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 2)
Enrique said 10:46AM on 9-21-2007
I wonder if it will cause cancer too! As we know now, the ethylene in plastic causes high risk to women. Even the new plastic plumbing is causing problems. But they make money, so no one wants to talk about it.
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David said 10:50AM on 9-21-2007
re: using a CO2 fire extinguisher, "if you don't mind the clean-up" - CO2 fire extinguishers don't need clean-up. There is no residue. Unfortunately, the residue of this gizmo is more plastic, more energy used, more landfill waste. Another product that we really have little need for.
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Enrique said 10:48AM on 9-21-2007
I'm sure not enough research has gone into this. We alrady know that bottoled water and other things packed in theylene plastics cause cancer. But no one talks about it because it makes money. That's our total motivation in our culture.
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Jean said 10:51AM on 9-21-2007
Noticing that this is filed under "Green Tech",
I'd like to have some scientists compare how much
energy it takes to compress the contents of these
bottles to a point where they cool automatically
when they are opened with the energy it takes to
run a refrigerator...kind of like the fuel from
corn thing.
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Lecagr said 11:06AM on 9-21-2007
No one talks about this either, but those Ziploc sandwich bags made from plastic affect the taste of the food. I used to use those to wrap sandwiches in, but they give the sandwich a weird taste so I don't use them anymore. Now I wrap sandwiches in tin foil, there's no foreign taste anymore. I wouldn't recommend any of those plastic bags for storing food. Sandwich bags, storage bags, freezer bags, they're all no good.
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snowdrops330 said 11:15AM on 9-21-2007
Everything causes cancer now, we are all going to die eventually. Might as well enjoy a cold drink while we are at it. !!
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john said 11:19AM on 9-21-2007
i dont see you complaining about ethenol gas aditive its uses twice vthe amount of energy to produce then the product delievers i dont see you yelling about gore and hisd fleet of private jets that pollute in one flight what most small towns do in months pollution nonsense its a step in the right direction if you dont like it dont buy it
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Tater Salad said 11:41AM on 9-21-2007
Jeeez... Who gives a rip about "landfills" or PLASTIC....You tree huggers make me SICK. Everything causes CANCER even the fricken air we breathe, so live life and quit trying to ruin things for those of us who have a life!!!
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Lydia said 11:45AM on 9-21-2007
That sounds great, when can I get it in here in sub-Sahara Africa?
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Big Daddy Jensen said 10:29AM on 9-22-2007
Pretty good thinking. Should go to the beer industry.
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Funny said 11:49AM on 9-21-2007
Yea the tree huggers. They complain about everything and yet they use the same prouducts they complaining about. It's funny around where I live they complain, march protest about saving the trees, and when they leave to drive home they get in to their big SUV or old car that spirts out Blue Smoke. The houses are big and guess what made of wood.
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Dan said 12:03PM on 9-21-2007
So how much more is this "self cooling" bottle of pop going to cost us? Talk about a totally unnecessary costly invention. Sheesh!
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FabianChristopher said 8:52AM on 9-30-2007
You're all missing the real issue here...
So what happens if you shake the bottle and then open it? With the extra compression, do we get a super-geyser or does the compression make it more stable and we get nothing? Inquiring pranksters want to know.
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green girl said 12:00PM on 9-21-2007
anyone that endorses this new product will reap it's benefits as each year there are more problems with the air we breathe, the water we drink & bathe in, and the plants & animals we eat...there will be more and more toxins in your bodies as well as ours. DON'T PROMOTE NEW OR MORE EASY CONTAINER PRODUCTS THAT RUIN OUR DAILY LIVES. OUR EXTINCTION IS NOT THAT FAR AWAY...HAVE YOU TESTED YOUR WATER LATELY ?
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Funny said 11:57AM on 9-21-2007
You don't have to tell me about that crap ethanol gas additive. It uses enormous amount of recourses to produce and we have to fill up lot more often because the cars don't go as far with a tank of gas. Still use the same amount of gas to get where we are going and spending more to get there. They did a study they are having problems with it now. Fix one thing and create another problem.
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roger keller said 12:05PM on 9-21-2007
Interesting. I had this idea a long time ago. It uses the principle of refrigeration to cool the soda down. Simply by having a safe liquid refrigerant in the soda that quickly expands when the bottle is opened causes a cooling effect that I believe will sell. Yes it can completely safe and when you try one of these you will too think its a fantastic idea!
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You people talk both sides of your mouths. said 12:11PM on 9-21-2007
Worried about cost don't buy it. Hear this all the time "totally unnecessary costly invention" but people wanted Electric windows in their cars, of which the crank did just fine. People have those silly Cell phones because they can't think they go 2 minutes without talking to someone. The list is LONG about unnecessary costly inventions, and everyone of them causes some kind of polution to build or distroy.
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ChE_basedLogic said 12:18PM on 9-21-2007
I love how everyone becomes a scientist when it suits their political agenda...most people are unaware that fruits generate ethylene as they ripen and that it is a self propelling mechanism that they give off more ethylene as they ripen...those a banana in a paper bag with an apple will cause it to ripen faster as bananas give off a lot of ethylene...please leave the science to those that understand it and leave your conspiracy theories in fiction novels!
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plain&simple said 12:28PM on 9-21-2007
Why put all that work and energy into somthing that isn't necessary. What wrong with researching for the cures for cancer, Aids and so on....These so called scientist invented these problems and continue to invent more everyday. A complete waste of the human brain..
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ChE_basedLogic said 12:24PM on 9-21-2007
Plastics are then issue...people not recycling, reusing, and properly disposing of waste is the issue. For all you smokers out there who know the cancirogens that exist in cigarettes why throw them into the streets, rivers, or out the windows of your cars. Those cigarette butts do more to add carcinogens into our water supply than anything else you typically do in your lives. Start blaming the real culprit...since with great power comes great responsibility and nobody's resonsible any more!
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