OpenAI potentially considering reinstating its freshly-ousted CEO Sam Altman

Following his surprise firing on Friday, currently-former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman might not be as out of a job as we initially thought he was, according to new word from The Verge on Saturday. Reportedly, sources close to Altman say that the board itself, in a stunning reversal, have “agreed in principal” to resign while reinstating him to his former position. However, the board has since reportedly missed a 5pm PT deadline regarding the decision.

Shortly after Altman’s firing on Friday afternoon, several senior staffers including former Chairman and President Greg Brockman, Director of Research Jakub Pachocki, Head of Preparedness Aleksander Madry and Senior Researcher Szymon Sidor tendered their resignations in protest. Numerous additional OpenAI staffers were set to quit in solidarity at that meeting. They’re reportedly willing to follow Altman, a la Jerry Maguire, to a new AI startup venture should he decide to launch one. 

An internal memo circulated after Altman’s dismissal argued that his termination was not related to “malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices,” per Axios’ reporting.

Microsoft is a major investor in the OpenAI venture — having injected some $10 billion into the project’s coffers this past January as part of a long term partnership between the two. It maintains the “utmost confidence” in OpenAI interim-CEO Mira Murati, and “remains confident” in the partnership overall. 

Despite those assurances, rank-and-file employees were given little notice prior to the official announcement going out (Altman himself receiving even less) of the change in leadership. Altman had, in the days leading up to his termination, remained an active supporter and recruiter for the firm, appearing at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum less than a day prior to his firing. 

According to the New York Times, neither Altman nor Brockman are guaranteed a return to power, largely on account of the company’s non-profit origins, which preclude investors from directing company-wide decisions. They instead leave those choices to members of the board itself. Altman and Brockman were both members of the OpenAI board. However, with their departures, only lead researcher, Ilya Sutskever; Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo; director of strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology Helen Toner; and computer scientist Tasha McCauley remain members — at least, through the weekend.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/openai-potentially-considering-reinstating-its-freshly-ousted-ceo-sam-altman-051223213.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – OpenAI potentially considering reinstating its freshly-ousted CEO Sam Altman

In World's Largest Disinformation Campaign Online, China Is Harassing Americans

“The Chinese government has built up the world’s largest known online disinformation operation,” reports CNN, “and is using it to harass US residents, politicians, and businesses.”

CNN reports that disinformation operation is even “at times threatening its targets with violence, a CNN review of court documents and public disclosures by social media companies has found.”

The onslaught of attacks — often of a vile and deeply personal nature — is part of a well-organized, increasingly brazen Chinese government intimidation campaign targeting people in the United States, documents show. The U.S. State Department says the tactics are part of a broader multi-billion-dollar effort to shape the world’s information environment and silence critics of Beijing that has expanded under President Xi Jinping… Victims face a barrage of tens of thousands of social media posts that call them traitors, dogs, and racist and homophobic slurs.

They say it’s all part of an effort to drive them into a state of constant fear and paranoia. Often, these victims don’t know where to turn. Some have spoken to law enforcement, including the FBI — but little has been done. While tech and social media companies have shut down thousands of accounts targeting these victims, they’re outpaced by a slew of new accounts emerging virtually every day. Known as “Spamouflage” or “Dragonbridge,” the network’s hundreds of thousands of accounts spread across every major social media platform have not only harassed Americans who have criticized the Chinese Communist Party, but have also sought to discredit U.S. politicians, disparage American companies at odds with China’s interests and hijack online conversations around the globe that could portray the CCP in a negative light.

Some numbers from the article:
Meta “announced in August it had taken down a cluster of nearly 8,000 accounts attributed to this group in the second quarter of 2023 alone.”
YouTube owner Google “told CNN it had shut down more than 100,000 associated accounts in recent years.”
X “has blocked hundreds of thousands of China ‘state-backed’ or “state-linked” accounts, according to company blogs.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – In World’s Largest Disinformation Campaign Online, China Is Harassing Americans

Kotlin Keeps Climbing TIOBE's Programming Language Popularity Index

An anonymous reader shared this report from InfoWorld:

JetBrains’ Kotlin language, a Java rival endorsed by Google for Android mobile development, continues to scale up Tiobe’s index of language popularity, reaching the 15th spot in the November 2023 rankings…

Software quality services company Tiobe cites Kotlin advantages including interoperability with Java and unrivaled Android accommodations as reasons for the language’s rise. Kotlin, Tiobe CEO Paul Jansen said, also fits in with a modern programming culture of expressive languages that have a strong type system and avoid null pointer exceptions by design. “Based on my experience, I am pretty sure Kotlin can reach a top 10 position,” Jansen said. It remains to be seen if it can ever scale as high as a top four slot, he added…
In the rival Pypl Popularity of Programming languages index this month, Kotlin was ranked 13th with a 1.76% share, having slipped slightly year-over-year.

Kotlin’s rank on the TIOBE index rose three positions in the last month — after rising two positions the month before. TIOBE’s CEO says the language has now achieved its highest ranking ever on the index, surpassing 2017’s “first wave of Kotlin popularity…when Google announced first class support for Kotlin on Android.”
Rust now ranks #20 on the index, behind Delphi/Object Pascal, Swift, Ruby, and R.

Here’s TIOBE November rankings for top-20 most popular programming languages:

PythonCC++JavaC#JavaScriptPHPVisual BasicSQLAssembly LanguageScratchFortranGoMATLABKotlinDelphi/Object PascalSwiftRubyRRust

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Source: Slashdot – Kotlin Keeps Climbing TIOBE’s Programming Language Popularity Index

OpenAI Investors Plot Last-Minute Push With Microsoft To Reinstate Sam Altman As CEO

The Verge reports that OpenAI’s board “is in discussions with Sam Altman to return to the company as its CEO, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.” But one of those people said Altman “is ‘ambivalent’ about coming back and would want significant governance changes.”

In a possibly related development, Forbes reports that “A day after OpenAI’s board of directors fired former CEO Sam Altman in a shock development, investors in the company are plotting how to restore him, in what would amount to an even more surprising counter-coup.”

Venture capital firms holding positions in OpenAI’s for-profit entity have discussed working with Microsoft and senior employees at the company to bring back Altman, even as he has signaled to some that he intends to launch a new startup, four sources told Forbes.

Whether the companies would be able to exert enough pressure to pull off such a move — and do it fast enough to keep Altman interested — is unclear.
The playbook, a source told Forbes would be straightforward: make OpenAI’s new management, under acting CEO Mira Murati and the remaining board, accept that their situation was untenable through a combination of mass revolt by senior researchers, withheld cloud computing credits from Microsoft, and a potential lawsuit from investors. Facing such a combination, the thinking is that management would have to accept Altman back, likely leading to the subsequent departure of those believed to have pushed for Altman’s removal, including cofounder Ilya Sutskever and board director Adam D’Angelo, the CEO of Quora.
Should such an effort not come together in time, Altman and OpenAI ex-president Greg Brockman were set to raise capital for a new startup, two sources said. “If they don’t figure it out asap, they’d just go ahead with Newco,” one source added.

Also from the Verge: people close to OpenAI “say more departures are in the works”.

