Preparing for Black Friday 2011

Upcoming Black Friday 2011, the day after Thanksgiving, is the biggest shopping day in the US. Many stores are offering deep discounts on their items, even bigger than their normal clearance sales. Big ticket items such as computer, laptops, cellphones, flat screen TVs and gaming consoles are up for grabs at fantastic prices. However, the competition can be just as big as the discounts. If you want to catch a particular deal or item, you’ll have to prepare for it. With a little bit of preparation, you can snag that item you truly want....

Note: Cross posted from Black Friday Deals - The Official Black Friday 2011.

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Walmart -- A Christmas Price Guarantee

“The greatest gift we can give our customers this holiday is great low prices on the things they want most,” explained Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer, Walmart U.S. “Walmart is easing shopping stress this Christmas by allowing customers to shop when and how they want, all while guaranteeing low prices through the entire holiday season.”

Walmart’s Christmas Price Guarantee is valid on purchases made Nov. 1 through Dec. 25 on identical items (the same brand, size, color, quantity, grade and model number) that are currently available at competitor’s stores located within the same local market as a particular Walmart storeⁱ. To apply for the Christmas Price Guarantee, customers need to simply bring in their original Walmart cash register receipt and the local competitor’s current printed ad to Walmart’s Customer Service desk through Dec. 25. Once validated, a gift card for the difference will be issued. Items placed on layaway will also be eligible for the Christmas Price Guarantee.

“We’re confident Walmart will have fantastic prices on a wide assortment of gifts from electronics to toys, so customers can shop early and spend the holiday enjoying time with their families,” continued Mac Naughton.

Walmart’s Christmas Price Guarantee, combined with our additional holiday offerings, is aimed at helping our customers beat the holiday’s economic Grinch and ensure no Christmas is stolen:

• Holiday Credit Offer: Shoppers can receive no interest if paid in full within six months on every purchase, every day in November and December 2011, in store or on Walmart.com with your Walmart® Credit Card.ⁱⁱ With no minimum dollar amount required, customers can buy the gifts they want from any department on any product in the store or at Walmart.com.

• Fast, Faster, Fastest; Ship the Way You Want for Free: Customers can now ship the way they want for free. Nearly 95% of Walmart.com products – including hundreds of thousands of electronics, home furnishings, apparel, beauty products, diapers, sporting goods and more – are now eligible for free shipping via Site to Store, Pick Up Today, FedEx Site to Store and Home Free shipping programs. With Home Free, customers can ship any apparel and consumables order over $45 for free direct to their home. More information is available at www.walmart.com/freeshipping.
• Bite-size Paymentsⁱⁱⁱ: Walmart’s Christmas Layaway program enables customers to make payments on purchases in varying amounts when they want through Dec. 16. Toys and electronic gifts with a retail price of $15 or more are eligible, including dozens of toys on Rollback to $15, such as Leapfrog Scribble and Write, Disney Princess Toddler Dolls, Transformers 3 Mechtech and select Lego playsets. Other great gifts included in the Christmas layaway program are bicycles, HDTVs and video games. For more information, shoppers can visit www.walmart.com/Layaway.
• Save Money on Gas^iv: The Gas Rollback program has been extended through Dec. 24, and is available at participating Murphy stations at more than 1,000 Supercenters and 10 Walmart stations. This program gives customers a $0.10 discount on each gallon of gas or diesel fuel purchased at participating Murphy USA or Walmart stations.

Walmart will also help guarantee Christmas for local nonprofits and the families they serve. With help from the Walmart Foundation, Walmart stores across the U.S. will donate more than $10 million to community organizations this holiday season.

About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at over 9,700 retail units under 69 different banners in 28 countries. With fiscal year 2011 sales of $419 billion, Walmart employs 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://walmartstores.com and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.

ⁱ*Offer excludes: Black Friday ads, expired ads, offers with Gift Cards, internet pricing, limited time or quantity offers (i.e. 6 hour sales), percentage off ads, bundles, trade-in offers, offers that require a purchase or gift provided with purchase, clearance or ads with typographical errors. The Christmas Price Guarantee does not apply to grocery items, non-branded items (i.e. live plants), tobacco, firearms, gasoline, tires, prescription drugs, optical, or wireless products that require a service agreement.

