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)
William said 2:49PM on 4-16-2009
These are some of the lamest reasons ever, and the author speaks from his or her view point, and do not know a damn thing about the opinions of others, I for one absouloutly love facebook, as well as myspace. nothing wrong with the apps, or emots. now why don't you take your opinion and go post it on gay rights or something
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facebook friend said 3:15PM on 4-16-2009
I agree, William. The author sounds like he is unsociable and has no reason to be on FB or any similar page! So he should take his opinion somewhere that it's appreciated, and stop using AOL as his soapbox. I don't care for a lot of the invites, but I simply ignore them! No big deal...
sqirrelgrrl said 4:55PM on 4-16-2009
Chad, chill out. It's just a social networking site, not the end of the world.
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Nick said 6:12PM on 4-16-2009
I guess some of these things can be annoying, but this author seems to have a very negative attitude towards it all. No one is forcing you to join facebook.
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Obie said 7:05PM on 4-16-2009
Wait...I love how on the "quiz" part he says that we are not in school anymore. This is part of the bad thing about FB. When I first atarted college, only college people were allowed to be on it! It was so much better that way! We felt like we had our own personal site where we could actually be friends with all of our friends that we accepted on FB. I use FB because it is how organizations are starting to communicate. It is also my persoanl "picture file," like the one on my computer but it includes many more pictures than I could possibly take by myself! Step one, get rid of people who are not in college or were in college when they set up a FB account!
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Sam said 6:42PM on 4-16-2009
Oh god the quizzes are really annoying everyone i just wrote about them yesterday: http://itsameeracle.blogspot.com/2009/04/facebook-quizzes.html. My real problem though is the change of formatting. I preferred the old old facebook. But i dont think ill stop using it now or anything
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love2shopp72 said 12:47AM on 4-17-2009
WHAT ABOUT ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH MYSPACE?? IF THE AUTHOR HASNT NOTICED, MYSPACE IS IMITATING WHAT FACEBOOK OFFERS! Its a great place for networking that is personal, without all that layout bullshit that myspace has. Its straight to the point. Plus, it does not take forever to load. And I agree that facebook relates to more college and professional people. Normally people who do not have lives prefer myspace because it takes up their time.
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Carlos said 10:49AM on 4-17-2009
quizzes are cool!!
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Katie said 6:43PM on 4-19-2009
Whoever wrote this is an idiot, you have a little button called settings, you should try using them and if you regret accepting a friend's request then you do have the option of deleting that person and even blocking that person. Just because someone sends you a gift of nothingness, doesn't mean you have to accept it nor do you have to do the quiz your friend suggested you try out. For me I've gotten back intouch with a lot of old friends who aren't on myspace, aren't on twitter. I am glad I found facebook. It is really up to each individual as to how they use it. This person is obsessed with complaining or maybe just jealous he didn't come up with the idea of a social network.
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kosland said 9:50AM on 5-01-2009
http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/05/13/the_myspace_vs_facebook_debate
LOL hilarious
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tboyc14 said 9:32PM on 5-15-2009
i totally agree , facebook is over . i dont understand why anyone would use a social site that doesnt have webcams anyway . thats way to 20th century for me :P
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June Violet said 7:21PM on 5-21-2009
I'M NOT A KID AND I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF THINKING REGARDING ''FACEBOOK''. ALTHOUGH SOME OF IT IS FUN, THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY CRAZIES OUT THERE WHO CAN DIG INTO ALL THE DATA ON ME. THEIR CRAFTY. I FULLY READ ALL YOUR PAGES ON ''REASONS NOT TO JOIN ''FACEBOOK'. THAT IN ITSELF, IS ALARMING.
THEREFORE, I'M PULLING OUT. WHY TAKE THE RISK?
I PREFER TO USE MY E-MAIL.
TOOO BAD, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG YOU CAN SURVIVE AFTER THAT REVIEW, IT ALMOST SOUNDS AS IF YOU'RE GIVING UP!
Sincerely,
June Violet
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Meranda said 4:04PM on 5-27-2009
Most of Facebook users are in school :[. just because you're really old, and bored with your life, doesn't mean you have to have a facebook just so you can bash it, there are a ton of people that actually like it. what are old people doing on it anyway? you need to get off of it if you're not in college at least. old weird people :/.
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bahhedrick said 6:01PM on 6-12-2009
Meranda,I'm old and I enjoy FB to keep up with my family and friends(young&old),so don't put every old person in the same class anymore than I put all the young people in the same class
lilred43 said 10:29PM on 6-24-2009
Who are you calling old girly!!!We(OLD PEOPLE)are who put you on this earth.And made it the place you live free in.What have you done to try and make it a better place?Sat on FB all day no job,drop out,Still living at home.We were a graduation class over 300 in 1976,all comming together after 33 years.We are about 100 strong and growing.Now get your bath and go to bed get a good night sleep and maybe you will feel better tomorrow.BABY!!!
Marino said 6:00PM on 5-27-2009
You know Facebook is for fun. And your real friends know what they should or shouldn't do or say. No reason to suggest people quit Face book. Sounds like the author had a bad experience.
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Maliadb said 1:28AM on 5-28-2009
I enjoy quizzes however I get really frustrated by the IQ quiz that insists on doing a service on my cell phone that I don't want!! before I an get the results. Total frustration.
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pamylla said 11:26AM on 5-30-2009
I'm not about to quit facebook, but you're right - some of the quizzes not only have stupid questions and choices, but the worst spelling imaginable. I think they must be 5th graders with marginal English skills...LOL.
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