Friday, November 11, 2022

Latest Tech News

Black Friday headlines

- The best Black Friday deals today are on TVs
- Lowest-ever prices on huge TVs and OLEDs
- No good Apple deals - except Airpods Pro 2
- Great discounts on appliances at Walmart
- Samsung has superb handset trade-in deals

You'd be forgiven for thinking it's Black Friday today. It isn't - Black Friday 2022 officially falls on November 25 - but given the sheer amount of Black Friday deals that have already launched, it certainly feels like it could be. 

Most big-name retailers in both the US and UK are running Black Friday sales as we head into the weekend. And although we've seen the volume of discounts slow down slightly since the start of the week, there are some exceptionally good-value offers that are worth grabbing now - we've got all the latest news here. 

There are also plenty we'd leave until closer to the day, when prices are highly likely to drop further. We'll steer you away from those, too. Join us as we cover the Black Friday sales live today and through the weekend. Happy browsing...

The best Black Friday sales in the US

Amazon: 60% off Ring Doorbell and toys
Best Buy: smart TVs from $79.99
Dell: up to 50% off laptops and accessories
Home Depot: 30% off large appliances
Lowes: 45% off tools and accessories
Walmart: cheap air fryers, coffee makers

5 best Black Friday deals this weekend:

The best Black Friday sales in the UK

Is it Black Friday today?

Nope. Black Friday is on November 25 this year - that's two weeks away. BUT there are hundreds of early Black Friday deals already available, some of which are worth buying now. We're curtaing the best ones here as soon as they drop, so stay tuned for our live coverage of the early Black Friday sales today and throughout the weekend...

LG c2 oled

(Image credit: Future)

Get a 48-inch LG OLED TV for just $569

We've been extremely impressed with this year's Black Friday TV deals so far. Leading the pack is Best Buy, with some of the lowest prices ever on a whole range of 4K, QLED, and OLED displays from all the top brands.

Case in point: the LG A2 48-inch OLED TV - which has a massive $730 discount, taking it down to just $569.99

LG A2 48-inch OLED 4K TV: $1,299.99 $569.99 at Best Buy
Save $730 - Today's best Black Friday TV deal is LG's A2 OLED display on sale for $569.99 - the cheapest price we've ever seen. The LG Alpha α7 Gen5 processor delivers sharp images and great upscaling from HDR, and Dolby Vision HDR support makes the most of movies and TV. LG's smart TV software is also excellent, and there's a great range of streaming services included.View Deal

6 more of the best Black Friday TV deals at Best Buy

We said Best Buy has a huge range of TV deals today, and we meant it. Here are six more cracking offers. 

Read more

1. TCL 50-inch 4 Series LED 4K UHD Smart TV: $339.99 $249.99 at Best Buy
Save $90
– One of our favorite budget 50-inch Black Friday TV deals is this TCL 4-Series 4K display on sale for just $249.99. An incredible price for a mid-size display, you're getting 4K UHD resolution, the Google Assistant and Chromecast built-in for seamless streaming, and a handy voice remote.View Deal

2. Insignia 65-inch F30 Series 4K UHD Smart Fire TV: $549.99 $379.99 at Best Buy
Save $250 -
Our favorite budget big-screen Black Friday TV deal is this 65-inch 4K display from Insignia on sale for a stunningly low price of just $379.99. You're getting the Fire TV operating system, 4K Ultra HD resolution, DTS Studio Sound, and a handy Alexa voice remote - all for under $400.View Deal

3. Samsung 75-inch 4K Smart Tizen TV (2022): $849.99 $579.99 at Best Buy
Save $270 –
Best Buy's early Black Friday TV deals has this stunning 75-inch 4K TV on sale for $579.99 - the lowest price we've seen for it. This 4K UHD TV from Samsung is one of the company's entry-level displays and packs a solid 'Crystal' UHD 4K processor, an easy-to-use Tizen operating system, and full HDR support.View Deal

