Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the two greatest times of year to find savings on the best laptops are approaching. So, while you typically see steep discounts on Windows laptops and MacBooks, you can't forget the deals you'll see floating around on the best Chromebooks, either.

In previous versions of Windows, Microsoft was pretty lenient on allowing you to uninstall the apps that come bundled with the operating system. However, Windows 11 saw a lot of baked-in apps that you could not remove without special tools or methods. Fortunately, the company is slowly backpedaling its original stance, and the latest Windows 11 preview build allows users to uninstall some of the default apps they may not want or use.

As the weather gets colder, Walmart’s early Black Friday deals are only getting hotter. You can, for example, upgrade your living room with a massive new TV to make the most of the rest of NFL season. You can also save on Bluetooth headphones and tablets, which can make long flights feel shorter and bumpy car rides more enjoyable.

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Spotify isn't the only one that negotiated with Google for special treatment. Netflix did, too. In 2017, Google offered Netflix a special discounted rate of 10 percent of its in-app payments on Android — meaning Netflix could keep 90 percent of the money — according to documents and testimony in the Epic v. Google trial. Today, you can’t subscribe to Netflix from inside the Netflix app on Android, but that wasn’t always the case. Netflix previously paid Google 15 percent to do that, Netflix VP of business development Paul Perryman said in a 2022 video deposition that aired in the courtroom on Thursday. Once upon a time, when Netflix could offer its own method of payment, it paid closer to three percent, he said. Google eventually cut... Continue reading…

The popularity of the Steam Deck against products like the Logitech G Cloud, Lenovo Legion Go, and even the ROG Ally means that there is no shortage of accessories for it. You can buy microSD cards for extra storage, and docks and adapters to connect it to a larger screen. But, as with your phone, laptop, or tablet, good-quality skin is also worth considering.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine on the set of Deadpool 3. | Image: Marvel Studios Disney has pushed back the release of Deadpool 3 from May 3rd 2024 to July 26th, Deadline reports, days after a tentative deal was reached to end the actors’ strike. According to The Hollywood Reporter, production will resume on the film in the next couple of weeks in London, where Marvel and Disney have paid to keep the film’s sets intact while production was on hold due.It’s one of several Marvel Studios films to see their release dates change like falling dominos. Captain America: Brave New World, which had originally been due to release July 26th, 2024, will now instead release on February 14th, 2025, and Blade has been pushed back from that date to November 7th, 2025. Finally, Thunderbolts has been delayed from December 20th, 2024... Continue reading…

The Ayaneo Geek is the Ayaneo 2’s cheaper little brother, but it’s still a powerful handheld gaming machine with an AMD Ryzen 6800U and up to 32GB of RAM. Ayaneo Geek has two USB-C charging ports, so you can keep playing while you top up, or easily connect it to a dock. Whether you’re taking it on the go, or just to the living room, you’ll want plenty of power to charge your device at full speed while gaming. These chargers will be able to keep up with the Ayaneo Geek with even the most demanding games running.

Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images Google CEO Sundar Pichai is set to testify on Tuesday in Epic’s lawsuit against Google. Epic plans to call Pichai as a witness as it makes its case alleging that Google Play is an unlawful monopoly.In court documents, Google requested to use a podium in the courtroom on Tuesday, which suggests that Pichai may indeed appear to testify; last month, when he testified in US v. Google, Pichai stood behind a podium instead of sitting because of apparent back issues. (Judge James Donato granted the request for the podium Thursday evening.)Pichai’s appearance isn’t a total surprise, as the CEO appeared as one of 53 witnesses Epic said it may or may not call before the trial kicked off. But what he says might be a big deal given his... Continue reading…

Valve’s Steam Deck and its carrying case. | Image: Valve Catch up on our coverage of PC gaming handhelds, starting with Valve’s category-defining Steam Deck. Continue reading…

Google’s mid-range Pixel 5a might be nearly three generations old at this point, but it leans heavily into the Pixel range’s best feature, the camera quality. Most of the components were also used on the flagship Pixel 5, with Google only compromising on the quality of the screen and weatherproofing.

Best Buy's early Black Friday sale is now taking place, with big discounts on laptops, TVs, SSDs, Apple products, and more. While the retailer has offered impressive discounts on popular products, it's now delivering a new set of steep discounts ahead of Black Friday during a limited three-day flash sale that starts today.

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge In its Q3 earnings report published Thursday, game development software company Unity announced that it will “likely” be implementing layoffs as part of broader cost saving measures.In the report, the company says it is assessing its product portfolio “to focus on those products that are most valuable to our customers” and is “evaluating the right cost structure that aligns with the more focused portfolio.” It plans to make changes during the fourth quarter, and they will “likely include discontinuing certain product offerings, reducing our workforce, and reducing our office footprint.” The company expects to complete its changes before the end of Q1 2024.Unity has taken a beating the last few months. In September, it announced a... Continue reading…