I got there at 1 pm on Sunday and saw it on the flyer. When I asked about it, the sales guy said they sold out of 12 they had in stock about 2 minutes after they opened up. He smirked and said they had some in stock in Anchorage and East Spokane.

@#$@!!!

What an awesome deal...

Just thought I'd share the misery with anyone else who missed out on this awesome deal: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....&type=category

It's a 5lb celeron M 512mb 60gb 14"WS with CD-rw/dvd-rom.

Yep. I tried to get a $300 Toshiba they had a few months back. Of course they were sold out. I didn't even bother trying for the hp yesterday.

Early bird gets the worm.

the gateways are instock for $399

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1149040741607

*wow, i went along time w/o changing that typo

Are any of these any good? I need to get a laptop and hopefully soon.

OK

Here is the list, from most reliable to least reliable for laptops, from a survey of about 50,000 people, as reported by Consumer Reports.

Sony 16%
IBM (Lenovo) 16%
Toshiba 17%
Apple 17%
HP 18%
Dell 18%
Compaq 19%
Gateway 19%

The percentage number is the number of people who needed repairs during their ownership.

One last thing: According to CR, for laptops, only those with 3 points difference or more are significant. In other words, only Compaq and Gateway are worth steering away from.

As far as Tech Support for laptops, Toshiba ends up looking pretty good for low priced laptops.

You have to be prepared to be at the door of the store maybe an hour before the store opens to get the really good deals. I'd get a Toshiba.

You'd have to put a gun to my head to make me buy a Sony at this point. Thanks for the help.

Thanks Sorraffy! I ordered one online and am able to pick it up at the store.

BEWARE! I own a Toshiba Qosmio, and the customer service is horrible. They are currently given an 'F' rating by the Better Business Bureau, with over 400 unresolved complaints.

http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Bu...ompanyID=41153

While still under warranty, I've had the screen go bad, a hard drive die, and then the other hard drive die. And now they want me to send it back to them for a new system board! Never again....

Alan

Sorry to hear that you have had such an awful experience with Toshiba customer service, and your own Toshiba laptop. I sure was not aware that they are in such deep s*it with the BBB.

Given that the Gateway is only 1% lower in reliability than the others, probably not a big risk for most people.

I will have to think very carefully before recommending Toshiba again.

This is my question: it's not like the percentages vary wildly. Would it be that big a deal to get a gateway over the others?? Those BB deals are pretty sweet...and it won't be my main machine.

It's like I keep telling people - you buy a computer at 299/399, and don't expect it to be top quality stuff.
It should be ok if it's not your main machine

Picked one up. Our sixth computer in the home (4 desktops and now 2 laptops), and there's only three of us living here! Seems okay for the price. Gonna pick up a 3rd party WACA 3 year extended warranty (at a good discount from a family connection) just to be covered.

The 256 MB RAM is the only thing that is keeping this unit a bit sluglish. I'll probably up it to 512 soon...

Spend an extra $220 and get something with enough performance power to last:

(from slickdeals.net)

Dell Home has Inspiron E1405 laptop for $1058 - auto $359 off = $699. Use $45 off $400 coupon and your Discover card (Details) to bring the price to $621. Thanks Selma.

You can also try your luck in Dell Back To School 2006 game instead of buying a coupon on eBay.

Specs:

Intel Core Proc Duo T2300E (1.66GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache)
Genuine Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
14.1 inch Wide Screen XGA Display
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
120GB Hard Drive
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
Integrated Audio
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 Internal Wireless
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr Mail-In Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support
6 Months America Online Internet Access Included
Free SKIN Promotion 14 - Free Promotion for 14 inch Skin

I've been thinking about picking up one of these...

Compaq Presario Notebook PC (V5209US)
$449

• Intel® Celeron® M 410
• 15.4" WXGA widescreen
• 512MB of DDR memory
• 80GB SATA hard drive
• SuperMulti DVD drive
• Altec Lansing speakers

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Compa...oductDetail.do

Personally, I'm reluctant to buy the least reliable, however, the spread is small enough that Compaq/Gateway laptops are probably not much riskier than the others.

The Compac pointed out by Dead looks like a better value, especially with the 15.4 inch screen and 512 RAM.

Here's a pretty good deal that will start on Sunday. Centrino chipset.

For $600 after $150 rebate - http://www.officedepot.com/textSearc...0052&x=17&y=19

Here's a question: is it possible to simply get a raincheck?

I'm looking for a SMALL laptop, that is pretty cheap. My wife wants the Sony TX750 but it is WAY more than I want to spend. Light and small and cheap? Anyone?

I'm started doing research on laptops. One question - with a lot of electronics, there are quality extended warranties available online (or via the manufacturer) for much cheaper than the stores. Are there quality options for laptop warranties?

I'm nervous about a laptop with a 6 year old in the house...

Not on the Best Buy promos. They clearly say No Rainchecks in the ad.

I've had the low budget Compaq M2000 for about a year and it's rock solid. I've used it as my main computer and it's been used everyday for several hours a day. I picked it up for $549 and immediately upgraded the RAM to 768MB. I've burned hundreds of CDs without a hitch. The onboard wireless card works flawlessly. Speakers are a little weak but then again what laptop speakers aren't.

Good luck with your choice.