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)
Thomas said 8:15PM on 2-02-2009
This is dumb; all you have to do is fax a copy of your insurance and they waive the ticket. The iPhone didn't do anything special here.
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Salsa Shark said 5:07PM on 2-03-2009
If he got this ticket in Illinois, he would be required to go to court. Granted, if he had his proof of insurance with him, the case would be immediately dismissed. But there's no "fax and drop" option--you have to go through the hassle of taking at least a half-day off work to deal with the mess.
I've done something similar before. My plates expired and I renewed them online, but was still waiting on the sticker when I was pulled over. I pulled out my BlackBerry and showed my confirmation email to the officer and he accepted it.
Steve.G said 11:05PM on 2-02-2009
I did this with my lil' ol Voyager (gmail mobile converted the pdf to plain text) one time to get onto a military installation. This story not a tribute to the iPhone so much as it is to mobile internet.
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Funke, Tobias Dr. said 11:27PM on 2-02-2009
The fact that there isn't a centralized database of vehicle insurance available to law enforcement is the real problem here. If you're licensed to sell auto insurance in a state, you should have to pay a technology fee to maintain a state run database. Then, with automatic license plate scanners (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/11/23/20081123autotheft1123.html) you would pretty much dare anyone to drive an unlicensed/uninsured/stolen vehicle. Just think of how much cheaper insurance would be for all of us honest folk.
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john said 3:48AM on 2-03-2009
Great idea but the insurance companies would just pass on this added expense to us. I like keeping my policy low and not having to pay for IDIOTS who don't leave a copy of their coverage in the glove box or their wallet/purse.
Funke, Tobias Dr. said 8:04PM on 2-03-2009
Maybe initially, but through not having to pay out claims involving uninsured drivers, the net costs would come down for everyone.
mike said 10:37PM on 4-04-2009
The fact that a for profit Industry can make it illegal for someone to not buy their product is what troubles me.
Funke, Tobias Dr. said 2:00AM on 4-10-2009
Well, I have to agree it's undesirable, but that's how the insurance business works. I always hate when people say it, but the privilege of driving is not a right. The agency or governmental body that confers that privilege is responsible for mandating the use of insurance. It's just like countless other activities where a law states that one must be insured before partaking. Insurance companies don't write the laws...yet (although I'm sure they have more than their fair say).