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Mashable is a leading source for news, information & resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable's 25 million monthly unique visitors and 10 million social media followers have become one of the most engaged online news communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.
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The 25 best Advent calendars to buy in November. Take advantage of early Black Friday sales.

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 22:21

Advent calendars are some of our favorite Christmas gifts, and with Black Friday coming up fast, you're running out of time to order. Already, some of the season's most popular Advent calendars have gone out of stock, but there are still plenty of festive countdowns available.

Our favorite Advent calendars: Best Skincare Advent Calendar Kiehl's Advent Calendar 2025 $152 (save $140) Get Deal Best Beauty Advent Calendar Sephora Premium Makeup & Skincare Advent Calendar Gift Set $65.60 (save $178.50) Get Deal Best Lego Advent Calendar Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 $35.99 (save $9) Get Deal BEST FOOD COUNTDOWN Bonne Maman Advent Calendar $54.99 Get Deal BEST FOR CROCS LOVERS Crocs Holiday Advent Calendar 2025 $25 (save $24.99) Get Deal Best for Kids Bluey Mini Figures 2025 Christmas Advent Calendar $15.99 (save $6) Get Deal

Even better, thanks to the best early Black Friday deals, you can find popular Advent calendars from top brands like Kiehl's and Williams-Sonoma on sale. Not every calendar will be on sale, but the best ones still represent a great deal, as they let you enjoy hundreds of dollars' worth of products for a lot less than you'd usually pay.

So, whether you're looking for the best beauty Advent calendars, calendars for kids, or something more traditional, we've gathered them all up into one place for you. Keep checking back as we approach Black Friday, as we'll keep adding more products as they go on sale — and crossing off the ones that go out of stock.

The best Advent Calendar to buy during Black Friday Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 $35.99 at Walmart
$44.99 Save $9   Get Deal Why we like it

This Lego Christmas playset comes with 24 toys in total, and it's packed with easter eggs for Star Wars fans, young and old. (BB-8 as a snowman? A Jawa in a holiday sweater? Say less.) Adults can certainly enjoy Advent calendars, but we're not sure we can enjoy them quite as much as a kid eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus.

Even more Advent Calendars on sale Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Harry Potter 2025 Advent Calendar $31.49 at Amazon
$44.99 Save $13.50   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Ferrero Rocher Ferrero Collection Holiday Advent Calendar 2025 $26.57 at Amazon
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters Exclusive Beauty Advent Calendar $50 at Urban Outfitters
$160 value Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Kiehl's Kiehl's Advent Calendar 2025 $152 at Kiehl's
$292 value Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Sephora Sephora Premium Makeup & Skincare Advent Calendar Gift Set $66.50 at Sephora
$95 Save $28.50 $245 value Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Bonne Maman Bonne Maman Advent Calendar $54.99 at Bonne Maman
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Crocs Crocs Holiday Advent Calendar 2025 $25 at Crocs
$49.99 Save $24.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Bluey Store Bluey Mini Figures 2025 Christmas Advent Calendar $15.99 at Amazon
$21.99 Save $6.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Williams-Sonoma Williams-Sonoma Christmas Popcorn Advent Calendar $47.97 at Williams-Sonoma
$79.95 Save $31.98   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Bluey Store Bluey: Awesome Advent Calendar Book Bundle $19.60 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $10.39   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Funko Funko Pop! Countdown Calendar: The Nightmare Before Christmas $42.49 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $7.50   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: National Geographic National Geographic Gemstone Advent Calendar 2025 $20.49 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $9.50   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Dermstore Dermstore 12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar $210
$300 Save $90 $888 value Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Insight Editions Wicked For Good: The Official Advent Calendar - 25 Days of Surprises $24.49 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $10.50   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Onyx Coffee Lab Onyx Coffee Lab 2025 Advent Calendar $220 at Onyx Coffee Lab
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus 25 Days of Beauty Holiday Advent Calendar $225 at Neiman Marcus
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Keurig Keurig 24 Cups of Cheer Advent Calendar $19.99 at Keurig
$29.99 Save $10   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Credo Credo Beauty Vault Advent Calendar $140 at Credo
$175 Save $35 $416 value Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Ulta Ulta Beauty x Mini Brands Advent Calendar $39.99 at Ulta
  Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Peppa Pig Store Peppa Pig George's Party Advent Calendar $11.69 at Amazon
$24.99 Save $13.30   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Tea Forte Tea Forte Advent Calendar $49 at Amazon
$70 Save $21   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Palais Des Thés Palais Des Thés Advent Calendar $27.93 at Amazon
$39.90 Save $11.97   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: L'Occitane L'Occitane Advent Calendar $135 at Amazon
$238.50 value Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: E.l.f. E.l.f. Sleigh the Holidays Advent Calendar $95 at Amazon
  Shop Now
Categories: IT General, Technology

50+ Walmart Black Friday deals: Walmart has gone live with Lego, Dyson vacuums, AirPods at record-low prices

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 21:12

Walmart's official Black Friday sale runs between Nov. 25 and Nov. 30. We've combed through the latest drop of doorbusters, compared the options to competitors, and have handpicked a list of the worthwhile Walmart Black Friday deals to snag — before they sell out.

Walmart's Black Friday deals at a glance: GET ALL THE PERKS 1-Year Walmart+ Membership $49 (Save $49) Get Deal Best earbuds deal Apple AirPods 4 69 (save $60.99) Get Deal Best TV deal Hisense 75-inch H5 QLED 4K Roku TV $378 (save $121) Get Deal Best Stick Vacuum Deal Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Vacuum Cleaner $399.99 (save $330) Get Deal Best PlayStation deal PlayStation 5 Slim Disc Console (1TB) $449 (save $100.99) Get Deal BEST KITCHEN DEAL Magic Bullet Essential Blender with To-Go Lid $15 (save $24.99) Get Deal Best robot vacuum deal Roborock Qrevo Series Robot Vacuum and Mop $459.99 (save $290) Get Deal Best laptop deal Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $549 (save $100) Get Deal Best Carpet Cleaner Bissell Little Green Carpet Cleaner $78.97 (save $44.62) Get Deal

Walmart is no longer in early Black Friday mode. The retailer's official Black Friday sale kicked off on Tuesday, Nov. 25 — which feels early until you remember that Target's official sale started on Nov. 23, and Best Buy's even earlier on Nov. 20. Walmart definitely brings the doorbusters to make up for that time, though: We're already seeing some jaw-dropping record-low prices, like the Apple AirPods 4 on sale for $69, the M1 MacBook Air for $549, the Lego Star Wars Executor Super Star Destroyer for $40, and Magic Bullets for just $15 a pop.

SEE ALSO: Black Friday 2025: Get live updates on the latest sales, doorbusters, and deal drops

We're keeping daily tabs on Walmart's Black Friday sale through its online-only Cyber Monday sale on Dec. 1:

Best Walmart Black Friday TV deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 75-inch H5 QLED 4K Roku TV $378 at Walmart
$499 Save $121   Get Deal Why we like it

Walmart officially has the cheapest 75-inch QLED TV of Black Friday so far. The 75-inch Hisense H5 QLED TV bumps the previous winner (the $399.99 75-inch Insignia QF QLED at Amazon) to second place by $20 and some change. If you're a Roku TV person over a Fire TV person anyway, this Hisense is such a no-brainer upgrade. Compared to a regular LED TV, the QLED difference in brightness and color saturation will be palpable the first time you try to watch anything in a sunlit room.

