Thursday, 3 December 2020

Microsoft’s best commercial features dogs frolicking in Halo, Minecraft, and Flight Simulator

Microsoft has had some memorable holiday commercials over the years, but this year’s is the best yet because it features dogs. They aren’t just regular dogs, either. These pups dream of running around in a virtual Minecraft world, playing fetch with grenades for Master Chief in Halo, and even flying high in the Microsoft Flight Simulator skies.

“A Dog’s Dream” features two dogs who are bored at home as their owners are distracted playing Halo, busy on Microsoft Teams work calls, or crafting materials in Minecraft. One starts to dream about the possibilities if more dogs were part of video games or conference calls, and the rest is history. Just check out Master Chief’s reaction when one of the dogs fetches a grenade he just threw and...

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Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop is back down to its Black Friday price

Best Laptops 2020: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Photo by Avery White for The Verge

Some retailers are still shaking out a few remaining Cyber Monday deals, like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop. Though, there are some new ones, too. That busy shopping weekend was undoubtedly the best time to get gifts at the lowest prices, but that’s not to say you’ve completely run out of chances. The deals below prove otherwise, and as we get closer to the holidays, we’ll be surfacing more and more deals on tech products that might be on your wishlist.


Tech

The 14-inch Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop is a treat if you want a lot of power in a compact machine. Best Buy’s Black Friday deal is back, once again knocking $250 off the high-end configuration with AMD’s capable and efficient Ryzen 9 4900HS processor, Nvidia’s RTX...

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Subscription-Free Alternatives to Apple's 'Best of 2020' Apps

A big thank-you to Apple for exhibiting a bit of restraint with its “best apps of 2020" list; wading through a mere 15 of the best or trendy apps for iPhone and iPad is a lot easier than dealing with Google’s more-comprehensive list of 40 apps for Android. I’m not even sure I have 40 apps on my phone, period.

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How to Unclog a Toilet When You Don't Have a Plunger

It truly is the stuff of nightmares: faced with an away-toilet situation in someone else’s home, you do your business, flush... and nothing happens. Or worse, you flush and the toilet water (and its contents) slowly starts rising like super-gross flood waters. That alone is anxiety-inducing—but then you do a quick…

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Google Maps now lets you create Street View photos with just a phone

Google Maps is getting a new update that lets you create Street View photos using just a phone. Android users with ARCore-compatible devices can now capture imagery and publish it to Google Street View in certain areas. Google is allowing submissions initially in Toronto, New York, Austin, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Costa Rica. More regions will support this feature soon, and Google will use this user-generated content when it doesn’t have its own Street View imagery available.

“While our own Street View trekkers and cars have collected more than 170 billion images from 10 million miles around the planet, there are still many unmapped parts of the world,” says Stafford Marquardt, product manager of Google Maps Street View. “Where people...

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Royole returns with a better folding phone

The FlexPai 2 is a big improvement

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Wednesday, 2 December 2020

Verizon’s Galaxy S20 models are the first to get Android 11 and One UI 3.0

Photo by Brennan King / The Verg

Verizon revealed this morning that Samsung’s Galaxy S20 lineup will be the first Samsung phones to receive Android 11 and Samsung’s One UI 3.0 in the US, and now the software has already started trickling out to customers, according to Droid Life. One UI 3.0 has been in public beta for the last two months, but this marks the official release of the final software.

One UI 3.0 has the messaging, notifications and security features of Android 11, along with some add-ons specific to One UI. Samsung has added easier ways to access widgets, take screenshots, and double-tap the screen to put your phone to sleep, to name a few, but if you want a more exhaustive list of all of the One UI 3.0 changes, you can check out this roundup at Android...

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If you’ve got an older iPhone, your FaceTime calls just got better

A photo of the iPhone with the FaceTime icon
Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

When Apple released iOS 14.2 last month, it didn’t mention that FaceTime calls would now be in 1080p for older iPhones. As MacMagazine notes, Apple has updated the product comparison pages of the iPhones 8, X, XR, XS, SE, and 11 (including the Max and Pro versions) to show that they now support FaceTime at 1080p over Wi-Fi, as opposed to before when they only supported 720p.

