Now that Amazon has not one but two Prime Days per year, you might think they'd run out of deals. Not so. The world's largest retailer has plenty of deals to go around for Black Friday, including these discounts on their own devices. And for this sale, you don't even have to be a Prime member to snag the savings. 

Amazon makes a slew of its own hardware, including Echo smart speakers, Fire tablets and Kindles. Most come with the ever-improving and evolving smart AI assistant Alexa, giving you the option of unifying your smart home and controlling it just by talking. Lots of these deals match or even beat Prime Day prices, so it's a great time to buy if you want to give the gift of a Kindle or ring in the new year with an Alexa-enabled Echo Show display. Here are the best deals on Amazon devices we could find for Black Friday. 

Echo

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Amazon has so many Echo options, it's hard to keep track. This is the original Echo, the very first smart speaker that brought Alexa into our homes to handle everything from setting timers and telling jokes to controlling our smart home universe. It's usually $100, but Black Friday knocks 50 percent off, making it just $50. This is the forth generation of the speaker, released in 2020 with a brand new spherical design aesthetic. We gave it a score of 89 in our review, handing out props for its excellent sound quality and Alexa's continually improving helpfulness. While the sound of one speaker was great, we did note that pairing up two Echos is where you really start to hear lush, room-filling sound. Now that they're half price, it's easier to pick up two of them. 

Echo Dot

Amazon

Like its name and appearance suggests, the Echo Dot is the smallest member of the Echo family, a speaker meant to unobtrusively bring Alexa's capabilities to more places in your home. Right now it's down to $25, which is 50 percent off its usual MSRP of $50 and a first-ever discount for this generation. Gen five was just released in October and includes an upgraded speaker, along with a temperature sensor that can pair up with your smart thermostat. In addition to being a speaker, the new Dot also acts as a mesh WiFi node, extending the range of your WiFi coverage by an extra 1,000 feet — provided you're using Amazon's Eero WiFi routers, which are discounted below. 

Echo Studio

Echo Studio is a bigger and louder version of the Echo smart speaker, built to deliver hi-res audio. It's usually $200, and rarely goes on sale, but for Black Friday, it's $45 off the list price. We gave the Studio an 88 in our review, saying Amazon had finally nailed the audio element of its smart speaker lineup. With the larger build and speaker array, it's clear Amazon is trying to compete with other smart speaker manufacturers like Sonos and Bose. And it does a great job of it. Note that the Studio also makes a decent home theater option. This is the newest generation, released back in 2020, and Amazon has promised to continue to provide security and software updates for at least four years, even if they come out with a newer generation of the Studio.

Echo Show 5

Amazon

The Echo Show 5 is on sale for $35 for Black Friday, a steep, 59 percent discount from its usual $85 sticker. The "Show" series of Echo devices add a screen to the smart speaker setup, effectively creating a smart home hub and entertainment center in one. The Echo Show devices are numbered (5, 8, 10 and 15) to represent screen size, and the Show 5 is the smallest version. It's touchscreen measures 5.5 inches on the diagonal, and the relatively small footprint is ideal for studio apartments and nightstands (as long as you're cool with a camera in the bedroom). It can play TV shows and music, display your photos and make video calls. We reviewed this latest generation and gave it an 85, applauding the impressive sound quality for the size and the alarm clock like stature (and snooze button). 

Echo Show 8

Engadget

Bumping up the size of the display, the Echo Show 8 gives a little more breathing room to the video it produces, and has two speakers instead of Show 5's one. Black Friday cuts the price down to $70, which is a full $60 off its usual $130 price tag. We gave the Show 8 an 87 in our review, remarking on the beautiful display and the quality video calls. Like the Show 5, you can watch shows and movies via Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu, and listen to music via Spotify and Amazon Music. The camera can serve as an indoor security cam, allowing you to get alerts about detected movement or peek in at home using the Alexa app on your phone. 

Echo Show 10

Engadget

Going even bigger, the Echo Show 10 not only grants more space for your video, the tracking feature swivels to face you. Right now it's $170, which is a sizable, $80 chunk off of the usual $250 MSRP, especially considering this rarely goes on sale. Our Echo expert Nicole Lee noted in her review that the screen rotation feature is sorta creepy, but it does allow you to see whatever it is you just asked Alexa to display. Like its smaller siblings, the Show 10 can play movies and TV, music and audio books and make video calls, including video conferencing via Zoom. We were impressed by the 13 megapixel camera and thought that the audio quality was fantastic, thanks to dual front-firing tweeters and a powerful woofer. 

Echo Show 15

Engadget

The Echo Show 15 is now just $170, which is $80 off its list price of $250. If you're thinking that a 15-inch display is bordering on TV territory, you're not wrong. Amazon announced at its fall hardware event this year that all Echo Show 15s would be upgraded to act as Fire TVs with a software update. Whereas the smaller Show models limited you to shows from Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu, a Fire TV interface means you can watch pretty much anything that streams. And it still delivers all the features of a smart display, with Alexa's assistance, video and security cam abilities, and smart display widgets. When we tested the smart display out, we liked the attractive, picture-frame like design and the bright and clear picture, which you can now use to watch more stuff.  

Kindle

Amazon

While you can read e-books on a tablet or even your phone, it can be hard on your eyes, particularly if you read for a long time or spend the other part of your day staring at a comptuer screen. Using e-ink instead of an an LCD or OLED panel, e-readers are easier on your eyes. The Amazon Kindle is by far the most popular e-reader out there and right now it's $15 off for Black Friday. This is the eleventh generation of the original Kindle, released just this October. It's usually $100 for the ad-supported model and $120 if you don't want to see ads on your lockscreen. The latest edition has an upgraded 300 ppi (pixels per inch) display, which now puts it on par with the Paperwhite. It's the most compact of the Kindle family but has a 16 GB storage capacity that takes a long time to fill with regular e-books.  

