Black Friday may have come and gone, but many retailers are still offering a heap of computer discounts across their storefronts. Per usual, most of those aren't any good. But if you need a new notebook, we've picked through the selection, checked price histories and rounded up the Black Friday laptop deals that are still available and worth your time.The offers include several notebooks we've tested and recommended, from Apple's latest MacBook Air to the latest Microsoft Surface Laptop to the top pick in our Chromebook buying guide. A few well-reviewed gaming laptops are on sale as well.We'll be updating this post as prices change and more deals pop up. Just keep in mind that many of the deals below are for pre-configured models; if you want to spec out your machine more precisely, it's still worth buying directly from a manufacturer.The Apple MacBook Air (2024).Engadget
Black Friday deals present good opportunities to pick up expensive tech, including gear for the outdoors. Solo Stove's Black Friday sale continues today, and includes some of our favorite fire pits. You'll save the most by going with a bundle; of note here is the Bonfire Backyard Bundle, which is down to $400 from $580. This pack includes the Bonfire smokeless fire pit and a whole swath of related accessories including a removable ash plate, a lid, a carry case, a stand and an outdoor shelter. Solo Stove's fire pits easily made our list of the best outdoor gear for the fall, and the medium-sized Bonfire is likely the company's most popular item. It creates a roaring fire, but without all of that hazardous smoke. What's not to like? The Bonfire is a wood-burning fire pit that gets much hotter than conventional fires, allowing for uninterrupted enjoyment in the outdoors." The sale extends to other fire pit bundles. The high-end Yukon bundle is $650 instead of $940 and the budget-friendly Ranger bundle is $310 instead of $445. Amazon is also getting in on the action. Outdoor enthusiasts can pick up the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 fire pit, complete with a removable ash pan and stand, for $196. That's a discount of over 40 percent. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-include-solo-stove-fire-pit-bundles-for-30-percent-off-182758631.html?src=rss
It's been over a year since Bose released its QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds but we would argue they're still the best noise-canceling earbuds on the market. Now, thanks to Black Friday, they're also back down to their best price, dropping from $299 to $229. We gave the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds a 88 in our review thanks to features like - you guessed it - amazing active noise cancellation. We found these earbuds especially impressive when it came to blocking airplane noise so, if you have a long flight ahead, this is where to look. These earbuds also produced really great sound quality due to Immersive Audio and spatial audio technology. The clarity, detail and volume come together to create a natural sound that makes it feel as if you're not even wearing earbuds. Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds also tout an impressive battery life (though using Immersive Audio really eats into it). We did find the earbuds to be a bit large, but there are nine soft tips to choose from so hopefully one works for you. Overall, these are a very solid option - especially at the discounted price - if you want great ANC without having to wear headphones. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-earbud-deals-include-the-bose-quietcomfort-ultra-for-229-083025955.html?src=rss
Black Friday doesn't just mean discounts on "stuff," it also means big price cuts on services. There are so many great subscription deals to shop now, including sales on VPNs. ExpressVPN, a mainstay on our list of best VPNs, is currently offering an attractive discount for all new customers: Up to 61 percent off. US-based customers can choose between two plans with huge discounts over ExpressVPN's standard rate. The "1-year plan" (actually 16 months) costs $6.25 per month, billed at a total of $100, and the 2-year plan (actually 30 months) costs just $4.99 per month, billed at a total of $150. Those rates compare to a default price of $12.95 per month. Engadget deemed ExpressVPN the best for streaming services, frequent travel and gaming. Its biggest drawback is generally considered to be the price - higher than most rivals in the space - so this is a great time to get it at a discount. (There's a 7-day trial period and a 30-day money back guarantee, so you can make sure it meets your needs before committing.) Since we conducted our review, ExpressVPN has added some additional features making it more of a full-service suite, including a password manager and ad blocker. More recently, it's added ID alerts (with a $1 million identity theft insurance package), as well as a data removal service (to counteract the preponderance of online data brokers). Some notable caveats: The data removal service is only available on the 30-month plan, and the ID alerts, insurance and data removal features are only applicable to subscribers in the US. Furthermore, these discounts are applicable only to new ExpressVPN customers. And the service will automatically renew at the standard rate after the initial discount period expires. It goes without saying that ExpressVPN is compatible with nearly all major operating systems, with support for connecting 8 devices at a time. And its no-logs policy means your online activity is as anonymous as can be. If you're looking for a dependable VPN that now has a bevy of additional privacy features, ExpressVPN is worth checking out. But don't delay: This offer is only good through December 6. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/expressvpn-black-friday-deal-30-month-plans-are-up-to-61-percent-off-120441117.html?src=rss
While many of the storage-related deals retailers promote during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period aren't anything special, a handful are genuinely decent. If you're looking to add some space to your PC, tablet or gaming handheld, allow us to do the research for you. Here are the best Black Friday SSD and storage deals you can still get today.Before you browse, note that storage prices have generally steered upwards over the past year, so many of these discounts aren't quite all-time lows. That said, all of the SSDs, portable drives and microSD cards we highlight below are at least cheaper than they've been in several months. We'll update this post as prices change and more discounts arise.
There are so many great Black Friday gaming deals on titles like Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and The Last of Us Part I. But even if you buy physical copies, current-gen consoles require that games be fully installed onto internal storage to minimize loading times. If you have a lot of games, you may want to have extra storage space. As such, Xbox Series X/S owners may wish to consider picking up Seagate's storage expansion card. The 2TB variant is on sale at the moment. It has dropped to a near-record low of $200 for Black Friday. That's 46 percent off the regular price. Seagate's version is one of our picks for the best Xbox Series X/S accessories. The 2TB version should give you ample space - at least until you start filling it up with all of the huge Call of Duty games that have started hitting Game Pass. Let's face it, proprietary storage stinks, but the choice for Series X/S owners looking for more space is largely between Seagate's Storage Expansion Card and WD's Black C50. It's possible to store Series X/S games on a regular external drive, but you'll need to move them to internal storage or an expansion card anyway to actually play them. If you don't want to deal with shifting large files around and waiting for transfers to complete, or you don't want to delete and download games more than is necessary, an expansion card is the way to go. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/xbox-black-friday-deal-get-the-seagate-2tb-expansion-card-for-200-180119041.html?src=rss
There are amazing Black Friday deals still available on lots of tech goodies. Why not check out a TV that doesn't look like a TV when it's not in use? Rather than a large black rectangle that dominates a room, Samsung designed its Frame TVs to fade into the background, making them look like framed art when you're not watching anything or playing games. Several 2024 The Frame models are 40 percent off for Black Friday, including the 55-inch model. That has dropped by $600 to $898, which is a record low price. The offer is available at Amazon and Samsung directly (though it's two dollars more at the latter). The TV is slim and can be mounted to the wall to make it look like a real piece of framed art. It comes with a Connect Box into which you can plug devices like your cable box and games console so that you only need to hook up a single cable to the TV itself. The idea is to reduce clutter and make it even easier to disguise The Frame when it's not in use. You can further personalize the TV with various bezels and such. Through the Samsung Art Store, you can choose from more than 2,500 artworks to display on The Frame when you're not watching it. The selection includes works from renowned museums and artists such as The Met, the Museum of Modern Art, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Salvador Dali. Some are free to use but many are locked behind a subscription. Meanwhile, the TV has a glare-free matte screen to make it appear as though the art is printed. The latest Frame lineup includes a motion sensor to activate the artwork when you enter a room, as well as a brightness sensor that helps adjust the TV's brightness automatically. In addition, you'll get access to many of the same features as other Samsung TVs, such as the free Samsung TV Plus, a streaming service with hundreds of ad-supported channels and many on-demand shows and movies. There's also the Gaming Hub, which includes access to game streaming services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA's GeForce Now. This is just one of a host of Black Friday deals on TVs, including other Samsung models. A 65-inch TCL QM8 QLED TV can be yours for $998, which is $502 off the regular price. The 55-inch Sony Bravia 7 QLED is $402 off at $1,298. We've also highlighted Hisense and LG models in our round-up, along with deals on streaming devices and services. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-black-friday-tv-deal-discounts-the-samsung-frame-tv-by-40-percent-191714012.html?src=rss
Fortnite is bringing its current chapter to a close with a live concert event featuring music from the late rapper Juice WRLD, as well as Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Ice Spice. The in-game event, Remix: The Finale, kicks off at 2PM ET, but it's recommended that you log on early to ensure you get in on time. Fortnite's tribute to Juice WRLD began earlier this month with a Juice WRLD skin and a number of related items.Juice WRLD (Jarad Higgins) died in 2019 at age 21, and while the practice of using a celebrity's digital likeness after their death generally rubs me the wrong way, he was apparently a big Fortnite fan, so this collab at least seems to make sense. His mother, Carmela Wallace, said in a statement shared by Epic that Jarad always loved to play Fortnite - it was more than just entertainment for him, it was a way to connect with others. From a young age, video games were a part of how he bonded with friends and family, and being in Fortnite is an incredible tribute to that connection."Epic GamesThe rapper's estate has released three posthumous albums since his death, and another new track, Empty Out Your Pockets," will premiere at the Fortnite event. I know he would be overjoyed to see how his love for games continues to bring people together across different spaces, just like his music does," Wallace said. The event will also showcase a new single from Snoop Dogg called Another Part of Me," which features Sting. If you miss the live event, Epic says it plans to run an encore later in the day barring any technical issues.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-is-hosting-a-virtual-concert-today-in-tribute-to-the-late-rapper-juice-wrld-163812994.html?src=rss
A VR headset could make a great gift for the gamer in your life, and now you can pick up one of our favorites at a killer price. Sony's PlayStation VR2 is on sale for $350 right now in a bundle that includes the critically-acclaimed spin-off Horizon Call of the Mountain. That's $200 off the bundle's regular price and one of the best Black Friday deals on VR headsets we found this year. We enjoyed this headset and gave it high marks in our official review. The OLED displays are excellent, so the graphics are on point. The headset's fit is comfortable and it includes built-in haptics for increased immersion. Haptics for your head? That's a pretty novel concept. The headset also includes eye tracking technology and ships with two dedicated controllers, one for each hand. The company's Sense controllers are eerily similar to Meta Quest controllers, with a large tracking ring, analog sticks, face buttons, triggers and grip buttons. As for Horizon Call of the Mountain, it's a new entry in the beloved Horizon franchise, only in VR. There's a whole lot of climbing, as indicated by the title, but also a refined bow and arrow mechanic that feels just right in virtual space. We hesitated to recommend this headset to everyone at its original price of $550, but it's a no-brainer at $350. This deal is also available through Sony, if Amazon isn't your bag. So what's the catch? There's only one. This isn't a standalone headset. It requires a PS5 to work, though Sony did recently release an adapter that lets it connect to a PC. Interested in the headset but don't have a PS5 yet? Luckily the PS5 Slim is also on sale right now for $75 off. It's Black Friday deals drop the console to $375 for the digital-only model and $425 for the disc-based version. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-playstation-black-friday-deals-get-the-ps-vr2-horizon-call-of-the-mountain-bundle-for-200-off-174513635.html?src=rss
Thanks to the deals we see during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period, you can usually stock up on tech gear you need for yourself without going over budget while also picking up all of the holiday gifts you need. When it comes to mobile accessories, particularly charging gear, Anker makes a lot of our favorites. Whether you're looking for a new power bank to take with you on your next trip or a wireless charger to put on your nightstand, Anker probably has one that will fit your requirements. We've collected all of the best Anker Black Friday deals below so you don't have to sift through them yourself.
