Month: November 2023

Enlarge / The fastest 4K monitor. (credit: Samsung)

Black Friday sales are starting earlier and earlier with each passing year, and the savings can be big if you catch them. For today's Dealmaster, we've grabbed new lows on top TVs, discounts on displays, big savings on laptops across the web, Apple sales, and plenty of other deals on various gear.

Featured deals

• LG B3 55-inch Class OLED 4K UHD for $997 (was $1,297) at Amazon
• Apple 2023 MacBook Air Laptop M2 chip, 15-inch for $1,099 (was $1,299) at Amazon
• Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) with USB-C charging for $190 (was $249) at Amazon
• Apple AirTag 4-pack for $87 (was $99) at Amazon
• Samsung 55-inch Odyssey Ark 4K UHD for $1,800 (was $2,700) at Samsung
• Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar | Max for $2,000 (was $2,500) at Crutchfield
• Sony HT-A5000 soundbar for $698 (was $998) at Crutchfield
• Lenovo ThinkPad T16 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-1240P) for $876 (was $2,829) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (15-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX 4050) for $1,030 (was $1,400) at Lenovo
• Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition Essentials Bundle for $245 (was $265) at Amazon

Early Black Friday laptop and desktop deals

• Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro (16-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P) for $1,650 (was $2,050) at Samsung
• Samsung Galaxy Book3 (15.6-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U) for $900 (was $1,100) at Samsung
• Samsung Chromebook Go (14-inch, Intel Celeron N4500) for $250 (was $300) at Samsung
• Lenovo IdeaPad 1 (14-inch, Intel Celeron N4020) for $130 (was $200) at Best Buy
• Samsung Galaxy Book 3 360 (15-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P) for $1,000 (was $1,550) at Best Buy
• HP 2-in-1 (14-inch, Intel 12th Gen Core i3) for $379 (was $699) at Best Buy
• HP Victus (15-inch, Intel Core i5-13420H and RTX 3050) for $550 (was $900) at Best Buy
• Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M2) for $1,099 (was $1,299) at Best Buy
• Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ (12-inch, Intel Core i3) with Type Cover for $600 (was $930) at Best Buy
• Dell Inspiron 15 3520 (15-inch, Intel 11th Gen Core i5) for $390 (was $600) at Best Buy
• HP Envy 2-in-1 (15-inch, Intel 13th Gen Core i5) for $620 (was $920) at Best Buy
• Acer Chromebook 315 (15-inch, Intel Celeron N4020) for $149 (was $299) at Best Buy
• Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M1) for $750 (was $1,000) at Best Buy
• Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (13-inch, Intel Core i5) with Type Cover for $1,100 (was $1,540) at Best Buy
• Lenovo IdeaPad 3i (15.6-inch, Intel Core i3-1115G4) for $300 (was $500) at Best Buy
• Lenovo Yoga 7i (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1355U) for $750 (was $1,050) at Best Buy
• Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (15-inch, Intel Core i3-1215U) for $269 (was $399) at Best Buy
• Asus TUF Gaming A16 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7730HS and Radeon RX7600S) for $750 (was $1,100) at Best Buy
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (13-inch, AMD Ryzen 5) for $700 (was $900) at Best Buy
• Asus OLED Laptop (15-inch, Intel Core i9-13900H and RTX 3050) for $1,000 (was $1,300) at Best Buy
• Apple Mac Mini (M2) for $499 (was $599) at Best Buy
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (13-inch, Intel Core i5) for $900 (was $1,300) at Best Buy
• Gigabyte Gaming Laptop (15-inch, Intel i7-12650H and RTX 4060) for $800 (was $1,100) at Best Buy

