Back-To-School Tax Free Gadget To Grab - Hot Deals!

AWESOME GADGETS TO GET FOR YOUR SCHOOL KIDS ON SALES TAX HOLIDAY WEEKEND

For my "Missourah" readers, take note! It's Sales Tax Holiday Weekend! Any school-related items you buy this weekend (August 3rd thru 5th) are tax-free, and the state is even including smartphones & tablets along with the regularly-recognized computers and laptops.

I got a hot tip from my AT&T St. Louis contact about a few great deals they are running that you should look at for Sales Tax Holiday Weekend purchasing. Here they are!

HTC One X Smartphone

The new flagship smartphone from HTC is a force to be reckoned with. I tested this phone myself for ten days, and I was most impressed with the build quality and the super-vivid display. The phone has a smooth contour that fits perfectly in your hand, and is right at the sweet spot for size with its 4.7" HD 720 display.

On the inside, the HTC One X has a 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor that is fully capable of pushing multimedia content and the most robust games available. Running apps and opening files is a piece of cake for this workhorse processor.

It sports 16Gb of internal memory, 1Gb of RAM, and blazing fast 4G LTE internet connectivity that can also serve as a WiFi hotspot for other devices (see service agreement for details).

The One X packs an 8MP camera on the back, and a 1.3MP front-facing camera for all your picture taking and video recording activities. Something the HTC One X has that no other smartphone can boast is Beats Audio by Dr. Dre for incredible music playback over the internal speaker.

Go get this super phone at your local AT&T Store for the special price of $99, or click the link for the Amazon Wireless store to snag one for as low as $79 on contract!

Pantech Element Tablet/Pantech Burst Smartphone Combo

This is a GREAT deal if I've ever seen one. You've seen my reviews for the awesome Pantech Element 4G LTE Tablet (which just happens to be waterproof) and the Pantech Burst smartphone. Just click the links to get to the device details that I previously blogged about.

The Pantech Element tablet is one solid device that has a super sturdy build, and smooth functionality. Its 8.9" size makes it perfect for portability but big enough to make readability good.

And the Burst smartphone is a perfect match for it. With it's vivid 4" touchscreen and super fast 4G connectivity, you can get all of your texting, talking, and social media interaction taken care of on the go.

AT&T is running a special where you get both devices for less than the current cost of the tablet alone. The price for both with a 2-year contract agreement is $199. Contact your local AT&T Store to take advantage of this offer or click here to see it online!

ZAGGfolio Keyboard for iPad

Here's a nifty little addition for your Apple iPad that will effectively turn it into a functioning laptop. With the ZAGGfolio keyboard, you can pound out all of your note-taking during class, or email at the speed of typing!

The ZAGGfolio keyboard also doubles as a hard shell case to protect your iPad from damage. The price is $99. Click here to see it in action at the AT&T Store online.

Well that's about all I have for now. Stay tuned and I will have more reviews on other exciting gadgets very soon. There are 2 devices that I am SUPER excited about, and neither one of them have fruit logos on them. You'll have to come back to see what they are!

Carlton Flowers
Tax-Free Deal Snatcher

The Pantech Element - My Surprising Final Analysis

PANTECH ELEMENT TEST RESULTS FROM THE GADGET MAN!

I spent two quality weeks with the Pantech Element tablet, provided by AT&T Wireless. It has warped my traditionally negative view of tablets. I've officially been softened. Here's why...

The Pantech Element is an 8" HD tablet device that has every possible feature you would want, and I would put it squarely on the same level as an iPad 3. That's a bold statement, but it is fact.

Size-wise, I'm loving the smaller 8" diagonal display. It's about as big as I would want a tablet device to be. I have never been comfortable proping up a huge iPad with it's 9.7" dipslay. There is just no comfortable way for me to use it other than lying flat on a table.

But the 8" Pantech Element is small enough to hold without discomfort, and big enough to really enjoy multimedia content with its rich display.

A few of the things that I enjoyed on the Element that you won't find on the iPad 3 are Adobe Flash support, a fantastic haptic response on the display, and full waterproof casing. Those are 3 things that I find quite useful that add to the functionality and user experience.

I enjoyed using the Pantech Element to surf Facebook, watch YouTube videos, Netflix, and for reading articles on the Pulse News application. Even reading emails was a fun task on the Element.

The multimedia content viewing was further enhanced by the rich, full sound eminating from the speakers within the device. It was quite a suprise to hear the sound quality coming from the Element. I did not expect such a full sound, but something more "canned" and shallow.

If I were to spend the money on a tablet, which I am now considering in the future, it would be something on the order of a Pantech Element or smaller. I would mainly use it for consuming multimedia content, and for checking emails on the go.

With its 4G LTE radio service, you can download content at blazing fast speeds. When testing this unit in St. Louis, was achieving download speeds upwards of 37Mbps, and upload speeds of 12.4Mpbs. That was truly unexpected. This could almost cause a problem with rapid data consumption and blowing past the download limits!

In the final analysis, I would have to say that Pantech is a serious competitor on the market with the Element tablet and also the Burst smartphone. Both devices scored super-high in my testing, and I'm seriously impressed with the quality of their build and the ease of use.

Pantech is a sleeper. If they continue making great devices like this, I think companies like Apple, Samsung, and HTC better watch the back door... because Pantech could be in position to kick it in and grab center stage!

Carlton Flowers
Avid Gadget Tester