Electronics

If you missed last week's $50 Magnavox Blu-ray player from Kmart or you simply weren't wild about buying a refurbished player, here's good news: Amazon has a new Sylvania NB530SLX Blu-ray player for $59.99 shipped.

That is, I believe, the lowest price I've ever seen on a new Blu-ray player.

Of course, you shouldn't expect Profile 2.0, Netflix streaming, or any other advanced features at this price. The NB530SLX supports Blu-ray Profile 1.1, HDMI 1.3a support, and has a remote control.

Actually, it does have one frill: an SD card reader. … Read more

The last time I wrote about the Creative Vado HD pocket camcorder (just a few weeks ago), it was $79.99 for a refurbished 4GB model.

Like I always say, cheap things come to those who wait. Today only, Dell has the 8GB Vado HD for $60 shipped. And it's new, not refurbished.

I apologize in advance to those of you who get here late, because I'll bet my cat this will sell out. It's the lowest price I've ever seen on an HD camcorder.

Update: And sure enough, it's sold out. This seems like … Read more

This won't last the day, let alone the time it takes me to type these words, so click quick if you want to score the single best Blu-ray player deal ever.

Kmart is offering a refurbished Magnavox NB500MG9 Blu-ray player for $49.99 shipped (plus sales tax in some states). Note: The product page shows $149.99, but you'll see the $100 savings after you add the player to your cart and hit the checkout page.

This is a basic, no-frills player. It's probably best for folks who want to dip a toe in the Blu-ray waters, … Read more

Usually, when I see "Xbox 360" and "$149.99" in the same sentence, the model in question is the rather lame Xbox Arcade.

Not this time. Electronics reseller Uncle Vic has the Xbox 360 Premium 20GB Bundle for $149.99. Alas, that doesn't include shipping, which adds an extra $23.

Even so, this is one seriously sweet Xbox deal. For starters, it includes not only a 20GB hard drive, but also two solid games: "Lego Indiana Jones" and "Kung Fu Panda."

Also, although it's a refurb, Uncle Vic offers a … Read more

I remain a steadfast fan of noise-isolating earbuds, which I think deliver much better sound--and greater comfort--than your garden-variety earphones.

Don't believe me? Drop a tenner and see for yourself. Buy.com has the Q:Electronics Noise-Isolating Earbuds with Volume Control for $9.99 shipped.

That's right, volume control: These babies have an inline slider that lets you raise and lower the volume without having to reach in your pocket to fiddle with your player's controls. (Why don't all headphones have this?)

The buds' other claim to fame: interchangeable "pads" that come in seven … Read more

Quick housekeeping note: the Cheapskate is traveling this week (hello, San Antonio!), so posts may be scarce for the next few days.

The VCR has been dead to me for a few years now, but I know plenty of people who still play tapes using that venerable device.

If you're in the market for a Blu-ray player but still want to keep VHS in the picture (pun!), Amazon has the Panasonic DMP-BD70V Blu-ray/VHS player for $139.99 shipped.

I believe this is a deal-of-the-day item, and the discount is pretty huge (it's $299.99 just about everywhere … Read more

Longtime readers of the Cheapskate know this important truth: cheap HDMI cables are just as good as expensive ones. If you're new to the blog, now you know it, too.

How cheap are we talking? Meritline is offering three six-foot HDMI cables for $7.50 with free shipping. That's $2.50 per cable. Even if you don't need three cables right now, it's always good to have a spare or two.

Indeed, every so often a friend or family member will tell me they just bought a Blu-ray player, a PlayStation 3, or something else, always … Read more

I often encounter iPhone and iPod owners who are surprised to learn that they can plug their devices into a speaker dock for headphone-free music enjoyment. If you're one of those people, well, surprise!

For today only (meaning until midnight Eastern time, January 28), deal-of-the-day site Yugster has a refurbished Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus speaker dock for $36.97, plus a reasonable $5 for shipping.

So where's the link? It's hiding, kind of. To get this deal, you need to create a Yugster account (which basically entails signing up for its newsletter). Once done, click the Sneak … Read more

A sub-$100 Blu-ray player is no big deal these days, but it's still fairly rare to find one that offers BD-Live at that price point--especially a Sony model.

Last month, SonyStyle offered the refurbished BDP-S360 Blu-ray player for $99.99 shipped (plus sales tax where applicable). I'm happy to report that the deal is back.

Happy, but not ecstatic. See, I now think if you're going to buy a Blu-ray player, you should get a model that can stream Netflix movies. This one can't.

Also, because it's a refurb, the warranty expires after 90 … Read more