I have said it before and I’ll say it again, some of the best LCD TV deals happen when you aren’t looking! CVS has holiday and home gift ideas that loyal CVS customers could save even more on! If this sounds like an advertisement, please know that I was actually impressed with the quality of the electronics and reviewed them in-store, and that this recommendation is made for no consideration.
Instead, I am excited about a Sylvania netbook at CVS with a seven inch TFT screen. This is the right fit between a tablet and a mobile phone. But the CVS netbook is going out the door for $90-odd bucks. But at CVS, you always get these Bonus Buck Extra Buck receipts for dollars off your next purchase. And with giftcard incentive offers and extra percentage off promotions, the price will go even lower. The processor is an Intel compatible ARM.
CVS is currently featuring an extra 20% off everything for the next two days. If a customer were to transfer a prescription and gain the $25 giftcard, then feasibly a $94 netbook could be reduced to $70, and then with 20% off that, the final taxable price would be about $10 less. That’s $60 for a gift unit or around-the house extra blogging machine. This unit is ONLY 2 pounds, making it the lightest mainline netbook around.
I looked at the box specs for this model. This Sylvania netbook at CVS is Internet capable, but the memory is only 128K with internal storage of 4 gigabytes. That is lower than most software and operating systems and browsers can work with. But the settings can be enabled to deliver email without flash video and other add-ons which require additional memory. The shipping weight is 4 pounds, and I advise picking it up in person. CVS lists it online at $99, but I’m sure I saw it in-store for $94 or $97.
This makes a a great “dumb terminal”, what many people use older computers for now. The TFT display is not what most people are used to in a new computer. But 3 USB ports isn’t all bad. That’s connectivity to a printer, a network line to another computer, or video outlet. Windows CE may run some interactive fax apps as well. But I would urge this as a perfect replacement for those awful dinosaur computers many people still have.
But for a standalone PC with wi-fi networking capability for file transfer, this makes an outstanding model for kitchen or living room, an extra keyboard with emergency Internet capability. The Windows CE Professional version is the operating system. The product notation for this Sylvania netbook is Customer/Technical support via email at dgsupport@digitalgadgets.com or available by calling 1-888-571-0866.
The CVS staff I spoke with said they had been returned a lot, and I can see why. People probably didn’t check out the specs on the back of the box or didn’t know enough to recognize which apps wouldn’t run on this small scale device. But if you’re out and about, why risk your “big money” device on virtual networks with viruses and other stuff?Why wear down your costly laptop with coffee shop outings?
My ideal use for a device like this would be as an alternate keyboard option for TV tray usage or spare internet portal if my main one failed. The Sylvania netbook deal makes it a perfect always-on standby device for ongoing projects or planning. I would put this model at the very top of my list for after Christmas shopping or closeout checking back. For extra gadget productivity, i.e., “everybody needs the computer at once”, this model will get some family use mileage.
This netbook is hardly capable of playing the massive multiplayer game software most kids want, nor is it capable of loading hourlong streaming video at all or loading continuous threaded Windows 9.0 apps. I am not sure it could load Itunes. But I wouldn’t recommend using it for those. I would recommend this Sylvania netbook as a practical home or work desktop replacement with a small portable footprint.
Believe it or not, many people are still capable of producing work like writing, text and files without internet access and content enabling. Data entry, address book additions, or basic thoughts and journal writing can happen with a netbook like this. Writing the novel will happen a lot faster without the distractions of the Internet. And maybe for the guest room a survival email device would be nice for hospitality.
For a family with multiple kids in school, using this netbook as a portable report writing accessory at the library could be a real help. Brainstorming and minutes taking are perfect for this. This model isn’t valuable enough to get stolen, but provide value when needed. For a senior citizen who wants to write their life story or have a blogging help in the comfy den instead of the “setup” at another part of the house, files can be saved using smart card technology and transferred.
Sylvania is a long time brand known to many. For those consumers who feel they can pass on this deal, remember that the day when you next have a computer virus wipe out your Internet access, you have to finish the report by the next day, five people need to use the computer for three hours, or the programming on your main computer gets screwed up enough to take for repair.
Dropping $79 on a spare computer will look like a walk in the park on that day.
