Gary points out that the warranty on this baby is so bad (90-day labor, 1-year parts) that if it broke, it "will cost the owner another $150 [or more] after the 90th day of ownership and at least $250 to repair after the one year warranty is over." He also mentions that failure rates on cheaper off-brand TVs are generally higher—and often significantly higher—than the big well-known brands.

Make the jump to read the details and check out more of Gary's great exposé, including why a Westinghouse TV might not be a good deal, what cheap Blu-ray player to look for, and why 240Hz HDMI cables aren't just a ripoff, they're flat-out BS. [HD Guru]

I call this a deal on a phone with a terrific UI on a terrific network, but I'd pay double these rates if the Palm had a more sizable app library. But if your'e set on palm, remember what we said: For $80, even if 3x as much, the Pre is a much nicer piece of hardware. All Things D's John Paczkowski says it best: "If Things Get Really Bad, Palm's Pixi Will Make a Great Happy Meal Prize" [Amazon via All Things D]

* Indicates a doorbuster item

Computers

Acer 17.3″ Blue Laptop w/4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive and Windows 7 Premium (Online Only) – $498.00

eMachines 15.6″ Notebook w/AMD Processor, 2GB Memory, 160GB Hard Drive (Model # EME627) – $198.00 *

HP 15.6″ Notebook w/Intel Processor, 3GB Memory, 250GB Hard Drive (Model # G60-519WM) – $298.00 *

HP 17″ Notebook w/4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive (Model # G71-329WM) – $398.00

HP Pavilion All-In-One 19″ Desktop w/4GB Memory, 500GB Hard Drive, MS213 AMD – $598.00

HP Pavilion Desktop w/AMD Processor, 3GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive, w/20″ Monitor (Model # P6243w-b) – $398.00 *

Digital Cameras

Kodak C82 12.0 Megapixel Digital Camera – $69.00

Nikon CoolPix S230 10MP Digital Camera – $139.00

Sony Cyber-Shot DSCS930 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera – $79.00

