Monday, November 5, 2007

Buying Refurbished Electronics - Is it Worth the Risk?

Introduction:

We are always looking for new ways to save on the bigger purchase - irrespective of whether this is a new PC or notebook, a digital camera, or a big screen LCD HDTV for the living-room entertainment area. Seasonal and clearance sales are always on the agenda of bargain hunters, but there is a further option - that of buying refurnished products. For example, a refurbished LCD TV may sell online for anything from 50% to 70% of its retail price.

Still, even at these big savings, it is not easy to get someone to buy a refurbished product for the first time. To the uninformed, buying a refurbished product may seem like a compromise; it is as if buying a car with dents and scratches on the paintwork, or unknown problems with the mechanics. However, in the electronics world, things are somewhat different. It is unfortunate that to many, it is not so obvious what the tag 'refurbished electronics' does actually mean.

Refurbished electronics can be either third-part refurbs or manufacturer (factory) refurbs. Third-party refurbs offer greater savings and do come with a warranty but it is only factory refurbished electronics that come with a manufacturer warranty. For the smart shopper, buying factory refurbished electronics is a way to enjoy substantial discounts and still have a product that is essentially 'like new', but...

You need to exercise constant vigilance when buying refurbished electronics.

This is only possible if you have a thorough understanding of what the 'refurbished' tag, once assigned to a product, implies in the electronics world.

What 'refurbished' products are not?

Before we delve further into what may qualify as refurbished electronics, it is important to get a clear understanding of what cannot be labeled as 'refurbished'. In particular, there is the misconception that 'refurbished' and reconditioned' are the same.

A refurbished product may or may not have been installed, repaired, or slightly used for reasons given further on in this article. On the other hand, a reconditioned item is a used product, that may have been used for an extended period by a first owner - often under lease - but then was repaired (not necessarily by the manufacturer), and resold by a retailer.

'Used' re-conditioned products represent greater savings over refurb units as these sell cheaper, but then such products constitute a higher risk. This risk is even more pronounced when dealing with expensive electronic products such as rear projection TVs, home theater projectors, flat-panel HDTV sets and the like. You can never really tell what has been the impact on the aging of the respective electronic components inside the unit as a result of the previous use.

We say: Be wary of such products. Instead, if you are after a smart buy and a great bargain, opt only for 'factory certified' refurbished products. These still represent substantial savings over the normal retail price, and carry a manufacturer's warranty.

So... what qualifies as 'Refurbished Electronics'?

In general, refurbished electronics are items that were returned for one reason or another, to the manufacturer. These items are then re-tested at the factory to make sure they are in tip-top shape. Any defective or damaged parts - if need be - will be replaced in order to restore the product to its original specification, and then the product is repackaged 'like new'.

Consumer laws prevent manufacturers from selling anything considered factory refurbished electronics as 'new' since the original factory seal has been broken; hence these items are sold as 'refurbished products' often at deeply discounted prices.

More specifically, reasons for returns include:

Customer Return: Most major retailers offer a 30-day money back guarantee; during this period, a customer may return the product for whatever reason and still get full refund. If there is nothing wrong with the product, most stores will simple reduce the price and resell it as an 'open box' special. However, if there is some sort of defect, the product is returned to the manufacturer were it is inspected and/or repaired, and then repackaged for sale as a refurbished item.

Shipping and Exterior Damage: These include damaged packaging due to mishandling, the elements, etc., in which case the product itself may be perfectly fine. These may also include minor damage to the product exterior casing, such as dents, scratches, etc., and any other exterior damage that in it self would not affect the product performance. Retailers would normally return these products to the manufacturer. The manufacturer would then inspect the product, replace any damaged casing, etc., and then repackage the item just like new. However, these items cannot be sold as new; hence they are tagged as refurbished electronics.

Demonstration Units: Sometimes demonstration units at major retail stores, trade shows, and even returned items by product reviewers, are often returned to the manufacturer where they are inspected and/or repaired if needed, and repackaged as refurbished units.

Opened Box: Sometimes, if a box was simply opened, the item is returned to the manufacturer where it is re-tested and repackaged. Even though technically, there is no issue here, yet the item cannot be classified as new; instead, it will have to be sold as refurbished electronics.

Defect during Production: If a specific component is identified as defective once the product leaves the factory - say as a result of an abnormal number of customer returns during the warranty period, a manufacturer may recall a product from a specific batch or production run that exhibits the same defect. When this occurs, the manufacturer can repair all the defective units and send them back out to retailers for sale as refurbished units.

