Author Archives: Amy Skorheim

Anker chargers are up to 30 percent off, plus the rest of this week’s best tech deals

Posted on by

This is the last weekly deal roundup we'll do this year, but unlike other end-of-year posts, we won't be looking back wistfully at the 2023 deals that once were — all that matters are the ones you can get right now. This week, we're seeing a few sale prices that are still live from Black Friday; snag those before they inevitably go back up. A few new discounts have popped up that actually beat lows from November's shopping holiday, including a Prime-only deal on Amazon's Echo Show 8, all-time lows on Anker charging accessories, and discounts on Apple AirTags and Tile Pro trackers. Until next year, these are the best tech deals that you can still get today.  

Anker charging accessories sale

As part of a larger Anker charging accessories sale at Amazon, the Anker 511 Nano 3 wall charger is down to $16 which is a 30 percent discount and close to an all-time low. It's our top pick for a 30-watt option in our fast charger buying guide. And if you want two USB-C ports instead of just one, you can get the 47W Nano 3 for $21, which is within a dollar of its best price so far. Other notable deals include our top pick for a 65 watt charger from the same guide, the Anker GaNPrime 65W, which is 37 percent off putting it at a new all-time low of $38.

Amazon Echo Show 8

The latest generation of Amazon's Echo Show 8 smart display is now 40 percent off, bringing it to a new all-time low of $90. That's about $15 cheaper than it sold for during Black Friday, but this deal is only for Prime members. The Echo 8 is our favorite Alexa display and Amazon debuted the third-generation of the device at a company event in September. We took time to appreciate the edge-to-edge front glass and new, more refined look — along with the new features. The most notable of the bunch is Adaptive Content, which knows how far you are from the device and displays different content accordingly, such as large format weather when you're across the room and personalized info like calendars and news when you step closer. 

Amazon Echo

If you have a Prime membership, you can use it to get the company's flagship smart speaker, the 4th generation Echo, for $50, which is half price and matches the lowest it's ever sold for, and comes in a full $10 less than it went for during Cyber Week. The latest Echo is our top pick for a smart speaker under $100 because it churns out a good amount of volume for its size and packs in all of Alexa's helpful smart home management and other skills. 

ZOIA Euroburo

Empress Effects is selling its two ZOIA modular synthesizers at a discount. The original ZOIA guitar effects pedal typically sells for $549, but is now 20 percent off and down to $439. The modular synth ZOIA Euroburo mini modular synth is 15 percent off, bringing it down to $607 instead of the $714 MSRP. 

We called the ZOIA "a complex and rewarding modular effects pedal" in our review and gave it a score of 86. While it's likely overkill for someone looking for a standard effects pedal, the ZOIA will give you almost limitless combinations of effects and modules, along with customization capabilities that other models can't match. 

The ZOIA Euroburo is pretty similar to the original ZOIA, but is instead configured into a Eurorack format which you could easily add to a larger modular synth setup. There's a powerful audio processor inside, plus 80 modules and 20 dedicated effects modules. These can be combined to create anything from basic reverbs to complicated microloopers or even full-fledged synthesizers.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds

We named the Bose QuietComfort Ultra wireless earbuds our top pick for noise cancellation in our updated guide to the best earbuds. Right now Amazon, Walmart and Bose are selling them for $249 or $50 off, which is the sale price the buds hit for Black Friday. The standout feature is the active noise cancellation, but we also appreciated the sound quality bump from the new Immersive Audio tech, which we tested out in our full review. 

Hatch Restore 2

The Hatch Restore 2 is seeing a rare discount at Amazon. It's down to $140 instead of the $200 list price. We recommend the device, which is a combination of a sunrise alarm clock and sleep-sounds speaker, in our guide to sleep gear. The design is attractive and the large, tactile buttons are easy to find and use in the dark or when you're groggy. Hatch offers a vast library of original content with bedtime stories, meditations, music and white noise to help you fall and stay asleep, and a big selection of wake-up pep talks and stretches to get you energized in the AM. Only catch is most of the content isn't free. You'll need to pay $5 per month for full access, the value of which we discuss in our review. 

iRobot Roomba 694

The iRobot Roomba 694 is down to $160 directly from iRobot and at Amazon. That's within a dollar of its Black Friday price and $90 off the $275 list price, though it's been regularly on sale over the past few months. This is our top pick for a budget robot vacuum because it combines an easy-to-use app with good cleaning power. It doesn't have the smart obstacle avoidance or self-emptying features of pricier robot vacs, but at $160, you won't likely get a better deal on a reliable machine.  

Google Pixel Tablet

Google's Android tablet, the Pixel is still down to $399 — a $100 discount that matches what it sold for on Black Friday. It popped back up to full price after the sale, but then at Amazon and Target, it dropped back down in early December and hasn't gone back up. The version with 256GB of storage is also $100 off. The Google Pixel Tablet gets a mention in our guide to tablets. Though we don't think it's more compelling than the Samsung that nabs the top Android spot, it's a good pick for someone who wants a tablet that can handle casual browsing and streaming, but can also act as a smart home display. The included speaker and charging dock prop it up so you can use Google Home or manufacturer apps to control compatible smart lights, speakers, plugs and cameras.   

Blink security camera bundle

A Blink sale at Amazon includes a number of security camera bundles, with discounts of up to 53 percent off. The company often sells bundles of its home security cameras at deep discounts and the combinations and sale percentages vary. Whether these are compelling deals or not depend on what you need for your home right now. If you're in the market for a Blink Mini camera to keep an eye on your home's interior, and would like to pair that up with the latest generation of Blink Outdoor camera, this bundle will save you $83 over buying the two separately and at full price. Both cameras offer 1080p video, two way audio and allow for local storage of clips with the included Sync Module 2. 

