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Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest shopping days of the year — and prime season for scams. Now in 2025 scammers are more emboldened than ever, thanks to AI.
According to research from cybersecurity company Guardio, there has been a 30x increase in shopping-related scams and fraudulent text messages over the past month. November is already the top month for online scams in 2025, even before Thanksgiving weekend.
Guardio has also seen a rise in the number of unique email addresses promoting Black Friday-related campaigns in the past week — by more than 500 percent.
What's driving the rise? The company points to research from earlier this year from the organization Anti-Phishing Working Group that found that 76 percent of phishing websites now use AI-generated content.
AI isn't just helping scammers create content for their schemes, its also aiding scammers in carrying out more convincing fraud.
The usual telltale signs of a scam — spelling or grammatical errors, a lack of familiarity with the company and its products it's trying to imitate — are on their way out. With AI, scammers can perfectly replicate entire websites for their phishing campaigns.
AI-generated voices and videos can also provide scammers with convincing impersonations of company employees. In short, AI helps scammers appear authentic.
Bad actors targeting Black Friday shoppers have focused on a few popular brand names over the past few months, Guardio's research found. Those brands include AT&T, Amazon, Apple (virtual and brick-and-mortar stores), Loews, Verizon, Costco, Walmart, and Kroger.
An example of a scam text message format utilized by bad actors. Credit: GuardioWhy target Black Friday and Cyber Monday? It's not just because there are more consumers spending online over that period. The usual holiday distractions, combined with the urgency of getting limited time deals, results in consumers becoming more vulnerable to scams.
The most common scam tactic, Guardio says, is the "urgent account alert." These are text messages that inform targets that their Amazon account has been suspended, say, or their Verizon bill payment was declined. Recipients may be more inclined to fall for these scams as they seek to fix the issue in time for the holidays.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), U.S. consumers lost more than $432 million in online shopping scams in 2024 — and 2025 will likely see those losses rise.
One of the easiest ways to avoid being scammed is not to click any links received via email or text message. Go directly to these companies' websites from your web browser, or via their official mobile apps, instead.
SAVE OVER $1,500: The Jackery HomePower 3000 is on sale for $1,423 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's a 53% discount and the lowest-ever price for this model.
Opens in a new window Credit: Jackery Jackery HomePower 3000 $1,423 at AmazonAmazon's Black Friday sale is very much up and running, with big offers on just about anything you could imagine. Are you imaging portable power stations right now? Good, because you can secure the lowest-ever price on the Jackery HomePower 3000 at Amazon.
The Jackery HomePower 3000 is on sale for $1,423 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's a 53% discount and a better price than we saw over October Prime Day. So if you've been patiently waiting for the right time to "add to cart," this is it. What are you waiting for? Whole home backup awaits.
Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!The Jackery HomePower 3000 has an impressive 3,600W output (7,200W surge) and a 3,072Wh capacity, meaning it can power your fridge, fan, WiFi router, lights, and more for hours in an emergency. You can also charge multiple devices at once thaks to the AC, USB-C, USB-A, and DC ports, including dual 100W PD ports for your smartphones, iPads, and drones.
Jackery is one of the biggest names in the power station game, but there are other options out there if this doesn't tick your boxes. We've lined up the best Black Friday deals on Bluetti's range of power stations, so check that out before you commit.
Get the best-ever price on the Jackery HomePower 3000 in the Amazon Black Friday sale.
TL;DR: Give the gift of improved productivity with Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows, on sale now for just $19.97 (reg. $229).
Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows $19.97There’s nothing more priceless than time, and now you can get some back for just $20. This Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows license does just that — giving you a much-needed productivity boost with seven essential apps.
Gift your PC (or a loved one’s) this Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 license for just $19.97 (reg. $229).
Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!Whether you’re trying to soar through a workday or you need tools to tackle your homework, Microsoft Office is there for you. It has been helping people get things done for decades, and this Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows license gives your PC seven power-packed apps to work with.
Draft documents with Word, build budgets with Excel, and perfect your presentations with PowerPoint. You can also tackle communication with Outlook, take digital notes with OneNote, manage databases with Access, and design professional documents with Publisher.
If the year of this edition gives you pause, don’t worry. The apps have been redesigned and are packed with enhanced features like new analysis capabilities in Excel, new presentation tools in PowerPoint, and updated email and contact management features in Outlook. You’ll also enjoy improved cloud connectivity.
After purchasing, you’ll receive an instant delivery and download. If you run into any issues, you’ll have access to free customer service.