More Black Friday TV deals at Walmart43 inches and under50 to 55 inches65 inches75 inches85 inches and upBlack Friday gaming console deals at WalmartBest laptop deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $549 at Walmart
$649 Save $100   Get Deal Why we like it

The M1 MacBook Air is the cheapest Apple laptop we recommend. It's quiet, sleek, super portable, and way faster than similarly priced Chromebooks. Walmart almost always has it on sale for $599 (regularly $649), so we were looking for an even deeper Black Friday discount. Our wish was granted: It's now just $549, or 15% off.

More Black Friday laptop deals at WalmartBest headphones deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods 4 $69 at Walmart
$129 Save $60   Get Deal Why we like it

This AirPods deal is keeping us on our toes. We were already satisfied when Walmart dropped the AirPods 4 to a record low of $79.99 on Nov. 20, but as of Nov. 25, another $10.99 has been shaved off. How often do you get to say that the latest (non-Pro) AirPods are almost 50% off? Almost never, so bag these before they disappear.

More earbuds and headphones deals Best robot vacuum deal Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock Qrevo Series Robot Vacuum and Mop $459.99 at Walmart
$749.99 Save $290   Get Deal Why we like it

Roborock is quickly replacing iRobot as the most reliable robot vacuum brand. The brand made some of our favorite robot vacuums of the year, and this Qrevo Series self-emptier boasts 10,000 Pa of suction and the ability to mop your floors.

More Black Friday vacuum deals at WalmartBest deal on toys and games Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 $35.99 at Walmart
$44.99 Save $9   Get Deal Why we like it

This is the time of year to snag Advent calendars while they're 1) on sale and 2) still in stock. This set comes with tons of mini figures and toys Star Wars fans will love. Can you say BB-8 as a snowman, or Jawa wearing an ugly Christmas sweater? You won't find this Black Friday Advent calendar deal at Amazon.

More Walmart Black Friday deals on toys and gamesBest Apple deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 42mm) $249 at Walmart
$399 Save $150   Get Deal Why we like it

Apple recently replaced the Series 10 smartwatch with the Series 11, but the only real difference between the two models? The newest version has a longer battery life. Besides that, they're virtually identical, except now the Series 10 is a lot more affordable. You won't find this watch on sale at Amazon, but at Walmart, the remaining sizes and colors are on sale for $249 — that's a savings of $150 on one of the best smartwatches in the world.

More Walmart deals on Apple productsBest Black Friday kitchen deal Opens in a new window Credit: Magic Bullet Magic Bullet Essential Blender with To-Go Lid $15 at Walmart
$39.99 Save $24.99   Get Deal Why we like it

Do we need to explain this one? It's a blender that costs $15, and from a brand we've had great experiences with before. This personal smoothie blender comes with a to-go cup and lid, so you can whip up a smoothie before work or class and take it with you.

More Black Friday kitchen deals SEE ALSO: Black Friday 2025: Live updates on the latest deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and more
Categories: IT General, Technology

Sam Altman describes OpenAI’s planned AI device in vibes

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 20:10

So far, physical AI devices have not been a hit with consumers. The much-talked-about Rabbit R1 didn't receive rave reviews from Mashable when we reviewed it last year, and now it's sort of languishing in tech purgatory. The other highly anticipated device, the Humane Pin, was already killed off in February, just one year after it launched.

Will OpenAI's device have better luck? OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seems to think so, according to what he had to say about it in a new interview.

If you haven't yet heard, OpenAI is currently working on an AI hardware product with Apple's former chief designer Jony Ive. So far, what is known about OpenAI's device is that it's a small screenless AI companion, which already sounds much like the other physical AI devices that came before it. The last we heard about OpenAI's AI device was that it was facing delays due to technical difficulties with both the software and hardware for the product.

OpenAI's 'vibes'-based AI device

Over the weekend, Altman spoke more about OpenAI's AI device in an interview at Emerson Collective’s 9th annual Demo Day in San Francisco with Laurene Powell Jobs. While Altman didn't give too many more details about the device in terms of specifics, he did explain the "vibe" that OpenAI is going for with the product.

"I think the iPhone is like thus far, the crowning achievement of consumer products. It's an amazing thing," Altman said before launching into a criticism of the iPhone to Steve Jobs' widow. "But one of the things that has gone wrong is when I use current devices or most applications, I feel like I am walking through Times Square in New York and constantly just dealing with all the little indignities along the way: flashing lights in my face, tension going here, people bumping into me." 

Altman explained that flashing notifications from all the various apps and social media platforms are an "unsettling thing." OpenAI is going for a much different vibe with their AI device.

According to Altman, the ChatGPT creator is aiming to bring a vibe of "sitting in the most beautiful cabin by a lake and in the mountains and sort of just enjoying the peace and calm" to its AI device. 

"I think this actually just isn’t possible in the pre-AI world of technology," Altman said. "I think this isn’t possible with the current kinds of devices that we have."

Altman goes on to describe a device that makes users' lives "peaceful and calm and just letting us focus on other stuff." Altman envisions a device with "really smart AI that you trust to do things for you over longs periods of time" and that would "be contextually aware of when it should…present information to you or ask for your input or not." 

"You trust it over time," Altman said. "And it does have just this incredible contextual awareness of your whole life."

Ive, who was also being interviewed alongside Altman, also went on to share that he believed the product would be out in less than two years.

"I hope when people see it, they say 'that’s it?' It's like so simple," Altman said. "But then it just does. As we were talking about, AI can do so much."

OpenAI's AI device sounds a lot like what the AI devices that came before it hoped to do. It looks like we may soon see if OpenAI is the first to actually pull it off.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Score Apple TV+ for over 50% off for Black Friday at Amazon

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:46

SAVE $42: Through Dec. 1, new and returning subscribers can score Apple TV+ for just $5.99 per month for six months through Apple TV+ directly or as a Prime Video add-on. Usually $12.99 per month, that comes out to $42 total in savings.

Get Apple TV for $5.99 per month FOR PRIME MEMBERS Apple TV+ on Prime Video $5.99/month for 6 months (save $7 monthly) Get Deal Apple TV+ $5.99/month for 6 months (save $7 monthly) Get Deal

While HBO Max is currently the reigning champ of Black Friday streaming deals, we're also big fans of this six-month offer from Apple TV+.

Through Dec. 1, new and returning subscribers can score Apple TV+ for only $5.99 per month for six months through directly at Apple TV+ or in the form of a Prime Video add-on. For the latter, you'll have to be a Prime member or Prime Video subscriber to take advantage of the deal.

Just like basically every other streaming service, Apple TV+ raised its subscription cost in 2025 from $9.99 to $12.99 per month. Unlike most other streamers, however, Apple TV+ only offers a single ad-free subscription tier. That alone makes this Black Friday deal even sweeter.

