The Google Chromecast with Google TV 4K streaming stick has dropped to a record low price of $38 as part of a larger Black Friday deal on Amazon. That’s 24 percent off the MSRP of $50. This is the latest and greatest Chromecast stick and, as the name suggests, can be used to watch live TV with resolutions up to 4K HDR.

We appreciated the streaming stick in our official review, calling out the comfortable remote control that ships with the product and the excellent Google Assistant integration, which lets you skip that remote entirely and use your voice for controls. The stick also offers support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and good ‘ole HDR10. We also loved that this is a nearly lag-free device, especially when compared to rival products in the same price range. There’s a reason, after all, that this stick easily made our list of the best streaming devices in 2023. 

It’s also extremely easy to use, and the integrated dongle makes for a simple installation process. Just plug and play. Once installed, you’ll be able to watch content from just about every major streaming platform out there, including a diverse array of free ad-supported stuff, with one major caveat. The system doesn’t allow access to Apple TV+, so you’ll have to find another way to watch that Kurt Russell Godzilla show.

We are in the middle of Black Friday festivities, so that’s not the only streaming stick on sale. Amazon is also offering the HD version of Google’s Chromecast streaming stick for just $20. That’s a savings of 33 percent from the MSRP of $30. This is basically the same product as above, but without 4K.

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/the-4k-chromecast-with-google-tv-drops-to-a-new-low-of-38-for-black-friday-213041691.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The 4K Chromecast with Google TV drops to a new low of for Black Friday

We’ve still got a few hours before Black Friday begins in earnest, but the deals are already here. Really, Black Friday deals have been here for the entire month of November. As has been the case for a few years in a row, most retailers including Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Walmart kicked off their Black Friday deals a few weeks ago. If you’re itching to shop before the real action begins tomorrow, you have a number of great deals to choose from, particularly in the electronics space. Now’s the time of year where you’re almost guaranteed to get the best price we’ve seen all year — and that’s the case for most of the best Black Friday deals on gadgets that we’ve rounded up this year. Here are the best early Black Friday deals on gadgets and gear for 2023.

Best Black Friday Apple deals

Apple iPad (9th Gen)

Apple’s 9th-gen iPad is down to a new low of $230 at Amazon and Target. 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 hard to do better if all you want is a large screen for streaming video, playing games and browsing the web. If you need more storage space, the 256GB model is also down to a low of $380.

Apple AirTags

A four-pack of Apple’s AirTags have dropped to $80, which is just about $5 more than the pack’s record-low price. If you’re unfamiliar, AirTags are small Bluetooth trackers that you can keep in your bag or luggage or attach to items like your keys so you can keep track of their location. The only catch is that these only work with Apple devices as their host device, so Android users will have to pick a tracker from another brand to get similar benefits. AirTags connect to Apple’s Find My network, so you can see where your stuff is in that app and even force the gadgets to ring so you can more easily find your belongings (if you’re within close proximity).

Apple Watch Series 9

The new Apple Watch Series 9 has dropped to $329 at Amazon, Walmart and Target in a Black Friday deal. That’s $70 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, but the 45mm models are now down to $359 with the same $70 discount. 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 Watch SE

The Apple Watch SE has dropped to a record low of $179 for Black Friday, which is $70 off its usual price. It may not have all of the advanced health tracking features of the Series 9, but the SE has all of the basics you’d want in a smartwatch, including smart notifications, all-day activity tracking and perks like Fall and Crash Detection and Emergency SOS. If you’re looking for a good entry-point into the Apple Watch space, or a gift for someone who has never worn a smartwatch before, the Apple Watch SE is a great option.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)

The latest version of Apple’s AirPods Pro is back on sale for $190 at Amazon and Target. That matches an all-time low and comes in $60 below the pair’s usual going rate. The AirPods Pro are the “best for iOS” pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide thanks to their easy pairing and deep integration with Apple devices. Effective active noise cancellation (ANC), a superb transparency mode and a pleasingly warm sound profile help as well, as does a new “adaptive audio” mode that can adjust the earphones’ noise control settings based on your surroundings. That said, their battery life is just average at six-ish hours per charge, and you really have to use an iPhone to get anything out of them. 

We gave the Lightning-based version of the second-generation AirPods Pro a review score of 88 last year; this new iteration is almost identical, only it comes with a USB-C charging case and has a higher IP54 dust-resistance rating. If you don’t care about the updated charging port, note that the older Lightning version is on sale for $169 at Walmart.

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 have retailed 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 Air

The iPad Air M1 is back down to a record low of $500 right now ahead of Black Friday. All color options are discounted. The Air is 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.

Apple iPad (10th gen)

The 10th-generation iPad is down to its lowest price ever at Amazon and Target. The 64GB model is just $349 for Black Friday in all four colors. 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, though the tablet (for some reason) still only works with the first generation Apple Pencil.

Best Black Friday home deals

TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini

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.

Dyson Airwrap

The coveted Dyson Airwrap is down to the cheapest price we’ve ever seen, just $480 when you clip the $20 coupon on Amazon’s product page. This hair tool uses the Coanda effect to keep air flowing around its barrel, helping you style your hair more easily. It also maintains a safe temperature for hair, resulting in less damage overall. You’re getting a number of accessories with this Airwrap bundle as well, including two differently sized barrels, separate brushes for soft or firm smoothing, a Coanda smoothing dryer and more.

