Framework Computer raised DDR5 memory prices for its Laptop DIY Editions by 50% due to industry-wide memory shortages. Phoronix reports: Framework Computer is keeping the prior prices for existing pre-orders and also is foregoing any price changes for their pre-built laptops or the Framework Desktop. Framework Computer also lets you order DIY laptops without any memory at all if so desired for re-using existing modules or should you score a deal elsewhere.
Due to their memory pricing said to be more competitive below market rates, they also adjusted their return policy to prevent scalpers from purchasing DIY Edition laptops with memory while then returning just the laptops. The DDR5 must be returned now with DIY laptop order returns. Additional details can be found via the Framework Blog.
Philips Hue is one of the most well-respected and popular brands in smart lights—but what about its smart security cameras? Parent company Signify has been developing Hue cameras for a couple of years now, with a video doorbell and 2K camera upgrades recently added to the portfolio of devices. (Note: This 2K version hasn't yet landed in the U.S., but the existing 1080p versions are quite similar.)
I got a chance to test out the new 2K Hue Secure camera, and alongside all the basics of a camera like this, it came with an extra bonus that worked better than I expected: seamless integration with Philips Hue lights. These two product categories actually work better together than you might think.
While you can certainly connect cameras and lights across a variety of smart home platforms, Philips Hue is one of very few manufacturers making both types of device (TP-Link is another). That gives you a simplicity and interoperability you don't really get elsewhere.
Setting up a Hue camera
All the basic security camera features are covered.Credit: Lifehacker
Hue cameras are controlled inside the same Hue app for Android or iOS as the Hue lights. You don't necessarily need a Hue Bridge to connect the camera, too, as it can link to your wifi directly, but the Bridge is required if you want it to be able to sync with your lights—which is one of the key features here. (If you already have the lights, you'll already have the Bridge anyway.)
The 2K Hue Secure wired camera I've been testing comes with a 2K video resolution (as the name suggests). two-way audio, a built-in siren, infrared night vision, and weatherproofing (so you can use it indoors or out). As well as the wired version I've got here, there's also a battery-powered option, and a model that comes with a desktop stand.
Once configured, the camera lives in the same Home tab inside the mobile app as any Philips Hue lights you've got. The main panel doesn't show the camera feed—instead, it shows the armed status of the camera, which can be configured separately depending on whether you're at home or not. The idea is that you don't get disturbed with a flurry of unnecessary notifications when you're moving around.
The basic functionality is the same as every other security camera: Motion is detected and you get a ping to your phone with details, with a saved clip of the event that stays available for 24 hours. You can also tap into the live feed from the camera at any time, should you want to check in on the pets or the backyard.
As is often the case with security cameras, there is an optional subscription plan that gives you long-term video clip storage, activity zone settings, and AI-powered identification of people, animals, vehicles, and packages. That will set you back from $4 a month, with a discount if you pay for a year at a time.
Syncing a camera with smart lights
Your cameras can be used as customized triggers for your lights.Credit: Lifehacker
I started off a little unsure about just how useful it would be to connect up the Hue cameras and Hue lights—it's not a combination that gets talked about much—but it's surprisingly useful. If you delve into the camera settings inside the Hue app, there's a Trigger lights section especially for this.
You get to choose which of your lights are affected—they don't all have to go on and off together—and there are customizations for color and brightness across certain time schedules. You could have your bulbs glowing red during the night, for example, or turning bright blue during the daytime. The duration the lights stay on for can also be set.
It's not the most sophisticated system, but it works: If someone is loitering around your property, you can have a selected number of lights turn on to put them off, or to suggest that someone is in fact at home. This is in addition to everything else you can do, including sounding a siren through the camera, and because it works through the Hue Bridge it all happens pretty much instantaneously.
You can also set specific cameras as basic motion sensors for you and your family—lighting up the way to the bathroom late at night, for example. This can work even when the system is disarmed, so there's no wifi video streaming happening, but the cameras are still watching out for movement and responding accordingly.
There's one more option worth mentioning in the security settings in the Hue app: "mimic presence." This can randomly turn your lights on and off at certain points in the day, and the schedule you choose can be controlled by whether or not your Hue security is armed or disarmed (so nothing happens when everyone is at home).
When I hear that a smartwatch company is launching a ring, I assume it’s going to be a smart ring. But Pebble went a different direction, instead creating what’s basically a remote microphone that can work with your phone and other devices. It's available for pre-order for $75, and will sell for $99 after launch.
Pebble’s new ring is called the Index 01. It’s got a button you can click and hold, and a microphone that will listen to what you’re saying as you hold the button. The recording is then sent to your phone, where it’s processed on-device. That's it—no heart rate sensor, and no charging dock.
The Index 01's specs and functionality
Eric Migicovsky, Pebble’s founder, describes using the Index to capture short messages and send instructions to his Pebble watch via his phone. The idea is that you wear the Index on your index finger (get it?) and press the button with your thumb. The ring comes in three colors: matte black with a black button, polished gold with a blue button, and silver with a white button.
There is no battery to charge, just a built-in battery that lasts a total of 12 to 15 hours. Migicovsky writes: “On average, I use it 10-20 times per day to record 3-6 second thoughts. That’s up to 2 years of usage.”
The ring doesn’t have a speaker and can’t vibrate for notifications; it’s just for input. Communication between the ring and your phone is encrypted, and the voice recordings are processed into text on your phone, without requiring an internet connection. The ring doesn’t talk directly to a Pebble watch, but it can talk to your phone and your phone can then display any output to the watch—for example, displaying the text of a reminder that you set.
Who should buy an Index 01 ring?
So far, Pebble users don’t seem to be nearly as excited about this product as Migicovsky is. A Reddit thread discussing the announcement has comments like “Cool idea, weird product,” and “Why would I want this if I already have a Pebble that has all the capability to take voice notes?”
