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 3)
gayle said 6:29PM on 3-11-2008
Who Cares.
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gasenginenut said 8:35PM on 3-11-2008
who cares china mart
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Lee said 9:10PM on 3-11-2008
The Linux OS is actually superior to MicroSoft, and offers much greater protection from hacking.
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cscobirds2 said 9:10PM on 3-11-2008
Who cares??? how about a former teacher of a school where 85% of the parents would not be able to afford a computer otherwise. Do you know how hard it is for kids to function today without one. Hmm feed and shelter my family or give my family a fighting chance to compete with the rest of the world. Open your eyes!
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Ricky P said 9:29PM on 3-11-2008
They might as well do away with the eMachine as well unless eMachine would like to install a descent Power Supplye and Chip Board! Duuuhhhh!For Real!
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Bill said 10:04PM on 3-11-2008
Everex is a Company thats headcorders is in California.People want to b*tch and cry about not being made in America but do their dangdest to put American Co. out of buisness.
Everex
5020 Brandin Court
Fremont, CA 94538 USA
Tel: 866-850-8835
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HPNTWK said 10:19PM on 3-11-2008
Hate to break the nezs but I purchased an emachine 3 years ago and havent had a bit of trouble with it..
Cant say the same bout the $700.00 and
$600.00 "BRAND NAME" puters
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Pixie said 10:26PM on 3-11-2008
soooo, what's the big deal? can't you buy microsoft windows and install it yourself? the windows system can't cost all that much. i think this is a deal of a lifetime for people that need a computer for their kid's schooling and beggar's, so to speak, can't be choosers. but then, i think back to when i went to school and my computer was in my skull, it's called a brain. i managed to get a's and be on the highest grade's list all the time. also did all my math, algebra, etc. with my brain computer and got straight a's in that too. what's this great need for computers for kid's in school nowadays anyway? had a young lady in her late 20's here two weeks ago that was trying to figure out what 18 days at $1.15 was. she said she had a calculator in her cellphone. she didn't know how to use the calculator and then tried to do it by hand using her faulty brain computer. her answer was four dollars and some odd cents off. i had gotten the correct answer in my head before she figured out she didn't know how to use the dang calculator. what is this? simple multiplication!!! moron's are being graduated from highschool. woe are we.
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Doug said 10:39PM on 3-11-2008
I have an E machine and it has not ben a problem. I love it and it has done everything i wanted it to do. Better then the Dell that only lasted me a year!
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boogar said 10:54PM on 3-11-2008
I have had Emachines for 6 years with no problems.
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Dick said 11:06PM on 3-11-2008
computers are lovely tools - but I would rather have people who can read and write the language properly - and too few in this thread seem to be able to do it. Most HS - and many college - graduates seem unable to form a proper sentence.
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Mike said 11:11PM on 3-11-2008
I bought an emachines computer 2 yrs ago. I have never had any problems with it and its not even a high priced one. I recommend it to all my friends.
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carmon said 11:14PM on 3-11-2008
I have had an emachines for about 3 years now.I have know problems with it. Better then the vista.
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ersakm said 11:18PM on 3-11-2008
Bill.....it headQUARTERS, NOT headcorders. Educated in America, no doubt.
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Camille Mauro said 11:22PM on 3-11-2008
E-Machines have AMD chips in them which I think protects them better than Intel chips. Since the market is saturated with Intel Pentiums, they are more likely to get hacked into. I heard somewhere that the AMD processor is better for some reason. I also have to say that for some of you that think name brands stink, I have a Sony and it lasts like the Emachine. Some brands don't recover the last known good configuration resulting in bringing it back to the store to be fixed. Sony has that feature in the BIOS. I was able to fix it myself. As far as not caring about the computer mentioned in the article, the teacher is right. A lot of kids come from poor homes and need computers to compete with their peers. The students are now doing research online and emailing their work in.
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Hank said 11:30PM on 3-11-2008
Doug? What kind of Dell did you have that only lasted you a year??????
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mike said 11:36PM on 3-11-2008
ersakm... an ellipses has only THREE periods not FIVE.
This coming from a fairly uneducated American.
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mike said 11:39PM on 3-11-2008
Ersakm, this level of arrogance and contempt for Americans could only come from a Brit. I sense a bit a jealousy from your teeny little country. God save the old hag!
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wmassociate said 11:40PM on 3-11-2008
big deal u dont want to shop with us at walmart go somewhere else. customers complaining geez! being a walmart associate it gets old! we didnt tel u to purchase it we just sell products ok.enough making us feel bad we only work there ok! blaming us for bad products its not our fault ok call 1800 walmart or walmart.com if u have a problem ok. get a life some of u people!
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Mike said 11:43PM on 3-11-2008
Hell with wal-Mart, same with Bush. Junk is Junk no matter what the price. They could sell a good computer for the same price and still make money. Good value is no more because people here are stupid enough to keep paying dumbass prices.
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