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)
Trudi said 11:18AM on 9-03-2008
I have WIndows XP, 5 yr old computer. Home use only . Should I apply all the Free downloads mentioned? I already have Skype with a camera phone. I have a grand daughter in Okinawa( AIr Force) who has skype. WIll this go thru? Previously, I have not added the "Free"downloads as I don't trust them or my limited knowledge as to what is safe.
Is there a directive to guide me?
Thanks, Trudi
ps. I don't understand the instructions regarding "to create a live link"
Is this it? http:// ------- and is there a charge for a link?
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Steve said 2:34PM on 9-03-2008
Up to this point I use all of the freeware except Skype and Chrome. How can you include a brand new beta version browser that isn't fully functional yet??? An idiot must have chosen it. Personally I use Avant Browser. No matter wher I go as long as I have internet access I can install Avant and log in and ALL of my Bookmarks (Favorites) are there, and I have over a thousand of them. My personal internet is through Sprint wireless and they will charge me if I use VOIP.
jess said 7:50PM on 9-03-2008
i just installed chrome today. seems fast but dont know much more then that about it.
i like using firefox by mozilla.
i did not know that the avant browser saves your bookmarks on their server for you that sounds awesome, i might download that now ;) thanks Steve for mentioning that.
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John Lee said 12:40PM on 10-05-2008
I tried Chrome, loved the speed but hated everything else about it. There is a complete lack of control of the program, you cannot delete history or bookmarks despite it saying that it does. When you type anything in the address bar it prompts with random things including porn sites that didn't bear any relation to what was being typed in. It was like the Aweful bar in Firefox 3 before it is sorted.
If you like browsing then keep with Firefox, it is so so superior to this bit of spyware. Avant is good as well.
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Jeff Sauer said 3:10PM on 10-21-2008
I do not recommed Google Chrome. It had way to much that you could not use or turn off or disable. The auto fill function is quite annoying. It is worse than Apple's Safari as far as a search engine. I recommend you stay with the standard Google especially with Vista, and even the old Google version now has it's draw backs with the updates Google keeps putting in. I removed Chrome from my 4 computers after trying it.
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