You don't have to look too hard to find Black Friday deals on Apple devices. For one thing, the Apple Watch Series 10 has dropped to a new all-time-low price on Amazon. The wearable can be yours for $329. That's $70 off, or a discount of 18 percent. That price is for the smaller 42mm model without LTE functionality. However, the 46mm variant is also $70 off at $359. The Apple Watch Series 10 is our pick for the best smartwatch overall, but it's probably best to look at other options if you're an Android user. After all, you'll need a compatible iPhone to set up the wearable and get the most out of it. For Apple users who are after something a little simpler than the flagship model, the Apple Watch SE has also dropped to a record low price ($149) for Black Friday. We gave the Apple Watch Series 10 a score of 90 in our review. Apple redesigned the smartwatch to offer a larger screen and thinner frame, both of which were plus points in our book. The wide-angle OLED panel offers better viewing angles. The wearable has in-depth fitness and health tracking too, with new functions including sleep apnea detection. We found that there was a slight increase in battery life thanks to efficiency improvements, but some alternative smartwatches run for much longer on a single charge. Overall, this is a somewhat iterative update compared with the Series 9 and 8, but if you're upgrading from an older Apple Watch (or buying one for the first time), you may find the features, performance and charging speed to be impressive. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-apple-deals-drop-the-series-10-smartwatch-down-to-a-record-low-price-180028128.html?src=rss
Bluesky has updated its impersonation policy to be "more aggressive" after third-party analysis highlighted its verification problem. The Bluesky Safety account said that the social media service is removing accounts that are impersonating other people and those squatting on handles. Bluesky doesn't have a conventional verification system, so it's easy for unscrupulous users to pretend to be someone else either for attention or to scam other people. That may not have been a serious problem in the past, but the recent influx of new users threw the issue into stark relief.While users can verify their identities on Bluesky by linking their account to a domain name, the process isn't as straightforward as paying for a checkmark. They'd have to add a string of text to the DNS record associated with their domain so that they could claim their URL. For instance, we could claim the Engadget.com handle on Bluesky if we go through this self-verification process. Individuals can link their accounts to personal domains or pay for Bluesky's custom domain service. In its new announcement, the platform say's it's working with organizations and high-profile individuals to set up their verified handles.That said, when a user verifies their account, their old handle (typically username.bsky.social) gets freed up and becomes available to other people who sign up. Alexios Mantzarlis, the third party from Cornell Tech who analyzed the app's userbase, found that 44 percent of Bluesky's 100 most-followed accounts have a doppelganger. That is why Bluesky now requires parody, satire or fan accounts to label themselves as such in both their handles and their bio. If they don't, or if they only indicate the nature of their account in one of those elements, then they'll be treated as an impersonator and will be removed from the platform.Bluesky now explicitly prohibits identity churning, as well. Accounts that start as impersonators with the purpose of gaining new users, and who then switch to a different identity in an attempt to circumvent the ban, will still get booted off the app. Finally, it says it's exploring "additional options to enhance account verification," though they're not quite ready for rollout. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/bluesky-implements-a-more-aggressive-impersonation-policy-130047163.html?src=rss
Over the years, Engadget has tested out some pretty great kitchen gear that helps us make pizzas, spice our food, get our vitamins and crisp our fries. Now, we're seeing Black Friday kitchen deals on those very appliances and gadgets. Here, we've gathered up the best deals we could find on the cooking gadgets we recommend, with picks pulled from our various reviews and buying guides.Not only is this a good opportunity to level up your own home chef setup, these devices make excellent gifts. For example, if you gave an Ooni pizza oven ($130 off) or our favorite sous vide machine ($100 off) as a gift for the holidays, most home cooks would be wildly appreciative. Here are the best Black Friday deals we found on kitchen tech from retailers across the web.The best Black Friday kitchen deals for 2024Whether for buying guides, reviews or our own use, we've tried plenty of gadgets that make home cooking simpler and more enjoyable. We also recently put together a cooking gift guide full of our favorite stuff. Our picks include low and high tech devices for kitchens both indoor and outdoor and right now, lots of those harder-to-categorize recommendations are currently on sale for Black Friday and listed here.Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget
Our choice for best budget open design earbuds is currently discounted for Black Friday. Right now, you can pick up the Amazon Echo Buds for just $25, down from $50 - an all-time low price that makes an affordable option that much more accessible. Amazon released its most recent generation of Echo Buds in 2023 and impressed us with its level of quality for an open earbud option. The semi-in-ear style allows for more ambient noise and might be more comfortable depending on your ear shape. The earbuds have some solid perks such as multi-device connectivity and a solid five hours of music playback. You can increase their life by another hour if you turn wake word off. You'll get up to 20 hours of charge with the case. As an Amazon device, the Echo Buds are also equipped with Alexa, so you can ask the assistant to play music, call someone, set a reminder or one of the many other standard tasks. Plus, you can use the Alexa app to set tap controls for muting your mics and changing your music. Speaking of music, these earbuds have 12mm drivers and a crisp overall sound (though the open nature hurts the bass quality). Be careful, though, when working out as their low IPX2 water resistance rating means sweat could be a problem. The Echo Buds are just one of the many Black Friday deals available for under $50. If you want to expand your Echo family then check out Amazon's Echo Dot speaker for $23, down from $50 or the Echo Show 5 and Echo Spot - each down to $45. Anker is another company with great options under $50 on Black Friday, Shop deals like the Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $28, down from $40 or the Soundcore by Anker Space A40 wireless earbuds, available for $45, down from $70. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-black-friday-deals-include-the-echo-buds-for-only-25-100030182.html?src=rss
If vacuuming is one of your least favorite chores, a robot vacuum can take that largely manual process and make it almost entirely automated. And unlike a few years ago, you don't have to spend a fortune to get a decent robot vacuum today. That being said, it's always advisable to wait for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period if you want to get the best deal on a brand new robo-vac. This year, we're seeing steep discounts on some of our favorite machines, including both robot vacuums and cordless vacuum cleaners. These are the best Black Friday vacuum deals you can get this year.Black Friday robot vacuum deals
We typically think of Black Friday and Cyber Monday as good opportunities to save on gadgets and pick up a few gifts at a discount before the holidays. But those savings extend to subscriptions and services in addition to tangible gadgets. Whether you've been thinking about trying a streaming service like Peacock or want to invest in a VPN service like ExpressVPN, you can do so during this time of the year for less thanks to Black Friday deals on subscriptions. To make it easier to find the services you want and need this year, Engadget has curated the best subscription deals you can get for Black Friday this year.Best Black Friday subscription deals
Senior reporter Jess Conditt joins host Cherlynn Low and producer Ben Ellman on a quiet news week to talk about the latest developments at Sony, Threads, TikTok and more. We also take a look at some gadget announcements and discuss the impact that social media and technology have had on the way we work and how we think of celebrity and success.Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!Subscribe!
Now isn't a bad time to try our pick for the best VPN service for 2024. ProtonVPN is on sale for 70 percent off 24-month subscriptions ($71.76 upfront) and 50 percent off 12-month plans ($59.88). That averages out to $3 monthly if you go with two years and $5 monthly for the single-year option. It's just one of many subscription deals you can find for Black Friday, making now a good time to check which services you use regularly (or wanted to try) have been discounted. ProtonVPN is Engadget's favorite VPN service of 2024. Although most services passed our tests with high marks, Proton's service stood out for its independently audited no-logs policy, a proven record of refusing law enforcement requests, open-source code and a peer-review program that discloses potential vulnerabilities. We also liked its user-friendly interface. The company offers a limited free plan, but ProtonVPN Plus gives you access to 6,500 servers in more than 110 countries. It also includes the company's high-speed (10Gbps) servers, BitTorrent support, a built-in ad blocker and the option to route your connection through multiple servers. Other Proton services are also on sale. That includes Proton Mail, the company's fully encrypted email service that put it on the map. You can get 12 months for 60 percent off ($23.88) or 24 months for 30 percent off ($83.76). ProtonMail recently added an AI-powered writing feature to its mail service. Even if you aren't a fan of robots putting words into your mouth, the service still gives you up to 10 email addresses (including custom domain support), smart filters and labels, one-click unsubscribe and dedicated mobile and desktop apps. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-vpn-deals-for-2024-include-70-percent-off-proton-vpn-membership-plans-192530208.html?src=rss
A coalition of Canadian news outlets sued OpenAI on Friday for copyright infringement. The joint lawsuit accuses the company of capitalizing and profiting" from the unauthorized use of their content for ChatGPT. The legal action was filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.The plaintiffs include CBC/Radio-Canada, Postmedia, Metroland, the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and The Canadian Press. They're seeking punitive damages from OpenAI, payments for any profits the ChatGPT creator made from using their news articles and a ban on further use of their content.OpenAI regularly breaches copyright and online terms of use by scraping large swaths of content from Canadian media to help develop its products, such as ChatGPT," the media outlets wrote in a statement (via CBC News). OpenAI is capitalizing and profiting from the use of this content, without getting permission or compensating content owners."In a statement to Engadget, OpenAI noted its news content partnerships and opt-out process while voicing a belief that its practices are covered under fair use.Hundreds of millions of people around the world rely on ChatGPT to improve their daily lives, inspire creativity, and solve hard problems," an OpenAI spokesperson wrote. Our models are trained on publicly available data, grounded in fair use and related international copyright principles that are fair for creators and support innovation. We collaborate closely with news publishers, including in the display, attribution and links to their content in ChatGPT search, and offer them easy ways to opt-out should they so desire."OpenAI's new search engine is built into ChatGPT. It crawls websites and points users toward them for additional info. The company has said it doesn't use that data for crawling or training its models.The Canadian news outlets have joined a long list of companies, individuals, and other organizations that have sued the ChatGPT maker for unauthorized training on their work. That list includes (among others) The New York Times, The Intercept, Raw Story, a group of nonfiction authors and the comedian Sarah Silverman.Early this year, OpenAI wrote to a UK committee that it would be impossible to train today's leading AI models without using copyrighted materials." This month, the NYT filed a court declaration as part of its lawsuit, stating that OpenAI's engineers accidentally erased evidence of the company's AI training data.OpenAI has argued that using publicly available online content falls under the fair use doctrine. The Canadian plaintiffs objected to that view, writing that journalism is in the public interest. OpenAI using other companies' journalism for their own commercial gain is not. It's illegal."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/canadian-news-organizations-sue-openai-for-chatgpt-copyright-infringement-190806649.html?src=rss
(David Eulitt/Getty Images)David Eulitt via Getty ImagesMaybe you're a huge football fan, maybe you're someone who wants to kick up your feet on the couch and enjoy something on in the background while you scroll for Black Friday deals on your phone and recover from Thanksgiving. Either way, we (and the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs) have got you covered.This afternoon, the Chiefs (10-1) host the Raiders (2-9) in a game that the home team is unsurprisingly favored to win. But last holiday season the two teams faced off on Christmas just for the Raiders to win in a shocking upset - proof that anything could happen on Friday afternoon. And if that's not enough drama for you, odds are Taylor Swift may show up to support Travis Kelce.Are you ready to watch yet? The game kicks off today, November 29 at 3PM ET (12PM PT) inside Allegiant Stadium. Here's what you need to know before tuning in.
