Once again, one of the hotter items during the holiday season will be computer products. Specifically, laptop computers will probably make the mark as one of the most popular gift items this season, right along with HDTVs and gaming consoles. Consumers continue to replace clunky desktop computer systems with portable and light laptops, and retailers are more than happy to oblige with loss-leader priced laptops to lure shoppers into stores.

Big box giants Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY), Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) are expected to join the fray, and these retailers will most likely spill the beans today and tomorrow (Thanksgiving Day) to whet the appetites of computer bargain hunters come this Friday morning -- also known, of course, as Black Friday.

In case you're wanting a peak at what will be on fliers and circulars in the next 24 hours, the list below should keep you satisfied for now. Remember to check back Friday right here at BloggingStocks, as I'll be wrapping up a detailed summary on some of the best Black Friday deals from quite a few U.S. retailers. Until then, here's a taste of sales to come:

• Circuit City will feature a Compaq laptop for $299 after a $350 discount. The Compaq Presario C717nr comes with an Intel Core Duo processor, a 15.4" LCD, an 80GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, Windows Vista Home Premium and a DVD burner.
• CompUSA will be providing some Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) MacBook discounts, offerings 5% discount on the normal MacBook (2.16GHz model) and a $100 off coupon for the MacBook Pro (2.2GHZ model). CompUSA will also be offering the HP Dragon laptop model for $2,599 (after a $400 discount), which features what appears to be a 20" screen (huge for a laptop), a 240GB HDD, 2GB of RAM, an HD-DVD ROM drive, an integrated webcam and TV tuner and Windows Vista Ultimate. This is a unique product in that it is probably considered a laptop, but it won't be going anywhere with you without some lifting equipment and a full-size suitcase.