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)
Linda said 7:15AM on 1-26-2009
Growing numbers of children are becoming Internet addicts nowadays. I suspect my children is at risk from spending too much time online, that’s why I use Internet filtering software Ez Internet Timer http://www.internettimer.net which allows me to disable the internet connection after a specified amount of time.
Filters are an important part of Internet safety that all parents should consider for their children, but it’s important that parents understand that filters should be part of a broader protection strategy.
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Greg McQuade said 6:29AM on 6-11-2009
Thank you for the hint, Linda. Ez Internet Timer is exactly what I was looking for a long time. I've tried many tools including Net Nanny, but my smart son broke them within 5 minutes. This one protects not only protects from changing PC system time, but also it protects pc in Windows Safe Mode. My oldest son is still trying to break Ez Internet Timer, but happily for me without any success. Once again thanks for the coomment!
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Greg McQuade said 6:33AM on 6-11-2009
Thank you for the hint, Linda. Ez Internet Timer is exactly what I was looking for a long time. I've tried many tools including Net Nanny, but my smart son broke them within 5 minutes. This one protects not only protects from changing PC system time, but also it protects pc in Windows Safe Mode. My oldest son is still trying to break Ez Internet Timer, but happily for me without any success. Once again thanks for the comment!
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Nate said 7:23PM on 9-27-2007
see with all the things that are online. I look at trucks, ways to make money, email, myspace, aim with friends, stuff to buy, things i want, birthday lists and last but not least porn
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regina lewis said 8:04AM on 9-28-2007
if they get distracted IMing with friends, they definitely do. i try to have my kids to their school work on one desk & keep the computer on another. so, when they're studying, they're studying and when they're chatting with friends or researching, they're doing that. otherwise, the lines blur & it's harder to measure how much time they're actually spending & on what. - regina www.reginalewis.com
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Tammy said 9:05AM on 9-28-2007
If more parents would take the computers out of the kids bedrooms, maybe they would have more control. Our computer is right in the kitchen, so I can limit their time and also check to see what they are doing and who they are talking to. For some reason parents don't want to monitor their own children, they just want everyone else to do it for them. Both of my children have a myspace account, it is set to private and I have the passwords to both accounts and I monito who they have for friends and I check it all the time. Parents need to get more involved, it is our job and responsibility to make sure our children are safe. If you don't like how much time they spend on the computer, then set limits and make them get off.
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Bethe said 8:53AM on 10-02-2007
Parents concerned about their kids spending too much time online can check out our website for helpful tips and activities aimed at getting your kids outside. Visit, www.greenhour.org
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ellie said 8:18PM on 10-13-2007
what Tammy said is completely ridiculous. Sure you can monitor what your kids are doing on the internet, but having their passwords and constantly checking their conversations and friends is a huuuuuuuuuuge invasion of privacy. If your kids are okay with that, then fine. But most of the time im sure teenagers would freak out even at the notion that their parents have access to their things. Not neccessarily because they are behaving inappropriatly on the net, but because things like myspace and msn are just as real to kids as normal conversations with mates; its personal. parents should know that teenagers need privacy because they're at a time in their life when they may be feeling insecure or unsure about the future, and it would be better to respect your kid and make him or her want to open up to you, rather than barging in and making yourself comfortable in their personal space whenever you feel like it.
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nicole said 9:46AM on 10-24-2007
I understand that parents want their children and teenagers to be safe from online sexual predators. Some parents however, go way over bored. If your child is under the age of 14 then I understand if you'd like to have their password & check on them. But after that age, you're going to push your kids away. They're going to feel like you don't trust them & they'll be scared to tell you things. If your child is smart enought, then they will set their profile to private & not add anyone unless they are ACTUALLY their friend in real life. Myspace is a great way to communicate with people & it has many uses. I personally also use it to talk to my friends from school & get any homework assignments that I may have missed. Parents need to loosen the reins on myspace more. Trust your child to make the right decisions & they won't feel overprotected or pushed away later in life.
Sit down and talk with your child. Instead of completely overlooking their entire myspace, just check a few things:
1.ask to look at their pictures. This way, you can see what people say about your kid & who they hang out with.
2.Ask them to keep their profile private and be careful who they add.
3. tell them not to give out any information that is too personal, ex. phone number, city they live in.
4. instead of saying "let me see your comments!" & "who are you talking to?!". say "hey can i look at your friends myspace?" or "so whos that boy who's been calling all week? can i see his myspace?"
by keeping things more low-key but still checking in, you'll learn more about your child & your child won't be more afraid to share with you about what goes on in their life.
I hope this was helpful =)
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