A MasterClass subscription is perhaps one of the best gifts you can get for yourself if you love learning new things or honing your skills, and it will now you can subscribe for 50 percent off. The MasterClass Black Friday sale currently has membership starting at $5 per month, but arguably the best deal is on MasterClass Premium, which is $10 per month right now instead of the usual $20 per month. With that tier, you'll be able to access classes on six devices, and it also includes offline viewing capabilities. A subscription will let you view more than 200 classes across 11 categories no matter what option you choose. MasterClass offers lessons from some of the best and most well-known people in their field, such as Gordon Ramsay (cooking), Martin Scorsese (filmmaking), Margaret Atwood (creative writing), Mariah Carey (using voice as an instrument), Stephen Curry (basketball), Steve Martin (comedy), Shonda Rhimes (writing for TV), John Legend (songwriting), Garry Kasparov (chess), Jane Goodall (conservation), Simone Biles (gymnastics) and Samuel L. Jackson (acting). Take note that you'll have to pay for the whole year to be able to enjoy the discounted rates, which are only available for a limited time. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-on-masterclass-subscriptions-are-as-low-as-5-a-month-150047651.html?src=rss
Amazon's Fire tablets are not exactly expensive, but Black Friday winnows the prices down even further. The company's most powerful tablet, the Fire Max 11, is down to a record low of $140 as part of a wider Amazon Black Friday deal. That's a discount of nearly 40 percent. This is a fairly recent entry into Amazon's library of tablets, having just been released last year. The Fire Max 11 boasts a large 11-inch LCD screen, a slim aluminum frame and plenty of smart home controls. Of course, it integrates with Alexa for voice controls. This is the cooler and more refined sibling of the Fire 10 and Fire 8 tablets. The tablet uses an octa-core MediaTek processor and weighs just over a pound. There's a fingerprint sensor, support for WiFi 6 and 4GB of RAM. It runs Fire OS 8, which allows for split-screen and picture-in-picture features. This lets users slam some emails while, say, keeping an eye on a YouTube video. The tablet integrates with a keyboard and stylus, but those cost extra. There are some minor downsides. First of all, this is an ad-supported model that'll throw advertisements on the lock screen. In my experience, these are surprisingly unobtrusive. I hate ads and barely notice them. This sale is also for the 64GB version. That's not a whole lot of room but the tablet does come with a microSD reader for up to 1TB of additional storage. There are a whole bunch of Amazon items on sale right now for Black Friday. These deals include the Kindle Paperwhite for $130 and the Echo Dot for $23, among many others. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-black-friday-deals-pick-up-the-fire-max-11-tablet-for-a-record-low-price-103026882.html?src=rss
Black Friday promos are in full swing now, and that's brought many of our favorite gadgets down to their lowest prices of the year. Case in point: the Fitbit Charge 6, which is down to a record low of $100 right now. It's a top pick in our best fitness trackers guide in part because of its comprehensive exercise tracking capabilities and its built-in GPS. The Charge 6 has a few things going for it. With the new model, Fitbit added a more accurate heart rate sensor, the ability to pair with exercise machines over Bluetooth and a physical side button to aid with menu navigation. If you're a YouTube Music Premium subscriber, you can also use the device to control YouTube Music playback. Carrying over from older iterations, the Charge 6 offers comprehensive tracking for 20 discrete exercises, with built-in GPS for activities like running and cycling. It also retains the design of the Charge 5, which in this case, is a good thing. The fact it's not a smartwatch means the Charge 6 is comfortable to wear and offers a battery that will last you for several days instead of just one at most. The full-color AMOLED display is easy to read and looks great, even outdoors. Other notable features include support for contactless payments through Fitbit Pay and Google Wallet. The only downsides to the Charge 6 are that Fitbit doesn't offer Apple Health integration and that some data and features are locked behind the company's premium subscription. However, if you're looking for a fitness tracker that can basically do it all, the Charge 6 is one of the best options right now. For those looking to spend less on a fitness tracker, I'll mention that Amazon has also discounted the Inspire 3. It's currently $70, down from $100. Fitbit's entry-level fitness tracker is a good option for those who don't mind bringing their phone to their bike rides and runs as the device lacks built-in GPS tracking. If you're looking to save money on other tools that will help you on your fitness journey, be sure to check out Engadget's best of Black Friday deal roundup. There are more than a few fitness-oriented gadgets on that list, including Theragun Mini 2.0, which is currently $50 off. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-fitness-deals-drop-the-fitbit-charge-6-down-to-100-171919295.html?src=rss
If you've had your eye on a new iPad, now's the time to seriously consider that purchase. Black Friday Apple deals have arrived, and the 10th-gen iPad is down to its best price yet. Most models are on sale for $259, but a couple of colorways have an additional, clippable coupon that will bring the final price down to a record low of $250. Apple released the tablet back in 2022, but it's still our best budget iPad option for 2024. The 10th-gen iPad is only slightly thicker and heavier than the iPad Air. It looks similar to the iPad Air, too - the tablet no longer has the Home button that its predecessor did, and it has a bigger screen with smaller bezels. The device is powered by Apple's A14 Bionic chip, which was first seen on the iPhone 12 and is powerful enough that we could edit RAW photos in Lightroom when we tested the tablet. When we ran a test for battery life, we discovered that the model could play movies continuously for 11 hours and 45 minutes on a single charge. Unlike previous models with Lightning ports, this one comes with a USB-C port for charging. Apple moved its front-facing camera to its landscape edge, as well. The company gave it a larger display, measuring 10.9 inches, so it doesn't feel as cramped as previous models even with a lot of apps. While the iPad Air does have a better display overall with its lamination and anti-reflective coating, the 10th-gen iPad's isn't bad at all seeing as it costs significantly less, especially with this discount. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-ipad-black-friday-sales-are-here-get-the-10th-gen-tablet-at-a-record-low-price-130005376.html?src=rss
by Jeff Dunn,Valentina Palladino,Amy Skorheim on (#6RXMD)
Black Friday 2024 is finally here, but we wouldn't blame you if you thought it's been here for quite some time. Deals began in earnest at the start of November, and it's safe to say that the best Black Friday deals we saw launch about a week ago remain the best ones today.If you don't want to bother to sift through the plethora of deals across Amazon, Walmart, Target and other retailers, allow Engadget to help. Below is a curated selection of the best Black Friday deals you can get this year. Whether you're shopping for yourself or for others as you cross things off your gift list ahead of the holidays, we recommend jumping on these deals now before they sell out or before they disappear likely when Cyber Monday is over.Disney+ Hulu bundle one-year subscription for $36 ($96 off): This Disney+ Black Friday deal gets you the ad-supported tiers of both Disney+ and Hulu (known as the Duo Basic bundle) for only $3 per month for one year. It's one of the best streaming deals of the seasons since it gives you the ability to catch up on all those classic Disney holiday movies, and the thousands of episodes of TV that Hulu has.Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $154 ($96 off): The best AirPods you can get right now, these offer a secure, comfortable fit, good sound quality and ANC, plus excellent transparency mode. Thanks to a recent software update, the Pro 2 earbuds can be used as hearing aids if the user takes Apple's new hearing test and it discovers mild to moderate hearing loss.Apple MacBook Air (M3, 13-inch) for $844 ($256 off): The latest MacBook Air is our top pick for the best laptop for most people, and this model has 16GB of RAM built in - double the previous base amount. If you're ok with getting an M2 processor, that 13-inch MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM is also on sale for $749.Apple 10th-gen iPad for $250 ($100 off with coupon): The best iPad for those on a budget, this model has a modern design, good performance, a landscape-oriented front-facing camera and a solid battery life. It has also done away with the Lightning port in favor of a more modern USB-C port. Note that some color options are on sale for $279 and have an addition coupon that brings the final price down to $250. Also available (at $279) at Target.PS5 Slim Digital for $374 ($75 off): If you've been unable to get your hands on a PS5 until now, you can get a decent discount for the holiday shopping season. It earned a score of 87 in our original review for its speedy 4K gaming, minimal load times and excellent DualSense controller. Also available at Walmart, Target and Sony.Peacock one-year subscription for $20 (75 percent off): The Peacock Black Friday deal is back this year, bringing the price of one year of access to the ad-supported tier down to only $20. Note that the subscription will automatically renew at the regular rate after the first year, and the deal is only available to new subscribers who are not currently paying for Peacock Premium or Premium Plus.Max 6-month subscription for $18 (70 percent off): This deal gives you access to the Ads tier for $3 per month for the first six months, coming out to a total of only $18 for that time period. New and returning Max subscribers can take advantage of this.Anker 10K MagGo power bank for $54 ($36 off): This is one of our top picks for the best power banks you can buy today thanks to its versatile capacity, speedy Qi2 charging capabilities, clear screen that shows remaining battery power and its built-in kickstand. The black model has the steepest discount, while the rest are down to $60. Also available at Anker.Anker 3-in-1 10K portable charger for $30 ($15 off): A top pick in our best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don't need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices. Also available at Anker.Anker Soundcore Space A40 for $45 ($35): The Space A40 is the longtime top pick in our guide to the best budget earbuds, as it delivers the kind of robust feature set we expect from pairs that cost three times as much. Call quality isn't the best, and it won't auto-pause when you take out an earbud, but its warm sound, powerful ANC, eight-ish hours of battery life and comfy design all impress for the money. This deal ties the lowest price we've seen. Also available at Anker with a coupon.DJI Osmo Mobile 6 gimbal for $89 ($40 off): The latest version of DJI's smartphone gimbal includes improved tracking and a new Quick Launch feature for iPhones that automatically launches the companion app in camera view so you can get to filming. Also available at B&H Photo.Meta Quest 3s + $75 gift card for $300 ($75 off): A recent addition to our best VR headsets guide, the 3S is our favorite cheap virtual reality device. It's comfortable to wear for long sessions, has fast performance and excellent controllers, plus it has a vast library of games and programs to choose from. Also available at Target.Bose QuietComfort headphones for $199 ($150 off): The latest version of Bose's iconic QC headphones, these cans have excellent ANC, a comfortable (if a bit dated) design, 24 hours of battery life and a quick-charge feature that will get you two hours of battery after just 15 minutes of them being plugged in. Also available at Bose.Black Friday FAQsWhen is Black Friday 2024?Black Friday 2024 lands on November 29 this year.When do Black Friday deals start?We expect some Black Friday tech deals to start as early as November 1. Over the past few years, retailers have been kicking off the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier. This trend will continue in 2024, and you'll likely find early Black Friday deals available online and in stores in the weeks before the actual shopping event.When do Black Friday deals end?Some Black Friday tech deals will end immediately on Saturday, November 30. But those will likely be few and far between. Along with starting deals earlier and earlier, retailers have also extended Black Friday deals past the day for a while now, too. In the tech space, we've seen many Black Friday deals in the past run through Cyber Monday.Where are the best Black Friday deals?There is no one place to buy all of the best Black Friday deals, but you can expect the big retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target to have many of the same Black Friday deals available - both in the lead up and on the day itself. We also recommend checking direct-to-consumer sites like Apple, Samsung, Sonos and others to make sure you're getting the best deal before you cross things off your list.Does Apple have Black Friday deals?You typically will not find cash discounts on Apple's website for Black Friday, though it has offered various gift card bundles during Black Friday in recent years. You may be able to find local Apple store discounts on accessories, but Apple isn't a retailer known for slashing prices on its products. However, you can find more traditional Apple Black Friday tech deals at other retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy.Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-13-best-black-friday-deals-worth-shopping-right-now-get-up-to-70-percent-off-today-163039852.html?src=rss