4. Amazon Fire TV 75-inch Omni Series 4K UHD Smart TV: $1,099.99 $599.99 at Best Buy
Save $500 -  
This is an incredible price for a big-screen 4K TV and one of the best budget Black Friday TV deals we've spotted so far. The 4K Omni Series set includes the Fire OS for easy streaming, plus Dolby Vision, HDR 10, and Amazon Alexa built-in for hands-free control - all for a record-low price of $599.99.View Deal

5. Hisense 65-inch U8H Series Quantum ULED 4K UHD Smart Google TV: $1,399.99 $899.99 at Best Buy
Save $500 -
If you're looking for a budget big-screen display in today's Black Friday TV deals, Best Buy has this 65-inch QLED display from Hisense for $899.99. You're getting 4K ULED and Quantum Dot technology with Mini-LED backlight panels for bright, bold colors that come to life, plus smart capabilities, a voice remote, and compatibility with the Google Assistant.View Deal

6. LG C2 65-Inch 4K Smart TV (2022): $2,099.99 $1,699.99 at Best Buy
Save $400 -
Best Buy's Black Friday TV deals also include LG's brilliant C2 OLED TV on sale for $1,699.99 - the lowest price we've ever seen. Rated as our best TV of 2022, the LG C2 packs a stunning OLED display, an a9 Gen5 AI Processor, Dolby Atmos, and voice control. If you want the latest and greatest TV, then this deal is for you.View Deal

Beats studio buds price deals sales

(Image credit: Future)

Beats Studio Buds get a $50 price cut before Black Friday

The Beats Studio Buds are easily the best-sounding earbuds Beats has ever made. We gave them 4/5 stars in our Beats Studio Buds review: they’re comfortable to wear and they sound great, plus they support active noise cancellation. 

Unfortunately, their call quality isn't perfect and they're missing Apple's H1 Wireless Chip. But at $99.99 - which is their current price at Amazon, down from $149.95 - they're a lot cheaper than Apple's AirPods Pro 2 $234. We think they're an absolute bargain for a premium pair of noise-canceling earbuds.

Read more

Beats Studio Buds: was $149.95 now $99.95 at Amazon.com
Beats Studio Buds are the best Beats earbuds you can buy, and Amazon's early Black Friday sale has the earbuds down to $99.95 - just $10 more than the record-low price. You're getting Active Noise Cancelling technology, a comfortable fit, and decent audio performance. Compared to Apple's AirPods Pro 2, which are priced at $234, this deal is a great alternative for premium earbuds under $100.View Deal

A Dell XPS 15 2022

(Image credit: Future)

One of the best laptops ever made gets a $700 price cut

Dell has launched its Black Friday sale, and it's well worth a look if you need a new laptop. The one that caught our eye is this huge $700 discount on a high-end Dell XPS 15, which drops the price from $2,899 to $2,199.

It's a productivity powerhouse, as you might expect given the price, with new Intel Alder Lake processors and RTX GPUs packed into the classic XPS laptop design. We found that it's even capable of some moderate gaming. We gave it a full five stars in our Dell XPS 15 (2022) review.

Don't buy it if you don't need the best of the best - those specs are going to be overkill for a lot of people. But if you want to own what we think is arguably the perfect computer for most Windows users, this is a good deal. It's the lowest price we've seen so far.

Read more

Dell XPS 15, Intel Core i9: was $2,899.99 now $2,199.99 at Dell
Dell Black Friday deals are live, and you can get the powerful XPS 15 laptop on sale for $2,199.99 thanks to today's massive $700 discount. Named as one of our best laptops, the XPS 15 packs a 15.6-inch InfinityEdge display, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 series graphics, a 12th Generation Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD.View Deal

9 of the best Black Friday deals in the UK

We've looked at some of the best deals in the US - but what about in the UK? Here are a few things that stood out to our deals experts...