Overstock Items: While most retailers with an overstock of a particular item would simply reduce the price and put the item on sale for clearance, yet there are instances when a manufacturer wants to introduce a new model on the market at a time when there are still a substantial number of older models on stores shelves. In these circumstances, the manufacturer may opt to collect any remaining stock of the older model and redistribute them to specific refurb retailers for quick clearance. Overstock items are brand new items; these can be sold either as a 'special promos' for quick clearance, or can be labeled as refurbished electronics and sold at deep discounts.

To strike the best deal, you have to act fast, but not too fast!

Fast... because when it comes to refurbished electronics, you cannot expect to simply walk into a store and pick up your favorite refurbished LCD TV or plasma unit off the shelf. Major refurb retailers like Second Act, work with manufacturers and distributors to acquire as many products as possible, yet the quantity they acquire can vary from just a few units to a couple of hundred units. In other words, you never really know how long they will last, and at the big savings associated with refurbished products, inventory levels change all the time. Additionally, you never really know if a particular model will be available as refurbished item.

But... do not just jump on the first deal. Act too quick and you may equally miss on the right deal. Act only when you feel you have got the right product at the right price. Once you think you have found what you want, then it is time to check with the retailer about return policies and warranty issues. If the refurbish item is factory-refurbished and comes with a full manufacturer warranty, then it is time to act!

Finally, remember: Purchasing a refurbished item can be a great way to a smart buy. There is no reason why the 'refurbished' tag should lead to a negative connotation to the product under consideration. At the same time, it is important that you inspect the product yourself within the return policy period. This is especially important since with refurbished electronics, you are getting a bit of a hit on product warranty in that you are only getting a typical 90 days warranty against the one year or so associated with standard products.

Happy bargain hunting!

This article is an excerpt from a detailed informative guide appearing on Practical-Home-Theater-Guide.COM, and that discusses at greater length the issue of 'Buying Refurbished Electronics'. It provides additional tips and advice that should help you transform the risk into a great buy - one that results in a big reduction in price. This additional information should also prove useful especially when buying online.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Ghigo

Home Electronics: The Facts About Plasma TV

Not so many years ago, homes across the country watched their favorite TV shows on a bulky floor model that took awhile to warm up before you could see the picture, didn’t offer anything in the way of remote control manipulation and offered a washed out image on the TV’s cathode ray tube hosted screen...and folks were thrilled to have such marvelous technology in their midst. Today, all of that’s been changed, with the introduction of plasma TV.

Instead of trekking to the local theater to catch a favorite flick, those who own a plasma TV can get pretty much the same experience in their own homes. If the thought of shelling out the amount of money that one of these sets costs makes you flinch, think of how much you’d be spending to buy movie tickets, and your perspective will change. If you multiply the number of movies that you’ll watch on your plasma set by $8.00 (the average price of a movie ticket these days), you’ll see that the set will quickly pay for itself. Even if your purchase price was $4300 for a 50” widescreen model, you’d see a profit after just about 538 movies were viewed – watching two movies per day, then, would have you realizing a profit after about 9 months. When you factor in the cost of popcorn and a drink, you’ll be seeing a profit a lot quicker than that.

Known for their magnificent color, clarity and brightness, plasma TVs come in a variety of sizes – from 37” to over 60”. Instead of the bulky floor models of yesterday, the plasma TVs of today are as thin as 3.25” – demanding far less accommodation for depth – and can be mounted on the wall. This helps to provide a true theater experience without the need for a lot of bulky hardware cluttering up the room.

Before you run out to make a purchase, there are some things that you’ll need to consider in order to make the best decision regarding a new unit for your home. Take a good look at the size and layout of the room that will house the plasma TV. If the room isn’t overly large – or if you have an apartment dwelling – then a 42” screen should do the trick. For larger rooms, upper range screen sizes (in excess of 60”) would probably work best.

Pricing is determined by the size of the unit, as well as the manufacturer. If, for instance, you purchase a model from Pioneer, Sony or Panasonic, you can expect to see a higher price tag. On the other hand, the quality of these units exceeds that of their competitors, so it’s all relevant. Ranked among the best of the plasma TVs is the Sony 42XBR, offering outstanding visuals and state-of-the-art operating tools.

