The LG C5 and Apple’s M4 Mac Mini are both steeply discounted this weekend
Small footprint. Speedy performance. | Image: The Verge Happy Saturday, folks! This week, Best Buy kicked off its so-called “Winter Sale,” introducing a whole host of price cuts that range from not-so-good to legitimately great, at least for this time of year. We’ll be publishing many of the highlights in a dedicated news post tomorrow, though, per usual, not all of this week’s best deals revolve around Best Buy. Apple’s M4 Mac Mini, for instance, is receiving a $100 discount at Amazon and B&H Photo, while LG’s 65-inch C5 OLED TV is on sale at eBay for a little over a grand. There are also steep savings to be had on 45W power banks, the Beats Fit Pro, and more, so let’s dive in. Mac Mini with M4 Where to Buy: $599 $499 at Amazon (256GB) $599 $499 at B&H Photo (256GB) $799 $689 at Amazon (512GB) If you want a Mac and your budget is less...
Small footprint. Speedy performance. | Image: The Verge Happy Saturday, folks! This week, Best Buy kicked off its so-called “Winter Sale,” introducing a whole host of price cuts that range from not-so-good to legitimately great, at least for this time of year. We’ll be publishing many of the highlights in a dedicated news post tomorrow, though, per usual, not all of this week’s best deals revolve around Best Buy. Apple’s M4 Mac Mini, for instance, is receiving a $100 discount at Amazon and B&H Photo, while LG’s 65-inch C5 OLED TV is on sale at eBay for a little over a grand. There are also steep savings to be had on 45W power banks, the Beats Fit Pro, and more, so let’s dive in.
Mac Mini with M4
Where to Buy:
$599 $499 at Amazon (256GB)
$599 $499 at B&H Photo (256GB)
$799 $689 at Amazon (512GB)
If you want a Mac and your budget is less than $500, your only real option — aside from going the refurbished route or picking up a model that’s several generations old — is Apple’s latest Mac Mini. Thankfully, the desktop machine makes for a truly excellent daily driver, one that’s currently on sale at Amazon and B&H Photo with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage starting at $499 ($100), which is just $20 shy of its Black Friday low and about $30 less than its best price to date.For most people, the 2024 Mac Mini is a far better (and more economical) choice than the latest Mac Studio. The tiny, M4-powered machine is an excellent value, even at full price, with three Thunderbolt 4 (USB 4) ports, a gigabit ethernet jack, a 3.5mm audio input, and an HDMI port. Its 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU provide fast, consistent performance for a wide range of tasks; however, keep in mind that you’ll need to bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse.
Read our full Mac Mini (2024) review.
Iniu Carry P51L-E2 Power Bank 45W 20000mAh
Where to Buy:
$36.99 $18.86 at Amazon (at checkout)
Last year, we saw a spate of power bank recalls, including those from both Anker and ESR. I replaced one of my aging Anker models during that time with Iniu’s excellent Carry P51L-E2, which is on sale at Amazon for a new low of $18.86 (about $21 off) at checkout.The 20,000mAh power bank isn’t particularly fancy, though it does output up to 45W of power and features a built-in, braided USB-C cable that doubles as a lanyard. You also get an extra USB-C and USB-A port, allowing you to juice your phone, tablet, a pair of wireless earbuds, and other small electronics at the same time. Now, if only Iniu could have packed the extra battery capacity into a charger as compact and colorful as the like-minded Pocket Rocket P50. C’est la vie.
LG C5 OLED TV (65-inch)
Where to Buy:
$2699.99 $1197.59 at eBay (with code FAVEFINDS20)
Arguably the best TV deal you can find this weekend would be on the 65-inch Bravia 8 II, which is still hovering around $2,398 (over $1,000 off) at multiple retailers, including Amazon. But not everyone has that kind of money to throw around on an OLED panel, which makes the current discount on LG’s C5 more appealing. Now through January 20th, you can pick up LG’s 65-inch OLED TV at eBay for $1,197.59 ($1,502 off) when you use code FAVEFINDS20 at checkout.Like prior models in the C Series, the C5 is all about value. The 4K set delivers the deep black levels and contrast for which OLEDs are known, and it features LG’s AI Picture Pro, which a***yzes what you’re watching and adjusts brightness, resolution, and other settings to improve clarity. It also features a bevy of gaming-friendly features, including a 120Hz refresh rate, support for AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, and four HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing you to play current-gen t**les in 4K at up to 120fps. It’s rounded out with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, further enhancing color and contrast.
Beats Fit Pro
Where to Buy:
$199.95 $89.99 at Woot
Having now used both the Beats Fit Pro and the new Powerbeats Fit as part of my weekly workout regimen, I can tell you with absolute certainty that there’s little difference between the two — well, other than the fact that the Powerbeats Fit retail for $199.95 and the last-gen Beats Fit Pro are on sale at Woot in select colors for $89.99 ($110 off) through January 31st. Beats’ latest workout earbuds also feature a smaller charging case and more flexible wing tips, I guess, but with the Fit Pro, you’re still getting solid noise cancellation, good sound, and all the Apple ecosystem tricks you’d expect for less than half the price.
