Best Black Friday Deals of 2007
By Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
November 07, 2009
Looking for the best post thanksgiving deals in cell phones, digital cameras, camcorders and printers? Here are a selection of the best deals that we have found...
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T-Mobile is offering what is probably the most interesting deal. Any new customer signing up for a new line of service will get a free flight from one of 59 major U.S. cities to select destinations like New York, Las Vegas and Washington D.C. Existing customers who renew their contract will be entered into a drawing for one of 5,000 free flights. If you've been thinking of moving over to T-Mobile this might be the best time to do so. The promotion runs from November 23 - 25.
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AT&T is also offering some pretty good deals, with 50% off of select phones including the Samsung A737, Sony Ericsson W580i, BlackBerry Curve, Pantech Duo and Motorola Razr2 V9. You will need to sign up for a two-year contract and of course mail-in rebates are involved so you have to be pro-active to get your discount.
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Radio Shack is offering the Samsung Upstage dual faced phone from Sprint free with Activation. This innovative little phone has a unique two-sided design, on one side you find the keypad and a small screen while the other side sports a large screen and touch controls. In our review we found that the Upstage gets incredible battery life when you use the included battery wallet, but we also found that the constant flipping gets a little annoying.
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The fashionable Motorola Krzr K1m is available from Circuit City for $19.99 after activation and comes with a Bluetooth headset and $40 Circuit City gift card. The Krzr has been around for awhile, and didn't perform particularly well in our review, but for those who just want a simple and good looking phone this might be for you. If you want to save $20 you can also get the Motorola Razr V3m with the same bluetooth headset and $40 gift card for free after activation.
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For those looking for something newer than the Krzr or Razr Circuit city is also offering the Samsung Juke with a free Bluetooth headset for $79.99 with activation. This Verizon handset is a small music oriented handset with 2 gigabytes of built in storage and a unique swivel design. This deal saves you $20 off of Verizon's web price, plus you get a Bluetooth headset to go along with it. The Juke didn't do so hot in our tests though, it has a tiny screen and limited functionality and despite being a music handset you can't use Verizon's Vcast service to download songs directly to the phone.
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Compusa is offering a few nice deals, including a BlackBerry Pearl for free after activation. We haven't reviewed the pearl, but we do think highly of BlackBerry devices and the Pearl gives you all the power you've come to expect from a BlackBerry in a small and sylish form factor. For those who have been looking to pick up a BlackBerry at a great price this deal might be for you.
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You can also pick up the Motorola Razr2 V9 from AT&T for $99.99 after activation from Compusa. This is a savings of of $200 over what you would pay on AT&T's website, so if you've been lusting after a new Razr2 this is your deal. The Razr2 has a great 2 inch exterior display with touch controls on the bottom for controlling music, although we wish that more had been done with this display. We were happy to see that the Razr2 V9m performed bettter in terms of battery performance than the older Razr V3m, and it certainly looks sharp.
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If you're a fan of Windows Mobile phones Compusa is offering deals on a couple of them. First up is the Sprint Touch For $149.99 with a contract. The Touch is unique in that unlike most Windows Mobile phones interactions with the device are done almost entirely with the touch screen. The Touch has an enhanced TouchFLO interface that's supposed to make it easier to interact with the touch screen with your finger rather than a stylus. In practice we found that although there are improvements it's still not up to par. It certainly isn't as good as the touch screen on the iPhone, which many people will be comparing it to. In our review we thought the $249.99 price tag was probably too high, but at $100 less it becomes much more attractive. Be warned though, if you do a lot of text entry you'll find the Touch's on screen keyboard/keypad to be frustrating.
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If all touch screen isn't your bag you can also get the T-Mobile Dash from Compusa for free with activation. We loved the Dash in our review as it's a well rounded and powerful phone with a full QWERTY keyboard, slim form factor and very good battery life. It also has Wi-Fi on board for high speed data and although it's been out for quite awhile it is running the latest version of Windows Mobile. If we had to make a call on the best Black Friday deal for a phone this would be near the top of our list.
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Finally, there's a great deal on another cell phone that we like. The Sony Ericsson W580i, is available from Best Buy for $29.99 with a contract. Plus this music focused handset comes with free speakers so you can use it as a jukebox. The W580i is a small Walkman branded handset with an easy to use music player. If you want a phone that provides good music functionality but don't want to pay for an iPhone the w580i is a great alternative. Plus the camera did pretty well in our tests.
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Canon PowerShot SD750 Best Buy and CompUSA are selling the 7.1-megapixel Canon PowerShot SD750 for only $219. This is a big price break from the original retail price of $349. We reviewed this compact camera earlier this year and our biggest complaint was the high price; it delivers excellent pictures with accurate colors in any kind of lighting. This camera is selling for $229 at Sears and $249 at Office Depot.
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Canon PowerShot SD1000 Office Depot is selling the SD750’s sister camera, the 7.1-megapixel Canon PowerShot SD1000, for $149, and throwing in a free printer. It sells for $179 at Radio Shack. The Canon SD1000 has almost all the same features as the SD750, but has a smaller 2.5-inch LCD screen rather than the 3-inch one on the SD750.
