Buy a Toshiba HDTV and get a free Toshiba netbook

By Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 01 December 2008 13:49

Opinion and Analysis

Looks like every TV manufacturer is trying its hand in giveaways to get you to buy an HDTV this Christmas season, with Toshiba offering its 8.9-inch NB100 netbook computer as a free bonus.

Last week it was Panasonic promising to Wii over its HDTV competitors with a free $399 Nintendo Wii games console with every Panasonic HDTV purchased over the holiday season, and this week Toshiba has joined the fray with a giveaway of its very own.

Toshiba, like Panasonic, makes a range of electronic gear, but unlike Panasonic which is giving away a different Japanese company’s technology, Toshiba is giving away its own.

Toshiba’s NB100 8.9-inch netbook computer is better value than the Wii, at a $799 RRP compared to the Nintendo Wii’s $399 RRP, although arguably the Wii would be a lot more fun.

That said, buying a games console is like getting addicted, as you’ll soon find yourself spending more money on extra controllers and new games, although you can certainly spend plenty of extra money on software and other peripherals for any computer, too.

Anyone who buys a Toshiba XV500 series HD LCD TV at 37, 42 and 46-inch sizes between now and January 15, 2009, qualifies for the NB100 giveaway, which need to be redeemed via www.toshibaav.com.au/redemption, on or before the 29th of January 2009, “while stocks last”.

The NB100 sounds like most other netbooks out there, promising Wi-Fi 802.11b.g, Bluetooth, a webcam, card reader, 120GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, an 8.9-inch LCD screen, Windows XP SP3 and the Atom 1.6Ghz processor.

So, if you’re in the market for a new HD television, you may be tempted by the giveaways on offer, or you might decide to go for the best cash deal and use the money saved to buy something else.

I wonder who’ll be next in the great HDTV “buy one, get something electronic free” giveaway bonanza while there’s still a few weeks of the 2008 shopping season left?