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.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Steve said 8:37PM on 5-04-2007
Great idea, the frikkin privacy advocates that oppose it are the same people who would condone terrorist activities in the name of "free speech" or some other such crap. BTW, try a dictionary instead of just spelchek, "Calvary" was the site of Christ's crucifixion; the word you're groping for is "cavalry."
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Nancy said 11:18PM on 5-04-2007
ditto, Steve, i couldn't agree with you more. what's really amazing though is someone who is articulate and can spell. Nancy
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Roland Esquivel said 12:37AM on 5-05-2007
Who's the ignoramus that doesn't know the difference between calvary and cavalry ?
Get him or her off your staff !!
What else does this dummy not know ?
Dr. Esquivel
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bobo said 12:41AM on 5-05-2007
nancy why don't you and steve just get a room?
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Mr engineer said 1:58AM on 5-05-2007
Now back to the content of the story. Technically it is of course feasible, but for sure it would be difficult to sell such a cell phone. Adding that feature will make the cell phone bigger, heavier and shorten battery life. Then indeed who says the phone is not sending your location to home land security all the time? And what does the user get in return? Nada!
So you are looking at either some heafty subsidies or a new law (making the feature mandatory in all new cell phones) to make this fly.
I for one wouldn't want such a phone (and pay more to avoid it).
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YesPrivacy said 6:16AM on 5-05-2007
NO Steve. You & your dictionary. It was actually Jesus they cruicified. You can't cruicify a spirit.
You've not visited any counties where privacy is thought to be some city in Greenland? Try it before you run your mouth, again.
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soulcage said 11:31AM on 5-05-2007
Out of 5 comments, three are bitching about the writer allegedly using the word "calvary" as opposed to "cavalry.
Unless the writer changed the article word in question after the complaints, those three complainers are wrong. The writer used the correct word "CAVALRY".
Quote: "While a lone signal would most likely be treated as a false positive, multiple hits in a single area would bring out the cavalry."
Clean your freakin glasses off. Your dyslexia is showing. The writer got it right.
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