The Morning After: It’s Black Friday!
Black Friday is finally upon us, willing us to purchase some much-needed tech with some degree of a discount. Our Black Friday hub has been collecting the best deals available, so you can save a bundle in the run-up to the holidays. And while there have been some tasty deals in the last few days, the real blockbusters have now dropped.
That includes $75 off the PlayStation 5 Slim, with a decent chunk sliced off the price of a PS5 wireless DualSense controller. Sony has also knocked $100 from the price of its class-leading XM5 headphones, which you can snag for $298. Not to mention, you can grab the brand-new M4 Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage for $500.
There are plenty more where that came from, which is why we have the Black Friday hub. So go and get all the biggest and best deals without having to lift a finger.
— Dan Cooper
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News In Brief
Avowed preview: Classic Obsidian fantasy on a AAA budget From the people who made Fallout: New Vegas.
Chemists have created the world’s thinnest spaghettiFinally, science does something useful.
Threads will prioritize accounts you follow instead of randosIt’ll probably still feel like a haunted mall full of LinkedIn power users, though.
Australia introduces a bill to ban children under 16 from social mediaWith severe penalties for infringements.
Meta says it’s taken down 2 million accounts linked to ‘pig butchering’ scamsThese scams are huge business.
Spotify drops a bunch of new tools for audiobooks, including a sleep timerYou can also make audiobook-specific playlists.
WhatsApp adds voice message transcripts
Oh, thank [your deity of choice].
WhatsApp
Voice messages: You either love them or feel you’re being forced to listen to the world’s least engaging podcast. Someone at WhatsApp must feel similarly given the platform has now added a way to transcribe the voice messages you receive. The feature is rolling out globally in the coming weeks, with more languages incoming.
Continue Reading.
Report: Amazon is likely to face an EU antitrust investigation next year
Did it promote its own products ahead of its competitors?
Amazon may face an EU antitrust investigation next year, with regulators curious if it promoted its own products at the expense of competitors. The continent has stringent rules around big tech platforms that act as both the marketplace and a player in the same space. If found to have given its own gear preferential treatment, the fines under the Digital Markets Act can be hefty.
Continue Reading.
The New York Times says OpenAI deleted evidence in its copyright lawsuit
OpenAI blamed a glitch.
The New York Times and OpenAI are battling it out in court, with the former accusing the latter of plagiarism. During the discovery phase, OpenAI created two virtual machines that the NYT’s lawyers could examine to gather evidence. But after 150 hours of research, some of that data was erased, which OpenAI blamed on a glitch.
Continue Reading.
Neuralink gets approval to start human trials in Canada
It’s the first country outside the US to approve trials.
Neuralink
Canada has given its blessing for Neuralink to conduct human trials of its brain implant in the country. The Elon Musk-owned company has already opened the door for would-be trialists to apply to be the first Canadian to receive the implant. It’s asking for volunteers with quadriplegia caused either by a spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Continue Reading.
Teach mode, Rabbit’s tool for automating R1 tasks, is now available to all users
Remember the Rabbit R1?
Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
The Rabbit R1 was a neat-looking pocketable AI doodad that sadly didn’t really do enough to justify buying one. Since it stumbled out of the gate, however, a raft of software updates has added many of the features initially promised at launch. The latest is Teach Mode, which lets users automate tasks on any website, which is nice.
Continue Reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121559120.html?src=rss
Black Friday is finally upon us, willing us to purchase some much-needed tech with some degree of a discount. Our Black Friday hub has been collecting the best deals available, so you can save a bundle in the run-up to the holidays. And while there have been some tasty deals in the last few days, the real blockbusters have now dropped.
That includes $75 off the PlayStation 5 Slim, with a decent chunk sliced off the price of a PS5 wireless DualSense controller. Sony has also knocked $100 from the price of its class-leading XM5 headphones, which you can snag for $298. Not to mention, you can grab the brand-new M4 Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage for $500.
There are plenty more where that came from, which is why we have the Black Friday hub. So go and get all the biggest and best deals without having to lift a finger.
