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)
RON71167 said 6:53PM on 8-20-2009
I'm an online student that switched from a traditional on-campus university. Online tests are easier because online institutions fair better with better grades.
It makes them look more sucessful, but the truth of the matter is in-classroom tests are harder. As for the supervision part, that is a bunch of hooey. There is no, little, or as much supervision in a classom university as there is in an online university. Higher education is all about self-motivation.
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kmarcus118 said 7:46PM on 8-20-2009
Very vague results. Can those students who pass tests actually do anything besides pass tests?
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amyjo4library said 7:35PM on 8-23-2009
I think that would depend on what your degree is in- mechanical engineering may carry more benefits from an in-classroom training environment, than say, a degree in technical writing. But with the multimedia applications available today for online students (check them out at really good universitites), I think learning can be done just as or even more so efficiently. Most of my peers in my online courses for my Bachelor's Degree were self-motivated and just learned better through reading, writing and peer interaction versus the traditional lecture/testing environment.
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Cori said 10:32AM on 9-17-2009
I took an algebra and stats course in a real classroom BUT we did all our homework and quizzes using an online program called MyMathlab. At another university I did horribly in those classes until I used that program. It was AMAZING. It explains what you did wrong right there, so you learn THEN and not when you get your horribly graded homework back. And no, you can't just copy down the explanation, it changes up the equation so you have to use what you learned. Unfortunately, alot of professors are addicted to being infront of an auditorium and getting to feel important and pompous and stick to the old ways.
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Deborah said 7:25PM on 9-23-2009
I can't imagine that this is an either or situation! Way too many variables and learning styles involved for both students and instructors. Having different format options must be a part of supporting successful students--so a range of options should provide access for more students. It's always worth mentioning that university professors generally never study how to teach but are subject experts--that's how university teaching evolved. I think more and more professors both in traditional classrooms and through online courses are working to address these issues. I would predict that faculty who teach online courses may be more open to new ways of teaching wherever they teach! That would make an interesting study!
URL: http://www.learn.colostate.edu
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