Calls made over cellular will still be at the lower resolution, but if you’re FaceTiming over Wi-Fi you may notice increased clarity after the update. That is, unless both callers had the iPhone 12, which has had 1080p FaceTime calls from the start (including over cellular if you’re on 5G).

My sister has an iPhone 8 with the update, so I called her up on FaceTime....

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Ensure a Secure, Private Internet: The Best VPN Deals of the Day

Featured Deal: Save 68% on 2 Years + 3 Free Months | NordVPN

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How to Check If You're Losing Too Much Hair

It can be alarming to look at your comb or the shower drain cover and see a clump of hair. Not only could it clog your pipes, it can cause you to worry that it’s a sign of serious hair loss. But chances are what you’re seeing isn’t anything to be concerned about—and if you want to be sure, there are easy ways to check…

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Acer Aspire 5 review: a $549 laptop that doesn’t completely suck

But try to find an AMD model

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Go read this report about EPA failures in air quality monitoring

A distant landscape photo of an oil refinery along a river on a cloudy day.
The Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery after a massive fire in 2019. | Image: Xinhua/Liu Jie via Getty Images

Key pieces of environmental monitoring equipment in the US often fail to provide accurate air quality measurements, even when toxic clouds are spewing out of an exploded oil refinery, according to a jaw-dropping new report from Reuters.

“The government network of 3,900 monitoring devices nationwide has routinely missed major toxic releases and day-to-day pollution dangers,” the report says.

Air monitors are essential tools for determining the air quality of a particular area. An accurate air quality index (AQI) is important: hazardous particulates in the air can cause or worsen serious heart and lung problems. The article highlights myriad problems with the Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality monitoring system, using data from...

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Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 888 promises faster speeds, better cameras, and more powerful AI

Qualcomm teased the Snapdragon 888, its latest 5G-equipped flagship smartphone processor, on the first day of its Snapdragon Tech Summit. But at the day two keynote, the company provided all of the details on the new chipset, which will be the brains powering almost every major 2021 Android flagship.

First off, the basic specs: the new processor will feature Qualcomm’s new Kryo 680 CPU, which will be one of the first devices to feature Arm’s latest customized Cortex-X1 core and promises up to 25 percent higher performance than last year’s chip with a maximum clock speed of 2.84GHz. And the company’s new Adreno 660 GPU promises a 35 percent jump on graphics rendering, in what it says is the biggest performance leap for its GPUs yet. The...

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You can get Super Mario Odyssey for free when you buy a Switch Pro controller

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

Just when you thought retailers had put up their best deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Walmart comes in with this excellent Switch Pro controller bundle. Priced at $70 (the regular price for this controller), you’ll get a free download code for Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch with purchase. That $60 game has so far avoided any big price cuts this holiday season, so it’s great to see it included here. If you’re gifting a Nintendo Switch for the holidays, this seems like the perfect pairing (just don’t forget a microSD card to expand the console’s paltry 32GB of storage).

The Switch Pro is usually a bit of a bitter pill to swallow given the price, but if you don’t have the game, this deal registers as an instant buy for...

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Sonos launches microphone-free Arc SL soundbar exclusively at Costco

An image of the front of the Sonos Arc soundbar with a TV in the background.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Sonos is releasing a microphone-free version of its premium Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Sonos Arc. It shares the same “SL” branding as the no-mic Sonos One speakers, but unlike those, this version of the Arc — $50 cheaper than the regular model — is available exclusively at Costco in the US and Canada beginning today. As noted by Android Central, it had already been spotted on Costco shelves and posted to the Sonos subreddit before the company confirmed its existence.

The Sonos Arc SL comes in a “shadow edition” color, but the standard Arc is also black, so it’s not immediately clear to me if there’s any difference between the two; if anything, the SL might be more gray.

Everything else about the Arc SL, including audio performance,...

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Beautify Your WhatsApp Chats With Custom Wallpapers

Want custom backgrounds for your many WhatsApp conversations? That might sound like clutter, but adding wallpapers to your chats gives you a great visual reminder of which group you’re talking to. And, of course, it livens up WhatsApp from the drab (but delightful) grays you might otherwise enjoy.