Kindle Paperwhite

Amazon

The Kindle Paperwhite brings a few upgrades to the standard model, with a flush-front design and IPX8 waterproof rating. Right now, the fifth and latest generation Paperwhite is $45 off. Released in late 2021, the Paperwhite hasn't seen many discounts outside of Prime Day events. It has a usual MSRP of $140 for the 8GB storage size with ads on the lockscreen, but Black Friday makes that configuration $95. Go for no ads and a larger 16GB storage capacity and the e-reader usually goes for $170, but is now $120. The 6.8-inch screen on the Paperwhite is a little larger than the 6-inch standard Kindle, and also comes with the option of a warm backlight, which isn't the same as no backlight, but still minimizes the amount of sleep-robbing blue light that hits your eyeballs. 

Kindle Paperwhite Signature

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

When we reviewed the Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition, we called it "the best e-reader. Period." In fact, the only complaint we had was the price. Black Friday has taken some of the sting out of the $190 price tag with a $60 discount bringing it down to $130. Unlike the other Kindles, the Signature edition doesn't have an ad-supported version, the upgraded price evidently enough to keep the marketing at bay. What it does have is wireless charging, 32GB of storage, automatically adjusting LED lighting (with warm light options) and a more responsive screen. 

Kindle Oasis

Amazon

The most expensive model is the Kindle Oasis. It's usually $250 for the 8GB ad-supported version and $270 without lockscreen ads. Go for the 32GB models and you can add $30 to those prices. For Black Friday, Amazon has knocked a steep $95 off the list price. Unlike the other Kindles, the Oasis isn't wall-to-wall screen. Instead there's a large bezel at one landscape edge with physical buttons to turn the page, which some might remember from early-model Kindles. It also has the biggest screen at seven inches, along with the same 300 ppi screen and waterproof rating of the Paperwhite models.  

Fire TV Stick 4K

Amazon

With the ability to turn just about anything with an HDMI port into a smart TV, Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K is well worth its $50 MSRP. It's even more worthwhile when it's $25 for Black Friday. If you've got a 4K TV or monitor, this is probably the version you want, as it supports 4K ultra HD, Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Plug in the HDMI dongle to your screen and use the Alexa remote to call up your favorite streaming apps, shows and movies.  

Fire TV Stick 4K Max

Amazon

If you've upgraded your routers to support WiFi 6, you'll probably want to go with the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. While it usually goes for $55, right now it's down to $35. It has everything offered with 4K, with the added upgrade to the latest wireless local network standard. Like the 4K, the Max supports video with a 4K resolution to match your 4K TV and lets you control and view Alexa-enabled devices, like a Ring Doorbell, going so far as to offer a picture-in-picture features so you can see who's at the door without stopping your show. 

Fire TV Stick 

Amazon

If you don't need support for a 4K screen, the Fire TV Sick is an HD streaming dongle that will push 1080p images to your TV or monitor. The standard Fire TV Stick is half off for Black Friday, bringing it down to just $20. Alexa is built into the remote, so you can ask the assistant to help you find what to watch and the remote can also control your TV's power and volume. Fire TV Stick also supports Dolby Atmos audio for titles that have it, and assuming you have compatible home audio equipment.  

Fire TV Stick Lite

Amazon

The most affordable option in the Stick lineup, the Fire TV Stick Lite supports 1080p viewing, and allows voice control via Alexa. Right now the usual $30 sticker has dropped to $15. The Lite brings you the same Fire TV interface on whichever screen you plug the dongle into, but the remote does not control your TVs volume or power buttons. If you use a separate remote for those functions anyway, then it's not an issue. 

Fire TV Cube

Nicole Lee / Engadget

Amazon hasn't discounted the new Fire TV Cube, but the previous-generation is on sale for $60 for Black Friday, which is 50 percent off its usual price and a new record low. This set-top box supports 4K, HDR content with Dolby Vision and Atmos, plus hands-free Alexa commands. There is a newer version available now, which adds things like WiFi 6E capabilities, a speedier processor and additional HDMI and USB ports, but it'll cost you $140.

Echo Buds

Amazon

Amazon's only entry in the headphones market are the Echo Buds. This is the second and most recent generation that usually goes for $120 but right now they're $70 with a $50 discount. Like the premium buds these are competing with, Echo Buds have active noise cancellation that shuts out the world and a passthrough mode that lets it in. The buds plus the case will give you a 15-hour max listening time and of course, Alexa is baked right in.   

Echo Frames

Brian Oh / Engadget

Will you enjoy having Alexa on your face? The Echo Frames are your opportunity to find out. They've got a $270 usual sticker sticker price, but right now they're $130 which is 52 percent off. These are the most recent, second generation and called them "surprisingly compelling" when we tried them out. We liked how comfortable a pair of glasses with speakers built in could be. It was also easier for Alexa to hear us to take commands. While they can play music, it doesn't sound very rich, so they're better for calls and notifications, though we did note that Amazon needs to work out some notification kinks.  

Fire 7 tablet

Amazon

In the vast tablet marketplace, Amazon positions itself as the affordable option. The Fire 7 tablet is their best-selling (and lowest-priced) model with a regular retail of $60. This is the 2022 model, which we've already seen dip to $42 earlier this month, but for Black Friday, it's down to $40. That's incredibly cheap for a tablet, and like we noted in our review, this works best as a 7-inch screen for performing basics like internet browsing and watching videos. We also liked the addition of USB-C charging and the long battery life, along with Alexa's built-in utility.  

Fire HD 8 tablet

Amazon

Like Echo Show displays, Fire Tablets are numbered to match their screen sizes, with an 8-inch screen on the Fire HD 8 tablet. This is the 2022 generation, which usually retails for $100, but Black Friday brings it down to $55, which is a solid 45 percent off. The Fire HD 8 comes with either 32 or 64GB of memory storage and a screen that hits that high-def, 720p resolution threshold (though not the "full HD" resolution of 1080p). You get up to 13 hours of battery life on a charge and of course, Alexa is there to handle all your assistant-based requests.  

