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)
Devynn said 7:37PM on 6-26-2008
at least she's keeping her grades up and being involved in school and her community. i bet good money, tho, that MOST of those messages are short and to the point. but what about having an actual conversation every once in a while?!
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Adam said 8:06PM on 6-26-2008
Just think of how much higher her GPA could be is she wasn't playing with her phone all day and sending useless messages! What's her carbon footprint????
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muhrii said 10:17PM on 6-26-2008
sorryy i have her beat. lol i just got my bill and i have 24,000 and yeh thats without looking too. and my gpa is up there pretty high also so lol sorryy =)
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Rollando said 10:52PM on 6-26-2008
More importantly, is she lacking any quality family time?
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amber said 12:01AM on 6-27-2008
i wish i could get down to 15,000 seeing that my last bill was about 40,000 texts. . .
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Lee said 12:55AM on 6-27-2008
What is she talking about? How about lifting your head up, looking around and experiencing life instead of discussing your last text, or the text before that, or the text before that.....
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Henry said 6:52AM on 6-27-2008
My 17 yr old does that many a month. I will pick her and friends up from a movie and all the way home you hear click click click. They are texting each other all the way home. The managers at our provider were astonished by the huge number of messages she averages in a month.
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Angiebaby said 7:59AM on 6-27-2008
Really, 15,000 text messages a month! She's talking to someone, but not her parents, teachers, or family. This is unhealthy, and I fault her parents. A 15-year-old may need a cellphone for emergencies, but not but not to take up every waking moment, or as a substitute for interpersonal relationships.
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Lisa Viering said 2:47PM on 6-27-2008
Hopefully she stops the text messaging before she starts driving!!
There is a newly released film titled "DISTRACTIONS" that was written and produced by Kevin Craig West of MoBetta Films. This action packed short film is based on the dangers of text messaging while driving, and is complete with an ending that will leave you shocked!!
The trailer of this film can be viewed at:
http://distractionsthemovie.com/trailer.htm
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Aaron said 4:47PM on 6-27-2008
blah blah blah......all you people who are talking about how she is ruining her life, you are all full of it. I only send 10,000 a month, my GPA is 3.8, I play basketball at the local YMCA, and hang out with my friends at least once a week.
Just because she sends 15,000 texts a month doesn't mean she doesn't have a social life. Maybe instead of pointing out other people's faults, you should look at your own, and find a way to fix them.
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Sabrina said 1:58AM on 6-28-2008
I think thats pretty co0ol. I dont have a phone with a keyboard so i only send like 20 messages a month. It gets tiring.
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steven said 11:08PM on 6-28-2008
So? A lot of people text that many times a month. I don't know how this is supposed to be "news." Oh, and I think most teens that text normally
(at least 4,000 a month or so) can text without looking.
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Alex said 5:29PM on 6-30-2008
How sad, I have a niece thats 15 and whenever we see her thats all she does is text on her phone, day and night. Last weekend we took her to an amusement park, and all day I couldent say she even knew where she was at. After 2 hours she didint even care, she kept finding places to sit down so she could "catch up" on all the texts that she kept getting.
In my eyes it took any magic of the experience of the trip from her life, and when she was asked how her visit to the park was she said "it was ok". I told her the next time we take her anywhere the phone cant go, so she can return to reality. When I was that age you embraced the moment, todays kids are wired the wrong way.
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