Get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows for only $19.97 (reg. $229) just in time for the holidays.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
TL;DR: Cut the streaming cord and enjoy free content for life thanks to a lifetime subscription to BitMar Streaming Content Finder, now only $14.97 (reg. $150) until Jan. 11.
Opens in a new window Credit: BitMar BitMar Streaming Content-Finder: Lifetime Subscription $14.97Good entertainment doesn’t always have to come with a monthly bill. If you’re tired of shelling out a small fortune month after month on multiple streaming services, it’s time to meet BitMar Streaming Content Finder. This game-changing platform helps you discover free movies, shows, music, and more from all around the world.
Right now, you can pay just once and enjoy a lifetime subscription to BitMar Streaming Content Finder for only $14.97 (reg. $150) through Jan. 11.
Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!Sick of bouncing between streaming apps only to end up with nothing to watch? BitMar Streaming Content Finder offers a much more affordable option that serves up endless options from around the globe — all for free. You pay once for this AI-powered tool and get to enjoy the benefits for life.
BitMar Streaming Content Finder uses a Bing-powered search engine to find free entertainment, like full movies, TV shows, channels, videos, and songs. And not only does it not cost you anything — it’s ad-free, even when you pick something like a YouTube video. It also ensures you’re only routed to secure websites.
You can use this lifetime subscription on up to five devices, from smartphones to tablets, laptops, and smart TVs. If you’re curious how you unlock a lifetime of content for $15, it’s because you’re paying for the platform, not the content. Creators still earn revenue, as they can monetize the free traffic BitMar sends them through its DMCA-compliant platform.
Score a lifetime subscription to BitMar Streaming Content Finder for just $14.97 (reg. $150) until Jan. 11.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
SAVE 50%: If you're looking for the best TV under $500 this Black Friday, I recommend the TCL QM6K. All sizes are at new record-low prices, but the 55-inch and 65-inch models are the best deals at 50% off.
Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL 55-inch QM6K Mini LED QLED 4K TV $399.99 at Best BuyIf you're still rocking a plain ol' LED TV that's at least half a decade old, I'm not going to roast you — that was also me up until a month ago. I finally swapped my 2018 Sharp Roku TV for a 55-inch TCL QM6K mini LED, and every person in my household commented on the difference within the first few days.
Take this as your sign that 2025 is your year to finally upgrade, too: The QM6K is majorly on sale at Best Buy and Amazon for Black Friday, with the 55-inch and 65-inch models both being a full 50% off. You can go as big as 65 inches without spending more than $500, or up to 85 inches without spending more than $1,000.
SEE ALSO: If dark scenes are too dark on your TV, play around with these settingsYes, my old TV was 4K, and 4K is the current standard for most TVs nowadays. But 4K is only referring to screen resolution, which determines how pixelated or not the picture is. It's the "LED" part that's probably making sports and colorful movies look dull, or what's making it feel impossible to see the screen when the sun's out.
Not to get too in the weeds about TV specs (I break that down in a separate TV buying guide), but the TCL QM6K is better than traditional LED in two ways. As a QLED TV, it sandwiches a layer of quantum dots (tiny light-reflecting nanocrystals) in between the screen and the backlight panel. This expands the number of shades the TV can produce, makes those colors more vivid, and boosts brightness by a long shot.
SEE ALSO: Streaming just got cheaper: Score Black Friday deals on HBO Max, Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and moreAs a mini LED TV, the TCL QM6K's backlight panel has way more lightbulbs than a regular LED panel. The bulbs are also much smaller, making for much more precise variation in contrast across every inch of the screen. I remember the weird little white ring that my old TV would put around bright objects, which ruined a ton of dark scenes. But with the QM6K, small clusters of bulbs can dim or brighten as needed in that scene without messing with the contrast elsewhere. As someone who needs The Price is Right to be as colorful as possible in the daytime but who also watched a scary movie almost every night in October, the TCL QM6K has been such a worthwhile upgrade.
If you do end up making the swap, here's your reminder that most Best Buy locations will recycle your old TV for free.
Look, we all know impossible guys who say they don't need anything. It's why finding Christmas gifts for dads is so notoriously difficult. But here at Mashable, we take gift-giving very seriously, and we're up for the challenge. We've spent the year testing the latest gadgets and reporting on the latest trends, from retro-themed Legos to new flagship noise-cancelling headphones. We've also got some unique gifts for men that probably wouldn't occur to you — one of the benefits of scouring the internet for a living.
Remember: The best gifts for men should make your guy feel seen. They should make him feel like you truly get him. So, before you click “buy” on something that will definitely require a gift receipt, let us take the wheel and show you some of the year's best gift ideas for men that are sure to make an impression — whether it's for Christmas, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, birthdays, or something else. And if you need even more gift ideas, check out some of our favorite gifts for boyfriends.
