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)
John Purcell said 6:33AM on 8-13-2008
You forgot Vista
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Amy said 10:58AM on 8-13-2008
Hey I remember MS Bob! We had this when I was a teenager. You had to actually open this program manually, so it wasn’t like an operating system. It didn’t do anything that you couldn’t already do, except it may have had some games like chess or something…I can’t remember. Anyway, I mainly used it to pass the time when I was bored. You could add and “decorate” your rooms like a primitive version of “The Sims” without any people in it. I was probably supposed to be doing homework or something. Oh well!
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mia said 12:14PM on 9-02-2008
I loved MS Bob too! I was 12 when we got it, so maybe that's why. I have to say that decorating the rooms was the best part, but so was choosing a "guide" and I liked a few of their games. I wondered why it wasn't around anymore--I didn't realize it was that big a flop. Maybe they should have marketed it to children.
Tracy said 12:54PM on 8-13-2008
"Some guys...smile and nod encouragingly"?? Could this BE any more patronizing to women? Yeah that's right....later, Bill G patted his wife on the head, scratched behind her ears, and gave her a cookie.
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Greg Forrest said 4:18PM on 8-13-2008
Isn't the dog the same dog from the search companion in XP? I hate that dog.
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Ed Marker said 8:51PM on 8-14-2008
Brilliant Greg! I hate that miserably slow "search assistant" dog too!
jon rodgers said 6:35AM on 9-02-2008
LOL. I thought that was the same dog as soon as I started reading this. I don't mind the dog...he just sits in the corner chating...lol
Robin said 11:52AM on 8-20-2008
What an underrated novelty! I loved Microsoft Bob! Honestly if they had some version of Microsoft Bob for Vista or XP I would be a very happy camper - the "letter writing" feature had great "do it yourself" stationery and envelopes that were quite fun and the check book balancer was user friendly and gave me confidence to try something more sophisticated for home bookkeeping. My kids loved creating their own personal spaces and decorating them - there were Xmas decorations, different themes for your space.
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mia said 12:35PM on 9-02-2008
I was offended by that, too. At least Melinda thought of something with some potential.
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shayna said 7:00PM on 9-02-2008
I'm a woman, and I thought the smile and nod remark was hilarious! Come on ladies`wheres your sense of humor?
Alicia said 12:43PM on 9-02-2008
I remember this product! I loved the Microsoft Bob program, I was a kid wnen it came out and it was so user friendly! My stepmom loved it too, the older generation that isn't so computer savvy found it to be easy to use! I really wish they still had the program, my kids would love it!!!!
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