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)
Katie said 2:56PM on 11-13-2008
If you make yourself unsearchable then users can't access your profile photo. People can't ask to be your friend and they can see anything about you but your name and networks.
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deepak said 5:48PM on 11-13-2008
i think facebook is great, if used for the right reasons i lost my partner cause he was meeting guys on facebook and having sex. not kool. so now that 3 year relationship is gone down the sewer. so my friends be warned
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Try a Reality Trip said 3:36PM on 11-13-2008
Frankly, "social networking" (to me, anyway) means getting in and amongst people, shaking hands, slapping backs (if appropriate) hugging (if appropriate), and doing all those little communicative things that folks do. I give as an example talking to one another face-to-face. Try it sometime, you'll find it expecially rewarding when the words are augmented by "body language" and those secondary, non-verbal means of communication such as facial expression and occasional touching. Hints for best results: Be well-groomed, appropriately dressed, and use language and postures appropriate for the occasion. You'll never, ever be as lonely as the poor dude or dudette who's faking it, all alone, in front of a multi-pixilated computer screen pretending to "talk" with "friends." Get real; that's what reality is for.
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Kara said 7:20PM on 1-04-2009
You can make your profile unsearchable from anyone outside of your networks- with this, along with setting your profile to be viewed only by friends, makes it so that nobody that facebook is their only means of finding you can see your picture, and you have to approve them to let them see your whole profile, or even give them a limited profile to look at.
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Kara said 7:23PM on 1-04-2009
My own cousin couldn't even find me when I put privacy settings on- if you know where to go - you can set the right privacy settings for you
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Sunday said 9:02AM on 2-16-2009
I don't have a Facebook page or a MySpace account, but I actually think that this article had some good tips on what, and what not to reveal about yourself. Unfortunately, I know of far too many people who have been turned down for a job they were applying for because of their profiles and pic's on the internet. I even know of a sweet young girl who was rejected by a college she applied for because of her MySpace site. Most of these people portrayed themselves as party goers, even though they are well educated and do not use drugs, it didn't matter. I would definitely urge anyone and everyone to THINK twice before posting anything that might be seen as derogatory. JMHO.
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