Holiday

10 'Holiday' stories August 2011 - December 2015

Check out this 360 degree holiday tour of the White House on YouTube [Video]

Stephen Hall Dec 18 2015 - 1:40 pm PT

360 degree video has taken off this year, and now yet another creation use of the technology is hitting YouTube. Just in time for the holidays, the White House has taken to YouTube to upload a 360 degree video tour of the decked out temporary residence and workplace of the President of the United States.

Beyond just being a 360 video that you can pan around, this video also offers 3D options for those that have a pair of classic 3D glasses laying around. Also, as with any 360 degree video on YouTube, you can also head over to your mobile device and pan around the video using your phone’s gyroscope. There’s also Google Cardboard support.

Google’s holiday gift to employees is a Nexus 5X, but how about Alphabet employees?

Abner Li Dec 13 2015 - 6:38 am PT

1 Comment

New-nexus-6p-5x

As made evident by their annual Santa Tracker and various Doodles, Google is a festive company during holidays. This whimsy extends to their employees who are receiving a Nexus 5X as a holiday gift this year…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Oppo Advent Calendar game will give customers up to €80 discount on R7-series phones

Cam Bunton Dec 4 2015 - 5:56 am PT

0 Comments

oppo-r7s-lead

Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Oppo, has revealed its plans for the holiday season. For seven days between December 7th and December 13th, customers will be able to visit Oppo’s virtual advent calendar and claim a new badge every single day. The more different badges you have by the end of the seven days, the more discount you get on an Oppo R7 series purchase from the Oppo Style online store.

082643grohnmlehslr8olk

Users who play every day and end up with 7 different badges will have a chance to win one of two Oppo R7s handsets. The first two players to collect 7 will be the winners, so you’ll have to be as early as possible to be in with a shot. If you end up with 5 different badges, Oppo will award you an €80 voucher to use on OppoStyle.com. Players with 3 badges will get a €40 voucher and players with just one badge get €20. Those who share the game on social media using the #OPPOXmas hashtag will be entered to win a selfie stick or VOOC battery charger.

Rules and links the game will go live on December 7th with details on which regions are eligible for prizes.

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Galaxy S6 Edge $460, Samsung Gear Live $79, Black Friday deals

Stephen Hall Nov 25 2015 - 12:48 pm PT

0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Heads up! During Black Friday/Cyber Monday you’re going to have to follow us on Twitter to get the best deals since many sell out too quickly to post.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

s6 edge

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge 32 GB (unlocked): $460 shipped (Reg. $600) | eBay

Deal: Samsung’s Android Wear-powered Gear Live is now just $79

ASUS Chromebox 1.7GHz/4GB/16GB: $199 or $175 w/ Visa Checkout (Reg. $230)

ASUS Chromebook 1.8GHz/2GB/16GB: $210 or $190 w/ Visa Checkout (w/ code VCOBF15) (Reg. $250)

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7-Inch Tablet (16 GB): $230 shipped (Reg. $300) | Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 (7-Inch, Black): $120 shipped (Reg. $180) | Amazon

9to5Google Gift Guides: Stephen and Cam’s favorite Chrome and Android-powered products

walmart-cyber-monday-specials

Cyber Monday Ad Roundup: What to expect from Target, Best Buy, Walmart and others