We didn't see any major deals on Apple TV+ last Black Friday, but we did spot a Prime Day offer on the Prime Video add-on, which knocked the cost down to $4.99 per month. But that deal was only valid for two months. There have also been discounts from time to time for up to three months. This is the first time, however, that we can remember seeing a six-month-long discounted subscription.

Apple TV+ is flooded with excellent content, showcasing a virtually all-original lineup. You'll get to watch Emmy winners like The Studio, Ted Lasso, Severance, and The Morning Show, and Oscar-winners and nominees like CODA and Killers of the Flower Moon, all ad-free for just $5.99 per month. In other words, you'll get more than your money's worth. Just remember: If you don't want to pay the full $12.99 per month, cancel before the six-month promotional period is up.

Check out more Black Friday streaming deals you won't want to miss.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Of the million Lego sets on sale for Black Friday, we found the 25 best deals: Star Wars, Botanicals, more

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:37
A look at the best Black Friday lego deals Best Amazon Lego deal Lego Star Wars: Millenium Falcon 'A New Hope' 25th Anniversary 75347 $67.97 (save $17.02) Get Deal Best Target Lego deal Lego Botanicals Evergreen Collector’s Set 66809 $41.99 (save $18) Get Deal Best Walmart Lego deal Lego Minecraft The Crafting Table 21265 $40 (save $49.99) Get Deal Best Lego Direct deal Lego Trotting Lantern 80116 $77.99 (save $52) Get Deal Best Best Buy Lego deal Lego Wicked Elphaba and Glinda Figures Fantasy Playset 75682 $46.74 (save $8.25) Get Deal

Black Friday wouldn't be Black Friday without deals on toys, and Legos on sale are an absolutely crucial building block of Black Friday toy deals. 2025 has already seen such a strong wave of Black Friday Lego deals, and you might break a sweat trying to keep tabs on which retailers have which set — unless you're reading Mashable's daily curated list of the best Lego deals from across the internet.

Lego sets we've seen on sale so far include coveted Lego Star Wars (including sets retiring soon), Minecraft, Wicked, and more, almost all at record-low pricing. If the fleeting early Lego deals that dropped last week are any indication, popular Lego deals don't stick around for long. If one catches your eye, grab it while it's still available.

SEE ALSO: What is camelcamelcamel? Just our secret weapon for finding the lowest prices on Amazon.

We've gathered the very best Black Friday Lego deals spotted at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and the Lego website live as of Nov. 25.We'll keep this page updated with everything that drops (or sells out) throughout Cyber Monday.

Best Amazon Lego deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars: Millenium Falcon 'A New Hope' 25th Anniversary 75347 $67.97 at Amazon
$84.99 Save $17.02   Get Deal Why we like it

The adorable Grogu with Hover Pram set is expectedly sold out after an incredible 50% discount. But that was hardly Amazon's only good Lego Star Wars deal. It's not nearly as massive as the $849.99 Millenium Falcon you can buy, but this sick Millennium Falcon midi scale set is still unquestionably display worthy. It's a special edition that celebrates the 25th anniversary of "A New Hope," exhibited by a special plaque that sits on the display stand.

More Amazon Lego deals Lego Star Wars: 'The Phantom Menace' Mos Espa Podrace Diorama 75380 $50.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $29.00   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Best Buy Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils: T Rex Skull 76964 $24.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $15.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Minecraft The Crafting Table Set 21265 $71.99 at Amazon
$89.99 Save $18   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Classic Large Creative Brick Box 10698 $39.49 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $20.50   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Ideas Tuxedo Cat Building Sets for Adults 21349 $80 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $19.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle and Grounds 76419 $135.99 at Amazon
$169.99 Save $34   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Disney and Pixar ‘Up’ House 43217 $37.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $22   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Icons Dried Flower Centerpiece 10314 $34.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $15   Get Deal Best Lego direct deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Trotting Lantern 80116 $77.99 at Lego
$129.99 Save $52.00   Get Deal Why we like it

Super detailed Lego sets are some of the most fun. The fan favorite Trotting Lantern set looks like true decor when it's built and lit up with the Lego light brick, and can be customized with two alternative silhouette windows. Open it up to see three separate rooms inside, including a shadow theater and traditional new year food stalls.

Lego's official Black Friday sale starts on Black Friday itself (Nov. 28). We're anticipating deals on some mega popular sets (like Star Wars ships that rarely see discounts). Plus, spending at least $65 will unlock a free Lego set that can't be purchased separately: Spend $65 to get the Lego Card Game Set, spend $170 to get the Lego Hot Chocolate Stand, or spend $250 to get the Lego Mini Knight's Castle. Make sure you're a Lego Insiders member (it's free!) to get access to any exclusive promos and redeemable loyalty points.

Note: We previously named the Lego Star Wars: Desert Skiff and Sarlacc Pit set our favorite Lego website deal. It sold out there, but Macy's still has it in stock at the same $63.99 sale price.

More Lego direct deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Duplo Ariel's Magical Underwater Palace $47.99 at Lego
$79.99 Save $32.00 Retiring soon! Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Wednesday & Enid's Dorm Room $53.99 at Lego
$89.99 Save $36.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Dreamzzz Cooper's Tiger Mech & Zero's Hot Rod Car $59.99 at Lego
$99.99 Save $40.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Dreamzzz Castle Nocturnia $139.99 at Lego
$199.99 Save $60   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego City F1 Garage & Mercedes-AMG & Alpine Cars $63.99 at Lego
$79.99 Save $16.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Travel Moments $89.99 at Lego
$149.99 Save $60.00   Get Deal Best Target Lego deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Evergreen Collector's Set 66809 $41.99 at Target
$59.99 Save $18   Get Deal Why we like it

This cute Target-exclusive Lego Botanicals duo is $6 cheaper than when we first saw it on sale on Nov. 18. Now, you'll get both the Lego Mini Orchid and the Lego Lucky Bamboo sets together for $41.99 (a 30% discount). They'd make a relaxing office or windowsill decoration for any plant lover.

Target's official Black Friday sale started on Nov. 23, and with it came several new Lego deals we hadn't seen the week prior. A few of our favorite early Black Friday Lego deals at Target sold out quickly, so if you see a must-have on sale, grab it now.

More Target Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back AT-AT Driver Helmet Building Set for Adults 75429 $67.99 at Target
$84.99 Save $17   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Sonic the Hedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog Gaming Gift and Sonic Playset 77000 $63.99 at Target
$79.99 Save $16.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars: The Clone Wars V-19 Torrent Starfighter 75432 $51.99 at Target
$64.99 Save $13.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Ideas The Evolution of STEM 21355 $45.99 at Target
$79.99 Save $34.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Harry Potter Chomping Monster Book of Monsters 76449 $47.99 at Target
$59.99 Save $12   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Ideas Willy Wonky and the Chocolate Factory 21360 $153.99 at Target
$219.99 Save $66   Get Deal Best Walmart Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Minecraft The Crafting Table 21265 $40 at Walmart
$89.99 Save $49.99   Get Deal Why we like it

A best seller on the Lego website (but still full price on said Lego website), Walmart has the 15th anniversary Lego Minecraft Crafting Table for $40 — more than 50% off its usual $89.99. You don't need to punch any trees to get logs to build this crafting table. Minecrafters can hone a different type of building skill with this 1,195 piece set, which features five mini builds of 12 iconic Minecraft biomes inside the table itself.

