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.
Cell phones in the U.S. are required by law to still be able to access emergency services even if deactivated. That piece of information could have saved one woman, who gave her 4-year-old daughter her cell phone to play with, a whole lot of hassle. The little girl, not quite understanding what she was doing, dialed 911 over and over again. The 4-year-old did this a grand total of 287 times in the month of June, sometimes as often as 20 times during a shift.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
mimi said 5:19AM on 2-29-2008
Some electronics or mobile phone stores will sell the display models to people when they get new ones in. Maybe mom should have asked one of her local stores for an old display model for her kid. That way, the kid gets a real cell phone that not only doesn't work, but has NEVER worked, and will not dial anything, including 911.
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It's the Cell Phone said 5:36PM on 3-12-2009
It's not the toddler's fault and it's not the mother's fault. It's the fault of cellphone manufacturers who build a phone with a "panic" button that activates and calls 911 on a single keystroke. My wife's old (non-flip) cellphone used to call 911 several times a week just bouncing around in her handbag, until we finally put a hammer to the damned thing!
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cowboyz1122 said 3:22PM on 7-31-2009
BUT.....Did she get her McDonalds????
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Kevin said 6:00PM on 7-31-2009
Yes, this is very correct. Alot of people that have cell phones do not realize that when they have been deactivated they can still call 911. I worked for a major cell phone provider and always would tell people to keep there old phone, keep it charged and in the glove box in their car. Just in case it was ever needed in an emergency they could still get help. One thing though to remember that if you are in the middle of no-where you may not have any siginal so you will NOT be able to reach anyone including 911. Just a thought to add is all.
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willow reed said 4:04PM on 7-10-2007
Stupid kid, stupid mom, FOUR YEARS OLD IS NOT A TODDLER!!!
How stupid these people are!
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reasonable person said 4:28PM on 7-10-2007
this is to willie or peepee reed.
apparantly you don't have kids and probably guessing a kid.
your message is what is stupid.
kids love phones mother didn't realize that a disconnected phone still would reach 911.
not really that stupid (i did know that but i am not stupid enough to think everybody knows that detail)
not like the telephone company wants people to know that (some get phones just in case of an emergency)
only idiot i know is william reed the smartest person on earth.
if you have a question just ask willie.
i guess you are smart enough to know what willie is in some countries.
that is what you are.
try responding with a comment with an above preschool intelligence
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smart kid said 5:11PM on 7-10-2007
if the so called 'stupid' kid was soooo stupid, they wouldn't know their address. most 4 year olds can tell you where they live by state and city, but not by address. she's actually a pretty smart cookie to know that. i have kids that age, and when u are 5 in kindergarten, they teach address and phone numbers...... will needs to check himself!
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glen said 2:23PM on 7-17-2007
all phones must be able to call 911 even in the home even if it has been turned off, but like the one person the phone co. do not care if you know this or not.
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glen said 2:25PM on 7-17-2007
posted to soon I would never count on a phone that was turned off but it is nice to know thats the way it is supposed to work
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mary said 10:56PM on 7-17-2007
you know what gets me is why did it take them a month to ask her what she wanted what if somnething was wrong? hard to believe they let this go on for a month!!!!! the police dept is just as much at fault as the 4 yr old is, its nice to know that if something were to be wrong the 4 yr old can dial 911 but sad to know it took them a month to check it out!!!
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Dave said 2:44PM on 7-17-2007
Uh, I've never seen a phone that could hold a charge for a month. I mean, I understand a kid playing with it and calling 911 until the battery died, but they had to charge it up over and over so she could keep doing it and didn't notice?
As Adrian Monk would say, "Something doesn't add up."
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Drew said 3:03PM on 7-17-2007
Awe That is so cute. My little nephew loves using my cellphone. I just make sure to take the battery out first and let him have a great time!
It isnt a great thing what happend but it did give me a little giggle. Kids are so adorable.!
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katt said 3:04PM on 7-17-2007
lmao ......how hilarious. i am a mom of one and let me tell you .....that is funny stuff. loosen up people. i too knew that you could call 911 from a closed line. however didnt stop me from giving my girl a phone. kids love to mock their parents, however.....i did check out what she was doing from time to time.....usually when i would charge it up.....lol. I wonder what did take the police so long? hmmmm?
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Sandra said 3:24PM on 7-17-2007
I didn't know about the call being able to go through until last week when my grand daughter did it on a friends phone, she's only a year and a half , but the police called back right away to see if there was an emergency and my friend said no. Why didn't the mother answer the phone when it rang?
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Lina said 3:16PM on 7-17-2007
For some reason I feel obligated to defend the mom.... if you've never given a toddler an old cellphone to play with it would seem to not "add up". Since one of my toddler's favorite toys is an old deactivated tracfone it sounds logical to me. We plug it in and charge it whenever the battery dies - it's not fun if it doesn't make all the beeping noises when the buttons are pressed. :)
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Julie said 3:31PM on 7-17-2007
C'mon this is an innocent 4 yr old kid and a mother just trying to make the kid happy by giving her a phone we all do it my 2 yr old has one of my old sprint phones that he mocks me with it is an innocent mistake though i do check every few minutes and clear the numbers for him.
This is just another funny story
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Tony said 3:40PM on 7-17-2007
This kid is pretty smart to know her own adress. I mean im 13 and i bairl remember mine.But just think this is our government that is protecting us... and it took them a month to find a kid with a cell phone in an apartment building... That amazes me. Well i hope that kid got her Mcdonalds =D Have a good day all
Free Music
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jess said 3:32PM on 7-17-2007
I think this is too funny, who hasn't given an old cell to one of their kids to play with? I agree with those who wondered why it took the 911 people a month to find out who was calling! Kids do the funniest things, always good to have around for a good laugh!! Glad I have 3 to keep me laughing!
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pk said 3:39PM on 7-17-2007
whatever happened to TOY phones? and what kind of emergency services do they have if it took 287 times to figure out a solution?
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Janet said 3:40PM on 7-17-2007
It seems this child needs two lessons...one don't play with the cell phone and two don't give out information to anyone over the phone. This child told perfect strangers where he lived. Yikes!!
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