Migicovsky explains in the company’s blog post that his goal was for the button to be operated with one hand, and gestures on the Pebble weren’t reliable enough. He also emphasizes the fact you don’t need to charge it, while some of the users seem to be more concerned that a device that can't be charged is basically disposable—"manufactured e-waste."
After about two years of use (or less, if you make longer recordings), the app will ask if you’d like to order another ring. The ring will cost $75 to pre-order, and $99 at its regular price. There hasn’t been any mention of a discounted rate for a replacement; it sounds like you’re supposed to buy a new $99 ring every two years.
The ring’s functionality could be extended in the future. A double click-and-hold could signal the Pebble app to process the data in a different way (perhaps sending it to ChatGPT, Migicovsky suggests) and developers could connect the voice processing in the app to other services like calendar and weather apps.
"Researchers engineered a strained germanium layer on silicon that allows charge to move faster than in any silicon-compatible material to date," reports Science Daily. "This record mobility could lead to chips that run cooler, faster, and with dramatically lower energy consumption.
"The discovery also enhances the prospects for silicon-based quantum devices..."
Scientists from the University of Warwick and the National Research Council of Canada have reported the highest "hole mobility" ever measured in a material that works within today's silicon-based semiconductor manufacturing.... The researchers created a nanometer-thin germanium epilayer on silicon that is placed under compressive strain. This engineered structure enables electric charge to move faster than in any previously known silicon-compatible material...
The findings establish a promising new route for ultra-fast, low-power semiconductor components. Potential uses include quantum information systems, spin qubits, cryogenic controllers for quantum processors, AI accelerators, and energy-efficient servers designed to reduce cooling demands in data centers. This achievement also represents a significant accomplishment for Warwick's Semiconductors Research Group and highlights the UK's growing influence in advanced semiconductor materials research.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Bose's QuietComfort Headphones are among the best noise-cancelling over-ear headphones you can buy today. They may be a couple of years old at this point, but they're still competitive, and now there's a Cyber Monday 2025 deal that's bringing them to more than half off. That's a fantastic deal on a really good product, and if you're in the market for over-ear noise cancelling headphones, you should definitely consider it.
In Amazon's Cyber Monday 2025 sale, the Bose QuietComfort Headphones are down to $159.99 (54% off) in black. The best thing about these headphones are the color choices it's available in, and the good news is that multiple color variants are going at $179.99 (50% off). That's still a decent savings, even if it's not quite as high as what you'd save on the more boring color.
PCMag's review gave this product a 4/5, praising it for its controls, sound quality, and noise cancellation. This product misses out on support for newer Bluetooth codecs, unlike the pricier Bose QuietComfort Ultra ($399, 11% off). The older product doesn't charge as fast as the QC Ultra either, but it will still sound great. The review calls out the price for being a bit too high, but this Cyber Monday Sale rectifies that. You can now get the QuietComfort headphones for $239 less than the QuietComfort Ultra.
I recently tried the QuietComfort headphones in-person, and I was impressed by the build quality and how light they felt on my head. The noise cancellation was also great.
These types of headphones serve a dual purpose in my life. They cut out external noise during long flights, and they also keep my ears warm when I'm in windy places in the winter (looking at you, Scotland!). If you're not sure which over-ear headphones to get this Cyber Monday, look no further than the Bose QuietComfort ones.
How long do Cyber Monday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. Expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Even after the release of the Pixel 10 series, the budget-oriented Pixel 9a is still the best Google phone for most people. That's according to Lifehacker's Associate Tech Editor Michelle Ehrhardt . And I agree. I’ve used the Pixel 9a as my secondary phone for months now. For Cyber Monday, Amazon is discounting the Pixel 9a to just $349. That’s $150 off the original price, and it’s the lowest price we’ve seen yet.
Instead, what you have here is a solid little dependable smartphone. It’s still got the same Tensor G4 processor as the regular Pixel 9, and you still get a 120Hz refresh rate display with the latest Android 16 OS. This thing is still as fast and smooth as the day it was launched. There’s 8GB RAM, which is enough to run some Gemini tasks locally, and fast enough for day to day use. At 5,100 mAh, it has quite a large battery backup as well. Not to mention Google's new 7-year software update promise, which also applies to the 9a.
Because it uses smaller and older sensors, the camera is admittedly just okay. Don’t expect Pixel Pro level photos here. But for regular, everyday use, the camera will be more than adequate.
The Pixel 9a has everything that a regular user would want from a smartphone, and could be a perfect gift for your parents or grandparents this holiday season. As Michelle puts it in her review, “But outside of being a good A-series phone, I also think it’s just a plain good phone.“
How long do Cyber Monday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. Expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Are Cyber Monday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Cyber Monday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
What stores have the best sales on Cyber Monday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Cyber Monday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Bose is known for its warm, bass-y sound quality, and this Black Friday has some great deals to bring that signature soundscape into your home. The Bose SoundLink Revolve+ (Series II) is available at 40% off during Amazon's Black Friday 2025 sale, and it's a really good product at that price. I have the original SoundLink Revolve speaker, and I love its minimalist looks, how small it is, and how easily it slots into any corner of my room. I don't always like speakers that have a flashy design, so this Bose product is great for me.
With the Revolve+, Bose has kept the same design language as the original, but now there's a convenient strap for you to pick it up and carry it around, making it even more portable. The sound quality is pretty good for the price, too, and you can actually link two of these speakers together to create an easy stereo setup. If you're looking for a fuss-free Bluetooth speaker with good sound quality, the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ is a great choice.
My only major complaint is that it still uses an ancient micro-USB port for charging, which is a big oversight from Bose. Fortunately, you can rectify that annoyance by buying the Bose SoundLink Revolve charging cradle ($30). With that, you can drop the speaker on the cradle to charge it, which is a lot easier than fiddling with a micro-USB cable.
