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)
shinolah said 6:18PM on 11-14-2009
Robot Fighter Jet Shot Down After Malfunction...
Flown by a man in the loop, the MQ-9 is not a robot, flying itself. I would think that the propeller on the back of the MQ-9 would interfere with the jet engine, which appears to be stealthily concealed. While it is at times an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle, the MQ-9 is more of a looker than a fighter. Truth be told, the only part of the headline that is correct is the word Malfunction.
Reply
postingca said 2:15PM on 11-15-2009
You could probably safely add the words "shot" and "down" too.
jason said 7:28PM on 11-14-2009
Seriously - What kind of a crazed fear mongering article is this?!
Obviously the writers know nothing about how the MQ-9 system works. It is completely radio controlled by skilled pilots on the ground. By losing 'positive control' simply means that it no longer was recieving radio communication, most likely by the reciever on board the plane malfunctioning.
Who wants a plane buzzing around with no one controlling it? It would keep on flying until it slammed into something - a civilian, a house, or open desert... who knows. So of course it had to be shot down.
There is currently no Artificially Intelligent war machine in the skies or on the ground. All robots are controlled by human operators.
Reply
ryofan said 9:44PM on 11-14-2009
Happiest fighter pilot in the USAF.
Reply
kcdgenius said 10:03PM on 11-14-2009
I can see the problem right there in the photo. You put the camera system from the HAL9000 on the nose of the plane, idiots!
Reply
kcdgenius said 10:05PM on 11-14-2009
Im sorry Dave. I cant let you compromise my mission, so Ive disabled the command link.
Reply
Thomas said 8:15AM on 11-15-2009
True - there are no "Advanced AI" controls in the MQ-9, Just "Low Level AI", however there are designs for "Advanced AI" functions in future autonomous military equipment (including an AI tank). But lets face it folks, Low Level AI weapons have been used since WW2. Any weapon that has a guidance system is considered a "low level computer AI". There were even several remote controlled weapons in WW2, including the German's Goliath Tracked Mine, and the Soviet radio controled "TeleTank". There are many AI military programs and vehichles out there. This includes ACER, ARTS, BigDog, Dassault nEUROn, Dragon Runner, MATILDA, MULE, R-Gator, Ripsaw MS1, RAAS, SUGV, Syrano, Train Cable UAV (TCUAV) Is a combination of three concepts :Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs), Unmanned ground vehicle (UGVs), Train. iRobot Warrior, Excalibur unmanned aerial vehicle. But AI is still at early stages of development. What I fear far more than a rogue robotic system, is that an enemy hacker may hack our autonomous weapons systems and use our own remote weapons against us.
Reply
fastharryDOTcom said 8:08AM on 11-16-2009
I'm surprised that it did not have a "self destruct" sequence code. I mean, even the "Enterprise" had one, and that was 30 years ago.
Reply
kcdgenius said 11:20AM on 11-16-2009
"....Flown by a man in the loop, the MQ-9 is not a robot, flying itself....' I love it when people post BS on technology websites with an attitude. These aircraft absolutely DO fly themselves. The pilot only enters commands to change the flight path (heading, destination, altitiude..), the plane flys itself. the pilot enters target information for the weapon system, the plane fires the weapons at the correct time.
Reply
kcdgenius said 11:23AM on 11-16-2009
"...not a robot..." WTH do you think an autopilot IS?
Reply
mmmbabyilikethat said 7:37PM on 11-19-2009
can i fly it at the local RC club?
Reply