Walmart dropped so many more great Lego deals for the kickoff of its Black Friday sale on Nov. 25. We've already watched on-sale Legos disappear at Walmart this month, so don't hesitate if you find a good price on a set you like.

More Walmart Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Super Mario: Mario Kart Interactive Mario & Standard Kart 72043 $43.99 at Walmart
$54.99 Save $11   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Friends Explore Outdoors 66806 $25 at Walmart
$44.98 Save $19.98   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Artificial Wildflower Bouquet 10313 $47.95 at Walmart
$59.99 Save $12.04   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Santa's Sleigh 40499 $25 at Walmart
$42.95 Save $17.95   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Star Wars Executor Super Star Destroyer 75356 $40
$69.99 Save $29.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Wicked Glinda & Elphaba's Dormitory 75683 $48.97
$69.99 Save $21.02   Get Deal Best Best Buy Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Wicked Elphaba and Glinda Figures Fantasy Playset 75682 $8.25
$46.74 Save $38.49   Get Deal Why we like it

Are you shopping for someone whose favorite song has been Defying Gravity for the past year? Fans of any age will be psyched to display these adorable sparkly-eyed Glinda and Elphaba figurines on a shelf. Behind them, there's a window overlooking Oz.

Best Buy's Black Friday sale doesn't have as many good Lego deals as other retailers, but Best Buy will be dropping more deals daily.

More Best Buy Lego deals Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Fortnite Peely Bone Collectible Kit for Adults 77072 $69.99 at Best Buy
$99.99 Save $30   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Wicked Elphaba and Glinda 75682 $46.74 at Best Buy
$54.99 Save $8.25   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego DREAMZzz Castle Nocturnia Building Toy 71486 $169.99 at Best Buy
$199.99 Save $30   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Icons McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna Model Race Car for Adults 10330 $67.99 at Best Buy
$79.99 Save $12   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Animal Crossing Nook’s Cranny & Rosie´s House Video Game Toy 77050 $54.99 at Best Buy
$74.99 Save $20.00   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego DC Batman: Batman Construction Figure & the Bat-Pod Bike Action Toy 76273 $55.24 at Best Buy
$64.99 Save $9.75   Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

Spotify might be raising its prices just after Wrapped

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:26

Well, it looks like your Spotify subscription is about to get even more expensive.

According to a new report from the Financial Times, Spotify is planning to increase subscription prices in the new year. The report states that analysts from JPMorgan estimate that Spotify users will face a $1-per-month price increase, bringing subscriptions up to $12.99 per month, about $3 more per month than when Spotify first launched 14 years ago.

While this will mark its first price hike in the U.S. since July 2024, TechCrunch reported, the streaming service has increased prices in other countries including the UK, Switzerland, and Australia.

All the while, conversations about Spotify Wrapped feel remarkably quiet in comparison to previous years, when the end of November was full of posts that read, "WHEN IS WRAPPED GOING TO DROP I NEED IT NOW?!?!?!?!?!?"

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This is an interesting time for Spotify, to say the least.

Users have been leaving in droves, if you believe the sentiment of posters on X and Reddit, who say they're ditching the app for a variety of reasons from AI slop music to Spotify allowing ads for ICE recruitment. Musicians, too, are taking their music off of the platform, including Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Hotline TNT, The Mynabirds, WU LYF, Kadhja Bonet, Young Widows, and more.

Just a few weeks ago, Spotify's CEO Daniel Ek announced he plans to step down to become the executive chairman.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How a turntable changed my family’s relationship to music and quality time

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:05

It began with one record, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter’s Hello Starling. The album was originally released in September 2003, just a couple months before my now-wife Steph and I started dating. It was the soundtrack to our first year together. I owned it on CD back then, but had long since parted ways with my CD collection.

And yet, here it was again, now on vinyl, given to me by Steph to mark our 10-year anniversary. We didn’t own a turntable; I had no way of listening to the record, but that didn’t matter. It was the physical manifestation of the music that made us. After a decade or so of digital-only music, holding the record — seeing the album art in print and larger than an image thumbnail, turning it over in my hands, and reading the liner notes — felt like a revelation.

Vinyl records can feel impractical: They’re big, decidedly not portable, and a single album costs twice as much as several months of a streaming service that gets you more or less every song in history. But my family soon learned there’s a reason — besides Taylor Swift — that vinyl has staged a surprising comeback. Our turntable changed our relationship to music and quality time with each other, and started a new holiday tradition.

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy Audio-Technica - AT-LP70X-BZ Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Turntable $279 at Best Buy
  Shop Now Learning to enjoy music as a family

A few years after that first gift, we happened upon a collection of hand-me-down records. I don’t remember where they came from, but it was a random assortment — some Beatles, the original cast recordings of Annie and The Sound of Music, music from Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers. Our kids were 6 and 4, beginning to form opinions about music, and I thought it might be cool if they could experience music as something visceral, beyond what they could access by shouting at Alexa.

I reached out to a friend who also happened to be a DJ and asked if he had a spare turntable lying around that he wasn’t using. He offered his Numark TTX, one of two he’d replaced with higher-quality Technics decks. I connected it to an old pair of crappy computer speakers, dropped the needle on The Beatles’ Revolver, and was hooked from the moment I heard the familiar warm popping sound at the start of the record.

Before long, the rest of the family fell in love too. The kids liked that they could put on a record and start an instant dance party. Steph liked the predictability — after years of Alexa playing the wrong song, it was nice to know that when the needle touched down, the music you chose would play.

The turntable started out in our office, but before long we moved it out to the living room. We got a set of Edifier bookshelf speakers and a new piece of furniture with space for our growing record collection. The turntable and records became the centerpiece of our living room and, by extension, of our life at home. We’d put on a record when we walked back into the house, play something quiet while we ate dinner, and then again to wind down at night after the kids went to bed.

You don’t have to be an audiophile (or friends with a DJ) to find the right turntable: They’re available at all price points and easy to just plug in and use. The Audio-Technica AT-LP60X is often recommended as a high-quality budget option for beginners; it features a fully automatic arm and options for upgrading later. The U-Turn Orbit, made by a small company in the Boston area where we live, offers a classy look for an accessible price.

A new holiday tradition

Soon after we got our turntable, records became a fixture of our family’s gift-giving practice. Every Christmas and birthday in the past five years has brought new records. We’ve given the kids albums in their Easter baskets, and Steph and I have exchanged favorites old and new at the holidays. It’s been a joy to rediscover the magic of giving music. It’s an inherently thoughtful gift that says, I know you love this album. Or, Since I know you so well, I think you’ll really like this one. As Rob, the main character in Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, says of making a mixtape, it’s “using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel.”

There are practical reasons why records make great gifts as well. You can pick up albums on the cheap in the “used” section of a local record store (they still exist!) or you can drop a hefty amount for limited editions, foreign imports, box sets, special colored vinyl, or other premium offerings.

In our family, we now pay attention to each other’s streaming music and listen closely whenever someone talks about an artist they’re into. My daughter was listening to a lot of Gracie Abrams, so we got her The Secret of Us. My son somehow got super into Imagine Dragons, so we got him Night Visions and, when it was released last year, Loom. Neither of these are exactly my favorites, but they are vast improvements over the earliest records we bought for them: a Record Store Day Exclusive 45 RPM of the Paw Patrol theme song and the Frozen soundtrack were among their first vinyl.

