Shopping for a new Gaming Laptop this year?  We’ve looked through all the Black Friday ads and broken down where you can get the the cheapest Gaming Laptops. We’ve got 3 picks for you in the entry-level, mid-range and high-end categories as well as backup options if anything is OOS on Black Friday.

Best Deal on an Entry-Level Gaming Laptop: $449

Both Walmart and Best Buy have basically the same HP gaming laptop for sale, but Best Buy’s pricing is $50 cheaper due to a Ryzen 5 CPU versus a Core i5 in Walmart’s version. If having an Intel chip is important to you, go with Walmart’s model for $499.

Both models have a NVIDIA GTX 1050 card (3GB), 256 SSD drive, 8GB SDRAM, a 15.6-inch 1080p screen, a back-lit keyboard, Bang & Olufsen Audio speakers and a “Shadow Black, Green” finish.

• Best Buy: HP Pavilion 15.6″Gaming Laptop (Ryzen)
• Walmart: HP Pavilion 15.6″Gaming Laptop (Intel)

Best Deal on an Mid-Range Gaming Laptop: $799

Newegg has a compelling deal on a MSI-brand gaming laptop for $799 (after a $100 rebate). It offers an Intel Core i7-9750H, a NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti (6GB), 512GB SSD storage, 8GB of RAM (expands up to 64GB), back-lit keyboard and a 15.6″ 1080p screen.

Alternatively, Target is offering a fairly similar model for $899 (no rebate unfortunately). It’s a HP OMEN laptop with the Core i7-9750H, a NVIDIA GTX 1650, 512GB SSD storage, 8GB of RAM (capped), back-lit keyboard and a 15.6″ 1080p screen.

In addition, Best Buy has a great option for $899 if you want a larger 17-inch screen. They had an ASUS 17.3″ with an Intel i7-9750H, NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti (6GB), 512GB SSD storage, 16GB of RAM and a back-lit keyboard.

• Newegg: MSI Gaming Laptop
• Target: HP OMEN Gaming Laptop
• Best Buy: ASUS 17-inch Gaming Laptop

Best Deal on an High-End Gaming Laptop: $1,149

The standout option here is another MSI laptop discounted to $1,149 (after $100 rebate) by Newegg. This MSI laptop offers a Core i7-9750H, a NVIDIA RTX 2060 (6GB), 512GB SSD storage, 16GB of RAM, a back-lit keyboard, and a 1080p display with 144Hz refresh rate.

Alternatively, Best Buy has a solid deal on another MSI laptop discounted by $500 to $1,399. That MSI laptop offers the same processor / storage / video card, but ups the RAM to 32GB and the 1080p display has a 240Hz refresh rate instead of 144Hz. Thus you pay $250 more for a higher refresh rate and twice the RAM. Both laptops have MSI’s Cooler Boost tech for cooling the CPU & GPU with seven heat pipes, both have MSI’s thin bezel design.

• Newegg: MSI Gaming Laptop 16GB
• Best Buy: MSI Gaming Laptop 32GB

Here’s the cheapest Gaming Laptops on Black Friday 2019

While Google has already released a new Nexus 7 and Amazon plans to launch new Kindle Fire HD tablets this month, there are still a number of inexpensive tablets on the market that can provide significant value to students. Currently discounted to a sale price of $139.99 (regular MSRP $169.99), the HP Slate 7 is one of these options. Powered by Android 4.1, this tablet can provide productivity tools for working students while also offering entertainment options for downtime between classes. It’s certainly more flexible than a tablet like the Kindle Fire HD which is basically built for consuming entertainment.

Build Quality and Design

When you take the Slate 7 out of the box for the first time, you may notice some serious heft to the tablet. It’s definitely one of the heavier 7-inch tablets that I’ve tested, and I prefer the sturdy build. It also feels a bit smaller than other 7-inch tablets due to the wide bezel, despite the identical screen size. The soft feel to the back of the tablet is also much nicer than the backing on the Kindle Fire HD and I can wrap my hand around the HP Slate 7 easily. Similar to all tablets, the front bezel and glass of the HP Slate 7 is a fingerprint magnet.

On the top of the tablet, you will find the power button, headphones jack and the uncovered MicroSD card slot. You can add an additional 32GB of memory to the tablet using a MicroSD card, thus the starting 8GB of storage isn’t as big of an issue. On the bottom, you will find the speakers and the microUSB port for charging the device. In addition, the volume rocker is on the right side of the tablet. Regarding camera placement, a 3MP camera is on the back at the top right corner and a front-facing camera can be found at the top of the bezel.

How Does It Look and Sound?

The HP Slate 7 sports a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display and it’s definitely the weakest aspect of the tablet. While the touchscreen is fairly responsive, the display has a washed out look, especially when attempting to crank up the brightness levels. When attempting to zoom in on text, the sharpness definitely fades away. In addition, the viewing angles aren’t fantastic, thus you really need to prop up the tablet when attempting to read email or watch a movie on Netflix. Contrast is also an issue, mostly the washed-out black colors when browsing the Web.

Regarding sound quality, the internal speakers are passable, but a bit tinny. However, HP has included Beats Audio compatibility in the Slate 7. When using headphones, you can adjust the Beats Audio modes in the Settings menu to provide greater audio depth to music and movies. After trying all three modes as well as turning the option completely off, there’s definitely a significant improvement in sound quality; specifically, bass is stronger and dialogue is clearer. I really enjoyed the difference when listening to recordings of live performances. Matching the Slate 7 up against other tablets like the Kindle Fire HD or iPad Mini, there’s no doubt that Beats Audio gives HP an edge over competitors.

What Can I Do With It?