Fire HD 10 tablet

Amazon

The Fire HD 10 is the largest of the Fire tablets, in terms of screen size, RAM and storage. The 32GB model is usually $165 without lockscreen ads, or $150 for the ad-supported version. It's $75 off right now, bringing the 32GB slabs down to $90 and $75, respectively. If you want the larger 64GB storage size, those devices are $95 off right now, too, making the ad-supported version $95 and the ad-free option $110. All models of the HD 10 have similar specs to the Fire HD 8, with a battery life of up to 12 hours, and the same storage capacity options of 32 or 64GB, but the HD 10 comes with an extra gigabyte of RAM over the HD 8, for a total of 3GB, plus an expanded processor configuration (8-core), and of course a larger screen.   

Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet

Amazon

The 2022 Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet is geared towards kids aged six to twelve and usually goes for $140. Thanks to Black Friday, it's nearly half price, bringing it down to just $80. It's a full-featured tablet, with a 13-hour battery life and a 1280 x 800 resolution screen, but has a few kid-focused features like the included protective case (with built-in stand) and a web browser that blocks inappropriate content, with age-adjustable filters. It also comes with a free year of Amazon Kids+ subscription which grants access to kid-friendly e-books, audiobooks, music shows and games.   

Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet

Amazon

The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet came out in 2021 and, like the name suggests, has a 10-inch screen. It sells for $200, list price, but is now $80 off, bringing the price tag down to $120. Like the 8 Kids Pro, this comes with a year subscription to Amazon Kids+ and a protective case. You get a bigger and higher-resolution HD screen, along with an extra gig of RAM. It has the same 32GB of built-in storage, as the 8 Kids Pro, which is expandable to 1TB with a microSD card. 

Blink security cameras

Amazon

These inconspicuous Blink cameras are our top security cam pick in our latest smart home guide. For Black Friday, you can get a Blink Outdoor set starting at only $60, which is 40 percent off its usual rate. Both the indoor and outdoor cameras connect to your Alexa-enabled devices, like your phone or the Echo Shows above. Both are motion-activated, have two-way talk and audio, and work wirelessly with a two-year battery — that Alexa will remind you to change. The biggest difference is that Blink Outdoor can handle the weather outside, and Blink Indoor prefers the protection of the indoors.    

Blink Mini security cameras

Amazon

Even smaller than the standard Blink cameras, the Blink Minis are wired cameras that usually go for $35 a piece. That's a decent price, but during the Black Friday sale, you can get two cameras for just $30. Like their larger siblings, Blink Minis offer two-way talk and audio, motion-activated responsiveness and of course, full support for Alexa controls. These can even act as chimes for your Ring doorbell. 

Ring Video Doorbell

Ring

The Ring Video Doorbell is the flagship model, and $100 list price. Right now it's 40 percent off, making it just $60. It can be installed using your existing doorbell wiring or wirelessly using a rechargeable battery. With 1080p video and a built-in mic and speaker, you can see, hear and talk to whomever shows up on your doormat, using your smartphone or smart display. 

Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2

Amazon

The Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 only comes in a wired version, but also adds on a bunch of features to justify its $260 list price — which Black Friday has brought down to $170. The wider field of vision gives you a head-to-toe view of people at your door and the 3D motion detection can more accurately pinpoint relevant movement, helping to avoid sending you pointless alerts when someone's just jogging by on the sidewalk. Sign up for the Ring Protect subscription and you can even have Alexa greet your visitors with specific greetings.  

  Eero Wi-Fi routers

eero

WiFi 6 is the most recent network protocol and the Eero Pro 6E will make sure your entire house is running it. It will handle internet speeds of over a gigabit per second. One router can cover a 2,000 square-foot area and has an MSRP $300. With Black Friday savings, it's down to $179. If you've got a bigger home, go for the three pack, which is also on sale. Setting up the set inside your home will cover a whopping 6,000 square feet. Usually $700, the deal knocks $280 off for a sale price of $419.  

Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.

Robots that can whack a golf ball down a fairway aren't exactly new, but building one that can play the nuanced short game is a more complex problem. Researchers at Paderborn University in Germany have done just that with Golfi, a machine that uses a neural network to figure out how to line up a putt and how hard to hit the ball to get it into the hole from anywhere on the green.

The robot takes a snapshot of the green with a Microsoft Kinect 3D camera and it simulates thousands of random shots taken from different positions. It takes factors like the turf's rolling resistance, the ball's weight and the starting velocity into account. Paderborn doctoral student Annika Junker told IEEE Research that training Golfi on simulated golf shots takes five minutes, compared with 30-40 hours were the team to feed data from real-life shots into the system.

Once Golfi has figured out the shot it should take, it rolls over to the ball and uses a belt-driven gear shaft with a putter attached to make the putt. The robot doesn't get the ball in the hole every time, though. Junker said the robot nailed the shot around 60-70 percent of the time. That's still a better accuracy rate than most amateur golfers and at least you won't see Golfi fly off the handle like Happy Gilmore if it misses.

However, Golfi sometimes drove over the ball and moved it out of position. The researchers have only tested the robot in the lab, so real-world conditions, like greens with divots or steep slopes, may pose problems for a system that relies on a bird's-eye view.

In any case, the researchers didn't set out to build a robot capable of competing with PGA Tour pros. They hope that the techniques they used in Golfi could be used for other robotics applications. “You can also transfer that to other problems, where you have some knowledge about the system and could model parts of it to obtain some data, but you can’t model everything,” Niklas Fittkau, another Paderborn University doctoral student and co-lead author of a paper on Golfi, told IEEE Research.

Back in 2016, a different robot called LDRIC sank a hole-in-one at a PGA event (albeit on the fifth attempt). I wonder who footed the bill for a round of drinks at the clubhouse afterward.

