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)
sej said 2:30PM on 7-30-2008
I regret overusing my factory installed GPS (loved it so much, I used it for taking me to places I knew how to get to!) ... I am told the computer failed and it will cost $2,000 (that's right two thousand dollars) to replace. I tried a local aftermarket car audio installation business. They said they could not do it cuz they had an agreement with the automobile manufacturer not to. Any suggestions for a more affordable repair? Geek Squad maybe?
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ill123now said 9:28AM on 7-30-2008
GPS IS COOL. ECONOMY IS DOWN, CRIME IS UP, PROTECT YOUR HOME AND FAMILY, WWW.YOUBSAFE.COM
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Lovegrace45 said 11:23AM on 7-30-2008
I have GPS TOMTOM and I like the way it looks, and the cord does not bother me in the least. These days products keep changing getting better then the last. Its hard to keep up with the newest gadgets. TomTom GPS will hang with me for a while. Since I can not keep up with the Jone's or even trying to I'm going to make due with what I have.
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AUDON TRUJILLO said 12:17PM on 7-30-2008
The most important thing for me as a realtor (aside from does the GPS actually navagate me to the proper address ....i.e. are recent roads/addresses updated) is can the GPS system OPTIMIZE the addresses I insert so that I can travel the least amount of distance. So when I plug in 5 addresses the system will "optimize" and show me which address to go to first..second and so on.
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HENRY said 1:49PM on 8-04-2008
I was given my TOMTOM (Mandy) that's what I call her, as a gift from my wife (since I hate to ask for directions). I tell you, that was one of the BEST & most useful gifts i have ever received, other than my children. I can't live w.out either.
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JAY said 5:37PM on 7-30-2008
GARMIN NUVI IS THE BEST NAVIGATION AROUND RIGHT NOW PERIOD. I OWN A 2007 BMW 750LI AND IT WORKS BETTER THAN THE ONE THAT COMES BUILT IN THE CAR
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Dick Cobus said 1:56PM on 7-30-2008
Do NOT buy any Cobra equipment. They do not support updating their software or maps. I have a 2750. Not worth the paper to purchase it. Contacted they several times not luck.
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paul said 2:25PM on 7-30-2008
I have been in the mobile electronics industry for over 5 years. If you are looking to purchase a product that is quality and that will actually get you when you want to go, I would recommend only the Garmin navigation for the portable GPS units, for the fact of the ease of use for users. By which I mean the "search all" option. Other GPS' require either the city name or zip code. Garmin does not. Garmin only requires the State name. I live in Baltimore County, not Baltimore City, MD. And we consider everything in the County or City "Baltimore". The units themselves will not find the address you are looking for with an improper city name. Garmin saved you that step of having to know every piece of information. As long as you know a street number and name it will find it. As far as in-dash navigation they are all fairly good. I would prefer the Kenwood Navigation just because they paired up with Garmin for there navigation software. But for the most pair the units are designed better than the portable units. And they give you more features that you may want or use. Such as HD Radio, Satellite Radio(XM or Sirius), Bluetooth, Real-Time Traffic Updates, Ipod Connectivity, USB Input, Extreme Control over the sound of your system with a very detailed graphic equalizer, SD Card Reader, HDD(Hard Disk Drive) Navigation(Where you can store music on the unit itself and the maps are not on a DVD Map Disc), Rear Camera Input(to view what is behind you before backing up(for larger SUV's)), DVD Player, MP3, AAC, WMA, The RDS feature where it will show artist name and song title information from your local radio stations.
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Tom said 11:07PM on 7-31-2008
Dollar for dollar, the TomTom has turned out to be the best GPS for me. I tried two different Garmin's and 3 different Magellan's. Then went to two different TomTom's. I settled on the TomTom 720 because it is the most accurate navigation system of all the brands I tried. It regularly updates with the latest GPS and road information and satellite signals, it allows you to submit any changes you recommend and it has (for me, at least) the most accurate way to get from point A to point B, listing all of the roads, freeways and streets I need to get there. I cannot say that about the Garmin or the Magellan GPS's. The only wish I have would be for the Magellan windshield mount to be on the TomTom; nothing else would I change though.
driver6845 said 8:00AM on 8-01-2008
does anyone know if there is a trucker's version of any of these that will distinguish truck routes, bridge height and weight restrictions, etc?
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Bill Butler said 9:23PM on 8-02-2008
Had a garmin and still do. Works great!! Wanted a second for the other vehicle in the household, so bought a Tom-Tom on sale. Tried to navigate with the Tom-Tom to a church in El Paso TX. Only found listings on the Tom-Tom for Mosques... No other denominations! What's up with that? Bill B
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Which GPS System? said 5:03PM on 8-03-2008
This is an excellent guide for choosing a GPS System.
Well, Which GPS System? has not only tested and evaluated the leading GPS systems, but has also combined its test results and best picks with those researched and collected from the industry's top review sites so to give you an easy and simple recommendation of which GPS systems and devices you should choose.
Please visit http://www.whichgpssystem.com for more information and product recommendations.
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