Tech Deals of the Week: Diwali Offers Galore

October is going to be a month of massive flash sales across all major online stores in India. Keep your smartphone or tablet with you at all times, and memorize your credit card numbers because it's going to become a Fastest To Checkout contest. This week we tell you how to brace yourself up for the upcoming Billion Day Sale on Flipkart, great offers to switch to Mac, discount on Kindle Paperwhite, and how to find a little true happiness this festive season.

1. Flipkart's Billion Day sale
If you shop online, chances are that you've probably heard about Flipkart's upcoming massive flash sale titled The Big Billion Day sale. While the promotions are in full swing, and everyone is looking forward to it, there's not much clarity on how Flipkart will actually run the sale. From what we've heard so far, it'll be a massive flash sale that begins at 8AM on October 6, with deep discounts across almost all categories on Flipkart.

(Update: Flipkart's Big Billion Day Sale is now live)

Here's how to brace yourself for the Flipkart Big Billion Day Sale Keep the mobile app handy. Flipkart has mobile apps on almost all major mobile platforms. The app just works fine, even when the website gives up during a flash sale. If you're keen on paying using a credit or a debit card, it'll save you a lot of time if you save your card's details on Flipkart. Don't worry, it's safe. Keep your wishlist ready, and make sure you decide what you really want. This will help you stay focussed, and prevent you from buying stuff you don't even need but found it cheaper to buy.

Link: Flipkart

2. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite at a discount, Diwali sale on ebooks too
Amazon is selling the Kindle Paperwhite for Rs. 8,999 (regular Rs. 10,999) this month. The offer is valid till October 23. The Kindle Paperwhite makes a great e-reader. If you love reading a lot of books, it's a great investment into a super affordable ecosystem. Amazon sells Kindle books at highly attractive prices. The Paperwhite features a higher resolution and more contrast than conventional Kindle readers, and a backlight so you can read in the dark as well. The variant available on discount includes Wi-Fi connectivity to wirelessly synchronize your books from the web. There's a great Diwali sale on ebooks at the Kindle store this week. Amazon is selling select ebooks on the Kindle store for just Rs. 99 or less. There are a number of bestsellers in that list of books as well.

Price: Rs. 8,999 (regular Rs. 10,999)

3. Discounts and freebies with MacBook Pro and MacBook Air
Flipkart is selling the Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with flat discounts, and freebies this week. Bundled offers include Microsoft Office Home and Student 2011 for Mac worth Rs. 5,699 for free, and a free Western Digital Passport Ultra 2.5-inch 1TB external hard drive with every purchase. Flipkart also proudly carries the "Official Apple Reseller" badge so don't worry about getting warranty.

If you don't care for the freebies, and would just like a flat discount you can head to Amazon. The Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch is selling for around Rs. 58,200 (regular Rs. 89,900) and the MacBook Air 13-inch is now selling for Rs. 69,000 (regular Rs. 86,900) there. That's a decent discount if you're looking to replace your old laptop, and switch to the Macs.

Link: Flipkart, Amazon

4. Amazon's Flash Sale This Weekend
We've made it to Mars, and Amazon is running a flash sale to celebrate it over the weekend. Amazon's "Mission to Mars Celebration Dhamaka" sale will run from October 4 to October 6. The online marketplace is promising "out of the world" deals during the flash sale. If you're in the market for digital cameras, flash drives, phones, and more, you should check this sale out during the weekend.

Also, don't miss out on Amazon's Electronics sale this Diwali. While some of the items are available at a flat discount, you'll also find daily Lightning Deals which run for a small amount of time, with limited stock, carrying items like flash drives, external hard drives, phones, home appliances, and more. The flash sale goes live at 12:00AM on October 4.

Link: Amazon

5. Cashback for SBI and American Express card users
This week you can grab 10% cashback on State Bank of India credit and debit cards at Amazon. There's no minimum purchase value so you can buy just about anything. The cashback is capped at Rs. 1,500. The cashback will be credited directly to the customer's account by the first half of December 2014. The offer is valid till October 9, and is great if you're looking for smartphones, games, ereaders, etc.

American Express card users can get an additional 5% cashback, and 5 extra reward points on every Rs. 100 spent on Snapdeal. The promotion is valid till October 10, on transactions above Rs. 15,000. The maximum cashback per card is Rs. 5,000. It's a great deal if you're looking to buy a high-end smartphone this week.

Link: Amazon, Snapdeal

6. Snapdeal's Diwali sale on electronics
Snapdeal started its Diwali sale pretty early. The online retailer is now offering special discounts on electronic items, including a buy 1 get 1 free promotion. Even though they're advertised as buy one get one free offers, they're actually just bundled offers. You can get a 5.1 speaker system from Philips, along with a DVD player free. You can buy DSLR cameras, with free lens kits. Snapdeal is also giving away a free video player or a sounder with select TVs. You can grab select laptops at flat Rs. 3,000 off on the discounted prices. Just make sure you check seller listings, and delivery timeline before you buy anything on Snapdeal.

Link: Snapdeal

7. Gift a smile this Diwali
Scientific research has proven that when you do something for others, your brain shoots all kinds of good signals that make you feel good about yourself. Now that has to be the greatest deal ever! This festive season you can brighten up someone's day by donating to an NGO online. Amazon makes it even easier for you to contribute to verified NGOs online. You can pick an NGO from their list, select items from their wishlist, and buy it for them. Amazon will deliver those products directly to the NGO. Most of those NGOs work with underprivileged children across the country. While we spend thousands on a phone, there are children who'd appreciate even basic supplies.

Link: Amazon

8. eBay's Diwali Promotions
eBay has stepped up its game for Diwali promotions. When you buy any item on eBay that's above Rs. 200, you'll get coupons with discounts up to 15% for your next purchases. The process works like this: buy something above Rs. 200 on eBay, they'll send you a coupon worth 10% discount to your registered e-mail address, when you buy using that 10% off coupon, you get another coupon with a 12% discount. This goes on till you get a 15% discount coupon on your next purchase. The deal is valid across a number of categories on eBay. However customers cannot use these coupons on already discounts products in the Deals of the Week segment. The promotion is valid till October 23.

Link: eBay

9. NetGear JNR6150 WiFi Router Dual band
Amazon is selling the Netgear JNR6150 wireless router at Rs.4,400 (regular Rs.7,336). The wireless router is very easy to install, monitor, and connect to. It comes with an app called MyMedia that allows users to use their smartphone to stream media on a DLNA compatible device. It also comes with built in parental control options, broadband usage meter, and simple one-click troubleshooting options. The Netgear JNR6150 is also compatible with AirPrint, allowing iOS device users to wirelessly print documents on any USB printer. The router also supports the latest 802.11ac standard, and promises speeds up to 450mbps.

Price: Rs.4,400 (MRP Rs. 7,336)

10. Ricoh Aficio SP 300DN Duplex Networking Single Function Laser Printer
The Ricoh Aficio SP 300DN laser printer is available on Snapdeal at Rs.3,990. The same printer is retailing on Amazon at around Rs.4,499, and on Flipkart at Rs.4,899. The limited time offer is likely to last until Snapdeal runs out of stock. The monochrome laser printer is great for everyday printing purposes at home or at a small business. The advertised page-speed is around 28 pages per minute, and the company boasts of a duty cycle of around 20,000 pages per month. Snapdeal is also promising a 1 year manufacturer warranty.

Price: Rs.3,990 (MRP Rs. 14,595)

Harpreet is a technology enthusiast who is obsessed with hunting down great deals on online stores.