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)
DD said 10:59AM on 3-09-2008
Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Whatever happened to ethics?
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George said 5:03PM on 3-09-2008
Maybe we can see what really happens inside the whitehouse now
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Bill W said 9:07PM on 3-09-2008
Ethics with a fly!? Give me a break. Cameras in flies will make the little bothersome beasts useful. Sounds like a good plan to me.
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Blayne Bosse said 4:42PM on 3-09-2008
Makes a literal meaning of the expression "to be a fly on the wall"...
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undrgrndgirl said 6:30PM on 3-09-2008
ethics? what? are you kidding? dd, you're Sooo quaint.
our only hope is that the bugs won't cooperate...and why sharks???
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brad said 6:35PM on 3-09-2008
I guess a flyswatter would now be considered a national security threat?
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Teri said 6:42PM on 3-09-2008
This does not surprise me at all according to the way the world is going with RFID chipping and technology. The Bible says knowledge shall increase in the latter days.
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asohf said 8:11PM on 3-09-2008
They should use these with bees to see why they're disappearing... but that would actually be something useful.
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Gibb Roberts said 4:50AM on 3-10-2008
Oh great, now we can get close-up video of piles of shit.
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babycakes said 9:18AM on 3-10-2008
so will using an insecticide or going fishing be considered terrorism?
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Benjamin Wright said 12:30PM on 3-10-2008
People are not legally powerless against automated snoops. They can publish contract terms of service that forbid or limit unwanted spying from bots and cyborgs. http://hack-igations.blogspot.com/2008/01/robot-surveillance-contracts.html
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Lee said 11:55AM on 3-13-2008
Hey, my next door neighbor has a million roaches, he said he'll let him have them if he comes to get them.
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mark mikel said 5:44AM on 3-12-2008
Hey, McFly...anyone home up there?...McFly?
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joe b said 10:41AM on 3-12-2008
3/12/08
Veterinarians insert micro chips into pets (via injection) for purpose of identifying lost or stolen pets.
It's only a matter of time before mandatory school shots for our children and routine flu shots, and immunizations contain dust sized chips which will be used to report our identity, our location, alcohol and drug level, hormone level, ph, blood surgar level, oxygen level ,pulse/blood pressure --maybe even electronic information on our brain. The next step (if we're not already there) is to electronically stimulate an individual or an army or a city of population in order to cause a particular mass reaction: e.g. complacency, cooperation, anger, fear, sleepy or listlessness. All that needs to be done is to dial up the desired frequency, aim it at the necessary population and zappo! you have biological and psychological control.
This is some pyscho, wacko, far out thought?
Remember: Just 50 years ago Dick Tracey's
(comic book detective) wrist watch two way radio was considered science fiction, and now there are more cell phones than there are people. Incidentally, 50 years ago sputnick was already looking down at us.
--joe
ps: they might want to inject an identification chip in every body at birth so we can indentify bodies in an air plane crash, 9-11 type disaster, soldier bodies in battle, proper burial and exhumation records.
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music_wings_angel said 2:01AM on 3-14-2008
yeah.. I had the idea.. and now look someone goes and steals it.
I guess If you have ideas you need to keep your big mouth shut if you want money for it.
Anyway, now look.. they have it made. Just like the license plate scanner.. Does someone have a camera on me or what???
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homeboy2294 said 12:31PM on 3-16-2008
cool
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Jewell Davis said 2:20PM on 3-17-2008
Oh look at the screen " A WINDSHELD at 60 MPH! "
splat
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dizzyyet0227 said 8:52PM on 3-17-2008
now all the bugaphobs and the people who feel like they are being watched all the time are in the same boat
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Minnie Harreld said 10:33PM on 3-28-2008
lol, Is that why that wasp flew out from around my computer yesterday! And it went out thereafter O Well. Seriously tho, this implanting can be deviced to be reckoned with; after all consider those inside spys with access to these spying insects
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GlennA said 11:50PM on 3-31-2008
Good, so the Pentagon will be endlessly monitoring a flies POV of dog poop
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