February 11, 2012
Revised February 11, 2012. Copyright © 2012 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack is a blog that
helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has no
financial relationship and receives no compensation from any of the
companies mentioned in this article. We do advertise wine deals in our Food and Drink section.
Let us just state upfront - we are not wine connoisseurs. We are not
going to tell you how to swirl the wine or smell it. If you are looking
for expert advice, check out Robert Parker's Wine Advocate or Stephen Tanzer’s Winophilia blog.
But we do enojoy a glass of (reasonably priced) wine with our dinner.
This post gives you a few simple suggestions on how to best pair food
and wine. In most cases simple pairings should work just fine. And if
you run into a true connoisseur, well, good luck, you'll need more help
than you'll find here.
There are only a couple of simple rules to keep in mind:
- match food and wine. Match mild foods with mild wines, such as
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Burgundy. Match big,
flavorful foods with big, flavorful wines such as Cabernet, Syrah,
Zinfandel, Bordeaux, Merlot.
- match acids with acids. If you're eating a dish with a strong
acidic content, pair it with an
acidic wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Riesling,
Valpolicella. On the other hand, don't mix acidic wines with rich cream
sauces.
Continue reading "A Simple Guide to Pairing Food with Wine"
January 09, 2012
 Many consumers often group "Refurbished"
and "Open-box" products in the same category. However, these are two
very different animals.
"Refurbished" is typically a product that had been used for a
significant period of time (a few months to a few years) and returned
to a retailer or manufacturer (although as one of our readers pointed
out, sometimes refurbished products have not been used or sold before).
Return would usually be because of required repair or because the
product has been "rented" and the rental period has expired.
Refurbished goods can also be called reconditioned, remanufactured,
off-lease, pre-owned, etc. When you see a "refurbished" product for
sale, the product has usually been restored to good condition, and
comes with a limited (for electroncis and computers typically 90 days)
warranty. Becasue such products are not new and typically somewhat
dated, you can buy them much cheaper than what they were selling at
originally.
Here are some examples
of products that are refurbished at J&R.com. They include
laptops, Coffed and Expresso Makers, iPod Docks, Tablets, Vacuum
Cleaners DVD recorders and many more, all at reduced prices.
Continue reading "What is the Difference between "Open Box" and "Refurbshed" Products?"
October 31, 2011
 Revised October 31, 2011. Copyright © 2011
Dealhack.com. All Rights Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack is a blog that helps consumers to find the best
deals online. Dealhack may have an affiliate relationship with some of
the retailers mentioned or referenced in this article if any.
You all know how important oral hygiene is to our overall well-being.
The switch from a traditional toothbrush to an electric tooth brush
usually brings up some questions like available brands, cost, and
whether they are really worth the investment. We'll try to clear some
of those questions up for you here.We’ll tell you some of the benefits
of an electric tooth brush, what to look for in a brush, and discuss a
few brands.
Continue reading "Why and How to Buy an Electric Toothbrush"
September 06, 2011
 Revised
September 6, 2011. Copyright © 2011 Dealhack.com. All
Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate relationship with some of the companies
mentioned in this article, which means we may get commission payment if
you rent or buy textbooks from them via our site.
Textbooks are not incidentals, like notebooks and pens. For most
college students, they are the largest costs after tuition, room and
board. Students spend about $1,000 a year on their texts, according to
the College Board; for those in technical fields, whose books tend to
be the most expensive, can easily spend twice that. Even in high school
students end up spending hundreds of dollars on their books.
Fortunately, there are alternatives: renting or buying used books can
save you 50% or more over shopping in your college bookstore.
Continue reading "How to Save Hundreds of Dollars a Year on Textbooks"
August 22, 2011
How To Buy A Home Theater System That Rocks |
Dealhack
Revised March 16, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
 Affordability and simplicity aren't exactly words most
people use to describe the purchase of a home theater system; until
now. Creating a home
theater system that rocks doesn't have to cost a fortune. Consider
it an investment in entertainment for years to come.
Simplicity and Affordability
Color coded speaker wires and cables specific to certain jobs or pieces
of equipment make installing a home theater system easier than ever.
The hardest part should be choosing the size of the big screen, or
using a projector.
One of the best and most affordable Blu-Ray players on the market today
is Sony's
Playstation 3. Not only do you
get Blu-Ray capability but a video
game system to boot.
Continue reading "How To Buy A Home Theater System That Rocks"
June 29, 2011
Revised June 29, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack may have
an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article if any.
We all know how important oral
hygiene is to our overall well-being.
