NYT tech workers are making their own games while on strike
Striking New York Times tech workers have created a “Guild Builds” page dedicated to strike-themed games you can play, including a spin on Wordle, a word search, and the custom Connections I reported on earlier today.
As part of its strike announcement on Monday, the New York Times Tech Guild requested that people don’t cross the digital picket line to play the NYT’s daily puzzle games. This collection of five other games offers an alternative if you want to support the striking workers but also do some brain teasers.
They aren’t super fancy, but I’ve had fun messing around with them. The games will be updated “when they can be,” Jen Sheehan, spokesperson for the NewsGuild of New York, tells The Verge, so you might want to check back every once in awhile to see if there’s a new version of a puzzle to play. Sheehan also says that guild members created all of the games but Strikle, which was made by an external supporter.
The New York Times didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
After Trump Took the Lead, Election Deniers Went Suddenly Silent Trump supporters spent years fomenting concern about election integrity. On Tuesday, they set it all aside.
Amazon’s CEO defends return-to-office policy
Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is pushing back on claims that his return-to-office mandate was a “backdoor layoff.” In a transcript of an all-hands staff meeting seen by Reuters and CNBC, Jassy said the move “is very much about our culture and strengthening our culture.”
“A number of people I’ve seen theorized that the reason we were doing this is, it’s a backdoor layoff, or we made some sort of deal with city or cities,” Jassy said during the meeting, according to Reuters. “I can tell you both of those are not true. You know, this was not a cost play for us.” Amazon has laid off more than 27,000 workers since 2022.
Here’s when the Black Friday sales start at Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Black Friday officially kicks off on November 29th, but if you plan to make that the only day you buy gifts this holiday season, you’re missing out. Several prominent retailers, including Best Buy and Target, have already started rolling out their holiday discounts online and in-store. Both retailers are offering price protection through most of the holiday shopping season as well, so if you buy early and the same item drops to a lower price, you can retroactively get that better deal.
Whether you take advantage of the slew of early holiday deals or hold off until the day after Thanksgiving, it’s important to know how every major retailer is handling the shopping event this year. If you plan to spend some cash, here are the schedules and expectations for Amazon, Walmart, Target, and all the major retailers we know of.
Amazon has yet to announce a full Black Friday playbook, but it does have a landing page full of holiday deals, which the retailer may update and convert into its main hub for Black Friday — as well as Cyber Monday. There aren’t a ton of noteworthy early deals, at least in terms of tech, but Amazon is currently discounting a few pairs of Beats headphones. This includes the Beats Solo 4 and Beats Studio Pro, which are on sale for $99.99 ($100 off) and $169.99 ($180 off), respectively.
Just be aware that Amazon does not offer price matching, so price “protection” for many Amazon shoppers means buying the item at the lower price point and returning the original — which, unfortunately, is pretty wasteful.
Black Friday has already kicked off to some degree at Best Buy, with the retailer offering various specials via its “Holiday Savings” event, which runs through November 7th. That being said, the first wave of early “doorbuster” Black Friday deals will go live on Friday, November 8th, with new doorbusters to follow every Friday until November 20th. They’re open to everybody, though those who subscribe to My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total will get access every Thursday before they become more widely available.
Best Buy’s main Black Friday event, which will feature returning doorbusters and new deals, is slated to begin on November 21st (yes, that’s a full eight days for a singular “Black Friday Sale”). The retailer’s Cyber Monday promo, meanwhile, will kick off on Sunday, December 1st, meaning Best Buy is running sales throughout the entire month of November.
Best Buy shoppers also get price protection, ensuring that if you purchase a qualifying item and it goes on to receive a bigger discount between November 1st and December 31st, you can request a refund for the difference through January 14th. As with some of the Black Friday promos, you’ll want to make sure you’re signed in with your My Best Buy account while browsing to ensure you’re getting the lowest price.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Apple Watches are popular items that usually receive deep discounts around Black Friday.
Like Best Buy, Target has launched a “Deal of the Day” holiday promo, which runs through December 24th for members of its free Target Circle program. Target will also host an Early Black Friday Sale, which will kick off on November 7th and last through November 9th.
Each Sunday in November, Target will drop new deals at brick-and-mortar stores and online, which you can preview a week beforehand using Target’s weekly circular. Target says it will be offering the best prices throughout the holiday season; however, the retailer also has a holiday price-match policy in place if it happens to offer a better deal on an item between now and December 24th. Just keep in mind that you may need to return to the store from which you purchased the product to receive a price match or call Target’s guest services for online purchases.
Walmart plans to start rolling out its Black Friday deals in multiple waves. The first begins online at 12PM ET on Monday, November 11th, for paying Walmart Plus subscribers (or 5PM ET for everybody else). An in-store sale will follow on November 15th at 6AM local time.
The second wave begins online at 12PM ET on Monday, November 25th, for Walmart Plus members (or 5PM ET for everybody else). An in-store sale will follow on Black Friday proper (November 29th) at 6AM local time.
Walmart will then hold its Cyber Monday sale online for Walmart Plus members beginning at 5PM ET on December 1st before opening it to non-members at 8PM ET.
If you want to get early access to any of the aforementioned waves, Walmart is offering 50 percent off an annual Walmart Plus membership through December 2nd. The current promo brings the cost of its premium service down to $49 a year. Along with early access to all of Walmart’s holiday discounts, Plus members also get free delivery on millions of products.
There is no word yet on Black Friday details from GameStop. We expect to hear more soon regarding store hours on Black Friday and possibly Thanksgiving, as well as some specifics regarding what kind of gaming deals it plans to offer throughout the holiday season.
Newegg has already started dropping its Black Friday deals. Like other retailers, it also offers price protection, so you can choose to buy early without having to worry about potential discounts down the line. Newegg is noting price-protected items with a colorful badge near the product’s name through November 20th, and if said product drops in price on or before November 30th, Newegg will automatically refund the difference to the original payment method.
