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)
Jane said 9:15AM on 6-11-2008
"May we suggest spending a little more time outdoors?" Isn't that why they made the PlayStation Portable, PSP for short? Going outdoors isn't enough to get away from these things, DO something in the real world, and remember, IT"S ONLY A GAME!
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ballah said 5:44PM on 6-11-2008
now i understand the idea that sumone killed a guy for his ps3..point 1 it costs too much which will push sumone to the extreme and point 2..its more an idea of respect..cuz i think its messe dup if sumone that close steals towels from ur bathroom even lmao...but im sure he aint mean to kill the guy
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XLS1 said 6:42PM on 6-11-2008
Over a Puzzle game?And a PSP Puzzle game at that?And over the computer's fighting each other?Really?
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hi said 8:45PM on 6-11-2008
killed his neighbor because he THOUGHT he took his playstation three, a child hiring somone to KILL his parents because they took away his playstation! OMG!!!! and i thought i was obssessed with my wii i play for about 2 hours everyday but this this is insane!!
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somethingelse19 said 9:22PM on 6-11-2008
this is insane,hitman,killed neighbor,killed his parents!?!?THE CHILD IS A SPOILED BRAT! those are my six words of wisdom
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Devynn said 3:38AM on 6-12-2008
ppl like this have no life outside of their video games. it's the ONE thing they CAN and WILL control. you mess it up for them, and well, it sucks to be you. the problem starts when they are small children. their parents DO NOT do ANYTHING to help the kids on a social level. when they're acting like kids, ie. running around, being loud, asking questions, etc, their parents tell them to shut up and go watch tv or play a video game to keep them quiet. there goes any chances to help kids on social level which would help them out in the real world. like teaching them how to deal when things don't go their way. it doesn't help that these same parents are too afraid to send their kids out into the real world. thus, them never going outdoors. it's an evil vicious cycle and no one benefits.
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Rob said 11:34PM on 6-11-2008
I play around four hours a day, eat until I'm full, am only two pounds overweight, have a good number of friends, and I'd like to say this really comes down to responsibility and time management. You can call anything an addiction, it's just an easy way to avoid responsibility for it. To avoid eating to continue to play a game (doesn't Cyber Cafe imply it might have at least pastries?[In the case of the Korean man]) is simply insane, and it shows a deep irresponsibility. On the other side, the people who call it "Just a game" don't seem to understand that about 6-8 hours of our life are spent on recreation (8-hours Rest, 8-hours Work, 8-hours Recreation), and calling it "Just a game" is implying that 1/3 of our life isn't real, that there's no substance or value to it, which is untrue. You can learn many lessons of determination, decision making, constructive though, puzzle solving, etc. Just remember that the other 2/3 of life are valuable.
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Max said 3:35PM on 8-04-2008
Get back down in your mother's basement and STFU! She'll call you when your Chef-boy-r-dee ravioli is heated up!
steven a said 11:55PM on 6-11-2008
going outside meaning w/o your psp.
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Russ Horton said 8:03PM on 6-12-2008
we might have a surplus of dim witted people ...
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michelle said 2:30PM on 6-12-2008
people are stupid. games are supposed to be fun. if you can't play just for fun, you shouldn't play. if you think it's worth throwing your life away, you should be locked up in a mental hospital. try doing something that doesn't involve electricity or batteries or violence.
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steve said 2:50PM on 6-12-2008
I could understand if it was an X-box 360, but PSP? Please!
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Jay said 3:44PM on 6-12-2008
i really can't stand these articles that are only half completed. i can imagine, like myself, the only reason someone would click the link to see this article is to find out WHAT THE CONTROVERSY WAS!! what glitch could possible cause this? oh, computer characters were fighting each other. that doesn't answer the question. what was the F-ing glitch? did the computer character have a swastika on his arm or something? was one of them spouting racial slurs? what?
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Henry said 4:41PM on 6-12-2008
We all have a mentality that drives us towards success. The opposing side of that is anger and depression when we fail.
In video games, we know the more we play the better we will get. The challenge of winning or beating a high score of a video game is similar to the high you get from addictive drugs or cigarettes. Yes, I know nicotine is a drug too. Like any dependency, when you remove it, suddenly, you get withdrawal symptoms. Rage is the most common. In some cases the rage is extreme like road rage. The only way to avoid anger issues about video games is to confront the player, When they are not playing and tell them that they are out of control. Tell them how seriously dangerous there anger is getting. If this does not work, then stay out of the line of fire and tell others to do the same. Hell hath no fury like a MAD video game player!
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