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TikTok is reportedly testing longer, three-minute videos

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Brevity is the soul of wit — and the heart of TikTok — but the company wants to see if giving people the ability to record longer videos is something its creators want to explore.

The company is reportedly rolling out the ability to record videos up to three minutes in length, according to social media consultant Matt Navarra. Navarra tweeted a screenshot of the update, which notes the feature is still in early access stages. The Verge has reached out to TikTok for more information.

Currently, TikTok allows all creators to upload videos up to a minute in length. It’s proven to...

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Amazon adds webcam support to the Fire TV Cube

Image: Amazon

Amazon’s Fire TV Cube can now be linked with a webcam for video chats on your TV screen. The new feature is available starting today and is limited to the newer second-generation model of the Cube. But it allows owners of that product to start two-way video calls with “any Alexa-enabled device with a screen, including tablets, phones and devices like the Echo Show.” A new software update that enables video calling will begin rolling out today through the coming weeks in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain.

For a webcam to be compatible, according to Amazon, it must “support UVC with at least 720p resolution and 30fps,” but you’ll get a “better experience” from “webcams with 1080p resolution and 60 to 90-degree...

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What does aggregation theory tell us about Google’s antitrust case?

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

We talk about the big tech companies all the time, but the sheer scale of them can be hard to comprehend. Google currently runs the most popular search engine, the most popular web browser, and the most popular mobile operating system (on a worldwide basis, at least). Amazon hired 427,000 people this year, bringing its global workforce to well over 1 million. In its most recent quarter, Facebook brought in an average of $230 million in revenue each day. Entire books have been written about how each of these companies clamored to the top, and there’s a lot that’s unique to each one — but there’s also something bigger going on. How did these companies get so powerful so fast?

The best answer we have is Aggregation Theory, a term coined and...

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TikTok says Bella Poarch’s ‘M to the B’ was its biggest viral video of the year

Image: Bella Poarch

Bella Poarch’s hypnotic video lip-syncing “M to the B” was TikTok’s biggest viral video of the year, TikTok announced this morning. Poarch was followed by 420doggface208’s instantly iconic skate / cran-raspberry juice video set to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.”

The rankings were revealed as part of TikTok’s year-end roundup of its biggest videos, trends, and creators. The rankings aren’t entirely scientific (the viral video rankings, for instance, are based on both “views” and “impact”), but they offer a representative look at what dominated the app and broke out beyond it.

Other videos on TikTok’s top viral list include Will Smith’s entry in the Wipe It Down challenge, and Julian Bass’ superhero special effects video that went viral enough...

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Make Your Own Irish Cream Immediately

There are two types of people in this world: People who would be put off by the question “Ever drink Bailey’s out of a shoe?” and people who watched The Mighty Boosh in their early 20s. If you’re not familiar with pre-Great British Bake Off Noel Fielding, all you need to know is that Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur plays…

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Spotify says it’s dominating the podcasting market because of a million-plus tiny podcasts

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Spotify’s $100 million-plus Anchor acquisition is seemingly paying off. In data released today as part of its annual Wrapped look-back on the year, the company says Anchor, which makes podcast creation software, powered 80 percent of new podcasts on Spotify this year, meaning the software contributed more than 1 million shows to Spotify’s catalog in 2020 alone. Overall, Anchor powers 70 percent of Spotify’s total podcast catalog, or around 1.3 million out of over 1.9 million shows.

People also seem to be listening to that content. Spotify says Anchor shows account for more consumption, in terms of time spent listening, than any other third-party podcast hosting or distribution provider on its platform. (Not counting shows owned or...

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Tuesday, 1 December 2020

Zoom and Among Us dominate Apple’s most downloaded charts in 2020

2020 was a year when people around the world were forced to find new ways to connect, and that trend is clearly visible when you look at the most downloaded apps on Apple hardware. Today the company revealed the most popular apps on its platforms for the year, and two names in particular stand out: video chat tool Zoom and social game Among Us, which were the top free app and game on both the iPhone and iPad.

Neither name should be a big surprise. Despite launching in 2018, Among Us has become arguably the biggest game of 2020, regularly topping Twitch charts and even luring politicians to the world of streaming. The mobile version is particularly popular since it’s free to download. Similarly, Zoom has seen massive growth as it became a...

