Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

The Radio City Rockettes will be among the performers at this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Here's how to watch. (Peter Kramer/NBC via Getty Images) NBC via Getty Images Every holiday has corresponding must-watch TV associated with it, from It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at Halloween, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer at Christmas, and the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade airing on the last Thursday in November. This year marks the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the festivities begin at 8:30 a.m. ET this Thursday, Nov. 27. The parade will be broadcast on NBC and streams live - with a three-angle multi-view option - on Peacock. Performers will include Wicked's Cynthia Erivo, Lainey Wilson, Ciara, and more. Oh, and if you've got KPop Demon Hunters fans in your life, not only will there be balloons featuring Derpy and Sussie, the parade will feature a performance by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI, the singing voices of HUNTR/X. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade live this week, and how to catch the encore if you miss it. When is the 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? The 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held this year - and every year - on Thanksgiving Day. This year, the parade is on Thursday, November 27, starting at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT. There will be an encore broadcast at 2 p.m. ET/PT. How long is the Macy's Parade? The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will last roughly 3.5 hours, ending at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. An encore broadcast will air on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/PT. What channel is the 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on? The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade will air on NBC and stream on Peacock on Thanksgiving Day from 8:30 a.m. to noon in all time zones. An encore airing of the parade will also begin at 2 p.m. on NBC. If you have access to live TV, you may be able to watch NBC for free over the air. If not, here's what we recommend for how to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade. How to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade without cable: Who is performing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Wicked star Cynthia Erivo will open the parade, which will also feature performances from Country artist Lainey Wilson, EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI (the singing voices of HUNTR/X from Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters), Drew Baldridge, Matteo Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Ciara, Gavin DeGraw, Meg Donnelly, Mr. Fantasy, Foreigner, Debbie Gibson, Mickey Guyton, Christopher Jackson, Jewel, Lil Jon, Kool & the Gang, Darlene Love, Roman Mejia, Taylor Momsen, Tiler Peck, the Radio City Rockettes, Busta Rhymes, Calum Scott, Shaggy, Lauren Spencer Smith, Luisa Sonza and Teyana Taylor. There will also be performances from the Broadway casts of Buena Vista Social Club, Just in Time and Ragtime. What floats are in the Macy's parade this Thanksgiving? There will be 32 balloons, three "balloonicles," 27 floats, 33 clown groups, 11 marching bands and plenty of performances at the 2025 Macy's parade. 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade new floats Six new floats are debuting at this year's parade:

Amazon has Black Friday savings on its most potent streaming stick. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is 41 percent off, bringing it close to its record low. You can get it now for $35. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is one of Engadget's favorite streaming devices. The stick supports a solid mix of advanced technologies for its price: Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K and HDR10+. As long as the rest of your entertainment setup can handle it, you'll get a high-quality picture and sound. It also supports Wi-Fi 6E, enabling better, faster connectivity with compatible routers. The 4K Max has the fastest processor of any Amazon Fire TV Stick, so expect zippy navigation. It also supports Amazon's Ambient Experience. This mode displays art (like on Samsung's The Frame) while the device is in standby. It's also a solid choice for gaming: It supports Xbox cloud streaming and works well as a retro game emulator, too. The UI is where Amazon appears to be subsidizing the device's low cost. Expect to see loads of Prime Video content promos, along with other ads. But for $35 (compared to its MSRP of $60), you may find it easier to justify that tradeoff. Also on sale is Amazon's Fire TV Stick HD, our pick for the best budget streaming stick. This model doesn't support 4K; instead, it limits you to 1080p at 60 fps. At $18 for Black Friday, it's certainly cheap. But if you have a 4K TV (or plan to soon), you may want to consider the slightly more expensive model. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-fire-tv-stick-4k-max-is-on-sale-for-35-in-amazons-black-friday-deals-132100693.html?src=rss

I've dealt with neck pain since my early 20s. Becoming a full-time writer in my late 30s did not help matters. I discovered the concept of a split ergonomic keyboard and wondered whether one could stop my shoulders from bunching up around my ears. It did.

Amazon Black Friday deals have brought a slew of discounts to the company's own devices. Aside from Prime Day, Black Friday is the best time to pick up things like Fire TV Sticks, Echo speakers and Kindles. In the latter category, one of the best deals is on the Kindle Colorsoft e-reader: it's been discounted to $170, down from its usual $250 price. The model came out earlier this year and we gave it a glowing review, calling it "the missing link in Amazon's ereader lineup." It's the first Kindle ereader in color, which makes this thing one of the best ways to read comic books and graphic novels. The pinch-to-zoom feature lets you get closer to details, to make each panel really pop. This is also a high-end ereader, color or not. We found the load times to be exceptionally fast and the same goes for turning pages. There's an auto-adjusting front light, which comes in handy. There are also no lock screen ads by default and a single charge lasts eight full weeks of regular use. The major downside here is the price. It's tough to truly recommend any ereader at $250, or the original launch price of $280. It's a lot easier to recommend at $170. Amazon is also selling similar products at a discount, some of which made our list of the best ereaders. The base Kindle is down to $80, which is another record low. The Paperwhite is on sale for $125, yet another record low price. And keeping with the theme, the current-gen Kindle Scribe is on sale for as low as $280, the cheapest we've seen it. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-kindle-colorsoft-drops-to-a-record-low-price-for-black-friday-110037313.html?src=rss

If you've been waiting for the right moment to try MasterClass, now's a great time to sign up. The online learning platform is offering 50 percent off all annual plans for a limited time with its Black Friday sale. With hundreds of classes across topics like cooking, writing and music, it's one of the best deals we've seen from MasterClass this year. MasterClass has built a reputation as one of the best streaming platforms for learning new skills and creative hobbies. The service features courses led by industry leaders who share practical insights drawn from their own careers. Whether you want to cook with Gordon Ramsay, explore storytelling with Neil Gaiman or study filmmaking with Martin Scorsese, the range of topics is broad enough to appeal to almost any interest. Classes are organized into short, easy-to-follow video lessons, making it simple to fit learning into a busy schedule. Each one comes with supplemental materials like downloadable workbooks, assignments or behind-the-scenes notes that add extra depth. New classes are added regularly, so subscribers have a steady flow of fresh content throughout the year. Subscriptions are structured around annual plans that unlock the full catalog. You can watch classes on most devices, including smartphones, tablets and smart TVs, and your progress syncs across platforms. Offline viewing is supported too, so you can download lessons to study during travel or commutes. Beyond creative skills, MasterClass has expanded into professional growth and wellness topics, with courses covering leadership, communication and mindfulness. It's not just about inspiration; the platform's focus on actionable advice makes it a practical choice for anyone who wants to pick up new skills or refresh existing ones. Normally, annual plans cost anywhere from $120 to $240 per year, so up to a 50-percent discount represents significant savings for new or returning subscribers. If you've been thinking about joining or gifting a membership, this promotion is one of the best times to do it. There are plenty of other Black Friday streaming deals to consider as well. Here are some of the best ones:

Wireless earbuds have become the go-to choice for listening on the move. Whether you're at the gym, commuting or relaxing at home, the best wireless earbuds give you comfort, freedom and solid sound quality without tangled cables. They're lightweight, slip easily into your pocket and connect quickly to your phone, tablet or laptop.