You’ll probably find lower prices when shopping on the internet, but be sure to look for the Better Business Bureau seal on the website – which is represented by a BBB linked logo – or you can’t be sure that it’s not going to be a fraudulent (or, at least, substandard) transaction.


Saturday, November 3, 2007

Dvd's for the Home, Wide Variety of Dvd Players

We offer from the smallest to the largest in dvd's for the home including the ever
popular Panasonic dmr-es30 dvd recorder /vcr combo, the Coby DVD-637 Super slim Karaoke
5.1 channel progressive dvd Player, and the Magnavox Progressive scan dvd player cvd recorder,along with many other brands.

We also have DVDs from Venturer, Akai, Sanyo, Pioneer, Ilo, Apex, Magnavox, Coby,
Memorex, Toshiba, Rca, Jwin and Koss. Some of our dvd's are digital and with all of the latest features. They are fun and exciting to have and use. Set back and take your family to the movies and never leave the comfort of your home. You don't have to go out in the cold or heat to have a great
time with the family.

Enjoy the new dvd releases the day they come out, have some popcorn, soda's ,and snacks and forget the long drive back from the theater, or just kick back in your favorite comfortable clothes, because nobody cares what you wear when your being a couch potato at home. But make sure you enjoy it, your already home with family, friends or even alone.

You can with some of the digital dvd players enjoy the surround sound if you have a
home theater and speakers. Whether your looking for parental control, progressive scans,Kodak picture cd/jpeg cd playback, mp3 playback, one touch control, zoom, 4 head, hi-fi, time slip feature, 1 touch two-way transferring, cd & da playback or super slim design. You can find one to fit any type of lifestyle or home.

We are sure you will find what you are looking for at Koda's Electronics, if you don't, please e-mail us and we will find it for you if possible.



Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/author-articles/11109/1.html

What About batteries around of us

Batteries are all over the place -- in our cars, our PCs, laptops, portable MP3 players and cell phones. A battery is essentially a can full of chemicals that produce electrons. Chemical reactions that produce electrons are called electrochemical reactions. In this article, you'll learn all about batteries -- from the basic concept at work to the actual chemistry going on inside a battery to what the future holds for batteries and possible power sources that could replace them!

Rechargeable batteries undergo self-discharging when left unused. Always store a battery pack in a fully charged staged for storage.
Exercise the Battery - Do not leave the battery dormant for long periods of time. We recommend using the battery at least once every two to three weeks. If a Laptop Battery has not been used for a long period of time, perform the new battery break in procedure described above.
Many lithium ion packs have a built-in meter consisting of a row of LEDs and a button. To accurately report the state of charge, the pack electronics has to keep a record of the current in and out of the cell, as well as a model of its behaviour. This can become more inaccurate over time; more modern cells will recalibrate themselves.

However, batteries are not quite that linear. For one thing, all batteries have a maximum current they can produce -- a 500 milliamp-hour battery cannot produce 30,000 milliamps for 1 second, because there is no way for the battery's chemical reactions to happen that quickly. And at higher current levels, batteries can produce a lot of heat, which wastes some of their power. Also, many battery chemistries have longer or shorter than expected lives at very low current levels. But milliamp-hour ratings are somewhat linear over a normal range of use. Using the amp-hour rating, you can roughly estimate how long the battery will last under a given load.


Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/author-articles/11487/1.html

Friday, November 2, 2007

Advantages of Wi-Fi camera

Planning to buy a new digital camera? There are so many cameras in the market with so many different features. It is not always easy to decide what are the features really needed. I would say Wi-Fi connection is one of the important features that your new digital camera should have.

In traditional Digital cameras we are using USB cables to connect with computer or printer. But in Wi-Fi enabled cameras you can connect them with out any physical connection. While sitting at the airport, take photos and mail them to your friend or save them to your online album. Regardless how much storage left in the camera, you can keep on taking photos and save them in your album. If having party at home, keep on shooting and transfer the photos directly to your computer or send them to your printer for printing. Also you can view photos that are stored in your online album.

To connect your camera with computer, both your camera and Computer should be connected to wireless network. Ideally you can setup your home wireless network. When your Wi-Fi camera is within the reach of your home wireless network, it can be connected with the network using its Wi-Fi card. In similar way your computer also can be connected with the wireless network using the PCI card in it. So, when both camera and computer are connected with the wireless network, they can talk to each other wirelessly and ready to transfer photos from camera to Computer.