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Fortnite’s latest season adds new locations and weapons, along with Baby Yoda and the Mandalorian

Following a cataclysmic event starring the supervillain Galactus, the latest season of Fortnite is almost here. Chapter 2: Season 5 has been dubbed “zero point,” and it involves hunters from different realities joining forces to fight something called “the loop.” Most importantly: one of those hunters is the Mandalorian, accompanied as always by Baby Yoda (aka Grogu).

While last season was entirely Marvel-themed, season 5 features a bevy of new original Fortnite characters, in addition to the famed Star Wars bounty hunter. Those who purchase this season’s battle pass will be able to unlock characters like an ancient warrior and a sci-fi hunter that looks ripped from a Tsutomu Nihei manga. There’s also a creature called “Mancake the...

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Where to buy the Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti graphics card, starting 6am PT Wednesday

Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti | Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Nvidia’s $399 RTX 3060 Ti is available to purchase on Wednesday, December 2nd — and 6am PT / 9am ET is when it’ll go on sale, Nvidia confirms to The Verge. Like the RTX 3070, this card is a great option if you are looking to play PC games at a 1440p resolution. Also like the RTX 3070 and every other graphics card released this year, stock will likely not last long at most retailers, so you’ll want to be on the dot.

In Tom Warren’s review of the 3060 Ti, it put up impressive frame rates on popular titles like Control, Call of Duty: Warzone, Death Stranding, and Fortnite at 1440p resolution — some of these games were even tested with ray-tracing enabled. At $399, the RTX 3060 Ti provides faster performance than the RTX 2080 Super or the...

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The Galactus event was Fortnite’s biggest yet

The season-ending live event that just took place in Fortnite was the game’s biggest to date, Epic Games has confirmed. The Galactus event, which concluded Fortnite’s current Marvel-themed season, had a record 15.3 million concurrent players, the company said in a tweet.

That beats out the Travis Scott concert from April, which peaked at 12.3 million concurrents during the first showing. The record before that was the Marshmello show, which reached 10.7 million. Epic says that 3.4 million people also watched the Galactus event on Twitch and YouTube. The event saw players teaming up to stop the Marvel supervillain from destroying Fortnite’s island by piloting an explosives-laden battle bus to feed him.

Fortnite is currently shut down as...

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iFixit’s secret-Santa-priced screwdriver sets have the bits to open a MacBook or Switch

An image of the two new iFixit kits, with a screwdriver wrapped in a bow between them
iFixit’s new toolkits are light on the bits, but have the ones that count. | Photo: iFixit

Following their sea creature naming convention, iFixit has released two new screwdriver kits: the Minnow and the Moray. You probably know iFixit for their teardowns of the latest gadgets, but a number of Verge writers also swear by their screwdriver sets which come with lots of exotic bits to open up electronics yourself. These new sets are their smallest and cheapest yet, with 16 and 32 bits respectively, and both come in under $20.

Both sets come with the bits you need to take apart some of the most popular consumer tech: you can open iPhones and Macbooks with the pentalobe bits, Nintendo Switches with the tri-wing bits, and some PCs and older Apple computers with the Torx and Torx security bits. Both sets also include the basic...

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Nintendo hacker Ryan Hernandez sentenced to three years in prison following guilty plea

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

Ryan Hernandez, the hacker who pled guilty to stealing information about the Nintendo Switch prior to its release, has been sentenced to three years in prison. The sentencing follows a plea agreement originally proposed in January 2020. In addition to prison time, Hernandez will also be required to pay Nintendo $259,323 in retribution for the stolen information.

Hernandez was first investigated by the FBI after he and an associate successfully phished confidential information from a Nintendo employee in 2016. The FBI requested that Hernandez stop all illegal activity in 2017. However, Hernandez continued to dig up confidential information in the following years and the FBI renewed its investigation.

A July 2019 search of Hernandez’s...

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Save Hundreds on Furniture and Kitchen Gear During Wayfair’s Cyber Monday Sale

Featured Deal: Cyber Monday Sale

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This incredible exploit could have let hackers remotely own iPhones without even touching them

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Ever watch that movie, or play that video game, about the hacker who can instantly take over someone’s device without touching it at all? Those scenes are typically unrealistic as heck. But every once in a while, a real-life hack makes them seem downright plausible — a hack like the one you can see examples of in the videos above and below.