If you're on the market for an action cam to up the quality of your social media posts (or you have a budding vlogger on your gift list), GoPro's Black Friday deals might have just what you're looking for. The GoPro Hero 13 Black bundle is $100 off for Black Friday, bringing it down to $350. You can grab the deal at Amazon and directly from GoPro. In addition to the action cam, the bundle includes The Handler grip, two Enduro batteries, two curved adhesive mounts, a 64GB SanDisk microSD card and a case to hold it all in. We've tested the GoPro Hero13 Black before, and it's quite the improvement over its predecessor, the Hero12 Black. Its maximum resolution of 5.3K at 120fps coupled with Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) makes it a compelling choice for power users. It also runs longer in both hot and cold environments, even when 10-bit video mode is active. For those who want to capture more footage, the Hero13 Black is rated for 1.5 hours of 4K at 30fps. The Hero13 Black is compatible with several GoPro add-ons like the Macro Lens Mod, Smart Motion Blur ND Filter 4-Pack and Anamorphic Lens Mod, all sold separately. The camera knows when you've attached one to it and automatically adjusts its settings to match. This function helps reduce the required setup time, allowing you to spend more time filming. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-gopro-deals-bring-this-hero-13-black-bundle-down-to-350-144338690.html?src=rss
Let's cut to the chase. The chaos of Black Friday sales is here, and for the last week, we've been detangling the best deals on some of the best tech. We've got guides for specific categories, like cameras, Apple gear, gaming and more, but we've also pulled together 50(ish) of the best discounts right here.After so many years of BF sales, mileage varies, but here are some of my cherry-picked highlights:
If you're looking to treat yourself or a loved one to a new laptop without breaking the bank, there are plenty of Black Friday deals worth considering. Even better, there's a discount on what we reckon is the best laptop for most people and the best laptop for college students. Apple's M3 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM has dropped to its lowest price to date. The laptop is available for $844, which is more than $250 off the list price. Apple just released its first M4-powered Macs, but it has yet to slot the latest chip into the MacBook Air. The 13-inch MBA's blend of power and portability makes it a potent choice and we gave it a score of 90 in our review. It delivers fast performance and has a killer display. The design is sleek and sturdy and it sounds great thanks to a quad-speaker array. We like the trackpad and keyboard as well, while the upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E connectivity is a definite plus. Our main quibble is that the USB-C ports are on the same side of the unit as the one for the charger - having even one USB-C on the right side would be handy. But that's a minor complaint about an otherwise terrific laptop. If you're willing to go with a slightly older (but no less capable) processor, the M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage has dropped to $749 - another record-low price. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-apple-deals-include-the-m3-macbook-air-with-16gb-of-ram-for-more-than-250-off-180617593.html?src=rss
Apple's website hardly ever hosts sales of its own. So we have to rely on other retailers, like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and Target to discount Apple devices for Black Friday. This year, the deals are looking pretty great - if you've been waiting for a better price before grabbing that iPad or pair of AirPods, congratulate yourself now, the wait was likely worth it.We found discounts on current-model gear, as well as previous generation devices that'll still serve you well. And if you'd like a little more info before plunking down your money, you can check out our reviews and buying advice beforehand - all of which are linked below. Here are the best Black Friday Apple deals you can get this year.The best Black Friday Apple AirPods dealsApple has four models of AirPods right now: The AirPods Pro 2, the over-ear AirPods Max and two AirPods 4, one with active noise cancellation and one without. Apple has been doing a lot of interesting things with their headphones lately, making this a good time to dive in. Though the discounts for Black Friday look to be minor, it's better than paying full price.
Canada's antitrust watchdog is suing Google to force the breakup of the company's ad tech unit. In a statement published Thursday, during the US Thanksgiving holiday, the Competition Bureau said a thorough" investigation had found that Google had abused its dominant position in programmatic web advertising to maintain and entrench its market power."Specifically, the watchdog has accused Google of giving its own tools preferential access to online ad inventory. The Competition Bureau alleges the company also took a financial hit on some transactions in an effort to disadvantage rival platforms, and that it even went so far as dictating the terms by which its own customers could do business with competing ad tech companies.Among other remedies, the Competition Bureau is seeking to force Google to sell two of its ad tech tools. The agency also wants the company to pay a penalty for its behavior.Google did not immediately respond to Engadget's request for comment. In a statement it shared with Reuters, Google said the complaint "ignores the intense competition where ad buyers and sellers have plenty of choice." The tech giant added it is looking forward to arguing its case in court. Our advertising technology tools help websites and apps fund their content, and enable businesses of all sizes to effectively reach new customers," Dan Taylor, vice-president of Global Ads at Google, said separately.The Competition Bureau conducted an extensive investigation that found that Google has abused its dominant position in online advertising in Canada by engaging in conduct that locks market participants into using its own ad tech tools, excluding competitors, and distorting the competitive process," said Matthew Boswell, Canada's Commissioner of Competition.Google's conduct has prevented rivals from being able to compete on the merits of what they have to offer, to the detriment of Canadian advertisers, publishers and consumers. We are taking our case to the Tribunal to stop this conduct and its harmful effects in Canada."The case comes as Google attempts to fend off a separate attempt by the US Department of Justice to break up the company's ad business. The two sides made their closing arguments in that case on Monday, and a decision could be announced as early as next week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/canadas-competition-bureau-sues-to-break-up-googles-ad-business-030032969.html?src=rss
Amazon won't need to pay the European Union 250 million ($263 million) in back taxes. On Wednesday, the bloc's executive branch said it was closing three separate state aid investigations, including one involving Amazon. The decision ends one of the company's longest-running legal sagas.In 2017, the European Commission found that, from 2006 to 2014, Amazon had used an operating company in Luxembourg to pay substantially less tax to the European Union. The shell company had no offices or staff, and was, according to the Commission, used solely by Amazon to lower its tax bill. By the Commission's estimate, the e-commerce giant avoided taxation on three quarters of all the profit it made from online sales in the EU during that period.In 2021, however, Amazon won an appeal against the ruling. Although the company changed its tax structure following the investigation, it argued at the time that the Commission's decision was full of "methodological errors." It also said the payments were legal per international tax principles, an argument Europe's second-highest court agreed with after finding Amazon's structure didn't confer it an advantage over other companies. Subsequently, the court ordered the Commission's decision annulled.With this week's announcement, the Commission said it was taking into account the guidance of the EU Courts" in closing the case against Amazon. Amazon did not immediately respond to Engadget's comment request.While the end of its case against Amazon is a setback for the European Commission, earlier this year the body won a decisive victory against Apple. In September, Europe's highest court ordered the tech giant to pay back a 13 billion ($14.4 billion) tax break from Ireland that was found to be illegal in 2016.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/european-commission-ends-state-aid-case-against-amazon-with-no-tax-payout-004438602.html?src=rss
Amazon isn't exactly shy about slashing prices on its own products during major shopping events like Black Friday. Not even when it comes to devices that it announced and released just days ago. To wit, the company has taken 10 percent off the list price of the Echo Show 21. The smart display can now be yours for $360. Amazon revealed the Echo Show 21 on November 20 and made it available to order immediately. No prizes for guessing that the device has a 21-inch screen. Of course, as with the Echo Show 15, this can be mounted on a wall. A countertop stand is available to buy separately. The Echo Show 21 has a 1080p display and an upgraded camera. Amazon claims this offers more than double the field of view of the original Echo Show 15 as well as 65 percent more zoom. As the presence of a camera suggests, Amazon is hoping you'll use this for video calls too. The company claims to have reduced unwanted ambient noise with this model. The Echo Show 21 is said to offer double the bass and immersive sound as well. You can use the Echo Show 21 as a Fire TV and it comes with an Alexa Voice Remote. The unit has Wi-Fi 6E connectivity and you can use it as a smart home hub. Amazon has also updated the Echo Show 15 with all these features and the smaller unit is on sale as well. It's down to $270, which marks a discount of 10 percent. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-new-echo-show-21-is-already-40-off-in-this-black-friday-deal-191730669.html?src=rss
