Amazon begins early Black Friday sales on its own devices

Even though Black Friday is over three weeks away, some major retailers are getting in on the action early. Among them is Amazon, which has slashed prices on its own devices. One of the products you can save on at the minute is the Kindle, which is $40 off at $50. Kindle Kids, meanwhile, is on sale for $60 (usually $110).

Buy Kindle at Amazon – $50Buy Kindle Kids at Amazon – $60

Amazon has also discounted several Fire tablets. Even though you can often find it for $60 (a decent deal in itself), the Fire HD 8 is half off at $45. As such, the tablet is currently less expensive than the $50 Fire 7, which has a smaller screen with lower resolution. Meanwhile, Fire HD 8 Plus, which offers wireless charging and 3GB of RAM rather than 2GB, is currently $55. The tablet typically costs $100, but Amazon often drops that to $80.

Buy Fire HD 8 at Amazon – $45Buy Fire HD 8 Plus at Amazon – $55

The kids versions of the tablets are on sale too. Fire HD 8 Kids ($70) is half price, as is Fire HD 8 Kids Pro ($70), which is for older children.

Buy Fire HD 8 Kids at Amazon – $70Buy Fire HD 8 Kids Pro at Amazon – $70

Elsewhere, you can pick up a Fire TV Stick 4K for $25 at the moment. The streaming device typically costs around $35, but it can cost as much as $50. As for Echo Glow, Amazon’s nightlight, you can save $10, as it’s down to $20. The lamp doesn’t have a built-in microphone or speaker, but you can use a separate Alexa device to select the brightness and color.

Buy Fire TV Stick 4K at Amazon – $25Buy Echo Glow at Amazon – $20

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The best early Black Friday tech deals we've found so far

November has begun with a bang when it comes to tech deals. A whole slew of early Black Friday deals are available right now, making it a good time to cross some items off your gift list. Unsurprisingly, Amazon and Best Buy are the places to go for the best tech deals right now. Some of our favorite headphones and earbuds have hit record-low prices, and there are bunch of discounts on everything from smartwatches to OLED TVs to Instant Pots. Here are the best early Black Friday tech deals you can get right now.

Sony WH-1000XM4

Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones
Billy Steele / Engadget

Our favorite pair of Sony headphones, the WH-1000XM4, are down to a record low of $248 right now. We gave these cans a score of 94 for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.

Buy WH-1000XM4 at Amazon – $248Buy WH-1000XM4 at Best Buy – $248

Sony WF-1000XM4

Sony totally overhauled its true wireless earbuds with a new design, more powerful noise cancellation, improved battery life and more. However, the choice to change to foam tips leads to an awkward fit that could be an issue for some people. The M4 is also more expensive than its predecessor, which wouldn’t be a big deal if fit wasn’t a concern.
Billy Steele/Engadget

Sony’s excellent WF-1000XM4 earbuds are down to $248 during this sale. We gave them a score of 86 for their great sound quality, powerful ANC and improved battery life.

Buy WF-1000XM4 at Amazon – $248Buy WF-1000XM4 at Best Buy – $248

Sony WF-1000XM3

Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds
Billy Steele/Engadget

The Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds are down to $128, or more than $70 off their usual price. We gave these buds a score of 89 for their excellent sound quality, great battery life and comprehensive companion app.

Buy WF-1000XM3 at Amazon – $128Buy WF-1000XM3 at Best Buy – $128

Bose QuietComfort earbuds

Bose QuietComfort earbuds
Billy Steele / Engadget

Bose’s QuietComfort earbuds are down to $199, which is a record low. These are some of the company’s best true wireless earbuds and they earned a score of 87 from us for their clear sound, powerful ANC and comfortable size.

Buy QuietComfort earbuds at Amazon – $199Buy QuietComfort earbuds at Best Buy – $199

Instant Pot Duo Plus (6-quart)

Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1
Instant Pot

The Instant Pot Duo Plus dropped down to its all-time-low price of $60. This multicooker has functions for pressure cooking, slow cooking, yogurt making, sous vide and more, and its six-quart capacity should make enough food for four to six people people.