Black Friday is as good a time as any to upgrade your home audio setup. You can get the Sonos Era 300, the company's only standalone speaker with spatial audio, for $379. That's $100 off what Engadget's Nathan Ingraham called "a great speaker, whether or not it is playing songs in Dolby Atmos." That Dolby reference points to the Era 300's core novelty. It produces spatial audio without requiring additional speakers. (You can use Apple Music or Amazon Music to stream compatible tracks.) Expect those Dolby Atmos tracks to sound better with newer music than older songs remixed for Dolby's tech. Even if you don't bother with its spatial tricks, the Era 300 is a terrific-sounding speaker. It delivers rich, detailed and balanced audio that can hang with just about anything else Sonos offers. The speaker supports voice control via Alexa or Sonos Voice Control. It also offers Trueplay tuning, which listens to how your room shapes the sound and adjusts accordingly. In this model, you don't need to use your phone: Its built-in mics scan your room for you. That's especially handy for Android users, since phone-based Trueplay (from other models) is iOS-only. If the Era 300 is a bit out of your budget, Sonos has loads of other products on sale for Black Friday. You can get the smaller - but still mighty - Era 100 for $169 (23 percent off). The portable Move 2 is down to $399 (20 percent off). Even the company's headphones, Sonos Ace, are on sale for $279 (30 percent off). Sonos home theater products are discounted, too. You can get the Arc Ultra soundbar for $879 (20 percent off), or the Sub 4 subwoofer for $719 (also 20 percent off). Or, if you're in the market for both and have the budget, save even more on a bundle: Get the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 for $1,499 (25 percent off). This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-black-friday-deals-the-era-300-speaker-is-on-sale-for-100-off-plus-more-discounts-120048014.html?src=rss

Headspace's Black Friday deal is live, offering 50 percent off its annual subscription through December 4. That brings the cost of a full year down to $35, giving you access to guided meditations, courses and stress-management tools that can help you stay balanced heading into the new year. Headspace has become one of the most recognizable names in digital mindfulness. The app blends practical meditation guidance with structured courses and calming soundscapes designed to make everyday stress easier to manage. Its programs cover everything from beginner-friendly introductions to mindfulness to focused content on topics like anxiety, productivity and sleep. Subscribers get access to hundreds of guided sessions led by the Headspace team, including short daily practices that can be completed in a few spare minutes, plus longer courses that help build consistency. The app's Sleepcasts and soundscapes are unique, designed to create a steady nighttime routine that promotes better rest. For mornings, there are breathing exercises and motivational mini-sessions that can help set focus for the day ahead. Headspace also includes personalized progress tracking, mood check-ins and optional reminders that make it easier to stay consistent with your new mindfulness habits. For anyone new to meditation, the app's clear structure is a major strength. You don't have to know where to start, since it suggests sessions based on your goals or current mood. This annual deal is ideal for users who want to stick with mindfulness practice over time, or anyone interested in incorporating a new habit into their lives. Paying for the year upfront typically saves money compared with the monthly plan, and the discount brings that cost down even further. Whether you're learning the basics of meditation or refining an existing routine, the full library provides enough variety to keep things engaging throughout the year. If you're still comparing wellness apps, check out our guide to the best meditation apps to see how Headspace stacks up against other options. But for those ready to commit to a calmer routine, this annual offer is one of the simplest ways to start the habit at a lower cost.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-one-year-of-headspace-for-35-with-this-black-friday-deal-163051046.html?src=rss

Qualcomm just revealed the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, the appropriately-named second member of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 line. This follows the Gen 5 Elite, which was first revealed back in September.The standard Gen 5 is still a powerful mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC) with a top clock speed of 3.8GHz. That's slightly lower than the Elite's top speed of 4.6GHz, but still nothing to sneeze at. It includes a custom-built Oryon CPU and boasts speed-enhancing features like matrix acceleration. The company says the platform offers a 36 percent performance improvement when compared to Snapdragon 7, along with a 76 percent increase in web browsing responsiveness.QualcommThe SoC also features the Qualcomm Adreno GPU, just like the Elite, which "unlocks higher clock speeds and boosts gaming and graphics performance by 11 percent." This is a chip intended for modern smartphones, so it also has been designed for AI. It boasts the company's proprietary Sensing Hub technology that combines microphone and sensor inputs to detect a user's intent to speak.It's capable of on-device AI processing due to the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU. The company says this will enable "agentic AI assistants to deliver context-aware interactions and personalized suggestions." That's corporate speak for "it does stuff and says stuff."QualcommQualcomm says these chips will begin showing up in mobile devices in "the coming weeks." The company named OnePlus as a partner and that organization did just announce a brand-new smartphone that was suspiciously devoid of any real specs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-snapdragon-8-gen-5-is-a-cut-down-version-of-qualcomms-flagship-elite-chipset-063050786.html?src=rss

Those looking for a better way to keep track of their finances should consider a budgeting app. There are dozens of them on the market now, and one of our favorites is running a discount for new subscribers. Monarch Money is offering 50 percent off annual plans right now when you use the code MONARCHVIP at checkout. With the typical yearly price being $100, this will save you $50. As mentioned before, the discount is only for new users and it can't be combined with other offers. The code only works when you sign up through the web as well. You can't redeem it through the Monarch mobile app. We feel that Monarch has a steeper learning curve than some other budget trackers and that certain aspects of the app are slightly more complex than they probably need to be. But it offers a great deal of customization and granularity, which outweighs our misgivings. On the main dashboard, you'll see your net worth along with your latest transactions, spending versus the previous month, your income so far for the month and details about upcoming bills, your investments and goals you've set. There's also a link to a month-in-review page, which offers an in-depth overview of what's been happening with your money that month. You'll also be able to take a peek at how your net worth has changed over time. Monarch can connect to your bank and track Apple Card, Apple Cash and Savings accounts. It can pull in your transactions and balance history automatically and detect your recurring expenses and income. The app can even keep your car valuation up to date. While it might take a little work to set up Monarch (and you might have to tweak things here and there), it's a detailed budgeting app that can help you keep better track of your income, expenditure and net worth. If you're a former Mint user (RIP), Monarch Money is a great alternative if you haven't yet found a Mint replacement. But it's worth mentioning that our favorite Mint replacement service, Quicken Simplifi, also has a sale going on right now. It's offering 50 percent off when you sign up for an annual subscription, billed at $3 per month with the discount. That comes out to $36 for the first year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-include-half-off-one-of-our-favorite-budgeting-apps-174011283.html?src=rss

