Items tagged with holiday
The holiday season may be winding down, but we want to keep you all in the holiday spirit just a little longer, so we hooked up with our friends at Lenovo for another HOT Holiday Giveaway! This time around we have not one, but three awesome prizes -- a gorgeous, yet powerful ultrabook, a small form factor gaming PC, and a super-fun Augmented Reality gaming kit. Up for grabs in this latest HOT Holiday giveaway are a Lenovo Yoga 920, powered by an 8th Generation Intel processor, a Lenovo Legion Y720 Cube gaming PC, and a Lenovo Star Wars Jedi Challenges AR kit. Take a look... 1st Prize: Yoga 920 14" - Platinum Silver Processor: Intel Core i7-8550U Processor (1.80GHz 8MB) Display: 13.9" FHD IPS...
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Any parent of younger kids who are big Santa fans know that a great tech friend on Christmas Eve is the Santa Tracker app from Google. This app will keep you from having to constantly answering the all important "Where is Santa?" question, all night and generally make your life easier. The Santa Tracker app from Google has officially opened since we are only a few weeks away from Christmas. The Santa Tracker apps looks much like it did in years past and has a countdown clock so little ones (and big ones, no judging) can see how far away Santa's big night is. You can visit the website for the Santa Tracker and get the same data you get ton the app version. Santa's Village is open every day through...
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If your children (or you, we won’t judge) have the NES Classic Edition game console or Hatchimals on their wishlist for Santa, you might be out of luck. They are completely sold out, and it is uncertain when Santa’s elves will be creating the next batch. The NES Classic Edition and Hatchimals are not the first toys to be this popular, and they certainly won't be the last. Here is our list of some of the most high-in-demand, hard-to-find toys in holiday seasons past. Cabbage Patch KidsMany toys throughout the twentieth century were incredibly popular, however, Cabbage Patch Kids were really the first toys to create chaotic shopping frenzies. Cabbage Patch Kids were originally created by artist...
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With less than two work days remaining until the start of the long Memorial Day weekend, many minds are turning to thoughts having nothing at all to do with work... loved ones lost to service or currently serving, barbecue, baseball, hanging at the beach or pool, that first donning of white pants and shoes after a long winter in storage... and traffic. One of the most road-traveled weekends of this or any year in the USA, many of those who will be behind the wheel over Memorial Day weekend will go so far as to work out time lost to traffic in their planning. All of which serves to make Google's latest update to Google Maps quite compelling. Yesterday, Google announced...
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It feels like only yesterday that we were whipping up last year’s holiday gift guide, but somehow a full year has passed and we’re staring yet another winter in the face. Don’t fret, though — just because you haven’t prepared for this season doesn’t mean that you’re hung out to dry. As the technology behind smartphones, tablets, and laptops has evolved over the past twelve months, we’ve collected the best and brightest in order to shape your gift buying. Regardless of whether you’re shopping for yourself or a loved one (or both), it’s a great time to be in the market. From budget products to flagship device, your options have never been so diverse--or powerful. We’ve assembled our top...
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Portable devices are becoming ever more powerful, and users are increasingly utilizing them to keep up with news and friends, get work done, and for entertainment. Smartphones and tablets have never been so powerful, and if you're in market for either, it's going to be a fun holiday season, packed with some great options to choose from. Whether it's for you or someone else, consider this your go-to guide for picking out the perfect tablet or smartphone. We're all about spreading the holiday cheer around here, and if it means sifting through dozens of devices to find the best ones, then so be it. That’s what we do, and we'd much rather you spend your time this holiday season with your family...
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Portable devices are becoming ever more powerful, and users are increasingly utilizing them to keep up with news and friends, get work done, and for entertainment. Smartphones and tablets have never been so powerful, and if you're in market for either, it's going to be a fun holiday season packed with some great options to choose from. Whether it's for yourself or someone else, consider this your go-to guide for picking out the perfect tablet or smartphone. We're all about spreading the holiday cheer around here, and if it means sifting through dozens or even hundreds of devices to find the best ones, then so be it. This is what we do, and we'd much rather you spend your time this holiday season...