Black Friday may still be a few hours away, but we're already seeing a bunch of great deals on our favorite tech. This comes after a slow trickle of deals popping up across the web ever since the start of November. While we don't have the supply chain issues we did last year, it's still a good idea to start your holiday shopping as early as possible — even if it's just a few hours before the biggest sale day of the year. The sooner you check off items from your list, the sooner they'll arrive and you'll be ready to go for the holidays. To make things easier for you, we've collected the best early Black Friday tech deals here so you don't have to go searching for them.

Bose QuietComfort 45

Billy Steele/Engadget

The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones are back on sale for $249 right now, or 32 percent off their usual price. These are some of our favorite over-ear cans thanks in part to their excellent active noise cancellation and clear, balanced audio. The design isn't as slick as some of our other favorites, but they're comfortable to boot, plus their 24-hour battery life means you'll be able to wear them for long stretches of time without interruption.

AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

Billy Steele/Engadget

The latest AirPods Pro are on sale for $200 for Black Friday. That $50 discount is the most significant we've seen on these buds that just came out a couple of months ago. The new Pros earned a score of 88 from us for their improved sound quality, excellent Transparency Mode and solid active noise cancellation. We also appreciate the addition of the U1 chip inside the buds' wireless charging case, which enables Precision Finding using the Find My app.

Apple 10.2-inch iPad

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The 2021 iPad remains on sale for $270, which is the best price we've seen it. While Apple did just come out with an updated version, that latest model is much more expensive, coming in at $449. The 10.2-inch iPad is still a great option if you want iPadOS but only have so much to spend. We gave it a score of 86 for its solid performance, improved front cameras and excellent battery life.

AirTags (4 pack)

Chris Velazco/Engadget

A four-pack of Apple's AirTags is on sale for $80 right now, which is $20 off their usual price. That also brings the price per tracker down to $20, which is one of the lowest we've seen. These stocking-friendly gadgets make great gifts for iPhone users who want to digitally keep track of their things. They can use the Find My app to check the last known location of their keys, wallet and other belongings, and use their iPhones to be led directly to their stuff with on-screen directions if it's nearby.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Billy Steele/Engadget

Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones are down to $348 right now, which is the best price we've seen since they came out earlier this year. These are our current favorite wireless headphones, and Sony essentially changed only a few things about the previous WH-1000XM4 to make these cans even better. They have improved noise cancellation and sound quality, plus a slick new design and a solid battery life. We also appreciate their Speak-to-Chat feature and multi-device connectivity.

Chromecast with Google TV

Engadget

Both the 4K and HD Chromecasts with Google TV are on sale for Black Friday, coming in at $40 and $18, respectively. These two streamers are essentially the same, expect for the resolution that each support: the higher-end model with stream 4K content, while the other tops out at 1080p. They share a compact design and both come with a handy remote that makes navigating the Google TV interface much easier. Plus, you can speak to the Google Assistant through these dongles, calling about it to search for things to watch, answer questions and more.

Sonos One

Sonos' Black Friday deals include the Sonos One speaker for only $175, which is $44 off its normal price. Sonos gadgets rarely go on sale, much less direct on Sonos' site, so the entire sale is one to consider this Black Friday. The One earned a score of 90 from us when it first came out for its attractive design, excellent audio quality and its support for Amazon's Alexa, the Google Assistant and AirPlay 2. Also included in the sale is the Sonos Arc, one of our favorite soundbars, which is $180 off and down to $719.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

Billy Steele/Engadget

Google's best earbuds yet, the Pixel Buds Pro, have dropped to $150, which is $50 less than their usual price. these are the Android-maker's answers to Apple's AirPods Pro, and they are, without a doubt, one of the best pairs of wireless earbuds you can get if you don't have an iPhone. We gave them a score of 87 for their deep, punchy bass, reliable touch controls and wireless charging case.

Elgato Stream Deck MK.2

Engadget/Will Lipman

Elgato's Stream Deck MK.2 has dropped to $120 for Black Friday, which is a new record low. We've recommended various versions of the Stream Deck for a while now as an essential accessory for game streamers, but also a handy peripheral for power users to have, too. The MK.2 has 15 programmable buttons that let you trigger actions like launching an app, muting your mic and more, plus you can truly make it your own with a custom faceplate.

Audio-Technica ATH-M20xBT

Audio-Technica

The excellent and already affordable ATH-M20xBT are on sale for $59 for Black Friday, which is a record low. These are our current favorite budget cans thanks to their good sound quality, comfortable design, Bluetooth multi-point connectivity and 60-hour battery life. They may not have as slick of a design as more expensive headphones, or advanced features like noise cancellation, but you can't beat their value.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4 is on sale for $770 right now. Each iteration of Samsung's foldable phones is better than the last, and the Flip 4 is no different. It has a slick design that neatly folds in half, rendering it small enough to slip into your pocket. Not only do we appreciate its attractive and more durable design, but we also like its improved battery life and the increased number of hands-free applications it supports.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4

Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Samsung's latest flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, is $430 off and down to $1,370. It's certainly the most polished Fold Samsung has created, and we gave it a score of 86 for its brighter main screen, upgraded main and telephoto cameras, sleeker hinge and noticeably better battery life.

OnePlus 10 Pro

Mat Smith/Engadget

You can pick up the OnePlus 10 Pro smartphone for only $549 right now, which is the lowest we've seen it. The standout feature of this handset is its remarkably fast charging technology: you can get a full charge in just over a half hour using 80W SUPERVOOC charging. However, US users are capped at 65W SUPERVOOC, but that's still the speediest charging standard available stateside. Otherwise, we also appreciated the 10 Pro's lovely 120Hz display and its fast face-unlock feature.

iRobot Roomba j7

Valentina Palladino / Engadget

iRobot's Roomba j7 is on sale for $349 right now, which is the cheapest we've seen it, and you can get the j7+ for $599. This is one of iRobot's latest robo-vacs and it has enhanced obstacle avoidance which lets it navigate around a robot vacuum's arch nemesis: pet poop. It also has 10x the suction power of a standard Roomba, plus support for smart mapping and Alexa and Google Assistant voice control. With the j7+ model, you're also getting a clean base into which the robo-vac will empty its bin after every job.