TP-Link Deco EX75 Wi-Fi 6E mesh router

TP-Link’s Deco EX75 mesh router system with two beacons is $100 off and down to a record low of $200. This is our top pick for a Wi-Fi 6 mesh router system, and the two-pack should cover up to 5,500 square feet with stable connectivity. When we tested the three-pack, we were impressed by how well the system balances power with user friendliness. Its network is reliable and fast, and its companion app is easy to use and clearly shows you things like all of the devices connected to your network, current speeds and more.

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. 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.

Amazon Echo Dot + TP-Link smart light bulb bundle

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 5 + TP-Link smart light bulb bundle

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). If you want a larger model with a webcam and stronger speakers, the 10-inch Nest Hub Max is also on sale for $129.

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.

Ooni Black Friday deals

Ooni Black Friday deals include some of the lowest prices we’ve seen on the company’s pizza ovens and accessories. The 12-inch Fyra is on sale for $244 right now, which is more than $100 off its normal price. It earned a spot on our best pizza oven list thanks to its compact profile and the fact that it runs on wood pellets instead of chunks, making it easier to refill and you’ll spend less time tending to its fire overall. Ooni’s handy pizza steel is also on sale for $70 in this sale.

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.

Best Black Friday Xbox deals

Xbox Wireless Controller

If you need a spare gamepad for your Xbox, official Xbox Series X/S Wireless Controllers are as low as $40 at Microsoft. As with the DualSense deal above, this discount applies to various colors. Typically, we see the gamepad retail between $50 and $60 depending on the colorway. The Series X/S controller doesn’t have the DualSense’s advanced haptics and requires AA batteries for power by default — we recommend grabbing a rechargeable set — but some will always find its shape and asymmetrical joysticks more comfortable. It’s also simpler to set up and use on PC.

Xbox Series 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’re a frequent Target shopper, note that the retailer is selling this same bundle with a $75 store gift card for $450.

Xbox Series S

A starter bundle that includes a 512GB capacity Xbox Series S and a three-month subscription to Game Pass Ultimate is currently $240 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).

Best Black Friday subscription deals

Hulu Black Friday deal

Hulu’s Black Friday deal is a great one for anyone who has not subscribed to the ad-supported tier yet. You’ll get one year of the service for only $12, which comes out to just $1 per month. That’s 85 percent off the standard monthly price and a great deal if you’ve been wanting to see what all the hype is about for shows like The Bear and Only Murders in the Building. The deal is available to new subscribers, and returning subscribers who have not been paying for Hulu for at least one month.

Peacock Black Friday deal

Peacock has discounted its monthly and annual subscription plans for Black Friday. You can access the services starting at $2 per month for the first year, instead of the usual $6 monthly price, with the code BIGDEAL. If you’d rather pay upfront for one year of access, you’ll spend only $20 with the code YEARLONG. The sale runs from November 22-27, and the offer excludes current Peacock Premium and Premium Plus subscribers. In addition to classic movies and new reality TV shows, Peacock has a smattering of live sports offerings that include Sunday Night Football, Big Ten Football and Premier League.

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.

Best Black Friday Anker deals

Anker accessories sale

A slew of Anker chargers, cables, power adapters and other accessories are on sale for Black Friday at Amazon, with discounts ranging up to 37 percent. The 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 its lowest price ever.

One of the company’s 67W USB-C chargers is 37 percent off, bringing it to $38 and matching its all-time low. Our top 65W fast wall charger, Anker’s 735 GaNPrime, 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.

Best Black Friday phone deals

Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphones

The entire Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphone lineup is on sale for Black Friday: you can grab the S23 Ultra for $900, the S23+ for $800 or the S23 for $700. These are some of the best Android phones you can get right now, and we recommend springing for the S23 Ultra if you’re able to. It has a big, bold 6.8-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a total of five cameras and a built-in S Pen. It also has an impressive battery life thanks to its 5,000 mAh cell.

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.

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.

Best Black Friday earbuds and headphone deals

Sony WH-1000XM5

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is down to $328 at Amazon, B&H and others. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are down to $199, 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.

Best Black Friday vacuum deals

Dyson Black Friday deals

Dyson Black Friday deals include a $200 discount on the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, bringing the cordless vacuum down to $550. 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.

Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop

Shark’s AI Ultra combo robot vacuum and mop is $300 off and down to its lowest price yet. It’s one of our favorite robot vacuums and a solid combo machine that will vacuum and mop for you, provided you change out its dustbin and water reservoir depending on the type of cleaning job you want it to do. It supports obstacle avoidance and home mapping, plus it comes with a self-emptying base that the machine utilizes during vacuuming jobs. The base is also bagless, so you do not have to worry about purchasing proprietary garbage bags for it over time.

iRobot Roomba 694

The Roomba 694 is on sale for $159 in this Black Friday deal. It’s our current favorite budget robot vacuum thanks to its strong suction power, easy to use mobile app and handy spot-clean function. It doesn’t come with a clean base, but it has Wi-Fi connectivity and voice control with Alexa.

Best Black Friday gaming deals

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.