The switch from a traditional toothbrush to an electric tooth brush
usually brings up some questions like available brands, cost, and
whether they are really worth the investment. I’ll try to clear some of
those questions up for you here. I’ll tell you some of the benefits of
an electric tooth brush, what to look for in a brush, and discuss a few
brands.
Continue reading "Why and How to Buy an Electric Toothbrush"
June 27, 2011
Revised June 27, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack may have
an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article if any.
Air purifiers are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and
functions. Some remove allergens alone while others remove allergens,
pollutants and odors, as well. We've scoured the internet and found the
top eight air purifier units based on customer reviews and price.
Continue reading "How to Buy an Air Purifier"
June 22, 2011
Top 10 iPhone Applications |
Dealhack
Revised June 20, 2011. Copyright ©
2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
 Top lists are important. So
everybody has one. Search the web on "top iPhone applications" or "best
iPhone applications" or "most popular iPhone applications, and you'll
get pages and pages of results. This is our list of Top 10 iPhone applications.
Obviously, it reflects our personal preferences. You won't find
applications whose primary purpose is to make animal or human sounds.
You won't find many games or short-term distractions. You will find
that our list tends to gravitate towards "useful" applications. And you
will find that we cheated: we simply could not limit our list to 10. So
we extended it with "honorable mentions." Here we go:
1. MOG
by Mog.com. $9.99/mo for computer + mobile service. Free trial
available. We first recommended MOG in September 2010, when it just
came out. Since then it gathered a number of awards, including
Billboard's Best Music Streaming App. We liked it better than Pandora:
better
search, better playlists, better social discovery, better user
interface. We liked the slider functionality of the MOG radio where you
can control the diversity of the artists starting from one-artist radio
(something you don't get with Pandora). And the most important - you
can download playlists to your mobile device and play them without
wireless access. You pay for MOG but we think it's worth it (try it for
free and decide for yourself). We look forward to comparing MOG against
Spotify when Spotify finally comes to the US, but for now MOG is #1.
Continue reading "Top 10 iPhone Applications"
June 01, 2011
Top 10 Android Apps |
Dealhack
Revised May 31, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack may have
an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article if any.
While the number of available
Android
applications is smaller than that of iPhone applications, it is
still a huge number and growing fast. This is our list of Top 10 Android applications.
It is very difficult to select only 10 out of so many worthwhile apps.
After some consideration, we have decided to limit the field to
media, travel, communication, reference, and productivity. We have also
stayed away from such obvious apps as Google Maps or Facebook (we love
Google Maps
but probably everybody has them by now). Here we go:
1. MOG
by Mog.com. $9.99/mo for computer + mobile service. Free trial
available. It was new when we reviewed it last August, but now it's
been recognized as the best streaming music app by Billboard,
TechCrunch, and others. Great
search, playlists, social discovery, user
interface. We liked the slider functionality of the MOG radio where you
can control the diversity of the artists starting from one-artist radio
(something you don't get with Pandora). You
can download playlists to your mobile device and play them without
wireless access. You pay for MOG but we think it's worth it (try it for
free and decide for yourself). We look forward to comparing MOG against
Spotify (when Spotify comes to the US), but for now MOG is our top
media app and #1 overall.
Continue reading "Top 10 Android Apps"
May 31, 2011
How to Buy a Digital Camera Guide |
Dealhack
Revised May 30, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack may have
an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article if any.
How
to buy a digital camera – a guide for the rest of us
We’ll assume that you, the reader, are not a professional
photographer. Because if you are, you should be on a specialized
website. If you are reading this guide, you are most likely an amateur
interested in a non-pro camera. But there is still a wide – and often
confusing – variety of features to consider, depending on what you need
the camera for. Are you looking for something small, cheap and easy to
use? Are you a power user shopping for a digital SLR? something
in-between? This is intended to be a short, simple, plain-English guide
that will not make you an expert but will help you learn the few main
considerations in a digital camera purchase decision.
If you are in a rush and/or not into reading geeky stuff, just jump to
recommendations.
Continue reading "How to Buy a Digital Camera Guide + Top 10 Cameras"
May 24, 2011
How to Save Money on Dell Computers |
Dealhack
Revised May 23, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
 Dell
is a company that built its reputation in part by driving prices
down, so it would be easy to assume that when you buy a Dell you are
automatically getting the best deal. However, there is a fair amount of
variability built into their merchandising model. Nevertheless, by
applying a few basic strategies, you can ensure you are buying the best
computer for the lowest price.
