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.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
D-Nice said 10:55AM on 4-29-2008
Must be all those computers in his house using Vista. I was wondering, do you think he has at least one Mac in his house? He has to have at least one.
Reply
spriry92 said 4:18PM on 5-05-2008
Yeah he should have one to see if there is anything that he might see to add to windows.and i also guess he has his own OS better than vista
Reply
kastonie said 1:27PM on 4-29-2008
"Yankees use at least twice the energy of the average person around the world"
damn you derek jeter!
Reply
VTPPGLVR said 2:16PM on 4-29-2008
You'd think these rich snobs could afford the expensive eco technology! Wealth is no excuse for a larger carbon footprint; it is a mandate for them to reduce their own carbon footprint, and an invitation to help others reduce their carbon footprints (who otherwise could not afford to do so alone).
Reply
Doug Brown said 5:23PM on 6-21-2008
Just another dope that tells all of us to go back to cave living.
Follow the carbon print of countries and you will see that 3rd World countries are near the top of the list. Is that his goal for the USA
Bill Gates does 10 million times more good for the world than the average person so I guess his 10,000 x carbon print is relatively small.
Reply
Doug W. said 5:53PM on 6-21-2008
All that money, and you are not 100% green? A mother of pearl encrusted do- dad for the President of South Korea? (OK, an XBox, i don't know what that is?).
Don't say....ALL his money he is leaving to Charity.....when he dies, i presume?
Gates and his wife are uneligtened about the "cures " for all diseases......like AIDs.....etc. All these cures already exist, they are hidden from the common man for the sake of greed and avarice and power...Like the AMA (American Murderers Assoc.)...they do not heal, they just have a big money racket going....What would the world be like if they had no patients...........? A lot more people to do good, and evolve.
Show some balls , Bill, and now do something to make a real difference, something BIG....Yeah, the internet is great, awesome...now i can go to Utube and type in 911, and get all the info =facts about how the US government was behind 911, all the facts, not conspiracy theories, like they like to spin it.
Global warming from burning fossil fuel is the number ONE priority ......Bill, throw your money to stopping the oil crisis....or are you part of it..............???? Hey you celebrities, you already got our money via CD's, concert tickets, and downloads.....now use it to make a difference....Don't ask for our support again....YOU do It.....when you get out of rehab.........................
Reply
Douglas said 9:33AM on 8-26-2008
Doug[las] Wade - you are way off base. You have no EVIDENCE that global warming is CAUSED by human activity. If you would just THINK for yourself instead of allowing others to do it for you - you would find that the Earth's temperatures are DIRECTLY affected by solar activity. The Sun delivers more energy in 1hr to our planet than all humans consume in an entire year! When Solar activity flares up (pun intended), it can send 30-40% more energy for prolonged periods of days, weeks or even months. Where do you think all that energy goes? Oh wait, you DON'T think for yourself... let me TELL you since you need someone to TELL you what to THINK - it gets absorbed by the mass on the planet; it is reflected off of the upper atmosphere; it is absorbed by empty craniums like yours that have nothing better to do than to be hotheads over issues of which you know NOTHING. Global warming is caused by humans as much as your shutting your mouth and feeding one homeless person will bring World Peace and END HUNGER to our entire planet...
steven said 7:23PM on 6-25-2008
Everyone does realize that they estimated he used that much. They have no real way to tell what he really uses. I have a feeling he probably has very efficient shelter and vehicles when it comes to energy consumption. The old adage goes "when you assume, you make an....." still holds true.
Reply