Nintendo Switch OLED + Super Smash Bros. Ultimate bundle

The main Nintendo Switch deal for Black Friday bundles the $350 Nintendo Switch OLED with a digital copy of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and a three-month individual subscription to Nintendo Switch Online for no extra cost. This offer is available at Walmart, Target, GameStop, Best Buy and Nintendo’s own online store. Smash Bros. Ultimate was released way back in 2018, so it’s hard to call this an amazing deal, but the game remains one of the console’s best and still typically retails between $50 and $60 on its own. The Switch Online sub, meanwhile, goes for $8. If you’re late to the Switch bandwagon, you could do much worse for a free pack-in game — but keep in mind that Nintendo is expected to unveil its next console at some point in 2024.

PlayStation, Xbox and Switch video game sales

If you’re all set on the hardware front, a truckload of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 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 for PlayStation and Xbox owners include Assassin’s Creed Mirage and the dramatic action-RPG Final Fantasy XVI for $40 each, God of War Ragnarök for $35, Gran Turismo 7 for $30, the rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush for $22, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon Forbidden West for $20 each and Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $10. Many of those make our lists of the best PS5 games and best Xbox games.

On the Switch side, the turn-based strategy game Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is on sale for $15, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Luigi’s Mansion 3 are each down to $40 and the excellent 2D platformer Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is down to a new low of $30. There are plenty more games on sale beyond those, and we expect to see more PC game deals over the course of the week.

Best Black Friday TV deals

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.

LG OLED smart TVs

LG Black Friday deals include a number of decent discounts on its 2023 OLED TVs, and a couple of noteworthy sales on 2022 models as well. You can currently save $300 on this 42-inch 2023 LG C3 OLED TV, which is down to a record low of $897, and $200 on this 65-inch B3 OLED set, which is on sale for $1,297. If you’re willing to get a slightly older model, you can get this 2022 55-inch B2 OLED TV for nearly half off its starting price. The C3 OLEDs run on the newer a9 Gen 6 processor and support features like AI upscaling, object-based picture sharpening and HDR tone mapping.

Meta Quest 2 VR headset

The Meta Quest 2 VR headset is $50 off and down to $249 at several retailers. That matches the best price we’ve seen. At Target and Amazon, you can get the device with a $50 gift card as well. 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.

Chromecast with Google TV

Google’s 4K Chromecast is down to a new low of $38 for Black Friday, while the standard HD model is only $20 for the shopping event. Key to both of these devices are the remotes that come with them that make navigating the revamped UI of Android TV much easier than in years past. The home screen will personalize recommendations for you based on your watch history, and its algorithm-based recommendations come in handy as well — plus, they’re pulling from services you’re already subscribed to, so you won’t be tempted by movies or shows that you don’t have access to. The 4K model is one of our favorite streaming devices thanks to all of those perks in addition to its support for Dolby Vision.

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.

Best Black Friday laptop deals

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.

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

Lenovo’s IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is on sale for $379 at Best Buy, which is $120 off its list price. This is the most recent version of the top pick in our Chromebook buying guide: Its 14-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS touchscreen is good for the money, it’s plenty fast for the kind of web browsing and light work you’d do with Chrome OS and both its keyboard and trackpad are comfortable. This model comes with a Core i3-1315U processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of eMMC storage, one USB-A port, two USB-C 3.2 ports and a microSD card slot. It also has a decent 1080p webcam. The chassis isn’t especially light at 3.6 pounds, and we found the battery to last roughly seven hours in testing, which is just OK. But for less than $400, this is a strong value for those who just want an affordable notebook for the basics.

Samsung T9 SSD

The latest Samsung T9 portable SSD is on sale for $110 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. 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 and others, while the 256GB and 512GB models are down to $18 and $32, respectively. Beyond that, 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.

Additional Black Friday deals

Amazon Kindle

Amazon’s standard Kindle has dropped to $80 for Black Friday, which is $20 off its normal price and close to a record low. It’s only been cheaper this year during July Prime Day, when it dropped to $65. Even at its normal price, it’s the best budget ereader available right now, so this Black Friday deal makes it even more compelling. It has a 300ppi display with an adjustable front light, 16GB of storage for holding thousands of titles and a USB-C charging port. But as with most ereaders, you likely won’t have to charge this one often as it as a weeks-long battery life.

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.

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/the-52-best-black-friday-2023-tech-deals-you-can-shop-right-now-210015830.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The 52 best Black Friday 2023 tech deals you can shop right now

The margin of success in Formula 1 often comes down to tiny measurements of time and distance. Drivers know the exact lines to take at corners for optimal lap times. Sometimes, though, racers will go out of bounds as they try to gain an advantage. To help officials check whether a car’s wheels entirely cross the white boundary line, F1 will test an AI system.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the motorsport’s governing body, says it will employ Computer Vision tech at the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend. This approach uses shape analysis to determine the number of pixels that cross the line at the edge of the track.

The FIA doesn’t plan to fully automate reviews of track limits breaches for the time being. Rather, it wants to significantly reduce the number of potential rule violations that are sent to officials for manual review. 

As Reuters notes, July’s Austrian Grand Prix saw four people having to review around 1,200 potential violations. After some track limit violations went unpunished in October’s US Grand Prix, officials acknowledged they’d have to find a new approach. Enter Computer Vision.

This tech has been used in medicine to help review data from cancer screenings. “They don’t want to use the Computer Vision to diagnose cancer, what they want to do is to use it to throw out the 80 percent of cases where there clearly is no cancer in order to give the well-trained people more time to look at the 20 percent,” Tim Malyon, the FIA’s deputy race director and head of remote operations, said. “And that’s what we are targeting.”

