It’s become something of a joke around my house that–as kind of the anti-early-adopter–when I finally cave and buy myself a new tech toy, that’s the sign to the industry that it’s time to come out with something better. I am forever buying a new computer just days before the new line is rolled out, or upgrading my phone and then wishing I’d waited one more week for the next iteration.
But those days are behind me, now that I’ve got a cool new website that will tell me where and when to buy.
I don’t really care how the complicated algorithm works at Decide.com, only that it does; the numbers get crunched and voila, their database tracks prices, makes predictions about new releases and price drops, and advises you on whether to buy that point-and-shoot now or wait for the next upgrade. And it’s not just cameras, but TVs, laptops and phones with more categories to come.
For example, click on cameras and you’ll see that the Cannon Powershot S95 was released 14 months ago and is now selling at a low price of $319 on Best Buy. You’ll also see the most recent of over 136 reviews aggregated from various retailers (though I wish I could see all of them at once). Okay, now you know this camera gets great ratings, so why wait? Well as it turns out, a new Powershot is rumored to be coming out in November. Still, you can also see that the price is expected to go up in the next few weeks with a 75% certainty, so you can weigh that when you consider your options.
The best part: In the same vein as Bing Travel, you can set up an email alert through Facebook on any particular item, so you’ll be notified as the price drops
Decide.com will be particularly handy as we head into holiday season, and get bombarded with retailers assuring us this is the greatest price ever. Skip the hype and stay plugged in to the facts, and I bet you’ll be more likely to make the right decision. -Mir
Check out Decide.com for yourself to make a smart tech-buying decision.
