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Black Friday 2023 is finally here, and if you're just getting around to your holiday shopping, there are a ton of great deals to be had across the internet. Black Friday may still technically be one day, but we've been seeing solid early Black Friday deals throughout the entirety of November. Thankfully, many of them are still around today and they've joined a new crop of deals that have popped up for the post-Thanksgiving shopping event. We at Engadget care most about consumer electronics, and Black Friday (along with Cyber Monday) typically brings the best prices on the best tech that you'll be able to find all year. This year is no exception. Here are the best Black Friday deals you can get this year on laptops, tablets, headphones, smartwatches, robot vacuums and much more.
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, but you'll have to avoid clipping the coupon listed on those cards' product page, as that will limit you to a $10 credit instead. 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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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'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.
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.
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.
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.
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’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 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’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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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’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.
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.
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.
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).
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 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.
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.
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.
Anker’s new Nano power bank is on sale for $23 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy and direct from Anker. The small battery has a foldable, built-in USB-C connector and can give a partial charge to a dying smartphone. It’s an upcoming addition to our guide and, in our tests, got a Samsung S23 Ultra from 5 to 62 percent in about an hour. It’s also available with a Lightning connector.
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’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’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.
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.
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'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.
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.
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.
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’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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 for $40, God of War Ragnarök and the dramatic action-RPG Final Fantasy XV for $35 each, 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.
The Razer Basilisk V3 is the top overall recommendation in our guide to the best gaming mice, and it’s dropped to $40 for Black Friday at Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy. That’s an all-time low and $10 off the device’s usual street price. The Basilisk V3 isn’t the lightest mouse around at 100 grams, but its sturdy shape should be comfortable for users of each grip type and all but the smallest of hands. It has no major issues with latency or tracking accuracy, either, plus it comes with 11 customizable buttons, including a “sensitivity clutch” for moments where more precise aiming is required. Beyond that, its scroll wheel supports both left-right tilt and a faster free-spin mode — both helpful for navigating large documents — though it is on the noisy side.
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.
The 55-inch Hisense U8K is available for $698, which is an all-time low and $50 less than its typical street price in recent months. Best Buy has it for $2 more. The 65-inch model is also at an all-time low of $897. Several reviews have praised the U8K as one of the year’s best values among midrange TVs, one that gets impressively bright and delivers strong contrast for an LED display. It comes with two HDMI 2.1 ports that play 4K video up to 144Hz, it supports all the major HDR formats and its Google TV platform is easier to use than most smart TV UIs. Its motion and color performance will still trail a good OLED TV, though, and reviews say it’ll wash out much more heavily when viewed from an angle. But if you want to stay under $1,000, it should be a good value.
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 or credit as well; for the latter, use the code META50 at checkout. 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.
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’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.
The 13.6-inch Apple MacBook Air is down to $929 at B&H for an entry-level configuration with 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and Apple’s M2 chip. If you need more RAM and storage space, a model with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD is $200 off at $1,299. The M2 MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and this 13-inch model earned a score of 96 in our review last year. It’s worth noting that a refresh with Apple’s new M3 chip is reportedly planned for the first half of 2024, and the SSD in the entry-level config is technically slower than the storage in higher-capacity models. But if you need a new notebook right away, the M2 Air still ticks all the requisite design and performance boxes for everyday use.
The older 13-inch MacBook Air that was released in 2020 and uses Apple’s M1 chip is also on sale, with an entry-level config available for $750. We’ve seen this deal a handful of times over the last few months, but it matches the lowest price we’ve seen. It’s really worth stepping up to the M2 Air if you can: It’ll get you a more modern design, a faster chip, a sharper webcam and improved speakers. The 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD in this config is only suitable for casual use, and this model will almost certainly be discontinued when we get the inevitable M3 refresh. But if you’re on a stricter budget and really want a MacBook, the M1 Air is still well-built, long-lasting and fast enough for the essentials. We currently highlight it in our guide to the best budget laptops.
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'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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-58-best-black-friday-deals-2023-get-record-low-prices-on-tech-from-apple-samsung-google-and-others-141244808.html?src=rss
Apple launched its AirPods Max in 2020 and now it appears that their successor, the AirPods Max 2 will be launching next year. The second-generation AirPods Max will be getting a range of upgrades over the current model. This will include an updated design and some updated hardware, this will include USB-C which will replace […]
The post Apple Airpods Max 2 headphones coming in 2024 appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.