Shark AV2511AE AI Robot Vacuum

Shark

The latest version of Shark's AI Robot Vaccum has dropped to $299 for Black Friday. This is one of our favorite robo-vacs thanks to its strong suction power, smart mapping feature and the included clean base into which it empties its bin after every job. We also appreciate that the clean base is bagless, so you don't have to regularly buy proprietary bags for it.

August WiFi smart lock

Engadget

August's WiFi smart lock is cheaper than ever at $159 for Black Friday. That's more than $70 off its usual price and a great deal if you're looking for a smart lock that's easy to install over most deadbolts and equally as easy to use. After you put ti on your door, you can use the companion mobile app to remote lock or unlock your home, and you can send limited-time keys to loved ones you who want to have access.

Crucial MX500 (1TB)

Crucial

Crucial's MX500 internal drive is down to a new low of $68 for the 1TB version, and you can find discounts on the other configurations, too. We've long recommended this drive for its standard form factor, its sequential reads/write speeds of up to 560/510 MB/s and its AES 256-bit hardware encryption. It also has integrated power loss immunity, which saves all of your work even when there's a power outage.

Jabra Elite 3

Billy Steele/Engadget

Jabra's Elite 3 wireless earbuds are on sale for $50, which is the best price we've seen. Considering these buds start out at less than $100, you won't find some advanced features on them like noise cancellation or wireless charging. However, they pack impressive sound quality for the price, along with a comfortable design, reliable onboard controls and good battery life.

Amazon Echo Show 5

Amazon

Amazon's Echo Show 5 is back on sale for $35 for Black Friday. This has been one of our favorite smart displays for quite some time, primarily because it acts as a great smart alarm clock. It has a 5-inch display that shows the date, time, weather conditions and more, plus it has a handy tap-to-snooze feature. And if you want it to wake you up visually, too, its sunrise alarm will slowly adjust the screen's brightness to wake you up more naturally.

Amazon Echo Dot

Amazon

The latest Echo Dot has dropped to $25, and that's the first real discount we've seen since the device came out a few months ago. Amazon added a bigger speaker inside this Echo Dot for improved sound, and it has a new built-in temperature sensor as well. That will come in handy if you have other smart home devices you control with Alexa because, if the temperature sensor reaches a certain level, you can program a routine to, say, start a fan to keep your environment precisely how you like it. The new Dot can also pair with an Eero WiFi system to add up to 1,000 extra square feet of coverage.

Kindle Paperwhite

Amazon

Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite has been discounted to $95 for Black Friday. While we consider the Signature Edition to be the best e-reader, period, the standard Paperwhite comes in at a close second. It has a 6.8-inch display with 17 front LEDs for better illumination, plus a water-resistant design, Audible support and a battery that can last weeks on a single charge.

Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite

Amazon

Amazon's most affordable streaming stick is on sale for only $15 right now, which is half off its usual price. This is a good option if you want to upgrade an old, "dumb" TV in your home into a smart one. The Fire TV Stick Lite provides access to Amazon's Fire TV OS, through which you can access services like Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and others. The TV Stick Lite supports FHD content, and you can use the included Voice Remote Lite to ask Alexa to show you the content you want to watch. If you want to upgrade a bit to Dolby Atmos, you can get the standard Fire TV Stick for only $5 more.

Blink Mini

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Amazon has brought back the two for $30 Blink Mini deal for Black Friday. This compact, wired security camera is only meant for indoor use and you'll have to keep it close to an outlet, but it shares all of the basic features with the larger Blink Indoor and Outdoor cameras. It record 1080p video and supports two-way audio, plus it'll send motion alerts to your phone and you can control it via Alexa voice commands.

Peloton Bike

Peloton

The original Peloton Bike is $300 off and down to $1,145 for Black Friday. If you're somehow unfamiliar, this is the company's first exercise bike that comes with a built-in screen for taking cycling classes as well as other strength, yoga and bootcamp routines. Also, one of the company's latest gadgets, the Peloton Guide, is on sale for $245, too.

Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.

It's easy to drop hundreds on a good pair of headphones, especially now when most of them are at least cheaper than they usually are. But it's not necessary to spend so much on a good pair of cans. Earlier this year, Audio-Technica introduced the $79 ATH-M20xBT, a wireless version of the original M20x, and they quickly became our favorite pair of budget-friendly wireless headphones. For Black Friday, these cans are cheaper than ever at just $59, giving you an opportunity to grab them at the lowest price we've seen.

The ATH-M20xBT may not have advanced features like active noise cancellation, but they have a lot going for them regardless. We like their comfortable design, even if it isn't as refined as that of the higher-end M50x. Their audio quality is good, and they also come with 40mm drivers for improved low-frequency performance. We also like their onboard, physical-button controls, which let you control calls, volume and music playback more easily.

Arguably the biggest feature of these headphones is their Bluetooth connectivity, which lets you use them wirelessly. But Audio-Technica also added multi-point pairing, so you can use them with more than one device at once. This is becoming a standard feature among the best headphones out there, so it's reassuring to see it come to a budget-friendly pair like this. The ATH-M20xBT also have a killer, 60-hour battery life, and they support fast-charge via USB-C, providing three hours of listening time after only 10 minutes of being plugged in. So while they might not be as slick as some of our other favorite wireless headphones, these cans offer a ton of value for the price — and even more when they're on sale like this.

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Amazon's latest entry-level Kindle has received its first discount in time for Black Friday. The company is selling the 2022 ad-supported Kindle for $85, or $15 below the official price. That makes it tempting if you're planning a gift for the bookworm in your life, or have just been waiting for a deal to treat yourself to Amazon's most affordable e-reader.