Champagne, wine and whiskey: from £6.99 at Amazon
With party season almost upon us, now is a good time to stock up the drinks cabinet. Amazon is here to help you do that for less, with savings of up to 28% on a selection of wines, champagnes, vodkas and whiskies. Single bottles or larger cases are available, including well-known brands such as Jameson and Absoslut.View Deal

Tassimo Happy Pod Coffee Machine and Costa Coffee Pods Bundle: £139.99 £48 at Very
Save £92
– It's always handy when retailers throw in some actual coffee pods with their coffee machine products, and right now, Very is bundling the Tassimo Happy Pod with 64 Costa T-Disk favourites for the very digestible price of £48. Yes, you read that right. For less than £50, you can bag yourself a brand-new coffee machine and 64 actual coffees. That's 75p per coffee, plus a whole new piece of kitchen kit.View Deal

Yankee Candle sale: from £1.89 at Amazon
Set the right mood with this selection of Yankee Candle wax melts and candles from just £1.89. Given the time of year, there's a wide selection of Christmas-themed scents, but you can also pick up some more universal options if you'd rather not have a home smelling of cinnamon and cedar wood just yet.View Deal

Sony WF-C500 True Wireless Earbuds: was £90 now £49 at Amazon
Under intense review, we called these Sony earbuds "great value for money" – but that was at the full asking price. With 45% off, we think they're an absolute steal and then some. Yes, 20 hours of battery life can be bettered – but 10 hours from the buds alone certainly can't at this price point. They're also light and comfortable, providing an exciting, musical sound. Oh, and they've only been this cheap once before. View Deal

Hisense 43-inch 4K UHD LED Smart TV: £329 £249 at Currys
Save £80 -
If you need a 4K TV on a budget, check out this Hisense set on sale at Currys. A hefty price cut brings this 43-inch model well under £300, which isn't bad considering you get support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and a host of smart TV functions. With Amazon Alexa built-in, this one is a solid all-rounder for those who don't want to spend big.
50-inch: £379 £299 | 55-inch: £429 £329View Deal

Asus VivoBook 15: £379.99 £229.99 at Amazon
Save £150
 – We're seriously impressed with how good this Asus VivoBook 15 is in terms of value for money. It offers impressive performance for all general everyday tasks and light use thanks to its Intel i3 processor and 8GB RAM - a combination of solid components we rarely see for so cheap. There isn't a better deal out there today if you're after a capable laptop on a budget of under £250.View Deal

Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise-Cancelling Wireless Headphones: £380 £299 at Amazon
Save £81 –
Quite simply the newest and best in Sony's class-leading wireless over-ear lineup. The older XM4 were outstanding and the XM3 before it were excellent, so it'll come as little surprise to know that Sony's latest XM5 proposition are also incredibly hard to beat – especially with a whopping 21% off. They've only been as cheap as this once before - and these cans only launched in May 2022. Our advice? This is a top deal on a winning pair of new noise-cancelling headphones. View Deal

Shark IZ202UKTDB Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner with Flexology: £379.99 £199.99 at Shark
Save £180 -
Get this limited edition deluxe Shark cordless vacuum with a free car detailing kit and filter for £180 off the original price. There's a lot going for this stick vac, which has a runtime of up to 40 minutes, an anti-allergen complete seal and comes with 4 attachments: a crevice tool, an upholstery tool and an anti-hair wrap pet tool. It's a good choice of cordless vacuum for pet owners, and it'll be a good idea to buy this deal now while stock lasts.View Deal

Sony 55-inch A80J OLED TV: £1,399 £999 at Currys
Save £400
– This is a massive reduction on one of Sony's best OLED TVs. Getting one of these larger high-end 4K displays for £1,000 or less is a good deal as they don't often fall this low. It's an excellent price for an all-around TV that offers fantastic image quality with vibrant colors and deep blacks, while the XR processing tech ensures a clear picture and powerful sound. It's a great gaming TV, too, with 4K at 120fps support and VRR to give you the smoothest experience with minimal input lag.View Deal



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Best iPhone in 2022: Which Apple Phone Is Right for You? - CNET

Apple's iPhone lineup ranges from $429 to $1,599. Here are the best iPhone models to match your needs and budget.

