Category: Technology

The next major phase of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission is slated to start today. Orion is scheduled to conduct a burn at 4:52PM ET that will take it into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. The uncrewed spacecraft will be around 50,000 miles above the lunar surface and it will travel around the Moon in the opposite direction that the Moon orbits the Earth (hence the “retrograde” aspect of this phase).

NASA says that, due to the size of the orbit, it will take Orion six days to go halfway around the Moon. It will then exit the orbit and start making its way back to Earth. The agency has noted that this process will provide Orion with a “highly stable orbit where little fuel is required to stay for an extended trip in deep space.” The orbit is stable because Orion will be subject to the gravitational pull of both the Earth and the Moon, which will help it to stay in position while minimizing fuel consumption.

During the distant retrograde orbit, NASA will be able to put Orion’s systems through their paces in an environment far away from our planet. The Artemis 1 mission is primarily about testing Orion before the spacecraft takes humans back to the Moon for the first time in over half a century.

Earlier this week, Orion successfully carried out a flyby of the Moon wherein it got as close as 81 miles to the lunar surface. This was the first of two maneuvers needed to get Orion into its retrograde orbit before today’s burn.

You’ll be able to watch the distant retrograde orbit burn live below. NASA says the feed will include real-time views of the mission whenever bandwidth allows.

Subscriptions and memberships make excellent gifts, but they’re also great to give yourself — especially when they’re on sale for Black Friday. We found a slew of services running discounts, with deals on streaming services, learning programs, fitness and mental health apps, gaming memberships and a few more. Most sales end by Cyber Monday, so right now is a good time to try out something new or sign back up for a subscription you’ve let lapse, saving some money in the process. Black Friday sales aren’t just for stuff you can wrap, and these are the best subscription deals we could find.  

Hulu

Options for streaming services continue to grow, and the costs adds up. If you’ve been thinking about checking out Hulu but didn’t want to add another $8 to your monthly bills, their Black Friday deal gets you an entire year for less than $25. Billed at $2 monthly for the next 12 months, the ad-supported version gets you access to all the shows and movies Hulu offers, like ABC’s Abbott Elementary and FX’s The Bear, along with Hulu originals like Reboot and Only Murders in the Building. The offer ends on Cyber Monday (11/28) and is available to new subscribers and former subscribers who haven’t had a Hulu subscription within the past month. 

Subscribe to Hulu (with ads) for $2 per month

Disney+

Disney+ will switch to a two-tier model on December 8th. After that, the ad-free version, which is the only way the service is currently offered, will increase to $11 per month instead of $8. The new ad-supported plan will then go for $8. If you want to hang on to that $8 per month price for an ad-free plan, you can sign up before December 7th and pay $80 for a year of ad-free streaming. That works out to a 39 percent discount over the elevated $11 per month plan. If you didn’t already know, Disney+ includes a dominating trove of content from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic. 

Subscribe to a year of Disney+ (ad-free) for $80

YouTube TV

Switching to an all-streaming diet often means forgoing live TV and other content cable offers. YouTube TV is one way to get back some of the live sports, live news and “cable channels” you’re missing. YouTube’s limited time offer gives you your first three months for $55 per month, with no contract required. If you decide you like what you’re seeing, don’t cancel and the price will revert to the regular $65 per month.  

Subscribe to 3 months of YouTube TV for $55 per month

Peacock

At this point, Peacock is almost a required subscription for fans of Premier League soccer, Sunday night football or WWE. But there’s plenty of non-sports fare too, including NBC shows the day after they air and a catalogue of Universal movies like Nope, the new Jurassic World, and Brian and Charles — titles that stream exclusively on the service. Right now you can get 12 months of Peacock Premium for just $1 per month. After navigating to the site, enter the code SAVEBIG in the promo box to activate the offer. It’s only available to new subscribers and probably won’t last long after the weekend of Black Friday. 

Subscribe to Peacock Premium for $1 per month

HBO Max

There’s no way to declare a clear winner in the best original content war, but HBO is a serious contender. You could even say it’s responsible for launching this whole “prestige TV” thing twenty years ago with The Wire and The Sopranos, but we digress. Right now HBO Max is offering three months of its ad-supported service for $2 per month. After that, it’ll jump back up to $10 per month if you want to keep watching, and there’s plenty to watch, including Insecure, Succession and all the Studio Ghibli movies. The offer ends on Cyber Monday (11/28) and only extends to new or returning subscribers. 

Subscribe to HBO Max (with ads) for $2 per month

Alo Moves 

While some subscription deals time out after a few months, Alo Moves is offering half-off annual subscriptions for life. The going rate for a yearly membership is currently $200, so this brings it down to $100. The online fitness service currently has more than 3,000 classes, and new classes are added weekly. You can watch on your laptop or via app on an iPhone or iPad. Yoga, pilates, HIIT, and core classes are available, along with meditation and mindfulness sessions, including a power nap sound bath. 