Apple AirTag

A bundle of four Apple AirTags is currently on sale at Amazon for $79, which is a dollar less than it sold for on Black Friday. These Bluetooth trackers are our pick for iPhone users to keep tabs on your stuff. You'll need some sort of accessory to attach them to your stuff as the smooth round discs lack any sort of hole or attachment point. But AirTags tap into the largest finding network of any tracker, calling on the passive locating power of nearby iOS devices to find a lost tag in real time. It's not as loud, nor as quick with the left behind alerts as our overall top pick, the Chipolo One. A four-pack of those tags is currently $60.  

Tile Pro 1-pack

A single Tile Pro is down to $22 at Amazon, which is cheaper than it went for on Black Friday and matches the all-time low it hit for July's Prime day. We named it the best Bluetooth tracker for Android users, though it'll work with iPhones too. It's louder than an AirTag, and while the Tile finding network is nowhere near as vast as Apple's it worked well enough in our tests to get us to the approximate location of a misplaced item. The Pro model is also the only Tile with a replaceable battery.   

KitchenAid stand mixer attachments

If you took advantage of KitchenAid mixer sales over Cyber Week or were lucky enough to get one as a gift, you may want to look into snagging a few attachments to make your new kitchen appliance even more versatile. Right now a big assortment of attachments is on sale at Amazon. The pasta roller is down to $75 from $100, the spiralizer is $70 instead of $130, and the ice cream maker set is $70 as opposed to the $100 MSRP. The Classic series stand mixer itself is down to $240, which is about $10 more than it went for on Black Friday. 

Tribit Stormbox Micro 2

The super portable Tribit StormBox Micro 2 puts out decent volume and right now it’s down to $46 instead of the full-price $60 after you click the 5 percent coupon. That puts very close to its all-time low and even beats its Black Friday price last month. We named it one of the best small Bluetooth speakers you can buy in our guide to those devices. There’s a strap in the back that works well on belts, backpacks — or even bike handlebars, so it’s easy to take with you. And on-the-go is where this speaker performs best, as it’s more about portable volume than pure fidelity.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-chargers-are-up-to-30-percent-off-plus-the-rest-of-this-weeks-best-tech-deals-173037120.html?src=rss

Sonos home theater gear is up to 25 percent off, plus the rest of the best tech deals this week

Posted on by

Depending on what you buy and where you shop, many online purchases should arrive before December 25th, so if you're still working through your gift list, it might not be too late. Even if you're just looking for deals in general, there are plenty out there. Despite the fact that the official "shopping holidays" have ended, retailers and brands are still discounting many gadgets and devices at prices that meet their Black Friday lows. Right now, you can save on Sonos speakers, Tile trackers, Google phones and tablets, and Amazon's most popular Echo device. We also found discounts on Xbox gift cards, a Nintendo Switch bundle and noted that a PS5 bundle was still selling for it's Cyber Monday low. Here are the best tech deals from the week that you can still get today. 

Sonos Era 100

As part of a larger sale, the Sonos Era 100 smart speaker is back down to $199 from the manufacturer's store front. That's $50 of the list price and matches the price we saw during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We named it the best midrange smart speaker in our guide and gave it an 88 in our review when it debuted earlier this year. It's an improvement over its predecessor, the Sonos One, which was in itself already pretty great. 

Upgrades include a new speaker array with two tweeters instead of one plus a woofer that’s 25 percent bigger. That lends the speaker impressive bass, a clear high-end and big volume. It connects via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and now also has a line-in USB-C port to directly connect a player (though you'll need an adapter to hook up a turntable). And the smart assistant duties come courtesy of Alexa or the music-focused Sonos assistant, unfortunately it doesn't support the Google Assistant.  

The Ray soundbar and the Sonos Move are also part of the Sonos sale with discounts of up to 25 percent off. 

Echo Show 5 + smart bulb

Amazon kicked of Black Friday early this year with discounts on their own devices. Many of the deals on Echo speaker and displays bundled with a free smart bulb didn't end with Cyber Week and are still live today. So you can save on an Echo Show 5 and smart bulb combo — and depending on where you're shipping, it should arrive by Christmas. The Echo Show 5 was refreshed in June and has a list price of $90. The Sengled light is $20 on its own. While both of them go on sale often, the bundle represents a 63 percent discount over buying them at full price. The set makes a nice smart home starter kit, as the Echo Show 5 gives you voice and touchscreen control over smart home devices like the Sengled bulb.  

Kobo Clara 2e

The best ereader, according to our guide is the Kobo Clara 2E. It's currently selling for $20 off the list price of $140, a discount it hit for Black Friday. It rarely goes on sale so this is a good chance to save on an ereader with a crisp 300 ppi screen with a waterproof build and warm LED front lights. Setting the device up is easy, even for those new to ereaders and the Kobo store is nearly as vast as Amazon's Kindle store, though without the Kindle Exclusive titles. You can also easily borrow books from your local library and read them on your Kobo for free. 

Tile Tracker Sale

Amazon is selling a two-pack of Tile Mate Bluetooth trackers for $33, which matches the record low the set hit for Prime Day in October. Or you can grab a four-pack of Tile Mates in grey directly from the manufacturer for 40 percent off. These handy fobs attach to your keys, backpack, or anything else you don't want to lose. The app works with both iPhone and Android and uses the community of other Tile users to locate items that you misplace out in the world. The smaller Tile Sticker is also on sale, currently 33 percent off, making it just $20. Or you can get our top pick for Androids in our Bluetooth tracker guide is the Tile Pro. It's down to $25, which is just $2 more than the record low it hit for Prime Day in July.  