Read our full Beats Fit Pro review.
More ways to save this weekend
Elgato’s Stream Deck Plus is matching its all-time low at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo, where you can pick it up for $159.99 ($40 off) for a limited time. Like the standard Stream Deck, the Plus model comes with a slew of large, programmable LCD keys — eight, in this case — which you can use to automate a variety of tasks on your computer or control various smart home devices. The Plus comes with a few neat add-ons, though, specifically four knobs for making finer adjustments and a narrow touchscreen at the bottom for viewing tidbits of information at a glance. Read our review.
If you’re a modern gamer with a soft spot for the Sega Genesis, 8BitDo’s M30 Bluetooth Controller is down to an all-time low of $20.98 ($4 off) at Amazon as part of an ongoing lightning deal. The inexpensive, retro-styled gamepad sports a similar layout to Sega’s iconic controller, only it comes with Bluetooth, 20 hours of battery life, and built-in b***ons for quick access to the homescreen and snapping screenshots. It also works with a handful of platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, Windows, Mac, and Android.
Speaking of gaming, Steam’s weeklong Detective Fest is set to wind down at 1PM ET on Monday, January 19th. That means that this weekend is one of your last chances to pick up a copy of The Case of the Golden Idol ($8.99), Disco Elysium ($9.99), The Séance of Blake Manor ($14.99), Strange Horticulture ($6.39), or 2025 GOTY contender, Blue Prince ($19.79), at a steep discount.
The cat-and-mouse game over 3D-printed guns has begun
The creator of the world's first 3D-printed gun claims he's developed a way to thwart government-mandated software meant to block 3D printers from making firearms. It's an opening volley in what's shaping up to be an evolving battle between regulators trying to stem the tide of ghost guns and individuals...
The creator of the world's first 3D-printed gun claims he's developed a way to thwart government-mandated software meant to block 3D printers from making firearms. It's an opening volley in what's shaping up to be an evolving battle between regulators trying to stem the tide of ghost guns and individuals trying to create workarounds. Cody Wilson, who claims to have made the detection-defying tool, is calling it "Hochulization" as a direct jab at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who pushed through the nation's first law mandating gun file detection software on new printers earlier this year. "New York is trying to reach into the internet and pol …Read the full story at The Verge.
Gopal Bal India
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Plex is asking to share your data for ads, but your opt-out might not be sticking
It's always good to know where your data is going and who's selling it. If you use Plex, there's a good chance you'll see, or have already seen, a big data collection consent screen pop up that asks if you're okay with personalised ads. And while you can opt out...
It's always good to know where your data is going and who's selling it. If you use Plex, there's a good chance you'll see, or have already seen, a big data collection consent screen pop up that asks if you're okay with personalised ads. And while you can opt out of this data collection from this screen, users are reporting that Plex will sometimes opt them back in seemingly by itself.
Daniel Martinez Dallas
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Lenovo confirms Legion Go issues after gamers report bricked devices
Cursed BIOS. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge When a company's software update turns your computer into a useless brick, should fixes be free? Framework, the modular computer startup, apparently thinks so. But it's not clear that computing giant Lenovo will go that far. Three weeks after a...
Cursed BIOS. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge When a company's software update turns your computer into a useless brick, should fixes be free? Framework, the modular computer startup, apparently thinks so. But it's not clear that computing giant Lenovo will go that far.Three weeks after a Redditor presented a nearly $300 repair bill for their handheld gaming PC - among other reports of damage and high repair bills - the company is breaking its silence. It says, in short: try holding down the power button longer, and if that fails, contact customer support.Here's the statement Lenovo provided to The Verge, via communications director Jeff Witt:Lenovo is aware that some Legion Go d …Read the full story at The Verge.
John Doe New York
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I retired my Fire TV Stick after a week with a real Android TV box, and the difference is hard to ignore
I've owned many Fire TV Sticks over the years. They were a viable option until Amazon released the new Fire TV Stick with Vega OS. The locked-down, Linux-powered OS doesn't support sideloading Android apps, so I decided to graduate to a real Android device.
I've owned many Fire TV Sticks over the years. They were a viable option until Amazon released the new Fire TV Stick with Vega OS. The locked-down, Linux-powered OS doesn't support sideloading Android apps, so I decided to graduate to a real Android device.
Ryo Ten Veen Netherlands
Published by: aplhsindia.in
My phone runs an AI a**istant entirely offline, and I stopped uploading my documents to cloud chatbots
Using a chatbot that doesn't let you upload documents is almost unheard of these days - the document workflow is integral to an AI workflow now. And they've gotten really good at working with documents. However, the docs that would actually benefit the most from the summary-and-query treatment are also...