Subscribe to a year of Alo Moves – $100

Masterclass

Annie Leibovitz teaching you photography, Serena Williams teaching you tennis and Walter Mosley teaching you fiction is the idea behind (and three actual classes of) Masterclass. Memberships are annual and include access to all 180 classes they offer. Right now when you buy any membership plan, which range from $180 to $276 per year, you’ll get a second free membership to give away. Naming the classes feels a lot like name dropping, with classes from Martin Scorsese, Usher, Carlos Santana, Questlove, Alice Waters, David Lynch and 100 other people you’ve heard of. Classes range from a little over two hours to five-plus hours and are broken into between 12 and 30 lessons each. 

Buy two MasterClass subscriptions – $180 per year

Evernote

For those who have “get organized” on their New Year’s resolutions list, Evernote is offering a 25 percent discount on yearly Evernote Professional plans starting on Black Friday. The yearly price is usually $110, and the discount brings that total down to $82.50. New subscribers and people currently on the free plan are eligible for the deal, which runs through Wednesday, November 30th. If you aren’t already familiar, the browser- and app-based software helps you apply structure to your notes, to-dos, schedules and projects, allowing you to better TCOB, both at home and work or the blurry blend of the two many live in today.   

Subscribe to Evernote Professional – $8.25 per month

Rosetta Stone

Like Masterclass above, this Rosetta Stone membership doesn’t make you decide what you want to learn up front. And instead of a yearly membership, this one is for life. The usual price for a lifetime membership is $300, but is half price for the Black Friday deal. With it, you get access to all 25 languages Rosetta Stone offers, complete with customizable lesson plans and immersion learning methods. The deal runs from now through Friday, December 2nd. 

Buy a lifetime membership to Rosetta Stone – $149

Headspace

Putting a little mental wellbeing in your pocket just got far less expensive. Right now Headspace is half price for a full year, and the deal applies whether you want to pay month-to-month or a full year at once. The annual plan is down to $35, and the monthly price is $6.50 per month for 12 months. The app, available for Android and iPhone, offers audio and video guides covering areas of sleep, mindfulness, mediation and stress relief.  

Subscribe to Headspace – $6.50 per month

Paprika

A favorite of Engadget staffers, the Paprika recipe manager helps you digitally collect recipes from anywhere on the web and will even create smart grocery lists for you, organizing items by aisle. Each version, for iOS, Mac, Windows, or Android, are sold separately, with a cloud sync option to switch between devices. All versions are between 40 and 50 percent off for the entire month of November.  

Shop the Paprika Black Friday sale

Discord Nitro

If you want to get more out of your Discord experience, the company’s Nitro plan grants gives you unique server profiles for each of your servers, custom emojis and stickers to use anywhere, bigger file uploads to share bigger clips, and increased character counts in your messaging. Buy either the monthly or yearly Nitro plan, currently $10 per month or $100 per year, and you’ll get a free month of the service. The offer ends on Cyber Monday (11/28) and you can find out how to upgrade your current Discord account here. 

Get a free month of Discord Nitro with any Nitro subscription

Last Pass

A password manager doesn’t just give you fewer things to remember, it also keeps your data safer by making sure your passwords are never weak or reused. Right now LastPass is offering 25 percent off both of their paid plans from now through Tuesday, November 29th. That brings the Premium Plan to $2.25 and the Family Plan, which gives password protection to up to six people, down to $3. There’s always the free plan, but unlike the unlimited-device paid plans, the free version works on only one device.   

Subscribe to LastPass Premium – $2.25 per month

Lyft Pink

Maybe you rideshare a lot and want those pickups to come a little faster in 2023. Then now’s a good time to opt for a Lyft Pink membership. Joining gets you free upgrades to Priority Pickup, roadside assistance for your own car, relaxed ride cancellations, and a year of Grubhub+ for free. From now until Cyber Monday (11/28) Lyft Pink memberships are half price, making them $49.50 for the year. 

Subscribe to Lyft Pink – $49.50 per year

NordVPN

The reasons you might want a VPN are many and include working over public WiFi, accessing online content from your home country while abroad or just plain keeping your online activities private. NordVPN is one of the biggest and best known players in the VPN game and right now their Black Friday deal gives you a 63 percent discount off the two-year Complete Plan, bringing down from $447 to $162. They’ll even throw in an extra three months of their VPN service for free. If you just want a one year plan, the different tiers are between 45 and 59 percent off. 

