Alright folks. If you’re still young enough, immature enough, or bankless enough to own a piggy bank, it’s time to crack that thing open. Black Friday is (count ’em) two days away, and if you don’t have a plan by now then let’s get to it.
In no particular order, here are some of the Black Friday gadget deals that stand out to us (some are still leaks and thus unverified, but we’ll make it clear which sales are official and which are still a bit mysterious).
Apple’s stuff tends to wear some of the highest price tags on the market, and the same will be true on Black Friday. However, rarely will you get the chance to buy an Apple product from an Apple store (with all the warranties and support) at a discount, so we suggest acting now if you’re in the market for an iThing.
Deals include an $101 discount on the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMac, a $41 discount for low-end iPad 2s, a $61 discount on high-end iPad 2s, and $11 off the iPod Nano. Apple’s Black Friday sale only lasts for the one day, and even with the measly discounts I expect their inventory to go fast. That’s not to say the Apple store should be your first stop of the day, but don’t save it for last, that’s for sure.
Samsung (confirmed):
From November 20 to November 28, Samsung is slashing prices on home entertainment, digital imaging and storage products. There are quite a few products going on sale, and I haven’t nearly the time to list them all, but I’ll hook you up with some of the best along with a link to the list in full.
As far as TVs go, Samsung is offering its 46–inch D6003 Series 1080p LED Smart TV for just $799.99, while the D490 Series 720p Plasma 3D TV (which includes four pairs of 3D glasses) will be on sale for $499.99 (43-inch model) and $599.99 (51-inch model). Then we have a couple cameras/camcorders that are certainly worth a close look. The MV800 point-and-shoot camera, which I happen to adore, is usually priced around $279 but will go for $199 during the sale. Meanwhile, Samsung’s W200 1080p Rugged Pocket Camcorder, which can be submerged in water up to 3 meters for as long as 30 minutes and dropped from as high as 2 meters, will be available this week for $99.99.
Here’s a full list of Samsung deals to watch out for.
Obviously, Walmart has a lot going on this Black Friday, which extends way past gadgetry. But when you can get a brand new tablet for half-off who gives a damn about coffeemakers? That said, Walmart (like most of these retailers) has way too many deals to list them all, but here are a few that stuck out to me.
You’ll be able to get a 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect bundle including a free $50 gift card for just $199.99. There are also two Emerson models, a 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV and a 40-inch 1080p LCD HDTV going for pretty low prices: just $188 and $248 respectively. As far as computing goes, you’ll also be able to find three AMD-powered computers from HP, a 15.6-inch laptop for $248, a 17.3-inch laptop for $388, and a desktop with a 19-inch LCD monitor for just $298.
Sony (confirmed):
Sony has put a lot of its goodies on sale this Black Friday, from computers to TV sets to gaming consoles. You can scope out the full range of savings at Sony’s weekly deals site, but here are some of the deals we thought worthy of a closer look. You’ll have until Cyber Monday to make your decisions, but be aware, this stuff literally flies off of online shelves.
First up we have a couple amazing bundles, including home theater bundles for Sony’s 46 and 55-inch NX720 Internet HDTV, a 3D Home Theater system, and a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movies. You’ll have to pay $1399.99 for the 46-inch bundle and $1699.99 for the 55-incher, compared to original pricing of $2599.99 and $3399.99 respectively. Sony is also hooking up customers with a 320GB Sony PS3 Move bundle at the low price of just $349. The bundle includes a 320GB PS3 (obviously) a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller, a PlayStation Move controller, the PlayStation Eye camera, and Sports Champions.
Then again, if all you need is a small upgrade to your home theater experience and are looking to save some change, Sony’s discounted Internet-ready Blu-ray player is an awesome steal at just $79.99. Sony is also discounting members of its Vaio laptop family, as well as a couple other tablets, TVs and digital imaging products.
Amazon (confirmed):
Amazon is going big this Black Friday, with deals on gadgets and gizmos ‘aplenty. However, Amazon is doing an incremental roll-out of its Black Friday deals, with some only lasting for a day on the retailer’s web site. I’d suggest checking in on Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store site as often as possible, or at least once a day, to keep up with what’s available on the cheap.
Some of the best deals we’re seeing include a couple cameras, the Fujifilm FinePix F505 Digital Camera for $179, the Canon PowerShot SX230HS Digial Camera for $199, and Nikon’s Coolpix P7000 Digital Camera for just $249. If you’re on the market for a smartphone, AmazonWireless is hooking up customers with all phones from AT&T, Sprint and Verizon for just a penny (along with a two-year agreement, of course). Amazon is also offering up a PS3 bundle in the 160GB flavor that includes two games, Rachet & Clank: All 4 One and LittleBigPlanet 2 for $199. You’ll also be able to snag a 5-inch TomTom XXL GPS system for just $79.99, compared to its $169.95 list price.
If all you can afford on Black Friday is a couple new apps, Amazon has you covered there, too. Amazon’s Appstore for Android is offering 50 percent off on the following games between Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Plants vs. Zombies/Plants vs. Zombies HD, Exchange By Touchdown, LogMeIn Ignition, Sims, Safari! HD, Shazam Encore, SwiftKey X, and Kids ABC Letters.
Well, after flipping through the 38 pages of Best Buy’s Black Friday deals, it’s apparent that Best Buy should probably be the first place you stop Friday morning. The big box retailer is discounting everything, from computers to tablets to smartphones to TVs to teleportation devices. OK, I lied. The teleportation devices are going at full price, but the rest is a steal.
Here are some of my favorite deals from Best Buy: First up they have about seven different HDTV’s going for below $600 from makers like LG, Panasonic, Insignia, Samsung, and Toshiba. They’re also pricing the 10-inch Asus Transformer tablet at $249, while the Toshiba Thrive has been marked down to $279 and the Acer Iconia tab will go for $189. You’ll also be able to snag a 23-inch HD monitor from HP for just $119.99.
Stores open at 12:00am on Friday, but we’d suggest a careful look through this 38-page ad before making any decisions.
Sears’ Black Friday offerings aren’t quite as amazing as I’d expected, but they’re still rockin’ it in the TV department. You can get yourself a 47-inch LED 1080p HDTV from LG for $679.99, a 42-inch LED 1080p Smart HDTV from Panasonic for $599.99, or a 26-inch LCD HDTV with built-in DVD player for a $50 discount at $249.
In the gaming department, Sears is offering the same $199 160GB PS3 bundle as Amazon along with a $199 Nintendo 3DS with the Super Mario 3D Land game included. And while they don’t necessarily beat the price of that 5-inch TomTom at Amazon, a 7-inch Magellan RoadMate 1700 GPS and a 4.3-inch Garmin 40LM GPS will be available at Sears for $129.99 and $99.99 respectively.
While Sears’ sale will continue throughout Friday and Saturday, the Black Friday proper sale will only last between 4am and 1pm.
Target wins on some fronts and loses on others come Black Friday. Its $157 Acer 10.1-inch Netbook should be a steal, as should Philips 9-inch dual-screen headrest DVD players. You’ll also find the same Nintendo 3DS bundle as we saw at Sears but for $20 cheaper.
On the whole, however, Target shouldn’t be your one-stop shop for gadgetry. It is going to be a great place to shop for content like movies and TV on DVD, with some DVDs going for as low as $1.99. Doors open at midnight and the sale lasts for four days.
Be sure to check out our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide for some extra inspiration, and try not to get trampled in the madness. Happy shopping, everyone!