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 2)
Matt said 10:30AM on 1-25-2008
I truly believe what they're saying here about the adverse effects of electromagnetic radiation. I read about another study a few years ago which found that people who live in close proximity to high voltage power lines get brain cancer at higher rates than the general population. I know that current flowing through a wire will produce an electromagnetic field. I would surmise that the greater the amperage in the transmission line, the stronger the resultant electromagnetic field will be. Any physicists out there who can support my hypothesis?
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Michele Beaver said 12:19PM on 2-07-2008
I know some HOMELESS people ,and people that can't afford groceries,that own a cell phone. I take mine with me in case I have car trouble or an emergency,but never talk longer than a few seconds. From Michele, in Texas
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White Wolf said 12:56PM on 4-08-2009
I turn off my Berry at night, but it turns itself on in the morning for the alarm, so no problem.
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brandon said 12:38PM on 1-18-2008
i own a cell phone and sleep by it and still it does not wake me up
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Alex Grouet said 9:38PM on 1-19-2008
In terms of sleeping next to the phone in order to use it as an alarm clock, best is to set the alarm and switch the phone off. The alarm will set off when set on 99% of the phones on the market.
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Claude Chabana said 6:05PM on 1-19-2008
I sparingly use the cell phone. When I go out I turn it on in case of emergency. When I see people who are constatntly on the cell, I wonder what kind of life they have, not much I guess, that they have to converse all the time.
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jon said 9:47PM on 1-19-2008
I think I heard something like this a few years ago..but I turn off my cell phone anyway at night because if you charge it at night, leaving it on during the charge puts extra stress on the battery, reducing its' life and ability to hold a charge.
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Greg said 2:35AM on 1-20-2008
Are cell phones like cigs. We kind of knew in the back of our minds that they were probably dangerous but still smoked them anyways.
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richard borda said 12:52AM on 2-03-2008
Its not the electronics but the disturbing messages we get durng the day on the cell phone that keeps us awake. No news is good news and a
lot of calls are about news that is not so good, and this will disturb sleep.Maybe a check on the calls that we get and their content might be
more appropriate. Also, we might want to look at our last thoughts before we go to sleep: are they damning or thankful?
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Freya said 8:43PM on 1-21-2008
I don't sleep near a cell phone (mine is downstairs on charge) and I still wake up several times a night.
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William Squires said 8:45PM on 1-21-2008
The body produces its own microwave radiation as part of its electrical "signature" and microwave radiation, especially if one is near a high power transmitting antenna, is very disruptive to normal restorative processes during sleep, It also warms tissue just as objects in your microwave are warmed. It's pollution.
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orlando said 9:16PM on 1-21-2008
I KEEP MY CELL PHONE NEXT TO ME JUST IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY !
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kristine paula said 9:53PM on 1-21-2008
Cell phones are needed for communication and emergencies--I don't think sleeping next to one is disturbing my sleep! It's whats going on in this world during the day and while we're attempting to sleep!!!
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Casey said 9:54PM on 1-21-2008
This test was not to prove that sleeping near a cell phone disrupts your sleep. Yes, if you sleep near a cell phone and it happens to ring, or your alarm goes off, it will probably wake you up. But that is not what the test was about. Cell phones emit a small amount of radiation when in use. The test done by MIT proved that excessive radiation from the frequent use of your cell phone can be disruptive to your brain's normal sleep pattern. They probably tested this by roughly splitting those 71 men and women up into two groups, one group of people who do not use a cell phone very often or at all, and the other group of people who are constantly talking on the phone. Then, they compared their sleep patterns and found that those who were on their cell phone more often did not sleep as well, and probably had a couple of jumps on the meter while they were in REM sleep. In any case, this has nothing to do with whether or not you sleep with the cell within reach; it is much more serious than that.
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willy said 9:57PM on 1-21-2008
Cells are not the problem. Other life-style problems like over-use of credit cards and the concurrent worry about bankruptcy will bother most. Rotten sex life and imminent divorce comes in at number 2. Number 3 is easy, it's the overall fear of failure...
Maybe the underlying reason for all of the above is selfishness. Sure, I claim my share.
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eddie said 10:19PM on 1-21-2008
I am a landscaper for a wealthy gentleman in Orange County California. He has 5 acres and a large house with several fine cars. He told me he made most of his money investing in stocks. A couple of weeks ago he told me he thought the stock market was going to suffer a big loss. He said he sold most of his stocks except one company AVASOFT (AVAF)
I have a small retirement account and took his advice with AVASOFT and have done pretty well over the past couple of weeks.
Eddie Gonzolas
Orange County, California
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Erin said 10:21PM on 1-21-2008
oh my! I didn't realize the house was full of physicians and researchers! Amazing!
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Kevin said 10:41PM on 1-21-2008
Yeah we needed another study to tell us that. I think those of us with cell phones already knew that.
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PERRY said 10:44PM on 1-21-2008
I do not own a cell phone and find no NEED for one. Seems most that use one are too busy text messaging others even at work when the job states NO CELL PHONES ARE TO BE USED WHEN YOU ARE WORKING. I recently saw a young worker crouching behind a vehicle doing this and was putting her job at risk by doing so..is it worth losig a good paying job by having to text a friend about non-sense while you work..Seems it is to some sheeple that, QUOTE,"can't live without my cell phone." Well some people are blinded by corporate ads that you need a cell phone today or you are not accepted..WAKE UP AMERICA and stop making these crooked corporations richer and richer by being brainwashed and be an individual and think for yourself..but I seriously doubt this will happen.The US is a country full of brainwashed people who want to FIT-IN...NOT ME!!!!!
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kevin said 8:51AM on 1-22-2008
cell phones nowadays use lithium-ion batteries as a power source, as do most battery powered devices. a lithium-ion battery is a lithium-ion battery nonetheless. is this what causes the radiation? i would guess not or else this would not be pinpointing just cell phones, but the tv remote, kids toys, alarm clock in some cases.. that would just be silly. if the minute amount of radiation was caused by the phone keeping a constant connection to it's network, then a standard feature that just about all cell phones have is called either "stand alone" mode or "airplane" mode. this will disable the connection to the network so no wireless signal is transmitted. if you are that skeptical ask a rep for your company where to find it. the studies of whether or not cell phones are harmful have been going on for years now and no conclusive evidence of a cell phone causing health issues has been found to my knowledge. basically, this debate is all just a matter of opinion...people have been sharing their opinions about cell phones or what they use theirs for....and for the record claude, stating that frequent cell phone users don't have much for lives....let me tell you I make a very honest living working in the wireless industry and have done so for several years. I sleep just fine at night also.. i'll add my opinion now.. cell phones are important. people depend on their cell phones nowadays.. there's a reason why there are so many different types that do so many different things..or so few for guys like claude.. why carry a gps for directions, an ipod for music and videos, a digital camera, camcorder, laptop AND a cell phone when you can have whatever you want at your fingertips in one device? and for you claude... they make phones you can just talk on too....
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