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.
A British man successfully tested the boundaries of human stupidity when he followed his car's GPS navigation system to the edge of a cliff.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
joel said 4:06PM on 3-25-2009
darwinism at it's best, it's unreal how stupid people are. This guy should've gone over the cliff and spared the rest of us him procreating.
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Markm Mitchell said 9:39AM on 3-26-2009
I really could not have said it better myself. Talk about trust in technology!
doomycota said 2:01PM on 3-26-2009
Um dude, you are stealing the wonderful and beautiful concept of evolution and applying it to social situations. They tried that at the turn of the 20th century, social darwinism is bulls@#t and is called pseudoscience. I am amazed how you can insult this guy for his stupidity when you yourself are misinformed about this unifying concept of biology.
First of all, evolution is change through reproduction and descent in a POPULATION, not an individual. Second claiming that someone is less evolved because they decided to follow a GPS device doesn't make them 'more or less evolved' than you or I; it just means they lack some common sense, something we all can attest to from time to time.
I won't even go into a diatribe about evolution, but I will say that you should pick up some literature about the subject before you start making claims about stupid people, even if you were making a joke, a bad joke at that.
Try insulting his common sense, or his dependence on electronic gadgets, that would be a lot funnier than saying 'darwinism at it's best'. Because 'darwinism' is not evolution, nor will it ever be.
Bukator said 5:14PM on 3-26-2009
What a mistakasaur.
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Bukator said 5:22PM on 3-26-2009
haha doomycota...are u new to the internet?? I'm positive that guy doesn't care at all about the technical terms you're talking about. He was just calling the bmw guy an idiot. relax soldier...your science lectures are no good here.
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Jason E. said 11:33AM on 3-27-2009
It's silly to chalk up the ignorant nature of the internet to being a static one. Every time you insult someone for clearing up facts, you contribute to that very ignorance.
123 said 7:30PM on 3-26-2009
The driver, Robert Jones, had apparently decided not to disobey the navigational system's orders
double negative?
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bazookajoe1 said 10:29PM on 3-26-2009
This reminds me of the episode of the Office when Michael drives into a lake because the GPS in his rental car told him to.
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Bubblylimohire said 2:30PM on 3-27-2009
This sounds so familiar, Many times a GPS system has lead me up the garden path. Wot happened to the old Atlas...... Never go wrong there.....
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God said 2:49PM on 3-27-2009
Stupid yes,worthy of being ticketed? NO!
Is there anything they won't charge you for in the UK to go after people's money?
Ridiculous,take back your government.
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God said 2:50PM on 3-27-2009
Stupid yes,worthy of being ticketed? NO!
Is there anything they won't charge you for in the UK to go after people's money?
Ridiculous,take back your government.
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Jimbob said 5:04PM on 3-30-2009
Being from Blighty I think he should be charged. We've had quite a few stories of people driving into rivers, lakes and railway tracks because the GPS told them to. If you haven't got the common sense to know when the GPS is wrong you shouldn't have a driving licence.
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