SAVE $1,000: The LG 65-inch G5 OLED 4K TV is on sale for $1,996.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's the lowest-ever price for this model.
Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 65-inch G5 OLED 4K TV $1,996.99 at AmazonWe're keeping a close eye on the best TV deals to drop over Black Friday. We've found new low prices on OLED and QLED TVs from top brands like Samsung, Hisense, and TCL, but what if the best deal was staring at us all along?
The LG 65-inch G5 OLED 4K TV is on sale for $1,996.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's $1,000 off and the lowest-ever price for this model. This low price was actually live before Black Friday. Should we ignore it in that case? Absolutely not. This record-low price is still really impressive for a TV that offers so many advanced features.
Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!The LG 65-inch G5 OLED 4K TV offers Brightness Booster Max technology that magnifies each individual pixel for luminous quality that shines whether you're streaming your favorite show or watching live sport. You get personalized, crisp picture and sound no matter what you watch thanks to AI Picture Pro and AI Super Upscaling, and the 0.1ms response time and up to 120Hz refresh rate ensures a lag-free gaming experience.
Score the best-ever price on this stunning LG TV in the Amazon Black Friday sale.
Whether you've looked into how to enjoy a concert without a side helping of tinnitus or how to get some quiet while you sleep, chances are you've come across Loop earplugs.
The reusable earplugs have become a popular choice with everyone from festival goers to folks prone to overstimulation from sounds. They work well, are reusable, and have a cute, yet low-profile design. Their main drawback? They're a good deal more expensive than disposable foam earplugs, which can be off-putting for an initial purchase. However, Loop earplugs reliably go on sale during shopping holidays, and Black Friday 2025 is no different. At the time of writing, every single type of Loop earplugs are on sale.
SEE ALSO: Everything to know about Black Friday 2025: Best early deals, sale dates, price matching, and moreConsidering Loop has a pair of earplugs for pretty much every situation you'd want to lower the volume (trust me, I've tested them), these deals are worth checking out. For your convenience, we've gathered them below. (Note: most of the below deals are found at Amazon, but many of them are price matched on the Loop website).
Best Loop earplugs deal Opens in a new window Credit: Loop Loop Experience 2 $26.95 at AmazonWhile the best Loop earplug deal does depend on the reason why you're looking for a pair of earplugs in the first place, the Experience 2 target the reason the brand's founders created Loop in the first place — protecting concert goer's ears. Mashable's Haley Henschel tested out these earplugs in possibly the best environment she could — Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour — and had nothing bad to say about her experience. They silenced the crowd without making the music hard to hear, wore comfortably, and had a convenient keychain case for storing away before and after the show.
As I wrote in our Loop guide, typically these earplugs drop down to $27.95 during shopping holidays, but if you want to save the absolute most money possible, the rose gold pair are on sale for an additional dollar off, at $26.95.
More Loop earplugs dealsLoop Quiet 2 — $14.49 $20.95 (save $6.46)
Loop Engage 2 — $24.95 $34.95 (save $10)
Loop Engage 2 Plus — $35.95 $44.95 (save $9)
Loop Experience 2 Plus — $35.95 $44.95 (save $9)
Loop Dream — $39.96 $49.95 (save $9.99)
Loop Switch 2 — $47.95 $59.95 (save $12)
Black Friday is officially here, and retailers are serving up significant discounts on MacBooks. In fact, we don't expect prices to get any lower on the core 2025 models — all of which are on sale right now.
Some retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy, have already officially kicked off their Black Friday sales, and their deals on Apple laptops reflect that. Some standouts include the M4 MacBook Air down to $749 and the very latest MacBook Pro with M5 chip getting its biggest discount yet, saving you $200.
SEE ALSO: Everything to know about Black Friday 2025: Best early deals, sale dates, price matching, and moreThese deals beat out what you're going to find at the Apple Store. As usual, the brand will be hosting its Black Friday gift card promo, which gives you a small sum back to use on Apple products after you've made your purchase. (Womp, womp.) But as far as discounts go, Apple will be bereft of discounts like those you can find elsewhere. Here's the good news, though. If you're looking for more Apple savings on iPads, AirPads, and more, you can check out our Apple deals recommendations and sign up to receive Mashable's Black Friday deals alert over text.
For the best Black Friday MacBook deals so far, read on!