EngadgetFor many of you, the turkey is probably already in the oven, and the appetizer noshing has begun. But in between bites - or while the commercials roll on today's NFL games - Thanksgiving Day is actually a great time to start your Black Friday shopping. Here's why: Nearly all of the best deals are live now, and we don't expect further major price drops. Really. And that goes for Cyber Monday as well. So for Thanksgiving, we thought we'd give you a sort of executive summary of the best tech deals this year.This list includes some Engadget team favorites (and some personal ones) along with a bevy of alternate picks, as well as a large swath of Apple deals. That final one is notable because we're seeing some of the best prices of the year - in some cases, the best prices ever - on a wide range of current Apple gear, including AirPods, iPads and MacBooks, all of which Engadget readers have been scooping up over the past few days and weeks, and the price drops have settled in.If you're looking for a more comprehensive list, check out our best Black Friday tech deals roundup, which has more than four dozen picks and growing. And we've linked to several of our other deal roundups below, too, if you want some more specific breakouts.PlayStationPlayStation 5 Slim game console: As a longtime Xbox guy, it pains me to say this: The PS5 is the game console you probably really want. That's largely due to its impressive list of exclusive titles that you can't play on Microsoft's (or Nintendo's) rival gaming machines - franchises like God of War, The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn, Helldivers and Marvel's Spider-Man, to name some of the most noteworthy. If you haven't yet taken the PS5 plunge, now's a better time than ever: The Slim" version of the console is slightly less chunky than the 2020 original in both girth and cost, starting at just $375 for the all-digital version, and $424 for the PS5 model with a built-in Blu-ray drive. (Get the latter if you want to play disc-based games or movies.) Alas, there are no discounts on the $699 PS5 Pro, but that's overkill for all but the most hard-core PlayStation fans. See more Black Friday video game deals.AirPods Pro 2 earbuds: Apple's best earbuds are now on sale for nearly $100 less than their price at the Apple Store, despite being more full-featured than ever. And while the latest firmware update lets them work as hearing aids, average users will be more impressed with their top-notch noise-canceling, as well as their effortless compatibility with Apple devices, from iPhones, iPads and Macs. Want Android compatibility? Go for the Bose QuietComfort Ultra for 23 percent off, or opt for full-size headphones like the Beats Solo 4 (down to $100) or the superb Sony WH-1000XM5 (25 percent off).JBL Clip 5 Bluetooth speaker: Yes, you can get Bluetooth speakers for as little as $20 this Black Friday. But we'd recommend spending up for something like the JBL Clip 5. I own - and love - the predecessor, but this new-for-2024 model adds stereo pairing (if you get a second set) and an adjustable EQ via JBL's app. It's also fully dust- and waterproof, in addition to being partially made from recycled plastics. Sealing the deal? It's currently discounted 37 percent. Save a bit more with the even smaller stepdown model, the JBL Go 4, now marked down to $40. See more Black Friday deals under $50.Nathan Ingraham / EngadgetApple iPad (10th generation): For the past several months, Apple has been blowing out its discontinued 9th generation iPad for as little as $199. But now the current baseline model has dipped down to $250, making it even more appealing. This 2022 model doesn't have the computing muscle to run current or future Apple Intelligence apps, but it's otherwise a solid entry in the company's touch-screen computing line, with a Touch ID power button, a big 10.9-inch screen and compatibility with the Apple Pencil (sold separately). Need more storage? The 256GB model is down to $410 - twice as much space as you'll get with the admittedly nicer and newer iPad Air (also currently on sale for $100 off). See more Black Friday Apple deals.Roku Ultra: Engadget's list of best video streamers is littered with Roku models, including this new-for-2024 Ultra box. And with good reason: This latest high-end Roku pretty much erases complaints from the previous version, with a full range of HDR compatibility, an updated rechargeable voice remote (USB-C, finally) and both Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6 support. The 20-percent Black Friday discount gets it to $80, but if you're on a tighter budget, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K ($29) will get you most of the same features at less than half the price. And we'll give an honorable mention to the Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max - currently on sale for just $33 - which is a better choice for anyone who uses a VPN to increase their streaming options. And whether you're buying a new streamer or you're already covered on that front, note that Disney/Hulu, Peacock and Max all have some solid Black Friday specials worth checking out.Apple Watch 10: The Apple Watch got a nice redesign for 2024, with a thinner body and larger face - the small" one is now 42mm while the larger one is 46mm, effectively eclipsing the Apple Watch Ultra. Yes, you'll still need to recharge it almost every day, but the always-on screen and more efficient battery make this a nice upgrade for anyone who's still rocking a Series 7 or earlier. With the starting prices down to $329 for Black Friday, it's a great time to buy. It's worth noting, though, that the Apple Watch SE has dipped as low as $149, if you don't need all the latest and greatest features.MacBook Air: There are at least three new" MacBook Airs you can buy right now, with prices starting as low as $600 for the M1 model at Walmart. My advice? Splurge not only for the latest M3 model, but pay a bit extra to get it with half a terabyte of storage. That 512GB MacBook Air M3 model, paired with the now-standard 16GB of RAM gets you an extremely capable Apple laptop for just $1,049. That's $250 less than the Apple Store price, and a cool $150 lower than what I paid when I purchased that configuration at Amazon last March. Of course, the inevitable M4 version of this product is expected by next spring - but that won't help you hit your gifting deadlines, will it? See more Black Friday laptop deals.Devindra Hardawar / EngadgetMeta Quest 3S: Yes, a standard Xbox, PS5 or Switch will never disappoint under the tree, but if you're aiming for bleeding-edge gaming, it's hard to beat the Quest VR headset. The latest 3S model delivers most of the same experience as the earlier Quest 3 model at a much lower starting price, and the Black Friday deal - Amazon is throwing in a free $75 credit on top of the bundled Batman: Arkham Shadow game - makes this a great time to jump in. See more gift ideas for gamers.Apple AirTags (4-pack): This is pretty much the only Apple product priced to qualify as a stocking stuffer," but it's a can't-miss gift for anyone who's got an iPhone. Drop one of these little half dollar-sized trackers anywhere - a purse, backpack, suitcase or even a keychain - and you'll be able to track them down using your Apple device. At $24 for a single tag, the better deal is to go for a 4-pack, which is currently hovering at a record-low $73. See more gift ideas under $25.LG OLED TV: The axiom of TV shopping for the past several years still applies: OLED TVs offer the best overall image quality and black levels, bar none. While Sony and Samsung have finally brought some competition to this space, LG remains the go-to choice - and the Black Friday season is still the best time to buy. The top of the line evo C4 model will run you close to $1,500 for 65-inch screen, but the very similar LG B4 OLED has dipped under $1,200 at the same screen size. And bargain hunters shouldn't ignore the 2023 B3 OLED, which is currently under $1,000 for the 65-incher at Walmart. If those price tags are all too rich, or if you're not enough of a videophile to care about perfect black levels, don't fret: We've got plenty of other, more affordable Black Friday TV deals, too.Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-28-best-thanksgiving-black-friday-tech-deals-you-can-get-right-now-122523747.html?src=rss
Details about an epic-looking upcoming sci-fi adventure game just dropped. The images and teaser trailer depict a post-apocalyptic world in which humans in primitive-style garb battle giant dinosaur-like robots while sweeping orchestral music plays. It all seems a little familiar. But wait, this isn't the next Horizon game from Guerrilla. Oh, no, no. This is an initial look at a game from a Tencent subsidiary called Polaris Quest.Guerrilla and Sony don't exactly hold a monopoly on tamable robot dinosaurs or open-world crafting games. But at first glance, Light of Motiramis a pretty blatant Horizon ripoff. It mimics Guerilla's art style and animations, right down to the abundant lens flares. One image shows a trio of human characters using bows and spears to tackle a mammoth-style machine. Even the game's logo font and description ape that of Horizon's - Light of Motiram is about humanity's attempt to "rebuild from the dawn of a new primitive era."There are some differences, in fairness. Here, you can construct your own shelters, while trained "Mechanimals" can help you in combat. There's co-op support for up to 10 players as well. While Guerrilla is working on a multiplayer game, the recent Lego Horizon Adventures spinoff is the only Horizon game to date that features co-op.In one sense, fans of the Horizon series will understand why it's apt that the games seem to have effectively been cloned. We'll have to wait to see just how egregiously Polaris Quest has copied Aloy's adventures. Light of Motiram doesn't have a release window as yet, but the seemingly free-to-play title is coming to Steam and the Epic Games Store. Unless Sony slaps Tencent with a cease-and-desist first, that is.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/a-new-game-from-tencent-looks-like-a-pretty-blatant-horizon-ripoff-174935880.html?src=rss
Australia is set to ban under 16s from social media services after the Senate passed a bill to that effect by 34 votes to 19. The legislation will return to the House of Representatives, which will need to approve amendments before it becomes law. That is all but a formality as the government holds a majority in that chamber. The bill, which has been fast-tracked, sailed through the lower house in a 102-13 vote earlier this week.The government has said that the likes of Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and X will be subject to the new rules, which won't come into force for at least 12 months. However, officials still have to confirm which platforms the ban actually covers as they aren't detailed in the bill. The BBC notes that the country's communications commissioner, Michelle Rowland, will determine that with help from a so-called eSafety Commissioner. The latter will be responsible for enforcing the law.The rules will not apply to health and education services, gaming platforms or messaging apps, nor those that don't require an account. So, the likes of Fortnite, Roblox and YouTube are likely to avoid any ban.Companies that are subject to the legislation could face fines of up to $49.5 million AUD ($32.1 million) if they fail to comply. They will have to employ age-verification tech, though the specifics of that have yet to be determined. The government plans to assess various options in the coming months, but Rowland confirmed this week that platforms won't be able to compel users to submit a personal document (such as passport or driver license) to verify their age.Researchers have claimed that mooted age-verification systems may not work in practice. Critics, meanwhile, have raised concerns over privacy protections.While there are certainly valid concerns about the harms of social media, such platforms can be a lifeline for younger people when they're used responsibly. They can help vulnerable kids find resources and peers they can turn to for advice. Social media can also help those in rural areas forge authentic social connections with others who live elsewhere.Under 16s who continue to access banned platforms won't be punished. Resourceful teens may find it very easy to bypass restrictions using a VPN, which could make the law largely toothless. The online world also extends far beyond the reach of a small number of centralized social media platforms. There are other pockets of the internet that teens can turn to instead. For instance, there are still a large number of active forums for various interests.When the legislation becomes law, Australia will set the highest minimum age for social media of any jurisdiction. France has tabled legislation to block users under 15 from social media without parental consent and it's now pushing for the European Union to move forward with a similar undertaking across the entire bloc. Norway plans to bring in legislation along those lines, while the UK's technology secretary recently indicated that it was an option for that country.Utah last year passed laws to limit minors' social media use. The state's governor repealed and replaced those earlier this year following legal challenges. However, in September, a judge blocked the most recent legislation just days before it was set to take effect. Other states have considered similar laws.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/australia-is-one-step-away-from-banning-social-media-for-under-16s-160454882.html?src=rss
