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)
Alan said 1:57PM on 3-08-2009
Get them for all you can! I want TRUE UNLIM DATA when i pay for it!!!!
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Setnev said 1:53AM on 3-09-2009
My T-Mobile Data plan is truly unlimited. I have consistently used anywhere from 8-15GB a month on my plan and haven't gotten charged a dime more than im supposed to.
Skyway said 9:03AM on 3-09-2009
i dfinantly agree, ATT is super shady with their data plans. Unlimited just means 5gb?? yea sure. tmobile doesn't cap their stuff off, i've dled well over 10gb in a month and never got an overage of any sort
Jerry said 5:40PM on 3-15-2009
I left ATT/Cingular last fall because of constant robbery. Every time I changed plans, fees I didn't approve crept back onto my bill, and then they would not take them off. I paid Cingular/ATT over 50,000.00 since I became a cell user, and they kept stabbing at me with ridiculous charges, and no concern that I was a good customer. I went to Verizon, where at least have been honest thus far. I despise ATT/Cingular for their deceit and dishonest, and hope this lady gets her money back or a credit, but I doubt ATT cares enough to do the right thing. They certainly did not with me!
Sher Stout said 2:48AM on 8-02-2009
I'm with you! The fine print that most wireless carriers is often misunderstood by the average consumer. The "acceptable use policy" that is attached to all wireless carriers is cumbersome. A new breed of carrier has now launched that has no data caps and a "No Acceptable Use Policy! NO FINE PRINT. What is your take on Buzzirk Mobile? Truly unlimited EVERYTHING for a flat rate of $79.95? As a consumer, I want this......I would like feedback! Trying to do my homework on this but I like what I see!
attsucks said 7:13PM on 3-08-2009
Att is the company always trying to get more $$$ out of their customers. And treats their employees that same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Caveman said 7:31PM on 3-08-2009
I hope she wins. Enough of all this legalese in this country. No more fine print and misleading wording. These contracts should be like a FAQ. This is what you can and cannot do.
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ravensfan55 said 9:41PM on 3-08-2009
She won't win. In the fine print of the contract she signed it talks about the 5GB limit.
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Bob said 10:37PM on 3-08-2009
Now this is where the stimulus money should go. Wait or is it poor folks that took home loans they didn't understand, or companies with poor management. I'm so confused. I want to make a bad financial decision other than a bad marriage and have someone bail me out.
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xbplaya1122 said 6:45AM on 3-09-2009
i hope they win.... unlimited is supposed to be unlimited.... since its not then they cant call it unlimited cause your limited.... this lady has an awesome case she will win, and this will be the next step closer to free internet for everyone which is how it SHOULD be
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KARIN said 7:40PM on 3-12-2009
I hope she wins too, but it's a tough call. I've gotten many coupons and ads from stores claiming that EVERYTHING is on sale, but there is always that pesky little asterisk, and then there is a seemingly endless list of exceptions to the coupon or sale. They seem to get away with it, so I wouldn't be surprised if the phone companies got away with their deceptions, especially if it's written in the contract. I have annoyed many store employees, because I never sign any contract without reading it first.
MadMike said 8:46AM on 3-09-2009
How do you use more than 5GB of data on a netbook? Besides, it would take you 30 days to download 5GB on AT&T's slow, latency ridden 3G network.
Aside from that. The 5GB cap is utterly ridiculous - if for anything to force the wireless companies to get their heads out of their behinds and offer us cheap, fast, low latency and UNLIMITED data plans.
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cibrlx01 said 2:09PM on 3-11-2009
10 bucks says Windows Update helped a bit.
Ian said 12:48PM on 3-09-2009
unlimited should be unlimited.
if you have a cap on it you shouldn't be allowed to call it unlimited. thats like an all you can eat buffet but only allowing you to go up to the counter twice.
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MadMike said 2:33PM on 3-09-2009
They no longer call it unlimited. AT&T markets it as a 5GB plan. Nevertheless, it's an abysmal amount of data.
Shawn said 3:01PM on 3-10-2009
This isn't the first time this has happened with AT&T or any other provider when it comes to data caps, I stories of this all the time its her own fault she didn't read the fine print outlined in the agreement and didn't do enough research or put enough thought into what she was signing up for. AT&T is legally in the clear; although they will probably end up compromising with her and only charging her like a hundred bucks just to keep her happy and to prevent negative PR.
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jeremy said 1:48PM on 3-12-2009
if she bought it from radio shack i can see how they may have said it was unlimited but NO WHERE does at&t claim it to be unlimited... any paperwork from at&t would have shown 5GB...
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Steve said 6:52PM on 3-12-2009
Sounds like 15 GB per month or 500MB per day or 10 hours of youtube video per day for 30 days? Article doesn't give upload vs downloads, most providers eg Comcast,Verizon screw you on uploads. Laptop probably had file sharing software on it. AT&T should let her slide and let RIAA sue her for $100,000.
Since now Microsoft media player opens file sharing ports, will Microsoft pick up on the costs of being sued by the RIAA?
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uli2000 said 11:27AM on 3-13-2009
Alltel (well, whats left of it, the 105 divested markets) still have truly unlimited data, though Ive never used more than 2-3gb/month at most.
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cargojack said 5:05PM on 3-15-2009
How come THIS woman goes over her limit but all the OTHER people who bought that computer and had that contract did NOT go over?
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