len_mullen

So, HDMI is a digital connection for any modern device. It can do up to 1080p. Component has each color on a separate wire plus audio right and left. Analog for up to 720p. Composite puts all colors on the same wire and is not HD. Neither is your WII, so you can connect that to a composite connection. XBOX and FIOS should connect HDMI or Component. How many should you get? you could get away with one of each per your post, but look for two or mode HDMI, two or more component. If you have older DVD/VCR/video game, get enough composite connections to serve them until you can upgrade.

BD 570 for $120: http://www.electronicexpress.com/product?prod_id=16692

search amazon.com for 'epson workforce wireless all in one' for descriptions and reviews of epson wireless inkjet printers. lots of steep markdowns. The 610 and 630 are worth a look.

looking for a reliable, small point and shoot and found the can sd1300 from amazon for $109 shipped with a 4g sd card included. add the camera and the card to your cart, enter the code UYFBFR9Z for free card and $20 off -- shipping is free.

I'm seeing $127 again.

I may have been wrong about the Toshiba laptop getting 10% back. I went to buy a blu-ray player from best buy this morning and shopdiscover still shows 5%. In years past, they bumped to 10% when shopdiscover doubled cashback for the holidays, but maybe not this year. This is what is listed, FYI... Dell 10% Cashback Bonus HSN 10% Cashback Bonus Kohl's 10% Cashback Bonus Microsoft Store 10% Cashback Bonus Sears 10% Cashback Bonus Apple Store 5% Cashback Bonus Free shipping on all orders over $50! Best Buy 5% Cashback Bonus Circuit City 5% Cashback Bonus CompUSA 5% Cashback Bonus Crutchfield.com 5% Cashback Bonus HP Home 5% Cashback Bonus iTunes 5% Cashback Bonus Lenovo 5% Cashback Bonus Office Depot 5% Cashback Bonus OfficeMax 5% Cashback Bonus Free shipping on orders of $50 or more Sony Style 5% Cashback Bonus Staples 5% Cashback Bonus Free shipping on most orders over $50 Target 5% Cashback Bonus Walmart 5% Cashback Bonus

walgreens kind of surprised me

right. to me, 5400 rpm says runs cooler.

Right, it depends on the Celeron chip. I think our thinking is starting to converge ;-) For my baseline, I use a desktop that we bought for the kids to play Sims, Halo, Quake III,etc. Not the most demanding games, but still a good benchmark. These guys WEI'd at 5 and had no problems with the games. I matched the GPU (8600gt) to the rest of the system. Absent the GPU upgrade, the Pavillions WEI'd at 3 -- which was fine until we started playing games. My 5516 WEI'd at 3 -- mostly due to graphics -- and played Sims but struggled with the other games. It's a cheap laptop my wife takes to dialysis. Great for email, the internet, Office, and the card games she plays. It plays DVDs and other videos too and streams Netflix fine. I have edited and encoded video on this computer. It works fine. It's not fast, but there are no sync problems. The 1410 WEI'd at 3 as well due to graphics and CPU. But this kid has a desktop and uses the 1410 for Office, email, and web. The AS5741 WEI'd over 5 except for desktop graphics and is a very decent game machine. My little guy has surrendered his desktop because this laptop does everything at least as well. As I said, perfect for their applications. The reason I point people to the WEI is that it is a benchmark that is on all modern computers. You can look at it on computers in stores. The details are more helpful on a desktop you can upgrade than a laptop where you have to live with the bottleneck. I agree that people should touch the computers before BF. There are still a few days to touch all the computers, check their WEI, and decide whether 3 or 5 is sufficient. A close up visit will also help filter touchpad and screen options. I didn't want to threadcrap, but people get caught up in the marketing and end up disappointed. Purchasing a computer -- especially a laptop -- takes a little thought. If people want some help picking a winner, it's best to post a note describing what the computer will be used for, how big a screen is needed, what the financial constraints are, and how important battery life is. Post that much and I can help you buy a laptop you'll love.

I have two wireless printers in my house. Our day-to-day printer is an hp cp2025dn color, full duplex laser. This is a terrific color laser that can be had for cheap at staples. It's always on sale and usually qualifies for the $50 trade in. If you can get it via shopdiscover or using staples gift cards from discover card you can save another 10-20%. I ended up paying $53 for mine. dn is for duplex. You can get less expensive via third parties on eBay and from meritline.com. My inkjet is an HP6480. We only print from this in an emergency (waiting for a deal on toner), but it is an all-in-one that we use almost everyday for scanning. Also cheap with trade in ($65 for me). So that's my bias and the cp1215 is on sale at staples and office depot for $150. OD also has the 6500 AIO for $100. Staples has the 6500 for $80. Neither of these is wireless and I don't think I'd wait in line for either deal.

