Best Black Friday Tablet & Reader Roundup: iPad for $480, NOOKcolor for $119

We've been keeping our eyes on the hotness meter all morning, putting together a roundup of the very best of Black Friday's tablet and eBook reader deals so far. We've found five Editors' Choice deals: an Apple iPad for $480, a B&N NOOKcolor for $119, and three other devices for under $300. New deals are popping up by the minute, and prices are subject to change, so please be sure to check before you buy.

1. Apple iPad 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G Tablet
   Store: AT&T Wireless
   Price: $479.99 with free 2-day shipping
   Lowest By: $66
   Is It Worth It?: This first generation 0.5"-thick tablet weighs 1.6 lbs. and features an Apple A4 1GHz processor, 9.7" 1024x768 LCD LED-backlit display, 802.11a/n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, up to 9 hours of battery life, and more.
   
2. Amazon Kindle DX Wireless eBook Reader
   Store: Amazon
   Price: $259 with free shipping
   Lowest By: $40
   Is It Worth It?: At $40 under our April mention and the lowest total price we've seen, this updated model features an improved e-ink display. It measures 0.38"-thick with a 9.7" screen, and weighs in at just under 19 ounces. It sports 4GB internal storage, integrated 3G wireless connection, 5-way controller, text-to-speech, Whispersync (this acts as a virtual bookmark to sync your location across multiple Kindles), PDF support, and more.
   
3. BlackBerry PlayBook 7" 16GB WiFi Tablet
   Store: Blackberry
   Price: $189 via coupon code "09OLTY12" with free shipping
   Lowest By: $11
   Is It Worth It?: This 0.4"-thick tablet weighs 14.4 oz. and features a 1GHz dual-core processor, 7" 1024x600 touchscreen LCD, 16GB of internal memory, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 3-megapixel 1080p front-facing camera, 5-megapixel 1080p rear camera, support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, BlackBerry Tablet OS, GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, digital compass, and micro USB and HDMI ports. Of note, the 32GB is also available for $289 after the above coupon, while the 64GB is $389 after the above coupon. With free shipping, both are price lows by $11 and the lowest we've seen for the respective models.
   
4. Lenovo IdeaPad K1 NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHz 10.1" Widescreen Google Android Tablet
   Store: B&H Photo-Video
   Price: $299 with free shipping EXPIRED
   Lowest By: $1
   Expires: December 31
   Is It Worth It?: Even though the next lowest price is just a buck more, most stores charge $320. This tablet features an NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 1GHz dual-core processor, 10.1" 1280x800 widescreen touchscreen LCD, 1GB RAM, 32GB flash storage, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, microSD card slot, 5-megapixel rear facing camera, 2-megapixel front facing camera, microHDMI output, 2-cell battery, and Google Android 3.1.
   
5. Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor eBook Reader
   Store: Barnes & Noble via eBay
   Price: $119 with free shipping
   Lowest By: $20
   Is It Worth It?: Available via eBay, this is the lowest price we've seen for any NOOKcolor reader. It features a 7" 1024x600 LED-backlit color touchscreen LCD display with extra-wide viewing angles for reading books, magazines, and newspapers in color. Other features of this Google Android-based eBook reader / tablet include 802.11n wireless (with free access in Barnes & Noble stores), 8GB internal memory, microSD card slot, eBook lending, MP3 audio and MP4 video playback, Pandora, and more. A 1-year Barnes & Noble warranty applies.
   

Front page photo credit: TIME Techland