Eliana Willis

ZDNETWe know — Halloween is still a few days away, yet some stores have already begun early Black Friday sales and holiday offers. While you may not be a fan of smushing each holiday closer and closer every year, there is a silver lining you can take advantage of: savings (even earlier than originally scheduled). Also: Google Shopping gets an AI-powered upgrade. Here’s how to access itThat’s right folks, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the weekend of savings in between is only about four weeks away. But that means deals and discounts are on the horizon, and some are even kicking off now. We’ve been covering the best deals across the biggest tech categories since October Prime Day, from tablets, laptops, and phones, to smart home tech, earbuds, and mobile accessories, and we’ll be keeping up our coverage every week through the end of the holiday shopping season. Also: Google expands its shopping tools. Here’s how to use themHere’s everything you need to know before shopping early Black Friday and other seasonal savings offers so far. When is Black Friday? This year in the US, Black Friday is on Nov. 29, 2024, one day after Thanksgiving, which falls on Thursday, Nov. 28. When is Cyber Monday?This year in the US, Cyber Monday falls on Dec. 2, 2024, just a few days after Thanksgiving and Black Friday 2024. What is Cyber Week?A more recent term in the last decade, “Cyber Week” refers to the days of savings in late November and/or early December that occur yearly just after Thanksgiving. During this period, many online and in-store retailers offer significant savings and discounts across nearly every product category. Cyber Week 2024 begins on Black Friday (one day after Thanksgiving in the US), and extends through the end of Cyber Monday of the following week. For 2024, Cyber Week will kick off on Nov. 28 and run through Dec. 2, though we’re already anticipating lots of sales that start even earlier and linger beyond Cyber Monday’s close. What is the Cyber 5?The “Cyber 5” is essentially just another popular name for Cyber Week. These are the five days of seasonal savings that kick off with Black Friday on Nov. 29 this year and end with Cyber Monday on Dec. 2. This Friday to Monday stretch each year falls right after Thanksgiving, and serves as the historic kick off for holiday shopping. When will Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals be live? This year, Black Friday will be on Nov. 29, 2024. That means Cyber Monday will fall on Dec. 2, 2024, and the days in between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday are dubbed “Cyber Week.” That’s when you can expect to see some major holiday sales and discounts, and as always, ZDNET will deliver extensive coverage of the top deals across the shopping extravaganza at multiple retailers. Expect to see the largest amount of deals live likely during this window, from Nov. 29-Dec. 2, but keep in mind that retailers roll out deals early and early every season, so there’s still going to be numerous instances for savings throughout the month of November ahead of Black Friday and through December ahead of the winter holidays. How long will these holiday deals be available?Black Friday savings are already slated to begin earlier in the month of November, and wind down by Cyber Monday on Dec. 2. However, keep in mind that Cyber Week isn’t the only time to save and even if some deals end, it’s likely that others will linger for a few days post Black Friday weekend. Plus, we will certainly see more savings events and sales in December, too. What is the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Semantics, really. Black Friday is a decades-old shopping extravaganza traditionally associated with in-store savings and discounts following the Thanksgiving holiday in the US. Cyber Monday, like Cyber Week, is a much more modern term that was born as a result of the online shopping boom thanks to the likes of Amazon More

Bloomberg/Getty Images Roughly a year ago, my seven-year-old System76 Thelio started to fail. The first issue was the USB ports, which cascaded to other ports until the system became unusable. As the machine was way beyond warranty, I knew it was time to purchase a new system. That Thelio was my second System76 machine (the first […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are premium earbuds with plenty of functionality. All-day comfort, lengthy battery life, and impressive noise cancellation highlight these earbuds. Integration with Google’s AI model, Gemini, needs refining. more buying choices It’s no secret that the AirPods Pro 2 are my go-to earbuds. However, since I’ve […] More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETAfter a year of waiting, Apple finally rolled out iOS 18 to the public in September, the latest version of iPhone software. This update introduces eye-catching features like customizable home screens. As often happens, there are also some eye-roll-worthy changes. For me, that includes the new Photos app.Apple announced the new Photos app during its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June, touting it as “the biggest-ever redesign.” When you first open the app on iOS 18, the changes are very apparent. Also: 5 reasons to update your iPhone to iOS 18.0.1 right nowMost notably, Apple added new collections, like Recent Days, People and Pets, and Trips, to sort your Photos. The company also modified the Photos app to work seamlessly with Apple Intelligence, which will be available on all iPhone 16 models and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max starting with the launch of iOS 18.1.However, what Apple refers to as a “simplified layout” seems unnecessarily complicated for many using the Photos app. The previous tab design was replaced by collections automatically categorized by themes. It makes finding the popular Recently Saved photos difficult and doesn’t show all the photos on your device like it once did with an All Photos tab.  More

Walmart/ZDNETNovember is nearly here, and winter holidays are just around the corner. Plus, with Black Friday and holiday savings ramping up, there’s no better time to scour the internet for deals, discounts, and top savings. Perhaps the best thing about the holiday season is that other major retailers are looking to cash in on the holiday shopping palooza, offering similar or better offerings on top products — and even membership opportunities. Right now, Walmart is discounting its Walmart+ membership program More

Google If you’re a power Android user, you might be able to claim a free Disney+ or Hulu subscription. Google Play Points is a rewards system that lets you earn points by doing various tasks in the Google Play Store. You can earn Play Points in several ways: buying apps, games, or books from the […] More

Netflix Netflix is making it easier to watch your favorite moments again and again and share them with friends. According to a post on the Tudum blog, Netflix’s new “Moments” feature will let you quickly bookmark a scene while watching on your phone.  Also: Prime Video subscribers can soon watch Apple TV+ shows – Android users, […] More