— Dan Cooper
Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
News In Brief
Avowed preview: Classic Obsidian fantasy on a AAA budget
From the people who made Fallout: New Vegas.
Chemists have created the world’s thinnest spaghetti
Finally, science does something useful.
Threads will prioritize accounts you follow instead of randos
It’ll probably still feel like a haunted mall full of LinkedIn power users, though.
Australia introduces a bill to ban children under 16 from social media
With severe penalties for infringements.
Meta says it’s taken down 2 million accounts linked to ‘pig butchering’ scams
These scams are huge business.
Spotify drops a bunch of new tools for audiobooks, including a sleep timer
You can also make audiobook-specific playlists.
WhatsApp adds voice message transcripts
Oh, thank [your deity of choice].
Voice messages: You either love them or feel you’re being forced to listen to the world’s least engaging podcast. Someone at WhatsApp must feel similarly given the platform has now added a way to transcribe the voice messages you receive. The feature is rolling out globally in the coming weeks, with more languages incoming.
Report: Amazon is likely to face an EU antitrust investigation next year
Did it promote its own products ahead of its competitors?
Amazon may face an EU antitrust investigation next year, with regulators curious if it promoted its own products at the expense of competitors. The continent has stringent rules around big tech platforms that act as both the marketplace and a player in the same space. If found to have given its own gear preferential treatment, the fines under the Digital Markets Act can be hefty.
The New York Times says OpenAI deleted evidence in its copyright lawsuit
OpenAI blamed a glitch.
The New York Times and OpenAI are battling it out in court, with the former accusing the latter of plagiarism. During the discovery phase, OpenAI created two virtual machines that the NYT’s lawyers could examine to gather evidence. But after 150 hours of research, some of that data was erased, which OpenAI blamed on a glitch.
Neuralink gets approval to start human trials in Canada
It’s the first country outside the US to approve trials.
Canada has given its blessing for Neuralink to conduct human trials of its brain implant in the country. The Elon Musk-owned company has already opened the door for would-be trialists to apply to be the first Canadian to receive the implant. It’s asking for volunteers with quadriplegia caused either by a spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Teach mode, Rabbit’s tool for automating R1 tasks, is now available to all users
Remember the Rabbit R1?
The Rabbit R1 was a neat-looking pocketable AI doodad that sadly didn’t really do enough to justify buying one. Since it stumbled out of the gate, however, a raft of software updates has added many of the features initially promised at launch. The latest is Teach Mode, which lets users automate tasks on any website, which is nice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121559120.html?src=rss
Black Friday Dyson deals live: we’re hand-picking all the best vacuum and haircare deals
Black Friday Dyson deals are heating up, and we’re here live with all the biggest discounts and best buying advice.
(Image credit: Future)
With a week to go, this year’s Black Friday Dyson deals are already pouring in, with record-low prices on some of the best vacuums we’ve ever tried and tested. Plus, Dyson’s haircare and hair styling devices are starting to see price drops, meaning you can bag some serious savings across a range of desirable Dyson deals. We’re here hand-picking all the biggest savings as new deals launch, and offering our top tips so you buy the Dyson appliance that’s right for you.
Officially, Black Friday deals start November 29th, when we’re likely to see the biggest price drops on Dyson’s popular devices, however there are some mega deals already available on Amazon in the US, and plenty at the likes of John Lewis and Argos in the UK. Right up until the main event, we’ll be sharing top tips and deals on some of the best vacuum cleaners, best hair dryers, and best fans from Dyson.
Below, we’ve highlighted some of the best early Black Friday Dyson deals, which we expect will continue to ramp up in the coming weeks, along with a list of last year’s best deals for a taste of what to expect as the big day lumbers ever closer.
