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If you're a programmer, particularly in data science or analysis, you've probably suffered headaches over the packages included in a Linux distribution. What if there were a way you could have a separate programming environment for your projects that was isolated from the system without having to set up a virtual machine? Mamba might be what you need.

Right now, you can snag the ASUS Vivobook 14 at Best Buy for an impressive $320, which is a massive $280 off its usual $600 price tag. This excellent deal makes it an great time to grab a reliable laptop without breaking the bank.

Farscape is—and I don't want to undersell it—one of the best sci-fi TV shows to ever grace our screens. When most sci-fi TV shows just gave use dudes with thick makeup, Farscape (with the help of Jim Henson's puppets) gave us actually alien aliens. The only other show that came close was Babylon 5, but that's a story for another day.

Microsoft has pushed generative AI features into every corner of Windows 11, but most of them aren’t actually useful to most people, and some of them are actively distracting or harmful. Thankfully, the latest addition is actually great: a ‘Describe image’ feature.

Whether your TV is brand new or 20 years old, chances are it has a remote control that uses IR (infrared) light to work. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but there are many things that annoy me about IR remotes, and, honestly, there are better ways to control devices at a distance these days.

The difference between Prime Day and Black Friday — their roots, anyway — probably isn't a mystery to anyone who has dabbled in online shopping before.

Most of us know that Black Friday is the big sale frenzy that happens around Thanksgiving as a precursor to the holidays, and that almost every store you can think of participates. Alternatively, the name "Prime Day" suggests that the event is indeed an Amazon-specific event made up by Amazon for members of its Prime subscription service.

The lines between these two shopping holidays also aren't quite as blurred as they are between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which have become pretty indistinguishable from each other due to 1. being just a few days apart on the calendar, and 2. Black Friday relying just as heavily on online shopping as Cyber Monday does.

But back to the question at hand. Most people aren't concerned with these shopping holiday semantics. The people just want to know: Does Prime Day or Black Friday have better deals?

Does Amazon have better deals on Prime Day or Black Friday?

Amazon hypes Prime Day up so much that you can't help but assume those few days in July are its Olympics. The retail giant also hosts a 48-hour fall counterpart called "Prime Big Deal Days" in October, which really makes you wonder: It can't possibly have the bandwidth to turn around and do the same damn thing a month later for Black Friday, right?

Jeff Bezos is heard cackling in the distance.

Amazon price history shows us that, in many cases, Amazon does go as hard for Black Friday as it does for Prime Day. It's not uncommon to plug the Amazon URL for any popular item into the price-tracking site CamelCamelCamel and see a handful of very consistent dips to that item's all-time low pricing — those few instances being middle of July (Prime Day) and the end of November (Black Friday), plus a common third dip in mid-October (Prime Big Deal Days).

SEE ALSO: Walmart vs. Amazon: Who actually has the best deals?

Amazon's Black Friday deals do tend to be a little more accessible than its Prime Day deals, since you don't have to be a paying Prime member to unlock them. (It's the same story for Walmart's anti-Prime Day and Black Friday sales, though being a paid Walmart+ member still has its perks, like getting early access to deals.)

In terms of what's on sale, there's a ton of overlap between Prime Day and Black Friday deals. Robot vacuums, headphones, Apple devices, and kitchen gear are likely to get similar treatment for both, so if you find a stellar deal on one of those items, there's probably no need to hold out until the other event to see if the deal is better then.

A few categories are better to shop on Black Friday than Prime Day

A few categories do play favorites, though. For one, deals on TVs tend to be better on Black Friday. Aside from discounts on its own Fire TVs, Amazon doesn't go super hard on them at any time throughout the year. Best Buy has a much wider selection on its (virtual) shelves at any given point, specifically offering way more premium big-screen options than Amazon. Though Best Buy does hold competing sales during Prime Day, it tends to put on the bigger show during Black Friday.

We see better laptop deals on Black Friday for the same reason. Amazon's selection just isn't that great compared to its competitors, who typically reserve their best offers for the year-end holiday shopping season. It's not just because they know more shoppers are primed to shop at that point: According to Mashable's Haley Henschel, it's also because "manufacturers are trying to offload their inventories ahead of next-gen refreshes" at the start of the following year.

Finally, toy deals also tend to pop off more heavily for Black Friday in true nostalgic holiday prep. If you're looking to sign up for a streaming service for cheaper than usual, many of the big ones (Hulu and Peacock come to mind) are almost guaranteed to have a Black Friday sale, while they wouldn't exactly have any reason to participate in Prime Day.

Despite various woes in both the gaming hardware and software department, one place where Microsoft has always been the undisputed leader in gaming (in my opinion) is when it comes to accessibility.

Large language models (LLMs) can solve complex puzzles in seconds, yet they sometimes struggle over simple conversations. When these AI tools make assumptions, overlook key details, or neglect to ask clarifying questions, the result can erode trust and derail real-world interactions, where nuance is everything.