I'll also say that, being smaller, this isn't the best product if you want the loudest speaker on the market. You'd probably want to go towards Bose's SoundLink Max for that (but good news: it's also on sale). Instead, this is a great speaker for those who live in compact spaces and want something that can play relaxing, bass-y music just loud enough to fill the room they're in. Or, if you have two of them, they also work well for movies. Note that the Revolve+ also has an aux port, which means that you can use it as a wired speaker with your laptop or PC.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, the distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Anker is mostly known for its external batteries, but it also makes some fun iPhone accessories, and one of those is the Anker Prime 3-in-1 wireless charging station. It's a convenient way to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods wirelessly and all at once. This Anker Prime charging station is among the most expensive of its kind, but I also think that it's the best one you can buy. With this year's Black Friday deals, it's finally more affordable, making it a great time to snag one.
The Anker Prime is down to $150 this Black Friday, which is a cool $80 off the list price, and the lowest price it's ever had. While you can still find lots alternatives for around $50-$100, this product has plenty of reasons to splurge on it. Aside from conveniently charging all your Apple devices at once, it supports fast 25W wireless charging, has a fan for active cooling to protect the battery, and it has a tiny screen on the front that lets you switch charging modes, check how much power each device is drawing, and see what your charging temperatures look like.
As for why 25W charging is worth it, while wireless charging is generally a lot slower than wired charging, that's starting to change. You can now charge your iPhone 16 or 17 series devices at 25W wirelessly, up from 15W for previous models. This means that your iPhone will charge a lot faster with a compatible fast wireless charger, and the Anker Prime is one of the few multi-device charging stations to support 25W fast charging for your iPhone. It can also fast charge your Apple Watch Series 7 or newer device and Apple Watch Ultra. If you have an Apple Watch SE or an older Series model, the charging speeds will be slower.
It's worth noting that you need AirPods with a wireless charging case if you want to use them with the Anker Prime. Also, remember that the iPhone 16e does not have support for wireless charging, so it's not compatible with this product. And while you also theoretically may be use the Anker Prime to charge your Android phone or other devices that support wireless charging, Anker doesn't recommend doing so, as this product has been designed specifically for Apple products.
My biggest worry with these products is overheating and fan noise. Thanks to active cooling, the charging station will keep your iPhone's temperatures in check. And while the fan will kick in while fast charging, that won't be a problem during a slow overnight charge.
Does Apple do Black Friday?
Yes, Apple participates in Black Friday, though you may want to compare their sales with other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart. Apple is offering an exclusive $250 gift card for eligible purchases, but so far, the best Black Friday sale on an Apple product is the M4 MacBook on sale for cheaper than ever.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
In the olden days, you had games you played on the big screen, and games you played on a little screen. The former (console or PC games), could be massive undertakings, with impressive graphics and lengthy gameplay, while the latter (handheld games), were often smaller in scope to accommodate the more limited hardware.
The Nintendo Switch flipped the script: Now, the console was the handheld, and vice versa. All games, big and small, were meant to be played either on your TV or on the Switch's built-in display. While Nintendo cornered this dual market in the early days, other hybrid handhelds have since arrived, like the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and Asus ROG Ally.
Sony's PlayStation Portal let's you do the same for your PS5 games, (with one very large caveat). Still, if you want a chance to play full PlayStation games on a handheld, consider picking one up this week, as the Portal is currently on sale for Black Friday.
The PlayStation Portal essentially places an eight-inch LCD screen in the middle of a PS5 controller. As such, you'll find the feel of the Portal to be similar to that of the DualSense controller, down to key features like haptics feedback and adaptive triggers. The device is able to play PS4 and PS5 games at 1080p up to 60fps. If you're used to 4K 120fps on your PS5 Pro, that might feel like a compromise, but at this screen size, it should be good enough for most players.
The Portal typically costs $199.99, but ahead of Black Friday, you can pick one up for $178.99. That small discount makes this the lowest price I've ever seen for this handheld, at least when buying it new. (You can save another $28 at GameStop buying it refurbished.)
If you're new to the Portal, you might be wondering why a device that can play PS5 games on the go is even as low as $200 at full price. The original Switch still retails for more than $300, so what gives? The answer lies in the PlayStation Portal's biggest compromise. While the build quality is right up there with these other handhelds, the Portal doesn't actually run PS5 games on-device. Instead, the Portal simply streams the gameplay from your PS5 over wifi. As such, you'll need a PS5 to use this device, bringing up the total investment considerably.
While you can't play your PS5 games without an internet connection, the Portal can still be relatively versatile. As long as it's paired with your PS5, and that PS5 is actively connected to the internet, you can use your Portal anywhere you have a stable internet connection. Ideally, Sony would make a dedicated handheld like other companies. For now, the Portal is the best option for PlayStation fans looking to break away from their TVs.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers that can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors' picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
There's an awful lot to like about the Google TV Streamer, especially when it's back down to its lowest price for Black Friday. You can now pick this versatile, reliable streaming box for $74.99 on Amazon, down from its original price of $99.99.
Lifehacker's review of the device highlights the smoothness of the user interface, the wealth of onboard storage, the bonus of having an Ethernet port (for steady internet access), and the benefits of the improved remote control—which you can actually make sound an alarm if you lose it. (Invaluable!)
I've been using and loving Google TV for years, and the Google Streamer is a great way to access it. I like its broad support for multiple streaming apps, and the way it combines all those apps together—making it easy to see what you're currently watching. You can add to your watchlist from all across Google apps and services too, including Google Search.
