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 3)
Hope said 4:15PM on 7-12-2009
What a stupid girl and stupid family ???? Family plans to sue because their daughter was oblivious and stupid enough to continue to text while walking and not paying attention to her surrounding !!!!!!!!! The family should be thankful she is alive. Somebody please explain to me what the hell is so important in stupid people's lives that they cannot stop talking or texting while walking and driving and thereby putting not only their own stupid lives in dangers but other people surrounding them ?????????????????????
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Norman said 2:50PM on 7-15-2009
I agree with you. I do not even have a cell phone these days used to have one for about 20 years and I do not even miss it. Do not need to talk to someone that much. This girl should have been paying attention where she was and going instead of using a phone to text someone or call someone without knowing what lay ahead.
Jo said 2:51PM on 7-15-2009
Let's see. Even if the cones had been up, since she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, she's going to have to prove that she would have seen the cones. I truly hope the utilities company does NOT settle this case, and puts the parents to their proof.
Kat said 5:23PM on 7-12-2009
i dont think the girl is stupid. i mean really who doesn't walk and talk or text???? walking and talking or texting is no different then walking down the street with a friend or your parents and talking to them same thing. now i see no point in driving and texting but walking really?? thats just stupid.
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NORMA C. said 2:51PM on 7-15-2009
stupid
chuckiespeaks said 5:22PM on 7-12-2009
thats insane, she should win a leg battle, someone should have stayed with the hole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyCvWE8Edpw
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Angela said 5:24PM on 7-12-2009
I'll bet his next text was to a lawyer.
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Angela said 5:29PM on 7-12-2009
Legal action for what? The kid scraped her back and arms. A good wash and some neosporin and she's good as new... still stupid, but good as new.
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ThirteenthTitan said 5:42PM on 7-12-2009
I think they're right to sue, and here's my argument why:
THE IDIOTS LEFT THE MANHOLE UNATTENDED.
What if someone's 3 year old had broke away from their parents and run that direction and didn't see the hole and fell into it?
What if a blind person (like the gentleman who died from the elevator shaft fall) had fallen into it?
If NO ONE was standing there at the manhole then someone should've put the damn cover back on don't you think? Common sense wise not everyone has time to look at the ground while they're rushing to and from unfortunately she was texting when it occurred but it could've just as easily been any other distracted behavior that landed her or anyone else in that situation.
The city is at fault for leaving a dangerous thing like that man hole open, she's lucky it was only a 5 foot drop it could've been a lot deeper and to think of all the garbage down there what if she fell and landed on a hyperdermic needle and got aids and what ever other diseases from the fall? Then would you still call her stupid?
Accidents happen. Now as for the lawsuit before ya score me...
I don't think it should exceed $500. Which would replace the phone that was ruined, any clothing, and any minor medicine she needs to be taking after being exposed to sludge/sewage/muck. This is just my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I laughed a little to myself that she fell in because I knew she was alright but it wasn't smart of those workers to leave the manhole open, again, they should've covered it up THEN got the cones before opening it and this would've never happened.
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pburnett5 said 10:29AM on 7-13-2009
It's doubtful that even a 3 yr. old would have stepped into that open manhole. And she may have gotten aids, but she still wouldn't have been any smarter. If you are walking down the street you don't have your eyes focussed on your friends to be oblivious to your surroundings. She was in NY for God's sake, she could have been easily killed or murdered. If I were her parent I would be looking to my child's little learning experience and chalk it up to that. A little humiliation will probably do her a lot of good. Doesn't seem like any of them learned a thing. But, I agree that it wouldn't have taken but another minute to put the cover back in place since they didn't have the manpower to leave someone at the hole or run tape. She wasn't hurt, just embarrassed. Tough @#%!. That's life, get over it.
Hellsbellboy said 6:34PM on 7-12-2009
It would have been one thing if she was blind or 3 years old, it's another thing when you fall into a open manhole because you were not paying attention to your surroundings. If you're going to be walking and texting you need to take responsibility for your actions. If she would have walked in front of a car would that have been the drivers fault? She was negligent by walking around and not paying the slightest attention to where she was walking.
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mesaman said 9:17PM on 7-12-2009
Alxa r u dn fllng? Peeps r tlkg hw dum u r. i gree. wtch 4 rats.
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redhead beautiful chica said 11:14PM on 7-12-2009
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HILARIOUS I AM SORRY BUT THE DAMN CELL FONES ARE TOO MUCH I JUST EXPLODE LAUGHIN WITH MY AMIGA HERE TONITE SORRY JUST FUNNY TRY TO ENVISION HIM OR HER FALLIN LIKE THAT ESTUPIDA...
ADIOS. LMFAO
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iphonerulez said 11:32PM on 7-12-2009
Think of the humiliation of falling down in all that muck and she probably ruined her clothes. I think that should be worth a least a couple of million bucks when she wins her lawsuit.
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tsgtfarfan said 11:37PM on 7-12-2009
This one is a good legal question, the manhole WAS left unprotected, and the geek WAS walking without paying attention. If the geek stepped in front of a bus or some blue hair on her way to the salon the fault would be plainly the geeks. If you open a hole in the sidewalk you need to take precautions. We have laws to protect idiots from their own stupidity.
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Kyla said 2:36PM on 7-15-2009
That's why we have so many idiots. Time to let Darwinian natural selection start thinning the herd and skimming the gene pool. Protecting stupid people from their stupidity just encourages them.
PeopleAreMean said 2:22AM on 7-13-2009
"She literally just handed me the phone and I opened it [and] I felt this big drop," the Susan E. Wagner High School sophomore said.
Okay people, do the kid a solid and stop making her out to be some no brained 15 year old. Hmmm I bet if it were you or one of your own...you people would be singing a different tune...
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Jayyy said 8:11AM on 7-13-2009
This not only test the limits of true insanity, but goes to show how much the cell phone has dominated and controlled out lives. The technology was a great idea at the time but it is fast becoming a leading cause of death because people can't control their urges and impulses to talk and or text while driving and now in this case , walking. All this girl will have is a bruised ego, and she will brush herself off and be back to texting in no time. If she falls this easily into a trance walking brainless around a manhole, just imagine what damage could be done if she is walking around railroad tracks.
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Katie said 9:11AM on 7-13-2009
I bet she was also chewing gum.......
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Bisbee15 said 9:26AM on 7-13-2009
Yeah! Walking, chewing gum, and putting on mascara too.