H_Hancock

I see the "that's not the real ad" conspiracy comments made every year, and still have yet to see one single instance that these ad scans turn out to be any different than the ones that arrive in the Thanksgiving Day newspapers. Not once, and this is over many, many years of getting ad scans.....well before this or other BF ad sites cropped up. (Those were the days.....running around all over the 'net, following rumors, trying to find the scans before they disappeared......not like today.)

It's a laptop so has only two memory slots. The memory is arranged as a 2GB and a 1GB, so your suggestion is pointless. A memory upgrade is almost useless with that laptop.....upgrading from 3GB to 4GB would give no worthwhile benefit at all.

I agree with Brad. We live in a small town and while we've been camping out at various stores for decades, the way we've been doing BF has changed over the last couple of years. First, the deals just haven't been compelling enough to sit for up to a day or longer at BB or wherever. Last year, Amazon was our first choice for BF shopping. By 4AM, we'd bought almost everything we'd been planning on, and with Prime, almost all of it was delivered on Saturday. The, we leisurely went out to the baby mall that's in our town. Shopped the JCP and Belk's there much more awake, had no urgency to scoop the doorbusters because we'd been sitting outside for hours on end.....instead, walked, looked, bought as wanted. Much easier time and less stress in the end.

Since the early 1980's, but the last few years, the "deals" have become anything but a deal and not worth sitting in line for a day. Guess just a sign of the economy. The last two years, have been much more an online BF'er, esp. with Amazon and Newegg. We have Amazon Prime so we buy on BF, overnight ship for $3.99 and have it Saturday. Gotta love Prime! But we did venture out last year and hit a few stores, notably JCP. Got some tremendous savings there last year on necessaries we'd been putting off.....coats, etc.

Did quite a bit online last year, mostly from Amazon and some from Newegg. Saved a bunch of time, effort, and money, and all our orders went through and arrived the next day. Prime membership does help.

That 255 is a nice priced unit, too bad it's not the wide screen one, though. After having lived with the "standard" width screen GPS from Garmin for 2 years, the wide screen is really the only way to go. Just makes it so much easier to view your surroundings, roads, etc., esp. if you zoom in while in city driving, etc.

On the page linked above, it says minimum of 5 per store, so there'll be at least 5. Some stores, esp. larger ones, will probably have more, but some will have only 5. To assume anything else is pure guesswork.

Wow! That is quite an assumption you have there! In reality, I own a computer shop and have been building, repairing, networking businesses, etc., for well more than a decade. I entered the computer repair/sales/etc. scene back in '93, when I had to retire from my original line of work as an RN---ICU, ER---stress from the job made my Chron's disease worse and I had to quit. So, I followed my interest in computers, began building my own back in the early '90's, worked in a small shop, got a lot of OJT, followed that with some formal education, opened my own business about 12 years ago and have been nicely successful with it. Granted, I'm located in a very small town, but I do well. From my experience, most failures of computers are more software related and are typically self-inflicted by the user. Hardware failures, while they do occur, can be mitigated by choosing quality components, but that doesn't always stop that----got burned quite badly years ago by the IBM Deathstar hard drive debacle. But I see as many Compaqs, HPs, Dells as I see emachines fail from poor hardware....about a wash actually. So, your poor and misguided assumption that only you have experience with pc's and no one else can possibly know anything is severely misguided. (My first computer build was with an Intel 8088 cpu.....turbo for a big 12MHz speed!) Sometimes when you ASSume something, it comes back to bite you in your glutes.

Seems there is another laptop to throw into the mix......from BB of all places. Looks like they'll have an HP laptop, set up like the $249 Acer from last week, for $197 on BF. BB's doorbusters 2009, including a $197 HP laptop.

It does appear there could indeed be a secret sale item or two from BB this year.....like an HP laptop for $197. Doorbuster 2009 items, including an HP laptop for $197.

