Tag Archives: Savings

Two Priced Right Buffalo Technology Network Attached Storage Devices

Posted by Steven Swafford on January 11, 2012

If you find yourself in the market for network storage either at the office or at home then you may want to consider the following Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices. The price is right and Buffalo Technology has a great reputation in the industry.

Buffalo Technology LinkStation Duo Dual-Bay 1.0 TB (1 x 1TB) Network Attatched Storage LS-WX1.0TL/1D Currently 48% which brings the price down to $186.53

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Key Features and Benefits

  • RAID 0 and RAID 1 Support: Get maximum reliability with automatic data mirroring in RAID 1 or maximum storage with two striped hard drives in RAID 0 (second hard drive is required for RAID support)
  • Near Silent Operation: Fanless design ensures reliable, silent operation in noise-sensitive settings
  • Savings mode automatically powers the LinkStation Duo on and off with your PC (requires installation of NAS Navigator)
  • DLNA CERTIFIED™ and iTunes® Servers: Stream content directly to any DLNA compatible media player or use LinkStation Duo as content source from within your iTunes application
  • BitTorrent® Client: Download digital content over the Internet directly to your LinkStation Duo
  • WebAccess: Share your photos, music, videos or data files with family, friends and colleagues over the Internet with a standard browser or Apple iPhone®
  • Active Directory Support: Join to an existing Active Directory Domain for Windows® user authentication and folder level permissions
  • USB Port: Attach a printer to the network, add a USB hard drive for additional storage or backup, or connect to a UPS for shutdown management
  • Time Machine® Compatibility: Works perfectly with Time Machine to back up your Mac computer
  • No Annual or Monthly Fees to use any features or services, including Web Access with iPhone support, or to add multiple users and groups
  • Free 24/7 Tech Support: US-based tech support for life of the product
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Buffalo Technology LinkStation Pro Duo 2 TB (2 x 1 TB) RAID Network Attached Storage LS-WV2.0TL/R1 (Black) Currently $347.99

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Key Features and Benefits:

  • Shared Storage: Store or back up files from multiple PCs, laptops or Mac computers in one central location
  • RAID 0 and RAID 1 Support: Get maximum reliability with automatic data mirroring in RAID 1 or maximum storage with two striped hard drives in RAID 0
  • Quick Swap Drives: Easily accessible drives for quick replacement
  • Silent Operation: Noiseless fan design ensures reliable and silent operation
  • Active Directory Support: Join to an existing Active Directory Domain for Windows user authentication and folder level permissions
  • Free WebAccess and WebAccess i apps for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad: Access and share your photos, music, videos or data files with friends, family and colleagues over the Internet with any standard Web browser or on your iPod touch, iPhone or iPad for free.
  • DLNA Certified and iTunes® Servers: Stream content directly to any DLNA compatible media player or use LinkStation Pro as a content source from within your iTunes application
  • BitTorrent Client: Download digital content over the Internet directly to your LinkStation Pro Duo
  • NovaBACKUP Professional: Includes an easy-to-use, complete backup solution for up to 5 of your home and home office Windows PCs
  • Time Machine Compatibility: Use the LinkStation Pro Duo with Time Machine backup
  • USB 2.0 Port: Attach a printer to the network, add a USB hard drive for additional storage or backup or connect to a UPS for AC power failure management
  • ECO-Minded: With the power savings feature, you regulate the power usage of your LinkStation at predetermined times, shutting the unit down and reducing energy consumption
  • No Annual or Monthly Fees: Free to use features and services, including WebAccess with iPhone and iPad support, or to add multiple users and groups
  • Network Servers: FTP and print servers included with the firmware
  • Direct Copy: Plug in your USB hard drive or camera to quickly offload pictures
  • Free 24/7 Tech Support: US-based tech support
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Shopping At Walgreens And Saving Your Hard Earned Cash

Posted by Steven Swafford on January 5, 2012

If you’re a consistent reader of this blog or even a visitor you may wonder why in the world I am posting a article about shopping at Walgreens. The answer is quite simple, I have been on vacation recently and I went shopping with my wife who has always been good at saving money and finding deals. In fact, take a look at this recent trip to Walgreens where we spent $22.22 and only paid $1.22 excluding taxes.

recent wallgreens shopping trip

I must say that I was very surprised at the amount of savings and now I am thinking that if I partner with my wife on future shopping trips maybe we can save enough money to procure that next high tech gadget we have our eyes on (well at least I do). The point is that saving on those otherwise expensive shopping trips is really not all that difficult once you get the hang of it.