Following its licensing deal with Udio, Warner Music Group (WMG) has also reached an agreement with Suno that will let the platform license its artists' music and likenesses, and end the music company's ongoing litigation. WMG was previously one of several record labels suing Udio and Suno for allegedly infringing on copyrighted works at a "massive scale."As part of the agreement, "artists and songwriters will have full control over whether and how their names, images, likenesses, voices, and compositions are used in new AI-generated music," WMG explains in its press release for the announcement. WMG doesn't spell out how that will work for musicians impacted by the deal, but it does appear that participation will be opt-in, rather than anything being shared by default. This mirrors the opt-in structure of the company's Udio deal."AI becomes pro-artist when it adheres to our principles: committing to licensed models, reflecting the value of music on and off platform, and providing artists and songwriters with an opt-in for the use of their name, image, likeness, voice and compositions in new AI songs," WMG CEO Robert Kyncl says.Suno will also make adjustments to its AI music platform, possibly as a condition of the new partnership. WMG says Suno is launching "new, more advanced and licensed models" in 2026, after which its current models will be deprecated. The company will also limit music downloads to paid accounts. "In the future, songs made on the free tier will not be downloadable and will instead be playable and shareable. Paid tier users will have limited monthly download caps with the ability to pay for more downloads," WMG says.In an odd wrinkle to the partnership, Suno is also acquiring WMG's Songkick concert discovery platform. The company plans to continue running it, and WMG claims that "the combination of Suno and Songkick will create new potential to deepen the artist-fan connection." An app for finding nearby concerts doesn't totally square with Suno's existing music creation tools, but maybe it suggests the company is interested in offering more social features down the road.Prior to this agreement, Suno openly admitted to using "essentially all music files of reasonable quality that are accessible on the open internet" to train its AI model, under the auspices of fair use. That seems like a pretty blatant admission of copyright infringement, but apparently Warner Music Group is happier with the deals it struck than what it could have won through its lawsuit. The company is reportedly one of several music groups looking to strike a similar deal with YouTube.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/warner-music-drops-lawsuit-against-ai-music-platform-suno-in-exchange-for-licensing-agreement-224619025.html?src=rss

A brand spanking-new FoloToy teddy bear can be yours once again. However, he may now be less knowledgeable about spanking. The infamous "Kumma" children's AI teddy bear, once an expert in BDSM and knife-fetching, is back on sale. The company claims the toy now has stronger child safety protections in place.The Singapore-based FoloToy suspended sales of Kumma last week after a research group published an eyebrow-raising report. The PIRG Education Fund found that the fuzzy little teddy had a few spicy secrets.The review discovered that the AI toy had a thing for blades and kinky bedroom play. The bear had no problem suggesting where to find knives in the home. And it not only replied to sexual prompts but also expanded on them. Researchers say it ran with their explicit cues, escalating them in graphic detail and "introducing new sexual concepts of its own." It explained sex positions, gave step-by-step instructions for sexual bondage and detailed various role-playing scenarios. Who knew Kumma had it in him?Marketing photo of a child grinning, looking at a teddy bear on a counch.FoloToyAlthough it's hard not to laugh at the absurdity of it all, this stuff is no joke for parents. With the tech industry pushing AI everything on us for the last three years, it's easy for a casual observer to conclude that it's all very safe, regulated and ready for vulnerable eyes and ears. PIRG did acknowledge that young children were unlikely to have prompted the bear with a term like "kink." (Older siblings may have been another story.) Still, the group's tests highlighted a shockingly lax approach to content moderation on a child's toy.In its statement announcing Kumma's return, FoloToy boasted that it was the only company of the three targeted in the review to suspend sales. (Could it be that it's less about principles and more about it being the only one that got media coverage?) The company described the bear's short hiatus as "a full week of rigorous review, testing and reinforcement of our safety modules." Wait, a whole week? Whoa there, partner!!Before his trip to AI rehab, Kumma was advertised as being powered by GPT-4o. Following PIRG's review, OpenAI told the organization that it had suspended FoloToy for violating its policies. The bear's new listing makes no mention of GPT-4o or any specific AI models.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/folotoys-ai-teddy-bear-is-back-on-sale-following-its-brief-foray-into-bdsm-213138383.html?src=rss

Oura is hosting a Black Friday sale on many of its more popular smart rings. Perhaps the most notable deal is for the Oura Ring 4, which is down to $249. This is a discount of 29 percent, as it typically costs $349. The sale applies to the black colorway. The Ring 4 actually topped our list of the best smart rings, and with good reason. It's comfortable to wear for long periods of time, which is always nice. It's a visually striking ring. We also appreciated the size options, as it fits fingers from size 4 to 15. As for functionality, this smart ring tracks a number of health and fitness metrics. The affiliated app will send out notifications when it thinks you need a rest or to remind you to exercise. It keeps an eye on sleep, heart rate, stress, body temperature, menstrual cycle and a whole lot more. The battery lasts around a week, which is always nice when taking a quick vacation. The only downside here, and this applies to all Oura rings, is that many features are locked behind a subscription paywall. This costs $6 a month or $70 per year. The company is also selling the gold version of the Ring 4 for $349, which is a discount of $50. The water-resistant Stealth Oura Ring 4 is down to $299, which is a discount of $100.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/oura-smart-rings-are-on-sale-for-up-to-30-percent-off-this-black-friday-123010141.html?src=rss

Fubo has issued a statement on its latest row with NBCUniversal over a carriage dispute involving NBC's most popular channels. This past Friday, NBCU networks went dark on Fubo across both live and on-demand services. Fubo subscribers trying to watch NBC content were met with a message that read, We are working hard to bring this channel back. We are currently negotiating with NBCUniversal and are hopeful that we'll bring this channel back to you soon."Today, Fubo said it has been engaged in good-faith negotiations with NBCUniversal to renew a content agreement for its networks. Fubo said that NBCU's demands, however, would harm its customers, and that the streaming company has not agreed to the proposed terms."NBCU is spinning off some of their cable networks into a new company called Versant on Jan 1, 2026. Despite them not being worth the cost to Fubo subscribers, Fubo offered to distribute Versant channels for one year. NBCU wants Fubo to sign a multi-year deal - well past the time the Versant channels will be owned by a separate company. NBCU wants Fubo subscribers to subsidize these channels," the statement reads.The statement goes on to accuse NBCU of discriminating against Fubo and its subscribers by allowing YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video to integrate Peacock into the popular streaming services, while not extending the same rights to Fubo. In a blog post yesterday, Fubo said the terms on pricing and packaging being offered by NBCUniversal were "egregiously above those offered to other distributors.""Fubo has chosen to drop NBCUniversal programming despite being offered the same terms agreed to by hundreds of other distributors. Unfortunately, this is par for the course for Fubo - they've dropped numerous networks in recent years at the expense of their customers, who continue to lose content," an NBCUniversal spokesperson told Engadget when asked to comment on Fubo's accusations.The company also pointed to ten major drops that Fubo has incurred over the past five years including Discovery networks and AMC. A full list of channels that are still dark on Fubo can be found here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/fubo-accuses-nbcuniversal-of-egregious-demands-amid-carriage-dispute-193515241.html?src=rss

OpenAI has announced that it's changing how ChatGPT's Voice mode works on the web and inside the company's app. As part of an update, you can interact with ChatGPT Voice directly within your ongoing chat, letting you see a transcript of your conversation with OpenAI's AI model, along with visuals that demonstrate whatever ChatGPT is talking about.You can start a voice chat just by tapping or clicking on the "waveform" icon next to ChatGPT's text field. Rather than launching into the original orb-filled interface the feature launched as, voice chats now happen in-line with whatever you were previously discussing. In the demo video OpenAI shared alongside the announcement, ChatGPT was able to display a transcript of the conversation, followed by a map listing popular bakeries and photos of pastries sold at Tartine. OpenAI says that if you prefer the original Voice interface, you can switch back to it by toggling on Separate mode under the Voice Mode section of ChatGPT's Settings.

