It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

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Well, maybe not outside today, where it's a wet and rainy twelve degrees. That will change. Tomorrow, in fact, when as much as thirty centimetres of snow is due to fall. That will certainly make it look a lot more like Christmas - and maybe remind you that there is barely a month left before the holidays. Combine that with the fact that this weekend is Thanksgiving weekend for our neighbours to the south, when Americans follow in the footsteps of their Pilgrim forefathers and give thanks for the blessings of the season by overindulging in turkey and standing in huge lines in overcrowded shopping malls. It can only mean one thing - Black Friday is here.
Not to be left out, the Computer Sales Centre is joining our retail brethren in offering a host of Pre-Christmas Savings and Black Friday Specials to help ease the drain of holiday shopping.

For an sneak peak of some of the savings to be had, take a look at Christmas 2014 Savings and read below for a quick review of some of the best products and the savings that are being offered on them this Christmas.

Here are some of our favourite gift suggestions:

1. Extra Power!  When you get used to having it with you, being without your phone can be like being without an arm. Unfortunately, there is not always an outlet handy when your charge runs low.  The easiest solution? Carry a portable battery pack with you. In the last few years, small battery packs, capable of recharging a typical smartphone once or twice, have become surprisingly inexpensive and compact. Slip one of these in your pocket or backpack, and you need never be stuck without power again. Just remember to pack a spare charging cord along with it!

• Xtreme Universal Battery Bank 1800mAh @ $5.99
• Xtreme Universal Battery Bank 2600mAh @ $7.99

2. Extra Outlets! If you're like me, every day I seem to find another gadget that needs to be plugged in, and there are never enough outlets, or there is never enough room in the power bars for all the transformers, AC adapters, USB power blocks, and cords. Using PowerStrip Liberators (In stock @ $4.99) can help, but the best solution we've found is the PowerCube. The Original converts one plug into five, or buy the USB model for four extra outlets plus two USB charge ports. Add an optional five foot cord, and you can easily have as many outlets as you need, wherever you need them. This is easily the most versatile power device we've seen yet.

• PowerCube Original (5 Plug) - $9.99
• PowerCube USB (4 Plug + 2 USB) - $14.99
• PowerCube Extended (5 Plug with 5 foot cord) - $12.99
• PowerCube Extended USB (4 Plug with 5 foot cord) - $18.99

 3. Portable Speakers!  Bluetooth technology makes it possible to enjoy your music wherever you are and whatever you are doing, by making possible tiny, low power wireless speakers. But don't let the size fool you - some of these speakers pack a big sound for a speaker so small. iFrogz Tadpole speakers ($13.99) are a rechargable, carabiner style speaker so small you could use it as a zipper pull. A little bit larger, the Nyne Mini ($43.99) is a Bluetooth speaker small enough to mount on the handlebars of a bicycle but big enough to kickstart any party.

• iFrogz Tadpole Portable Bluetooth Speaker @ $13.99
• Nyne Mini Bluetooth Speaker @ $43.99
• Nyne Cruiser Bluetooth Speaker @ $69.99

4. Board Games!  Once the temperature plummets, everyone will be looking for things to do indoors. Why not call some friends and enjoy one of the great board games that have become available in the past few years. These aren't the Monopoly and Twister games of your youth. Drawing on the European tradition of high quality printing, wooden tokens, and imaginative game play, games like these will impress even the most reluctant of players. If you haven't tried one of these new generation games, check out Settlers of Catan by Mayfair Games ($34.99), where players race to be the first to build ten new settlements on the mythical continent of Catan. For the younger players, there is Catan Junior ($24.99), which plays very much like the adult game. In fact, adults looking for a two player version of Catan may want to consider Catan Junior as a great, quick alternative to the original.  Other great adult games to consider are Ticket to Ride ($44.99), in which players compete as rail magnates trying to connect the major cities of the US and Canada into a coherant network that delivers passengers to their secret destinations, or Pandemic ($29.99), in which players work cooperatively to save humanity from a worldwide epidemic.

• Mayfair Games Settlers of Catan - $34.99
• Mayfair Games Catan Junior - $24.99
• Days of Wonder Ticket to Ride - $44.99
• Z-Man Games Pandemic - $29.99

While we keep these products in stock all the time, many of these prices reflect holiday discounts that are in effect beginning Thursday, November 27, 2014 until Christmas (or while quantities last).
Things sell fast this time of year, and quantities are limited, so don't wait for the last minute!