Shop the NordVPN sale

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps includes more than 20 apps, including Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator and InDesign. Right now Adobe’s Black Friday sale takes 25 percent off the monthly price for your entire first year. That brings the price down from its usual $55 per month to just $40 per month. It’s a pretty good deal for a hard-to-replace suite of software, especially when you remember a time when a static, un-upgradable Photoshop by itself would set you back $800. 

Subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps – $40 per month

PlayStation Plus

To get the most out of that PS5 you’ll probably want a PlayStation Plus subscription, as it’s the only way you’ll be able to play online multiplayer games. Right now until Cyber Monday (11/28) you can get 25 percent off any of the three tiers of PlayStation Plus annual memberships. That makes the Essential Plan $45, the Extra Plan $75, and the Premium Plan $80 for the year. The base plan grants online multiplayer gamer access as well as free games each month and discounts in the PS Store. The higher level tiers offer what the base tier does along with access to play games in the Game Catalog featuring a rotating library of titles. 

Subscribe to PlayStation Plus Essential – $45 for 12 months

Tidal HiFi

You can think of Tidal’s HiFi membership as Spotify for audiophiles and music super fans, delivering up to 1411 kbps of lossless audio quality to your Android, iPhone or desktop. A membership also includes curated playlists, access to Tidal original documentaries and interviews with musicians, and of course it’s all ad free. The Black Friday deal gives you two months for $2, and bumps up to $10 a month after that. 

Subscribe to Tidal HiFI – $2 for two months

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.

Black Friday is usually a good time to pick up some new gaming gear at lower-than-usual price, and generally speaking, that’s the case again this year. Today we’re seeing strong discounts on a number of the year’s highest-profile games, special offers for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series S and a wide range of discounts on gaming accessories we like. To help you figure out what’s worth your time, we’ve picked through the avalanche of offers at Amazon, Walmart, GameStop and other retailers and rounded up a few of the highlights below. Here are the best Black Friday gaming deals we could find.

Nintendo Switch + Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Switch Online

Nintendo’s chief Black Friday deal bundles the standard Switch console with a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a three-month subscription to the company’s Switch Online service at no extra cost. Nintendo has offered this exact same promotion for the past few years, and given that the newer Switch OLED is a pretty firm upgrade over the base model, it’s hard to call this a great deal. Still, if you’re gifting someone their first Switch and you don’t think they’ll need the Switch OLED’s bigger and more vibrant display, there’s some value here. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still a great time and normally retails around $50, while three months of Switch Online typically cost another $8.

Buy Nintendo Switch bundle at Amazon – $300

Xbox Series S

The Xbox Series S is down to $250 with a $50 store gift card at Target, which is effectively a $100 discount. At Woot, the diminutive console is available for $220 outright, while Amazon has it for $240 and several other retailers have it for $250. Normally, the Series S retails for $300. Either way, this is a good value for PlayStation or Switch users who want a cheaper way into the Xbox ecosystem. We gave the Series S a review score of 85 at launch: It isn’t powerful enough for 4K gaming, lacks a disc drive and only has 512GB of built-in storage, but it can still play all the same games as the pricier Xbox Series X.

Buy Xbox Series S + $50 gift card at Target – $250Buy Xbox Series S at Woot – $220Buy Xbox Series S at Amazon – $240

Xbox Wireless Controller

If you need a spare gamepad for your Xbox or PC, Microsoft’s wireless Xbox Series X/S controller is currently available from $39 at several retailers. While that’s not the absolute lowest price we’ve seen, it’s still about $10 below the controller’s usual going rate. The sale applies to multiple finishes, though some colors are priced $5 higher. Just note that these pads still rely on AA batteries by default; if you want one rechargeable battery, that’ll cost you another $25.

Buy Xbox Wireless Controller at Amazon – $39Buy Xbox Wireless Controller at Microsoft – $40

PS5 DualSense Wireless Controller

Sony’s DualSense controllers for the PlayStation 5, meanwhile, are down to $49 in several finishes. That matches the lowest price we’ve seen, and depending on what color you choose, comes in either $20 or $25 below the pad’s usual price. In general, the DualSense is harder to hook up with a PC than its Xbox counterpart, but its D-pad isn’t as clicky, it doesn’t rely on AA batteries and its haptic feedback system is much more nuanced.  

Buy PS5 DualSense Controller at Amazon – $49Buy PS5 DualSense Controller at Walmart – $49

Elden Ring

One of the most acclaimed and popular games of 2022, Elden Ring is a mammoth, haunting and challenging open-world game from the developers behind the Souls series of action-RPGs. It’s currently on sale for $35, which is the lowest price we’ve tracked and $15 below its usual going rate. Like its spiritual predecessors, Elden Ring can sometimes feel punishing, overwhelming and overly cryptic, but its dark-fantasy world is refreshingly honest, letting you discover — or completely miss — its many secrets at your own pace.