Early Black Friday deals at Lenovo

• Lenovo ThinkPad T16 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-1240P) for $876 (was $2,829) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (15-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX 4050) for $1,030 (was $1,400) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS and RTX 4050) for $911 (was $1,260) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Slim 7i Gen 8 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX) for $1,330 (was $1,770) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-13500HX and RTX) for $1,070 (was $1,480) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1270P) for $1,260 (was $3,609) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Gen 8 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS and RTX 4050) for $950 (was $1,300) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 3 (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 5675U) for $599 (was $2,688) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Slim 5i Gen 8 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-13500H and RTX 4050) for $1,000 (was $1,350) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 3 (14-inch, Intel Core i5-1250P) for $914 (was $3,049) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (15-inch, Intel Core i5-13500H and RTX 3050) for $697 (was $1,020) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 4 (14-inch, Intel Coire i5-1235U) for $632(was $1,404) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700HX and RTX A1000) for $1,749 (was $3,899) at Lenovo
• Lenovo LOQ (16-inch, Intel Core i5-13500H and RTX 4050) $781 (was $1,200) at Lenovo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (15-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U) for $400 (was $700) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7645HX and RTX 4050) for $1,026 (was $1,430) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gen 8 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX and RTX 4070) for $1,400 (was $1,960) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 1 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7730U) for $894 (was $1,719) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen (16-inch, Intel Core i7-13700H and RTX A2000) for $1,979 (was $4,389) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 5 (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U) for $610 (was $1,219) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1365U) for $1,086 (was $2,859) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 1 (16-inch, Intel Core i5-1355U) for $725 (was $1,449) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P16s Gen 2 (16-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P and RTX A500) for $1,629 (was $3,629) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1360P and RTX A500) for $1,529 (was $3,389) at Lenovo
• Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 (14-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U) for $1,099 (was $2,199) at Lenovo
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U) for $470 (was $830) at Lenovo
• Lenovo Legion Slim 7 Gen 8 (16-inch, AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS and RTX 4060) for $1,300 (was $1,680) at Lenovo
• Lenovo X1 Carbon Gen 10 (14-inch, Intel Core i7-1260P) for $1,203 (was $3,439) at Lenovo

Monitors and displays

• Samsung 55-inch Odyssey Ark 4K UHD for $1,800 (was $2,700) at Samsung
• Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 DQHD for $1,000 (was $1,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 28-inch Odyssey G70B 4K UHD for $600 (was $800) at Samsung
• Samsung 49-inch Odyssey OLED G95SC DQHD for $1,400 (was $1,800) at Samsung
• Samsung 43-inch Odyssey Neo G7 4K UHD for $800 (was $1,000) at Samsung
• Samsung 32-inch Odyssey Neo G8 4K UHD for $1,000 (was $1,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 32-inch M70C Smart Monitor 4K UHD for $430 (was $600) at Samsung
• LG 27-inch Ultra Gear QHD for $400 (was $500) at LG
• LG 34-inch 34WN80C-B UltraWide WQHD IPS for $400 (was $550) at LG
• LG 34-inch Curved UltraWide QHD for $400 (was $600) at LG
• LG 27-inch UltraFine 4K OLED pro for $1,800 (was $1,900) at LG
• LG 43-inch 4K UHD IPS Smart Monitor for $500 (was $600) at LG
• LG 22-inch Class Full HD IPS for $80 (was $120) at LG
• LG 27-inch FHD IPS 3-Side Borderless for $130 (was $180) at LG

