AlmaLinux 10.1 has been released. In
addition to providing binary compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise
Linux (RHEL) 10.1, the most notable feature in AlmaLinux 10.1 is
the addition of support
for Btrfs, which is not available in RHEL:
Btrfs support encompasses both kernel and userspace enablement, and it
is now possible to install AlmaLinux OS on a Btrfs filesystem from the
very beginning. Initial enablement was scoped to the installer and
storage management stack, and broader support within the AlmaLinux
software collection for Btrfs features is forthcoming.
In addition to Btrfs support, AlmaLinux OS 10.1 includes numerous
other improvements to serve our community. We have continued to extend
hardware support both by adding
drivers and by adding a secondary version of AlmaLinux OS and EPEL
to extend support of x86_64_v2 processors.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Black Friday is a great time for tech deals, but the items discounted are often last year’s models; it’s rare to see a good discount on the newest and best gear and devices. And yet, if you’re in the market for one of those phone-shaped e-readers all the cool kids are TikTok-ing about, you can actually save quite a bit right now on a device that hasn’t even been out for a month: The Viwoods AiPaper Reader, which was just released on Nov. 10, is currently $238, or $42 off the usual price.
The AiPaper Reader is a strong competitor to the more established Boox Palma family (which also has a new addition—the Boox Palma 2 Pro—which is not on sale for the shopping holiday). It’s got the same 6.13-inch screen, mimicking most smartphones, but with a black-and-white e-ink display that’s far easier on the eyes than your iPhone or Android’s bright OLED. Though it’s currently far cheaper than the Palma 2 Pro, the AiPaper Reader has many of the same features, including 128GB of storage, Google Play compatibility, and mobile data when you insert a SIM card (though the Viwoods device does Boox one better: It’s also a secret phone.) It also has a lot of smart AI integrations, if you like that sort of thing (if you only want to use it to read books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and any other source you like, you can also just ignore it.)
This is currently your most affordable option for an e-reader with the form factor of a phone—it’s even cheaper than the year-old Palma 2 ($270 at Amazon), which does not have mobile data but does have the temperature-adjustable front light the AiPaper Reader lacks. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to stop spending so much time crashing out on your phone, a super portable e-reader you can stuff into any pocket is a great tool to help you do it.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Nothing is, first and foremost, a smartphone brand, but some of its best products are actually its affordable earbuds. A good example is the Nothing Ear (a) true wireless earbuds, which are cheaper than Apple’s AirPods, but still have advanced features like active noise cancellation. Even better, the Nothing Ear (a) are going for $60 this Black Friday, which is 46% off their list price of $109, and is the cheapest they’ve ever been.
Like many other Nothing products, the Ear (a) use a clear case. This works quite well for wireless earbuds, because you can actually see if the buds are inside the case without opening it. These earbuds earned a 4/5 in a PCMag review, and have been praised for that transparent design, plus their balanced audio with a focus on bass, their app that lets you adjust an EQ, and their strong support for codecs. The reviewer did say that the Ear (a)’s noise cancellation falls a bit short when compared with the competition, but just having ANC at all is pretty impressive for earbuds that you can get for $60.
This product is available in three finishes: black, yellow, and clear. All three are available at the Black Friday deal price. Nothing claims the Ear (a)’s battery can provide around 9.5 hours of uninterrupted music listening on a single charge if you turn off noise cancellation. With ANC enabled, that number drops to 5.5 hours, which is still quite good. You can also fast charge the case for 10 minutes, which adds enough charge to power your earbuds for up to 10 hours of playback.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
Hot on the heels of Google’s Gemini 3 Pro release, Anthropic has announced an update for its flagship Opus model. Now at version 4.5, the new system offers state-of-the-art performance in coding, computer use and office tasks. No surprise there, those have been some of Claude’s greatest strengths for a while. The good news is Anthropic is rolling out a handful of existing tools more broadly alongside Opus 4.5. It’s also releasing one new feature.
To start, the company’s Chrome extension, Claude for Chrome, is now available to all Max users. Anthropic is also introducing a feature called infinite chat. Provided you pay to use Claude, the chatbot won’t fall to context window errors, allowing it to maintain consistency across files and chats. According to Anthropic, infinite chat was one of the most requested features from its users. Then there’s Claude for Excel, which brings the chatbot to a sidebar inside of Microsoft’s app. The tool is now broadly available to all Max, Team and Enterprise users, with support for pivot tables, charts and file uploads built-in.
