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.
Reading books may be good for the old vocab, but it's murder on Earth's forests. 'Digital books' have been around in one form or another for a few years. But where those systems use old-school CRT or LCD displays, the Sony Reader ($390) uses a technology called E Ink, which doesn't require battery-power to maintain its image and does an incredible job of replicating the look of ink on paper. The result is eBooks, which you read right on the handheld Sony device. Once you've soaked up the vast catalog of thousands of eBook titles -- everything from Hemingway to Rhonda Byrne's 'The Secret' -- you can use the Reader to enjoy newsfeeds, photos and MP3s.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Melissa said 8:11PM on 4-19-2007
Well For earht day i think we should try and use less amout of paper I know for me it is hard because of school but we just did a project on recycling and well we had convinced our teachers an even our parents to recycle and help our earth well Thanks.
Love and God Bless....
~*Mizzy*~
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FLETCHER PHELAN said 8:20PM on 4-19-2007
SCIENTISTS TELL US THAT GLOBAL WARMING IS IN SUCH AN ADVANCED STATE, AND IS ACCELLERATING SO FAST, THAT THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO TO PREVENT HUGE CALAMITIES, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE ONE-THIRD OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION RESIDES IN COUNTRIES WHICH ARE BURNING CARBON FASTER BY THE DAY: CHINA, INDIA, BRAZIL, INDONESIA, ETC. IT WOULD SEEM, THEREFORE, THAT "EARTH'S FUNERAL DAY" WILL BE WITNESSED BY THOSE NOW UNDER 25 YEARS OF AGE, A HUGE PART OF THE WORLD'S CURRENT POPULATION.
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sam-i-am said 9:00PM on 4-19-2007
I want one of these! I read almost non- stop, and I own about 50 actual books, so this would definitely cut down my paper use.
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bik3a said 11:18PM on 4-19-2007
Life is like a trip to the Bahamas............
If one visits the Bahamas or any other lovely place, we don't spend all the time in the hotel crying because this vacation would endDo we?????.....
Instead, we try to enjoy the complete time, we also make sure to have unforgettable moments even if it rains or there is a nasty windy day forecasted during the 10 day visit.
We tend to be more authentic ,we try to talk to people,we relax,we LIVE THE MOMENT here & now ,we become kind and empathic not only with each other but with the environment that surrounds us.
Enjoy the trip and don't forget to live intensively to the fullest! you have the chance !!!! But accordingly with the law of nature, we should respect this earth and try to preserve it.
Give a chance to our inheritors to have the opportunity to enjoy the gifts of earth ,they belong to them too .They deserve to have dreams just like us ...I propose a moral responsibility, a commitment to the future of our inheritors.
Have a great time in the Bahamas or wherever you are!!!!!
Enjoy!Happy earth Day !!!!
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Amanda said 9:34PM on 4-19-2007
I think that people need to stop freaking out about hurting mother nature. If you sit down and think about it all this "save the planet" crap is hurting our economy. If we could build oil refineries we could be dependent on out own fuel that we can get from within the U.S.A. But istead we have to get oil from over seas because people are worried about hurting the environment. The thing of it is no matter how hard we try this earth is not going to last forever. But we as a people are scared of the future. We may just prolong the invidable all the while we are paying through the nose for gas and other things. I think we should spend more time worring about the declining economy of our contry and less time worrying about mother nature. This planet will take care of itself...it always does. And for another thing, "mother nature" isn't as bad off as everyone tries to make you believe.
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Jaime said 9:36PM on 4-19-2007
I amthinkinghow much easier textbooks in schools will be ablr to update. REagan was in office when I was in High school and ut textbooks were sop old ifit werent for MASH I wouldnt even know about the Korean war!
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VINNY said 9:44PM on 4-19-2007
HEY I THINK SAVING THE PLANET IS AWESOME AND I AM CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN HYDROGEN POWER UNITS FOR CARS...THAT MEANS I AM ADDING THEM TO YOUR CURRENT CAR OR TRUCK THAT YOU ARE DRIVING...BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE THERE ARE NO STICKERS. THERE ARENT DISCOUNTS OR TAX BREAKS FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE THESE UNITS TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT...OR PLANET EARTH...SO I SEE ALOT OF TALK ON HOW OTHERS ARE DOING THIS. BUT OTHERS DONT WANT A PERSON LIKE ME TO PASS THE KNOWLEDGE ON TO HELP THE GLOBAL WARMING PROCESS..OR GIVE TAX BREAKS TO OTHERS WHO DO...SO HOW CAN SOMEONE DO THAT WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE BIG PEOPLE WHO ARE IN CHARGE, GIVING TAX BREAKS??? THE PROJECTS THAT YOU SHOW IN MY OPINION ARE BENEFCIAL TO THOSE BIG PEOPLE.THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT??? ARE PEOPLE GETTING A BREAK ON ELECTRICITY THAT USE POWER OFF OF THESE FREE AIR GENERATING POWERED UNITS??? BECAUSE YOU KNOW THEY ARNT POWERED BY FOSSIL FUEL?? BUT THAT IS JUST MY OPINION>>>
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Adam said 9:43PM on 4-19-2007
Perhaps a nuclear power plant would be a more fitting picture for this article. If one was really concerned with "saving" the planet, they would know that nuclear energy is far more efficient, and less damaging to the environment than is wind power. To produce 1 billion watts of power, wind turbines must occupy 192,000 acres, or roughly 300 square miles. Not to mention they are eyesores, and are bird killing Cuisanarts. However, nuclear power requires roughly 1700 acres (2.65 sq. mi.) to produce the same amount of energy, with hydrogen and water being the most abundant by products. If you want to save the planet, be consistent, and realistic.