Buy Instant Pot Duo Plus at Best Buy – $60

Jabra Elite 85t

Jabra Elite 85t earbuds
Engadget

Jabra’s Elite 85t earbuds are on sale for a new record-low price of $150, which is $80 off its normal price. These earbuds impressed us with their strong ANC, comfortable size and wireless charging case.

Buy Elite 85t at Amazon – $150Buy Elite 85t at Best Buy – $150

JLab Go Air Pop

JLab Go Air Pop
JLab

JLab’s already affordable Go Air Pop earbuds are down to only $13 right now. These colorful true wireless buds sport an eight-hour battery life, a small and comfortable design and touch controls.

Buy Go Air Pop at Best Buy – $13

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

A black Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 on a wrist
David Imel for Engadget

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is on sale for $200 right now, which is a new record low. The Watch 4 Classic is also on sale for $320. These remain the best smartwatches for Android users and we gave the Watch 4 a score of 85 for its bright screen, comprehensive health tracking and improved third-party app support.

Buy Galaxy Watch 4 at Best Buy – $200Buy Watch 4 Classic at Amazon – $320Buy Watch 4 Classic at Best Buy – $320

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+

Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Samsung’s Tab S7 and S7+ are down to $500 and $700, respectively, during this sale. We gave these Android tablets a score of 80 for their lovely build, striking 120Hz displays and long battery life.

Buy Galaxy Tab S7 at Amazon – $500Buy Galaxy Tab S7 at Best Buy – $500Buy Galaxy Tab S7+ at Amazon – $700Buy Galaxy Tab S7+ at Best Buy – $700

Google Nest Audio

Google Nest Audio smart speaker sitting on a wooden tablet next to a green plant, against a blue wall.
Engadget

Google’s Nest Audio is down to an all-time low of $60. This is one of the best smart speakers you can get, especially if you already use the Google Assistant. We gave it a score of 87 for its solid audio quality, attractive design and good performance.

Buy Nest Audio at Best Buy – $60

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)

Google Nest Hub 2021 (2nd gen) photo. Picture of Google's newest smart display on a nightstand.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The latest Nest Hub is half off, bringing it down to only $50. It earned a score of 89 from us for its speedy performance, clearer and louder audio and accurate sleep tracking sensor.

Buy Nest Hub (2nd gen) at Best Buy – $50

Google Nest Hub Max

Google Nest Hub Max
Engadget

The Nest Hub Max is on sale for $180 right now. This is the biggest version of Google’s smart display and we gave it a score of 86 for its excellent sound quality, great display and handy gesture controls.

Buy Nest Hub Max at Best Buy – $180

Google Nest WiFi

Google Nest WiFi and access point.
Daniel Cooper

Google’s Nest WiFi system with one router and one access point is on sale for $180. We gave this mesh system a score of 84 for its lovely hardware, simple installation process and built-in smart speaker capabilities.

Buy Nest WiFi at Best Buy – $180

55-inch LG G1 OLED smart TV

55-inch LG G1 OLED evo 4K TV
LG

A 55-inch LG G1 OLED TV will set you back $1,700 if you grab it during this sale. It’s part of the “gallery” series and it uses OLED evo panel technology, which provides better brightness and clearer whites than standard OLED displays. It also runs on LG’s a9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K and supports features like G-SYNC, FreeSync, OLED Motion Pro and voice commands via Alexa and the Google Assistant.

Buy 55-inch LG G1 evo OLED at Amazon – $1,699Buy 55-inch LG G1 evo OLED at Best Buy – $1,699

48-inch LG A1 OLED smart TV

55-inch LG A1 OLED 4K TV
LG

The latest LG OLED lineup just became available a few months ago and now you can grab the 48-inch A1 model for $900. The A1 series is the most affordable of the bunch, making these sets good options for anyone looking to upgrade to OLED while on a tight budget.