Not true. Celeron is a marketing device not a measuring tool. More apt comparison is ford to mercury. Modern celerons are very capable. Research/compare the individual chips and computers. Vista/Win7 have a Windows Experience Index (WEI) that you can use to compare computers as you prowl the stores. Also misleading. i3, i5, and i7 are marking classifications comparable to good, better, best. Since we are already in the second generation of the i-era, this can get very confusing. If you want to know a little about all this, read this and this. The major distinction between i3 and i5 is called turboboost and what it does is dynamically manage the speed of the CPU. So you use less energy when you are surfing than when you are gaming which is good for battery life. Right now, core duos are considered last gen and you can get a leftover cadillac for cheap. Check the WEI. True on the GPU/chipset, but WEI simplifies the benchmark as desktop/gaming numbers. Best advice is to research the requirements of the games/programs that will be run. Of all the characteristics of a computer, brand reliability is the least useful. For instance, I have had my Acer AS5741-6073 repaired twice. The hard drive failed and a key on the keyboard failed. Assuming these were not isolated incidents, not all Acers use this particular disk drive and keyboard and many other laptops use the same disk and keyboard. Unless you are buying a Toshiba Toughbook, a laptop is kind of a frail device and should be carefully cared for. I stay away from units with loud fans or strong air coming out the vent because it's dusty in my house and when these things become obstructed, they overheat. I DO like cheap laptops. When they fail or become obsolete, you are out less money. Avid gamers are better off with a desktop so they can upgrade the video card every couple years. Get as little laptop as you need. Every ounce of performance steals from portability. In my house, an i5, a celeron, and a single core athlon all power perfect (for their application) laptops.

My first laptop was an IBM 600e. I had a few of these for many years and repaired and upgraded myself. We installed Margi mpeg accelerators and DVD players and got many wonderful years of service. We only moved on when flash and other modern technologies overwhelmed the little laptop that could. We have passed these laptops on and they are still in use. My first modern laptop was an acer 5516 (specs). It cost me $240 a year and a half ago. I only got to use it for a couple weeks before my oldest borrowed it. My wife has been using it for a year and loves it. It takes a beating too as she is not gentle and has no respect for magic. My oldest decided this was a pretty lame computer. It was too big and the batteries did not last very long (I think three hours is pretty good). We shopped for months before buying him an Acer as1410 (specs). I had some serious doubts about this laptop and paid full freight ($400) for it, but I have to admit that it is a compelling package. Six hours on a charge, flash and dvd playback, and enough cpu and disk to do school work in an 11.5" form is very useful. He has been using this laptop for nearly a year and still loves it. I got his little brother an Acer AS5741-6073 (specs) for about the same price. This is an i5. It is amazing as both a portable computer and a desktop replacement. The i5 runs faster when plugged in. He uses this as a portable desktop and is very happy. The disk failed within two months and acer sent me a new one. A key came loose a few months later and I had to send it out for repair ($22 shipping). Despite this, I would HIGHLY recommend this computer. I could see me buying a service contract, however, going forward. All of these computers are made by Acer (which owns eMachines and Gateway). Acer is hands down the value leader in computers at this time. Looking at the BF ads, I see a few Acers... OfficeMax Acer Aspire 15.6" Core i3 Laptop w/ 4GB, 320GB $529.99 OfficeMax Acer Aspire 15.6" Core i5 Laptop w/ 4GB, 500GB $499.99 Radio Shack Acer Aspire One 10.1'' Netbook w/ 1GB, 160GB $179.99 Walmart Acer Aspire 17.3" Dual-Core Laptop w/ 4GB, 320GB (Online) $498.00 I love the i5 at OfficeMax and I like the 17" Aspire at Walmart, but I wouldn't stand in line for either. If you have a Discover card, rewards are doubled until the end of the year (10% for Staples, Walmart, and Best Buy) and you will undoubtedly be able to match these prices before Christmas. If you are planning on buying a laptop, I recommend you visit a Staples or a Best Buy to tickle the keyboards. Netbooks are better than you think. I watched netflix via wireless on all of the netbooks at Staples. There is a wide variety of keyboards, touchpads, screens, and software loads out there and you will likely find you have a preference for one or another. If you want to watch DVDs, bring one with you. If you want to run a particular program, bring it with you. Stores are pretty tolerant of players (they just reimage the machine after you leave). If you use your Discover card a lot, you can take your cashback as gift cards. I like Staples ($25 card for $20 cashback means 20% off their best deals). Happy shopping!

I think the best deals on a big gps with maps and traffic are for the xxl 540 TM. Best price is BJs Club for $120, but it's $130 from a number of vendors including Staples on BF, Amazon, and buydig.com.

Lifetime traffic but not maps.

Isn't traffic information used by the xxl 540 TM to calculate the best route? Or is that simply historical data?

I have seen the ad and was totally underwhelmed. I bought one of the items online earlier this week. Same pirce, same free delivery and removal, plus 10% back from discover card. People are reporting that many of the other items are already on sale. That said, last year I bought a generator there on BF that i do not believe was in the ad (if it was, I missed it), so I will walk through after Staples.

