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)
abinc said 4:48PM on 4-05-2009
Got to hand it to the Japanese. They have made a couple of female robots. One is nice and coy, but the other -- wow! It has five switches to control it. Let see; they are "cook," "clean," "f*ck," "suck," and of course, "off."
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bmwr100s said 6:54PM on 7-13-2007
I thought all dogs spoke french..just this morning ..I saw my dog speaking french all over the front lawn
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Randy Cornell said 6:59PM on 7-13-2007
If people who have the money to buy this ridiculous toy-for-adults, they have a few loose marbles in their heads. rec62150@aol.com
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Rita said 9:06AM on 7-14-2007
What's wrong with toys for adults? Why should kids be the only ones who get to have fun? If you don't like toys, that's fine..but other people have other interests than you.
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Jane said 10:31AM on 7-14-2007
Ok; does RoBo dog do the rub-the-butt across the carpet when there's company? THAT is an important trick that every dog knows.
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jlgiftsetc said 11:16AM on 7-14-2007
Robot dogs are great. No vet bills, no house training, etc...,(we'll have to wait for version 2.0 for that...) I'm sure you'll be able to find them on ebay for way less soon enough.
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jlgiftsetc said 11:26AM on 7-14-2007
My wife's friend wanted a simmilar dog (well a much lower end robot dog) and got it here www.resytlefashion.com
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K.B. said 12:04AM on 7-16-2007
If the companies who come up with this crap would put that money towards hunger funds, AIDs and Cancer prevention medicine, etc., the world would be a lot happier. That idiotic thing probably costed a billion dollars to "be born" when I see useless crap that costs a lot of money to make AND buy I get really angry at how selfish and UNhumanitarian humans as a species are. They don't give a crap about anyone else's suffering as long as they can have a fake stupid dog that they will get bored with in about 2 weeks or less. WAKE THE HELL UP PEOPLE!
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Sydney said 12:07PM on 9-26-2007
Umm... K.B., Have you ever heard the old adage that to every time their is a season? A time to work, a time to play - a time to be born, a time to die, a time to laugh, a time to cry?
It's not only in the Bible, it was also a hit 1970's pop tune, so it comes with stellar recommendations. The point is, lighten up a little. Buying a toy to amuse oneself and caring for orphans in Darfur are not mutually exclusive activities. It is possible to both care about and give oneself to humanitarian efforts and to play with an expensive robotic animal.
In the end, it is actually the progression of technology that will save us from things like world hunger and disease.
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