Best Black Friday MacBook deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $749 at AmazonIn Mashable's analysis of the best MacBooks, the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air earns the top spot as the best option for students. It's lightweight and thin which makes for ultimate portability. Noting it's sale price of $749, Mashable's resident laptop expert Haley Henschel wrote, "I seriously doubt it'll get any cheaper on Black Friday proper. That's a bargain."
More Black Friday MacBook deals Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $549.99 at AmazonIf you're already set on the size of TV that you want to buy this Black Friday, there's no need to wade through the miles-long general list of all of the best Black Friday TV deals. 65 inches seems to be the sweet spot for most people — it's not so small that it looks like a monitor in your living room, but not so obnoxiously big that it barely fits on the TV stand. But typing "65-inch TVs on sale" into the search bar is the most chaotic way you could go about it — especially since I've already done the chaotic part for you.
SEE ALSO: The best Black Friday streaming bundle has arrived: Get Disney+ and Hulu for only $4.99/monthI sifted through all of the 65-inch TVs on sale across the major retailers to compile a list of the best 65-inch TV deals most worth your money. You have serious options: Every single TV named in Mashable's list of the best 65-inch TVs of 2025 is at record-low pricing. I'm also blown away by the number of ultra-affordable QLED TVs under $500 this year.
Regardless of your budget, there are a ton of opportunities to bring a 65-inch home for what you'd normally pay for a way smaller screen at another time of the year. Here are the best Black Friday 65-inch TV deals live as of Nov. 26:
Best Black Friday 65-inch QLED TV deal Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL 65-inch QM8K Mini LED QLED 4K TV $899.99 at Best BuyAmidst all of the fancy QLED TVs that Samsung, LG, and Sony offer, the internet pretty unanimously agrees that the TCL QM8K Mini LED TV is the best QLED TV for most people. It's incredibly bright — even brighter than last year's QM8 version, which was consistently regarded as the brightest TV of 2024.
While we can thank the quantum dot layer over the backlight for much of that brightness, it's the actual mini LED backlight itself that makes the QM8K's picture so punchy. The full-array local dimming offers much better lighting precision and stark contrast than non-Mini LED QLEDs, and TCL's anti-halo effect really works in dark scenes.
Camelcamelcamel confirms that this is indeed a new record-low for this TV, hitting more than 50% off at Best Buy and Amazon for Black Friday.
SEE ALSO: What is camelcamelcamel? Just our secret weapon for finding the lowest prices on Amazon. Best Black Friday 65-inch OLED TV deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 65-inch S95F OLED 4K TV $2,299.99 at Best BuyThe LG C5 OLED being our pick for the best OLED TV you can buy in 2025 doesn't automatically mean it's the best Black Friday OLED TV deal you can buy in 2025. Yes, the $1,399.99 sale price on the 65-inch C5 is a steal — but it's not exactly a special Black Friday price, considering this model has been $1,399.99 at Amazon since October (according to camelcamelcamel's price history tracking).
We think the best authentic Black Friday-exclusive sale on a 65-inch OLED TV is the 65-inch Samsung S95F. Its wickedly good reflection handling in bright rooms makes it our runner-up pick for the best OLED TV to buy this year, and its $1,000-off discount actually does bring it to a new record-low price of $2,299. You'll also get a free $100 gift card just for buying it at Best Buy.
More 65-inch TVs on sale at Best BuyHisense 65-inch QD6 QLED 4K TV — $329.99 $499.99 (save $170)
TCL 65-inch QM8K Mini LED QLED 4K TV — $499.99 $999.99 (save $500)
LG 65-inch UA77 4K TV — $379.99 $499.99 (save $120)
Samsung 65-inch QN65 QLED 4K TV — $448 $599.99 (save $151.99)
LG 65-inch 70A QNED AI 4K TV — $449.99 $579.99 (save $130)
TCL 65-inch QM6K Mini LED QLED 4K TV — $499.99 $999.99 (save $500)
Samsung 65-inch QN70F Mini LED QLED 4K TV — $799.99 $1,199.99 (save $400)
Samsung 65-inch S84F OLED 4K TV — $899.99 $1,999.99 (save $1,100)
TCL 65-inch QM8K Mini LED QLED 4K TV — $899.99 $2,499.99 (save $1,600)
LG 65-inch B5 OLED 4K TV — $999.99 $1,999.99 (save $1,000)
Samsung 65-inch The Frame QLED 4K TV (2024) — $999.99 $1,999.99 (save $1,000)
Samsung 65-inch The Frame QLED 4K TV (2025) — $1,199.99 $1,799.99 (save $600)
Samsung 65-inch S90F OLED 4K TV — $1,399.99 $2,499.99 (save $1,100)
Samsung 65-inch The Frame Pro QLED 4K TV — $1,599.99 $2,199.99 (save $600)
LG 65-inch G5 OLED AI 4K TV — $1,999.99 $3,399.99 (save $1,400)
Samsung 65-inch S95F OLED 4K TV — $2,299.99 $3,299.99 (save $1,000)
Insignia 65-inch QF QLED 4K Fire TV — $299.99 $499.99 (save $200)
Amazon 65-inch Omni 4K Fire TV — $449.99 $669.99 (save $220)
Hisense 65-inch U6 Mini LED QLED 4K TV — $547.99 $847.99 (save $300)
Samsung 65-inch Q8F QLED 4K TV — $697.99 $897.99 (save $200)
Roku 65-inch Pro Series Mini LED QLED 4K TV — $797.99 $1,199.99 (save $402)
Hisense 65-Inch S7N Canvas QLED 4K TV — $897.99 $1,297.99 (save $400)
Hisense 65-inch U8 Mini LED QLED 4K TV — $997.99 $1,498 (save $500.01)
Vizio 65-inch Quantum QLED 4K TV — $378 $498 (save $120)
Samsung 65-inch Q6F QLED 4K TV — $448 $599.99 (save $151.99)
OpenAI vigorously denied allegations against the company that it was responsible for the suicide death of Adam Raine, according to a new response filed in court Tuesday.