The Information confirms Altman “has been telling investors that he is planning to launch a new AI venture.” They also report that Altman “has been in discussions with semiconductor executives, including chip designer Arm, on Friday morning about early efforts to design new chips that would lower costs for large-language model companies like OpenAI, a person familiar with the talks said. That effort would likely take years.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – OpenAI Investors Plot Last-Minute Push With Microsoft To Reinstate Sam Altman As CEO

OpenAI board attempts to hit “Ctrl-Z” in talks with Altman to return as CEO

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the OpenAI DevDay event on November 06, 2023 in San Francisco.

Enlarge / OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the OpenAI DevDay event on November 06, 2023 in San Francisco. (credit: Getty Images | Ars Technica)

Just over a day since his surprise firing that sent shock waves through the tech industry, the OpenAI board is reportedly engaging in discussions with Sam Altman to potentially return as CEO of the company, according to The Verge, citing people familiar with the matter. The outlet says that Altman is “ambivalent” about returning and would want significant changes to how the company is run.

The move would be a dramatic about-face for the board, which has faced intense scrutiny from all corners of the tech world for abruptly and surprisingly firing one of the tech industry’s most high-profile CEOs. Altman was popular with both Microsoft leadership and OpenAI staff, and his firing came as a shock to employees, who reportedly pushed back against OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever’s handling of the move during an all-hands meeting on Friday. The overtures toward Altman suggest that the board may have been surprised by the sizable reaction from the world at large.

In an internal memo obtained by Axios on Saturday, OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap hinted at criticism of how the firing was handled and confirmed that Altman was not fired in response to “malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices.” With no apparent legal wrongdoing at play, and with broad support within the company (present board of directors excluded), the path could clear for Altman’s return, should he choose to accept it.

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Source: Ars Technica – OpenAI board attempts to hit “Ctrl-Z” in talks with Altman to return as CEO

Why Bill Gates Remains Hopeful about Innovative New Climate Solutions

Bill Gates argues that when it comes to climate change, “there are more reasons to be hopeful than many people realize — and it’s not just that renewable energy sources like wind and solar are getting cheaper.

“And it’s not just because many of the steps already taken to reduce carbon emissions are working: Carbon emissions from fossil fuels will probably peak in 2025.”
The main thing that makes me optimistic is all the innovation I’m seeing. As someone who has been funding climate solutions for years, I get to learn from ingenious scientists who are working on ideas that will help the world solve climate change. And their work makes me confident that innovation will help the world get on track to meet its climate goals.

Some people are skeptical when a technology person like me says innovation is the answer. And it’s true that new tools aren’t the only thing we need. But we won’t solve the climate problem without them.
There are two reasons for this. First, we need to eliminate emissions from every sector of the economy. Although some behavior change will help, the world can’t achieve its zero-emissions goals without inventing new ways of doing things. For example, the production of concrete and steel alone accounts for around 10 percent of the world’s annual greenhouse gases, but right now, we don’t have practical ways to make either one without releasing carbon dioxide.

The second reason is that, in a world with limited resources, innovations allow us to magnify the impact of our efforts… We couldn’t solve the climate problem with existing technology even if we had unlimited resources — and, of course, we don’t have unlimited resources. So we need to be as rigorous as possible about doing the most good with the funding that is available. In my view, that boils down to inventing and deploying new ways to cut emissions and to help people survive and thrive in a warming world.
Gates believes we’re at “the beginning of a Clean Industrial Revolution” –pointing readers to Breakthrough Energy’s recent State of the Transition Report for more details.

But Gates also provides some specific examples of optimism-fuleing breakthroughs”

“To reduce emissions, we need to replace the synthetic fertilizers that release nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, when broken down by microbes in the soil; Pivot Bio has genetically modified microbes to provide plants with the nitrogen they need without the excess greenhouse gases that synthetic alternatives produce.”

“Cement and steel are two of the biggest sources of emissions in this category. Boston Metal is well on the way to making steel with electricity (which can be generated without emissions) instead of coal. CarbonCure and Ecocem have developed low-carbon processes for making cement, and Brimstone has a way to do it while actually removing carbon from the air.”
“Because of inefficient windows and gaps in what’s known as the building envelope, as much as 40% of heated or cooled air leaks out of the typical building. If we can drive that number down, buildings will require less heating and cooling — which will substantially lower our emissions. Aeroseal has developed a polymer that can seal ducts and other crevices; more than a quarter of a million buildings in the U.S. and Canada are already using their product. Another company, Luxwall, has developed a window that’s many times more efficient than the single-pane windows used in most buildings. And unlike double-paned windows, it’s thin enough to replace single-paned glass without having to rebuild the frame.”

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Source: Slashdot – Why Bill Gates Remains Hopeful about Innovative New Climate Solutions

Echo Show 8 bundles are up to 64 percent off in Amazon's Black Friday deals

If you’ve been holding out for a deal on the Echo Show 8, it doesn’t get any better than Amazon’s current Black Friday bundles for its smart displays. Amazon is selling the second-generation Echo Show 8 with a Kasa Smart multicolor lightbulb for just $55. Normally, these would cost over $150 together. The third-generation Echo Show 8, released this year, is also deeply discounted on Amazon in a bundle with the Kasa Smart Bulb, going for just $105 compared to the list price of $173.

The 2023 Echo Show 8 (3rd gen) brought a refreshed design to what was already one of the best smart displays out there. The latest version has a sleeker build and upgraded capabilities, with spatial audio, a 13MP camera and faster response times from Alexa. Still its predecessor, released in 2021, achieves solid performance for tasks like video calls and smart home control. It’s equipped with automatic face framing to keep you centered on calls, and has a privacy cover for the camera. Both models have a compact 8-inch touchscreen that’s big enough for viewing content without taking up too much counter space.

Amazon’s smart display deals don’t just stop at the Echo Show 8. The retailer is also offering discounts on the Echo Show 5 and the larger Echo Show 10. There are bundles to include additional accessories — including the Blink Mini camera and Kasa Smart bulbs — and deals on individual devices for 30 to 64 percent off.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/echo-show-8-bundles-are-up-to-64-percent-off-in-amazons-black-friday-deals-220607231.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Echo Show 8 bundles are up to 64 percent off in Amazon’s Black Friday deals

Source Code To Infocom's Text Adventure Interpreters Now Available

Slashdot reader Mononymous writes: Back in 2019, digital archivist Jason Scott released the source code to Infocom’s classic text adventures. Now the other piece of the puzzle is available: the source code (mostly in assembly, with some C and Pascal) to their microcomputer interpreters.

Infocom, publisher of the best-selling Zork series, ported their text adventures to most of the diverse microcomputer platforms of the 1980s by using an early virtual machine, known as the Z-machine or ZIP. This enabled them to sell games simultaneously for everything from the TI-99/4A to the Commodore 128. Hobbyists reverse-engineered the technology in the 1990s to create modern implementations, but now the original source code can be studied directly.

