You can still grab great deals on Bose headphones and Astro Bot this weekend
Welcome to the weekend, friends! While the rest of our team was checking out Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy S26 lineup and prepping for Apple’s “special experience” next week, we’ve been sifting through Woot’s “Video Games for All” sale and a truly weird slate of deals that, frankly, don’t have a throughline. (Some of us have also spent the last week unpacking what Huel is, but that’s neither here nor there.) Here’s what we can tell you. If you’re thinking of picking up the Galaxy S26 Ultra at launch, putting in your preorder now isn’t a bad idea. It’s also a great time to pick up the midrange QuietComfort Headphones and what many of us at The Verge consider to be the game of 2024: Astro Bot. And who doesn’t want to save on a slick handheld vac? Now let’s get to it. If you’re craving a little peace and quiet, Bose’s QuietComfort Headphones are currently on sale at...
Welcome to the weekend, friends! While the rest of our team was checking out Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy S26 lineup and prepping for Apple’s “special experience” next week, we’ve been sifting through Woot’s “Video Games for All” sale and a truly weird slate of deals that, frankly, don’t have a throughline. (Some of us have also spent the last week unpacking what Huel is, but that’s neither here nor there.)Here’s what we can tell you. If you’re thinking of picking up the Galaxy S26 Ultra at launch, putting in your preorder now isn’t a bad idea. It’s also a great time to pick up the midrange QuietComfort Headphones and what many of us at The Verge consider to be the game of 2024: Astro Bot. And who doesn’t want to save on a slick handheld vac?Now let’s get to it.If you’re craving a little peace and quiet, Bose’s QuietComfort Headphones are currently on sale at Amazon in multiple colors for $199 ($150 off), which is the best price we’ve seen this year.The standard QC Headphones are essentially a refresh of the last-gen QC45s with some new software tricks, including the ability to adjust noise cancellation levels and set custom listening modes. That being the case, you still get up to 24 hours of battery life, excellent comfort, and multipoint support, making it easy to switch between Bluetooth devices on the fly. They lack Bose’s immersive audio mode and the higher-quality Bluetooth found in the newer QC Ultras, though, as well as support for lossless audio over USB-C. Then again, that probably shouldn’t come as a surprise given they’re retailing for $250 less.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones
Where to Buy:
$359 $199 at Amazon
$359 $229 at Best Buy
$359 $229 at Walmart
As we alluded to earlier, Samsung announced its Galaxy S26 lineup this week. There are already plenty of preorder deals to consider, but one of the best comes courtesy of Amazon, which is throwing in a $200 gift card alongside a free storage upgrade when you preorder the 512GB Galaxy S26 Ultra starting at $1,299.99. Other retailers are also running promos ahead of the phone’s March 11th release date, mind you, though they’re not as impressive; Best Buy is only providing a free storage upgrade, while Samsung is offering a mere $150 in credit.While the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus both feel like underwhelming, iterative updates, the 6.9-inch Galaxy S26 Ultra actually impressed our resident phone reviewer, Allison Johnson. That’s largely because of the new Privacy Display, which can help shield your screen from people sitting near you (if desired), and a more powerful camera array that should improve low-light performance. Plus, like the rest of the S26 lineup, the Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which supports more advanced generative AI tools and a souped-up version of Gemini that can carry out certain tasks in third-party apps on your behalf. No one likes calling an Uber themselves, anyway.
Read our S26 Ultra hands-on impressions.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Where to Buy:
$1299.99 at Samsung (256GB, with $150 credit)
$1499.99 $1299.99 at Amazon (512GB, with $200 gift card)
$1499.99 $1299.99 at Best Buy (512GB)
You can still grab a physical copy of Astro Bot at Walmart for $32.99 ($27 off), an all-time low. The fantastic PlayStation 5 exclusive — which won Game of the Year at the 2024 Game Awards — has players take on the role of Astro, a lovable robot who sets off on a space adventure after his crew is lost in a sudden attack. Despite the prior game being a pack-in t**le for the PS5, Team Asobi’s full-sized sequel brims with inventive platforming, whimsical power-ups, and a kind of lighthearted fun that recalls the best of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Thankfully, it never feels outdated, even if ‘90s vibes are totally there.
