pocket Power 20 watt charger.

This portable charger has an internal battery pack, and an integrated inverter that turns battery power into AC power and a standard USB port. With these 2 charging methods, you’ll be able to charge and power small gadgets using their own AC adapter or a USB charging cable. The device has enough capacity to power devices that draw up to 20 watts, which means almost any mobile phone,mp3 player, PDA or other small device. It will not power a laptop or any other high power appliance.

The Black and Decker 20 watt portable power charger is currently on sale for just $14.95 at Amazon.com. Amazon customers with a Prime account will get free shipping, all other customers will have to pay shipping or purchase enough to reach the $25 threshold for free shipping.

If you don’t already carry a gadget like this, I can highly recommend purchasing one. If you ever run out of power on your mobile phone or iPod, you simply plug it into this unit. The internal battery pack has enough juice for about 2-3 full charges on most small gadgets.

(via: Fatwallet.com)

Daily deal – Asus Eee Surf 2G mini laptop for $235

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Asus Eee Surf mini notebook. This first generation version of the Eee may not have the high specifications of the current versions, but that does not make it less useful for getting some work done on the road.

Inside the Asus Eee is an 800MHz processor, 2GB of storage and 512MB of memory. The machine comes with a portable version of Linux which includes most of the applications you’d need. You’ll find the Firefox web browser, Thunderbird for your email and even some open source word processing applications and multimedia players. You can expand the storage by installing a cheap SD memory card.

The Asus Eee Surf 2G has Wi-Fi built in, so you’ll be able to connect to hotspots where available. The machine is on sale at Geeks.com, and is a refurbished model, which means it was once returned to Asus for whatever reason, and was restored to its “as new” condition. It comes with a 90 day warranty. Included in the box is the machine itself, a Lithium-Ion battery pack, a soft carrying case, an AC charger and the required manuals and CD.

Small machines like this are becoming increasingly popular, and are quickly replacing the large and bulky laptops we used to carry on a trip. Geeks.com only has a limited stock of these cheap machines, so don’t wait too long if you are thinking of buying one!