Eliana Willis

When is Black Friday? Black Friday is Friday, Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving. While it’s typically associated with general retail sales, we’re seeing a lot more online deals, as well. Cyber Monday, the traditional online shopping sale day, is Monday, Dec. 1. Both of these days will have some great deals, and there will be some overlap.  Are Dell laptops really cheaper during Black Friday? Absolutely. Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday see price drops that are often better than regular sales. Online retailers feel the pressure to deliver significant deals during the holiday, and consumers expect to find exclusive deals that are better than regular sales.  Dell also has one of the best price-matching policies out there, with guarantees both before and after purchase that they’ll match sale prices found at third-party retailers.  How did we choose these early Black Friday deals?ZDNET focuses on products we’ve either covered personally or can vouch for through personal use. We’ve tested and reviewed almost all of the products on this list, linking to our reviews wherever possible to help provide context around each individual product. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.  More

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Mileseey S50 laser measuring tool <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Mileseey S50 is available now for $129. It’s a pocket-sized laser measuring tool with high-precision measurements up to 400 ft (120 m) with ±1/16 inch accuracy. It’s pricey and might be feature overkill for some. –> Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source<!–> on Google. Some of my […] More

Polar Loop <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Polar Loop is available in three colors for $199.99. The band is very comfortable, the heart rate readings are accurate, and the sleep tracking is useful The app doesn’t align well with this type of wearable, there is no alarm, and automatic tracking may be a bit delayed. […] More

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Acer’s 14-inch Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is available now for $649. Its marathon battery, snappy performance, and affordable price point make it punch above its weight. Its physical build won’t appeal to everyone, it has some hardware limitations, and its speakers are very basic. –> Follow […] More

To help protect your privacy while using your PS5, you can customize certain settings to control what information is visible to others, restrict who can communicate with you, and manage your account security. This includes limiting who can see your online status, gaming history, and profile information, as well as controlling access to your account and console. Under Settings, head to Users and Accounts > Privacy > View and Customize Your Privacy Settings. Here, you can control who can see your real name, profile picture, friends list, game activity and history, and who can send friend requests or interact with you online. For each of the variables in this menu, I recommend choosing “No One” and “Close Friends Only.” This should significantly reduce unwanted friend requests or spam.Also: How to clear your TV cache (and why you shouldn’t wait to do it)If you’re like me, you don’t feel a need to infuse Sony’s database with more personal information than required, such as the voice data collected through your DualSense controller’s microphone.Under Privacy, scroll down to “Control how your data is collected and used” to access three options: Data You Provide, Personalization, and Voice Data Collection. For the former (Data You Provide), change the setting to Limited. For Personalization, I recommend turning off all four of the sub-options, including Standard Personalization. For the latter, switch to Don’t Allow for Voice Data Collection. More

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 Enduro is available in Obsidian black for $349 (but on sale for $157 at the time of writing). This Google Wear OS smartwatch offers long battery life, dual-display technology, and a sapphire glass display. The watch currently runs Wear OS 3.5 […] More