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)
JOHN COFFEY said 3:34PM on 6-17-2008
Anything that will save my family $$$ has got to be a great deal. I await your info.
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Light Mike said 4:12PM on 6-17-2008
We've had Vonage at our house for 2 years already and are very satisfied with their service! We saved over $40 per month & now we can transfer our calls to a cell phone if we're gone on vacation or just at the mall...just by unplugging the Vonage Adapter Box or temporally putting your internet on "standby mode" It's great! Plus, you can actually bring the small "Vonage Phone Adapter" to any hotel, relative, or friend's house that has high-speed internet and receive call like you would at home w/ no extra charges!
http://www.Vonage.com
I've also heard about a device called the "Magic Jack" which plugs into any laptop or desktop PC. Just plug the "Magic Jack" into a USB port, plug in your phone cord & you have an instant phone connection! And it's only $20 per YEAR with your first year free! Unlimited incoming/outgoing calls to U.S. & Canada.
It's been rated very highly from "PC Magazine, Cnet, CNBC, New York Times, etc"
Similar to the "Vonage Phone Adapter", you can also take the "Magic Jack" anywhere there is high-speed internet or if your laptop has a good Wi-Fi / or Internet Card connection! (The Magic Jack is probably more convenient since it is smaller and less things to hook up.)
*I'm not sure if they offer the same option like Vonage (where if you're power or internet goes out...you're calls automatically transfer over to your cell).
http://www.magicjack.com/
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jojostew said 8:33PM on 6-17-2008
magic jack sounds silly but it is fantastic ! one drawback is you cannot use it for fax machines.
brian said 6:38PM on 6-17-2008
www.magicjack.com $25 per year..just need broadband connection
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kassi said 7:29AM on 6-25-2008
we tried vonage and it cost as much as our original to have our land line so that we could have a connection to the internet and the cost of vonage together. i was really upset. i am not too savy when it comes to technology but i think the home phone companies are ripping people off. we pay $75 a month. that is for basic service and our internet. our internet alone is $25 and that is lower because i have a bundle so that it is about ten dollars cheaper. we don't even use our phone to make long distant calls. do you have any advice on my situation. we live a small town so i feel like we have no options.