Roku Ultra

The Roku Ultra is our recommendation for a set-top box in our guide to the best streaming devices. Right now it's down to $67 at Amazon and at Walmart. That's only about a dollar more than the lowest price it has sold for. It's been on sale for $70 for much of the past few weeks, so this is a chance to save a little more. While it's our favorite set-top streamer, it's not necessarily as good of a value as our top pick for a streamer, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K. That model is down to $39, which is a full $10 more than it went for during Black Friday but still $28 less than the Ultra.

Anker Soundcore Space A40 

The overall pick in our guide to the best budget earbuds is Anker's Soundcore Space A40 and right now they're on sale at Amazon for $54. That ties the all time low the buds hit for Black Friday. We like the light, evenly balanced design that's comfortable to wear for long sessions and the sound profile is warm and pleasant. We also think the active noise cancellation is great for the price. Just note that they don't auto pause when you remove a bud and the mic quality for calls could be better.

Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro

An unlocked Pixel 8 with 128GB of storage is back down to $549 at Amazon. That's a $150 discount and matches its Black Friday low. You can get the same deal from Amazon and at the Google Store. For a larger screen, you can get the Pixel 8 Pro, which is $200 off at Amazon, Best Buy and the Google Store, bringing the base configuration with 128GB down to $799. We named these phones the best Android handsets you can buy and gave them a 90 in our review, calling them "Google's most compelling phones in years."

Xbox and Nintendo gift cards

If you know someone who plays games on an Xbox or Switch, these two deals may make great gifts. Right now, Target is selling $50 Xbox or Nintendo eShop gift cards for $45. Both cards are delivered electronically to an email address and can be transferred to the user's balance as soon as they get the message. They can then use the funds to buy games and add-ons through their console. 

Switch gamers can also get a digital code for an individual annual Switch Online membership for $18, or a family membership for $31.50. Both are 10 percent off the going rate for a 12-month subscription. 

Google Pixel Tablet

Right now at Amazon, Target and directly from the Google Store, you can get the latest Google Pixel Tablet for $100 off the list price. That brings it to $399, which is a discount we've seen a few times previously and matches the low it went for during Black Friday sales. The standout feature for the slate is its ability to function as a smart display, as it comes complete with a stand that doubles (triples?) as a charging base and a much fuller speaker than any tablet can muster on its own. We gave the Pixel Tablet a review score of 85 when it debuted back in June and mention it as an alternative in our buyer's guide to tablets — noting that it's a good pick if you think you'll make use of the smart display option.  

MasterClass BOGO

MasterClass is offering two annual memberships — one for yourself and one to give away as a gift — for the price of one. If you're unfamiliar, MasterClass offers courses taught by famous people — like Spike Lee teaching directing, Aaron Sorkin teaching screenwriting and Alicia Keys teaching songwriting. Memberships start at $120 per year, which lets you watch on one device at a time and go up to $240 per year for download permissions and access on six devices simultaneously. The free membership will be at the same level you buy for yourself. The deal ends December 12th. 

Google Pixel Watch 2

Google's Pixel Watch 2 just came out in October but we're already seeing a substantial discount of $50 off, making the Wi-Fi model just $300 at Amazon and from the Google Store. The LTE model is also $50 off and down to $350. The Pixel Watch 2 is an improvement over the previous model, with a longer-lasting battery that goes for 24 hours between charges. The Fitbit integration is even deeper this time, with a focus on stress levels using a new body-response sensor. We did find some flaws, however, such as the Fitbit branding throughout that felt like a disconnect from the Pixel brand. There were also software quirks and confusing data presentation that prevented us from giving it a glowing review. 

Apple iPad (10th gen)

The tenth generation iPad is on sale for $349 at Amazon, which is $100 off the list price and the same price it hit for Black Friday. It often sells for $399, so this is and additional $50 off the going rate. In our review we didn't call it a wild improvement over the previous generation, but we did appreciate that it orients the camera to the landscape edge, which is much better for video calls. The USB-C charging is more modern than the Lightning connector on the 9th gen iPad, but for some reason this model still works with the first generation Apple Pencil (even though the slate came out after the second-gen stylus).

Sonos Roam

The Sonos Roam is 25 percent off and down to $134, which is price it went for during Black Friday and has remained there since. It happens to be our top pick for a portable smart speaker thanks to its versatility as an indoor or outdoor smart speaker you can plonk down anywhere. You can control it with Alexa or the Google Assistant it and works on Wi-Fi or via Bluetooth. The sound isn’t as big as from larger speakers, but it still packs a surprising amount of bass and distinct highs

Amazon Echo Dot

Amazon's best selling speaker — and our top pick for a smart speaker under $50 — is the Echo Dot and it is still down to $23, the low price it hit for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The sound is surprisingly good for the size and price and it brings Alexa's weather-forecasting, timer-setting, joke-telling abilities into whatever room you set it in. I use it to control our smart plugs and my kid uses it to play "The Wellerman" for the 900th time. 

Google Pixel Buds

Last week, Wellbots sold the Google Pixel Buds Pro earbuds for $120 with a code. This week you can get the same $80 discount, no special letters and numbers required. That makes the buds just $3 more than their all-time low. We called these earbuds the company’s best effort to date in our official review, praising the deep and punchy bass, the useful touch controls, wireless charging options and more. They're currently our top pick for Android users in our guide to the best wireless earbuds.

PS5

This bundle has been on sale for a few weeks now. It pairs the $500 PS5 console with the new Spider-Man 2 game for no extra cost. We named the latest PlayStation one of the best gaming consoles you can get right now. We also liked the game, and called it better than its predecessor in our review. 