Buy 48-inch LG A1 OLED at Amazon – $900Buy 48-inch LG A1 OLED at Best Buy – $900

55-inch Vizio OLED smart TV

Vizio OLED TV
Vizio

Vizio’s 55-inch OLED 4K TV is down to $1,000 right now, or $300 off its normal price. This set supports HDR and Dolby Vision, DTS Virtual X surround sound audio and AirPlay and Chromecast technology built in.

Buy 55-inch Vizio OLED at Best Buy – $1,000

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential

Lenovo Smart Clock Essential
Nicole Lee / Engadget

Lenovo’s Smart Clock Essential is $20 off, bringing it down to $30. We gave this compact smart alarm clock a score of 83 for its minimalistic design, built-in nightlight, tap-to-snooze feature and good smart home controls.

Buy Smart Clock Essential at Best Buy – $30

Lenovo Smart Clock Gen 2 with Dock

Off angle view of a gray Lenovo Smart Clock 2 on a wireless charging dock with its screen facing the camera. In the background sits a blue Smart Clock 2 and a row of tablets.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The new Smart Clock Gen 2 is on sale for $70, or $20 off its normal price. This model has a better processor plus a wireless charging pad that you can use to juice up your smartphone, earbuds or other devices.

Buy Smart Clock Gen 2 at Best Buy – $70

Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo (2020)
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Amazon’s latest Echo smart speaker has been discounted to $60, which is a new record low. We gave the orb-shaped device a score of 89 for its good audio quality, solid Alexa performance and stereo pairing option.

Buy Echo at Amazon – $60Buy Echo at Best Buy – $60

Amazon Echo Show 8

The previous-gen Echo Show 8 has fallen to $60 in this sale. While it doesn’t have the improved video camera that the new version does, it’s still a good option if you’re looking for a mid-sized smart display to put in your kitchen, office or elsewhere in your home.

Buy Echo Show 8 (previous gen) at Amazon – $60Buy Echo Show 8 (previous gen) at Best Buy – $60

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Kindle
Engadget

The base Kindle is $40 off, bringing it down to a new low of $50. That’s a great deal if you don’t need the bells and whistles that come with the new Paperwhite edition. We gave the Kindle a score of 91 for its front-lit display, improved contrast panel and sleeker design.

Buy Kindle at Amazon – $50Buy Kindle at Best Buy – $50

Eero Pro 6

Eero Pro 6
Amazon / Eero

The Eero Pro 6 mesh WiFi three-pack is just about $150 off, bringing it down to an all-time low of $449. This pack can cover 6,000 square feet, supports WiFi 6, has a speedy setup process and works with Alexa.

Buy Eero Pro 6 at Amazon – $449Buy Eero Pro 6 at Best Buy – $449

Facebook Portal

Nicole Lee / Engadget

Facebook’s Portal smart display is on sale for $80, or $100 off its normal price. We gave it a score of 79 for its HD display, smart camera tracking, bevy of video chat features and good sound quality.

Buy Facebook Portal at Amazon – $80Buy Facebook Portal at Best Buy – $80

Facebook Portal TV

LG updates its TVs to work better with Facebook Portal TV video calling
Engadget

The Portal TV has been discounted by $70, bringing it down to $80. This device basically turns your TV into a giant video chat screen and we gave it a score of 78 for its smart camera tracking and immersive video chat experience.

Buy Portal TV at Amazon – $80Buy Portal TV at Best Buy – $80

Fitbit Sense

Fitbit Sense
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The Fitbit Sense is back down to its record low of $200. This is the company’s most capable smartwatch and it earned a score of 82 from us for its big, sharp display and comprehensive health tracking features.

Buy Fitbit Sense at Amazon – $200Buy Fitbit Sense at Best Buy – $200

Fitbit Inspire 2

Fitbit Inspire 2 fitness tracker
Fitbit

The Fitbit Inspire 2 tracker is down to a record low of $60 right now. This is one of the Fitbit bands to get if you want a device that lasts up to 10 days on a single charge while tracking daily activity, steps and sleep.

Buy Inspire 2 at Amazon – $60Buy Inspire 2 at Best Buy – $60

Logitech C922 Pro webcam

Logitech C922 Pro
Logitech

Logitech’s C922 Pro webcam has been discounted to $80, or $20 off its normal price. Recording in up to 1080p/60fps, this webcam is a good one if you want just one gadget for both Zoom calls and game streaming.

