Black Friday is still a little ways away, but why wait around for the deals to arrive when you can venture out there and snag some excellent deals before anyone else? While Black Friday is always the main attraction for Amazon, it will sometimes introduce some deals a week or two before to get people warmed up.

Google says that it’s softening its plan to require every Android developer — even outside of the Play Store — to verify their identity, a move which critics warned could kill sideloading for good. The company now says it’s developing a workflow to allow “experienced users” to install apps from unverified developers.Mandatory verification for developers even outside the official Play Store was first announced this August, and would require developers to provide their legal name, address, email, and phone number, and in some cases even upload government ID. It drew criticism from groups like the Keep Android Open campaign and the open source app repository F-Droid, which argued the move “ends the ability for individuals to choose what software they run on the devices they own.”That plan is still going ahead, with early access to the verification scheme launched yesterday, but Google has made an important concession. The company says it is now developing an “advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn’t verified.” This installation flow will include safeguards to protect people who are being coerced into installing a dangerous app, or tricked by a scammer, along with “clear warnings to ensure users fully understand the risks involved.”Google is also working on a new developer account type for students and hobbyists, which won’t have to go through “full verification requirements,” but will only allow app installs on “a limited number of devices.”“Keeping users safe on Android is our top priority,” Android president Sameer Samat wrote on X. “Scammers rely on anonymity to scale their attacks. Right now, if we block a bad app, they can often just create a new app and try again. Verification stops this “whack-a-mole” cycle by requiring a real identity – making it much harder and costlier to repeatedly distribute harmful apps. This is an important change but we announced it early to get input. Some really good feedback received: Students need a path to learn, and users, especially power users, want to take more risk in what they install. We’re making changes to address both.”Developer verification will roll out in 2026 for developers in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, before applying globally in 2027. It’s not the only big change on the horizon for Android: Google has struck a deal with Epic to end their lawsuit, which would see Android lower its developer fees, relax rules on payment methods, and introduce official “Registered” third-party app stores, though that deal is still pending approval from the judge handling the case. 

Samsung's Galaxy XR headset made its official debut at the end of October, and while it could become an exciting piece of tech, we don't think most people are going to be running out to buy it thanks to its eye-watering $1,800 price tag. Luckily, Samsung's throwing in some freebies right now, totaling close to $1,000, to make the purchase a bit more tempting.

If you've spent the last few years in the self-hosting hobby like me, you'll have realized that most apps and services you run on a home server don't make much use of your GPU. The vast majority of tools you'd run in your stack, things like NextCloud or OpenCloud, AdGuard and more are CPU-dependent. Your CPU is the one responsible for handling everything from file sharing, to ad blocking and home automation. Meanwhile, the high-end GPU you added to your rig is just sitting idle.

Samsung’s trifold phone on display at the K-Tech Showcase exhibition in October. | Photo: SeongJoon Cho / Bloomberg via Getty Images Reputable gadget leaker Evan Blass has taken to X with “some confirmed details” on Samsung’s upcoming trifold phone.It’ll be called the “Galaxy Z TriFold,” according to Blass, with a 6.5-inch cover display that maxes out at 2600 nits brightness. It unfurls to produce a 10-inch display on the inside capable of reaching a peak brightness of 1600 nits. The Galaxy Z TriFold is also expected to host a 200-megapixel main camera, 5,437mAh battery, and Snapdragon SoC under the hood. The thicknesses of the three panels varies from 3.9mm to 4.0mm to 4.2mm, according to Blass. That makes for a phone that could be as thin as 12.1mm when folded, or a little thinner than Huawei’s 12.8mm trifold. But nothing will be officially official until Samsung announces it. Rumored dates for the company’s first trifold have come and gone with the latest suggesting a December 5th launch in Korea, priced around $3,000.

There used to be tons of sacrifice involved when buying a gaming laptop, but that really isn't the case anymore. With the right amount of money, you can pick up an absolute beast of a machine, packed to the brim with all the hardware you'll ever need. And we get it — spending a ton of money on something you want isn't always possible. But if you can manage to hold out for a little, retailers will start to offer some exciting discounts on just the ones you're looking at.