The FIA hopes to reduce the number of possible infringements that officials manually review to around 50 per race. The aim is to “remove the ones that clearly don’t need a human review,” Malyon said.

While the FIA won’t rely entirely on AI to make race calls anytime soon, Malyon expects that to happen eventually. “I’ve said repeatedly that the human is winning at the moment in certain areas. That might be the case now but we do feel that ultimately, real time automated policing systems are the way forward.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/formula-1-hopes-ai-will-help-it-figure-out-if-a-car-breaks-track-limits-191546853.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Formula 1 hopes AI will help it figure out if a car breaks track limits

It’s been 10 years since the Killer Instinct reboot debuted as an Xbox One exclusive, and soon you won’t need to pay anything to try to nail a combo breaker. The third installment in the fighting game series is going free-to-play. This base version of the game will include one free weekly rotating fighter and access to the single-player, local and ranked modes. You’ll be able to check it out on all platforms where Killer Instinct is available: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.

Developer Iron Galaxy also revealed that players will be able to buy the Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition for $30. This will include every one of the 29 fighters, all premium content for the game, an XP booster, holiday accessories and more. The Anniversary Edition will replace the Definitive Edition on Xbox consoles and PC (i.e. through the Xbox app or Microsoft Store).

Of note, Iron Galaxy will drop some mature-rated content from the Anniversary Edition, namely an app that includes developer interviews and concept art, as well as access to the original two Killer Instinct games. However, folks who own a digital Definitive Edition copy will still be able to download said content after Iron Galaxy sends that version of the game riding into the sunset.

Meanwhile, owners of any version of Killer Instinct on Steam will get a free upgrade to the Anniversary Edition. As part of this shift, Iron Galaxy will stop selling individual fighters, so if you want access to the entire roster, you’ll need to pony up for the Anniversary Edition — or play Killer Instinct through Game Pass, since it’s a Microsoft-published game. That said, you’ll still have access to everything you’ve previously bought.

Iron Galaxy didn’t say specifically when the Anniversary Edition will arrive or the base game will go free-to-play. The studio says it’s in final testing ahead of the switch. While Killer Instinct may not be a title you’ve thought about too much recently, it’s as good a time as any to hop in given the current fighting game renaissance.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/killer-instinct-is-going-free-to-play-on-xbox-and-steam-180043575.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Killer Instinct is going free-to-play on Xbox and Steam

A YouTuber named RwanLink recreated Castle Town from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as a Studio Ghibli film and released a digital short to show off their efforts. This is to celebrate the game’s 25th anniversary and the YouTuber made the environment and characters in Unreal Engine 5, putting in over 600 hours of work to complete the project. It was a one person job, aside from the music, as reported by Eurogamer.

It’s got a gorgeous opening cinematic in the style of, you guessed it, Studio Ghibli, which is followed up by gameplay in Castle Town. The gameplay recalls Wind Waker, obviously, and even newer cel-shaded Zelda titles like Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild. There are Gorons, Gerudo, Hylians aplenty and, oddly, some ladies who look pulled straight from the Renaissance. The big bad himself, Ganondorf, also shows up.

Nearly 30 years after Amazon started as an online bookseller, products like the Kindle and services like Audible have kept quite an emphasis on reading. Now, in the lead-up to Black Friday (which Amazon also really focuses on), the company is running a massive sale on Audible subscriptions. Audible Premium Plus is currently 60 percent off — dropping to $6 per month from $15. Plus, it comes with a $20 Audible credit. It’s even cheaper than the basic Audible Plus plan, which costs $8 per month.

Audible is a great digital gift to get friends or family if you’re not going to see them in person this holiday season. Audible’s Premium Plus subscription comes with one credit every month to purchase a new or best-selling title. It also has thousands of included titles you can download anytime — including podcasts and Audible originals — and exclusive sales for members. 

The deal covers the first four months of the subscription before returning to $15 per month — though you can cancel any time. You also have until Monday, November 27, to participate (it’s Audible, so it’s not like you have to worry about stock running out). After that, the best deal is an Annual Premium Plus Plan, which, at $150 for the year, saves you $30. 

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/audible-premium-plus-is-only-6-for-the-first-four-months-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-160016758.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Audible Premium Plus is only for the first four months in an Amazon Black Friday deal

With Black Friday deals popping up all over the place for the last week or so, perhaps you’ve already treated yourself or a loved one to a new iPad. It may be that you (or the recipient) is someone who would like to sketch or take notes on the tablet. As such, you may be looking to pick up an Apple Pencil. There’s some good news in that case — all three Apple Pencil models are on sale on Amazon for Black Friday.

Of the trio, the second-gen Apple Pencil has the widest array of features. That model has dropped to a new record low price of $82, which is $47 off. The previous best price we’ve seen was $85.

The second-gen Apple Pencil is one of the best iPad accessories around. Apple designed it (and the other two models) specifically to work with the iPad, and it’s the best stylus you can snap up for the company’s tablets.

The second-gen model has a double-tap feature that you can customize to switch between preferred tools and it offers low latency. Other features include tilt sensitivity, pressure sensitivity and what Apple claims is “pixel-perfect precision.”

One big advantage that the second-gen Apple Pencil has over its two siblings is wireless charging. It attaches magnetically to the side of a compatible iPad while it recharges. This Apple Pencil works with iPad Pro 12.9-inch (third-gen and later), all iPad Pro 11-inch models, iPad Air (fourth and fifth generation) and the sixth-gen iPad mini.

