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)
nightlisa said 3:27AM on 6-30-2009
Folks:
There is a litmus type sticker inside the battery compartment, it's usually a little white square (some Nokia's have a little white circle) mostly found underneath the cell phone battery in plain sight - when you take the battery out. Nowadays I even find a little white square on the battery as well.
Anyway the sticker is WHITE, when exposed to moisture it turns pink and even RED if there's a lot of moisture.
If you live in a wet climate, it is likely some moisture may get in there. If you answer the phone in the rain etc. Even though its under the battery - water travels. Anyway I cut a little bit of the sticky strip of a post-it note and cover up the white square. So if it gets past the posty note and turns pink - I really did expose it to water.. You might wanna check your phone today.. It is possible to still have a working phone even when its bright red.. u just wont have a warranty anymore.
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nightlisa said 3:30AM on 6-30-2009
By the way, Sprint/Nextel and AT&T all do the water litmus stickers too.. and that's the 1st thing they ALL check, so it's not just a Verizon thing.. if you're getting scammed - all the carriers are doing it. : )
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jep237111 said 4:34PM on 8-21-2009
My phone hangs up on people when they call if my case hits one of the mp3 keys on the front. The only problem is it is a periodic occurence, so when I take it to the Verizon store it never does it for the guy. The guy here (like the 3rd time I went) said I would have to talk to the salesman that sold me the phone. He works when I work so I haven't got to do it yet. Oh, but the Verizon dude always takes the battery out and puts it back in to make me feel better.......but anyway, It is always a fun time when my phone rings, because I know I have a 50/50 chance of actually answering the phone without hanging up on someone. Everything else is awesome!
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Ed Corliss said 12:00AM on 12-08-2007
just over a month ago, I renewed with verizon for 2 years in order to get a new phone. Took the LG because other phones available didn't have the speaker phone quality this appeared to have.
However, didn't findout until my very busy later...It has an internal antena that seems to cause a loud feedback shriek when in my car or Jeep.
Very annoying and I'm in a vehicle often.
Original Verizon deal 4 years ago bought the camera phone by Motorola as am a N. Y. State Certified Real Estate Appraiser and was looking to use it as a Back up Camera if needed in when out the field.
Only realized later that photos need to be e-mailed and on a fee basis.
Sometimes the high end properties I appraise will take 200 to 300 photos. [ love digital ]so that wasn't cost effective.
Anyhow, liked the phone for it's solid speakphone quality but never used the camera.
Liked it so much, when renewed last time, bought the same phone again, even though was angry when the other had what they called "water damage" when I took it in for a malfunction and it wasn't therefore covered under warranty!
This renewal it wasn't available anymore.
This phone looks interesting.how's the Speakerphone feature on this and do you think Verizon will work with me as renewed just over a month ago.
Thanks,
Ed
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Esteban said 5:26PM on 12-08-2007
great
http://www.spymac.com/details/?2315603
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Debbye said 7:39PM on 12-09-2007
How interesting! My verizon phone malfunctioned, and I was told it wasn't under warranty because of water damage, though it had never been anywhere near water the whole time I had it. My contract is up now and I am trying to decide if I'll stay with Verizon or switch. I had blamed the previous phone problem on the phone, but now I wonder if it is Verizon who shammed me.
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