Raine died in April 2025, following heavy engagement with ChatGPT that included detailed discussions of his suicidal thinking. The 16-year-old's family sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in August, alleging that ChatGPT validated his suicidal thinking and provided him explicit instructions on how he could die. It even proposed writing a suicide note for Raine, his parents claim.
In its first answer to the Raine family's allegations, OpenAI argues that ChatGPT didn't contribute to Adam's death. Instead, the company pinpoints his behavior, along with his mental health history, as the driving force in his death, which is described in the filing as a "tragedy."
SEE ALSO: Experts: AI chatbots unsafe for teen mental healthOpenAI claims that Raine's complete chat history indicated that ChatGPT directed him more than 100 times to seek help for his suicidal feelings, and that he failed to "heed warnings, obtain help, or otherwise exercise reasonable care." The company also argues that people around Raine didn't "respond to his obvious signs of distress."
Additionally, Raine allegedly told ChatGPT that a new depression medication heightened his suicidal thinking. The unnamed drug has a black box warning for increasing suicidal ideation amongst teens, according to the filing.
OpenAI alleges that Raine searched for and found detailed information about suicide elsewhere online, including from another AI platform. The company also faults Raine for talking to ChatGPT about suicide, a violation of the platform's usage policies, and for trying to circumvent guardrails to obtain information about suicide methods. OpenAI, however, does not shut down conversations about suicide.
"To the extent that any 'cause' can be attributed to this tragic event, Plaintiffs' alleged injuries and harm were caused or contributed to, directly and proximately, in whole or in part, by Adam Raine’s misuse, unauthorized use, unintended use, unforeseeable use, and/or improper use of ChatGPT."
Jay Edelson, the lead attorney in the Raines' wrongful death lawsuit, described OpenAI's response as "disturbing."
"[O]penAI tries to find fault in everyone else, including, amazingly, by arguing that Adam himself violated its terms and conditions by engaging with ChatGPT in the very way it was programmed to act," Edelson said in a statement.
He noted that the company's response doesn't address various claims in the lawsuit, including that the previous GPT-4o model, which Raine used, was allegedly released to the public "without full testing" for market competition reasons, and that the company altered its guidelines to allow ChatGPT to engage in discussions about self-harm.
The company has also admitted that it needed to improve ChatGPT's response to sensitive conversations, including those about mental health. Altman publicly acknowledged that the GPT-4o model was too "sycophantic."
Some of the safety measures OpenAI cites in its filings, including parental controls and an expert-staffed well-being advisory council, were introduced after Raine's death.
In a blog post published Tuesday, OpenAI said it aimed to respond to lawsuits involving mental health with care, transparency, and respect.
The company added that it was reviewing new legal filings, which include seven lawsuits against it alleging ChatGPT use led to wrongful death, assisted suicide, and involuntary manslaughter, among other liability and negligence claims. The complaints were filed in November by the Tech Justice Law Project and Social Media Victims Law Center.
Six of the cases involve adults. The seventh case centers on 17-year-old Amaurie Lacey, who originally used ChatGPT as a homework helper. Lacey eventually shared suicidal thoughts with the chatbot, which allegedly provided detailed information that Lacey used to kill himself.