As was mentioned above, you are incorrect. Skip back to "Page 3" and look in the upper right corner, you'll see the 1TB external hd pictured. The description is what you're reading on "Page 5" of the scanned ad....and that disconnect between the picture and the description is just a function of who scanned the ad. Both are external drives. I don't think I've ever seen an internal hard drive on the shelves at Target. True, a couple of internals are listed on Target's website, but neither are available in store.

The major differences between the 265WT and 1350T are: 1350T has lane assist, the 265WT doesn't. 265WT has Bluetooth capability, the 1350T doesn't. The 1350 is the newer style of Garmin GPS; the 265 is the older style which is a little thicker (0.4cm or 0.2" thicker) and slightly heavier (11g or 0.4oz) than the newer 1xxx series of Garmin GPSs.

As someone who has done BB for years, but not going there this year, getting there 2 hours before the doors open will assure you that you'll spend most of the day at BB as you'll be around the 300th person in line, if not worse. To be in the first 10 in line, you'll have to be there by noon Thursday at the latest. By 6PM on Thursday, without fail, the line is well over 50 if not worse.

Completely agree....and more incomprehensible is the fact that most of the TomTom units don't even have a slot for using a memory card, which would have alleviated some of the problems I've read about. I, too, am looking for a new GPS to replace an aging Garmin....its power plug is getting very loose, unfortunately....and while the TomTom at Target is intriguing, I honestly think it's more worth the few extra $$ to buy a comparable Garmin.

A lot of the bad feedback seems to come from the new TomTom's having an absurdly small amount of free memory in the unit which causes it to lock up and render it nonfunctional when updating the maps if you don't prep the unit beforehand.....like unloading all the extra voices, etc. (There's not enough free memory in the unit as it is shipped to allow updating the maps.....so it essentially overloads the unit, locking it up, never to work again unless you ship it back to TomTom.) Seems to me TomTom didn't put enough thought into their new units before releasing them to the market.

About the absolute truth. Here's a little more info to help you decide. The notion that the bikes at Walmart, Kmart, etc., are 24" or 26" is misguided. When you talk of those measurements, you're simply referring to the wheel size, which is irrelevant to the size of the frame. The frame size is what really makes the bike its true size. For example, the big box stores only sell one size of bike, typically a medium or around a 17" frame. While it's suitable for the "average" buyer, riders at the extremes of size---below 5' 8" or above 5' 10"---will find the bike to either feel too long/big or too short/small/cramped. If you really want to see what "real" bikes look like, feel like, and ride, go to your local bike shop and look at their selection. In each model, you'll find a range of sizes, typically from around 13"/15" all the way to 19" or a little larger, staggered in 1-2" increments. All of them, though, will have 26" wheels, if referring to mountain bike style bicycles. So, what's the difference? The difference is two fold. The seat tube, the tube that runs from where the pedals are to where the seat is, will get longer/taller as the bike gets larger. Second, the top tube, the tube that runs from the seat to the head tube where the handlebars connect to the bike, will also get longer as you move up in bike sizes. This only makes sense, though, because someone 5' 5" will not have the same torso length or leg length as someone 5 10". But the big box stores would have you believe that one size fits all....and they don't. After all, do shoes come in a one-size-fits-all size? Of course not and neither do properly fitting bicycles. Now, Then you move to construction quality. Bicycle shop bikes are typically built with higher quality materials....cromoly steel instead of mild steel frames, or better quality aluminum vs. the generic grade of aluminum in the "upper" end big box store bikes. The shifters will be better quality, the pedals will use the standard 5/16" spindle instead of the "toy" 1/2" spindle, the seat post, handlebar and stem (the part that holds the handlebar) will usually be aluminum instead of the mild steel parts found in big box junkers. The wheels will use aluminum rims instead of steel....and this makes such a big difference in stopping power it's not funny. The steel rims found on the cheapie big box bikes are flimsy, heavy, and if even get damp, act like ice against the brake pads instead of a surface for stopping the bike. Add to that that the brakes themselves will be better made with better pad material, and the big box toy bikes cannot compete in quality, durability, or safety to bike shop bikes. The assembly will be professionally done instead of being bolted together as quickly as possible with air tools like WM, KM, etc. do. Do yourself a favor. If you can ever find a big box store that'll let you test ride a bike, and they won't btw, ride it. Then go to a bike shop and ask to be fit to a bike. Test ride that properly fit bike......the difference in fit, assembly finish, frame quality, part quality, etc., will instantly be obvious and you'll not return to WM, KM, or wherever for the toy they try to sell as a bike.