NVIDIA is facing a lawsuit filed by French automotive company Valeo after a screensharing blunder by one of its employees. According to Valeo's complaint, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, an engineer for NVIDIA who used to work for its company, had mistakenly showed its source code files on his computer as he was sharing his screen during a meeting with both firms in 2022. Valeo's employees quickly recognized the code and took screenshots before Moniruzzaman was notified of his mistake.
To note, Valeo and NVIDIA are working together on an advanced parking and driving assistance technology offered by a manufacturer to its customers. Valeo used to be in charge of both software and hardware sides of the manufacturer's parking assistance tech. In 2021, however, the the bigger corporation won the contract to develop its parking assistance software. Valeo wrote in its lawsuit that its former employee, who helped it develop its parking and driving assistance systems, had realized that his exposure and access to its proprietary technologies would make him "exceedingly valuable" to NVIDIA.
Moniruzzaman allegedly gave his personal email unauthorized access to Valeo's systems to steal "tens of thousands of files" and 6GB of source code shortly after that development. He then left Valeo a few months later and took the stolen information with him when he was given a senior position at NVIDIA, the complaint reads. He also worked on the very same project he was involved in for Valeo, which is why he was present at that video conference.
Valeo said its former employee admitted to stealing its software and that German police found its documentation and hardware pinned on Moniruzzaman's walls when his home was raided. According to Bloomberg, he was already convicted of infringement of business secrets in a German court and was ordered to pay €14,400 ($15,750) in September.
In a letter dated June 2022, NVIDIA's lawyers told the plaintiff's counsel that the company "has no interest in Valeo's code or its alleged trade secrets and has taken prompt concrete steps to protect [its] client’s asserted rights." Valeo still sued the company earlier this month, however, and said that NVIDIA has "saved millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, of dollars in development costs, and generated profits that it did not properly earn and to which it was not entitled" by stealing its trade secrets.
This is but another proof that competition continues to heat up in the autonomous driving market. Back in 2017, Waymo accused Uber of colluding with its former employee, Anthony Levandowski, to steal over 14,000 confidential and proprietary design files. Levandowski was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but he was pardoned six months later by then President Donald Trump.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidia-sued-for-stealing-trade-secrets-after-screensharing-blunder-showed-rival-companys-code-063009605.html?src=rssCyber Monday might be over, but you can still get discounts on many Amazon devices. The online retailer seems to reserve its best deals for three events: its two Prime Day sales and Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Today, Echo speakers, Fire TV devices and other gadgets remain on sale in the post-Cyber Monday haze, and the good thing is that anyone can grab these discounts — you don't have to be a Prime member like you do for Amazon's own shopping events. Here are the best Cyber Monday deals on Amazon devices that are still available now.
Amazon’s most popular smart speaker is the baseball-sized Echo Dot. It’s now down to $23 which matches the all-time low it hit for the last two Prime Days. It’s one of our favorite smart speakers because it pumps out good sound and volume for its size and adds Alexa’s helpful AI assistance to your home. Use it to set timers, tell you the weather and remind you about stuff you need to do and when to do it. It’s also a convenient way to control your other smart home devices, from light bulbs in the ceiling to robot vacs on the floor.
The Echo Dot for kids has the same general design as the regular Dot, but has a cute owl or dragon exterior. It also comes with a free year of Amazon Kids+, which lets young folk access age-appropriate audio books, morning routines and Alexa’s educational skills. The speaker is currently 53 percent off and down to $28. That matches the low it hit for both Amazon Prime sales this year.
Amazon’s smallest smart speaker is the Echo Pop, which came out earlier this year. It’s currently down to $18, which matches its all-time low. The colorful half-sphere is perfect for stashing in a corner of a room where you don’t have much space. It’ll let you ask Alexa the time, weather news and more, while also directing the voice assistant to remind you when it’s time to leave for an appointment or shut off the holiday lights. It can also play music, but the sound won’t be as good as it would be with a larger Echo speaker.
The Echo Pop is a great candidate for a voice-operated smart home controller, which is probably why Amazon is bundling it with a Sengled Smart Bulb. The set costs $18, which is 70 percent off their full prices. The Sengled bulb earned an honorable mention in our guide to smart bulbs for its easy, if slightly unpolished app, and the fact that it outputs millions of colors on any schedule you’d like.
The Echo is the original Amazon smart speaker and has been refreshed four times since its launch. The latest model updated the shape from a puck to a globe, which makes room for a three-inch woofer and two 0.8-inch tweeters. The result is quality audio with plenty of bass. The highs could be more crisp but overall it’s noticeably louder than its two closest competitors, the Nest Audio or HomePod mini and can fill a room with sound. The Echo is now down to $60, which $5 more than what it went for during both 2023 Prime sales and about $10 more than its all-time low. It’s currently our favorite smart speaker under $100 because it combines great sound with all that Alexa can do.
