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Black Friday is really in the air now, and we got the deals to prove it. Google’s latest and greatest smartphone, the Pixel 9 Pro, is $150 off. This deal applies to 1TB version of the standard model. With the discount applied, the Pixel 9 Pro is $1,300. We’re seeing various discounts on the beefy XL version as well, but they aren’t super consistent. At the moment, the lowest price on the Pixel 9 Pro XL is $934.

That’s still a lot of money, but these are maxed out versions of Google’s most powerful phones. The latest iPhone 16 Pro models with a full 1TB of storage cost between $1,500 and $1,600. These Pixel handsets are also unlocked, so feel free to bring it to any carrier out there.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro easily made our list of the best smartphones in 2024, and this is especially true for those tied to the Android ecosystem. The camera features are outstanding, including the much-improved telephoto camera. We said the “Pixel camera is still the best smartphone camera” in our official review, and that holds true today.

The battery life is on point and the bright screen makes these phones a joy to use outdoors. The newly-adopted Tensor G4 chip even allows the phones run cooler than their predecessors. Both the Pixel 9 Pro and the XL are absolutely best-in-class smartphones, with access to all of the AI tomfoolery one would expect from a modern Google handset. Google Gemini is nearly-baked, while Apple Intelligence is about as half-baked as it gets.

On the downside, there’s the price. This is a serious investment, even with the discount. Also, 1TB of storage is a whole lot and in today’s world, with streaming and cloud storage, is likely overkill. However, avid shutterbugs could probably fill up that drive in no time flat.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-google-pixel-9-pro-with-1tb-of-storage-is-150-off-for-black-friday-143005140.html?src=rss 

The first Neuralink clinical trials outside the US will take place in Canada. Neuralink has secured Health Canada’s approval to launch human trials in the country, with the Toronto Western Hospital being the “first and exclusive surgical site” for the procedure. The company first opened its Canadian patient registry in March this year, but now it’s actively looking for potential participants. “Recruitment is now open,” it has announced on X. 

Under the CAN-PRIME study, Neuralink will embed its implant in the brain of the participant so that it can interpret their neural activity. The implant will allow them to control a computer or a smartphone with their brain without the need for wires or any kind of physical movement. Neuralink says the study aims to “evaluate the safety of [its] implant and surgical robot and assess the initial functionality of [its Brain Computer Interface] for enabling people with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts.” What it learns from the trials could help the company find safer ways to place the implant inside the brain, as well as to enhance the technology’s capabilities. 

Neuralink’s first human patient (pictured above) received his implant earlier this year. He experienced some issues, wherein the implant’s threads retracted from his brain, though he seems to be doing well these days. On X, he said that he will soon challenge himself to use Neuralink for 72 hours to demonstrate what the technology can do. For its second patient, Neuralink employed mitigation measures to prevent thread retraction. That patient was already using computer-aided design (CAD) software mere weeks after his surgery in July. At the moment, Neuralink is specifically looking for patients who “have limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)” for its trials in Canada. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/neuralink-gets-approval-to-start-human-trials-in-canada-143021769.html?src=rss 

Creators who sell assets on itch.io will now have to be a lot more upfront about using generative AI. The marketplace for independent digital creators has introduced a new rule that requires users to label their projects if they were produced using generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Midjourney. Users will see an AI generation disclosure box when they upload their projects. If they confirm that their project contains AI-generated output, they’ll be required to indicate what kinds of content were made with generative AI, whether they’re graphics, sounds, text and dialogue or code. 

If they have a public asset page, they’ll see a dialog box when they access their dashboard, making it easy to bulk tag their projects. They’ll be able to select multiple projects from their list and then indicate whether they contain AI-generated content or not. All assets with AI output will get the “AI Generated” tag, while those without will be tagged as “No AI.” Each content type will have its own sub-tag, as well. 

itch.io requires all assets that used AI in any way, even if the creator had hand-edited it, to be tagged as AI Generated. And if it finds any untagged work that used artificial intelligence tool, it will make that asset ineligible for indexing so that potential buyers could no longer find it. However, it’s unclear what measures the marketplace is taking to police its website. While itch.io’s new policy may not be enough for those who’d rather ban AI content altogether, the tags will allow buyers who don’t want AI assets in their work to filter them out. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/itchio-marketplace-now-requires-asset-creators-to-disclose-their-use-of-generative-ai-130031999.html?src=rss 

Like many companies this year, Sonos is getting an early start to Black Friday. Beginning today, you can save up to $180 off the company’s speakers and soundbars, making this a great time to buy that piece you need to complete your home theater setup. The highlight of the Black Friday promotion is the Era 100, which you can currently get for $199, or $50 off its usual $249 price.

If you’re in the market for a soundbar, consider the Sonos Arc. Now that the Arc Ultra is available, Sonos has discounted its previous flagship soundbar by $200 to $699. For something more affordable, the Beam 2 is currently $369, down from $499. Lastly, there’s the Era 300. Right now, you can buy the Dolby Atmos-compatible speaker for $359, instead of $449 as usually priced. All of these deals are being matched by Amazon, too.

More than a few of Sonos’ speakers, including the Era 100, have found a spot and stayed on Engadget’s list of best smart speakers. If you care about music but still want a speaker with modern features, a Sonos system is the way to go. Not only do the company’s speakers sound great, but you also get access to things like AirPlay 2 that make it incredibly easy to play exactly the song you want to listen to in the moment.

