Black Friday Technology Studs & Duds

Technology and gadgets are always a big draw on Black Friday.  We’ve taken a look at all the ads from the major retailers and here are the studs and duds for Black Friday 2011.

Televisions

The 2011 holiday season is quickly shaping up as the year of the TV.  Even hardware stores have flat screen televisions featured front and center on the front page.

Stud: Best Buy is featuring a 42” Sharp 1080p HDTV for only $199.  Normally priced around $500 it is practically unheard of to find a name brand television for this price. This is a door buster and Best Buy only guarantees 10 TV’s per store, so be prepared to camp out for this one.

Dud:   A recurring trend I’ve seen in the ads this year is retailers trying to clear out old technology such as 720p Plasma TV’s.  Read the ad carefully and make sure you aren’t purchasing an antique or paying more for an aging fad that nobody ever really bought into (3D)

Cell Phones

Again in 2011 Cell Phones are going to be a hot item.  In the last few months it seems there has been a new Android phone released every other day and of course there is the Siri-licious iPhone 4S just begging for you to ask it some new questions.

Stud:   You don’t even have to get out of your pajamas for this one.  Any phone Amazon sells (except the iPhone) is available for 1 cent.  Plus, if you purchase a hot spot ready phone and activate it, you get a $100 Amazon gift card.

Dud:   For no other reason than this is a Black Friday guide, the obvious dud is the iPhone 4S.  No retailer, for obvious reasons, is offering enticing deals on this year’s hottest phone.  Sleep in on Friday and grab one over the weekend if the iPhone is on your gift list.

Laptops

Laptops are always popular as holiday gifts and the major retailers love using them as bait to get you into their store.

Stud :  Best Buy is featuring a door buster 15.6” Lenovo laptop for only $179, a discount of over $275.  Like all of their door busters, Best Buy is only guaranteeing ten laptops per store, so be prepared to arrive early and stake your claim.

Dud:   It’s hard to find a laptop from a major retailer that is not deeply discounted on Black Friday.  Some of the office supply stores are featuring underpowered laptops with small screens but the biggest dud would have to be any laptop not on sale.

Video Games

Still the perfect gift for children of all ages, you know that you can never go wrong with gaming systems.  The retailers know that too and almost every major store has deep discounts on their video games for Black Friday 2011.

Stud:   Almost every major outlet is featuring the Xbox 360 250GB Bundle with Fable III and Halo Reach for only $199.00

Dud:   GameStop takes the same bundle listed above and throws in 3 months of X-Box live and then charges you $100 more?  Someone at GameStop missed the memo that all the other retailers received.

Avoid at Any Cost

Tablets.  Everybody on your list wants an iPad but would probably settle for a high end Android like the Galaxy.  None of those are on sale for Black Friday.  As a matter of fact, the only tablets being pushed are no name, bottom of the barrel devices.  True, they run Android, but they will be a disappointment.  Some retailers are featuring a decent priced Blackberry tablet, but really, who wants a tablet whose manufacturer will have a shorter life than the battery?

Missing In Action

Every gadget aficionado knows that a must stop shop on Black Friday is Fry’s Electronics.  Fry’s is notoriously tight lipped about their Black Friday specials and will not release their ad until late Wednesday night.  If past ads are any indication of this years deals, it is highly likely that quite a few of their deals will be incredible, including some that are better than the one’s listed above.

For the gadget lovers and tech freaks on your holiday list this year’s Black Friday is full of great bargains that are sure to delight without breaking the bank.  Check out all of the 2011 ads on wishtv.com and for a successful Black Friday 2011 experience make sure you check out our Black Friday Game Plan!

C Robert Dillon   is the digital developer at  WISH-TV  in Indianapolis and serves as a technology consultant and on-air contributor to WISH as well as the technology expert and host of the Taming Technology segment on Indy Style. Opinions presented are those of the author and not necessarily of LIN Media, WISH-TV, or Indy Style.  You can keep up with Rob on  Twitter ,   Facebook , or   Google+   .