Good Guys Offers Inside Look At Top 10 Holiday Gift Ideas for Consumer Electronics

Business Wire, Dec 4, 2002

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 2002

Good Guys (Nasdaq:GGUY), the largest specialty retailer of higher-end consumer entertainment electronics in the nation, today unveiled its top 10 holiday gift ideas and offered shoppers recommendations for their holiday electronics purchases.

According to a recent survey by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), 78 percent of all U.S. households are likely to purchase at least one consumer electronics product as a gift during the upcoming holiday shopping season. The same survey found that 13 of the 30 top items U.S. adult consumers said they wanted to receive as gifts this year were electronics.

"Entertainment electronics make the perfect holiday gift because they can be used throughout the year and enjoyed by the entire family," said Cathy A. Stauffer, executive vice president, Good Guys. "With more and more people `nesting' and enjoying entertainment at home with family and friends this holiday season, electronics that add to the in-home experience--like widescreen, digital and flat panel televisions, digital video recorders, DVD/VCR combos and home theater systems--make wonderful gift choices."

Good Guys anticipates that flat screen televisions, digital video recorders (DVRs), combination DVD/VCRs, MP3 players, digital cameras and wireless phones will top the list of "must-have" electronics gifts this holiday season, boosted in large part by the combination of new features and functionality and more compelling pricing on these digital and high-tech products.

To make holiday shopping fast, fun and worry-free, Good Guys' team of product specialists have compiled a list of their Top 10 Holiday Gift Ideas:

1. Flat Panel TVs - These ultra-slim, high-resolution televisions

offer exceptional picture quality with stunning clarity and

rich, vivid color. Often less than 4" deep and up to 60" wide,

these TVs can go just about anywhere. Made to hang on a wall

or be displayed on a stand, the Fujitsu 50" Plasmavision HD

Monitor with Built-in Speaker Amplifier is defined by many as

a work of art and features a widescreen display and a

state-of-the-art digital video processor for richly defined,

unsurpassed image quality. Sharp's distinctive line of

Aquos(TM) flat panel televisions are among the brightest

liquid crystal TVs on the market and come in a variety of

sizes to fit in your kitchen, bedroom or anywhere in between.

2. MP3 Players - Store thousands of music files on small,

wearable MP3 players that look as good as they sound at prices

as low as $79.99. Philips/Nike MP3 Player, a wearable,

splash-proof digital audio player, keeps the music coming -

and helps runners keep moving. The intuitive design is simple

to operate with no-look buttons for those on the go, and

skip-free audio and sport headphones for great mobility. The

Apple Ultra-Slim 10GB iPod MP3 Player downloads an entire CD

of music in 15 seconds - and is available in Mac or

Windows-compatible versions.

3. Digital Cameras - Capture the memories of the holiday season -

and send them to nearly anyone virtually - with one of these

great digital cameras. The Canon Powershot S200, in chrome and

stainless steel, is the world's smallest camera in its class,

yet it boasts sophisticated technology and power that enables

nearly anyone to create incredible digital images. The Kodak

EasyShare 3 MegaPixel Digital Camera offers one-button image

transfer and its optional camera dock provides quick, simple

transfer to PCs. With the price going down and the quality

going up, now is the perfect time to invest in a digital

camera.

4. Digital Video Recorders - Once you've used this amazing

product, you'll never look at TV the same! Favorite shows can

be digitally recorded automatically and viewed anytime-all

without a tape. Pause a live show, replay a scene or instantly

record a program in process with the touch of a button. Choose

from a wide range of DVRs, including the Sony TiVo Series2

80-Hour Digital Video Recorder or the ReplayTV Digital Video

Recorder.

5. Combination DVD/VCRs - Thinking about a DVD player but not

ready to part with your VCR? Get two-in-one with a great

combination Hi-Fi VCR and DVD player. The Sony Combination

DVD/VCR has all the outputs including component video for a

great picture and full optical audio output for any home

theater system. On-screen programming makes taping favorite

shows a snap, and you can even watch a DVD while recording on

the VCR.

6. Wireless Phones - Wireless phones aren't just for talking

anymore. Check your email, take and send photos, manage your

calendar and access your address book no matter where you go.

And, beginning this weekend, you can even purchase

pay-as-you-go airtime for your friends and family members at

Good Guys from carriers including Boost Mobile, AT&T Wireless,

T-Mobile and Cingular Wireless.

7. Home Theater Systems - Why just listen to a movie when you can

feel it- these pre-packaged home theater systems include up to

5 speakers and a DVD player and offer a powerful combination