The refreshed starter Kindle is a major upgrade. The centerpiece is a 6-inch 300 pixels-per-inch display that's much sharper than the 167PPI screen of its predecessor, making text that much easier on the eyes. A longer six-week battery life, USB-C charging and doubled storage (16GB) also make it decidedly more practical than the previous model. You might not need more than this to have your dream e-reader, although you may want to pay extra to avoid lockscreen ads.

If you do need more, though, Amazon's ongoing Black Friday sale gives you options. Most notably, the Kindle Paperwhite is still available for $95. You won't have as much storage for that money (you'll need to spend $100), but you will get a larger 6.8-inch display, bath-friendly water resistance and an adjustable warm light. If you don't need those perks or just want the smallest reader in the lineup, though, the base Kindle is still easy to justify.

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Sony has more exclusive games than Xbox does, according to Microsoft, which claims that many of its rival's first-party titles "are better quality." Lest you believe Microsoft is dunking on its own game studios for no reason, the company made the assertion in a filing with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is conducting an in-depth review of the planned Activision Blizzard acquisition. Although the filing is dated October 31st, Eurogamer notes that the document has just been made publicly available.

"In addition to being the dominant console provider, Sony is also a powerful game publisher," Microsoft wrote in its response to the CMA. "Sony is roughly equivalent in size to Activision and nearly double the size of Microsoft's game publishing business." The company added that "there were over 280 exclusive first- and third-party titles on PlayStation in 2021, nearly five times as many as on Xbox."

Along with Sony's own franchises — such as The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War and Spider-Man — the company signs deals with third-party publishers for exclusive rights to games. Microsoft cites Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Bloodborne, as well as the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI and Silent Hill 2 remake as major titles that aren't or won't be available on Xbox.

Console exclusives account for a higher percentage of global game sales for Sony than Microsoft, the latter claimed (Sony just revealed that it sold 5.1 million copies of God of War Ragnarok in the game's launch week). However, many Xbox players opt to access Microsoft's exclusives through Game Pass instead of buying them outright — a point that Microsoft doesn't touch on while discussing the companies' sales proportions for their exclusive games.

In addition, Microsoft pointed to review scores for PlayStation and Xbox games. "The average Metacritic score for Sony’s top 20 exclusive games in 2021 was 87/100, against 80/100 for Xbox," Microsoft claimed.

Microsoft is spotlighting these factors because game exclusivity and competition concerns are important considerations that regulators reviewing the proposed Activision buyout are exploring. From Sony's perspective, one of the key sticking points of the Activision merger is the possibility that Microsoft will make the Call of Duty franchise (said to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year to PlayStation) exclusive to Xbox. Microsoft said it offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation earlier this month. Nevertheless, Microsoft claimed in the filing "it is implausible that Sony, the leading console with a more than 2-to-1 lead, would be foreclosed as a result of not having access to a single franchise."

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer suggested on The Verge's Decoder podcast last week that the Activision deal was largely about scooping up mobile gaming giant King. Mobile "is a place where if we don’t gain relevancy as a gaming brand, over time the business will become untenable," Spencer said. (Xbox Cloud Gaming runs on phones and tablets as well.)

Microsoft doubled down on the mobile side of the deal in its CMA filing. "As it stands, Xbox has no material presence in mobile and its ability to reach gamers on mobile is impeded by Apple and Google’s effective duopoly in the provision of mobile app stores. The acquisition of Activision provides Xbox with capabilities and content on mobile, which it currently lacks, while creating new distribution options for game developers outside of the mobile app stores." Of note, the CMA said this week it's investigating Apple and Google's "stranglehold over operating systems, app stores and web browsers on mobile devices."

This isn't the first time Microsoft has tried to downplay the significance of the proposed $68.7 billion Activision deal. It claimed over the summer that Activision Blizzard has no "must-have" games, despite being behind the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (which raked in $1 billion in sales in 10 days), Overwatch 2 (35 million players in its first month), World of Warcraft and Candy Crush Saga (3 billion downloads since launch). Activision Blizzard's games had 368 million monthly active users last quarter. However, Blizzard stands to lose millions of players in China when many of its games go offline there in January.

Moog's holiday promos this year include a particularly nice perk: a freebie. The synthesizer pioneer has released a free new MF-109S Saturator add-on (shown above) for all Moogerfooger Effects Plugins users. As the name implies, the plugin gives you more control over the input drive circuit to produce anything from analog saturation through to smooth compression. It also replicates the noise generator circuit of the Minimoog Model D, with control through a switchable filter type.

You'll need to own Moogerfooger Effects Plugins to get the MF-109S, but the pack is on sale for $149 (normally $249) as of this writing. It works with common plugin formats like AudioUnits, ProTools AAX and VST3 on Macs and Windows PCs.

And don't worry if you'd rather buy full-fledged creative software — Moog has deals there, too. The company is once again offering 50 percent off its iOS and Mac software, including the Animoog Z wavetable synthesis app ($15 to unlock), Minimoog Model D ($15) and Model 15 (also $15). This isn't the first time Moog has run a sale on its apps this year, but you might not mind if you're hoping to add classic synth sounds to your musical repertoire.

It may be worth investing in the Moogerfooger effects set even if the bonus isn't a draw. We were impressed with the plugins when we tried them in October. You can produce subtle results if you want, but they're at their best when you venture to the stranger side — even a basic track can stand out with the right tweaks. They're treats for musicians who revere analog synthesis but don't have thousands of dollars to spend on vintage hardware.

Anyone looking for a portable, high-performance gaming laptop might want to move on this Black Friday deal from Razer. Right now this configuration of the Blade 14, normally $2,800, is down to $2,000. This Blade runs on an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX 8 Core processor, and while that's AMD's previous generation chip, it's still plenty fast to handle the latest titles. 

