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)
sachin said 12:34PM on 11-23-2008
Every technology has its bad effects with the obvious good ones....these belong to this new age.
Sachin
http://qtp.blogspot.com
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DarkLight said 9:41PM on 11-23-2008
Maybe if the educative system was well designed (ie. not the obsolete utter crap it is now in ALL the world), there would be no need to cheat.
But then again, to implement the correct method of educating, we'd need to get rid of ALOT (pretty much all, actually) of the ideas people have had about children for ages...
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The V-Chip said 1:48AM on 11-24-2008
Really - this is suprising?
Kids have shared ways of cheating way before the internet arrived. We all know the tricks - wear a skirt and write it on your leg - write it on a piece of gum - we all know them.
C'mon, people. Let's use some common sense before we act all shocked.
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GhostDoggy said 7:18AM on 11-24-2008
I say let them find whatever means there are to cheating. The Internet is not a parent nor a teacher. Of course, I would say that there is almost no legal system in place for cheating in school or college, and the only recourse by the institution is to expel the student.
Conversely, we do not seem to take the matter serious enough as a society, yet its up to society to pay for their education. I think if there were real punishments for cheating and cheaters then maybe someone would take a second moment on what they are about to do.
Who cares if they use the Internet to learn how to cheat vs. listening to their friends in person or on a tele/cellphone?
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