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)
MyKisa said 4:32PM on 8-24-2008
it is made of algae
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richard said 5:57PM on 8-24-2008
Not very practical, will not contribute a thing to saving appreciable energy. Kind of like making the A1 tank electric, what is the point other than to have a new play toy for the elitist and rich?
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Jim said 9:36PM on 8-24-2008
People who object to things because they are only for "the elitist and rich" are funny and somewhat pitiful. In other words, "I can't afford it, so it's bad", blah, blah, blah. The fact is there ARE rich people that will buy these types of things (and a lot of them worked damn hard to be able to do so), and they ARE helping the environment, not to mention the economy by employing people to produce them, and by not buying the 600hp V12's that get 8 mpg. So, my view is, GREAT! Love it. And to those that have the money to buy it, I admire you and I aspire to one day, through HARD WORK and perserverence, to own one myself.
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debbie said 12:25AM on 8-25-2008
Do they cost this much to make? and where are they? It has to be affordable to the working man, the one that goes to work day after day ect. the chiefs are few, the indians are the ones that will make a difference.
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B.C. said 2:37AM on 8-25-2008
"Do they cost this much to make?" - Yes; the batteries are getting cheaper, but they're still the most expensive element to electric vehicles.
"and where are they?" - Tesla is taking orders in the US. Their family sedan, the Whitestar, is supposed to be out late 2008, it's price is starting at $50,000. Expensive, but still far cheaper than a SUV or truck if you factor in fuel costs.
B.C. said 11:27PM on 8-24-2008
Horseless carriages were impractical at first too, something only of a play toy for the elite and rich.
The telephone was in this elitist-toy category only a half century ago too.
Electric motors are far more efficient and torquey over engines; and can be powered by clean sources if we choose to do so.
Even without- I'd rather burn domestic coal to power an EV, than buying terrorist oil to run an engine.
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B.C. said 11:28PM on 8-24-2008
Horseless carriages were impractical at first too, something only of
a play toy for the elite and rich.
The telephone was in this elitist-toy category only a half century
ago too.
Electric motors are far more efficient and torquey over engines; and
can be powered by clean sources if we choose to do so.
Even without- I'd rather burn domestic coal to power an EV, than
buying terrorist oil to run an engine.
Reply
dave said 3:34AM on 8-25-2008
wow that will really help the earth when it costs "just under 200,000" its nice to know they are trying to make a diffrence though hahaha losers
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S.Walkosak said 3:40AM on 8-25-2008
Sticker is only $109,000 if reserved now.
I am not sure where the $200k came from? But be patient, Tesla Motors also has a $65k sedan and a $30k family car waiting in the wings!
The Roadster is just the BIG SEXY! The bait for investors!
Ladies and gentleman, you may start your engines!!!
And welcome to the future!!!
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Robert Alexander said 8:23AM on 8-25-2008
Detroit get your act together! It is time to produce the next generation of autos. This proves the technology exists. Now to apply it to smaller, more efficient commuter cars! No need for speed like this. Without all the wasted power to achieve speed we can produce a vehicle with smaller motor, smaller battery that will get just as many miles per charge at a much lower consumer price. Mass producing them by t he millions will save money too. Just quit producing old internal combustion cars and the public will buy these eagerly. That would change the demand for oil dramatically as these do not need a pump!
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cyberma777 said 9:54AM on 8-25-2008
The technology for the mainstream electric car is already here. Go rent "Who Killed the Electric Car" and find out what happened. The American public has been screwed by big business, government, and the oil companies for years. Car companies make too much money maintaining internal combustion engines to ever give them up. Oil companies want to keep you addicted to foreign oil, and the government is being paid to make them happy, not you.
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EVenthuis said 12:01PM on 8-25-2008
Zap has cars with 1/10th the price and they are on the road today, no pie in the sky BS like Tesla!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_laBPi9wbA
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Thomas said 12:16PM on 8-25-2008
The Tesla Roadster is an Incredible car -- the YouTube videos of this car show what this little powerhouse can do. And yes this is a very environmentally sound car. The company even offers a conversion for your garage for solar cell charging of the thing. I would love to have one of these cars. Save me money and save the environment too.
The other great car to look up is the MDI compressed air car. The hybrid version can get you from coast to coast on 1 tank of fuel. I think the Australian compressed air engine will be even better. So light you can hold the engine in your hands.
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