Costco recently announced two deals events ahead of Black Friday, including a “Holiday Savings” event that runs through December 2nd online and in-store. There’s also an online “November Savings” promo, which runs through November 30th. Costco will continue to drop new deals throughout November, which you can preview here. There aren’t a ton of notable tech highlights (yet), but Costco will be discounting the noise-canceling Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds to $229.99 ($70 off) starting on November 18th. Costco will also throw in a $50 gift card from one of several retailers, including Apple and Google.
Meta Permits Its A.I. Models to Be Used for U.S. Military Purposes The shift in policy, covering government agencies and contractors working on national security, is intended to promote “responsible and ethical” innovations, the company said.
Judge declines to block Musk’s $1 million voter giveaways
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images
Elon Musk’s America PAC can move forward with its $1 million giveaways to voters after a Philadelphia judge declined an emergency petition from District Attorney Larry Krasner to block them.
During a hearing earlier on Monday, a representative for the political action committee said prize winners are not randomly selected and are actually chosen to be paid spokespeople for the PAC, which supports former President Donald Trump, The Associated Press reported. Musk previously advertised the selection as random, but the fine print of the petition that applicants need to sign to enter the giveaway doesn’t mention it.
Krasner accused the PAC of running an illegal lottery and deceptively marketing the prize selections as random, even though “multiple winners that have been selected are individuals who have shown up at Trump rallies in Pennsylvania.” While the PAC’s admission at the hearing seemed to confirm that suspicion, it also undermined the idea that the giveaway is a lottery at all.
The PAC lists two additional giveaways on its site to take place on Monday and Tuesday. Those prizes are slated to go to voters in Arizona and Michigan, respectively.
It’s not yet clear what Judge Angelo Foglietta’s reasoning was behind denying the emergency injunction, but he said in a court filing that his findings would be forthcoming.
New York Times Tech Workers Go on Strike The Times Tech Guild represents more than 600 software developers and others who run the back-end systems behind The Times’s digital operation.
Right-Wing Groups Are Organizing on Telegram Ahead of Election Day Right-wing groups, which use Telegram to organize real-world actions, are urging followers to watch the polls and stand up for their rights, in a harbinger of potential chaos.
Perplexity debuts an AI-powered election information hub
The Verge
AI search company Perplexity is putting to the test whether it’s a good idea to use AI to serve crucial voting information with a new Election Information Hub it announced on Friday. The hub offers things like AI-generated answers to voting questions and summaries of candidates, and on November 5th, Election Day, the company says it will track vote counts live, using data from The Associated Press.
Perplexity says its voter information, which includes polling requirements, locations, and times, is based on data from Democracy Works. (The same group powers similar features from Google). And that its election-related answers come from “a curated set of the most trustworthy and informative sources.”
Perplexity spokesperson Sara Plotnick confirmed in an email to The Verge that both AP and Democracy Works are official partners for the hub. Plotnick elaborated on Perplexity’s sources:
We selected domains that are non-partisan and fact-checked, including Ballotpedia and news organizations. We’re actively monitoring our systems to ensure that we continue to prioritize these sources when answering election-related queries.
The hub serves up details about what’s on the ballot for whatever location you enter (for instance, an address or city). There are also tabs for monitoring the elections for the President, US Senate, and US House as they come in starting Tuesday, with per-state breakdowns showing the percentage of votes counted and who’s leading.
Screenshot: Perplexity Election Hub
Amusing, but perhaps not what Perplexity is going for.
The AI summaries when I clicked on candidates had some errors, like failing to mention that Robert F. Kennedy, who’s on the ballot where I live, had dropped out of the race. It also listed a “Future Madam Potus” candidate that, when clicked, led me to the above summary of Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy, except with some meme pictures that aren’t in her normal summary.
Plotnick said the company is looking into why the summary didn’t mention that Kennedy had dropped out. “Depending on your location, sometimes write-in candidates will appear,” Plotnick added by way of explaining why Future Madam Potus’ listing may have appeared. (It doesn’t explain why it summarized Harris, but Future Madam Potus is indeed running as a write-in candidate, according to Ballotpedia.)
The errors illustrate the challenge of using accuracy-challenged generative AI for such a high-stakes use case, and why other AI companies have shied away from doing it. ChatGPT, Meta AI, and Google Gemini each deflect voter information questions to other resources like canivote.org or Google Search. Microsoft’s Copilot simply refused to answer when I tried.
The AI search engines are here — and getting better
Image: David Pierce / The Verge
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 59, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
I also have for you some interesting new AI search products, some new Apple gear, a couple of documentaries to watch this weekend, a calendar app for Windows, and much more.
Oh, and thanks to everyone who reached out about the Omnivore acquisition. Which sucks. I heard from a lot of folks wondering where to go next, and since I feel partially responsible for getting some of you into an app that is now dying, I’m gonna help you figure it out! But I need help: what about Omnivore, or any other reading app, do you 100 percentneed? Tell me your desires and I’ll see if I can point us all in the right direction.
All right, lots to do this week. Let’s go.
(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What do you want to know more about? What awesome tricks do you know that everyone else should? What app should everyone be using? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)
The Drop
ChatGPT search. It’s not called SearchGPT, lame, but it is what we expected: live web search baked into OpenAI’s chatbot. So far, it looks an awful lot like Perplexity and Bing and the rest, but I suspect a lot of people will use this just because it’s right there in ChatGPT.
Ask Maps. This is the kind of AI search I’m most bullish on: Google pointing Gemini at the Maps app, so you can more easily find stuff to do and places to go. If AI can just prevent me from having to comb through a million reviews looking for the word “kid-friendly,” all this nonsense might be worth it.