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Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd Best Buy is selling another slim digital camera – the Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd – for far less than its $229 retail price. The 6.3-megapixel Z5 will be on sale for $139, easily besting the average online price of about $160. This digital camera comes in several colors and has IrSimple wireless transfer technology.
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Kodak EasyShare V803 Costco.com has the Kodak EasyShare V803 on sale for $139. The price includes a 1GB SD card. This digital camera has sharp 8-megapixel resolution, but isn’t the best at reproducing colors or recording videos. Still, its sale price outdoes its average online price of $150 and its $199 retail.
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Olympus Stylus 770SW Perhaps the sturdiest compact digital camera on the market is selling at CompUSA for $299. The Olympus Stylus 770SW originally retailed for $379 and sells online for about $320. The 8.1-megapixel 770SW can survive just about anything: a 5-foot fall, a dunk in water to 33 feet, cold temperatures to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and weight up to 220 pounds. It struggles to produce gorgeous images, but the rugged body is a big plus.
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Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS For consumers who want a digital camera that has a lot of zoom for a little price, Best Buy is selling the Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS for $189. This is much less than its $299 retail price and average online price of $220. Not all Thanksgiving weekend sales are alike; Office Depot is selling the Z712 for $249 and Sears is selling it for $229. The Kodak Z712 IS has the shape of an SLR but the intuitiveness of a more compact camera. It has 7.1 megapixels, a 12x optical zoom lens, and a full range of manual and automated exposure modes.
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 is selling at Circuit City and H.H.Gregg for $249. This 7.2-megapixel digital camera is less than 1.5 inches thick and has a 10x optical zoom lens. The 3-inch LCD screen is a nice perk, but its exceptional image quality is what really seals the deal. It produces very accurate colors, low noise, and performs even in low light. The TZ3 originally retailed for $349.
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Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT Those consumers looking for digital SLRs will find the best deals on older models such as the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT. H.H.Gregg is selling the XT for $499 for the body, a huge cut from its original price of $899 when it was released in 2005. Sears is selling the XT with an 18-55mm lens for $599. Best Buy is selling it with a 75-300mm lens and accessory kit for $699, but is selling the body itself for $549. The 8-megapixel Canon Rebel XT can shoot 3 fps and produces high quality images.
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Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi The more recent Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi is selling at Circuit City for $879 and includes 18-55mm and 75-300mm lenses. The newer DSLR adds a dust reduction system and more resolution, along with a smoother view on the 2.5-inch LCD screen. The 10.1-megapixel XTi retails for $599 for the body only, so Circuit City’s price isn’t the most amazing DSLR deal, but the XTi deserves a look because of its excellent low light and dynamic range performance.
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Nikon D40 Hot off its Nikon Picturetown ad campaign, the Nikon D40 seems to be selling at most stores this holiday season. Sears is selling the D40 with an 18-55mm kit lens for $449. The same package is available at CompUSA for $688 and Samy’s Camera for $549. At Circuit City, it is selling with 18-55 and 55-200mm lenses for $649.99. The Nikon D40 struggles with color accuracy but delivers in terms of keeping images clean of noise. It also produces excellent images in low light. The 6.1-megapixel entry-level DSLR retails for $599 with its kit lens included.
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Canon HV20 Our Camcorder of the Year has received praise throughout the industry for its brilliant HD video performance and feature set, including true 24P recording and outstanding low light. The body is not rugged, so it’s not necessarily the right choice for mountain expeditions, but weekenders and budding filmmakers will love it. Amazon is currently offering the Canon HV20 for less than $800, below the $999 MSRP.
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Pure Digital Flip Ultra This is the ultimate camcorder for YouTubers and others demanding easy upload and ultra-portability. The video quality is low, with small video files that are easy to transfer to the computer, then the Web. The Ultra Series, including this 2GB capacity (F260W), features built-in software for uploading – which means you can use any computer, anywhere, as long as you have the camcorder with you. CompUSA and others are selling the 2GB Flip Ultra for $149, about $30 below retail price.
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Panasonic PV-GS85 Another of our winners, the PV-GS85 won Best Camcorder for Under $300. We didn’t review this particular model, but all signs point to it being a fantastic value: optical image stabilization, independent shutter and aperture control, great handling, and a cold accessory shoe. The video performance will not wow anyone, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find more features at this price range. Blackfriday.info reports that Circuit City is selling the Panasonic PV-GS85 for $246.99 – that’s more than $100 less than the initial MSRP.
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Canon HG10. This HD camcorder records to a 40GB hard drive, took home our Best High-End HDD/Flash award based on its fantastic video performance and manual control suite. The AVCHD codec can lead to some editing and playback obstacles, but until the surrounding technology catches up, you can still play footage right out of the camcorder to your HDTV. Dealtaker.com found a great deal on the Canon HG10 from CompUSA. You can pick up the HG10 for $999, but the deal is only good on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
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The Sony HDR-SR5 is a solid choice for users who want an HD camcorder with minimum fuss. With a 40GB hard drive, the camcorder can hold up to five hours of video in the highest quality setting. Sony’s ubiquitous Easy mode setting is great for beginners. The AVCHD codec is frustrating to edit, but novice-friendly editing software is available. Like the Canon HG10, you can always start off by simply connecting the camcorder to the TV for playback. Circuit City $866.99, down from the normal price of $999.
