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)
Christi said 1:03PM on 4-07-2009
Started playing a few weeks ago with a neighbor. First few games were fun. Then my neighbor started using very obscure words and getting mega points with those words and that mingled with 2 letter combos (which aren't words in my book--granted my book is a 1965 edition of Webster's). When I asked where she had ever seen these words, the response was "in an online dictionary". The next game I played with her, I used Scrabble Word Finder, which is what she was probably using as well. Amazing how our scores were very competitive. I don't care for cheaters, so I won't be playing with her anymore.
I'll stick with someone willing to play with real words--maybe even a real board and real tiles and a dictionary--the good old fashioned way.
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betgod6 said 5:42PM on 12-26-2007
This might be a good way to learn the game better. I always lose to my grandchildren when playing face-to-face. Would playing this online then aid me in become a better player? Perhaps this information will turn out to be very helpful to me. Thanks.
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Brockeim said 9:42PM on 12-26-2007
Good words are hard to find, and, if only as a training device, why not? But, if the opponent believes he or she is being taken seriously in a battle of verbal strength and creativity, then is just another bit of cheating in this generation.
Barry Bonds.
Marion Jones.
That NYT reporter.
That Boston Globe reporter.
And this one here.
--Brockeim
http://Brockeim.com
http://brockeim-nonsense.blogspot.com/
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yapiyo said 11:38PM on 12-26-2007
goood...
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Simzeeee said 9:37AM on 12-27-2007
I don't cheat even though I always lose. It's a good thing I love to lose.
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Don said 3:46PM on 1-01-2008
like who really cares...it's a game.
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offoa said 4:23PM on 1-01-2008
Its just a game....
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carol said 4:28PM on 1-01-2008
I could never figure out the scrabalicious site but isc.wordbiz has a program running in the background that ferrets out those using anagram progrms. Don't know about the one she used but what's the fun when you cheat?
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tellitall said 5:26PM on 1-01-2008
hey Brockeim let's not forget about Roger Clemens
Pete Rose,Randy Pettite,Mark Mcguire, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton. I could go on you get the message.
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Kathy said 6:14PM on 1-01-2008
I play scrabble online. I have 12 games going right now. I don't cheat by using word generators like the one mentioned here. I quit games against players who do cheat by using them. You can always tell the cheaters because the consistantly use obscure words. It's no fun to play a cheater.
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