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.
Turns out the prosecutor who recently got a 19-year-old girl to plead guilty of a misdemeanor crime for recording 20 seconds of 'Transformers' wasn't necessarily inclined to actually prosecute the case. While Jhannet Sejas admitted to recording the snippet, she obviously wasn't a movie pirate looking to sell it on a street corner. However, Richard E. Trodden did prosecute the case and reportedly received a bit of pressure to do so from Regal Cinemas, the company that owns the theater where the transgression took place. It is also the largest theater chain in the U.S.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave said 2:43PM on 4-15-2009
What she did had NO criminal INTENT, which is REQUIRED for ANY criminal prosecution. So, technically, it was ILLEGAL to submit to Regal Cinema's vindictive pressure to file criminal charges rather than handle the case in civil court, which IS legal for cases with NO CRIMINAL intent. But its no FUN to have only civil penalties, its a lot more FUN to be purely VINDICTIVE and threaten prison sentences for civil offenses.
This sort of vindictive overkill usually results in alienating decent people, resulting in loss of customers, It also encourages acts of retaliation against the vengeful company, such as vandalizing theater seats and so on, costing the theater owners money. For one, I tend to believe in the Golden Rule, that vindictiveness and sadism should be returned in kind as a deterrent. So pray for the demise of Regal Cinema, a sadistic, vengeful, vindictive, profiteering company who sics police even on those without criminal intend, using public officials and taxpayer money to exact vengeance rather than take the case to civil court.
To Hell with them!!!
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Mazen said 12:22PM on 8-24-2007
the movie business is a bunch of crap that only cares about their money and no one else
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Music said 1:04PM on 8-24-2007
Exactly. they just want thier money, give this girl a break.
I swear, look at the story, where it says Transformers? Yeah, click it and it will get reviews...i think this is a bunch of crap!!!
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