We're big Lego fans here at Engadget, so it's not difficult for us to understand why the building block sets are some of the first items to sell out during the holiday shopping season. Kids and adults alike seek out Lego sets all year round, and they make particularly good gifts. Whether you know your recipient loves Star Wars or Super Mario, or they don't have a fan-favorite franchise and just love building stuff, there are Lego sets out there that all kinds of people will love. And no, they don't all cost hundreds of dollars - some, like seasonal advent calendars, come in at $50 or less. If you've got a Lego lover on your holiday shopping list (or if that person is you), these are the best Cyber Monday Lego deals for 2024. 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 Cyber Monday 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.Cyber Monday Lego deals
It can be tough to shop for a photographer or videographer during the holidays because there's so much gear out there, and a lot of it is super expensive. Whether you've got someone like that on your holiday gift list, or you're looking to upgrade some of your own camera gear, Cyber Monday deals can help make it less burdensome on your wallet. Most of the major camera manufacturers including Sony, Canon, DJI, Nikon and GoPro are offering substantial discounts this year on a bunch of products, so it's likely you'll find something that will fit within your budget. These are the best Cyber Monday camera deals we found for 2024.Cyber Monday action cam and drone deals
If you've been waiting for the right time to buy a new iPad, AirPods or Mac, Cyber Monday is your chance. Starting about a week before Black Friday, we began seeing all-time lows and first-time discounts on nearly everything Apple released this year and nearly all of them are still live.While it's tough to find direct, non-carrier deals on iPhones, the rest of Apple's lineup is on sale from retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart and more. (Apple's own website currently has a gift card promotion, but no discounts.) We've rounded up the best Cyber Monday Apple deals out there, along with links to our reviews so you can hear our advice before you buy.The best Cyber Monday 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 get a pair.
Cyber Monday streaming deals have come in strong again this year, and one of the best is on Disney+ and Hulu. The Duo Basic bundle is on sale for $3 per month for one whole year, which comes out to $36 for the entire time period. This bundle gives you access to Hulu's basic tier with ads and Disney+'s basic tier with ads, and only new users or subscribers who canceled their plans at least a month ago are eligible to redeem the discount. This bundle with ads contains content from Disney+ and Hulu. The content is still the same as with ad-free plans, including movies and series like Deadpool & Wolverine, Frozen, Godmothered and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, the anticipated Star Wars series only on Disney+. If some of these newer shows aren't to your liking, there are likely older classics worth your time in the library. The deal runs from November 27 through December 2. After 12 months, the subscription will renew at the regular price if automatic renewal is enabled. Disney+ is one of the best streaming services out there, focusing on providing family-friendly content but also with some more mature content. If you want even more adult-oriented shows and series, Hulu fits the bill. Both have original content as well. There are a number of other Cyber Monday streaming deals available now as well as part of Cyber Monday subscription deals. Key among them are discounts on one year of Peacock and six months of Max. Here are more details:
Intel is gearing up for an announcement on December 3 about its Arc GPUs, and a number of recent leaks paint a picture of what we can expect to see. In a post on X this weekend, Intel said only that it's got some big graphics news" coming, and wrote cryptically in a followup that it's going from A to B." But reports from VideoCardz claim the event will bring a pair of Battlemage desktop GPUs - the Arc B580 and Arc B570 - that'll be launched December 12.According to VideoCardz, the B580 will have 20 Xe2 cores, a 2.8GHz GPU clock and 12GB of VRAM. The B570 on the other hand will reportedly feature 18 Xe2 cores, a 2.6GHz GPU clock and 10GB of memory. The B580 will sport a 192-bit memory bus, versus 160-bit for the B570, spec sheets shared by VideoCardz show.