Fantastical for Windows. I do most of my calendaring in one of two apps: Fantastical or Notion Calendar. Notion Calendar is free and faster, but Fantastical is much nicer-looking and much more powerful. The new Windows app has all the features, all the design, and looks like a winner.
The new Mac Mini. There are reasons to be excited about the new MacBook Pros that launched this week, and I guess even the super-colorful iMac, but for me, the smaller, faster Mini is the most exciting computer Apple has launched this year. This thing will be my daily driver from the minute it ships.
The new Magic Keyboard. Two things, both true: $149 is way too much for this keyboard (much less $199 for the black one with the number pad), and also once you use a Mac keyboard with built-in Touch ID, there is just absolutely no going back. And it finally doesn’t require a Lightning cable! What a world!
Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Our friends at Polygondescribed this game as basically a game about a protagonist “and their traveling Deep Roadshow of trauma-drenched weirdos (complimentary),” which I love so much. Sounds like this game takes a beat to get going but is hugely rewarding once it does.
Uncanny Valley. A new podcast from Wired, hosted by a bunch of folks we like (and a couple of former Verge staffers!) talking about all the news and chaos happening in Silicon Valley. A surprising amount of hoodie talk in the first episode! But I’m excited to see where this goes.
Endurance. If you haven’t read the book this new series is based on — about the British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s disastrous attempt to sail to the South Pole — do that this weekend. I’m serious. It’s an all-timer. And I’ve only heard great things about the doc.
Nintendo Music. For years, I liked writing while listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, which made everything feel a little more epic. From now on, though, I’m all in on the Boss Battles playlist in this delightful new streaming app.
Music by John Williams. Big week for soundtracks, it turns out! John Williams is a legend, and it looks like Disney got an amazing roster of other legends to come talk about how important and special he has been to the movie business. I’ve been excited for this ever since the Jaws bit in the trailer.
Pokémon TCG Pocket. Truthfully, the Pokémon trading card games have never been my bag, but a game like this makes perfect sense as a mobile app you can play for a few minutes at a time. Or a few hours. Or days. Whatever works.
Screen share
A few weeks ago, I went to New York City and wandered into a coffee shop called Coffee Check. It was started by a guy named David Cogen, who you might recognize as the face of TheUnlockr YouTube channel. At the beginning of this year, after more than a decade as a creator, he decided to open a coffee shop. And still keep being a creator. Somehow.
I spent an hour with David talking about all this, which turned into a really fun episode ofThe Vergecast. But I left David still wondering how he balanced it all — and wondering what I might be able to tell about his priorities from his homescreen. So I asked him to share!
Here’s David’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:
The phone: Pixel 9 Pro. I always switch fully into whatever phone I am making a video about, and as I am very behind on reviews (see the Vergecast episode for more on that), that’s the next one on the docket.
The wallpaper: The one that comes on the phone by default. I switch phones so often that I usually don’t change the wallpaper unless it’s obnoxious. In that case, I’ll still grab something minimalistic from Google’s Wallpapers app (maybe a landscape to remind me what outside looks like).
The apps: Spotify, Phone, Gmail, Chrome.
I generally have the multiple-clock widget, as it automatically shows me my current time and time back in NYC, which I find incredibly helpful while traveling as much as I do. Otherwise, the tools section has Notion, which I’m a heavy user of after Evernote got worse and worse over time — it has replaced that, along with Airtable.
That folder has since expanded recently thanks to the coffee shop as I now have Homebase for scheduling my baristas, Poplin to get our cleaning rags picked up and delivered, Shopify for inventory / POS / sales / obsessive data analyzing, Ring for all the cameras in the space and to make sure milk deliveries show up on time in the middle of the night (we use a service called Odeko, which has a key and brings supplies in / puts the milk in the fridges for us), and Peerspace to make sure I can respond to inquiries to rent out the back space.
I also asked David to share a few things he’s into right now. Here’s what he sent back:
Probably comes as no surprise, but coffee. Particularly, I’m going to start roasting in the coffee shop soon and so I’m looking forward to sourcing beans from various places, getting better at roasting those beans, and tweaking roasts to get different flavors out of them.
I’m also wanting to take more classes and attend more coffee events to try and learn more about the coffee world and what people in that world are also experimenting with. And eventually figuring out how to balance these two worlds of coffee and YouTube but, you know, first things first.
Crowdsourced
Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Emailinstaller@theverge.comor message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more recommendations, check out the replies tothis post on Threads.
“I saw you had Coffee Golf on your iPad Mini homescreen. It has IAP and is really just ok. You’d be better off trying Golf On Mars. It’s the slightly more polished version of Desert Golfing by the same developer. Best quick-play golf game ever.” – Casey
“The story about Arc sunsetting in favor of a new browser kicked me into gear on finding a new home. I saw a comment on the Verge story that mentioned Zen Browser, pitching it as feeling like Arc but built from Firefox. I gave it a shot, and I love it!” – Tom
“I’ve been playing with different web browsers again. It came down to Brave and Vivaldi to try as a daily driver for a while, but I’ve settled on Vivaldi. Loving it. It is much snappier than the last time I tried it, plus it has the advantage of Chrome extensions and plenty of customization while locking down privacy. I think I’ve found my new web browser.” – Josh
“I’m a Letterboxd junkie for logging movies and this week I found a really nice app for logging TV watching! It’s called Marathon. The design of the app is niiiiiice.” — Garrett
“Started playing Rivals of Aether II, a new indie platform fighter like Super Smash Bros., and it’s *so* much fun. Learning curve is steep, but it’s so worth it.” – Anuj
“Loving the new season of Shrinking on Apple TV Plus. I don’t often get emotional, but they’re killing it (and me. Not sure I want to see where the father / son storyline goes). Big recommend.” – Matthew
“Redownloading Raindrop after the demise of Omnivore. Luckily I saved my config for the Obsidian plugin so it’s been an easy switch.” – Tynan
“Caught as much of the World Series as I could, but the Apple Sports live activity was awesome for keeping track when I couldn’t watch it.” – Justin
“I’ve been reading the Red Risingseries because of one of my coworkers. The way that you get sucked into the characters and that every book builds on the previous ones, it has become one of my favorite series that I can’t recommend enough.” – Travis
Signing off
It’s Election Day on Tuesday! Wild, important, fascinating, terrifying, causing me to feel a lot of feelings. But one thing I unequivocally love about election season is a fresh set of reporting about some of the stranger and more annoying quirks of the American political process. Do you hate all the political texts? The Wall Street Journal has a fun investigation into how they work, The Washington Post has good tricks for turning them off, and our friends at Vox did a great podcast about how they became such a scourge. Elsewhere, Cleo Abram made a great video about why you can’t vote online, which is a question that keeps coming up.
