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 2)
Mitch said 4:25AM on 10-08-2008
I have to disagree on the satellite Radio thing. As a seasoned RoadWarrior it's the best thing since the radial tire.
With terrestrial radio you hear your fave artist, author, celeb is being interviewed at a time you'll be way out of range of that station.
Satellite is "real" time all the time.
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northjerseyfire said 3:25PM on 10-07-2008
I have XM and listen to it over regular radio. I live in the NYC area and satellite radio beats any NYC station hands down. There are to many commercials and to much BS and regular radio
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bedbug260 said 4:01PM on 10-07-2008
Well, if you spend very little time in your vehicle, maybe it's a waste of money, but I'm a truck driver and wouldn't go any where without it. I honestly think you're out of touch with this one. Uncensored Howard Stern, every NFL, MLB, and NHL game live. You might have forgotten that some of us listen to talk radio, also. There's nothing better than better than being able to drive coast to coast and listen to the same channel if you want. As far as the music goes, if you can't find any songs that you like on any channel, then you don't have a true appreciation of music. Aside from the top 40 stations, the other stations on both XM/Sirius have diverse playlist. I have no need for a mp3 player or an ipod.
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Brian said 4:20PM on 10-07-2008
Reading Tom Samijan and listening to Obama. What a bunch of crap!
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jose said 4:22PM on 10-07-2008
I too live in the NYC area and can't live without satallite radio. Those morning zoo morons are quite annoying. How can you not enjoy satellite radio......it has everything. I think this articles writer is overrated.
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Liz said 4:29PM on 10-07-2008
I must disagree with you on this one. My husband and I travel frequently and listen to XM religiously. There is a tremendous variety of shows from talk, to old radio dramas, to music of every genre. For those of us who spend much time traveling, the satellite radio is a gift. We are grateful this technology is available.
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Ann34 said 5:25PM on 10-07-2008
XM is a life saver both in the car and at work. I don't like most internet radio, our local stations suck in the morning (and seem to play the exact same songs over and over and over), and I like being able to select by decade or genre what I feel like listening to. While XM customer service is about the worst in the entertainment industry, I still refer their product to the alternatives.
Sorry but I'm not spending a million bucks a year to fill my ipod with new music when $13 a month gets me satellite radio - I'm already bored with my 400 CD library, why repeat the same mistake with MP3?
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BruDog said 5:46PM on 10-07-2008
I've had Sirius since '05 and haven't listened to regular radio since, except when I had a loaner car, which was unbearable with all of the commercials. And, I've gotten several friends to subscribe. They all love it.
". . . rarely hear the music we want to hear. . ." So many genres on satellite and you can find the music you want to hear? I always hear what I want to hear, and more.
". . . too many channels to wade through." You know, you don't have to listen to all 200 channels. Find the ones you like and program them as favorites.
And, nothing beats uncensored talk radio. I listen to Howard Stern every day. Even the celebrity guest seem to be more comfortable and free to say what they want and how they feel.
Sorry for the long comment, but I'm a huge fan. I think the writer is way off on this one.
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Randy said 6:18PM on 10-07-2008
The article misses the point regarding "Satt Radio" and that is that there's a heckuva lot more to it then just music! This alone bodes well for it's survival...(in my humble opinion.:-)
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ken said 6:20PM on 10-07-2008
sirius radio is by far the best free radio sucks
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msalazar77 said 6:59PM on 10-07-2008
You guys are way off on Satellite Radio. First of all there is no commercials. Second, who really wants to hear a no talent like Ryan Seacrest talking? Third, there are no commercials on the music stations and last but not least, there are no regulations. Thank god because true talents such as Howard Stern, Bubba the love sponge and Scott Ferral are able to entertain millions without the constraits of the FCC.
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angel porter said 3:15AM on 10-09-2008
sorry but ive had xm for awhile with my chevey suburban and they did start playing commercials.so they got my money and money for the ads.so i dropped it
Tony said 10:53AM on 12-31-2008
I disagree. There are too many commercials for paid radio. I got my system to not have commercials and I still hear them any. Tim Sabian says they need commercials to help pay for talk radio hosts. Then why is there also commercials on sations that don't have talk radio hosts?
so over it said 7:57PM on 10-07-2008
I notice the only people who seem to love that disgusting mysogynist pig Howard Stern are men. What a joke!
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Ack said 8:09PM on 10-07-2008
this one is some ol' bullshit! satellite radio is the best. the djs can play whatever they want along with the program. its uncensored and overall great to listen to all the time. and yes i would like to here internet stations in my car but having satellite radio is not settling for less
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conor said 1:38PM on 10-08-2008
You criticise 3g and wifi but them praise it to replace satelite radio?
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HSJ said 8:50AM on 10-09-2008
"Switched" is crazy. Local radio is virtually unlistenable anymore, between the dismal state of the music industry today pumping out largely unoriginal crap, the excessive commercials, and the awful on-air personailities with their zany bits, contests, and listener call-ins. XM's music channels are an oasis in an otherwise industrywide breakdown. The dj's, like George Taylor Morris, are knowledgeable and put the music first. And out of every hour, you get about 58 minutes of music, and maybe a little backstory on a few of the songs, and that''s it, no commercials, no b.s. I can't live without it.
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Wally said 10:14AM on 10-09-2008
I love satellite radio- when you do find your channel preference it is like being transported back to the first years of FM (alright, I'm old)- I'm hearing things I only heard on my own albums and without commercials.
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Webgtlnbrgrs said 5:25PM on 10-11-2008
If XM is so hot why did it have to merge with Sirus and no the stock is worth 30 cents.....It sucks
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vito1036 said 2:33PM on 11-11-2008
I am a loyal subscriber, with 4 subscriptions to satellite radio. My husband and I got it for Howard Stern, but we fell in love with the music and talk channels. What idiot did this list, you couldn't pay me to listen to regular radio...it sucks!!!
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