Nov 25
Guinness World Records named Flossie as the world’s oldest cat roughly a month before her 27th birthday.
Nov 25
Russian tech giant Yandex reportedly looking to break free from its home country
Posted in: Today's ChiliOver the past years, Russian search and tech giant Yandex made an effort not to fall behind its Western counterparts and had developed its own smart devices, self-driving cars, as well as its own food delivery and ride-sharing services, among other products. According to The New York Times, though, the West’s sanctions against its home country after the invasion of Ukraine has made it impossible to continue developing and improving its projects. That’s why Yandex’s parent firm, which is registered in Amsterdam, is reportedly looking to sell and sever ties with Russia.
Apparently, Yandex is planning to sell the emerging technologies it’s working on to markets outside the country, since they require Western technologies and experts to reach their full potential. It’s also looking to sell its established businesses, such as its internet browser, its food delivery and its ride-hailing apps. Yandex is planning to continue offering those products under its Russian subsidiary, which likely means it has to find buyers within the country.
Whether Yandex can actually break free from Russia is another matter altogether. The Times’ sources said the company must secure the Kremlin’s approval first to be able to transfer Russian-registered technologies outside the country. Also, it must get its shareholders onboard its restructuring plan before it could proceed. That said, the company does have a powerful supporter advocating for it: Alexei Kudrin, the country’s former finance minister, whom it has tapped in an informal capacity to get Vladimir Putin’s blessing. A Financial Times report says Kudrin is meeting with Putin this week to discuss Yandex’s plan. If the Russian president approves, Kudrin is expected to leave his post as the chairman of Russia’s Audit Chamber to take on a managerial role with the new Yandex.
Nov 25
When it comes to aesthetics, innovation and user-friendly interfaces — not to mention pure desirability — Apple’s a tough act to beat. But Apple devices aren’t cheap. Black Friday deals have made many of the brand’s best and most recent products much more affordable, and many of these discounts happen to be the lowest we’ve seen yet. We’ve sifted through what’s out there (and it’s a lot) to find the best prices on the latest tech from the folks in Cupertino. Anyone looking to get or gift Apple Watches, AirPods, iPads, and more, these are the deals to go for. Here are the best Black Friday deals on Apple devices.
AirPods Pro
Released just a few months ago, the AirPods Pro are the second generation of Apple’s premium ear buds and deliver a massively improved sound quality with excellent noice cancellation. Amazon has them for just $200, which is $50 less than we saw it for during Prime Day back in October. Our reviewer and audio expert Billy Steele gave them an 88 in a hands-on review, saying they have “the best transparency mode you’ll find on earbuds.”
Buy AirPods Pro (2nd gen) at Amazon – $200
AirPods
The third generation of Apple’s AirPods are $30 off for Black Friday, bringing them down to $140. They scored an 88 in our review, earning high marks for a comfortable fit, massively improved audio and more than six hours of battery life on their own and 30 hours with the case. They don’t have active noise cancellation (ANC), for that feature, grab the Pros up above. If you want the previous generation of AirPods, those are going for $79 right now.
Buy AirPods (3rd gen) at Amazon – $140Buy AirPods (2nd gen) at Amazon – $79
AirPods Max
Released about two years ago, Apple’s AirPods Max, the company’s premium (and only) over-ear headphones have gone up and down in price, but this deal is a near-best at $449. With an Engadget review of 84, AirPods Max pair up a sleek design with solid noise cancellation and on-board controls that are a joy to use. At their usual MSRP of $549, they aren’t cheap, which makes this Black Friday deal a very attractive buy.
Buy AirPods Max at Amazon – $449
Apple Watch Ultra
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
We gave the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple’s latest and most premium watch, a solid 85 in our review. If you’ve had your eye on the toughest wearable Apple’s ever made, grab it now. Amazon has it for just $739, which is 8 percent off and the lowest it’s been since its debut. When we took it on a hike, we had to admire its monster (yet comfortable) build and slew of outdoor-focused features, including a customizable Action button and on-board SOS siren. Of course you also get all of the health and fitness tracking Apple Watches are known for, plus a full three days of battery life on a charge.
Buy Apple Watch Ultra at Amazon – $739
Apple Watch Series 8
The Apple Watch Series 8 came out just one week before the Ultra, making it the latest non-top-tier Apple Watch, and it usually sells for $389. Black Friday has brought that price down to $349, which means you save $50 on a premium smartwatch that’s only a couple months old. In our real world test we called it “superb watch that makes a great multipurpose wearable with excellent health and fitness tools.” While it doesn’t have the hype of the new Ultra, or the budget appeal of the SE, it’s still the best smartwatch around.
