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)
jm said 6:24PM on 9-17-2007
and some still think this "corporate republic" is a democracy
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hobert3 said 8:21PM on 9-17-2007
That has been going on for a while
and everytime they call my phone I
am charged for a text message.
I am not happy!
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Mark Pierce said 12:55AM on 9-18-2007
They should extend the "Do Not Call" feature. Nobody will be happy about this. Since we are charged everytime we get an incoming anything, we should have a choice as to whether we accept this garbage. This will result in a class action lawsuit eventually, but who is going to reimburse us for the lost charges? It will take years.
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harold pratt said 7:39AM on 9-18-2007
WHEN THEY START THAT ON MY PHONE IT WILL BE BACK TO THE PHONE ON THE STREET/////
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Mary Helton said 9:28AM on 9-18-2007
Sounds like an invasion of personal space!
The very first time I receive an advert on my cell phone; I will shut it off and never use it again. I can live with just a landline.
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streetstylz said 5:24PM on 9-20-2007
Thank you for your coverage of QR Codes.
We are NeoMedia Technologies and we are the global leader in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices. From RFID and optically initiated wireless transactions to the digital processing of mobile financial transactions, NeoMedia provides reliable high-volume solutions for the processing of universal optical codes and related content for mobile devices. NeoMedia's international office is located in Aachen, Germany. This office, Gavitec AG - mobile digit, is the leading provider of mobile technologies and marketing solutions offering mobile enterprise applications and hardware devices for mobile ticketing and coupon transactions.
NeoMedia and Gavitec are active members of the Mobile Codes Consortium with technology leader HP, marketing powerhouse and advertising agency Publicis Groupe, cell phone manufacturer Nokia, along with wireless carriers O2, Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile), and KPN.
http://www.mobilecodes.org/
We are also activity involved with Sprint who is using our mobile code-reading technology here in the US.
Gavitec AG - mobile digit, the leading provider of mobile technologies and marketing solutions and a NeoMedia wholly owned subsidiary has made tremendous strides in Europe with mobile ticketing and mobile coupons. Gavitec is a strategic partner of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and they have partnered with equipment provider TopSolutions to equip Lusomundo, Portugal's leading cinema chain, with admission terminals for mobile tickets that allow movie-goers to obtain tickets through a cash-free Web-based transaction, and receive an electronic ticket as an SMS on their mobile phones. Gavitec also secured a field trial with McDonalds's of Germany for use of its EXIO platform for monetization of mobile coupons at 22 stores across the country. This trial, if successful, will lead to the installation of EXIO's at over 2,000 stores.
We are also proud to announce the NeoReader as a universal code reader based off the award winning Lavasphere technology developed in Germany by Gavitec. The NeoReader reads all common non-proprietary 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, and Aztec) as well as URL embedded 2D codes and all 1D UPC open source codes. This allows the NeoReader user to click on a variety of codes with a single application installed.
Thank you again for supporting NeoMedia and Gavitec. We look forward to a great end to 2007 and can't wait for 2008 and beyond.
Best regards,
Sean
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wlm1 said 1:18AM on 9-26-2007
This is invasion of personl property. This should be stopped by governments. It's not fair that my minutes and messages are used up by these pigs. Who are these people anyway and why isan't someone doing anything?
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