Category: Amazon

Today’s Deal is on the new Nokia 6 from HMD Global.  The 5.5″ Full HD phone with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable memory is on sale for $149 over at Amazon.  This is fully unlocked and works on GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile and has the Amazon Prime adverts on the lock screen.  It is also in the popular Copper color. If you don’t want those ads on the lock screen, the non-Prime version is $229.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz.  It has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage on board.  That storage can be expanded up to an additional 128GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  It has a 5.5″ 2.5D Full HD display coupled with Dolby Atmos sound with 7.2W of output.  It has a a 16MP rear facing camera and 8MP selfie camera with the rear camera having a dual-tone flash for warmer flash photos.

Today’s Deal is on the fantastic phablet from Huawei, the Huawei Mate 9.  Today on Amazon you can pick up the 5.9″ phone with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for $399.  That’s $200 off the original $599 price tag ($100 its regular price now) and is the same price that Huawei was selling it back on Black Friday and Cyber Monday The price is available on either the Moonlight Silver or Space Grey colors available for the phone.  I reviewed the Mate 9 earlier this year and it is an outstanding device with an awesome display, great battery life and excellent cameras.  At this price, it is well worth considering.

So what does $399 get you in the Huawei Mate 9?  A lot frankly.  It is a 5.9″ phone running Android Nougat, an octa-core processor running at 2.4GHz and Leica optics dual-camera setup shooting at 20MP and 12MP respectively with OIS.  The front facing selfie camera is 8MP shooter.  You also have 64GB of built-in storage that can be expanded up to an additional  256GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  Finally, it comes with a US warranty so you are not buying an international version of the phone.

Another key consideration is that Huawei is in the process of rolling out the Android Oreo update (their EMUI 8.0 variant) to the phone.  While it will ship with Nougat, you should be able to upgrade to Oreo more-or-less right out of the box.

Today’s Deal is on the pre-Google WiFi home router, Google OnHub.  Remember OnHub?  It debuted back in 2015 and was Google’s first attempt at making home networking easy.  They succeeded and made it even better with the second generation of devices that we know as Google WiFi.  The good thing is, OnHub is completely compatible with Google WiFi which makes a deal like today’s one to seriously consider.

Right now over at Amazon you can pick up the TP-Link build Google OnHub for $99.  That is a saving of $100 from the original price.

Physically the OnHub is a column-shaped device that measures 4.5″ x 7.5″ x 4.0″ and weighs in at 1.9 lbs.  In new money that 115 x 190 x 105 mm and .86 kg.  Powering the OnHub is a dual-core Qualcomm IPQ8064 with 1GB of RAM and each core running at up to 1.4 GHz and that horsepower for a Wi-Fi access point is important because of the massive antenna array in the device.  There is also 4GB of storage built into the unit. There are a total of 13 antennas in it that supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac for wireless connectivity, a Bluetooth antenna and a Zigbee antenna. 

Another great Black Friday deal that is going on at Amazon is on the Google WiFi mesh network access points.  Right now you can pick up the single unit for $99, a savings a $30.  If you need the 3-Pack, you save $50.  It is down to $249 today.

The question for most is which one do you need?  If you have a home or apartment that is 1500 square feet or less, the single should do the job for you.  No need to overbuy but if you have a multi-story home or an older home, it may not give you the coverage you need.  That is my case in my mid-70’s home.  Over that and up to 4500 square feet, the 3-Pack is what you need for your home.  That is also on sale at $269.  The nice thing is, if you get a single and add more later, it is easy to add the new ones to the network via the Google WiFi app on your Android phone or iPhone.

As part of Black Friday sales, Amazon has discounted both the Samsung Chromebook Pro and the Chromebook Plus by $100 today.  These are new-for-2017 models that really set the tone for Chromebooks this year.

The Chromebook Plus is down to $349 today while the Chromebook Pro is down to $449.

The Chromebook Plus has a 12.3″ display rendering at 2400 x 1600.  It is also a touchscreen which makes using the included stylus or your finger for apps easier.  It has 4GB of RAM, 32GB of Storage and you can expand that storage thanks to the MicroSD slot.  It has dual-microphones, a 720p Webcam and, of course, Wi-Fi.  It only ways 2.4 lbs so it is designed for portability and with it being able to be be used as a laptop or a slate, you have a lot of flexibility in where and how you use this Chromebook.

The Samsung Chromebook Plus is powered by the OP1 ARM processor which is both battery efficient and powerful enough to get your daily work done.  The 39Wh battery is rated to give users up to 8 hours of life per charge and charging is done via a USB-C connector.  As you would expect, Android app support is also there for the Chromebook Plus.

Today’s Deal is on the powerful, 5.2″ Sony Xperia XZs.  The XZs is a revamped version of last year’s XZ and has, as you would expect from Sony, some pretty impressive specs.  Today, the XZs has dropped in price down to $499 on Amazon.

The Xperia XZs is powered by the Snapdragon 820 processor clocked at 2.2GHz, has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.  That storage can be expanded and additional 256GB thanks to the MicroSD slot.  The XZs is IP68 rated against water and dust intrusion and, a not-so-common thing here in the US, it is a dual-SIM phone.  The display is a 5.2″ FHD and all of this is powered by a 2900mAh battery that is charged via a USB-C port and it supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

What really makes the XZs however are the cameras.