Today, Google Project Zero security researcher Ian Beer has revealed that, until May, a variety of Apple iPhones and other iOS devices were vulnerable to an incredible exploit that could let attackers remotely reboot and take complete control of their devices from a distance — including reading emails and other messages, downloading photos, and even potentially watching and listening to you through...

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Apple’s $129 MagSafe Duo charger is now available

Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

Apple’s MagSafe Duo charger is now on sale online, after initially having been announced without a release date as part of this year’s iPhone launch. The $129 folding accessory includes a magnetic wireless charging puck for the iPhone 12 as well as an Apple Watch charger.

It’s pretty expensive for what you get, especially when you consider that it doesn’t include a charging brick. You’ll need to use at least a 20W USB-C adapter, like Apple’s own $19 option, in order to get the faster charging speeds — and even then it won’t be as fast as the regular 15W MagSafe charger. 20W adapters will charge at 11W, while you’ll get up to 14W from 27W adapters and above.

That said, I can see the appeal as someone who would rather not carry two...

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Wi-Fi Down Again? Drop the Dropped Connections and Upgrade to the Best Wi-Fi Router

Top Product: TP-Link Archer AX21 Wi-Fi 6 Router | $130 | Amazon

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Libra cryptocurrency project changes name to Diem to distance itself from Facebook

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

The Libra cryptocurrency is getting a new name today, Diem, in an effort to show that the project has “organizational independence” as it attempts to get regulatory approvals for launch. The project initially received widespread pushback in part because it emerged out of Facebook and in part because its ambitious aims seemed to threaten traditional government-run financial systems. The independent organization that runs the project, the Libra Association, will now be known as the Diem Association.

Diem, as it is now known, has shrunk significantly in scope since it was first announced. Major launch partners pulled support in quick succession last year because of its controversial nature and the regulatory hurdles it faced due to concerns...

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Facial recognition systems are getting better at recognizing masked faces

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Facial recognition algorithms are getting better at recognizing faces in masks, according to data published on Tuesday by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). Drawing on independent testing of more than 150 separate facial recognition algorithms, the new report suggests masks may not be as big a problem for facial recognition systems as initially thought.

Vendors voluntarily submit their facial recognition algorithms to NIST for testing as part of the Facial Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT). The institute publishes results of those tests on a rolling basis as each algorithm is submitted. When NIST first examined masks’ effect on facial recognition in July, it found that algorithms weren’t great at identifying faces...

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Here are the best Amazon Echo deals right now

The Echo Show 5 (left), Echo Show 8 (middle), and the Echo Show (right) | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

When it comes to the Echo smart speakers, Amazon has a slew of devices to choose from. With so many Echo devices currently available, there is a device for every occasion. Maybe you simply want to add Alexa to a room, or you are looking for an Echo device that will allow you to easily manage your other smart home products. Regardless of the reason, these are the best Echo deals currently available right now.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Amazon Echo Dot with LED display

Echo Dot

This year, Amazon released the 4th generation of the Echo dot, which looks more like a sphere than an actual dot. But if you prefer the previous design, don’t worry — Amazon has not discontinued the 3rd-gen Echo Dot, which still...

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Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 888 processor will power the Android flagships of 2021

Qualcomm has officially announced the Snapdragon 888 at its Snapdragon Tech Summit, offering a first look at its next-generation flagship smartphone processor. The 888 will power the next wave of 2021 Android flagships from companies like Samsung, OnePlus, LG, Sony, and more.

In a first for the company’s top-of-the-line 8-series chipsets, the Snapdragon 888 is making a big improvement for 5G: it’ll finally offer a fully integrated 5G modem, unlike last year’s Snapdragon 865 (which required that manufacturers include a separate modem chip inside the cramped interior of a modern smartphone).

The Snapdragon 888 will feature Qualcomm’s X60 modem, announced earlier this year, which jumps to a 5nm...

