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)
RCS said 9:17PM on 6-28-2007
Blackberry does it all. MP3 phone email internet the touch screen is sweet but other than that the iphone is a toy. The blackberrys are and always will be the original smart phone.
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david said 11:42PM on 6-28-2007
Untill the BBerry goes 3g I am sticking with my treo 750.... Hopefully Apple will Add 3g and business applications to the iphone
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Kendall Sims said 6:42AM on 6-29-2007
The blackberry is the original smartphone? Hello, have you ever seen a TREO? I switched from Treo to Blackberry and have regretted it ever since.
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marsha smith said 4:36PM on 7-17-2007
I have a blackberry myself and all I do is drop calls constantly! It's excelent for e-mail but as a cell phone itself it stinks. I will wind up getting a smartphone/TREO myself. I deal w/Dr's and Lawyers day in day out and I drop calls,lost signals, 6 to 7 times a day.
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cheryl said 8:33AM on 7-18-2007
Im glad i saw ur comment marsha smith, MY BLACKBERRY DROPS CALLS ALL THE TIME, TOO!! AND IM REALTOR!! but i luv the computer-part, just not the 'telephone'!!
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jf roadwarrior said 12:47AM on 8-22-2007
With a form-factor as cool as the video ipod and much similarity to it in size, the new BB 8830 which works worldwide, is the near-perfect device, especially on the Sprint network thanks to high-speed data rates and built-in world-wide GPS navigation capability. Download and install onto your laptop the Sprint mobile broadband app so that your bb 8830 now becomes a bluetooth-tethered wireless wide-area broadband modem. Forget about having to dive for a hotspot while on the road. Now your laptop is always broadband-internet-ready even with your 8830 in your briefcase or on your beltclip. Now download and install onto your 8830 the following java applets: Beyond411, VR+, Telenav 5.0 (subscribe to the Telenav service for under 10 bucks/mo - you won't be sorry), Ka-glom or other fav games and install them via your BB desktop manager app. Install a 4GB microSD card underneat your 8830 battery and load your MP3s or ACC files from your itunes. Then get a bluetooth v2.0 A2DP-compliant stereo-mic headset like the Motorola S9. Trust me! This IS the ultimate setup. Now your 8830 BLOWS AWAY the iphone by a country mile. Imagine a SECURE & integrated 10-account email-push device (able to integrate with you employer's intranet AND PBX) with integrated PIM, voice-activated phone/speakerphone, broadband modem, movie and music player, web-surfer, directory assistant, birds-eye-view personal turn-by-turn hands-free navigator, audio dictation recorder, gaming platform. Oh, I forgot, you can load other apps also to actually get work done like with MS attachments. If you have a newer car with a bluetooth stereo system, your 8830 will wirelessly play your music collection over your car stereo, then when a call comes in, the music is automatically muted and the call proceeds over your car stereo speakers. then when you hit the gym, don the Mot S9 stereo headset and the same experience operates portably. INCREDIBLY COOL. Nothing touches this level of all-in-one convenience.
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