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.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
quid said 10:50AM on 2-05-2008
Jay Doll, you are unbelievably stupid. Screw the arabs? This is a way of transmitting energy, not a source of energy. We will be dependent on arab oil for a while yet.
Reply
saurabh agrawal said 12:47AM on 1-09-2009
hey nice blog thanku providing info this witricity project can be a nice project at a btech level altho its old thing but a new age demand. it will be great if some1 help me out in dicussing the input to the transmiter let me tell my idea of trying this out. i m going to design the transmitter no prbs as well as the reciever but where the problem i m facein is fram where a supply of 10 MHz is going to be taken so i thought of frequency modulating electricity (but i also doubt that is it possible) cuz the amplitude of electricity is very high and how do i design a circuit that could tolerate that high amplitude. any ways if i m able to get a supply of 10 MHz then then next prb would be of the ocsillator so i thought of using a crystal oscillator of 12 MHz available in market and the same frequency supply(for resonance) now before i try this if some1 reads this comment plz help me out if u think some thing is wrong or any modification is needed............
Reply
rageshp1989 said 9:33AM on 8-28-2009
sir could u please help me in how to implement it practically
Reply
John said 1:45PM on 6-08-2007
It's my understanding that the human body does react to a magnetic field. Isn't Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology based on the cells reorientating themselves in this kind of environment?
Reply
CincyJoe said 9:42AM on 6-09-2007
I would call it Wi Tri (Y TRY)
Reply
lola said 3:33PM on 6-09-2007
What about people with devices such as pace makers and vegus nerve stimulaters. They can't be near other devices like microwaves or MRIs so wouldn't they be at risk?
Reply
Jay doll said 5:37PM on 6-09-2007
Think of using it to power pilotless vehicles on a new electrified freeway grid, vehicles could get their power directly from the road.
This could be our future, visualize it and screw the Arabs !
Reply
keith said 5:50PM on 6-09-2007
Nichola Tesla invented this in the 1910 era. He was a genius. Let's give credit where it is due. Don't show a bunch of nerds in the picture with the story like they came up with this idea out of the clear blue. Ask them, I'm sure they've read his theories and applications of wireless electricity.
Reply
Mike said 8:53PM on 6-09-2007
Come on guys, give credit where credit is do! No matter how you disguise your work with fabricated theories, it is still the same experiments that Nikola Tesla and others have previously explored. Without wires, Tesla lighted a bank of 200 light bulbs that were 50 watts each from over 26 miles away during his Colorado Springs experiments in 1899! Beat that, all you nerds!
Mike
Reply
Terrence O'Brien said 9:18PM on 6-09-2007
Telsa's experiments involved electrostatic fields, not magnetic, and did not power the light-bulbs through the air, but by passing the electrostatic forces through a natural conductor, namely the Earth. It was wireless, because there were no wires, but it was not contact-less.
Reply
snakerabbit said 11:14PM on 6-09-2007
Thank you to all who remember tesla's work. I almost fell off my chair when I read about this.Tesla was THE master of frequency vibration. This is 100 year old technology reborn thru forgetfulness. Lets use it now.
Reply
SALVATORE said 2:25PM on 6-11-2007
Tesla was asked by J.P.MORGAN ,his financial backer ,where does the meter go ,when tesla came up with his idea to get free energy from the air,using antennas pointed up into the atmosphere
J.P.MORGAN Prompty dropped his funding !
If,anyone here doubts the exsistence of getting energy from the air,ether,basic substance,etc...
then you may be interested in the subjects referenced in the website listed below
http://www.serendipity.li/fe/ryan_disclosure_proj
ect.htm
Reply
Brian said 11:34PM on 6-12-2007
This device won't create energy so that comment about messing with the Arabs doesn't make any sense. This device just transports energy. It is almost exactly like a radio, it gives off electromagnetic waves. Also the person who wrote this article has no idea what they are talking about. Electromagnetic waves have both ELECTRIC and MAGNETIC components, each providing an equal amount of energy.
Reply
Brian said 7:34PM on 6-11-2007
This would effect people the same way power lines would.
Reply
Terrence O\\\'Brien said 10:43PM on 6-11-2007
@Brian
Please don't toss around insults with out doing your research. Because of the extremely low frequency used to transmit power a person would be with in one wavelength of the power source. Within the first wavelength the radiation from the field is almost entirely magnetic.
Please follow the source link to the BBC article.
Reply
Barbara Lindsey said 9:40AM on 6-12-2007
"They" will never let anyone develop anything they can't charge you for. There are all kinds of ways to get "free" electricity, and even far less expensive ways to run your cars. They can make them-----they won't. (No name, please)
Reply
Ken Wielfaert said 1:23PM on 6-12-2007
What about all the medical gadget implants controlled or adjusted by magnetic waves such as brain shunts, etc.?
Reply
Witricity said 3:12PM on 7-12-2007
Witricity News, Experimental Videos And Information:
http://www.witricitynet.com
Reply
EScientist said 6:00PM on 7-22-2007
this technology will increase the power loss and use the extra energy and also harm the human body like the electromegnetic waves do and the intruption will be created throgh different devices that uses electromagnetic waves
Reply