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)
Patrick Crandall said 8:39AM on 9-12-2008
It isn't permanent yet.........
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Chris said 1:27PM on 9-12-2008
I'm happy to say that I still have the old version on my profile! We all hate to have to learn new things. I hated switching from Windows 95 then I hated switching from the other 87628376438798734 versions until I had no choice but to get used to them. I like Vista just fine now. The world has no choice but to accept change as it happens!
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Sue T said 2:27PM on 9-12-2008
I am one of the users that want the old Facebook back. I find this new design very unwieldly to navigate. There is not an easy flow between "boxes" It takes away some of the fun.
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AJ said 9:46PM on 9-12-2008
i feel like the only guy who's actually liking the new facebook.
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Seanross said 4:03AM on 9-13-2008
I don't care either way... whatever
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Joyce said 1:30PM on 9-13-2008
As one commenter pointed out, change is inevitable. True. But why force change on people when there was nothing wrong with the old way? Why not let people choose? Make a new version and let us vote. I like the old version better. The new one seems off. The old one had all my things easily accessible on the front page. Now you have to click here and there to see different things. I went to my daughter's page to see her new bumper sticker, and I couldn't find it on her site.
I don't like Vista, though I use it. Just because change is inevitable doesn't mean it's for the better. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
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Courtney said 3:56PM on 9-14-2008
First off, it is permanent. Secondly, I HATE IT. There is something wrong with looking at my wall, and other things on a horizontal scroll across the screen. They should have kept the option of the old facebook.
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Sarah said 7:04PM on 9-14-2008
I hate the new layout. The navigation is terrible.
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chefgon_ign said 10:31PM on 9-14-2008
I coped with this situation by simply not using Facebook anymore. They've gone from one of the best web layouts to one of the worst. It's just a bunch of garbage randomly thrown on the screen, it's near impossible to tell what's what. There's way too much competition in this space to bother with a site that completely cripples its navigation.
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Shawnna said 1:18PM on 9-15-2008
I absolutely hate the new Facebook. Everyone does! I don't know if I have talked to anybody who likes this layout better. The wall takes up practically your entire homepage. People enjoy Facebook because of all the neat apps, and now you have to click all over the place to find them (if you get lucky). They shouldn't have changed something that didn't need changing!
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Carmen Gimenez said 4:15PM on 10-13-2008
I wouldn't hate the new version if only I could use it!! I mean, for example: I can't see my "Online Friends" so I can't see who is on, I can't use the chat, I can't "say something", I can't change the language of my Facebook (I'm Spanish)...etc.... Do you need more reasons....I have plenty of problems with the new version.... Can anyone help me to get back to the old one? Thnx. XX
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lwalker6090 said 7:49PM on 10-27-2008
i love the new facebook. its so much easier to look at peoples profiles since you don't have to look at their 50 million apps unless you want to. it makes it much easier to comment on peoples statuses, pics, walls, etc. it did take some getting used to, but now that i am, i absolutely love it. its easier to access your own apps because they're built into the bottom bar all the time. its also easier to edit your profile and see how it looks right away.
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lwalker6090 said 7:49PM on 10-27-2008
nothing about being able to see which friends are online, chaging the language or your status has changed. its just in a different spot now.
i think you all are being big babies. change is obviously hard to cope with, but you need to get over it. the new facebook is here to stay, and once you figure out how the hell to use it (and its really not that hard) you'll stop complaining. you're all acting like they got rid of stuff....when they didnt. they just made it so you don't have to look at everybody's obnoxious layouts with numerous apps that you don't care about. all of their apps are still easily accesible under the 'boxes' tab. or they might have a quick link if they've sucked it up and dealt with it, too.
so shut up about it already! id be more pissed if they went back to the old version
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