Buy Elden Ring at Walmart – $35

Splatoon 3 and other Nintendo Switch exclusives

If you’re need something new to play on your Switch, a handful of well-regarded first-party Nintendo games are discounted deeper than usual. The colorful multiplayer shooter Splatoon 3, for one, is down to a new low of $45, and the tense adventure game Metroid Dread is available for a new low of $40. The cutesy strategy game Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is still priced at $60, meanwhile, but it includes a $10 store gift card at various retailers.

The platformer combo package Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is within $2 of its all-time low at $42, while the all-time great The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is about $10 cheaper than usual at $29. Finally, the over-the-top hack-and-slasher Bayonetta 3 was available for $45 earlier in the week, but at its current price of $50, you’re still getting $10 off a game that launched less than a month ago.

Most of these deals are only available at third-party retailers like Amazon — and some aren’t visible until checkout — but if you’re not interested, Nintendo has several other titles discounted at its online eShop.

Shop Nintendo Switch game deals at Amazon

Horizon Forbidden West and other PS5 exclusives

If you’re looking to build out your PS5 library, meanwhile, several exclusives for Sony’s console are also down to new lows. There are no discounts on God of War: Ragnarok, sadly, but one of our other favorite sequels of the year, the robot-fighting open-world game Horizon Forbidden West, is down to a new low of $35 (or $29 for PS4).

Beyond that, a few recommended exclusives are down to $30, including the atmospheric roguelike Returnal, the samurai drama Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut, the accessible shooter-platformer Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and the gorgeous Demon’s Souls remake. Other picks like Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection ($20), Death Stranding: Director’s Cut ($20), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales ($35) and The Last of Us Part II ($10) are at or near their respective best prices as well.

Outside of the realm of exclusives, a smattering of popular 2022 games are discounted for the first time as well, including A Plague Tale: Requiem ($39), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II ($55) and, yes, Sonic Frontiers ($35).

Buy Horizon Forbidden West (PS5) at Walmart – $35Buy Horizon Forbidden West (PS4) at GameStop – $29

PlayStation Plus

If you need to top up your PlayStation Plus subscription, Sony has dropped the price of 12-month memberships to that service by 25 percent. The deal applies to all three PS Plus tiers, so the basic “Essential” tier is down to $45, the “Extra” tier is down to $75, and the “Premium” tier is down to $90. 

As a refresher, the Essential tier should be enough for most: It gets you broad access to online multiplayer, an allotment of cloud storage for backing up game saves and a handful of free game downloads each month. The Extra tier adds an on-demand library with a few hundred games, while the Premium tier provides cloud game streaming and an additional selection of “classic” PlayStation games on top of that.

Buy PS Plus at PlayStation Store – 25 percent off

Backbone One

The Backbone One is a clever and well-built mobile game controller that we’ve recommend in previous buying guides. The PlayStation-branded, iPhone version of the device is currently down to a new low of $64, which is $36 off its normal going rate. If you don’t like the look of that model, the standard version is also down to $75, though the two are functionally identical. 

Either way, the One should make playing gamepad-compatible iOS games — or cloud-streamed console and PC games — feel much more natural than a touchscreen. The main complaints are that its face buttons are on the clicky side and that you’ll need an adapter to get it to work with certain iPhones.

Buy Backbone One at Amazon – $64

Meta Quest 2 + Resident Evil 4 + Beat Saber

Meta’s Quest 2 headset is a couple years old at this point, but its standalone design, competent performance and relative comfort have kept it the best option for most people looking to give virtual reality a try. For Black Friday, Meta is selling a bundle that pairs the 128GB Quest 2 with two of its better games, the classic horror game Resident Evil 4 and the energetic rhythm game Beat Saber, for $350. That’s a roughly $50 discount. If you need more storage, a bundle with the 256GB variant is on sale for $429.

Now, we’re using the term “discount” with some caveats here, since the Quest 2 used to start at $299 until Meta jacked the price up by another $100 earlier this year. Still, this is the best deal we’ve seen since that price hike — and if nothing else, it’s a much better value than the Meta Quest Pro. We gave the device formerly known as the Oculus Quest 2 a review score of 89 when it launched back in 2020. 

Buy Meta Quest 2 bundle at Amazon – $350

HyperX Cloud Alpha 

The HyperX Cloud Alpha is down to $55 at Amazon, which is about $15 below its usual going rate and one of the best prices we’ve tracked. This is a sturdy, no-frills gaming headset that’s comfortable to wear for hours at a time. A good set of non-gaming headphones will sound better for the price, but what’s here is still relatively well-balanced, and the included mic is perfectly fine for everyday party chats.  