"Earth day, a day where the country worships dirt" Pat Buchannan
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PennyPlay said 9:56PM on 4-19-2007
Cengrouppetroleum.com PennyPlay's can be so much fun when they take off!!
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robert hodnovich said 7:40AM on 4-22-2007
There are the greenest cleaning products on the market which consist of enzymes. they are not wel known yet, but soon everyone will.
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Lanny Acosta said 9:26AM on 4-20-2007
Fortunately, the global warming crisis is just junk science. The climate of the earth has been changing since the day the earth was formed. Greenhouse gases only cause 4 percent of the warming and very little of that is caused by man.
Man is not evil---but that is the message of the global warming cartel. As the earth orbits the sun and spins on its axis, it precesses. Hot and cold times have cycled for millions of years and politicians is washington and in the world can not pass a law to stop it. Check out what Dr. William Grey says about global warming--he is the real scientist who truly understands climatic change and its causes. We will be ending this cycle of warming in the next century or so--lets hope that a mini ice age does not come too soon. When it gets 1 or 2 degrees warmer you can wear less clothing. The real misery this planet will see will be the next mini and large ice ages. Extreme cold is the real thing to fear and worry about. Cold reduces the growing seasons and that causes real human misery. Why are we all listening to ignorant talking heads on tv and truly ignorant politicians like Al Gore? The media is selling this country and this world a bad bill of goods.
Just check the science--its there but extensive global warming is not imminent. Be real careful about idiots who tell the same old lies over and over. That is what Adolf Hitler did and people believed him.
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Rob said 9:58PM on 4-19-2007
The main issue with giving up hardcopy is that electronic media can be corrupted easily or erased leaving nothing but memories. In addition, electronic formats change over time. Who's going to convert all those e-books over to the new language..and which ones? The ones that make money. I'll keep my old first editions safe knowing that I can give the exact copy of what I read as a boy to my grandson and for him to pass on to his. THAT history, no one can change.
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robert hodnovich said 10:16PM on 4-19-2007
The only really "green" cleaning products are coming from a company in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They are made from enzymes and are totally enviromentally freindly.
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Sandy said 10:07PM on 4-19-2007
If the typeface could be enlarged and perhaps the contrast increased so that low vison readers could enjoy more books, it would be worth its weight in gold.
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EDWARD GRAVES said 10:10PM on 4-19-2007
I DON'T MIND THE SERCH FOR CLEANER ENERGY BUT DO WE NEED TO HAVE THOUGHS UGLY WIND GENERATORS ALL OVER ARE HILL SIDES.
THER HAST TO BE SOMTHING OTHER THAN THAT!
IT'S JUST WHORED LOOKING ON ARE LANDSCAPE.PLEASE FIND ANOTHER WAY
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Jess said 10:10PM on 4-19-2007
This Earth cannot take much more , Read the Bible it tells alot what will happen to this earth.
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Jennifer said 10:33PM on 4-19-2007
Really, it wouldn't be that bad to spend a few bucks and try to save the planet. Honestly our economy is going down gradually whether we spend money to change or not. Our country doesn't have the right standards that even Japan won't trade with our items on some terms because it's bad for the enviroment. Truthfully, we depend on service, media, and entertainment jobs that we don't really produce anything. So our economy will gradually wear down to a third world economy for the young generation. Just to say, we should make a few changes and consider joining the EU also. I say we should worry less about money and think about saving the planet before it's too late. Sure it's easy for you to say 'it won't happen when I'm alive', but then it will to others. And even me, and I don't particullarily want the planet to burn up on me.
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sean said 11:09PM on 4-19-2007
Solar at the same price as what you pay now check it out
Http://www.jointhesolution.com/sandiego
Help to promote clean energy
http://www.powur.com/sandiego
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William Brady said 11:20PM on 4-19-2007
To many people*** This planet is very similar to a large jar, you can put so many marbles into it before it overflows. When it overflows is when problems start. The overflow causes a burden on the planet which in turn causes people to do without the necessites of life and items which are necessary. Species die, things change, and not for the better. wlbra5
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William Brady said 11:32PM on 4-19-2007
People are so preoccupied with their own lives that they dont take the time to see what they are doing to others and the planet they live on. Mankind has destroyed numerous wildlife and civilizations without regard to their right to live here as they were here before the civilization as we know ever started. I wonder if anyone under stands this?? wlbra5
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