I think this year with this economy and the need for sales, Black Friday may be even better, with more deals (phones and contracts). FYI: I don't know for sure about the phone industry, but I know the trade show vendor industry is slow, and the company where I work is talking about having our first ever Black Friday sale this year, so if phones are anything like trade show stuff, there may be some killer deals.
Anyway, now that you've reminded me that Black Friday is coming up, I may just have to wait on a new phone...