A table comparing Opus 4.5’s efforts in various benchmarks.
Anthropic
On the subject of Excel, Anthropic says early testers saw a 20 percent accuracy improvement on their internal evaluations and a 15 percent improvement in efficiency gains. As a complete Excel noob, I’m excited to for the company to trickle down that expertise to its more consumer-oriented models, Claude Sonnet and Haiku.
Elsewhere, Opus 4.5 also delivers improvements in agentic workflows, with the new model excelling at refining its own processes. More importantly, Anthropic is calling Opus 4.5 its safest model yet. It’s better at rejecting prompt injection style attacks, outpacing even Gemini 3 Pro, according to Anthropic’s own evaluations.
If you want to try Opus 4.5 for yourself, it’s available today through all of Anthropic’s apps and the company’s API. For developers, pricing for the new model starts at $5 per million tokens.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropics-opus-45-model-is-here-to-conquer-microsoft-excel-190000905.html?src=rss
If there’s anything my time on Zwift has taught me, it’s that trying to pedal while juggling a keyboard and mouse is awkward. A while back, I picked up a Stream Deck hoping for a better way to interact with Zwift, and I haven’t looked back since.
For the unfamiliar, the Elgato Stream Deck is a customizable set of programmable macro buttons that comes in several sizes. Since adding it to my setup, my keyboard and mouse have been collecting dust. It’s been a game-changer for convenience, immersion, and overall enjoyment.
What’s Wrong With the Usual Setup
As a frequent racer, group rider, and occasional ride leader, there’s always a lot happening during a ride. For what the Companion App does, it does well, but it doesn’t do much. Keyboard shortcuts help a bit but are still limited. And using a mouse or trackball? Forget it. Unless you’re willing to stop pedaling, you’re not clicking anything.
That just covers Zwift. If you’re also managing music, voice chat, or other apps, you can quickly find yourself off the back.
For me, the Stream Deck solved all of these problems. It gives me control of Zwift and every other app I need from one interface, all at the push of a button… or several. Between its built-in functionality and the add-ons available through the Elgato Marketplace, the possibilities are practically endless.
Making Zwift Control Effortless
Before diving into the cool functionality I’ve uncovered, I want to give a quick shout-out to a few developers whose tools have been key to my setup:
While I’ve done some fun customization with my deck, it’s people like this who have the real skills and are providing genuine benefits to the Zwift community.
With that out of the way, here are the controls I’ve found most useful:
Ride Controls – Directional arrows, select, back, Ride On (including a continuous “Ride On bomb”), powerup, U-turn, skip workout block, and a camera toggle for TTT events.
Communications – Push-to-talk for Discord (no more heavy breathing into the mic), Spotify controls, and in-game chat using voice input.
Ride Leader Controls – Announcements at the start of a ride, a random dad-joke generator, and route info pulled dynamically from the Sauce API.
Sauce Controls – Lap button, toggle windows on/off, and change profiles.
System Controls – Launch Zwift (one button starts all apps and logs in), shut down PC, reload apps, and access my audio mixer so I can play music during team events without drowning out voice chat.
Below are a few screenshots of how I have my primary pages configured. It’s not perfect, a bit of a mess of subfolders, but with time and muscle memory, I’ve made it work. For something that works well right out of the box, the Zwift Stream Deck profile (linked above) is an excellent starting point that will get you 95% of the way there.
My primary Stream Deck pages:
I’m sure there’s still plenty of potential I haven’t unlocked yet. The Sauce API is easy to work with and opens up tons of possibilities. With a few simple scripts, it’s possible to pull in and use ride data creatively, something I’d like to spend more time exploring.
As great as it is, there are still a few things the Stream Deck can’t quite handle. Pressing buttons within the Zwift interface is… well, a bit meh. There aren’t hotkeys for common actions like joining events or ending a ride, which I’ve tried to work around with macros, with limited success. I’ve mostly resigned to navigating the UI manually.
There’s also no steering, shifting, or braking like the Zwift Click or Play controllers offer. While the deck wouldn’t be ideal for those functions, it would definitely be a neat alternative.