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Source: Slashdot – Source Code To Infocom’s Text Adventure Interpreters Now Available

Starship brought the thunder as it climbed into space for the first time

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Source: Ars Technica – Starship brought the thunder as it climbed into space for the first time

Mike Flanagan's Next Haunting Would've Taken Viewers to Hell House

Mike Flanagan’s been a well-known horror director for years, but 2018’s Haunting of Hill House series for Netflix arguably put him in the spotlight. After following that up with Haunting of Bly Manor two years later, Flanagan’s been busy with other series for the streamer like last year’s The Midnight Club and more…

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Source: Gizmodo – Mike Flanagan’s Next Haunting Would’ve Taken Viewers to Hell House

Rust in Linux: Maturing with Support from Cisco, Samsung, Canonical

ZDNet shares on update on “Rust in Linux: Where we are and where we’re going next,” citing a talk at the Linux Plumbers Conference in Richmond, Virginia by Linux/Rust developer Miguel Ojeda:

In brief, Rust Linux is continuing to mature and is getting strong support from developers and vendors, such as Cisco, Samsung, and Canonical… Rust is taking the steps it needs to become — along with C — a fully-fledged member of the Linux language toolchain… That’s not to say that we’re ready to retire C for Rust just yet. In fact, that day is unlikely ever to come. But Rust is definitely on its way to becoming an important language for Linux development…

As for the day-to-day work that’s required to make Rust fully integrated with Linux, the “official” website of the initiative is now the self-explanatory Rust for Linux. This site is your one-stop source for all things Rust on Linux… However, the move forward has not been straightforward. Rust on Linux developers have discovered some problems along the way. For example, while deadlocks, when two or more threads are waiting on the other to finish, are safe in Rust, because they don’t result in undefined behavior, they’re not safe in the Linux kernel. The programmers are working on fixing this issue…

A related issue is that there’s growing interest in backporting Rust support into long-term support (LTS) versions of Linux, specifically 5.15 and 6.1. Some people are especially showing interest in the super LTS Linux 6.1 kernel. However, Linux doesn’t generally allow backports into LTS Linuxes. So, if you really, really want fully featured Rust support in an older LTS kernel, you’re going to need to pay for it in one way or the other. Another general rule that Rust developers have decided they’re going to try to “break” is the rule against duplicate drivers. Usually, no one wants anyone wasting time reinventing the wheel, but some maintainers are open to the idea of experimenting with Rust, by starting simple with a driver they’re already familiar with…

These movements are small steps forward, but they’re all critical for making Rust equal to C as a Linux programming language.

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Source: Slashdot – Rust in Linux: Maturing with Support from Cisco, Samsung, Canonical

Internal memo says Sam Altman’s firing wasn't due to 'malfeasance' or OpenAI safety practices

An internal memo sent to OpenAI staff on Saturday after former CEO Sam Altman’s abrupt firing reiterates that “a breakdown in communication” led to the decision, not “malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices,” according to reporting from Axios and The New York Times. The memo obtained by both publications was sent to employees by OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap.

Speculation has been nonstop since Altman was ousted unexpectedly as CEO on Friday and dropped from the company’s board of directors, with little concrete information from OpenAI itself to go on. In its announcement of the decision, the board said only that he was not “consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.” The board named Mira Murati, OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer, as interim CEO.

In response, OpenAI’s now-former president, Greg Brockman, announced he was stepping down too, tweeting, “Sam and I are shocked and saddened by what the board did today.” Three senior researchers later resigned as well, according to The Information. Now, in another report, sources told The Information that Altman already has a “new venture” in the works, and he plans to bring Brockman and possibly others on with him. It’s as yet unclear if this venture is separate from Altman’s other known upcoming projects, including a purported collaboration with former Apple designer Jony Ive.

Numerous reports in the aftermath have attempted to provide an explanation for Altman’s firing, with some claiming there were concerns over the rapid development of the company’s AI products and, according to journalist Kara Swisher, its “profit driven direction.” In Saturday’s memo, per Axios, Lightcap wrote that the announcement “took us all by surprise,” and “we have had multiple conversations with the board to try to better understand the reasons and process behind their decision.”

The sudden shakeup could now have ramifications for the impending sale of OpenAI’s employee shares, valued at roughly $86 billion, The Information reported. In a cryptic tweet on Saturday, Altman quipped, “if i start going off, the openai board should go after me for the full value of my shares (sic).”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/internal-memo-says-sam-altmans-firing-wasnt-due-to-malfeasance-or-openai-safety-practices-205156164.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Internal memo says Sam Altman’s firing wasn’t due to ‘malfeasance’ or OpenAI safety practices

Is 'Disney Pinnacle' Preparing to Be the Next Big NFT Failure?

“NFTs aren’t gone yet,” writes the Verge.

“Disney will launch an ‘all-new socially driven collectible experience’ called Disney Pinnacle later this year, turning characters from Pixar, Star Wars, and its classic animated films into tradable digital pins.”

While announcing Pinnacle, Disney and its partner Dapper Labs won’t even say the word “NFT.” Dapper Labs still calls itself “the NFT company,” but between a variety of scams, an eye-blistering episode at a recent Bored Ape event, and a market that has plunged since peaking in early 2021, that’s a term they apparently will steer clear of. The only thing available on the site right now is a privacy policy that makes clear this is a Dapper Labs effort that’s licensing content from Disney — not an in-house effort on the level of Disney Plus.

The NFT collection is being launched through an iOS app, and a spokesperson tells CoinDesk that web and Android applications will come later.

The Disney Pinnacle website has a few seconds of background animation showing the pins — and, of course, a waitlist signup form.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Is ‘Disney Pinnacle’ Preparing to Be the Next Big NFT Failure?

Steven Yeun Might Be The Sentry in Marvel's Thunderbolts

Last year, Marvel revealed it had a movie in the works for the Thunderbolts, a team of villains and antiheroes trying to redeem themselves. While the main cast consists of MCU mainstays like Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier and relative newcomers in Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, the…

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Source: Gizmodo – Steven Yeun Might Be The Sentry in Marvel’s Thunderbolts

What Exactly Happened At OpenAI?

Microsoft’s stock price plumetted 16% after OpenAI fired CEO Sam Altman — but appears to have immediately recovered most of the drop in after-hours trading. Yet OpenAI’s move “also blindsided key investor and minority owner Microsoft,” writes Ars Technica, “reportedly making CEO Satya Nadella furious.”

Tech reporter Kara Swisher called the firing a “badly managed coup de Sam,” tweeting more details Friday night. “Sources tell me that the profit direction of the company under Altman and the speed of development, which could be seen as too risky, and the nonprofit side dedicated to more safety and caution were at odds. One person on the Sam side called it a ‘coup,’ while another said it was the the right move.”

Ars Technica fills in the story:
Sources told reporter Kara Swisher that OpenAI’s Dev Day event on November 6, with Altman front and center in a keynote pushing consumer-like products, was an “inflection moment of Altman pushing too far, too fast.”

