We're officially one week out from Black Friday and it seems most retailers have launched at least a portion of their deals and sales already. You can find the exhaustive list on our deals homepage, but we've gathered the highlights here. Bose's new QuietComfort 45 headphones remain on sale for $279, while the Mac Mini M1 is still $100 off. A bunch of Amazon and Google devices have been discounted, and you can still get the second-generation Apple Pencil for $100. Here are the best early Black Friday tech deals that you can still get today.

Bose QuietComfort 45

Billy Steele/Engadget

Bose's new QuietComfort 45 headphones are on sale for $279 right now, or $50 off their normal price. We gave them a score of 86 for their clear, balanced audio, improved ANC and long battery life.

Mac Mini M1

Engadget

Apple's Mac Mini M1 is on sale for $600 thanks to an automatically applied coupon at Amazon. It was already the most affordable M1 machine you could get, but these deal makes it even cheaper. It's the best option if you need a compact desktop that runs macOS and has a newer, more powerful processor.

HomePod Mini

Apple

The new colors of the HomePod mini are $5 cheaper right now at B&H Photo, bringing them down to $95 each. It's not a huge discount, but we rarely see these smart speakers drop below $85 - $90 a piece. We gave the HomePod mini a score of 84 for its solid audio quality, cute and compact design and improved Siri smarts.

Apple Pencil (2nd-gen)

Valentina Palladino / Engadget

The second-generation Apple Pencil is on sale for $100 right now, which is an all-time-low price. It works with all iPads except for the latest 10.2-inch entry-level model, which still supports the first-gen stylus. It's a must-have if you plan on taking notes or creating artwork with your iPad.

Samsung foldables

David Imel for Engadget

Samsung's latest foldables are on sale for Black Friday, and you can get a free pair of Galaxy Buds 2 when you buy. The Z Flip 3 is down to $850 while the Z Fold 3 is on sale for $1,500 — if you buy through Amazon, you just have to apply the free-earbuds promotional offer on the product page before checking out.

Google deals

Engadget

A number of Google gadgets have been discounted ahead of Black Friday. Key among them are the Pixel 6 smartphone for up to $100 off, the Nest Hub for half off and the Nest Audio for only $60.

Sony WH-1000XM4

Billy Steele / Engadget

Sony's WH-1000XM4 headphones are on sale for $248, which is a record-low price. These are our current favorite ANC cans and we gave them a score of 94 for their excellent sound quality, good ANC and multi-device connectivity.

Sony WF-1000XM4

Billy Steele/Engadget

Sony's excellent WF-1000XM4 earbuds are still down to $248. We gave them a score of 86 for their great sound quality, powerful ANC and improved battery life.

Jabra Elite 75t

Billy Steele / Engadget

Jabra's Elite 75 earbuds are on sale for $80, which is $70 off and a record low. While not the latest earbuds from Jabra, they remain some of our favorites thanks to their solid audio quality, comfortable design and new ANC abilities that came through a recent software update.

August WiFi smart lock

Engadget

The 4th-generation August WiFi smart lock is on sale for $179 right now. We gave the smart home gadget a score of 80 for its minimalist design, easy installation process and mandatory two-factor authentication.

Samsung T7 SSD

Samsung

Samsung's T7 portable SSD in 1TB has dropped to a record low of $130. You can also grab the 2TB model on sale for $250 right now, too. We like these compact drives for their durable yet sleek design, speedy performance and optional password protection.

Roku Streambar

Valentina Palladino / Engadget

Roku's Streambar is on sale for $80 right now, or $50 off its normal price. That's the best price we've seen on the compact soundbar. It earned a score of 86 from us for its solid audio quality, Dolby Atmos support and built-in 4K streaming technology.

Amazon Echo devices

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Amazon's slashed the prices of most of its Echo devices ahead of Black Friday. Of note are the Echo smart speaker for $60 and the latest Echo Show 5 for $45. The sale includes other items like the Echo Buds and the Echo Frames, and we recommend grabbing Echo devices now while they're at all-time-low prices and before shipping times get too long.

Amazon Fire tablets

Valentina Palladino / Engadget

A number of regular and kids edition Fire tablets have been discounted ahead of Black Friday. Notably, the Fire HD 8 and HD 10 are half off, while all Fire Kids Pro devices are at record-low prices. 

