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)
andrew said 9:45AM on 8-13-2008
Lincolns with suicide doors are a brilliant style trend. in fact. they've brought them back on many american pick up trucks.
they were a bit dangerouse, but not because of why you described. it was because if you were exining the rear door when a car was passing, if the door was hit ,it would slam it shut on you like a guilatine.
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Mike said 9:59AM on 8-13-2008
How did the suicide doors of the 1960's Lincoln Continental fit into this? This is supposed to be about gadgets. It's funny to hear about all these electronic gadgets that failed, but obviously the writer knows nothing about cars. The Lincoln Continental of 1961-1969 were arguably the best-designed Lincolns of the postwar era. The suicide doors were a result of the engineeers' desire to build a 4-door convertible. Rear-hinged doors allowed the heavy doors to be supported by the stronger section of the unit-body rather than the weaker B-pillar. To keep the design consistent and to avoid wasting money on a completely different design, the suicide doors were also used on the hardtop version as well.
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Joseph OGERSHOK said 10:01AM on 8-13-2008
I'll but you wish you owned one. They are collector's items now.
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Sharky90012 said 10:02AM on 8-13-2008
How did the suicide doors of the 1960's Lincoln Continental fit into
this? This is supposed to be about gadgets. It's funny to hear
about all these electronic gadgets that failed, but obviously the
writer knows nothing about cars. The Lincoln Continental of 1961-1969
were arguably the best-designed Lincolns of the postwar era. The
suicide doors were a result of the engineeers' desire to build a
4-door convertible. Rear-hinged doors allowed the heavy doors to be
supported by the stronger section of the unit-body rather than the
weaker B-pillar. To keep the design consistent and to avoid wasting
money on a completely different design, the suicide doors were also
used on the hardtop version as well.
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charleskemp1 said 11:17AM on 8-13-2008
Evan, You are hereby given an (F)lunking grade in history.
The Lincoln with suicide doors came out years before 1967.
I got out of the Air Force in 1961 and they were being built then.
Also, you tell him, sharky 90012.
Professor Chuck
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James Woods said 3:23PM on 8-13-2008
Really! Wasn't John Kennedy assasinated in a Lincoln with "suicide" doors? Dunno' why this writer chose the year 1967.....perhaps that's the '67 model in the picture,
Greg N said 12:32PM on 8-13-2008
The $400,000+ Rolls Royce Phantom has "suicide" doors. They are designed to stay secured while the vehicle is in motion. Lincoln Continental was YEARS ahead of its time with their doors.
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DonVito said 1:00PM on 8-13-2008
Stick to gadgets, stay away from cars, jackass
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Gary O said 11:03PM on 8-13-2008
What's the problem with this? I owned a couple of these Lincolns with the suicide doors, found no problem at all. A blinking light on the dash told you when one of the rear doors wasnt properly closed, and I wired in a beeper to alert me to the problem. Beautiful styling from ''61 to the the late '60s, very popuplar body style. Remember, this was the car that JFK was killed in, a timeless style of elegance. no trouble at all, ever.
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roberta said 10:32PM on 8-13-2008
Thats what makes the lincoln, a classic. That is not a gadget and nither were the machine guns the gangters used. Boo take it off the list TODAY
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bubbalou said 2:39PM on 8-14-2008
Hey! Everybody above is right... this ain't no gadget.
I was watching a very old movie the other day and saw these doors in use and realized they had some very good points to them (and they had NOTHING to do with gangsters!): the driver could stand in one place and open the doors while remaining close to the driver's position; the opening to enter the back seat with both doors open was wide enough for a formal dress (remember, I'm talking about a really old movie here); and the door was no longer in the way so that one could easily sit down and swing his feet into the back seat foot well (something most older men cannot do in most modern cars).
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LOUIS CORRADO said 10:09AM on 9-02-2008
It's about time someone got smart, And told the truth.
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Don said 1:17PM on 9-02-2008
Apparentl;y the Honda Element has doors that you consider unsafe! Obviously the US Federal government doesn't agree because this car is very popular here! Another reason for this neat design is the ease of entrance for passengers! Many cars in the 1930s had them
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Bert Wilson said 1:33PM on 9-02-2008
Is Evan Shamoon for real for including the 1967 Lincoln Continental for its suicide door design? Besides being embarrassingly glib, Shamoon has not clue that this door design was introduced by Lincoln in 1961 and was a feature on the car through the 1969 model year. During its nine year production run, the suicide doored Lincoln enjoyed record sales successes compared to their sales throughout the entire 1950s! The design won numerous awards from industrial designers worldwide, and here is no empirical evidence to say that more people were killed in Lincolns built between 1961 and 1969.
This has me wondering, what other facts didn't Mr. Shamoon research correctly to come up with this article?
I think Shamoon deserves an award for being one of the shallowest and worst researched writers on the internet today! Way to go!
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Bert Wilson said 1:42PM on 9-02-2008
Kennedy was killed by an assassins bullet, not by falling out of a car!
"Really! Wasn't John Kennedy assasinated in a Lincoln with "suicide" doors?"
Kennedy was killed by an assassins bullet, not because he tumbled out of the door!
"Dunno' why this writer chose the year 1967.....perhaps that's the '67 model in the picture"
And we don't know what year the car in the picture is - they made the 4-door convertible from 1961 through 1967, And the wheel cover in the corner isn't even a factory design - looks like an aftermarket wheel.
All this has me wondering why Shamoon didn't include the 1960-1964 Corvairs, which proven unsafe with incorrect tire pressure. And a Corvair is the size of a gadget! BW
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w_armer said 2:09PM on 9-02-2008
in response to james woods, JFK was shot in a lincoln because he chose to leave the clear bullet proof top off of the car. And response to the lincoln it is perfectly safe for smart people to use suicide doors. Check out the new Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe. Beauiful and Safe
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dave french said 5:24AM on 10-21-2008
The 1967 continental did not pioneer the use of suicide doors. Where do you guys get your info.
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