TVs, soundbars, and home entertainment gear

• Samsung 65-inch Class OLED S90C for $1,600 (was $2,600) at Samsung
• Samsung 55-inch Class OLED S95C for $1,900 (was $2,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 77-inch Class OLED S95C for $3,600 (was $4,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 83-inch Class OLED S90C for $3,498 (was $5,398) at Amazon
• Samsung 55-inch Class TU690T Crystal UHD 4K for $350 (was $380) at Samsung
• Samsung 65-inch Class Samsung Neo QLED 4K QN90C for $1,700 (was $2,800) at Samsung
• Samsung 83-inch Class Samsung Neo QLED 4K QN90C for $2,398 (was $3,298) at Amazon
• Samsung 65-inch Class Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN800C for $2,600 (was $3,500) at Samsung
• Samsung 75-inch Class The Frame QLED 4K LS03B for $2,600 (was $3,000) at Samsung
• LG 65-inch Class G3 Series OLED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV for $2,300 (was $3,000) at Best Buy
• LG 77-inch Class G3 Series OLED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV for $3,500 (was $4,300) at Best Buy
• LG 83-inch Class G3 Series OLED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV for $5,000 (was $6,000) at Best Buy
• Sony HT-A7000 soundbar for $998 (was $1,398) at Crutchfield
• Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar | Max for $2,000 (was $2,500) at Crutchfield
• Sony HT-A5000 soundbar for $698 (was $998) at Crutchfield
• Yamaha SR-B20A soundbar for $150 (was $200) at Crutchfield
• Sony HT-S2000 soundbar for $348 (was $498) at Crutchfield
• Sony HT-A3000 soundbar for $498 (was $698) at Crutchfield
• Amazon Fire TV Stick for $20 (was $40) at Amazon
• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $45 (was $60) at Amazon
• Samsung 120-inch Class The Premiere LSP7T 4K Smart Laser Projector for $3,000 (was $3,500) at Samsung
• Hisense 65-inch Class U8 Series Mini-LED ULED 4K UHD Google Smart TV for $1,048 (was $1,400) at Amazon
• Sony 55-inch Class X80K 4K HDR LED TV for $598 (was $700) at Amazon
• Sony 65-inch Class X80K 4K HDR LED TV for $698 (was $900) at Amazon
• Samsung 50-Inch Class QLED 4K Q80C Series 4K HDR TV for $798 (was $998) at Amazon
• Samsung 55-inch Class QN85 Neo QLED 4K HDR TV for $998 (was $1,498) at Amazon
• Samsung 65-inch Class QLED Q90T Series 4K TV (2020 model) for $806 (was $948) at Amazon
• LG B3 55-inch Class OLED 4K UHD for $997 (was $1,297) at Amazon
• Sony 65-inch Class LED Bravia XR X90L 4K HDR TV for $1,098 (was $1,198) at Amazon
• TCL 55-inch Q7 QLED 4K Smart TV with Google TV for $598 (was $750) at Amazon
• TCL 55-inch Q6 QLED 4K Smart TV with Google TV for $448 (was $500) at Amazon
• LG 65-inch Class B2 OLED 4K UHD for $1,500 (was $2,300) at LG
• Sony 65-inch Class Bravia XR A80L OLED 4K smart Google TV for $1,700 (was $2,300) at Best Buy
• Sony 55-inch Class Bravia XR A80L OLED 4K smart Google TV for $1,400 (was $1,700) at Best Buy
• Sony 83-inch Class Bravia XR A80L OLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV for $4,500 (was $5,300) at Best Buy
• Sony 55-inch Class Bravia XR A95K 4K HDR OLED Google TV for $2,500 (was $2,800) at Best Buy

Drives and storage

• Samsung T9 Portable SSD 4TB for $350 (was $400) at Amazon
• Samsung T9 Portable SSD 2TB for $200 (was $240) at Amazon
• Western Digital 10TB WD Red Pro NAS Internal Hard Drive for $250 (was $350) at Amazon
• Seagate IronWolf 12TB NAS Internal Hard Drive for $200 (was $260) at Amazon
• Samsung 990 PRO SSD 4TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 for $280 (was $345) at Amazon

Apple gear

• Apple 2020 MacBook Air Laptop M1 chip, 13-inch for $750 (was $999) at Amazon
• Apple 2023 MacBook Air Laptop M2 chip, 15-inch for $1,050 (was $1,299) at Amazon
• Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation) for $400 (was $499) at Amazon
• Apple iPad (9th Generation) for $249 (was $329) at Amazon
• Apple iPad (10th Generation) for $399 (was $449) at Amazon
• Apple iPad Air (5th Generation) for $500 (was $599) at Amazon
• Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) with USB-C charging for $190 (was $249) at Amazon
• Apple AirPods (3rd Generation) for $150 (was $169) at Amazon
• Apple AirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones for $480 (was $549) at Amazon
• Apple AirTag 4-pack for $89 (was $99) at Amazon
• Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th Generation) 128GB for $990 (was $1,099) at Amazon