ⁱⁱInterest will be charged to a cardholder’s account from the purchase date if the promotional balance is not paid in full within 6 months. Minimum monthly payments required and may pay off purchase(s) before end of promo period. Gas purchases excluded. Offer subject to credit approval and cannot be combined with any other offer. Promotional purchase and related optional credit insurance/debt cancellation charges must be paid in full within 6 months. If not, interest charges will be assessed on the promotional balance from the date of purchase. For new accounts: variable purchase APRs as of 10/1/2011 are 16.90%, 19.90% or 22.90% and will vary with the market based on the prime rate. Minimum interest charge is $1.00. Certificate required in-store for first purchase only.

ⁱⁱⁱIn order to participate, each item must have a price of $15 or more, customers must have a total minimum layaway purchase of $50, make a 10% down payment on the total purchase, and pay a one-time non-refundable $5 service fee. Items put on layaway must be paid in full and picked up on or before Dec. 16. There is a $10 cancellation fee for any orders not picked up by that date or cancelled by the customer. Cancellation fees and service fees may vary by state. Contract wireless phones are not eligible for the layaway program.

^ivDiscounts will also be honored for those using Walmart Gift Cards, Walmart Prepaid, Walmart Discover, Walmart Credit Card and the Associate Paycard. Murphy cards, cash or any other form of payment, will not receive the discount. Murphy USA and Walmart fuel stations in Oklahoma and Minnesota will not participate in this program. Stores in Alabama will remain on their current program with the following change: the current $0.05 per gallon Discover and Walmart GE credit card rebate is being raised to $0.10 per gallon. This change is effective June 30. No other portions of the current Alabama program are changing. Stores in Florida will have the following changes: the current $0.05 per gallon rollback at the pump for Discover and Walmart GE credit card purchases, will change to a $0.10 per gallon rebate on the customer’s credit card statement. The $0.03 per gallon rollback at the pump for Gift Card purchases has been increased to $0.05 per gallon. The $0.03 rollback at the pump for MoneyCard purchases has been increased to $0.05 per gallon. And the Associate Paycard will have a $0.05 per gallon rollback at the pump. These changes are effective June 30. Stores that are located on site with a Sam’s Club station will not participate in the increased discount program.

It’s a Christmas nightmare for shoppers: They buy a present or something nice for their family and three weeks later find it on sale somewhere else. Bah, humbug!

This year, Walmart turns that nightmare into a holiday dream with the Christmas Price Guarantee. Here’s how it works: If a customer buys an eligible product at Walmart anytime between Nov. 1 and Dec. 25, and then finds that same product advertised for less at another store, Walmart will give the customer a gift card for the difference through Dec. 25. Guaranteed.

Note: Cross posted from Black Friday Deals - The Official Black Friday 2011.

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Black Friday Deals: Smart Phone Buying Guide

While some are hesitant to cross over to the darkside and giving up their freedom with a smartphone, there’s no denying that they’re becoming the norm for most cell phone users. Unfortunately, when it comes time to choosing one, the choices can be pretty overwhelming.

Carrier

Many phones are carrier specific. This means certain phone models are bound to one cell service provider. In the past, this has caused quite a stir, particularly with the iPhone, as it was once bound solely to AT&T. It has since been made available on the Verizon network, though there are significant differences in the two phones. If you live in an area that has bad AT&T coverage, you may want to look into getting a phone on Verizon or T-Mobile. You can do a search online for cell phone coverage by provider in your city to help you make your decision.

Operating System

Smart phones are essentially mini-computers, and thus each comes with its own unique operating system. Currently there are about seven operating systems available: Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry, Symbian, and webOS.

Android: Available on a wide variety of phones across multiple carriers, Android is Google’s operating system and currently the most popular smartphone platform in the world. It syncs with your Gmail account, which is required to use the OS, and features a number of Google features such as Google Maps.

iOS: Native only to Apple mobile devices such as the iPhone and the iPad, iOS is based on the Mac OS X operating system, and thus an ideal platform for those already familiar with the nuances of Apple’s operating system.

Windows Mobile: Windows Mobile was an operating system developed by Microsoft, but with the introduction of Windows 7 smartphones, Windows Mobile has fell into disuse and is rarely found on newer phones.