Why I Can’t Ride Without It Now
After more than a year of using it full-time as my only way to control Zwift, I don’t think there’s any going back. Once I fine-tuned my layout and built the exact functions I needed, the experience just clicked. Now everything feels natural… smooth, consistent, and ready for any kind of ride.
The biggest difference is how it lets me stay focused on the ride instead of fumbling for the right key. It doesn’t necessarily make me faster, but it does make Zwift feel more immersive, like I’ve found a hidden upgrade most people overlook. At this point, it’s as essential to my setup as my trainer or fan.
Going Beyond the Basics
Even after all this time, I’m still finding new ways the Stream Deck could evolve with Zwift. I haven’t yet tried PedalGames, an add-on that ties gameplay elements to ride data, but there’s a lot of potential there. Being able to trigger in-game actions or mini-game events directly from the Stream Deck could make for a fun and interactive experience. It’s on my list to explore when I have some tinkering time.
That said, the Stream Deck isn’t exactly cheap. Between the hardware cost, time investment, and a bit of technical know-how, it’s not for everyone. If you’re curious but hesitant to spend the money, there are a few alternatives worth considering:
Stream Deck Mobile– Elgato’s app version gives you nearly all the same functionality on your phone or tablet. It’s freemium, and the free tier is great for testing.
Touch Portal or Deckboard – Software alternatives for phones or tablets that offer similar customization, often for free or a small one-time cost.
Alternative hardware decks – Off-brand macro pads can offer much of the same functionality. They’re a bit more DIY but great if you want physical buttons on a budget.
No matter which route you take, the key is finding something that reduces friction between you and the ride. There are plenty of approaches depending on your setup, budget, and how much you like to experiment.
Final Thoughts from the Pain Cave
Looking back, this little project has become one of my favorite tweaks to my Zwift setup. What started as curiosity has turned into something I now use every single ride without even thinking about it. The Stream Deck might not make me faster, but it makes every session smoother, more immersive, and more fun.
It’s not a perfect solution, and it’s definitely not the cheapest, but for anyone who enjoys tinkering, automating, or just personalizing their indoor setup, it’s hard to beat. The best part is that it grows with you: whether you’re just using it to launch Zwift or diving deep into APIs and scripting, there’s always something new to try.
Anything that helps you spend less time fiddling with menus and more time riding is a win. And for me, that’s exactly what this setup delivers.
What About You?
Do you use Stream Deck with Zwift? What are your favorite features? Got questions? Comment below!
The US space agency ended months of speculation about the next flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, confirming Monday that the vehicle will carry only cargo to the International Space Station.
NASA and Boeing are now targeting no earlier than April 2026 to fly the uncrewed Starliner-1 mission, the space agency said. Launching by next April will require completion of rigorous test, certification, and mission readiness activities, NASA added in a statement.
“NASA and Boeing are continuing to rigorously test the Starliner propulsion system in preparation for two potential flights next year,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, in a statement.
AI can bring real-world objects into VR as 3D assets in seconds, with Meta’s new SAM 3D Objects model setting a new standard for quality.
It has been possible for years now to generate a 3D model of a real-world object by capturing dozens of images of it from surrounding angles, leveraging traditional photogrammetry techniques. Epic’s RealityScan, for example, takes around 15–45 minutes of cloud processing, while Apple offers an on-device Object Capture API for iPhone Pro models that takes around 5 minutes.
But over the past year or so, advanced AI models have emerged that can produce 3D assets from a single image in a matter of seconds. And while they don’t offer the same quality of photogrammetry, the quality has steadily improved with each new model release, mirroring the overall rapid advancement of AI.
0:00
/1:21
EchoTheReality on SideQuest, which uses an old AI model from 2024.
For an example of how this applies to VR, Takahiro “Poly” Horikawa published a Quest app on SideQuest earlier this year that uses hand tracking to let you frame a specific real-world object and take a photo of it, leveraging Meta’s passthrough camera API. This image is then provided to Stability AI’s Stable Fast 3D API, based on the TripoSR model, and the result is spawned as a virtual object beside the image capture spot.
TripoSR is now 18 months old, though. And a few days ago, Meta launched SAM 3D Objects, the new state-of-the-art model for generating 3D assets from a single image.
0:00
/0:11
Meta SAM 3D Objects
You can test out SAM 3D Objects for free in your web browser on the Meta AI Demos page. Just provide it with an image and you’ll be able to select which object you want to convert to a 3D model. Seconds later, you’ll see a 3D view where you can pan around the object with your mouse or finger.