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max

Amazon

The new Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $35, or $20 off its normal price. It has all of the same features as the standard 4K streaming stick that Amazon sells, but it also supports WiFi 6 and picture-in-picture live view.

Kindle

Engadget

The basic Kindle is on sale for $50, which is a record-low price. While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the Paperwhite, it remains a solid e-reader thanks to its front-lit display, sleek design and improved contrast display.

Blink cameras

Amazon / Blink

Most Blink security cameras have been discounted ahead of Black Friday: a one-pack of the Outdoor cam is on sale for $60, the same configuration for the Indoor camera is down to $50 and the tiny, wired Blink Mini is on sale for $20.

Solo Stove

Engadget

Solo Stove's early Black Friday sale knocks up to $200 off its fire pits. The midrange Bonfire is on sale for $225, which is $125 off its normal price. These stainless steel fire pits have made it into some of our outdoor-focused guides, and we like them for their attractive designs and their ability to create a cozy fire that doesn't emit tons of smoke.

Adobe All Apps plan

gorodenkoff via Getty Images

New Adobe subscribers can get the All Apps plan for only $30 per month, which is 40 percent off its normal price. That gets you Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro and Acrobat, which are most of Adobe's most popular programs. Students can save even more: the discount is $16 per month for them, or 70 percent off the normal rate.

Arturia sale

Arturia

Arturia's early Black Friday sale knocks 50 percent off software through December 8th. That includes the FX Collection 2 vintage plugin set, which is now $199, the V Collection 8 synth keyboard pack for $299 and the Pigments soft synth with the Spectrum sound pack for $99.

New early Black Friday tech deals

Jabra 85h

Jabra's 85h wireless headphones are back down to their lowest price yet, only $150. We gave them a score of 84 when they first came out in 2019 for their custom EQ and ANC modes, solid onboard controls and insane battery life.

NordVPN

NordVPN has a promotion going on right now that gets you two years of the service for $89. That's 68 percent off its normal price. We like NordVPN for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.

Segway Kickscooter Max

Wellbots has the Segway Kickscooter Max for $150 off, bringing it down to $799 when you use the code ENGADGET150 at checkout. This model has the longest driving range of all Ninebot scooters, pneumatic inflatable tires, 6-hour fast charging and more.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Just ahead of Black Friday, some solid gaming deals are popping up. A 12-month subscription to PlayStation Plus is currently $40 on Amazon. It typically costs $60 and it's a digital code, so you won't have to wait for delivery. If you’re already a PS Plus member, it’s still worth checking out this deal, since you can stack additional subscriptions.

You'll need a PS Plus membership to play most multiplayer games on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. There are exceptions for some free-to-play games, including Fortnite. In addition, members often get discounts on digital purchases through the PlayStation Store, as well as cloud storage and backups for game save files.

One of the major value adds of PS Plus is that players receive a mystery bag of a few games each month across PS4 and PS5. There are three extra PS VR games this month to mark the headset’s fifth anniversary. You’ll retain access to claimed PS Plus games as long as you maintain your subscription.

PS5 owners can take advantage of the PS Plus Collection too. It’s a selection of first-party and third-party PS4 games, some of which have been patched for better performance on PS5. The lineup includes God of War, Monster Hunter: World, Final Fantasy XV, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Ratchet & Clank, Days Gone, Battlefield 1, Batman: Arkham Knight, The Last Guardian, The Last of Us Remastered, Persona 5 and Resident Evil 7. The same rule applies: if your PS Plus subscription lapses, you won’t be able to play games you claimed through the collection.

Of course, given that this is the biggest shopping season of the year, there are discounts on games as well, and many of the better deals are for physical editions. You can find savings on PlayStation console exclusives like Deathloop ($30, usually $60), the director's cut of Ghost of Tsushima on PS5 (down from $70 to $40), Demon's Souls (also reduced by $30 to $40) and, in one of the bigger discounts, Returnal, which has dropped from $70 to $30.

There are good deals on multi-platform titles too, such as Eidos-Montreal's surprisingly wonderful Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which is half off at $30 on all platforms. Hitman 3 and Resident Evil: Village are both less than half price at the minute at $20. Hades, which is widely regarded as one of the best games of 2020, is also $20 on all platforms.

Far Cry 6 is a third off at $40, and you can save on FIFA 22 as well. The latest edition of EA's famed soccer series is $40 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S (it's a digital code for the latter consoles), and $28 on PS4 and Xbox One.