In a joint statement released Friday night, Altman and Brockman said they were “shocked and saddened” by the board’s actions… OpenAI has an unusual structure where its for-profit arm is owned and controlled by a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity… Insiders say the move was mostly a power play that resulted from a cultural schism between Altman and [cofounder/board member Ilya] Sutskever over Altman’s management style and drive for high-profile publicity. On September 29, Sutskever tweeted, “Ego is the enemy of growth.” The schism is causing further turmoil on the inside. Three AI researchers loyal to Altman departed the company as well on Friday, resigning in reaction to the news: Jakub Pachocki, GPT-4 lead and OpenAI’s director of research; Aleksander Madry, head of a team evaluating AI risk, and Szymon Sidor, an open source baselines researcher.

Rumors have already begun swirling about potential internal breakthroughs at OpenAI that may have intensified the slow/fast rift within the company, owing to Sutskever’s role as co-lead of a “Superalignment” team that is tasked with figuring out how to control hypothetical superintelligent AI. At the APEC CEO Summit on Thursday, Altman said, “Four times now in the history of OpenAI — the most recent time was just in the last couple of weeks — I’ve gotten to be in the room when we push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward. And getting to do that is like the professional honor of a lifetime.”
The concern here not necessarily being that OpenAI has developed superintelligence, which experts say is unlikely, but that the new breakthrough Altman mentioned may have added pressure to a company that is fighting within itself to proceed safely (from its non-profit branch) but also make money (from its for-profit subsidiary).

Former Google CEO/chairman Eric Schmidt tweeted, “Sam Altman is a hero of mine. He built a company from nothing to $90 Billion in value, and changed our collective world forever. I can’t wait to see what he does next. I, and billions of people, will benefit from his future work- it’s going to be simply incredible.”

And reacting to the news, angel investor Ron Conway tweeted Friday that it looked like “a Board Board coup that we have not seen the likes of since 1985 when the then-Apple board pushed out Steve Jobs. It is shocking; it is irresponsible; and it does not do right by Sam & Greg or all the builders in OpenAI.”

Addressing the charges of a “coup,” OpenAI held “an impromptu all-hands meeting” Friday after the firing, according to a (paywalled) article from The Information:

“You can call it this way,” Sutskever said about the coup allegation. “And I can understand why you chose this word, but I disagree with this. This was the board doing its duty to the mission of the nonprofit, which is to make sure that OpenAI builds AGI that benefits all of humanity….” When Sutskever was asked whether “these backroom removals are a good way to govern the most important company in the world?” he answered: “I mean, fair, I agree that there is not an ideal element to it. 100%.”

Reporter Kara Swisher predicted that Altman “will have a new company up by Monday.”

“If i start going off, the openai board should go after me for the full value of my shares,” Sam Altman posted on X Saturday — although Swisher wondered if Altman was simply trolling the company that had fired him.

“He has almost no shares, I believe.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – What Exactly Happened At OpenAI?

The FCC says new rules will curb SIM swapping. I’m pessimistic

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Source: Ars Technica – The FCC says new rules will curb SIM swapping. I’m pessimistic

Xbox Black Friday deals include all time low console bundle and $20 off controllers

The Xbox Series S starter pack is down to a record low price in a Black Friday deal from Microsoft. The starter bundle for the 512GB Series S — which also includes a wireless controller and three months of Game Pass Ultimate — is just $240, compared to its normal price of $300. You can also pick up extra controllers at an exceptionally low price from Amazon right now, with a choice from a slew of different colors. The Xbox Core Wireless Controller is 31 percent off, bringing it down to $45 from its usual price of $65 for a $20 savings.

The Xbox Series S is the more budget-friendly, compact version of the console. It can run games at 120 frames per second and at resolutions above 1080p, and supports ray tracing for some titles. While it’s not as powerful as the more expensive Series X, it’s still one of the best gaming consoles around today for its price range. We gave it a review score of 85 when it came out (and dubbed it “the cutest console of the next generation”). 

The current deal comes with three months of Game Pass Ultimate, which means buyers will get instant access to hundreds of popular games. There’s also a high-speed HDMI cable in the box alongside a wireless controller.

If the limitations of the Series S are too much, though, there are also Black Friday deals on Series X bundles. You can pick up the Series X with Diablo IV for just $440 at Walmart — a savings of over 20 percent, or $120 off. Or, if racing games are more your speed, Microsoft is selling the Xbox Series X bundled with Forza Horizon 5 for $450, shaving $50 off the usual price.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xbox-black-friday-deals-include-all-time-low-console-bundle-and-20-off-controllers-183704686.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Xbox Black Friday deals include all time low console bundle and off controllers

SpaceX's Starship Reaches Outer Space Before Intentional Detonation

CNN reports

SpaceX made a second attempt to successfully launch Starship, the most powerful rocket ever constructed. The uncrewed rocket took off just after 7 a.m. CT (8 a.m. ET). The rocket took off as intended, making it roughly 8 minutes into flight before SpaceX confirmed it had to intentionally explode the Starship spacecraft as it flew over the ocean…

This mission comes after months of back-and-forth with federal regulators as SpaceX has awaited a launch license. The company is also grappling with pushback from environmentalists…

After separating from the Super Heavy rocket booster, the Starship spacecraft soared to an altitude of approximately 93 miles (150 kilometers) before SpaceX lost contact, according to a statement issued by the company. For context, the U.S. government considers 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth’s surface the edge of outer space…

SpaceX is OK with rockets exploding in the early stages of development. That’s because the company uses a completely different approach to rocket design than, say, NASA. The space agency focuses on building one rocket and strenuously designing and testing it on the ground before its first flight — taking years but all but guaranteeing success on the first launch. SpaceX, however, rapidly builds new prototypes and is willing to test them to their breaking point because there’s usually a spare nearby. During a drive by the company’s facilities on Friday — four Starship spacecraft and at least two Super Heavy boosters could be seen from public roadways.
CNN reminds readers that “so far in 2023 alone, the Falcon 9 has launched more than 70 spaceflights…

“Elon Musk described Starship as the vehicle that underpins SpaceX’s founding purpose: sending humans to Mars for the first time. NASA has its own plans for the rocket.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – SpaceX’s Starship Reaches Outer Space Before Intentional Detonation

These are the 48 best Black Friday deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart and more

“Black Friday” has become more and more of a misnomer in recent years. What was once one day with truly limited-time offers has expanded into a month-long sales marathon that can feel more exhausting than exciting. It’s happening again in 2023: Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Walmart and several other retailers are already advertising Black Friday deals well ahead of the day itself.

If you’re overwhelmed by the amount of discounts showing up in your feeds, you’re not alone — but these sales present a good opportunity to get your holiday shopping done a little earlier while saving some cash. To help, we’ve rounded up the best Black Friday deals on tech we’ve tested and reviewed below. Will we see lower prices on Black Friday proper? Potentially, but we expect many of the deals that are live now to run all the way through to Cyber Monday. And we’re already seeing record lows on iPads, wireless earbuds, PS5 controllers, Sonos gear, smart TVs and many other gadgets we like. We’ll be updating our list regularly in the lead-up to Black Friday, so check back if there’s anything else you’ve had your eye on.