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Latest Tech News

Russian users will soon be unable to connect to the VPN service offered by Kaspersky. 

The Moscow-based company has announced it is set to halt the operations and sales of its Secure Connection VPN, assuring users that the process will be staged gradually to have as little impact as possible. 

The company's free VPN version is set to be suspended from November 15 onwards, and paid customers will be able to subscribe until December 2022 and enjoy the service up till the end of 2023.

Russia VPNs facing growing pressures

The company announced the details of the shutdown in a blog post, explaining, "the situation is completely similar with Kaspersky Secure Connection, which is part of various integrated solutions for home users."

This means that for any users who have already paid for its security bundle, the application will be available until the subscription expires, and vice versa - so those using its free option have just a few days to look into alternatives.      

Kaspersky further pointed out that this decision will apply for people in Russia only. 

"The Russian-language version of the application will still be available on Kaspersky Lab websites and mobile app stores. For users outside of Russia, the set of available features and VPN servers will not change."

TechRadar Pro has reached out to Kaspersky asking the reason behind this move, but a company's spokesperson said there's nothing else they can say about the decision at this time.

What's certain is that the Kremlin has been actively fighting against Russia VPNs for a while now.  

Last year, the country's telecommunication watchdog Roskomnadzor banned some of the top VPN providers around. These include some of the biggest names on the market like ExpressVPN, NordVPN and IPVanish.  

And while the use of such security services soared among Russians following the war in Ukraine, authorities have reaffirmed the intention to block VPN software that violate Russian law by granting access to illegal content. 

At the same time, providers that don't comply with the requirement to connect to the Federal State Information System - which enable state censorship and control of users' activities - will also be pushed to leave the country. 

More recent is the Roskomnadzor's order to state-owned companies to share details over their use of VPN services.  

Via BleepingComputer



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Latest Gadgets News

Elon Musk's Twitter on Friday brought back the "official" badge to some accounts, just days after doing away with it, while several users reported the new subscription option for the blue verification check mark had disappeared. The move follows a surge in fake accounts on the platform after new boss Elon Musk allowed users to pay $8 (nearly Rs. 650) for the coveted...

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Turkey Prices Are Coming Back Down in Time for Thanksgiving. Here's Why - CNET

An avian flu epidemic and inflation had caused turkey prices to skyrocket. But American families have lucked out in the nick of time.

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Thursday, November 10, 2022

iOS 16 Hidden Features: 9 Tips and Tricks You Didn't Know About - CNET

Find the best features and settings that Apple has tucked away on the iPhone.

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Latest Tech News

Cybersecurity researchers from Minerva Labs have spotted a potentially dangerous malware strain written in a relatively new programming language called Nim. 

The team has warned that a growing number of threat actors are porting their malware to Nim to better hide their tools from antivirus solutions and cybersecurity teams.

In this case, the Minerva researchers first found IceXLoader back in June 2022, when it was considered under development, as many of its core functions were still missing. Now, however, the malware has reached version 3.3.3, comes with quite a few dangerous features, and has already infected “thousands” of Windows devices - both at home, and in the office. 

Cryptominers

When victims download and run IceXLoader (which usually happens after a successful phishing attack), it will do a number of things - from gathering metadata about the target endpoint (IP address, device name, OS version, hardware information, etc.), to installing a cryptocurrency miner for the Monero currency. 

Monero is a popular choice among cybercriminals as it’s described as a “privacy coin” making tracing sent tokens virtually impossible. 

Generally speaking, IceXLoader is stage-one malware in a multi-stage attack. It will drop additional malware to the target endpoint, depending on what the threat actors deem most useful for each individual device.