The upcoming Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game Spellcasters Chronicles will be available to play as a closed beta starting on December 4 until December 8. This is the first closed beta weekend for the free-to-play game and the first online play test, as it was originally announced just a couple of months back.Spellcasters Chronicles is being developed by Quantic Dream and looks like the company's attempt to compete with big-time MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota. This is a fairly strange title for Quantic Dream, given that the studio is primarily known for narrative games that rely heavily on player choice. The company has been behind games like Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human.In other words, the 3 vs. 3 MOBA with a third-person perspective is an odd duck and we have no idea how it'll play. Luckily, we'll know a whole lot more next weekend. The closed beta takes place on Steam and grants access to six player classes, each with unique abilities. These classes "can summon creatures, cast spells and take fight to command the arena." There's a class called "Swamp Witch" that I'd very much like to play as.The beta will also unveil a new arena called The Mausoleum and introduce the game's deck-building component. The arena battles will last 25 minutes, with teams being tasked to capture altars to gain enemy territory.This is just the first closed beta for Spellcasters Chronicles. The developer promises a second beta early next year. That next one will introduce new character classes, arenas, spells and summons.As for Quantic Dream, it's still developing Star Wars: Eclipse. However, we haven't heard a blip about it in years.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/you-can-try-quantic-dreams-upcoming-moba-during-a-closed-beta-next-week-194038411.html?src=rss

IKEA has teamed up with Swedish designer Tekla Evelina Severin on a new line of products dubbed the Teklan collection. The collaboration includes three new standalone Bluetooth speakers and two lamp speakers, each clad in Severin's distinctive colorful style. The company originally announced this family of products at the start of the year with an expected launch in early 2026, so it seems they will hit shelves ahead of schedule. The ready-to-assemble furniture giant has already released a few speakers since ending its partnership with Sonos earlier this year, but this feels like a more concentrated push to replace those old Sonos products.A line of round speakers IKEA is calling the Solskydd will be available in three different sizes, each sporting a colorful geometric design. The smallest of the three will be an 8-inch portable speaker with a rechargeable battery, and will retail for $80, while the larger two, measuring 11 and 18 inches, will sell for $100 and $140 respectively and will require a wall outlet.The smaller of the two can be displayed either hung or on its accompanying base, while the largest version is designed for wall mounting. The Solskydd will also be offered in a plain white version for customers who prefer a more understated aesthetic. The speakers can all connect to one another as well as any other compatible IKEA Bluetooth speaker for multi-speaker mode. Spotify Tap is also supported, letting users pick up right where they left off in their music from within the Spotify app.The Teklan collection will also include a set of Bluetooth speaker lamps, called the Kulglass. The $130 lamps, whose shades IKEA says were inspired by soft-serve ice cream, come in shades of either green or red and feature a built-in volume knob.The line also includes a vibrant take on the budget-friendly Vappeby Bluetooth speaker, which is both waterproof and ultra-portable. The Teklan lineup also includes a slew of braided charging cables. Both of these products were released earlier this year. The new products in the Teklan collection will arrive in December, with exact launch dates varying by market.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/ikea-is-releasing-a-new-family-of-bluetooth-speakers-in-partnership-with-swedish-designer-tekla-severin-160800338.html?src=rss

The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft that China launched on November 25 has already reached the Tiangong space station, according to SpaceNews and Chinese state media. Now that it's docked with the station, the astronauts onboard are no longer left without a vehicle that they can use to head home in case of emergencies. The astronauts part of the Shenzhou-21 mission haven't had a lifeboat since November 11, because the team before they arrived had to use their vehicle to return to Earth.On November 5, the astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission were supposed to make their way back home aboard their own spacecraft. But just hours before their departure from the station, China's space agency discovered minor cracks in their vehicle's window from a suspected debris impact. The Shenzhou-20 crew flew back to Earth on November 11 using the Shenzhou-21 vehicle, which means the newer team stayed in the station with no way to leave for over 10 days.The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was supposed to carry three more astronauts to the station in April or May 2026. Instead, it flew much earlier and without a crew, filled with supplies to make up for what the Shenzhou-20 mission astronauts consumed during their extended stay. It will return back to Earth next year after the current crew is done with its six-month stint.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/china-launches-emergency-mission-to-its-space-station-143000171.html?src=rss

Apple has laid off dozens of employees across its sales team to streamline the organization and eliminate overlapping roles., according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles," the company told Gurman, though it didn't say how many people were affected. Apple also said that it's hiring for new sales roles and that laid off employees can apply for them. They have until January 20 to secure a new position within the company, or they will be let go with a severance package.Some of the affected workers told Gurman that while Apple's official internal reason was to streamline its organization, the layoffs were primarily driven by its plan to shift sales more towards third-party resellers. By relying on third-party channels further, Apple could lower costs like its spending for people's salaries, especially since it eliminated longtime employees. They reportedly include managers and other staff members who've been with the company for 20 to 30 years.Apple's government sales team, which works with the Defense and Justice departments, was one of the biggest groups affected by the layoffs. It's not quite clear if it was a direct effect of the recent US government shutdown. As Gurman notes, the layoffs have taken place in the middle of a record-breaking period. After posting a $102.5 billion revenue for the quarter ending in September, it's now on track to make $140 billion in sales for the quarter ending in December.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-lays-off-part-of-its-sales-team-140000749.html?src=rss

Black Friday is basically here, and you can save on some sought-after tech. Case in point: the new Apple Watch SE 3. Apple's most affordable smartwatch is even cheaper right now, down to just $200. We consider this to be the best budget Apple Watch, and arguably the best smartwatch for folks who have never owned one before. The latest version runs on the same chipset found in the new flagship models, and it has most of the same fitness and workout tracking features you'll find in those more expensive devices as well. The SE 3 also now has an always-on display, making it easier to glance down throughout the day to check the time or see activity stats without moving your wrist, and fast-charging support makes it a more viable sleep tracker. Just plop it down on its charger for a bit at the end of the day and put it back on to monitor your sleep overnight. Also discounted is the flagship Apple Watch Series 11, which is $50 off and down to $349. We consider it to be the best smartwatch, period, thanks to its longer battery life, thin and light design, comprehensive health and fitness tracking features and extra perks like gesture control. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-new-apple-watch-se-3-drops-to-200-in-this-black-friday-deal-133057234.html?src=rss

Apple's AirPods 4 have dropped back down to a record low price in a Black Friday deal on Amazon. If you aren't looking for active noise cancellation, the model without ANC is a steal at 47 percent off, bringing it down to just $69 from its usual price of $130. The Apple AirPods 4 are the best budget AirPods you can get in 2025, with Apple's H2 audio chip to support some of the more advanced audio features from more expensive models. They offer Voice Isolation, Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking and more. If you get the model without active noise cancellation, you won't have features like Transparency Mode and Conversation Awareness, or Apple's hearing health tools. But, the entry-level model still offers great sound quality for the price. This model also features the redesigned shape, which makes for a more comfortable and secure fit so you don't have to worry about them falling out of your ears. A force sensor on the stem allows for basic touch controls, including play and pause, play next track, previous track and answer a call. You can also summon Siri by pressing and holding the stem. You can expect to get up to 5 hours of battery life on a charge with the non-ANC model, and up to 30 hours using the USB-C charging case. Elsewhere when it comes to Black Friday AirPods deals, you can pick up the new AirPods Pro 3 for $220. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/airpods-4-earbuds-are-on-sale-for-their-lowest-price-ever-in-this-black-friday-deal-162917182.html?src=rss