The Echo Show 5 is Amazon’s smallest smart display and was completely refreshed back in May of this year. The processor and audio quality were improved, but the device is largely the same, acting as a screen-enabled bedside alarm clock or a handy kitchen display for recipe videos and the like. It’s currently down to $40 which is $50 off and a discount it has hit twice in the past couple months.
The Echo Show 5 is the perfect size for keeping an eye on your Alexa-enabled smart cameras and doorbells, so this Blink Mini bundle makes sense. For $60, you get the 5-inch Echo Show and the wired indoor security cam from Blink. Separately and at full price, you’d pay $125.
The mid-sized Amazon smart display, the Echo Show 8 is on sale for $105 instead of $150 and represents its first discount. We did a hands-on with the new Echo Show 8 during Amazon’s devices event this September and were impressed by the new Adaptive Content feature. Depending on how far away from the display you are, the information changes, with simple time and weather info when you’re across the room and more detailed and personalized info, like a playlist or news articles when you’re closer.
Do you want a smart display that can track you as you move around the room? The Echo Show 10 with a pivoting base can do just that. The ability should keep you in frame for video calls and make sure you can always see your recipe as you move around the kitchen. The 10-inch screen will keep tabs on your connected cameras and doorbells and the large base housing two one-inch tweeters and a three-inch subwoofer, will deliver quality sound.
Another entry in our affordable earbuds guide are the Echo Buds made by Amazon. They’re down to $35, which matches their all-time low. If you don’t like the style of buds that go into your ear canal, and would prefer the type that rest on the concha (the bowl next to the canal) these are a worthy compromise to Apple’s more expensive AirPods.
The new Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $40, which is a 33 percent discount and its lowest price since its debut in September. This new model has a faster processor than the previous 4K Max dongle, and is the first stick to support Amazon’s Ambient Experience, which was previously limited to the Fire TV sets. When you’re not watching, the screen can display art, along with widgets for weather, calendar and smart home devices. The Alexa remote lets you search for and play shows and movies just by talking, and also supports Wi-Fi 6E, letting those who’ve upgraded to take advantage of that tri-band connection.
We found Amazon's Fire TV Stick Lite to be the best budget streaming device you can buy — which goes double now that it has dropped to $16. The deal represents a 46 percent discount off the $30 list price (though it often sells for $20). It’s also just a dollar more than its all-time low. The Fire TV Stick Lite doesn't stream content in 4K and can't control a TV's volume or on/off functions, but lets you use all the streaming platforms you subscribe to, presenting them in an interface that’s easy enough to navigate, but we do wish that it didn’t favor and promote Amazon content quite as much as it does.
The standard Fire TV Stick is down to $20, which is 50 percent off the $40 list price (though it's often on sale for $25). The standard stick offers HD content and, unlike the Lite, has the ability to control your TV’s volume and power.
Fire TV Cube
The Amazon Fire TV Cube has dropped to $110 for Cyber Monday, which is $30 off and ties its all-time low. It's the most powerful streaming device in Amazon's lineup, with a 2.2GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. It streams 4K HDR content with Dolby Vision and Atmos, works with picture-in-picture live view, and supports hands-free Alexa commands. You can also connect other devices like your cable box or game console directly to the unit.
Many of Amazon’s Fire TVs are discounted, including models from Toshiba and Insignia, but the arguably better sets are the “Amazon-built” ones the company manufactures. The Fire TV 65" Omni QLED Series 4K TV is now $200 off and down to $600, the same price it hit in October for Prime Day. It supports 4K content with Dolby Vision, adaptive brightness and includes hands-free Alexa both through built-in speakers on the TV itself, no remote required (though it does come with one).
Amazon is also offering Prime members three months of Kindle Unlimited for 99 cents. It’s usually $12 per month and will auto-renew once the trial is over (so set a reminder if you don't want that to happen). A subscription lets you read as many ebooks as you want from a selection of around four million ebooks. Bigger new releases and some of the more popular bestsellers aren’t included. It also includes a few thousand audiobooks, which all models of Kindle support via Bluetooth and headphones.