You may have seen that Sonos bungled the release of the latest version of its companion app. That’s true, but as things stand, the company has done a lot of work in recent months to fix its software. As a daily user, I can safely say the Sonos app is in much better shape now than it was in the spring. Other than the premium price that comes with Sonos products, there’s not much they don’t do as well or better than the competition. With the discounts the company is offering for Black Friday, its speakers come even more highly recommended.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-black-friday-deals-save-up-to-200-on-speakers-and-soundbars-130038835.html?src=rss 

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is no longer regulating just banks, now supervising Apple and other companies offering digital wallets and payment apps. It will focus on companies that handle over 50 million transactions per year and ensure they have “the authority to conduct proactive examinations to ensure companies are complying with the law in these and other areas,” the bureau said in a statement. “Supervision also is an important tool for the CFPB to assess risks that can emerge rapidly in this market, including from outages and other issues that could lead to millions of consumers losing access to their funds.”

The CFPB will supervise Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo and others in the areas of privacy and surveillance, debanking (losing access to their app without notice) and errors and fraud. This could provide more options for opting out of data collection and restricting them from misrepresenting their data protection practices, among other regulations. “Digital payments have gone from novelty to necessity and our oversight must reflect this reality. The rule will help to protect consumer privacy, guard against fraud, and prevent illegal account closures,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. In October, the CFPB fined Apple and Goldman Sachs $89 million over misleading customers and not following through with disputed transactions on the Apple Card. 

The CFPB originally proposed this setup in November 2023, but the final policies have changed. Most notably, businesses originally had to process just five million transactions, rather than the 50 million. It also reduced the number to just count US dollars, rather than a wider scope. The supervision will go into effect 30 days following the Federal Register publication. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-us-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-will-now-regulate-apple-pay-venmo-and-others-132129928.html?src=rss 

Herman Miller is not where you go to pick up a casual item — well maybe you do, and that’s great. But, a 25 percent off sale on all its products in-store and online ahead of Black Friday is making the high-end brand’s home offerings more accessible. Take their famous Aeron Chair, which is over $450 off, dropping from $1,805 to $1,354 (the gaming version is down to the same price). 

There are a range of items on sale that are relatively more affordable, like the Eames Wire Base Low Table, down to $221 from $295, and the Verus Task chair, which is down to $630 from $840. Accessories are also a lower point of entry if you want to take advantage of this sale. Take the Oripura Laptop Stand, available in three colors for $37, down from $49. Plus, there’s a range of throw pillows, like the Mela Lumbar Throw Pillow by Sonnhild Kestler for $112, down from $150 and the Toostripe Pillow by Alexander Girard for $131, down from $175. 

Then there’s Herman Miller’s crème de la crème pieces, including the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. The 25 percent discount brings this set down to between $4,046 and $7,496 (typically $5,395 to $9,995). It’s available in a range of wood shells and upholstery, as well as a standard or tall size. The company also has a few funkier pieces that are sure to get people talking if you’re willing to drop a couple grand (see the Nelson Coconut Chair and Luva Modular Armchair, for examples). 

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/herman-miller-has-a-25-percent-off-sale-for-black-friday-133010737.html?src=rss 

It’s Black Friday, and if you’re in the market for a smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is $70 off. That makes it $230, a record low for the device.

Our team tried out the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 at the Paris Galaxy Unpacked event earlier this year (Samsung’s second Unpacked of the year, to be precise). It’s one of the first smartwatches to receive Wear OS 5, the latest Google wearables operating system. Fun fact, even Google’s products didn’t get it until later.

The Galaxy Watch 7’s features include an improved heart rate tracker, an energy score calculator to determine your physical readiness for the day and suggested responses in messaging, which are powered by Galaxy AI. Galaxy AI will formulate responses based on your past conversations, but the feature only works if you allow it to read them.

Additionally, Samsung’s AI model can gather your sleep habits and provide useful insights. The smartwatch is even powerful enough to detect signs of sleep apnea and severe instances of breathing disruptions.

While we haven’t reviewed the Galaxy Watch 7, we did put the Galaxy Watch 6 through a detailed evaluation. We found it to be comfortable to wear and great for fitness enthusiasts, and it has dedicated health-tracking functions for those who need it. If anything, we take it as a good sign that Samsung has a high standard for its smartwatches.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/samsungs-galaxy-watch-7-drops-to-230-for-black-friday-120049385.html?src=rss 

Who couldn’t use a good massage right now? This Black Friday sale slashes $50 off one of our favorite gifts for moms: the compact and triangular Theragun Mini 2.0 massage gun. It can soothe aches and pains and easily slide into a small purse, backpack or gym bag. The massager is discounted to $149, down from its usual $199. It’s part of a larger sale of Therabody’s often coveted recovery devices.

Although more forceful massage guns are available, Therabody’s second-gen mini massage gun strikes a nice balance of power and portability. It’s 20 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than its predecessor, measuring 5.55 x 4.92 x 1.93 inches and weighing one pound. This 2.0 model has a slightly longer battery life than the first Theragun Mini: up to 120 minutes from a full charge (via USB-C).

It has three speeds, ranging from 1,750 to 2,400 percussions per minute (PPM). Its 12mm amplitude delivers deep tissue massage to help you recover after a workout or soothe areas of habitual tension or chronic aches.

Although this model lacks a screen, it has an LED speed indicator. You can also pair it via Bluetooth with the Therabody app to control the device and perform guided massage routines.

This model includes three attachments: a dampener (firm but gentle), a standard ball (firmer) and a thumb (for trigger points). However, if you decide to expand its arsenal, it’s compatible with all of Therabody’s fourth and fifth-generation attachments. The massage gun includes a soft carrying case to protect it while bouncing around in your workout bag.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-include-the-theragun-mini-massager-for-149-150030292.html?src=rss