Yes, it's Tuesday, but the Black Friday sale bonanza continues to start earlier (wielded by even more retailers) each year. Our team was, is and will be curating the best Black Friday tech deals for this year's retail push and with less than a week to go, plenty of the best offers are already live.One surprise: PlayStation 5 discounts, with $100 off all the versions of the console . That brings the PS5 Digital Edition down to $399, the standard PS5 to $449 and the new PS5 Pro to $649.It's also a good year for home tech, whether you're looking for an air fryer upgrade or even a Dyson robot vacuum with $600 off. It's not the right season for it, but Ninja's ice cream maker is down to $180 too.In recent years, Black Friday sales have included even the most premium recent models, though the discounts are a little less remarkable. For example, the AirPods Pro 3 are currently on sale with a $29 discount on Amazon. Sadly, no discount for the iPhone Pocket.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories on Engadget.com

Black Friday deals are here, and a great one to check out is at Dyson. The discounts on Dyson's site right now are some of the best we've seen; one of those is $600 off the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum, which is down to a record low of $400. Dyson was pretty late to the robot-vacuum party, but its entry was (and remains) one of the strongest in the category. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles like a self-emptying base or mopping capabilities, but it makes up for that by having probably the best suction power of any robovac we've tested. All kinds of debris will fall in its path: dirt, dust, food crumbs, pet hair and more. It also has excellent obstacle avoidance, so you'll rarely - if ever - have to dislodge it from getting stuck on the edge of a carpet or wedged in between furniture. Dyson's mobile app is easy to use as well, so if you're looking for a robot vacuum that does its main job incredibly well and you don't mind skipping on some extras, the 360 Vis Nav is a great option. Cordless vacuums are also a part of the sale. Take the Dyson V9 Motorbar cordless vacuum on sale for just $270 at both Dyson and Amazon, which is a discount of $330. That's more than half off. Dyson devices are all over our list of the best cordless vacuums, and for good reason. The company makes effective products. The V9 Motorbar has been designed to clean all floor types, in addition to upholstery. It's also been engineered to squeeze into tight spots, which is great for hitting those oft-neglected parts of the home. The suction power is on point and the battery lasts for 40 minutes before requiring a charge. That's just enough time to vacuum a standard-sized home if you don't stop for too many breaks. The V9 is getting a bit long-in-the-tooth. If you want a newer model, the V11 Extra is on sale for $400, which is a discount of $260. This one boosts the suction power and increases the battery life to 60 minutes. More Dyson Black Friday deals

Fortunately, we live in a time when most information can be recovered from another device or the cloud. Now, iPhone users can add another app to that list. Signal has announced that secure backups are now available for iOS devices. It follows a similar launch for Android devices in early September. The company shared the news on X and linked to the previous Android blog post for all additional information.At the time, Signal noted that secure backups would be an opt-in feature and available in Android users' latest beta release. The company stated this was to test the feature on a smaller scale before it came to iOS and desktop - so clearly something worked.The end-to-end encrypted backup offers no-cost storage of a user's text messages and up to 45 days of media. Keeping older media costs $2 per month - Signal's first paid offering. "The reason we're doing this is simple: media requires a lot of storage, and storing and transferring large amounts of data is expensive," Signal said at the time. "As a nonprofit that refuses to collect or sell your data, Signal needs to cover those costs differently than other tech organizations that offer similar products but support themselves by selling ads and monetizing data."Anyone who opts-in will have their messages backed up each day. The secure backups use a 64-character recovery key that is available exclusively on a user's device. It's required to access the backup and Signal is unable to recover it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/signal-extends-backup-feature-to-ios-users-133006884.html?src=rss

Samsung's Odyssey G8 OLED monitor is now down to $950 for Black Friday, saving you $350. It's one of Samsung's best 32-inch displays, offering a crisp 4K resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate and vivid OLED contrast that makes games and movies look incredible. The 32-inch Odyssey G8 has earned high marks for its blend of image quality and gaming performance. Its 4K OLED panel produces deep blacks and bright highlights, with 99 percent DCI-P3 color coverage for vibrant visuals. The 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time deliver exceptional smoothness in fast-paced games, while AMD FreeSync Premium Pro keeps everything tear-free. Design-wise, it's sleek and minimal, with a slim metal frame that looks just as good in a work setup as it does in a gaming room. The monitor supports DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 inputs, plus USB-C connectivity for charging and data transfer. Built-in speakers and Smart TV features let you stream directly from apps like Netflix or Prime Video without connecting to a PC or console. You also get Samsung's SmartThings integration, so the Odyssey G8 can double as a smart home hub, controlling compatible IoT devices from lights to thermostats. It even supports cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass and NVIDIA GeForce Now, meaning you can play high-end titles without extra hardware. The combination of OLED contrast, motion clarity and built-in streaming makes it one of the most versatile monitors in Samsung's lineup. If you want something even larger, the Odyssey G9 is also discounted by $300, bringing the 49-inch curved DQHD model down to $700. It offers a wide field of view and 144Hz refresh rate, making it a great pick for simulation and racing fans. The Odyssey G7 is another strong choice, now $600 after a $300 discount. This 37-inch 4K display runs at 165Hz with a curved design and supports both HDR and AMD FreeSync for smooth gameplay. Finally, Samsung's Smart Monitor M9 is available for $1,300, $300 off its regular price. It combines 4K OLED visuals with built-in streaming and AI-powered vision tools, making it a good all-rounder for work and entertainment. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/samsung-black-friday-deals-get-up-to-350-off-gaming-monitors-and-more-103000276.html?src=rss

Making a good digital picture frame should be easy. All you need is a good screen and an uncomplicated way to get your favorite photos onto the device. Combine that with an inoffensive, frame-like design and you're good to go.

DJI's hyper-popular vlogging camera, the Osmo Pocket 3, is on sale at a near-record low at Amazon for Black Friday. You can pick one up now for $506 and save 37 percent ($293) off the regular price. This is likely the best deal you're going to see for the Pocket 3 any time soon, given US tariffs that recently forced DJI to jack up the price. When DJI's Osmo Pocket 3 came out I said it was maybe the only vlogging camera you need." To start with, it has a big one-inch sensor that boosts image quality considerably, particularly in low light. You also get a large swiveling touchscreen that makes it easier to switch between horizontal and vertical video. What really makes it great for vlogging, though, are the follow modes combined with face tracking. When working solo, you can simply set it up and it'll rotate and tilt to follow you around - so you don't have to worry about focus or even pointing the camera at yourself. While there's very little not to like about the Osmo Pocket 3, it's not ideal for photos and is also quite expensive. But with the Black Friday deal and DJI's Osmo Pocket 4 rumored to be arriving in December, it's a great time to buy one - just act quickly as stocks may run out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/djis-popular-osmo-pocket-3-vlogging-camera-gets-a-hefty-black-friday-discount-092339471.html?src=rss

Black Friday is a great time to take a look at what subscriptions you may be able to save on. From video streaming services to budgeting apps, many services will have some Black Friday promotion you may be able to take advantage of. One of the best we're tracking is for Audible. You can sign up and get your first three months for just $3 in total, plus get a $20 Audible credit on top of that. This breaks down to $1 per month for the first three months, which is a boon for audiobook fans. Just make sure to cancel before the 90 days are up, as the subscription will auto-renew at $15 per month. That's not the worst deal in the world, given the vast number of titles available on the platform, but still. Audible has a diverse catalog that goes beyond audiobooks. It also hosts podcasts and Audible Originals. Subscribers get to choose one audiobook each month to keep in their collection for free, including best-sellers or new releases. Users also get unlimited access to the Plus Catalog, which houses thousands of audiobooks. Finally, active members get discounts on many audiobooks when looking to purchase. Winter is coming and this is a good way to make sure you have plenty to listen to throughout the next three months. This deal does have a time limit. It expires on December 16.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/audible-black-friday-deal-three-months-of-access-drops-to-only-3-140010733.html?src=rss

The best soundbars can completely transform your TV setup, turning flat, lifeless audio into something that actually sounds cinematic. Whether you're watching blockbuster movies, listening to music or gaming, a good soundbar delivers clearer vocals, deep bass and better overall playback than most built-in TV speakers ever could.

