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)
Marburg said 2:18PM on 7-03-2008
Damn, I hope he gets it good!
Reply
Regina Elliott said 2:43PM on 7-03-2008
I believe the sin of abortion contributes to the disrespect for
human life, especially babie's lives. This video is a terrible example
of the lack of regard for human life.
Reply
boots said 12:03PM on 7-16-2008
WTF does abortion have to do with this idiot teen abusing a baby? Guaranteed, if abortion is outlawed, we will just see even MORE cases of bad parenting and child abuse. Still, abortion is not the answer. We need to promote sex-ed & contraceptive use.
NIK said 3:07PM on 7-03-2008
IT? horrible reporting if you are considering a child or toddler and it. Last time I checked he or she -NOT IT- was a human being.
"who was helping babysit the toddler, places it on an inflatable pillow, then leaps on the other side, sending the child several feet through the air before it lands on the floor and wails."
Reply
Marburg said 4:39PM on 7-03-2008
I was refering to the teen getting a big felony jail sentence as IT not the baby.
G. said 10:23PM on 7-03-2008
Putting the 16 year old in jail for a few decades isn't going to solve ANYTHING, other than destroying another life. Where is the blame for the parents who left their child with this person, hmm??? Oh, that's right - the parent's HAVE to go to work and ignore the needs of their child. That's the American way. All praise Women's Liberation.
Reply
Andi said 9:27PM on 7-03-2008
I think a 16-year-old should be quite capable of helping their parents. Are we harboring some anger over having to babysit when we were younger, hmmm???
el said 4:05AM on 7-06-2008
Believe it or not, household duties do not make willies shrink. If men prioritized children before beer and hookers, and helped out in the house more, we wouldn't have this kind of thing. All praise male chauvinism?
J said 10:08PM on 7-09-2008
What!!!?? you seem to be of the belief that womens lib is responsible for the worlds woes, Maybe if men today were more like men before women wouldn't have to work ever thought of that? Not all women want to work but someone's gotta feed the baby. So b4 you scorn all women take a look at the worthless men that get away with the leaving. PS haven't had a babysitter yet and he's two so you might wana rethink the generalization.
boots66@mailcan.com said 12:03PM on 7-16-2008
I'd like to know where I ca find this fantasyland you live in? I don't know anyone that can afford to live on one income. Still...maybe folks shouldn't have kids if they can't afford to.
nofalsehero said 5:55AM on 7-04-2008
This is a terrible thing to happen to a child, yet HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ABORTION, "Regina Elliot." Why did you feel it necessary to insert your own commentary?
Reply
Stephenie said 8:59AM on 7-04-2008
First of all, I also have to strongly disagree with the comment made by "Regina Elliot". Sheer stupidity and a disrespect for life have nothing to do with the "sin" of abortion. Your statement is irrelevant to the topic at hand.
Second of all, the reference to the baby being referred to as "it"...unfortuantely yes, that is rather irresponsible of the reporter, but whoever was reporting may not have known the gender of the baby at the time of reporting. Luckily, the little boy is fine and no injuries have come to immediate attention.
As for leaving the baby with a 16 year old and shoving the responsibility and blame on the parents, the teenager's father was also supposed to be watching the baby and supervising that night. That doesn't excuse any behavior, and the blame shouldn't be brought on the adults. A 16 year old is perfectly capable of knowing right from wrong and making decisions in accordance of that. What that boy did was extremely wrong and he has no one to blame but himself for the stupidity he's shown himself to be in full possession of.
Reply
Neuticles said 10:55AM on 7-04-2008
It was a stupid thing to do- cruel. But, the infant was not injured.
The boy is a child- and children do childish things. To ruin his
life and to cost his parent thousands in legal fees is where the
atrocity lies.
The only remedy for this situation is a leather strap.
Reply
el said 4:06AM on 7-06-2008
Because injuring the 16yrold child will really show him that injuring children and people smaller than you is morally unacceptable. Right.
emma said 9:47PM on 7-11-2008
I am sure that many of probably will not see this but I have to get it off my chest.
I just recently became aware of this video and it disturbs me to the bone, I am a first time mother with a toddler.
In reading these posts I have found some very disturbing and some very true...the smart ones can figure out which is which...
However, I would like to comment on this particular one by "Neuticles"
"The boy is a child- and children do childish things. To ruin his
life and to cost his parent thousands in legal fees is where the
atrocity lies.
The only remedy for this situation is a leather strap"
Although I'm not sure what you meant/mean by give him the "leather strap" ( I can oly hope you meant to either beat the heck out of him or strap him to the "chair", or better yet let the "Gimp" have a go at him), I find that saying "the boy is a child and children do childish things" is the most STUPIDEST thing I have ever heard regarding this situation...do you realize that this "boy/child" is old enough to drive in this country and therefore is "supposed" to be some what of a mature individual...If Michael Vick can rot in a cell for animal cruelty then this "child" can surly rot in a cell too for all I care...that's just one less bad person on the streets...and I'm fine with that...
I do realize that these are all opinions of individuals but really...if someone or something (animal) can not speak on it's own behalf and cruel things are being done to it...then I believe it should be "an eye for an eye" my friends.
Thank you for listening (reading)
Reply
Cathy said 10:48PM on 7-24-2008
Emma,
Amen, Sister!
Reply
Riona said 2:41PM on 8-04-2008
16 years old is plenty old enough to know right from wrong. Of course he deserves to be punished. What he did could have seriously harmed that child, and there have to be repercussions for that kind of behavior. I think it would ruin his life more NOT to punish him, because it would teach him that there are no consequences to his actions. Just grounding him, or leaving it up to his parents, is not good enough. It would reduce what he did to the same level as sneaking out at night or doing poorly on a report card. What he did not only shows a complete lack of respect for human life; it is a felony, and he is going to have to face the consequences.
Reply
Replicus said 11:57AM on 8-06-2008
Sin is one of the numerous religious labels for a concept which has no basis in reality. There's no such thing as sin, evil, demons and all the other word-labels religions have created to control the mass populations. Behavior is easily classified as acceptable or unacceptable with no further labels attached to it. Applying inappropriate labels to behavior allows for avoidance of personal responsibility. Every being is personally responsible for their actions. If you want to live in a peaceful world, first you'll have to stop serving hierarchies.
Reply