Buy C922 Pro webcam at Best Buy – $80

Razer BlackWidow V2 Tournament Edition

Razer BlackWidow V2 Tournament Edition
Razer

This Razer mechanical keyboard is on sale for $80, which is $60 off its normal price. It boasts programmable backlit keys, anti-ghosting with 10-key rollover and an included wrist rest.

Buy BlackWidow V2 Tournament edition at Best Buy – $80

Nanoleaf Hexagon starter kit

Nanoleaf Hexagon starter kit
Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf’s Hexagon pack is down to $170, or $30 off its normal price. You can hang these up in your own, unique pattern and they can shine in over 16 million colors. The companion app allows you to create scenes, set schedules and program the lights to change with music you may be playing.

Buy Nanoleaf Hexagon pack at Best Buy – $170

Segway ES2-N electric scooter

Segway Ninebot ES2-N scooter
Segway

Best Buy slashed $250 off the Ninebot ES2-N electric scooter, bringing it down to $400. This foldable scooter uses 700W of power to reach a max speed of 15.5mph, and its non-pneumatic tires keep you stable even on rough terrain. It also has a built-in headlight for safer riding in the evening and an LED display that shows speed and battery level.

Buy ES2-N scooter at Best Buy – $400

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter.

The best laptops and tablets to give as gifts

If you’re thinking of getting a laptop or tablet as a gift, you’ve got a wealth of options. Thanks to the latest round of hardware from Intel, Apple, AMD and NVIDIA, all of our portable devices have gotten steadily faster and more efficient. Even the cheapest iPad can be a decent productivity machine, while gaming laptops now have almost all of the power of their desktop siblings. And with the arrival of Windows 11, it’s a perfect time to give someone a nifty PC upgrade, especially since very old computers won’t be able to step up.

Dell XPS 13

Dell XPS 13 for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Dell

Not to sound like a broken record, but the XPS 13 is still the best Windows ultraportable you can buy. The design hasn’t changed much, but that’s not a huge problem: It’s still incredibly light and features extraordinarily thin screen bezels. And now you can also take advantage of Intel’s latest 11th-generation processors. The XPS 13 can also be configured with an OLED screen, an ideal gift for someone who could use a bright and color accurate display. And if you’ve got someone in mind who could use even more power, the new XPS 15 has the same sleek design, but it has more room for a bigger display and better hardware.

Buy XPS 13 at Dell starting at $950

Apple MacBook Air

Apple MacBook Air for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Apple’s MacBook Air hasn’t been upgraded since last year’s miraculous model — which gave it the winning combination of Apple’s M1 processor, a fan-less design, and incredible battery life — but it’s still one of the best laptops on the market. It’s powerful enough to handle most productivity tasks and a few games, and whoever’s lucky enough to get it won’t have to worry about any fans spinning up, since it’s completely passively cooled. You can also find the M1-equipped MacBook Air on sale occasionally, making it one of the smarter gift purchases this season.

Buy MacBook Air M1 at Amazon – $999

Apple iPad

Apple iPad for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Apple

Kudos to Apple for continually improving its entry-level iPad. Once again, it’s one of the best tablet gift options on the market. It’s faster than ever, thanks to Apple’s A13 Bionic processor, and it includes more storage. The $329 model now comes with 64GB, or you could bump up to 256GB for $479. That’s more than enough space to save every episode of Bluey and several seasons of Sesame Street to survive long car trips. Sure, the design hasn’t changed much since last year, but that doesn’t matter much — it’s still a more than capable tablet.

Buy iPad at Amazon – $329

Amazon Fire HD 10

Amazon Fire HD 10 for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Amazon’s Fire tablets are basically just video-first Android slates, but they also prove you don’t have to pay a ton to buy a useful tablet for someone. This year, the Fire HD 10 is a bit faster, has 50 percent more memory and features a slightly brighter screen. And, as a bonus, there’s a Bluetooth keyboard accessory that can turn it into a cheap productivity tablet. But its core selling point is the same as always: it can tackle most tablet tasks easily, and it won’t cost too much. (There are also kid-centric Fire tablets worth considering, which come with a more durable case and two years worth of free replacements.)