Buy Apple Watch Series 8 at Amazon – $349
Apple Watch SE
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
In our review back in September, we called the new Apple Watch SE “the best smart watch $250 can buy,” awarding it a score of 89. Now that the pre-holiday sale has dropped the price down to $229, Apple’s most affordable smartwatch is an even better buy. While the battery doesn’t have the same longevity as its Apple Watch siblings, we found it lasted until midnight even with heavy use, and never took more than an hour to refill. We liked its crisp display and snappy responsiveness and found that the health and fitness tracking were on par with the more expensive Series 8.
Buy Apple Watch SE at Amazon – $229
AirTag (4 pack)
Chris Velazco/Engadget
Apple’s Bluetooth trackers come in one shape and size: small and round. But the amount of accessories made to hold them has reached dizzying heights. They make great stocking stuffers for anyone with a penchant for losing stuff and right now a four-pack of AirTags is going for $80. That’s the lowest price the pack has seen, making each tag $20 each, against their usual $28-per-piece price. They pair up with the Find My app on your iPhone and you can even digitally label each AirTag.
Buy Apple AirTag 4-pack at Amazon – $80
Apple TV 4K (2022)
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Apple TV 4K, the brand’s third generation set-top streaming device just came out in October and is down to $124 for Black Friday. It got an enthusiastic score of 94 in our review earning high marks for its zippy speeds, polished interface and glorious picture quality. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your existing TV or if you want to turn any display with an HDMI port into a powerful streaming device, this is a the time to snap this up.
Buy Apple TV 4K (2022) at Amazon – $124
2022 iPad
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Apple’s 2022 standard-model iPad is the 10th generation of the multipurpose slate, earning an 85 in our review back in October. We were concerned at the price hike over the previous generation, which brought it to a steep $449. But now that it’s going for $426, it’s a little bit easier to add the base model iPad to your life (or someone else’s). What we did like was the complete redesign, the solid 10-plus hours of battery, and the addition of a landscape-oriented front-facing camera. Note that the iPad standard only works with the first generation of the Apple Pencil. For iPads that work with the second-gen pencil, go with the Pro or Air below.
Buy iPad (10th gen) at Amazon – $426
iPad Pro
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
The latest iPad Pro earned an 87 in our review for its fast and powerful M2 chip and having “one of the best screens Apple has ever made.” At the $800 list price, it’s steep. But right now Amazon has the premium slate for $40 off the 11-inch and $100 off most storage sizes of the 12.9-inch. Both came out in October of this year, and this is the biggest discount we’ve seen so far. That’s a good opportunity to get one of the best designed tablets on the market, complete with a nine-hour battery life and second-gen Apple Pencil support.
Buy iPad Pro (4th gen, 11-inch) at Amazon – $759Buy iPad Pro (6th gen, 12.9-inch) at Amazon – $999
iPad Air
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
While it might be the lightest of the iPad lineup, the latest iPad Air is curiously performed just as nimbly as the Pro in our tests. It earned a 90 score, with our reviewer and Apple expert Nathan Ingraham calling it “the best iPad for most people.” It runs on Apple’s zippy M1 chip, which combined with the 5G connectivity option, effectively future-proofs the slate. We got two hours more than the promised 10-hour battery life in our tests and were impressed by the fast speed and lovely screen. For Black Friday, you can pick it up for $500 thanks to a discount and a coupon that will be applied at checkout.
Buy iPad Air (5th gen) at Amazon – $500
iPad Mini
Valentina Palladino / Engadget
If an eight-inch iPad is more your speed, Black Friday has knocked $100 off the price of the latest iPad Mini. We gave it an 89 in our review, impressed with the complete design overhaul the latest Mini received. It’s got a great new Liquid Retina display with bezels that are the perfect size for carrying the (ultraportable) tablet around or using the Mini as an e-Reader. Overall, we’re calling this “the best small tablet out there.” And now the price is even smaller.
Buy iPad Mini (6th gen) at Amazon – $400
MacBook Air M2
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Apple’s MacBook Air M2 earned an enthusiastic review score of 96 back in July. Right now it’s 13 percent off, bringing it down to $1,049. Our senior editor and computer expert Devindra Hardawar said this version of the MacBook Air “set a new standard for ultraportables.” You get the blazing fast M2 chip and an expansive and engrossing screen, all tucked into a frankly gorgeous, razor-thin computer. One of the only downsides we noted was the high price, but Black Friday is fixing that for now.
If you want to save even more and aren’t worried about having the latest model, the MacBook Air with the M1 chip is on sale for just $799. We gave it an 87 in our review, calling it a the MacBook for most people, especially those looking for a casual computer.
Buy MacBook Air M2 at Amazon – $1,049Buy MacBook Air M2 at B&H Photo – $1,049Buy MacBook Air at Amazon – $799
14-inch MacBook Pro
Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro is a whopping $500 off and down to $2,000 for Black Friday. We gave it and the 16-inch model scores of 92 in our review, with appreciation for the fast M1 Pro and Max processors, excellent display and solid battery life.