Graphics-wise, it's got NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and a 14-inch QHD screen with a 165Hz refresh rate. You get 1TB of SSD storage and 16GB of soldered (non-upgradable) RAM, plus 8GB of video RAM. While that non-upgradable issue might hold some people back, this is still a solid deal on a gaming laptop with a good amount of ports, that also happens to be easy to bring along anywhere you go.  

The laptop deal is part of a larger Black Friday sale from Razer, which also includes discounts on peripherals like the Razer Huntsman Mini keyboard. This quiet and smooth gaming deck is our current favorite 60 percent keyboard and the deal takes 42 percent off the list price, bringing it down to $70. It's the lowest price we've seen so far, making this a good time to snag a responsive, RGB-lit deck that takes up minimal space. 

If space isn't an issue and you prefer the prowess of a full-sized deck complete with direction keys, a number pad and even a wrist rest, check out the company's BlackWidow V3. It's $50 off, bringing it to $90, which is the lowest it's ever gone outside of last year's Black Friday sale. The mechanical keys produce that satisfying clack, and the BlackWidow offers customization for a unique dial above the number pad, a media button and the individually backlit keys. 

When we set out to find the best productivity mouse, Razer's Viper Ultimate was our top pick for a gaming mouse that could handle everyday use. Normally a steep $150, it's now down to a more palatable $75. In addition to being ambidextrous and super light, we called it "a pleasure to use for extended periods."

The Razer Seiren Mini condenser microphone is down to $38 from its usual $50. The USB-based mic follows a supercardioid pickup pattern to focus on your voice instead of ambient background noise, and its compact size doesn't dominate your desktop. 

Check out the entire Razer sale at Amazon for Black Friday deals on more of the company's gear, including headsets, controllers, and more. 

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If you're looking for a new pair of AirPods to gift to a loved one this year, you're certainly not alone. These popular wireless earbuds have been high on many wish lists since they first debuted in 2016. We're now on the third-generation of Apple's standard earbuds, and the second full revamp of the higher-end AirPods Pro. And those who want all of the conveniences of AirPods in a classic, over-ear design can still turn to Apple's AirPods Max. Regardless of which model you're looking to gift (or buy for yourself), there are discounts to be had for Black Friday. Here are the best deals on AirPods we found for Black Friday 2022.

AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

The latest AirPods Pro are on sale for $200 for Black Friday. While that's not a huge discount, it's significant for a pair of Apple earbuds that just came out a couple of months ago. These buds earned a score of 88 from us for their improved sound quality, excellent Transparency Mode and solid active noise cancellation. We also appreciate the addition of the U1 chip inside the buds' wireless charging case, which enables Precision Finding using the Find My app.

AirPods (3rd gen)

Apple's third-generation AirPods have dropped to $140, which is $30 off their usual price. The company totally revamped the design of the standard AirPods with this iteration, and they earned a score of 88 from us for their comfortable fit, noticeably better audio quality and longer battery life. Just keep in mind that these buds don't have ANC — you'll have to spring for the AirPods Pro to get that feature.

AirPods (2nd gen)

The second-generation AirPods are on sale for $79 for Black Friday, although we have seen them go in and out of stock since they dropped that low. They're a bit outdated at this point, but if you're looking for a basic pair of wireless earbuds that work well within the Apple ecosystem, they'll be a good option. This model earned a score of 84 from us when it came out in 2019 for its improved wireless performance and solid battery life.

AirPods Max

The over-ear AirPods Max have dropped to $449, or $100 off their usual price. The most premium of Apple's audio gadgets, the AirPods Max have excellent, balanced sound, solid ANC, reliable touch controls and a good battery life. There are better headphones out there when it comes to overall sound quality and ANC, but these are the ones to get if you want them to work seamlessly with all of your other Apple devices.

Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.

It’s the year 2022 and going to the office for work is no longer the norm for a lot of people. You probably know at least one person in your life who’s remote either part-time or full-time. Working from home has its perks – not having a commute being chief among them – but it’s not without challenges. Household disturbances are big ones, as well as poor lighting or simply the lack of professional-level equipment that they might have access to only in-office. That’s why we recommend giving them a gift or two that will help with those shortcomings. From noise-canceling headphones to an ergonomic footrest, here’s a list of things that’s sure to make their WFH life a lot easier.

Mooas Multi-Cube Timer

Mooas

One of the most difficult obstacles with working from home is all the distractions. You’re constantly sidetracked by temptations like TV, the internet or just easy access to the kitchen. A potential solution to that is to use one of these multi-cube timers from Mooas as a productivity tool. Each side corresponds to different lengths of time; to start the timer, you’ll flip the cube so your desired time faces upwards. Flipping the LCD display upwards again will pause it, while turning the display downwards will stop the timer.

There are a number of ways to use them, but I like using the Pomodoro Technique with these. I’ll enable the 30 minute timer which then encourages me to focus just on my work for the allotted time period. Once time is up, I give myself a five minute rest, and then I start it over again. You can also use them as a reminder to stand up and stretch every so often. These timers come in a variety of colors, each with different time pre-sets, so be sure to pick the one with the time lengths you think your loved one will want. — Nicole Lee, Commerce Writer

Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 MagSafe charging station

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

Apple devotees will appreciate Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro, which will charge an iPhone, an Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods simultaneously. Not only will this save your loved one quite a bit of desk space, it also reduces cord clutter as it only requires a single power cable. Additionally, though the charging pad has 15W MagSafe for the iPhone 12 and up, it’s actually compatible with any phone with wireless charging; it just won’t be quite as fast. That means it’ll work with iPhones 8 and up as well as compatible Android devices. — N.L.

