ZDNet's Ultimate Black Friday 2011 guide to deals and steals

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Summary: Drill down on the latest and greatest gadget deals with our guide to Black Friday 2011.

[Last updated on November 24: Microsoft Store, Sony Store; Panasonic]

Black Friday is almost here!

This year’s Black Friday may fall on November 25, but more and more retailers are starting their sales on Thanksgiving (Nov. 24), and even making some offers exclusive to the weekend. Not only that, but a sneaky few are also splitting their bargains between their brick-and-mortar and online stores.

To help you navigate this increasingly complex, multi-platform shopping extravaganza, we’re sifting every ad from retailers across America for the latest tech deals available to you this year. Where possible, we’ll also make note of the start times and dates so you won’t miss out on those brag-worthy bargains. We’ll be updating this post multiple times a day right up until Turkey Day to serve you all the hottest gadget steals and deals, so be sure to bookmark this page or subscribe to our feed.

But before you rush out to buy the first tech toy you see on sale, here are some quick tips to help you avoid buyer’s remorse:

Read up on ZDNet reviews before splurging on anything. (You never want to buy a gadget just because it’s been marked down.)Always search multiple sites/retailers for the best price (factoring in shipping costs and taxes) for a particular item. It certainly beats driving around to various stores only to find out it’s out-of-stock everywhere, or that you paid too for it when there is a better deal elsewhere.Keep an eye out for the increasingly popular pre-Black Friday sales (Amazon, Walmart, Newegg, Sam’s Club and Target all have them this year) in the event what you’re looking for sells out before the 25th hits.There is a glut of Android tablets and smartphones on the market this year so you may find some sweet deals for them, as long as you don’t mind the build of Android they are running. DealNews is also predicting some competitive prices for 60-inch HDTVs and 15.6-inch laptops this “Black Friday Season” (including Cyber Monday).Apple isn’t known for great deals on Black Friday (or during the holiday season in general) so those items can wait if you’re maxing out your budget.Research/ask about the return/exchange/price match policy before you buy. Many time-sensitive and door crasher items could be final sales so don’t assume you’ll be eligible for a full refund or price match should you find a better deal later.

Note: Items and prices will be published on a rolling basis as we receive the circulars, so be sure to come back regularly and check for new listings. If you think something should be added or a deal isn’t correct/available anymore, please let us know in the TalkBack section and we will update this guide.

Retailers posted so far: Bealls Florida, BJ’s, Costco, Blain’s Farm & Fleet, Fred’s, Gander Mountain, Gordmans, JC Penny, Kohl’s, Marine Corps Exchange, Rite Aid, Hastings, Military BX (AAFES), Cabela’s, Macy’s, Radio Shack, Staples, Walmart (updated in-store/online discounts), Sears Outlet, Office Max, Best Buy, Toys “R” Us, GameStop, Target, Kmart, Sam’s Club, Sears, Office Depot, Best Buy Doorbusters, BestBuy.com (Red Hot Deals), Amazon (new items/prices), Fred Meyer, Target’s Surprise Doorbusters, Newegg; Meijer, hhgregg, Barnes & Noble, Adobe, Kobo, Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft Store, Sony Store, Panasonic

Retailers expected soon: Apple

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Top 4 Black Friday 2011 video game console steals

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Summary: My video game console picks this Black Friday — the Microsoft Xbox 360 bundle with Halo: Reach & Fable 3, Nintendo 3DS “Zelda” bundle, “Blue” Nintendo Wii and an honorable mention.

There is no better time to be shopping for a video game console as Black Friday; after all, gaming companies are eager to introduce new combinations of hot titles and hardware to help move units before the end of the year. Games, especially recently released titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, just don’t seem to be given as significant discounts because you would pay the stick price as long as you really want to play the game — assuming you already have the system, of course. So which four systems you should zero in on this Black Friday (which is apparently today, even though it’s technically a Thursday)? Here are the deals that standout to me:

Microsoft Xbox 360 250GB bundle with Halo: Reach & Fable 3, $199

There are a number of Xbox 360 bundles on the market this Black Friday but this one with Halo: Reach and Fable 3 offer the best games, for the best sized hard drive, and for the best price. The similarly priced Xbox “Slim” Kinect bundle’s hard drive is a tiny 4GB and doesn’t even include any games! Of course, serious gamers this is the bundle to get; when Sam’s Club Black Friday sale got a head start yesterday, this was the first bundle to sell out. Your remaining retail options: Newegg.com, Best Buy (not sure if it’s still available).

Nintendo 3DS “Zelda” Bundle with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, $179.99 or less

Not only is this limited edition bundle (pictured right) making its American debut this Thanksgiving/Black Friday (it was originally only for Europe), it also celebrates the silver anniversary of Nintendo’s Zelda franchise. That is why this 3DS bears golden markings, and includes an updated version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, considered by many to be the best video ever made. For a reasonable $179.99 from Best Buy (or for less if you trade in your last-gen DS at GameStop), this box set is bound to become a collector’s item so grab one while you still can — I doubt it will be re-stocked beyond 2011.

Nintendo Wii Console in Blue, $99

Like the 3DS “Zelda” bundle, the Blue Nintendo Wii was originally intended for Europe but is now coming to our shores this Black Friday. Although it is just a standalone system with one Motion Plus controller but no games, at $99, you will have plenty of cash leftover to buy the titles you really want to play (you can probably get most second-hand by now). One thing to note is that this discounted version is not backwards compatible with Game Cube games so it could be a dealbreaker for some. Now that Sam’s Club is all out of this console, you better hope Walmart,com doesn’t run out as well.

Honorable Mention: Atari Flashback 3 with 60 classic games for $24.99

Available from Toys “R” Us and Hastings, the Atari Flashback 3 is a plug-and-play console system complete with two old school joysticks and 60 classic games. According to PriceGrabber, the Atari Flashback 3 was the “Top Toy” for consumers over 30 yesterday so you may just find one under your tree this year.

Note: You’ll notice I did not include a Sony PlayStation 3 bundle in my list because there seems to only be one choice this year — the box set with a 160GB hard drive and Little Big Planet 2 Special Edition and Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One for approximately $199.

Please keep let us know if these deals no long exist or better prices pop up elsewhere in the comments below!

Related:

Gloria Sin is a freelance journalist based in New York City.

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