A recent review of major AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, conducted by adolescent mental health experts found that none of them were safe enough to use for discussing mental health concerns. The experts called on the makers of those chatbots — Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google — to disable the functionality for mental health support until the chatbot technology is redesigned to fix the safety problems identified by its researchers.
If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat. Here is a list of international resources.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Black Friday is in full swing. While the annual shopping event doesn't technically start until Nov. 28, plenty of retailers like Amazon and Best Buy's sales kicked off the savings early in 2025 and have already delivered the lowest prices of the year. Samsung deals are particularly delivering, with all-time lows on several Galaxy phones, tablets, and watches, monitors, TVs, and more. This is hardly surprising, though, as Samsung is one of the brands we regularly see big discounts on during major shopping events.
On Black Friday proper, we're still hoping for some larger price drops on Samsung's foldables and earbuds, most categories already have standout discounts on hot ticket items. For instance, the 2025 Frame and Frame Pro TVs are at record lows, as is every iteration of the Galaxy Watch 8, Galaxy Tab S10 Lite, S10 FE, and S10 FE+, and Galaxy Tab S11.
Read on for a rundown of the best Samsung deals live ahead of Black Friday, and stay tuned as the season unfolds. We'll update this list with any new discounts that pop up
Note: Deals with a 🔥 next to them have dropped to record-low prices.
Best early Black Friday Samsung Galaxy phone deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (512GB, unlocked) $1,019.99 at AmazonOne of the top dogs of the Samsung Galaxy phone lineup, the S25 Ultra with 512GB of storage, has dropped to a new best price ever for Black Friday. If you're already sporting an S24 model, you probably can skip this upgrade, but if you're rocking an older handset and want to catch up with the times, this 2025 release is a great choice. It's a bit heavy on the AI, but it's got a lot of other perks, including a nearly 27-hour battery life that keeps you from being tethered to an outlet. It features an incredibly powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, a new 50 MP ultra-wide lens, a fun "Now Brief" widget and other S25 Ultra-exclusive AI features, and new curved edges and a lighter build. Grabbing an unlocked model at Amazon saves you the trouble of coordinating a trade-in or data plan at a specific carrier. Plus, it's a lot cheaper at $1,057.91.
Best early Black Friday Samsung computing deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G6 OLED gaming monitor $749.99 at AmazonSamsung released the new Odyssey G6 OLED monitor over the summer — the first-ever gaming monitor with a 500Hz refresh rate. And for Black Friday, you can get it for its best price yet. Besides its wildly fast refresh rate, it also features a QHD resolution (2,560 x 1440) with a 16:9 aspect ratio, an ultra-quick 0.03ms response time, a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, support for both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync, and a QD-OLED panel that's glare-free and Pantone Validated. It also has plenty of ports for your peripherals, including two HDMI 2.1 ports, three USB ports, and a single DisplayPort 1.4 port. You can find the Black Friday deal on the 27-inch monitor (the only size it comes in) at both Amazon and Best Buy. At the time of writing, it's $50 more at Samsung's own website.
Samsung Galaxy phone dealsSamsung Galaxy S25 FE (128GB, unlocked) — $474.99 $649.99 (save $175) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE (256GB, unlocked) — $534.99 $709.99 (save $175) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy S25 (128GB, unlocked) — $674.99 $799.99 (save $125)
Samsung Galaxy S25 (256GB, unlocked) — $734.99 $859.99 (save $125)
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (256GB, unlocked) — $899.99 $1,299.99 (save $400)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 (512GB, unlocked) — $952.05 $1,219.99 (save $267.94)
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (512GB, unlocked) — $1,019.99 $1,419.99 (save $400) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 (256GB, unlocked) — $1,599.99 $1,999.99 (save $400)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 (512GB, unlocked) — $1,719.99 $2,119.99 (save $400) 🔥
Samsung 14-inch Galaxy Chromebook Go (Intel Celeron N4500, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) — $184.99 $299.99 (save $115) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (64GB, WiFi) — $149 $219.99 (save $70.99)
Samsung 14-inch Galaxy Chromebook Go (Intel Celeron N4500, 4GB RAM, 128GB eMMc) — $149.99 $329.99 (save $180)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (128GB, WiFi) — $199 $269.99 (save $70.99)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (128GB, WiFi) — $229.99 $399.99 (save $170) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Lite (128GB, WiFi) — $249.99 $349.99 (save $100) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Lite (256GB, WiFi) — $319.99 $419.99 (save $100) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE (128GB, WiFi) — $359.99 $499.99 (save $140) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE (256GB, WiFi) — $429.99 $569.99 (save $140) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (128GB, WiFi) — $469.99 $649.99 (save $180)🔥