Steph knows my music taste intuitively at this point, and there’s a never-ending list of albums I’ve loved over the past two decades that I either used to own on CD or only ever streamed, to say nothing of all the new music I listen to. She’s gotten good at creating pairings of old and new. One Christmas a couple of years ago she got me two old favorites — The Beatles' Abbey Road and The Avett Brothers' I and Love and You — paired with two newer selections, Ruston Kelly’s Dirt Emo and Mary Lattimore’s Silver Ladders.

For my part, I’ve kept Steph well stocked with Taylor Swift albums (in some cases both the original and Taylor’s Versions), as well as perennial favorites like Brandi Carlisle, Caamp, and Noah Kahan.

Recently we’ve been buying the kids records as a form of cultural education. They really should know Queen, we thought, so we gifted them Queen’s Greatest Hits. After the first day of school this year, my daughter thanked me for exposing her to so much music — her seventh-grade class played a music trivia game, and she impressed her teacher with how much she knew.

Buying records is also a way of supporting two struggling institutions we really believe in: local retailers (shout out to The Record Exchange in Salem, Massachusetts!) and independent musicians. We buy a record whenever we attend a show.

Last year, Josh Ritter toured for the twentieth anniversary of Hello Starling. Steph and I went, and at the end we made a beeline for the merch table. We already own Hello Starling, of course, as well as its follow up The Animal Years and 2019’s Fever Breaks, so we gifted ourselves Ritter’s 2007 album The Historical Conquest of Josh Ritter. This brought our Josh Ritter collection up to four — the most records we have by any one artist. Except, of course, for Taylor Swift.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona online for free

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 19:00

TL;DR: Live stream Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Champions League is back with another batch of top-quality fixtures involving the best of the best. Chelsea host Barcelona in one of the most interesting games of the round. Both sides are sat on seven points after four games, with near identical records.

If you want to watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Chelsea vs. Barcelona?

Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Nov. 25. This fixture takes place at Stamford Bridge.

How to watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona for free

Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League is available to live stream on Prime Video in the UK, but you don't need to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to watch this fixture. Instead, you can watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

If you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to watch the Champions League for free on Prime Video. This process is straightforward:

  1. Sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial (if you're not already a member)

  2. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  3. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  4. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

  5. Live stream Chelsea vs. Barcelona for free on Prime Video

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Chelsea vs. Barcelona on Prime Video without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Champions League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Prime Video?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Prime Video, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries including the UK

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast connection speeds free from throttling

  • Up to eight simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Stream Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How digitizing home movies helped me create new family moments from old memories

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:54

When I lost my mother last year, I had a lot of her stuff to go through. It’s a painful rite of passage, especially as an only child, combing through all of the things a parent leaves behind. Among many of her cherished possessions was a storage box filled with nearly 50 videotapes, mostly documenting my childhood and adolescence. 

I’ve talked about my grief journey before and how I escaped into nostalgia to cope with my loss, but now, going through these home videos is a whole other kind of nostalgic trip. As I revisit my past, certain questions and thoughts buzz around my head (perhaps it’s the residual anxiety talking). Instead of pushing them aside, I try to stay present and focus on what I can do now: appreciate these recorded memories and preserve them for the rest of my family.

With the help of digitizing services like Southtree and Zstories Digital, I’ve been able to save these memories and pass them on to my younger cousins, who now get a glimpse into some family history they may not have been aware of. It’s been great texting my cousin in New York footage of our time together as kids and seeing her reactions in real time. 

Credit: Hiko Mitsuzuka Southtree: Ship videos out, get a flash drive back

With Southtree, I placed an online order for their 5-item package. Several days later, I received a box (with a prepaid return shipping label) to fill with the five pieces of analog media I wanted digitized (four VHS-C tapes plus one 8mm reel). For my digital option, I chose the cloud (as opposed to a DVD or thumb drive), which ended up being a link to a private Google Drive where I could download all my videos. Unfortunately, the 8mm reel was unusable (thankfully, they offered a partial refund for the inconvenience). 

Watching videos from my family’s Orlando vacation reminds me of how obsessed I was with Jurassic Park; I can be seen wearing the movie’s logo in nearly every shot. Seeing myself meeting my paternal grandmother for the first time during a trip to Japan is now all the more meaningful. And every other holiday, birthday, and special occasion recorded on tape is a reminder of the love I was surrounded by. 

Many of these videos also include clues and Easter eggs that hinted at the future. Several family members can be seen smoking (indoors!), which was pretty prevalent throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Had I known what I know now, would I have changed things? Would I have told my uncle to drop the cigarettes before losing him to lung cancer in 2017? Would I have spent more time with my great-aunt? Would I have held onto a hug longer? 

Zstories Digital: Quicker and scrappier

If you want a more personal touch to your experience, Zstories Digital provides helpful progress updates and swift, affordable service. Owner John Nalbantian started the business two years ago. After his mother passed away, his father came to him with a box of VHS tapes he wanted digitized. With the equipment he already had in his video lab, John helped his grieving father and was soon inspired to do it professionally for other people.

As I continue to grieve for my own mother, I feel the need to maintain the memories of both my parents. So, I submitted ten tapes of our Japan trip, where I met my obaachan for the first time. My goal: consolidate all the footage into edited-down videos I could share on YouTube with the rest of my family, especially my cousin in Japan who is building a family of her own. Once my videos were returned to me on a USB drive, I immediately dove back into the footage, which came out surprisingly clearer than when I watched it on my ancient VCR. 

There were things I didn’t remember (like that UCLA t-shirt) and memories I could never forget (a lavish dinner at my great-uncle’s beautiful house in the town of Ishinomaki, which had been devastated in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami). There were also familiar landmarks and sites, like Kyoto’s Kinkakuji, aka Golden Pavilion, that I eventually revisited when I returned to Japan as an adult. 

'The point is to make sure we deliver quality results that are affordable,' Zstories’ Nalbantian says. 'The mission is to preserve those fond memories because we know that each tape contains something that is sentimental to someone, and they’re deteriorating with time.'

And time is one of the things I have now. I want to make sure I use it wisely as I move forward on my grief journey and reconnect with more of my loved ones. Resurrecting these memories is one of the best gifts I can give them — and myself.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Our favorite budget headphones are the cheapest theyve ever been for Black Friday

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:43

SAVE $52.99: As of Nov. 25, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones are down to only $27 in Walmart's Black Friday sale. That's 66% off their already-low list price of $79.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: JLab JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones $27 at Walmart
$79.99 Save $52.99   Get Deal

If you're looking for a solid pair of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones that won't break the bank, this Black Friday deal on the JLabs JBuds Lux at Walmart is going to be hard to beat.

As of Nov. 25, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones are down to only $27 in Walmart's Black Friday sale. That's 66% off their already-low list price of just $79.99. Not only is this the lowest price we've ever seen on these headphones, but the deal is also unmatched at Amazon and Best Buy. Walmart is kind of showing off this Black Friday, y'all.