Windows Phone 7: The Successor to Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7 is a brand new interface that places a focus on total integration. Early reviews have been positive, though some have complained about its lack of certain ”deal-breaking” functions, such as multitasking.

Blackberry: The BlackBerry OS, designed by Research in Motion, is available only on BlackBerry devices. While popular among some, it is found primarily in corporate settings due to its support for corporate email and synchronization with popular pieces of software such as Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise.

Symbian: Symbian is a proprietary operating system designed for use on Nokia smartphones. Like Windows Mobile, Nokia will be migrating to Windows Phone 7. As such, most new consumer phones won’t have Symbian installed.

webOS: Developed by Palm and acquired by Hewlett-Packard, webOS is a Linux-based operating system found on a small set of smartphones and the HP TouchPad. On August 18, 2011, however, it was announced that production on all webOS devices and software would be stopped.

With most new pieces of software, the best thing to do is ”try before you buy.” Spend some time in the store playing with each time of phone available to see what operating system suits your needs. Most carriers allow a grace period where you can return or exchange the phone if you don’t like it.

Speed

Most smartphones are pretty fast, with many of the newer models containing processors that clock in at around 1 GHz or more. Most new smartphones that use Android, such as those made by Samsung and HTC, are some of the fastest on the market. While faster is clearly better, the performance of a smartphone is often less dependent on the speed of its processor than the number of programs running in the background.

Storage

Smartphones come with varying storage sizes, with some clocking in as high as 32GB (iPhone) and others as low as 512MB. On most smartphones, however, storage expansion in the form of microSD cards and other memory formats, are available. If you’re a fan of watching movies or storing music on your phone (as a substitute MP3 player), then you would want to go with one with lots of storage.

Size

Most smartphones are small enough to fit in the front pocket of your jeans, with some of the larger ones, such as the Droid X, are slim enough to compensate for the added size. The average smartphone screen size is around 3.7”, with the low end clocking in at around 3.2” and the high at 4.3”

Features

Smartphone features are often dependent on the brand of the phone and the operating system. Do you prefer a physical or a virtual keyboard? A good camera? Tethering ability (sharing an internet connection on a phone with other Wi-Fi enabled devices)? Bluetooth? FM Radio? The options are endless, and while every phone comes with a wide variety of features, each one should be researched fully before making a final decision.

Applications

One of the deciding factors for many smartphone buyers are the availability of applications. Currently the Apple App Store and the Android Market are the two most popular, with over 500,000 and 200,000 apps available, respectively. Many websites offer applications to take their website ”on the go,” though these are often limited to certain operating systems, primarily Android, iOS, and Blackberry.

Battery Life

With most smartphones, the battery life is typically dependent on your settings and how many applications you have running at any given moment. Over time the amount of power the battery can hold will diminish. Many new smartphones have faced criticism over their supposed lackluster battery life, with many claiming they can’t hold a charge beyond a single day’s use.

Bottom Line

Smartphones can be a tricky beast, though if you’re inclined to stay caught up with the latest gadgets and technologies while taking advantage of the many options available, then stick with an iPhone or an Android-based phone. While the iPhone remains pretty much the same each year, new Android phones by various companies (Motorola, Samsung, etc) are being released every year, so make sure you do your research. What was the best three months ago might not be the case today.

Note: Cross posted from Black Friday Deals - The Official Black Friday 2011.

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49ers Win One Battle, Then Start Another

There was a time — last season, for instance — when a game between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers would have meant so little that it would have elicited a shrug and a snooze. That was then, when the teams started the season a combined 1-9.

This is now, when a melee breaks out after the game because the coaches — the head coaches — nearly come to blows. The 49ers’ 25-19 victory over the Lions on Sunday gave the Lions (5-1) their first loss and solidified the 49ers (5-1) as one of the biggest surprises of the season. It was messy (21 penalties) and it was physical (seven sacks).

And that was before the postgame handshake, which required a tale of the tape.

Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco’s coach, and Jim Schwartz, Detroit’s coach, briefly crossed paths much earlier in their careers when both were with the Baltimore Ravens — Harbaugh as a quarterback, Schwartz as a defensive assistant. Now they are widely respected young coaches leading teams on the rise. Their shared experience apparently did not ensure that they could get through the most rudimentary part of the game without incident.