Meta Quest 2

The Meta Quest 2 bundled with a $50 store credit at the Meta Quest store is now $249 from Walmart. The headset by itself retails at $300 so this is essentially a $100 discount and matches similar discount-and-gift card combos we saw for Black Friday. Now that the improved Quest 3 is out in the world, this is harder sell. The new headset goes for $500 and isn't on sale at the moment, but if you can swing it, you'll get a better VR experience along with mixed reality improvements. That said, we're still impressed with the bargain the Quest 2 provides and named it our pick for those on a budget in our VR headset buying guide.

  • 16-inch macbook pro (m3 pro, 18gb ram, 512gb ssd) for $2,249 —> ties BF price iirc

Nintendo Switch OLED + Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

If you're willing to transport your actual human body to a GameStop and walk in the door like it's 2009, you can save $25 on the Switch OLED bundled with a download code for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and three months of Nintendo Switch Online. Place your order online then select in-store pickup to get the deal. The bundle is going for $349 at most outlets across the internet, but if you bought the (pretty excellent) game at full price along with the console and subscription, you'd pay $68 more. Combined with the $25 it's a good way to get the console if you somehow don't have it already. Keep in mind that an updated Switch is likely on the horizon, but as for now, the Switch is our favorite console for gaming whilst traveling. 

Samsung Evo Select 256GB Micro SD card

Samsung's Evo Select MicroSD is $15 which is a 25 percent discount and matches its Black Friday pricing. This is the value pick in our buyer's guide to MicroSD cards, partly because it's often on sale. It doesn't match the sequential write speeds of our top picks, so you may not want to use it for your camera, but if you just need more space for your Switch games, this will work well.  

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonos-home-theater-gear-is-up-to-25-percent-off-plus-the-rest-of-the-best-tech-deals-this-week-174542951.html?src=rss

Tile Bluetooth trackers are up to 33 percent off right now

Posted on by

Amazon is selling a two-pack of Tile Mate Bluetooth trackers for $33, which matches the record low the set hit for Prime Day in October. A four-pack of Tile Mates in grey is on sale for 40 percent off from the manufacturer. These handy fobs attach to your keys, backpack, or anything else you don't want to lose. The app —which works with both iPhone and Android — lets you ring the tags to find them nearby, and uses the community of other Tile users to locate items that you misplace out in the world.

The network isn't as large as Apple's Find My, but in our tests, it only took around 10 minutes before the Tile was spotted. If you use an Android phone that's not a Samsung, it's likely your best option if you want to have a large finding network. One point to note is that you'll need a Tile subscription (currently $30 or $100 per year) to enable left-behind alerts. If all you need is a tracker that will ring loudly and tell you when you left the house (or restaurant) without your keys, you could go with our top tracker pick, the Chipolo, which is 20 percent off for a four-pack right now.

One nice thing about Tile items is they come in different forms, like the smaller Tile Sticker. That one is 33 percent off, making it just $20. The disc comes with a strong adhesive so you can stick it to smaller stuff that you're apt to misplace, like remotes, headphones and console controllers.

Our top pick for Androids in our Bluetooth tracker guide is the Tile Pro. It's down to $25, which is just $2 more than the record low it hit for Prime Day in July. It's the only Tile with a replaceable battery and we found it to be louder than an AirTag and any of the other Tiles. It's got a larger key-fob shape and was typically quicker to connect to our phone in our tests than the Mate. 

Any tracker opens up the possibility of stalking, using it to track a person without their consent or knowledge. Tile trackers even offer an anti-theft mode that makes it harder to disable an unknown tracker that's moving with you. But to enable the feature, the tracker owner must submit ID verification and acknowledge that misuse will result in a $1 million fine. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tile-bluetooth-trackers-are-up-to-33-percent-off-right-now-170445150.html?src=rss

The AirPods Pro with USB-C charging are back down to their Black Friday price of $190

Posted on by

Black Friday (and a few sales before that) brought the second generation AirPods Pro with the new USB-C charging case to $190. After Cyber Week ended, the buds popped back up to the full price of $249, but now they've dropped again at Amazon. That's a dollar more than the lowest price they've hit. Apple didn't alter the buds themselves very much, aside from improving the dust resistance for them and the case. The main difference is the charging case, which now has a USB-C port instead of Lightning, just like the new iPhone 15.  

The fact that Apple didn't change much about the buds themselves is not a bad thing. We gave the AirPods Pro a review score of 88 when they came out, praising the handy Siri integration and a transparancy mode that beats all the other buds out there. We also named them the best buds you can buy if you're an iPhone user in our buying guide to the best earbuds. 

In addition to wired USB-C charging, you can also refill them wirelessly with a MagSafe charging pad. We found the mic pickup for calls to be slightly better than most earbuds we've tried, and noted that the buds deliver particularly good sound during FaceTime calls. As for battery, we got six hours and fifteen minutes on a charge, using a mix of ANC, transparency mode and calls, which is on par with other buds on the market. As for sound quality, it's a massive improvement over Apple's previous Pro buds. Even at low volume, the audio is clean and at regular levels, the sound is immersive and detailed. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-airpods-pro-with-usb-c-charging-are-back-down-to-their-black-friday-price-of-190-163503974.html?src=rss

The best Apple Cyber Monday deals of 2023: Save up to $250 on MacBooks, AirPods, iPads and more

Posted on by

There are still a handful more hours of Cyber Monday, so if you're searching for deals on Apple devices, you're in luck. Many of these deals started well before Black Friday, and all but a few are still live. Whether you need an iPad for couchside entertainment, or even productivity, or a new pair of AirPods Pro for a gift, this is a great time to shop. Surprisingly, Apple's latest products like the M3 MacBook Pro and the Apple Watch Series 9 are included in the discounts. If something catches your eye, you may want to click "add to cart," as we expect many of these deals to expire before tomorrow hits. These are the best Cyber Monday Apple deals for 2023. 

