Technology shoppers have more e-commerce bargain options for holiday...

Technology shoppers have more e-commerce bargain options for holiday shopping this year as manufacturers are using mainstream deal services such as Groupon and Living Social to hawk tech gear. Groupon Tuesday featured a Westinghouse 40-inch 1080p LED-lit LCD TV for $379, 24 percent off the $499 list price, with free shipping, according to an email blast. With more than two days to go, more than 50 had been sold and only one order could be placed per customer, according to the website. The TV, model UW40t2BW, was listed at Amazon for full price, we found. Shoppers were encouraged to check out product return information through a link to FAQs before purchasing, but the return rules were confusing: “Unless otherwise stated in the Shipping Info, you may return almost any item you purchased directly from Groupon Goods within 14 days of receipt. However, books, beauty products (excluding electronics), undergarments, perishable items, any items marked ‘final sale,’ and items that have been worn are non-refundable and may not be returned.” We sent a query to customer support for clarification and were told our question -- whether a TV could be returned if we didn’t like it or it was broken -- would be answered within 24 hours. We drilled down in the goods section on Groupon and found discounts on Coby TVs of up to 63 percent off. With a day and a half left on the deal, Groupon had sold out of more than 1,000 Coby 40-inch LED-lit 1080p models at $299 (down from $800), the website said. Of the remaining 46- and 50-inch LED-lit 1080p TVs, more than 80 46-inch LED-lit models -- at $549, down from $900 -- had been sold and more than 410 of the 50-inch models -- slashed $501 to $599 -- had sold, it said. An unlocked Sharp FX Plus smartphone, on sale for $89 at Buy.com, was promoted at Groupon for $69, for $331 savings, according to the deals website. More than 1,000 had been bought since Groupon first advertised the smartphone Sunday as a featured item, the website said. LivingSocial, meanwhile, showed a device that converts a household item into a loudspeaker using sound vibrations. Trying to bank off the its speaker’s guest role on ABC’s “Shark Tank” TV show, the manufacturer of the OrigAudio Rock 3.0 audio device was selling the product on LivingSocial Tuesday for $19, down from $35. The device connects to a rigid surface -- a cardboard box, cooler, drawers, cups, lamp shades - and turns the surface into a loudspeaker using vibrations from the battery-powered device, which connects to a music source for playback.