Harbaugh, who also had a handshake kerfuffle with Seattle’s Pete Carroll when both were college coaches, was gleeful about his team’s victory as he approached Schwartz. That was when he wound up for a big, roundhouse hand slap, a haymaker of a handshake.

“It was totally on me — too hard a handshake,” Harbaugh said. “It was a strong kind of slap kind of handshake.”

Schwartz, looking a little stunned, apparently did not appreciate Harbaugh’s enthusiasm because as Harbaugh turned to run off the field, Schwartz gave chase and jostled with him.

“Didn’t expect an obscenity at that point, so it was a surprise to me at the end of the game,” Schwartz said. “Obviously, you win a game like that, you’re excited and things like that, but I think there’s a protocol that goes with this league.”

The new protocol could include having a buffer zone between coaches. As players from both teams headed for the tunnel to the locker rooms, the crowd — and the anger — grew. Finally, the 49ers public-relations official Bob Lange positioned himself between the two coaches and moved Harbaugh away while a 49ers player shoved Schwartz aside.

Harbaugh said that when he saw Schwartz in the tunnel, he told him that he shook his hand too hard and that the moment was his fault. He did not apologize. The N.F.L. said it would review the incident.

Harbaugh, who had been sought after by college and professional teams alike before leaving Stanford after last season to coach the 49ers, has transformed them in his own image, infusing them with a confidence and commitment that his quarterback, Alex Smith, said he had never seen in the N.F.L. They are in prime position to win the N.F.C. West, which was won last season by Carroll’s Seahawks with a losing record as the 49ers finished 6-10.

“A year ago, games like this we lost,” said tight end Delanie Walker, who caught a 6-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 1 minute 51 seconds to play that gave San Francisco the lead in the fourth quarter. “That’s the turnaround. All of it comes from the coach. The way he acts. He was sure fired up. Jim Harbaugh is one of those guys who is always fired up.”

Harbaugh had plenty to be fired up about. The 49ers sacked Matthew Stafford five times and forced him into off-kilter, off-target throws throughout the game. They neutralized receiver Calvin Johnson, who had entered the game with nine touchdown catches but was kept out of the end zone Sunday.

The 49ers also had a balanced offense that included 203 rushing yards — exposing the Lions’ biggest weakness. And Harbaugh got a rocket of a touchdown pass from Smith to Walker. That reaffirmed Harbaugh’s decision to place the team in the hands of Smith, a former No. 1 overall draft pick, even though his career had been largely left for dead by previous San Francisco coaches.

It all came together to give the 49ers their third fourth-quarter comeback victory on the road this season, prompting Harbaugh to say he feels “something special is brewing here.”

Perhaps so. This victory was a significant one for the 49ers — probably more important to them than it would have been to the Lions, who have already been accepted as legitimate contenders.

But it will be overshadowed, at least for a few days, by Harbaugh’s actions. Harbaugh was asked if his emotions might eventually undermine his coaching. A wide smile spread across his face.

“We’ll see; I don’t think I’m that emotional,” he started, before pausing. “I will say I was very emotional about our team. When you’re with a group of guys and you’re trying to do something special, to see your guys play that way — yeah, it fires you up. It fires me up. I don’t apologize for that. If that offends you or anybody else, so be it.”

NFL Scores Week 6: 49ers Come Back, Win 25-19 Thriller Against Lions

San Francisco came back to beat Detroit behind Alex Smith. But Jim Harbaugh's demonstrative celebration didn't sit well with Jim Schwartz.

Oct 16, 2011 - Alex Smith's finest moment as the 49ers' franchise quarterback may have come in San Francisco's 25-19 win over Detroit on Sunday. But chances are that Jim Schwartz' postgame altercation with Jim Harbaugh will be the talk of the NFL pundit class for the next few days.

Smith threw for just 125 yards, but led the Niners down the field late and found Delanie Walker for the game-winning touchdown pass with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Frank Gore helped the Niners, too, with 141 rushing yards and a touchdown.