Buy MacBook Pro (14-inch) at Amazon – $2,000
HomePod Mini
Apple
If you’ve been thinking about connecting your home with Siri’s helpful AI interface, the HomePod mini is on sale for $94 for Black Friday. The diminutive home speakers earned an 84 score in our review, thanks to their solid sound quality and Siri’s continuing improvements to user interactions.
Buy HomePod Mini at B&H Photo – $94
Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.
Nov 25
The claim comes as Lake has refused to concede in the state’s gubernatorial race despite her opponent Katie Hobbs’ win earlier this month.
Nov 25
Black Friday is finally here and if you haven’t started your holiday shopping, now’s the best time to do so. While we’ve seen some of our favorite gadgets go on sale since the start of November, today’s the day you’re almost guaranteed to find the best prices of the year across laptops, TVs, speakers, tablets, wearables and much more. But, as usual, the sheer volume of deals across the web today makes it even harder to pick out the gems among them. There are absolutely tech “deals” out there today that are not worth your time. To make ease the burden of deal-hunting, we collected the best Black Friday tech deals we could find right here.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)
The latest AirPods Pro are on sale for $200 for Black Friday. That $50 discount is the most significant we’ve seen on these buds that just came out a couple of months ago. The new Pros earned a score of 88 from us for their improved sound quality, excellent Transparency Mode and solid active noise cancellation. We also appreciate the addition of the U1 chip inside the buds’ wireless charging case, which enables Precision Finding using the Find My app.
Apple AirTags (4 pack)
A four-pack of Apple’s AirTags is on sale for $80 right now, which is $20 off their usual price. That also brings the price per tracker down to $20, which is one of the lowest we’ve seen. These stocking-friendly gadgets make great gifts for iPhone users who want to digitally keep track of their things. They can use the Find My app to check the last known location of their keys, wallet and other belongings, and use their iPhones to be led directly to their stuff with on-screen directions if it’s nearby.
Apple 10.2-inch iPad
The 2021 iPad remains on sale for $270, which is the best price we’ve seen it. While Apple did just come out with an updated version, that latest model is much more expensive, coming in at $449. The 10.2-inch iPad is still a great option if you want iPadOS but only have so much to spend. We gave it a score of 86 for its solid performance, improved front cameras and excellent battery life.
Chromecast with Google TV
Both the 4K and HD Chromecasts with Google TV are on sale for Black Friday, coming in at $40 and $18, respectively. These two streamers are essentially the same, expect for the resolution that each support: the higher-end model with stream 4K content, while the other tops out at 1080p. They share a compact design and both come with a handy remote that makes navigating the Google TV interface much easier. Plus, you can speak to the Google Assistant through these dongles, calling about it to search for things to watch, answer questions and more.
Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT
The excellent and already affordable ATH-M20xBT are on sale for $59 for Black Friday, which is a record low. These are our current favorite budget cans thanks to their good sound quality, comfortable design, Bluetooth multi-point connectivity and 60-hour battery life. They may not have as slick of a design as more expensive headphones, or advanced features like noise cancellation, but you can’t beat their value.
Bose QuietComfort 45
The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones are back on sale for $249 right now, or 32 percent off their usual price. These are some of our favorite over-ear cans thanks in part to their excellent active noise cancellation and clear, balanced audio. The design isn’t as slick as some of our other favorites, but they’re comfortable to boot, plus their 24-hour battery life means you’ll be able to wear them for long stretches of time without interruption.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones are down to $348 right now, which is the best price we’ve seen since they came out earlier this year. These are our current favorite wireless headphones, and Sony essentially changed only a few things about the previous WH-1000XM4 to make these cans even better. They have improved noise cancellation and sound quality, plus a slick new design and a solid battery life. We also appreciate their Speak-to-Chat feature and multi-device connectivity.
Google Pixel Buds Pro
Google’s best earbuds yet, the Pixel Buds Pro, have dropped to $150, which is $50 less than their usual price. these are the Android-maker’s answers to Apple’s AirPods Pro, and they are, without a doubt, one of the best pairs of wireless earbuds you can get if you don’t have an iPhone. We gave them a score of 87 for their deep, punchy bass, reliable touch controls and wireless charging case.
Elgato Stream Deck MK.2
Elgato’s Stream Deck MK.2 has dropped to $120 for Black Friday, which is a new record low. We’ve recommended various versions of the Stream Deck for a while now as an essential accessory for game streamers, but also a handy peripheral for power users to have, too. The MK.2 has 15 programmable buttons that let you trigger actions like launching an app, muting your mic and more, plus you can truly make it your own with a custom faceplate.