Today’s best Dyson deals (US)
Amazon: $150 off the Dyson V15 DetectBest Buy: save $100 on the Dyson SupersonicDyson: up to $250 off list prices direct from DysonHome Depot: savings on cordless stick vacuumsTarget: up to 20% off select Dyson vacuumsWalmart: big savings on a range of Dyson appliances
Today’s best Dyson deals (UK)
Amazon: no Dyson deals yet, but plenty of vacuum discountsAO: save over £150 off selected Dyson vacuumsArgos: get 20% off the Dyson V15 DetectCurrys: save £100 on the Dyson SupersonicJohn Lewis: £150 off the Dyson V8 AbsoluteMarks Electrical: deals on cordless, upright, and robot vacuumsVery: up to 30% off Dyson vacuums, heaters, and air purifiers
Early Black Friday Dyson deals: my top picks
US Black Friday Dyson deals
Record low – The Dyson V11 is perfect for pet owners as it features a detangling motor bar that works across hardwood floors and carpets. You can also transform it into a handheld vac for quick and convenient clean-ups.
While the Ball Animal 3 is one of Dyson’s more affordable models, it’s by no means an underachiever – and to see it drop below $300 is a real treat, and a repeat performance of last year’s excellent deal. It’s a little heavier than the cordless vacuums on this list and a bit more unwieldy, but it’s immensely powerful.
If you’re interested in a powerful, yet lightweight cordless vacuum from the popular brand Dyson, and while it’s not the lowest price we’ve ever seen, it’s perfect for pet owners. The Dyson V15’s illumination reveals invisible dust on hard floors and can transform into a handheld vac for quick and convenient clean-ups.
Amazon’s 2023 Black Friday deals included the top-rated Dyson V8 cordless vacuum on sale for $284.99 – the lowest-ever price. This year, it’s not yet dropped so low, but the current deal is still an excellent price. Perfect for pet owners, the Dyson V8 features a de-tangling motor bar that works across hardwood floors and carpets and can transform into a handheld vac for quick and convenient clean-ups.
Another great Black Friday deal at Walmart for those looking for a high-end cordless vac. It’s not the lowest price we’ve seen, but a solid discount. The Dyson V12 Detect Slim features surprisingly powerful suction for a cordless, and an intelligent sensor that can optimize power and battery life depending on the surface you’re vacuuming. A handy de-tangling motor bar makes short work of hair, while the built-in laser scanner illuminates hard-to-see dust. A cheap sucker, this is not, but we were impressed during our Dyson V12 Detect Slim review.
The Gen5detect vacuum cleaner was deemed Dyson’s best one yet by us in our list of best vacuum cleaners. This is $50 pricier than the lowest price we’ve seen, but still a solid deal. We were impressed by its powerful suction and laser features, highlighting dust that’s invisible to the eye which determined our 5 star rating.
This isn’t the lowest price we’ve ever seen on this fantastic air purifier, fan, and heater combination but it’s still a fantastic deal on a machine we scored 4.5-stars in our review.
While we only scored these straighteners three out of five stars in our Dyson Corrale review, this was largely due to the exorbitant list price, and the fact they are very heavy – but with this coupon for $99 off, some of thoes woes are mitigated. However, the Corrale offers supreme performance and some incredible feats of engineering to keep your tresses healthy.
UK Black Friday Dyson deals
Record low – There’s no two ways about it, this is still a pricey device, but we have yet to see this top-of-the-range vacuum drop any lower than this record-low deal. In our review, we gave this sucker four out of five stars, commending its battery life and excellent performance. Its main drawback is the hefty price tag, which is a little more passable with this £250 discount.
Powerful yet lightweight, this is an excellent deal on an excellent vacuum. While £500 is still pretty pricey, it’s a fantastic device for pet owners and anyone who needs to pack a punch with their vacuum. The Dyson V15’s illumination reveals invisible dust on hard floors and can transform into a handheld vac for quick and convenient clean-ups.
Our Dyson Supersonic review called this the ‘best hair dryer on the market’ for its quirky design and impressive performance. The main issue? The price. It’s unusual to see substantial savings on a brand-new Supersonic, so £80 is nothing to sniff at.
Huge discount: We described this as a superb fan heater and awarded it 4.5 stars in our review, and now it’s at the lowest price we’ve seen since way way back in 2017 ($239.99). This is an incredible deal on a modern-looking and quick-performing fan and heater, flipping between the heating and cooling modes at the push of a button.