If you want to print photos, connection needed is almost same as it is with your Computer. In this case your printer should be connected wirelessly. To do so, either you should have printer which having in-build wireless adapter or else you can use an external wireless USB adapter for your printer, That will help to connect your printer with wireless router. And you can send your photos to printer from your camera which is already connected with the wireless router.

Another advantage of having wireless connection is you can directly mail photos or send photos to your online album. Here also camera should be in the range of some wireless Internet connection. That can be wireless connection in public place like airport or some coffee shop, or that can be Internet connection available from your Home wireless network.

Again when your camera is connected to Internet by Wi-Fi, you can view photos from your online photo album.

So, I guess now you will agree that Wi-Fi connection should be one of the major criteria when you are planning to buy your next digital camera.


Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/author-articles/11182/1.html

Mp3 Player Purchase Tips

The idea of a having a portable audio player dates back many years ago, when the option then was a fairly big cassette-tape-playing two-speaker audio system. Eventually these devices got smaller and back in the late seventies a hand size cassette-tape audio player was made available. Now as electronics evolved and with the mp3 audio format, one can satisfy his needs for a portable audio device thru the use of mp3 players.

Mp3 players became very popular and it is very common to see people using it while doing many activities such as jogging, commuting to work, traveling, buying groceries, computer related tasks and others.

For those who intend to purchase an mp3 player, one might consider the following tips:

1 - The internal memory size of an mp3 player will determine the amount of mp3 songs the device will be able to hold. Some models may even have an internal hard drive to store songs, however the size and price may go up a little bit and it is not recommend to be used by someone doing intensive physical activities. Also some models may the have the option of flash memory.

2 - The battery life is a very important feature, because it will determine how many hours the mp3 player will function properly. Make sure the mp3 player comes with an AC/DV adapter for quick battery charge.

3 - There a lots of sizes of mp3 players. Features such as a larger screen, video capability, hard drive and others, all add up to a bigger size. And price too!

4 - The way an mp3 player connects to a computer is a also very important feature. Latest model may support high speed USB 2.0 transfer. Some others may even have Firewire support.

5 - Some mp3 players even may accept other audio format besides mp3, such as WMA format. Check the player's specification if this feature is going to be used.

6 - Also mp3 players may have other features besides of mp3 playing. Features such as FM tuner and audio recording capability, may be of some interest to some users.

7 - As for the price just make sure the mp3 player you are buying has just the features you are looking for. Why pay more for features you are not going to be using anyway? Mp3 players can be purchased for prices from fifty up to several hundred dollars. Brand name players will cost even more.

Portable mp3 players have become a must have product of desire among the younger population. After all almost everyone has one of them. So if you don' have one yet, it's about time to keep yourself updated with modern time.

Roberto Sedycias
IT Consultant

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author´s name and all the URL´s (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.


About the Author

This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page PoloMercantil

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Using Cable Markers for Voice and Data Installations

Cable markers are an essential tool for both DIY voice and data projects or contract jobs for a major company. Modern cable marking devices have the ability to print letters, numbers, and barcodes for projects involving bundling, installation, and inventory. There are several advantages to using cable markers for a voice or data project:

Markers differentiate between of voice and data cable wiring and wall jacks. This enables easy identification as well as separating voice and data cables from other wires. Labels can be produced at the office or project site instead of waiting for an outside vendor to print and ship your order. Projects can stay on time and budgets can be kept intact with easy, in-house marking. Customized markers meet specific needs instead of using generic pre-printed markers. Printing labels is a time-saver, reducing the need to apply several individual numbers or letters for each maker in the cable wiring. li>Some high quality devices combine labeling and application functions into one tool for quick and convenient use. Print times are as little as 5 seconds with the latest in cable marking technology. Many labels are self-laminating to protect from dirt, abrasions, and other elements. Concerns over legibility and durability are washed away with contemporary cable markers.

With a myriad of options on the market, individuals and companies can easily obtain the cable marker right for them. From hand-held tools for on-site or home projects to high-volume printers for large jobs, cable markers are the must-have equipment for modern voice and data endeavors.
Prior to leaving the office with your wires and cables, make sure that they are properly labeled and identified with one of our medium volume label makers. Ideal for office use and yet flexible enough in size for on-site applications, our medium volume labeling systems are a top option for your labeling requirements.




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