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/36-of-the-best-cyber-monday-deals-on-amazon-devices-221855702.html?src=rss
The overall vision of a smart home is spectacular but isn’t without a few bumps in the road. For starters, not everything in our houses is smart. Some bulbs are smart, others aren’t. Our ACs aren’t internet-connected, our coffee maker doesn’t run on its own, our curtains don’t move autonomously, and for the most part, we still need to walk to the door to answer it when someone’s ringing the bell. Moreover, even the devices that ARE smart have their own limitations because Google’s products don’t talk to Amazon’s products, and Amazon’s products don’t talk to Apple’s products. The smart home utopia is still a ways away, but the folks at SwitchBot are on a mission to fill in the gaps left by ‘big tech’. SwitchBot’s smart-home products range from everyday IoT devices to some rather unconventional smart home gear. The company makes great security cameras and thermo-hygrometers, but they also make robots that move your curtains, open your doors, and even press switches around the house, automating your garage door, coffee machine, AC, or any other device with a button. SwitchBot’s products really help realize that smart home utopia by unlocking new possibilities. The company uses a universal Matter protocol that allows its products to work with all other Matter-compatible smart devices from all leading manufacturers. That means Alexa can now tell you who’s at the door, Siri can open your curtains when your phone alarm rings, and Google can activate your coffee-maker with a simple voice command! Isn’t that a smart-life worth living?!
We’ve evangelized the sheer genius of these smart curtain robots for 3 years now! The SwitchBot Curtain 3 is a simple robot that attaches to any curtain rod in under 30 seconds, turning your regular curtains into smart ones that you can control with your phone, with shortcuts, or even voice commands. Now in its third edition, the SwitchBot Curtain 3 boasts a new DynamiClamp design that allows it to work on a wide variety of curtain rods and tracks, moving curtains like you’d find in five-star hotels. Why do you need smart curtains, you ask? Aside from the convenience of being able to open/close your curtains without getting out of bed, these robots really uplift your smart home experience. You can sync your curtains with your morning alarm, or have Alexa automatically adjust them while you watch TV. Want to really make them worth your while? Connect them to your smart home and they’ll automatically close when it’s sunny outside, helping cut down on AC bills, or open up to let the right amount of natural light in, so you don’t have to switch the lights on during the day. The SwitchBot Curtain 3 can be controlled through 8 different methods, has a solar panel module to keep it running forever, and even operates on a quiet 25dB motor that feels like magic!
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There’s an understated joy to simply saying “Alexa, Let there be light” and having your curtains magically open! SwitchBot’s 3rd Gen Curtain 3 is an iteration of its award-winning product that turns your regular curtains into magical motorized ones. The tiny bots take half a minute to attach onto a curtain rod or rail, working with almost any curtain style. Once placed, the bots slide up and down the rod/rail, carrying your curtain with it, and allowing you to live in a smarter, more comfortable future!
Smaller than a 10-inch pizza, the SwitchBot K10+ might be the tiniest autonomous robot vacuum ever made. This compact size isn’t just a random dimension flex, it comes with benefits too as the K10+ now possesses the ability to reach into tighter spaces where your old robot vacuum couldn’t reach. Roughly 50% smaller than the average robot vacuum, the K10+ is up to 90% more efficient, cleaning even more parts of your house like behind the sofa, between the dining table/chairs, and underneath the coffee table (thanks to its 3.6-inch height). Its 2500Pa vacuum effectively picks up dust and debris in the K10+’s path, however, SwitchBot’s SilenTech technology caps the vacuum’s noise at a manageable 48 decibels. The robot vacuum doesn’t have its own dedicated wet mop, but SwitchBot solved that problem using a set of disposable Cleaning Pads that attach to the base of the vacuum, wet-wiping the floor instead. The Cleaning Pad can be emptied in the trash after each cycle, whereas the K10+ automatically empties its dust tank into a Smart Base that also charges the vacuum between routines. The K10+ can be configured and controlled via SwitchBot’s smartphone app, along with smart support for Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, and IFTTT.
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The world’s smallest vacuum is in itself quite a noteworthy feat! The K10+ is a petite little appliance that does its job quieter and more efficiently than your existing robot vacuum. It sucks and wet-mops (using Cleaning Pads) your floors, navigating those tough-to-reach spots that your Roomba can’t, and then conveniently disposes all the dust in its Smart Base, which boasts 4 liters of storage so you need to clean out the trash less often!
The SwitchBot Blind Tilt is to horizontal blinds what the Curtain 3 is to curtains. The Blind Tilt retrofits onto your existing horizontal blinds, turning them into smart blinds that can be controlled remotely through an app, or even through voice commands. Equipped with built-in sensors and an AI-powered algorithm, the Blind Tilt detects the position of your blinds and the amount of light entering your room. These features enable the Blind Tilt to autonomously adjust your blinds to achieve your preferred room brightness at any time. Installing your SwitchBot Blind Tilt is a breeze, requiring no technical expertise or tools. It can be retrofitted onto most horizontal blinds with a twisting wand mechanism (with the exception of the ball-chain ones), and can handle blinds up to 3 meters wide. Once installed, the Blind Tilt can be easily controlled using SwitchBot’s app, through your smart home setup, or even voice commands when paired with SwitchBot’s Hub. Like the Curtain 3, the Blind Tilt can automatically close the blinds when it’s too hot outside, helping you save on air conditioning costs (and vice versa), or it can automatically start opening in the morning to sync with your alarm clock. Plus, with solar panel support, your smart blinds can even run on renewable energy!