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can now go after scammers posing as tech support providers even if it's the consumer who called them up. It has just approved amendments to its Telemarketing Sales Rule that expands its coverage to include "inbound" calls to companies pitching "technical support services through advertisements or direct mail solicitations." Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, explained that the new rule will allow the agency to hold these scammy businesses accountable and to get money back for the victims."The Commission will not sit idle as older consumers continue to report tech support scams as a leading driver of fraud losses," Levine also said, because the rule's expansion would mostly help protect consumers 60 years and older. According to the agency, older adults reported losing $175 million to tech support scams in 2023 and were five times more likely to fall for them than younger consumers.Tech support scams typically trick potential victims into calling them by sending them emails or triggering pop-up alerts claiming that their computer has been infected with malware. Scammers then ask their targets to pay for their supposed services by wiring them money, by putting money in gift or prepaid cars or by sending them cryptocurrency coins, because those methods can be hard to trace and reverse. They've long been a problem in the US - the agency shut down two massive Florida-based telemarketing operations that had scammed victims out of $120 million in total way back in 2014 - but the issue has been growing worse over time. The $175 million victims reported losing in 2023 was 10 percent higher than the reported losses to tech support scams in 2022.As the FTC notes, the Telemarketing Sales Rule has been updated several times since the year 2000 before this latest amendment. The first amendment in 2003 led to the creation of the Do Not Call Registry for telemarketers, while subsequent changes were made to cover pre-recorded telemarketing calls and debt collection services.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/ftc-expands-rules-to-hold-tech-support-scammers-accountable-143051612.html?src=rss
CRKD's Nitro Deck turned my OLED Switch into an OLED Switch Lite, in a way. The Nitro Deck's lightweight frame added chunkier grips to both sides of the screen, a more logical USB-C charging passthrough and substantial triggers, it felt like a proper controller enveloping my favorite Nintendo games. And you could get it in Gamecube purple. The company has since followed it up (after some experiments with the Neo S) with a plus version of the deck. The Nitro Deck+ is largely the same premise, a handheld deck for your Switch slate, no detachable Joy-Cons (and thus no drift) programmable buttons and - I hate to write this - a better hand feel. The biggest visual change is a shift to symmetrical thumbsticks, which make the Nitro Deck + look more like a knock-off Steam Deck than a Switch peripheral. Both joysticks have Hall Effect sensors, which are contactless. This means you're much less likely to experience any drift and the sticks should last substantially longer too. And coming from Joy-Cons, yeah, it's a good thing. The shift stick placement is going to be divisive - especially if you've been playing mostly on a Switch, with Joy-Cons. The stick is now above the A, B, X and Y buttons, making it look like a lot of the gaming PC slates out there. The company said this change was based on user feedback, but there is a learning curve, coming from either the base hardware or the original Nitro Deck. I'll be honest: I still miss the traditional asymmetric layout. There are four remappable back buttons, now joined by unusually placed Sidekick buttons next to each analog stick. That's six extra buttons to play with. I tested them out, mostly for weapon swap-outs, but the regular button layout worked completely fine for most of my Switch game catalog. Image by Mat Smith / Engadget If you're playing a competitive shooter that might need more button shortcuts - or any game that demands fast reflexes - you're probably not using your Switch undocked. Honestly, barring Smash Bros., you're probably playing on a different platform. In their defense, however, you aren't going to tap these buttons unintentionally. That's something I'd often do with the mostly flush S custom buttons on the back of the original Nitro Deck. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the trigger buttons, something that wasn't on the Nitro Deck at launch but is now available through a firmware upgrade. This is all done on device, by holding down the ZL (for example) and plus buttons for three seconds. The LED will flash cyan and then you can increase the distance needed to push the trigger by pressing the plus button, or do the opposite with the minus button. The Nitro Deck+ will indicate your setting by vibrating up to three times. It's nice to have this level of customization in a handheld console. It also helps that the triggers are solid. If anything, the Deck+'s triggers seem to offer a bit more travel compared to the first model. Image by Mat Smith / Engadget Another improvement on its predecessor is that the replaceable thumbstick tops grip a lot better. The Nitro Deck's tops tended to pop off as I'd slide the Switch into my bag. A few times, they'd fly across the train carriage I was sat in. On the Nitro Deck+, they're a tighter fit. My colleagues asked about changes to the rumble function, which I'd already switched off when I first started testing. CRKD says it improved the adjustable rumble with the Nitro Deck+ with upgraded motors and drivers, and while the improvement to how it feels is subtle, the difference in noise isn't. The original deck was a loud, grumbling controller, while the Deck+ feels a lot closer to the Switch's HD rumble experience. The major benefits of the Nitro Deck are still here, of course. A chunkier body to grip, more substantial buttons and triggers, and a smarter USB-C pass-through for power, still at the top of the device, with an extra USB-C port to charge peripherals as you play. I can't say I regularly used many of those six (six!) new custom buttons, but dedicated Switch gamers may gain more utility from them than I did. Whether you should get the Nitro Deck+ or its predecessor hinges on what stick arrangement feels most comfortable. That's the biggest difference and, for some, might be the biggest draw here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/crkds-nitro-deck-plus-review-140047889.html?src=rss
A version of one of our favorite air fryer toaster ovens is on sale for one of the best prices we've seen. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer, which has 11 cooking functions and takes up less counter space than the pricier Pro" model, is available for $70 off. The appliance will usually set you back $350, but this Black Friday deal brings the brushed stainless steel mode down to $280. The Pro model, the one we tested for our air fryer buying guide, is also on sale for $300, or $100 off. Breville's Smart Oven Air Fryer has a long list of cooking functions: toast, bagel, broil, bake, roast, warm, pizza, air fry, reheat, cookies and slow cook. The oven uses five quartz heating elements known for quick and consistent heating. It uses algorithms to direct heat to where it's needed most for each mode. The oven uses super convection" tech to reduce cooking time by up to 30 percent. It speeds up cooking by raising hotter air and sinking the cooler, less dense air. It supports a wide temperature range of 120 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The appliance requires a decent amount of counter space: 18.9-inch wide x 15.9-inch deep x 10.9-inch high. But in return, you can squeeze in six slices of pizza or toast, a whole chicken or nine muffins. Breville's oven has a smooth-looking brushed stainless steel texture, including snazzy-looking knobs and buttons and an interior light that automatically turns on at the cooking cycle's end. (You can also flip it on manually.) Breville makes some of our favorite cooking gear, from air fryers to immersion blenders to coffee machines, but their devices are on the high end of the price spectrum. Black Friday typically brings decent sales on all things kitchen tech, and we're seeing some good ones on other Breville gear right now, like the Creatista Plus Nespresso coffee machine for $405. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-black-friday-air-fryer-deals-include-the-breville-smart-oven-for-70-off-130032275.html?src=rss
It has somehow been nearly five years since work from home became such a norm (for obvious reasons) and companies are still competing to be glared at on your screen come 9AM Monday. Often, this involves copying each other's ideas because really how much can you innovate when it comes to work communication? The most recent example comes courtesy of Google, which has announced the creation of huddles. That's right, Slack users will recognize this because Google Chat will now have an identical tool with the same name as its competitor.So, how will huddles work on Google Chat? Basically, huddles are meant to replace those quick conversations you could have in person while passing by someone's desk or waiting to enter a meeting. Instead of scheduling an audio or video call, you can click on the phone icon in a chat and choose "start a huddle." This will create a space in the chat where you can quickly talk. As usual, you can also change it to a video call within the meeting.Again, this feature will be very familiar for anyone who has used platforms like Discord or Slack in the past. It will be available in one-on-one and group messages, as well as spaces. Anyone with a rapid release domain can expect to get it by December 20, while users with scheduled release domains will start seeing huddles on January 6.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-chat-adds-huddles-in-its-latest-attempt-to-be-like-discord-and-slack-133022129.html?src=rss
The Federal Trade Commission has put Uber in its sights once again. Bloomberg reported that the regulator is investigating complaints about the Uber One subscription program. Customers alleged that the company signed users up for the service without their consent and made it difficult to cancel their subscriptions. According to documents seen by Bloomberg, the Commission opened this inquiry earlier this year."We will continue to answer any questions the FTC may have about our cancellation policies," Uber representative Noah Edwardsen told the publication. "The Uber One cancellation process follows both the letter and the spirit of the law: Uber One members can easily cancel their membership in the app - in fact, the majority of those cancellations take 20 seconds or less."Earlier in 2024, the FTC ratified a "click to cancel" rule that requires companies make it as easy to end a subscription as it is to start one. The regulator sued Amazon and Adobe for similar claims around their subscription products within the past year.This also isn't the first time the FTC has examined the rideshare company. Uber agreed to a settlement with the agency in 2017 around questions of exaggerating driver income to encourage recruitment. In 2018, the company also reached an accord around a data breach and misconduct in trying to cover up the scope of the problem.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/the-ftc-is-investigating-uber-for-its-subscription-policies-232453366.html?src=rss
It may not be Black Friday yet, but the holiday shopping blitz is already well underway with some significant discounts on games and gaming devices. Steam is in the middle of its Autumn Sale that runs until December 4 and includes a discount on the LCD Steam Deck.No, it's not the OLED Steam Deck, but Steam is offering the 512GB Steam Deck with a 25 percent discount that brings the price down to $336.75. Steam's sale also offered the smaller 64GB LCD model with a 15 percent discount for less than $300 but they've already run out of stock.This may be the best time to pick up a Steam Deck since last summer. In June, Steam knocked down the price of the 64GB variant to just under $300 and the 512GB version for under $400. The 64 and 512GB models are discontinued and won't be available once Steam runs out of stock. The 256GB LCD model is sticking around for a little while longer for those gamers who can't afford the fancier versions.If you're going to buy a Steam Deck, you'll need some games to play on it. Steam Autumn Sale also includes some sweet deals on games like Baldur's Gate 3 for $47.99 and Total War: Warhammer III for $23.99 and early access to Supergiant's Hades II for $26.99. Steam also has some cool discounts on older games that you've been meaning to play like Double Fine's Psychonauts 2 and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Odyssey for $6 each, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderfor $4 and Cities Skylines for $3.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/steams-autumn-sale-sees-deep-discounts-on-lcd-steam-decks-and-select-games-202918983.html?src=rss
