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)
Millerson said 11:41AM on 10-10-2009
Another reminder of how far behind America is slipping in technology.
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bobpell said 11:44AM on 10-10-2009
Very cool, however unneeded and useless. The effort put into that feature should have been spent on safety, I'll bet that crumbles like tissue paper. At least "Smart car" is somewhat safe. Vehicles this small manuever just fine without the need to lean unless you are racing.
Next, when it leans look closely at the bottom of the car, there is no more than 2 inches ground clearance, not so good.
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justlegalizeit09 said 2:03PM on 10-10-2009
when are we going to get with the times and design a new suspension that uses electromagnets instead of shocks, struts and springs.... all you need to do is put sensors in front of the wheels and boom, no more bumpy rides.... and you could easily program it to lean like this in turns..... you could also use electromagnets on things like cylinder valves also to get rid of camshafts, hence less friction and better fuel mileage with more control.... or we could grow hemp and use hemp fuel and not worry about mileage.....
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Reneer said 8:59PM on 10-10-2009
That has already been done. Google BOSE Suspension System.
RaidenKitsune said 8:41PM on 10-10-2009
Not the first, and by the looks of it not anything close to the original car/motorcycle hybrid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carver_(automobile)
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knndyd said 8:48PM on 10-10-2009
The american car industry have dropped the ball on this.
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