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The Blind Tilt adds the perfect touch of automation to your home or office, allowing you to quickly get a room dark before you fire the projector for a presentation deck, and then illuminate the room again for discussions and meetings after. It’s incredibly easy to install, and takes seconds to calibrate so the bot understands how much to open/close your blinds each time. And yes, you can connect multiple Blind Tilts within the app to control them together or individually.
The company’s first-ever IoT device, the SwitchBot Bot was designed to automate products that weren’t ‘smart’. Dubbed the ‘Button Pusher’, the SwitchBot Bot was an IoT gadget that would stick to switchboards or appliances, pushing switches and buttons with a plastic flipper so that you didn’t have to. Designed to be controlled via Bluetooth or even paired with a smart home hub for voice control, the SwitchBot Bot can turn on/off lights and fans, press your garage door button, or even work your coffee machine. Just align the Bot’s plastic flipper with the button/switch you want to push and an adhesive backing lets you securely attach the Bot in place. Connect it to your smart home setup and the Bot can additionally be programmed to follow routines, switching on the TV when there’s a football game on, or pairing with your alarm clock to press a button on your coffee machine just as you wake up… The possibilities are endless.
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The Bot represents the absolute simplicity of SwitchBot’s approach to enhancing homes and lives. We’ve got smart homes with dumb switches, but a simple product like the Bot can help automate them, turning them into remote-controlled ones that can be either operated via an app, voice commands, smart home setups, or IFTTT routines. The Bot simply attaches itself onto a one-way or rocker-style switch, and comes in white or black colors to match your interior decor.
What the Bot does to switches, the SwitchBot Smart Lock does to single deadbolt locks. Designed to fit over your standard single deadbolt lock, the SwitchBot Smart Lock automates it, allowing you to open it using an app, Bluetooth, proximity, or even voice commands. A motor in the device turns your door’s lock, either locking or unlocking it. It fits on the inside, still allowing you to use your keys from the outside or even manually turn the lock with your hands if you don’t have the app (or if a guest is opening/closing your door for you). The lock interfaces with the SwitchBot app via Bluetooth, working with your Apple Watch too. Alternatively, pair it with the Hub for WiFi-based connectivity and you can control it through your voice or even configure it with your smart doorbell to open for approved people. The Smart Lock is protected by 128-bit AES encryption and runs on 3V CR123A batteries that give it up to 6 months of use if operated on an average of 10 times a day. Batteries run out? You can still manually operate the lock with your keys/hands!
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The SwitchBot Lock is a smart device that retrofits onto your existing door lock, transforming it from a manual lock into an automated one. This innovative gadget is designed to attach over almost any standard single deadbolt lock, allowing you to lock or unlock your door via Bluetooth (or WiFi if you use the SwitchBot Hub) using your phone or even your Apple Watch. The SwitchBot Lock operates on the industry-standard 128-bit AES encryption for added security. And if all else fails, you can still operate the lock manually.
The Hub 2 is pretty much the secret sauce behind what gives SwitchBot’s products their true IoT features. Whether it’s the curtain or blind bot, the switch-pressing bot, or even SwitchBot’s retrofittable door locks, almost all the products support Bluetooth connectivity… but add a Hub 2 to your smart home and all of SwitchBot’s products get instant WiFi connectivity as well as Matter compatibility. This means your smart speaker can interface with your curtains, your thermostat can automatically push buttons to turn your fans on or off, and your Apple Watch can automatically unlock your door as you pull into the garage. An integrated infrared blaster also allows your Hub 2 to control infrared-based devices like your air conditioner or TV, unlocking added functionality that seamlessly works across Apple, Amazon, and Google smart home ecosystems. The Hub 2, aside from being a Matter-based IoT hub, even has a built-in thermometer/hygrometer that tells you how temperate and humid your environment is, either on SwitchBot’s app or on the Hub 2’s display.
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The Hub 2 is a small addition to your smart home setup, but a massive game-changer for your smart home’s operability. It nonchalantly sits in a strategic position at your home, controlling all your SwitchBot and IR-based devices through smart routines and voice commands. The adoption of the Matter protocol makes the Hub 2 even more easy to use given that it can intercommunicate between Google, Amazon, and Apple IoT devices so you aren’t stuck within one product ecosystem.