Digital Media Cards

Sandisk 4GB SDHC Card – $8.00

Sony 4GB Memory Stick – $20.00

DVD Players

Magnavox NB500 Blu-ray Disc Player – $78.00 *

Samsung BD-P1590 Blu Ray Player (Saturday) – $148.00

Sony BDP-S369 Blu Ray Player – $148.00

Electronics

8″ LCD Digital Photo Frame – $29.00

Philips 6′ Gold HDMI Cable – $19.00

Philips 7″ Portable DVD Player – $49.00

Philips Earbuds – $10.00

Samsung MX20 Red Camcorder – $149.00

GPS Systems

TomTom One 125-SE GPS – $59.00

TomTom XL325-SE GPS – $89.00

Hard Drives

Western Digital 1TB 3.5″ External Hard Drive – $78.00

Western Digital My Passport Essential 320GB Hard Drive – $49.00

Miscellaneous

Duracell UltraAdvanced AA/AAA 6-Pack – 2 For $5

Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA 2-Pack – 2 For $5

Rayovac AA/AAA 12-Pack – 2 For $5

MP3 Players

Apple 8GB iPod Touch w/$50 iTunes GC – $195.00

Phillips 4GB MP3/Video Player – $29.00

Sony iPod Speaker – $69.00

Networking

Belkin N 150 Router – $29.00

Portable USB Storage

Sandisk Cruzer 4GB USB Flash Drive – $8.00

Printers

HP Deskjet F2430 All-In-One Printer – $25.00

Kodak ESP5250LE Wireless Printer – $99.00

Televisions

Emerson 32″ LC320EMFX LCD 720P HDTV – $248.00 *

Emerson 42″ PL-P42W-10A Plasma 720P HDTV – $448.00 *

Flat-Panel TV Stand – $89.00

Philips Large Fixed TV Mount – $69.00

RCA 46″ LCD 1080p HDTV (Online Only) – $688.00

Samsung 32″ LN328360 LCD 720P HDTV (Saturday) – $398.00

Samsung 42″ LN40B500 LCD 1080P HDTV (Saturday) – $598.00

Samsung 42″ PN42B400 Plasma 720P HDTV (Saturday) – $548.00

Samsung 46″ LN46B500 LCD 1080P HDTV (Saturday) – $848.00

Samsung 50″ PN50B400 Plasma 720P HDTV (Saturday) – $698.00

Sansui 19″ HDLCD1909 LCD HDTV – $128.00

Sanyo 50″ DP50719 Plasma HDTV – $598.00

Sony Bravia 32″ KDL32L504 LCD 720P HDTV – $378.00

Sony Bravia 40″ KDL40S504 LCD 1080P HDTV – $598.00

Sony Bravia 46″ KDL465504 LCD 1080P HDTV – $798.00 *

Video Games

2K Sports NBA 2K10 For Xbox 360 – $25.00

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader For PS2 – $7.00

Bakugan For Nintendo Wii – $25.00

Big Beach Sports For Nintendo Wii – $10.00

Call Of Duty 4 Modern Warfare For PS3 – $25.00

Carnival Games For Nintendo Wii – $10.00

Celebrity Sports Showdown For Nintendo Wii – $7.00

Comand And Conquer Red Alert 3 For Xbox 360 – $7.00

EA Sports Madden 10 For PS2 – $25.00

Grand Theft Auto IV For Xbox 360 – $10.00

Lock's Quest (Nintendo DS) – $7.00

Midnight Club Los Angeles (Xbox 360) – $10.00

MX Vs ATV Untaimed (Nintendo DS) – $10.00

Need For Speed Undercover (PS3) – $10.00

NeoPets Puzzle Adventure (Nintendo DS) – $7.00

Nintendo DS Lite – $98.00 *

Nintendo DS Lite Starter Kit – $10.00 *

Nintendo Wii Value Bundle With Console, Remote, Nunchuck, 2 Games And An Extra Set Of Nyko Controllers (Online Only) – $249.00

Over 30 Games For $25 – $25.00

Over 40 Games For $10.00 – $10.00

Over 50 Video Games For $7.00 – $7.00

Playstation 3 Console w/Infamous & Batman Arkham Asylum Games + Dark Knight Blu-ray – $299.00

Rock Band Special Edition (PS3) – $50.00

Rock Band Special Edition (XBox 360) – $50.00

Suzuki TT Super Bikes (PS2) – $7.00

Tak And The Guardians Of Gross (Nintendo Wii) – $7.00

The Godfather II (PS3) – $10.00

The Sims 3 For PC/Mac – $25.00

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Nintendo Wii) – $25.00

UFC 2009 Undisputed (Xbox 360) – $25.00

WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 For PS3 – $25.00

Xbox 360 Arcade w/Madagascar 2 Game & w/Madagascar & w/Madagascar 2 Movie DVDs – $199.00

X Rocker Turbo Sound Gaming Chair – $35.00

[BlackFriday.info via Crunchgear]

The $30 Pixis (Pixies?) are backordered already, probably because this is far and away the best deal we've seen so far for this handset. This news does two things: It raises the possibility of a free-on-contract Pixi sometimes in the near future, and calls into question again whether or not the Pixi can ever be a truly good deal. Today, the Pre is $100 at Amazon, so a $30—or even free—Pixi might not be worth the loss of screen size, speed, Wi-Fi and camera quality. This isn't the kind of queasy, awkward decision a company that's so close to the brink needs its customers making right now anyway.

And as BusinessWeek crunches it:

Amortized over the required two-year contract, with the cheapest offering being Sprint's $70 a month unlimited data, 450 voice minute Everything Data plan, the Pixi works a out to $74.15 a month and the Pre to $76.25. Not much to choose from there in budgetary terms.