Rather than load a custom version of Android, HP stuck with the standard Android 4.1, definitely a good choice. While it’s not as user-friendly at the iPad Mini, the sheer number of options available to users on the Google Play store is tremendous. You will also notice lots of familiar apps preloaded on the device including Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and Chrome. HP was definitely good about not preloading the tablet with tons of custom software, only the HP ePrint app for printing documents while on the go.

Personally, I have about 8 different email addresses for work, most of which are powered by Gmail. The Gmail application is excellent at quick notifications and the interface works just as well as email on my iPhone. Probably more of a accolade for Android than the Slate per se, I really love the application switching option at the bottom of the screen. I’ve been on Apple devices for so long that I always forget how useful window switching can be on a tablet.

Regarding battery life, I usually got about 6 to 7 hours out of the battery when checking email and surfing the Web. However, if you like to crank up the brightness levels and watch lots of streaming video, that figure drops to about 4 to 5 hours. Regarding the camera, I wouldn’t bother using it. While it can be useful for Skype, taking pictures with the tablet is an extremely poor replacement for a smartphone.

Should I Buy It?

Is the HP Slate 7 as good as the new 1080p Google Nexus 7? No. However, you get to save $90 on the price point and that’s significantly important for students on a budget. It’s definitely a much better price point than the iPad Mini which is more than double the cost of the HP Slate 7. If you are in the market for an inexpensive starter tablet, the HP Slate 7 may be a solid choice. However, be sure to check out reviews on the Hisense Sero 7 Pro ($129) and the ASUS MeMo Pad HD 7 ($149) as other possible budget options for a 7-inch tablet. You can also find deals on the HP Slate 7 as low as $110 in the past couple months.

Check For HP Slate 7 Deals on Bens

HP Slate 7 Tablet Review

Last week, the father of the computer mouse (among other amazing computer contributions), Douglas C. Engelbart, passed away at the age of 88 on account of kidney failure.  One way to celebrate his contributions is to read about him.  Another is to watch part (or all) of his 1968 demonstrative vision of person-to-computer interfacing.

But personally, I think this is a great opportunity to showcase one of the more extreme attempts to make the indispensable computer mouse part of portable computing.  Nowadays, I enjoy using a Logitech G500 at home, and either a MacBook Air or HP Folio on-the-go.  But flashback to the 1990s and the touchpad style mouse most people are accustomed to using on laptops was just one of many different ways that laptop manufactures were trying to emulate the normal computer mouse.  There were the eraserhead style mice that lived on in the business world until a few years ago, and the trackball style mouse, which was really the laziest implementation as it was literally an inverted mouseball placed for the thumb to directly manipulate.

That brings us to the HP OmniBook 800CT.  I recently stumbled upon this Windows 95 powered 10.4″ screen Intel Pentium 100 Mhz artifact, and it blew my mind.  Why you ask? It wasn’t the compact but thick size, or the array of old-fashioned ports hidden on the back.  It was the mouse.

The OmniBook 800CT contains no trackpad, or trackball, or eraserhead.  The OmniBook 800CT user is welcome to hook up an external PS/2 mouse, but lacking such, the user has a pop-out fixed armed mouse dubbed the “OmniBook mouse.” Discovering the OmniBook mouse was like discovering a 747 a thousand years before the Wright Brothers ever flew, or some such.

Let me just say quickly before citing HP documentation directly, there is a silhouette of a real-life fuzzy mammal mouse on a button to the right of the keyboard.  By pressing that button, someone’s comical yet ingenious interpretation of a mouse ejects from within the computer.  The resulting Micro Machine-looking OminiBook mouse is not only attached to the little computer, but the thin “sturdy” strip of plastic that keeps the mouse attached is actually the mechanism that tracks the X and Y movement of the diminutive little peripheral.

Should you doubt my modern stupefied description, here is the description straight from HP.

 To use the OmniBook mouse

1. Press the round mouse-eject button in the upper-right corner of the keyboard.

2. Firmly pull the mouse out past the first resistance to its full extended position—about 3 inches (8 centimeters).

3. Lift the end of the mouse nearest you—it pops up for a more comfortable shape.

4. Although the arm limits the physical extension of the mouse, it does not limit the travel of the pointer, as you will see. Just by pushing or pulling on the mouse, the pointer will continue to travel.

The mouse is extremely sturdy. Its flexibility allows it to withstand bending and accidental bumps without breaking.

You use the OmniBook’s two-button mouse just as you do the mouse on your desktop PC: Move the pointer to the icon or menu you want, and click with the left mouse button for most operations. Or double-click—click twice rather quickly with the left mouse button—for certain operations. However, the mouse doesn’t need a surface to slide on—so you can use it anywhere.

Once you’ve popped it out, you can use the mouse with the top popped up or collapsed. The popped up position is usually more comfortable, especially if you drape your hand over it as shown. But the collapsed position may be better if you’re in a cramped environment, or you have to work with the OmniBook on your lap.

To store the mouse

1. If the mouse is popped up, press inward on the support arm and press the raised end of the mouse downward to collapse it.

–or–

Tap down sharply on the raised end of the mouse.

2. Gently push the mouse into the case opening until it latches.

To replace the mouse

1. Tug sharply on the mouse to remove it and its arm from the computer.

2. Slip the arm of the new mouse into the slot inside the mousehole on the computer. Push the arm in and force it past the first resistance.

Just wow.  It isn’t every day you find something so stunning and so forgotten that you can’t help but say it belongs in a museum.  That is, if you can say that without cracking up over the ejectable and flexible OmniBook mouse.

Thanks again, Douglas C. Engelbart. Your computer mouse is so incredible that my cats can figure how to work it, and it is such a huge part of our day-to-day lives that someone was once challenged into creating the somewhat ridiculous OmniBook mouse.

The Legacy of the Computer Mouse in One Crazy Example