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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tom Holzel said 11:22AM on 10-21-2009
Of course this moronic news service is not going to tell you whether they FOUND the cell phone or not. Don't want to over-burden the dim-wit public with too much information...
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tim said 11:34AM on 10-21-2009
Obviously they viewed this as a security threat, since cell phones can trigger explosives. So the airline's behavior makes perfect sense.
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pst2868 said 11:50AM on 10-21-2009
why didn't they call the number of the cell phone? that should give them an idea of where the phone is.
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Jerome said 1:14PM on 10-21-2009
To pst2868;
It is a requirement to turn off cellphones on planes these days.
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Jacki said 1:30PM on 10-21-2009
The article said the phone was turned on.
Jerome said 2:13PM on 10-21-2009
Sorry, I thought this was the article. I didn't realise that this was just a very vague write-up based on a real article. I did not read the actual article, as I wasn't even aware of it.
This bit is awful. There were no significant details mentioned here. I am with Tom Holzel on this. Why would someone waste their time writing about this event, if they are just going to leave out answers for common sense details?
What a waste!
inthewolvesden said 1:34PM on 10-21-2009
a cell phone that is ON can mess with a plane's electronics, so it seems to me that this was a safety issue. besides, we've all flown, we know that an airline doesn't care about a passenger to delay a plane out of kindness.
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Noah said 10:06PM on 10-23-2009
That's a common misconception, but it is incorrect. Cell phones do not interfere with airplane electronics. I'm not aware of the reason behind why the FAA and airlines insist on telling people this is the reason for their "no cell-phones" policy.
far said 11:48PM on 10-23-2009
why there's the no cellphone policy is because they want you to not make calls in the middle of the night. it would disturb passengers and also, how would services charge for that? long distance?
and if you really need to talk, you have the expensive in-plane phone. they want you to use that.
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