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)
jenna said 12:43PM on 8-13-2008
hey this is th ulgyest thing i havre seen
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Sean said 1:55PM on 8-21-2008
I had the white version from the '90s. Rather than being a glorified 8-track player, it was a glorified cassette player! I guess it was supposed to look sort of sassy since it looked like it had its "hands" on its "hips".
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Pelicula Corta said 2:46AM on 9-19-2008
EWWW! I remember this thing. I was totally unimpressed by it (and a little creeped out), so I hit the 'rents up for a TOBOR that Xmas instead. TOBOR was way cooler, it actually had a remote and would move reasonably speedily forwards and backwards, picking up stuff. It was the only thing going until what I really wanted finally came out... a remote=controllled R2. Wow this takes me back! A banner year for me in gadgetland. The same holiday I passed over this hideous monster, I got a Merlin, a Battlestar Galactica handheld game (exactly like the LED football game), a Cylon action figure (hello!...rip off!), and a "space station" that you fired a light gun at, blowing it up (actually it just upset the little plastic rockets and knocked 'em off their platform). Oh!! and the best toy! A star cruiser (StarBird?!) ship that had full sound effects, lights, and a gun turret/escape pod at the aft. And the engine whine was the best... the sound would pitch higher or lower, with greater or lesser intensity, as you tilted it up or down for its "flight". Not your intent, but hanks for the memories, Switched!
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Tony said 11:59PM on 8-25-2008
Oh man! I used to have one of these when I was a kid and once we figured out he could play any 8-track tape, we would put in our Bill Cosby "Why Is There Air?" album and laugh our heads off! :D
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David said 1:25AM on 10-21-2008
My brother had one and He used to chase me around the house with it.
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Donelle said 10:34PM on 5-24-2007
Hey! It may be ugly but, at the time it was one of the coolest toys ever. I had one at 4 or 5 years old and it would hold my attention for hours.
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Kathryn said 10:43PM on 5-24-2007
This would scare me.
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KIM said 11:19PM on 5-24-2007
I HAD ONE WHEN I WAS 7-8 AND I STILL HAVE IT AND IT STILL WORKS!!!!
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Lisa said 12:47AM on 5-25-2007
I still have it and all the tapes too! This was one of the coolest toys because it plays 8 Tracks! Still works after all this time!
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Payday said 1:29AM on 5-25-2007
I saw this at a thrift store but never knew what it was.
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Star Buck Naked Moon said 2:30AM on 5-25-2007
Dont dis Battlestar Gallactica. It was a great show
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Crys said 1:14AM on 5-26-2007
I loved my 2xl when I had it. It was so much fun and I learned a lot. The greatest thing about it was, when I was finished with my quiz game, I would take the tape out and put in my favorite Donny Osmond 8 track tape :)
It was so great being a kid in the 70's and the 80's!!! I really believe that our toys rocked!
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