Welcome to our Black Friday Dyson deals coverage! Today, I’ll be sharing all the best Dyson deals from across US and UK retailers as well as top tips from our home appliance experts on how to get the most bang for your buck.
Stay tuned, because the deals are heating up!
(Image credit: Dyson / Future)
We think the Gen5detect is one of the best vacuums available right now, impressing our reviewer with its fantastic suction and smart laser features which highlight dust that’s invisible to the eye, earning it a 5-star rating.
Dyson’s powerful Gen5detect cordless vacuum cleaner has plummeted to its record-low price in the UK, and it’s seen a decent discount in the US too:
🇬🇧: was £849 now £599 at John Lewis
🇺🇸: was $949.99 now $805 at Amazon
Is Black Friday the best time to buy Dyson products?
Generally speaking, yes. Dyson products are characterized not only by their quality, but also by the lofty price tag, and the fact there are rarely significant discounts. Luckily, you’ve got a week until the deals officially launch, so there’s time to mull over your options.
While we’ll sometimes see small price drops during other major sales, Black Friday is often the only sales event during which we’ll see discounts of any great significance.It’s worth highlighting, however, that truly great deals on certain devices like the Airwrap are especially few and far between.
Sometimes, even if a deal isn’t as good as one we’ve seen previously, it’s worth snagging an Airwrap if you’ve had it on your list for a few years.
(Image credit: Dyson / Future)
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is already one of the more affordable models on offer in the brand’s wide range of vacuums, but still offers much the same high-performance as we’d expect from its more premium, cordless models.
By proxy of being corded and higher-capacity, it’s a little heavier, and in our review we did find it was slightly harder to maneuver – but it makes up for this in the power department.
Dyson Ball Animal 3: was $399.99 now $299.99 at Amazon
Can’t uninstall or update your Microsoft Store apps? Weird Windows 10 bug has just been fixed, thankfully
Ever had Windows 10 insist that you can’t remove an app? This has happened to some people, but fortunately, there’s a fix.
Microsoft Store apps can’t be updated or uninstalled due to a bugThankfully Microsoft has now fixed the problem related to WinAppSDKThe cure is in a Windows 10 optional update, so you may want to wait
Some Windows 10 users have been experiencing an odd bug with the operating system having problems running updates for apps from the Microsoft Store – but this issue has now been sorted.
Neowin reports that Windows 10 22H2 had a bug which meant that in some cases, apps from the Microsoft Store couldn’t be updated – or uninstalled, either – but a resolution for this has now been applied (as of November 21).
Microsoft explains that this wasn’t an issue with Windows 10 itself, but rather with the latest version of WinAppSDK. Those who received version 1.6.2, on November 12, or later – which may have been installed by an app that requires WinAppSDK, as it’ll pull down the latest version – may have been hit by the bug.
Those who’ve seen the issue will have noticed that updates fail with an unhelpful error message (‘Something happened on our end’) displayed in the downloads panel of the Microsoft Store.
Microsoft clarified that “this issue is not caused by a Windows security or preview monthly update,” while informing users that the fix for this is in the new Windows 10 update, KB5046714, which has just been released.
(Image credit: Worawee Meepian / Shutterstock)
Analysis: Something happened… or not
Note that KB5046714 is an optional update for Windows 10, so it could have some bugs itself. If you’re worried about installing a preview release, you can always wait for the full version of the patch, which will be here next month (on December 10, to be precise).
Still, in this case, if you’re hit by the Microsoft Store bug and you aren’t getting any updates for your software from the store, grabbing the optional patch may be worth the risk (find it under Windows Updates, as ever).
Elsewhere, KB5046714 provides some other fixes for issues including a bug where dragging and dropping a file from a cloud provider’s folder (like OneDrive) may result in that file being moved over, rather than copied as it should be by default. Also, there’s an important solution for a problem where Windows 10 fails to activate after the PC’s motherboard has been replaced.
