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 2)
Willow said 8:07AM on 9-02-2007
To be honest, I don't see too much of a difference either way in Tony Blair.
Reply
Terry Matlen said 9:31AM on 9-02-2007
I don't either! I couldn't tell which one was air-brushed.
Reply
Robert said 9:36AM on 9-02-2007
Same here, don't see any difference in the two. I think the airbrush police are wrong on this one.
Reply
christina laronge said 9:50AM on 9-02-2007
the two photos of tony blair look natural to me. also, to disagree with the writers, i think tony blair has ALWAYS been a very handsome man. the very most important qualities he posesses, however, are more along the lines of decency,honesty, and a genuine desire and ability to stand up for what he believes is right. i ADORE tony blair and it is for these non-aesthetic reasons (in other words, not for the way he LOOKS). he is a GOOD, DECENT man and i wish the world had more of them. good looking too...
Reply
natosha said 9:53AM on 9-02-2007
I dont see any differnce either, sept a bigger smile in one, which will lift the face...*scratches her head*..these photos dont appear to changed at all
Reply
Peggy said 10:04AM on 9-02-2007
Oh leave Tony alone! He's a good-looking guy, and I agree with the others. I see little difference, other than different facial expressions which will put emphasis on different facial lines....In fact the one on the right he is raising his eyebrows, which tends to make horizontal forehead lines crinke. The one of the left shows the vertical furrows in between brows. If they were going to AIRBRUSH anything, they'd of removed the furrows as well !
Reply
bigamej3 said 12:56PM on 9-02-2007
this is almost not even worth mentioning
Reply
SKEPTIC said 1:26PM on 9-02-2007
I agree that there is not much difference except one is posed and one isn't.
same goes for most of the rest of the photos except the missing glasses in Aniston's photo. The faces don't seem much different.
Reply
meanestmom said 1:31PM on 9-02-2007
I also agree Blair has always been a nice looking man and very articulate.
Reply
meanestmom said 1:30PM on 9-02-2007
I also agree Blair had always been a good looking man and very articulate. did you feel that earthquake? I am in Socal.
Reply
Anne said 1:56AM on 9-03-2007
I agree that "cousin" Tony (we share the name) is a handsome fellow. I think the magazine cover makes him look more pale and older than the photo on the right. Which has been airbrushed? If the magazine cover version was, they did an awful job.
Reply
Taz said 10:44PM on 9-02-2007
I don't see much of a difference in either picture. They're both kinda scary.
Reply
kevin said 11:06PM on 9-02-2007
uuhhh.. what did they airbrush...? His tie has dots in one pic and no dots in the other...way to go Mr. Airbrusher....I need that job.....
Reply
jbritzibabe13 said 11:43PM on 9-02-2007
umm...which one is airbrushed?
Reply
Jossy said 12:10AM on 9-03-2007
i beg to differ. i think he's just your common looking guy and he's not handsome at all. note how he's balding and has that wee tuff of hair standing up on top of his head in the middle of his balding sides. he should have that cut off, soon he'll have 6 hairs standing up and he'll look even worse. also, has a large nose and weak chin. but...these men aren't put into positions of POWER due to their looks, this has nothing to do with it so exclued him altogether from the airbrushed lot. his brain and knack for diplomacy is what is needed in a leader.
Reply
Juice said 1:10AM on 9-03-2007
Whoever wrote that about Blair really needs to get a life and stop combing through his face with a microscope. Most people don't really give a damn about how Tony Blair looks anyway and are not going to notice any airbrushing, however slight.
Reply
Mary said 1:20PM on 9-04-2007
I don't know which is airbrushed or not. I don't think either has be retouched.
Reply
Linds said 8:30PM on 9-04-2007
nope, don't see a difference either...
Reply
Talun Thomas said 9:56PM on 9-04-2007
Tony is a cool guy. To say that he is not a good looking guy is just not fair to him at all. I wish he was running our country. I don't see anything wrong with touching up a photo. I wish we could actually do that in real life.
Talun Thomas
Reply
SDK said 10:38PM on 9-04-2007
They couldn't have done very much brushing. Actually, I think the one on the right is better.
Reply