The streaming box and its associated remote are available in either Porcelain or Haze, so you can pick whichever matches your personal taste and internal decor. This 25% Black Friday discount may not last, so if you're interested, I'd recommend getting this bought as soon as possible.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
A look at why identity security is failing in the age of deepfakes and AI-driven attacks, and how biometrics, MFA, PAD, and high-assurance verification must evolve to deliver true, phishing-resistant authentication.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
I have a confession. In the 10 years I've owned my current car, I've never used the cigarette lighter port. The car came with a single USB-A port, so I've happily just used that to charge my phone instead. About a year ago, though, I got rid of all my USB-A cables, so now I don't have a way to charge my phone when I'm in my car. That's why I've been looking at finally putting that cigarette lighter port to good use, which is when I came across this excellent Black Friday deal on a Ugreen 130W car charger, which is currently going at 44% off.
I've owned and used a multi-port wall adapter by Ugreen for a couple of years, and it's been working great in my house. The brand has earned my trust, and the car charger listed here also has great reviews on Amazon. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A, and it supports up to 100W of output on one of those USB-C ports. That's good enough to charge laptops, iPads, and of course, your phones. In case you're wondering about the charger's other two ports, the USB-A port supports 22.5W output and the second USB-C port supports up to 30W.
This charger also gives you the option to let multiple people charge their devices quickly when needed. Ugreen has bundled a 3.3-ft USB-C charging cable in the box, which makes it easy for rear seat passengers to charge their devices, too. When you plug it in, the charger's blue LED ring lights up, which also makes it easy to locate the ports at night. The charger has cooling vents on the back to help improve heat dissipation, too. It's a good product at a great price, which is why I'm about to click that buy button.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
During the pandemic, I was struggling. After graduating from college in 2019, I had an amazing job offer fall through because of the lockdown. I felt completely rudderless at a time when I thought I had it all figured out. Since we were all stuck inside together for months, there was no hiding my internal distress from my family.
Fortunately, my parents recognized this even more than I did. That year, they gave me a gift that pulled me out of that pit, reignited my passion for creating, and set the journey in motion that led me to my career today as a professional creator and video producer. That gift was the Cricut Explore, and this device literally changed my life.
What is the Cricut Explore?
For those of you who don’t know, Cricut Explore machines let you design and cut tons of materials like vinyl, cardstock, iron-on, and even leather into custom patterns that you can use for shirts, hats, or any other DIY projects that you might have in mind.
Able to work with over 100 materials, the Cricut Explore line allows you to create almost anything you want on demand in a user-friendly, inexpensive way. The cost-effective aspect was huge for me, as I had almost zero money to my name and all the time in the world to learn. Since the Cricut Explore works via Bluetooth or USB, I was able to create custom items on request for people, featuring specialized materials and designs that would normally take weeks or months to complete.
The Cricut took on a pivotal role in my creative process. It led to the creation of XtarBoy Apparel, my custom apparel company, which would eventually support me throughout the entire pandemic. I made custom shirts for yoga studios, limited-run apparel and merch for micro-influencers, and even inked my first sponsorship deal for a motorsport racing team in San Diego.
The Cricut also introduced me to an important business mentor in my life. As I was trying to get XtarBoy off the ground, I had quietly taken on a job at a local auto-tinting place in San Diego, and the owner took a liking to what I was working on. He would request custom shop merch and team gear, and was one of the biggest supporters of my side project when I had almost zero faith in myself. He even set aside a corner of the shop for the Cricut, so I could print things for customers whenever I had one, and let me use the shop as a storefront for all my designs. Later, the gifting came full circle when my mom released her first book series, as I was able to help her with promotion and marketing by making custom merch to pair with the book.
Gifts can have lasting value
Sometimes we take the gifts we receive for granted. There can be an expectation that they should be the newest device, the latest collab, or the most expensive item in order to be considered a “good gift.” But for me, the greatest gift I got wasn’t just the Cricut itself, but the opportunities and experiences it opened up for me to create, take risks, and challenge myself in a new and exciting way. And at the core, that’s what a holiday with heart truly represents.
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Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
The base Amazon Kindle is one of the cheapest ebook readers that you can buy right now. Even better, the 2024 version was updated with a new screen, and a trendy new "matcha" color option.
Currently, you can get the base Kindle 16GB model with Lockscreen Ads for $79.99. That’s a $30 discount off the usual price of $109.99. The model without Lockscreen Ads is also discounted to $99.99 (down from $129.99). This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the base Kindle, ever. That makes this pretty tempting, since because the Kindle is already one of the cheapest e-readers out there, it doesn’t go on sale that often.
The 2024 Kindle comes with a 6-inch e-Ink display with 16GB storage and a screen with 94 nits of brightness (25% brighter than before). The new updated screen with 300 PPI pixel density is also now as bright as the Kindle Paperwhite, which retails for $159.99 (and is currently discounted to $124). There’s also an updated processor that promises faster page turns. It still offers the same 6-week long battery life, too. The Kindle measures 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.32 inches (HWD) and weighs 157 grams. The device has a USB-C port for charging and manually transferring books and files. The 16GB storage should be good for thousands of books.
The Amazon Kindle comes with the standard Kindle software, where ebooks bought using Amazon will show up automatically on your device. You can also use Amazon’s Send to Kindle feature to wirelessly transfer your own books to the Kindle. There’s also Goodreads integration and a recommendation engine to help you discover more books to read.
In PCMag's review, the Amazon Kindle (2024) received a 3.5-star “Good” rating. PCMag noted that “We like its small size and consistent lighting, and even though it isn't as fast as the Paperwhite, it works perfectly well.”
If you have the extra $70 to spend, you can also consider the Kindle Paperwhite, which comes with a bigger screen, faster page turns, a waterproof body, a longer battery life, and the option for warm backlighting.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Cyber Monday Deals Right Now
At 22, I moved over 9,500 miles from my hometown of Ushuaia, Argentina—the southernmost city in the world—to Sweden to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science. Mid-way through my studies, I learned my mom had cancer and would have to go through treatment. With her birthday coming up, I knew I needed to visit home. What I didn't know was that a spontaneous purchase during an airport layover would lead to lasting memories.