The other two Apple Pencils are on sale too. The USB-C model, which Apple only started selling this month, has fallen from $79 to $71.10. It works with every iPad that has a USB-C charging port. It has some, but not all of the capabilities of the second-gen Apple Pencil, such as support for a hover feature on M2-powered iPads. This lets you sneak a peek at any mark you plan to make before it’s applied to your sketch, annotation or notes. You can also magnetically attach the USB-C Apple Pencil to the side of supported iPads, but it won’t charge wirelessly.

If you happen to have an older iPad that isn’t supported by those styluses, you can opt for the original Apple Pencil, which is on sale for $72.88. That’s 26 percent off the usual price of $99. It supports low latency, tilt sensitivity and pressure sensitivity.

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/apple-black-friday-deals-the-second-gen-apple-pencil-drops-to-a-new-low-of-82-160056239.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple Black Friday deals: The second-gen Apple Pencil drops to a new low of

Ereaders like the Kindle Paperwhite make great gifts — especially when they’re on sale. The Paperwhite adds a few perks over the standard Kindle, including a warm backlight, a waterproof build and a larger screen. As part of Amazon’s Black Friday sale, it’s now $20 off the list price, bringing it down to $120. This is the 8GB model with lockscreen ads, which usually promote Kindle books.

Other Amazon ereaders are also on sale, including the standard Kindle, which is down to $80. That’s $15 more than the members-only price during Prime Day in July, but the lowest it’s sold for since. We tested a number of ereaders for our guide and named the standard Kindle the best budget pick. It doesn’t have a warm backlight and isn’t waterproof, but it the 300ppi screen is crisp and clear and it grants access to local library books, audiobooks and Kindle’s own ebook trove, which is the largest out there thanks to Kindle Exclusive titles that you can’t find elsewhere. 

The read/write Kindle Scribe is also discounted, down to $240 for the 16GB model with the Basic Pen. That’s $100 discount and the lowest price ever, beating it’s members-only Prime Day price by $15. We gave the Scribe an 85 review score, praising the roomy, 10.2-inch screen and premium build. It’s also our favorite E-Ink tablet that’s does double duty as an ereader. We particularly liked how low the latency is between the pen and the tablet. 

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/amazons-kindle-paperwhite-drops-to-120-for-black-friday-140004428.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite drops to 0 for Black Friday

All those extra Xbox games you’ll collect during Black Friday sales and over the coming holiday season will need a lot of storage. Black Friday is also a great time to pick up SSDs, with Seagate’s Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X and Series S down to a new all-time low price. Seagate’s 1TB model is currently $130, down from $220 — a 41 percent discount. If you need a lot of space, the 2TB version is 18 percent off, dropping to $230 from $280. If Seagate isn’t your brand of choice, Western Digital’s 1TB C50 Storage Expansion Card for Xbox is down to $125 from $150 — a 17 percent discount. 

In a perfect world, our gaming consoles would have endless gigabytes of storage for games (while we’re wishing for things, they’d also be cheaper). Yet, the 1TB Seagate and Western Digital storage expansion cards double the amount of storage that comes with the Xbox Series X — even more so since some of the initial storage is for the operating system. 

The Seagate and Western Digital expansion cards work relatively the same. One of the most significant factors is that Seagate’s card connects with a USB while Western Digital’s card goes right into Xbox’s expansion slot. Typically, Western Digital is a better deal at $70 cheaper, but with only a $5 difference, it comes down to preference. However, only Seagate offers the 2TB option, so the choice is easy if that’s what you want. Don’t take too long to decide, as lots of gameplay awaits.

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/seagates-xbox-series-sx-expansion-cards-are-at-record-lows-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-143020416.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Seagate’s Xbox Series S/X Expansion cards are at record-lows in an Amazon Black Friday deal

The Beats Fit Pro, which Engadget named as the best wireless earbuds for working out, are on sale this Black Friday on Amazon for $159. The $41 discount is the lowest offered to date.

If you want to eliminate distractions at loud gyms the Beats Fit Pro have solid active noise cancellation technology, thanks to Apple’s H1 chip. The earbuds also have a built-in proprietary transducer that adds depth to the overall audio experience. The buds support Apple’s spatial audio technology, which can deliver a more immersive experience when streaming entertainment or listening to music on a commute. For what you’re paying, the Beats Fit Pro deliver ample bass and clear tones.

Battery life is another strong suit. With up to six hours of use on a single charge, and an additional 21 hours provided by the charging case, the earbuds offer a total of 27 hours of listening time with active noise cancellation or transparency mode activated. With Adaptive EQ mode on instead, there’s an extra hour on the earbuds and three more in the case, totaling 30 hours. The Fast Fuel feature ensures a quick recharge, offering an hour of noise-canceling playback with just a five-minute charge. In practical terms, this means the Beats Fit Pro can easily keep up with your daily activities, whether it’s a full day at the office or a commute. But importantly, the Beats Fit Pro also sport a comfortable design and flexible wingtip, that keeps them secure whether someone is running or weightlifting — or riding a bumpy subway.

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/the-beats-fit-pro-drop-to-a-record-low-of-159-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-140037127.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Beats Fit Pro drop to a record low of 9 in an Amazon Black Friday deal

Google has updated its Bard AI chatbot, so you can use it to parse YouTube videos. In its most recent experiment update log, the company has announced it has expanded the capabilities of Bard’s YouTube extension, so when it’s enabled, the generative AI can “understand some video content.” For example, Google said you’d be able to ask Bard how many eggs were used in a video for an olive oil cake recipe.