Buy HyperX Cloud Alpha at Amazon – $55

Logitech G Pro X Superlight, plus more gaming accessories

Logitech’s G Pro X Superlight is a high-performing gaming mouse we like for both work and play, and right now it’s back down to its all-time low of $110, or about $25 off its usual street price. That’s still not cheap, but the G Pro X Superlight stands out for being exceptionally light (at about 63 grams), quick to glide, and consistently responsive in faster-paced games. Just note that you only get a couple of customizable shortcut buttons, and that the whole thing connects over a USB dongle, not Bluetooth.

This is just one of a plethora of low or near-low prices on gaming accessories we like, though. If you want a high-performing gaming mouse for less and don’t mind going wired, Razer’s Viper 8KHz is a good value at its current deal price of $40, which is an all-time low. We’ve previously recommendedRazer’s Huntsman Mini for those who want a fast gaming keyboard in an ultracompact form factor; it’s currently within $5 of its all-time low at $70. Corsair’s Scimitar RGB Elite is a great buy for MMO gaming at $49, while Logitech’s G29 remains a fine value for those looking to get their first racing wheel at $200. 8BitDo’s excellent Pro 2 gamepad for Switch and PC, meanwhile, is down to a joint-low of $40 as of this writing, but only in a limited-time Lightning sale.

Shop Logitech gaming accessories sale at AmazonShop Razer gaming accessories sale at AmazonShop Corsair gaming accessories sale at Amazon

Razer Blade 14

A configuration of Razer’s Blade 14 with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX chip, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an RTX 3080 GPU is currently down to $2,000 at Amazon. That’s about $300 off its typical street price and tied for the best price we’ve tracked. We gave the Blade 14 a review score of 84 last year, and we’ve recommended the similar Blade 15 in recent buying guides and gift guides. It can run a bit hot, and you can still get similarly powerful gaming laptops for less, but it still puts enough power to play demanding games at higher settings in a slim and slick-feeling design that weighs less than four pounds.

Buy Razer Blade 14 at Amazon – $2,000

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.

Black Friday deals have proven to be a boon for anyone looking for a new portable speaker. Many of our top picks from our Bluetooth speaker guide have dropped to impressive lows, including the Wonderboom 3, Sonos’ Roam SL and a number of JBL devices. Whether you want something super compact to take with you on roadtrips, or a water-resistant speaker to keep poolside, you’ll likely be able to find one that fits your needs on sale today. Here are the best Bluetooth speaker deals we found for Black Friday 2022.

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3

In true tiny-but-mighty fashion, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 takes up a small amount of space, but delivered the biggest sound in its size category of the speakers we tested. Usually $100, Black Friday is knocking off $20 to bring it down to $80. That’s a pretty good price for a speaker with 14 hours of battery life and a submergible waterproof rating. 

Buy Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 at Amazon – $80

JBL Flip 6

Delivering great sound in a package that can stand upright or lay on its side, the JBL Flip 6 usually runs for $130, but right now is seeing a lowest-ever price of $90. The Flip 6 is drop-resistant, waterproof and lasts for 12 hours on a charge. It’ll even connect up with other JBL Party-Boost speakers for stereo sound, not just other Flips. 

Buy JBL Flip 6 at Amazon – $90

JBL Charge 5

A little larger in both size and sound than the Flip, JBL’s Charge 5 is usually $180 but is down to $120 for Black Friday. It has a separate tweeter, and dual bass radiators for bigger sound and of course can handle a dunk in water. It’s got a long 20 hours of battery life and can even share some of that juice with your devices thanks to the USB-C port. 

Buy JBL Charge 5 at JBL – $120Buy JBL Charge 5 at Amazon – $120

Monoprice Soundstage3

While its not meant to take on the road, the Monoprice Soundstage 3 is an excellent pick for at-home listening. Usually $250, the sale brings it down to $180 right now. We like its minimalist design and clear, balanced sound. It gets 10 hours of play on a charge, but also has plenty of hard-wire ports if its staying in one place. 

Buy Monoprice SoundStage 3 at Monoprice – $180

Bose SoundLink Revolve II

Bose SoundLink Revolve II is great for bringing your music outside and we found it had a loud and bright sound that carries nicely through the out of doors. It pumps out 360-degree sound and gets 13 hours of play on a charge. It’s usually $220 but is down to $180 right now. We also tried out the Bose Portable Smart Speaker and found it had an even better low end than the Revolve II. That speaker usually goes for $400, but is $50 off for Black Friday.  

Buy Bose SoundLink Revolve II at Bose – $180Buy Bose Portable Smart Speaker at Amazon – $350

JBL Xtreme 3

So big it needs a strap, the JBL Xtreme 3 made our list thanks to its pleasant dynamic sound and the big bass, which does fine outdoors, but really bumps when it has walls to bounce off of. It’s usually $380 but is seeing an impressive 39 percent discount to bring it down to $230. Waterproof and dustproof, it’ll give you 15 hours of play on a charge. 