USB-C cables and chargers

• UGREEN 100 W 2-Pack USB C to USB C Cable for $14 (was $20) at Amazon
• Uni USB C to USB C Cable 10-foot, 100 W USB C Cable for $8 (was $20) at Amazon
• UGREEN USB C Charger Cable 2-Pack 60 W USB C Cable for $6 (was $12) at Amazon
• UGREEN 100 W 2-Pack USB C to USB C Cable for $10 (was $16) at Amazon
• UGREEN 100 W USB C Charger, Nexode 4-Port GaN Foldable Compact Wall Charger Power for $45 (was $75) at Amazon
• Anker 120 W USB C Charger, Anker 737 GaNPrime for $60 (was $89) at Amazon

Tablets and e-readers

• Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet for $150 (was $230) at Amazon
• Google Pixel Tablet with Charging Speaker Dock for $399 (was $499) at Amazon
• Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition Essentials Bundle for $245 (was $265) at Amazon

Personal care and kitchen gear

• Theragun PRO 4th Generation for $499 (was $599) at Therabody
• Beurer Wake Up Light for $72 (was $90) at Best Buy
• Beurer Pulse Oximeter for $31 (was $40) at Best Buy
• Beurer - Bluetooth Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor for $34 (was $60) at Best Buy
• KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Series 5-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer for $240 (was $450) at KitchenAid
• KitchenAid Deluxe 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer for $260 (was $400) at KitchenAid

Games

• Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch (European version) for $53 (was $60) at Amazon
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch (US version) for $58 (was $70) at Amazon
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch (US version) for $45 (was $60) at Amazon

Tools

• Greenworks 80 V 20-inch Snow Blower and 730 CFM Handheld Blower for $600 (was $1,200) at Best Buy
• Greenworks 1900 PSI 1.2 GPM Electric Pressure Washer Combo Kit for $130 (was $220) at Best Buy
• Greenworks Electric Pressure Washer up to 1900 PSI at 1.2 GPM for $130 (was $200) at Best Buy
• Greenworks Electric Pressure Washer up to 2,000 PSI at 1.3 GPM for $180 (was $220) at Best Buy
• Greenworks 80 V 18-inch Cordless Brushless Chainsaw for $330 (was $400) at Best Buy
• Greenworks 10-inch 80 V Cultivator/Tiller for $334 (was $400) at Best Buy
• Greenworks 80 16-inch Cutting Diameter Brushless Straight Shaft Grass Trimmer for $210 (was $250) at Best Buy
• Greenworks 80 V 20-inch Cordless Brushless Snow Blower for $380 (was $450) at Best Buy
• Greenworks 80 V 22-inch Single Stage Cordless Brushless Electric Snow Blower for $680 (was $800) at Best Buy
• Greenworks 80 V 26-inch Cordless Brushless Hedge Trimmer for $220 (was $250) at Best Buy
• Greenworks 80 V 24-inch Cordless Brushless Two-Stage Snow Blower for $1,800 (was $2,000) at Best Buy

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Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

For most PC gamers, the ability to update their game with a wide variety of mods is a huge benefit they can claim over most (but not all) console players. But Japanese publisher Capcom (Resident Evil, Street Fighter) says it sees unauthorized modding of PC games as a problem akin to cheating, bringing with it the risk of headaches for the company's reputation and support costs. That's according to a 50-minute presentation covering "anti-cheat and anti-piracy measures in PC gaming" that was posted to the Capcom R&D YouTube channel last week (and noticed recently by GamesRadar).

The presentation describes modding as an "inseparable part of PC gaming" and a reflection of a PC platform that lets you "do anything you want compared to the game console." At the same time, these facts make the PC a place "that allows you to create freely, but [where] people are also free to tamper with the game."

“No different than cheating”

One obviously bad form of PC game tampering, according to Capcom, is piracy. If anti-piracy tools are not used for PC titles, Capcom says, "pirated copies appear in less than a day [and] paid content such as DLC will be made free," leading to what the company calls "an immediate loss of profit." Then again, Capcom does admit that the size of this profit loss is "unobservable" because there is no suitable control case to compare it to. "We can only speculate on the cost of cheats and piracy," Capcom says, "but it's clear that if we don't do anything, the damage will surely be greater."