My itinerary had three connections each way. While on a layover in Rome, I spotted a small, white box in a tech store: an Instax Mini Link printer. My scientist brain screamed "no" at an impulse buy, but my heart, which had already booked a transcontinental flight, made the decision, and I bought it. The idea of capturing a moment and immediately holding it felt like an antidote to the digital distance I’d been feeling. After all, the best camera is the one you have with you, and for most of us, that’s our phone.
An amazing weekend
After 24 hours in the sky, knocking on my parents’ door felt surreal. We all burst into joyful tears, and for the next 48 hours, our agenda was packed: birthday party preparations, driving around town, and signing up for a local 3K race.
The author and his mother at a race.Credit: Gérman Ceballos
That weekend became one of the most emotional of my life. And through it all, that little printer became my partner in crime. Without telling my mom, I just kept taking and printing pictures of every single moment together.
At her birthday party, I gave her the stack of photos. The printer wasn’t just a gadget, it was a tool for connection. In an age where our memories live on servers and are viewed through the cold glow of a screen, those small, tangible photos were a priceless gift. They were physical proof of our time together, something she could hold in her hand, put on her nightstand, or carry in her wallet.
That tiny printer taught me a powerful lesson: The value of a photograph is in its presence. That pocket-sized printer transformed digital moments into lasting, physical artifacts, leaving behind not just files, but living memories. It was some of the best money I’ve ever spent, and if you're looking for a way to make memories with loved ones, consider packing this printer in your travel bag so you can turn photos you're already taking on your phone into keepsakes you'll continue to cherish.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors' picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Earlier this year I reviewed the Microsoft Surface Pro 12, and it was and remains absolutely the best Windows 2-in-1 I've had the pleasure to use. For Black Friday, it's also now cheaper than it's ever been over at Amazon. You can pick it up for $899.99, $500 off the original price of $1,399.99.
That's a drop of around 36%, which should free up some cash for the keyboard attachment, which is sold separately and is fairly essential if you want to use this thing like a laptop. With both, you'll have a Windows 11 device that can go anywhere and do anything (and the keyboard doubles as a protective cover, too).
What makes the Microsoft Surface Pro 12 so good? It has a gorgeous screen, it's solidly constructed, and it switches effortlessly between tablet and laptop modes. You can be creating digital artwork one minute and editing spreadsheets the next. Few devices give you this much flexibility, Windows-based or otherwise.
The model I've highlighted here includes a Snapdragon X Elite processor, 16GB RAM, and 256GB of storage, which is more than enough to tackle the majority of computing tasks. As long as you're not wanting to play the latest top-tier games or crunch through some serious video encoding, the Surface Pro 12 will serve you very well indeed.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Black Friday Deals Right Now
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors' picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
With Black Friday fast approaching, I'm here to tell you Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is cheaper than ever—now just $299.99 on Amazon (almost a third off the original price of $429.99). That's a lot of laptop in return for relatively little outlay, and there won't be many better value deals on offer this week.
I've recently written about the reasons why I often prefer picking up my Chromebook rather than firing up my Windows 11 or macOS computers: These ChromeOS machines are lightweight, fast, bloat-free, and always online. Everything you do on them is instantly saved to the cloud, making it easy to sync your work across computers.
Sure, you can of course install Google Chrome on a Microsoft or Apple laptop and then get ChromeOS plus all the extras—but a lot of the time, I don't really need those extras. All I want is a fast window on the web, without background programs or software updates or any other distractions getting in the way.
This 15.6-inch Acer laptop meets the Chromebook Plus standard for a superior ChromeOS experience, and you even get a year of Google AI Pro (normally $20 a month) included for free. If you weren't aware, Chromebooks can also run Android apps, which means there's even more you can do with this portable computer.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Lenovo is stockpiling memory and other critical components to navigate a supply crunch brought on by the boom in artificial intelligence. The world's biggest PC maker is holding on to component inventories that are roughly 50% higher than usual, Chief Financial Officer Winston Cheng told Bloomberg TV on Monday. The frenzy to build and fill AI data centers with advanced hardware is raising prices for producers of consumer electronics, but Lenovo also sees opportunity in this to capitalize on its stockpile.
"The price is going very, very high, of course, and I think it's been unprecedented in terms of this rate driven by the AI demand," Cheng said. His company has long-term contracts in place and the benefit of scale, he added, and "those that have the supply actually would be able to have a position in the market." Beijing-based Lenovo will aim to avoid passing on rising costs to its customers in the current quarter, as it wants to sustain this year's strong sales growth, according to the CFO. He said the company will strike a balance between price and availability in 2026. Lenovo said last week that it has enough memory chips for all of 2026 and it can navigate any shortages better than its competitors.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
I'm historically a Nintendo guy. My first consoles were Game Boys; my first games starred Zelda and Link, and I was one of the few die-hard Wii U advocates. (There were dozens of us! Dozens!) But as much as Nintendo will forever be my go-to platform, I'll admit, some of my favorite recent gaming experiences have been on PlayStation. The Last of Us blew me away; Astro Bot was everything I would have wanted Super Mario Galaxy 3 to be; and, frankly, it's fantastic to have a device ready to play DVDs and Blu-Rays whenever I want to watch something on disc.
All that to say, if you're still thinking about picking up a PlayStation 5 for yourself, I'd highly encourage you to do so. I would have no reservations recommending the console at full price, but when you can pick it up at a sizable discount, all the better. Right now, stores like Amazon are selling the PS5 Slim Digital Edition for $399, $100.99 off the MSRP of $499.99. While that doesn't make this the lowest price the PS5 has ever reached, it's still a great price for what you get.
