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It may not always be easy to find a discount deal on Apple products, but you can land one if you know where to look:

— Go for refurbished. Apple sells its own refurbished Macs, and they come with a one-year warranty. Go to the “Special Deals” section of Apple’s website. Or try refurb-tracker.com to create a personal RSS feed on latest offers.

— Deal site Offers.com is another great way to find discounts on Mac products. You can find discount codes and coupons for retailers like MacMall, and MacConnection.

— There’s always eBay, Amazon, and Craigslist — but go in with eyes open. With eBay and Amazon, see if the seller takes returns. With Craigslist, see if you can meet in a public place and take the laptop for a spin — and don’t pay new computer prices for something that’s used.

Check out these tips and more in USA TODAY’s new daily digital video series TECH NOW.

Posted in Great Gadgets, In The Press, TechNow

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From snapshots to posed portraits, smartphones have become the camera of choice for snap-happy photo lovers. In this TECH NOW, how to use that same smartphone to enhance any photo with three colorful apps.

Go back to the ’50s with PocketBooth. This cross-platform app takes rapid-fire shots of your friends. You can add filters for that antiqued look, and arrange images into a strip you can then share or print. It’s available for Apple’s iOS gadgets, Android and Windows Phone.

Or … bring still photos to life with Flixel, a free iPhone app that animates a single detail from any shot you choose, giving the illusion of a mini movie.

Then take a walk on the wild side. Wash your photos in funky pop art colors with a 1960s vibe using the psychedelic Photo Tropedelic app available from iTunes ($1.99).

Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy award-winning consumer tech contributor and host of USA TODAY’s new daily digital TECH NOW . Email her at

te**********@us******.com











. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly.

Posted in Great Gadgets, In The Press, TechNow, TechStyled, Tips & Tricks

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Apps have literally come to life this holiday season. From interactive plush toys based on the popular Talking Tom and Ginger the Cat characters, to a free customizable sound-equalizer app from RadioShack, here are a few ways to resuscitate that tired gift list.

Talking Tom, the app that more than half a million people are playing with, is an interactive plush toy. Just turn it on and Talking Tom will talk via the app. There are other characters available too.

Here’s another idea. A pair of headphones to tune it all out. The Auvio Elite headphones from Radioshack also use a free app as a customizable equalizer – to create clean, clear and comfortable sound.

Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy award-winning consumer tech contributor and host of USA TODAY’s new daily digital TECH NOW . Email her at

te**********@us******.com











. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly.

Posted in Great Gadgets, TechNow