Meta’s site isn’t designed for mobile screens, so you’ll probably want to use a PC, laptop, tablet, or VR headset. Also note that the model is only designed for inanimate objects, not people or animals.
This free public demo does not let you download the 3D model. But SAM 3D Objects is open source, available on GitHub and Hugging Face. That means developers should be able to host it on a cloud computing platform that offers GPUs, and use it to provide the experience of that EchoTheReality demo but with higher quality output.
Social VR platforms, for example, could let you conduct show-and-tell for objects in your real room in a matter of seconds. Or decorate your home space with items you crafted in the real world. Meta has no announced plan to add this to Horizon Worlds, but it would seem like a natural future step, complementing the Hyperscape worlds it just launched.
Curiosity Stream, the decade-old science documentary streaming service founded by Discovery Channel’s John Hendricks, expects its AI licensing business to generate more revenue than its 23 million subscribers by 2027 — possibly earlier. The company’s Q3 2025 earnings revealed a 41% year-over-year revenue increase, driven largely by deals licensing its content to train large language models. Year-to-date AI licensing brought in $23.4 million through September, already exceeding half of what the subscription business generated for all of 2024.
The streaming service’s library contains 2 million hours of content, but the “overwhelming majority” is earmarked for AI licensing rather than subscriber viewing, CEO Clint Stinchcomb said during the earnings call. Curiosity Stream is licensing 300,000 hours of its own programming and 1.7 million hours of third-party content to hyperscalers and AI developers. The company has completed 18 AI-related deals across video, audio, and code assets.
Building off the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.1 from two weeks ago, AlmaLinux 10.1 is now available in GA form for this community-oriented RHEL10 downstream. Making AlmaLinux 10.1 all the more interesting is the project’s decision to promote Btrfs file-system support…
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Although it’s not my favorite Kindle, there’s definitely a place in the market for the Kindle Scribe. It’s an ebook reader and a digital notebook combined, and it could be a great tool for people who like making notes on a device that mimics a paper notebook. It’s typically on the more expensive end, but now you can get the Kindle Scribe on sale as part of Amazon’s Black Friday 2025 deals. It’s currently down to a record low price of $280, a full 30% off its list price.
The device is available in three storage variants: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. You can get the 16GB and 32GB versions for $280 right now, while the 64GB variant is going for $310, which is 31% off. That means the highest discount is on the 32 GB variant (33% off), so if you’re buying a Kindle Scribe this Black Friday, 32GB is probably your best bet.
You can get the Scribe in black or green colorways (Amazon calls them Tungsten and Metallic Jade, respectively). Unfortunately, the green variant is only available with 64GB storage, so you’ll have to spend $30 more to grab it.
Be aware that a newer generation of the Kindle Scribe is just around the corner and will be available at $500. To me, this means now’s a great time to grab a deal on the older one, but for some people, it may make sense to save up and buy the upgraded one instead.
The current-gen Kindle Scribe scored a 3.5/5 in Lifehacker’s review. Deputy Editor Joel Cunningham called it a great ebook reader but a disappointing digital notebook. He praised the Scribe’s build quality, the natural writing experience it offers, and its stylus. On the other hand, he wasn’t too happy with the limited note-taking functions, clunky refresh rate, occasional ghosting issues, or the lack of waterproofing.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
You can get the iRobot Braava Jet M6 Smart Robot Mop, currently on sale for $119.99 on StackSocial. PCMag gave it an “excellent” rating for good reason: it mops in straight, efficient rows, maps your home, and can be controlled via the app or Alexa.
The m6 is ideal for homes with hardwood, tile, or stone floors and works well in open layouts or multi-room setups. It uses vSLAM navigation to create a smart map of your space, where you can also set “Keep Out Zones” to avoid dog bowls or play areas. The battery lasts for about 150 minutes, and it’ll automatically return to its dock and resume cleaning where it left off. You also get two cleaning modes (wet mopping and dry sweeping) and a 15-ounce water tank that handles most messes without frequent refills. The app lets you schedule cleanings, choose specific rooms, or just send it off to mop up a spill on command.