The Digital Edition PS5 Slim comes with one DualSense Wireless Controller, a 1TB SSD, and a copy of Astro's Playroom. While the latter is only a demo of the PS5 hardware and DualSense controller, it's a fun experience in its own right, and, if you like it, please pick up Astro Bot as soon as you can. Speaking of games, however, this is the Digital Edition of the PS5. That means you'll need to buy digital copies of all your games—unless you buy a disc drive for an extra $79. I wouldn't recommend that path, however, seeing as you can snag the PS5 Disc Edition for a $449 right now, just an extra $50 over the Digital Edition. If you think you're going to want to buy your games on disc, which can be helpful with both resale and buying used games, buy the Disc Edition over the disc drive. But if you want to spend as little as possible on your PS5 experience, you could pick up the Digital Edition and spend your savings on new games, or even put it towards a subscription to PlayStation Plus.
You could also go in the polar opposite direction, and spend even more money on the PS5 Pro. Amazon is also taking $100.99 off Sony's top-of-the-line PlayStation, which brings its cost down to $649. But unless you really care about playing your console games in the highest fidelity possible, or watching 4K Blu-Rays in HDR, you'll be more than fine with the base PS5.
If you're all about the savings, you could pick up a refurbished console instead. Best Buy has a refurbished Digital Edition (not Slim, mind you) available for $341.99. As long as you don't mind buying the device used, you can save nearly another $60 here.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Some members of the maker community are distraught about Arduino's new terms of service (ToS), saying that the added rules put the company's open source DNA at risk. Arduino updated its ToS and privacy policy this month, which is about a month after Qualcomm announced that it's acquiring the open source hardware and software company. Among the most controversial changes is this addition: "User shall not: translate, decompile or reverse-engineer the Platform, or engage in any other activity designed to identify the algorithms and logic of the Platform's operation, unless expressly allowed by Arduino or by applicable license agreements ..."
In response to concerns from some members of the maker community, including from open source hardware distributor and manufacturer Adafruit, Arduino posted a blog on Friday. Regarding the new reverse-engineering rule, Arduino's blog said: "Any hardware, software or services (e.g. Arduino IDE, hardware schematics, tooling and libraries) released with Open Source licenses remain available as before. Restrictions on reverse-engineering apply specifically to our Software-as-a-Service cloud applications. Anything that was open, stays open."
But Adafruit founder and engineer Limor Fried and Adafruit managing editor Phillip Torrone are not convinced. They told Ars Technica that Arduino's blog leaves many questions unanswered and said that they've sent these questions to Arduino without response. "Why is reverse-engineering prohibited at all for a company built on openly hackable systems?" Fried and Torrone asked in a shared statement. There are also concerns about the ToS' broad new AI-monitoring powers, which offer little clarity on what data is collected, who can access it, or how long it's retained. On top of that, the update introduces an unusual patent clause that bars users from using the platform to identify potential infringement by Arduino or its partners, along with sweeping, perpetual rights over user-generated content. This could allow Arduino, and potentially Qualcomm, to republish, modify, monetize, or redistribute user uploads indefinitely.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Nothing is, first and foremost, a smartphone brand, but some of its best products are actually its affordable earbuds. A good example is the Nothing Ear (a) true wireless earbuds, which are cheaper than Apple's AirPods, but still have advanced features like active noise cancellation. Even better, the Nothing Ear (a) are going for $60 this Black Friday, which is 46% off their list price of $109, and is the cheapest they've ever been.
Like many other Nothing products, the Ear (a) use a clear case. This works quite well for wireless earbuds, because you can actually see if the buds are inside the case without opening it. These earbuds earned a 4/5 in a PCMag review, and have been praised for that transparent design, plus their balanced audio with a focus on bass, their app that lets you adjust an EQ, and their strong support for codecs. The reviewer did say that the Ear (a)'s noise cancellation falls a bit short when compared with the competition, but just having ANC at all is pretty impressive for earbuds that you can get for $60.
This product is available in three finishes: black, yellow, and clear. All three are available at the Black Friday deal price. Nothing claims the Ear (a)'s battery can provide around 9.5 hours of uninterrupted music listening on a single charge if you turn off noise cancellation. With ANC enabled, that number drops to 5.5 hours, which is still quite good. You can also fast charge the case for 10 minutes, which adds enough charge to power your earbuds for up to 10 hours of playback.
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
How long do Black Friday deals really last?
Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Although it's not my favorite Kindle, there's definitely a place in the market for the Kindle Scribe. It's an ebook reader and a digital notebook combined, and it could be a great tool for people who like making notes on a device that mimics a paper notebook. It's typically on the more expensive end, but now you can get the Kindle Scribe on sale as part of Amazon's Black Friday 2025 deals. It's currently down to a record low price of $280, a full 30% off its list price.
The device is available in three storage variants: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. You can get the 16GB and 32GB versions for $280 right now, while the 64GB variant is going for $310, which is 31% off. That means the highest discount is on the 32 GB variant (33% off), so if you're buying a Kindle Scribe this Black Friday, 32GB is probably your best bet.
You can get the Scribe in black or green colorways (Amazon calls them Tungsten and Metallic Jade, respectively). Unfortunately, the green variant is only available with 64GB storage, so you'll have to spend $30 more to grab it.
Be aware that a newer generation of the Kindle Scribe is just around the corner and will be available at $500. To me, this means now's a great time to grab a deal on the older one, but for some people, it may make sense to save up and buy the upgraded one instead.
The current-gen Kindle Scribe scored a 3.5/5 in Lifehacker's review. Deputy Editor Joel Cunningham called it a great ebook reader but a disappointing digital notebook. He praised the Scribe's build quality, the natural writing experience it offers, and its stylus. On the other hand, he wasn't too happy with the limited note-taking functions, clunky refresh rate, occasional ghosting issues, or the lack of waterproofing.
