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)
DarkLight said 2:24PM on 7-20-2008
Aaaaaand... How exactly will they know that my files are illegal?
I always transcode everything I download to the same efficient formats (uploaders almost always use inefficient codecs - why?), and I always replace those terrible tags and filenames with neat ones, so my collection effectively looks like it all came from one single place, wich could very well be my (imaginary) collection of original, legal CDs and DVDs... Is there something I am missing here, or am I safe to go?
Or maybe it's just time to stop flying... (Not that I fly alot, last time I stepped in a plane was like 6 years ago)
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DarkLight said 5:02AM on 7-21-2008
Good point Timber, but, I don't use an iPod...
I use a generic $20 mp3 player (so that if I "have an accident" with it I don't care).. No way to tell the legal from the illegal, really, unless they are going to do some magic :-D
pudds said 11:37AM on 7-21-2008
@Timber Wolf: No such playlist on my iPod, and if there were, its likely removable along with all of the other default playlists. Even then, that list only refers to the songs you've purchased from iTunes, not songs ripped from CDs you own.
I fail to see how this could be even the least bit enforceable. The only media they could be assured is pirated would be anything not yet released, such as a bootleg movie or leaked album....and even then, the logistics of keeping personnel up to date on what's out and what isn't would be overwhelming.
Ed said 2:48PM on 7-20-2008
We simply cannot let this happen. It is a violation of privacy and god only knows what else they'd b e looking for on your laptop. We cannot let big brother's reach get any further than it already is.
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Ed said 2:49PM on 7-20-2008
We simply cannot let this happen. It is a violation of privacy and god only knows what else they'd b e looking for on your laptop. We cannot let big brother's reach get any further than it already is.
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Ed said 2:50PM on 7-20-2008
We simply cannot let this happen. It is a violation of privacy and
god only knows what else they'd b e looking for on your laptop. We
cannot let big brother's reach get any further than it already is.
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ahow628 said 3:14PM on 7-20-2008
I fail to see how they will be able to tell something has been illegal downloaded. This is a crock...
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pumpkinmykitty said 5:01PM on 7-20-2008
I want to know how in the hell do you kick someone off the internet forever???? Locking people up for life for downloading is the only thing I see on how to do that punishment!!!
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Jerry said 9:28PM on 7-20-2008
How would scanning the files on an iPod be possibly for this. Would they have to plug something into the iPod? Would this be considered illegal search, which is protected against by the United States Constitution and probably many more. There is too much legal stuff involved in this.
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Reality said 10:30PM on 7-20-2008
Theft is Theft and should be treated as such. Those who whine like babys about it would be the 1st crying if something was stolen from them
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Phatman said 1:50PM on 7-21-2008
@Reality
You're right, "Theft is theft" but "Copyright infringement is Copyright infringement" try not to get the two confused.
Carolyn Anderson said 9:30PM on 7-25-2008
Copyright infringement is still theft - someone who's artistry is used for a purpose and then you take it without permission is theft - just under a different name.
fairyfan21 said 9:56AM on 7-26-2008
true theft is theft but think of it this way.... the piracy sites that people download their entertainment such as ringtones, music, and such are given on FREE websites set up by others, so in a technical sense those who download piracy entertainment aren't really stealing in a real sense.. yea they aren't paying for it but its being given to them like a gift
GammerBeavis said 9:43AM on 7-21-2008
Why don't they just stick to SECURITY at the airport? "Sorry, sir, we missed those twelve terrorists with the plastic guns because Skippy over there had 150 pirated songs on his MP3 player."
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Douglas Robertson said 12:00PM on 7-21-2008
excellent response! Wish I thought of it myself.
Kel said 9:22AM on 7-21-2008
The freakin' G8 doesn't have anything better talk about than illegal downloads and searching iPods at airports??? How about solving world hunger? How about the protecting environment? How about the AIDS epidemic in the third world? How about the war in Iraq or the war in Dafur or Israel & Palestine?
No wonder the rest of the world hates us!
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superhobo said 12:27PM on 7-21-2008
"...kicking offenders off the internet"
HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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aunt_felonious said 1:07PM on 7-21-2008
The last time I had to go through the airport it took me two hours, and that was just to see my son off!! I felt like an idiot walking in my bare feet while my shoes took a ride in a grey tray to be xrayed. If thats not humiliating enuff, now they want to check the music on ipods, etc. What next?.....Checking phone numbers on my phone for possible terrorist activities?
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THJ said 5:28PM on 7-21-2008
Here's how to do it:
Any song that says 'pirated' next to it means it's an illegal download.
If anyone has more than 5 songs tagged 'pirated,' we call the electro-plumber and have them seal off the internet tubes to the offenders computer and cell phone.
Then we will send the electro-plumbers to the internet HQ and have them unplug tpb and usenet.
It's gotta work. Why wouldn't it?
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krispymints said 8:10AM on 7-26-2008
How does a song show up "pirated"? That doesn't make any sense.