I've spent a lot of my time recently testing out different AI browsers, and finding different ways to automate repetitive tasks I do every single day that takes a significant chunk of my time. Though I initially thought I'd immediately uninstall the first AI browser I downloaded and vow to never try one again, I surprisingly ended up converting to an AI browser for good.

Do rich people install bowling alleys in their homes anymore? I want to say that it was a huge thing during the 80s and 90s, but I don't really hear much about it these days. Regardless, while us mere mortals can't get a lane installed within our houses, we can make do with miniature bowling alleys instead. They may not be as impressive, but at least you don't have to knock down a wall in your home and set up an entire lane.

You mostly get to see my nerdy writing on network storage and Android phones. While that’s creative writing too, my other hobbyist side leans more into the niche with write-ups like essays, short stories, rhymes, screenplays, podcasts, and more. Each of these requires a different kind of temperament and a separate digital space to keep their individual delivery language from interfering with one another.

When starting off with making your own hardware, you can't go wrong with a digital picture frame. The components list is very small; you only need a screen, a power supply, and a board to process everything. Once you've gotten it set up, you can pop it somewhere visually pleasing and have yourself a cool-looking set piece you can look at over the day. Plus, you can impress people who come over by showing off what you made.

Intel's second generation of discrete graphics cards, much like its first generation, got off to a bit of a rocky start. Marred by the same stock and price issues as other brands, Intel wasn't able to fully capitalize on a market that was yearning for a solid $250 GPU. Today, it's reached that golden number, and it's still a worthy buy, but what if you're looking for a little more juice? If you're a believer in Intel Arc, but want something closer to a high-end offering, the rumored Arc B770 might be worth waiting for.

The rumored MMO set in Sony’s post-apocalyptic Horizon universe is real. We spilled details about the game before it was revealed based on an announcement video we saw, and that video has been officially posted — and more has been shared about the title, too.The new game is called Horizon Steel Frontiers, and Sony and the Korean video game company NCSoft are working on the cross platform title together for PC, iOS, and Android. It will be free to play, according to the game’s website. Based on the more than 10-minute announcement video, which features a mix of cinematic and pre-alpha gameplay footage as well as developer interviews, the game will focus strongly on fighting the Horizon series’ giant mechanical beasts and being able to do so with other people.Here is the official version of that video:Sony and a PR company representing NCSoft didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. The Verge initially spotted promotional art for Steel Frontiers on a website used to share game assets that media and influencers are approved to use. The art was posted early ahead of the official announcement at the G-Star 2025 event in Korea. The website we viewed also included a link to a Google Drive with open access that contained the video. Footage from the announcement video shows players taking on beasts as well as navigating through lush natural environments and looming metal buildings you might be familiar with if you’ve played the Horizon games. “Horizon Steel Frontiers is a full-fledged MMORPG that NCSoft has built specifically for mobile,” Jan-Bart van Beek, studio director at PlayStation’s Guerilla Games, says in the video. “With Steel Frontiers, you can step into this world anywhere, anytime. Players take on the role of machine hunters, chasing opportunity in a region called the Deathlands. This is inspired by Arizona and New Mexico. You’re sharing the frontier with thousands of other players, sometimes working together to take down machines and other times competing with rival tribes or fighting over resources, and that mix of cooperation and competition creates moments that you could never script.”“The core concept of Horizon Steel Frontiers can be summed up in one phrase: the thrill of taking down colossal machines,” executive producer Sung-Gu Lee says in the video. “Hunting massive machines was one of the greatest appeals of the original Horizon series. And now, we’re expanding that experience into the world of MMORPGs.” Lee says there will be new mechanics for fighting the machines, like picking up dropped weapons from beasts and carrying them on a mount to use in later fights. As part of the full announcement, the Horizon Steel Frontiers YouTube channel posted a gameplay trailer featuring fights against beasts in the game.The announcement video also highlights the game’s character customization features — in Steel Frontiers, instead of playing as Aloy, who has been the series protagonist so far, you’ll be able to make your own character.Sony and NCSoft haven’t shared a release date, but Lee says in the announcement video that the team is working to make the game available “as soon as possible.”Update, November 13th: Added details from the official reveal.