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)
Robert said 10:36AM on 2-22-2008
Just because we didn't make Ron Paul a primary leader, doesn't mean we should feel free to make him look bad. Why associate his picture with this? His family and supporters should not rest until he receives an apology. We seem to be moving away from the wisdom of our elders in favor of the rhetoric and good looks of our youths. Let's agree to disagree, but not at the expense of allowing ignorance to tarnish progress in solving discrimination of any form.
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Russ Horton said 11:27AM on 2-22-2008
Ex fish stick salesman and lead bad guy in X-man Ron Paul is a clueless twit that sounds organized to similarly endowed twits...
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Matt said 1:24PM on 2-22-2008
I have one word of advice for your computer's security, COMODO. Download and install the best free firewall on the planet. Comodo.com
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Pete said 12:49PM on 4-16-2008
They have the ability to make all computer's untouchable by any threaths. Our world has known a very long time how on many, many things to make things work much better. But our lifes are built around problems and such. We are not geared to find final sloutations for things that break down. We build stuff so it will break down. The have lowered the price on many High Tech things, along with just plan old simple things. But we geared our life for things to break down, because we have to have them break so that our systems wheels spin, buy new, break down, take it to be fixed. The after so many breaks we buy new again and the greased wheel can keep on turning. You do know the Space Shuttle was developed in the 60's and just upgraded somewhat like we do to our PC's?
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Diane said 7:07PM on 6-05-2008
I HAVE THE PERFECT SOLUTION,NO ONLINE BUYING ,NO ONLINE HOME ADDRESS USED ,NO BANKING OR PAYING BILLS ONLINE,NO CLICKING ON ANY EMAIL YOU DON'T KNOW-REMEMBER,CURIOUSITY KILLED THE CAT-OH,AND ANYBODY THAT SAYS YOU CAN MAKE MONEY ONLINE WITH THEM ARE LIARS-
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kbeartx said 5:52AM on 8-01-2008
"(Or, um, just get a Mac, which is a bit less virus-prone.)"
IMO this statement is clear indication that the article's author is basically a clueless twit who merely parrots things he's read [and misunderstood].
Even though the advice itself is sound [get a Mac], it's not like it's a practical solution for most computer users.
A bit less? Go back to school.
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Connie White said 11:40AM on 11-26-2008
This is crazy, who in their right mind opens emails from strangers to begin with? That was the very first lesson I learned about email, it sure isn't rocket science. You open the email, you get what you get for being a moron, simple.
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Dean said 11:18PM on 2-08-2009
Why is still posted? Here it is almost a year later, and far worse threats have since evolved!
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