Amazon fast-tracks Black Friday, starts sales today

Amazon.com began offering Black Friday deals today, throwing down the gauntlet to its rivals as competition for holiday spending intensifies.New deals will be unveiled through Dec. 22 as often as every five minutes on everything from HDTVs to toys, according to the company. Amazon also is providing “curated” gift guides that it says will take the guesswork out of shopping for friends and relatives. Special offers will be available for Amazon Prime members and users of its Alexa voice