Using a chatbot that doesn't let you upload documents is almost unheard of these days - the document workflow is integral to an AI workflow now. And they've gotten really good at working with documents. However, the docs that would actually benefit the most from the summary-and-query treatment are also the ones you probably shouldn't be uploading to a cloud bot. A bank statement, legal doc, or medical test is exactly the kind of thing those of us who aren't legal or medical experts need help understanding.
Jane Smith Los Angeles
Published by: aplhsindia.in
RetroArch’s Netplay feature is why it’s still the best emulation frontend
Emulation is the easiest and most convenient way to experience a lot of classic titles these days, but for many games, there's something missing. Many classic titles relied on multiplayer support for their value, but they were designed to be played on the same console, not over the internet.
Emulation is the easiest and most convenient way to experience a lot of classic titles these days, but for many games, there's something missing. Many classic titles relied on multiplayer support for their value, but they were designed to be played on the same console, not over the internet.
Jane Smith Los Angeles
Published by: aplhsindia.in
The BenQ RD280UG convinced me that 3:2 displays are the future of productivity
I use ultrawide monitors most of the time, so the first few minutes using this 3:2 display from BenQ was an adjustment. But once I got over the initial shock, I discovered how much nicer it is to read text. Or should I say rediscovered, because I grew up on...
I use ultrawide monitors most of the time, so the first few minutes using this 3:2 display from BenQ was an adjustment. But once I got over the initial shock, I discovered how much nicer it is to read text. Or should I say rediscovered, because I grew up on 4:3 and 3:2 monitors, and I'd forgotten how much the added vertical space helps with productivity.F
William Garcia Boston
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Open-source maintainers are drowning in AI-generated garbage, and it’s getting worse
Artificial intelligence has been around in one form or another for decades, but it's quickly growing in scope with the rise of the language models (LLMs). These tools are trained on massive amounts of text to understand, summarize, and generate human-like language. LLMs power hosted tools such as ChatGPT and...
Artificial intelligence has been around in one form or another for decades, but it's quickly growing in scope with the rise of the language models (LLMs). These tools are trained on massive amounts of text to understand, summarize, and generate human-like language. LLMs power hosted tools such as ChatGPT and Claude, while some models are released with downloadable weights that can be run locally (with the right hardware). They're great when used appropriately, but they can cause issues for software development.
Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I turned my Raspberry Pi Pico into a leverless fightstick, and it was surprisingly easy
Leverless fightsticks have been the craze of the fighting game community for the past few years, with many variations being released. Many of them could get quite expensive, but after learning a bunch about electronics, I realized they’re actually quite simple. I’m not serious enough about fighting games to buy...
Leverless fightsticks have been the craze of the fighting game community for the past few years, with many variations being released. Many of them could get quite expensive, but after learning a bunch about electronics, I realized they’re actually quite simple. I’m not serious enough about fighting games to buy an expensive leverless fightstick. Thankfully, I made a legitimately competitive one for cheap — and customized to my hands!
Adrian Stewart United States
Published by: aplhsindia.in
My most important backup lives on a drive I unplug, and that’s the entire reason it still works
It's very easy to preach about a 3-2-1 backup scheme, but actually doing it takes time. It's not particularly difficult, but the money and effort requirement are often what keep most from actually implementing one. Since growing my family and beginning to move more things to the self-hosted realm, I...
It's very easy to preach about a 3-2-1 backup scheme, but actually doing it takes time. It's not particularly difficult, but the money and effort requirement are often what keep most from actually implementing one. Since growing my family and beginning to move more things to the self-hosted realm, I realized that a cold storage backup for my NAS was now mission-critical.
Daniel Martinez Dallas
Published by: aplhsindia.in
5 features Claude used to make you pay for that are now free
Almost four years ago, the idea of paying $20 a month for an AI chatbot that simply responded to your queries would have sounded ridiculous. ChatGPT was the tool that introduced millions of people to the concept of generative artificial intelligence, and paying a recurring subscription just to talk to...
Almost four years ago, the idea of paying $20 a month for an AI chatbot that simply responded to your queries would have sounded ridiculous. ChatGPT was the tool that introduced millions of people to the concept of generative artificial intelligence, and paying a recurring subscription just to talk to an AI was hardly something most of us had budgeted for.
Emily Brown Houston
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I stopped force-shutting down my PC after Windows 11’s August update fixed this one thing
I confess I don’t turn off my main PC that often, but the times I have over the last year have felt like a struggle. It’s set to shut down when I press the power button because I don’t use hibernate or sleep on my desktop. But I’ve pressed the...
I confess I don’t turn off my main PC that often, but the times I have over the last year have felt like a struggle. It’s set to shut down when I press the power button because I don’t use hibernate or sleep on my desktop. But I’ve pressed the button and wondered whether my PSU or front-panel connector was failing, since the fans kept spinning even as my peripherals and screen went dead. The only thing that got it back was a ten-second press of the power button for a hard reset, and that’s not my intended behavior.