Read our Astro Bot review.
Astro Bot
Where to Buy:
$59.99 $32.99 at Walmart
If you’re looking for a relatively compact handheld vacuum that can reach into car crevices and s*** up crumbs on your desk, Fanttik’s foldable Fold V10 Apex is still on sale at Amazon for $85.49 (about $65 off), matching its best price to date.Fanttik’s 17,000Pa vac features an extendable nozzle that pivots up to 210 degrees, along with a built-in LED light to help illuminate the dark corners of your vehicle. An onboard display, meanwhile, indicates the remaining battery life and suction mode, as well as the status of the washable filter. It also comes with a range of useful add-ons, including an upholstery tool, two brush heads, and an extendable hose with a crevice tool for hard-to-reach areas. It even charges via USB-C, making it easy to juice after the battery runs out in about 30 minutes or so.
Read our recent profile on Fanttik.
Fanttik Fold V10 Apex Foldable Car Vacuum
Where to Buy:
$149.99 $85.49 at Amazon
$149.99 $94.99 at Fanttik (with code V10APEX)
More ways to save this weekend
You can pick up five second-gen AirTags for $99.99 ($24 off) at Costco, though non-members will have to pay a $5 surcharge. That’s the first discount we’ve seen on Apple’s latest location tracker, which builds upon its predecessor with an upgraded ultra-wideband chip and extended range, allowing for more precise tracking from up to 50 percent farther away. It’s also better at locating items in multi-story homes, and the built-in speaker is up to 50 percent louder, making it easier to hear. Read our review.
AOC’s 27-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor (Q27G41ZDF) is on sale for $379.99 ($170 off) at Best Buy, which is its lowest price to date. The 1440p display is a great entry-level OLED, with a sharp 16:9 panel and a speedy 240Hz refresh rate. As a QD-OLED monitor, it delivers the deep blacks and vibrant colors the technology is known for, along with G-Sync compatibility to help reduce screen tearing. It also includes a three-year warranty for added peace of mind.
You can snag the Sharge Pixel 100 from Amazon (with Prime) and Sharge for $69.90 ($30 off) right now, which is its lowest price to date. The small, retro-inspired GaN charger delivers up to 140W of power, which is enough to charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro to 50 percent in about 25 minutes. It also features three USB-C ports for powering multiple devices, along with a customizable dot-matrix display that shows the real-time wattage for each port.
Google AI Pro cost me $20 a month, but Gemma 4 does the same job for free
There are many things Gemma 4 can do. It can write you a sonnet, help you with your homework, organize your messy notes, make sense of your Excel spreadsheets, and when used right, it can save you $20 on a subscription you probably weren't getting enough value for. I've experienced...
There are many things Gemma 4 can do. It can write you a sonnet, help you with your homework, organize your messy notes, make sense of your Excel spreadsheets, and when used right, it can save you $20 on a subscription you probably weren't getting enough value for. I've experienced mostly all of its capabilities from my own use, first-hand.
Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
The Razer Seiren V3 Chroma microphone drops by 60%, now coming in at an all-time low of just $52
The Razer Seiren V3 Chroma is the microphone you need to take your audio to the next level. It's great for streaming, podcasts, meetings, video calls, and more. While it can be on the expensive side with its retail price of $130, the white model is now on sale at...
The Razer Seiren V3 Chroma is the microphone you need to take your audio to the next level. It's great for streaming, podcasts, meetings, video calls, and more. While it can be on the expensive side with its retail price of $130, the white model is now on sale at Best Buy for its 60th birthday. Best Buy is taking 60% off to celebrate, dropping it to just $52 for a very limited time. That's the best price we've seen across most major retailers, so grab it while you still can.