And that's at $100 and $150 prices for the Pixi and Pre, respectively—not the new bargain basement/flea market/crack den rates. So what does that leave in the Pixi's favor? Size? Style? The fact that its name actually sounds like a noun? [EverythingPre]

In fact, they went so far as to call in the same crowd control experts that help to keep things under control at major events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics. Each store will have it's own gameplan, but the vast majority of locations (not just SuperCenters) will be open for 24-hours staring on Thanksgiving morning and ending on Friday evening. That way, Walmart hopes to prevent mammoth crowds from gathering outside the store waiting for the doors to open. They are also putting many of the most popular items behind displays, where employees will supervise lines and hand out the products to customers in an orderly fashion. Additional workers will be stationed outside the store to help direct foot traffic.

Because of incidents like the one at Walmart, the National Retail Federation has, for the first time, put together a list of guidelines aimed at crowd control in stores. Of course, even with all these precautions, I fear that this year will bring more horror stories about deadly violence erupting between crazed bargain hunters. [NYT]

Walmart's BlackBerry selection includes:

* AT&T Curve 8310
* AT&T Bold 9000
* Sprint Curve 8330 (Red & Titanium colors)
* T-Mobile 8520 (Black, White, and Frost)
* T-Mobile Pearl 8120 (Emerald)
* Verizon Storm
* Verizon Storm II

So, if any of those phones are on your "must buy" list, then this'll be a good week for it. Keep in mind that while you'll get the gift card immediately with an in store purchase, online shoppers will wait four to six week for the gift cards to arrive in the mail. [Walmart]

What surprises me about these facts and figures—apart from iTunes skyrocketing again after the introduction of variable pricing—is the fact that CDs are not completely dead yet. They are clearly going down, but I had this mental image in which all of those round mirrors were destroyed, melting like Dali clocks in a desert of indifference. [Mint]

• $298 HP Notebook Computer – 3GB memory, 160GB hard drive, Windows 7 Premium
• Sharp 1080p HDTVs – 42" for $498, 46" for $698 (120 Hz), 52" for $898 (120 Hz)
• Panasonic 46" 1080p plasma HDTV for $788
• Xbox 360 Arcade Console $199 with $100 Walmart Gift Card (for use on future purchases;
minimum store quantities are at least 10 per store)
• $148 Sony Blu-ray player (model #BDP-S360)
• $29 Magnavox Upconvert DVD player (model #DP170MGXF, 1080p)

The sale starts at 8 a.m. Nov. 7 (that's a Saturday) and lasts, to some extent, through Nov. 13. But it appears these doorbuster deals won't last beyond the first day.

Also of note, "Walmart will feature select 12-pound turkeys for less than $5, helping families serve a complete Thanksgiving meal for eight this year as low as $20." Limit two turkeys per customer. [Walmart]

This is a rumor of course, but it is something to keep in mind if you have time for a little shopping this weekend. Official word should come within the next day or so. [Kotaku]

I don't know what's funnier, that Apple has the balls to erect a billboard so large it's illegal, or that Apple has such pull—financial and political—that they can get away with it. Since 2007 the 13,750-square-foot billboard has been up in a Boston-based storage facility, and the state has argued that it should come down. Protected in part by Boston hizzoner Thomas M. Menino and others, the ad remains, but after a temporary permit ran out, its owners had to pay a $110,000 "settlement." Sounds like a fine to me. Either way, the mofo is still standing. [AppleInsider]

On what looks like the Japanese equivalent of Regis and Kelly, a TV presenter showing off a Sony Vaio L touchscreen Win 7 PC can't quite get it to work. It's not fully frozen—it's the IR touch interface that seems to be the problem. Whatever the case, you can see this poor bastard visibly mourning his own rapidly decreasing family honor. And as for Reeg-san and JKelly, I don't know what they're saying, but I am pretty sure I've heard it all before. [MacDailyNews via CrunchGear]

Wal-Mart is sticking it to Best Buy with their own army of overpriced teenage-son replacements. You pay anywhere from $99 to $339 for, as Reuters puts it, "basic television installation on the low end to setting up a home theater, wireless router network or a home office computer network" on the high end. So let me get this straight, somebody paying $600 for a 40" LCD TV is going to pay $100 for it to be setup? Better yet, someone paying $30 for a wireless router will pay 10 times that for some dude to come install it? I mean, I know we're a service economy, but this is ridiculous. [Reuters]

