Hasta La Gadget!

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we’ll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You’ll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won’t stick around long.

If the mid-week blues are too much for you to bear, shelling out a few bones on a new gadget or two may just liven up those spirits. A 60-inch Panasonic Viera 3D HD display tops the list — if you weren’t enticed to jump at Monday’s offer — and a 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD makes the cut as well. Head past the break for the full list, but don’t delay or these discounted links could be gone for good.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, Tablets, Storage

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Source: Slickdeals

Although Mophie isn’t the first to have an iPhone 5 battery case, there’s no doubt that some have been waiting for the company’s take — and it might justify the patience. The just-launched Juice Pack Helium slides a 1,500mAh secondary battery on to the back of Apple’s flagship in a protective frame that’s 13 percent thinner than earlier Mophie cases, but still promises a hefty amount of extra runtime. Mophie estimates another six hours of cellular calling and data (seven on WiFi), or about enough to push through an all-nighter or a long airport layover. Color-coordinating black and silver versions of the Helium are shipping from the 14th onwards for about $80. That’s lot for something so model-specific, but it’s possibly the sleekest way to extend an iPhone 5’s charge.

[Thanks, Nik]

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Mophie

Three years, three games. Skylanders Swap Force — the latest crossplatform entry in the mega-successful Skylanders game franchise — cements Activision’s annual approach to its “toys to life” series. The games merge toy figurines with RFID technology to allow in-game avatar representations of the toys to move from game console to game console, all the while storing unique information about that character. It’s essentially the equivalent of how fighting games work in Japanese arcades, albeit with children’s toys and a relatively simple action game: you level up your character, which is tied to your toy, and it can be used to continue earning experience on a variety of game consoles.

The second iteration brought Giants to the world of Skylanders. This year, Activision’s in-house studio Vicarious Visions (known for working on powerhouses like Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk Pro Skater previously) is taking the series in another direction, keeping original Skylanders, the second game’s Giants, and adding a new twist in swappable characters.

Yes, despite the image above of a half-octopus swashbuckler, this year’s innovation isn’t destructible characters. That sword in his right … hand and the water pistol in his left can be replaced on another swappable character’s bottom half — its motion component — creating an altogether new character. With 16 new characters, that means 256 combinations altogether; an enticing proposition to fans, and a potentially comforting thought to parents hounded by kids for new pieces every week. But it’s not just swappable characters that are new in Swap Force. Activision’s touting this entry as the first Skylanders entry to’ve been built from the ground up in HD. That’s a notable change for the franchise, marking Activision’s focus shifting from Nintendo’s Wii to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as Nintendo’s Wii U. Oh, and there’s jumping. You can jump in this one.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD

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If you’re the fidgety type that’s also in the market for a new GPU, AMD’s ready to tempt you into springing for a Radeon HD 7000 series card with the promise of free gaming swag. The imaginatively named “Never Settle: Reloaded” bundle reuses several titles from last year’s promotion — Farcry 3, Sleeping Dogs and Hitman: Absolution — and adds a few more it hopes will grab your attention: BioShock Infinite, Crysis 3, DmC Devil May Cry and Tomb Raider. AMD’s 7770 GHz Edition GPU no longer qualifies, but purchase a 7800 or 7900 series card and you’ll be given at least a couple of games to enjoy on your new hardware. Exactly what software you’ll receive varies on how much dough you’re waving around and what region you’re shopping in, so head to the source link for a full rundown of the options. A single 7990 or a two-pack of 7900 series cards will get you the most games, but if you don’t quite have the bread, ask Lara for a loan — she might be willing to share some of her perilous adventure fund and help you out.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Peripherals, Software, AMD

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Source: AMD

The glitzy sheen of that Retina Display MacBook Pro or MacBook Air probably tarnished a little when you realized you’d need to sacrifice a USB or Thunderbolt if you wanted Ethernet connectivity. Just in time for Macworld, Kanex is shuttling out DualRole, a three-port USB 3.0 hub and Ethernet adapter that’ll swell your connectivity options while on the road. Bus-powered, you can also add a 5v power adapter to juice your gadgets at the same time. It’ll set you back $69 and is available from right about now.

Filed under: Peripherals, Networking, Apple

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