The malware is also relatively good at staying hidden. It obfuscates the code, doesn’t run inside Microsoft Defender’s emulator, and executes PowerShell with an encrypted demand, delaying executing the malware for 35 seconds. That way, it can avoid sandboxes, as well. 

The researchers found the malware’s SQLite database file, and discovered “thousands of victim records”. They’ve begun notifying these people, it was added. 

While the original version of IceXLoader went for $118 on the dark web, as per The Register, the cost of the new version is yet to be seen. 

Via: The Register



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Latest Gadgets News

Twitter's information security chief Lea Kissner is leaving the company, Kissner said in a tweet on Thursday. The move comes in the middle of a large-scale layoff and product changes at the social media company under new boss Elon Musk.

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How To Get Preselected For A Wells Fargo Credit Card - CNET

Check how likely you are to be approved for a Wells Fargo credit card.

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Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Latest Tech News

All editions of Windows 10 21H1 are set to reach their end of service at the end of November 2022, Microsoft has confirmed.

In an advisory, the company noted that its upcoming December 2022 security update, to be released on December 13, 2022, will be the last update available for Windows 10 21H1.

After that date, devices running this version will no longer receive monthly security and quality updates containing protection from the latest security threats.

Windows 10 21H1 update

Microsoft recommends that any users still using Windows 10 21H1 on their devices should upgrade to the latest version of Windows 10, or upgrade their eligible devices to Windows 11, immediately. For information about servicing timelines and lifecycles, the company also provided a Windows 10 release guide.

Microsoft announced the availability of Windows 10 22H2 on October 18, which is now rolling out to all eligible devices. 

Users who are responsible for upgrading their own machines can do so by heading to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and then clicking on the "Check for updates" button.

The news comes shortly after a recent report found many PC users are still clinging to Windows 10, despite Windows 11 launching on October 5, 2021 - well over a year ago.

According to data gathered by Statcounter, Windows 11 still has comparatively poor adoption rates, with only 15.44% of all Windows systems having made the jump.

In excess of 70% of users are still running Windows 10, while Windows 7 still maintains 10% of the overall Windows user base, even though it lost its official Microsoft support in January 2020.

Users' general reluctance to upgrade has been attributed to the high system performance requirements that Windows 11 demands of its users, which are simply out of reach for many common PCs and mobile workstations in the market. 

If you are still in the dark about how best to update your Windows machine, you can follow this guided walkthrough that Microsoft has put together.



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What Is Mastodon? The Twitter Alternative for People Flying the Coop - CNET

As Twitter transitions to Elon Musk's ownership, some users are flocking to an open-source social media option.

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Latest Tech News

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly worried about cyberattacks and would love to increase the budgets set aside for protecting their endpoints

However, they worry that due to economic uncertainty and inflation, they will have to change their plans and leave their virtual premises vulnerable to malware, hackers and criminals, a new report from OpenText has found.

It found the majority of SMBs (67%) have a cybersecurity budget of less than $50,000 a year. While more than half (59%) plan on upping the ante next year, 57% fear inflation will force them to change their plans and actually cut their cybersecurity budgets.

Growing fears

Things are difficult as they are, the report further suggests. Two-thirds (68%) have fewer than five people in their security team, supported by external security teams (in 58% of cases). Most SMBs (65%) that don’t use a managed service provider (MSP) for cybersecurity are considering their options for next year, too.

Cybercriminals won’t be cutting SMBs any slack, either. The number of successful attacks, resulting in painful additional costs for the victims, is growing by the minute. Almost half (46%) of OpenText’s respondents experienced a ransomware attack in the last year, with 66% not being confident in their ability to defend against such attacks in the first place. 

All of this has made most firms (88%) super worried about a possible cybercrime incident. As a matter of fact, 52% feel more at risk of a cyberattack today, due to everything that’s going on in the world, with both the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, to name a few.

To defend against cyberattacks, SMBs are advised to educate their employees on the dangers of phishing, business email compromise, and other forms of social engineering, as that’s where the majority of incidents start.