Bard first gained the ability to pull data from YouTube in September after an update integrated it with other Google products, including Docs, Maps, Lens, Flights and Hotels. At that point, it couldn’t parse a video’s contents though.

Google claims people have been asking for “deeper engagement with YouTube videos” — but I guess that entails watching them less.

And Happy Thanksgiving, all! It’s a short, but sweet TMA today, but expect a tidal wave of Black Friday deals landing tomorrow — I suggest keeping an eye on this page.

— Mat Smith

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Look at this cute solar-powered microvan

This EV seats two and is coming to the US in 2025.

Japanese EV automaker HW Electro (HWE) says its Puzzle van will come to the US in 2025. It has rooftop solar panels and equipment for commercial disaster relief — including a crowbar… on the outside of the vehicle. It’ll be HWE’s first vehicle available in the US.

Continue reading.

Self-proclaimed ‘gay furry hackers’ breach nuclear lab

They want research into creating catgirls. You read that right.

The nuclear research hub Idaho National Laboratory (INL) confirmed it was hacked earlier this week. SiegedSec, a group of self-proclaimed “gay furry hackers,” took responsibility for the attack and claimed they accessed sensitive employee data, like social security numbers, home addresses and more. The hacktivist group SiegedSec conducted a high-profile attack on NATO last month, leaking internal documents as a retaliation against those countries for their attacks on human rights.

“We’re willing to make a deal with INL. If they research creating irl (in real life) catgirls we will take down this post,” SiegedSec wrote in a post announcing the leak on Monday.INL has, unsurprisingly, promised nothing in the way of catgirls.

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Teenage Engineering reveals its feature-rich K.O. II groovebox

And it’s only $300.

Teenage Engineering just announced the EP-133 K.O. II, a portable sampler with many tricks and the usual TE aesthetic. It’s also $300 — a bargain in TE terms. The K.O. II boasts 64MB of memory, which isn’t a lot, but TE products typically come with some tradeoffs. It should be enough for a bunch of samples and a few projects. There are 999 slots for samples and an internal microphone for making your own. Though this is, first and foremost, a sampler, it ships pre-filled with drum hits, synths and other sounds.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-googles-bard-ai-is-getting-better-at-understanding-youtube-121547943.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Morning After: Google’s Bard AI is getting better at understanding YouTube

Instagram launched the ability to download publicly viewable Reels in June, but it limited the feature’s availability to users on mobile in the US. Now, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has announced on his broadcast channel that the feature is rolling out to all users worldwide. Anybody on the app can now download public Reels to their devices and not just save them for viewing later. They simply have to tap on the Share button and start their download from there. 

As TechCrunch reports, Mosseri explained during his broadcast that downloaded Reels will have the Instagram watermark with the account’s username, similar to downloaded TikTok videos. In addition, Reels will only come with music if they’re scored with original tracks. Instagram will strip their audio if they use licensed music as a background. 

TikTok’s video downloading feature helps attract more users to the app, since it gives creators (and reposters) an easy way to share clips across platforms. People who don’t have TikTok may decide to sign up if they find creators they want to follow or if they want to see more similar types of content. Instagram could be looking to replicate that strategy, though users will have the ability to prevent their Reels from being download. To change their download options, they’ll have to go to Reels and Remix under Privacy in Settings and toggle off “Allow people to download your Reels.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-makes-public-reels-downloadable-for-everyone-120638475.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Instagram makes public Reels downloadable for everyone

Broadcom’s mega $61 billion VMware acquisition has closed following considerable scrutiny by regulators, the company announced in a press release. With China recently granting approval for the acquisition with added restrictions, the network chip manufacturer had secured all the required approvals. 

“Broadcom has received legal merger clearance in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and foreign investment control clearance in all necessary jurisdictions,” the company said. “We are excited to welcome VMware to Broadcom and bring together our engineering-first, innovation-centric teams.”

The Broadcom/VMware deal lacked the glamour of tech’s other mega acquisition involving Microsoft and Activision. However, San Jose-based Broadcom’s products form the structure of much of the internet, as they’re widely used for data centers, cloud providers and network infrastructure. VMware, meanwhile, makes virtualization and cloud computing software that allows corporations to safely link local networks with public cloud access. 

That made VMware a logical target for Broadcom, but it also placed the acquisition in the crosshairs of regulators in multiple regions. The European Commission, for one, was concerned that Broadcom could harm competition by limiting interoperability between rival hardware and VMware’s server virtualization software. It also worried the company could either prevent or degrade access to VMware’s software, or bundle VMware with its own hardware products.

Broadcom gained EU approval for the deal in the summer though, mainly by providing IP access and source code for key network fiber optic components to its main rival, Marvell. The EU also concluded that fears of VMware bundling were unfounded and that Broadcom would still face competition in the storage adapter and NIC markets. 