European investigators believe a Chinese-owned commercial ship deliberately dragged its anchor to sabotage the two undersea telecommunications cables cut in the Baltic Sea earlier this month. However, Western law enforcement and intelligence officials told The Wall Street Journal that they don't believe the Chinese government was involved. Instead, the probe is focused on whether Russian intelligence persuaded the vessel's captain to carry out the operation.For the past week, NATO warships from Denmark, Germany and Sweden have surrounded the 225-meter-long Yi Peng 3. The ship's Chinese owner, Ningbo Yipeng Shipping, is reportedly cooperating with investigators. The shipper allowed the commercial vessel to be stopped in international waters.The WSJ says Swedish and German authorities are negotiating with the owner to access the ship and its crew. International maritime laws prevent NATO from forcing the vessel to sail into one of their ports.European investigators believe the Yi Peng 3 dragged its anchor for over 100 miles along the Baltic seabed from November 17 to 18. They reportedly viewed satellite and other data showing that the vessel moved significantly slower than usual while weighed down by the anchor.It severed two data cables: one connecting Lithuania and Sweden and another between Finland and Germany. After cutting the second cable, the ship reportedly zig-zagged, raised anchor, and continued.Officials said the ship's transponder was shut down during the incident. Investigators told theWSJ that their review of the anchor and hull showed damage consistent with dragging and cutting the cable.It's extremely unlikely that the captain would not have noticed that his ship dropped and dragged its anchor, losing speed for hours and cutting cables on the way," a senior European investigator told the WSJ. An analytics company specializing in international shipping told the paper that the likelihood of accidental anchor dragging appears minimal."The Yi Peng 3 sailed solely in Chinese waters from December 2019 to early March 2024. At that point, it suddenly began carrying Russian coal and other goods and began stopping in Russian ports. When the Danish Navy stopped it, it was carrying Russian fertilizer.In September, the US issued a warning about a heightened risk of Russian interference with undersea data cables.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/investigators-say-a-chinese-ships-crew-deliberately-dragged-its-anchor-to-cut-undersea-data-cables-195052047.html?src=rss
Threads is readying a feature inspired by Bluesky's Starter Packs, according to reporting by TechCrunch and others. Chris Messina, who invented the hashtag, posted a screenshot of the tool to the social media app. He also says you can see an early version of the tool yourself by pasting "installedbarcelona://recommended_follow_lists" into Safari on iOS if you have the latest Threads app. We gave this a shot and, lo and behold, it worked.Meta/ThreadsFor those who have yet to wander over to Bluesky, Starter Packs are curated lists of people to follow that help newcomers get started on the app. These packs can be built in a number of different ways. Engadget has one with many of its writers and editors, myself included. Come for the promise of tech news, but stay for random photos of my cats.The version likely coming to Threads looks to work in a similar way. The lists of users are handpicked by people on Threads" and can be about pretty much anything. Messina showed off a list called NBA Threads," as seen above.The feature has become so popular on Bluesky that there's even a searchable database, complete with over 37,000 of these bundles of humans. The packs can also be shared directly in feeds, though we don't know if Threads will allow that.BlueskyBluesky has responded to this move with snark, writing on Threads that if this app is going to keep copying our features, you might as well just join Bluesky." For those who have been paying attention, Threads has been paying homage" to all kinds of pre-existing Bluesky features in recent days and months. The platform recently rolled out custom feeds and the ability to change the default feed to people you follow. This is like Sega and Nintendo all over again, only with pithy messages instead of genre-defining gaming classics.Why is Threads so eager to mimic some of Bluesky's most popular features? Well, the latter has seen tremendous growth spikes over the last couple of months, recently hitting 20 million users. Folks are fleeing the sinking ship that is X in droves and looking for a replacement app. Threads wants to be the one. Bluesky also wants to be the one. You know the drill.Threads may be acting like the underdog here by adopting some of Bluesky's features, but it actually has a massive head start. The platform recently announced that it had over 35 million signups in November alone.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/starter-packs-are-the-latest-bluesky-feature-that-threads-is-going-to-shamelessly-adopt-193159548.html?src=rss
Bluesky is bigger than ever. But as the upstart social media service surges, the platform is facing some growing pains. Among them: The influx of new users has opened up new opportunities for scammers and impersonators hoping to capitalize on the attention - and Bluesky's lack of a conventional verification system.A recent analysis by Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security Trust and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech found that 44 percent of the top 100 most-followed accounts on Bluesky had at least one doppelganger," with most looking like cheap knock-offs of the bigger account, down to the same bio and profile picture," Mantzarlis wrote in his newsletter Faked Up.Unlike many of its counterparts, which offer checkmarks and official badges to government officials, celebrities and other high profile accounts, Bluesky has a more hands-off approach to verification. Instead of proactively verifying notable accounts itself, the company encourages users to use a custom domain name as their handle in order to self-verify."For example, my employer Engadget currently has the Bluesky handle engadget.bsky.social. But if we wanted to verify" our account, we could opt to change it to Engadget.com. Some media organizations, like The New York Times, Bloomberg and The Onion have done this for their official accounts. Individuals are also able to verify by using a personal website.But, the process is more complicated than simply changing your handle. It also requires entities to add a string of text to the DNS record associated with their domain. While in some ways it's a clever solution to verification - only the actual owner of a website would be able to access the DNS record for a domain - it also has a number of drawbacks. It's a manual process that's not readily accessible to everyone who might wish to be verified. (Bluesky does sell custom domains for users who don't already have one.)Verification is even more complex for those wishing to verify multiple accounts associated with the same domain, which may explain why some outlets, like The New York Times and NPR have custom handles, but don't extend that verification to their reporters on Bluesky. Even Bluesky's own tutorial suggests organizations seek assistance from their IT departments.There are other issues. Once you change your handle to match a domain you own, your old alias (engadget.bksy.social, for instance) becomes available again. So you'll either need to set up a new account to squat" on your old handle, or risk an impersonator scooping it up. And even if you add a custom domain, it doesn't offer foolproof protection against impersonation. A dedicated scammer could use a lookalike domain and verify" an imposter account.Both accounts belong to AOC, but only the top one is "verified" under Bluesky's current system.Screenshot via BlueskyTo make things more confusing, Bluesky itself gives no indication, other than the handle name, that an account has been verified." Verified accounts don't have a visual indicator - like a check or a badge - that differentiates them from unverified ones,To combat this, some Bluesky users are coming up with their own makeshift workarounds. Hunter Walker, an investigative reporter for Talking Points Memo and early Bluesky user, has been proactively verifying journalists, celebrities and other high-profile accounts himself. So far, he's verified more than 330 people, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Flavor Flav, Mark Cuban and Barbra Streisand.I have a pretty high standard for journalism and reporting, and everything I say, I like to triple check the sources," Walker tells Engadget. I like to make sure it's confirmed. And it became apparent to me, participating in Bluesky, that on a basic level, nothing was confirmed."Walker estimates he's spent about 16 hours over the last couple weeks verifying accounts. He has different methods depending on the user, but it often involves communicating with someone from another account officially linked to them, like a company email address. For celebrities, their representatives are often able to confirm their official Bluesky handles.I've caught so many scammers and imposters, and it's not always who you would expect," Walker says. Regular journalists sometimes have three or four imposters." He says he's been inundated with requests for his unofficial verification, and notes that a number of people he's verified also use a custom domain. They want something else ... because a domain is not verification of identity."Walker maintains starter packs" of journalists and other prominent accounts he's verified. Recently, he took it a step further, working with another user to create a custom labeling service that will append different emojis to accounts he's verified to make his verification" more prominent. Users who subscribe to the service will see a next to celebrities and public figures, and a next to journalists.The labeling service that uses emojis to show accounts verified by Walker.Screenshot via BlueskyWhile these kinds of efforts can act as a stopgap, Walker won't be able to verify every notable account on Bluesky himself. He's suggested that other communities, like university researchers, could undertake a similar ad hoc verification effort. But, without help from Bluesky or a third-party identity service, he expects impersonation to remain an issue.And widespread impersonation can often lead to bigger problems for a platform like Bluesky. Sloppy verification is an early signal of broader deception and catnip for organized disinformation actors," Cornell Tech's Mantzarlis wrote, noting that Vice President Kamala Harris at one point had 20 impersonator accounts" on Bluesky even though she's never had an official presence on the platform.On its part, Bluesky has acknowledged that impersonation is an issue. In an update this week, the company said it had seen a predictable uptick in harmful content" that coincided with its recent growth. In a statement to Engadget, Bluesky spokesperson Emily Liu said the company had quadrupled" its moderation team, which would help ensure reports of impersonation are handled more quickly. Liu also said that Bluesky was working on easier visual signals we could use for verification so it's a better user experience," though it's not yet clear what form that might take.But Bluesky, which currently has just 20 full-time employees, seems reluctant to consider other approaches to verification outside of custom domains. We've been working behind the scenes with official organizations and high-profile individuals like celebrities and elected officials to get their accounts verified on Bluesky with their website," Liu said. With domains as verification, we want to put the tools of verification in each org's hands, instead of making Bluesky the company the sole arbiter of who deserves to be verified on the network."Bluesky's hesitation to play the role of verifier is in many ways understandable. Verification has a long and messy history on other platforms. On Twitter, a symbol that was originally created to fight impersonators quickly morphed into a sometimes divisive status symbol. On Instagram, verification has often been exploited by scammers. Now, both companies allow users to buy blue checkmarks, though both platforms also proactively verify certain types of accounts, like those belonging to government officials.Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, however, has signaled that she's potentially open to alternate approaches to verification. In a livestream on Twitch this week, she said the company might at some point" become a verification provider." TechCrunch, which reported the remarks, said that her comments suggested a future system in which there are multiple providers" of verification. Graber added that she's not sure when" such a scenario would play out.Walker, who repeated several times his firm belief that Bluesky has the juice," hopes that his verification project might be able to nudge Bluesky to take a different approach. I'm really hoping that people pay attention to the question of trust and the question of identity. The cool thing about the open source nature of it all, is we have a chance to build things on this and make it how we want it."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/bluesky-has-a-verification-problem-190047733.html?src=rss