A key reason these models behave this way lies in how they’re trained and evaluated. Most benchmarks use isolated, single-turn prompts with clear instructions. Training methods tend to optimize for the model’s next response, not its contribution to a successful, multi-turn exchange. But real-world interaction is dynamic and collaborative. It relies on context, clarification, and shared understanding.

User-centric approach to training 

To address this, we’re exploring ways to train LLMs with users in mind. Our approach places models in simulated environments that reflect the back-and-forth nature of real conversations. Through reinforcement learning, these models improve through trial and error, for example, learning when to ask questions and how to adapt tone and communication style to different situations. This user-centric approach helps bridge the gap between how LLMs are typically trained and how people actually use them.  

This is the concept behind CollabLLM (opens in new tab), recipient of an ICML (opens in new tab) Outstanding Paper Award (opens in new tab). This training framework helps LLMs improve through simulated multi-turn interactions, as illustrated in Figure 1. The core insight behind CollabLLM is simple: in a constructive collaboration, the value of a response isn’t just in its immediate usefulness, but in how it contributes to the overall success of the conversation. A clarifying question might seem like a delay but often leads to better outcomes. A quick answer might appear useful but can create confusion or derail the interaction.

Figure 1. Diagram comparing two training approaches for LLMs. (a) The standard method lacks user-agent collaboration and uses single-turn rewards, leading to an inefficient conversation. (b) In contrast, CollabLLM simulates multi-turn user-agent interactions during training, enabling it to learn effective collaboration strategies and produce more efficient dialogues.

CollabLLM puts this collaborative approach into practice with a simulation-based training loop, illustrated in Figure 2. At any point in a conversation, the model generates multiple possible next turns by engaging in a dialogue with a simulated user.

Figure 2: Simulation-based training process used in CollabLLM

The system uses a sampling method to extend conversations turn by turn, choosing likely responses for each participant (the AI agent or the simulated user), while adding some randomness to vary the conversational paths. The goal is to expose the model to a wide variety of conversational scenarios, helping it learn more effective collaboration strategies.

Microsoft Research Blog

AIOpsLab: Building AI agents for autonomous clouds

AIOpsLab is an open-source framework designed to evaluate and improve AI agents for cloud operations, offering standardized, scalable benchmarks for real-world testing, enhancing cloud system reliability.

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To each simulated conversation, we applied multiturn-aware reward (MR) functions, which assess how the model’s response at the given turn influences the entire trajectory of the conversation. We sampled multiple conversational follow-ups from the model, such as statements, suggestions, questions, and used MR to assign a reward to each based on how well the conversation performed in later turns. We based these scores on automated metrics that reflect key factors like goal completion, conversational efficiency, and user engagement.

To score the sampled conversations, we used task-specific metrics and metrics from an LLM-as-a-judge framework, which supports efficient and scalable evaluation. For metrics like engagement, a judge model rates each sampled conversation on a scale from 0 to 1.

The MR of each model response was computed by averaging the scores from the sampled conversations, originating from the model response. Based on the score, the model updates its parameters using established reinforcement learning algorithms like Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) or Direct Preference Optimization (DPO).

We tested CollabLLM through a combination of automated and human evaluations, detailed in the paper. One highlight is a user study involving 201 participants in a document co-creation task, shown in Figure 3. We compared CollabLLM to a baseline trained with single-turn rewards and to a second, more proactive baseline prompted to ask clarifying questions and take other proactive steps. CollabLLM outperformed both, producing higher-quality documents, better interaction ratings, and faster task completion times.

Figure 3: Results of the user study in a document co-creation task comparing CollabLLM to a baseline trained with single-turn rewards. Designing for real-world collaboration

Much of today’s AI research focuses on fully automated tasks, models working without input from or interaction with users. But many real-world applications depend on people in the loop: as users, collaborators, or decision-makers. Designing AI systems that treat user input not as a constraint, but as essential, leads to systems that are more accurate, more helpful, and ultimately more trustworthy.

This work is driven by a core belief: the future of AI depends not just on intelligence, but on the ability to collaborate effectively. And that means confronting the communication breakdowns in today’s systems.

We see CollabLLM as a step in that direction, training models to engage in meaningful multi-turn interactions, ask clarifying questions, and adapt to context. In doing so, we can build systems designed to work with people—not around them.

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The post CollabLLM: Teaching LLMs to collaborate with users appeared first on Microsoft Research.

For years, some daters have used chatbots to flirt for them. Now, one of these "wingman" apps has leaked hundreds of thousands of messages.

The makers of FlirtAI, which promotes itself as the "#1 AI Flirt Assistant Keyboard" on the App Store, have leaked 160,000 screenshots that users have shared with the app, according to an investigation by Cybernews. FlirtAI promises to help craft "charming, personalized, and instant" messages to dating app matches, its App Store description says. On the App Store, FlirtAI says it "works with every dating and chat app," and lists many of the most popular of each, including Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

SEE ALSO: Should you be using AI in your dating life?