What stores have the best sales on Black Friday?
Nowadays, both large retailers and small businesses compete for Black Friday shoppers, so you can expect practically every store to run sales through Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” sales depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to come from larger retailers who can afford lower prices: think places like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our live blog.
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.
Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?
Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
Inter-corporation bullshit screwing over consumers – a tale as old as time.
Major laptop vendors have quietly removed hardware decode support for the H.265/HEVC codec in several business and entry-level models, a decision apparently driven by rising licensing fees. Users working with H.265 content may face reduced performance unless they verify codec support or rely on software workarounds.
You may want to know how much these licensing fees are, and by how much they’re increasing next year, making these laptop OEMs remove features to avoid the costs. The HEVC licensing fee is $0.20 per device, and in 2026 it’s increasing to $0.24. Yes, a $0.04 increase per device is “forcing” these giant companies to screw over their consumers. Nobody’s coming out a winner here, and everyone loses.
We took a wrong turn, but nobody seems to know when and where.
If you ask random gamers what price they think Valve will charge for its newly announced Steam Machine hardware, you’ll get a wide range of guesses. But if you ask the analysts who follow the game industry for a living the same question… well, you’ll actually get the same wide range of (somewhat better-informed) guesses.
At the high end of those guesses are analysts like F-Squared‘s Michael Futter, who expects a starting price of $799 to $899 for the entry-level 512GB Steam Machine and a whopping $1,000 to $1,100 for the 2TB version. With internal specs that Futter says “will rival a PS5 and maybe even hit PS5 Pro performance,” we can expect a “hefty price tag” from Valve’s new console-like effort. At the same time, since Valve is “positioning this as a dedicated, powerful gaming PC… I suspect that the price will be below a similarly capable traditional desktop,” Futter said.
DFC Intelligence analyst David Cole similarly expects the Steam Machine to start at a price “around $800” and go up to “around $1,000” for the 2TB model. Cole said he expects Valve will seek “very low margins” or even break-even pricing on the hardware itself, which he said would probably lead to pricing “below a gaming PC but slightly above a high-end console.”
Encryption can protect data at rest and data in transit, but does nothing for data in use. What we have are secure enclaves. I’ve written about this before:
Almost all cloud services have to perform some computation on our data. Even the simplest storage provider has code to copy bytes from an internal storage system and deliver them to the user. End-to-end encryption is sufficient in such a narrow context. But often we want our cloud providers to be able to perform computation on our raw data: search, analysis, AI model training or fine-tuning, and more. Without expensive, esoteric techniques, such as secure multiparty computation protocols or homomorphic encryption techniques that can perform calculations on encrypted data, cloud servers require access to the unencrypted data to do anything useful...
Encryption can protect data at rest and data in transit, but does nothing for data in use. What we have are secure enclaves. I’ve written about this before:
Almost all cloud services have to perform some computation on our data. Even the simplest storage provider has code to copy bytes from an internal storage system and deliver them to the user. End-to-end encryption is sufficient in such a narrow context. But often we want our cloud providers to be able to perform computation on our raw data: search, analysis, AI model training or fine-tuning, and more. Without expensive, esoteric techniques, such as secure multiparty computation protocols or homomorphic encryption techniques that can perform calculations on encrypted data, cloud servers require access to the unencrypted data to do anything useful.
Fortunately, the last few years have seen the advent of general-purpose, hardware-enabled secure computation. This is powered by special functionality on processors known as trusted execution environments (TEEs) or secure enclaves. TEEs decouple who runs the chip (a cloud provider, such as Microsoft Azure) from who secures the chip (a processor vendor, such as Intel) and from who controls the data being used in the computation (the customer or user). A TEE can keep the cloud provider from seeing what is being computed. The results of a computation are sent via a secure tunnel out of the enclave or encrypted and stored. A TEE can also generate a signed attestation that it actually ran the code that the customer wanted to run.
Secure enclaves are critical in our modern cloud-based computing architectures. And, of course, they have vulnerabilities:
The most recent attack, released Tuesday, is known as TEE.fail. It defeats the latest TEE protections from all three chipmakers. The low-cost, low-complexity attack works by placing a small piece of hardware between a single physical memory chip and the motherboard slot it plugs into. It also requires the attacker to compromise the operating system kernel. Once this three-minute attack is completed, Confidential Compute, SEV-SNP, and TDX/SDX can no longer be trusted. Unlike the Battering RAM and Wiretap attacks from last month—which worked only against CPUs using DDR4 memory—TEE.fail works against DDR5, allowing them to work against the latest TEEs.
Yes, these attacks require physical access. But that’s exactly the threat model secure enclaves are supposed to secure against.
The term 3.5 inch floppy disc is in fact a misnomer. Whilst the specification for 5.25 inch floppy discs employs Imperial units, the later specification for the smaller floppy discs employs metric units.
The standards for these discs are […] all of which specify the measurements in metric, and only metric. These standards explicitly give the dimensions as 90.0mm by 94.0mm. It’s in clause 6 of all three.
Even the applicable standard in the US, ANSI X3.171-1989, specifies the size in metric. We could’ve been referring to these things using proper measurements instead of archaic ones based on the size of a monk’s left testicle at dawn at room temperature in 1375 or whatever nonsense imperial or customary used to be based on. I feel dirty for thinking I had to use “inches” for this.
If we ever need to talk about these disks on OSNews from here on out, I’ll be using proper units of measurement.
Earlier this year, popular NAS vendor Synology announced it would start requiring some of its more expensive models to only use Synology-branded drives. It seems the uproar this announcement caused has had some real chilling effect on sales, and the company just cancelled its plans.