My favorite Canadian co-CEO, RIM's Mike Lazaridis, did a kind of evasion/denial response to questions about the gloriously hideous Bluetooth BlackBerry smartwatch, a kind of wristborne Foleo, if you will. He kinda just giggled and said that the accessories they release are generally accessories that keep the BlackBerry handset at the center. Clearly this would be different—and CrackBerry maintains that it still may come out, designed and built for BlackBerrys by a firm unaffiliated with RIM. Sounds like a recipe for awesome to me. [TechDigest]

The first shot at Amazon reported by the WSJ is kinda weak in the grand scheme of things: Yesterday, Walmart started selling 10 "hotly anticipated" books, like almost-President-of-the-United-States Sarah Palin's Going Rogue for 10 bucks. The paper kind. For the same price as the pretend books you buy on a Kindle. Amazon fired a volley back, matching the price. Walmart went to its classic $9 position this morning. Ker-plow.

This is apparently deeply frightening to already publishers. Why? Because once people expect a book for 10 bucks, they're not gonna pay $28 for it, which would seriously alter the economy of the publishing industry. And I mean, they're already deathly afraid of the very uncertain future of publishing. A standard $10 price would make books feel more disposable—granted, this is the future that's coming with ebooks anyway.

Walmart actually still makes a bit of money at that price—and obviously Amazon does hawking ebooks for that much. The people this would seriously screw are independent booksellers, who couldn't scrape by on margins that low. Which makes you wonder how they're going to continue existing in a world where we're all buying books, for cheap, on tablets. Amazon and Walmart's likely just the beginning of the end. [WSJ Image via Ryan Conway/Brave New Films/Flickr]

The paper says the Scottsdale store will look just like the freaky fake shop Microsoft built on its Redmond campus back in January. Also, a second store in Mission Viejo, California is expected to follow in the immediate weeks after.

Ahh, the glitz and the glam. The paper confirms the floorplan will showcase everything form Windows 7 to WinMo 6.5 and the Xbox 360. And yep, there will be a 94-inch screen for folks to play on.

More: Inside the Microsoft Store With Wall-Sized Screens and the Answers Bar

And Apple isn't the only inspiration. The Microsoft stores will also be close to either a Best Buy or Wal-Mart. Oh, and the Microsoft store head-honcho was actually poached from Wal-Mart. I think I was more optimistic when I heard they were head-hunting Apple Store staff. [Wall Street Journal]

The first offers 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30MB of data for $30. That seems alright, but for $45, you get unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data.

The catch? You probably won't be using much data on their disappointing line of phones that all sell for $100 without a contract—though a "Samsung 451" (a model number that brings up a Samsung set top box) promises full QWERTY and certainly implies a bit more functionality. The LG Slider 290, which doesn't handle much beyond email, is your other higherish-end option.

So would you buy a wireless plan from Walmart? I certainly would, were I able to cheat the system with a more attractive phone of my own.

Walmart To Launch Straight Talk Exclusively, Nationwide

No-Contract Wireless Plans Starting at $30 a Month

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 14, 2009) – Dedicated to providing families affordable wireless solutions, Walmart (NYSE: WMT) announces today it will launch Straight Talk, a new solution in no-contract cellular, exclusively at more than 3,200 Walmart stores nationwide starting October 18, 2009. Straight Talk will bring to the market a new low price for no-contract wireless service with two prepaid plans now available to customers nationwide at $30 and $45 a month. Straight Talk will only be available in Walmart stores and online at www.Walmart.com and www.StraightTalk.com.

The average U.S. adult spends $78 on his or her cell phone bill to receive 1000 minutes a month.* By switching to the $30 Straight Talk plan, for example, the average 1,000 minutes-per-month consumer could save more than $500 per year and still be on a reliable nationwide network.