AirPod Cyber Monday deals

AirPods Pro (2nd gen, USB-C)

When Apple announced the new iPhone 15 and its conversion to USB-C charging, the company also revealed the second generation AirPods Pro with the same connector. That version has dropped to $190 at Amazon and Target. They’ve gone or as low as $189 recently, so this is within a dollar of that price. Other than the port, the hardware hasn’t changed so you’re still getting the earbuds we named the best pick for iPhone users in our guide. In addition to pairing well with Apple’s handsets, the buds also offer one of the best transparency modes on the market along with solid ANC and richer fuller sound than the previous generation Pros. The Lightning version is on sale for $169 at Walmart.

Read our full review of the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)

AirPods Max

The over-ear AirPods Max are normally far too expensive for us to recommend. But now they're down to $450, which is a new low price and $30 cheaper than Prime Day in October. You can get the deal at Amazon or Best Buy. They're $519 at B&H Photo. They are well-designed, comfortable, and implement all of the helpful Siri integrations. We also like the great noise cancellation and Spatial Audio. While they’re a little heavy, the fit is still comfortable and the on-device controls, while unique, are simple and “a joy to use.”

Here's our full review of the AirPods Max.

AirPods (3rd gen)

The third generation AirPods with the Lightning charging case are down to $140 at Amazon and Target. They carry a list price of $169 but often sell for closer to $150, so this is $10 off the usual. These non-Pro AirPods came out in 2021 and got a review score of 88 from us. They pair quickly with iPhones and are a good complement to Siri’s helpfulness. They don’t have ANC however — you’ll need to go for the AirPods Pro for that feature — but they do have Adaptive EQ which monitors and adapts sound in real time. The fit is comfortable and they’re water-resistant so they can handle workouts or the weather.

Apple Watch Cyber Monday deals

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is now $739, which is $60 off. It sold for $9 less during Black Friday and is one of the few Apple products to not maintain its pricing for Cyber Monday. Both Amazon and Best Buy are selling it for $739. The Ultra 2 has the same new chip as the Apple Watch Series 9 so it can perform the new Double Tap trick, but also sports a more robust build and outdoor-specific features that make it suited to adventurers. There’s a siren to alert people to your presence as well as a dive meter, waypoint setting capabilities and night mode to preserve your low-light vision. It's our recommended Apple Watch for adventurers. 

Check out our guide to the best Apple Watches for 2023

Apple Watch SE

The most affordable smartwatch in the lineup is the Apple Watch SE, which is now down to $179. It has a list price of $249 but has regularly sold for $220 lately so this is still a significant deal. We called it the best smartwatch money can buy in our review when it came out in 2022. It lacks an always-on display and a few of the more specialized health sensors, like the blood oxygen app, but the fitness features and tracking data are well-rounded, plus the notifications and integrations are particularly convenient for iPhone users.

Apple Watch Series 9

The new Apple Watch Series 9 is seeing a $70 discount that brings it to $330 at Amazon, Target and Walmart. That's a new low for the wearable that debuted alongside the iPhone 15 back in September. The big change this time around is a new SiP (system in package) chip that allows for a Double Tap feature that lets you tap your thumb and forefinger together to answer calls and more. It also allows for the onboard processing of Siri requests, making simple demands (like starting a timer or a workout) happen faster. 

The Series 9 has an always-on display and when paired with the Sport Loop is a carbon neutral product. As has been the case for many years now, the Apple Watch is an excellent fitness companion, offering comprehensive health and activity data. It also happens to be our favorite smartwatch for most people. 

Read our full review of the Apple Watch Series 9

Apple iPad Cyber Monday deals

iPad (10th generation)

The tenth generation iPad is on sale for $349 at Amazon, Best Buy and Target, which is $100 off the list price. It has often sold for $399 lately so this is still $50 off the typical street price. We don’t think it’s a wild improvement over the previous generation, though it does orient the camera to the landscape edge, which is much better for video calling. The USB-C charging is more modern than the Lightning connector on the 9th gen iPad, but for some reason this model still works with the first generation Apple Pencil (even though the slate came out after the second-gen stylus).

iPad Air

The base model of the latest generation of the iPad Air has an MSRP of $599 and is now down to $499, a price its hit quite a few times in 2023. This is the iPad we recommend for most people because it’s speedy, has a great screen and works with current-generation accessories. It can act as a rather powerful entertainment option for games and streaming, but is powerful enough to serve as a productivity device when paired up with a stylus or mouse and a keyboard. Now that the M3 chip has been loosed upon the world, the iPad Air, which houses the M1 chip, is primed for an update, which will likely come next year (along with a potential price increase).

iPad mini

For a more portable iPad experience, the iPad mini offers a bigger screen than your phone, but is barely as easy to carry around with you. It’s listed at $499, but has dropped as low as $400 many times this year. Now it’s back down to that low at Amazon, Target and Best Buy. The smaller iPad got a refresh last year, adding a new Liquid Retina screen, a Touch-ID top button instead of a Home button, and a USB-C charging. The performance is snappy and the integration with the second-generation Apple Pencil makes it excel as a digital notebook. As we said in our review, with the mini, Apple “quashes notion that ‘smaller’ means ‘lesser.’” 

Apple iPad (9th generation)

For a few hours during the Black Friday sales, the 9th generation iPad went as low as $229 at Amazon. That deal appears to have sold out, but if you still want the prior generation standard Apple slate, it's now $80 off the MSRP from Walmart. That's about the same as it's sold for these past few months. But we still think it's a good buy and recommend it as the best budget iPad you can buy. 

Check out our guide to iPads here.