With Garmin GPS's, the 1000 series is their current/new line, the three digit ones (i.e., 200/700/800 series) is their one gen older line and will slowly be phased out. Here's a link to the complete Garmin automotive line of GPS's where you can browse their specific features and compare units.

Here is Target's official price match/price adjustment policy: Target's Corporate Price Match/Adjustment Policy. What is most pertinent is this section: (I bolded the truly pertinent sentence below) Other price matching exclusions include: * Online retail promotions or products advertised on another company's web or mobile sites, even those advertising in-store prices. * Competitor's free product, bundled offers, or special purchases * Gift cards and coupon-required offers * Sales tax promotions * Timed events (e.g., early bird, doorbusters) * Limited time or quantity items * Damaged product or opened packaging * Clearance or closeout items * Prices advertised only as a percent off or $ off * Mail in offers or instant rebates * Product services (warranties, assembly, etc.) * Going-out-of-business liquidations * Special financing * Used or previously owned items * Display merchandise * Pricing or typographical errors * Club or loyalty programs * Owned brands (i.e., Home, Merona, Circo, Market Pantry and Archer Farms) * Mobile coupons * Target Portrait Studio, Optical, and Clinic offers

ASUS best, HP worst for notebook reliability Link to article quoted above. Interesting read.

Sorry, I made no point for you. I was rebutting you and was pointing out that you were wholly incorrect in this comment of yours: Looking back five years, there were great specials....and none of the listed computer packages were secret sales. And no, I'm not saying Celeron processors are the "bee's knees" by any means, but on the other hand, they certainly aren't crap. Essentially, Celeron processors are simply the current generation processor that has a reduced amount of cache within the cpu. Back in '04, they were P4 cpus with reduced cache and lower bus speeds. Today, the Celeron processors are Allendale/Wolfdale based cpus (the two Core variants) with, again, reduced cache amounts and single cores, which accounts for their apparent lack of multitasking ability....that and the lower bus speed they run. But the amount of cache doesn't make them junk or crap. It just means they're focused on the budget end of computing and aimed at those that have a need for basic computing....much like the netbooks are. As for emachines being horrible, I disagree completely. I personally purchased one of the above mentioned desktop units each year for gifts to family members and every one is still chugging along. You have to remember, by '04, Gateway owned emachines---just like HP owns Compaq---and the quality and reliability had vastly improved to the point that the emachine computers were the equal, at least in durability and build quality, of the then current other budget builds from Gateway, Dell, HP, Compaq, etc. Those emachines in '04 and later in no way resembled the junk emachines from the original Korean manufacturer, in no way other than name. As for the "gotta love CRT" comment, yes, I still have a 20" Sony Trinitron CRT monitor I refuse to part with, despite having 4 LCD monitors in the house. The colors are still rich, vibrant, has deeper and truer blacks than the LCDs, and suffers from no input lag like LCDs do. True, some IPS/MVA/PVA LCDs may rival the older CRTs with screen viewing color quality, those LCDs tend to be horribly expensive and still have a smaller viewing angle than CRTs. I'm glad you have "all the toys" you need, but to essentially belittle others that look to Black Friday for providing affordable computers at great prices as being spoiled and not truly needing anything is just condescending. I do feel sorry for you and your dour outlook on the world and the people here and around you. Must be a sour, dark world you live in.

