There may be no setting that the new Paperwhite doesn’t look crisp in. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge If you missed the first sale on the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite during Black Friday, now’s your chance to write your own redemption arc. Right now, you can get Amazon’s newest ad-supported ebook reader at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $134.99 ($25 off). That’s still $5 shy of its all-time low, but it’s a pretty good discount this early into its life. You can also get it without ads at Amazon for $154.99 ($25 off).There’s not much incentive to upgrade if you already own an older Paperwhite, but if you’re an avid reader, you’ll likely appreciate the newly minted seven-inch display, which is the biggest of any Paperwhite to date. It’s also 25 percent brighter than the previous model and features a higher contrast ratio, allowing for improved readability. The jump from 10 weeks of battery life to three months is a more substantial upgrade — as is a new processor, which supposedly makes a big difference when it comes to page-turning speeds — but we’ll need to finish putting Amazon’s latest e-reader through its paces before rendering our final verdict.However, despite the iterative nature of the aforementioned updates, there’s a good chance the 12th-gen Paperwhite is going to remain the best option for most people. Amazon’s new entry-level Kindle is a bit smaller (and slower), and while the jazzy Kindle Colorsoft offers the best color screen on an e-reader so far, it will run you an extra $120 over the Paperwhite. That’s a lot for a non-essential upgrade.More deals to beat the holiday crunchNow through December 25th, Grid is taking $100 off its Grid 1 frame — which bears the iPhone 2G’s guts for all to see — when you use Verge-exclusive code TV100, which drops it to $299. You can also use code TV20 to take 20 percent off any other product in the studio’s online store, so long as it’s not part of an ongoing promo. Grid’s disassembled, explosive displays offer a museum-style look at the components that make up some of the most iconic gadgets to hit the scene over the years. They’re also a great gift for wannabe tinkerers who appreciate the beauty of circuitry, especially since they’ll arrive before Christmas if you act fast enough.If you don’t need a robot vacuum that can sweep your baseboards or empty its own bin, the Eufy 11S Max is on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $129.99 ($120 off), which is one of its better prices to date. The entry-level robovac isn’t the smartest option available, but it’s at least aware enough not to bump into walls or tumble over stairs. The 11S Max offers good carpet and hard surface cleaning with relative quietness, too, and its 600ml bin is roomy enough to go through several cleanings before it needs to be dumped.A small, fast charger like Anker’s Prime Charger can come in handy if you’re traveling for the holidays. Luckily, Amazon and Anker are selling the 100W GaN charger for a record-tying $45.99 ($39 off), the latter with promo code WS7DV2FXJI84. Anker’s charger is thin enough not to horde all the space on a wall socket yet fast enough to charge almost anything (laptops included). It has three ports (two USB-C and one USB-A) to cover your charging needs, along with a folding prong for convenient storage.

If you're thinking about gaming on the go but you don't want a gaming laptop or a nice tablet, a gaming handheld is definitely the way to go. MSI's latest Claw is shaping up to be a particularly competitive handheld at that, so you'll want to make sure you keep yours protected with a solid case. Luckily, the 7 AI+ has the same dimensions as the original Claw, so you've got options.

Illustration: Beatrice Sala Rhode Island took its RIBridges system for applying for public assistance programs like Medicaid offline Friday following a cyberattack that may have exposed the personal data of hundreds of thousands of people, reports CBS affiliate WPRI 12. With its RIBridges system offline, Rhode Islanders won’t be able to log into RIBridges’ web portal or app, used to apply for Medicaid, food stamps, and other state benefits, says a government site providing updates on the breach. Governor Dan McKee said during a press briefing that attackers may have gotten personal info like names, addresses, and social security numbers of those who’ve used the system between 2019 to now.State Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer Brian Tardiff, who also spoke at the briefing, said the attack is not ransomware, but “more of an extortion type activity by this cybercriminal group.”The attack also affected HealthSource RI, Rhode Island’s healthcare marketplace. The state hopes to get the system back online before the healthcare open enrollment period ends on January 31st, as WPRI writes. In the meantime, mail-in paper applications and instructions for using them are available at the state’s Department of Human Services website. The breach update site says that tomorrow, the state will publish the number of a call center for help with the breach, available from 11AM to 8PM ET Sunday morning and from 9AM to 9PM ET Monday through Friday after that. The Rhode Island government also plans to mail instructions for free credit monitoring to those impacted.

Network-attached storage (NAS) devices have two main purposes: to simplify data storage and ensure that your files remain accessible for the entire team across all their devices. While they offer excellent transfer speeds and reliability on a local network, they should be equally robust for remote access. Many of the top NAS enclosures provide multiple ways to achieve this. However, opening up your NAS to the internet can expose it to prying eyes and numerous security threats. Fortunately, there are secure ways to access your NAS from anywhere in the world without compromising data integrity.

I wanted the Colorsonic to zap my grays. Instead, I got a lesson in tradeoffs. Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Infold Games Breath of the Styled. Read the full story at The Verge.

Do you put your Raspberry Pi into a case, or do you leave it sitting around? If you're into little Pi enclosures, you may have found that the current offerings aren't very good for keeping the board cool. If you have this issue but don't feel like buying another one to figure out if the next model is better, someone has created one you can 3D print.

Windows is pretty much the go-to operating system for most people. And while most people use it because it already came with their laptop or desktop purchase, it's also quite popular for those that like to build their own PCs. Sure, you could go with an alternative like Linux, but for most, Windows is going to be the only option. The only problem is that if you're trying to buy a copy of Windows, it can cost quite a bit, with prices starting at $139.

Windows 11 collects a significant amount of data, which might be a concern for those who value their privacy. Some data collection is necessary, such as information about your device model, hardware components, and diagnostic data to ensure Windows runs effectively. However, a large portion of it falls under the "optional" category. You don't need to share this optional data with Microsoft if you prefer not to. Below, we'll discuss six ways Windows 11 collects data on your new laptop and the steps you can take to opt out.

Microsoft recently started rolling out the Windows 11 24H2 update to more devices, even though users are still facing issues. In addition to aiming to fix them as soon as possible, the software giant is also busy working towards introducing some exciting changes to future Windows 11 updates.

Actor Brandon Wilson dons the first-person camera rig. | Amazon MGM Studios and Orion Pictures When RaMell Ross signed on to direct the adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Nickel Boys, he wanted nearly the entire film to be shot from the first-person perspective. Here’s how he pulled off one of the year’s best and most ambitious movies. Read the full story at The Verge.

While Steam Deck alternatives don't come with SteamOS out of the box, Valve definitely isn't against the idea. The company has always said that it wants to supply third-party companies with versions of SteamOS to use with their devices, and we've seen some movement behind the curtain showing that Valve is working away at making this a reality. Now, a recent leak has revealed what might be the first handheld device to have SteamOS as a factory default.