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ (256GB, WiFi) — $569.99 $749.99 (save $180) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 (128GB, WiFi) — $649.99 $799.99 (save $150) 🔥
Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 (256GB, WiFi) — $709.99 $859.99 (save $150) 🔥
Samsung 15.6-inch Galaxy Book5 360 (Intel Core Ultra 7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,049.99 $1,349.99 (save $300)
Samsung 16-inch Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 (Intel Core 7 Ultra, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,299.99 $1,699.99 (save $400)
Samsung 32-inch Odyssey G5 curved gaming monitor — $199.99 $329.99 (save $130) 🔥
Samsung 34-inch Odyssey G5 ultra-wide gaming monitor — $259.99 $399.99 (save $140) 🔥
Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G5 QD-OLED gaming monitor — $399.99 $549.99 (save $150) 🔥
Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G6 OLED gaming monitor — $749.99 $999.99 (save $250) 🔥
Samsung 49-inch G93SC Odyssey OLED curved gaming monitor — $898 $1,599.99 (save $701.99) 🔥
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Samsung 57-inch G95NC Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor — $1,492.68 $2,299.99 (save $807.31)
Samsung 50-inch U7900 4K TV — $229.99 $329.99 (save $100)
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Samsung 75-inch Q6F QLED 4K TV — $599.99 $899.99 (save $300)
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Samsung Galaxy Buds FE — $59.99 $99.99 (save $40)
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Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE — $109.99 $149.99 (save $40)
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro — $159.99 $249.99 (save $90)
Samsung Galaxy Ring — $279.99 $399.99 (save $120)
I write about all things laptops here at Mashable, and after spending hours digging through tech retailers' Black Friday sales, I'm delighted by the deals I'm seeing so far. A bunch of the best laptops we've tested are now on sale at steep discounts. That includes my top picks for most people, plus some more niche options in the budget, OLED, ultraportable, gaming, and dual-screen categories. You're not just saving a ton of money on laptops this holiday season — you're saving a ton of money on some truly great laptops.
SEE ALSO: Black Friday 2025: Live updates on the latest deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and moreBlack Friday always coaxes out some of the best laptop deals of the whole year, so no surprises here. It's partly because retailers know that people are looking for good, giftable buys ahead of the holidays, but it's also because they're trying to offload their current inventories ahead of next-gen refreshes at the start of the following year. Enter: Record-low prices on MacBooks, Windows laptops, gaming PCs, and Chromebooks. Voila: An upgrade that's normally out of your budget is suddenly affordable.
Below, I've detailed the 14 top Black Friday laptop deals I've scouted so far. I've only picked the models that I'd happily add to my own cart if I was in the market for a new PC, because they've all been tested and vetted by the Mashable team.
The M4 Apple MacBook AirsApple's latest MacBook Air is lightweight, quiet, and faster than 83% of the laptops in our entire testing database — it's a really impressive ultraportable. The 15-inch model is my top pick for most people, but the 13-inch model is great for college students and other users who want something a little cheaper and more portable. Both sizes were regularly on sale on Amazon for $200 off earlier this fall, and I really didn't think they'd get any cheaper at this point in their life cycles (considering they're still well under a year old). Shockingly, they're now $250 off at Amazon and Best Buy.
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $749 at Amazon and Best BuyThe all-new MacBook Pro is my splurge pick if you want an Apple laptop with even more power, a brighter 120Hz display, more ports for creative work, and crazy-good stamina. (At 21 hours and 17 minutes, it has the longest battery life of any MacBook we've ever tried.) It debuted in mid-October at a starting price of $1,599 to a rave review from our tech editor. Right now, the base configuration with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is just $1,399 at Amazon and Best Buy — a whopping $200 off. That's a massive discount on a brand-spanking-new laptop.
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $1,399 at Amazon and Best BuyIf you're in the market for a dirt-cheap-but-not-too-outdated MacBook, Best Buy has a refurbished 13-inch M2 MacBook Air from 2022 on sale for just $499.99. Walmart is selling the older M1 model for $549 as part of its Black Friday programming, so this is a genuine steal. It has a better 1080p FaceTime camera, a lighter design, and a bigger, brighter, display compared to its predecessor, and it runs about 15% faster. Since it only comes with 8GB of RAM, it's best suited for simple everyday tasks like web browsing and sending emails.