Budgeting can be a stressful, challenging and uncomfortable experience. While it's completely possible to do it on your own, we've become fans of a few great budgeting apps. Take our favorite budgeting app Quicken, which is having a 50 percent off sale for Black Friday. The Quicken Simplifi app is down to $3 monthly from $6 monthly, adding up to $36 for the year. Quicken Classic, the company's "original desktop software" for "experienced investors" is also half off at $6 monthly, down from $12 monthly. The sale starts today and is available until Wednesday, December 3. One of the many things that sets Quicken Simplifi apart from its competitors is its sleek, easy to use interface. The setup is pretty straightforward and it allows for your spouse or financial advisor to act as co-manager of the account. It also clearly shows figures like net worth, recent spending, upcoming recurring payments and more. Plus, there's an option to say if you're expecting a refund. Quicken Simplifi unfortunately doesn't offer a free trial so testing it out with a discount means less money invested if it's not for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-include-half-off-subscriptions-to-our-favorite-budgeting-app-160025880.html?src=rss

President Donald Trump has issued a new Executive Order that launches the Genesis Mission," an AI-focused initiative that will be led by the Department of Energy. It will harness the current AI and advanced computing revolution to double the productivity and impact of American science and engineering within a decade," the DOE explained. One of the mission's main goals is to build a centralized platform that will house a huge collection of datasets collected over decades of federal investments," as well as datasets from academic institutions and partners from the private sector.Those datasets will then be used to train scientific foundation models and to create AI agents, automate research workflows and accelerate scientific breakthroughs, the administration said in its announcement. The platform will connect the world's best supercomputers, AI systems, and next-generation quantum systems with the most advanced scientific instruments in the nation," the Energy department said.Based on that statement, the platform will be linked to the two sovereign AI supercomputers the agency is building at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, its famous research and development center. The machines, to be built by Hewlett Packard Enterprises, are meant to be the Trump AI Action Plan's flagship supercomputers. The DOE previously revealed that the machines will be powered by AMD chips and will help tackle the biggest challenges in energy, medicine, health and national security.The Genesis Mission marks a defining moment for the next era of American science. We are linking the nation's most advanced facilities, data, and computing into one closed-loop system to create a scientific instrument for the ages, an engine for discovery that doubles R&D productivity and solves challenges once thought impossible," said Dr. Dario Gil, the Under Secretary for Science and Genesis Mission Director.In the next four months, the Energy department must identify its initial set of data and model assets for the Genesis platform. The department must be able to demonstrate an initial operating capability of the platform for at least one of the national science and technology challenges" the government has identified within nine months. While the list of challenges is pretty long, the Genesis Mission will focus on addressing three key challenges overall. First, it aims to accelerate nuclear and fusion energy, as well as to modernize the energy grid using AI. It also aims to power scientific discoveries for decades to come. Finally, it aims to create advanced AI technologies for the purpose of national security, such as systems that can ensure the reliability of America's nuclear weapons and can accelerate the development of materials for defense.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/trumps-genesis-mission-aims-to-build-a-centralized-ai-platform-to-power-scientific-breakthroughs-043506089.html?src=rss

Cameo, the app that allows people to buy short videos from celebrities, has won an important victory in its legal battle against OpenAI. On Monday, a federal judge granted the company a temporary restraining order against OpenAI, CNBC reports. Until December 22, the startup is not allowed to use the word cameo" in relation to any features inside of Sora, its TikTok-like app for creating AI-generated videos. The order covers similar words like Kameo" and CameoVideo."We are gratified by the court's decision, which recognizes the need to protect consumers from the confusion that OpenAI has created by using the Cameo trademark," Cameo CEO Steven Galanis told CNBC. While the court's order is temporary, we hope that OpenAI will agree to stop using our mark permanently to avoid any further harm to the public or Cameo."An OpenAI spokesperson told Engadget: We disagree with the complaint's assertion that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word cameo', and we look forward to continuing to make our case to the court."Cameo sued OpenAI in October, claiming the company's use of the term was likely to confuse consumers and dilute its brand. Before filing the suit, Galanis said Cameo tried to resolve the dispute amicably," but claims OpenAI refused to stop using the name. Sora's cameo feature allows users to upload their likeness to the app, which other people can then use in their own videos. US District Judge Eumi K. Lee, who granted Cameo the temporary junction, has scheduled a hearing for December 19 to determine if the order should be made permanent.Update, November 24, 7:25PM ET: This article was updated after publish to include comment from an OpenAI spokesperson.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-cant-use-the-term-cameo-in-sora-following-temporary-injunction-213431626.html?src=rss

One of the more intriguing prospects Amazon revealed at its devices and services event back in September was Alexa Home Theater, a surround sound mode for select Echo speakers. Amazon has now confirmed to Engadget that it's rolling out Alexa Home Theater "broadly" starting today.This could make Echo speakers a more budget-friendly, entry-level alternative to a Sonos setup in some consumers' eyes - though a good soundbar may be actually a better bet for those just starting to put together a home theater system. You can connect up to five of the company's new Echo Studio or Echo Dot Max speakers plus a subwoofer to a Fire TV Stick 4K or 4K Max (the original Echo Studio isn't compatible).Amazon said that, after you plug in several Echo devices in the same room as your TV and link them to the same Wi-Fi network, the Alexa app can walk you through the setup process. Alexa will automatically tune the speakers for your space.As it happens, the latest Echo Studio and the Echo Dot Max are both on sale for Black Friday, along with other Amazon devices. The Echo Studio is $30 off at $190 and the Echo Dot Max has dropped by $10 to $90.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/alexa-home-theater-surround-sound-for-echo-speakers-is-rolling-out-now-204557932.html?src=rss

It's been a long road to get here, but the surreal skateboarding sim Skate Story will actually be available to play on December 8. The title will also be a day-one Game Catalog release for PlayStation Plus subscribers, which is a great perk for Sony fans. It'll be available on other platforms, like Steam and Nintendo Switch, but those versions cost $20. The PS5 version is free for PS Plus subscribers and it's not currently coming to Xbox.For the uninitiated, Skate Story can only be described as a Lynchian take on skateboarding. Players control a glass avatar and they perform tricks to, well, swallow the moon and defeat the devil. It was announced all the way back in 2020. We got to play it last year and came away impressed. The game was made by Sam Eng, who was behind the indie shooter Zarvot.It's also being published by Devolver Digital, a company that knows its way around unique gameplay concepts. It published the utterly sublime Cult of the Lamb and one of our recent favorites, Ball x Pit. The former lets you feed poop to cult followers, which makes performing kickflips as a glass-bodied demon seem downright normal.Looking to see what all of the fuss is about? There's a demo right now on Steam. The game's also available for purchase on the PS5, for those who don't wanna pony up for a PS Plus subscription.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/skate-story-grinds-its-way-to-playstation-plus-on-december-8-193034939.html?src=rss