Rolls-Royce’s first electric vehicle sounds like no other
Tim Stevens
My favorite feature of the new $420,000, all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre isn’t the cosseting ride quality or the illuminated stars embedded in the headliner of the insanely ornate interior. It isn’t the 577 horsepower or the 266 miles of range. It’s neither the “yes, that’s the spot” massaging seats nor the curbside presence of that upright, chromed front grille. It isn’t even the aerodynamically refined yet classically styled Spirit of Ecstasy statuette perched atop.
My favorite feature of the Spectre is the sound it makes. As an EV, it doesn’t really make any engine sound on its own. It’s a rolling cocoon made inherently anti-acoustic thanks to the tireless work of some surely big-eared scientists. So, to inject a little more life into the driving experience, the Spectre plays a little digital tone when you accelerate.
Yes, nearly every modern EV emits some kind of synthetic whir or trill when you get on the accelerator — but nothing like the Spectre. This car makes the kind of sound that you would expect to hear when an omniscient, all-powerful alien force swoops through the clouds in a sci-fi movie, the gut-shaking tone backing the moment when everyone realizes that humanity is about to get served.
This heavenly chorus is so subtle, you almost can’t hear it, but with this Roller being as quiet as a tomb, the result is genuinely sublime. And that’s just one aspect of a completely refined experience that’s on a level above any other EV on the road.
A hushed destiny
The Rolls-Royce brand has been applied to top-tier machines since 1904, and it feels like the previous 120 years have been leading up to this moment.
If you’re lucky enough to see an early Rolls-Royce waft by, like a Silver Ghost or a Phantom, you won’t hear much. Despite massive engines in excess of seven liters (50 percent bigger than that of a current Ford Mustang GT), these early ultra-luxury cars featured exhausts designed to minimize drivetrain noise.
With the Spectre, Rolls-Royce’s first battery-electric EV, the company’s engineers can finally stop overengineering ye olde internal combustion to make it smooth and silent. The Spectre relies on two electric motors that make the combined 577 horsepower mentioned above and 664 pound-feet of torque. This thing weighs a massive 6,371 pounds, more than a Cadillac Escalade, yet it can accelerate to 60mph in just 4.4 seconds.
Yes, it’s fast when it needs to be, but you’ll see better range when driven calmly, up to 266 miles on a charge from its 102kWh battery pack.
Not only is relaxed driving more efficient but it’s also much more rewarding. The Spectre has a generally calm demeanor, like a throttle pedal that requires a deep application to unleash all that power. The brake pedal is equally laid back, as is the slow steering, with just enough feedback to let you know you are turning the wheels and tires.
All four of them, in fact. Rear-wheel steering makes this nearly 18-foot-long ultra-coupe a cinch to navigate through tight parking lots. The 360-degree camera and standard automated parking also help to ensure that you don’t curb one of those 23-inch wheels, something I appreciated during my loan, as replacing any of them would surely have bankrupted me.
On borrowed tech
That 360-degree camera is just some of the tech that Rolls-Royce engineers borrowed from parent company BMW, but I wish they’d stolen a bit more, like BMW’s hands-off driver assist system.
The touchscreen infotainment is also reasonably modern, offering integrated navigation and searching for charging stations. It’ll even do both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though, curiously, I couldn’t get the latter to work. Perhaps the car considered my last-season Samsung Galaxy S23 too passé? And though the media is played through a 16-speaker bespoke audio system that is powerful yet beautifully subtle, it sadly lacks Dolby Atmos support.
So this highest of high-tech Rolls-Royces doesn’t quite offer all the world’s features, but what you get instead is an astronomically detailed interior, floor mats of the softest lambswool, and a comprehensive set of polished metal controls, all designed with the perfect weight and feel.
Mortgage time
While you can get into a Spectre for $420,000, you’ll never get through the buying process without ticking a few boxes. Given options like the chartreuse paint you see here costs $13,100 on its own, expect to spend a lot more. This car stickered at $560,100 after a $2,750 destination charge.
A worthwhile expenditure? That’s a difficult thing for someone with the budget of a mere mortal to say. The Spectre is hardly a good value, but it is exceptional, made all the more spectacular considering it’s Rolls-Royce’s. But the presence of That Sound does make it all seem worthwhile.
There are more EVs to come, but we’ll have to be patient; an SUV has been promised for 2027, ahead of the brand becoming all-electric in 2030. How well those future EVs look and drive is anyone’s guess at this point, but if they all sound this good, they’ll be off to a very good start.
How Elon Musk’s X Account Dominates the Platform Ahead of the Election The billionaire has effectively become the star of his social media platform, transforming X into a reflection of his personal views before the election.
Here are the best AirPods deals you can get right now
The new AirPods 4 deliver better sound and voice call quality than prior models. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
If you know where to look, you can often score discounts on Apple’s ever-popular AirPods. Although we’ve yet to see major deals on the new AirPods 4 and the updated AirPods Max, both the second- and third-gen AirPods can still often be found at a steep discount. The same goes for the original Max, which are nearly indistinguishable from the previous model aside from the addition of USB-C.