Still, don’t expect miracles. While it does a solid job on everyday grime and dried spills, it won’t scrub out stubborn stains the way a human can. You’ll also need to buy the cleaning pads and solution separately. That said, at under $120 for a Grade “A” refurbished model with a one-year warranty, it offers a lot of functionality in a small, quiet package. It’s especially useful if you already own a Roomba vacuum—the two can work together to vacuum and mop your floors in a seamless sequence. For anyone looking to minimize daily maintenance without sacrificing clean floors, this robot mop makes a compelling case. It also comes in white.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
The Sonos Arc Ultra is our pick for the best soundbar overall, and you can get it bundled with the Sub 4 subwoofer for a record low price of $1,499 right now for Black Friday. At 25% off, that’s the best deal we’ve seen on the combo, according to price-tracking tools.
Sonos dominates the soundbar space, with some of the best smart speakers and surround sound systems on the market. The Arc Ultra is the brand’s latest flagship soundbar and comes with all the premium features you’d expect at this price point, like Bluetooth connectivity, Dolby Atmos support, spatial audio, voice assistant from Amazon Alexa, and Sonos Voice Control. It has excellent audio quality and impressive bass, and its minimalist design looks great on any TV stand or wall. PCMag gives the Sonos Arc Ultra an “outstanding” rating.
The Arc Ultra alone performs better than most soundbar and subwoofer combos, but the deal currently available includes the also-excellent Sub 4 for an even more immersive experience.
Note that the Arc Ultra is a large soundbar—measuring in at 2.95 by 46.38 by 4.35 inches and 13 pounds—so you’ll need plenty of space for it.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
An anonymous reader shares a report: Google is pushing back on viral social media posts and articles like this one by Malwarebytes, claiming Google has changed its policy to use your Gmail messages and attachments to train AI models, and the only way to opt out is by disabling “smart features” like spell checking.
But Google spokesperson Jenny Thomson tells The Verge that “these reports are misleading — we have not changed anyone’s settings, Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years, and we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model.”
This post-Thanksgiving weekend, a growing number of Americans have pledged that they won’t be camping outside stores or refreshing their browsers for deals. Instead, they’re participating in coordinated boycotts that aim to turn one of the biggest shopping events of the year into a statement about economic power, inequality, and corporate influence in American life.
What are the Black Friday boycotts?
Two major boycott campaigns are underway during the 2025 holiday shopping season. The first, called “Mass Blackout,” is a coalition effort involving grassroots groups including Blackout the System, The People’s Sick Day, American Opposition, the Money Out of Politics Movement, and The Progressive Network. Running from Nov.25 through Dec. 2, this weeklong economic protest asks Americans to stop shopping at major retailers, halt their streaming service subscriptions, avoid nonessential travel, and even refrain from working if possible.
“No spending. No work. No surrender. The system isn’t broken. It’s working exactly as designed—for the wealthy,” says the homepage of the Mass Blackout website. This isn’t about hurting small business or communities, but targeting major corporations that “that profit from injustice, fuel authoritarianism, and crush worker power.”
The second campaign, “We Ain’t Buying It,” is spearheaded by organizations like Black Voters Matter, Indivisible, and Until Freedom. This effort specifically targets major retailers, including Amazon, Target, and Home Depot, during the crucial Black Friday through Cyber Monday period.
Both campaigns share similar goals: to demonstrate that everyday consumers and workers hold real economic power, and to protest what organizers see as a political and economic system that serves billionaires and corporations rather than ordinary Americans.
Why the Black Friday boycotts are happening
The timing of these campaigns is no accident. The five-day period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday (also known as the “Cyber Five”), accounts for approximately 17% of all holiday season sales. It’s when retailers are most vulnerable to consumer action—and when consumers have the potential to make the biggest impact.
The movements are responding to what they see as an increasingly divided economy, one in which the gap between the richest and poorest Americans continues to widen. “This isn’t about left versus right,” reads the Mass Blackout website, “this is about people versus power.” The goal is a collective refusal to participate in a system where special interests and billionaires shape policy, while working people are exploited and democratic norms are eroded.
LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, said on CNN that the effort isn’t a mere boycott, but a consumer action: “We’re sending a message to companies that when they align with policies that harm us, we will not support them,” she said. In other words, don’t let the word “boycott” make you think this is solely an economic movement. It’s a political and personal one, too.
These aren’t isolated protests either—nor are they as fruitless as they may seem to cynics. Throughout 2025, boycotts have proven effective in shifting corporate behavior. Target recently reported declining sales partially attributed to customer backlash over its rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. This points to the fact that consumer action really can impact even retail giants.