It's been more than a hot minute since we've seen some new Sega Genesis classics in the Nintendo Switch online library, but we're finally getting some today. The Switch Online Expansion Pack brings the frantic platformer VectorMan, the run-n-gunner Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS and the totally awesome ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron to the Switch's classic games library.VectorMan from BlueSky Software is a 2D platformer with impressive graphics for its time that often gets overlooked in the long hallway of the Sega Genesis' legacy. The protagonist is a robot made of floating left on a resource ravaged Earth to clean up the mess humanity made when one of the supervisor robots named WarHead connects to a nuclear weapon and holds the planet hostage. VectorMan must blast his way through waves of enemies to free the Earth from WarHead's clutches. So just think of VectorMan as Wall-E with a deathwish. The game has a pretty notorious degree of difficulty, but the slick graphics and fast pace of the gameplay makes VectorMan an underrated gem.Wolf of the Battlefield: MERCS is a top-down military style shooter that started in the arcade before migrating to Sega's Mega Drive and the Genesis in the early 90s. The concept is simple: run across the screen and shoot everything that moves before it shoots you. MERCS also has a huge arsenal of special weapons and some really cool boss battles that pit your puny mercenaries against a big ol' battleship and even a harrier jet.If you don't know the names ToeJam & Earl, then welcome to one of the greatest slices of joy from gaming's history. The most 90s video game duo ever got the sequel treatment with Panic on Funkotron in 1993. The second ToeJam & Earl title took its titular alien heroes away from the unique isometric map that made the first game so memorable to a more traditional 2D platform game but they are just as vibrant, goofy and animated in their second outing.This is the first Sega Genesis update for the Nintendo Switch in over a year. The previous Genesis pack was released in June of 2023 and came with four games including Ghouls n Ghosts, The Revenge of Shinobi, Landstalker and Crusader of Centy.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-latest-switch-online-expansion-pack-update-includes-three-classic-sega-genesis-games-184621721.html?src=rss
It's not hard to understand why Lego sets are some of the most sought-after gifts for the holidays. We're big fans of the building blocks here at Engadget, and we know they make particularly good gifts this time of year. Whether it's a Super Mario starter set or a mammoth Star Wars collectible, there are dozens of Lego sets to consider shopping for right now - be it for yourself or for someone on your gift list. And no, you don't have to spend a fortune to get a good set as some come in at $50 or less. These are the best Black Friday deals on Lego sets you can get this year.Most of these deals are on Amazon, but you can find the same (or similar) pricing direct at Lego and other retailers like Target.The highlights for Black Friday include a couple of Lego advent calendars: one for Disney fans and another that's more general for all kids. Lego makes a bunch of other advent calendars in addition to these, and we expect to see more of them go on sale in the coming days.There's also the beautiful Insect Collection, which when completed, includes three life-size, posable models of a butterfly, Hercules beetle and Chinese mantis. Even as someone who detests bun appreciate the elegance of this set and how striking they'd look sitting on a shelf.Star Wars, Super Mario and Harry Potter sets have been discounted as well. For example, this Star Wars set recreates the "boarding the Tantive IV" scene from Star Wars: A New Hope in which the Rebels battle Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers. This Super Mario expansion set includes a brick-built Bowser and his muscle car, and once complete, you can pull the lever on the car to make its hood ornament move. We'll be updating this post through the entire Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period, so check back for the latest offers.Black Friday Lego deals
The satellite-to-phone service T-Mobile and Starlink first announced back in 2022 has gotten a lot closer to deployment. As SpaceNews and Reuters report, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted the companies conditional approval to provide T-Mobile subscribers coverage using Starlink satellites in locations that can't be reached by the carrier's network. Specifically, the FCC has given them permission to use up to 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites for the service, as long as they do not interfere with other networks.The commission has deferred on deciding whether to allow Starlink to increase its satellites' radio emission power in order to be able to provide real-time voice and video calls. From the very start, though, the companies intended to launch the service with messaging capabilities before expanding it until it can offer data and voice. When the companies introduced the project, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said they were envisioning a future wherein you're connected on your mobile phone as long as you have a view of the sky, even if you're in the middle of the ocean. By providing subscribers with supplemental coverage from space, they'll still be able to stay in touch with loved ones - or ask for help in case of emergencies - from far flung locations cell towers don't typically reach."The FCC is actively promoting competition in the space economy by supporting more partnerships between terrestrial mobile carriers and satellite operators to deliver on a single network future that will put an end to mobile dead zones," said FCC Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel.While the companies announced their teamup back in 2022, the commission only set a regulatory framework for supplemental coverage from space (SCS) services in March this year. Those rules are meant to ensure that satellite-to-phone services wouldn't affect the quality of 4G and 5G networks. AT&T previously raised concerns that T-Mobile's and Starlink's service, in its proposed state, could interfere with existing wireless services. The carrier also has plans for satellite services of its own in partnership with AST SpaceMobile and said it intends "to provide the demonstrations necessary to show that they will not cause interference to any authorized terrestrial system."T-Mobile and Starlink sent and received the first text messages using the technology back in January. In the months that followed, the FCC had given them permission to enable satellite texting in certain locations so that people could stay connected in hurricane-hit areas.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/t-mobile-and-spacexs-satellite-to-phone-service-gets-fcc-approval-134501756.html?src=rss
Earlier this year OpenAI unveiled Sora, a text-to-video AI model, showing off detailed scenes and complex camera motion from relatively simple prompts. It's been radio silence since then, but the company recently granted artists free early access to the tool for testing. However, a group off around 20 of those just leaked access to Sora in protest, saying they were acting as "PR puppets," prompting OpenAI to suspend access, The Washington Post reported."We received access to Sora with the promise to be early testers, red teamers and creative partners. However, we believe instead we are being lured into 'art washing' to tell the world that Sora is a useful tool for artists," the group wrote on the AI art repository site, Hugging Face.Pointing out that OpenAI recently hit a $150 billion evaluation, they noted that artists have been providing unpaid testing and feedback. The group also noted that all Sora-generated content needed to be approved by OpenAI, making it "less about creative expression... and more about PR and advertisement." The group then said it had released the tool to let anyone play with it, saying it hopes that OpenAI will "support the arts beyond PR stunts."In response, OpenAI shut down early Sora access after just three hours while it looks into the situation. "Hundreds of artists in our alpha have shaped Sora's development, helping prioritize new features and safeguards," OpenAI spokesperson Niko Felix wrote in a message to The Post. Participation is voluntary, with no obligation to provide feedback or use the tool." Another artist in the program, Andre Allen Anjos, chimed in as well saying that the protest artists' stance didn't reflect the views of most artists in the program.Though Sora isn't yet widely available, the tool has been scrutinized over its training materials. In March, OpenAI CTO Mira Murati said she wasn't sure if Sora took training data from YouTube or other video platforms. The next month, YouTube's CEO specifically warned OpenAI that training models on its videos was against its terms of service.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-suspends-access-to-sora-video-generation-tool-after-artists-protest-133015289.html?src=rss
A four-pack of Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 trackers is on sale at Amazon for only $60. This Black Friday deal represents a 41 percent discount and brings this particular combo pack down to a record low price. Bluetooth trackers make excellent stocking stuffers for the folks in your life who might be a bit more forgetful than they'd like to admit. These are a top pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers, and with good reason. They are the perfect companion accessory to Samsung phones. The finding network is vast and the battery life is fantastic. These trackers will stay powered on for up to 500 days, or even longer with Power Saving Mode enabled. We also appreciate the simple, yet aesthetically pleasing, design. There's an actual hole for keychains, which is something Apple AirTags lack. These trackers are IP67-rated for water and dust-resistance. This means that the unit is protected from dust that's larger than 1mm in diameter and that it can be submerged in water up to one meter deep for up to 30 minutes. Just don't throw it in a lake and you should be good to go. The four-pack includes two white tags and two black tags, for a little yin and yang action. There's not really a serious downside here for Samsung users. However, there's a major caveat for everyone else. The SmartTag2 trackers only work with Samsung phones and tablets. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-include-a-four-pack-of-samsung-galaxy-smarttag2-trackers-for-60-194307904.html?src=rss
Whether that special person on your gift list is a photographer or content creator, a camera or accessory is always highly appreciated. And with technology in areas like autofocus and video quality constantly improving, it's a great time to own a new camera. However, it can be confusing to sort through the latest models or find the best memory cards, backpacks, tripods and more. Fortunately, we've done the research and selected the best cameras at a wide range of prices, along with accessories that will help your loved one get the most out of their gear. Check out the rest of our gift ideas here. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/best-gifts-for-photographers-and-videographers-140040483.html?src=rss
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