Amazon releases its Cyber Monday strategy with rotating deals every five minutes

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

verizon-amazon-thanksgetting

Free downloads via Amazon: dozens of songs, movies, TV episodes, apps and eBooks

Blue Microphones over 35% off: Yeti $85, Snowball $34 Prime shipped
Fitbit Charge HR Activity Monitor: $114 shipped (Reg. $150)
Early Black Friday Fashion: Save 50% at Gap – Polar Fleece Jacket $30, others
Daily Deals: Samsung 50-inch LED 4K HDTV $755, iPad mini 3 $300, more
Games/Apps: Zelda Skyward Sword & Kirby’s Dream Collection (pre-owned) $20 each
Car Tech: iOttie Easy One Touch iPhone 6s/Plus Car Mount $10 (Reg. $17+), more
Soundfreaq Sound Rise: $70 Shipped (Orig $80, CA Tax only)
Pay what you want for the Learn to Code Bundle(Orig. $1,539)
Pixelmator gets a 50% discount today: $15 (Reg. $30)
B&H Photo’s Black Friday Mac Deals live!
Best of Black Friday — Apple: deals on iPad Air 2, Macs, more!
Amazon’s Black Friday deals go live later this week
Top 5 ways to score the year’s best online Black Friday deals
10 can’t-miss deals for the holiday season: HDTVs, iPad Air 2, more
Parallels $79.99 Black Friday Bundle: Free 1Password, Evernote, more
HyperDrive Macbook Storage Expander: $20 Shipped (Orig. $30, CA Tax only)

BLACK FRIDAY AD LEAKS & NEWS:

Best of Black Friday – Streaming Media Players: Apple TV 64GB $180, Roku SE $20, 2-Pack Chromecast (2nd gen) $50, more

Best of Black Friday – Smart Home: Nest Thermostat $250 + $50 GC, Philips Hue kit $130

Best of Black Friday – HDTVs: 40-inch from $149, Samsung 55-inch Smart $580 (Reg. $1,200), more

Best of Black Friday – iPads, Tablets and e-readers: iPad Air 2 from $360, Amazon Fire $35 (Reg. $50), more

Best of Black Friday – Games: Xbox One/PS4 console bundles, deep discounts on games, more

Best of Black Friday – wearables: Fitbit Flex $59/Charge $90/more, $100 off Apple Watch, Android smartwatches, more

best-buy-black-friday-ad

Best Buy’s Black Friday ad brings deals on Apple Watch, Macs, HDTVs, games & more!

MacMall’s Black Friday 2015 Ad leaks, we have all 50+ pages
Walmart’s Black Friday ad leak hits with 4K UHDTV deals, iPad Air 2 $100 off, more
Target previews its top Black Friday deals, launches surprise one-day sale
Staples Black Friday Ad Revealed: iPad Air 2 from $374, mini 4 $300, more
Amazon plans dramatic Black Friday discounts for its Kindle, Fire TV Stick & Fire tablet
Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business
ShopRunner’s 2-day shipping service may be your best friend this Black Friday
eBay’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday will deliver deals on MacBooks, iPhone, iPad Air 2
GameStop Black Friday ad leak: PS4/Xbox One bundles $300, new Nintendo 3DS XL $180
Costco’s Black Friday ad includes deals on Chromecast (2nd gen), Fitbit Flex, more
Microsoft launches its Black Friday promo early for Xbox Live Gold Members
Toys R Us Black Friday ad leak: Xbox One/PS4 bundles $300, more
Sam’s Club Black Friday ad leak: iPad Air 2 Cellular $175 off, Google Play $100 GC $80
Kohl’s Black Friday ad leak: more PS4/Xbox One $300 bundles, home goods, clothing
Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off
HHGregg Black Friday: Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless Headphones $100, more
Sports Authority Black Friday Ad: Free gift cards w/ footwear, FitBit Charge HR $120
McDonald’s offer nets you a free Big Mac or Egg McMuffin per week for 1 year
eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year
BJ’s Warehouse Black Friday ad hits with Samsung 4K UHDTV deals, fitness trackers
Sears Black Friday Ad: deals on Samsung 4K UHDTV’s, more
Black Friday ad leaks drop for Lowe’s, Menards, Cabela’s, and more
Grab 2 free ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ tickets during Black Friday at Kohl’s
The Office Depot & OfficeMax Black Friday ad doesn’t bring much to the table