Hot on the heels of Google's Gemini 3 Pro release, Anthropic has announced an update for its flagship Opus model. Now at version 4.5, the new system offers state-of-the-art performance in coding, computer use and office tasks. No surprise there, those have been some of Claude's greatest strengths for a while. The good news is Anthropic is rolling out a handful of existing tools more broadly alongside Opus 4.5. It's also releasing one new feature.To start, the company's Chrome extension, Claude for Chrome, is now available to all Max users. Anthropic is also introducing a feature called infinite chat. Provided you pay to use Claude, the chatbot won't fall to context window errors, allowing it to maintain consistency across files and chats. According to Anthropic, infinite chat was one of the most requested features from its users. Then there's Claude for Excel, which brings the chatbot to a sidebar inside of Microsoft's app. The tool is now broadly available to all Max, Team and Enterprise users, with support for pivot tables, charts and file uploads built-in.A table comparing Opus 4.5's efforts in various benchmarks. AnthropicOn the subject of Excel, Anthropic says early testers saw a 20 percent accuracy improvement on their internal evaluations and a 15 percent improvement in efficiency gains. As a complete Excel noob, I'm excited to for the company to trickle down that expertise to its more consumer-oriented models, Claude Sonnet and Haiku.Elsewhere, Opus 4.5 also delivers improvements in agentic workflows, with the new model excelling at refining its own processes. More importantly, Anthropic is calling Opus 4.5 its safest model yet. It's better at rejecting prompt injection style attacks, outpacing even Gemini 3 Pro, according to Anthropic's own evaluations.If you want to try Opus 4.5 for yourself, it's available today through all of Anthropic's apps and the company's API. For developers, pricing for the new model starts at $5 per million tokens.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropics-opus-45-model-is-here-to-conquer-microsoft-excel-190000905.html?src=rss

With Black Friday around the corner, OpenAI is upgrading ChatGPT's shopping capabilities just in time to make spending your money even easier. Starting today, the company has begun rolling out shopping research, a new feature inside of ChatGPT designed to simplify the process of comparing different products.The tool is available to all ChatGPT users, including those with free accounts, with the company offering nearly unlimited usage through the holidays. As long as you're logged into your OpenAI account, you can try out the new experience by selecting "Shopping research" from the + menu. ChatGPT will also automatically route prompts it determines would be best served by the new model OpenAI has trained to answer commerce-related questions. For instance, if you type, "find the quietest cordless stick vacuum for a small apartment," ChatGPT will know what to do.As it works to find products that fit your criteria, ChatGPT will ask clarifying questions. OpenAIIn addition to comparative shopping, the new experience can help users track down deals, shop for gifts and even find lookalike products. For example, you can snap a photo of a dress and ask ChatGPT to find you something similar that costs less than $250. As you use the tool, ChatGPT will ask clarifying questions to help it narrow down its recommendations. For ChatGPT Pulse users, the tool will even be proactive, generating cards that offer personalized buying guides based on past conversations.The feature is powered by a variant of GPT-5 mini designed to excel specifically at shopping-related tasks. "We trained it to read trusted sites, cite reliable sources and synthesize information across many sources to produce high-quality product research," said OpenAI. In practice, the shopping assistant should be better at accurately citing product details relative to the company's other systems, including more powerful general-purpose models like GPT-5 Thinking. Still, OpenAI warns the tool isn't perfect."Shopping research might make mistakes about product details like price and availability, and we encourage you to visit the merchant site for the most accurate details," the company said. Additionally, OpenAI notes the tool tends to do best in categories like electronics, beauty and home appliances where there are many details and specs the model can compare to generate comprehensive answers.It's no surprise to see OpenAI expand ChatGPT's shopping capabilities. The company already offers the option to buy items from Etsy from its chatbot, and competitors like Google have been aggressively adding AI shopping features in recent months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-now-offers-a-dedicated-shopping-assistant-180000034.html?src=rss

There are millions upon millions of podcast episodes out there and it can be tough to figure out what to listen to and when. The popular podcast service Pocket Casts is rolling out a playlists feature to help users make sense of it all.This is being advertised as a "new way for listeners to organize, sequence and customize episodes across all their favorite shows." The idea of a playlist isn't new by any stretch, but it's not typically an option on podcast apps. As a matter of fact, Pocket Casts says this was one of its most-requested features.The platform says this tool is great for "building a morning news lineup, curating interviews to study a topic or creating a queue for a long flight." There's a manual option but also an automatic Smart Playlists feature that gathers episodes together based on pre-determined rules.Pocket Casts For instance, episodes can be collected and sorted by release date, duration and other factors. This replaces the pre-existing filters tool. I can absolutely see this being useful on a road trip when you don't really wanna fiddle with a phone and would rather just let the podcast episodes flow into one another to create a Conan O'Brien-induced driving zen state.The playlists tool is available right now. This is just the latest move by Pocket Casts. The service recently added a free tier for accessing its web player and desktop app. We love it when things get cheaper, don't we folks?This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/pocket-casts-rolls-out-playlists-so-users-can-sequence-episodes-of-their-favorite-shows-170046666.html?src=rss

For anyone looking to get a great deal on a streaming device, Roku's Black Friday deals are here. The Roku Streaming Stick Plus, which just happens to be one of our favorite streaming devices, is 50 percent off, on sale for just $19. The regular Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick 4K are also on sale for 50 percent off, coming in at $15 and $25 respectively. Roku makes some of the best streaming devices you can get, and any of the ones on sale would be great picks to upgrade an old TV you already have. The Streaming Stick Plus is our favorite of the bunch since it supports 4K HDR content and gives you access to a bunch of free content thanks to Roku's streaming OS. We also appreciate its accurate universal search and the fact that it draws power from your TV, so it doesn't need to be plugged into a wall outlet to get power. The standard Streaming Stick is a good alternative to Amazon's most basic Fire TV Stick, and if you already prefer Roku's streaming OS, it's arguably the better choice. The Streaming Stick 4K adds Dolby Vision into the mix, if that's a must-have for you. Also, if you're looking for a more powerful set-top streaming box, the Roku Ultra is 30 percent off, marked down to $69 from $100. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-black-friday-deal-brings-the-roku-streaming-stick-plus-down-to-only-19-103023204.html?src=rss

If you, like me a few months ago, didn't know fabric shavers existed, I'm willing to bet you're not alone. Not too long ago, I went looking for something, anything, that could help get rid of the pilling on some of my most loved pieces of clothing. I stumbled upon the Philips Fabric Shaver in my search and was pleasantly surprised to learn such a device existed - and in such a cute, compact form. I decided to give it a shot and now it's an essential piece of tech in my house. Thanks to Black Friday deals, you don't have to pay as much as I did for it now that it's on sale for only $13. Sure, it may not seem revolutionary - especially if you already knew of the wonders of such devices - but it was for me. I have a lot of T-shirts, joggers, sweaters and more that I've had for at least three years and wear regularly. We also have a bunch of throw blankets around the house, partially because I love a good throw, and partially because my cat demands soft spots on which to sleep. All of those well-worn, well-loved fabrics have pilled over time, and I was tired of picking at the pills myself. This Philips Fabric Shaver makes it so I never have to do that anymore. It runs on two AA batteries, has a simple on-off switch and a shaving head with three sized holes that, as you glide it over your sweater or blanket, catches the pills and shaves them right off. It's literally as simple as that; after I tried it the first time on a pair of joggers, I spent far too much time running around my house and through my closet de-pilling as many things as I could. All the little fabric bits collect in a removable chamber that you simply empty as often as you need into the trash. If you're like me and try to make the most of the wardrobe you have and not buy new clothing all the time, this little gadget will keep the pieces in your closet looking fresh.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/you-need-a-fabric-shaver--my-favorite-is-only-13-for-black-friday-163402899.html?src=rss