Simply put, the Outdoor Meter is a universally usable thermo-hygrometer that measures temperature and humidity pretty much anywhere. It’s IP65 waterproof, comes with a lanyard, and can be hung/placed anywhere to actively measure temperature and humidity, relaying information to the SwitchBot app. This makes the Outdoor Meter rather useful in specific scenarios like greenhouses, pet enclosures, wine cellars, cigar rooms, museum archives, and even within your home. The fact that it measures temperature and humidity is vastly enhanced by the Outdoor Meter’s ability to communicate with your Smart Home via the SwitchBot Hub. Add a Hub to the mix and this meter can now control your thermostat, activate your AC or humidifier, or even ping you with alerts that can help you stay on top of things.
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The Outdoor Meter (although also made for indoor use) is a non-expensive device that brings the power of data to your smart-home setup. Hang it anywhere, indoors or outdoors, in the sun or in the rain, and the device still delivers accurate data to you via the SwitchBot app. It’s designed to be wireless, so you can carry it around with you too, and becomes even more useful when paired directly with your smart home setup to enact some incredibly useful home routines… or even outdoor ones, like automatically deploying the sprinklers on a hot, dry summer day!
The Meter Plus is the Outdoor Meter’s indoor sibling. Built with a large seven-segment LCD screen, the Meter Plus can be placed anywhere in your house, allowing you to actively measure the temperature and humidity of your space at all times. Use it in a wine cellar, in your parents or elderly person’s bedroom, in a pet enclosure, or in your greenhouse, and the Meter Plus keeps you informed with its built-in thermometer and hygrometer. The large display on the Meter Plus makes it easy to view details, and data is also transmitted to the SwitchBot app, where you can then set complex routines by connecting the AC and humidifier to the Meter Plus to maintain the perfect temperature. You would need a Hub to do that, though.
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A small yet relatively visible meter, the SwitchBot Meter Plus is like having your own personal meteorological department in every room. The Meter Plus gives real-time readings of temperature and humidity, making it perfect for rooms where maintaining a certain environment is absolutely key.
I imagine spy films would be a lot shorter if banks, casinos, and art galleries had the SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam 2K instead of your average CCTV camera. Unlike most security cameras that just sit in one position, pointing in a general area, the Pan/Tilt Cam 2K has the ability to turn and look around. With a 360° panning feature, and the ability to tilt 115° up or down, the Pan/Tilt Cam 2K can pretty much look anywhere it needs to, eliminating any blind spots. The camera comes equipped with a phenomenally powerful 2K sensor that works well in the day, but also shoots clearly in the dark thanks to night vision capabilities. If all that wasn’t enough, the camera even has AI-powered motion and human tracking that lets it catch any whiff of foul-play. Motion alerts can be sent directly to your phone, and the camera records 24×7, working diligently through the day. Recordings get stored both locally via SD card or on the cloud if you opt for a subscription, along with tags for detections or any events during the day. The Pan/Tilt Cam 2K might seem perfect for offices or shops, but it’s also designed for homes, with a two-way audio setup that lets you use the camera to communicate with people or pets in your house. If you’re worried about privacy, the camera comes with its own lens-cover that doubles as a privacy filter too. Finally, like all of SwitchBot’s products, the Pan/Tilt Cam 2K gets the secret sauce of Hub integration, allowing you to communicate with the camera using Alexa, Google, Siri, and even IFTTT.
Click Here to Buy Now: $34.99 $49.99 (30% off with coupon code “UP40BF0”). Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!
The Pan/Tilt Cam 2K is like the Eye of Sauron. It sees every single thing. The camera’s ability to look around, along with its 2K clarity, Night Vision, and Motion Tracking make it a perfect surveillance device for your home, garage, etc. Use it as a standalone device, a connected smart home gadget, or even a nifty intercom for your kids/pets thanks to that two-way audio feature. That privacy mask is a nifty added feature too…
In the pursuit of designing a surveillance device, it’s common to go a little overboard with details and features. SwitchBot’s Outdoor Spotlight Cam is an example of the opposite. It comes with an elegant ball-shaped design that fits cleanly into a socket holder that you mount on your wall, fence, ceiling, etc. Rotate the ball-shaped camera to face exactly where you need it to, set the camera up on SwitchBot’s app, and you’re good to go. A 1080p lens shows you everything in high definition, especially with its 126° diagonal FoV and its IR night vision capabilities. Like any good security camera, the Outdoor Spotlight Cam has motion and human detection, but as mentioned in its name, it sports two powerful spotlights that illuminate the second it detects anything suspicious. Video logs get stored locally on the camera (with an SD card slot that supports up to 256Gb) or even online if you opt for a cloud storage subscription (with 128-bit AES encryption), and can be accessed via SwitchBot’s app. Emergency alerts get sent to the app too, with real-time footage that you can respond to using the Outdoor Spotlight Cam’s two-way audio feature with a powerful 100dB speaker. Or better still, connect the cam to your smart home via the SwitchBot Hub to set routines like opening the door for guests, or more cleverly, triggering the sprinklers if a raccoon or coyote makes it into your backyard! The Outdoor Spotlight Cam comes with a whopping built-in 10,000mAh battery that has a 90-day standby, but if constantly worrying about charging your camera annoys you, SwitchBot has a solar panel accessory that keeps your camera running all year long!
