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.
A man in Berkeley, California was struck and killed yesterday while crossing the train tracks on foot. Witnesses say that he was distracted by talking on his cell phone, resulting in the accident. The man stood by the side of two sets of the tracks waiting for one train to cross, then immediately stepped out onto the tracks and was struck by a second train passing in the opposite direction.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 32)
charmaine said 7:06PM on 3-29-2008
Last year in Redwood City, about 20 miles southwest of Berkeley, a man was hit by a CalTran train while on his cell phone. He waited for a train to pass and walked on the tracks where a train going in the opposite direction hit and killed him. I think you must have been thinking of this accident. People waiting for trains at this station said they yelled at him to stop, but he obviously didn't hear them. Quite sad.
Reply
Hans Armbrust said 12:04PM on 4-06-2008
These trains! LET'S BAN TRAINS. They have killed how many people?
Reply
Lauren said 10:30PM on 9-04-2009
Well if you're too dumb to use enough common sense to hang up the damn phone when crossing the train tracks, then you deserve to die. One day while I was driving, I saw some woman talking on the phone while crossing the street. What's worse, she had her kids with her! They almost got killed because she was too busy running her damn mouth instead of protecting them. Seriously, what the hell kind of conversation was she having that was so important that she had to put her life, worse yet her kids' lives in jeopardy?? And why blame the cell phone for this guy's death? Did the cell phone push the man onto the tracks? I think not. It's time people started taking responsibility for their own actions. If he had paid attention to where he was going, this would never have happened. The phone didn't kill him, his stupidity killed him.
I guess it's true; the stupid ones die first.
Reply
Hope said 8:54PM on 11-19-2007
Stupid is as stupid does. What in the world can be so important that dimwits, nitwits, dummb ass, nincompoop moron Americans cannot put the stupid cell phone down while driving or crossing the railroad tracks on foot or in the car ?????? Americans - get a life without the stupid cell phones. A life is a terrible thing to lose because of a stupid, stupid, phone call. A life you save might just be yours !!!!
Reply
Simzeeee said 6:09AM on 11-20-2007
I thought it was a cell phone growing on peoples heads.
Reply
Tammy said 2:11PM on 11-20-2007
Well this isn't the first death from talking on the cell phone, and it won't be the last. EACH and every time someone almost hits me while driving, you guessed it...THEY ARE ON THE CELL PHONE. lol So this does not surprise me... Talk away people, talk away. Dumm dumm need summ gumm gumm?
Reply
Chris said 2:08PM on 11-20-2007
Darwinism at its finest.
Reply
Nilla said 2:13PM on 11-20-2007
It was not the only the cell phones fault. First of all there should be a blocking at every train crossing, to make sure no one is able to even set foot that close to the train!!! And that's that! People should not be able to accidentally walk on the tracks. Where are the guarding rails when you need them?
Reply
Vivi said 2:22PM on 11-20-2007
No one has a right to call we Americans, nitwits, dumb-asses or any other nasty name. If you don't like my America, go back to wherever you came from.
Reply
Vahn said 2:26PM on 11-20-2007
Wonder if the person on the other end thought it was a dropped call.Dumbass people.Oh,I'm gonna talk while crossing the train tracks,then talk while taking a dump, then I will call you while I have sex.
Reply
Tory said 2:40PM on 11-20-2007
Hope, I am sure everyone in your country is so much smarter, I mean you proved it by your ignorant narrow mind. Then we have Nilla, do you live in bubble? I don't want to because we have people that can't walk and chew gum at the same time. I am smart enough not to try and cross the train tracks while a train is coming. Neither of these talking while walking incidents should have happened, but neither of them had to do with the phone. The people were just not very smart, they probably grew up in the bubble that Nilla lives in. Kept them safe until that fateful day when they decided to cross the train tracks!
Reply
Susan said 2:42PM on 11-20-2007
A note to Vivi (one of the participants in this discussion): The word "dumba__" is filthy and unnecessary. Before you tell people to go back where they came from, perhaps you should first go to charm school. (Respectfully submitted without name-calling or filthy language, but an instruction in just plain decency instead . . . .)
Reply
testtube2005 said 2:44PM on 11-20-2007
whoever invented the cell phone should have it stuck up their ass and they should ban the damn thing
Reply
CoCo699 said 2:57PM on 11-20-2007
Susan~
I can appreciate what you are saying, but if you notice, ViVi was simply quoting another post.
Reply
Jay said 3:04PM on 11-20-2007
yes, many people here in the states are very stupid, but what can you expect from the education system we have here? and i am not from somewhere else, from here and can speak to my own opinion as i see fit. that of course is whats called "Free speach" supposedly what we are fighting for in Iraq and Afganistan?? or is that just excuse number #20 as to why they invaded another country who had nothing to do with 9/11?
Reply
jeff said 3:06PM on 11-20-2007
Ok guys...The train killed this idiot not the cell phone. If you aren't smart enough when walking railroad tracks to be cautious
Reply
dradney said 3:09PM on 11-20-2007
The most important thing in cases like this is to STOP telling people that the cell phone caused the accident. Put the blame where it belongs.
Reply
tanya said 3:12PM on 11-20-2007
Gee, I guess that when people say they are paying more attention when they are using their cell phones theory, this just put that myth to rest. YOU CAN'T DO IT!!!!!!!
Reply
M. said 3:15PM on 11-20-2007
Well go back to whatever country you come from then Hope. And if your American then God bless us all that people like you look down on your own country but seem to hide everyday under the protection and freedom your country provides. Sick.
Reply
J. Washington said 3:14PM on 11-20-2007
can we say thining the herd?
is your conversation that important that you can't put the celly down when crossing RR tracks?
Reply