3DTV

Winter is thawing out, and spring is upon us. So what's a good buy in April, and what should you hold off on buying?

Cruises
Typically, April is a good month for cruises. But we discovered last month that cruise prices in general have been dropping when compared to last year, likely due to the industry's tumultuous string of recent public disasters. In fact, when compared to similar cruise deals from this time last year, 2012's offers are as much as 11 percent less. And we have continued to see an increase in the sheer number of cruise deals as well, making it still a good time (price-wise) to look into a vacation on the seas.

Spring Apparel… Almost
The general rule of thumb is to wait about two months after a new line of apparel hits stores to start seeing some of the better discounts. Many retailers began to debut their spring merchandise in late January and February, so that places April at about the two-month mark for some. Look closely at the discounts though: a spring sale that takes 30 to 40 percent off is still a mid-season promotion; you'll want a sale that takes at least 50 percent off or more, and if you can hold steady for a stacking coupon code, all the better. If you truly want the lowest prices — which of course comes with reduced selection — you'll likely want to wait until May.Read more

Since their mainstream debut at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, 3D TVs have been a niche product. Sky-high prices, competing technologies, and expensive glasses have given consumers more than enough reasons to ditch these TVs in favor of lower-priced LCDs.

However, we're predicting this summer will be the year that 3D TV (finally) goes mainstream; not only have we noticed a continued decrease in 3D prices, but the introduction of third-tier manufacturers to the market has already ushered in new price lows. Read on to learn what prices we're seeing now, and what you can expect to pay for a new 3D TV.

Declining Prices and Budget Alternatives

2011 was not a busy year for 3D TVs. In fact, lagging sales and cutthroat competition (from less expensive sets) forced 55" 3D TVs to drop 33% in price. Prices fell so rapidly that by the end of the year we added 3D TVs to our list of items that will cost less in 2012. And although prices on these TVs crept back up in January, February saw an all-time low as we listed our first 55" 3D TV deal from a third-tier vendor.Read more

March is here, and even though you may be planning to stay glued to the couch for all of March Madness, you'll also be doing a bit of spring shopping — so the editors over at dealnews have mined their extensive archives for sales, coupons, and individual products from the past few years to guide you in your quest for the most savvy purchases this month. Here's what they found.

Make Way for the 2012 TVs
With the holidays and the Super Bowl now behind us, TV-buying season is officially over. March won't see the same head-turning price points we've been used to (we already saw some slight price upticks in February), but there is some good news at the end of the tunnel. HD Guru reports that Samsung's 2012 CES TVs are slated to enter the market this month, which could mean some surprise discounts on older 2011 models.

3D fans should also take note, last month we listed the first ever third-tier 55" 3D LCD HDTV courtesy of Sigmac. The $699 TV is to date the least-expensive 55" 3D TV we've seen and could help pave the way for even lower-priced name-brand 3D TVs.Read more

Prices go up and prices go down, but this year they're going every which way. While it's difficult to predict how the economy will impact the cost of products and services, there are several sure bets on both ends of the scale. Here are a few predictions.

GOING UP:

Orange Juice
The FDA discovered "low levels" of a fungicide in the 2011 orange crop imported from Brazil, the world's largest produce of oranges.

Airfare
More people want to fly, but the airlines have trimmed their sales and are putting fewer planes in the air. Expect an increase between 3 percent and 10 percent worldwide.

Parking Rates and Tickets
Cash-strapped cities will try to boost their budgets by increasing city-imposed fees.

Gas
Did you enjoy that recent small reprieve from high gas prices? Well don't get used to it; the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts regular gas will average $3.45 this year.

Groceries
Rising energy costs, poor weather conditions, commodity prices and the lousy value of the U.S. dollar mean food is expected to increase 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent from 2011, according to the Consumer Price Index. Read more

There's a big difference between investments and expenses. An investment implies you expect to get some return on your money, while an expense is money you spend and never plan to see again.

Despite the vast difference in money-use methodologies, shoppers tend to get their terminology mixed up. "Investing" in an LCD TV or Blu-Ray player is a misnomer. Just like a new car, these items lose value as soon as you take them for a spin. Though most consumers are already aware of this detail, it doesn't seem to slow their interest when it comes to electronics. The Consumer Electronics Association projects more than $1 trillion in such spending this year, an increase of 5 percent from 2011.

With the Consumer Electronics Show wrapping up last week, tech fanatics everywhere have an itch for the next big thing. If you plan on scratching it, use these tips to help defeat depreciation.

1. Use the News
Nothing kills the excitement of a brand new gadget like discovering a price drop days after you've opened the box. In fact, many holiday shoppers are suffering through this exact scenario, thanks to a recent $100 price drop in several popular tablets. Avoid getting stuck in this predicament by tracking the news on products you're planning to buy. Big cuts are usually announced in advance to help stimulate sales. Read more

Open the Gates – With more than 31 football fields of show space, CES attendees have to crowd in opening day and walk themselves ragged in hopes of not just seeing all the show but seeing what will win/fail big in the coming year.

While a few folks have said CES is on its last leg, we wonder if they were at the same show we were this month.

More than 3,100 exhibitors squeezed into a mere 1.861 million net square feet (31+ football fields) of exhibit space and the show drew more than 153,000 attendees.

There was the urban sprawl of the big boys trying to out-glitz each other (even as they experienced record losses or marginal profits).

Microsoft announced that this was their last keynote, last time of exhibiting; and folks immediately said, "See the show is losing its relevance in a real-time world."

These same folks probably said Ballmer couldn't get out of his own way.

Suddenly he's brilliant?

Folks pointed out that really big things in the past have gone on to bomb, die.

You know Palm/WebOS, netbooks, 3D TV, etc.Read more

We're just back from the consumer electronics extravaganza in Las Vegas where we saw some amazing new gadgets and gear including new TVs, tablets, smartphones and new high tech automobiles. Much of the technology we saw may not be available for some time (if at all) but we did see some trends that will sooner or later make many of your high tech possessions obsolete.

Future TVs Will Be Sharper

A year ago at CES 2011 we saw just a few 4K resolution HDTVs but at this year's show we saw lots more. Full HD is defined as 1920 x 1080 but he next generation standard will double that to 3840 x 2160 which they are calling 4K (4K x 2K). Just as everyone who saw HD when it first came out could see a big difference between its higher resolution and older standard definition TVs, once you see 4K TVs you'll want one. Yes, it will take new production equipment, new distribution methods and present all kinds of challenges but isn't that what the industry thrives on?Read more