How to meaningfully participate in a Black Friday boycott
Participating in these boycotts (or consumer actions) doesn’t require taking dramatic action. The core principle is simple: pause unnecessary consumption during this period, and reconsider your relationship with shopping. It’s not just about “not spending,” but actually rerouting that time and money back into your own community.
If you’re interested in participating, here’s what organizers suggest you do:
Avoid major corporations. The boycotts specifically target large retailers that dominate the market. If you need to make purchases, support small, local, or independent businesses instead. Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30 is explicitly excluded from the boycott for this reason.
Reduce digital consumption. Log off streaming platforms, cancel or pause subscriptions you’re not using, and avoid ad-driven platforms unless you’re using them for organizing. This removes your engagement from the attention economy that drives corporate profits.
Consider a “working strike.” Remember “quiet quitting?” For those who can’t take time off work, organizers suggest working to rule (doing only what’s required), going slow, or simply showing up without extra effort.
Stop impulse shopping. Black Friday has become synonymous with deals that create urgency, with “limited time only” sales designed to trigger immediate purchases. Before buying anything, ask yourself: Do I actually need this, or am I responding to marketing? Will I still want this item in a week? This pause alone can be powerful, and give you time to reconsider shopping at local businesses instead.
If you’re unable to join the economic shutdown directly, or if you’re looking for a way to support those who are, you can take action by donating to mutual aid here.
Apolitical reasons to consider participating in a Black Friday boycott
Even if you’re not politically motivated to participate in these boycotts, there are compelling personal reasons to step back from Black Friday shopping this year.
First, most Black Friday “deals” aren’t as good as they appear. Retailers often inflate original prices to make discounts look more impressive, or offer deals on older models and inferior products. Whatever sense of urgency you feel when shopping this week, remember it’s by design. Even if you aren’t compelled by the bigger political movements going on, it’s worth taking a step back from Black Friday shopping for your own sanity (and wallet).
Perhaps most importantly, participating in a boycott—even partially—is an opportunity to reclaim agency. In a consumer culture that constantly pushes us to buy more, choosing not to participate can be surprisingly liberating. It’s a chance to align your spending with your values and to recognize that you have power in the economy.
The bottom line
Whether or not these boycotts significantly impact retail sales remains to be seen. Economists note that short-term boycotts often face challenges because consumers simply shift their spending to other times. However, organizers argue that the act of participation itself matters—it demonstrates economic consciousness and solidarity that can build into long-term collective action.
What is already clear is that these movements reflect growing frustration with economic inequality and corporate power. They’re attempting to transform Black Friday from a celebration of consumerism into a moment of collective reckoning about who holds the power in the American economy.
You don’t have to join a political movement to benefit from stepping back this Black Friday. Simply pausing, questioning whether you really need to shop, and avoiding impulse purchases you’ll regret later is a form of participation. Before you reach for your wallet or click “add to cart,” take a moment to consider: What if you just didn’t? What if instead of shopping, you spent time with people you care about, engaged with your community, or simply rested? In a culture that equates shopping with happiness and consumption with success, sometimes the most radical thing you can do is nothing at all.
With Black Friday around the corner, OpenAI is upgrading ChatGPT’s shopping capabilities just in time to make spending your money even easier. Starting today, the company has begun rolling out shopping research, a new feature inside of ChatGPT designed to simplify the process of comparing different products.
The tool is available to all ChatGPT users, including those with free accounts, with the company offering nearly unlimited usage through the holidays. As long as you’re logged into your OpenAI account, you can try out the new experience by selecting “Shopping research” from the + menu. ChatGPT will also automatically route prompts it determines would be best served by the new model OpenAI has trained to answer commerce-related questions. For instance, if you type, “find the quietest cordless stick vacuum for a small apartment,” ChatGPT will know what to do.
As it works to find products that fit your criteria, ChatGPT will ask clarifying questions.
OpenAI
In addition to comparative shopping, the new experience can help users track down deals, shop for gifts and even find lookalike products. For example, you can snap a photo of a dress and ask ChatGPT to find you something similar that costs less than $250. As you use the tool, ChatGPT will ask clarifying questions to help it narrow down its recommendations. For ChatGPT Pulse users, the tool will even be proactive, generating cards that offer personalized buying guides based on past conversations.
