Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.
Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.
Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.
Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.
HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.
HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.
HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.
GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.
Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.
Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.
Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.
As much as we love their mammoth sizes and stunning displays, plasmas are energy hogs. The typical 42-inch plasma screen uses 250 watts of juice, while an LCD of the same size uses only 150 watts. The reason for the difference has to do with how the two technologies display their pictures. LCDs employ a backlight, and display colors by blocking certain pixels from being displayed at a certain moment. This result is a fairly steady level of juice being used while you watch your latest Netflix arrival. In plasmas, on the other hand, each pixel is its own lighting element, and must therefore be turned on when the on-screen action requires it, suckling much more power out of your outlets as a result.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
rick norton said 6:19AM on 4-23-2007
The eco friendly flashlight you ballyhooed is a product that goes far in promise alone. Have you tried one? I did! If you find yourself in a situation where you need a light source and it's all you have, you will know what a low-tech item it really is. It just doesn't work very well at all.
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Karol said 7:23AM on 4-19-2007
I don't have to worry about this.. I can't afford to purchase one! Some days it pays to be poor!
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Lance said 7:36AM on 4-19-2007
250 Watts! Give me a break. Thats only a little more than a couple of light bulbs. Just for the record thats is consideratable less power than the T.V.'s of the 60's
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CARL HARMON said 7:56AM on 4-19-2007
Like most things today, most of us feel a sense of entitlement to use what 'WE WORK SO HARD FOR'. Unfortunately, it doesn't have anything to do with the brotherhood of man, or far-reaching thinking. ' I won't be around when it happens'.
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anna said 8:07AM on 4-19-2007
After reading your "report" on gadgets and the ozone, I am not surprised to find that these (everybody has to have one) items are not sucking life out of our planet. I personally couldn't afford any of these items except a cell phone, which by the way I don't have. I do not like, nor need one. I find them highly annoying and impersonal. I do not like to know everything that is happening in a strangers life. People are crude and rude and have no respect for anyone within hearing zone. They curse, talk about highly personal and disgusting things in public. Are they really that needed?
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Gerry said 7:49AM on 4-19-2007
Maybe even more critical is the amount of energy used by all our "instant on" apppliances, such as televisions, when they are turned "off", because they never really go off. They draw current all the time so they can instantly come on. Most people don't know this, and those that do don't usually unplug these appliances to save energy because then they lose their memorized settings. Perhaps some of these items could have small batteries that made it possible to retain the memory, so they could be truly turned "off".
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Bodsferd said 7:54AM on 4-19-2007
How come when ever theres somehting on AOL that says something like check out these top ten earth killers they only list 7 to 9 and never ten? In this case its 7. And also why does the first one start with number 2 when thew first is clearly an introduction? AOL WHAT IS THIS BLASPEMY!!
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D heitkamp said 8:00AM on 4-19-2007
I have the anwser....... Scrap all our tech Toys , running water , cars and electricity and go back to living in caves
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LostCause said 8:02AM on 4-19-2007
What's the point of having a plasma TV??
My TV is about 10 years old and it works fine as it did when I got it and the picture quality is great. I would NEVER spend that much money for a television.
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mikedeepwater said 8:09AM on 4-19-2007
what about those millions of (try aol disks)that they send in the mail and force feed you when entering a store think aol has no right to speak out against my tv ass h les!!!
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J said 8:13AM on 4-19-2007
I drive an Audi. I use a cell phone. I have an Apple iPod. I use many blank discs. I am looking at a new computer w/Vista. I have a 42" plasma TV. Does that make me a horrible person?
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John from Eastwood said 8:18AM on 4-19-2007
Isn't it strange, we treat this planet, as if we had another one to go to.!!!????????#$%@#$
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Pamela Salazar said 8:19AM on 4-19-2007
Technology has had the choice for decades to for cars that run things other than gasoline.
yet, these cars were being shot down...why...gee whiz...the gasoline moguls wouldn't be making money..let's continue to make them richer...so how about a carpool...put us at a disadvantage so these moguls can become richer still ( do you think THEY will carpool?)...don't want to step on any toes...Pollution...could have been under control years ago..but then the rich company lords wouldn't be as rich now, would they..so let's blame the average person, they're stupid and believe what we tell them. they will forget what we wouldn't let happen, so these "The Rich" could get richer at the expense of our planet...Look where we're at now!!!
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Mxking said 8:22AM on 4-19-2007
Hey,Lance! If you're still stuck in the 60's then go back!
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mrfar2you said 9:16AM on 4-19-2007
I think we all know the problems so where are the solutions. Good point about the AOL disks that are out in the millions. What about a hydrogen powered car? AOL why don't you guys throw in a billion or two for development?
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AJ said 8:33AM on 4-19-2007
I'm with anna. Cell phones are an unnecessary waste of resources, except for those with overblown egos who like to look "important" to others around them, and when the radiation form them finally drives away all of the bees and we have massive crop failure, maybe something will be done about them.
Widescreen plasma (or LCD) TV's are another waste. How long before they won't be good enough, when people will turn an entire wall into a video screen...then wonder why they're in debt up to their ears. For chrissakes, get your fat, lazy asses outdoors and ride a bike or something!
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Pam said 8:32AM on 4-19-2007
Blaming people and these products make me sick...we're not stupid...blame lies with the company heads and the government..not us!!!Government doesn't want to step on any rich toes, thus, allowing these products to be made and NOT allowing products to be made that would truly help. The ozone layer, I don't hear anyone blaming all the rockets that are going up in space through the ozone layer, jets with their exhaust spewed all over the sky, not to mentio diesel trucks, buses, etc that stink with exhaust. Let's blame an aerosol can in my house for that...etc, etc, etc..come people think..
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Sue said 12:55PM on 4-19-2007
I absolutely agree with Bodsferd. That's all I can say on the subject. You go Bodsferd!!
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bobstaylor said 11:53PM on 4-19-2007
AOL reminds me of Chicken Little. "The sky is falling, the sky is falling". Iy'd cold here in the northeast, I WANT MY FAR SHARE OF GLOBAL WARMING. Al Gore said GLOBAL WARMING is here but I'm still freezing. I gonna burn me some CD's and see if I can get the temps up a bit. Maybe I'll buy a new computer and insist on insalling VISTA, if that's what it takes then let's do it! What ego's we have when we believe that we can distroy Mother Nature, and the planet. The very best we can do is to eradicat our selves from the planet. But this planet willl out survive us. Open your eyes you lemmings. Challange this liberal crap. Think!!
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Greg in Georgia said 8:41AM on 4-19-2007
Hey Pamela: Perhaps the reason that some alternative fuels are not being used is because the Feds spent huge amounts of effort, time, and money destroying the production of alcohol from corn and sugar.
Only difference is it was called moonshine or white lightening rather than an alternative fuel source. Are they afraid we'll be sipping on our gas tanks?
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