Continue reading "5 Ways to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck When Buying a Dell Computer"
May 19, 2011
Connect Your TV To The Internet | Dealhack
Revised May 19, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
The time has come – no matter how many channels your cable or satellite
provider offers, the Internet has more. You have to have Internet on
your TV. How do you go about it?
Define Your Requirements
The first question: do you want an
“Internet-browsable” or
“Internet-connectable” experience? There is a difference here.
The “Internet-browsable” experience is actually surfing the Net on your
TV using a browser and, usually, a keyboard. “Internet-connectable”
products, on the other hand, will provide you with access to select
internet-based
services - but not the "whole Internet". Typically, they will display a
variety of icons onto your
HDTV screen. These icons represent movie-streaming services, music
services, social networking services and so on.
While an immediate reaction may be “yes, I want the whole Internet on
my TV,” in reality the “connectable” experience in most cases is just
fine. You don’t get the same variety but it’s generally cheaper and
easier to set up and use.
Continue reading "How to Connect Your TV To The Internet"
April 11, 2011
Why You Should Consider Buying a High Definition LED Television
|
Dealhack
Revised April 11, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
The decision to purchase a new television is not an easy one to make.
LCD, Plasma or LED TVs are the three primary choices to take into
consideration when planning to buy a new television. While many people
tend
to go with an LCD TV simply because of the lower price tag per inch of
screen, LED HDTVs are gaining ground.
What is an LED HDTV
Despite what the marketing geniuses at consumer electronics companies
would lead you to believe, an LED TV is not a new kind of HDTV
technology. It is basically the LCD TV, but with a different source of
illumination (backlight). LCD TVs are backlit with fluorescent linghts,
while the LED TVs use light-emiting diodes (LEDs). The early LED HDTVs
featured a complete array of LEDs behind the LCD display. The create
thinner TVs, the LEDs were moved to the sides of the LCD display -
these are the most common "edge-lit"
LED-based LCD HDTVs where LEDs project the light from the sides
inward. But as companies developed thinner LED arrays, it became
possible to go back to full-array LED designs while maintaning TV
"thin-ness". Such TVs are usually referred to as "local dimming" LED HDTVs because
they are able to dim or brighten portions of the backlight individually.
Note that LED HDTVs are not the same as OLED HDTVs where each pixel has
its own light source. As this time OLED HDTVs are largely too expensive
for the mass market.
Continue reading "Why You Should Consider Buying a High Definition LED Television"
February 24, 2011
 Revised February 23, 2011. Copyright © 2011
Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved. Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
Kindle defined the eBook
readers category the way that the iconic iPod
defined the MP3 players. But after it had the field all to itself, over
the past years it encountered some serious competition. Before we
get into details, we
must say that eBook readers are not for everyone. If you like to slowly
savor your way through one book at a time, you probably don’t need one.
But if you travel a lot and/or like to always have a choice of what to
read, the concept of having 100’s of books in a small package is
appealing. In considering an eBook reader, the most important factors –
in addition to price - are access to content, and features such as
display and connectivity. While
the Kindle remains the popular choice, our recommendation is the Nook
from Barnes & Noble. To find out why, read on.
Continue reading "eBook Readers Buying Guide"
February 23, 2011
Revised February 22, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
Introduction
Any comparison and Top 10 list of espresso machines is bound to be
subjective. How do you determine which espresso machine is the best? We
all have our preferences in how we like our cup of
espresso or cappuccino. Some people like automatic espresso machines
with pre-packaged pods, others prefer to grind their coffee beans and
generally do things by hand. These recommendations are not based on us
trying all of these espresso machines and judging the quality of the
resulting
espresso. We went through reviews and opinions from sources we
have considered reasonably unbiased, analyzed their picks, and
chose those espresso machines that had the most recommendations.
Continue reading "Espresso Machines Buying Guide + Top 10 Picks"
February 16, 2011
 February 16, 2011. Copyright ©
2011
Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has no
financial
relationship and receives no compensation from any of the companies
and/or product manufacturers
mentioned in this article.
Most of the cameras have built-in memory, typically on the order of
32MB to 128MB. However a good quality 10-12MP (mega pixels) image takes
up about 3-4MB (megabytes), so such storage is sufficient for only a
few images. To really make good use of your camera you need to buy a
flash memory card. And the camcorders are increasingly using flash
memory as well.
How do you decide what card to purchase? There are five things that
matter in selecting the card to buy: the
type of card, the capacity, the speed, the price, and reliability.