Buy Fire HD 10 at Amazon – $150

Razer Blade 15

Razer Blade 15 for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Razer

You can take all of the praise we’ve given Razer’s Blade 15 over the years and apply it to the latest model. Razer’s flagship gaming notebook still has a sleek unibody aluminum case, and it packs in the latest CPUs and GPUs, including NVIDIA’s top-end RTX 3080. And thanks to improved screen choices, you can also gift models with fast 1,440p displays, which are sharper than 1080p screens, and easier to run natively than 4K displays. If portability is a greater concern, take a look at the new Razer Blade 14, a sub-four-pound notebook sporting AMD’s latest processors.

Buy Blade 15 at Razer – $1,700

ASUS Zephyrus G15

ASUS Zephyrus G15 for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

If the gamer in your life wants something more flashy and a bit lighter than the Razer Blade, consider the Zephyrus G15. With the combined power of AMD’s latest processors and NVIDIA’s latest graphics cards, it’ll handle practically any game thrown at it. And if you’re on a budget, you can find lower-end models cheaper than the equivalent Razer’s. Mostly, though, we love this laptop because it has pretty much everything we’d want in a mobile gaming rig — that includes an excellent keyboard, a speedy 165Hz 1440p screen and excellent battery life. The only downside is that there’s no webcam, but any aspiring streamer would rather have a separate external camera anyway.

Buy Zephyrus G15 at Best Buy – $1,550

Acer Chromebook 512

Laptops for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

The best Chromebooks are cheap, sturdy and powerful enough to handle basic school and office work. Acer’s Chromebook 512 is one of the best current options, especially if you’re looking for something for a child. It has a spill resistant keyboard, a sturdy impact-resistant case, and anchored keys that are harder for kids to pull off. Its Intel Celeron N4000 chip isn’t the fastest, but it’s enough to work on Google Docs, Sheets and Presentations without breaking too much of a sweat.

Buy Acer Chromebook 512 at Amazon – $200

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 for the Engadget 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Sometimes it seems like there are just too many PC ultraportables to choose from, but Microsoft’s Surface Laptop line are always a solid option. They feature some of the best keyboards on the market, excellent displays and support for all of Microsoft’s notebook accessories, like the Surface Stylus. But mostly, we appreciate them for their design simplicity. They’re sturdy, attractive and built for productivity. The latest 15-inch model also packs in speedy AMD processors that are powerful enough to play a few rounds of Overwatch.

Buy Surface Laptop 4 at Microsoft starting at $799

Super Mario Bros. Build-A-Light Level Is a Definite 1-Up

The original Super Mario Bros. changed the course of video games as we know it, and arguably the most influential game of all time. And what better way to celebrate that than with a Super Mario Bros light with stackable, interchangeable, light blocks? Okay, I’m sure there actually are better ways to celebrate that, but this article isn’t about those. This is about the light.

The Build-A-Light level, available from FireBox, includes a lighted base and 16 double-sided light blocks to stack as you see fit, constructing the perfect level and lighting ambiance for your gaming room. Or your bedroom. Granted my wife said there will be no Mario light in our bedroom, but she also said the same thing about food, and I keep a stash of OREOs in my bedside table.

But do you think they’ll also release a Super Mario Bros. 3 version if this one is a financial success? Because I’d buy one of those too. And a Metroid one! And The Legend of Zelda! Actually just take my wallet already, Nintendo, you win.

[via The Awesomer]

Ban Private Jets

Global leaders (well, most of them anyway) are convening in Glasgow for a major United Nations conference. Some will travel by private or chartered plane, including countless titans of business who will show up in Glasgow to talk up their nebulous climate goals as proof that their companies are good corporate citizens.

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Supreme Court To Hear Challenges To Texas Law Banning Most Abortions

The law has an unusual enforcement scheme its defenders argue shields it from federal court review.