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 5)
James said 8:42PM on 3-14-2008
TIME...WAITS FOR NO ONE.
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hollypinopepper said 10:12PM on 3-14-2008
they're not saying they changed her...they're saying they changed the item shes holding.
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shirley said 2:38AM on 3-15-2008
Wow, I need to get airbrushed! They erase bulges, wrinkles and every flaw imaginable. Fantastic. And I bet Oprah NEVER gets her show on HD cause she is ugly up close!
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Carol Watters said 12:41PM on 8-06-2008
I know for a FACT that all the magazines use photoshop. My nephew does for a living and gets paid a fortune to do it. He laughs about how ordinary the celebs really are.
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oreomarco said 2:19PM on 8-06-2008
Isn't this 2008? Why do they keep referring to the best airbrushed of 2007?
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Kim said 6:18PM on 8-11-2008
Did anyone notice that her sunglasses have been removed??
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caitengl said 8:28AM on 9-02-2007
I wish someone would photoshop me. It would be nice to see what I would look like if I were the perfect me.
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virginia said 7:22AM on 9-02-2007
whats the big deal? she still looks great! are you jealous?
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Aura said 7:25AM on 9-02-2007
hahahahahahahaha
and THIS is why i NEVER trust damn gossip magazines.
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Laurie said 7:34AM on 9-02-2007
This picture is not about if Jennifer looks great or not, it's about the fact that the "catalog" she's holding is re-done so they could make up a story.
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Charles said 8:07AM on 9-02-2007
The best response is to refraim from buying all those media publications using airbrushing who are passing themselves off as legitimate media.
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theonewhodoesn'tcare said 8:18AM on 9-02-2007
OMG people who cares if she does write a book I for one wouldn't be reading it, like I would really want to know the details of a marriage that failed. Suprise even jennifer Anniston is human and has flaws
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jan said 8:18AM on 9-02-2007
Just don't buy the tabloids, this is making it profitable for people to be doing this.
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Willow said 8:20AM on 9-02-2007
Again, like Tony Blair, I see no difference!!
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cuzitstrue4u said 8:40AM on 9-04-2007
This not surprising or new. Every now and then one of the magazines (People) has the celebs without makeup and wardrobe and it is the same old thing, celebs are smoke and mirrors. We the public make them into bigger than life objects of admiration and there for the saga continues. I would love for people to get this and stop paying the celebs and athletes and such so much money and start paying good money for those who protect and serve, teach and save.
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Karen Yocom said 8:40AM on 9-02-2007
This is just a tiny bit of the BS we're fed by the media. Imagine what we're missing from the political scene when millions of dollars of campaign money is spent on PR.
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andria said 8:48AM on 9-02-2007
I believe that serious airbrushing happens routinely. I believe that close-up face shots of celebrities are manipulated. However, these shots look pretty much the same to me. Faith Hill was the only one where I could tell any difference, and she still looked fantastic to begin with. Probably a picture of Beyonce would be more telling.
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pat said 8:56AM on 9-02-2007
who cares? If Jennifer Aniston is not in the tabloids, what else is she doing? She's become a 'tabloid celebrity' that all!
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Sondra said 8:58AM on 9-02-2007
I see no difference in the appearance of any of the people in the photos except the tennis guy and Faith Hill, and that is a HUGE difference, though she is still beautiful. Different camera angles, lighting or shadows yes, airbrushing anyone else, no.
This whole story sounds like it was taken from the same trash magazine that tried to make Jennifer Aniston look bad.
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Kenny48 said 9:06AM on 9-02-2007
I've known about airbrushed photos for about 20 years now. I guess I can thank Playboy for that. They don't fool me, but alot of insecure, naive people might think that they have to look this good. Here's a bit of free advice; No one looks as good as that in real life. Its our imperfections that makes us appealing.
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