Amazon Echo Dot
The latest Echo Dot has dropped to $25, and that’s the first real discount we’ve seen since the device came out a few months ago. Amazon added a bigger speaker inside this Echo Dot for improved sound, and it has a new built-in temperature sensor as well. That will come in handy if you have other smart home devices you control with Alexa because, if the temperature sensor reaches a certain level, you can program a routine to, say, start a fan to keep your environment precisely how you like it. The new Dot can also pair with an Eero WiFi system to add up to 1,000 extra square feet of coverage.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 is on sale for $800 right now. Each iteration of Samsung’s foldable phones is better than the last, and the Flip 4 is no different. It has a slick design that neatly folds in half, rendering it small enough to slip into your pocket. Not only do we appreciate its attractive and more durable design, but we also like its improved battery life and the increased number of hands-free applications it supports.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Samsung’s latest flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, is $430 off and down to $1,370. It’s certainly the most polished Fold Samsung has created, and we gave it a score of 86 for its brighter main screen, upgraded main and telephoto cameras, sleeker hinge and noticeably better battery life.
OnePlus 10 Pro
You can pick up the OnePlus 10 Pro smartphone for only $549 right now, which is the lowest we’ve seen it. The standout feature of this handset is its remarkably fast charging technology: you can get a full charge in just over a half hour using 80W SUPERVOOC charging. However, US users are capped at 65W SUPERVOOC, but that’s still the speediest charging standard available stateside. Otherwise, we also appreciated the 10 Pro’s lovely 120Hz display and its fast face-unlock feature.
iRobot Roomba j7
iRobot’s Roomba j7 is on sale for $349 right now, which is the cheapest we’ve seen it, and you can get the j7+ for $599. This is one of iRobot’s latest robo-vacs and it has enhanced obstacle avoidance which lets it navigate around a robot vacuum’s arch nemesis: pet poop. It also has 10x the suction power of a standard Roomba, plus support for smart mapping and Alexa and Google Assistant voice control. With the j7+ model, you’re also getting a clean base into which the robo-vac will empty its bin after every job.
Shark AV2511AE AI Robot Vacuum
The latest version of Shark’s AI Robot Vaccum has dropped to $299 for Black Friday. This is one of our favorite robo-vacs thanks to its strong suction power, smart mapping feature and the included clean base into which it empties its bin after every job. We also appreciate that the clean base is bagless, so you don’t have to regularly buy proprietary bags for it.
Crucial MX500 (1TB)
Crucial’s MX500 internal drive is down to a new low of $68 for the 1TB version, and you can find discounts on the other configurations, too. We’ve long recommended this drive for its standard form factor, its sequential reads/write speeds of up to 560/510 MB/s and its AES 256-bit hardware encryption. It also has integrated power loss immunity, which saves all of your work even when there’s a power outage.
Jabra Elite 3
Jabra’s Elite 3 wireless earbuds are on sale for $50, which is the best price we’ve seen. Considering these buds start out at less than $100, you won’t find some advanced features on them like noise cancellation or wireless charging. However, they pack impressive sound quality for the price, along with a comfortable design, reliable onboard controls and good battery life.
Amazon Echo Show 5
Amazon’s Echo Show 5 is back on sale for $35 for Black Friday. This has been one of our favorite smart displays for quite some time, primarily because it acts as a great smart alarm clock. It has a 5-inch display that shows the date, time, weather conditions and more, plus it has a handy tap-to-snooze feature. And if you want it to wake you up visually, too, its sunrise alarm will slowly adjust the screen’s brightness to wake you up more naturally.
Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite has been discounted to $95 for Black Friday. While we consider the Signature Edition to be the best e-reader, period, the standard Paperwhite comes in at a close second. It has a 6.8-inch display with 17 front LEDs for better illumination, plus a water-resistant design, Audible support and a battery that can last weeks on a single charge.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
Amazon’s most affordable streaming stick is on sale for only $15 right now, which is half off its usual price. This is a good option if you want to upgrade an old, “dumb” TV in your home into a smart one. The Fire TV Stick Lite provides access to Amazon’s Fire TV OS, through which you can access services like Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and others. The TV Stick Lite supports FHD content, and you can use the included Voice Remote Lite to ask Alexa to show you the content you want to watch. If you want to upgrade a bit to Dolby Atmos, you can get the standard Fire TV Stick for only $5 more.
Blink Mini
Amazon has brought back the two for $30 Blink Mini deal for Black Friday. This compact, wired security camera is only meant for indoor use and you’ll have to keep it close to an outlet, but it shares all of the basic features with the larger Blink Indoor and Outdoor cameras. It record 1080p video and supports two-way audio, plus it’ll send motion alerts to your phone and you can control it via Alexa voice commands.
Peloton Bike
The original Peloton Bike is $300 off and down to $1,145 for Black Friday. If you’re somehow unfamiliar, this is the company’s first exercise bike that comes with a built-in screen for taking cycling classes as well as other strength, yoga and bootcamp routines. Also, one of the company’s latest gadgets, the Peloton Guide, is on sale for $245, too.