Apple iPad (9th Gen)

Apple’s 9th-gen iPad is down to $249 at Amazon and Walmart, which is a deal we’ve seen for much of the past month but still matches the tablet’s lowest-ever price. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide, and it earned a review score of 86 in 2021. It’s the last iPad to use Apple’s old design language, so it has thick bezels, a Lightning port, a Home button and a non-laminated display. This variant also comes with a paltry 64GB of storage. At this price, though, it’s still hard to do better if all you want is a large screen for streaming video, playing games and browsing the web. Its 10.2-inch display remains a step up from cheaper slates, its A13 Bionic chip is plenty fast for casual media consumption and its battery still lasts around 10 hours per charge. Most importantly, it’s the cheapest route into Apple’s huge app library, customer support and years of software updates.

Apple iPad Air

The iPad Air M1 is back down to a record low of $500 right now ahead of Black Friday. All color options have some sort of discount, and a few of them have a clippable coupon that will bring the final price down to $500. It’s still the best iPad for most people at the moment, although we expect to see a fresh lineup with the latest M-series processor debut early next year. However, if you want a new iPad immediately, the Air offers speedy performance, good battery life, a slim design and Apple Pencil 2 support.

If you want something of a middle ground between the entry-level iPad and the iPad Air, meanwhile, the 10th-gen iPad is also on sale for a low of $349 at Amazon and Best Buy. We still think the Air’s laminated display, more futureproof chip and superior accessory support makes it worth the upgrade, but the 10th-gen iPad has a much more modern design than the 9th-gen model, and this $100 discount should make its shortcomings easier to accept. We gave the 10.9-inch tablet a score of 85 in our review last October.

Apple Watch Series 9

The new Apple Watch Series 9 has dropped to $349 at Amazon and Walmart in a Black Friday deal. That’s $50 off its usual price and the lowest we’ve seen since it debuted in September. That’s the price you’ll pay for the 41mm model, and the 45mm models have the same $50 discount, bringing them down to $379 each. The Series 9 took the crown of the best smartwatch you can get right now in our guide thanks to its new S9 SiP that brings slightly speedier performance and on-device Siri processing, the new Double Tap feature and other improvements.

Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)

The third-gen Apple AirPods are back down to $140 at Amazon and Best Buy, matching the lowest price we’ve seen. Typically, the wireless earbuds retail between $10 and $20 higher over the past few months. We gave these AirPods a review score of 88 back in 2021: You can get better-sounding and more featured earbuds for much less, but if you’re an iPhone owner who hates the feeling of traditional in-ear headphones, it might suit you well. It has a mostly balanced sound despite its unsealed design, and it gets the usual AirPods conveniences like hands-free Siri, Find My device tracking and quick pairing with other Apple gadgets. Just don’t expect much in the way of deep bass or noise cancellation, as is the case with all earbuds with an “open” design.

Apple iPad (10th gen)

The 10th-generation iPad is down to its lowest price ever at Amazon. The 64GB WiFi model, in all four colors is just $349 for Black Friday. That’s $100 off and $30 less than the previous low. We gave the revamped standard iPad an 85 in our review. Compared to the 9th-gen model, the new version ditches the Home button and comes with a larger, 10.9-inch display. The front-facing camera is now on the landscape edge, which is much more convenient for video calls, but the tablet, for some reason, still only works with the first generation Apple Pencil.

Apple M2 Mac Mini

Amazon has discounted Apple’s M2-powered Mac Mini desktops: the 256GB model has dropped to $500, while the 512GB model is on sale for $690 with a clippable coupon. Though we expect an upgrade to the new M3 chip at some point over the next year, the current model is still a great option if you want a speedy desktop running macOS, with a bevy of ports as well. It earned a score of 86 in our review, and it has a headphone jack, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-A connectors, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-Cs and an HDMI 2.0 port.

MacBook Pro M3

Apple came out with its new M3-powered MacBook Pros just before Halloween, but the base model is already on sale at Amazon. The variant with a 14-inch screen and standard M3 chip, with 8GB of memory and 512GB of storage is $1,449, or $150 off the list price. We note in our review that the M3 chip may quickly begin to push the limits of what 8GB of RAM can handle, and recommend stepping up to a model with more memory if you can. A variant with the M3 Pro chip and 18GB of RAM is also $150 off at Best Buy, down to $1,849.

Xbox Seires X

The Xbox Series X bundled with Diablo IV is down to $439 from Walmart. The console itself has a list price of $500 and the game is typically listed between $40 and $70, so this is like getting a $60 discount on the console plus a free copy of the huge action RPG. If you don’t need a copy of the game, you may be more interested in the deal at Target: The Xbox Series X with a $75 Target gift card is $449. 

Xbox Series S Starter bundle

A starter bundle that includes a 512GB capacity Xbox Series S and a three-month subscription to Game Pass Ultimate is currently $249 at Microsoft. The console by itself has a list price of $300 and three months of access to Xbox’s service will set you back $51 after this year’s price hike (though the first month is often just $1 for new members).

Anker accessories sale

For Black Friday, a slew of Anker chargers, cables, power adapters and other accessories are on sale at Amazon, with discounts of up to 37 percent. Deals extend to our favorite premium power bank, Anker’s Prime 20,000 mAH battery with charging base, which is $130 for the set and the lowest price ever. 

The 67W USB-C charger is 37 percent off, bringing it to $38 and matching its all-time low. Our top 65W fast wall charger, Anker’s 735 GaN Prime, is down to a new low price after a 38 percent discount. And the Anker Nano Power Bank is seeing one of its first discounts since coming on the market a couple months ago.

Meta Quest 2 VR headset

The Meta Quest 2 VR headset is $50 off and down to $249, which is the best price we’ve seen. Despite the launch of the impressive Quest 3, we still consider the Quest 2 to be one of the best VR headsets available right now — precisely because of its more affordable price. It’s still the best way to jump into VR without spending a ton of money, and the Quest 2 has the perks of being completely cordless and comfortable to wear for long sessions. The hardware includes fast-switching LCDs with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, and it comes with Meta’s sold motion controllers.

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

This Roku Black Friday deal knocks the price of the Streaming Stick 4K down to $30 at Amazon and from Roku, which represents a 40 percent discount. It’s one of the best streaming devices available right now thanks to its support for 4K HDR content, Dolby Vision and AirPlay 2, among other things. Roku’s TV interface is super user-friendly, and this dongle supports private listening with headphones paired to your smartphone via Roku’s companion app.

Sonos Black Friday sale

Sonos has kicked off its Black Friday sale for the year, bringing a range of discounts on smart speakers and home theater gear. The deals include the flagship Sonos Arc soundbar down to $719, which is a $180 discount. The mid-range Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and the more basic Sonos Ray are also on sale for $399 and $223, respectively; that’s a $100 drop for the former and a $56 drop for the latter. All three devices are recommendations in our guide to the best soundbars. In other home theater deals, the Sonos Sub (Gen 3) subwoofer is $160 off at $639, while the more compact Sonos Sub Mini is $86 off at $343.

Elsewhere, the Sonos Roam portable speaker is down to $134 from its usual $179, while the Sonos Roam SL — which is effectively the same device sans built-in microphones — is down to $119 from its usual $159. For a smart home speaker, the Sonos Era 100 is $50 off at $199. We highlight the Roam and Era 100 in our guide to the best smart speakers. For those looking to add Sonos functionality to existing audio gear, the Sonos Amp is now $599, a $100 discount, while the Sonos Port is now $399, a $50 discount.

