Google is making a special holiday push to sell as many Chromecasts as possible by including $20 in free movie credit on Google Play with any Chromecast purchase. (the $20 can also be used for apps, games or music)  This is in addition to the 2 months free of HULU Plus and 90 days of free Google Play Music which are also included as a promotion.  This deal works even if you purchase your Chromecast at a discount through Amazon ($32.49 plus free shipping) which makes the deal even sweeter.  Chromecast remains the easiest way to stream what's on your phone or tablet onto you tv enabling you to watch movies, play games and use apps in the comfort of your living room or bedroom while using your television's huge display.  Use this promotion to pick up one or two or if you already have one it makes a terrific gift for anyone that has an Android or iOS phone or tablet.   Hit the link below for the Amazon link to purchase your Chromecast before Dec 21 (to qualify for the freebees) and then go to the Chromecast Offers page to learn more about your free stuff!

Amazon has been pulling out all the stops as the lead up to the holiday season continues.  Today they've got a particularly cool sale going on for all us portable device nuts who own tablets and smartphones.  This sale is all about portable bluetooth speakers which as you know are one of my favorite 'go to' gifts for the portable device lovers in my life.  They enable you to pair up any phone or tablet and listen to all your great music or watch a movie with much better sound quality than you would through the device's built-in speakers.  They also let you share that music or sound with others which you of course can't really do with headphones.  Some of these Bluetooth speakers are weather and even waterproof for the pool, shower or outdoors use.  Others are perfect for the desktop.  Prices are slashed just for the next few hours up to 70%.   Some of these are definitely worth picking up.

If you've been wanting to get a wireless bluetooth portable speaker system you could use with your tablet or phone but have been dubious about some of the no-name or chinese knockoffs (for good reason) for their dubious reputation or sound quality then this deal might be for you.  The JBL Flip Wireless Bluetooth Portable Speaker System gets top ratings from the tech literati such as CNET, Engadget and AndroidPolice with the latter calling it 'the best portablet bluetooth speaker on the market' and even saying it simply 'decimates' the Jambox brand in sound quality.  Sporting dual drivers with 10w of power and up to 5 hours of battery life the JBL Flip can be used both in horizontal or vertical position. It also comes with a nifty urethane cover that it slips into when traveling.  It connects to your phone or tablet easily via bluetooth and can fill en entire room or pool area with sound.  It's a great companion to you portable devices and these manufacturer refurbished units are 'like new' for almost 40% off list price.  If some reason you don't like it they take returns 'no questions asked' as well.  The JBL Flip makes a great gift for yourself or anyone you care about this holiday season that has a phone or tablet.  Hit the link below to grab one.

The Chromecast is on sale today at BestBuy.  Normal price is $35 but they have it for only $22.99.  That's a pretty steep discount.  Pick one or two up before the price goes back up.  It's a great way to stream content from your Android phone or tablet to your big screen tv...games, movies, apps, whatever.  It's a pretty awesome device.  If you haven't yet...Get one.  Here's the link.   http://www.bestbuy.com/site/google-chromecast-hdmi-streaming-media-player/9071056.p?id=1219013308425&skuId=9071056

Ok, so I thought I'd kick things off as far as Thanksgiving and Black Friday deals that I'm gonna take advantage of this year.  The first purchase I just made is this $199 Windows 8 laptop from the Microsoft Store, the HP Stream 13 Signature Edition Laptop for only $199..  I've been wanting an inexpensive almost 'disposable'  level laptop that I could use to do some writing and web surfing at the local Starbucks without having to take either my expensive Thinkpad or Macbook with me.  I wanted something I didn't have to worry too much about if I spilled some coffee on or perhaps banged around in my backpack but I also didn't want one of those absolute crap cheap laptops that is almost unusable.  I also wanted a Windows machine...not a Chromebook as I want to be able to install some screenwriting software as well as Microsoft Office on it. 

Presto...this HP laptop should do the job perfectly.  It runs full Windows 8.1 and comes with Office 365 free pre-installed.  It has a 13.3 inch display and gets over 9 hours of battery life according to PCMAG IN THIS REVIEW and even wins an Editor's Choice Award from the popular tech magazine.  It starts up super fast thanks to its 32GB eMMC solid state drive (easily expandable via MicroSD or USB stick) and the screen gets good marks for brightness and quality as does the keyboard, trackpad and overall design of the unit.  It'll basically run any Windows software you have perfectly fine except for perhaps the most graphically taxing games.  But hey, I have my primary pc for that.  It's great as a secondary pc/laptop, for the kids or as a gift and Microsoft has it for $30 off today for only $199 and that includes Free Shipping plus a free $25 Microsoft Windows Store Gift Card which effectively brings the price down to only $174!.  That's a great deal.   I just grabbed two just now...one for myself and another for my nephew who's always using his father's (my brother's) PC.  Here's the link:
 
Don't forget to post your cool Black Friday online deals here as well so others can take advantage of them and don't forget to paste a link to the product page!  Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Well after you look through the forum to see if it already exists or not...if not I'd start up a topic about the issue with the 1st gen Nexus 7 and credit card readers.  It's my understanding there are some bluetooth ones that do work.  Apparently ones that require headphone jack input don't work on the Nexus 7 like 'Square' but there are others that do.

While the new Nexus 9 is an awesome device with a larger display it's also good deal more expensive than the Nexus 7.  While the company is no longer offering new Nexus 7s there are still batches of refurbished units popping up now and then and that's what we have today with this 16GB model for just $139.99.  This is the 2nd generation model and you can grab one while they still have them at this link:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asus-Nexus-7-2013-16GB-7-Quad-Core-Android-Tablet-w-Wi-Fi-2nd-Generation/141430784926?pt=US_Tablets&hash=item20edee839e

While last year's model the Nexus 7 2013 is still more than capable at handling all the modern games and apps and still has that gorgeous IPS display. 

Interestingly, there's also a listing on Ebay today for a brand new factory sealed 2012 32GB Nexus 7 for sale as well.  No clue as to where a batch of these was laying around that they should be sealed brand new units still available a year after they stopped making them but hey, if you want a brand new 7 inch tablet and don't want a refurbished 2013 model above then this might suit you. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SEALED-NEXUS-7-ASUS-1B32-4G-32GB-Tablet-7-HD-Display-Bluetooth-Android-4-1/271568553761?pt=US_Tablets&hash=item3f3abf4721

We're happy to announce that our newest forum, dedicated to Google's new Nexus Player is now live at NexusPlayerForum.com.   Please come join us as we build this great new community dedicated to Google's new Android TV device.