MacBook Cyber Monday deals

MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023, M3)

The base model, 14-inch MacBook Pro with the new M3 chip just came out in October but is $150 off for Cyber Monday. After testing the new chip, we think the base model with 8GB of RAM may quickly get bogged down. If it's within your budget, we recommend the model with 16GB of RAM, which is $150 off at B&H photo. And if you upgrade to a model with the M3 Pro chip for an even speedier experience — you'll get a $200 discount as it's down to $2,199 at B&H Photo. We gave the new M3 MacBook Pros an appreciative review and named them the best option for creatives in our buyer’s guide.

Read our review of the new MacBook Pros with the M3 chip

MacBook Air (15-inch, 2023, M2)

The 15-inch MacBook Air arrived in June and added a little more screen real estate to an already great machine. It’s down to $1,049 for Cyber Monday at Amazon and Best Buy. That’s the same as the all-time low it’s hit a few times these past couple of months. In addition, it's $200 off at B&H Photo. We gave it a 96 in our review and liked how the bigger screen let you get the most out of the M2 processor.

Now that the M3 MacBook Pros have arrived, we’re guessing Apple will come out with M3-enabled Air models in 2024. Still the M2 has plenty of processing power and will serve you well as both a casual machine for playing games and watching shows, but can also hold its own with productivity tasks.

MacBook Air (13-inch, 2022, M2)

The M2-powered, 13-inch MacBook Air is on sale for $929 at B&H Photo. It’s our top recommendation for a MacBook and beat out all brands in our laptop guide. The M2 chip is impressively fast and capable, the design is solid and the display is lovely. It’s more than capable for both work and play and should give you years of dependable use. But, again, the M3-enabled Airs are likely on their way in 2024. So if you know you’re drawn to the newest thing, you might want to wait.

MacBook Air (13-inch, 2020, M1)

The MacBook Air with the M1 chip is a couple years old at this point, but still officially part of Apple’s laptop lineup. It dropped to an all-time low of $750 for October’s Prime Day at Amazon and now Amazon and Best Buy are selling it for the same price. It’s the budget pick in our guide to MacBooks and the top pick in our guide to budget laptops. Check out our review from when it first came out in which we praised its quick speeds, excellent screen and good battery life.

Cyber Monday deals on Apple accessories

$100 Apple Gift Card + $15 Amazon credit

If you purchase an Apple gift card totaling $100 or more from the retailer, you can get $15 in Amazon store credit for no extra cost. Just use the code APPLET5USA at checkout to see the offer. The deal applies to the digital version of the card; as of this writing, you can get the credit with a physical Apple gift card as well by using the code APPLET5USAP, though you may not want to clip the coupon on those cards' product page, as Amazon's listing says that will only give you a $10 credit. As a reminder, you can use an Apple gift card for App Store credit, subscription services like Apple Music or iCloud, and/or purchases made at a physical Apple store.

Apple AirTags

A four-pack of Apple AirTags is $80 right now at Amazon, thanks to a 19 percent discount. They go for $29 each at full price, so the deal will save you $9 a pop. AirTags are our top picks for Bluetooth trackers for iPhone users as they tap into Apple’s disturbingly vast FindMy network, using other Apple mobiles to find your lost stuff. If you want just a single AirTag, you can grab one for $24 (a $5 discount) at Walmart and Target.

Apple Pencil

Apple now makes three different Apple Pencils. The original recharges via Lightning. The second generation recharges wirelessly and the new USB-C looks a lot like the first generation, but charges via USB-C instead of lighting. Each one has different iPad compatibility with iPads. While that part is confusing, the pencil itself is rather elegant and one of the best accessories for your iPad. The 2nd generation stylus is down to $80 right now, while the USB-C model is down to $71 at Amazon.

Apple TV 4K

The Apple TV 4K is our favorite premium streaming device and is currently $125 at B&H Photo. That's not a huge discount, but the streaming box rarely goes on sale. We gave it a 94 in our review because it’s fast, has an excellent Siri remote and integrates seamlessly with Apple’s overall ecosystem. Navigation is clean and easy to use, plus the device can stream in 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision.

Mac Mini M2

The base model of Apple diminutive desktop computer, the Mac mini, is currently on sale for $100 off for Cyber Monday at Amazon, B&H Photo, Best Buy. It earned an 86 in our review because it packs a lot of processing power, using the same M2 chip as the two current-model MacBook Airs — but it’s much cheaper than either laptop. If you need a little more storage, you can get it with 512GB of SSD for $699 at B&H Photo.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-apple-cyber-monday-deals-of-2023-save-on-airpods-ipads-apple-watches-and-more-100030003.html?src=rss

These 23 Black Friday deals will save you up to $120 a year on the best digital subscriptions

Posted on by

Black Friday may be good for saving money on "stuff," but it's also a great time to save on less tangible items, like subscriptions and memberships. This year, many streaming services raised their prices, but we found streaming deals with discounts of up to 85 percent, which might take some of the sting out of the hikes. Discounts on fitness and learning platforms could help with a little self-improvement in 2024. And media memberships will keep you entertained and informed. Most sales end on Cyber Monday, so you probably shouldn't wait if something catches your eye. Here are the best Black Friday subscription deals we could find.

Black Friday streaming deals

Max

Hulu

Peacock

Paramount+

Fubo

SlingTV

Philo

Roku

Black Friday learning platform deals

MasterClass

Rosetta Stone

Headspace

Paprika

Black Friday fitness subscription deals

Alo Moves

Black Friday media subscription deals

PlayStation Plus

Humble Bundle

Libro.fm

Audible Plus

Libby App

404 Media

Tidal

Black Friday VPN and passoword manager deals

ProtonVPN

CyberGhost

1password

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/black-friday-subscription-deals-save-up-to-120-a-year-on-digital-subscriptions-220021089.html?src=rss

The Echo Dot is back down to its lowest price ever in this Amazon Black Friday deal

Posted on by

Amazon has discounted nearly all of their own devices for Black Friday. And that includes their top-selling smart speaker, the Echo Dot. It's down to $23, which is 54 percent off the $50 list price and matches the lowest it ever sold for, back in October during the company's second Prime Day of the year. It's dipped down to $35 throughout 2023, so this is still a significant discount over its typical sale price. We named the Echo Dot our favorite smart speaker under $50 — and now you can get two for that price. 

