stationchief

Time to chime in The $499 Best Buy desktop is model #a6614f. Comes with 'HP 21.6 inch Widescreen LCD Monitor' (#w2216h) and a 'Canon PIXMA Inkjet Printer' (iP1800). HP Pavilion a6614f Desktop PC Pretty decent complete package deal for the buck. PC just needs a non-integraded HD graphics card to become a pretty sweet gaming machine. It's not labeled as a doorbuster but since it's quantities are limited to a minimum of 6 if you're not in line you might miss out.

Neither say they're doorbusters, but odds are both will be ticketed and you'll need to be one of the first few dozen in line to get 'em. More likely the people in front of the line will want the sub-$400 laptop but none of the cheaper laptops or desktops last very long. The $599 one has a minimum of 6 per store and the $299 one has a minimum of 10.

Just a heads up for the folks considering the $449 Pavillion Slimline desktop from Circuit City: In doing my research I managed to find the model number on the $449 desktop from CC (a clearer scan of the Circuit City ad from a non-GD site). The ad clearly states model #S3400F. According to HP, that model number's official specs are nowere near the specs listed in the ad! In fact, the official specs on that model number, as well as the entire S3400 series, are much higher. I searched around and found no mention of this so far. Did someone up in CC's printing depot get the wrong product number? Or did the 'other' BF site get duped with a misprinted ad? Or are folks in for a nice surprise when they get through the line for that PC?

For those interested: I snuck away and pulled another disappearance from the internet these last few months but I managed to squeak out the desktop and laptop comparison charts just in time (again like last year). The laptop charts are coming very soon. Stay tuned.

You forgot to say "PRETTY please ... WITH SUGAR ON TOP!" Well ... since you asked soo nicely ... I pulled another disappearance from the internet these last few months, but I managed to pull off the charts barely in time (again like last year). The GD bosses have been swamped with new ads galore but they have the comparison charts stuff and they'll get it up any day now. Patience.

Just a lil' FYI. Every now and then, enough to make it noticeable, when I try to access the GD main forums I get wierd vBulletin code errors. Is the site getting bombarded already? It's not even BF yet! Or maybe it's just me and my PHP-sensitive eves. Here's the latest error:

Mesa, AZ over here. Those eastern states look pretty crowded! Where are all the western cowfolk?

The 'official' release date for Walmart BF ads is November 24th?! Good thing they cleared that up! Sarcasm aside, that's the price you pay for being famous. Guess they didn't really say anything unexpected, just repeated what was said last year in a more 'official' manner. I agree with pretty much everyone else that they've been real party poopers. But, then again, what have they really had to offer in the last few years? I remember getting a great deal on a great laptop at their pre-BF special a while back. Now, ever since their legal suits have stepped in their BF offers have been pretty bland. Even so, the ads will still get leaked somehow. But I guess if they really don't have much to offer anymore we really won't be interested in seeing their ads early, anyways.

A classic every year before BF. Love to watch it over and over.

Stand up and take notice ... Name's Frank. Most folks online call me the Station Chief. It's a Star Trek thing (deep space STATION's CHIEF of operations) and am NOT a fireman. Some folks get a lil' confused about that. I've been married to my wife Denise (non-GD member) for 12 years now and going. No children (yet ) and no pets. Am a veteran of the GD community for about 3-4 years now and am a black friday veteran for the same. You might get to know me as one of the group of computer teckie nerds on the boards here. One of my main duties around black friday, and any other time, is to put together material and advice to help folks with their computers, and am responsible for the last few years for the GD desktop/laptop BF Comparison Charts. Coming soon to a thread near you! I'm attempting to finish up my college bachelors degree in Software Engineering (hopefully soon to be transferring to ASU) while my job as a delivery driver for Domino's Pizza and the wife's job at Walmart pays the bills. It's not what I consider to be a career, but it's one of the few jobs I've ever had that I truly enjoy. And the tips help out immensely. It'll do until I find an entry-level position in the programming industry. Whew! That's the most I've posted about myself in a long time. Think I'm starting to learn how to vent! Anyways, this BF I"m looking forward to buying a new laptop, as I sold the one I bought several BF's ago (the HP ZE2308WM), and am planning on building my dream desktop. See y'all in the forums!

Hey ... even legal publicity is good publicity. The more businesses that send legal threat letters and put Gottadeal on the evening news the merrier.

I'm hoping there's gonna be less. More on the part of Walmart, but less far as other corporations. I think they might realize the benefits over the security issues of having their ad 'leaked' early. So, has anyone from Ace Hardware contacted Gottadeal regarding their ad released four months too early? Talk about planning ahead!

The bad publicity it got as a result of it's actions, and the fact that last year they really didn't have anything spectacular like previous years. It was like they lost interest in the customers and concentrated more on the lawyers. I also remember someone around here giving out a Walmart exec's home phone number to we could all make threatening calls to his family. Wonder if history will repeat itself this year.

I forget ... has BB used the ticket system every single BF or is it off and on?

If you check the main discussion forum you'll see that some of us were thinking about BF since the beginning of the year. Sheesh! Some of us have already started christmas shopping. Too early? It's NEVER too early! Bring it on! http://www.eshock.es/forum/style_emoticons/default/diablotin.gif

Brad's BF sense was tingling just at the right time. He just barely made it before the first one hit! Black friday, here we come!

The easiest way to post a pic in the forum is to copy the link to the image, hit the 'Insert Image' button you see in the message toolbox, and paste the link in the box that opens up. Looks like you hit the button twice or something. BTW, candlesbytammy1, your puppy is half naked!

Sweet! Gottadeal needs all this publicity! (Especially when it's gettin' close to BF!) Jennifer Stover of Greensboro, NC ... that name ring a bell with any of the veteran GD'ers around here? Just curious if it's one of our regulars.

Seems surprising how in about a minute they'd be sold out. Perhaps they had a pre-sale or something. But I know what'cha mean. There's scalping software out there that lets you get around that word image thing, among other ways to snatch hundreds of tickets in a very short amount of time. Seems incredibly unfair to us little people who just want a single ticket to one show.

Thought I'd continue this discussion as the previous one was closed. My in-law got the magic jack as a replacement for a main home phone. Came in the mail just fine and hasn't had any problems with it since. She's been using it since and loves it. Sorry to hear about all the horror stories about it, but far as the product itself it's pretty decent and does save you a fortune in costs.

Did anyone drive by to see what things were like at this store? Would like to hear some stories that'd rival a stampede at BF.

Has anyone tried this? How long does it take for them to get you the gift cards? I got several P4 desktops that I could trade in.

I'm easy. Just use me and leave me. Seriously, I do value folk's opinions about my work. I need it to improve on myself.

Did you try clicking on the 'Price' header? That'll sort it by price, as will clicking on any other category (processor speed to find the fastest, finding the one with more memory, etc). Didn't have time to write out an instruction manual for the thing. Far as categories, that's a good idea long as there's some guidelines to follow. Llke, just as an example, 1 GB or less memory or lower-end graphics chip PCs being for 'layman', and 2 GB or more memory + dual-core processor + dedicated graphics card for 'diehard gamer'. Thanx for the input. I need it to improve on myself.

I'm back, folks! Had turkey in Idaho over the weekend. So, it's comment time. Was the format and design of the new charts helpful and appealing? Whadday'all think of it?