Sorry, not buying your explanation or reasoning. Why? Outside of last year, which was a bad year all around for all the stores, previous years, besides the "secret" sales at BB, et al, there were tremendous bargains. Consider BB and desktops: (All listed below were front page doorbusters...not secret sales) '07........eMachines Celeron Desktop w/ 17" LCD & All-in-One Printer - $199.97 '06........eMachines Desktop Celeron-D Deskop with 15" LCD - $189.97 '05........eMachines Celeron Desktop w/ 17" Monitor - $149.99 (Last year for a CRT monitor) '04........eMachines PC (Celeron 2.66GHz, 17" CRT, 512MB, 80GB, DVD/CD-RW) - $199.98 AR (Last year BB had rebates with doorbusters) Circuit City and CompUSA had similar sales, but involving rebates, on similarly spec'd systems. The desktop systems, used as an example, are some of what used to drive people to stand in line for hours upon hours, waiting for the sale. This type of sale this year, just as last year, seems lacking at any store....again. If anything, assembling a cut rate desktop is cheaper than ever.....dual core processors are at rock bottom prices, and that's consumer street prices. Hard drive prices have similarly dropped by large amounts. And when you consider the OEM's are paying a fraction of what we pay for each and every part, including the OS (MS's standard volume price for OEM's for OS's is $25/license in bulk), then it'd be horribly simple to piece together a dual core, 2GB RAM, 250GB hd, DVD-RW system for less than $200. (I see Fry's selling a cpu/motherboard combo for $60 or less every week....and remember, that's the consumer price, not what the OEM/manufacturer pays for it.) And while it's true LCD TV's are at a really good price this year, again, remember LCD's have been steadily dropping in price each and every year, so much so that the sale prices in some cases have already been seen earlier this year.....as with the BB Dynex 32" for instance. And while it's true that some of the large 40"+ screen LCD TV's have some huge markdowns, those TV's are not what create the lines.....it's the low end, super low prices that everyone can afford, not the $999 after markdown TV's that a few can afford, esp. in today's economy. In all, this year and last year have been disappointing in the pricing. I personally think it was a mistake of BB to release the $249 laptop early.....should have saved it and splashed it front page on their BF ad as a doorbuster for $229...it would really have drawn in crowds. Desktop compters, laptops, almost everything electronic-based has dropped in price every year, but this year the crop of sales is lacking. It almost seems the "everyday" price at some stores is almost better than what BB is doing for a sale.....I look at MicroCenter and their $299 Acer laptop, which is their routine price for it.

The part number is probably a special part number and sku specifically done for BF, which is why you can't find any info on the laptop yet. But, given its part number, VGN-NW235, it's based on the Vaio NW line, just downgraded to a dual core Pentium processor from the "normal" C2D processor the NW line usually has.

You do understand that the computer you're referring to is a netbook and NOT a laptop. Big difference in speed, size, etc.

While buying from Dell is easy, how much will shipping be for the Garmin? Can't be that much, can it? I only ask because Staples has the same gps unit for $10 cheaper.

I wouldn't get too fixated on trying to stay with XP. The machines in our house are all on Win 7 now. One is fast no matter what's run on it....i7 920 @ 4GHz, X58 chipset motherboard, 6GB RAM, etc., etc.....and was fast with Vista Ultimate and is even quicker with Win 7 Ultimate, bot 64-bit OS's. But the other is a more ordinary box....C2D E8200, Gigabyte 965 chipset mb, 4GB RAM, 3870 video card, 500GB hd......and the move to Win 7 made the machine much more responsive than it was while operating on XP Pro. This machine dual boots XP and Win 7, and the responsiveness when running Win 7 has made my wife (it's her machine) completely give up the XP installation. I did the install purposely with a dual boot option because I didn't know which she'd want to keep, XP or 7, and the XP is now history. So, don't irrationally dismiss Win 7 just because a few still cling to the creaking old XP. Instead, go to a store and play with a computer with it installed, or better yet, find a friend with it installed and use his/her computer for a bit. You may be surprised that Win 7 isn't quite the devil as some portray.