Here, we’ve rounded up the best deals currently available on each model, including the second-gen and third-gen AirPods, both iterations of the AirPods 4, the latest AirPods Pro with USB-C, and the last-gen AirPods Max.
The best AirPods (second-gen) deals
Before they were discontinued alongside the AirPods 4 announcement, the second-gen AirPods were Apple’s entry-level earbuds. Despite being released in 2019, they still offer terrific wireless performance, great ease of use, and reliable battery life, making them a solid pick if you can live without a wireless charging case or some of the more advanced software features afforded by Apple’s newer H2 chip.
The second-gen AirPods originally launched with an MSRP of $159; however, Apple eventually lowered their list price to $129, and we now often see them on sale for far less. Right now, for instance, you can buy them for $89 ($49 off) at Walmart, which is just $11 shy of their all-time low.
With support for the company’s MagSafe charger and an asking price of $179, Apple’s third-gen AirPods were once considered the middle child in the AirPods lineup. The shorter stems made for a more subtle design, too, while improved sound and features like sweat and water resistance, support for head-tracking spatial audio, and improved battery life rendered them a nice upgrade over their predecessor.
However, the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation have since replaced the third-gen AirPods in Apple’s lineup. The new earbuds run $129 and $179, respectively, with the step-up model offering a few perks once reserved for the Pro models, including ANC, a helpful transparency mode, and a case with a built-in speaker. You can also squeeze the stem to control media playback — a feature also available on the entry-level AirPods 4.
Right now, Costco members can buy the third-gen AirPods with a MagSafe charging case for $139.99 ($40 off); you can also grab them at Amazon with a Lightning charging case for $129.99 (about $39 off), which is $10 more than their best price to date. However, given the AirPods 4 are a notable upgrade and are on sale starting at $119, we’d recommend picking them over the third-gen model unless the latter dip further in price.
During Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event last month, the company introduced the AirPods 4, a pair of wireless earbuds available in two flavors: a $129 standard model and a noise-canceling version for $179. Both models represent significant upgrades over the second-gen AirPods, with a more comfortable design and improved audio performance. They’re also better for taking calls thanks to Apple’s Voice Isolation feature, which better isolates your voice so that you can more clearly be heard in noisy environments.
For $50 extra, you can also buy the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, which offer noise cancellation, a helpful transparency mode, and several more Pro-like features. Admittedly, the latest AirPods Pro do a better job of tuning out noise, but Apple’s newest pair of wireless earbuds still do a good job of reducing sound. They also offer other perks formerly reserved for Apple’s highest-end earbuds, including wireless charging and a case with a built-in speaker that allows you to easily track it down via Apple’s Find My app.
Although they’ve been out less than a month, we’ve already started seeing slight discounts on both versions of the AirPods 4. Right now, for instance, Amazon is offering the standard AirPods 4 for $119 ($10 off) and the AirPods 4 with ANC for $168.99 ($11 off).
In 2022, Apple released the second-gen AirPods Pro, which feature a similar build to the first-gen model but offer better noise cancellation, swipe-based controls, and an extra-small pair of swappable silicone ear tips for smaller ears. Apple followed them up last year with a minor refresh, one that features a USB-C charging case and an upgraded IP54 rating for water and dust resistance. The newest model also supports lossless audio when used with Apple’s new Vision Pro headset and now double as FDA-approved hearing aids.
Apple’s updated AirPods Pro recently dropped to a new low of $168.99 ($81 off). Right now, however, you can only purchase the USB-C model at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for as low as $179 ($70 off).
The AirPods Max aren’t the iconic in-ears that have become synonymous with the AirPods name. They’re large and luxurious, comprised of aluminum, steel, and mesh fabric that remains comfortable during extended listening sessions. They also sport excellent noise cancellation, Apple’s spatial audio feature, and expansive, balanced sound, even if they lag behind some of their peers when it comes to bass response and features. They’re not the best noise-canceling headphones for most people — blame the sticker price — but it’s hard to find a better pair of Bluetooth headphones if you’re an iPhone user.
At the beginning of September, Apple replaced the first-gen Max with a new model that features support for USB-C charging and a few new color options. They’re already on sale at Amazon starting at $528 ($21 off), though, if you’re not opposed to a Lightning port, the better deal is on the original pair. Right now, the first-gen model is on sale at Amazon and B&H Photo starting at $459 ($90 off), which is about $64 shy of their all-time low price.
Bose is taking up to 40 percent off headphones ahead of Black Friday
Thanks to their superb ANC, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are our No. 1 pick when it’s time to hop aboard a plane. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Well, the early Black Friday deals took less than a day to begin. Amazon, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and a number of other major retailers have officially begun running their holiday promotions in anticipation of the annual shopping event, though few of them are offering discounts as steep as Bose. For a limited time, you can grab the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for an all-time low of $329 ($100 off) or the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds for $229 ($100 off) via the same retailers (Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy).
Unsurprisingly, the QC Ultra Headphones and QC Ultra Earbuds are incredibly similar, form factor notwithstanding. Both offer exceptional comfort and best-in-class noise cancellation, allowing you to eliminate the cacophony of daily life with ease and rendering either a terrific pick for travel. They also support Bose’s “immersive audio” mode — the company’s take on spatial audio — and AptX Adaptive Bluetooth, the latter of which allows for improved audio fidelity on Android devices. Plus, thanks to a recent software update that rolled out over the summer, they both support multipoint, so you can pair them with two devices simultaneously.
If you like to play games directly on your phone or via remote play, the latest Backbone One controller is available with a PlayStation layout through the PlayStation Direct storefront for an all-time low of $59.99 ($40 off). The second-gen mobile controller packs a few minor improvements over the original, including a reshaped D-pad and greater compatibility, though you’ll want to make sure you grab the appropriate version for your phone. The Lightning version only works with older iPhones, after all, while the USB-C option lets you use an iPhone 15- or 16-series phone or an Android device.
