The other week, it was 20% off all bags, now Nine West is offering 20% off all boots - just in time for winter.

Yes, boots are an absolute must-have for you wardrobe in the colder months, whether it be ankle, knee-high or both (preferably both).

Plus, the discount is off the marked price, so if you find a pair that is already marked down, you should be able to snap up a bargain. Example: the Harrington style pictured here, which is already reduced to $259. Apply the discount and you’ll walk away with them for $207 - not bad for a pair of leather knee-highs.

By Caroline Warnes

A plasma TV can completely turn around your lounge room viewing experience. But what should you look for when purchasing a new television? Our plasma TV buying guide can help you decide.

Plasma TV technology

A plasma TV, like an LCD TV, consists of a substance sitting between two panels of glass. However the substance used in a plasma television is made up of small chambers of gas within each sub-pixel. When an electrical current is passed through the substance a reaction is caused in the gas and UV light is emitted. Each sub-pixel also contains phosphors and when UV light is emitted the phosphors emit their specified colour of light (red, green or blue).

The gas used in plasma TVs emits its own light, unlike LCD TV, which require a back light. Plasma TVs therefore generally product deeper blacks (also known as a contrast ratio – the higher the contrast ratio quoted for a flatscreen TV, the better the quality of the whites and blacks on-screen).

Plasma TV screen size and space

Looking for a massive TV? Then you should be looking at a plasma. All those mammoth flatscreen TVs you hear about (we’re talking over 100-inches) are plasma. These days however a lot of manufacturers make these screens in smaller sizes, and a popular flavour seems to be a 42-inch plasma.

Plasma televisions are also better for viewing areas that extend a long way to each side away from the screen as they have a better viewing angle than LCD TVs.

Plasma TV response time

Just like LCD TVs, you should also be aware of something called response time when it comes to sussing out your new plasma TV. A lower response time is considered better as a higher response time will cause fast-moving images to blur slightly. It’s measured in milliseconds (ms).

Plasma TV and HDTV

Just because you see the term “HD” or “high-definition” used somewhere in connection with an plasma TV, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting full high-definition. To be sure of what you’re getting, check the native resolution of the screen, which refers to the number of pixels that can fit on the screen. True HD is defined as 1920×1080 pixels, which also appears as 1080p and Full HD. However other resolutions are also classified as being high-definition, including 1366×768 and 120×720 (also known as 720p).

To the untrained eye, these lower forms of high-definition won’t prove much different to view than Full HD screens. And don’t forget, there’s no point having a high-definition TV unless you have a high-definition source to feed it, such as a Blu-ray player or HD broadcast.

Best plasma TVs

Plasma TVs are manufactured by many, but perfected by few. Many of us love Panasonic Vieras, such as the model pictured here, and Samsung plasma televisions.

Buy a cheap plasma TV on sale

Guide originally published June 4, 2009; updated May 13, 2010.

By Caroline Warnes

If you’re not looking for a PVR with a multitude of bells and whistles, the Topfield TRF7160 should prove to be more than adequate.

It may not be the best looking (or the fanciest) PVR on the market, but it does exactly what it says on the box - and does it well. It’s a dual-tuner PVR, so you can record two programs at the same time to the 500GB hard drive, or record one show and watch the other.

It offers support for 1080i video output, which is high-definition (HD), but not “Full HD” (1080p). This won’t be a problem if you’re only planning to watch and record free-to-air TV, as no channels are broadcasting in 1080p at this stage. However if you’re big on future-proofing your equipment, you may want to look at other options. The lack of 1080p support will also affect you if you want to play back content in this format from an alternate source, such as Internet downloads.

If you are going to be viewing downloaded content, the Topfield TRF7160 supports four formats: DivX, .vob, MP4 and .mkv. Simply load the files to a USB drive and plug it into the port at the back.

The Topfield TRF7160 is available in Australia now with a recommended retail price of $699.

Buy a cheap Topfield PVR on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

If you’re in Melbourne (or plan to be on May 29), then you can be part of a world record attempt at Federation Square.

Between 10am and 11am on May 29 (that’s two weeks from Saturday), Warner Bros. and DC Comics are attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most number of people in super hero costumes in one location. The attempt is part of DC Comics’ 75th birthday celebrations.

Registration begins at 9am, and if you register before 9.30am you’ll go in the running to win prizes. Plus, Melbourne Aquarium is providing free entry on the day for every child aged between 3 and 15 when accompanied by an adult.

If you can’t make it on the day, the event will be broadcast live on Channel Nine’s Kids’ WB.

You can shop for superhero costumes at all your favourite Lasoo retailers during the lead up to the day.

By Caroline Warnes

We are giving away double movie passes and prize packs to celebrate the release of the new Jennifer Lopez comedy, “The Back-Up Plan“, in this week’s free Lasoo competition.

Each prize pack is valued at $85 and consists of a “The Back-Up Plan” t-shirt, travel pillow and double in-season ticket to the film. We have five prize packs to give away.

“The Back-Up Plan” is a comedy that explores courtship, love, marriage and family “in reverse”. After years of dating, Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has decided waiting for the right one is taking too long. Determined to become a mother, she commits to a plan, makes an appointment and decides to go it alone.

