Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 falls to $230 with a charger for Cyber Monday

If you’ve already been looking to buy Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5, today looks like a good time to take the plunge. The Android smartwatch is now on sale from $230 at several retailers, and at Amazon you can get a 35W two-port wall charger included at no extra cost. That’s about $40 below the usual price of a 40mm model. The sale applies to multiple finishes and configurations — a 40mm model with LTE is down to $260 with the wall charger, for instance, while the larger 44mm model is available for the same price.

Shop Galaxy Watch 5 sale at Amazon

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, a larger titanium variant with a more durable screen and bigger battery, is also on sale from $399, though that one includes a 15W wireless charger instead. All of these match the all-time lows we saw on Black Friday, but for Cyber Monday the chargers are available as a bonus. Amazon says this sale will run for today only.

The Galaxy Watch 5 is our pick for the best smartwatch for Android users, and we gave it a review score of 85 back in August. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, meanwhile, got an 86. The former isn’t a major upgrade over its predecessor, and its battery life can take a hit if you set the display to always-on, but it still gets you a clean, water-resistant design, reliable activity monitoring and useful sleep tracking. If you don’t use an iPhone and want a do-everything wearable, it’s the way to go. The Galaxy 5 Pro puts the same perks in a more durable package, but you’ll need to be sure your wrist can handle something bulkier.

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.

 

Apple Watch Ultra’s powerful diving tools arrive with the Oceanic+ app

Apple said the Watch Ultra would be more useful for divers once a key app arrived, and that moment is finally here. Hush Outdoors and Apple have released Oceanic+, effectively giving Ultra owners a recreation-oriented dive computer. The software tracks fundamentals like depth, no-decompression time (a figure used to set duration limits for given depths) and water temperature. The app is designed to be used without the touchscreen, and you can set compass headings using the action button. Even the haptic feedback is strong enough to be felt through a wetsuit.

You can plan dives to make the most of your trips, including the tides and currents. An after-dive review will show data that includes your water entry and exit locations. You’ll find more information on your iPhone, such as depth graphs and the temperature ascent rate.

Apple

Basic Oceanic+ functionality such as depth, time and dive logging is free. You’ll want to pay $10 per month or $80 per year for decompression tracking, location planning and other more advanced features. A $129 per year family plan allows access to five people. The app requires at least watchOS 9.1 as well as an iPhone 8 or later using iOS 16.1.

Apple is quick to caution that Oceanic+ isn’t for professional scuba divers. This won’t track remaining air like some dive computers, for example — the Apple Watch Ultra doesn’t support transmitters that connect to your tank. This is strictly for enthusiast use, and only down to 130 feet. The watch can officially survive depths of 328 feet.

Even so, the launch could be important. This fulfills a promise Apple made in early September, and makes the Watch Ultra considerably more useful if you frequently plunge underwater. The timepiece launched with only basic depth tracking that wasn’t much help if you wanted to avoid the bends or find your way back. While this won’t replace dedicated hardware for particularly committed divers, it might save money if you wanted one watch you could wear both above and below the surface.

 

Twitter spam obscures China COVID policy protest news

You won’t have much success finding news of China’s growing protests if you search the country’s larger cities on Twitter. As TechCrunchreports, analysts have noticed a surge in bots peddling porn and gambling around these queries just as demonstrations flared in Beijing and other cities over the past three days in response to China’s “zero-COVID” policies. The spam is making it harder to track the rallies, particularly for local activists who are using Twitter through a VPN to avoid Chinese government censorship of the protests on domestic social networks.

Twitter has effectively dissolved its communications team and hasn’t officially commented on the matter. However, The Washington Postnotes a Twitter employee told a researcher that the company is “working to resolve” the bot problem. It was easier to find word of the protests by late Sunday, but spam was still cluttering results. A former staffer told The Post that government-linked Twitter accounts have previously spammed en masse, but usually to attack individual accounts or small groups.

Thread: Search for Beijing/Shanghai/other cities in Chinese on Twitter and you’ll mostly see ads for escorts/porn/gambling, drowning out legitimate search results.
Data analysis in this thread suggests that there has been a *significant* uptick in these spam tweets. pic.twitter.com/Ao46g2ILzf

— Air-Moving Device (@AirMovingDevice) November 28, 2022

The protests largely grew in the wake of a deadly fire at an apartment in Xinjiang province’s capital city Urumqi. Critics blamed the Chinese government’s strict COVID-19 lockdown measures for delaying firefighters and otherwise contributing to deaths. Working conditions at a Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, including concerns about inadequate COVID safety measures, also led to protests. The street action is rare in its intensity — some protesters have called on President Xi Jinping and other members of the Communist Party to resign. Those demands could easily lead to prison time in the country.