Users upload screenshots of their private dating app conversations, and FlirtAI generates responses. FlirtAI's privacy policy mentions this method: "When you use our service, we may collect certain information from you, including the prompts and text detected inside the uploaded screenshots." It also states that uploading screenshots implies that everyone involved has consented to the use of FlirtAI.

The Cybernews team found an unprotected Google Cloud Storage bucket owned by Buddy Network GmbH, the company behind FlirtAI, containing such screenshots of conversations and dating app profiles. After the team notified the company, it closed the exposed bucket.

Cybernews said that the leak data appeared to contain screenshots from a large number of teenage users. According to initial research out of MIT, using ChatGPT to write for you can impair cognitive ability. And while FlirtAI isn't an AI companion, researchers at Common Sense Media say that AI companions aren't safe for teens, because they can become emotionally dependent on them. One section of FlirtAI's privacy policy states that minors may not use the app, while another states that teens over 13 can use it with permission from a parent or guardian.

Buddy Network GmbH has also created an app to talk to an "angel" AI and a "90-second AI journal" app. Mashable has contacted the company.

It can be frustrating to swipe through your Facebook Feed and be inundated with accounts dedicated to stealing other people's work, impersonating people, and generally participating in copycat antics. But Facebook is trying to put a stop to that slop.

In April, Meta implemented changes aimed at improving the Feed experience by reducing spammy content tactics used to boost views, gain followers, and monetize inauthentically, ultimately leading to a less enjoyable scrolling experience. The platform announced it would reduce the reach of, or completely remove, accounts that engage in this behavior, while boosting visibility for those who share original content.

SEE ALSO: Facebook determined to use Meta AI — even on the private photos in your camera roll

In a Monday blog post, Meta said it "took action on" 500,000 accounts engaged in spammy behavior during the first half of 2025 by "applying measures ranging from demoting their comments and reducing the distribution of their content to preventing these accounts from monetizing." The platform also took down 10 million profiles impersonating large content producers.

"But there’s more to do. Too often, the same meme or video pops up repeatedly ‑ sometimes from accounts pretending to be the creator and other times from different spammy accounts. It dulls the experience for all and makes it harder for fresh voices to break through," Meta wrote in its blog post.

Going forward, accounts that repeatedly reuse others' videos, photos, or text posts without proper transformation or credit will lose access to Facebook's monetization programs and see a drop in overall content distribution. Facebook also said it will reduce the visibility of duplicated videos "so that original creators can get the visibility that they deserve." These changes will roll out gradually over the coming months.

If you're worried these new protocols will affect your work, Facebook says you can do a few things: post original content, make meaningful enhancements, tell a story, avoid watermarks, and use high-quality captions.

It's a tale of two retail behemoths vying for your dollars.

In one corner is Amazon, the scrappy bookseller-turned-global ecommerce empire that's the reason why we're all a tad impatient. In the other is Walmart, the veteran department store with one-stop, starburst-studded supercenters in every neighborhood.

From speedy shipping to members-only perks, both retailers pull out stops to entice shoppers to buy from them. But in the battle of Walmart vs. Amazon, whose deals are actually better?

Mashable's shopping experts have spent years tracking online discounts on popular tech across both retailers, including TVs, laptops, headphones, robot vacuums, and video games/gaming consoles. In covering their daily deals and their massive sitewide sales, we constantly cross-check prices between the two of them to recommend the most worth-it discounts. Here's how we see things.

Where Amazon wins: More competitive pricing and useful deal-finding tools

There's a ton of overlap between the two retailers, but Amazon is where we normally find the most competitive prices on any given day. Anecdotally, if a product isn't on sale there, it's probably not on sale anywhere.

Our experience is backed up by ongoing research from the ecommerce analytics firm Profitero, which conducts an annual Price Wars study comparing everyday online prices across major U.S. retailers. In examining more than 13,000 items across 15 product categories over a 12-week period from July to September, the 2024 edition of the study found that Amazon's prices were five percent lower than Walmart's on average. (It's worth noting that the time frame included Amazon's flagship Prime Day sale and Walmart's counter-programming.) In the electronics category specifically, Amazon's prices were six percent lower on average.

Amazon also put items on sale more frequently, undercutting Walmart about a third of the time on like-for-like items, according to Profitero's "low price reliability" metric. They otherwise tended to price-match one another; Amazon offered higher prices than Walmart just four percent of the time. (Neither Amazon nor Walmart have formal price-matching policies allowing customers to request price adjustments if an item is cheaper elsewhere, FYI.)

To Walmart's credit, it was Amazon's closest price competitor in most of the Profitero study's categories, "most aggressively" when it came to appliances. Walmart has gained a little ground on price competitiveness in the electronics category in the past year, but lost some of its edge with video game prices.