To help drive down no-contract wireless pricing for customers, Walmart will launch Straight Talk providing customers the following two options:

* Straight Talk "All You Need" 30-day Plan that includes the following for only $30 a month:
o 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30MB of mobile web access
o Nationwide coverage
o 411 Information calls at no extra charge

* Straight Talk's Unlimited 30-day Plan that includes the following for $45 a month:
o Unlimited minutes, unlimited text and unlimited mobile web access
o Nationwide coverage
o Unlimited 411 Information calls at no extra charge

"It has been very encouraging to see the excitement and response to the Straight Talk pilot in 234 stores that began last summer at Walmart," said Greg Hall, vice president of Media Services, Walmart U.S. "In light of the savings customers continue to need, we have worked very quickly to extend this offering to all of our Walmart customers nationwide, and just before the holidays."

Consumers may refill their monthly balances by buying refill cards at Walmart, or by registering online at www.Walmart.com or www.StraightTalk.com. Also available at Walmart are a range of Straight Talk phone products to suit different needs, from the entry-level LG 220 flip phone at $39.98, to the LG Slider 290 at $79.98 to the Samsung 451 QWERTY keyboard phone at $99.88.

More information about Straight Talk no-contract wireless services is available at www.Walmart.com or www.StraightTalk.com.

Straight Talk is an exclusive Walmart service developed with TracFone Wireless, Inc. TracFone Wireless currently sells TracFone and NET10 prepaid wireless phones and airtime at Walmart stores and online at www.walmart.com.

* Source: Nielsen Mobile Bill Panel Data

About Walmart

Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart stores, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Club locations across America or log on to its online store at www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $378 million to local communities in the United States. More information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com.

About TracFone Wireless

TracFone Wireless, Inc. is a subsidiary of America Movil (NYSE: AMX, Nasdaq: AMOV) and has more no-contract cell phone customers than any other carrier in the U.S.

The American Consumer Institute posted a thoughtful, objective look at the public opinion versus the facts regarding pricing and helpfulness of the two biggest major brick-and-mortar electronics retailers left, Best Buy and Walmart. Unfortunately they neglected to note that both are a total wash if you compare to pretty much any online retailer, and neither Best Buy nor Walmart are exactly renowned for good customer service. The facts were nicely summed up by our own Wilson Rothman:

This is retarded beyond retarded.

How much would you rather pay for a Blu-ray player, $700 or $1000?

Who is the better head of state, Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini?

What would you rather eat, poop or a totally black banana?

W

For the record, I prefer a black banana (they're okay in smoothies!). [The American Consumer]

Brad Pitt's charitable foundation created an environmentally friendly floating house designed to be practical, safe and aesthetically consistent in New Orleans neighborhoods. In periods of intense flooding, the concrete-covered polystyrene house breaks away from its moorings and floats, anchored with two 12-foot guideposts. It's made from all green materials and actually looks like a real house, which is commendable. Hopefully New Orleans won't have a call for any floating houses anytime soon, but just in case, thanks, Brad! [Inhabitant]

The Nobel Prize in Physics was just awarded to three pioneers that actually made stuff we all use everyday: Fiber optics, which power, you know, the entire internet, and CCDs, which allow us to post dumb pictures to said internet. Physicists Charles Kao, Willard Boyle and George Smith all shared the 2009 prize, which totals $1.4 million. Almost enough to make me wish I wasn't such a horrible student in physics. Almost. [Huffington Post, image from The Guardian]

The NPD group, which extensive online research tells me has nothing to do with Canada's NDP, found that back-to-school notebook sales are just about as strong as they were last year, which makes them as close to "recession-proof" as anything in the tech sector is likely to be. Unfortunately, sort of, the average amount spent on these laptops shot down from $804 in 2008 to $624 this year, mostly due to the skyrocketing popularity of netbooks. Still, good news for tech makers. [Electronista]

A customer "eventually" notified the manager, and the DVD was removed from the player. "Eventually" as in, "after we all got our fill of the hot action." So that's what this guy was looking at! [swtimes via obscuredrugstore]

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the product and return it to the nearest Wal-Mart for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Wal-Mart Stores at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.walmartstores.com

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

Those in the U.K are advised to contact ASDA. [CPSC via CNN Money via Engadget]