While you're unlikely to find a lot of cut-rate Apple iOS devices during the holiday shopping season, Black Friday sales of Android tablets and phones will abound according to leaked circulars from big-name retailers.
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BFAds has posted a preview of the Best Buy Black Friday ad as well as a scan of the circular. Best Buy opens at midnight on Black Friday, though will have deals online Thanksgiving Day as well. Among the Black Friday deals: an Acer Iconia 16GB running Android Ice Cream Sandwich for $250, $100 off the regular price; a $200 Amazon Kindle Fire HD with a $30 Best Buy gift card; and a 16GB Samsung Galaxy S III for $50 with a two-year AT&T contract.
The Android market continues to show momentum. Market watcher IDC recently issued a report showing that 3 out of 4 smartphones sold in Q3 ran Android. For perspective, that 75% market share compares to 57.5% in the year-ago period. Android tablets also gained in share, while Apple lost share in the fast-growing tablet market.
If you really want to just dabble in Android, Kmart might have the device for you: It's selling an Xtreme Labs 7-inch tablet running Android 4.0 for just $40.
Staples, meanwhile, has a variety of 7-inch Android tablets on its Black Friday list as well. It's not offering any particular bargains on Google Nexus tablets, though you can at least get a $20 Staples gift card if you buy an Amazon Kindle Fire HD for $200 (16GB) or $250 (32GB).
"I think tablets will be relatively big [on Black Friday and during the holiday shopping season] just because of their modest price-point," says Michael Brim, BFAds founder.
Bob Brown tracks network research in his Alpha Doggs blog and Facebook page, as well on Twitter and Google +.
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