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Pebble Time iOS/Android Smartwatch: $130 shipped (Reg. $200)

airport-extreme

Apple AirPort Extreme 802.11ac Wireless Router (refurbished): $100 shipped (Orig. $199)

iTunes HD Movies: Godfather Trilogy $10, Rocky Collection $30, more
AirPrint All-in-One Printers: Brother Laser $85 (Reg. $99+), more
Garmin Dash Cam 20 HD Driving Recorder with GPS: $150 shipped (Orig. $250)
Jawbone Mini Jambox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker $47 shipped
Panasonic Sound Rush Plus On-Ear Headphones $15 shipped (Reg. $60)
Herman Miller takes rare 15% off world’s best office chairs + desks
App Store Free App of the Week: Stackables ($3 value)
Canon Pre-Black Friday Sale: T5 w/ 18-55mm lens kit (refurb) $200 (Orig. $549), more
Home Theater: Sony 300W soundbar w/ wireless subwoofer $198 (Reg. $350), more
ASUS Chromebox 1.7GHz/4GB/16GB: $199 or $175 w/ Visa Checkout (Reg. $230)
Maker Architect 3D Printer $400 shipped (Orig. $600)
Media: Mad Men Complete Seasons $5/ea on DVD, more
The Black Friday Mac Bundle offers 10 productivity-boosting apps for $34.99 (Orig. $533)
Save 25% on Nike Gear: FlyKnit Lunar 3 Men’s Shoes $90 (Orig. $150), more
Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit: $199 shipped (Reg. $249)
USB roundup: Anker MFi 3ft Lightning cable $4 Prime shipped, Power Banks from $6, more
Seagate Backup Plus External Desktop Hard Drive: 5TB $120, 8TB $200
Portable Solid-State Drives: SanDisk 120GB $60, 240GB $80 + more
Samsung Chromebook 2 2.16GHz/2GB/16GB SSD: $149 shipped (Reg. $190+)
Twelve South BookBook for iPhone 5/5s: $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $60)
NETGEAR DOCSIS 3.0 High Speed Cable Modem: $80 shipped (Reg. $100)
Toys 20% off – NERF, Melissa & Doug, more + Buy 2 Get 1 free Board Games
Amazon Kindle e-Reader deals from $50 shipped, Paperwhite $100 (Reg. $120)
APC Back-UPS 450VA Network 8-Outlet UPS $28 shipped (Reg. $55)
MacPhun offers up to 85% off Creative Kit 2016 for Black Friday: $89 (Reg. $630)
Home Theater: Samsung 55-inch Smart 4K LED UHDTV $900 (Reg. $1,200), more
Verizon launches freebies promotion: 1GB of data, $5 iTunes credit, more
Samsung Bluetooth Soundbar w/ Wireless Subwoofer: $148 (Reg. $228)
Japanese interactive dictionary app goes free for the first time in years (Reg. $7)
Download Michael Jackson’s Thriller album for free (Reg. $10)
Networking: TP-LINK Archer C5 802.11ac Router + Wi-Fi Extender $105 ($135 value), more
Implosion – Never Lose Hope for iOS goes free for the first time ($10 value)
Spigen’s aluminum Apple Watch Stand is down to just $8 shipped (Reg. $16)
Apple iPod touch (6th gen) in multiple colors: 16GB $159 + free shipping
Save on the 3rd Gen 1080p Apple TV with this refurb deal: $40 shipped (Orig. $69)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

screen-shot-2015-11-23-at-1-49-11-pm

Unboxing and Review: Star Wars Battlefront limited edition PS4 is out of this galaxy [Video]

mohu-bebox

Mohu launches a “high-end” speaker with built-in Android display, save 10%

Leica introduces a new low-cost M series camera, but don’t expect bargain pricing
D-Link takes all the smart things and puts them together in one Komfy light switch
Curate With Me, Win A Prize: 2015’s Most Coveted Holiday Tech Gifts List!
The ultimate 4K set-top box battle [Video]
GENII’s CAST streaming box skirts copyright rules to beam your content to friends

Ring the holidays in with a free copy of ‘Elf,’ courtesy of Google Play Movies

David Beren Dec 20 2013 - 8:02 am PT

5 Comments

If you’re looking for a feel-good movie to help ring in Christmas day, the Play Store is offering a free SD copy of Will Ferrell’s Elf. There’s no telling how long the offer will last so grab your copy right now and enjoy it on your Android smartphone or tablet over and over and over and over.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google gives employees choice of free Nexus 5 or 7 as holiday gift