The other big pro to shopping on Amazon is that consumers have more deal-finding tools at their disposal (beyond your usual shopping browser extensions or Google Shopping features). If something you're interested in buying isn't on sale, you can keep tabs on price drops by adding it to a Wish List, your Shopping Cart, or your cart's "Saved for later" section. Amazon flags deals on wish-listed items underneath their product names and in the occasional notification pop-up if you have the Amazon Shopping mobile app. In your cart, you'll see a "Messages about items in your cart" notification at the very top of the page if a product's price changes.

This fancy colored pencil set has gotten slightly cheaper since I first wish-listed it. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon Amazon let me know about its discount via mobile notification, too. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable Visit your cart and click the "See all updates" line in the "Messages about items in your cart" notification. A pop-up window will tell you which products you've been eyeing have gotten less (or more) expensive since you added them. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

If you're a member of Amazon's Prime subscription service and you own an Echo smart speaker, you can also enable an "Advanced deal alerts" feature that will notify you if a wish-listed item is about to go on sale — up to 24 hours ahead of time.

Crucially, Amazon shoppers also have the ability to verify how good its deals actually are using a website called CamelCamelCamel. Enter an item's Amazon URL in the search bar, and you'll pull up its complete pricing history. (There's a supplementary browser extension, too.) CamelCamelCamel occasionally misses coupons and skips over limited-time deals during Amazon's sitewide sales, including Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, its fall counterpart. But it's generally great for determining whether a discount is even worth considering. Mashable's shopping experts rely heavily on it to appraise Amazon deals year-round.

Here's the Amazon price history of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones as of late June 2024, per CamelCamelCamel. Credit: Screenshot via CamelCamelCamel

There's no CamelCamelCamel equivalent for Walmart, though there is a "Droplist" tool in the free browser extension Honey that can offer some Walmart price history insights for products. However, it only uses data from the past 120 days, and it doesn't appear to take third-party sellers into account — which can sometimes pose a problem. (More on those later.)

Where Walmart wins: Hidden gems

Don't rule Walmart out entirely. As mentioned, its prices are more competitive than any other retailer when stacked up against Amazon's, and the two price-match each other more often than not — especially during major savings events like Prime Day and Black Friday. We also think it's important to note that Walmart's deals are occasionally better than they appear.

Every so often, Walmart does this thing to on-sale items where it advertises deflated sticker prices. In other words, the "original price" you see on a listing is lower than the actual MSRPs you'd see on the brand or manufacturer's website — so, in actuality, you're saving more than Walmart lets on. (We've run into this on Amazon, too, but it seems to happen far more often at Walmart.)

We're not exactly sure why Walmart chooses to do this, since it kind of works against its bottom line. (Wouldn't the real, bigger discount entice more shoppers to buy…? We asked a Walmart representative and never heard back.) But it can result in pleasant surprises for meticulous shoppers who cross-check prices before adding items to their carts. You might even snag a deal that may have sold out sooner had it been advertised accurately.

Take this 65-inch Samsung QLED TV: Walmart had it marked down from $997.99 to $798 during its Deals Holiday Kickoff Event in October 2023, advertising a discount of $199.99. But when the Mashable Shopping team searched for the TV's model number on the Samsung website, we discovered that it had an MSRP of $2,699.99 there — meaning Walmart's deal was actually saving shoppers just over $1,900.

Along similar lines, Walmart periodically releases extra-cheap products as "Special Buys" during sales. It doesn't attach any original MSRPs to these products, so there's no way of determining how much you're actually saving, but the prices tend to be low enough that it almost doesn't matter. (See: this 65-inch onn. 4K TV, which went on sale at Walmart for $278 a few weeks before Black Friday 2023. We didn't know how much it was truly worth, but compared to other TVs of that size, it was absurdly cheap.)

Where both win: Memberships are useful for scoring deals

In addition to other benefits, Amazon and Walmart's membership services both include varying degrees of access to certain deals during tentpole sales throughout the year.

An Amazon Prime membership ($14.99 per month or $139 per year) is non-negotiable if you want to shop the best deals of Prime Day in July and Prime Big Deal Days in October. No Prime, no access — though making use of Amazon's free 30-day Prime trial still counts you in. This members-only restriction hasn't applied to Amazon's Cyber Weekend sales.

SEE ALSO: How to get free Amazon Prime: Switch to this Metro by T-Mobile phone plan

Meanwhile, a Walmart+ membership ($12.95 per month or $98 per year) unlocks early access to Walmart's biggest sitewide sales throughout the year — usually three to five hours before they're open to the general public, but sometimes up to 12. Those sales would be its main summer savings event, which competes with Prime Day; an October deals event that goes up against Prime Big Deal Days; and lastly, its staggered Black Friday Deals events. Featured doorbusters can sometimes sell out during these early-access phases or get slightly more expensive once the paywalls lift, so it's worth taking advantage of this membership perk.