Flory Lem Netherlands
Published by: aplhsindia.in
This single Windows diagnostic will tell you why your PC takes forever to shut down
Nobody likes long boot times, but long shutdown times aren't welcome either. While you can just click "Shut Down" and be on your way, it probably keeps nagging at you if your PC takes unusually long to power down. If you've checked everything from stubborn apps to Windows Update issues,...
Nobody likes long boot times, but long shutdown times aren't welcome either. While you can just click "Shut Down" and be on your way, it probably keeps nagging at you if your PC takes unusually long to power down. If you've checked everything from stubborn apps to Windows Update issues, and are still no closer to an answer, I suggest checking Event Viewer for definitive evidence.
Daniel Martinez Dallas
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I turned my old Fire TV Stick into the ultimate retro console in ten minutes
My old Fire TV Stick isn't used for much these days, especially since I've turned to Jellyfin for all of my household streaming.
My old Fire TV Stick isn't used for much these days, especially since I've turned to Jellyfin for all of my household streaming.
Jeremy Sullivan Australia
Published by: aplhsindia.in
SteelSeries’ comfy wireless gaming headset is nearly half off
The Nova 3P in eye-catching cyan. | Image: SteelSeries While many gaming headsets come with extra features, the tradeoff is that they’re often uncomfortable and heavy. A lightweight, affordable alternative that can connect to a bunch of platforms is available at Woot. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3P in cyan is...
The Nova 3P in eye-catching cyan. | Image: SteelSeries While many gaming headsets come with extra features, the tradeoff is that they’re often uncomfortable and heavy. A lightweight, affordable alternative that can connect to a bunch of platforms is available at Woot. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3P in cyan is on sale for $59.99, a 45 percent discount from their usual $109.99 price. SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3PWhere to Buy: $109.99 $59.99 at WootThis headset, like most of SteelSeries’ models, feature a stretchy strap on the headband to offset its weight, plus a removable boom mic so you can take them on the go. While they sound good right out of the box, the SteelSeries app offers over 200 game-specific equalizer profiles that can enhance the sound experience, emphasizing the sound of footsteps in shooters, for example, or adding a richness to the music in cinematic games.This version of the headset is compatible with Windows and macOS computers, PlayStation consoles, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and Android and iOS mobile devices. They include both a Bluetooth connection for calls and mobile use, and a compact low latency USB-C dongle for listening over a 2.4GHz wireless connection. They’re advertised to last up to 40 hours on a single charge, and can fast charge for up to nine hours of gaming in just 15 minutes via USB-C.
Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
OpenAI lays out new security changes after its AI hacked Hugging Face
OpenAI is announcing security updates following the July news that its AI broke out of a sandboxed environment and accidentally hacked Hugging Face, including improvements to its research environments, monitoring, and alignment techniques. The company had already put the brakes on a new model, Astra, that it thinks could have...
OpenAI is announcing security updates following the July news that its AI broke out of a sandboxed environment and accidentally hacked Hugging Face, including improvements to its research environments, monitoring, and alignment techniques. The company had already put the brakes on a new model, Astra, that it thinks could have "critical" cybersecurity capabilities, and the company says it instituted a two-week pause in reinforcement learning (RL) training on its "latest models intended for deployment" while it tightened up security. The company's "largest planned frontier RL run remains on hold."For its frontier model research, OpenAI now r …Read the full story at The Verge.
John Doe New York
Published by: aplhsindia.in
4 self-hosted alternatives to apps you’re still paying for every month
Every time I turn around, it seems like something else has gone up in price. Netflix seems to have embarked on a quest to make streaming as unaffordable as cable, and even my garbage company emails me every few months about raising rates. One part of my life that doesn't...
Every time I turn around, it seems like something else has gone up in price. Netflix seems to have embarked on a quest to make streaming as unaffordable as cable, and even my garbage company emails me every few months about raising rates. One part of my life that doesn't have to suffer from increased prices is software, though. While there are plenty of services I am more than happy to pay for (and do, such as Obsidian Sync), others have self-hosted alternatives that do the job in no more than a few minutes of your time.