For the most part, the best TV deals for Cyber Monday are the same ones we saw during Black Friday (which have available for a few weeks themselves). That doesn't make it any less of a good time to grab a quality TV at a decent price, though. If you're hoping to make a living room upgrade but aren't sure which TV discounts are actually worthwhile, allow us to do the research for you.We've spent the past several days scouring trustworthy reviews and checking price histories to figure out which Cyber Monday TV deals are actually decent. You can find our favorites below, which include OLED and QLED panels from Samsung, LG, Hisense, Sony and TCL. If you're already happy with your TV, we've also included a few standout streaming deals, both on devices from Amazon and Roku and services like Hulu and Peacock.As in recent years, many of those TV manufacturers kicked off their holiday sales toward the start of November, but most of the discounts below represent all-time lows either way. We'll continue updating this post if prices change as the day rolls along.The best Cyber Monday TV deals for 2024
Black Friday has come and gone, but you can still get substantial discounts on Sonos products. Until Monday, you can get up to $200 off the company's speakers and soundbars, with one of the highlights being $50 off the Sonos Era 100 - it's down to a record low of $199. If you're in the market for a soundbar, consider the Sonos Arc. Now that the Arc Ultra is available, Sonos has discounted its previous flagship soundbar by $200 to $699. For something more affordable, the Beam 2 is currently $369, down from $499. Lastly, there's the Era 300. Right now, you can buy the Dolby Atmos-compatible speaker for $359, instead of $449 as usually priced. All of these deals are being matched by Amazon, too. More than a few of Sonos' speakers, including the Era 100, have found a spot and stayed on Engadget's list of best smart speakers. If you care about music but still want a speaker with modern features, a Sonos system is the way to go. Not only do the company's speakers sound great, but you also get access to things like AirPlay 2 that make it incredibly easy to play exactly the song you want to listen to in the moment. You may have seen that Sonos bungled the release of the latest version of its companion app. That's true, but as things stand, the company has done a lot of work in recent months to fix its software. As a daily user, I can safely say the Sonos app is in much better shape now than it was in the spring. Other than the premium price that comes with Sonos products, there's not much they don't do as well or better than the competition. With the discounts the company is offering for Black Friday, its speakers come even more highly recommended. If Sonos isn't the brand (or price point) for you, then check out the other Black Friday speaker deals that are still available. There are discounts on speakers from Marshall, Bose, Anker and more. 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/sonos-black-friday-deals-are-still-going-get-up-to-200-off-soundbars-and-speakers-131538350.html?src=rss
Bose's most recent QuietComfort headphones have dropped to $199 for Black Friday, bringing the over-ear cans down to a record-low price. With this 43 percent discount, you can get a pair of headphones with excellent active noise cancellation for a fraction of their usual price. And whether you're eyeing them for yourself or for someone else as a gift, you have seven colors to choose from. A version of these cans made our list of the best wireless headphones, so there's plenty to recommend. The battery life is fantastic, lasting around 24 hours on a single charge. There's also a quick charge feature, which can squeeze two hours of additional use with just 15 minutes at the power outlet. These are primarily wireless headphones, but can operate with an analog connection. The adjustable EQ is great and, of course, the sound is top-tier. Bose is known for making some pretty good stuff. There are touch controls built into the earcups, which is handy, and active noise cancellation. This ANC can be adjusted to create a transparency mode, so you won't walk into a truck or whatever. The headphones are also quite comfortable, thanks to plush earcups and a padded band. The only downside here is the price. It's tough to recommend these headphones at $350, especially with rival products at similar price points from companies like Apple, Sony and Sennheiser. However, it's really easy to recommend them at $200. That's a legit steal. If you're looking to save on other gadgets this holiday weekend, be sure to check out Engadget's Black Friday roundup. We've listed the 51 best tech products you can still save money on. Picks include the PlayStation 5, Meta Quest 3S and Apple MacBook Air. 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/bose-quietcomfort-headphones-are-43-percent-off-for-black-friday-174600388.html?src=rss
The latest Kindle Paperwhite is barely a month old, but it's already getting a discount for Black Friday. You can pick up the new ereader for $30 off, at a final price of $130. That's a record low since the device's debut, and it boasts faster page turns, a bigger and better screen and longer battery life. The sixth-generation Paperwhite has a seven-inch screen, noticeably bigger than the 6.8-inch one on its predecessor. Amazon also boosted the display's contrast thanks to its oxide thin-film transistor display tech, which should help reduce eyestrain. It still has a warm light that you can tune to match your room's lighting. The front light in the new model gets 25 percent brighter at its maximum level than the 5th-gen model. It's one of our picks for the best ereader. The new Paperwhite has 25 percent faster page turns than its predecessors, which Engadget's Amy Skorheim found makes a marked difference in the reading experience. (The review was for the more expensive Signature Edition, but it has identical page turns.) At 7.8mm thick, this is the thinnest Paperwhite to date. The ereader still has IPX8 water resistance, and the device uses a new rubberized texture that makes it easier to grip. Amazon estimates its battery will last up to 12 weeks per charge. It ships with a USB-C cable (but no power brick). You can also save on the new standard Kindle on sale for $85 (from $110). Although that model skips out on the warm light and has a smaller screen, it gives you a lighter and more compact ereader on the cheap. 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-kindle-deals-are-still-available-get-30-off-the-2024-paperwhite-090013955.html?src=rss
Audible is offering a sweet promotion as a Black Friday deal, allowing new users to sign up for three months of its Premium Plus plan for just $3. That breaks down to $1 per month, and you'll get a $20 Audible credit on top of that to use as you see fit. It's only for new users though, so anyone who has previously dipped their toes in the Audible waters are out of luck. This Black Friday offer is available now, and it runs all the way until midnight on New Year's Eve. The $20 credit part of the deal will disappear after Cyber Monday, though. It's only for US customers and, as usual, the subscription will automatically renew after the three months, so be vigilant about smashing that cancel button if it's not working out. The regular price for Audible Premium Plus is $15 per month plus tax. Audible Premium Plus is the top-tier offering for listening to audiobooks. A membership provides access to the entire catalog plus a monthly credit to purchase nearly any title outright. Subscriptions also offer discounts on other newly-released titles. All told, there are thousands of books to choose from, along with podcasts and Audible Originals. To that end, there's a whole lot of original content here for fans of different literary genres. James Patterson has an Audible Original that features a stacked voice cast, with Cobie Smulders and Reid Scott headlining. There's also unique fare like sleep meditations and the like. 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-audible-black-friday-deal-is-still-available-get-3-months-of-access-for-only-3-183640594.html?src=rss
Black Friday is usually the best sale of the year on cameras and accessories and this year there are some particularly great deals this time around. Most of the major manufacturers including Sony, Canon, DJI, Nikon and GoPro are offering substantial discounts across a wide range of products, whether you're looking to spend a couple hundred dollars or several grand. Those include multiple options from our guide to the best cameras of 2024, so you'll get great value for tried and tested gear. These are the best Black Friday camera deals we found for 2024 that you can still get right now.Black Friday action cam and drone deals
Aside from Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday is the best time of year to pick up an Echo speaker, a Fire tablet or a Kindle ereader from Amazon. While the online retailer typically saves all of the best discounts on its devices for the members-only sale events, it's a safe bet that those deals will come back around for Black Friday. This year is no different: we're seeing record-low prices (or close to them) on all of Amazon's gadgets. These are the best deals you can still get on Amazon devices for Black Friday 2024.