The Echo Dot is a little bigger than a baseball, but emits surprisingly full sound for its size. The spherical design is an upgrade from the previous generation's puck shape, and now allows for higher-end components that make for pretty great audio. Of course, the real perk is Alexa's help. You can use the assistant to control your smart home devices, tell you the weather, remind you to pick up the kid from school or a friend from the airport, and play you a happy song on a rainy day.

Other Amazon speakers are on sale too, including the standard Echo. It's down to $55, which is a 45 percent discount and about $5 more than the all-time low it hit last Black Friday. This one happens to be our favorite smart speaker under $100, again beating out its direct competitors from Apple and Google thanks to its superior (and just louder) sound. And again, Alexa is baked right in. 

But if audio quality (plus smarts) is what you want, you'll likely want to opt for the Echo Studio. It's now down to $155 instead of $200 after a 23 percent discount that brings it back to its lowest price ever, from last year's holiday shopping sale. The speaker packs high audio quality into its 7.7 pound body, emitting excellent sound that led us to declare this "the best-sounding speaker Amazon has built."

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-echo-dot-is-back-down-to-its-lowest-price-ever-in-this-amazon-black-friday-deal-140041159.html?src=rss

The Dyson Airwrap is at its lowest price yet for Black Friday 2023

Posted on by

One of social media's seemingly favorite hair styling tools is down to a record low for Black Friday. Dyson's Airwrap has a list price of $600 but is now on sale for $480 at QVC and for the same price on Amazon, after you clip the on-page coupon. The innovative AirWrap relies on air instead of extreme heat to dry and shape hair — which could help keep your hair healthier over using a curling iron, straightener or blow dryer. 

The Dyson Airwrap uses a technology called the Coanda effect, a phenomenon describing airflow’s tendency to follow the path of a curved surface. Here, the air jet flows around the tool’s barrel or brush attachment, so it wraps, dries and styles hair all at once. Since it doesn't use a lot of heat, it's meant to be less damaging to your hair in the long run. Dyson claims the Airwrap monitors the device multiple times per second, ensuring the temp stays safe for your hair. 

It comes with a rotating cool tip, three airflow speeds, three heat settings and a cold shot feature that immediately turns off the heating element, helping to set your with a blast of cool air. And there are plenty of accessories too: A barrel that's 1.2 inches around, a barrel 1.6 inches in diameter, two smoothing brushes, a smoothing dryer, a volumizing brush and a detangling comb. Plus there's a filter cleaner and a case to neatly store everything. 

Considering the attention this item has been getting — and the fact that it's been a fast-selling gift for the holidays — means it may go out of stock quickly. If you've got your eye on it, either for your own hair or someone else's, you may want to snap it up.  

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-dyson-airwrap-is-at-its-lowest-price-yet-for-black-friday-2023-180025525.html?src=rss

The best Black Friday air fryer deals for 2023

Posted on by

One of the big selling points for air fryers is they can do far more than just make french fries crispy. Heating up leftovers is one big plus; the fact that they don’t overheat your entire kitchen is another. They’ve surged in popularity over the past few years, but if you or someone on your gift list somehow doesn’t have one yet, Black Friday is a great time to snag a deal on an air fryer — and three of our top picks are currently on sale. These are the best Black Friday deals on air fryers we've tested and recommend. 

Instand Vortex Plus Air Fryer

Ninja Foodi Dual Zone air fryer

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

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-best-black-friday-air-fryer-deals-for-2023-163026083.html?src=rss

Black Friday kitchen deals for 2023: Save up to $60 on a Vitamix Explorian blender

Posted on by

The home chef or budding cook in your life may appreciate some new tech to smarten up their kitchens. You might even be looking for kitchen gadgets that will make it easier to prepare a holiday feast — and make next year’s meal prep simpler too. Whether for gifts or for yourself, Black Friday is an ideal time to save on kitchen tech and smart appliances. Many of our tested and recommended cookers, air fryers, pizza ovens and other tools are on sale right now, and many are dropping to the best prices we’ve seen all year.

Instant Pot Duo Plus

The Instant Pot Duo is 47 percent off and down to $70 at Amazon. which beats its previous all-time low from Prime Day in July. It's $10 more directly from Instant Brands. This is our favorite multi-cooker (and we’re not alone) with the ability to make everything from yogurt to rice to full dinners and desserts. The Duo model is simple to get the hang of and has plenty of quick cooking modes for a range of dishes — eggs and grains included — and even has a sous vide mode. If you know someone who doesn’t have an Instant Pot yet, this will make a great gift.

Vitamix Explorian Series E310

The Vitamix E310 is on sale for $289 at Amazon, Target and directly from Vitamix, and while that’s not an all-time low, it’s still a $60 discount on a particularly powerful blender. It’s our favorite blender from our guide to kitchen tech because it goes beyond smoothie duty to create salsas, sauces, dips and even soups (which the blender can heat to steaming in the container due to shear friction). Anyone coming from a standard blender will be impressed with the way it renders even the hardest, chunkiest ingredients silky smooth.