The feature is powered by a variant of GPT-5 mini designed to excel specifically at shopping-related tasks. “We trained it to read trusted sites, cite reliable sources and synthesize information across many sources to produce high-quality product research,” said OpenAI. In practice, the shopping assistant should be better at accurately citing product details relative to the company’s other systems, including more powerful general-purpose models like GPT-5 Thinking. Still, OpenAI warns the tool isn’t perfect.
“Shopping research might make mistakes about product details like price and availability, and we encourage you to visit the merchant site for the most accurate details,” the company said. Additionally, OpenAI notes the tool tends to do best in categories like electronics, beauty and home appliances where there are many details and specs the model can compare to generate comprehensive answers.
It’s no surprise to see OpenAI expand ChatGPT’s shopping capabilities. The company already offers the option to buy items from Etsy from its chatbot, and competitors like Google have been aggressively adding AI shopping features in recent months.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-now-offers-a-dedicated-shopping-assistant-180000034.html?src=rss
No one ever tells you how much of your adult life will be spent sanding things down. Drywall? Sanding. Every piece of wood you cut and install in a DIY project? Sanding. Want to repair or refinish your floors, or furniture? Yup, probably sanding. And there’s nothing worse than laboring over a large sanding project—you feel it in your arms and back for days, and your hand starts to cramp holding that buzzing hand sander for long periods of time. That is, until I picked up this palm sander from Bosch, which is so comfortably designed, I haven’t hated sanding since—and my Tylenol consumption has plummeted. If you use a hand sander frequently, this will definitely be an upgrade for you.
The wood stairs in my old house have a lot of character, which is a polite way of saying they are beat up. I’m not in the market to replace both staircases, though, so I try to keep them in good shape. I recently decided to sand them down and repaint them, and wasn’t looking forward to the process. I needed a new hand sander, so after a bit of research that praised the GSS20-40’s comfort, I picked one up for the job. It was a great experience.
The first reason I love this hand sander is that it’s relatively quiet and doesn’t buzz as much as others—there’s a lot less vibration. That vibration can be very fatiguing over long periods of use, so cutting it down makes a huge difference both in how comfortable the tool is to use generally and how long you can tolerate it. And the longer you can tolerate using the tool, the more you can accomplish.
The GSS20-40 also has a very comfortable two-handed grip. You can use it one-handed, but I always wind up using two hands because I feel more in control of the tool. Normally, this is pretty awkward, because most hand sanders have pommels that are just a bit too small for two-handed operation, but with this model it works well.
The sander is well-designed in general. The speed dial is on the back, and it’s easy to adjust depending on the material and results you’re getting. It’s a sheet sander, with sandpaper clamping into place over the pad. I’ve had trouble with shifting paper in previous sanders, but the Bosch held the sheets in place reliably.
This is a corded tool—one of the few corded tools I still use, actually. I hate having to deal with extension cords like it’s 1995, but I think the comfort and performance make it well worth the extra trouble. If you’re going to be doing a lot of sanding at some point, definitely check this one out—your arms and back will thank you.
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Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Black Friday deals are already dominating Amazon. In this Early Black Friday deal, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 Soundbar is $349 (originally $499), its lowest price ever, delivering a $150 discount on the premium audio accessory that doubles as a smart speaker.
An improvement to the brand’s 2018 Sonos Beam Gen 1, the updated version (released in 2021) is Dolby Atmos compatible and has an improved processor as well as NFC and eARC connectivity. The companion app also has new updates, including calibrating sound experience based on the environment. It has a clean, minimalist aesthetic and compatibility with multiple voice assistants, and the same drivers that made the Gen 1 model so popular.
While the bass performs well, especially with Dolby Atmos refining it for all your media watching needs, it lacks a subwoofer, so it’s not as deep as it could be, according to this PCMag review. That said, the Dolby Atmos update is a major one, allowing for a more precise, accurate, and surprisingly big sound from a one-piece speaker system.
If you’ve been on the fence about a new soundbar and have a small to moderately sized living room, this is the perfect time to pull the trigger on the Sonos Beam Gen 2 Soundbar with its current $150 discount, as it’s a great pick for anyone looking to upgrade from TV speakers. However, if what you’re looking for is a more immersive home theater sound, you may want to increase your budget.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