Sonos One
Sonos’ Black Friday deals include the Sonos One speaker for only $175, which is $44 off its normal price. Sonos gadgets rarely go on sale, much less direct on Sonos’ site, so the entire sale is one to consider this Black Friday. The One earned a score of 90 from us when it first came out for its attractive design, excellent audio quality and its support for Amazon’s Alexa, the Google Assistant and AirPlay 2. Also included in the sale is the Sonos Arc, one of our favorite soundbars, which is $180 off and down to $719.
Buy One at Sonos – $175Buy Arc at Sonos – $719Shop Sonos Black Friday deals
Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.
Nov 25
The “Late Night” comedian spotted the differences between Trump’s holiday comments and those of President Joe Biden.
Nov 25
Twitter's new Verified service will include gold checks for companies, Elon Musk confirms
Posted in: Today's ChiliTwitter plans to launch its updated Verified program next Friday with manual authentication and different colored check marks for different types of users, Elon Musk has tweeted. “Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates,” he said.
Musk previously stated that Twitter would “probably use [a] different color check for organizations than individuals.” However, this is the first time he’s revealed what those colors will likely be. It’s not clear if all verified users including government and industry will have to pay Twitter Blue fee of $8 per month.
Sorry for the delay, we’re tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week.
Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates.
Painful, but necessary.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
In a subsequent tweet, Musk added that “individuals can have secondary tiny logo showing they belong to an org if verified as such by that org.” However, all individual users will have the same blue check mark “as [the] boundary of what constitutes ‘notable’ is otherwise too subjective,” he said.
Musk originally launched his new verification program with the idea that anyone who joins Twitter Blue for $8 a month would get a blue checkmark. As many predicted, though, the system quickly became a goat rodeo due to account impersonation and was shut down after just 48 hours. In one instance, an Eli Lilly impersonator tweeted that “insulin is free now,” forcing the company to apologize for the tweet. Another Eli Lilly impersonator then apologized for the apology.
Musk originally said that the revised Verified program would launch on November 29th, but his latest tweet puts the date at December 2nd.
Nov 25
Black Friday marks a return to familiar holiday shopping patterns, but inflation is weighing on consumers.
Nov 25
Game Show Contestant’s Conspiracy Theory Is Hilariously Undone With Her Answer
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe viral moment has been described as “peak comedy.”
Nov 25
The best Black Friday Amazon deals on Kindles, Echo speakers, Fire TV devices and more
Posted in: Today's ChiliNow that Amazon has not one but two Prime Days per year, you might think they’d run out of deals. Not so. The world’s largest retailer has plenty of deals to go around for Black Friday, including these discounts on their own devices. And for this sale, you don’t even have to be a Prime member to snag the savings.
Amazon makes a slew of its own hardware, including Echo smart speakers, Fire tablets and Kindles. Most come with the ever-improving and evolving smart AI assistant Alexa, giving you the option of unifying your smart home and controlling it just by talking. Lots of these deals match or even beat Prime Day prices, so it’s a great time to buy if you want to give the gift of a Kindle or ring in the new year with an Alexa-enabled Echo Show display. Here are the best deals on Amazon devices we could find for Black Friday.
Echo
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Amazon has so many Echo options, it’s hard to keep track. This is the original Echo, the very first smart speaker that brought Alexa into our homes to handle everything from setting timers and telling jokes to controlling our smart home universe. It’s usually $100, but Black Friday knocks 50 percent off, making it just $50. This is the forth generation of the speaker, released in 2020 with a brand new spherical design aesthetic. We gave it a score of 89 in our review, handing out props for its excellent sound quality and Alexa’s continually improving helpfulness. While the sound of one speaker was great, we did note that pairing up two Echos is where you really start to hear lush, room-filling sound. Now that they’re half price, it’s easier to pick up two of them.
Buy Echo (4th gen) at Amazon – $50
Echo Dot
Amazon
Like its name and appearance suggests, the Echo Dot is the smallest member of the Echo family, a speaker meant to unobtrusively bring Alexa’s capabilities to more places in your home. Right now it’s down to $25, which is 50 percent off its usual MSRP of $50 and a first-ever discount for this generation. Gen five was just released in October and includes an upgraded speaker, along with a temperature sensor that can pair up with your smart thermostat. In addition to being a speaker, the new Dot also acts as a mesh WiFi node, extending the range of your WiFi coverage by an extra 1,000 feet — provided you’re using Amazon’s Eero WiFi routers, which are discounted below.
Echo Studio
Echo Studio is a bigger and louder version of the Echo smart speaker, built to deliver hi-res audio. It’s usually $200, and rarely goes on sale, but for Black Friday, it’s $45 off the list price. We gave the Studio an 88 in our review, saying Amazon had finally nailed the audio element of its smart speaker lineup. With the larger build and speaker array, it’s clear Amazon is trying to compete with other smart speaker manufacturers like Sonos and Bose. And it does a great job of it. Note that the Studio also makes a decent home theater option. This is the newest generation, released back in 2020, and Amazon has promised to continue to provide security and software updates for at least four years, even if they come out with a newer generation of the Studio.
