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.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
Ken said 6:26AM on 1-25-2008
Considering China's issues with population explosion, you'd think they'd be thrilled their young people are learning about oral and anal sex!
hahahahahaha
Other than that, since when is censorship in a communist country considered "news?"
Reply
Moe! said 6:58AM on 1-25-2008
Something else they can blame on the USA. Would sex be up there with McDonalds for the worse of US influences on their peoples...LOL
Reply
mark said 6:59AM on 1-25-2008
why our country should follow suite!
Reply
Nick A Demos said 7:01AM on 1-25-2008
Too many people are addicted to Pornography, Secretly, religious people, business people,all walks of life it runs the gambit
Reply
Sleepy said 7:07AM on 1-25-2008
That is just horrible. I would go nuts if I lived in Chines. God Bless America!
Reply
Nick A Demos said 7:21AM on 1-25-2008
If a man only looks at his wife, she will become the most beautiful woman in the world in his eyes.
Reply
tedrockledge said 7:20AM on 1-25-2008
44,000 That ought to cover the Country!
Reply
RebelwoaCloo said 7:32AM on 1-25-2008
Damn commies! Looking at naked people and doing who-knows-what else. Red China has become the Strokers' Party.
Reply
tastadr said 7:40AM on 1-25-2008
Porno is still a bigger industry in China than here in the US by almost twice, despite censorship. Censorship in a Socialist country? Look at your own country, plenty of censorship in our Corpocracy. Open your nationalistic eyes and see the truth.
As for socialism it seems to work fine in the health care system for our politians, ( lifetime health care, on your dime ).
Reply
jaxmax60 said 7:48AM on 1-25-2008
It is a fair trade agreement --- we export cheap porn --- they export cheap products.
Reply
jessieluvsya3 said 8:02AM on 1-25-2008
i say great job , i am sorry but i think porn is one of the things that hurts society the most , you expect men to respect women but yet you put all the crap everywhere and teach them from the youngest age possiblethat this is accepted and i think its just wrong
Reply
Bill said 8:28AM on 1-25-2008
Have you seen asian porn?
Freaking disgusting.They like to poop on eachother and diaper men and all kinda of weird stuff.
Their porn and our porn are nothing alike.Their normal porn is our bizzar sick porn
Reply
lenny said 8:32AM on 1-25-2008
I love this: a lesson in morality from those fine folks who brought us Tienanmen Square
Reply
Mike said 8:35AM on 1-25-2008
That would explain why I couldn't go porn surfing while I was there. Three months with no porn, horrible food and icky weather. I've had better assignments!
Just in case anyone is traveling over there, make sure you do not have any porn CD's with you or in your luggage. If you get caught it is like 1200 US dollars per offense.
Reply
DANNY CORNETT said 8:33AM on 1-25-2008
Good for China.Now maybe the good old USA will follow suit.Of course,we are a free country,so the idea that we could be communist in our restrictions of porn in our small little world is at best foreign.
Reply
bonnie said 8:35AM on 1-25-2008
44,000 Man, that's great! Good for them! Shut em ALL down!
Reply
jack said 8:42AM on 1-25-2008
Porn is a 60 billion dollar a year industry in the usa , God bless porn
Reply
Richard Serafini said 8:43AM on 1-25-2008
its pretty dam sad that a comumnist country can set a higher moral standard to try and stave off the wrong influences that the internet promotes to stop their young and old people from being affected by truly un-civilized behavior of sick and filthy minds . Blind people wake up ,China is becoming the new America of the next millenium and what does America do? Pollute more than any other country on EARTH!
Reply
ted said 8:50AM on 1-25-2008
iam not for the porne sites but 1 question if they did it to church sites here in the u.s.a.would you be saying the same thing?its still your choice to look our not look..its mine not to look..and if kids are looking at them where are the parents control? you cant spank your child today with out going to jail.bet you can over there..how many times i see kids back talking and cursing there parents outnow they send them to there room for a time out so they play on there computers and cell phones..just one time my kids do to me like that and it aint going to take 2 seconds and there little ass is mine
Reply
vick said 8:54AM on 1-25-2008
and now if only the US could follow suit...
porn is a horrible thing that exploits women everywhere. the women who participate only do it for money and to achieve a sense of validation. it's really sad and needs to be done away with.
Reply