Buy JBL Xtreme 3 at Amazon – $230

Sonos Roam SL

Sonos devices don’t go on sale often, and when they do it’s a good time to act. Right now the Sonos Roam SL is down from its usual $160 to a low of $127. It’ll hook up via WiFi or Bluetooth and swaps easily between the two. Waterproof and drop-resistant, the Roam gets 10 hours of play on a charge. 

Buy Sonos Roam SL at Sonos – $127

Marshall Acton II

Marshall is another brand that likes to put a limit on their sale prices, so finding this Marshall Acton II on sale is a good sign to move on it. The compact speaker delivers big sound with three amps, dual tweeters and a big subwoofer. Usually $280, it’s down to $150 for Black Friday. 

Buy Marshall Acton II at Marshall – $150

Tribit StormBox Micro 2

The price on the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is decent at its usual $60, but Black Friday brings that down to $51. We like that it’s ultra portable but capable of kicking out decent volume. 

Buy Tribit StormBox Micro 2 at Tribit – $51

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.

Hubble is still providing dramatic pictures of the universe despite the arrival of the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA and the ESA have released a Hubble image of Arp-Madore 417-391, a strange galaxy collision about 670 million light-years away. Their gravitational tug-of-war has produced an odd ring-like shape where the two galactic cores are relatively close and the star “plumes” form a circle.

The telescope spotted the merger using its long-serving Advanced Camera for Surveys, which has helped detect strange galaxies and even dark matter. Researchers are using the orbital hardware to build a list of follow-up observations for the much newer James Webb telescope, which has sometimes been used in tandem with Hubble to study space objects.

The Arp-Madore 417-391 galaxy collision in its greater context.

You may not see Hubble leading these discoveries for much longer. The telescope has suffered a number of system failures in recent years, and is expected to plummet to Earth as soon as 2030 if there are no interventions. While NASA and SpaceX are considering boosting Hubble’s orbit to keep it active, that extended lifespan isn’t guaranteed. This galaxy crash may represent one of the telescope’s last hurrahs, even if the observatory has years left in space.

Smartwatches and fitness trackers have become some of the best phone accessories available now. Not only can they prevent you from whipping out your smartphone every second to check alerts, but they can help you get healthier by promoting habits like regular exercise, standing up throughout the day and more. If you’re shopping for yourself on Black Friday, you probably have a good idea of which wearable you want — but the decision can be harder if you’re looking to gift one of these gadgets. We’ve collected the best deals on our favorite smartwatches, fitness trackers and other wearables here so you don’t have to go searching for them.

Apple Watch Series 8

The Apple Watch Series 8 is $50 off and down to $349 for Black Friday, which is a record low. While not a huge departure from last year’s Series 7, it does build upon that wearable’s solid foundation. You’ll find all of the Series 7’s features on the Series 8, along with a new skin temperature sensor and crash detection. Essentally, Apple didn’t fix what wasn’t broken and we consider the Series 8 to be the best smartwatch you can get right now.

Buy Apple Watch Series 8 at Amazon – $349

Apple Watch SE

The second-generation Apple Watch SE is on sale for $229, which is an all-time-low price. Apple upgrade a lot in this smartwatch — it has a new SiP and a larger screen, both of which help the new SE look and feel more modern. Apple still left some features to the Series 8, include an always-on display, ECG reader, skin temperature sensor and a few others, but if you can live without those upgrades, the Apple Watch SE gives you a ton of value at its relatively affordable price.

Buy Apple Watch SE at Amazon – $229

Apple Watch Ultra

The Apple Watch Ultra is $60 off and down to $739 for Black Friday, which remains high, but still represents a good deal on this high-end smartwatch. This wearable was designed for the most adventurous among us, with a titanium case, a larger digital crown, physical buttons, 100m of water resistance and more. We gave it a score of 85 for its big, bright display, durable build and even longer battery life when compared to other Apple Watches.

Buy Apple Watch Ultra at Amazon – $739

Fitbit Charge 5

Fitbit’s Charge 5 is $50 off and down to only $100 for Black Friday. It’s the most capable fitness tracker the company makes, complete with built-in GPS, a full-color touchscreen, on-device EDA sensors for stress tracking and more. We gave it a score of 82 when it came out last year in part for all of those reasons, along with its Fitbit Pay functionality and its multi-day battery life.