Buy Echo Studio at Amazon – $155
Echo Show 5
Amazon
The Echo Show 5 is on sale for $35 for Black Friday, a steep, 59 percent discount from its usual $85 sticker. The “Show” series of Echo devices add a screen to the smart speaker setup, effectively creating a smart home hub and entertainment center in one. The Echo Show devices are numbered (5, 8, 10 and 15) to represent screen size, and the Show 5 is the smallest version. It’s touchscreen measures 5.5 inches on the diagonal, and the relatively small footprint is ideal for studio apartments and nightstands (as long as you’re cool with a camera in the bedroom). It can play TV shows and music, display your photos and make video calls. We reviewed this latest generation and gave it an 85, applauding the impressive sound quality for the size and the alarm clock like stature (and snooze button).
Buy Echo Show 5 at Amazon – $35
Echo Show 8
Engadget
Bumping up the size of the display, the Echo Show 8 gives a little more breathing room to the video it produces, and has two speakers instead of Show 5’s one. Black Friday cuts the price down to $70, which is a full $60 off its usual $130 price tag. We gave the Show 8 an 87 in our review, remarking on the beautiful display and the quality video calls. Like the Show 5, you can watch shows and movies via Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu, and listen to music via Spotify and Amazon Music. The camera can serve as an indoor security cam, allowing you to get alerts about detected movement or peek in at home using the Alexa app on your phone.
Buy Echo Show 8 at Amazon – $70
Echo Show 10
Engadget
Going even bigger, the Echo Show 10 not only grants more space for your video, the tracking feature swivels to face you. Right now it’s $170, which is a sizable, $80 chunk off of the usual $250 MSRP, especially considering this rarely goes on sale. Our Echo expert Nicole Lee noted in her review that the screen rotation feature is sorta creepy, but it does allow you to see whatever it is you just asked Alexa to display. Like its smaller siblings, the Show 10 can play movies and TV, music and audio books and make video calls, including video conferencing via Zoom. We were impressed by the 13 megapixel camera and thought that the audio quality was fantastic, thanks to dual front-firing tweeters and a powerful woofer.
Buy Echo Show 10 at Amazon – $170
Echo Show 15
Engadget
The Echo Show 15 is now just $170, which is $80 off its list price of $250. If you’re thinking that a 15-inch display is bordering on TV territory, you’re not wrong. Amazon announced at its fall hardware event this year that all Echo Show 15s would be upgraded to act as Fire TVs with a software update. Whereas the smaller Show models limited you to shows from Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu, a Fire TV interface means you can watch pretty much anything that streams. And it still delivers all the features of a smart display, with Alexa’s assistance, video and security cam abilities, and smart display widgets. When we tested the smart display out, we liked the attractive, picture-frame like design and the bright and clear picture, which you can now use to watch more stuff.
Buy Echo Show 15 at Amazon – $170
Kindle
Amazon
While you can read e-books on a tablet or even your phone, it can be hard on your eyes, particularly if you read for a long time or spend the other part of your day staring at a comptuer screen. Using e-ink instead of an an LCD or OLED panel, e-readers are easier on your eyes. The Amazon Kindle is by far the most popular e-reader out there and right now it’s $15 off for Black Friday. This is the eleventh generation of the original Kindle, released just this October. It’s usually $100 for the ad-supported model and $120 if you don’t want to see ads on your lockscreen. The latest edition has an upgraded 300 ppi (pixels per inch) display, which now puts it on par with the Paperwhite. It’s the most compact of the Kindle family but has a 16 GB storage capacity that takes a long time to fill with regular e-books.
Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon
The Kindle Paperwhite brings a few upgrades to the standard model, with a flush-front design and IPX8 waterproof rating. Right now, the fifth and latest generation Paperwhite is $45 off. Released in late 2021, the Paperwhite hasn’t seen many discounts outside of Prime Day events. It has a usual MSRP of $140 for the 8GB storage size with ads on the lockscreen, but Black Friday makes that configuration $95. Go for no ads and a larger 16GB storage capacity and the e-reader usually goes for $170, but is now $120. The 6.8-inch screen on the Paperwhite is a little larger than the 6-inch standard Kindle, and also comes with the option of a warm backlight, which isn’t the same as no backlight, but still minimizes the amount of sleep-robbing blue light that hits your eyeballs.
Buy Kindle Paperwhite at Amazon – $95
Kindle Paperwhite Signature
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
When we reviewed the Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition, we called it “the best e-reader. Period.” In fact, the only complaint we had was the price. Black Friday has taken some of the sting out of the $190 price tag with a $60 discount bringing it down to $130. Unlike the other Kindles, the Signature edition doesn’t have an ad-supported version, the upgraded price evidently enough to keep the marketing at bay. What it does have is wireless charging, 32GB of storage, automatically adjusting LED lighting (with warm light options) and a more responsive screen.