We've seen some pretty stellar deals on headphones already this Black Friday season, and this deal is certainly among the top ranks — especially if you don't want to spend several hundreds of dollars. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones are our favorite budget headphones for a few reasons. Despite their low price tag, they have functional ANC, balanced sound, a comfortable fit, and an impressive battery life of 40 hours with ANC on. It's obviously not the best noise-cancellation on the market, but it's acceptable for the price. As our reviewer noted, you'll probably need to play around with the EQ a bit to find your perfect settings as well. But once you do, you'll be wowed.

You'll have your pick between the mauve, cloud, and graphite colorways with this Black Friday deal — all of which have a very muted Kim Kardashian feel to them. At $27, though, does it really matter what color they are?

Categories: IT General, Technology

What is Aluminium OS? What we know about Googles Android for PC plans.

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:40

Despite Android's presence in nearly every corner of the tech industry, it has yet to truly establish a foothold on PC platforms. Google has had ChromeOS for years, but the ubiquity of Android — paired with its lack of a meaningful foothold in traditional computing — made it clear something had to give.

Now, Google is moving to unify ChromeOS and Android into a single desktop platform, currently operating under the codename "Aluminium OS."

What is Aluminium OS

As far as we know — thanks to reporting from Android Authority — Aluminium OS is the internal codename for Google’s unified Android/ChromeOS desktop platform. The merger was officially announced this past September at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit, although rumors about a ChromeOS–Android convergence had been circulating for at least a year.

In that September announcement, Google stated that it would be partnering with Qualcomm to develop a new platform that integrates mobile and desktop computing, powered by the latest advancements in AI.

The name "Aluminium OS" comes from a tip shared with Android Authority, which led the outlet to a now-deleted Google job listing for a Senior Product Manager in Taipei City, Taiwan. Luckily, Archive.today captured the posting before it disappeared. In it, Google states it is "working on a new Aluminium, Android-based, operating system” and that “Aluminium is a new operating system built with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the core."

The role also mentions "driving the roadmap and curating a portfolio of ChromeOS and Aluminium Operating System (ALOS) commercial devices across all form factors (e.g. laptops, detachables, tablets, and boxes)." In other words, Aluminium OS won’t be limited to laptops. Tablets and so-called "boxes" — which Android Authority interprets as budget-style machines, such as Chromebooks or even Mac Mini–style devices — are also part of the plan.

Still, many questions remain: Is ChromeOS getting sunset? Which Gemini features will be introduced to Android on PC? What’s the release date? What devices will be supported? Will existing Chromebooks receive the upgrade?

For now, the clearest thing we have is the codename — a glimpse at Google’s upcoming AI-powered Android experience for PCs, one that’s poised to expand well beyond budget laptops.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The new iPad Pro M5 gets a major Black Friday price cut — score all-time lows at Amazon

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:23

SAVE UP TO $100: Both the M5 iPad Pro 13-inch and the M5 iPad Pro 11-inch are on sale at Amazon for about $100 off for Black Friday. The 13-inch M5 iPad Pro is on sale for $1,399.99, down from the normal price of $1,499, and the 11-inch is on sale for $899, down from the list price of $999. Both match the previous record-low prices at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Pro (M5, 13-inch) $1,399.99 at Amazon
$1,499 Save $99.01   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Pro (M5, 11-inch) $899 at Amazon
$999 Save $100   Get Deal

Snagging a new iPad could be a bright spot to round out 2025. Scoring one at a record-low price makes this thought even sweeter. For Black Friday, Amazon is not messing around with the Apple deals and there's something noteworthy happening with iPad deals that might pique your interest.

SEE ALSO: The 30+ best Black Friday Apple deals: Record-low prices on MacBooks and $69 AirPods

As of Nov. 25, both the M5 iPad Pro 13-inch and the M5 iPad Pro 11-inch are discounted by about $100 at Amazon. The larger 13-inch M5 iPad Pro is on sale for $1,399.99, down from the normal price of $1,499 for a 7% discount while the smaller 11-inch is on sale for $899, down from the list price of $999. In either case, you'll be saving about $100 and snagging these for the lowest prices we've spotted at Amazon.

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Black Friday deals on iPads have been excellent this year and if you're looking for a great upgraded pick, the M5 iPad Pro is your best bet. In Mashable's analysis of the best iPads, the M5 Pro earns the top stop as a great option for professionals. The new M5 chip spells speedy performance while the battery life is impressive. One of the only complaints we have is the higher price. But since Amazon's black Friday sale bring both of these models down to record-lows, now is a great time to upgrade.

Before this deal disappears, snag yourself a new M5 iPad Pro 13-inch and the M5 iPad Pro 11-inch at Amazon and save yourself $100.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select is only $10 with this wild Black Friday coupon code

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:21

SAVE $30: The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is only $9.99 for select customers with the on-page coupon code STREAM4K at Amazon. That's 75% off its list price and its lowest price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select $9.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $30 with on-page coupon code STREAM4K Get Deal

If a streaming stick is on your shopping list, there's no reason to wait for Black Friday to grab one. Amazon is practically giving away its new Fire TV Stick 4K Select.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select is down to just $9.99 at Amazon for select customers with the on-page coupon code STREAM4K. That's 75% off its list price of $39.99 and its lowest price ever by a landslide. Without the coupon code, it's still a pretty solid deal at $21.99, but $10 for a 4K streaming stick is honestly outrageous.

Unfortunately, the coupon code seems to only be available for select customers. Several members of Mashable's shopping team are able to see the code, while a few others can't. We're unsure how Amazon goes about selecting which customers are eligible, but congrats if you're one of Amazon's favorites.

You can find the coupon code underneath the pricing details at Amazon if you're one of the lucky ones. Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

The Fire TV 4K Select launched this fall as part of Amazon's newest Fire TV lineup. Whether or not we really needed another Fire TV Stick in general is debatable, but at this wildly low early Black Friday price, we're certainly not complaining. Amazon calls it the "most affordable 4K streaming stick yet." It offers vibrant 4K quality with HDR10+ support and a new operating system called Vega that is ultra-responsive and fast. Its plug-and-play design is the same as every other Fire TV Stick, and it will soon offer support for Alexa+, Xbox Game Pass, Amazon Luna, Amazon Kids+, and NordVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Black Friday drone deals: Score huge deals on DJI, Holy Stone, and more top brands

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:09
Best Black Friday drone deals at a glance: Best DJI drone deal DJI Mini 4K Drone Combo $309 (save $80) Get Deal Best Holy Stone drone deal Holy Stone HS720G Drone Bundle $191.99 (save $166) Get Deal

Drones have been all over the news lately, mainly due of DJI. While it's not official yet, it's possible that DJI drones will face a ban come December. Yes, December as in just a few weeks away. That means shopping Black Friday sales could be your last chance to snag a DJI drone, for a while at least.

Of course, this is 2025, and nothing is unexpected, so the buzz of a DJI ban could get swept off the table in an instant. But to be sure, consider this a great time to buy a new DJI drone, or any drone, for that matter.

Check back here as we continue to update this article throughout the Black Friday sale period. Keep in mind that if you're going with a DJI model, you might have to buy from a third-party seller. We've only included third-party sellers with positive reviews over the last year.