Amazon is currently offering a lightning deal on the OnePlus Pad, which drops the first-gen Android tablet to an all-time low of $340 ($140 off) for a limited time. The OnePlus Pad 2 is slightly larger and offers improved performance; however, the last-gen model still offers a stellar 144Hz LCD display, quick performance, and great speakers that can rival those on Apple’s 11-inch Air. Just don’t expect it to offer the kind of dedicated app ecosystem you’d get with one of Apple’s devices — or Samsung’s, for that matter. Read our review.
Grovemade remains my go-to for wooden desktop accessories, but Oaky isn’t far behind. And now through the end of November, the latter is hosting a Black Friday sale on a variety of goods, dropping prices on everything from standup desks to laptop docks. My personal picks are the 105-inch Desk Shelf, which is on sale for $150 ($50 off), and the angular Laptop Stand, which is going for $120 ($30 off). Neither is cheap, mind you, but oak rarely is.
Amazon’s new Alexa has reportedly slipped to 2025
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
In the week's least surprising news, Amazon’s reinvention of its Alexa voice assistant has reportedly fallen even further behind. According to Bloomberg, the launch of a new Alexa — billed as a smarter, more capable AI-powered voice assistant — has been pushed back. Again. “A person familiar with the matter said Alexa AI teams were recently told that their target deadline had been moved into 2025,” writes Bloomberg.
The revamped voice assistant, first announced last September, was expected to arrive this year, toting ChatGPT-style intelligence and more natural, conversational interactions. But earlier this summer, Fortune reported that the new Alexa might never be ready. Then, for the first time in half a decade, fall came and went without a big splashy Amazon event, and the rumors appeared to be true.
As further evidence that the company is retrenching, Amazon has cut off access to the beta of the new Alexa. You used to be able to request access by saying, “Alexa, let’s chat” to an Echo device. Now, the assistant responds with, “Let's Chat is no longer available. For now, you can ask me questions or do things like set a timer, play music, turn on a connected light, and more.”
Bloomberg’s sources say those beta users who did get to chat have been unimpressed (I requested access several times but with no luck). Responses were slow, sounded stiff, and weren’t “all that useful,” they said. Plus, the new Alexa messes up smart home integrations, hallucinates, and apparently tries to show off. Bloomberg reports:
One tester says the ongoing hallucinations aren’t always wrong, just uncalled for, as if Alexa is trying to show off its newfound prowess. For instance, before, if you asked Alexa what halftime show Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson performed at, it might say the 2004 Super Bowl. Now, it’s just as likely to give a long-winded addendum about the infamous wardrobe malfunction.
The challenge appears to lie in integrating large language models with the command and control method of today’s voice assistants. It seems we can’t have a smarter Alexa and a more capable Alexa. According to Bloomberg’s sources, using pre-trained AI models allows Alexa to answer more complicated questions but makes it more likely to fail at setting a kitchen timer or controlling smart lights.
Old Alexa may have its issues, but it can (mostly) reliably control my smart lights. No one is asking for a digital assistant they can chat with at home, but who won’t get off the couch to turn out the lights. I have my husband for that.
Bloomberg reports that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has yet to convey a compelling vision for an AI-powered Alexa to the company. While he’s said publicly, “We continue to re-architect the brain of Alexa ... ”, there’s been scant information about what an LLM-powered Alexa will bring to its millions of users — beyond being able to converse more naturally. More importantly, it seems Amazon has yet to prove it can do this without diminishing the features customers use the assistant for every day.
While the company searches for its vision, Jassy has installed a new head of the devices and services division under which Alexa falls. Panos Panay has been at the company for a year now, and Bloomberg reports the former head of Microsoft’s Surface division has “brought a focus on higher-quality design to a group adept at utilitarian gadgets.”
As I wrote this week, Amazon's prior tact of making copious amounts of cheap hardware at the expense of better software is partly why Alexa hasn’t gotten measurably smarter over the last decade. However, with better hardware and a focus on building on Alexa’s strength, rather than simply turning it into a chatbot, the company could recapture Jeff Bezos’s original vision of creating Star Trek’s “Computer.” But whatever the plan is for a new Alexa, it looks like it won't be here anytime soon.
Miniot’s split-flap clock is what nostalgia sounds like
Miniot’s Klapklok wall clock uses paper-like flaps to flip pixels to show the time. The sound and motion is soothing to experience. | Image: Miniot
If you’ve ever experienced the sight and sound of a split-flap display then you’ll immediately understand the nostalgic appeal of Miniot’s pixelated wall clock. Klapklok uses mechanical flaps to convey information, just like the departure boards commonly found in transportation terminals before the arrival of LEDs.
As its name suggests, Klapklok primarily functions as a low resolution clock, showing the hour and minute hands using 69 (nice) “paper-like” flaps that act like black and white pixels. But Klapklok also features a bluetooth app to create pixel drawings if that’s your thing.
GIF: Miniot
A closer look at the lightweight flaps.
As a clock, a selection of the flaps are redrawn every 2.5 minutes with a soothing rustle to show the progression of the hands. At the top of the hour all 69 flaps shuffle at once to display the time in numbers. That makes Klapklock the “gentlest cuckoo clock you’ve ever heard,” according to Miniot.
GIF: Miniot
Time ticking over from 11:59 to 12 o’clock.
I think the smooth pixel movement looks great, but it really is the sound that sold me when I first saw a working prototype last year. Here, listen for yourself.