There's one catch, which is that early deals access for Walmart+ members is restricted to paid members; you don't count if you're using its free 30-day trial. On the plus side, we usually see subscriptions go on sale for half price immediately before Walmart's summer and Black Friday sales.

Where both lose: Sketchy third-party sellers

Be sure you know exactly whose deals you're shopping — because it may not be Amazon or Walmart itself. Amazon is better known for hosting myriad third-party sellers, but Walmart's listings are also rife with so-called "MarketPlace Sellers." 

Some of these merchants are simply storefronts for verified brands, like Roborock or Dyson, which are unremarkable. But many others across both retailers are no-name independent sellers that shoppers should treat with caution. Third-party sellers on Amazon may not use its customer service, and Walmart's Marketplace Sellers may have different return policies or warranty terms.

Counterfeit products are also a huge issue for both online retailers. Amazon has been particularly aggressive in fighting fakes: The company has a dedicated Counterfeit Crimes Unit and invested over $1.2 billion into the cause in 2023. Walmart says it "regularly monitors Marketplace seller performance" and identifies those who provide the best service with "Pro Seller" badges. It also maintains pages where consumers can report intellectual property infringements and suspicious marketplace activity.

Walmart appears to have once been a member of the Buy Safe America Coalition, an industry lobby group that aims to protect consumers from counterfeit and stolen goods on online marketplaces (like Amazon), according to a 2020 Business Insider story about its formation. However, the big-box store's name wasn't listed on the coalition's website at the time of writing. Walmart's rep didn't respond to a request for comment.

Third-party sellers are typically easily identifiable by their titles, like Mall of Americ (sic), Emma's Market, busylittlebee, Delight Tech Electronics, and QuickNDeals. However, we've encountered one instance where an unauthorized seller was using the same name and branding as the real one on Amazon.

A third-party Amazon seller named "Issaquah Highlands Tech" was selling a Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 for $1,349.99 (with a free stylus) in March 2025. Skip it. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon The same Surface Laptop 7 configuration was $40 pricier when purchased directly from Amazon. We think it's worth it: It's still a great deal, and more importantly, you're not taking chances on such a big purchase. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

This isn't to say that all third-party sellers are inherently malicious or scammy — looking at their reviews can be enlightening, usually. And for their parts, both retailers offer recourse if shoppers have issues with them. Amazon's A-to-z Guarantee and Walmart's Marketplace Promise both cover problems with delivery, item condition, returns, and refunds for items sold and fulfilled/shipped by third-party sellers. Both require an eligibility and claims process.

That said, we recommend avoiding third-party sellers entirely, even if you see one offering a lower price on an item that Amazon and/or Walmart also sells directly. Avoiding unnecessary hassle or risk is an excellent rule of thumb when your money's on the line.

A third-party Walmart seller named "Value Tech" was selling PlayStation 5 copies of "Madden NFL 25" for $31.96 in March 2025. That's a less risky buy than a $1,350 laptop, but we'd still skip it. Credit: Screenshot: Walmart The same game was $3.01 pricier when purchased directly from Walmart. We think it's worth it: It's still a great deal, and $3 is a small price to pay for total peace of mind. Credit: Screenshot: Walmart

Put it this way: Would you feel better about buying an $800 Roomba directly from Amazon or someone who does business under the name "wacky jacky"? That's all we can really tell you about them: Their seller bio is also, succinctly, just "wacky jacky."

Stick with products that have "Ships from/Sold by Amazon.com" or "Sold and shipped by Walmart.com" labels underneath the "Add to cart" buttons on their listings. Walmart makes this easy by letting shoppers filter out third-party sellers from searches.

When the competition heats up: More insights about Prime Day and Black Friday deals

Amazon and Walmart both reliably drop their prices to new or year-round record lows during Prime sales and Cyber Weekend. Again, Walmart typically hosts its own festivities alongside Prime events.

From our experience, these sales are also when both retailers do their most aggressive price-matching. If one retailer offers a huge discount on an item during a major savings event, it's normal for the same deal to pop up at its competitor in a matter of days — sometimes even hours. We see this a lot with Apple products, particularly AirPods, Apple Watches, and iPads.

Below, we share more granular insights on the way Amazon and Walmart approach deals during these sales that shoppers can use to strategize.

Prime events

Amazon offers a couple weeks of official early deals ahead of its Prime events, giving shoppers a chance to nab certain promotions before the chaos of the event. It also teases some of its top day-of deals in a press release ahead of time, though they come in the form of a discount range, not exact pricing. ("Save up to 50% on select floorcare from Bissell and iRobot," for example.) Shoppers can find deals across all departments during these sales, and new batches of them drop constantly, but there's an especially big focus on Amazon's own devices and services.