There are concerns that Elon Musk’s aggressive job cuts may have exacerbated the situation. TechCrunch pointed out that the entrepreneur laid off Twitter’s anti-propaganda team, leaving only the core moderation group. Where Twitter previously reacted quickly to China’s attempts to undercut Hong Kong protests, it took days to begin curbing spam this time around. The company has resumed hiring, but it’s not clear how much support the anti-misinformation unit will get.

The spike also challenges Musk’s stance on bots. He tried to back out of the Twitter acquisition over claims the social network was hiding the true number of fake accounts. Spammers and other bogus users may now be more of a problem than they were before, if just because Twitter isn’t as well-equipped to deal with the threat.

 

The best Cyber Monday 2022 TV deals we could find

Maybe you’ve been going back and forth about whether you should pick up a new TV while many are on sale for Cyber Monday. Undoubtably, now is a great time to do so if you want to save some money in the process. Cyber Monday TV deals are in full swing, and they discount a number of 4K and OLED sets from brands like Samsung, Sony, LG and others. While, yes, if you want an OLED set, you’re still going to pay a premium for it, but most of these sale prices are much easier to stomach than the standard prices of high-end OLED sets. And if you’re just looking for an upgraded 4K TV, there are plenty of great deals to choose from. Here are the best Cyber Monday 2022 TV deals we could find this year.

LG TV deals

LG

Both 2021 and 2022 LG TVs have been discounted for Cyber Monday. If you have your heart set on an OLED, the 65-inch A2 model is over $500 off and down to just under $1,200, while this 65-inch LG G2 Gallery Edition OLED TV is just over $800 off and down to $2,200. While that’s still expensive for a TV, the Gallery Edition sets are some of the best that LG makes. On the more affordable side of things, this 55-inch QNED80 Mini-LED smart TV is $150 off and down to just under $650.

Shop LG Cyber Monday TV deals at Amazon

Sony TV deals

Sony has discounted a number of its higher-end 4K TVs and a few OLED sets as well for Cyber Monday. One of the best smart TV deals overall is this 65-inch Sony X80K 4K set for just under $700. It’s a 2022 TV that has the company’s 4K HDR Processor X1 that produces smooth, clear video, and it has support for Dolby Vision and Atmos, too. On the OLED side, you can pick up this 2022 65-inch A95K Bravia XR OLED set for $1,000 less than usual.

Shop Sony Cyber Monday TV deals at Amazon

Samsung TV deals

Now’s a great time to grab a Samsung TV for much less than usual. Whether you’re interested in one of the more affordable Q60B or Q80B sets or a higher-end Neo QLED TV, there are a bunch of good Cyber Monday deals to consider. This 65-inch OLED model is 40 percent off and down to $1,800, while this massive 85-inch QLED set is on sale for only $1,600. There are even a few Frame TVs on sale as well, including this 55-inch 2022 model for less than $1,000.

Shop Samsung Cyber Monday TV deals at Amazon

Hisense TV deals

Most of Hisense’s TVs are on sale for Cyber Monday. If you’re looking to spend as little as possible on a still-decent TV, then you can’t get much better than Hisense’s 43-inch R6-Series Roku TV for $200. It supports 4K content and Dolby Vision, plus it runs on Roku’s smart TV operating system.

Shop Hisense Cyber Monday TV deals at Amazon

Chromecast with Google TV

The 4K Chromecast with Google TV has dropped to $40 for Cyber Monday. It’s one of the most affordable ways to get Google’s streaming OS into your home, along with 4K content support. We like this Chromecast’s compact design, handy remote and its smart integration with the Google Assistant.

Roku Streambar

The Roku Streambar has been discounted to $80 for Cyber Monday, which is $50 less than usual and a record low. It’s one of the easiest ways to up your TV’s audio game, and get 4K streaming technology as well. The compact Streambar offers much better sound quality than most TV’s built-in speakers can provide, plus it’ll turn your set into a Roku smart TV as well. And if you want to use it as a Bluetooth speaker, you have that option as well.

Roku Ultra

Roku’s 2022 Ultra set-top box has dropped to a new low of $70 for Cyber Monday. The actually box itself hasn’t changed much since the previous version: it still supports 4K HDR10+ content, Dolby Vision and Atmos, plus AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth. Most of the upgrades are in the Voice Remote Pro that comes bundled with the streamer. The new remote has a 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening, two programmable shortcut buttons and a mic-disable button.

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

Roku’s Streaming Stick 4K is on sale for $25 right now, or half off its usual price. This small dongle connects directly to your TV’s HDMI port and streams content in 4K, supports Dolby Vision and offers voice command capabilities via its remote. This updated model also has fast, long-range WiFi and a private-listening feature that lets you listen to your TV’s audio video the Roku mobile app.