You can read our reviews of the Arc, Beam, Ray, Roam and Era 100 for more details on what to expect from those devices. Generally speaking, we like Sonos speakers for delivering relatively clean and balanced sound and a straightforward app that lets you connect to numerous music services. Their main appeal, however, is their ability to link up with the company’s other devices in one connected audio system. Deals on any Sonos gear are fairly uncommon, so this is a good chance to save if you’re looking to build out your own system. Sonos says this sale will run through November 27.

Google Nest Thermostat

Google’s Nest Thermostat is on sale for $90 right now, which is $40 off and close to a record low. It’s a pared-down version of the Nest Learning Thermostat, but it has plenty of smart features and should help you save on energy costs over time. This model is Energy Star-certified and will automatically turn temperatures down in your home when you leave the house, and you can adjust heating and cooling schedules from your phone.

Google Pixel 8 Pro

Google’s latest flagship smartphones are up to $200 off for Black Friday, including the Pixel 8 Pro, which you can snag for $799. The standard Pixel 8 is as low as $549 depending on the storage capacity you choose as well. These are the best Android phones available right now thanks to some substantial upgrades Google brought to each handset this time around. They both have upgraded Tensor G3 processors, vivid OLED displays with 120Hz refresh rates, excellent cameras and solid battery lives.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

The Google Pixel Buds Pro are on sale for $115 at Wellbots. That’s the best price we’ve ever seen on what we consider to be the best wireless earbuds for Android users. Google learned from its previous generations of earbuds and made the best model yet with the Pros; they have improved sound quality, a comfortable design with reliable touch controls and good noise cancellation and battery life.

Google Pixel Tablet

The Google Pixel Tablet is on sale for an all-time low of $399 at several retailers, including Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Google’s own online store. That’s $100 off the 11-inch slate’s list price and $10 less than the deal we saw during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale last month. We gave the Pixel Tablet a review score of 85 earlier this year: Its crisp LCD display, clean software and solid Tensor G2 chip make it a solid Android tablet in its own right, but its biggest selling point is the charging speaker dock that comes with it. Plop the Pixel Tablet onto that and it becomes a Nest Hub Max-style smart display and smart home hub. This deal applies to the base model with 128GB of storage, but the 256GB version is also $100 off at $499.

iRobot Roomba Combo j5+

You can save $300 on the Roomba Combo j5+ robot vacuum and mop at Amazon, spending $500 for the machine and its self-emptying base. The more affordable Roomba 694 is $115 off as well. The Combo machine lets you vacuum and mop with one machine and it comes with a base into which the vacuum dustbin will empty its contents after every job. The cheaper Roomba 694 is one of the best robo-vacs for people on a budget thanks to its slim design, strong suction power and easy-to-use mobile app.

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

Breville’s Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is 29 percent off and down to $320 for Black Friday. That’s the best price we’ve seen since the start of this year on one of our favorite air fryers. This Breville machine is much more than an air fryer, though — it has 13 cooking functions and a capacity that can handle a full turkey, so it’s more like a mini convection oven that sits on your countertop. It’s best for people who love to cook and have big families, or those who maybe don’t have a traditional oven and want a versatile (and relatively small) appliance for their kitchen.

Fitbit Charge 6

Fitbit’s newest fitness tracker, the Charge 6, is $60 off right now and down to a record low of $100. It’s the follow-up to one of our favorite fitness trackers, the Fitbit Charge 5, and it brings back the physical side button that previous generations had and integrates even more with Google services. It has an AMOLED touchscreen that displays all of your activity stats and smart notifications, a built-in GPS for mapping outdoor workouts, a week-long battery life and the ability to display turn-by-turn directions on its screen from Google Maps.

Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite

Amazon’s most affordable Fire TV Stick is down to $16 for Black Friday, which is only $1 more than its record-low price. You’ll find decent discounts across most of the Fire TV lineup right now — including a $20 discount on the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max — and this model is the cheapest of the bunch. It supports HD video as well as most major streaming services, plus it comes with a pared-down version of the Alexa voice remote. If you want the most powerful dongle that Amazon makes with support for 4K HDR content and Wi-Fi 6, you’ll have to spend $40 for the new Fire TV 4K Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is down to $328 at Amazon and B&H. Though this isn’t an all-time low, it’s about $70 off Sony’s list price and $20 lower than the headphones’ usual recurring sale price. The XM5 is the top recommendation in our guide to the best wireless headphones, as it offers a comfortable design, powerful ANC, crisp call quality and 30 or so hours of battery life. It also comes with a number of useful bonus features such as “Speak to Chat,” which automatically pauses your music when you start talking to somebody else. By default, its bass-heavy sound plays well with hip-hop and EDM, though you can easily customize the EQ curve through Sony’s app. We gave the XM5 a score of 95 in our review last year.

Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony’s WF-1000XM5, meanwhile, is the top choice in our guide to the best wireless earbuds, and it’s now down to a new low of $248 at Amazon, B&H and other retailers. Several other retailers have it for $2 more. Normally, these noise-canceling earphones go for $300. Like the over-ear XM5, this in-ear model delivers excellent ANC (with strong passive isolation), loads of helpful features and a warm sound that’s fun out of the box but can be customized if needed. Battery life is decent at seven or eight hours per charge and, notably, the design is lighter, smaller and altogether more comfortable than past Sony earbuds. The WF-1000XM5 earned a score of 87 in our review this past July.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra 

The latest from Bose, the QuietComfort Ultra headphones are seeing a $50 discount at Amazon, Walmart and directly from Bose. They debuted last month and retail for $429 at full price. One of our concerns in our review was the higher price, so this deal takes some of the sting out of the purchase. We like the active noise cancellation technology, which Bose consistently does better than its competitors. The set is comfortable and the sound quality has more bass plus “increased clarity and enhanced warmth” compared to previous generation of the QC cans. 

Anker Soundcore Space A40

The Anker Soundcore Space A40 is down to $54 for Black Friday, matching the lowest price we’ve seen. This is the top pick in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds: It’s comfortable, it supports wireless charging and multi-device pairing, it can last up to 10 hours a charge and its ANC is remarkably effective for a sub-$100 pair. Its bassy sound should please most by default, but it can also be customized through a clean companion app. The only big negatives are its middling call quality and lack of wear detection.

Dyson Black Friday deals

Dyson Black Friday deals include a $175 discount on the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, bringing the cordless vacuum down to $575. It’s hard to tell if this is a record-low price, but considering the standard V15 Detect is going for between $650 and $750 across the internet, we consider this to be a good deal. In addition to its strong cleaning power, the V15 Detect has a laser-powered optic cleaner head that illuminates the floor before you as you’re cleaning so you can see dust and grime more clearly. It also has a piezo sensor, which sizes and counts dust particles as you clean and shows you that information on its LCD display.

Amazon Echo Black Friday sale

Almost the entirety of Amazon’s Echo speaker lineup is on sale for Black Friday, with most bundled alongside a TP-Link Kasa smart bulb for no extra cost. The offers include the Echo Dot back at an all-time low of $23, the Echo Dot with Clock for $35 (a $25 discount), the standard Echo within $5 of its all-time low at $55, the larger Echo Studio for $155 and the entry-level Echo Pop back at its Prime Day price of $18.