Walgreens Explained

Amazon Image Walgreens accepts both store and manufacturer coupons. You can use one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon per item, unless either coupon states otherwise. Store coupons include the Monthly Instant Value Coupon (IVCs), in-ad coupons or the Walgreens coupons found in newspaper inserts.

Register Rewards (RR) are coupons printed from your Walgreens qualifying purchase. These deals have a limit of 1 printed out RR per transaction. As an example, let’s say for this week, you can get $2.00 in RR for each purchase of 4 oz. toothpaste, if you purchase 2 tubes of toothpaste in one transaction, only 1 $2.00 RR will print out. Tip: If an item generates RR, buy like items in separate transactions so that you are able to avail the corresponding RR per item.

RR are printed out at the end of your receipt and are like cash. You can use them to pay for future purchases and normally have a two week validity date. Since Walgreens does not have a store rewards program requiring a store card, anyone can use a RR. Do not leave your RR lying around as it can be used by anyone who mistakenly picks it up. Tip: Use your highest value RR first to avoid having so many RRs to have to burn.

Make use of filler items to maximize savings and getting the lowest out-of-pocket expense as possible. Filler items are cheap items you could use to fulfill the 1:1 coupon to item ratio. In cases where you have more coupons than items, filler items are a must. Your goal is to get to the lowest dollars shelled out. Sometimes you’d have to purchase cheap items to use your high value RRs or coupons. Your fillers can be any of the clearance items in the store, or a 25-cent candy, a 19-cent pencil, etc. Check the endcaps for clearance deals, the store ads for weekly bargains, even the checkout counter for candy filler items.

Shop with The Krazy Coupon Lady at Walgreens!

Conclusion

There you have it. Saving money has not been any easier and if my wife and I can continue the trend I indicated earlier then we should easily be able to save enough for that tech gadget or maybe even a nice vacation later in the year.

PlayLater: A Digital Video Recorder For PlayOn

Posted by Steven Swafford on July 28, 2011

PlayLater is a digital video recorder that gives you the freedom to record your favorite online videos and enjoy them on your schedule. As more and more of you are getting your favorite shows online, we felt that it was high time the rest of your entertainment technology caught up. After all, the same reasons that apply to recording TV shows and movies in the old world apply to the new world, right? Convenience, access, and frankly — sometimes you don’t have an Internet connection available and that shouldn’t bar you from watching your favorite shows. The future of entertainment is online and now you can record the future.

Folks, If you are still paying that cable or dish bill every month you have to stop! I will not go into the reasons why here but you should read Fire Your Cable Provider And Save Your Money With PlayOn, Internet Ready TV And Digital Media Devices, and Are Traditional Cable Providers Becoming Extinct to understand the reasons and options you have at little or no cost with no monthly bill.

PlayLater

I purchased PlayOn many months back and I have been extremely happy and now with PlayLater I have DVR capability and it works extremely well after a few days use. Before you get too excited it is worth noting that PlayLater is in beta and only available via invite. I find the interface is easy to use and list all of the available channels and plugins that are installed in Playon.

playlater Interface

Say for example you want to record Covert Affairs that resides in your Hulu queue. Just click on the Hulu icon then find the episode you want to DVR and click on it. From there you have the option to begin recording. If you want to queue a a number of shows you only have that option after an initial recording has begun. Hopefully this is something that will change in future versions of PlayLater.

playlater interface

Once your recording have finished, click on My Recordings and fire up you favorite show all on your own schedule.

playlater interface

Conclusion

Overall the beta version performs better than expected. It is also important to understand that recording can only be viewed on the computer which were recorded. Of course there may be ways around this but I will leave that endeavor up to you.

Are you a PlayOn customer? If so what are your experiences and is DVR capabilities important to you?

Apple Mac Pro and MacBook Pro Closeouts

Posted by Steven Swafford on March 31, 2011

If you’re on the fence about dropping your hard earned cash on a Mac then don’t miss out on these deals!