Roku Express

Roku’s Express has dropped to only $18 for Cyber Monday, which is one of the best prices we’ve seen. If you just want an inexpensive streaming device with basic features, the Express is a solid option. It comes with a high-speed HDMI cable to connect it to your TV, and it supports HD content plus private listening via Roku’s mobile app.

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.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K has dropped to $25, which is 50 percent off its normal price. This dongle provides 4K streaming support with Dolby Vision and HDR10+, plus Dolby Atmos audio capabilities. Also, if you have Alexa-compatible home security cameras set up, you can use the streaming stick’s live picture-in-picture feature to check out those camera feeds directly from your TV.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max

Amazon’s most capable streaming stick, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, is down to only $35 for Cyber Monday. It has all of the features of the standard Fire TV Stick 4K: UHD streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision and Atmos support, and the live picture-in-picture feature. But on top of that, it has WiFi 6 support and a bit more RAM than all other Fire streaming sticks, improving its overall performance.

Samsung Freestyle projector

Samsung’s Freestyle projector has dropped to $500 for Cyber Monday, which is 44 percent off its usual price. This compact projector weighs less than two pounds, allowing you to easily move it around as you wish. It also has auto focus and auto leveling features that should help it properly align whatever you’re watching, no matter where you place it. The Freestyle supports a display size up to 100 inches with a 1080p resolution, and it has a 180-degree cradle stand, so you can point it to the ceiling to watch things from above.

Anker Nebula Solar HD projector

Anker’s Nebula Solar HD projector is down to $448 for Cyber Monday for Prime members only. It earned a spot in our best projectors guide for its rich feature set, especially considering its relatively affordable price. It provides 400 lumens of brightness, which will help if you’re using it ourside, plus a powerful 2×3 speaker system, built-in Android TV and an adjustable stand.

Vizio V21t-J8 soundbar

Our favorite budget-friendly soundbar is on sale for only $118 right now, which is 26 percent off its usual price and a near record low. You’re getting a 2.1-channel setup with this accessory, plus a 4.5-inch wireless sub along with it. It may not have WiFi connectivity, but that’s the main tradeoff you’ll have to make. Otherwise, it supports HDMI ARC/eARC, DTS Virtual:X and Bluetooth, and it has a 3.5mm aux jack as well.

Vizio Elevate soundbar

Vizio’s Elevate soundbar is $300 off and down to $500 for Cyber Monday. This is a great pick for movie lovers or anyone who wants a cinematic audio experience in their home. The soundbar system has adaptive height speakers that automatically rotate upward or forward when playing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. Plus, it has a redesigned wireless subwoofer and integrated tweeters and woofers, as well.

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.

 

The best Cyber Monday deals on tablets that we could find

If you’re looking to pick up a new tablet for the holidays, a number of slates we recommend are on sale for Cyber Monday. Most of the best discounts are holdovers from Black Friday, but that still means a range of iPads, Amazon Fire tablets and Microsoft Surface PCs are down to their lowest prices to date. To help you get a bargain, we’ve checked price histories, consulted our testing and rounded up the most worthwhile tablet deals of Cyber Monday below. 

Apple 10.2-inch iPad

Apple’s 10.2-inch iPad is still on sale for $270 this Cyber Monday, which comes within a dollar of the best price we’ve tracked and sits about $25 below the device’s typical street price. The 9th-gen iPad is the top budget pick in our guide to the best tablets: It has a more dated design and less processing power than Apple’s pricier models, but it remains an altogether pleasant experience for casual media consumption. We gave it a review score of 86 last year. 

Buy iPad 10.2-inch at Amazon – $270

Apple 11-inch iPad Pro

Apple

The latest 11-inch iPad Pro is currently available for a new low of $739, which is $60 off Apple’s MSRP. This isn’t a massive discount, but it’s notable given that the device only launched last month. We gave the 2022 iPad Pros a review score of 87: The iPad Air is a better value for most, but if you can afford to take a step up or need more than 64GB of storage, the 11-inch Pro gets you a faster M2 chip, better speakers and a brighter display with a faster 120 Hz refresh rate. Just don’t feel the need to upgrade if you own a recent iPad Pro already. 

Buy iPad Pro 11-inch at Amazon – $739Buy iPad Pro 11-inch at B&H – $739

Apple 10.9-inch iPad

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The Blue version of Apple’s 10th-generation iPad is on sale for $419, which is within $6 of the lowest price we’ve tracked and a $30 discount for another tablet that arrived just last month. This model is a bit tougher to recommend than most iPads — it’s got a newer design and chip than the 9th-gen iPad, but it costs a fair bit more, and it’s saddled with a worse screen and lesser accessory support than the iPad Air. Nevertheless, if you want a larger display than the 10.2-inch iPad, can’t afford the Air and don’t plan on using an Apple Pencil, this is still a fine tablet. We gave it a review score of 85 in October.