On the flip side, Walmart's anti-Prime event deals don't go live until its sales actually start. However, it usually previews some of its top offers in a press release well before then, and uses specific numbers — "Nintendo Switch Joy Con with Game for $69.00 (was $99.00)," for instance. You know exactly what you'll be paying ahead of time.

Black Friday

In recent years, Amazon and Walmart have both moved to kick off their Black Friday sales in early to mid-November. They both still save some of their deepest markdowns for the day of — that being the fourth Friday of the month — but shoppers are wise to comb those early deals in case they wind up selling out (or getting pricier) down the road. As with Prime events, both retailers preview these Black Friday deals in their own ways: Amazon teases its discounts as vague "up-to's," while Walmart names them as specific "before-and-afters."

Walmart takes a more structured approach to its Black Friday festivities, staggering its deals across several mini week-long events leading up to Black Friday proper, so shoppers also have a better idea of how long certain offers last. (They can stick around beyond that timeframe, but it's not guaranteed.) Some of its doorbusters pop up in Walmart stores a few days after launching online.

SEE ALSO: Amazon Prime Day vs. Black Friday: When are the deals better?

Alternatively, Amazon simply starts its Black Friday season sale on a certain day and adds or removes deals whenever it feels like doing so. Sometimes they'll run the course of the whole event, sometimes they'll be gone in a day. It's more of a revolving-door approach.

On the off-chance that something you buy from Amazon or Walmart during their Black Friday sales gets cheaper there later, you won't be able to get a price adjustment — but you can take advantage of their extended return policies. In the past, eligible year-end purchases from either retailer have been returnable through January of the following year.

The bottom line: Where should you shop for the best deals?

To recap: We think Amazon is the place to shop if you want the most options, if you need help finding deals, and if you care about the quality and rarity of a discount. Walmart can also fit the bill for bargain hunters who are willing to do a little digging. Both retailers host huge savings events in the summer and before the holidays, which is when they bring their best deals to the table.

If you're already an Amazon Prime or Walmart+ member, you might be inclined to peruse the respective retailer's wares first. It might give you exclusive or early access to certain deals.

Ultimately, though, you're not doing yourself any favors by being loyal to a single retailer. One of the best ways to make sure you're getting the very best deal is by cross-checking prices across the web, comparing offers at Amazon, Walmart, and elsewhere… especially elsewhere. For what it's worth, we have a lot of luck at Best Buy when it comes to deals on big-ticket items like TVs and laptops — and it's not swarming with questionable third-party sellers. (Not yet, anyway.) Smart shoppers know all of their options.

For extra help finding the best, most up-to-date discounts on popular tech, consider bookmarking Mashable shopping experts' dedicated deals coverage. We only highlight the best deals we've personally vetted at Amazon, Walmart, and beyond.

Senior Shopping Reporter Leah Stodart, Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard, and Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino contributed to this story.

There's definitely something to be said for the crisp handheld control of a powerful cordless Dyson. But if you're not one to classify cleaning as cathartic, why not outsource that tedious task? The best robot vacuums patrol your home to clear away dust, crumbs, pet hair, and sometimes even spills or stains on hard floors — no elbow grease required.

And after testing 25+ robot vacuums on my own personal floors (my apartment is very clean), I can confidently call out the top robotic vacuum cleaners that'll make your life easier.

Are Roombas the best robot vacuums?

Though some Roombas are really good robot vacuums, they're far from the only good robot vacuums.

iRobot dominated the robot vacuum realm from the early 2000s up until a few years ago, so it's no surprise that much of the general public forgets that "Roomba" isn't simply a generic term for any robotic vacuum.

But Roombas aren't in a league of their own anymore. I mean, you can't even Google "Roomba" without a question comparing Roombas to Shark robot vacuums popping up. I'm also here to put some respect on names like Roborock and Eufy — they're continuously releasing new contenders that are often a better value than Roombas in the same price range.

SEE ALSO: Robot vacuum brands are losing the plot with the latest 'innovations'

I'm regularly testing the top robot vacuums at multiple price points and comparing them to top performers from previous years, with all my evaluations taking place in my own home on various rugs, tile, and hardwood floors. As I test each robot vacuum, I keep notes on their overall suction power, scrubbing efficacy (if it's a robot vacuum that mops), pet hair pickup, self-emptying docks and self-washing mopping pads, smart mapping and navigation, obstacle avoidance, and the overall user experience. All of that is considered through the lens of cost efficiency. I'll be the first one to point out when a budget vacuum cleaner is solid for the price, or when a premium robot vacuum is actually worth the splurge — or not worth the splurge, in the case of Roborock's $2,599.99 robot vacuum with an arm.

Throughout my continuous testing, I've narrowed down your shopping list to six options. Here is the best robot vacuum for every home and budget in 2025.