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Nest Thermostat review: more simple than smart

Google’s budget thermostat is inexpensive but limited

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The best Cyber Monday deals that are still happening

Cyber Monday may be a thing of the past, but some of its best deals are still happening. Many retailers will keep some of them going a little longer this week, now dubbed “Cyber Week.” Between now and the winter holidays, you can expect the non-stop barrage of deals to slow down a bit. However, in an effort to keep you coming back to snag those last-minute gifts, some stores may reintroduce this year’s best deals at a moment’s notice.

Below, you’ll find a few good deals on wireless noise-canceling headphones, earbuds, video games, and more. If you like where a price is at, it may be a good idea to make a purchase now, as these deals could end any moment.

We’ll be doing our best to keep this post updated during Cyber Week, including...

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Samsung rumored to discontinue Galaxy Note line, add stylus support to 2021 Galaxy S and Z Fold

Samsung Note20 smartphone
Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

Samsung will reportedly discontinue its Galaxy Note phone line in 2021, according to Reuters, as the company contends with falling demand for pricey smartphones caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the company is set to focus on its flagship Galaxy S lineup of phones, while Samsung’s foldable phones (like the Z Flip and Z Fold) will take the place of the Galaxy Note as Samsung’s more experimental premium devices, complete with an optional stylus accessory.

The idea that Samsung would stop selling the Galaxy Note line of phones in favor of the Galaxy S models makes a lot of sense. In the earlier years of the Note, the two lines of phones were distinct: the Galaxy S models were smaller, more mainstream devices, while the...

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Here are the best Kindle deals right now

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

When it comes to finding a device to use to read your ebooks, you have a few options to choose from. You can always buy a tablet or simply use your smartphone, but those devices are multipurpose and can be used for a ton of things, like surfing the web or doom-scrolling through Twitter. If you are looking for something to strictly read books, e-readers, while a niche piece of tech, are designed to store all of your books in a virtual library with no other functionality.

Amazon has dominated the space for years with its Kindle products. Right now, there are three Kindle models you can choose from, each with pros and cons.

Below, we’ve listed each of the current Kindles available for purchase. Sometimes, there isn’t a deal for one or, in...

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YouTube’s top trending video of 2020 is a powerful Dave Chappelle Netflix special

Image: Netflix

YouTube has released its annual top trending videos list of 2020, and the list reflects a year dominated by shifts in behavior brought on by the pandemic, civil unrest, and a heated political environment leading up to the US election.

The top trending video of 2020 was Dave Chappelle’s 8:46, a 27-minute stand-up special that was filmed at a socially distanced event in Ohio where the comedian lives. Netflix dropped the surprise special on June 12th, amid ongoing protests dedicated to fighting racism and police brutality around the world in the wake of George Floyd’s death. The special was praised by critics and other public figures for its honesty about America’s ongoing issues with racism. The title of the special, 8:46, references the...

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The Xbox Series X Can Run...PS2 Games?

What a world we live in, when Microsoft’s next-gen console has better PlayStation backwards compatibility than the PlayStation 5.

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Here's Where You Can Grab a New Fortnite-Themed Nintendo Switch Bundle

Nintendo Switch Fortnite Wildcast Bundle | $300 | Amazon
Nintendo Switch Fortnite Wildcat Bundle | $300 | Best Buy
Nintendo Switch Fortnite Wildcat Bundle | $299 | Walmart

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How to Fix Audio Level Problems in Windows 10

Windows 10 includes a custom volume mixer, which sounds like a great idea on paper—who wouldn’t a way to control the volume of individual apps? It’s incredibly useful when you need to dial back your game audio a bit so you can hear your guildmates on Discord (or the YouTube video you’re listening to in the…

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8 Ways to Get Your Kid to Read More

Not only do many kids stop reading for fun around age 9, we’re also in the midst of a pandemic that has brought much of their learning into the virtual space. That has many parents and educators worried about the potential for a “COVID slide,” in which some kids fall behind academically—even more than they would…

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How to Make Eggnog Even Better

It may shock you to learn this, but I am a woman of several shortcomings. Some are real, some exist merely in my mind. One that always bothered me was my inability to enjoy eggnog. As a lover of cream, eggs, booze, and seasonal fun, it sounded like something I would like, yet I always found the mouthfeel extremely…

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Ossoff campaign turns to TikTok and Snapchat ahead of special election

Georgia Democratic Nominees For Senate Rev. Warnock And Ossoff Attend Rally In Jonesboro
Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

On Tuesday, the Democratic Senate campaign for Jon Ossoff plans to launch new accounts on TikTok and Snapchat as part of an effort to reach young voters in the last few weeks before the Georgia runoff election on January 5th.