Buy iPad 10.9-inch at Amazon – $419Buy iPad 10.9-inch at B&H – $419

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, meanwhile, is currently on sale from $999. That’s $100 off Apple’s standard going rate and, again, the lowest price we’ve seen. All the perks of the new 11-inch Pro still apply here, but the larger model adds a noticeably more vibrant display thanks to its mini-LED backlighting. While it’s still tough to call the 12.9-inch Pro a comfortable laptop replacement for most people, this M2 model is still a fantastic tablet if you’ve got money to burn and just want the largest and most powerful iPad possible.

Buy iPad Pro 12.9-inch at Amazon – $999Buy iPad Pro 12.9-inch at B&H – $999

Amazon Fire HD 10

Amazon

Amazon’s Fire HD tablets remain worth considering if all you want is a competent slate for streaming video, browsing the web and reading ebooks for as little money as possible. The Fire HD 10 is likely the best option for most people within the lineup — and it’s still on sale for $75, which matches its all-time low and rates about $50 below its average street price.

The Fire HD 10’s 10.1-inch 1080p display is bigger and sharper than what you get from Amazon’s other slates, while the eight-core processor and 3GB of RAM give the tablet a bit more performance. To be clear, all Fire tablets are a marked step down from Apple’s iPads in both design and speed. There’s still no Google Play Store, too, and Fire OS still heavily pushes you toward Amazon’s own apps. But if you’re a Prime user and don’t push your tablet all of the time, the Fire HD 10 is a good value at this deal price.

We’ll also note that the Fire HD 10 Plus, a variant that adds an extra gigabyte of RAM (4GB total) and wireless charging support, is on sale for $105, which matches its lowest price to date. Those upgrades might be nice if you want to buy a charging dock and use the tablet like an Echo Show-style smart display, but for most, they’re probably not worth the extra cost.  

Buy Fire HD 10 at Amazon – $75

Amazon Fire HD 8

Amazon

Just about all of Amazon’s other Fire tablets are on sale beyond that. We don’t recommend the cheapo Fire 7, but if you want a smaller or more affordable alternative to the Fire HD 10, the 8-inch Fire HD 8 is worth a shout at $55. It’s more prone to sluggishness and its display isn’t as sharp, but it still lets you read Kindle books and stream Prime Video without too much frustration, and its battery lasts more than 10 hours per charge. This deal matches the latest model’s lowest-ever price. Again, if you want an extra gig of RAM (3GB total) and wireless charging, the “Plus” model is also on sale for $10 more.

Buy Fire HD 8 at Amazon – $55

Amazon Fire HD Kids tablet sale

Amazon

If you’re shopping for a child, meanwhile, all of Amazon’s Fire Kids slates are also discounted to their respective all-time lows. These devices use the same hardware as their non-Kids counterparts, but they come with protective bumper cases, no lock screen ads, two-year warranties, a year of Amazon’s Kids+ content service and a more kid-friendly UI turned on by default. (You can create a kids profile with deep parental controls on a standard Fire tablet, too, but you don’t get the other perks.) The “Kids Pro” models use a slim hard plastic case built for older kids, while the base “Kids” tablets use a large rubbery case that’s designed to take a beating from littler ones. 

We named the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro the top option for kids in our best tablets guide. Again, the performance and app support of all Amazon tablets is lacking compared to an iPad, but if you only need something for casual entertainment — or if you just don’t want to spend more than $250 on a device your kid will break in a week — these are solid alternatives.

Shop Fire Kids tablet sale at Amazon

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Microsoft is taking $100 to $200 off the Intel-powered versions of its new Surface Pro 9, with prices starting at $900 for a model with a 12th-gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. (As usual, a keyboard costs extra.) That’s still not cheap, but this is another device that only launched last month

At this point, you probably know where you stand on the Surface Pro series — its kickstand design isn’t especially comfortable to use on your lap, but it remains the standard-bearer among tablets designed to replace a laptop. While this new model isn’t a major departure from the Surface Pro 8, its CPU performance is a little bit better, and it represents a nice upgrade if you’re coming from a three- to five-year-old model. There’s no 3.5mm jack, though.

Note that we’re recommending the Intel models specifically. Microsoft sells a variant of the Surface Pro 9 that uses an ARM-based processor, but our review found that model to have too many performance and app compatibility issues for us to comfortably recommend.

Buy Surface Pro 9 at Microsoft – $900Buy Surface Pro 9 at Amazon – $984

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

For those partial to Android, a 128GB version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 is on sale for $539. We’ve seen this model go for only $10 or so more for much of the past two months, but this deal technically matches its all-time low. The 256GB model, meanwhile, is down to $579, which is another all-time low but a more notable $30 or so off the usual street price. If you want a bigger display, the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S8+ is down to $679 for 128GB of storage. That is not the lowest price we’ve seen, but it’s still about $70 off its typical going rate. Finally, the giant 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is back at a joint-low of $900.