The PS5 digital edition and Xbox Series X don't have disc drives, so deals on physical games won't mean much to owners of those consoles. However, it's worth checking out the PlayStation and Xbox digital stores for Black Friday deals there too.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Sony made the best even better with this year's WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones and they're back on sale ahead of Black Friday. You can grab the cans for $248 right now, or more than $100 off their normal price. If you prefer earbuds, the WF-1000XM4 have been discounted for a bit and remain down to $248 as well.

All of the key (and stellar) features of the previous WH-1000XM3 are in the latest headphones, but the new model has a few upgrades, too. The design is slightly sleeker and more comfortable, and you'll get about 30 hours on a single charge so you can wear them for long stretches of time. Sound quality is great with punchy bass, and Sony's 360 Reality Audio provides an immersive experience similar to that of Dolby Atmos. Active noise cancellation is also solid and, with Adaptive Sound Control enabled, the headphones will automatically adjust the level of noise cancellation based on your environment.

We also appreciate the addition of two new features: multi-device connectivity and Speak to Chat. The former allows you to connect the XM4 to a couple of devices at once, switching between them at will. The latter will automatically pause audio coming from the headphones when it detects you speaking. Most people will likely use the former feature more on a regular basis, but the latter is nice to have, too.

For those who prefer earbuds, you'll get many similar features in the WF-1000XM4. These earned a score of 86 from us for their excellent sound quality and ANC, improved battery life and wireless charging case. They also have the same Speak-to-Chat feature that the headphones have, even if it can be a bit finicky sometimes. The ANC on these buds is noticeably better than that of their predecessors, and they also support 360 Reality Audio.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Samsung's latest family of foldables is its best yet, but also its most expensive. Their high price tags can make it hard to be an early adopter without emptying your bank account. But Black Friday sales have come in clutch for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 — both are on sale for record-low prices at Amazon right now. The Z Flip 3 is $150 off and down to $850 while the Z Fold 3 is $300 off and down to $1,500. Both also come with a free pair of Galaxy Buds 2 if you apply the promotional offer on the product page before checking out. If you'd rather order directly from Samsung, you can get the same deal on the Z Fold 3 there, but the Z Flip 3 costs an extra $50.

Out of the two, the Z Flip 3 impressed us more, in part because Samsung fixed many of the problems found in its predecessor. While you'll still notice a crease in its 6.7-inch AMOLED display, it's not as noticeable as before, and the screen and the device overall seems more durable this time around. The handset doesn't scratch as easily anymore and it's IPX8 water resistant, too.

The main screen runs at 2,640 x 1,080 resolution and is lovely to use, and it supports up to 120Hz refresh rates. When folded, the 1.9-inch external screen displays short bits of information like the weather and calendar events, and it can be used to quickly access certain features like Samsung Pay. We also appreciate the new software features that Samsung built in that are foldable specific such as Flex Mode, which will show things like a a YouTube video on the top half of the display when the device is partially folded and the comments section on the bottom.

While the Z Flip 3 is both impressive and fairly practical, we found the Z Fold 3 to be remarkable but much less useful. It's larger and heavier for one, and when closed, it's narrower than most smartphones, which makes it a bit awkward. Its 7.6-inch AMOLED interior display provides an immersive experience and is more flexible than previous iterations, and we appreciate the S Pen support. But overall, it's not the best smartphone nor the best small tablet. However, that might not matter to those who are super excited about owning a foldable — and these Black Friday sales make that reality a bit more accessible.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Engadget’s Jessica Conditt to dive into the latest controversy around Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, he was well aware of sexual misconduct allegations at the company, and he deliberately kept Activision's board in the dark. Also, we chat about what Apple’s self service program means for you, as well as a new accessibility gadget that brings eye tracking to the iPad.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

• New report says Activision/Blizzard CEO protected abusers at the studio – 1:20

• Apple announces new program to repair products at home – 19:20

• Google Cloud outage takes down Spotify, Snapchat, Etsy, and other sites – 24:40

• TD Pilot will let people with disabilities control an iPad with their eyes – 30:02

• Halo Infinite free multiplayer beta is available now – 36:13

• Paramount+ Pulls Star Trek: Discovery from Netflix before new season – 37:37

• StreamLabs was accused of plagiarism, drops “OBS” from its name – 41:15

• Rep. Paul Gosar retweets Attack on Titan edit about killing AOC right after being censured for doing it the first time – 44:19