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Panasonic VDR-D210 Talk about bang for your buck! The Panasonic VDR-D210 is the only entry-level DVD camcorder to offer optical image stabilization and the most powerful gamut of manual controls in the market. Other highlights include a rear-mounted joystick, a clean, intuitive menu, and a cold accessory shoe. This is a great camcorder to learn on. Walmart has leaked that it will sell the VDR-D210 on Friday morning between the hours of 5 and 11 a.m. for an incredible $198. Sears will be offering the VDR-D210 for $199 between the hours of 5 a.m. and 12 p.m on Friday. These are in-store deals only, and are not available online.
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The DCR-SR42 is Sony’s entry-level HDD camcorder, featuring a 30GB internal hard drive that offers more than 440 minutes of record time in the highest quality. The DCR-SR42 is exceedingly point-and-shoot friendly, touting an Easy mode and touch screen LCD. On the downside, the DCR-SR42 offers meager video performance, a small 2.5-inch LCD screen, and limited connectivity options. Circuit City is running an incredible deal which includes the DCR-SR42, a camcorder bag, and an extended life battery for $529.99. The DCR-SR42 is regularly priced at $549, the extended life battery retails for $99.99, and the bag for $34.99.
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DCR-DVD108 Sony’s entry-level DVD camcorder, the DCR-DVD108, is equipped with a basic 1/6-inch imager, which means video quality is not the camcorder’s primary strength. However, those looking to simply capture memories to DVD for easy playback will be happy with the DCR-DVD108’s simplified menu structure, 40x optical zoom, and touch screen LCD. Sony’s Easy mode will also assuage the stress of shooting for any point-and-shooter. Friday and Saturday only, Best Buy is offering a great $329 package for the DCR-DVD108, a camcorder bag, and a 10-pack of DVD-R discs. Normally, the DCR-DVD108 retails for $349, the bag for $34.99, and the DVD-R 10-pack for approximately $20.
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The GZ-MG130 is JVC’s entry-level standard definition HDD camcorder, featuring basic imaging, a 30GB recording capacity, and a highly compact design. This camcorder offers a slew of automatic and manual controls compared to its competitors, and sports an LCD-mounted joystick for great menu navigation. The GZ-MG130 ships with a docking station that provides additional connectivity. You can find the JVC GZ-MG130 for a staggering $329 at Best Buy on Friday and Saturday only, compared to its $499 MSRP. This deal includes the option to purchase a camcorder bag and tripod for an additional $20.
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GZ-HD7 JVC’s 60GB HDD monster, the GZ-HD7, features three 1/5-inch CCDs, advanced external controls, and a manual focus ring. Other highlights include a professional aspherical Fujinon lens, large, pivoting viewfinder, and LCD-mounted joystick. Unfortunately, the GZ-HD7 came up a little short in the video quality department, outperformed significantly by rivals such as the Canon HG10 and Sony HDR-SR7. One of the GZ-HD7’s most foreboding characteristics was its prodigious price tag, which was well above the competition. No more… Circuit City has lopped a whopping $600 off of the GZ-HD7’s original $1,699 MSRP, bringing the price down to $1,099. The GZ-HD7 can be reserved online and picked up at your local Circuit City.
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Kodak EasyShare 5300. The 5300 is a decent multifunction device that can print, scan and fax. In our tests, it was at the lower end of the spectrum in terms of both speed and print quality, managing the slowest printing speed of all of the multifunction printers we have tested so far, and with only lackluster print quality. However, it is adequate for general use, and it is something of a bargain , with Office Depot selling it for $79.99 on black friday, down from their normal price of $199.99.
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HP Photosmart C5180. Another multi-function device that's on sale for Black Friday is the HP Photosmart C5180. This device is faster and produces better quality prints than the Kodak; we measured the print speed at 6 pages per minute for black text and 2.57 for documents with color. Staples are selling the C5180 for $98, down from their usual price of $120.
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Canon Pixma MP610. We haven't reviewed this model, but we have reviewed the similar Pixma MP600 here, and we found it to be a good balance of price and performance, managing 2.81 black pages and 1.35 color pages per minute. The quality of the photo prints was also good, with accurate colors and deep blacks. CompUSA are selling the MP610 for $159.99, down from their usual price of $199.99.
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Canon iP1800. CompUSA is selling this photo printer for free, if you take into account the mail-in rebate that is available. That's a great deal, but don't expect perfection, we found in our tests that this printer produced weak, inaccurate color with only a limited color range and weak blacks. It was also rather slow, producing only 1.12 pages per minute of black text and 0.5 pages of color documents. But the price is definitely right if you are looking for a cheap printer and aren't too worried about print quality.
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HP Deskjet F2110 All-In-One. This is another one that we haven't reviewed, but the price is definitely right; WalMart are selling this multifunction device that can scan and print (but not fax) for just $34.
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