Best Black Friday DJI drone deal Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 4K Drone Combo $309 at Amazon
$389 Save $80   Get Deal Why we like it

Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the DJI Mini 4K Drone is great for both beginners and expert drone fliers. Plus, it weighs less than 249 grams, which is the threshold for not needing a license in most locations to fly the drone. Other nice features of the DJI Mini 4K are the one-touch takeoff and landing function, in addition to the "return-to-home" command. Today's deal on the bundle gives you two batteries for up to 62 minutes of flight time. According to our favorite Amazon price tracker camelcamelcamel, this is the lowest Amazon has ever offered for this bundle.

More Black Friday DJI drone dealsBest Black Friday Holy Stone drone deal Opens in a new window Credit: Holy Stone Holy Stone HS720G Drone Bundle $191.99 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $8   Get Deal Why we like it

If you're not in the market for a DJI drone, Holy Stone is one of the biggest competitors. Thanks to this Black Friday Amazon sale and an on-page coupon, the Holy Stone HS720G Drone Bundle is on sale for just $191.99 instead of the list price of $357.99. The bundle includes two batteries, so you'll be good for a 52-minute flight with a 4K EIS camera. When you're done flying, fold it up and store it in the convenient carrying case.

More Black Friday drone deals
Categories: IT General, Technology

Nano Banana AI image generation could come to Chrome address bar

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:09

Google’s AI image editor Nano Banana has been making waves in the AI world.

The Gemini 2.5 Flash–powered image editing tool was recently released for Google Search and NotebookLM, it will soon be available in your Photos, and its AI capabilities were brought to the newest version of Google Chrome Canary on desktop.

SEE ALSO: These 6 Nano Banana Pro prompts are wild with the Gemini 3 upgrade

Now, Nano Banana might be coming to Chrome Canary on Android.

According to Android Authority, citing reporting and screenshots from Windows Report, Nano Banana hit Google Chrome Canary on desktop last month and is making moves to come to Android soon.

The news outlet reported that once the update is made, the plus button on the address bar will include five options: Camera, Gallery, Files, AI Mode, and Create image. If a user chooses Create image, they can enter a prompt and Nano Banana will use AI to generate an image off of the prompt, Android Authority reported. That generated image will then show up in the browser, where users can then download or share it, the news outlet wrote.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable, so the timeline here is unclear.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Zootopia 2 review: Subversive Disney sequel tackles discriminatory urban planning. Yes, really!

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:00

Before its 2016 release, I would never have dreamed that Disney's anthropomorphic buddy-cop comedy Zootopia could deliver such a salient message about the evils of prejudice.

Using the differences between animal species, including the predator-prey divide, Zootopia addressed heady topics tied to bigotry and implicit bias, like stereotypes and microaggressions. As the first rabbit in the Zootopia Police Department, Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) gets up close and personal with the frustrations of tokenism. Meanwhile, her eventual ally Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) has been discriminated against all his life due simply to being a fox.

SEE ALSO: 'Zootopia 2' trailer puts Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde in therapy

As an allegory, Zootopia doesn't offer a perfect one-to-one take on racism. Yet its take on these issues still proved timely and bold, especially for a big-budget Disney animated film. (And yes, my surprise that Zootopia could pull this off does speak to me succumbing to film-based stereotypes myself.) So my main question heading into Zootopia 2 was, could co-directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard pull off the same magic trick again? Could they deepen the conversation they started in Zootopia?

The answer is both yes and no. Like its predecessor, Zootopia 2 is a bubbly, fun mystery, complete with more of Hopps and Wilde's irresistible dynamic and so, so many animal puns. It also tackles new, insidious ways in which discrimination affects people's experiences, this time focusing on how it's knit into the very fabric of Zootopia itself. That it does so in broader strokes doesn't detract from Zootopia 2's admirable ambition, even if the film often treads the same ground as the original.

What is Zootopia 2 about? Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) in "Zootopia 2." Credit: Disney

After they foiled a major conspiracy in Zootopia, Judy and Nick are heroes of the city, and partners in the ZPD. Yet their current reality isn't as rewarding as the highly ambitious Judy would want. The two aren't landing big cases, and when their opportunity at a big bust goes disastrously awry, she and Nick wind up in timeout, also known as the ZPD's partners' therapy program. After all, one big solve together can't erase Judy's often overbearing quest for validation, or Nick's emotional insecurity masked as blasé coolness.

SEE ALSO: 'Zootopia 2' teaser: Ke Huy Quan joins the cast as a mysterious snake

Zootopia 2 strains Nick and Judy's relationship even further when the two wind up on the run. The reason? Their accidental involvement with pit viper Gary De'Snake (voiced by Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan), who's stolen an old journal from the powerful Lynxley family. The Lynxleys are descended from one of Zootopia's founders, and they want Gary (and everyone tied to him) dead. For Nick, that's reason enough to back out of the case, but Judy is hell-bent on helping Gary — and, by extension, all reptile-kind in Zootopia.

Zootopia 2 uses reptiles to address discriminatory urban planning. Gary (voiced by Ke Huy Quan) in "Zootopia 2." Credit: Disney

When I say, "all reptile-kind in Zootopia," you might be a bit confused. After all, there were only mammals in the first film, right? Right! With that in mind, Zootopia 2 spends much of its time asking, "Why aren't there more reptiles in a city for animals?" The answer isn't pretty.

Turns out, there's a whole neighborhood for Zootopia's "secret" reptile population, along with aquatic and semiaquatic mammals. Named Marsh Market, it was cut off from the rest of Zootopia during the city's founding. According to beaver conspiracy theorist Nibbles Maplestick (voiced by Fortune Feimster), that separation means Marsh Market's inhabitants have more independence. But it also means they're further removed from the rest of the city, which takes a disdainful look toward reptiles. The separation calls to mind segregated neighborhoods created by racist urban planning. If you've ever wondered whether Zootopia had its own version of New York City's Robert Moses, the answer is yes.

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Zootopia 2's Moses stand-in is Milton Lynxley (voiced by David Strathairn), a major power player in Zootopia. He hopes to expand Zootopia's Tundratown district, a move that sounds like gentrification at best — which still isn't great! — and the rapid annihilation of entire Zootopian communities at worst.

Zootopia 2's focus on discriminatory urban planning is a welcome evolution of Zootopia's initial looks at prejudice. The original film highlights how discrimination manifests in bureaucracy, as well as inter-animal relations. Zootopia 2 goes a step farther to show that discrimination is baked into urban areas, turning its charming animal metropolis into something darker. (One plot point involving a lost reptile neighborhood truly had me wondering if Zootopia 2's creators were at all influenced by the history of settlements like New York City's Seneca Village, a community of primarily Black land owners that was displaced to make way for the construction of Central Park.)

Of course, Zootopia 2 doesn't dive too deep into the nitty-gritty of the city's segregation. It's not like Judy Hopps suddenly learns about redlining! Instead, the film opts for a more standard adventure plot involving new allies, bold plans, and yet another Gazelle (voiced by Shakira) banger.