The Ossoff campaign TikTok (@jon) account will use video and music trends on the popular platform to highlight the candidate’s policy positions and share voting information for voters in Georgia, according to the campaign. The Snapchat account will be used to share Ossoff’s life on the campaign trail as the special election season progresses.

On November 6th, after days of counting, a runoff election was called between Ossoff and incumbent Sen. David Perdue (R). Perdue received 49.8 percent of the vote to Ossoff’s...

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Amazon boasts of ‘biggest holiday season’ ever as in-store shopping plummets

Photo by Michele Doying / The Verge

Amazon says it has just had its “biggest holiday season to date” as customers turned to the site to shop rather than venturing out to physical stores. Although CNBC notes that the company did not share actual sales figures for either Black Friday or Cyber Monday, in a blog post the company revealed figures for independent sellers on its platform. Amazon says these sellers saw over $4.8 billion in sales through the two shopping days worldwide, an increase of 60 percent over last year.

“Through Cyber Monday, 2020 has been the largest holiday shopping season so far in our company’s history thanks to customers around the world,” Amazon wrote.

While Amazon’s sales reached record highs, traffic at physical stores has reportedly plummeted....

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Rising seas predicted to flood thousands of affordable housing units by 2050

Mid Atlantic Coast Prepares For Hurricane Sandy
A flooded street is seen at nightfall during rains from Hurricane Sandy on October 29th, 2012, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. | Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images

Coastal cities in the US could find themselves grappling with a new housing crisis in the coming decades. The number of affordable housing units vulnerable to flooding could triple by 2050 as the planet heats up, according to a new study. That amounts to more than 24,000 homes that could flood at least once a year by 2050, compared to about 8,000 in 2000.

The study, published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, ranks the states and cities at greatest risk. Its authors also unveiled a new interactive map that people can use to see how their hometown might be affected.

As the world warms, seas rise. That means tides are...

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WhatsApp gets serious about wallpapers

That latest WhatsApp update brings improved wallpapers and sticker search to the Facebook-owned app used by over 2 billion people.

The most notable change is custom chat wallpaper backgrounds. “Make your chats personal and distinguishable by using a custom wallpaper for your most important chats and favorite people, and you never need worry about sending the wrong message in the wrong chat ever again,” Facebook said in an email sent to The Verge.

Image: Facebook
New wallpapers with dark mode support.

Separate wallpapers can also be chosen for light and dark mode settings. “Watch your chat wallpaper automatically transition as your phone device setting switches from light to dark mode,” says Facebook.

WhatsApp...

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Facebook to pay UK publishers for content with January launch of News tab

Illustration by James Bareham / The Verge

Facebook is launching its News tab in the UK in January in a move that’s expected to see the company pay news publishers tens of millions of pounds annually to license their articles, The Guardian reports. In an article announcing the launch, Facebook says it also aims to help publishers expand their audience, potentially benefiting both their subscriber numbers and ad revenue.

For news publishers, the most important aspect of the service will likely be the payments Facebook says it will make to include their content. Although Facebook is declining to say how much money it’s expecting to pay as part of the scheme, The Guardian reports that some publishers are expecting to make millions of pounds a year from the service, at a cost to tens...

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Amazon is bringing macOS to its AWS cloud

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon is bringing macOS to its AWS cloud for the first time ever. New Mac mini instances will be available on Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), allowing developers to create apps for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more all on AWS.

Amazon’s introduction of macOS instances is significant for developers. They now have a big cloud provider that will let them run Xcode and Swift development tools in the cloud, moving away from having to maintain and patch dedicated Mac machines. Amazon hasn’t announced pricing just yet, but the company is expected to reveal more information at its re:Invent event today.

Amazon is using Apple’s Intel-powered Mac mini computers for its cloud version of macOS. Each Mac mini...

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