Continue reading "Buying Guide to SD, SDHC, and Other Flash Memory Cards"
January 19, 2011
How to Save Money on Printer Ink Cartridges, Laser Toner |
Dealhack
Revised January 19, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
Printers are inexpensive these
days, both laser and inkjet. You can get a good color inkjet or
black-and-white laser for about $100-150; a color laser printer would
generally run $200-400. But once you get a printer, you quickly find
out
that the major cost of ownership is in the supplies: ink cartridges,
laser printer toner, etc. If you print 30-40 pages a day, you may find
out that you need a new ink cartridge every month. At $35 per new
cartridge, you are suddenly spending over $400/yr to run your $100
printer.
You can dramatically lower your operating costs by buying
re-manufactured printer ink cartridges and laser printer toner rather
than the ones from the printer vendor or new OEM parts. We have looked
at five online retailers of printer supplies: 123inkjets.com, 4inkjets!, Inkgrabber.com, CompAndSave.com, and clickinks.com. In all cases the re-manufactured
supplies were 30-40% of the cost of the new ones while offering (at
least according to the sites and reviews) simlar performance. For
example, in looking at HP C8767WN (HP 96) black ink cartridge for HP
Deskjet 6980, re-manufactured cartridge would run $8-10, while a new
one will be over $30. Both have the same yield of about 800 pages.
Continue reading "How to Save Money on Printer Ink Cartridges and Laser Toner"
January 15, 2011
CES 2011 Main Themes : Tablets, 3D, and Connected TVs | Dealhack
Revised January 15, 2011. Copyright
© 2011 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
Tablets
Blackberry's Playbook: This
nice looking, fast tablet features a 7”
1024 X 600 touch screen, dual-core 1GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and front- and
rear-facing cameras. It uses Blackberry Tablet OS (which has its roots
in the embedded OS of their recently acquired QNX). Plus, the best part
is that it weighs less than a pound! Oh, and did we say it was really,
really fast? It will be available on Sprint in the US and will
supposedly cost “under $500.”
Motorola’s Xoom: Crowned the
best CES gadget, and based on Android 3.0
Honeycomb OS, this 16:9 aspect ratio tablet is targeted directly at
iPad. It features a larger 10.1” 1280 X 800 screen in a narrower and
slightly thinner form factor, dual-core 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, front &
back cameras, 32GB drive plus SD expansion slot, 3/4G, Wi-Fi, and USB
connectivity. The price has not been set but probably will be around
$800-1000.
Continue reading "CES 2011 Main Themes: Tablets, 3D, and Connected TVs"
December 29, 2010
Revised December 29, 2010. Copyright
© 2010 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
The smartphone phenomenon has taken the world by storm. Android is one
of the most popular operating systems currently on the market for
mobile phones. In fact, Android phone sales rose 300% in the first six
months of 2010. An estimated 1 in 10 cell phone contracts are for an
Android phone.
Continue reading "The Mobile Technology Race: Keeping up with Android"
December 21, 2010
Revised December 21, 2010. Copyright
© 2010 Dealhack.com. All Rights
Reserved.
Disclosure: Dealhack
is a blog
that helps consumers to find the best deals online. Dealhack has an
affiliate
relationship with some of the retailers
mentioned or referenced in this article.
Sometimes
the love of riding a bicycle never leaves us, no matter how old we get.
Sports bicycles are among the top fitness and recreational vehicles
purchased each year. The gut feeling of buying the perfect sports
bicycle is one that isn't easily matched or replaced.
Continue reading "Top 5 Brands of Sports Bicycle"
More Great Deals
+ Shopping for a Tablet PC
+ Ride the Wave of 3D HDTV in the Comfort of Your Home
+ How to Buy an LCD TV - 8 Things to Consider
+ GPS: A Modern Tool for a Not-so-Modern Problem
+ How to Choose the Best Running Shoe
+ How to Buy a Backpacking Tent that Won't Weigh You Down
+ How to Buy the Best Blu Ray Player for Your Home Theater
+ Guide to Pairing Food with Wine - Thanksgiving Edition
+ Digital HD Camcorders
+ Enjoy Your Freedom with a Wireless Printer
+ Hikers and their Hiking Boots: A Match Worthy of Attention to Detail
+ Choosing the Best Video Game Console
+ Buy an Air Humidifier and Feel Better in Dry Months
+ 7 Wine Storage Facts
+ Espresso Machines Buying Guide
+ How to Buy a Digital Camera Guide + Top 10 Cameras
+ Why Buy "Open-Box" Products?
Find more in the Dealhack Archives.
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