Still, as familiar as Zootopia 2 feels, there's no denying its more subversive core. Yes, the film is loudest in its more conventional messaging about embracing our differences. (Case in point: the partnership between polar opposites Judy and Nick.) But it's when it tackles complicated, ugly truths about discrimination that the Zootopia franchise sets itself further apart from its Disney compatriots.

Zootopia 2 hits theaters Nov. 26.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch Man City vs. Leverkusen online for free

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 18:00

TL;DR: Live stream Man City vs. Leverkusen in the Champions League for free on Virgin Media Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There are some really interesting matchups in the latest batch Champions League fixtures, including Man City vs. Leverkusen. Pep Guardiola;'s team are still unbeaten in this competition, but they did lose to Newcastle United at the weekend. They'll be hoping to bounce back with a strong performance against Leverkusen.

If you want to watch Man City vs. Leverkusen in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Man City vs. Leverkusen?

Man City vs. Leverkusen in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Nov. 25. This fixture takes place at the City of Manchester Stadium.

How to watch Man City vs. Leverkusen for free

Man City vs. Leverkusen is available to live stream for free on Virgin Media Player.

Virgin Media Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock Virgin Media Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Man City vs. Leverkusen for free by following these simple steps:

  1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland

  4. Visit Virgin Media Player

  5. Watch Man City vs. Leverkusen for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Man City vs. Leverkusen (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Virgin Media Player?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Virgin Media Player, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries including Ireland

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast connection speeds free from throttling

  • Up to eight simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Man City vs. Leverkusen in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Data breach revealed, potentially impacting several banks

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 17:57

Some of the biggest names in the finance world are reportedly scrambling to uncover if — or how many — of their clients have been affected by a data breach.

SitusAMC, a company that provides tech for a number of finance firms, announced over the weekend that it had suffered a data breach.

"We have confirmed that certain of our clients’ data was impacted," the company wrote in a statement. "Corporate data associated with some of our clients’ relationship with SitusAMC such as accounting records and legal agreements has been impacted. The scope, nature and extent of such impact remains under investigation by the Company and its third-party advisors."

SEE ALSO: Why does the internet keep crashing so often? First Google Cloud, then AWS, now Cloudflare.

CNN reported that SitusAMC notified a number of major institutions, including JPMorgan Chase and Citi, that their data had been affected by the cyberattack. It remains unclear how many consumers or how much data might have been affected. The FBI has said it was aware of the breach but had not identified any resulting issues with banking services.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Im a pro robot vacuum reviewer and my top 2 picks of 2025 are officially under $1,000 for Black Friday

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 17:29

Don't have time to read a bunch of paragraphs? Use the table of contents dropdown to skip to my straightforward Black Friday robot vacuum recommendations.

A look at the best Black Friday deals on robot vacuums Best budget robot vacuum deal Eufy E20 3-in-1 $297.49 at Amazon (Save $202.50 at Amazon) Get Deal Best mid-range robot vacuum deal Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra $799.99 at Amazon (Save $500 at Amazon) Get Deal Best premium robot vacuum deal Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller $999.99 (Save $600 at Dreame) Get Deal

I test robot vacuums for a living and have been keeping tabs on robot vacuum deals trends for over half a decade — and I'd say Black Friday's count of robot vacuums on sale beats spring cleaning sales and even both Prime Days. It makes sense: Many brands release their new vacuums for the year at CES in January (or at least near the CES time frame), so Black Friday is often an eleventh hour push to sell the "old" but still great robot vacuums from the past year.

SEE ALSO: Dyson Black Friday deals: Our favorite vacuum, air purifier, and hair tool are all on sale

After a slow start last week, Black Friday robot vacuum deals are out in full force as of Nov. 25. Most deals are even sealed with a "Black Friday deal" tag at their respective retailer, as Black Friday sales at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target are all officially underway. You can be confident that those prices won't drop any further if you wait a few days, so why not snag your dream robot vacuum mop combo before the chaotic weekend? Take a day to read up on what to look for in a robot vacuum and assess the features that are non-negotiables in your home, then make your move.

Below, I've pulled the Black Friday deals on robot vacuums that are actually worth your money. (Read up on why to think twice about buying a Roomba this Black Friday). I'll be updating this post with new drops, price updates, or stock changes through Cyber Monday.

Best Black Friday robot vacuum deal overall Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller $999.99 at Dreame
$1,599.99 Save $600   Get Deal Why I like it

The Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller is the most powerful robot vacuum on the mainstream market, and it's less than $1,000 for the first time ever for Black Friday. Spending that much on a vacuum probably sounds like brain rot to budget shoppers, but think of it this way: The Dreame's 30,000 Pa of suction power is more than 10,000 Pa stronger than the most powerful robot vacuums we saw on sale last Black Friday, and they were still hovering around the $1,000 mark. With the addition of a robust self-rinsing roller mop, this is a real bang for your buck.

I've been testing the Aqua10 Ultra Roller at home for over a month and can personally confirm its efficacy. Its pet hair pickup on rugs has impressed me the most: It has had about a 99 percent pickup rate for large clumps of cat hair that I put in its path and smoosh down into various pile heights. On patterned rugs that camouflage the layer of fur to the naked eye, I've ChomChom-ed the area after the Aqua10 Ultra Roller has done a few passes — and there's barely anything left over to get rolled into the ChomChom compartment. This carpet performance plus a livestream pet camera make the Aqua10 Ultra one of the best vacuums a pet owner could have on hand (robot or not).

More robot vacuums on sale ahead of Black FridayRobot vacuum mop combosRobot vacuums that don't mop
Categories: IT General, Technology

The new M5 MacBook Pro is $200 off with this unreal Black Friday deal — get the best-ever price at Amazon

Tue, 11/25/2025 - 17:23

SAVE $200: As of Nov. 25, the 14-inch M5 Apple MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is on sale for $1,399.99 at Amazon and $1,399 at Best Buy for Black Friday. That's a full $200 off its $1,599.99 list price and the lowest price to date.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $1,399.99 at Amazon
$1,599.99 Save $200   Get Deal

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro arrived in all its glory just last month, so seeing a massive Black Friday price drop is a welcome surprise.

As of Nov. 25, the 14-inch Apple M5 MacBook Pro base model — which comes with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage — is on sale for only $1,399.99 at Amazon and $1,399 at Best Buy. That's a full $200 off its list price and a new best-ever price for the laptop. Walmart also has a similar deal, but it's listed from a third-party seller, which we don't typically recommend.

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The M5 MacBook Pro is a whole lot like its predecessor, but as Mashable's tech editor Tim Beck Werth noted in his review, "That hardly matters with a device this good." If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? It comes with the same 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, which Werth calls "beautifully crisp," as well as the same 24-hour battery life, black and silver color options, 12MP Center Stage camera, and six-speaker sound system. The biggest upgrade, of course, is the super-powered M5 chip.

It achieved a 17 percent improvement over the M4 chip on the Geekbench performance test, with a score of 17,470. Of the many Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and other MacBooks we've tested, it outperformed 93% of them. Translation: it's a beast.

While it's not an automatic upgrade over the previous generation, it's certainly a worthy option if you're seeking the most well-rounded and future-proofed laptop in Apple's lineup. Considering the M4 Pro with the same specs is currently just $50 cheaper, we definitely recommend going with the M5.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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