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)
Phil said 9:05AM on 1-02-2009
About time...fusion is the only real answer to the energy problem. Solar and other alternatives are never going to meet the needs of the future. Fusion research should be funded to the max.
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richard Hall said 9:24AM on 1-02-2009
Convert that time and $ estimate into reality and it should be about a hundred big ones and come on line around, say 12-21-12. hmmm
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Thomas said 9:57AM on 1-02-2009
The curiosity of Man might end up destroying Man. We don't need electricity, petroleum, or any other form of artificial energy. The natural energy of Man's physical labor has brought Man this far, and only the physical labor of Man will efficiently and safely lead Man throughout future ages. The natural energy of Man does not cause poisonous permanent pollution, it does not require wars to attain, and it is more powerful than any other form of energy.
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Mike said 5:10PM on 1-03-2009
Really? Seems to me we were in the technological Dark Ages until Edison put some zap into society. "Artificial Energy" as you call it has enabled the human race to achieve more in all disciplines over the last 100 years than in all preceding time.
Also, there really isn't anything truly "artificial" on this planet. Everything we have developed as a race is made up of matter and all matter is "natural".
Mike said 5:17PM on 1-03-2009
"The natural energy of Man does not require wars to attain"
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A bit naive there, sir. "War" has been a part of humankind since we took our first steps as a species. We did not need energy as a reason for war.
However, if humans became this planet's primary source of "energy", rest assured that there will PLENTY of governments willing to go to war to obtain the lion's share.
Brian said 10:34AM on 1-02-2009
Hmm... making a small sun on the surface of Earth.
I admit, this makes me nervous.
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sojammer said 1:59PM on 1-02-2009
What is on the other side of the earth in the exact spot of the birth of the small sun? I just want to be sure I am not in that area!!!
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Steven said 1:32PM on 1-02-2009
@Thomas: You got that first sentence right, but I'm afraid most of the rest of it seems like total nonsense to me. WTH is the energy of man?
@Brian & Sojammer: If this experiment fails, good-bye, Livermore, Calif. :-(!
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Tom said 4:01PM on 1-02-2009
Wow, apparently no one here has ever taken a basic physics course. If it fails it will go phffft, like a match blowing out. Since we can't recreate the pressure of gravity to the trillions tons per square inch you find at the sun's core, they will incase the reaction in a plasma field to hold the it in a tight case and use the photon pressure of their lasers to accomplish the equivalent gravity pressure. If the plasma fails, it will be like a balloon popping, since nothing will be holding the reacting hydrogen into the tight little space necessary and it will just fly away (at consdierably lower temps than even a good house fire, if that) If the lasers don't provide enough pressure for compression/fusion, same difference, a match flare and nothing. If it works, that is they actually get more energy out of the fusion process than they put in (there have been anything up to a hundred similar experiments at fusing hydrogen, none of which ever achieved that breakthru), and they can create a commercial version of the system, then yes, our energy problems are solved for the next million years or so, even at current rates of energy consumption growth. There is enough of the hydrogen isotope deuterium in all the water on the planet to easily meet those needs. Oh, and deuterium only makes up about 0.0075% of the hydrogen on the planet, including in our water, so we won't burn up all our water.
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cjw said 7:52AM on 1-03-2009
"The power of the Sun, in the palm of my hand."
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giff said 11:52AM on 1-04-2009
so let me get this straight....these guys are going to 'create a small star' that will have more power than the United States electrical system and they're going to contain it how???? In a freakin BARN!!!!!......Idiots. Why not do it on some deserted island? Yup...fusion, run amuck because someone didn't think first, uhm....gee, what MIGHT happen if we're successful that could be the unintended consequences of CREATING A DAMN STAR IN YOUR BACKYARD.....
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