Yes, you read that headline correctly. Thanks to QuiBids.com, you can now purchase a printer for less than a buck.* What’s the catch you ask?  The only catch is that in order to score a cheap printer or other severely discounted high ticket item you will need to outlast your fellow bidders, and be the highest bidder when time runs out. Sound simple? The interesting part of Quibids, is that no one really knows when each auction will end. It’s survival of the fittest (or survival of the most caffeinated).

By definition, QuiBids is an online auction where members pre-purchase bid packages and bid on their favorite items. Each bid equals .60¢ and every time an item receives a new bid, the price of that item increases by anywhere from .01¢ and .20¢. Plus a maximum of twenty seconds is added to the auction with every bid (to give time for your fellow bidders to respond).  This is the opposite of eBay where a bidder with an awesome internet connection can swoop in with a few seconds to go and steal the auction. At QuiBids, the auctions really start to get interesting when there is less than a minute to go.  In order to win, bidders really need to commit to the auction in order to outlast the competition. Fortunately you can set automatic bidding to run for a few minutes in case you need to use the restroom or grab an energy drink, as some of these ending auctions can last up to several hours.

Sound fun? Sound addicting? It could be a little bit of both but you won’t know until you try. How much can you save? The site claims up to 90% off retail and we believe it. We’ll run through a quick example to demonstrate the savings.

Let’s say you purchase the middle package on QuiBids and receive 80 bids for $45. Then you begin bidding on the HP Photosmart printer valued on their website for $67.10 (already at a slight discount). Let’s say you get lucky and there isn’t much interest in this product (perhaps an iPad or 50″ flat screen TV auction is simultaneously winding down), and you are able to win with just 15 bids. Well you’ve just spent $9 (60¢ x 15 bids) to win that HP printer. All you need to do is pay for shipping and you’ve saved around 70%, not bad. Let’s say however, that you lose the auction. Well you still have the opportunity to “Buy it Now,” so that you can recoup your bid investment. You just need to pay the difference between your bid amount and the product’s value on QuiBids. Our advice to you, only bid on products that you would justify paying full price for so that you aren’t wasting any money.

Now, I suggest that if QuiBids does sound like your cup of tea, make sure to check out their FAQ & QuiBids 101 section prior to placing your first bid or even purchasing your package. Also stay away from the big ticket items, unless you are prepared to lose and willing to pay for the product at a slight discount or you have a ton of time (at least 12 hours) to commit to the auction. Take advantage of the “watch this item” feature and automated bids, and always do your homework on the product you are bidding on! Our advice is to go after the gift cards, you can quickly and easily win gift cards valued at $100 or even $200 for a few bucks and in fair less time. If you do happen to win the Photosmart printer, remember to come back to The Supplies Guys as we have the lowest prices on HP printer supplies

What do you think? Would you ever try out QuiBids.com?

Google TV wasn’t the only big thing announced at Google’s I/O keynote. In addition to their new web TV, Google presented version 2.2 of their Android OS, codenamed Froyo.  Although there is an existing version of the Android OS, this update is so big because Google is bringing HTML5 and Flash to the plate. With Apple knocking themselves completely off the roster, this could be a huge win for Google.

The absence of Flash on the iPad has been a major complaint since the device’s release in early April. But, Flash isn’t the only thing Froyo has on Apple.

To start, this Android OS will have the ability to run web apps as well as native apps. It will also be much easier to transfer desktop apps directly to the mobile device. Froyo has a “Send-To-Android” feature that enables links, maps, etc to be sent directly to your phone rather than via text or email, completely eliminating the need to launch a relevant application. Google also improved their voice commands to actually search for the number of the business you are searching for.

Another major upgrade to the Android OS is the addition of wireless tethering and hotspot functionality. This allows the user to grab an Internet connection from their Android mobile device right to their laptop. TechCrunch reports that Google is giving wireless carriers the ability to control how much tethering will cost, or if they want to disable the option entirely on certain models.

What seems to be the most impressive part of Froyo’s debut was the live comparison of the updated Android OS against the old version as well as the iPad. You can see it for yourself in the video below. The updated Froyo OS is all the way to the left, moving much faster than the old OS to its right, and the iPad to its far right.

With so many exciting and useful updates that appear especially useful for the businessperson on the go, version 2.2 of the Android OS may win a lot of hearts that it didn’t have before. What do you think? Will Google be able to rise and conquer or will Apple hold its ground?

The ongoing question “What Will Google Do Next” has just been answered… Google TV! Just announced today, 5/20/2010, Google is launching their own “web/tv” application that will run on the popular Android operating system and will stream web content to your television. Google will first introduce this new tv application inside of a “set top box” called a Buddy Box that you will plug directly into your tv. The hardware will have internet access to provide users with TV and web content from various sites including You Tube, Flickr, Pandora. Google has partnered with Sony, Intel, DirectTV and Logitech to create the hardware that will be used to run their application.

The Google TV application/software will soon be available directly on TV’s, Blu Ray players, and the above mentioned  set top boxes that all must have internet access.

If you already have a phone with the android OS on it, then don’t worry about needing a remote control. Google has stated that any android based cell phone can act as the remote control / keyboard that will control the Google TV application.

Google has been in your office at home and work for years, and more recently in your cell phone, and now they are trying to get in your living room…

Will you let them in?

Facebook taking on Google

#1 vs. #2. The Champ versus the #1 Contender. 2010 is gearing up to give us one of the greatest web based battles of all time: Google vs. Facebook! According to Alexa.com traffic rankings (the web information company), Google ranks #1 with Facebook coming in at #2. What does this mean exactly? It means that Google and Facebook are two of the most popular destinations on the web. Although the two have different core goals (Google – to connect users with relevant information / Facebook – to connect users with other users), it was only a matter of time before both sites started to “step on each others toes”.

Google has recently launched “social networking” components within search including adding real time social media content streaming into their search result pages and launching their own social media platform, Google Buzz.

Facebook is fighting back. On Wednesday, April 21, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled “Open Graph” at the annual Facebook conference. Open Graph can be described as a new Facebook platform that will make it easier for users to share their interests with friends on other sites across the internet (outside of Facebook.com). Zuckerberg has stated that Open Graph is “the most transformative thing we’ve ever done for the web.” One of the features of Open Graph include making the Facebook “Like” functionality much more widespread and usable outside of Facebook.com. What does this mean? It means if I am browsing a website or reading an article, I can click my Facebook “Like” button and that website will be included in my expanding list of preferences and shared with all of my Facebook friends. Or if I am on a music site such as Pandora or Slacker Radio, I will be able to view my Facebook Friends favorite artist, songs, and stations… And I will also be able to share my favorites.

During the initial launch of Open Graph, Facebook will be partnering up with 30 different websites including CNN.com, The New York Times, Yelp and the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com).

Facebook has also been rumored to be investing heavily in an email platform with hopes with competing with the like of Google’s Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and MSN / Hotmail.

So, with Facebook continuing to expand its reach outside of Facebook.com and with Google trying to incorporate numerous value added services into its search platform, the question still remains… Who will have the #1 web destination in 2010? Who do you think will prevail?