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Looking for a job this holiday shopping season? It's one of the busiest times of the year for hiring employees, and that includes for companies that are primarily based online. To wit, Amazon is planning to hire an astounding 70,000 full-time seasonal employees across its various order fulfillment centers in the U.S. That's a 40 percent hike compared to the 50,000 workers the e-tailer hired in the same season a year ago. Plus, there's the chance that a seasonal position could turn into a full-time gig. The company has already converted over 7,000 temporary workers into full-time staff, bringing its total workforce to around 88,400 employees. Dave Clark, Amazon's vice president of worldwide operations...
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Every now and then, Amazon claims to have the best season ever. Oh, it's the holidays! Just like clockwork, Amazon is celebrating a post-Christmas success, with 2011 being the 'best holiday ever for Kindle.' The company oday announced that 2011 was the best holiday ever for the Kindle family as customers purchased millions of Kindle Fires and millions of Kindle e-readers. Authors also continue to benefit from the success of Kindle - the #1 and #4 best-selling Kindle books released in 2011 were both published independently by their authors using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). "We are grateful to our customers worldwide for making this the best holiday ever for Kindle," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com...
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If you managed to survive Christmas, give yourself a pat on the back. And if you survived the holiday while spending time with the in-laws, figure out a way to reward yourself. One way you can do that is by grabbing some free tunes and other content from Apple as part of its annual "12 Days of Christmas" promotion, which starts today. From now until January 6, 2012, Apple is giving away free songs, music videos, and eBooks to residents of Canada and parts of Europe. Unfortunately the promotion doesn't apply to U.S. residents (bummer), but for those who live in applicable regions, there's an app available via iTunes to help make sure you don't miss out on the freebies, starting with a live EP...
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Oh, Google. You and your doodles. This holiday season, Google is giving us a noisy, festive, colorful doodle in the form of “Jingle Bells”. If you click each colored square, they make a musical note in turn. Once you’ve clicked them all, the page breaks into song...and dance. When the song is finished, Google automatically searches for “Happy Holidays”. It’s a charming doodle to say the least, and it’s one your kids will get a kick out of when they wake up this Christmas--er, Christmas Eve morn....
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The holidays bring enough stress as it is, such as dealing with the in-laws, fighting through crowds and bumper-to-bumper traffic, and even what to wear. For some, Best Buy is piling even more on by letting an untold number of customers know the electronics chain will not be fulfilling their orders, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The alerts come just a few days before Christmas, and during a year when online sales are up 15 percent to $32 billion for the holiday season so far. Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy told WSJ that the cancelled orders a "hiccup" for Best Buy, adding that the chain was already "kind of behind the curve building our their online channel." While the cancelled...
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A bustling shopping mall in Canada is ending a more than century old tradition of having kids line up for hours to sit on Santa's knee to tell the bearded gift giver what they want for Christmas. This year they'll need to sign up in advance for a one-hour story time session on Saturday morning, in which they'll also have a chance to sit on his knee and have their photo taken; the rest of the time he'll be on Skype. "Santa has gone digital! This year, only at the Toronto Eaton Centre, your child can have a one on one Skype with Santa!," the mall states on its website. Parents can register their child for a 10-minute Skype session with Santa Monday through Friday from 6PM to 8PM and never have...
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It's still just the beginning of December, but now that we've made it past Thanksgiving and have had time to let all that turkey settle in our bellies, it's time to go shopping for gifts. And just in time for the holiday shopping season, ThinkGeek just announced the availability of nine officially licensed Portal 2 products, including a Portal Companion Cube Cooke Jar and a Portal 2 Plus Turret with Sound. Those are rad, and so are some of the other items up for grabs, including: Aperture Laboratories Shower Curtain Portal Cookie Cutters Portal Bookends Wheatley LED Flashlight Portal 2 PotatOS Science Kit Portal 2 Cave Johnson Talking Portrait You can view the full lineup of Portal products on...
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We hope everyone is able to spend the holidays with the people that mean the most to them, but we also recognize that sometimes it's impossible to get everyone together. When you can't be there in person, a phone call may be the next best thing. With these smartphones, you'll be able to call your far-away siblings, parents, and other important people in your life to wish them Happy Holidays, perhaps even with direct video chat for quality face time. HotHardware Holiday Gift Guide: Smartphones...
