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.
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
zldaphreek said 2:32PM on 10-09-2008
this is why macs are amazing
Reply
VICKI WILLIAMS said 2:36PM on 10-09-2008
I HAVE A STRANGE THING HAPPENING TO ME....AN "AOL UPDATE POPUP" COMES ON EVERY TIME I TRY TO SIGN OFF AND I HAVE TO EITHER DOWNLOAD NOW OR LATER. I CHOSE LATER SINCE I KNOW AOL DOES NOT DO THIS. THEN YESTERDAY I KEPT GETTING KNOCKED OFF LINE AND A SMALL POPUP COMES UP ASKING ME FOR MY PASSWORD, WHICH I CANCELLED OUT AND I WAS ABLE TO GET ONLINE WITHOUT HAVING TO TYPE MY PASSWORD. I HAVE RAN EVERY SPY SWEEPER/VIRUS/MALWARE SCANNER TO NO EFFECT, THEY FOUND NOTHING ON MY COMPUTER....WHAT CAN I DO TO GET RID OF THIS PASSWORD STEALER/MALWARE THAT IS ON AOL????
THANKS.
Reply
Hawkbass1 said 2:51PM on 10-09-2008
The same thing happened to me. You need to backup what you can, and use a restore disk that came with your computer, its the only way i know to totally get rid of it. DO Not buy a spyware detector that they want you too. I purchased it and used my debt card for $29.95, thank god i only had $200.00 in that account , because the fake spyware detector cleaned out my account.
Howard said 2:52PM on 10-09-2008
Hello well you can dowload AVg the best ati virus there is . or you might just try . a quick restore that dates before this problem started
hope it works for you .
Howard
robrobsea said 2:52PM on 10-09-2008
I have found a package called "Stopsign" from EA Acceleration that clears up malware, spyware and viruses. You might want to give it a try. They have three different payment plans, monthly, semi-annual or lifetime. I choose the lifetime, it cost around 90 dollars, no further billing. If you have any doubts, you can check them out on Snopes.com
Homerlamborn said 5:03PM on 10-09-2008
Same problem as Vicki has - Help!
amtracmarine said 5:06PM on 10-09-2008
It sounds like you have a malware problem and not a virus. I had the same type of problem and the only thing that helped me was to download both Spybot and AGV. Both are free ,work very well,and are easy to use.
slhyperg said 7:47PM on 10-09-2008
Vicky and others with Infected computers: Run spy bot search&destroy this will get rid of all malware and spyware.
truly is the best and is free. for anti-Virus get Avast Antivirus 4.8 Pro
Simple and easy to use. It won't eat up all your ram or intrude, except when you are attacked by a virus.
Hope this solves your problems.
Timowlshead said 2:05PM on 10-15-2008
hi, the only thing you can do, is do a system restore to a few days before this started happening, its the only thing that stopped it for me
Hope this helps!!!
-Eric
Howard said 2:59PM on 10-09-2008
well
vicky you can run a quick restore dated before this problem happened . and you should really run AVG. as your anti virus its the best there is . and you might want to download . a program its free its called CCleaner it cleans youR foot prints and history and keeps your PC running faster .
i really hope this helps you
Howard
Reply
Howard said 3:06PM on 10-09-2008
vicky
you can also run a new aol. if this just happeing on your aol. its probally not your computer . also try running a quick search for this problem just click on start and click search type in the problem your having . and tray and delete it there also
Howard
Reply
Howard said 3:17PM on 10-09-2008
vicky
try running a quick search for for this problem. and if it comes up there delete it . and still run a quick restore but if you use avg you want have those problems believe me i learned the hard expensive way. you can use the free trial AVg for 6 months and then just renew it . and the CCleaner is also free and you just click on the icon on your desktop after you sign of
let me know if this helps you .??
Howard
let me know if that helps ?
Reply
Howard said 3:18PM on 10-09-2008
Vick if this helps you let me know >> please
Howard
Hro39@aol.com
Reply
brendan said 3:18PM on 10-09-2008
well duh,....any computer with any operating system can get a virus. your wrong to say that macs or linux cant get a virus. but yes the do, they dont get the dumb ones, but when a mac or linux gets a virus its usually really really bad
Reply
howard said 3:27PM on 10-09-2008
Vicky sorry to have mispelled your name
howard
Reply
Howard said 3:22PM on 10-09-2008
Brendan your so right any computer can get a virus .
Howard
Reply
Howard said 3:27PM on 10-09-2008
Well brendan i have have pc doctor to it is is also very good . for spyware i have both and i have not had a viruse in over two years that i have been useing it
Howard
Reply
Howard said 3:36PM on 10-09-2008
Brendan if you had over 300 viruses on your computer it would not work
ok
Howard i also have pc-doctor on mine to no firewall
Reply
D. Goldman said 3:58PM on 10-09-2008
WARNING!!! WARNING!! WARNING!!
With all due respect to whomever may be giving out various sites and programs to download in order to fix or clean your machine -- BEWARE!!! You really don't know who that person is!! They could be the author of a new malware, or any other type of person with those types of abilities. I'm sorry to say that and I don't mean to hurt those who are honorable and have the best intentions but your "LIFE" is at stake here. I go to the radio show host named Kim Komando's site who is not only on the national airwaves helping others and discussing problems but is kind enough to have LEGITIMATE freeware sites that could help you. Again, I apologize to the ones that know how to help but you could be one of the "bad guys".
Think about it and good luck to all (and for those of you who are involved in malware, virus problems, etc., I really do hope that you burn in the deepest part of Hell -- you're nothing but scum!!
Reply
Jarrett said 4:45PM on 10-09-2008
Use Microsoft Live OneCare. It is the best for everything. You get a 90 day free trial with everything and it is just $50 for a year with unlimited computers. You can also find it places for cheaper that $50
Reply