The USB-C powered clock is a 17.7-inch (45cm) squircle that’s just 0.5 inches (13mm) thick and weighs 3.7 pounds (1.7kg). When the pixels are at rest it’s completely silent, there’s no light, and it uses very little power. It’s expensive because the array of flaps, spools, hinges, magnets, and electronics are all hand assembled in Peter Kolkman’s home workshop — the same place that this small family-run business eventually refined its impressive Wheel record player that plays vinyl vertically.
Klapklok will eventually retail for €2,400 (about $2,600). However, it’s temporarily reduced to €1,800 (about $1,950) for the first batch of 25 which are scheduled to ship by December 12th to meet the Christmas deadline.
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Here are the price-matching policies for Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and others
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge
Nothing is more frustrating than buying a new pair of headphones, an OLED TV, or a laptop just to find out that you could have gotten it for a lot cheaper somewhere else. That’s why, in order to keep customers happy and prevent them from going elsewhere, many retailers offer price-matching policies in which they promise to match a lower price found elsewhere. That kind of information comes in handy no matter the time of year, but it’s especially helpful during shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
What follows are the price-matching policies for a variety of major retailers. There are a few things to make note of here. First, all price-matching policies have a number of rules attached to them. We’ve summarized some of the rules here, but we recommend going to the links that we’ve provided and reading the policies carefully. Second, most retailers that serve as marketplaces for other sellers, such as Costco and Sam’s Club, don’t have price-matching policies, and many traditional stores won’t match their prices.
Lastly, there are always exceptions to the rules. If you’re looking for a deal on a product and you know it’s available for a lower price elsewhere (or it was previously offered at the same retailer), it never hurts to call or chat with a customer service rep and ask if they’ll match the price. You have nothing to lose but time, and there’s always a chance they may find a loophole or make a special exception.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
If Best Buy offers a better discount than Target on the latest Kindle Paperwhite, Target will refund you the difference.
Amazon doesn’t offer price matching. Full stop. You can contact customer support, but even if you’re an Amazon Prime customer, they’re not likely going to help you out.
That said, Amazon does offer a pretty liberal return policy, meaning you can often return an item you purchased from Amazon if it’s available for less elsewhere (or at Amazon). Then, you can just repurchase the product wherever it’s cheapest.
Starting November 7th, Target will extend its price matching policy on eligible items purchased from Target stores or online that drop in price on or before December 24, 2024. Target will also match the price of items purchased from Amazon, Walmart, and a select group of competitors if you ask for it at the time of or within 14 days of your purchase. You must bring the original ad or listing in both instances, whether digital or in print, along with your receipt into the store. Alternatively, you can call for online purchases at 1-800-591-3869 or chat online via contactus.target.com.
Be mindful, however, that Target’s policy excludes doorbusters and competitors’ lightning sales, like those that Amazon offers. It also doesn’t apply to products that require that you log in to see the price, “Marketplace” items from third-party sellers, or lower-priced items purchased from other Target stores.
Best Buy’s Price Match Guarantee states that a product could be eligible for a price reduction if it’s new, identical to the competitor’s product, immediately available at a qualifying competitor’s store or on its site, and not shown on Best Buy’s exclusion list — which includes “items for sale the Thursday before Thanksgiving Day through the Monday after Thanksgiving” (November 21st through December 2, 2024). Best Buy also doesn’t price match discounts that are only available as part of a competing retailer’s membership or loyalty rewards program, which disqualifies member-only events like Amazon Prime Day.
To get the difference, you have to contact Best Buy via its on-site chat and be able to show the ad or website with a lower price point. Alternatively, you can call 1-888-237-8289 or visit any Best Buy or Pacific Sales store.
Walmart doesn’t price match the prices of its competitors, though Walmart’s online store offers price matching on items purchased from Walmart stores if the item is in stock at Walmart.com.
However, the policy doesn’t apply to those who live in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico. Additionally, it doesn’t apply to special event prices, like those seen during Black Friday. Walmart also does not retroactively price match items bought from Walmart.com that have dropped in price after the time of purchase. The retailer additionally doesn’t price match items purchased from Walmart Marketplace retailers or third-party sellers.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Apple doesn’t offer a price-matching policy, though you can price match on devices like the latest iPad Pro — assuming it’s on sale — elsewhere.
While we’ve seen some claims that Apple will price match up to 10 percent for products bought at certain major retailers, there is no official policy on the company’s website.
Apple does say that if it reduces the price of an Apple-branded product within 14 days of when you receive your item, you can visit an Apple Store or contact the Apple Contact Center at 1-800-676-2775 to request a refund or get credit for the price difference. However, that doesn’t apply to special sales like Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
B&H says that it might be able to honor a current lower price or match the price of a competitor, but it does so on a case-by-case basis. You have to contact its customer service team using the on-site chat, email, or by calling 1-800-606-6969 / 1-212-444-6615. If approved, B&H Photo will price match one identical item per customer.
Costco does not price match with competitors. However, according to its website, it will issue a credit for the difference between the price a member has paid and a promotional price if you bought the item online at Costco and requested the credit up to 30 days before the change in price. If you bought the product from a Costco warehouse location, visit the membership counter at the store where you made the purchase. Costco doesn’t price match items bought from Costco warehouses with Costco.com purchases.
Dell will price match identical products from Dell, Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, HP, Apple, Lenovo, and a number of other retailers. You can call 1-877-275-3355 or chat online to run a price check, but you’ll need to provide a link to the competitor’s product.
You can also contact the company about a price difference within 30 days of purchase. However, there is a long list of restrictions, and none of this is available between Thanksgiving Day and the Monday following Thanksgiving (or on Green Monday). Dell also doesn’t match membership-only pricing or the exclusive discounts you’ll find during Prime Big Deal Days or Best Buy’s Member Deals Days.