Other robot vacuums I've tested recently

I tested several other top robot vacuums in the past that didn't make the most recent cut for this list. Some, like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, Roborock Qrevo Master, Narwal Freo X Ultra, and various versions of the Roomba j7 were my top recommendations at one point, but have since been overshadowed by newer, more powerful models that are a better bang for your buck.

I've also tested some 2025 robot vacuum releases that were OK, but ultimately aren't a top pick for me. The Dreame X50 Ultra grabbed attention during its CES 2025 debut for its ability to "climb," though the fine print is that it can't scale thresholds taller than 6 millimeters (about 2.36 inches). The Roborock Saros 10 and 10R were able to hoist over the few thick doorway thresholds in my apartment just as well as the X50 Ultra. Its mopping and vacuuming capabilities are better than most mid-range robot vacuums, of course, but they weren't impressive enough for me to suggest the X50 Ultra in this list over either Saros 10 model.

Most people overlook Android tablets, but Samsung makes some of the best ones in the segment. They can also often be just as expensive as an iPad, though. Now, you can grab a Galaxy Tab S9 for under $500. Not the most recent model, but it will suffice for most people.

Generative AI continues to penetrate every area of human creative artistry, and while image and video generation has received the most public attention, music-generating AI have been progressing at a steady pace.

WeTransfer was forced to respond this week after changes to its terms of service (TOS) triggered major backlash from users who believed the new language granted the service access to users' files to train AI.

"We don't use machine learning or any form of AI to process content shared via WeTransfer, nor do we sell content or data to any third parties," a WeTransfer spokesperson told BBC News on Tuesday.

WeTransfer clarified this after users noticed recent changes to its TOS page, which initially said the following policy would go into effect in August (via Wayback Machine on July 14, 2025).

You hereby grant us a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, commercializing, and improving the Service or new technologies or services, including to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process, in accordance with the Privacy & Cookie Policy.

The language seemed to imply that WeTransfer could use data and files from users to train AI models, either their own or that of a third party. Outrage from users swiftly followed, many of whom are independent artists who use WeTransfer to send large files like film footage or music.

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Users took to social media to call attention to the change, with some vowing to switch to another service. The issue of users' content being used as AI training data is a contentious one that has become increasingly widespread as companies look to develop their own AI models and features; particularly since these tools that can automate creative work and have already impacted job markets. Users are wary of freshly-updated terms of service, since it could mean signing their data away to AI models and automating themselves right out of a job.

Similar confusions happened with other platforms, like CapCut's policy update, which sounded alarming but is actually pretty standard. And Adobe had to clarify its policy changes last year, when the update made it sound like it was using creators' content to train its Firefly model without permission. However, companies like Google and Meta rely on user data to train their models, following the whole "if something free, you're the product" doctrine.

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But WeTransfer has changed the language in the content section of the policy after acknowledging to BBC News that the previous update "may have caused confusion for our customers." The company further clarified to the outlet that the original language was intended to "include the possibility of using AI to improve content moderation" for the purposes of identifying harmful content.

The section now reads:

You hereby grant us a royalty-free license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, and improving the Service, all in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy.

In both versions of WeTransfer's TOS, the company states that the users own and retains all the rights to their work. That should clarify and confusion that WeTransfer was trying to take ownership of the work. Although WeTransfer does have a license to users' files, it's for the ostensive purpose of content moderation — not to train AI models.

Whether you're into esports or just a casual gamer, upgrading to a gaming mouse can give you a small edge over the competition. And while gaming mice can get expensive, the fancy ASUS ROG Keris II Ace is down to only $100 on Amazon. This mouse is ultra-fast, durable, lightweight, and available at a 44% discount.

Nextdoor wants to be more than just the app people use to complain about their neighbors.

The app is launching a redesign on Tuesday aimed at making it a useful resource for folks, instead of a repository for whining and fears that can verge into racism and profiling. The company said it was focused on three new tools is the major redesign: Alerts, News, and Faves. The idea, the company said, was to make the app "more useful, more helpful, and more timely."

Alerts are exactly what they sound like: Urgent notifications on things like weather emergencies, traffic, or power outages. Along with relying on citizen reports and alerts from local agencies (e.g. fire departments), Nextdoor said it partnered with companies like Samdesk and The Weather Company to deliver real-time info. For News, meanwhile, Nextdoor said it partnered with more than 3,500 local outlets across the U.S., UK, and Canada, including the San Francisco Standard, The London Standard, and The Toronto Star.

Faves, meanwhile, is a new, AI-powered tool aimed at helping you best enjoy your neighborhood. The idea is you can ask for local recommendations — things like service providers, places to go, restaurants to try — and Faves will compile years of data on Nextdoor into a simple answer. The company said the tool was launching in select U.S. markets to start.

"This is a refounding moment for Nextdoor," said Nirav Tolia, CEO and Co-Founder of Nextdoor, in a press release. "Neighborhoods matter more than ever, and today we recommit ourselves to building the best product to enable neighbors to come together and build stronger, safer, and more connected local communities."

