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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
frank1946 said 11:42AM on 7-16-2008
Kids are stupid......................until they lose something !
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Janie said 5:38PM on 7-16-2008
The danger of laser damage is far greater than one would normally believe. Law enforcement, when using hand held lasers for traffic, speed, control,have lost and had severe damage to the lap area, when they placed the laser gun down to pull over a speeder. Of great concern, remote controls, are very overlooked, can posibly cause damage to the body, if you routinely walk in front of a remote clicker, frequently...............Beware, there is danger.
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Father Pimpus Littletickle said 11:01AM on 7-16-2008
What's the matter with you? Cops were getting testicular cancer from RADAR guns, not laser guns. The radiation given off from radar guns is what caused the cancer...lol It amazes me how seriously these people who know nothing speak about things...lol
Patrick Murphy said 9:12AM on 7-16-2008
Yes, the lasers were more powerful than a laser pen(!). The video shows that they were pulsed lasers -- look at the pattern on the back wall; it is composed of dots.
Pulsed lasers emit their light in short, powerful bursts. They are fine for sky or overhead use, but NEVER should be used for audience scanning. Whoever decided to re-aim the lasers from the sky as planned, into the audience, was completely and dangerously wrong.
Audience scanning is safe and legal when done appropriately. Note that you cannot extrapolate from a laser pen held close to a person, to a laser show where the laser is many meters away and is constantly in motion.
A Class 4 (most powerful) laser's light is supposed to be Class 1 (safe for exposure) by the time it reaches the closest audience member. Some shows may be over this limit, but not by the orders of magnitude which created the Moscow injuries. That takes exceptional ineptitude such as using a pulsed laser on a crowd.
-- Patrick Murphy, International Laser Display Assn.
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Jiggy said 11:02AM on 7-16-2008
Not thats something to see lol !
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edgarnew said 11:52AM on 7-16-2008
Well, Now they will Be Blind Deaf and Brain Dead by age Thirty!
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