friday

It's easy to get caught up in Black Friday sales hype, especially as some stores seem to have started pushing holiday bargains weeks ago. But it takes more than a price listed in large, friendly type and a warning of "limited quantities" to actually make for a good deal.

We checked out some of the leaked Black Friday ads posted on Web sites such as bfads.net and blackfriday.info (bfads.net proved especially helpful by clipping images from sales circulars for many items) to see where the best laptop deals were.

Interestingly, there was a lack of high-end laptops offered at deep discounts. Most of the deals were on entry-level systems (and a few are so entry level we're hesitant to even call them fully functioning computers). Another trend was offering two versions of nearly identical laptops, one at a bargain basement price, and another with a larger hard drive and a few extra features for $100 to $200 more. As always, the most eye-catching sales are for so-called doorbuster items, typically available in very limited quantities. … Read more

The Black Friday deals are coming in fast and furious, and now, T-Mobile has throw its hat into the ring with a new buy one, get one promotion for the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza.

Starting November 26, new and existing T-Mobile customers who purchase a featured smartphone and sign up for a two-year family plan will be able to get a second featured smartphone or affordable Android phone for free.

The carrier's list of featured smartphones include the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G, the T-Mobile G2, the HTC HD7, the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9780, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, while the … Read more

Every year, the Black Friday online circulars hit the Web, and lots of sites round up every Black Friday tech deal under the sun. If you want to see massively long lists with loads of models names that make no sense to you, go over to our friends at ZDNet or Gizmodo. They've done an excellent job compiling everything.

However, if you're trying to sort the real deals from all the crap that's being advertised to lure you into the stores, I've done my best to surface some of the more attractive options out there. The … Read more

Standing in line to buy, say, a slightly larger television for a fine price on Black Friday is as much an American tradition as drinking coffee with a stale croissant or buying underwear only at the Gap.

You will delight, therefore, in the news that one Best Buy already has people in line to take advantage of its Black Friday specials.

According to WTSP News in Florida, a whole family has encamped outside a Best Buy in St. Petersburg. They are called the Davenports and they pitched their metaphorical tent on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

They are reportedly the first people to be encamped anywhere in the hope of snagging the first Black Friday offerings. And it seems this, more than the deals, is lifting their spirits far beyond the cloud.

For Lorie Davenport told WTSP: "We're here really early this year because we've always been second, third, and fourth and down the line."… Read more

Millions of people already own tablets, more of the devices will surely be gifted this year for the holidays, and next year more tablets like the RIM PlayBook will expand the market even further.

But as tablets are relatively new, they still have some evolving to do before some of us know exactly how they fit into our daily lives. Myself, I use my Apple iPad for browsing (which RIM thinks its PlayBook will be better at), plus reading comics and books, and rocking the Netflix Instant wherever I am. But that's just me; these new devices can do … Read more

Looking to entice shoppers on Black Friday, retail companies are using e-mail, the Web, and social networks to spread the word about their hottest deals.

Recent results from the National Retail Federation's Shop.org eHoliday survey found that more than half of the retailers polled will send out special e-mails to customers announcing Black Friday deals.

Around 31 percent will use their own Web sites to promote those deals, while 39 percent will hit shoppers through their Facebook pages, and 21 percent will tap into their Twitter feeds.

"The rules for Black Friday have changed significantly," NRF … Read more

Apple teased the media earlier this week about an important announcement about iTunes, and after several hours of tech pundits forecasting the news, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple has finally come to an agreement to offer the works of The Beatles for sale in iTunes. Yes, that's it. No cloud-based content, no 90-second previews, and definitely no new hardware.

The iconic band's entire catalog is available for purchase, however, for $149 and it comes with exclusive video of the band's first U.S. concert, "live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964."  You can also purchase single albums for $12.99, double albums for $19.99, and individual songs for $1.29 each, ending the long litigation between Apple Inc. and Apple Corps, The Beatles' record company

Did you know that Apple will also refund your money if you're unhappy with the purchase of an app in the iTunes Store? We didn't know either, but Apple lets you do just that in a few simple steps: just log into your iTunes account, click on "purchase history," "report a problem" with the lackluster app, and Apple will refund your purchase price. You do need to fill out a form detailing the reason for the refund, and "this app blows" won't fly, so get creative!

If you're as much of an Apple fanboy as Wilson is, then you should probably buy a ticket for London ASAP, because an original Apple-1 computer hand-built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak will be auctioned off at Christie's in London on November 23. It's one of 200 original computers sold out of Steve's garage in 1976, and even includes an invoice from the salesman and a typed letter from Jobs to the original owner.

The bill for the sale reads $666.66, although the Apple-1 motherboard, 8KB of RAM, and a series of interfaces is expected to grab anywhere from $160,000 to $250,000 and beyond.

Thanksgiving is a week and a half away, which means some bargain hunters are already packing their sleeping bags to camp out for Black Friday, the infamous day after Thanksgiving when retailers advertise heavily discounted prices on a variety of products. Wal-Mart has already posted its list of Black Friday items on sale, but you can also get free shipping through December 20, if waking up at 3 a.m. and standing next to Wilson for four hours doesn't sound like fun to you.

Join us after the break for Kenley's rant on the Wiimedia Foundation's plea for public donations, and don't forget to leave us a call-back at 1-866-404-CNET. Jeff's back on the show tomorrow, so we can't guarantee yours will sift through his filter of hate, but your chances will definitely increase if you send a video voice mail instead! Use this one as an example, and send yours to the404(at)cnet(dot)com when you're finished!

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

The Beatles are finally coming to Apple's iTunes

Facebook unveils its hyped-up e-mail system

Wal-Mart's Black Friday deals are leaked

Borders launches its redesigned site with discounts, shipping deals, and social networking

The Asus EEE tablet is delayed and will possibly have a new name

The world's first 3D heart surgery is set for today

Black Friday. The two words that cause palpitations in the hearts of bargain-hunters everywhere. They might as well call it National Cheapskate Day and be done with it. (No? Then you probably won't like my Rally to Restore Cheapness idea, either.)

As you probably know, in recent years Black Friday has evolved in weird and unexpected ways. First came Cyber Monday, online stores' answer to what was once a strictly brick-and-mortar affair.

Then came the Black Friday preview sites, which managed to snag "leaked" ads weeks in advance so shoppers could better plan their early-morning line-storming.

This … Read more