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.
Why settle for your run-of-the-mill mousetrap when you can use a teched-out and unnecessarily intricate contraption that you might find in the lair of an old James Bond or Batman villain? Developed by U.K. pest-control pros, Rentokil, the RADAR mouse extermination system is touted as the "smartest and most humane mousetrap ever" -- this from a company that opted to put the word "kill" in its name.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
spydrworks1067 said 3:56PM on 1-25-2008
Once I caught a bunch of mice...was waiting to catch them all before taking them to a different town to let them go in a wild area, but then the cage was raided by ants. Convienently at this very time, there was an owl perched right outside my back yard. Guess Hooo got dinner??? LOL. But I will admit, my cat makes a better mouser ;)
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HokusPokus said 12:49PM on 10-10-2007
I am disappointed in the world today. Every time I turn around there is another Item that Texts you. Your car texts you when it needs a tune up, your dog's collar texts you when he gets lost (this one is pretty handy) and now your mouse trap texts you when you have caught one. Why are we leaning so heavily on technology these days? Why can't you just take your car in every now and then, to get a check and or tune up... Why can't you just see that the little door on your trap is closed and therefore there must be SOMETHING in it. When a mass shutdown or virus knocks everything out, we'll wish all of our things couldn't only be controlled by our phones.
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Mike Hunt said 12:47PM on 10-10-2007
At first glance at the article I thought that a terroist got into the White House.
GAS TRAPS RODENTS !
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tracy said 12:58PM on 10-10-2007
Maybe I'm missing something here but didnt the article say it sends doses of carbon dioxide to kill the mouse? If so, how do you set a dead mouse loose in the neighbors yard, like the article suggests?
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Megan said 2:35PM on 10-10-2007
I had a friend who used those horrible glue traps. When she or her husband got home, they would hit the poor thing with a bat to kill it. Right in front of their kids. I babysat one day, and I heard a poor little mouse squealing in panic. I called the company to see if there was anyway to release it. They said cooking oil would loosen the glue. So I took it to a faraway feild and let the poor little thing go.
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Phil said 1:09PM on 10-10-2007
What's wrong with the old fashioned way? I shoot them with a bb gun and throw the bodies in a river for the turtles.
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susan said 1:12PM on 10-10-2007
tracy - read the last paragraph again, then you will understand!
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mfernatt said 4:15PM on 10-10-2007
First to Mike, love the comment. I kind of like this ideal because you don't have to worry about anyone getting their fingers or paws caught in the old timer trap and second off you don't have to worry about your child or animal eating the poison like you do if you just lay it down. All of the animal lovers who would call this cruel and unusual punishment to me in no worse in using a trap that breaks the rodent’s neck or poison that kills them slowly. I also like the ideal of them text messaging you that you have something in their. I give this products concept thumbs up.
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hassie said 1:42PM on 10-10-2007
I wonder what PETA thinks of this one? It is more humane to trap it, NOT KILL IT, and let it go.But who said anything about being humane or compassionate? I suppose it beats poisons that force the mouse to bleed out internally. I rescused a field mouse once that had been poisoned and it was so sad. The wildlife rehab person gave him Vitamin K and saved the little guy so he could be released into the woods again. That's humane. Maybe if we treated creatures with more compassion we'd have less need to slaughter each other.D'ya think??????????????????
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crazyone2 said 1:27PM on 10-10-2007
I like the good ol rat traps that break their backs.That way you dont waste any meat Just remember cant eat em if you gas em
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Priscilla said 1:37PM on 10-10-2007
For those who think that keeping the mice alive is humane, they WILL come back into your house as they see their nest as sacred territory. It's better to exterminate, period. Anyone with squirrel problems can attest to the idea of returning to the nest - if they made a home in your attic & the homeowner thinks by covering up the access hole with find their house looking like swiss cheese in no time as the squirrel (which are rodents) will just create another hole...
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Mike said 1:44PM on 10-10-2007
PLUS (Project Literacy US) seems to be losing out to MINUS (Moronic Illiterate Nebbishes US).
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Jim said 2:04PM on 10-10-2007
Too bad Hillary and Reid can't fit into one of these gadgets.
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Tim said 2:18PM on 10-10-2007
"Jim says:
Too bad Hillary and Reid can't fit into one of these gadgets.
10/10/07 2:04 PM"
So you advocate the extermination of a former first lady and current Presidential candidate as well as the Senate Majority Leader? I think the Secret Service would like to be aware of this.
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ecommct said 2:20PM on 10-10-2007
Why on earth we keep killing innocent animals is beyond me, especially when there are so many violent and disturbing crimes perpetrated by human beings. Animals can't help but enter our homes when we build on the land that THEY used to call home.
And to get an email when the killing is done is just sickening.
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Christopher Kidwell said 2:20PM on 10-10-2007
Well, this is a more human trap that the other traps. The mouse just goes to sleep and doesn't wake up again from lack of oxygen.... probably doesn't even know what happened to him.
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Christopher Kidwell said 2:22PM on 10-10-2007
"Why on earth we keep killing innocent animals is beyond me, especially when there are so many violent and disturbing crimes perpetrated by human beings. Animals can't help but enter our homes when we build on the land that THEY used to call home."
Why do we do it? Because these animals can spread serious diseases around the world, and that is why we don't want them in our homes. Not to mention that I don't want to be eating something that a mouse or rat has been chewing on, even if it is my pet rat!
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doda said 2:31PM on 10-10-2007
Please oh please tell me that they are going to make an upsized model for the neighbors dogs and cats that like to mess up my yard.
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lifesreise said 10:14AM on 10-12-2007
hassie
u must have never seen a project rat. Rodents can stay outside in the wild all they want but when they invade the privacy of my home, all bets are off. They show no compassion when they're biting holes in your walls or leaving droppings out in the open and breeding all over the damn place. I've seen real footage of mice climbing into baby cribs because of the scent of the milk on the babies breath and biting the hell out of the kid. where's the compassion there. I'll round up as many as i can and bring them to all you rodent freaks and let you see how cute they really are
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dan said 2:42PM on 10-10-2007
yea right, that's what i need, a fuckn' CO2 gas dispensing mouse trap! i suggest that any squirrel brain that's interested in this shit to consider a gas dispensing chamber large enough to put themselves in. problem solved...
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