Instant Vortex Plus air fryer

The company that makes our favorite multi-cooker also makes our favorite air fryer. The Instant Vortex Plus air fryer is down to $80 at Amazon, which matches its lowest price ever, from back in October for Amazon’s Prime Day. This is a good pick even for air frying newbies as the controls are intuitive and the basket is easy to clean. This new model adds a viewing window to peek in on your food and an odor-removing filter. While it didn’t completely eliminate the odors in our tests, it definitely smelled less smokey than other units we tried.

KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer

KitchenAid’s Artisan series stand mixer is $100 off the $450 MSRP. It's one of our favorite pieces of kitchen gear because it's durable, powerful and it comes with a beater, dough hook and wire whisk attachments. KitchenAid mixers are also compatible with a variety of accessories and attachments that can turn the machine into an ice cream maker, a meat grinder or even a pasta machine, which will quickly expand your cooking repertoire.

Anova Precision Cooker 3.0

Anova Precision Sous Vide machine is down to $145 after a 27 percent discount at Amazon and Target. That’s not an all time low, but still the lowest price it’s sold for in the past few months. This is our top sous vide pick in our kitchen tech guide thanks to the helpful app with hundreds of recipes and the option for remote control. If you or your giftee are more hands-on chefs, there are manual controls too. This newer generation includes digital touch controls and a longer cord than last time, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity.

Breville Pizzaiolo

The Breville Pizzaiolo is 20 percent off at Amazon, Williams Sonoma and directly from Breville, bringing the pricey $1,000 machine down to $800 — a price it has hit during previous shopping holidays. That’s still not cheap, but if you’re looking for a dedicated pizza oven that cooks 12-inch pies remarkably well, this is a solid pick. It’s one of the indoor options from our guide to the best ‘za cookers and offers different presets, including a “wood fired” setting. The heating elements adjust and adapt thanks to the smarts inside, creating an ideal environment for whatever style you’ve selected. For real pros, the Pizzaiolo also includes a manual mode that lets you dial in your temps for the upper and lower elements.

Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven

If we extend the concept of the kitchen to include anywhere food is made, outdoor pizza ovens most definitely belong on this list. The You might know Solo Stove for its fire pits, but we found them to make some pretty great pizza ovens too. Solo stove is having a sitewide sale for Black Friday, which includes discounts on the wood only or dual fuel Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven and the gas-only Pi Prime, which is $50 off and currently offered with a 20 percent off promo for Amazon Prime members.   

KitchenAid Cordless variable speed hand blender

We like KitchenAid’s Cordless Variable Speed Blender because its easy to use and has an 180-watt motor that you can adjust just by how much you squeeze the trigger. It also comes with a dishwasher-safe blending jar and an optional pan guard so you don't scratch your cookware. The built-in safety switch makes it harder to start up the blade by accident for extra peace of mind as you cook. Right now it's $20 off at Amazon and directly from KitchenAid. 

OXO Good Grips Precision scale

OXO’s Precision Scale is on sale for $45, which is 15 percent off the list price and about $7 cheaper than it’s been selling for these past few months. It’s an ideal gift for a baker, as measuring by weight tends to produce far better results than volumetric measurements. It supports both metric and imperial weights in precise, 0.1-gram increments and even has a timer built-in, because you just can’t have too many of those in the kitchen. Plus the minimalist design looks good on any countertop.

SodaStream Terra

The SodaStream Terra is already the company’s most affordable soda maker, and for Black Friday at Amazon and at SodaStream, it’s down to $60 — a price it hasn’t hit since last year’s holiday sales. The kit includes a reusable one liter bottle, a bottle of Bubbly Drop lemon lime flavor, and a CO2 cylinder, along with the device itself. It doesn’t need to be plugged in, just attach the cartridge, fill the bottle with water and hit the button to make the bubbles. Then you can mix and match whichever flavors you want, while feeling good about saving money, packaging and transportation waste from traditional sodas.

Fellow Tally Pro Precision Scale

Our biggest concern when we tried out the Tally Pro scale was the price. Now Black Friday is making the $185 gadget a little easier to take, with a 20 percent discount that brings it down to $148, which looks to be its lowest price yet. It’s perfect for anyone who’s really into brewing the perfect cup of coffee. The scale calculates the amount of water you need and tells you how much water to add throughout the brewing time for the best extraction.

Fellow Stagg EKG Pro kettle

Fellow’s Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle is also on sale, with a 20 percent discount bringing it down to $204 instead of $255. It’s a fully featured pour-over kettle that lets you pick preset temperatures for different brews of coffee and tea. There’s also a manual mode for the more experienced. You can set your altitude, schedule the pot to start warming up at a specific time and use the hold mode to maintain the temp for up to an hour.

Fellow Opus Conical Burr Grinder

With a good scale and good kettle, you may also want a good grinder. Fellow’s Opus Conical Burr Grinder and the Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2 are both 20 percent off as well, bringinght them down to $156 and $276, respectively. The Opus has more than 40 precision settings and 40mm conical burrs with a burr speed of 350 RPM. The Ode Gen 2 has 31 grind settings and is built to run a little quieter. It has an auto-stop function, along with anti-static tech that's said to reduce grind mess.

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is beastly enough to replace your oven, and might even be overkill for some. It’s our favorite multi-purpose air fryer because it can bake, dehydrate, slow cook and convect in addition to making things crispy with its air frying capabilities. Right now Amazon, Best Buy and Breville’s storefront are selling the unit for $320, and though that’s not an all-time low, it’s still about $80 less than it typically sells for and $130 off the list price.

Thermapen One

The Thermapen One is our favorite thermometer because it gives accurate readings nearly instantly and has an auto-rotating screen that’s easy to read. It’s on sale from Thermoworks for $71 instead of the list price of $109 and even cheaper than the $99 it often sells for.

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/black-friday-kitchen-deals-for-2023-save-up-to-60-on-a-vitamix-explorian-blender-160008016.html?src=rss