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)
Dennis R. White said 7:31AM on 11-21-2008
This phone sounds interesting. I can only get dial up were I live or I have to use a satelite dish or an air card. If I were to get a Verizon Air Card, do I also have to pay a monthly fee for the internet on this phone?
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Marty said 1:23PM on 1-04-2009
Yes I am a long time custumer of Verizon there service is the best in the industry but they do charge you for evereything nothing comes free with them,there data plan that will alow you to brose the web and email is $29.99 and that is in addition to your regular cell phone plan price still well worth it if your using the Storm for business!
J said 8:10AM on 11-21-2008
Anyone notice how he contradicts himself at the end? He says the iphone has greater apps and is more appealing and better looking and then says but because the new storm is the closes thing verizon has to the iphone that he likes it better. He keeps saying "having said that" but isn't making any sense.
In response to the iphone's sure type system vs the storms, I find it very useful and makes texting very easy. I like the fact that I dont have to press down like a normal key on the iphone. Not sure how this guy makes calls in the middle of the night like he said but you can solve that by simply not sleeping with your phone.
I switched over from verizon to at&t just recently and I love my iphone. Kudos for verizon trying to make their own version of the iphone but that just shows how great the iphone is when everyone else is trying to copy it.
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MT said 8:39AM on 11-21-2008
I love my Iphone. I am however, intrigued by some of the BlackBerry Storm's features such as the click based touch screen to minimize user errors such as accidentally calling people or prematurely sending an email before it's complete (which happens to me frequently). And I have also been wishing that Apple will finally enable the phone so you can get the keyboard to flip horizontally. I hope this encourages them to do just that.
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Tracy said 12:34PM on 11-21-2008
Look into the apps. there is one you can download for free right now that is a horizontal board. and it does a bunch of other things too... its awesome. I have long nails and cut them down shorter because it was a little hard to type on the vertical board... but now with this app...i can grow them long again...!!
I love my iPhone!!!!!!!!!
MT said 12:36PM on 11-21-2008
What is the name of this app? I would love to try it. thanks!
jk said 9:02AM on 11-21-2008
one thing he didn't mention is that the storm is global capable and can use high speed data services in places like japan. It even gets service in antarctica if you are going there. the iphone definately won't do that. the storm also comes with 1gb of internal memory an 8gb card installed and is capable of using a 16gb card. the iphone has either 8 or 16 built in, but cannot be swaped out. the storm also has preinstalled sim card for global capabilities. i have hands on experience with the storm. trust me...this phone is cool.
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truthteller said 9:11AM on 11-21-2008
I just want to add a different perspective from the R&D side. When AT&T designed the IPhone, it was designed around what 'they' the corporate side thought what consumers wanted in a phone. Then, low and behold just a few short months into the release and a newer version came out with a larger capacity. Now the Google phone took on a different approach. Google's R&D went to work heavily asking consumers what 'they' wanted in a touch screen phone, and after 1 1/2 years of R&D, we now have the G1, and the G1 can grow and learn indepently with it's owner, something the Iphone cannot. With the BB storm, eh, I've gotta tell ya, I'm not impressed, as the Storm and the Iphone, both have touch screen qwerty keyboards. Consumers have expressed the need and desire for touchscreen but desiring a 'real' keyboard, hence the G1 gives consumers what they requested, touchscreen with features that are really unbelievable, and a full keyboard. While I own not a single one of the devices, I have played with them all, and the G1 by far, wins, hands down
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Mark said 1:16PM on 11-21-2008
The only issue with the G Phone is that is isn't a business phone. It's ok if you are only looking for a personal phone without Outlook integration.
Jack said 10:57PM on 11-25-2008
I have the AT&T Palm Centro, and it seems to have more than I need. So I guess I'm one of those "less is more" people. Beyond using it as a phone and occasional texter. It has a built in stil camera and a vieo camera with sound. A nice extra, but really, I just wanted a phone.I guess I allowed the salesman to talk me into it, since it was free with a two year agreement. Oh well I'd beusing one either way, so why not.
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Kristen said 10:45AM on 11-21-2008
Actually, Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1 is supposed to put Apple Iphones out of the picture, and substantially put Apple out of business. I've seen the phone and it is amazing. For the cost of $1k, but $800 if pre-ordered, obviously for the price, it has a lot to offer. Look it up, I'm sure a lot of you will be impressed, and see that the Iphone is last centurys news.
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HoVa said 4:44PM on 11-25-2008
That XPERIA X1 is a really nice phone I wish they made phones for sprint.
nick said 2:06PM on 11-21-2008
I'm a novice so can someone explain the differences between the iphone and storm?
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Phil said 10:02PM on 2-10-2009
Yes.
The storm sucks. Had it for a week and sent it back and canceled my Verizon account in disgust.
karen said 2:47PM on 11-21-2008
The iPhone app for the horizontal keyboard is called "Easy Writer". It is great!!!
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HoVa said 4:17PM on 11-25-2008
Cool phone everything is better than anything apple makes all they do is shove all of their products down your mouth and don't give you the option for thinking for your self.
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Lynda said 11:42AM on 12-04-2008
I got me a BB Storm.. I love it. It does all that I need. The vertical touch screen is great for text messages or when I am doing a word document. I have had palms.. they did not do the trick for me. I was with Qwest and they merged with Verizon.. so I got the phone for nothing. I am one that loves the BB Storm.
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ray malzo said 7:15PM on 12-17-2008
I own an iphone and purchased a new Storm on trial. Gave it back in two weeks. What takes one step on an iphone takes 3 on a Storm. They need to go back to the drawing board on this one. Also, the Storm is not really a touch phone in the true sense. The screen presses down, so it is not truly a touch phone. Need to come a long way to match the iphone.
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Sarah said 10:25PM on 12-19-2008
I have the blackberry storm. The one thing I don't like about it is pressing down on the screen. It makes me angry.
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TrackZero said 7:18PM on 12-23-2008
I'm a long-time blackberry user (as in the RIM 850 on forward), and I was really looking forward to the Storm. I like the browser better than the one on my 8830, but the touch-screen interface..well...it's not ready for prime time. It feels like it was rushed through development for a Christmas release. The screen rotation is temperamental, the interface response generally sluggish, and the "tactile touch screen," while a decent idea, is pretty unpleasant in practice.
In short, I'm returning it, going to stick with the 8830 a while longer.
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