Avoiding Bad Tech Gifts this Holiday

You get bombarded by great deals and discounts from stores hoping you will buy their product at their store.  It’s a tech lover’s dream to find all their favorite gadgets for a fraction of the price.  However, there are also plenty of duds out there that can turn a bargain into an expensive buy.  Here are some tips to help you avoid the bad gadgets when looking for a great deal.

Cheap or Older Android Devices

Android has come up with some great devices to compete with Apple, but their older products are best to be avoided.  Don’t get anything that uses the older OS like Gingerbread or Honeycomb since they may not work with new games and apps.  Instead stick with Ice cream Sandwich or newer.  Older products often have an outdated processor that won’t hold up to the latest applications or will run slowly.

15- and 17-inch Laptops

No one wants to carry around heavy, large laptops anymore and the 10- to 13-inch notebooks are a much better choice.  The modern notebooks are designed to work as fast as their bigger counterparts, but are much easier to carry around to be truly portable.

E-readers

Beware of buying a low-price, entry level e-reader.  The display will be much better for long-term reading on the higher-priced models and you can even get options for night reading to be more comfortable on your eyes.

TVs

Budget TVs can be a real bargain, but they often provide a low level display.  The refresh rate is much lower on cheaper televisions and can cause blurring for fast action.  The resolution is often lower on cheaper LCDs and lacks the brightness you will enjoy on the higher-priced models.

While you can find many bargains this time of year, be careful that you aren’t sacrificing quality for price.  Also be aware that you may be trading in extra features for a bargain cost.

[Image via ladiesofleet]