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.
Nineteen-year-old Codey R. Hawks of Parma, Ohio has been arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old boy after meeting him via Xbox online live.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
pjchilds said 4:50PM on 1-28-2009
"Hawks allegedly traveled to the boy's residence in Michigan, staying there with him for some time." Say what?!?! Where were the 12 year old kid's parents when all of this was going on? Who could be so clueless that they would let a strange 19 year old move into their home and have sex with their kid?
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justthat said 5:45PM on 1-28-2009
Sounds like a case of "i'll let your kid stay in my trailer, if you give me work."
concern parent said 3:47PM on 1-30-2009
FIRST OF ALL WHY WOULD THIS KIDS PARENTS LET HIM HANG OUT WITH A 19 YEAR OLD SOMTHING WAS WRONG WITH THAT PICTURE FROM THE BEGINNING
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skadiwolf said 12:08AM on 1-29-2009
Clearly this has more to do with something being wrong with the nineteen year old than anything to do with video games.
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Ryan said 5:27AM on 1-29-2009
Yeah, because murder, rape and taco tossing never existed before the advent of video games. Or, quite possibly it was the advent of TV and video games becoming our children's babysitters and teachers in our (apathy) absence from parental responsibility. Nice try, Jack Thompson. The evils of humanity predate video games by several millenia... except for hurling Mexican food at your Mom. That's just not cool.
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John said 8:54AM on 1-29-2009
back in B.C. days the greeks would have young boys at their parties. I shouldn't have to go any further.
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Angiebaby said 8:59AM on 1-29-2009
This article is wrong to insinuate Xbox Live is somehow responsible for this debacle. Hawks was 19 and his victim was 12. This was the act of a child sexual predator who simply used Xbox Live as a medium to troll for a victim. The greatest burden for responsibility in this crime lies with the youngster's parents. As another poster stated, Hawks showed up to the kid's house and was staying with him. What kind of parents let a complete stranger their preteen met on the Internet stay at their house? And someone that much older playing with a 12-yr.-old??? If stupidity were a crime, these parents would be in deep, deep dodo.
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Master Shake said 10:38AM on 1-29-2009
As if the technology was the problem. Give me a break! Children were picked up at public parks long before there was an Internet. The problem is that parents don't watch their own children, then look to blame something else as the problem.
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