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

With Halloween bounties now collected and as end-of-year holidays that brim with tempting treats approach, you may once again be wondering about the dangers of indulging. Among the most alarming concerns to gain attention recently is the risk of heavy metals in candy. Last week, Consumer Reports (CR) released its second article highlighting that one of America's most beloved confections—chocolates—can contain small amounts of the toxic metals lead and cadmium.

CR tested 48 chocolate products in various categories—from milk chocolate bars to brownie mixes, chocolate chips, and hot chocolate—finding "high" and "concerning" levels of at least one of the two heavy metals in a third of the products. Last year, the nonprofit consumer organization tested 28 bars of dark chocolate, finding what it suggested was "dangerous" levels of cadmium and/or lead in 23 of the bars.

The news made waves last year and may renew fears about what's lurking in holiday treats. But, a closer look at the data—as well as reactions from actual medical toxicologists—indicates that the risk of heavy metals in chocolate is actually pretty low.

Enlarge (credit: Netflix)

Streaming service subscribers haven't heard much good news lately. Save for content being shared across streaming services more freely, it seems any time Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, et cetera announce a change for subscribers, it's something negative. Lately streaming service news has been all about price hikes, the introduction of ads, getting tougher on password sharing, and even unreliable performance.

Today, there's a sliver of good-leaning news to share, as Netflix is tossing a couple of bones toward its ad-tier subscribers in the form of an ad-free episode for every three episodes watched, as well as downloadable content.

Announced via press release today, a year after Netflix launched its ad-supported tier for $6.99 per month, Netflix said that starting in Q1 2024, "after watching three consecutive episodes, [ad-tier] members will be presented with a fourth episode ad-free."

Enlarge / Modeling has shown how material ejected from the Earth by a massive collision could have formed the Moon. Now the models are being used to look at what happened inside the Earth. (credit: NASA)

Seismic waves created by earthquakes as they travel through the planet's interior change speed and direction as they move through different materials. Things like rock type, density, and temperature all alter the travel of these waves, allowing scientists to gradually build up a picture of the Earth's crust and mantle, spotting things like the rise of plumes of hot mantle material, as well as the colder remains of tectonic plates that dropped off the surface of the Earth long ago.

There are some things that show up in these images, however, that aren't easy to explain. Deep in the Earth's mantle there are two regions where seismic waves slow down, termed large low-velocity provinces. This slowdown is consistent with the materials being higher density, so it's not really a surprise that they're sitting near the core. But that doesn't explain why there are two distinct regions of them or why they appear to contain material that has been there since the formation of the Solar System.

Now, a team of scientists has tied the two regions' existence back to a catastrophic event that happened early in our Solar System's history: a giant collision with a Mars-sized planet that ultimately created our Moon.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Justin Sullivan)

WeWork stock fell about 50 percent today as the business once valued at $47 billion reportedly plans to file for bankruptcy.

WeWork was founded in 2010 and provides coworking spaces in office buildings as an alternative to traditional offices and work-from-home arrangements. WeWork gained some high-profile customers like IBM and Microsoft but has consistently lost money. WeWork's net losses have been getting smaller but are still substantial: A net loss of $2.3 billion in 2022 was followed by a loss of $696 million in the first six months of 2023.

"WeWork is planning to file for bankruptcy as early as next week," The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Enlarge (credit: Google/YouTube)

YouTube has launched a global front against ad-blocking extensions, taking a small experiment it began in June full-scale.

As noticed by Android Authority on Monday morning, some YouTube users are now seeing a disruptive prompt when they try to watch videos while using a browser with an ad blocker. The prompt notes that "ad blockers violate YouTube's Terms of Service" and urges users to either allow ads on YouTube or subscribe to YouTube Premium.

While I was able to still watch YouTube with an ad blocker, recently, an increasing number of users have reported seeing the prompt. The Verge reported that sometimes those who see the prompt can continue watching videos anyway, but "for one Verge staffer, YouTube now fully blocks them nearly every time."