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 3)
Wolfster said 2:48PM on 7-17-2008
That could be considered an act of domestic terrorism. Send him to Gitmo - maybe some of those torture techniques would finally be useful.
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jeb said 2:56PM on 7-17-2008
He's been employed by the city for five years, despite past convictions for robbery and burglary dating back to the 80's.
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA!!!
duh...let's let a convicted felon have access to sensative personal information...I hope everyone involved SUES their pants off!!!!!
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Deez said 3:04PM on 7-17-2008
hey Jeb you Smarty learn how to spell sensitive you Dumb@$$!!!!
c00kiee said 3:20PM on 7-17-2008
Only in california? Shut up.
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Captian kirk said 3:21PM on 7-17-2008
The ultimate insanity!
Kirk calling enterprise. Mr spock, have scotty beam me up immediatly! no indiginious intelligant life on this planet! - kirk out.
Jonathan :) :)
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Michael said 3:24PM on 7-17-2008
Yeah Jeb there you go sue sue sue.
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v said 5:04PM on 7-17-2008
No sympathies here... for EITHER party.
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Mike Sanders said 3:41PM on 7-17-2008
I hope that they can work somethng out. Perhaps, a plea-bargain... 1 character of the password, for each year of reduced sentence, or amnesty for the entire password.
"Don't cuss the man who cooks your eggs, or he might just spit in them."
While I cannot agree with what Childs did, this does serve to remind administrators, that maintaining good relations with the technical people is always in their best ineterst. I worked with UAW electricians on the plant floor of a GM assembly plant, years ago. I soon discovered that these guys could make my life a living hell, if they wanted to... Pins stuck through coaxes, thirty feet up... Stealing my Cushman and submerging it in the sludge pond... Changing the letters on my keyboard around... Throwing lugnuts at me from 100 feet away (dangerous)... I could write a book! Anyway, after giving up on the "Security" force, I learned that Gitmo didn't work half as well as just buying them a cup of coffee. I just didn't understand the protocol, that's all.
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CFelthauser said 5:04PM on 7-17-2008
and everyone of those guys should have been fired, but because they were probably Union they were protected. What they did to you is nothing less than extortion and harrassment. If I worked there I would fire the whole lot and bring in a new one. People need to learn how to behave at work. Why would they let only one person have control over passwords like that and not have back up somewhere. I can understand how people get upset about comments like "only in California"...but that seems like where these stories always seem to come from, so blame it on the media.
GLDuff said 7:01PM on 7-17-2008
I suspect the employee conduct described here has something to do with GM's troubles. No wonder the Japanese car companies are kicking GM's butt.
Stop Smoking said 3:44PM on 7-17-2008
Thats so cool that he's able to do that. Did he hack in or did he have access to that information already?
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Zaphod said 4:06PM on 7-17-2008
this reminds me a movie i once watched a long time ago where i a guy created a operating system everyone used and started shutting down the citys, with a back door he put in it.......cant remember what it was called though
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corki said 4:25PM on 7-17-2008
it was called Windows
G said 4:05PM on 7-17-2008
hate the sin, love the sinner. forgiveness
Better yet, bosses, managers, talk to your employees//employees, talk to your bosses, managers and fellow employees. Talk, talk, talk to each other.
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slvcab said 4:09PM on 7-17-2008
jeb ur an idiot....just because ur from som other state u think its just fine to rip on california? well im from california and i wanna say that its a good state and wutever problem u have with it you should just keep it to yourself
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Adam said 4:09PM on 7-17-2008
This is funny. Kinda makes ya go life imitating art. It is somewhat similar to the last Die Hard movie. Of course this isn't on as grand a scale. and it also shows that the IT guys could pretty much bring the world to it's knees if so inclined.
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Pam said 4:13PM on 7-17-2008
Jonathan, you can't spell, capitalize correctly or say something original. Too bad we Earthlings have to let you stay here anyway. (It is beyond ironic whenever anyone misspells "intelligent" while insulting others.)
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BdKrma2 said 4:30PM on 7-17-2008
Sarah said: just because someone fXXXXX up and got arrested in the 80's doesn't mean they are still a "criminal", people mess up and change all the time. That was 20 years ago!
FYI? "things" change, people don't.
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s13hybrid said 4:28PM on 7-17-2008
"Hold on to your butts."
-Jurassic Park
That is what this reminds me of, but not quit as dangerous.
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Joan Viscounty said 4:36PM on 7-17-2008
Waterboard him
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