The Galaxy Tab S8 line is the top Android pick in our guide to the best tablets, and we gave the Galaxy Tab S8+ a review score of 85 this past March. Android is still a step behind Windows and iPadOS when it comes to productivity and general optimizing for bigger displays, but features like Samsung’s Dex mode help make multitasking here more convenient than usual. All three models come with impressively thin hardware and nice displays — plus an S Pen stylus in the box — but note that the Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra have OLED panels that are more vibrant than the standard Tab S8’s LCD screen. 

Buy Galaxy Tab S8 at Amazon – $539Buy Galaxy Tab S8+ at Amazon – $679Buy Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra at Samsung – $900

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.

 

The best winter car accessories for 2022

Winter is objectively the least wonderful time of the year, especially for anyone who has to brave black ice and whiteout driving conditions on top of the normal jackholery of their morning commute. The gifts listed here may not be enough to keep your vehicle out of the river to grandmother’s house, but they will bring a smile to any daily driver on your holiday shopping list with dependable snow tools, handy heated accessories and rugged cold weather gear.

Motor Trend 923-BK Black FlexTough Contour Liners

Motor Trend

It’s bad enough that the underside of your vehicle is going to be regularly soaked with ice slush and road salt for the next few months, your vehicle’s interior shouldn’t suffer the same. Instead, swap out your fancy factory-installed floor mats this winter for some ruggedized weather-resistant rubber mats from Motor Trend (no, not that one, the other one). They’re $40, come presized to fit most makes and models — and can easily be trimmed down to a more precise fit with a set of regular scissors.

Buy Motor Trend contour liners at Amazon – $50

Gorla Gear Universal Fit Waterproof Car Seat Cover

Gorla Gear

If only we tracked snow around on our boots — no, it’s on our pant cuffs, jacket shoulders, gloves and caps, which is why we can’t count solely on rubberized floor mats to collect the bits of outside we bring into the car with us. If you’re looking for a seasonal seat cover solution, the Gorla Gear Black Premium Universal Fit Waterproof Stain Resistant Car Seat Cover Neoprene Non-Slip Bucket Seat Dog & Kid Auto Protector Save Your Leather & Cloth Seats, Automotive, Van, Truck, SUV is basically an extra sturdy towel that you drape from the headrest of your front seats to catch and collect frozen detritus before it gets ground into your upholstery.

Buy Gorla Gear seat cover at Amazon – $45

AstroAI Ice Scraper

Engadget

Driving around with accumulations of snow on your front or rear windshield isn’t just a great way to get into a wreck, it’s also a highly ticketable offense. So take a minute before starting your commute to swipe some snow from your window. With the Astro AI 47.2-inch ice scraper in hand, you won’t even have to lean over the hood to clear all the way across.The handle extends from just over three feet in length to just under four. It’s got a snow brush on one side, a squeegee on the other so it’ll be useful in the warmer, wetter months ahead as well.

Buy AstoAI ice scraper at Amazon – $33

FrostGuard Plus Windshield Cover

FrostGuard

You know how you can put a sun shield on the inside of your windshield to keep the hot summertime sun out of your car while it’s parked? The FrostGuard Plus Winter Windshield Cover is the exact opposite. It sits on the outside of your windshield to catch and slough off snow that would otherwise have to be chiseled off with a 47.2-inch ice scraper (just for example). It’s designed to cover the front window, wipers and side view mirrors while a pair of sturdy pvc tubes sewn into flaps along the edge can be shut in the doors to prevent wind, or thieves, from removing the cover.

Buy FrostGuard windshield cover at Amazon – $35

Voile Telepack Mini Avalanche Shovel

Engadget

Everybody wants a White Christmas until the next morning when you have to dig your car out of a brand new snow bank. With a collapsed length of 24 inches, Voile’s Telepack Mini Avalanche shovel is compact enough to fit inside a backpack and sturdy enough for all sorts of emergency digging — whether that’s freeing a buried snowboarder or untombing your sedan to get home from the office is up to you. The aluminum handle extends out to nearly 36 inches while the foot-wide shovel blade will make quick work of the snow around your tires and doors. Just remember to lift with your legs and don’t hinge your back.

Buy Voile shovel at Amazon – $65

UCO Stormproof Match Kit

Engadget

These are perfect stocking stuffers for anyone on your shopping list. Well, anyone except for your one nephew whom everybody’s rightfully concerned about — I mean, there’s no way that many cats just “go missing” all at once. The UCO Stormproof Match Kit is small enough to fit in a glovebox, emergency roadside kit or door bin, holds 25 storm-proof matches capable of igniting even underwater and three strikers. Think of it as a $10 insurance policy against potentially freezing to death in a blizzard. Take it from me, a guy who owns one.

