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)
gojeda said 7:13PM on 10-29-2009
Why is this so confusing?
Who fathered the Internet, and who fathered the World Wide Web, are two wholly different events and, no, there is little dispute who did what in these two instances.
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Warren Riddle said 5:32PM on 10-30-2009
Yes, I am aware. I just thought some folks might appreciate a little bit of sophomoric, juvenile, and admittedly stupid humor.
jfsacal said 9:54PM on 10-29-2009
...perhaps gojeda should have written this one. 40 fears ago puts us at October 1969 and Tim Berners Lee said he presented his information to CERN in 1989. That means someone must have made a presentation to ARPA and received funding twenty one years before the protocol ideas for the World Wide Web were funded by CERN. It's been rumored that Gore was a young congressman who would tell anyone that would listen that DARPA (ARPA?) should be funded...
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Robb said 12:02AM on 10-30-2009
Al Gore pokes fun at himself about inventing the interent so when is Bush gonna poke fun at himself for being AWOL and drunk when he was in the National Guard? That would be a real hoot! Also, its a shame that the last great invention was 40 years ago and nothing signifcant since besides cloning. There should be one great invention at least once a year but looks like mankind inventive power is in decline, specially in America. Hmmmm, I wonder why? Could it be that more Americans are skeptical of science? Nah! That's probably not it!!!
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EricaG1001 said 10:39AM on 10-30-2009
Who cares who invented it. It was one of the best inventions ever. And I agree with "gojeda."
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