I have an insignia bd player attached to an SD tv so that I can watch netflix on the set. you can watch BD discs and standard DVDs at standard definition resolutions too. for me, netflix is worthwhile.

from walmart.com... Magnavox Blu-ray Player with Wi-Fi, MBP5120F/F7: •Full-HD Resolution 1080p Video Output •Video on Demand--Vudu, NETFLIX, Blockbuster •24fps (frames per second) for Cinema-like Picture Quality •Blu-ray profile 2.0 (BD LIVE) internet connectivity to enjoy •Download new contents, games, etc •The Magnavox Blu-ray Player with Wi-Fi is Energy Star Qualified •Wireless LAN for easy multimedia streaming So, it will play blu-ray or standard discs and you can use it to connect to pay services like Vudu, NETFLIX, and Blockbuster. You would need a network connection to receive updates and connect to the pay services. That connection could be wireless (WIFI). You'd have to have a network connection near the player or a wireless router that could be configured to accept a connection from the player. You would use a computer to configure netflix, but the computer would not be connected to the player.

Best Buy has captured a LOT of my Christmas spending the last two years. In my opinion, they have perfected the B&M/Online synergy. You can look at product in store, buy it online, pick it up to save on shipping, and return items to the store. Their offbrand products are excellent (and fill my home) and their service contracts remove all the risk in buying an offbrand. Add to that free shipping, no hassle returns, and telephone price adjustments and you have a nearly perfect shopping experience.

I have six of the insignia players -- one wifi and five wired. Got the first new and the rest for $60 from dealtree on ebay. The wireless one is on sale friday for $100 and I highly recommend it. I got one to stream netflix, but it also plays bd great and upconverts standard DVDs. I'm less interested in Pandora and CinemaNow, but these services work with these players. What I LOVE about them is that you can play movies off an attached usb disk. I have ripped most of my collection to mkv and really enjoy the convenience of not having to fetch a disk. I needed to switch to WPA to make the wireless unit work and prefer a wired connection where available. If price is not an issue, I really like the LG-BD590 for $211 (http://www.amazon.com/LG-BD590-Network-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B0036WT1V8). 250GB HD, BD-P, Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, BD Live, Advanced Audio, Quick Booting, 1GB Memory, Wireless 802.11n, DLNA, 7.1ch Analog Output, Instant Tray Open, 1080p up-scaling for DVD, USB Media Host. Truly awesome.

Thanks for the tip. I did see that and have it in my cart, but I also have staples gift cards from Discover Cashback. Since they give $25 for $20, my out of pocket for the GPS from Staples (no tax in New Hampshire) will be <$100. Returns would be easier too. I plan to check in with them to see if they will have lots on hand and to play with the GPS before the crowds arrive. Then, if I still want it and there are not many or I decide to sleep in, I may go amazon.

I've paid $7/glass and it was almost worth is, so...

That's a good question. There are no great GPS threads, so I had to do all the work myself. I also had to work fast because Target had a one day sale and Kohls has a 30% off plus FS plus Kohls Cash promotion. I have been using a Navigon 2100t which is 3.5" had has text to speech and traffic with limited POIs. I was very happy with that except that the maps needed a refresh and the screen was getting smaller every year. This one caught my eye because of 1) price ($130), 2) good reviews (Amazon, gpstracklog.com), 3) lifetime maps, 4) 5" touchscreen, 5) features (Spoken Street Names), 6) 7m POIs, and 7) lifetime traffic. $130 is $30 less than the best price I've seen by $30. Since it is from Staples, I can use Discover Card gift cards to effectively get another 20% off, so $103 -- just four bucks more than I paid for my beloved Navigon 2100t. Function matters most, but price is second and lifetime maps is worth $70. I think this is the best BF deal. I hope no one in front of me agrees... PS Best BF deal so far was a hotpoint electric stove for $298 from home depot (online price) minus 10% shopdiscover cash back minus $50 GE employee discount with free delivery and removal. I think I GottaDeal ;-)

Now that the Staples ad is out, I am ready to plan my BF. If all I get is the GPS, I'll consider this year a success, but i expect to get most of my staples items... Walgreens (Thursday) - wii games $9.99 - 2XL Skullcandy Ear Bud Headphones $4.99 - Blackstone Merlot 2/$14 Staples (Friday) - Duracell 20-Pack AA or AAA Batteries FREE * - HP Everyday Photo Paper, 8.5 x 11, Glossy 50-Pack FREE * - TomTom XXL 540TM 5" Portable GPS System $129.99 - Seagate 1TB Expansion External USB Hard Drive $49.99 - HP 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive $29.99 - HP 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive $11.00 - HP Wireless Optical Mobile Mouse $7.99 - Staples 100-Pack 4.7GB DVD+R Blank Media Spindle $9.99 * - Staples 100-Pack 4.7GB DVD-R Blank Media Spindle $9.99 * update: forgot to edit things I don't want out of my Walgreens 'interesting items' list

I disagree. Get a tv that looks good and has the features you like in an off brand at bestbuy then get an inexpensive service plan. I have a Samsung in my living room, but got 32" dynex sets for the bedrooms. saved a bundle, love the sets.