We're a pet-loving staff here at Engadget, with diverse distribution of cat people, dog people, other-small-fuzzy-creature people, bird feeder enjoyers and so on (at press time, I'm unsure if we have a rat person, but I'd be surprised if we didn't). And, of course, we love getting new gadgets of all sorts for our pets as much as for ourselves. This list, with gifts as low-tech as a blanket and as high-tech as the best $30 two-way camera you'll ever use, is for the pet lover in your life - whether that's you or another favorite human. Every entry comes waggingly approved by at least one fuzzy friend. Best gadgets for your pets Check out the rest of our gift ideas here. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/the-10-best-gadgets-for-your-pets-150714288.html?src=rss

Uber is apparently feeling generous this holiday season. The company is launching family sharing for Uber One members, allowing individuals to add another adult to their account for free. They can also include an unlimited number of teens.Anyone added to the membership can access all of the same benefits, including free delivery. They will also earn unique credits for rides. You can attach someone to your membership by clicking Account and then Uber One. From there, you can tap manage membership and then family sharing.UberUber is also giving members additional perks, like prioritized complimentary upgrades. The company claims that it will upgrade over one million rides for members between December 2 and 25. Plus, members traveling between today and Thursday for Thanksgiving should get 10 percent off if booking an Uber Black to or from an airport.Tech lovers with an Uber One subscription will be happy to hear that you can get early access to $25 off if you spend $75 or more at Best Buy - through Uber Eats, of course.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/uber-one-subscribers-can-now-share-free-deliveries-and-other-perks-with-their-family-120004629.html?src=rss

If you're a creator in the market for a good-quality wireless microphone, DJI has the best deal we've ever seen on one of its most popular products. This Mic Mini bundle, which includes two mics, a receiver and two charging docks (plus two windscreens and other accessories), is already a good deal at the regular $119 price. For Black Friday, however, it's marked down to just $66 for a savings of 45 percent. If you only need a single wireless mic, you can also grab a Mic Mini with a mic, receiver, charging dock and accessories for $45, or 49 percent off the regular price. DJI's Mic Mini deal includes two mic transmitters and a receiver that can be connected to a camera or phone. The bundle also includes a pair of charging docks, two windscreens, a splitter USB-C cable for charging, a 3.5mm camera audio cable, two magnetic clips, a smartphone adapter, a charging cable and a compact carrying case. Note that the charging case is not included in this deal. And if you want a simpler setup with just a single mic and receiver, plus all the other accessories, that's also on sale for $45, or 53 percent off. The wireless mics weigh just a third of an ounce and attach easily to subjects via magnets or clips. Everything pairs automatically and they offer high quality 24-bit, 20Hz to 20K Hz recording. They also connect easily to smartphones over Bluetooth and other DJI devices like the Action 5 Pro and Osmo Pocket 3 cams using DJI's OsmoAudio direct connection. With a range of 1300 feet and 48 hours of battery life with the charger case, they're an excellent addition to a creator's bag of tricks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/djis-mic-mini-bundle-drops-to-just-66-for-black-friday-102735161.html?src=rss

Laptop power banks hit a happy medium between capacity and portability. Capacity is usually below 100-watt hours to comply with TSA requirements for carry-on luggage. Since most batteries are listed in milliamp hours, that works out to around 27,000mAh or less - but not too much less. Anything below 20,000mAh won't be able to give any meaningful charge to a laptop's battery. Other than that, these larger portable chargers don't differ all that much from any other battery - and there are thousands of options out there with varying degrees of value, utility and function. We tested dozens to help you pick out the best laptop battery for your next trip away from an outlet. Table of contents

Black Friday has brought a solid discount to one of DJI's most accessible drones. The DJI Neo is now $159 for Prime members, which is 20 percent off its typical $200 price and a strong pickup for first-time flyers. The DJI Neo was recently pushed off our list of the best drones in favor of the newer Neo 2, but the original is still a fantastic, budget-friendly option. We called it the "best $200 drone ever made" in our official review, and with good reason. It's quick, ultra-maneuverable and beginner-friendly. The learning curve here isn't that steep. It boasts four propeller guards, for safety, and the built-in 4K camera certainly gets the job done. It's extremely light, weighing just 135 grams. This makes it easy to transport, sure, but also means that the Neo is exempt from drone license requirements. This version doesn't ship with a dedicated controller, though there is a combo pack for that, but that doesn't really matter here. The Neo can be maneuvered by hand gestures, human voice, mobile app or standard RC controller. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-dji-neo-drone-drops-to-159-in-this-black-friday-deal-155647918.html?src=rss

Black Friday has brought a solid deal on Meta's entry-level Quest 3S headset. The 128GB model is down to $250, a 17 percent cut from the usual $300, and it includes a free copy of Gorilla Tag. If you need more space, the 256GB version is also discounted to $330 from its regular $400 price. The Meta Quest 3S is an impressive VR headset for the price, and scored a 90 in Engadget's review, landing it among our picks for the best VR headsets around right now. It's comfortable to wear, gets over two hours of battery life before needing to be recharged and offers a 96-degree field of view. While its 1,830 by 1,920 pixel per eye screen doesn't quite achieve the sharpness of the Quest 3, it does have the same chip - the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 - as the pricier model, making for fast performance. It also comes with 8GB of RAM. The Quest 3S also comes with the Touch Plus controllers, which have button and joystick controls as well as motion controls. It can also connect to gaming PCs and stream gameplay to Chromecast and AirPlay devices. Despite being relatively inexpensive, the 3S offers a great experience. In his review, Engadget's Devindra Hardawar said the 3S is "the best $300 standalone VR headset we've ever seen."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-meta-quest-3s-vr-headset-is-on-sale-for-an-all-time-low-price-for-black-friday-180911736.html?src=rss

If you're browsing the best Black Friday deals under $50, the Amazon Smart Plug is one of the standouts. It's dropped to $13, which is nearly 50 percent off its normal price and a solid pickup for anyone expanding a smart home. To that end, this product made our list of the best smart plugs. It's the perfect accessory for those who rely on Alexa to control aspects of the smart home. These plugs are really easy to set up via the Alexa app. You don't have to pop in a Wi-Fi password or anything. It's basically plug-and-play. Once connected, you'll be able to use any device with Alexa to control whatever it's plugged into. For instance, you can group multiple plugs together as lights and then just say "Alexa, turn all the lights off" and it'll do just that. They are compatible with just about any household device with a physical on/off switch, including lamps and coffee makers. While these are the perfect smart plugs for Alexa households, they are only for Alexa households. The plugs don't integrate with any other digital assistant. They are still the best choice for those tied into the ecosystem.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-black-friday-deals-get-the-amazon-smart-plug-for-only-13-093033926.html?src=rss