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)
paul mattfeld said 4:02PM on 3-24-2008
Perhaps these 'scientists' should review the work of 'Royal Raymond Rife' from the 1930's & 40's & 50's wherein he was 'terminating' all types of virus and cancer cells with merely frequency specific radio waves. Variations of his original equipment is available on the web today. Research it for yourself... and NO I neither work for or profit in any manner from the equipment.
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marty said 10:32AM on 9-06-2007
I would love to be the Ginnie pig to see if my hep c can be destroyed...I have been through all three treatments and almost died with the last one. I have almost given up but this made my ears perk up. Is there any chance of this happening?
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carol said 2:03PM on 9-06-2007
Yes I would also be intrested in testing this new research how do I become a paitent.. As I have Hep C.. and would love to have it go away..
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rocket said 2:47PM on 9-06-2007
Can this be done on just water? Purifying water is always an issue for third world communities with many water born illnesses.
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SoUthink? said 5:55PM on 9-06-2007
Lots of people could possibly benefit from further research of this technology however more money will be spent on pro sports, beer, cigarettes, hookers, and iphones; besides the pharmaceutical industry loves treating diseases not curing diseases. This story will be buried soon enough.
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wlm1 said 12:52AM on 9-07-2007
could this be used to kill off the human papilloma virus? I think I spelled that right. also some types of blood cancers? Sign me up up so.
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Henry Gibson said 6:37PM on 9-30-2007
It will never be sold because a fan with blades can create the pulsing light from the sun without the need for other light sources. A new cure for the common cold. Get a dialysis shunt installed and run your blood through a solar panel with a fan pulsator. Many years ago a man invented a device containing a lot of photo flash tubes that could remove old paint(no, not the horse) even from fabrics without destroying the fabrics or other surfaces. Then someone else invented a fast meat grill with high intensity light. Shine a flashlight through your fingers to see how it worked. Some people exposeded children to sunlight and other sources of ultra-violet rays to sucessfully prevent vitamin D deficiency effects, including bent leg bones. Almost every bit of food people eat comes from the chemical effects of light and plant substances. Companies in Norway and Great Britain have had commercial production of animal feed from natural gas. US oil companies have experimented with growing microbes on oil as a food source. Corn as an energy source is still cheaper than oil, and can be used directly as food. Light might work for a lot of things..hg...
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berdo said 1:09PM on 12-30-2007
this would be great to combine this technology with dialysis for people infected with hiv
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