Of those, the Echo Dot and base Echo are likely your best bets — the former is the “best under $50” recommendation in our smart speaker buying guide, while the latter is our “best under $100” pick. The Echo Studio is still decent if you want better audio quality, though it’s harder to recommend when the Sonos Era 100 is also on sale, while the Echo Pop is essentially a weaker-sounding Echo Dot for only a few bucks less. But if you’re building a smart home around Alexa, each device offers similar functionality.

Amazon Echo Show Black Friday sale

Along those lines, most of Amazon’s Echo Show smart displays are also discounted. The recently updated Echo Show 8, for one, is on sale for a new low of $105, while the smaller 5.5-inch Echo Show 5 is back down to an all-time low of $40. Those two typically retail for $150 and $70, respectively. Again, both devices come bundled with a free LED smart bulb. You can also get an Echo Show 5 with a Ring Video Doorbell for $65.

The Echo Show 8 is the top Alexa pick in our guide to the best smart displays; compared to the Echo Show 5, it packs a better screen, richer speakers and a much sharper camera for video calls. But if you want something closer to a smart alarm clock for your nightstand, the smaller display still delivers most of the same Alexa smarts. If you want a larger panel, the rotating 10.1-inch Echo Show 10 is $90 off at $160 as well. We gave that one a score of 83 back in 2021, though our review found the Echo Show 8 to be a better value for most.

Google Nest Hub

If you’re partial to the Google Assistant, Google’s Nest Hub is also on sale for $50 at Target and Walmart. That’s $10 higher than its all-time low but still $50 off Google’s list price. The Nest Hub is the top overall pick in our smart display buying guide, and we gave it a review score of 89 back in 2021. It has a 7-inch screen, so it’s a bit bigger than the Echo Show 5 but should still be compact enough to fit neatly in a bedroom or small office. While it lacks a built-in camera, that may be a selling point for those who especially sensitive to their privacy (though no smart display is truly privacy-conscious).

Ultimately, whether it’s worth getting a Nest Hub or Echo Show depends on what services you use: If you own a bunch of Nest devices and depend on apps like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Photos, Google’s display will make sense. If you want a larger model with a webcam and stronger speakers, the 10-inch Nest Hub Max is also on sale for $129.

Samsung T9 SSD

The latest Samsung T9 portable SSD is on sale for $130 right now for a 1TB drive, which is the best price it’s been since it came out last month. You can snag this Black Friday deal from Amazon or Samsung directly, and you can grab a 2TB model if you’re willing to spend $20 more. The T9 is the newest iteration of Samsung’s popular portable drive that we’ve long been fans of, and it supports read and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s. It also has dynamic thermal guard to prevent overheating, plus it comes with a USB-C to C and USB-C to A cords so you can use it with a variety of devices.

Samsung microSD card sale

If you need a new microSD card for your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck or GoPro, a trio of Samsung microSD cards we recommend are also down their lowest prices to date. The 128GB version of the Samsung Pro Plus is down to $11 at Amazon, B&H, Best Buy and others, while the 256GB Samsung Evo Select is on sale for a new low of $15 and the 256GB Samsung Pro Ultimate is available for $25.

The Pro Plus is the top overall pick in our microSD card buying guide, as it consistently ranked among the fastest cards we tested despite its relatively affordable price tag. The Pro Ultimate offers faster read speeds, so it could be worth the step up if you often move files between your card and a computer. The Evo Select is our “best value” pick: It’s slower than the other two, but it’s cheaper, and its losses won’t be hugely noticeable in devices that can’t take advantage of the extra performance such as the Switch. Each card comes with a 10-year warranty.

PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller

Amazon, Walmart, PlayStation Direct and several other retailers have discounted a bunch of PlayStation DualSense controllers ahead of Black Friday, including many of the colorways that typically go for $75. You can pick up Cosmic Red, Starlight Blue, Nova Pink and other models for $50 each, which is just about a record-low price. These controllers work with the PS5 as well as PC, and they sport adaptive L2 and R2 triggers, haptic feedback and a built-in mic array.

PS5 + Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 bundle

If you or someone you love hasn’t gotten their hands on a PS5 yet, a new Black Friday bundle pairs the $500 console with the new (and critically acclaimed) Spider-Man 2 game for no extra cost. The PS5 remains one of the best gaming consoles you can get right now, and we found the open-world game to be even better than its predecessor in our review. In it, you can swap between playing as Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and it includes expanded combat mechanics.

PS5 Slim + Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III bundle

You can get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III for free with this $500 PS5 Slim bundle that’s roughly $60 off the price of buying each separately and available at multiple retailers. Sony announced this new svelte version of its console last month and it’s been popping up sporadically across the internet since then. Depending on the model you choose, it’ll be up to 24 percent lighter than the standard PS5 and it will take up about 30 percent less space overall.

PlayStation and Xbox video game sales

If you’re all set on the hardware front, a truckload of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S games have dropped in price for Black Friday too. Both Sony and Microsoft have rolled out holiday sales on their respective digital storefronts, while a number of physical games are down to new lows at Amazon, Best Buy and others. 

There are frankly too many deals for us to list them all here, but some highlights include Assassin’s Creed Mirage and the dramatic action-RPG Final Fantasy XVI for $40 each, God of War Ragnarök for $35 at Amazon and Best Buy, Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7 for $30 each, the rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush for $22, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales for $20 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $10. Many of those make our lists of the best PS5 games and best Xbox games. We expect to see more Switch and PC game deals over the coming week, but the turn-based strategy game Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is down to $15 now, and several other multiplatform games are on sale as well.

DJI Osmo Action 3 Creator Combo

As part of a larger sale on DJI cameras and accessories, the DJI Osmo Action 3 is seeing a discount as part of a bundle that includes two batteries, a 32GB microSD card and a case. Separately and not on sale, the set would run you $379, but is now down to $319. This isn’t the newest version of DJI’s GoPro Alternative camera, that one, the Osmo Action 4 isn’t on sale. The newer version has a larger sensor and improved dynamic range, but at a higher price. But if you don’t plan on shooting a lot of low-light footage, you may be happy with the performance of the Action 3. We put it through its paces in our review and liked the excellent video quality, and found it to be on par with GoPro’s Hero 10. The the magnetic clip mount and long-lasting, fast-charging battery are also reasons to buy. 

Masterclass Black Friday deal

Masterclass’ Black Friday deal gives you two memberships for the price of one, starting at $120 per year. That provides two individual memberships, while you can pay a total of $180 for access for two devices simultaneously, content downloads and a Family membership that covers six devices. Masterclass could be a good gift option for people who love to learn or collect hobbies as it provides access to hundreds of hours of video of masters of their craft explaining how they do their work. Some classes have exercises you can complete as well, making it feel more like a real class. This deal will be available until the end of the day on Black Friday proper.