But Schwartz took exception to what he saw as Harbaugh's excessive celebration, and went after the first-year San Francisco coach after a brusque postgame handshake. Schwartz and Harbaugh had to be separated, but it appeared that Schwartz was the aggressor throughout.

With the win, the Niners move to 5-1 for the first time since 1998, while the Lions fall from the ranks of the unbeatens, dropping to 5-1 with the loss and leaving NFC North rival Green Bay as the only team with a blemish-free record.

Matthew Stafford threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort, and Calvin Johnson, who had seven catches for 113 yards, failed to catch a touchdown pass for the first time in the 2011 season. The Lions didn't score after Stafford found Nate Burleson for a go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

England Tour of India 2011 Schedule

England team who performed exceptionally well against India in the test and one day series on their backyard will travel to India for five match ODI series and one off twenty20 internationals.

England tour will start with two tour games on 8^th and 11^th of October 2011. They will play first ODI at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad on October 14^th 2011. While 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and final ODI’s will be played on 17th, 20^th, 23^rd and 25^th of October 2011 at Delhi, Mohali, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Kolkata will also host only twenty20 internationals to be played between India and England on October 29^th 2011.

India v England complete Fixtures Series 2011 Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Timing	Teams	Venue	Results
Sat 8 Oct 09:30 AM	Tour Game - TBC v England	Gymkhana Ground, Hyderabad
Tue 11 Oct 09:30 AM	Tour Game - TBC v England	Gymkhana Ground, Hyderabad
Fri 14 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM	1st ODI - India v England	Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
Mon 17 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM	2nd ODI - India v England	Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Thu 20 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM	3rd ODI - India v England	Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
Sun 23 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM	4th ODI - India v England	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Tue 25 Oct (D/N) 14:30 PM	5th ODI - India v England	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sat 29 Oct (D/N) 20:00 PM	T20I - India v England	Eden Gardens, Kolkata

India aim to torment England with spin: Kohli

India batsman Virat Kohli said on Sunday the team is hoping to make the most of their spin attack against England after taking a 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-game one-day series.

"We will try to exploit our spin strength and hope the spinners help us capitalize in the middle overs," Kohli said ahead of the second game in New Delhi on Monday. "The win in the first game at Hyderabad was a big confidence booster for us, especially because it was by a convincing margin."

India won at Hyderabad by 126 runs, with spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin bagging three wickets each after captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 87 to help reach an imposing total of 300/7.

A depleted Indian side is hoping to beat England in home conditions after a disastrous recent tour of England when they failed to win a single game.

Kohli, who has played 65 ODIs and was a member of this year's World Cup winning squad, said it was good to see the team win despite the absence of key players like Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.

"It is very exciting to see a lot of youngsters perform well. Performing well against a top side like England can give them a lot of confidence," said Kohli, who felt the 3-0 scoreline in the five-game one-day series in England was not an accurate reflection of the series.

"We played well in the one-day series in England too, it was only a question of crossing the line. We've always kept our heads high, we've been in that calm and collected space and that is why we are able to do well," he said.

Kohli said it would take time to adjust to new rules which include the use of a new ball from each end and a stipulation that batting and bowling powerplays be exhausted between the 16th and 40th overs.

"The rules seem to be a good change but are confusing as of now. It will take time to get used to them but matches can be exciting," he said.

Kohli, who struck 37 in the Hyderabad game, also felt the dew factor at the Ferozeshah Kotla in New Delhi could give a slight advantage to the team batting second because it may make the ball difficult to grip under lights.

England pace bowler Jade Dernbach said the tourists still have much time to catch up in the series.

"We are disappointed after the result (at Hyderabad) but we have four more games to rectify the situation. We don't think spin is the only factor, we've to get better in every facet," he said.

Dernbach, who has taken 16 wickets in 11 one-dayers, said it was a matter of coping with varying conditions.

"We have to adapt and find a way of winning because pitch conditions play a big part. We have to be flexible and adapt to the conditions. We don't have particular plans and feel every individual gets different styles into the game," he said.

About his own bowling, Dernbach said he was hoping to make use of variations in pace on the slow pitches in India.

"I've got two, three variations and they can be of use here," he added.

The remaining games of the series will be played in Mohali, Mumbai and Kolkata. The tour will wind up with a Twenty20 game in Kolkata on Oct. 29.