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With many retailers rolling out their annual Black Friday sales days in advance, several of the laptop deals we expect to see later this week are already available. To help you find a bargain thats actually decent, weve dug into reviews, checked price histories and rounded up the best Black Friday laptop deals we could find below. As of this writing, the offers include new lows for several notebooks weve tested and recommended in our buying guides. The latest MacBook Air is down to a new low of $844, for instance, while Microsoft's newest Surface Laptop is $300 off. Our favorite Chromebook and budget Windows machine are discounted as well. Well update this post if prices change and more discounts pop up over the course of the week. Just keep in mind that many of the deals below are for pre-configured models, so you may not be able to spec out your notebook as precisely as you would directly from a manufacturer. The Apple MacBook Air (2024).Engadget Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M3) for $844 at Amazon ($255 off MSRP): The latest MacBook Air is our pick for the best laptop you can buy. It ticks nearly all the boxes for those partial to macOS, from its premium design and comfy keyboard to its lengthy battery life and capable performance for everyday use. We gave it a score of 90 in our review. A recent Bloomberg report said that Apple will likely release an updated notebook early next year, but this is a new low for the current base model, which includes Apples M3 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. If you want more storage, the 512GB variant is down to an all-time low of $1,049. Also at Best Buy. Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3) for $1,044 at Amazon ($255 off): The 15-inch MacBook Air is virtually identical to the 13-inch ersion in terms of features and performance, but it has a more spacious display and better speakers. Its about 0.6 pounds heavier, though. This is the best price to date for the base model with an M3 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, but a version with double the storage space is available for a new low of $1,234 as well. Also at Best Buy. Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M2) for $749 at Amazon ($250 off): If youre on a tighter budget, the last-generation MacBook Air gets you most of the things we love about the newer M3 model at a lower price. The main sacrifices are a slightly lesser chip, technically slower storage in the base model and no ability to connect to two external monitors. This ties the lowest price weve seen for the entry-level variant, which includes an M2 chip, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Also at Best Buy. The Apple MacBook Pro (2024).Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4 Pro) for $2,099 at Amazon ($300 off): The recently updated MacBook Pro is more laptop than most people need, but it remains a powerhouse for coders, media editors and those with more demanding needs. We gave it a score of 92 in our review earlier this month. Just keep in mind that theres no USB-A port and, as with all Apple laptops, effectively no way to upgrade the device after purchase. This is the largest discount yet for the configuration with Apples M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. A version with 512GB of storage is $250 off and down to a low of $1,749 as well. Also at Best Buy. Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, M4 Pro) for $2,199 at Amazon ($300 off): The 16-inch version of the MacBook Pro adds a roomier display and a couple extra hours of battery life to the same excellent performance, build quality and mini-LED display of its smaller counterpart. The downside is that its heavier at 4.7 pounds. This is an all-time low for the config with an M4 Pro cip, 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Also at Best Buy. Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch) for $899 at Amazon ($300 off): We gave the latest Surface Laptop a review score of 88 earlier this year, and we currently recommend it as a great mainstream ultraportable in our laptop buying guide. The caveat is that it runs on an ARM processor, which performs well but may not work with every app or peripheral you use. If you can live with that, though, the bright 120Hz display, upscale aluminum design and long battery life all impress. This configuration with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is technically available for $800 at Micro Center, but only with in-store pick up. Otherwise, this is the best price weve seen. If you prefer a bigger screen, a 15-inch version with 256GB of storage is down to a low of $1,100. Also at Best Buy. The Microsoft Surface Laptop (7th generation).Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget HP Pavilion Aero 13 for $580 at HP ($320 off): The HP Pavilion Aero is the budget pick in our laptop buying guide. It feels a bit cheap, and its webcam is poor, but its thin and light, it has a decent port selection and its IPS display is solid for the money. This config with a Ryzen 5 8640 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD should be fast enough for typical web browsing, word processing and light photo editing. This ties the best price we could find for the 2024 model since its release. Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus for $369 at Best Buy ($130 off): The Flex 5i Chromebook Plus tops our guide to the best Chromebooks. We like that its IPS touchscreen has a tall 16:10 aspect ratio, as it makes the device better-suited to word processing and reading web pages. It runs just fine for the basic tasks youre meant to do with Chrome OS, and both its keyboard and trackpad feel reliable. Its battery life is mediocre, however, and at 3.6 pounds its fairly heavy for a 14-inch notebook. This discount is $20 more than the lowest price weve ever seen, and its been live for a weeks now, but its still a decent way off this configs typical street price. It includes an Intel Core i3-1315U chip, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of eMMC storage. ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) gaming laptop for $700 at Best Buy ($400 off): Although its a 2023 model, this configuration of the A16 should do the job for value-minded buyers. It comes with a 16-inch 165Hz 1,920 x 1,200 display, an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and an AMD Radeon RX 7700S GPU. Youll still have to deal with the usual trade-offs of a cheaper gaming laptop it can get warm under load, its bulky, the keyboard isnt great and the screen is somewhat dim. But its powerful enough to run newer games in 1080p, the chassis is generally sturdy, and the battery can reach double-digit hours when you arent gaming. This discount is $20 above than the configs all-time low but ties the best price weve seen otherwise. The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus.Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget ASUS ROG Strix G16 (2024) gaming laptop for $1,615 at Amazon ($285 off): While not a top pick in any of our guides, this configuration of the ROG Strix G16 should be a solid value for those in search of an 16-inch all-rounder gaming notebook. It includes an Intel Core i9-14900X chip, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, which should be enough to run many games at high-ish settings without much hassle. The overall build doesnt feel cheap, and the 2,560 x 1,600 240Hz display is both sharp and fast. The RAM and storage are user-upgradeable, too, though the battery life and 720p webcam arent ideal. This deal matches an all-time low. Another model with a 1080p panel, a Core i7-13650HX chip and a RTX 4060 GPU is on sale for a low of $1,100, but youll have to turn down game settings more frequently to get decent frame rates with that one. Alienware M18 R2 gaming laptop for $2,200 at Amazon ($500 off): The M18 R2 is an iteration of the top 18-inch pick in our gaming laptop buying guide. Its an absolute tank, but its put together well, and this configuration can blow through new games at high settings in 1080p or 1440p. It comes with a 165Hz 2,560 x 1,600 panel, an Intel Core i9-14900HX chip, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 GPU. This deal price is far from cheap, but it's a new low for this variant. A lower-spec model is also on sale for $1,900, though that one will run into issues sooner with more demanding games. Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, M4) for $849 at Amazon ($150 off): The iPad Pro is still overkill for most people, but its class-leading OLED display, remarkably slim frame and powerful M4 chip make it a tremendous tablet. It can work as a laptop replacement for certain creative types, but youll have to live with iPadOS continued shortcomings in multitasking, file management and other computer-y tasks. If youre thinking of making the switch or if youve just got money to burn and want a more portable companion to your current laptop this matches the lowest price weve seen for the latest 11-inch model. Just clip the $50 on-page coupon. If youre willing to pay for a roomier display, the 13-inch iPad Pro is also on sale for a low of $1,099. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-black-friday-laptop-deals-from-apple-microsoft-lenovo-and-others-151347223.html?src=rss
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As Black Friday arrives again, its time to consider getting something new. If that something happens to be a reliable assistant for home cleaning, consider this Dyson 360 Vis Nav, one of our choices for the best robot vacuums. This is the first time its been discounted since Dyson started selling these earlier this year. We put this robot vacuum through its paces, and you can see the results in our Dyson 360 Vis Nav review. It managed to suck up an impressive amount of dog hair in our tests and has 360-degree vision augmented with LED lights to prevent collisions and accidents. While not perfect, it only hit chair legs a couple of times. On top of this, the robot has more than enough sensors and memory to remember your rooms layout. Even if youre not home, you can tell the vacuum to start cleaning up if youve connected it to your MyDyson app. It compiles deep clean reports and other useful information to help you find the right settings for better results in the future. Sadly, it doesnt have a self-emptying base, but the debris ejection process is straightforward. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/dyson-black-friday-deals-include-the-360-vis-nav-robot-vacuum-for-200-off-143634325.html?src=rss
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NVIDIA has debuted a new experimental generative AI model, which it describes as "a Swiss Army knife for sound." The model called Foundational Generative Audio Transformer Opus 1, or Fugatto, can take commands from text prompts and use them to create audio or to modify existing music, voice and sound files. It was designed by a team of AI researchers from around the world, and NVIDIA says that made the model's "multi-accent and multilingual capabilities stronger." "We wanted to create a model that understands and generates sound like humans do," said Rafael Valle, one of the researchers behind the project and a manager of applied audio research at NVIDIA. The company listed some possible real-world scenarios wherein Fugatto could be of use in its announcement. Music producers, it suggested, could use the technology to quickly generate a prototype for a song idea, which they can then easily edit to try out different styles, voices and instruments. People could use it to generate materials for language learnings tools in the voice of their choice. And video game developers could use it to create variations of pre-recorded assets to fit changes in the game based on the players' choices and actions. In addition, the researchers found that the model can accomplish tasks not part of its pre-training, with some fine-tuning. It could combine instructions that it was trained on separately, such as generating speech that sounds angry with a specific accent or the sound of birds singing during a thunderstorm. The model can generate sounds that change over time, as well, like the pounding of a rainstorm as it moves across the land. NVIDIA didn't say if it will give the public access to Fugatto, but the model isn't the first generative AI technology that can create sounds out of text prompts. Meta previously released an open source AI kit that can create sounds from text descriptions. Google has its own text-to-music AI called MusicLM that people can access through the company's AI Test Kitchen website. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/nvidias-new-ai-model-fugatto-can-create-audio-from-text-prompts-140017297.html?src=rss
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