Headspace Black Friday deal

Headspace’s Black Friday deal is back for 2023, knocking half off subscriptions for new and returning subscribers. You’ll spend $35 if you pay for one year upfront, or $6.50 per month if you choose the more frequent payment method. Headspace is a solid meditation and mindfulness app that packs a lot of value, including dozens of guided meditation sessions to choose from at various durations, “sleepcasts” and soothing audio to help you get better shut eye and curated yoga and fitness videos that can help you stick to your physical health goals.

Surfshark VPN

Surfshark’s Black Friday deal knocks up to 86 percent off two-year plans, and you’ll get a few extra months of service for free depending on the plan you select. We consider Surfshark to be one of the best VPN services available right now, particularly if you want a solid VPN at an affordable price. We believe the mid-tier plan, Surfshark One, will be the best for most people and a two-year plan is down to $2.69 per month, with an additional four months of services thrown in for free.

Samsung M80C Smart Monitor

Samsung’s Smart Monitor M80C is $300 off and down to $400 right now. You’ll see a $200 discount on the product page, but a clippable coupon will take the extra $100 off at checkout. The selling point for this display, and really any Samsung Smart Monitor, is that it pulls triple duty as an external display, a smart TV and an IoT hub. In addition to connecting it to your computer, you can use it standalone as a TV thanks to the built-in TV operating system and included remote, and the embedded SmartThings hub lets you directly connect things like smart lights and other gear to the display.

Motorola razr+

The Moto razr+ is 30 percent off and down to a record low of $700. It earned a spot in our best foldable phones guides thanks to handy exterior display that’s actually easier to use than that on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and its ability to fold in half and get super compact and pocket-friendly. It’s cameras are not on par with those on Samsung’s foldables, but it’s a generally solid flip phone with a ton of personality

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are down to $199 at Amazon, which is the same as they went for for October Prime Day. During that sale you needed to be a Prime member to save, but now anyone can take advantage of the discount. They retail for $299, but have sold for $279 for the past few months, so this is still an $80 discount. We think they’re best wireless earbuds you can buy for noise cancelation, as they do a great job of blocking out the world. They also have a smaller, more comfortable fit than the previous generation and offer good audio quality.

Samsung The Frame QLED TV

The 55-inch Samsung The Frame smart TV is 35 percent off and down to a new record low of $978 at Amazon. Samsung itself has it for a couple bucks more. Other size options are also discounted. The Frame has been super popular thanks to its design, which mimics framed artwork when not in use. It has a matte, anti-reflective display and an included slim wall mount so you can get the true “artwork” effect when you hang it on the wall. As an actual TV, it supports 4K content and Quantum Dot technology, plus it runs on Samsung’s Tizen TV operating system.

Solo Stove Black Friday deal

Solo Stove’s Black Friday deals have knocked up to $245 off fire pit bundles, up to $100 off fire pits by themselves and even more. A standout is the Ranger Backyard Bundle 2, which is $145 off and down to $320. It includes the company’s most compact fire pit along with its accompanying shield, stand, lid and shelter. Everything you’d need for an easy setup right out of the box is included in this bundle, and the 2.0-version of the Ranger includes a removable base plate and ash pan, both of which make the fire pit much easier to clean.

TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug

The smart plug we recommend for most homes is TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Plug mini. A four-pack is on sale for $35 which is about $3 more than it sold for during Amazon’s October Prime day sale, :but still a decent $15 savings. Plugs like these are a simple way to add some smart capabilities to any home, letting you turn on lights with just your voice, set automated schedules and routines that are triggered by other activities. These would make a great stocking stuffer for anyone you know who’s curious about smart home connectivity but hasn’t yet taken the plunge.  

ProtonVPN Black Friday deal

Our favorite VPN service, ProtonVPN, is having a rare sale for Black Friday that brings a monthly subscription down to only $4 for a total of 30 months. That means you’ll pay $120 for two and a half years of access, which is a pretty good deal. ProtonVPN passed our tests with high marks, but what made it stand out among other VPN security services was its independently audited no-logs policy, and the fact that the company has proven they don’t comply with law enforcement requests to reveal data. If you want to jump in head-first with Proton services, the company has discounted Proton Unlimited, which includes access to VPN, Mail, Calendar, Drive and Pass, to just under $9 per month for the first year.

LG A2 OLED TV

We expect to see many more TV deals as we get closer to Black Friday, but for now one standout is LG’s 48-inch A2 OLED TV on sale for a new low of $550 at Best Buy. This is an entry-level model from 2022, so it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, lacks HDMI 2.1 ports and doesn’t support other gaming-friendly features like VRR. That said, it’s still an OLED TV, so it delivers deep contrast, bold colors, wide viewing angles and low input lag. At this price, it should be a nice step-up option for smaller or secondary rooms. Just note that it can’t get as bright as higher-end OLED sets, so it’s best situated away from direct sunlight. 

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

A configuration of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 9 with an Intel Core i5-1235U processor, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and Microsoft’s Surface Pro Keyboard is on sale for $1,000 at Best Buy. That’s $540 off Microsoft’s list price. If you don’t need the keyboard, a variant with a faster Core i7-1255U chip is down to a new low of $1,097 at Amazon, Microsoft, B&H and other retailers. That’s roughly $200 off the config’s usual street price. Another Core i7 model with 512GB of storage is on sale for $300 more.

In any event, the Surface Pro 9 tops our guide to the best 2-in-1 tablets. While its 12th-gen chip is about to be two generations old, this is still the device to get if you want the functionality of a laptop in the slim, touch-enabled design of a tablet. We’re past the point of the year when Microsoft would normally announce a refresh, but the current model should still be useful if you’re coming from an older Surface Pro that’s in desperate need of an upgrade.

FAQs

When is Black Friday 2023?

Black Friday 2023 lands on November 24 this year, with Cyber Monday 2023 following up a few days later on November 27. However, the early deals have already begun. The entire month of November might as well be renamed Holiday Shopping Month as that’s when companies really start to get serious with their discounts.

What day is Black Friday 2023 at Walmart?

Walmart Black Friday deals will begin early this year on November 8. Walmart+ members will get a few hours of early access to Black Friday deals if they shop online on November 8, with access for everyone else starting later that day. Walmart will match its online Black Friday deals in stores starting November 10.

Will Amazon have a Black Friday sale in 2023?

Amazon will likely have a Black Friday sale in 2023. While the online retailer hasn’t made its deals known yet like Walmart has, Amazon will almost certainly have deals across all of the types of products it sells, including electronics. We anticipate seeing record-low prices on Amazon devices in particular, like Echo speakers, Fire TVs, Kindles and more. In years past, Amazon Black Friday deals have brought some of the best prices of the year on our favorite gadgets and gear, including headphones, tablets, smartwatches, robot vacuums and more.

What other retailers have Black Friday sales in 2023?

Most retailers have Black Friday sales, so you can expect to see Target, Best Buy, and others join Walmart and Amazon in discounting inventory to capitalize on holiday shopping interest. In the consumer electronics space, we expect most companies to have some sort of Black Friday promotion, so that means you will likely be able to get big-ticket items from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, Sony, LG, Sonos and others for much cheaper prices.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/these-are-the-48-best-black-friday-deals-from-amazon-target-walmart-and-more-172811487.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – These are the 48 best Black Friday deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart and more

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