Synology has backtracked on one of its most unpopular decisions in years. After seeing NAS sales plummet in 2025, the company has decided to lift restrictions that forced users to buy its own Synology hard drives. The policy, introduced earlier this year, made third-party HDDs from brands like Seagate and WD practically unusable in newer models such as the DS925+, DS1825+, and DS425+. That change didn’t go over well. Users immediately criticised Synology for trying to lock them into buying its much more expensive drives. Many simply refused to upgrade, and reviewers called out the move as greedy and shortsighted. According to some reports, sales of Synology’s 2025 NAS models dropped sharply in the months after the restriction was introduced.
If you want to screw over your users to make a few more euros, it’s generally a good idea to first assess just how locked-in your users really are. Synology is but one of many companies making and selling NAS devices, and even building one yourself is stupidly easy these days. There’s an entire cottage industry of motherboards and enclosures specifically designed for this purpose, and there are countless easy-to-use software options out there, too.
In other words, nobody is really locked into Synology, so any unpopular move by the company was bound to make people look elsewhere, only to discover there are tons of competing options to choose from. The market seems to have spoken, and Synology can only respond by reversing its decision. Honestly, I had almost forgotten what a healthy tech market with tons of competing options looks like.
Arduino will retain its independent brand, tools, and mission, while continuing to support a wide range of microcontrollers and microprocessors from multiple semiconductor providers as it enters this next chapter within the Qualcomm family. Following this acquisition, the 33M+ active users in the Arduino community will gain access to Qualcomm Technologies’ powerful technology stack and global reach. Entrepreneurs, businesses, tech professionals, students, educators, and hobbyists will be empowered to rapidly prototype and test new solutions, with a clear path to commercialization supported by Qualcomm Technologies’ advanced technologies and extensive partner ecosystem.
Qualcomm’s track record when it comes to community engagement, open source, and long-term support are absolutely atrocious, and there’s no way Arduino will be able to withstand the pressures from management. We’ve seen this exact story play out a million times, and it always begins with lofty promises, and always ends with all of them being broken. I have absolutely zero faith Arduino will be able to continue to do its thing like it has.
Arduino devices are incredibly popular, and it makes sense for Qualcomm to acquire them. If I were using Arduino’s for my open source projects, I’d be a bit on edge right now.
Apple has introduced a new hardware/software security feature in the iPhone 17: “Memory Integrity Enforcement,” targeting the memory safety vulnerabilities that spyware products like Pegasus tend to use to get unauthorized system access. From Wired:
In recent years, a movement has been steadily growing across the global tech industry to address a ubiquitous and insidious type of bugs known as memory-safety vulnerabilities. A computer’s memory is a shared resource among all programs, and memory safety issues crop up when software can pull data that should be off limits from a computer’s memory or manipulate data in memory that shouldn’t be accessible to the program. When developers—even experienced and security-conscious developers—write software in ubiquitous, historic programming languages, like C and C++, it’s easy to make mistakes that lead to memory safety vulnerabilities. That’s why proactive tools like special programming languages have been proliferating with the goal of making it structurally impossible for software to contain these vulnerabilities, rather than attempting to avoid introducing them or catch all of them.
[…]
With memory-unsafe programming languages underlying so much of the world’s collective code base, Apple’s Security Engineering and Architecture team felt that putting memory safety mechanisms at the heart of Apple’s chips could be a deus ex machina for a seemingly intractable problem. The group built on a specification known as Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) released in 2019 by the chipmaker Arm. The idea was to essentially password protect every memory allocation in hardware so that future requests to access that region of memory are only granted by the system if the request includes the right secret.
Arm developed MTE as a tool to help developers find and fix memory corruption bugs. If the system receives a memory access request without passing the secret check, the app will crash and the system will log the sequence of events for developers to review. Apple’s engineers wondered whether MTE could run all the time rather than just being used as a debugging tool, and the group worked with Arm to release a version of the specification for this purpose in 2022 called Enhanced Memory Tagging Extension.
To make all of this a constant, real-time defense against exploitation of memory safety vulnerabilities, Apple spent years architecting the protection deeply within its chips so the feature could be on all the time for users without sacrificing overall processor and memory performance. In other words, you can see how generating and attaching secrets to every memory allocation and then demanding that programs manage and produce these secrets for every memory request could dent performance. But Apple says that it has been able to thread the needle.
I am a huge fan of my Rock 5 ITX+. It wraps an ATX power connector, a 4-pin Molex, PoE support, 32 GB of eMMC, front-panel USB 2.0, and two Gen 3×2 M.2 slots around a Rockchip 3588 SoC that can slot into any Mini-ITX case. Thing is, I never put it in a case because the microSD slot lives on the side of the board, and pulling the case out and removing the side panel to install a new OS got old with a quickness.
I originally wanted to rackmount the critter, but adding a deracking difficulty multiplier to the microSD slot minigame seemed a bit souls-like for my taste. So what am I going to do? Grab a microSD extender and hang that out the back? Nay! I’m going to neuralyze the SPI flash and install some Kelvin Timeline firmware that will allow me to boot and install generic ARM Linux images from USB.
Using EDK2 to add UEFI to an ARM board is awesome, as it solves some of the most annoying problems of these ARM boards: they require custom images specifically prepared for the board in question. After flashing EDK2 to this board, you can just boot any ARM Linux distribution – or Windows, NetBSD, and so on – from USB and install it from there. There’s still a ton of catches, but it’s a clear improvement.
The funniest detail for sure, at least for this very specific board, is that the SPI flash is exposed as a block device, so you can just use, say the GNOME Disk Utility to flash any new firmware into it. The board in question is a Radxa ROCK 5 ITX+, and they’re not all that expensive, so I’m kind of tempted here. I’m not entirely sure what I’d need yet another computer for, honestly, but it’s not like that’s ever stopped any of us before.
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