MacBook Pro

CLOSEOUT! Apple 15.4″ MacBook Pro Intel Core i7 2.66GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, NVIDIA GeForce only $1,849.99

List Price: $2,199.00
You Save: $349 (16%)
Your Final Price: $1,849.99

CLOSEOUT! Apple 13.3″ MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/2.66GHz/4GB/320GB/GeForce 320M/SD/Glossy (MC375LL/A) only $1,149.94

List Price: $1,499.00
You Save: $349 (23%)
Your Final Price: $1,149.94

CLOSEOUT! Apple 17″ MacBook Pro Intel Core i5 2.53GHz, 4GB RAM/500GB HD/Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display (MC024LL/A) only $2,044.99

List Price: $2,229.99
You Save: $254 (11%)
Your Final Price: $2,044.99

CLOSEOUT! Apple 13.3″ MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/2.4GHz/4GB/250GB/GeForce 320M/SD/Glossy (MC374LL/A) only $1,071.98

List Price: $1,199.00
You Save: $127 (11%)
Your Final Price: $1,071.98

Apple 17″ MacBook Pro i7/4core/2.2GHz/4GB/750GB/Intel HDGraphics3000/AMDRadeon HD6750M/SD/Thunderbolt/Glossy (MC725LL/A) only $2,366.25

List Price: $2,499.00
You Save: $133 (5%)
Your Final Price: $2,366.25

Mac Pro

Apple Mac Pro One 2.66GHz Quad Core/Nehalem/12GB/640GB HD/NVIDIA GeForce GT120/18xSD (Z0G8-221669) only $3,099.99

List Price: $3,8499.00
You Save: $749 (19%)
Your Final Price: $3,099.99

Apple Mac Pro Two 2.4GHz Quad Core/Westmere 8 Core/6GB/1TB HD/ATI Radeon HD 5770/18xSD (MC561LL/A) only $3,244.56

List Price: $3,499.00
You Save: $254 (7%)
Your Final Price: $3,244.56

Are Traditional Cable Providers Becoming Extinct

Posted by Steven Swafford on March 26, 2011

Just the other day I was visiting Best Buy to pick up a Wii game for my daughter when a gentleman from Direct TV approach me about their service. Little did the salesman know that I walked away from traditional cable providers well over six months ago and I have never turned back. Anyhow I let the sales rep throw out his sales pitch and once he finished I asked a very simple question. I asked him why should I pay Direct TV any amount of money for a service that I can easily locate for free or even for a small fee from streaming media providers. The look on his face initially was one of confusion. A few seconds later he began pitching the sports packages and I quickly pointed out that my Apple TV has me covered when it comes to Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association. Next he began talking about the wide variety of movies and I quickly pointed out that NetFlix has me covered, not to mention the movie database over at YouTube. From this point I even explained that as a PlayOn consumer I can stream media across devices in my home as well as my mobile devices. At this point the representative gave up and said should I ever change my mind that I should reconsider Direct TV. I can honestly say that will never happen!

Stop for a moment and think about how much you’re paying that traditional cable provider. The average consumer pays close to $75 a month and others may pay $100 or more depending upon all the additional programming choices. Is it really worth $900 to $1,200 annually to watch that ball game or your favorite reality television show? Have you ever considered alternatives? Do you know what these alternatives are? More importantly what can you get at will it cost you the $75 – $100 a month? You may be surprised at the answer.

Hardware and Software

PlayOn

playon channelsPlayOn makes it easy for you to watch your favorite videos, shows, and movies from websites such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and more on your TV using your Wii, Xbox 360, or Playstation 3 over your home internet connection. PlayOn also works on your iPhone or Android phone.

There are three different license options and they range from $4.99 a month, $39.99 annually, to a one-time fee of $79.99 which is the option I selected. You can even kick the tires with a free 14 day trial to see if it works in your situation.

Out of the box you have access to Hulu, NetFlix, CBS, spike, and many more. This just to start and with plugins you can pull in a variety of content from many other party site to include:

  • Channel 9
  • Crackle
  • Discovery Channel
  • Food Network
  • HGTV
  • South Park Studios

I have PlayOn installed on both my Android device and iPad for mobile viewing. You can even use a number of DLNA/UPnP media devices such as the LG Network Blu-ray Player. Bottom line for a fee of less than a monthly cable bill you have access to the media of your choosing.