Buy stormproof match kit at Amazon – $10

Orion 20-minute flare

Engadget

Use them to warn oncoming traffic of a hazard in the road or defend yourself from a pack of ravenous wolves with a taste for human blood (like Liam Neeson!) — either way, you’ll have a full third of an hour to extricate yourself from the situation before having to light up another of these high-visibility road flares. Good thing they come in six-packs.

Buy Orion flares at Amazon – $34

Tire Traction Mat

Jojomark

A longtime staple of the offroading community, rubber tire traction mats are a great way to free a car from snow as well as mud, sand and ice, and a heck of a lot easier to store in your trunk than a 35-pound bag of kitty litter. Just snuggle one up close to each of your drive wheels to give your vehicle enough grip to get out of wherever it is you are and you on the way to wherever it is you’re going.

Buy tire traction mats at Amazon – $80

ThruNite TC15 V2 2531 flashlight

Engadget

Like the UCO matches, the ThruNite TC15 flashlight is the perfect tool to forget that you have until you need it. USB rechargeable and outputting more than 2500 lumen with six brightness options, the TC15 can illuminate under the hood and flag down passing motorists for help with equal ease. Plus its power button is designed for use with gloves on so your fingers won’t get cold when turning it on.

Buy ThruNite flashlight at Amazon – $76

USB-C Hand Warmers

Engadget

During these cold winter months, it is essential that we keep our vulnerable extremities sufficiently warm so as to prevent spoilage once the spring thaw and decomposition set in. OCOOPA’s pocket-sized reusable hand warmers will keep your fingers toasty 95 to 131 degrees fahrenheit, heat up in seconds and run for however long it takes to fully discharge its 5200 mAH USB battery.

Buy USB-C hand warmers at Amazon – $37

Woobie blanket

Engadget

As an Army brat I can personally attest to the superior heat-keeping qualities of a mil-spec Woobie blanket — the constant sheen of sweat that doesn’t ever wick away necessitating the use of a “leg towel” that your older brother rolls up into a rat tail and snap you with until he “accidentally” pops you right in the fucking eye and then hey, it’s a trip to the emergency room like 1994 all over again lets you know it’s working. These sold by USGI Industries (despite the misleading company name) may not be actual army issue but they’re constructed from the same polyester-fill quilted nylon I remember from a youth spent bundled underneath them in search of protection from San Francisco’s “summers.” Available in eight colors, the 62 by 82 inch poncho liner can serve a variety of uses, from basic blanket or groundcover, to windscreen, sunscreen and cargo sling — even an impromptu sleeping bag.

Buy Woobie blanket at Amazon – $48

Outin Portable Espresso Machine

Engadget

Most of the products discussed in this guide are meant to help keep you alive during an automotive snow emergency. The Outin mobile espresso maker is here to help maintain your will to live through the promise of sweet, sweet caffeination. The $129 battery-powered brewer can make both hot and cold brew from either a Nespresso-compatible pod or ground espresso, and do so in under 5 minutes. Just don’t use it while actively driving, please.

Buy Outin portable espresso machine at Amazon – $150

 

Meta fined €265 million over Facebook data scraping in the EU

Meta has been hit with a €265 million ($277 million) fine for failing to prevent millions of Facebook users’ mobile phone numbers and other data from being scraped and dumped online, Independent.ie has reported. It’s the second fine levied by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) in just the past few months, following a €405 million ($402 million at the time) penalty issued in September. In just the last 18 months, Meta has tallied nearly €1 billion in fines. 

The penalty was issued in response to the leak of 533 million Facebook users’ data reported in April last year. That included phone numbers, birth dates, email addresses and locations, information that could be exploited in phishing and other attacks. The private information of sitting judges, prison officers, social workers, journalists and others were posted online, the DPC said.

At the time, Meta blamed the attack on “bad actors,” but Ireland’s regulator said the company failed to comply with GDPR obligations of “data protection by design and default.” It wrote in a news release that other data protection authorities in the EU “agreed with the decision of the DPC.” 

Meta confirmed to the The Wall Street Journal that the flaw had been patched back in 2019. The company said that it will review DPC Ireland’s decision, but has not yet decided whether to appeal. “Unauthorized data scraping is unacceptable and against our rules,” the spokesperson added. 

Last year, the DPC fined Meta’s WhatsApp €225 million ($267 million) for not providing details of how it shares European Union users’ data with Facebook. It was also hit with a €17 million ($18.6 million) fine over 12 separate data breaches, and penalized €405 million ($402 million) for its handling of children’s privacy settings on Instagram. 