Buy Fitbit Charge 5 at Amazon – $100

Fitbit Inspire 3

The new Fitbit Inspire 3 is down to $70 for Black Friday, which is $30 off its usual price. We named this the best budget fitness tracker you can get right now, and that’s only more true when you can pick it up while on sale. The Inspire 3 is more slim than the Charge 5, and while it doesn’t have built-in GPS, you can use its connected GPS feature to map runs and bike rides if you have your phone with you. We also like its automatic workout tracking and long battery life.

Buy Fitbit Inspire 3 at Amazon – $70

Fitbit Sense 2

Fitbit’s Sense 2 smartwatch is $100 off and down to $200 right now. This is the latest model of the company’s flagship smartwatch, and it supports all-day stress monitoring with cEDA sensors, blood oxygen measurements and an ECG app. That’s on top of all the standard features you’d expect in a smartwatch at this price range: daily movement and sleep tracking, built-in GPS, Fitbit Pay, onboard Alexa capabilities and more. If you’re looking for something even more affordable, the Fitbit Versa 4 has dropped to $150 for Black Friday.

Buy Fitbit Sense 2 at Amazon – $200Buy Fitbit Versa 4 at Amazon – $150

Google Pixel Watch

Google’s new Pixel Watch is $50 off and down to $299 for Black Friday. This is one of the most anticipated wearables of the year, being Google’s first Pixel-branded smartwatch and a marriage between the Android giant and Fitbit (which is now owns). We gave the Pixel Watch a score of 74 — while we liked it, we didn’t love it. It has a super attractive design and excellent health and fitness tracking features, but it’s brought down by bad battery life. Google promises 24 hours of wear, but we typically only got through 12 hours before getting low-power warnings. 

Buy Pixel Watch at Amazon – $299

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 has dropped to $229 for Black Friday, which is a record-low price. While it’s a modest update to the Galaxy Watch 4, we believe the Watch 5 is the best wearable for Android users. We gave it a score of 85 for its durable yet attractive design, comprehensive health tracking features and its slightly improved battery life.

Buy Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 at Amazon – $229

Garmin Vivoactive 4s

A number of Garmin wearables are on sale for Black Friday, key among them being the Vivoactive 4s for $175 — that’s nearly half off its usual price and a record low. We like this model’s clean design and its extensive health tracking features, which include blood oxygen monitoring, built-in GPS, more than 20 pre-loaded workout profiles and more. The Vivoactive 4s also support smartphone alerts, Garmin Pay, space for onboard music and a battery life of up to seven days.

Buy Garmin Vivoactive 4s at Amazon – $175

Withings ScanWatch

Withings’ ScanWatch has dropped to $240 for Black Friday, which is $60 off its normal price. It has a hybrid design, meaning its face is analog but it includes two subdials that show you information like steps, heart rate and more. It also has an ECG measurement tool, blood oxygen monitoring, water resistance up to 50m and a whopping 30-day battery life. If you like the look of the ScanWatch but want something a bit more budget-friendly, Withings’ Steel HR is also on sale for $135 right now.

Buy Withings ScanWatch at Amazon – $240Buy Withings Steel HR at Amazon – $135

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.

If you’ve already snapped up an iPad in a Black Friday sale, you might want to grab an Apple Pencil to go with it. The second-gen version of the peripheral has dropped back to an all-time low of $89 on Amazon. That’s $40 or 31 percent off the regular price. The Pencil hit that price for the first time last month.

Buy Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) at Amazon – $89

We reckon it’s the best iPad stylus you can get your hands on. That shouldn’t be too surprising, given Apple designed it to work seamlessly with iPads. Although the second-gen Apple Pencil is over four years old, it still has a lot of utility — especially if you have the latest iPad Pro with an M2 chip.

That tablet supports a “hover” feature. It can detect when the Pencil is within 12mm of the screen. You’ll be able to see a preview of any mark you plan to make on a sketch or design before you apply it. Apple says this feature will allow for greater precision. If you hold the peripheral over an app on your homescreen or dock, the screen will zoom in slightly, as though you’re aiming a mouse pointer at the app.

The second-gen Apple Pencil pairs with your iPad automatically, so you won’t need to futz around with Bluetooth to connect them. The peripheral can also magnetically attach to the side of certain models, which will charge the Pencil too. 

It’s definitely worth making sure your iPad is compatible with this device before you snap it up. It works with the sixth-gen iPad mini, iPad Air (5th and 4th-gen), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 4th, and 5th generations) and 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 2nd, and 1st generations). The second-gen pencil is not compatible with the entry-level iPad, not even the redesigned model that Apple released last month.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

The UK government will amend its Online Safety Bill with measures designed to prohibit abuse of intimate images, whether or not they’re real. If the bill becomes law as is, it will be illegal to share deepfake porn without the subject’s consent. This would be the first ban on sharing deepfakes in the country and if the law comes into effect, violating this rule could lead to a prison sentence.

