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 9)
Lala said 6:06PM on 1-28-2008
I am shocked that Terrence O' Brien would make the kind of statement that "If you're an inhabitant of sub-Sahara Africa, maybe you'll pull the plug first". This is very rude. Switched.com should be ashamed of themselves because it is people like them who had to all of the negative stereotypes of Africa and Africans. Little does he know, but Africa is much more technologically advanced when it comes to cell phones than the U.S. Being in its proximity to Asia, Africa gets its cell phones when they come out unnlike the U.S. who does not get its "new" phones until a year or two after they come out.
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AJ said 7:39PM on 1-28-2008
Lala get a grip on reality. Switched.com is only reporting a story, with speculation as to the cause of the fire that killed this unfortunate young man. Don't shoot the messenger because you don't like the message. There is no doubt, that Africa is a sesspool. It's infested with corrupt government officials on all levels. There is genocide in Sudan, starvation in several nations, slavery in many rural ares, and abject poverty is pervasive. Negative sterotypes are not Africa's problem. Their tribal system, which segregates their populations along ethnic lines is the root cause of most of their problems. When one tribe is in power, they un-mercifully take retribution on enemy tribes. Many of the grudges date back hundreds of years, but it's never too late for them. The entire continent is in the 3rd world and bad journalism or rudeness by a switched.com writer isn't causing it. It's not rude to give your opinion which is largely based on facts. If Ghana is such a great place, why don't you take your family and move there? I bet you there is no way in the world you would do it. Possibly b/c you know they would slit your throat if you are "not one of them." You can't put lipstick on that pig. And by the way, I'm black and I have a degree in political science. I have taken a few religious conflicts classes and African comparitive politics. So I am very well versed in African politics and their challenges. My statements have nothing to do with racism, just reality.
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Mia said 7:40PM on 1-28-2008
That is so very sad to happen. My cell phone instructions are to turn the phone off while charging. I have forgotten to turn it off, but have never had someone call while charging it. I hope we will all be more careful from hearing this tragedy.
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jackie said 6:23AM on 1-29-2008
I agree with you Lala. I thought the same thing.
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jackie said 6:28AM on 1-29-2008
AJ, what does that have to do with a man dying bc of his cell phone?
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miche said 8:13AM on 1-29-2008
AMEN, A.J.!!! (On SO many different levels).
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jane said 2:26PM on 1-29-2008
That will certainly get me to unplug my cell phone when it rings. When I charge it, once in awhile someone will call and I don't unplug it. Never again!
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Angie said 11:22AM on 1-29-2008
Lala, reread the story, it said it was probably faulty wiring, not the cell phone. They may get better cell phones because of their proximity to better technology, but they are in a war torn country, and I seriously doubt they have the best of wiring in their houses and communities.
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informed consumer said 11:28AM on 1-29-2008
get the full story at this link...
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/cellcharge.asp
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Sun Dance said 11:32AM on 1-29-2008
All
As an electrician, I will weigh in on this....... My personal experiences with Africans who want to "save" $ (I live in the middle East) is that they do clone good stuff and pass it off as original. From an intellengence view, the shock had to come from the grounding side of the device. Either it was wired bad in the charger or the feed wiring was possible reversed and that is the most common problem in these situations.
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kelli meiann said 11:54AM on 1-29-2008
I sorry but Lala is right we all know that they are poor in Africa but the comments he made are border line racist... " If you live in Africa pull the plug..." this is 2008 I would hope the story could just be about the facts not your perspective or your views... this is the kind of perceptions that the world gets of Americans and this is probably why they hate us so much...
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James said 11:48AM on 1-29-2008
Something to think about, the voltage coming into the phone should be DC voltage, and less than 12. My phone only has a 5 volt input. How do you get electricuted with 12V DC? Can't blame the phone manufacturers.
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mfaust068 said 11:47AM on 1-29-2008
AJ....I couldn't have said it better myself...I agree 100 %!!!!
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ellesee1202 said 11:50AM on 1-29-2008
Even in America, our cell phones can do the same things. There are warnings in your instruction manual not to answer it while it's charging. I have a Verizon phone and the front 3 or 4 pages of the manual are warnings... so just don't answer the phone on charge!
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Sunshine said 12:42PM on 1-29-2008
Thank you Sun Dance!
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real african said 11:50AM on 1-29-2008
AJ is a moron.You will never see an Irish american or Italian american says such negative things about their ancestral land. Every group of people have their problems.Hope you never visit any part of Africa. I am very successful financially in america even though i came from Africa but i have not questioned the reason behind the many black people who sleep all day and blame the white man all the time. Bob marley said in the abundance of water the fool is thirsty and thats so true about AJ and his people. I hate the history of slavery but AJ one guy africans dont regret selling you into slavery.GOOD RIDDANCE.
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Em said 11:50AM on 1-29-2008
was there any need for the picture? That's a little disturbing...
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kelli meiann said 11:54AM on 1-29-2008
To aj if its so bad then DO SOMETHING.... I absolutely hate when people criticize something that they do not intend to fix... if you don't like it SHUT UP ABOUT IT...If you can't say something nice say NOTHING... Yes we know its horrible whats going on in Africa but really its no Worse than America... We have So many new laws that take away our power as individuals and give it strictly to the Government.. All the laws on Terrorism.. I advice you to take a closer look because if you don't wake and see where they are heading... we are going to be another CUBA by 2012 when they enforce this new national ID card... I wish American could really see whats going... 9/11 was planned... they have so much proof... your government planned to ease us into dictator ship and its eliminating all enemies who could potentially help the us citizens when they wake up and realize whats really happening... If you have doubts I advise you to check out how many people were on the planes that flew into the towers... look at those who were to fly but were advised by our government not to fly on sept. 11. check out the president reactions... check out the other buildings that collapsed and were not even remotely close.. check out who owned the "collapsed building" see how much he made in insurance... Really learn about our new terrorism laws... see how were fighting to keep the Mexicans out... where will we have to go if we ever need to evacuate America? WHO WILL COME TO OUR AID?
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tmc said 11:53AM on 1-29-2008
Darwinism meets new technology.
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tmc said 11:54AM on 1-29-2008
Darwinism meets new technology
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