As a general rule, eBay doesn’t match the prices of purchases made during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. However, it does offer a generous price-matching policy for items bought before or after that period. If you find a lower price from a qualifying competitor on an eBay Deal item that you bought within 48 hours — or on another product with the “Best Price Guarantee” symbol attached to it — you’ll get “110 percent” of the difference. That means eBay will give you an eBay coupon for the difference in price between what you bought the item for and what the competitor is selling it for, plus an additional 10 percent of that price difference. Note, however, that these coupons will expire within 30 days of being issued.
The products must be new, unopened, and identical to the competitor’s item. You have to contact eBay Customer Service, and if they verify your claims are legitimate, you will receive the coupon and be able to use it toward your next eBay purchase.
GameStop does not mention an official price-matching policy on its website. In 2022, however, GameStop tweeted that the store will price match items sold and shipped by Amazon as long as they’re available online or in-store. Although GameStop only mentioned Amazon in the tweet, others have reported that the store will price match items purchased from Target and elsewhere.
Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Google will price match any of its devices — including the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL — against all four major retailers, including Amazon.
If a request is made within the standard return period, Google will match online pricing from select retailers — specifically Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, B&H Photo, and Target. It doesn’t, however, match preorder pricing from other retailers or carrier deals. The product must also be in stock and identical, right down to the color and configuration. Plus, you need to provide a public link to the promo page or product listing to verify the lower price.
Other exclusions apply, too, including limited-time daily or hourly deals; wholesale, business, educational, or member-only pricing; mail-in offers and coupons; product bundles, clearance, and non-new items; and items from third-party sellers on a competitor’s website.
You may also receive the difference if the product you purchased from the Google Store drops in price within the standard return period, though you’ll need to contact Google directly to get the price match or correction.
The Home Depot will match the price of identical, in-stock products from other retailers, except for membership-based wholesalers. The price-match policy does not apply to special events like Black Friday, though, and it doesn’t apply to clearance prices, used and refurbished items, and rebate offers. You must bring the ad or listing with you in-store to the register. (You can also request price matches for online purchases that are shipped to the customer.) Additionally, The Home Depot will only honor requests submitted by the original buyer — no friends or family allowed.
According to HP’s website, the company will match the current pretax price for new comparable PCs and identical HP printer, display, and accessory model numbers from nationally recognized online retailers, such as Dell, Amazon, Newegg, and Best Buy. The specs have to be the same to get a price match on PCs, but the product model number does not need to be identical.
You must ask for the match at the time of purchase by calling 1-800-888-0229. You can’t request a price match via email or chat, though, and the policy does not extend to items bought during promotional periods. It also doesn’t apply to membership stores like Costco and Sam’s Club.
HP also offers price protection on the HP-branded products it sells. If a price drops during your return window, you can request an adjustment by emailing myhpsales@hp.com. This doesn’t apply to products purchased during certain promotional events such as Green Monday and products on sale during the week of Thanksgiving and the week after, plus other seasonal holiday sales.
Lenovo matches pricing on comparable PCs from Lenovo, HP, or Dell with the same key specs as long as they’re sold through a list of recognized retailers. That list includes bigger stores such as Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Newegg, and B&H Photo as well as direct competitors such as Dell and HP. The comparable PC must also be in stock and readily available from both Lenovo and the competing retailer, and you have to contact a Lenovo sales rep with specific details about the specs and availability of the product you’re inquiring about in order to facilitate the match.
That said, you can’t take advantage of coupons or special discounts while receiving a price match, and the policy doesn’t apply to membership stores like Costco. The policy also doesn’t apply to “Marketplace” items where third parties fulfill the order, so double-check that you bought the product directly from the retailer.
Lenovo also offers a price guarantee refund for laptops and personal desktop computers bought from Lenovo.com within 30 days of purchase. To receive a refund, you must contact Customer Care and show the lower price of the identical product offered on Lenovo.com. This policy doesn’t apply to doorbuster or clearance products, however.
Lowe’s will match the price of identical, in-stock products when you present an ad, product listing, or photo from a qualifying online or local retailer, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. The product must be purchased directly from the retailer and not a third-party seller, however, and it doesn’t apply to special sales events like Black Friday and other holiday promotions.
Additionally, Lowe’s doesn’t match prices from one Lowe’s store to another, nor any rebate discounts or those available only to a select group of customers (such as loyalty clubs). To request a price match, you can head to the store, call 1-877-465-6937, or chat online.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
If Microsoft lowers the price of the Xbox Series X, Microsoft could refund you the difference.
Now through January 31st, 2025, Microsoft will refund you the difference if it drops the price of an in-stock physical product purchased from the Microsoft Store. The same policy also applies if you find the identical product on sale at a lower price at a qualifying retailer like Amazon or Best Buy, though it doesn’t extend to the Surface Hub, HoloLens, Windows DevKits, or digital products.
Furthermore, some eligible products have specific retailer exclusions. For example, price matches for Surface products at other retailers are limited to Amazon and Best Buy, while Xbox products are limited to the two aforementioned retailers as well as Target, GameStop, and Walmart.
You’ll need to contact Microsoft’s Sales and Support team at 1-877-696-7786 within 60 days of delivery to request a refund. If you purchase an item from a Microsoft Experience Center, you’ll have to go back to that location with your receipt. In both instances, Microsoft will credit your original payment method the difference between the price you paid and the current lower price, which typically takes between three and five days to process.
Newegg offers price matching on select items; these products are identified by the label “Price Match Guarantee” that appears in the price box on the right side of the product page. This applies whether you find that lower price on Newegg or at what Newegg judges as a major retailer, which includes Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, GameStop, and Sears. The product must be identical, and the match won’t apply to rebates, coupons, or price drops that are only available as part of a retailer’s membership or loyalty program.
You need to notify Newegg of the lower price within 14 days of purchase. You’ll then be issued a credit you can use on the Newegg website, though you’ll only have 90 days to do so. Newegg’s price-match guarantee is not valid during major holiday sales events, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Green Monday.
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