Click Here to Buy Now: $62.99 $89.99 (30% off with coupon code “UP40BF0”). Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!
The Outdoor Spotlight Cam ticks all the right boxes with a high-definition 1080p camera, night vision, motion tracking, two powerful spotlights, two-way audio, and a whopping 10,000mAh battery, all packed into a compact, waterproof, ball-shaped design that plugs into its socket-shaped holder.
Visit SwitchBot’s Home Page | Amazon Page to view all their Smart Home Products!
The post Top 10 smart home gadgets with IoT that enable home automation for enhanced everyday life first appeared on Yanko Design.
If you recently treated yourself to an iPhone 15 or new Mac computer, Amazon’s Black Friday sale has Apple accessories you can buy to complete your setup. The highlight of the promotion are the company’s FineWoven Wallets, which are currently $6 or 10 percent off their $59 MSRP. Apple offers the MagSafe accessory in five different colors, with the evergreen, mulberry and taupe models included in the sale. And if you don’t mind basic black, that wallet is discounted even further at $48 currently. Not everyone is a fan of Apple’s new FineWoven accessories, but on the plus side, the material is vegan-friendly and the wallet attaches magnetically to recent iPhones.
As part of the same sale, Amazon has also discounted Apple’s first-party AirTag Key Ring. The coral, taupe, mulberry, pacific blue and black models are all 9 percent off their usual $35 price tag, making them $31 at the moment. Like the MagSafe Wallets above, the AirTag holders are made using the company’s new FineWoven material.
Separately, the sale discounts the company’s 35W dual USB-C power adapters. After a 25 percent discount, both the standard and compact models are $44, or $16 less than usual. Unlike the FineWoven accessories, these are universally well-regarded. In particular, I love the standard model for its modular design that allows you to swap out the power connector if you’re traveling in another country. Note that 35W won’t be enough to charge some of Apple’s more power-hungry laptops, including the 14-inch MacBook Pro.
For the Mac fan who has nearly everything, I’ll lastly mention Amazon has reduced the Magic Trackpad, Mouse and Keyboard. Of the three peripherals, I think the keyboard is the most useful, particularly if you own one of the company’s laptops and want to build a more ergonomic setup. It’s also subject to the most significant discount, with it costing $80 after a 19 percent price cut.
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-include-up-to-25-percent-off-usb-c-chargers-magsafe-accessories-and-more-015305089.html?src=rssAmazon’s flagship Fire Max 11 tablet is back down to its previous all-time low price just in time for Black Friday. The retailer has discounted the base model with 64GB of internal storage and lock screen ads to $150 or 35 percent off its $230 MSRP. For those that had their eye on the other variants of the Fire Max 11, the 128GB model is sold out at the moment, as is the productivity bundle — though you can still buy the ad-free model for $165, or $80 off its usual $250 sticker price.
The Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s most powerful tablet to date. It features an 11-inch, 2,000 x 1,200 LCD screen, a MediaTek octa-core processor that is about twice as fast as any other Amazon tablet, 4GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 6 support and a fingerprint sensor that’s built directly into the device’s power button. Compared to most of the company’s other tablets, which often skew toward being kid-friendly and built primarily for consuming content, the Fire Max 11 sports a more refined design. It weighs about a pound and features slimmer bezels. Most of all, Amazon went with more premium aluminum. The internal battery is good for about 14 hours of use on a single charge.
On the software front, the Max 11 runs Fire OS 8, the latest version of Amazon’s Android fork. It offers a built-in split screen and picture-in-picture features that are perfect for those who frequently use their tablets to watch video. If you want to use the device for productivity, Amazon offers optional stylus and keyboard case accessories.