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This Holiday Gift Guide is sponsored by Epson—makers of the World’s Fastest 2-sided inkjet printer, the Epson WorkForce Pro. Run your business at full speed with Epson. We hope everyone is able to spend the holidays with the people that mean the most to them, but we also recognize that sometimes it's impossible to get everyone together. When you can't be there in person, a phone call may be the next best thing. With these smartphones, you'll be able to call your far-away siblings, parents, and other important people in your life to wish them Happy Holidays, perhaps even with a direct video chat for quality face time. Apple iPhone 4S (HotHardware Review) Apple's latest iPhone...
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This Holiday Gift Guide is sponsored by Epson—makers of the World’s Fastest 2-sided inkjet printer, the Epson WorkForce Pro. Run your business at full speed with Epson. As the holiday season rapidly approaches, there’s one question that gets asked rather frequently: Have you been naughty or nice? Of course, we all know that a lot hinges on this one question. If you’ve been nice, then perhaps Santa will bring you an awesome gift; that one piece of hardware you've been jonesing for. On the other hand, if you’ve been naughty and have cursed your computer (who hasn’t at one time or another?) or ignored your significant other because Battlefield 3 or Modern...
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As the holiday season rapidly approaches, there’s one question that gets asked rather frequently: Have you been naughty or nice? Of course, we all know that a lot hinges on this one question. If you’ve been nice, then perhaps Santa will bring you an awesome gift; that one piece of hardware you've been jonesing for. On the other hand, if you’ve been naughty and have cursed your computer (who hasn’t at one time or another?) or ignored your significant other because Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 3 beckoned, then you’d better shape up before it's too late. Regardless, whether you’re looking for the perfect gift for that special geek in your life, or if you’re...
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It's Thanksgiving here in the US, a time of year when we all pause to reflect on how fortunate we all are. Thanksgiving is a great tradition when you stop and think about it. This holiday isn't about rushing around and buying gifts. The day after Thanksgiving certainly has become over-commercialized, but not today--11/24/2011--Thanksgiving Day. Today you have nothing else to do (or at least nothing else that you should be doing) except visiting with family and friends, breaking bread, and enjoying each other’s company in appreciation of all the great things that life brings and has brought you. On this day of Thanksgiving we'd like extend our sincere appreciation to you our readers...
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Wondering what to get your little ones for Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, or just because)? Well then, pay no attention to market research firm Nielsen if you're currently torn between a skateboard or a bicycle. Either of those will get your kids out of the house and moving around, which is a good thing for this generation. But if you're looking to score hipster parent points by getting them something they actually want, then stop being foolish and start turning your attention to electronic gadgets. This iHoliday, as Nielsen now calls it, is dominated by Apple devices on nearly every kid's wish list. Of those ages 6-12 years told, 44 percent want an iPad. Too rich for your blood? You could...
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As the holiday season rapidly approaches, there’s one question that gets asked rather frequently: Have you been naughty or nice? Of course, we all know that a lot hinges on this seemingly simple question. If you’ve been nice, then perhaps Santa will bring you an awesome gift; that one piece of hardware you've been jonesing for. On the other hand, if you’ve been naughty and have cursed your computer (hey, who hasn’t?) or ignored your significant other because Left 4 Dead 2 or Modern Warfare 2 beckoned, then you’d better shape up before it's too late. Otherwise, the only thing you’ll have to look forward to is a lump of coal, or worse. Believe us--we've been...
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As the holiday season rapidly approaches, there’s one question that gets asked rather frequently: Have you been naughty or nice? Of course, we all know that a lot hinges on this seemingly simple question. If you’ve been nice, then perhaps Santa will bring you an awesome gift; that one piece of hardware you've been jonesing for. On the other hand, if you’ve been naughty and have cursed your computer (hey, who hasn’t?) or ignored your significant other because Left 4 Dead 2 or Modern Warfare 2 beckoned, then you’d better shape up before it's too late. Otherwise, the only thing you’ll have to look forward to is a lump of coal, or worse. Believe us--we've...
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