On the day of her artificial insemination, Zoe meets Stan (Alex O’Loughlin) – a man with real possibilities. Trying to nurture a budding relationship and hide the early signs of pregnancy becomes a comedy of errors for Zoe and creates confusing signals for Stan. Anyone can fall in love, get married and have a baby, but doing it backwards in hyper-drive is the real pregnancy test.

Only at the movies! May 20. © 2010 CBS Films Inc.

To enter this week’s competition, tell us in 25 words or less using the form below about a back-up plan you’ve made in the past. The best answers will win.

The competition closes next Thursday.

Competition terms and conditions

If you’re anything like me, your wardrobe will have the tendency to get itself into a right old mess without regular attention.

Even with regular clean-outs and readjustments, I still find that the good old wire hangers you get from the dry cleaner aren’t really enough to keep your clothes in top shape.

If this sounds familiar, then Hangtastic from online shopping site pinklily is for you. It’s apparently one of the most versatile hangers on the market, with features including no-slip shoulders, a 360-degree rotating head for the laundry and car, a pants rail, skirt clips, rail for belts and scarves, a special shaped neck so you don’t have to unzip your clothes to hang them as well as other odds and ends, including various connectors and clips. (Actually, the connectors are pure genius for saving space in your wardrobe - they allow you to hang your clothes cascading vertically).

Hangtastic comes in two packs - the $49 version contains 15 hangers and 30 accessories; while the $95 version comes with 30 and 60 respectively.

By Caroline Warnes

The PowerShot SX210 IS is Canon’s most compact superzoom camera to date, offering some powerful features in a slim and stylish body.

While it’s slightly larger than the IXUS range of compact digital cameras, the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS is also significantly more powerful and versatile, thanks to the 14-megapixel resolution and 28mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with 14x zoom. What all that means is that you can get closer to whatever you’re shooting without needing a large professional lens - much better if portability is an issue.

And then there is the versatility factor. If you need the PowerShot SX210 IS to function as a fully automatic point-and-shoot camera, it can do that in the camera’s smart auto mode. But if you want full manual control, there is plenty of options for you, too - including control of shutter speed, apertures and focus. You can also set sharpness and contrast, as well as colour saturation and flash strength.

Image quality is very, very good - particularly when you consider the sub-$600 price tag. The main performance issue for this camera is speed. If you’re planning on shooting a lot of fast-paced action such as sports, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.

Rounding out the package is high-definition (HD) movie recording at 1280×720 resolution. Even better, Canon has equipped the PowerShot SX210 IS with a mini-HDMI port, so you can connect it straight to a high-def TV to play back your footage.

The Canon PowerShot SX210 IS is available in Australia with an RRP of $599.

Buy a cheap Canon digital camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

I was wandering around some of the fashion week stands towards the end of last week and stumbled across a jewellery collection that is set to become a favourite.

Lydia Jewels is the handiwork of Australian designer and stylist Lydia-Jane Saunders, and the collection offers pieces that are both gorgeous and affordable. Each piece of jewellery is crafted by hand in her Sydney studio.

You can buy the collection both online and in selected boutiques around Sydney. I love these Lisa black flower crystal earrings from the Jewel of the Night collection, which are very art deco and quite reasonably priced at $55.

By Caroline Warnes

With the release of the M1, BenQ has finally entered the Australian camcorder market.

Finished in fire engine red, the BenQ M1 proves it’s more than just a pretty (eye-catching) face. It also offers Full HD (1080p) recording plus some nice features and specs, all for under $400.

That being said, image quality is what you’d expect from a sub-$400 camcorder - good, but not what you’d use to shoot a big-screen production (with the same going for the built-in 10-megapixel digital camera for shooting stills). Shooting specifications include 5x optical zoom and six lighting modes, plus an electronic image stabiliser and an option to reduce wind noise. Also handy is the 270-degree swivel screen for when you want to record yourself talking to camera.

One of the most noteworthy amongst the M1’s features is the 3-Second Auto Pre-Record function, which comes in handy when shooting spontaneous moments. When you have this mode turned on, the M1 automatically shoots three seconds of footage at a time, even if the record button hasn’t been pressed. In other words, when you do hit the record button to film some unexpected occurrence, you’ll automatically have three seconds of footage added prior to the time you pressed record.

Another nice feature is Touch AutoFocus Lock, which helps when shooting fast-paced action such as sporting matches. When you select this feature via the 3-inch touchscreen, the BenQ M1 locks focus on whatever you’ve selected for the duration of recording, rather than trying to refocus as conditions change.

Rounding out the specifications - 4GB of on-board storage (expandable to 32GB by SDHC card) and several connectivity options (HDMI, USB 2.0, audio and video out).

The new BenQ M1 camcorder is on sale now with a recommended retail price of $399.

Buy a cheap camcorder on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

I don’t know about you, but I’m all about stocking up on snuggly stuff for winter at the moment, even though it still feels like summer some days here in Sydney.

I guess I have an irrational fear of it suddenly turning into winter without me noticing, and only having t-shirts and shorts on-hand to get through it. (I like to be organised.)

My latest want is these Peter Alexander slipper socks. My sister and I used to live in slipper socks as kids, albeit shorter, less expensive versions, and it reminds me of being all snuggly and warm.

All things considered, $65 isn’t too bad to pay for the Peter Alexander socks, considering they’re made from angora.

By Caroline Warnes