Sophia Wilson Atlanta
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I tested Obsidian Bases against Notion with a real project, and one of them fell apart
Every Notion account has a graveyard of abandoned databases. Databases themselves aren't even that hard to navigate, but they can get tedious under constant maintenance, which is part of the reason I left Notion a while ago in favor of simpler, more minimalist options. One of them is Obsidian's Bases...
Every Notion account has a graveyard of abandoned databases. Databases themselves aren't even that hard to navigate, but they can get tedious under constant maintenance, which is part of the reason I left Notion a while ago in favor of simpler, more minimalist options. One of them is Obsidian's Bases plugin, which finally enabled many to leave Notion behind.
John Doe New York
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I built a Zigbee sniffer on a $60 ESP32 screen, and now I can watch my smart home talk to itself
If you have a Zigbee smart home network, the main way to see what's happening on it is through your coordinator's logs, but you don't see the actual network at work. Zigbee2MQTT gives you a scrolling list of messages, Home Assistant can show you the important ones, and if something...
If you have a Zigbee smart home network, the main way to see what's happening on it is through your coordinator's logs, but you don't see the actual network at work. Zigbee2MQTT gives you a scrolling list of messages, Home Assistant can show you the important ones, and if something goes wrong, you dig through serial output or set up a packet capture. It may work, but it's not exactly something you can glance at from across the room, and it never looks like normal traffic.
Isabella Jackson New Zealand
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Your first Home a**istant automation shouldn’t be lights — it should be the thing you keep forgetting to do
There's a very good chance the first thing that was automated when you set up Home Assistant is a light bulb. It was the same with my home, and I feel like a betting man when it comes to everyone else. It's the easiest thing to control and automate, not...
There's a very good chance the first thing that was automated when you set up Home Assistant is a light bulb. It was the same with my home, and I feel like a betting man when it comes to everyone else. It's the easiest thing to control and automate, not to mention there's a visual response. But lighting isn't where I've found Home Assistant to be most useful. The first thing to automate is something you repeatedly forget to do.
Olivia Miller Seattle
Published by: aplhsindia.in
The 7700X is the AM5 chip nobody’s talking about anymore, and that’s exactly why it’s still worth buying
AMD's launch of the 7700X3D this year reminded me of a CPU that launched almost four years ago: the standard Ryzen 7 7700X. I'm sure many of you have forgotten about it too, because I rarely see it in benchmark charts or Reddit discussions anymore. After all, AMD has given...
AMD's launch of the 7700X3D this year reminded me of a CPU that launched almost four years ago: the standard Ryzen 7 7700X. I'm sure many of you have forgotten about it too, because I rarely see it in benchmark charts or Reddit discussions anymore. After all, AMD has given us far more exciting CPUs to talk about in the last few years, from the 7800X3D to the 9850X3D, and even the dual-cache, dual-CCD 9950X3D2 recently.
Jane Smith Los Angeles
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Robin Williams’ Instagram account brought back to fight ‘AI abuse’
Robin Williams' children are taking over their father's Instagram account after his daughter spoke out against the use of his AI likeness, as reported earlier by The Wrap. In a post on Tuesday, Zak, Zelda, and Cody Williams write that they want the late actor's Instagram profile to be a...
Robin Williams' children are taking over their father's Instagram account after his daughter spoke out against the use of his AI likeness, as reported earlier by The Wrap. In a post on Tuesday, Zak, Zelda, and Cody Williams write that they want the late actor's Instagram profile to be a "safe, trusted place where the stories, photos, videos, and memories shared reflect his legacy with authenticity, warmth, and care."A story posted to Zelda Williams' own Instagram account expands on the decision to bring back her father's profile, saying that it's meant to help combat "rampant AI abuse," according to The Wrap:I'm sorry if anyone found Da …Read the full story at The Verge.
