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)
Holly said 6:56PM on 10-07-2008
Longer battery? The thing lasts forever if you turn the wireless off. I agree that if you're buying this for magazines, newspapers and blogs, you're better off carrying the real thing. But for books? It's great.
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steve said 7:46PM on 10-07-2008
dude slide your chair back from your typewriter and go have a shot.
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Flink said 7:15AM on 10-08-2008
I want a e-ink ebook reader. I want one that lets me read pdf/txt, open format ebooks and isn't encumbered by DRM. And I don't want to spend more than $100 for it.
Make the money selling me books I want, not on hardware with _overpriced_ books. Let me shuffle my books around on disc or to a computer. As long as your ebook hardware it expensive, awkward, and annoying, you won't succeed.
As long as paper books are cheaper and easier to use than the ebook/reader combination, you are in "EPIC FAIL" mode.
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spamtrap19990601 said 7:38PM on 10-11-2008
This is going to sound straange but both are too big. We've been reading e-books for years on our Palm Pilots and find the screen size adequate while maintaining easy portability
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Carol B said 12:48PM on 10-09-2008
I love my Kindle. It is more than a gadget for those of us with special needs, such as arthritis in the hands. I even called Amazon to tell their marketing department that they are missing an entire market. The Kindle goes with me everywhere. I always have 2 to 3 books going at a time. I've also got a half gig of classical music on my card to make it easy to combine my two favorite past times -- good literature and good music.
As for battery life, Holly is right. Turn off the wifi and even heavy readers can go for a week or more without having to charge the Kindle.
As for price of books, the Kindle versions are definitely less expensive than book store prices for the latest best sellers. And older books are cheaper than paper backs.
Finally, the Kindle opens up the world of self publishing. Take a look at what is out there!
Carol
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kendocubano said 4:28PM on 10-09-2008
I agree about the Kindle, Carol. It has been a paradigm changer for me. It's true that it is ugly, but I prefer reading on the Kindle, now, than on dead tree books. I don't use it for newspapers or magazines, and I have about 30 books on there, now. I love wireless dl, and the books are far cheaper than the hardcover books I have traditionally bought. It doesn't clutter my library, and there is no better way to transport multiple books for travel.
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royal12304 said 10:37AM on 12-31-2008
E-books are great! All you need is a PDA. I.ve been using PDA's for 5 or 6 years and love it. The biggest providers store all your books for you on a virtual bookshelf that you can access at any time to re-download your books. That way you don't have to waste all your memory with books that you've already read. And the prices of the books blow away Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You can even read them on your desktop PC or laptop. And the applications to read the books are free. Also, if your a member you can access their online lending libraries. Try fictionwise.com or e-reader.com.
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