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Friday, June 18, 2010

Too late for Father's Day? Some ideas from Consumer Reports

At KDKA.com's Consumer Web Extras last night (June 17), their top recommendation for a Father's Day gift caught my eye - yes, a Kindle.
  That turns out to be based on Consumer Reports' recommendation for the holiday, but they had Kindle as the lead paragraph:
' KDKA) Father's Day is Sunday, and if you're still not sure what to get your dad, Consumer Reports has some suggestions.

If your dad likes to read, one of the hottest new gifts this year is an e-book reader.

Consumer Reports recommends the six-inch Kindle e-reader. It's easy to use, loads quickly and costs about $260. Best-selling books range from $10 to $15 at Amazon with free downloads. '

 It's too late, if one wants one from Amazon, to reach the household on Sunday, but now there's Target, and the Kindle seems to be at most of their stores country-wide now,  if only as a demo model,  until they're more set up.  Instead of 30 days given by Amazon to return it for a refund, Target allows 90 days.  So that might be something to consider.

Other recommendations by Consumer Reports, and they should be easy to find where you are if you're in an urban area on Saturday:  (I'll provide Amazon links for info {if available} or for checking after the holiday for other occasions)

  1. Pocket camcorders like the Pure Digital Flip Video Ultra-HD,~$180, said to be among the best at capturing HD-quality video.
  2. For still camera photographers: the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W380,~$140
  3a. digital picture frames: 10-inch HP Dream Screen 100, CR considers the best of the bigger frames but it's ~$200 ($150 at Amazon)
  3b. For much less, testers recommend the eight-inch digital Spectrum Memory Frame MF 801, at ~$70
  4. Garmin Nuvi 265-T GPS unit for ~$150 - a full-featured navigation unit with free traffic service.
  5. Gas grills - Two lower priced choices: a Grillmaster from Lowe's for ~$200 (Lowe 10% off coupons from Home Depot: (1)),   (2)
    and from Walmart, the Uniflame #GBC1059WB grill for ~$250.
  6. Cordless drills: top-rated Panasonic EY6432GQKW combines performance and light weight, but ~$200 cost
    The Craftsman 11588 - "which right now is on sale at Sears for ~$99;
    or you can even further downsize to the Ryobi HJP001K for $80, a compact drill that's a good alternative to pricey cordless screwdrivers."
  7. For the yard: "the electric Black & Decker GH1000 String Trimmer for $~70 is easy to handle, and the Toro Ultra Blower Vac 51599 for $70 blows away the competition."
  8. For the Steelers fan, "the Olympus 8x21 RC-I binoculars for just $50. They say the binoculars' ability to focus close-up makes them a good choice for someone who attends live sporting events."

So, you still have Saturday, to look around your neighborhood :-)



Check oftenLatest temporarily free non-classics or late-listed ones.
  Guide to finding Free or Low-Cost Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.

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