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)
Jennifer said 2:54PM on 3-17-2008
Terrence O'Brien is an ass!!
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shawn said 3:29PM on 3-17-2008
Terrence Obrien sounds like a disgruntled liberal. He sounds as if he wishes he were important enough that someone would write an article about his own computer troubles. What a political hack job. I think its funny that he spews so much venom towards Rush in that collumn.
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Bret said 4:54PM on 3-17-2008
It appears TO' (Terrence O'Brien) needs to relax and smell the dittos! Like Rush or not he saved an industry know as "AM Radio" and helped build may careers, both of liberals and conservatives...and obviously writers for tech mags...
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Spiro said 5:48PM on 3-17-2008
Terrence O'Brien, you are an ass-clown! What's your idea of "comedic gold," pinhead? Throwing out unsubstantiated claims about someone being outed "as a gay terrorist prostitute"? That really sucks. Maybe instead you should go work with those million monkeys in the Media Matters boiler room typing press releases and trying (and failing repeatedly) to get some Limbaugh dirt.
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carl sharkey said 8:14PM on 3-17-2008
The media is not biased! I repeat, the media is NOT biased. My big butt it aint.
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jkkdan said 8:38PM on 3-17-2008
Not even Limbaugh bellieves the stupid crap he brays...especially after 7 years of failures and decline by republicanism.
He can hardly believe that the rubes and rednecks still lap up his inane act
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Drew said 1:34PM on 3-18-2008
What digging the man sent his maid out to score dope for him... Doctor shopping couldn't support his habit so he had to send the help, pathetic. All dope users should be sent to prison, right Rush? Unless they are a hate-spewing un-American loudmouth idiot talk show host.
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mimsysc said 9:40PM on 3-17-2008
Its from the NY slimes, need we say more.
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rnmakhno said 9:54PM on 3-17-2008
well, the left and the right are at it again over the most inane things...hopefully you won't notice when the rest of us desert you. sigh
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buddy said 10:42PM on 3-17-2008
what is really killing rush is that he is 0 for 4 agains't bill and hillary.
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buddy said 10:50PM on 3-17-2008
rush makes fun of the desease that michael fox has,but who is the real pill popper here?
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darthvader'sson said 10:51PM on 3-17-2008
Glad they were able to help all you Mac owners with one of the miriad of problems you incur using a Mac. I offer another way to fix it. Run over your Mac with your truck and buy a pc with a Windows operating system. I did and I have no problems at all!! Thanks Bill!
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Ken said 12:16AM on 3-18-2008
I'm no fan of Limbaugh's but damn. Does Terrence have nothing better to do with his time than attack Rush Limbaugh? What's going on with Al Franken's computer? Is Hilary getting the Blue Screen of Death?
Who besides Terrence "Poopdrawers" O'Brien cares?
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randy pepin said 12:24AM on 3-18-2008
Rush LimbaUGH is a jerk. I have parkinsons. the way he talked about michael j. fox is despicable,
and stupid.limbaUGH is truly lower than a suck egg dog on a chicken farm. he belongs in prison for his use of controlled substances.
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Scotty McCrapnit said 5:38PM on 3-21-2008
I hope Terrence O'Brien slips and falls in a puddle of aids.
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Mark A said 8:32AM on 3-19-2008
That entry by the apparent ardent leftist Terrence O'Brien was disgusting. How in the world can Switched.com expect its site to be taken seriously with someone putting out nonsense like that? It's no better than the free-for-all name-calling diatribes that take place on many an Internet forum. But Switched.com carries the AOL brand name doesn't it? "Countries full of brown people" for heaven's sake. I'll stick to Extremetech.com.
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MARK said 8:16PM on 3-20-2008
I WOULD TAKE THE MAC AND HIT HIM RIGHT IN HIS FAT HEAD WITH IT.
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Thos. said 10:12PM on 3-20-2008
More evidence that Obama's comments in his so-called "brilliant speech" and later in a radio interview today in which he characterized his Grannie as a "typical White," and elaborated that by "typical" he meant that Whites are
"bred" to fear Blacks ... not too stereotypical ... racist maybe?
Liberals quite appropriately sense that Obama, like many Democratic candidates before him, may have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
In response O'Brien very apparently regressed to his older version Liberal Handbook: "When the going gets tough with a political foe, slur, call him/her names, insult him/her, exagerate and fabricate ...
So much for 'higher ideals' associated with "change" and say good-bye to a political race in which ISSUES drive the election. Liberals have abandoned civility once again, as their NATURE dictates.
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Laurel/Ft. Worth, TX said 11:23PM on 3-20-2008
#1.Rush merely pointed out the hypocrisy of Michael J. Fox not taking his medicine so his Parkinson's was more pronounced for a commercial
#2.Democrats are proving right now how much more racist they are than Republicans... just watch Barry and Hillary's supporters go at it... Rush is not a bigot... in fact, it seems that there are more black bigots than white in the news lately (anybody heard of "Pastor" Wright?)
#3.People who don't actually listen to Rush prove their ignorance every time they open their mouths about him.
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K.W. said 11:54PM on 3-20-2008
I'm happy to see Rush's mac got fixed...now if only Steve Jobs could fix his "mind." Great article Terrence!
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