There were also concerns that tensions between China and the US could scuttle the deal, after the Biden administration announced new rules in October making it harder to export high-end chips to China. However, approval in that market was announced yesterday, with conditions imposed by China on how Broadcom sells products locally. Namely, it had to ensure that VMware’s server software was interoperable with rival hardware, China’s regulator said in a statement. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/broadcom-closes-its-61-billion-megadeal-with-vmware-083915996.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Broadcom closes its billion megadeal with VMware

Google has updated the Bard AI chatbot so you can have deeper and more meaningful conversations with it when it comes to YouTube videos. In its most recent experiment update log, the company has announced that it has expanded the capabilities of Bard’s YouTube extension so that when it’s enabled, the generative AI can “understand some video content.” For example, Google said you’d be able to ask Bard how many eggs were used in a video for an olive oil cake recipe. As Android Authority suggested, you’ll also likely be able to ask it for the name of specific tools in DIY videos. For food reviews, Bard may be able to tell you where certain restaurants discussed in videos are located, or where a specific cuisine came from. 

Bard first gained the ability to pull data from YouTube in September after an update that integrates it with other Google products, including Docs, Maps, Lens, Flights and Hotels. It couldn’t parse a video’s contents, however, and couldn’t answer detailed questions about it. Google said it rolled out this update because it “heard you want deeper engagement with YouTube videos.” It also said that it has just taken the “first steps in Bard’s ability to understand YouTube videos,” which indicates that the technology could better analyze videos on the platform in the future. To be able to chat with Bard about YouTube videos, you’ll have to enable the YouTube extension on the chatbot’s web portal.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-bard-ai-chatbot-is-getting-better-at-understanding-youtube-videos-065614540.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Google’s Bard AI chatbot is getting better at understanding YouTube videos

Japanese EV automaker HW Electro (HWE) says its delightfully boxy Puzzle will come to the US in 2025. More “kei van” than kei car, the electric vehicle has rooftop solar panels and equipment for commercial disaster relief (including a crowbar!). But it could be equally appealing for those wanting an EV with maxed-out charm and a minimal environmental footprint. It’s on track to be HWE’s first vehicle available in the US market.

HW Electro CEO Xiao Weicheng said that the Puzzle “embodies HWE’s core values of sustainability, connectivity and social contribution.” Its solar panels mean owners could perhaps drive it for much longer than typical EVs without plugging in. It also includes emergency features like power outlets, photovoltaic panels, built-in WiFi, USB ports, a first aid kit and a crowbar. Notably, these features are all on the vehicle’s exterior.

As reported by The Independent and Electrek, HWE unveiled the Puzzle micro-van at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show before teasing 2025 US availability this week in New York. “With Puzzle, a new world begins,” Weicheng predicted.

The EV, currently still in the concept stage, has a two-person cabin and looks strikingly smaller than the gargantuan EVs Americans are growing accustomed to. The Puzzle aligns with Japan’s regulatory definition of a kei car, ideal for tight or crowded roadways and cramped parking spots. The vehicle has 15-inch wheels, and it’s over six feet tall, nearly five feet wide and over 11 feet long. It has a cargo capacity of 770 lbs and sliding rear doors for easy cargo management. Its sole passenger seat folds down to boost its hauling capacity (and can double as a work surface when not in use).

HWE hasn’t yet revealed the Puzzle’s price or max speed. Auto Evolution reports that its lithium iron phosphate battery will offer a 125-mile range.

It’s hard to predict what America’s EV market will look like by the time the Puzzle arrives in 2025. Although sales are growing, consumer demand has fallen behind auto industry projections, leaving room for uncertainty as the world tries to avoid climate change’s most catastrophic scenarios.

A subscription to the streaming service Peacock is discounted this Black Friday to only $2 per month, down from the regular price of $6 per month. Peacock Premium gives subscribers access to over 80,000 hours of content and it will also include live sporting events and access to 50 always-on channels. To get the monthly discount, you have to enter the code BIGDEAL at checkout.

If you’re not interested in being tied to a monthly payment, you can instead pay $20 upfront for access to one year of the streaming service. Traditionally, to get Peacock Premium, you would have to pay $60 annually. To get the discounted yearly rate, you have to enter the code YEARLONG at checkout.

The codes are only valid between November 22 and the 27th. Since launching, Peacock has accumulated over 20 million subscribers and for good reason. It offers a variety of classics, from Dreamworks’ Shrek films, to hit reality TV shows like Love Island. The streaming service has been expanding its titles, with a new season of Dr. Death arriving in December and a prequel series to the Ted films from Seth MacFarlane set to premiere in the new year. Peacock has been trying to set itself apart from the competition with offerings like next-day streaming of Bravo shows. A subscription could be a holiday treat for yourself or a loved one — the flash monthly sale is hard to beat, especially with streaming prices rising as much as they have been recently.

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/peacock-black-friday-deal-get-one-year-of-premium-for-only-20-194526885.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Peacock Black Friday deal: Get one year of Premium for only

Hulu is offering an enormous discount on its ad-supported plan for Black Friday. The streaming service will give you a year of Hulu (With Ads) for a mere $12. The plan typically costs $80 annually, giving you 85 percent off. Hulu’s Black Friday sale is live now and runs through the end of the day on November 28.

Hulu offers films, current-season episodes of popular broadcast television series and older TV. In addition, the Disney-owned service has original programming, like The Bear, Only Murders in the Building and The Handmaid’s Tale. Remember that the $12 Black Friday sale only applies to the version with advertisements, which doesn’t allow downloaded content for offline viewing.

New subscribers and former members who canceled their plan at least a month ago can take advantage of the Black Friday deal. Everyone who redeems it will pay directly to the streamer (rather than through an app storefront) and convert to a full-priced ($8 monthly) ad-supported plan at the end of 12 months. Hulu also offers an optional Starz add-on for $1 monthly for all new and existing subscribers.