• LA’s Staples Center is now the Crypto.com arena – 45:59

• Gucci made a $10K Xbox + case – 49:02

• Working on – 52:57

• Picks – 55:57

Video livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Jessica Conditt
Producer: Ben Ellman
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos,Luke Brooks
Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Kyle Maack
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

The UK government is strengthening its existing laws against the use of mobile phones while driving. It's already illegal to text and make calls behind the wheel unless it's an emergency. Starting next year, though, any use of mobile phone while driving will be deemed illegal — that includes using phones to take photos or videos, to play games or to scroll through playlists and other content. 

Drivers can't do any of those even while their vehicle isn't moving. The government will revise The Highway Code to explain that being stationary on the road, such as at traffic lights or in the middle of traffic jams, still count as driving. Anybody caught using their phones in those circumstances will still be fined £200 (US$269) and will get six penalty points on their license, which means new drivers could get their licenses revoked. 

The only exception is if they're using their phone to make payments at a card reader, say at a drive-through window or a road toll. Paying for online shopping purchases isn't an acceptable reason to get out of being penalized if they're caught. To note, drivers can continue using their devices hands-free, such as for navigation purposes, so long as they're secured in a cradle.

The UK has long been planning to close the legal loophole allowing drivers to use their mobile devices, so long as they're not texting or calling. Authorities consulted the public about expanding its existing laws, and 81 percent of responders apparently supported their proposals.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement:

"Too many deaths and injuries occur while mobile phones are being held. By making it easier to prosecute people illegally using their phone at the wheel, we are ensuring the law is brought into the 21st century while further protecting all road users."

We reported on employees calling for Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick’s resignation earlier this week in TMA, but pressure continues to mount. Alongside more than 800 Activision Blizzard employees and contractors that have signed a petition calling for CEO Bobby Kotick to be removed, there have been responses from both the head of PlayStation, Jim Ryan, and Microsoft’s Phil Spencer.

In a memo obtained by Bloomberg, Spencer reportedly said he and other leaders at Xbox are “disturbed and deeply troubled by the horrific events and actions” that reportedly took place at Activision Blizzard and that Microsoft was “evaluating all aspects” of their relationship with the game publisher.

-Mat Smith

Apple’s fully self-driving car ambitions reportedly still exist

The company may be narrowing its focus.

Bloomberg sources claim Apple is now shifting its attention to a fully self-driving car, not just a more conventional vehicle with semi-autonomous features. New project leader Kevin Lynch wants the very first model to drive itself, according to sources.

The company is reportedly speeding up its plans, too. Instead of a targeted launch in five to seven years, the sources said it was now aiming for 2025 — that’s just four years away.

Continue reading.

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Canadian police arrest teen for stealing $36.5 million in cryptocurrency

It's one of the biggest crypto thefts involving a single person.

Police in Canada say they recently arrested a teen who allegedly stole $46 million CAD (approximately $36.5 million) worth of cryptocurrency from a single individual in the US.

The owner of the currency was the victim of a SIM swap attack. Their cellphone number was hijacked and used to intercept two-factor authentication requests, thereby allowing access to their protected accounts. Some of the stolen money was used to purchase a “rare” online gaming username, which eventually allowed the Hamilton Police Service, as well as FBI and US Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, to identify the account holder. Police seized approximately $7 million CAD ($5.5 million) in stolen cryptocurrency when they arrested the teen.

Continue reading.

Nike is building its metaverse inside of 'Roblox'

Yes, there’s a product showroom.

Roblox

Nike announced a partnership with Roblox to offer a free virtual playspace called Nikeland. In its current iteration, Nikeland includes minigames such as tag, dodgeball and the floor is lava that players can check out with their friends. Mobile integration allows you to use your phone to translate real-life movement into the game. In that way, you can do things like long jumps and fast sprints.

Why did Nike team-up with Roblox? Because it’s huge. With more than 200 million estimated monthly active users, it’s one of the most popular games among kids and teenagers.

Continue reading.

Google's second-gen Pixel Stand is available for pre-order

It has a fan?

