[November 15, 2009] Tech gifts: click 'OK': New gizmos, lower prices already luring shoppers Tweet Nov 15, 2009 (Tulsa World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Bryan Lowery, business manager for Best Buy at Tulsa Hills shopping center, doesn't doubt how popular tech gifts can be for Christmas. "Last year during Black Friday, the police estimated we had 700 people in line when we opened," he said. "We already had five people in line when we closed on Wednesday." A plethora of new products, more powerful versions of other devices and -- most importantly -- lower prices could be the catalyst for similar crowds this year. Lowery said gizmo sales have already picked up, as did Jay Loomis, an entertainment specialist for Target at Tulsa Hills. "We're finding a lot of people are getting their shopping done earlier," Loomis said. "Because of the economy, people want to spread out their shopping." And they're already getting deals, even before the Christmas sales have kicked in. High-definition TVs in particular are continuing to drop in price, with the average 37-inch model selling in the $500 range at Target, down from the $700 range last year. And 42-inch 1080p models have dropped from near $1,000 to less than $700. Prices have dropped at Best Buy as well, although Lowery said some customers are opting to spend extra for more impressive sets. One 52-inch Sony model sells for nearly $5,000; the television itself is barely 2 inches thick. These slim TVs already have a steady market, Lowery said. "They're popular with people furnishing buildings who want to go for a modern look for the office," he said. PC sales have also picked up significantly with the release of Windows 7, he said. Desktop, laptop and netbook computers alike have gotten a lift from the new operating system, which so far has a much better reputation than its predecessor, Windows Vista. In fact, sales of low-power yet useful netbooks had sagged in recent months but recently came back strong, Lowery said. "A lot of husbands are picking them up for their wives to use as second computers," he said. When it comes to music players, it's Apple's game. Loomis said despite lower-cost offerings from other makers and the elaborate new Zune HD from Microsoft, customers vastly prefer iPod. "We sell 20 iPods for every one that's not made by Apple," he said. Lowery said Apple has helped keep customers interested by adding a camera to the iPod Nano. Nintendo has taken the same strategy with its DSi, which adds two cameras to its DS game system. "I'm starting to see a resurgence of sales in the DS and DSi," Lowery said. "They're great systems for kids." Larger game systems continue to sell well, as do the games themselves, Loomis said. The various versions of "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" remain popular, along with Wii "Sports Resort" and Wii "Fit." But the biggest game by far has been "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2." "When it was released earlier this week, it was the first time we got a line for a game in quite a while," Loomis said. Blu-ray players, which play high-definition movies, are becoming more popular now that the price of the machines is finally dropping below $200, Lowery said. The newest models don't even have to use disks. "The new ones can stream movies from Netflix or Youtube, and play music via Pandora," he said. Reading has also gotten more high-tech. Both electronic book readers and their accessories have been increasingly in demand at Target, Loomis said. "We've had a lot of people coming in asking for them," he said. In the world of cell phones, customers continue to gravitate to models that offer multiple functions, said Andy Morgan, a spokesman for AT&T. "Our customers are interested in devices and phones that do a lot, such as surfing, texting, gaming and even making phone calls," he said. Phones with built-in keyboards for texting are especially popular, and multiple new models starting below $80 have come out in time for Christmas. AT&T's laptop offerings are becoming popular, he said -- AT&T and other companies are now subsidizing the price of 3G-enabled netbooks in exchange for long-term data contracts. On the accessory side, Morgan said Skullcandy earbuds, which start at $20, have become extremely popular. Robert Evatt 581-8447 [email protected] To see more of the Tulsa World, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tulsaworld.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Tulsa World, Okla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]