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Google’s redesign of Gmail, which became available for testing earlier in 2022, will now become the default for users everywhere.

The company has announced that the visual update to its email service “is becoming the standard experience” starting in November after several months of opening up opt-in.

Google says that there will be “no option” to revert back to the classic view, with users now having to make do with the refreshed UI that features Chat, Spaces, and Meet integration, alongside a more general visual overhaul.

Gmail 2022 update

With so many companies turning to Google Workspace to provide their productivity tools, the plethora of communications channels can be somewhat overwhelming.

 With this update, the company hopes to make it easier for its users to flick between sending emails and more personal messages through its Chat and Spaces, as well as joining Meet video conferencing calls.

For many, this update may be neither here nor there, as users will still be able to navigate to the separate Chat and Meet web pages for more detailed views of the respective services, however this deeper integration could be a sign of things to come, and potentially a single and more rounded platform for all communications channels. 

For now, and just like on previous versions of the Gmail web app, the right sidebar still has shortcuts to other Google services like Calendar, Tasks, and Keep.

Rapid Release domains have already started to see the effects, while Scheduled Release domains will have to wait a further two weeks.

Other recent Gmail updates have placed a heavy emphasis on curating better search results, with machine learning helping to surface more relevant information and contacts.



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Anycubic's Black Friday Deals Make It a Perfect Time to Stock Up on 3D Printing Materials - CNET

These mystery bundles are a fantastic savings on both filament and resin.

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Latest Tech News

Intel has launched the NUC 13 Extreme - codenamed the ‘Raptor Canyon’ - which is their most powerful mini PC to date. The new Raptor Canyon PC will offer 13th-gen Core CPUs and space for up to 12-inch triple-slot graphics cards. The mini-kit is aimed at enthusiast gamers and content creators looking to declutter their desks. 

The chassis for the Raptor Canyon has been redesigned to reduce noise and optimize airflow while keeping the NUC series’ signature compact size. We're sad to see the iconic RGB skull frontplate leave this new tower PC, even if a smaller skull design can now be found on the inside.  

The new gaming NUC features unlocked 13th-gen i9, i7, or i5 processors which employ new hybrid core architecture to try to get streaming and gaming to perform at the highest possible levels. The highest-spec model packs the awesomely fast Intel Core i9-13900K.

The Intel NUC 13 Extreme will be launched in China first, with availability to wider audiences in early 2023. Prices for the kit will start at $760 (around £667 or AU$1,180) for the entry-level i5 model and goes up to $1,179 (about £1,030 or AU$1,830) depending on the configuration you’re after.

Analysis: NUCs are a great doorway into PC-building for beginners

The Intel NUCs are all about giving people who may not be confident in building their own gaming PC a smaller and less complex canvas. This is why they’re so cool. They’re a great option for people like us who don’t have a lot of desk space and don’t need something especially pricey.

Since the Intel NUC 13 Extreme has support for triple-slot 12-inch graphics cards, you can purchase a new GPU or slot in an older card and upgrade it when you have the cash. Don't expect to fit any beefy RTX 3090 Ti or 4090 models inside, though. You'll also need an SSD and some RAM, but mercifully those aren't so expensive.

The hybrid core architecture we mentioned above is a nifty bit of tech that is new to the 13th-gen processors that split cores into two halves: performance cores and efficient cores. The P-cores are there to handle the heavy workload, the main thing that you’re running on your PC - like a game or a resource-intensive program. Meanwhile, the E-cores are optimized to handle background processes.

So, say you’ve got a game up and running on one monitor but a music player or Discord chat open on another, your processor is not trying to single-handedly focus and control both workloads. This is a boon for streamers in particular, since the E-cores can keep your streaming software running smoothly in the background while the P-cores give you optimal gaming performance.



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Some TV shows are like comfort food, and for me, there’s no show more comforting than Peep Show. The British sitcom from the early 2000s h...