 

The best Cyber Monday Apple deals on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks and more

Easy to use and with a notable emphasis on design, there are many reasons why Apple devices are so desirable. While we saw some great discounts for Black Friday, many of the brand’s best and most recent products are also seeing impressive Cyber Monday discounts. Some of the prices also happen to be the lowest we’ve seen yet. We’ve sifted through the deals to find out what’s on sale for Cyber Monday (and it’s quite a bit). Anyone looking to get or gift Apple Watches, AirPods, iPads, and more, these are the deals to go for. Here are the best Cyber Monday deals on Apple devices for 2022.

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 our review, saying they have “the best transparency mode you’ll find on earbuds.”

Buy AirPods Pro (2nd gen) at Amazon – $200

AirPods (2nd gen)

Engadget

The second-gen AirPods have dropped back down to $79 for Cyber Monday, which is half off their usual rate. These buds are a bit old at this point, but you can’t beat them this holiday season if you want to pick up a pair of AirPods at the lowest price possible. They have a fit similar to Apple’s EarPods of yesteryear, plus they have improved wireless connectivity and decent sound quality.

Buy AirPods (2nd gen) at Amazon – $79

Apple Pencil (2nd gen)

The second-generation Apple Pencil is back down to a record-low price of $89 for Cyber Monday. There are still a couple of iPads that only work with the first-gen stylus, but most of the higher-end models support this one. We consider it to be the best stylus for the iPad, and we like it for its low latency and built-in magnets that let it attach to the side of your tablet.

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

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 Cyber Monday deal a very attractive buy.

Buy AirPods Max at Amazon – $449

Apple Watch Ultra

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. Cyber Monday deals have 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

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

Apple TV 4K (2022)

Apple TV 4K, the brand’s third generation set-top streaming device just came out in October and is down to $123.50 for Cyber Monday. 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 – $123.50

2022 iPad

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 $419, 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.

Buy iPad (10th gen) at Amazon – $419

iPad Pro

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 $60 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 (12.9-inch) at Amazon – $999Buy iPad Pro (11-inch) at Amazon – $739

MacBook Air M2

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 Reporter 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 Cyber Monday is fixing that for now.

Buy MacBook Air M2 at Amazon – $1,049Buy MacBook Air M2 at B&H Photo – $1,049

MacBook Air M1

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 94 in our review, calling it a the MacBook for most people when it first hit the scene, especially those looking for a casual computer. The M1 chip will still feel like a big upgrade if you’re coming from an aging Intel machine, and we also liked this laptop’s lovely display, lack of fan noise and good battery life.

Buy MacBook Air at Amazon – $799

14-inch MacBook Pro

Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro is a whopping $500 off and down to $2,000 for Cyber Monday. 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

If you’ve been thinking about connecting your home with Siri’s helpful AI interface, the HomePod mini is on sale for $94 for Cyber Monday. 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.

 

The Morning After: Senator calls for an end to ‘failed Big Tech self-regulation’

Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts is calling on Congress to pass new legislation to rein in tech companies after Twitter boss Elon Musk ignored an information request. “Elon Musk could respond to my tweets but failed to respond to my letter by yesterday’s deadline and answer basic questions about Twitter verification,” Markey tweeted on Saturday.

The senator sent a letter on November 11th about Twitter’s paid account verification feature. Following the initial rollout, trolls could impersonate celebrities, politicians and company brand accounts, the latter leading to real-world effects on stock prices.

Musk addressed one of Markey’s questions when he announced Twitter’s new verification system on Friday. It’ll feature manual authentication and different colored check marks for different types of users. “Gold check for companies, gray check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates,” Musk said. He’s also said sign-ups have hit an all-time high.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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FCC bans telecom and video surveillance gear from Huawei and ZTE

The agency is implementing the rules from the 2021 Secure Equipment Act.

Getty Images

The FCC announced it’s officially implementing the Secure Equipment Act, which means some future equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua won’t be authorized for sale in the US. Existing equipment from those companies, all listed under the FCC’s Covered List, aren’t affected by the law. Last year, the Biden administration signed into law the Secure Equipment Act, which aimed to block the authorization of network licenses from several Chinese companies whose hardware has been deemed a national security threat.

Continue reading.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft breaks Apollo 13 flight record

The capsule traveled farther than any spacecraft designed to carry humans had before.

NASA

The Artemis 1 Orion crew vehicle has set a record for a NASA flight. On Saturday, Orion flew farther than any spacecraft designed to carry human astronauts had ever before, surpassing the previous record set by Apollo 13 back in 1970 – not that it was the aim of the mission. Funnily enough, it’s fitting that Artemis 1 was the one to do it. As Space.com points out, Apollo 13’s original flight plan didn’t call for a record-setting flight. It was only after a mid-mission explosion forced NASA to plot a new return course that Apollo 13’s Odyssey command module set the previous record at 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) from Earth.