It'll be interesting to see how, and if, Nextdoor evolves with the redesign.

Apple's first foldable iPhone has been in the works for a while, and according to a new report, the price tag could be less than expected.

Sources are buzzing about the "iPhone Fold", which could be released in the second half of 2026, as Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed in an update on X in June.

Rumored prices for Apple's foldable iPhone have been circulating for a while, but a new UBS report by analyst Jimmy Yoon (via Fortune) projects it to be lower than initially expected. The UBS report predicts that the highly covetable phone could be priced around $1,800 to $2,000. Comparatively, Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 7 is available for $1,999.99.

Earlier this year, Kuo claimed that the first foldable iPhone would retail "above $2,000 and $2,500."

SEE ALSO: Here we go again: Rumor points to foldable iPads and iPhones coming in 2026

As the iPhone Fold moves closer to production, more rumors and leaks are appearing online, but we should note that specs, pricing, and even the name are far from official.

Fortune reported recently that the initial production of the folding iPhone will be limited, with estimates of 10 million to 15 million units. This is likely a cautionary approach to the product, "[reflecting] both the technical complexity of foldable devices and the high price point, which analysts see as a major hurdle to mass adoption," as Fortune wrote. And back in March, reliable leaker and TF International Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo estimated Apple would only produce 3 to 5 million units in 2026, with mass production reserved for 2027.

Apple has chosen Samsung's "crease-free" display solution "to ensure mass production," reports 9to5Mac. This would also bolster the phone's durability.

Apple will be the latest company to ride the foldable phone wave. The tech giant is joining Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, Google, Motorola, Honor, and Vivo, each of which has a rendition of a foldable device.

TL;DR: Online safety for the whole family is easy with this lifetime AdGuard Family Plan, now just A$24 (reg. A$259) with code FAMPLAN through 7 September.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription AU$24
AU$259 Save AU$235 with code FAMPLAN Get Deal

The internet isn’t just cluttered with ads; there are also trackers and other hidden threats. AdGuard keeps you safe online by blocking intrusive ads, stopping trackers, and safeguarding your privacy across all your devices.

Right now, you can grab lifetime protection for the whole crew with the AdGuard Family Plan. Cover up to nine devices for only A$24 (reg. A$259) with code FAMPLAN now through 7 September.

Enjoy a safer and smoother browsing experience

The internet should be fun, not frustrating. AdGuard tackles the most annoying parts of online life, like pop-ups, autoplay videos, and banner ads, so that you can enjoy your time browsing, streaming, and scrolling again.

Aside from blocking ads, AdGuard also protects your privacy. Your information will stay safe from trackers and activity analyzers, and you'll be shielded from malware and phishing websites that you or your family members could fall victim to. 

Moms and dads will love AdGuard's parental control feature, which keeps your kids safe from inappropriate content online.

This Family Plan lets you protect up to nine devices with AdGuard, so you can make sure everyone's devices stay safe. And it works with Android and iOS operating systems alike, so it can be used on tablets, smartphones, and laptops. 

Secure your own AdGuard Family Plan for life for just A$24 with code FAMPLAN now through 7 September. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

SAVE $53: If you missed out on Prime Day's Kindle deals, you can score a like-new Kindle Paperwhite for only $106.99 at Amazon as of July 15. That's 33% off the full price and $18 cheaper than the Prime Day price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kindle Like-new Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) $106.99 at Amazon
$159.99 Save $53.00 Get Deal

As they rarely see price drops, it's no surprise that Amazon Kindles were one of the most impressive and most popular deals on Prime Day 2025. But sadly, as soon as the event ended on July 11, the deals vanished. If you missed out on the $85 Kindle or the $125 Kindle Paperwhite, we can't magically resurrect those deals. However, there is a consolation prize: a $106.99 like-new Kindle Paperwhite.

As of July 15, you can grab a like-new (used, but in fantastic condition) Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) at Amazon for only $106.99. That's $53 cheaper than buying one at full price and $18 cheaper than the Prime Day deal. Sure, it's used, but Amazon's "like-new" devices are fully functional and thoroughly cleaned and inspected, as if they are fresh off the shelf. They may come in slightly damaged or different packaging, but that's no biggie.

The Kindle Paperwhite is hands-down our favorite Kindle device (though I have the basic Kindle myself and also highly recommend it!). Mashable's e-reader expert Sam Mangino calls it "as good as an e-reader can get with its responsive interface, quick-turning pages, and lightweight design."

It's waterproof (unlike the basic Kindle), comes with adjustable screen warmth and brightness, and can last up to 12 weeks on one charge. For these reasons, plus its ultra quick interface, Mangino concludes that it's "not just the best Kindle but the best e-reader overall."

If you don't mind buying used, you can get the Paperwhite for 33% off for a limited time, which technically beats Prime Day.