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 2)
murray said 2:06PM on 4-10-2008
Do you really need to credit Engadget when it's basically... you?
Sorry, just seems funny.
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Jackie said 2:05PM on 4-11-2008
Oh wow, too bad I didn't save my 3D glasses from the 50's. I remember they gave them out with your ticket for the movie..."The Blob"
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annabelleaardvark said 5:04PM on 4-11-2008
"THE BLOB" was 3-D???????? Nope.....uh-uh.....don't think so.
aerospacemajor said 2:26PM on 4-11-2008
I believe that someone is eventually going to take advange of the parallax that exists with our eyes, without glasses being required. Maybe it will be a holographic TV set. Even back in the '70's I saw such images (without glasses) at Disney World in Orlando, and of course that's what you can get a sense of in Star Wars and Star Trek: The Next Generation. As long as no physical laws are violated, we will find a way to make this work.
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gunslinger69 said 2:43PM on 4-11-2008
I DO still have my three-d-glasses! Woo Hoo!
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James said 2:49PM on 4-11-2008
OK, the 3-D glasses are obviously not shown in the same scale as the image of the TV. So they are NOT "3 foot wide"! The grey-lensed Polarized glasses always signaled the deluxe type of 3-D presentation, delivering full color to both eyes, unlike the "analglyph" glasses with one red lens and one blue-green lens. Just think of all the terrific 3-D movies (most released in 1953) this set would allow us to collect and view as the film-makers intended! "Kiss Me, Kate", "Second Chance", Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder", "The Creature from the Black Lagoon", "It Came from Outer Space", and dozens more, none of which have been viewable in their original format (except for an occasional 3-D Festival) for over half a century! This is great! I can't wait to get a look at this gizmo!
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e tate said 3:00PM on 4-11-2008
1986 Disney World, Captain Eo, with Michael Jackson. Best 3-D ever!
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john said 3:15PM on 4-11-2008
I guess this means Ralph Kramden finally has to buy a set for Alice
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annabelleaardvark said 5:06PM on 4-11-2008
HAR-DE-HAR-HARRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!
Michael Wayne Huff said 3:25PM on 4-11-2008
Whithin ten years we will have the television that mounts in the corner of your living room and goes from floor to cieling wall to wall covering approx. 8'ft. accross to 10'ft.high and comes away from the corner of the room approx. 4'ft.deep. Something similar to what they had in Minority Report only on a personal level because they will be for consumer's first. I know it sound's to far in the future but thats what dream's are all about!!! Right? I saw it so it will be there... Sincerely;MMW.Huff
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Michael Wayne Huff said 6:42PM on 4-13-2008
Whithin ten years we will have the television that mounts in the corner of your living room and goes from floor to cieling wall to wall covering approx. 8'ft. accross to 10'ft.high and comes away from the corner of the room approx. 4'ft.deep. Something similar to what they had in Minority Report only on a personal level because they will be for consumer's first. I know it sound's to far in the future but thats what dream's are all about!!! Right? I saw it so it will be there... Sincerely;MMW.Huff
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fatman said 3:37PM on 4-11-2008
i read about people trying to make these several years ago.--im so glad they were able to do it!!
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Ravi said 3:54PM on 4-11-2008
i read a post about 2years ago about people trying to make stereoscopic tv's where you did not have to use glasses!!!!
Also they were trying to make one were you cound display different programs depending on what direction you looked at the screen!!
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HORNYAS HELL said 3:52PM on 4-11-2008
Bring on the Porn baby ....be carefull, don't want ur eye poked out, do ya? lol
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knightstar said 3:57PM on 4-11-2008
I hope your comment about having to wear 3' wide glasses, judging from the image scale of the pictured TV, was a joke. If not, aren't you concerned about the "3D" logo and car hanging half way out of the screen -- Gee, someone could get run over!!!!
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Dave said 4:30PM on 4-11-2008
The TV wall in TOTAL RECALL is my idea of imersion entertainment.
3D and holographic imag projection would be perfect to see the nuances of the golf greens. 2D just makes it look flat.
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Joe said 5:14PM on 4-11-2008
If the U.S. is as quick to adopt this innovation as we have been to adopt others from Japan and Europe it will be a long, long time before we see 3-D TV and even then most of the programs will have to be subtitled in English.
I've loved 3-D ever since the days of the stereopticon and ViewMaster. I hope I'm still around for this one.
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forest said 6:39PM on 4-11-2008
Just remember TV and 3-d movies are all a USA idea only perfected by copycats!
Tom said 7:44PM on 4-11-2008
I worked with an inventor who had a workable, great looking 3-D TV 20 years ago. Worked with polarized glasses. Unfortunity he was less than stable and would demonstrate the set but not sell it as he thought the moment he did "they" would kill him. I was really wonderful and he had a patient pending, but there was nothing we could do to get him to release it.
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Jackie said 7:44PM on 4-11-2008
Oh yes the Blob was, I remember wearing those glasses and it looking like the blob was oozing righ off the screen to get me.....My younger brother actually jumped onto his seat! The Blob was for sure 3D.
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