Google

The new Pixel Stand is both bigger and more powerful than its predecessor — even if it didn’t make it in time for the Pixel 6 launch. It can charge the Pixel 6 Pro at up to 23W (21W for the regular Pixel 6) and has a fan to keep everything cool, but also presumably make noise while you charge. And while it will charge many Qi-compatible devices at up to 15W, Google phone owners receive some extra perks. You can use the Pixel 3 and newer models as makeshift Google Assistant smart speakers, display personal data like calendars while unlocked or turn your phone into a photo frame.

Continue reading. 

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Emotes are a great way to add character and distinctiveness to a Twitch community — they can also get casual viewers to pay for subscriptions. A Twitch affiliate who's just starting out, however, used to only have a single custom emote slot. Now, the livestreaming website has upped the initial number of emote slots to five, based on affiliates' feedback. That means streamers can offer five custom emotes from the get-go, simply by meeting the bare requirements needed to become part of the affiliate program. In all, affiliates can earn nine slots for custom emotes by reaching certain subscription milestones. 

Twitch is also carrying the change over to its partner program, increasing the slots available for them, as well. To be able to apply for partner status, an affiliate must reach a certain number of streaming hours, views and subscribers. Even then, they might not get in. That's why giving potential subscribers more incentive in the form of emotes could help beginners reach their goal sooner and earn more money.

The website has also given affiliates the capability offer animated emotes to their community. They'll start with one slot and can unlock up to five as their audience grows. Those who can't afford to pay an artist to create animated emotes for them can use the website's Easy Animate feature to quickly convert static emotes into animated versions for free. These updates have started rolling out to Twitch streamers and will be reaching everyone in the coming weeks. 

The cult classic '90s game Earthworm Jim is coming back to TV as a new series, according to Variety and a tweet from Interplay Entertainment. Interplay holds the rights to Earthworm Jim games and recently announced it was bringing the franchise back as an Intellivision Amico exclusive. 

The project will be headed be Interplay's newly formed TV and film studio division, working with the animation studio Passion Pictures. "There’s so much potential in this story universe: a galaxy full of animals battling for power," project lead Michel K. Parandi told Variety. "Jim is an earthworm in a universe where Earth is nothing more than a myth. His struggle to find meaning is surreal and comical, but it’s also relatable."

The first Earthworm Jim game came out on Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo in 1994, with the last released in 1999. There's still no word on when the new game will arrive. There was also a Warner Bros. cartoon series based on the game that ran for two season in 1995, with the lead character played by none other than Dan Castellaneta, best known as the voice of Homer Simpson. 

In a follow-up tweet, Interplay said that the original creator of the game, presumably Doug TenNapel, "is not involved at all." TenNapel was originally brought in as a creative consultant on the game, but his participation was called into question after he made a number of racist and homophobic comments on a podcast. 

Blink's security cameras have the benefits of being small, wireless and relatively affordable, and you can grab most of them for less during Amazon's Black Friday sale. Both Indoor and Outdoor models have been discounted so you can grab a one-camera kit of either for $50 and $60, respectively. Most packs are on sale, too, so you can grab enough to outfit a good portion of your home and save a decent amount of money while doing so. Also, the wired Blink Mini is down to $20 in this sale, which is a record-low price.

You only have to decide if you want to put Blink cameras inside or outside your home before you buy them. Aside from the weather resistance on the Outdoor models, the cams are basically the same. Both record 1080p video, have infrared night vision, support two-way audio and send motion alerts to your phone. Two-way audio lets you chat with whomever (or whatever) is on the other end of the camera while motion alerts will keep you posted about any movement the camera's detect, be it a deliveryman or a rogue bird. Plus, these cameras support Alexa voice commands, so if you have an Echo Show device, you can ask it to show you the video feeds from any of your Blink cameras.

If you're unsure about going all-in on these cameras, the Blink Mini is a cheap way to try them out first. It's not wireless like the standard cams, but it has most of the same features and is even more compact. It'll record in 1080p and it supports two-way audio, motion alerts and Alexa — you'll just have to make sure you place it close to an outlet in your home.

Amazon also knocked down the prices of its Eero 6 routers for Black Friday. The Eero 6 is down to $77 whi;e the Eero Pro 6 is on sale for $171. While both support WiFi 6, the Eero Pro 6 can cover up to 2,000 square feet with just one router while the Eero 6 has a more modest 1,500 square feet of coverage. Also, the Pro 6 is a tri-band router and will be better for speeds up to a gigabit, whereas the dual-band Eero 6 supports speeds up to 900 Mbps.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.