Buy Kindle Paperwhite Signature at Amazon – $130
Kindle Oasis
Amazon
The most expensive model is the Kindle Oasis. It’s usually $250 for the 8GB ad-supported version and $270 without lockscreen ads. Go for the 32GB models and you can add $30 to those prices. For Black Friday, Amazon has knocked a steep $95 off the list price. Unlike the other Kindles, the Oasis isn’t wall-to-wall screen. Instead there’s a large bezel at one landscape edge with physical buttons to turn the page, which some might remember from early-model Kindles. It also has the biggest screen at seven inches, along with the same 300 ppi screen and waterproof rating of the Paperwhite models.
Buy Kindle Oasis at Amazon – $165
Fire TV Stick 4K
Amazon
With the ability to turn just about anything with an HDMI port into a smart TV, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K is well worth its $50 MSRP. It’s even more worthwhile when it’s $25 for Black Friday. If you’ve got a 4K TV or monitor, this is probably the version you want, as it supports 4K ultra HD, Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Plug in the HDMI dongle to your screen and use the Alexa remote to call up your favorite streaming apps, shows and movies.
Buy Fire TV Stick 4K at Amazon – $25
Fire TV Stick 4K Max
Amazon
If you’ve upgraded your routers to support WiFi 6, you’ll probably want to go with the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. While it usually goes for $55, right now it’s down to $35. It has everything offered with 4K, with the added upgrade to the latest wireless local network standard. Like the 4K, the Max supports video with a 4K resolution to match your 4K TV and lets you control and view Alexa-enabled devices, like a Ring Doorbell, going so far as to offer a picture-in-picture features so you can see who’s at the door without stopping your show.
Buy Fire TV Stick 4K Max at Amazon – $35
Fire TV Stick
Amazon
If you don’t need support for a 4K screen, the Fire TV Sick is an HD streaming dongle that will push 1080p images to your TV or monitor. The standard Fire TV Stick is half off for Black Friday, bringing it down to just $20. Alexa is built into the remote, so you can ask the assistant to help you find what to watch and the remote can also control your TV’s power and volume. Fire TV Stick also supports Dolby Atmos audio for titles that have it, and assuming you have compatible home audio equipment.
Buy Fire TV Stick at Amazon – $20
Fire TV Stick Lite
Amazon
The most affordable option in the Stick lineup, the Fire TV Stick Lite supports 1080p viewing, and allows voice control via Alexa. Right now the usual $30 sticker has dropped to $15. The Lite brings you the same Fire TV interface on whichever screen you plug the dongle into, but the remote does not control your TVs volume or power buttons. If you use a separate remote for those functions anyway, then it’s not an issue.
Buy Fire TV Stick Lite at Amazon – $15
Fire TV Cube
Nicole Lee / Engadget
Amazon hasn’t discounted the new Fire TV Cube, but the previous-generation is on sale for $60 for Black Friday, which is 50 percent off its usual price and a new record low. This set-top box supports 4K, HDR content with Dolby Vision and Atmos, plus hands-free Alexa commands. There is a newer version available now, which adds things like WiFi 6E capabilities, a speedier processor and additional HDMI and USB ports, but it’ll cost you $140.
Buy Fire TV Cube (previous gen) at Amazon – $60
Echo Buds
Amazon
Amazon’s only entry in the headphones market are the Echo Buds. This is the second and most recent generation that usually goes for $120 but right now they’re $70 with a $50 discount. Like the premium buds these are competing with, Echo Buds have active noise cancellation that shuts out the world and a passthrough mode that lets it in. The buds plus the case will give you a 15-hour max listening time and of course, Alexa is baked right in.
Echo Frames
Brian Oh / Engadget
Will you enjoy having Alexa on your face? The Echo Frames are your opportunity to find out. They’ve got a $270 usual sticker sticker price, but right now they’re $130 which is 52 percent off. These are the most recent, second generation and called them “surprisingly compelling” when we tried them out. We liked how comfortable a pair of glasses with speakers built in could be. It was also easier for Alexa to hear us to take commands. While they can play music, it doesn’t sound very rich, so they’re better for calls and notifications, though we did note that Amazon needs to work out some notification kinks.
Buy Echo Frames at Amazon – $130
Fire 7 tablet
Amazon
In the vast tablet marketplace, Amazon positions itself as the affordable option. The Fire 7 tablet is their best-selling (and lowest-priced) model with a regular retail of $60. This is the 2022 model, which we’ve already seen dip to $42 earlier this month, but for Black Friday, it’s down to $40. That’s incredibly cheap for a tablet, and like we noted in our review, this works best as a 7-inch screen for performing basics like internet browsing and watching videos. We also liked the addition of USB-C charging and the long battery life, along with Alexa’s built-in utility.
