FEATURE/High-Tech Gifts from Best Buy Help You Give the Gifts They Really Want

Business Wire, Nov 15, 2001

Features Editors & Lifestyle Writers

NOTE: This story will be available for journalists to download

beginning today at www.newstream.com

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Nov. 15, 2001

Consumer electronics has been the third most popular gift category for the last five holiday seasons according to the International Mass Retailers Association (IMRA), and the newest digital products this holiday season will help people give the gifts their loved ones really want.

"Digital technology products are popular gifts for the holidays because there are always new items available to make peoples' lives easier and more enjoyable," said Jeff Maynard, vice president, marketing services, Best Buy Co., Inc. "Digital products have become more affordable, so technology items are sure to be on everyone's wish list."

Here's a list of the hottest, high-tech gifts for this season:

Satellite Radio

-- Great for those who like to road-trip, satellite radio eliminates fuzzy
reception and scanning for stations. The subscription-based service offers
nationwide coverage of up to 100 digitally transmitted channels.

-- Units from XM Satellite Radio will be available this fall. Prices start at
$199.99.

Wine Coolers

-- For the wine connoisseur in the family, Haier's Wine Cooler is

the perfect gift. The cooler features automatic settings for

red and white wines, smoked glass door with slide out chrome

racks and a locking door. More compact than a wine cellar,

chill up to 30 bottles wine at a time. Haier's Wine Cooler

retails for $399.99.

Computer LCD Monitors

-- Computer LCD Monitors are a great gift for the person on your

list with a home office. The flat-screened monitors save desk

space, use one-third less energy than a regular computer

monitor and are more affordable than ever.

-- LCD Monitors start at $369 after mail-in rebates.

Video Game Consoles

-- This holiday season will be a great one for gamers. Microsoft

will be launching it's new console, Xbox and Nintendo will be

introducing Game Cube.

-- Known as the "Future of Gaming," Xbox offers gamers an Intel

733 MHz CPU and an 8 GB hard drive. It is broadband enabled

and has DVD movie playback. Xbox will launch November 15, 2001

and will retail for $299.99.

-- Setting the standard for family entertainment, Nintendo's

GameCube offers embedded memory on the graphics co-processor

and CPU, as well as GameBoy Advance connectivity. For the

first time, software will be available on a 1.5GB optical

disc. GameCube will be available at Best Buy stores on

November 18, 2001 for $199.99.

-- For those who like to add portability to their gaming,

Nintendo's Game Boy Advance offers a bigger screen size,

32-bit color graphics, extended battery life and is compatible

with previous Game Boy software titles. Players will also be

able to hook four Game Boy Advance units together for a

multi-player mode and the unit is capable of interacting with

Nintendo's GameCube. Advance retails for $89.99.

-- PlayStation 2 is ideal for gaming fanatics who crave high

impact graphics and the latest in gaming technology. The

system has more life-like images, the ability to play DVD

movies, and is compatible with the original PlayStation games.

It retails for $299.99.

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)

-- The perfect gift for the person on the go -- portable,

wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), can send and

receive short text messages to and from any email address,

keep track of next week's meetings and access the Internet.

-- New models include functionality such as MP3, voice record,

video access, eBooks and secure digital memory for additional

storage. PDAs range from $99 to $599.

Digital Cameras/Camcorders

-- In a fast-paced world of instant gratification, digital

cameras are a must. With no film to develop, you can preview

pictures immediately and adjust settings for the perfect shot.

Images can be transferred to a computer for storage or emailed

to friends and family.

-- Digital cameras range from $149 to $1,499.

-- Capture those once-in-a-lifetime moments during the holidays

with a mini digital camcorder. With most models as small as

the palm of your hand, these camcorders are easy to handle and

fun to use. Most models also take digital still pictures.

-- Digital camcorders range from $599 to $1,699.

MP3 Players

-- For the music lover, portable MP3 players make the perfect

gift. The players are the best way to listen to music from the

Internet in its most popular format (MP3 files).

-- New this holiday season are MP3/CD combo players which allow

you to listen to your favorite MP3 files and CDs all in one

player.

-- MP3 players are priced from $69.99 to $499.99.

DVD Players

-- Great for family entertainment, DVD players bring the movie

theater into your living room. New features such as DVD Audio

and DVD progressive scan enhance the entertainment experience.

-- DVD Audio adds a multi-channel audio playback with additional

video content such as biographies, music videos, slide shows,

lyric to regular DVD video features. It retails for $249.99

and up.

-- When connected to a digital TV, DVD progressive scan provides