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.
Millions of PC users haven't even made the switch to Windows Vista yet, but that's not stopping Microsoft engineers from getting to work on the next version. For now, It's simply called Windows 7, as it will be the seventh iteration of the venerable (and frequently reviled) computer operating system (OS). 
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Karl said 2:17PM on 2-24-2008
Never had a problem with Vista, I have used it since beta and think a lot of the bashing is just anti Bill Gates crying.
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bobby saffel said 8:18AM on 2-24-2008
Everyone complained about XP when it first came out. Except for vista, every other OS has been a spin off of the one before it, therefore making it easier to crack. Vista isn't a bad OS. Vista can do things XP can't. it's all in what you're looking to do. Microsoft has always worked on another OS before the one before it was done. Most people don't know this, but if you turn of the user account controls (UAC) you can run just about anything on it.
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John Doe said 8:50PM on 2-27-2008
Vista Rocks....Xp when it first came out sucked.....Its not bad now but Vista isn't bad either. U just need More memory...
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jane doe said 4:12PM on 1-13-2009
This is a disgrace..we, the consumers should organize and sign a petition... to have microsoft give all vista users a free upgrade to the new microsoft 7. I purchased a laptop with vista. I had no choice at the time. Vista program was new. Never did I think this would happen. From the start vista was a major pain. What a disappointment. When contacting technical support it was admitted that they are having lots of problems with the vista program. Let take A C T I O N...!!!
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Mike Glen said 10:31AM on 10-19-2007
Just what we need another version of windows. With Vista barely out of the starting gates ( no pun) Gates is considering another upgrade? How much will this one cost?? Will it be compatible with programs written before Vista? Or is this just another scam for money? Personally I am sticking with XP till either my system melts down or something really revolutionary comes along
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Mikey the Nail said 11:55AM on 10-19-2007
Here's the problem: Vista sucks. Everyone who is anyone is wiping Vista and installing Windows XP Professional, which is really the only truly good operating system MS has created.
They'll probably find a way to make Windows 7 the new paradigm by leaning on software writers to engineer incompatibility with any MS OS prior to Vista. But serious users will, in all likelihood, continue to use XP Pro.
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Chris said 7:07PM on 10-19-2007
I suppose I am the only one who hasn't had any problems with Windows Vista. I had more problems with XP than I ever did with Vista, but I am excited to see Windows 7, which from what I am hearing in the development community, will be something NO ONE has ever seen before.
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