Continue reading.

Charles Darwin’s full correspondence is now available online

You can read over 15,000 letters from the evolutionary science pioneer.

The University of Cambridge has published all the evolutionary scientist’s surviving correspondence online, including 400 letters that have either surfaced or are newly “reinterpreted.” The searchable collection now covers over 15,000 letters written between 1822 and 1882, ranging from his influential time aboard the HMS Beagle to On the Origin of Species and his end-of-life reflections. The internet archive may even be the only way to see a fuller picture of Darwin’s life. The university notes a print edition of his correspondence, due in early 2023, doesn’t include letters that arrived too late to reach physical copies.

Continue reading.

UK aims to ban non-consensual deepfake porn

Critics say other aspects of the proposed legislation pose dangers to privacy and security.

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. 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.

Continue reading.

 

The best Cyber Monday tech deals for 2022: discounts on earbuds, laptops, smartwatches and more

For the past couple of years, Cyber Monday has been almost an extension of Black Friday. In the tech deals space, lots of the discounts and sales we saw at the end of last week are still available now as Cyber Monday deals. There are some new ones, though, which means that even if you bought most things on your gift list during Black Friday, it’s worth taking another look online to see if there’s anything else you need or something you can get as a gift while on discount. We’ve collected all of the best Cyber Monday tech deals here so you don’t have to go searching for them.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

The latest AirPods Pro have dropped to $200 for Cyber Monday.. 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 Pencil (2nd gen)

The second-generation Apple Pencil is back down to a record-low price of $89 for Cyber Monday. There are still a couple of iPads that only work with the first-gen stylus, but most of the higher-end models support this one. We consider it to be the best stylus for the iPad, and we like it for its low latency and built-in magnets that let it attach to the side of your tablet.

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.

MacBook Air M1

Apple’s M1-powered MacBook Air is down to $799 for Cyber Monday which is the best price we’ve seen. Although the M2 laptop is available now, the M1 machine remains a good option if you’re upgrading from an aging Intel model. We gave it a score of 94 for its blazing fast performance, lovely Retina display and lack of fan noise.

Apple Watch SE (2nd gen)

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.

Xbox Series S

Not only does Amazon have the Xbox Series S for $60 cheaper than usual for Cyber Monday, but the online retailer will also give you a $40 credit to use on future purchases when you buy the console. That’s a total of $100 in discounts and credits, which is one of the best we’ve seen this holiday season. We gave the Series S a score of 85 for its slim design, 4K gameplay support and FPS boost technology.

iRobot Roomba s9+

iRobot’s high-end Roomba s9+ is on sale for $229 if you go to Wellbots and use the code ENG220 at checkout, or $799 at Amazon and other retailers. It earned a spot in our best robot vacuums guide thanks to its slick design, its ability to better clean room corners, its strong suction power and its included clean base.

Chromecast with Google TV

The 4K Chromecast with Google TV has dropped to $40 for Cyber Monday. It’s one of the most affordable ways to get Google’s streaming OS into your home, along with 4K content support. We like this Chromecast’s compact design, handy remote and its smart integration with the Google Assistant.

Sony DualSense controllers

Sony’s DualSense controllers for the PlayStation 5 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.

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.

Google Nest Audio

We called Google’s Nest Audio smart speaker “a steal at $100” when we reviewed it, giving it a score of 87. And now it’s half that price for Cyber Monday. For just $50, you get a smart speaker powered by the AI of the Google Assistant, plus a speaker that delivers surprisingly good sound quality for its size and price point. We did note that the Nest Audio sounds even better as a pair, and now might be a good time to grab two.

Elgato Stream Deck MK.2

Elgato’s Stream Deck MK.2 has dropped to $120 for Cyber Monday, which is a 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.

Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT

The excellent and already affordable ATH-M20xBT are on sale for $59 for Cyber Monday, 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 $229 right now, or 30 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.

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

Roku’s Streaming Stick 4K is on sale for $25 right now, or half off its usual price. This small dongle connects directly to your TV’s HDMI port and streams content in 4K, supports Dolby Vision and offers voice command capabilities via its remote. This updated model also has fast, long-range WiFi and a private-listening feature that lets you listen to your TV’s audio video the Roku mobile app.

Fitbit Inspire 3

The new Fitbit Inspire 3 is down to $70 for Cyber Monday, 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.

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 Cyber Monday deals include the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which is $400 off and down to $1,400. 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.

Amazon Echo Show 5

Amazon’s Echo Show 5 is back on sale for $35 for Cyber Monday. 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 Cyber Monday. 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 Cyber Monday. 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.

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.

 

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