Apple TV

apple tvThe Apple TV is a simple mechanism for getting iTunes content from computers to TVs as well as first run movies, sporting events, radio, NetFlix and so much more. There is more than 15,000 streaming movies and television shows for as little as $8.95 per month. It can also handle content from YouTube, MobileMe, Flickr, and a large variety of streaming radio stations, as well as accessing your favorite podcast.

The  beauty of this device is the average consumer can just plug in the Apple TV, connect to their iTunes or Netflix  account and  in no time media is streaming. It is that easy! On top of the ease of use the device itself comes in a just under $100 and can be purchased from Amazon at $99.00.

Roku XDS treaming Player

Roku XDS Streaming PlayerRoku coming in at $99.00 for the XDS or $79.99 for the XD is a little box that allows you to instantly stream tons of entertainment on your TV. Watch over 100,000 movies and TV shows from Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus and more. Listen to music on Pandora, or listen to your own iTunes playlists. Watch major sports, news, or original Internet programming. It’s all available whenever you want it.

The all-new, top-of-the-line Roku XDS sets a new standard with 1080p streaming video, the latest wireless technology, and Instant Replay. All for under $100. Works with any TV—up to 1080p*. The XDS delivers the biggest and best streaming video experience you can get and it’s really easy. Be up and running in 5 minutes and best of all Roku works with any TV.

Boxee

boxeeBoxee coming in at $193.66 gives you the freedom to watch what you want. It’s thousands of TV shows ready to watch, instantly. It’s tons of free movies, Hollywood blockbusters, and critically acclaimed films. It’s web-only videos from Funny or Die or College Humor. It’s your videos, your Pandora and Facebook feeds somewhere they’ve never been before – your HDTV: organized, simplified and enjoyed from the comfort of your couch in 1080p. No keyboard or mouse required. For serious!!

Get tons of free stuff, and pay for the premium content you want.

No monthly bill.

No more paying for stuff you never watch. No biggie. Finally, TV gets it.

Streaming Web Sites

Amazon Instant Video

With Amazon Instant Video, you can watch thousands of movies and TV shows on a compatible handheld video player commercial-free, using the Unbox application. You also can’t share your Instant Videos benefit with the rest of the family — while a Prime membership. For more information on Amazon Instant Video, visit getting started.

Crackle

Crackle is the place to experience pure entertainment: full-length movies, TV shows, and original series from genres that embody cool — all uncut, uncensored, and unbelievably free. Crackle is one of the fastest growing entertainment destinations today, featuring only the genres you love — comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, horror — anywhere you are. Crackle’s vast distribution network ensures that you have access to Crackle everywhere: on your favorite video site, your television and your mobile device. Learn more about where you can find Crackle on the distribution page.

Hulu

Hulu brings together a large selection of videos from over 260 content companies, including FOX, NBCUniversal, ABC, Criterion, A&E Networks, Lionsgate, Endemol, MGM, MTV Networks, Comedy Central, National Geographic, Digital Rights Group, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., TED and more. Users can choose from current primetime TV hits such as The Simpsons, 30 Rock, Modern Family, Glee, The Office, Jersey Shore, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report; classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The A-Team and Alfred Hitchcock Presents; full episodes and clips from Saturday Night Live; and original videos like The LXD and The Confession. Hulu also offers a wide array of acclaimed movies and documentaries, including hundreds of titles from the renowned Criterion Collection.

YouTube Movies

YouTube movies allows billions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. If you’re looking for a current movie or one from 5, 10, or even 20 years ago then YouTube has you covered.

Conclusion

I hope that you have begun to see a trend here. These devices are easy on the wallet, easily installed, and user friendly and depending upon the hardware you settle on and how much your traditional cable bill runs a month you may find that within 30 – 90 days you’re no longer throwing away you hard earned cash.

If you have dumped your traditional provider leave a comment sharing your experience and what you have in place to watch you favorite television shows an movies. If your on the fence and have questions, feel free to ask and we will see if we cannot help you make this move.

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