Logitech Lift Vertical mouse

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

If someone you love spends all of their time on a laptop for work, getting them a wireless mouse can improve the ergonomics of their setup immensely. Not only are they generally more comfortable to use than trackpads, but they can also help improve posture and prevent hand cramping – especially if you get a vertical mouse. Logitech’s Lift is one of its latest vertical mice and it’s ideal for small- to medium-sized hands (those with large hands should check out the MX Vertical instead). The 57-degree angle in its design places their hand in the natural handshake position, which will put less pressure on their wrist than a standard mouse would. It also has a comfortable, soft-touch finish with four customizable buttons that are easy to reach. They’ll be able to connect it to their laptop via a USB receiver or Bluetooth and, regardless of which method they choose, the Lift will last two years before needing replacement AA batteries. — Valentina Palladino, Senior Commerce Editor

Lume Cube Video Conferencing Lighting Kit

Lume Cube

If your loved ones already have a camera they like, then getting them a lighting rig is a great next step for improving how they look on videos, live streams and more. While a typical desk lamp might cast a shadow or make them look washed out, a proper lighting kit will illuminate their face and show off their best side.

We like Lume Cube’s Video Conferencing Lighting Kit because it’s small and lightweight enough to fit on tablets, laptops or desktop monitors. The built-in frosted lens and additional white diffuser softens the light so it’s easier on the eyes while also adding a glow to your appearance. The brightness and color is adjustable to fit whichever lighting environment you happen to be in. The Kit has a built-in extended battery so you can use it on the go, but you can also just plug it directly into your computer’s USB port to run indefinitely.

If they also need their video-lighting rig to be a desk lamp, we would recommend Lume Cube’s Edge Desk light instead. It also has adjustable brightness and color temperatures, which will help make them look great in front of the camera, but it can also swivel around to be used as a regular desk lamp when they’re not on a call. It attaches securely to most desks via a clamp which won’t take up much real estate at all. Bonus: It has built-in USB-C and USB-A charging ports which can be used as additional power sources. — N.L.

Flexispot standing desk converter

Flexispot

By now we all know the benefits of a standing desk, but that doesn’t change the fact that most of them are super expensive. Instead of spending a ton on one, you can work with what you already have – and that might be the better option if you or someone you love already invested in a nice regular desk. A standing desk converter like this one from Flexispot lets you turn your existing desk into one that you can either stand or sit at. This model also comes with a dedicated keyboard tray, so you can separate your workspace a bit and keep things as ergonomic as possible. But the best part is that it costs a fraction of what an actual standing desk would. — V.P.

Logitech C920S Pro Full HD webcam

Engadget

Remote workers might not have to see their co-workers anymore, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have meetings. Any WFH employee will tell you that their days are often inundated with Zoom calls and Google Meet video conferences. That’s why an external webcam is essential, at least if you care about looking good. Our favorite is the Logitech C920S Pro HD webcam, which offers 1080p video quality, autofocus capabilities and white balance adjustment. One big benefit over regular built-in webcams is that they’ll be able to position it however they like, which makes it that much easier to put unsightly household messes out of view. It has a large 78-degree field of view plus a lens cover that will protect your loved ones’ privacy when not in use. — N.L.

Ergofoam Ergonomic Adjustable Foot Rest

Ergofoam

Those who sit at their desks all day will appreciate a more ergonomic setup for less back and neck pain. One way to achieve that is with the Ergofoam Ergonomic Adjustable Footrest, which helps provide fim support for your feet and ensure your sitting position is upright. The footrest is made out of memory foam and is covered in a plush velvet, making it super comfortable as well. This particular model is adjustable to two different heights, which is great for those who need a slightly taller footrest. Additionally, the footrest can be flipped upside down and used as a rocker to keep your feet moving, improving your circulation. — N.L.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

It can be hard to control the environment you’re working in when you work from home. You may have kids yelling around you, pets barking, meowing or otherwise making noise and maybe even your partner taking a Zoom call in the room next door. A pair of noise-canceling headphones will become your best friend when you need to block out the world and get things done, and there’s none better than Sony’s WH-1000XM5 right now. They have a refined design and an even more comfortable fit when compared to the (still excellent) XM4 that came before them, and Sony managed to improve upon their already stellar sound quality and ANC.

Thanks to double the number of processors and microphones and a separate V1 chip, the WH-1000XM5 is even better at blocking out human voices and other higher frequencies than its predecessors. And what might be even better is their 30-hour battery life; you’ll be able to use them for hours each day for multiple days before they need a recharge. — V.P.

Ember Mug 2

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

If you know someone who has a tendency to let their cup of coffee or tea get cold, consider giving them the Ember Mug 2. It’s a self-heating smart mug that keeps beverages at just the right temperature – either for up to 1.5 hours or all day long if the mug is kept on its charging coaster. They can dial in their desired temperatures anywhere from 120 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The companion app also lets them save preset temps for their favorite drinks. — N.L.

BenQ Screenbar

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

While a desk lamp is useful for working in lowlight, it can sometimes obstruct the monitor or worse, shine glare into it. A monitor light like BenQ’s ScreenBar is a fantastic alternative, as it reduces that glare while illuminating your desk at the same time. It has a built-in ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the ScreenBar’s brightness according to its surroundings. You can also change the temperature of the light from warmer to cooler hues. Since the ScreenBar attaches to the monitor, it won’t take up valuable space on your desk too. — N.L.

Anker 577 Thunderbolt docking station

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget

It’s easy to get carried away building your perfect work-from-home desk setup, only to realize that it’s not as efficient as it could be. Wires cluttering your space, extra connectors and peripherals you don’t use, all of those things can make your desk a place you dread sitting down at each morning. But Anker’s 577 Thunderbolt docking station, and others like it, can remedy that by giving you one multi-purpose, powerful brick into which you can plug all of your necessities.

This model has 13 ports, so there’s a good chance you’ll be covered at every turn, plus it supports 85W laptop charging, so you’ll always have plenty of power fueling your machine as you use it. In addition to supporting 1-Gbps USB-C data transfer, Gigabit Ethernet and 4K HDMI, it also lets you connect to two 5K external displays at once, just in case you’re going for that space-commander look. — V.P.