Jordan Kahn Dec 6 2013 - 8:15 am PT

4 Comments

Nexus-5-Nexus-7-Christmas-gift-2013

Much like it has in recent years by offering employees their choice from a selection of devices as a Christmas/holiday gift, we’ve learned from several sources that this year Google will continue the tradition. Rather than the choice of Chromebook, a Motorola phone or the Nexus 7 tablet like it offered last year, this year the company will offer an option between the Nexus 5 and new Nexus 7.

Backing up our info is the screenshot below showing a family member of a Google employee mentioning the gift:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Black Friday roundup: nationwide retailers and Android smartphones and tablets

David Beren Nov 27 2013 - 9:59 am PT

0 Comments

We’ve already covered the Target, Walmart and Best Buy Black Fridays earlier this month as their Black Friday ads broke cover to the world. However, there are far more Android-related deals to be had on Black Friday and here are some of the most notable across the nations largest retailers. Don’t forget to sneak a peek at what T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have to offer as well.

Target:

Galaxy S 4 on AT&T/Verizon for $39.99 Sprint for $49.99

Expand
Expanding
Close

Review: PureGear’s line of Samsung Galaxy S III cases (and Slim Shell giveaway!)

Élyse Betters Dec 11 2012 - 10:55 am PT

0 Comments

PureGear makes a bevy of highly rated products for mobile devices, and we at 9to5Google decided to test out some of its more popular cases and accessories for the Samsung Galaxy S III and subsequently help last-minute holiday shoppers with a few stocking stuffer ideas.

Also, 9to5Google is giving away two PureGear Slim Shell cases ($24.99 value each) in black and white/clear. So, check out the review roundup below, leave a comment, and we will contact the winners in 9to5Forums.

An image gallery is below.

Expand
Expanding
Close

OLPC dream realized: DonorsChoose.org is giving Samsung Chromebooks to schools for $99/ea

Élyse Betters Dec 10 2012 - 10:25 am PT

0 Comments

Google just revealed more than 1,000 schools have adopted Chromebooks in classrooms, and it is now working with DonorsChoose.org to “help budget-strapped classrooms across the country.”

DonorsChoose is an online charity that, as Google coined it, connects public school classroom to donors, and the Google partnership will subsequently allow teachers to request the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook at a discount price of $99. The special price is only for the holiday season and includes hardware, management, and support.

Google explained the details on the official Google blog:

If you’re a full-time public school teacher in the U.S., visit DonorsChoose.org and follow the instructions to take advantage of this opportunity by December 21, 2012. Your request will be posted on DonorsChoose.org where anyone can make a donation to support your classroom. When you reach your funding goal, you’ll receive your Chromebooks from Lakeshore Learning, DonorsChoose.org’s exclusive fulfillment partner for this program.

Expand
Expanding
Close

HTC Holiday and Vigor leaks, both packing 4G LTE and impressive specs

Jake Smith Aug 27 2011 - 12:52 pm PT

0 Comments

The front and back of the HTC Holiday shown on the left, and the back of the HTC Vigor shown on the right

Engadget has leaked exclusive images of the HTC Holiday, a device reportedly heading to AT&T this fall with 4G bands. The device looks to pack a beautiful 4.5-inch qHD display, 1.2 GHz processor, 8-megapixel shooter, 1.3-megapixel front facing camera, and yes, 4G LTE.

DroidLife has also leaked the first pictures of the HTC Vigor, a device that packs a 1.5 GHz processor heading to Verizon this fall with 4G bands. Overall specs for the device are impressive: a front facing camera, shooter on the back, 4.3-inch HD screen, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal space.

These devices paired with the Galaxy S II and Droid Bionic, and what ever else carriers have down their sleeve, will make Android to have a sure shot against the iPhone 5 — which is slated for a mid-October launch.
Expand
Expanding
Close