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice aims to ban “downblousing,” which it describes as an incident “where photos are taken down a woman’s top without consent.” The country banned upskirt photos, which are exactly what the term suggests, in 2019. Furthermore, the government wants to make it illegal to install certain equipment, including hidden cameras, to capture images of someone without their consent.

The UK banned revenge porn in 2015 and the government is aiming to expand the scope to make it illegal for anyone to share any intimate image of someone without consent. As it stands, prosecutors have to prove that the perpetrator had “intent to cause distress.” Based on recommendations from the Law Commission, the government also intends to establish two additional serious offenses, which are “based on intent to cause humiliation, alarm, or distress and for obtaining sexual gratification.” Officials already intended to outlaw cyberflashing, or sending unsolicited nudes, as part of the Online Safety Bill.

“We must do more to protect women and girls, from people who take or manipulate intimate photos in order to hound or humiliate them,” Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and secretary of state for justice, said. “Our changes will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to bring these cowards to justice and safeguard women and girls from such vile abuse.”

The government hasn’t yet released the text of the amended Online Safety Bill. “The government will bring forward the wider package of changes as soon as parliamentary time allows and will announce further details in due course,” the Ministry of Justice said. The bill has been delayed several times but it’s set to return to parliament in December. 

As TechCrunch notes, though, finding parliamentary time to formally read the amended bill, then to eventually debate and vote on it, may not be easy. It’s unclear whether the government will be able to pass the legislation before the next general election is called within the next two years.

Critics have pushed back against certain aspects of the bill, including a revived plan to verify a person’s age before permitting them to access adult content online. For many reasons, that measure may not be workable in practice.

The proposed legislation has also been described as a threat to free speech. On Thursday, an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed by 70 cyber security experts, organizations and elected officials laid out some of the dangers to privacy and security that the bill poses. Among other issues, the signatories argued that the Online Safety Bill includes “clauses that would erode end-to-end encryption in private messaging.” The letter adds that UK businesses would have less data flow protection than counterparts in the US and EU, “leaving them more susceptible to cyberattacks and intellectual property theft.”

“The bill is a deeply flawed censorship proposal that would allow UK residents to be thrown in jail for what they say online,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation said this week. “It would also force online service providers to use government-approved software to search for user content that is deemed to be related to terrorism or child abuse. In the process, it will undermine our right to have a private conversation, and the technologies that protect that right, like end-to-end encryption.”

If you’ve wanted a robot vacuum but were put off by the sometimes-high prices, now’s your chance to dive in. Anker’s Eufy brand is holding a Black Friday sale on Amazon that includes major discounts for its robotic cleaners, including lower-priced models. The RoboVac 11S Max is down to just $130, or 48 percent off its usual price. One of the company’s best devices, the RoboVac X8, has dropped to $300 instead of its usual $500. Other products are typically at least 30 percent off.

The RoboVac 11S Max is a more powerful version of the base 11S that made it to our list of the best budget robot vacuums. That model is not only capable and intelligent, but slim enough to clean under chairs and tables that might block some competitors. The improved suction might increase noise, but it should also catch more crumbs than its standard counterpart.

The RoboVac X8, meanwhile, is a non-hybrid variant of one of the best robot vacuums we’ve seen at any price. It won’t mop like the X8 Hybrid, but you can still expect strong suction, laser navigation and WiFi. This machine will not only suck up more debris (including pet hair) than some of its rivals, but do so more efficiently. At this price, it’s easier to rationalize than mid-tier competitors costing hundreds of dollars more.

Buy Eufy RoboVac X8 at Amazon – $300

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This may be your best chance to get Apple’s latest ‘starter’ tablet on sale this holiday season. Amazon is offering the new 64GB WiFi iPad for $426, or $23 below the official price. This is the first time we’ve seen a bargain for the device. You’ll see similar five percent discounts for 256GB and cellular models, and you don’t have to be picky about colors.

The 2022 iPad is a mostly welcome redesign. Apple has finally ditched the thick bezels of past base models, and has replaced the Lightning port with USB-C. The Smart Connector allows for improved peripherals like the Magic Keyboard Folio, and the front-facing camera is finally in the right place for typical landscape-oriented video chats. Toss in a still-speedy A14 chip and healthy battery life and this is a fine tablet for everyday use. It might even replace a laptop in the right circumstances.

There are some foibles. The screen isn’t as sophisticated as that of the iPad Air, and the A14 rules out iPadOS 16’s Stage Manager. And you’ll want to spring for the Air if you’re the artistic sort — the new entry model only supports Apple’s first-generation Pencil (not included), and you’ll have to attach an adapter just to pair and charge the stylus. At a reduced price, though, the new iPad is both a better value for less demanding tasks and easier to justify versus last year’s cheaper variant.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.