GOSF Special Tech Deals of the Week

Google's Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) is back, and it's much bigger this time. Google has partnered with almost all major online stores, and even some offline partners this time to bring you some great deals. We've handpicked some of the best tech deals from GOSF right here. We've also added some pro tips for you so you can make the most of the sale.

Pro tips for GOSF 2014

• Always go for major online retailers like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, and avoid retailers you haven't heard of. Smaller retailers might lure you into a great deal, but by the time you realise the strings attached, it might be too late.

• Check seller ratings before buying. Always prefer Fulfilled by Amazon, Flipkart Advantage, or Snapdeal Fulfilled listings only. This ensures the products directly ship from the company's warehouses, and not from sellers directly. It's also an indicator of how reliable a seller is.

• The good deals won't last very long. Keep a tab on Amazon's Lightning Deals, Flipkart's app-only offers, Snapdeal's 9 to 9 offers, and others from time to time. The best offers will be on limited stocks, and for a limited time only. Don't wait till the next day.

• GOSF runs till 12 December, so go easy on those Rs. 299 offers. Don't buy things you'll ultimately throw away, and wait for the last day to grab some decent deals in the Rs. 299 deals corner at GOSF. Keep this section in mind when it comes to those end of the year gifts. Example: Books at Rs. 299 will make great gifts for friends and family.

(Also see: Google India's Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) Kicks Off Wednesday)

Missed the offers on Kindle e-readers during Diwali? Here's another chance. Amazon has discounted all variants of its popular Kindle e-readers. You can grab the Kindle Paperwhite for as low as Rs. 8,999 for the WiFi variant (regular Rs. 10,999), and the cellular variant is available for Rs. 11,999 (regular Rs. 13,999). This is probably the lowest price on the Paperwhite you'll get for the next couple of months since there's no new variant in the market yet, and the Kindle Voyage will be a high-end variant which might be introduced in India next year. The all-new Kindle 6-inch reader is now available for Rs. 4,999 (regular Rs. 5,999). The biggest difference between the regular all-new Kindle and the Kindle Paperwhite is that the latter comes with a backlight while the former doesn't. The display on the Paperwhite is much better, and that explains the higher price point. Both these Kindles have touchscreens.

Link: Amazon

2. Flat Rs. 5,000 Off On Microsoft Xbox One Console
Amazon is now offering a flat discount of Rs. 5,000 on the standalone Xbox One console. The deal includes a free game (FIFA 2015), and a free additional controller along with the console. The Xbox One can now be purchased for Rs. 34,990 (regular Rs. 39,990). That should be enough to save for a game. Microsoft claims that since Xbox One is exclusive to Amazon, it will only offer warranty for the units purchased from Amazon itself. At this price point, the Xbox One makes a great deal if you've been waiting for a decent price to pick one up. Stocks are limited, and the offer is valid only till the GOSF promotion on Amazon, so don't wait. There are also deals on video games for Xbox One that you can pick up during Amazon's GOSF 2014 sale.

Link: Amazon

3. Catch Special Deals At Just Rs. 299
This year, GOSF has a dedicated corner for deals priced at just Rs. 299. This will include shipping and taxes on most online retailers. You can grab plenty of decent computer and laptop accessories, mobile accessories, and other select products using these deals. Almost all major online retailers like Amazon, Snapdeal, and eBay are offering products at just Rs. 299. Most of these will be products which are normally in the price range of Rs. 500-600. So if you were looking for decent mobile cases or keyboards and mice, this is the time. The best way to track these deals is on the GOSF website.

Link: GOSF

4. Apple iPhone 5c, OnePlus One and other smartphones
Amazon is selling the iPhone 5c 8GB for Rs. 22,999 during its GOSF promotion. You can grab an extra Rs. 2,000 off (cashback) using an HDFC Bank card for payment. It brings down the effective price of the iPhone 5c to just Rs. 20,999. Please note that this is the 8GB variant, not recommended for users who want to store a lot of multimedia content on their devices. However, it still makes a great gift option for non-power users like you parents. The HDFC Bank cashback offer is also applicable on OnePlus One, and other smartphones above Rs. 3,500, and except the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Link: iPhone 5c, Details of HDFC Bank's cashback offer

5. EMI Offer on All Apple iPhone Variants
Amazon has an EMI offer on all iPhone variants. To grab the offer you need to make sure you buy from the seller "CloudTail" only, and you can pick any variant of an iPhone. You'll receive an Amazon gift card by the end of February next year. The amount of cashback you get depends on the EMI option you pick. From a minimum value of Rs. 1,000 on a 6-month EMI for the iPhone 4s to as much as Rs. 6,700 on an 18-month EMI for the iPhone 6 Plus 128GB. The cashback you receive should be enough to make up for the interest that you'll end up paying for the EMI offer. That alone makes it a decent offer in case you were waiting on an EMI offer for buying an iPhone this year.

Link: Amazon

6. Apple iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 Discounts
The recently launched Apple iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 are already going up on a discount at Amazon. The iPad Air 2 16GB can be bought for around Rs. 34,099 (regular Rs. 35,900) while the iPad mini 3 is available for Rs. 27,438 (regular Rs. 28,900) on Amazon. These prices will fluctuate during GOSF, and it's likely that they might just go on a Lightning Deal sale during the sale period. Since these are just fresh in the market, it's highly unlikely that the discounts would exceed 5-10 percent, but even that looks great if you're in the market to buy one. All these are genuine Apple India units, with manufacturer warranty.

Link: iPad Mini 3, iPad Air 2

7. Cashback offer on Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
Paytm's GOSF offers on smartphones are its traditional cashback offers where you get a certain amount of cash into your Paytm wallet. The best part about their GOSF promotion is that now they have more variants of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus available. You can get Rs. 6,000 as cashback on an iPhone 6 16GB, and it goes up to Rs. 7,000 for higher-end variants of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The cashback you receive in your Paytm wallet can be used to pay bills or shop for products on Paytm itself. In case you don't see a cashback offer in the cart, try switching sellers while adding the product to your cart.

Coupon code: A6K

Link: Paytm

8. GOSF Deals on Sennheiser Products
Sennheiser is offering 1-year additional warranty over the existing two-year warranty that it offers normally with its products. The only catch is that you have to buy its products from Sennheiser's own online store, and only during GOSF. The company is also giving away a 6,000 mAh power bank for free when customers buy headphones worth Rs. 2,990 or more. The offer is valid on a limited stock of products. Sennheiser claims that the value of the freebie alone is Rs. 3,300.

Link: Sennheiser

9. Flat Rs. 6,000 Off on laptops
Paytm is offering a flat Rs. 6,000 discount on laptops during GOSF. This discount is in the form of a cashback. To avail the discount, please use the coupon LAP6K, and orders are capped at maximum of 1 laptop per user. Before buying a laptop on Paytm, do a simple price check on other major online retailers, and if the price difference makes sense grab the laptop from Paytm. The cashback will be added to your account within 24 hours of placing an order in case you pay online, and within 24 hours of delivery in case you pick cash on delivery as a payment method.

Link: Paytm