len_mullen

Let's hope the best deals are ahead. I'd like to steal a really nice 60" tv set for my pool room. Since BF, I have a couple small purchases. Yesterday I wooted three new Roku 2 XS streamers @ $60 each. They threw in an extra controller as well. Very nice deal -- don't really want to gift a refurb. I also grabbed three Simple DVRs @ $90 each. I am really falling in love with these. Last night I grabbed a Philips OTA DVR (Model: HDR5750/F7). This wasn't a great deal and it is not what I wanted, so it may go back. I really want a couple K77s, but it doesn't look like Santa is going to get any this year.

http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu300/24hrdejavu/psychedelic_trip_spin-animated.gif Brad, I think they call this spin. The media is simply reprinting press releases from those who want to create an illusion that stuff is selling well and consumers had better get busy before everything is gone. My email says there is lots still available for me to choose from and I will get BF prices until they fall further. It's going to be a disappointing season for retailers. Lower margins and excess inventory will impact their bottom lines. Yeah for consumers! I'm not sure this is an entirely economic issue. I know a lot of people who ventured out. They came home with the most steeply discounted bargains -- and nothing else. I usually swing through Staples to stock up on consumables, but I don't need anything. Most of my Christmas shopping was done last month. I'm shopping for a deal on an 8.9" Fire HDX and a 5" or 7" GPS. I'd take a 60"+ LED for my pool room, but it can wait -- until prices drop even more. I propose we continue with Black December deals and discussions. Open fresh topics and compile lists of BTBF (better than Black Friday) deals.

I didn't go out at all this year. I didn't purchase anything online either. We drove past Wal-Mart on our way home Thursday and I was awake Friday at 3:00 am, but it was cold and the deals were only warm -- or at least there were no great deals on stuff I wanted. Considering the emails I am still receiving and what I read in the news, better deals are in our future. I really liked that the merchants have embraced the BF season. It was nice to see so many ads so early. It made planning easier. Even though I did not ultimately execute on my plan, I had one and I had a list. I like what Wal-mart did with the door buster guarantees. I know a lot of people who got everything they wanted at Wal-mart. Finally, as always, I was very happy to participate in these forums. Thanks to everyone for good company and lots of great information.

With Best Buy, you can often call and get an adjustment. I bought a pair of 32" Vizio TVs one year. Best Buy offered a much lower price on a Dynex 32" set, so I bought two of those. I set both up in a room, tweaked the controls, and asked my wife to pick. She preferred the Dynex. Best Buy had the sets on sale for a lower price twice before Christmas and I simply called for an adjustment. For smaller margins, you have to decide if the refund is worth the effort.

I stopped buying DVDs when the LoC decreed that ripping them was no longer Fair Use.

No pictures?

I'm not surprised. First, the deals are not that amazing compared to last week or the week before. Second, a lot of the deals are available online. Third, a lot of people believe there will be better deals after BF. That said, I went to Massachusetts for dinner today. New Hampshire stores were open today while Massachusetts stores were closed. The traffic coming in to New Hampshire was bumper to bumper. So, someone is shopping.

1. Spike the eggnog 2. Eat the cookies 3. Drink the eggnog (you need the eggnog to wash the cookies down) 4. Assemble everything 5. More cookies 6. More eggnog 7. Pretend to go to sleep

I prefer plasma, but that is a fun TV and Samsung LEDs look great. Like their smart apps too.

First things first NYShopper! Do you have room for a 16' trampoline? If the answer is yes, then, yes, size does matter. And Bigger is Better. Bigger is more fun, can accommodate more and bigger kids, and leaves more room for error.

me too

http://www.sears.com/panasonic-50inch-class-smart-viera-reg-s60-series-1080p/p-05771531000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1&sid=I0084400010000100675&aff=Y&PID=361116&AID=11042411 Panasonic 50'' Class 1080p 600Hz Plasma Smart HDTV $599.99

oh, yes!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Samsung-PN51F4500-51-720p-600Hz-Class-Plasma-HDTV/23347324 F A B U L O U S Samsung PN51F4500 51" 720p 600Hz Class Plasma HDTV $427.00 SHIPPED

'cause Comcast and Verizon don't do that. Seriously, clicks are not private -- not even on a TV. Read the Roku policy on privacy ... they collect PII on children unknowingly (they do not ask your age) and will make 'reasonable' efforts to remedy this. If you want privacy, get an antenna.