Engadget hasn’t had a chance to review the Fire Max 11, but for $230, the tablet offers plenty of value for those looking for a no-frills device that’s great for media consumption and light productivity work. When you consider competing 2-in-1 tablets from the likes of Samsung, Microsoft and Apple will typically set you back far more than Fire Max 11, Amazon’s offering is a great budget option.
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-the-fire-max-11-tablet-hits-a-record-low-of-150-011030793.html?src=rss
All of us are probably familiar with the feeling of helplessness when we encounter a problem that we can’t solve without some equipment. Even worse, we’re often caught unprepared when we do bring along some tools and, much to our exasperation, discover that we are actually missing the right tool for the job. It’s nearly impossible to bring along all possible tools you can think of, not unless you’re actually a handyman carrying a toolbox with you all the time. That’s why multi-functional tools have become quite popular these days, and this rather ingenious take on that design crams no less than eight functions in a pair of handsome scissors small enough to fit on your palm.
Designer: Eiger Design
Click Here to Buy Now: $50 $59 (15% off at checkout). Hurry, Thanksgiving deal ends in 48 hours!
Having scissors in your EDC kit is nothing new, especially in places where you can legally stash sharp tools to be ready for any eventuality. Most of these scissors often come in foldable forms to save up space, but this design often sacrifices power for the sake of size. These are also single-purpose tools that offer nothing beyond cutting and snipping objects, presuming they’re thin and weak enough for that.
The Eiger Tool 8-in-1 Multi-functional Scissors proves that you don’t have to make sacrifices just to keep something small. Even without resorting to a foldable mechanism, these tiny shears reach only 13cm or 5.1 inches, enough to fit in your hand, pocket, and definitely any bag. Even with that size, however, the scissors’ cutting ability isn’t compromised and it can even cut through food ingredients, including pieces of meat.
As the name suggests, cutting is just one of the small scissors’ eight functions. Almost every side and part of the scissors’ body is used efficiently to provide a critical function that you’ll need when you’re on the go. One of the handles, for example, can be used to open lids, while both handles can crush nut shells or hold caps for easier twisting. One of the blades has cutouts for a bottle opener, a can opener, and a degasser, while the other blade also functions as a small knife. Those are 8 distinct use cases that this tool can handle without taking up any additional space in your bag or pocket.
Even with all the features crammed into a single tool, these palm-sized scissors are still made with aesthetics, usability, and durability in mind. An oxidation coating technique not only increases the stainless steel’s rust resistance, it also gives the scissors an elegant black appearance that easily stands out among other EDC tools. The two halves are also easy to detach and reattach, making cleaning a trivial task. Whether you’re crafting crafts indoors or having a stress-free day outdoors, these multi-functional palm-sized scissors will always stay with you, ready to cut through any problem with style.
Click Here to Buy Now: $50 $59 (15% off at checkout). Hurry, Thanksgiving deal ends in 48 hours!
The post 8-in-1 EDC multitool scissors are the perfect sidekick for your urban and outdoor adventures first appeared on Yanko Design.
If you’ve been patiently eyeing an air fryer, one of Engadget’s favorite models is on sale right now. Amazon has discounted the Instant Vortex Plus. Thanks to a 33 percent discount, the small appliance is $80 through the end of the weekend. Normally, the 6-quart model costs around $200, with the current price reflecting a new all-time low for the Vortex Plus.
If you’ve ever been around a kitchen, Instant needs no introduction. The brand is responsible for the very popular line of Instant Pot pressure cookers, and as it just so happens, it also makes an excellent air fryer. In fact, Engadget considers the Vortex Plus as the best model for most people. It features intuitive controls, an easy-to-clean basket, and enough internal capacity to cook four chicken thighs. The Vortex Plus is also versatile. On top of a fry setting, it includes five other cooking modes: roast, broil, bake, reheat and dehydrate. Best of all, it’s fast and doesn’t need much time to preheat.
The model Amazon has discounted is missing the OdorErase feature found on Engadget’s top pick. As the name suggests, Instant claims OdorErase lessens the strength of cooking smells when the Vortex Plus is working. In our testing, OdorErase didn’t completely eliminate all smells, but it did help the appliance produce less smoke. It’s a nice feature to have, but for $80, it’s hard to complain about omissions when the Vortex Plus offers such great performance.
I know what you’re thinking, does anyone really need another small appliance in their kitchen. For what it’s worth, I use the air fryer I bought earlier this year almost every day. It’s great for roasting perfectly crisp vegetables in about half the time required with a conventional oven. I also appreciate how easy the included basket makes cleanup.
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-instant-pot-vortex-plus-air-fryer-is-on-sale-for-80-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-001218389.html?src=rss