If you’re more interested in other streaming services, plenty of competitors are offering Black Friday deals at the moment. Max has dropped the monthly price of its ad-supported plan to $3 for the first six months, while Black Friday deals from Paramount+ start at $2 per month for the Essential tier. Peacock, meanwhile, is offering new subscribers access starting at $2 per month for the first year, or you can pay for one year upfront and only be charged $20.

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/hulu-black-friday-deal-get-one-year-of-the-ad-supported-plan-for-1-per-month-182522537.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Hulu Black Friday deal: Get one year of the ad-supported plan for per month

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for just $40 as part of a larger Black Friday event. That’s 40 percent off and the lowest price we’ve ever seen for the streaming stick. This deal is for the latest and greatest model, with support for Wi-Fi 6E and enough juice to stream live TV without cable.

What else is new with Amazon’s latest streaming stick? The Fire TV Stick 4K Max boasts twice the storage of the previous version, 16GB compared to 8GB, for holding onto downloaded content. It also accesses free live TV streams, which is nice, and includes a fairly powerful 2.0 GHz quad-core processor, which should make for snappy controls.

The streaming stick was first unveiled at Amazon’s September hardware event, and it offers support for HDR, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and more. It goes without saying that this thing also streams in 4K, as it’s right there in the name. You also get access to the company’s new Fire TV Ambient Experience, which displays useful information like family calendars, reminders, local weather forecasts and more.

It’s the week of Black Friday, so this isn’t the only streaming stick Amazon’s selling at a discount. You can snag the standard Fire TV Stick for just $20, a savings of 50 percent. Despite being a relatively bare-bones product when compared to the Max, it still offers FHD streaming and ships with an Alexa voice remote.

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/amazon-black-friday-deals-include-the-new-fire-tv-stick-4k-max-for-its-lowest-price-yet-174515131.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Amazon Black Friday deals include the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max for its lowest price yet

Amazon has a hefty price cut on the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro / Air. The Black Friday sale drops the (typically $299) accessory’s price to $199. That’s the lowest we’ve seen on the accessory that transforms the tablet into a pseudo-laptop with keys and a trackpad.

Initially launched in 2020, the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad provides an easy and seamless way to jump between tablet and laptop(-ish) modes. Attach your iPad magnetically to the accessory’s back (it appears to “float”), and Apple’s software immediately recognizes it for typing and cursor control — no Bluetooth pairing or cables required. Engadget recommended it as one of the best iPad accessories.

Its (scissor mechanism) keys feel similar to those of recent Mac keyboards, and its trackpad, although smaller than those on MacBooks, gives you desktop-like cursor control and swipe-based multitasking gestures in iPadOS. The accessory supports USB-C passthrough charging, so you can juice up your iPad while plugging an external drive or monitor into the tablet’s port. The accessory is available in black and white.

This model is only compatible with recent iPad Pro and iPad Air models. Specifically, it supports the 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation through the current 4th-gen model) and iPad Air (4th and 5th generations). If you have the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, there’s a separate Magic Keyboard model for it that’s also on sale: You can grab that one for $299 (it’s usually $349).

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/the-apple-magic-keyboard-is-down-to-its-lowest-price-this-year-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-173034923.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad is down to its lowest price this year in an Amazon Black Friday deal

Teenage Engineering is a company that follows its own path. It’ll release a $250 toy car one day and a full-featured groovebox/sampler for $300 on the very next day. That’s what happened this week. Teenage Engineering just surprise-launched the EP-133 K.O. II, a portable sampler/groovebox that’s feature-rich, looks absolutely stunning and costs just $300. You read that cost right. 

The only musical instruments in TE’s lineup that approach this price point is its catalog of Pocket Operator portable synthesizers, so it’s no surprise that this is a direct followup to the best one, the PO-33 KO sampler. The original Pocket Operators were marketed as something of a toy, despite being surprisingly robust, but the EP-133 K.O. II is being advertised as a workstation. This is a fairly large, but still portable, device that more closely resembles an Akai standalone machine. It won’t fit in your pocket, but will fit in your bag.

Let’s go over some specs. The K.O. II boasts 64MB of memory, which isn’t a lot, but TE products typically come with some tradeoff. It’ll be enough for a bunch of samples and a few projects, though, which the company says was intentional. Teenage Engineering co-founder and hardware lead David Eriksson told The Verge that if the sampler had too much storage it would “give the user the option to finish later” instead of completing a song in one-go. Will nobody think of the poor musicians out there who love starting things and hate finishing things? Asking for a friend.

There are 999 slots for samples, as a matter of fact, and an internal microphone for making your own. Though this is, first and foremost, a sampler, it ships pre-filled with drum hits, synths and other sounds so you can get straight to work. It connects via USB-C for loading samples from a computer or MIDI devices. The K.O. II is also portable, running off of four AAA batteries. In other words, there’s no internal rechargeable battery, but that $300 price tag had to come about somehow.

The unit features a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack and the most important buttons and knobs are orange, to help musicians find them during live sets in dark, smoky clubs. That’s a nice touch. The device itself is gorgeous, with a handsome panel of buttons, knobs and connectors. The keys are clicky and, more importantly, velocity sensitive. There’s a rectangular LED screen up top that boasts similar design language to the OP-1 and OP-1 Field portable synthesizers.