Looks like that cost some $ to craft and distribute. I can't imagine a single entity that will benefit. Oh, well, more good jobs, I guess.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Misc/Deal-of-the-Day/pcmcat248000050016.c?id=pcmcat248000050016 Nabi 2 Tablet with 8GB Memory Android OS 7" tablet features a kid-friendly interface, a drop-safe bumper, and full parental controls. Best Buy Deal of the Day: In store and online. Limited quantities. $129.99 Regular Price: $179.99 You Save: $50 (28%) FREE SHIPPING

You guys like my anecdotes, right? I few years back, we packed up the popup and headed out on the Hall of Fame Tour. We caught a reenactment of Picket's Charge in Gettysburg, spent my kid's birthday in Hershey Park (Billy Joel was playing in the adjacent stadium and they pumped the concert into the park), visited Amish country, checked out the Air Force Museum/Hall of Fame in Dayton, Stopped in to Canton, rested at Niagara Falls, and finished up in Cooperstown. When I am in an unfamiliar place, I ask a native to point me to a meal that will bring me back. To that end, I spent a morning in an Amish market asking for some Simple Food. To my surprise, there were no Amish in the market. I finally found a woman who pointed us to a great Amish restaurant. After dinner we caught a buggy tour. Our guide had a cell phone. We saw Simple People using gas trimmers and other amenities. It was more funny than disappointing. I think about that day whenever I see Amish heaters for sale somewhere.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Misc/Deal-of-the-Day/pcmcat248000050016.c?id=pcmcat248000050016 Deal of the Day TODAY. $99 32" LED with DVD shipped free.

Have your hubby make a list of all the things he plans to use his Surface for and what apps he wants to use to do them. See if these apps are available for the RT. If so, get that. If some are not, bring the list of apps which are unavailable for the RT back to him and ask him if he can live without them or if there are RT alternatives he could live with. Once you complete this process, you will be ready to make a purchasing decision.

Done! Maybe everyone should update their avatar with a shirt shot? New contest? First person with a 2014 shirt in their avatar gets a free shirt?

http://thebeersoncomcast.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/gd10tee.jpg?w=320

Upconvert is when a devices 'enchances' standard definition content so that it looks better on a high definition set. Not only do you want a player that does this, but you want one that does it well. Except for remote compatibility and interdevice communication (your tv powers on and changes to the BD input when you power up your BD player, for instance), you probably should care more about features than brand.

I agree, I guess. I have never purchased a television on BF. My 50" Samsung Plasma was a deal from September. That said, if the set you want happens to be on sale on BF, there is no reason not to. I disagree with the winter clothes recommendation. Kohls is a great place to buy clothes, they discount clothes on BF, and they give Kohls Cash 15/50, so lots of good deals.

I have to disagree with this. First, it's been Apple not Amazon that has been in court for trying to establish a price fixing scheme on ebooks. If Amazon is influential in this arena, it is because they are extremely consumer friendly. Between free books, the Prime lending library, their cloud storage system, and the wide availability of their kindle reading app, Amazon has made it very easy for users to legally accumulate vast libraries of books and apps. I downloaded two complete sets of school texts this year -- very nice if you are a home schooler. The alleged restrictions are silly. First, the Amazon Android AppStore is huge. The apps that are in that store are said to be tested with and approved for Kindle Fires. There is a setting to allow installation of other software. You can do this by running an APK on the device or rooting the kindle (creating a SU account) and installing some alternative store. This approach makes the Kindle Fire very safe for the less technical, but very open for hobbyists. I know of cases where Amazon has replaced a Fire that was bricked by a user installing an alternative ROM. Of course, all of this culminates in the arrival of live online support. You can also install the Amazon AppStore on other devices and register other devices with Amazon so you can use apps purchased for your Fire on another platform. Jeff Bezos loves us all... I have 2553 books and 1087 apps in my account. You know how you choose among the magazines when you are waiting for a dentist or auto mechanic? I thumb through the amazon freebies just like that. When I am in the dentists's office or waiting for one of my kids to get out of school, I pull out my Kindle and find something to entertain me. I'm going to my mother's house Saturday to install a wireless router. I used the FREE send to kindle app to copy the router's installation guide and user manual to my Fire. I'll use the FREE Amped Wireless Wi-Fi Analytics Tool to make sure I have the router installed in the best location and set to the best channel. For most people, the Amazon AppStore has a sufficient collection of apps and games. For everyone else, it's trivial to side load apps and even install other stores. There are certainly reasons to choose a competing device, but lack of access to apps is not one of them. PS I've also sent all the BF pdfs to my first gen Kindle Fire which will be in the back pocket of my 501s as I assail the stores next Friday.