If you're looking for an excellent midrange smartphone for yourself or a loved one among all the Black Friday deals, your search may be over. Google's Pixel 8a is still on sale even after Black Friday. It has dropped by $100 to $399. That's not quite the lowest price we've seen for the handset. It fell to $380 at one point, but this is still a good deal if you're looking for a great phone that won't break the bank. This price is for a configuration with 128GB of storage, but 256GB models are also $100 off at $459. The Pixel 8a is our pick for the best midrange smartphone overall. We gave it a score of 90 in our review. Thanks to Google's inclusion of the Tensor G3 chip, the Pixel 8a supports many of the same AI features that you'll find on flagship Pixel devices. We feel that the cameras are excellent, while that 6.1-inch 120Hz OLED display sure looks pretty. The Pixel 8a has great battery life too. It lasted for 20 hours and 29 minutes in our video rundown test, actually beating out the Pixel 8 by 13 minutes. On the downside, wireless charging is pretty slow as it maxes out at 7.5W. The bezels are a little thicker than you might like too, but otherwise the design is fairly slick. Another plus point is that the Pixel 8a is IP67-rated for dust and water resistance, so it should be somewhat durable. 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-phone-deals-include-the-google-pixel-8a-for-100-off-180827065.html?src=rss
Black Friday is over and Cyber Monday is right around the corner, and this shopping period has brought some of the lowest prices of the year on quality TVs. If you're looking to buy a new set, we've scoured through reviews and checked price histories to find which Black Friday TV deals are genuinely worth your time and still available now.You can find our favorites below, which include OLED and LED TVs in various sizes from Samsung, Sony, LG, Hisense and TCL. While more than a few of these discounts have been available for a couple of weeks, most represent the lowest respective prices we've tracked.If you're already happy with your set, we've also rounded up a few noteworthy deals on media players and streaming services. We'll update this post as more discounts pop up, so check back if there's a particular TV you want that isn't on sale just yet.The best Black Friday TV deals for 2024
It's hard to beat the promise of a big box for one-stop shopping. Target is one of my favorites if I just want to browse with no agenda, because I'll inevitably stumble on something fun or on sale. Or in the case of this Black Friday deal, both. Target is currently selling a Meta Quest 3S for $300, as is Amazon. That's the usual price tag for this virtual reality headset, but both retailers include a $75 gift card along with the tech (On Amazon, use the code QUEST75 to get it.) That covers a lot of impulse buys. There's a lot to recommend the Meta Quest 3S for a virtual reality fan. In fact, it's our pick for the best budget VR set. Even if you're investing in a lower-range VR headset, you'll want to have plenty of software to run on it. The Quest 3S has a large app library and it can be used to stream games from a PC. While some headsets can be unpleasant to wear for very long, reviewer Devindra Hardawar found that wasn't an issue with the Quest 3S. And although it has made some sacrifices on the screen and lenses to keep the costs down, this set still delivers a strong, immersive virtual reality experience. The content included with any Quest headset purchase will help you get started in VR. Batman: Arkham Shadow is one of the most notable exclusive games for Meta's Quest 3 and Quest 3S, continuing the lineage of the Arkham game universe initially developed by Rocksteady Studios. You'll also get three months' subscription to the Meta Quest+ catalog of games. Keeping the subscription after the trial period will cost $8 a month. Or use that gift card and pick up a title to keep. Beyond the Meta Quest 3S, there are tons of amazing gaming deals available for Black Friday. Check out great discounts on some of our favorite consoles, games and accessories here. 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-black-friday-deal-on-the-meta-quest-3s-includes-a-free-75-gift-card-115856107.html?src=rss
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
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