While you’re fixing bugs, Microsoft, you might want to do a bit of tweaking to that error message as well: ‘Something happened on our end’ is not very useful, and indeed nonsensical, really. The problem here being an update failing to apply, so in fact, the correct message should be ‘Something didn’t happen on our end,’ namely the app patch that should’ve gone through. Or ‘Nothing happened on our end,’ perhaps?
How about a simple rewording to ‘Something went wrong on our end’ – that fits better, right, Microsoft? That’s this month’s visit to ‘Pedantry Corner’ over, stay tuned for December’s ever-so-thrilling nitpicking observation.
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The end of Google Fit? Fitbit looks set to replace it on future Android phones – and bring its AI coach with it
Fitbit is now showing up on non-Pixel Android phones in place of the Google Fit app.
Fitbit has replaced Google Fit on the Oppo Find X8 seriesIt’s a first for a non-Pixel Google handsetThis could be the norm for Android phones from here
The end is nigh for the Google Fit app on Android phones, it would seem: It looks as though the Fitbit app is going to replace it on these devices going forward, with Google making the most of its 2021 acquisition of the fitness company.
As spotted by 9to5Google, the newly-unveiled Oppo Find X8 comes with Fitbit installed rather than Google Fit. It’s the first time we’ve seen that on a non-Google Android phone, and could well be the norm in the future.
If you’ve bought one of the Google Pixel 9 phones you’ll notice Fitbit has replaced Google Fit here as well. If it’s happening on handsets made by Google’s manufacturing partners as well, the transition from one app to the other is just about complete.
Should you have a lot of data already in Google Fit, Google’s Health Connect service can sync it to Fitbit, if needed: Tap Profile then the gear icon in the Google Fit app to set this up. You can also export your Google Fit data from inside the app by tapping your Google account avatar (top right), then Fit data and privacy.
Fitbit (and AI) is the future
The Pixel Watch 3 is Fitbit-focused (Image credit: Future)
While it’s disappointing to see yet another Google app killed off, Google does at least seem to be investing in new features and upgrades for the Fitbit app – even if it did recently abandon the web interface for your Fitbit data.
Google has previously announced an AI health coach that’s now in testing and is likely to soon make an appearance in the Fitbit app proper. It’s not clear when everyone will get it, but it could show up before the end of the year.
The Gemini-powered feature can answer questions about your health and give you personalized insights into your activity patterns and workouts. We’ll have to wait until we can test it out for ourselves to see just how accurate it is.
In recent weeks we’ve also heard that an AI-driven Sleep Journal is also on the way for the Fitbit app, which will give you detailed feedback on your sleep health and ways in which you might try and improve it. Whether or not these extras will be exclusive to Fitbit Premium subscribers remains to be seen.
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Rocket Report: Next Vulcan launch slips into 2025; Starship gets a green light
“Constellation companies and government satellite operators are desperate.”
Welcome to Edition 7.20 of the Rocket Report! This is a super-long version of the newsletter because we did not publish last week, and there is just a ton of launch news of late. Also, I want to note that next week’s report will appear a day early, on Wednesday, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Speaking of which, you all have our thanks for reading and sharing the Rocket Report with others.
On a completely unrelated note, Rocket Lab has had some amazing mission names over the years. But this weekend’s “Ice AIS Baby” launch is probably the best. I always appreciate their effort to find non-vanilla names and find a way to stop, collaborate, and listen.
Please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.
Acer Swift Go 14 AI Review: Long-running Copilot Plus PC That’s Short on Style
This Snapdragon X-powered laptop can run all day, but its overall look might put you to sleep.
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How to Play Baldur’s Gate 3 and More on Your Phone With Xbox Game Pass
You need to be a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber to use this feature.
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Trump’s Next Online Speech Cop + Doctors vs. ChatGPT + Hard Fork Crimes Division
“I feel very strongly that the First Amendment is under the most direct threat that any of us will ever really experience.”
“I feel very strongly that the First Amendment is under the most direct threat that any of us will ever really experience.”