Buy Fire 7 Tablet at Amazon – $40
Fire HD 8 tablet
Amazon
Like Echo Show displays, Fire Tablets are numbered to match their screen sizes, with an 8-inch screen on the Fire HD 8 tablet. This is the 2022 generation, which usually retails for $100, but Black Friday brings it down to $55, which is a solid 45 percent off. The Fire HD 8 comes with either 32 or 64GB of memory storage and a screen that hits that high-def, 720p resolution threshold (though not the “full HD” resolution of 1080p). You get up to 13 hours of battery life on a charge and of course, Alexa is there to handle all your assistant-based requests.
Buy Fire HD 8 Tablet at Amazon – $55
Fire HD 10 tablet
Amazon
The Fire HD 10 is the largest of the Fire tablets, in terms of screen size, RAM and storage. The 32GB model is usually $165 without lockscreen ads, or $150 for the ad-supported version. It’s $75 off right now, bringing the 32GB slabs down to $90 and $75, respectively. If you want the larger 64GB storage size, those devices are $95 off right now, too, making the ad-supported version $95 and the ad-free option $110. All models of the HD 10 have similar specs to the Fire HD 8, with a battery life of up to 12 hours, and the same storage capacity options of 32 or 64GB, but the HD 10 comes with an extra gigabyte of RAM over the HD 8, for a total of 3GB, plus an expanded processor configuration (8-core), and of course a larger screen.
Buy Fire HD 10 tablet at Amazon – $75
Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet
Amazon
The 2022 Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet is geared towards kids aged six to twelve and usually goes for $140. Thanks to Black Friday, it’s nearly half price, bringing it down to just $80. It’s a full-featured tablet, with a 13-hour battery life and a 1280 x 800 resolution screen, but has a few kid-focused features like the included protective case (with built-in stand) and a web browser that blocks inappropriate content, with age-adjustable filters. It also comes with a free year of Amazon Kids+ subscription which grants access to kid-friendly e-books, audiobooks, music shows and games.
Buy Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet at Amazon – $80
Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet
Amazon
The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet came out in 2021 and, like the name suggests, has a 10-inch screen. It sells for $200, list price, but is now $80 off, bringing the price tag down to $120. Like the 8 Kids Pro, this comes with a year subscription to Amazon Kids+ and a protective case. You get a bigger and higher-resolution HD screen, along with an extra gig of RAM. It has the same 32GB of built-in storage, as the 8 Kids Pro, which is expandable to 1TB with a microSD card.
Buy Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet at Amazon – $120
Blink security cameras
Amazon
These inconspicuous Blink cameras are our top security cam pick in our latest smart home guide. For Black Friday, you can get a Blink Outdoor set starting at only $60, which is 40 percent off its usual rate. Both the indoor and outdoor cameras connect to your Alexa-enabled devices, like your phone or the Echo Shows above. Both are motion-activated, have two-way talk and audio, and work wirelessly with a two-year battery — that Alexa will remind you to change. The biggest difference is that Blink Outdoor can handle the weather outside, and Blink Indoor prefers the protection of the indoors.
Buy Blink Outdoor at Amazon – $60
Blink Mini security cameras
Amazon
Even smaller than the standard Blink cameras, the Blink Minis are wired cameras that usually go for $35 a piece. That’s a decent price, but during the Black Friday sale, you can get two cameras for just $30. Like their larger siblings, Blink Minis offer two-way talk and audio, motion-activated responsiveness and of course, full support for Alexa controls. These can even act as chimes for your Ring doorbell.
Buy Blink Mini (2 pack) at Amazon – $30
Ring Video Doorbell
Ring
The Ring Video Doorbell is the flagship model, and $100 list price. Right now it’s 40 percent off, making it just $60. It can be installed using your existing doorbell wiring or wirelessly using a rechargeable battery. With 1080p video and a built-in mic and speaker, you can see, hear and talk to whomever shows up on your doormat, using your smartphone or smart display.
Buy Ring Video Doorbell at Amazon – $60
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2
Amazon
The Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 only comes in a wired version, but also adds on a bunch of features to justify its $260 list price — which Black Friday has brought down to $170. The wider field of vision gives you a head-to-toe view of people at your door and the 3D motion detection can more accurately pinpoint relevant movement, helping to avoid sending you pointless alerts when someone’s just jogging by on the sidewalk. Sign up for the Ring Protect subscription and you can even have Alexa greet your visitors with specific greetings.
Buy Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 at Amazon – $170
Eero Wi-Fi routers
eero
WiFi 6 is the most recent network protocol and the Eero Pro 6E will make sure your entire house is running it. It will handle internet speeds of over a gigabit per second. One router can cover a 2,000 square-foot area and has an MSRP $300. With Black Friday savings, it’s down to $179. If you’ve got a bigger home, go for the three pack, which is also on sale. Setting up the set inside your home will cover a whopping 6,000 square feet. Usually $700, the deal knocks $280 off for a sale price of $419.
Buy Eero Pro 6E at Amazon – $179Buy Eero Pro 6E (3 pack) at Amazon – $419
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