monday

Cyber Monday sales score major gain over last year

Cyber Monday appears to have been a huge hit among consumers this year.

According to Coremetrics, a division of IBM, online sales yesterday were up 19.4 percent, compared to Cyber Monday 2009. The average consumer's online order value was $194.89, representing an 8.3 percent gain over the average order value of $180.03 in 2009. Coremetrics also found that luxury goods sales were up 24.3 percent, compared to Cyber Monday 2009.

Coremetrics also reported that total sales on Cyber Monday were 31.1 percent higher than Black Friday's online sales. However, the research firm … Read more

Digital City Episode 107: Cyber Monday, MacBook rumors, and iPads...for kids!

We're back after a full weekend of turkey-binging and shopping guilt with a brand-new Digital City podcast. Bonnie Cha bravely guest-hosts, joining Julie and Scott for some shopping wish-list picks while Dan and Joe remain in holiday seclusion.

We marvel at a recent Nielsen survey claiming that iPads are the top holiday pick for kids aged 6-12. Is this really an appropriate kid gift?

Scott debates whether he has enough energy to try EA's NFL Training Camp fitness game, and whether an NFL game called "Training Camp" that's released in November suffers from awkward marketing.

Plus, new MacBook Pro rumors, a strange sequined glove pack-in for Ubisoft's Michael Jackson game, and a close-up look at the Samsung QX410, one of the best all-around laptop values of the year, and a recent four-star reviewed product. Enjoy!

24 Hours Only! Save 50% on AVG Internet Security 2011

AVG is offering 50% off its premier title, AVG Internet Security 2011, for Cyber Monday only. Buy now to get this top-rated security for 50% off and get real-time protection when surfing, shopping, banking and social networking, plus you get an enhanced firewall and one of the fastest scanning speeds on the market. Reg.$54.99. Now $27.50.

Sorry, this offer is no longer available.

Go here to download a trial.

Newegg touts 27-inch monitors for Cyber Monday

Last week, I posted news on Newegg's Black Friday monitor specials. Today, the online vendor coughed up a couple of impressive new monitor deals.

As of this posting, only two are available at heavily discounted prices:

Monitor Was Is Hanns-G HZ281HPB 27.5-inch $270 $180 LG E2350V-SN 23-inch $270 $180

The 404 717: Where we don't call you Shirley (podcast)

Before we get into today's Cyber Monday madness, we're taking a moment to pay tribute to Leslie Nielsen, who passed away yesterday at age 84 from pneumonia complications. His repertoire includes some of our favorites, like the "Naked Gun" series and of course "Airplane"--RIP to one of the most influential comedians of our time.

Today is Cyber Monday, the magical post-Thanksgiving day when online stores slash their virtual prices to give shoppers a hint of what happened in person on Black Friday.

According to Coremetrics, online sales on Black Friday went up 15.9 percent from last year, thanks to social-networking Web sites spreading the instant word on shopping tips and real-time inventory updates. The company also noticed a rise in "surgical shopping," with people focusing on specific products instead of randomly browsing.

Check out CNET's Cyber Monday Gift Guide to stay updated on today's best deals, including $89 Amazon Kindle e-Readers, console and computer games starting at 90 cents, and more.

Wilson also surprises us with a 4Loko that he picked up this morning for breakfast. The FDA actually banned all eight flavors as of this week after several kids died from alcohol poisoning, also called the Four Loko "aftereffects." Think we're kidding? Check out what happens to the dude who goes on a 24-hour Four Loko Diet.

Plenty of voice mails to play today, with special thanks to Blake Stevenson for making us this poster featuring MC TerrorByte and the Yu Tang Clan! Blake became the unofficial 404 artist after winning our 404 logo competition, so be sure to add him on Twitter and fan him up on Facebook!

Episode 717 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Cyber Monday, a massive marketing scam

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Today is Cyber Monday, which is mostly a marketing scam in IMHO. Regardless, you will find it worthwhile to check out CNET's gift suggestions

Angry Birds' Christmas Edition is coming soon

Meanwhile, Angry Birds for Windows Phone 7 is not coming soon

Richard Branson is said to be launching an iPad magazine to compete with Rupert Murdoch's rumored iPad magazine. Branson's version will simply be called Project

A village in India has banned unmarried women from using cell phones

Lady Gaga and the Twitterati have gone silent on social networks … Read more

$89 Kindles gone in a flash

The Blog Kindle blog has an amusing though serious story about how quickly Amazon's $89 Kindle Black Friday deal disappeared.

Billed as a "Lightning Deal," an undetermined number of $89 second-generation Kindles went on sale at 9 a.m. PT and were gone in a nanosecond. In fact, the deal disappeared so quickly some accused Amazon of never having it.

The story quotes an angry message board post from Amazon customer Grebwatcher:

Amazon knew it would be flooded with people wanting this product across the country. To have it NOT available from the SECOND it goes on … Read more

Keeping tabs on tablets (week in review)

Amid all the news of Black Friday deals, holiday sales, and Cyber Monday malware, it was the new kid on the block--the tablet--that grabbed the bulk of gadget headlines this week.

Of course, the first question for consumers is whether to give in to the hype or wait to buy a tablet. CNET's Donald Bell surveyed the current state of tablets, from the iPad to the Galaxy Tab, and ultimately finds that if you really want one, there aren't many compelling reasons to wait--no game changers on the horizon.

That said, you can expect low-priced tablets to flourish … Read more

Ask Maggie: Holiday smartphone deals and iPad-iMac choices

It's that time of year again when consumers dream of dancing sugar plums and gadgets.

From TVs to smartphones to laptops, device makers, retailers, and service providers are all pushing the hottest gear at low prices. There's no question the holiday shopping season has turned into a bargain hunter's dream when it comes to smartphones.

In this week's Ask Maggie column a reader asks if he should take advantage of these deals or wait until the new year to buy his first smartphone. With AT&T and Verizon Wireless offering some high-end smartphones for a … Read more

Cyber Monday: Beware the malware

It's the Monday after Thanksgiving and you're sitting at your work computer suffering from food coma. Too bloated to get any real work done, you decide to do something that doesn't occupy too much of the brain--online Christmas shopping.

There's more at stake here than the cost of shipping and handling, though. First off, your boss probably doesn't want you to be surfing Amazon when you have spreadsheets to complete. Secondly, you could be opening up the corporate network to malicious hackers during what is known to be a particularly risky period.

Scammers are ready … Read more