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $499.99 at Best BuyMicrosoft's current flagship laptop is a well-rounded machine with a virtually unrivaled 23-hour battery life, speedy everyday performance, amazing build quality, and an elegant, lightweight design. The 13.8-inch model with a Snapdragon X Elite CPU is my favorite Windows laptop for most people, and the silver model with my ideal daily driver setup (16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage) is down to an all-time low of $869.99 for Black Friday 2025. It usually sells for $1,399.99, so you're saving 38%. Meanwhile, it's $999.99 at Best Buy and on Microsoft's website.
Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $869.99 at AmazonThis $699.99 Windows laptop wowed me with its 17-hour battery life, great mix of ports, relatively lightweight frame, 120Hz touchscreen, and peppy performance. (It's the fastest sub-$900 laptop we've reviewed.) Amazon has it on sale for just $449.99, or 36% off.
Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Aspire 16 AI (Snapdragon X, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $449.99 at AmazonThe Zenbook A14 is an awesome MacBook Air alternative with a beauteous OLED display, a 22-hour battery life, and a lightweight but sturdy design. It's actually 0.3 pounds lighter than a 13-inch MacBook Air (and it starts with double the storage for the same price). Best Buy's 45% Black Friday discount brings it down to just $549.99, which is a new all-time low.
Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus Zenbook A14 (Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $549.99 at Best BuyIf you can shell out an extra $250, you'll get an even nicer OLED display in the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x. It has a higher 3K resolution than the Zenbook A14, a better 90Hz refresh rate, and added touchscreen capabilities. It's a teensy bit faster, too, and it doesn't sacrifice much battery life — I got almost 20 hours out of it in my testing. Best Buy currently sells the base model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $ 799.99, down from its usual price of $ 1,299.99. A 1TB version is available on Lenovo's website for $929.99, or 27% off.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $799.99 at Best BuyThe AMD-powered Lenovo LOQ 15 is "the perfect starter gaming laptop," says Mashable tech editor Timothy Beck Werth; he's been working through his first Cyberpunk 2077 run on an RTX 5060 configuration. I can't find that one listed anywhere, but this RTX 5050 model is on sale for just $799.99 during Lenovo's Black Friday sale (or 33% off). It should be capable of running most graphically demanding AAA games at 60fps on a 1080p resolution. It features a 144Hz refresh rate and a spacious anti-ghosting backlit keyboard, plus a healthy terabyte of storage.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD Ryzen 7 250, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $799.99 at LenovoThe ROG Zephyrus G14 is the ultimate non-gamey gaming laptop: With a 3.3-pound, 0.6-inch thin aluminum design and a beautiful 3K OLED display, it could easily be confused with a silver MacBook Pro. We tested an AMD model with RTX 4060 graphics last year, and I found the next-gen version on sale for only $1,299.99 at Best Buy. It usually retails for $1,799.99, so you pocket $500 in savings.
Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (AMD Ryzen 9 270, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,299.99 at Best BuyThe Alienware 16X Aurora is my favorite gaming laptop for most people. It's an excellent mid-ranger featuring a 2.5K 240Hz matte display, a satisfying keyboard with one-zone RGB backlighting, and an attractive, port-packed design. The $1,999.99 variant I tested has a high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, an RTX 5070 GPU, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of storage, and it's not on sale just yet. However, the same model with double the storage is only $1,699.99 at Best Buy (normally $2,099.99). That's a 19% savings.
Opens in a new window Credit: Dell Alienware 16X Aurora (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) $1,699.99 at Best BuyIf you need more screen space than a regular laptop offers but don't love the idea of hauling around a separate monitor, allow me to introduce you to the latest Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. It's a gorgeous dual-screen laptop with twin 2.8K 120Hz OLED displays, a smooth detachable keyboard, and a zippy processor. (It's actually slightly speedier than an M4 MacBook Pro.)
This laptop is usually priced at $2,079.99, but Lenovo has it on sale for just $1,559.99 — a 25% savings. It's a better value than ever, especially when you add the fact that its matching mouse, stylus, keyboard case, and protective sleeve case are all included.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,559.99 at LenovoLenovo's convertible Chromebook Plus is my favorite Chromebook for most buyers because of its stellar build quality, decent performance, great speakers, and nice keyboard. There are two configurations available for $599: One with an Intel Core i5-1334U processor and 256GB of storage (which we tested), and another with a less powerful Intel Core i3-1315U processor and 128GB of storage. The latter is obviously a worse value at full price, but Best Buy is currently selling it for $349 (or $250 off), making it a great option for budget shoppers with basic needs.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (Intel Core i3-1315U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $349 at Best BuyAcer's all-new Chromebook Plus Spin 514 features an unrivaled 18-hour battery life and a fast processor (relatively speaking) with an NPU that supports two exclusive AI features. I've tried the Best Buy-exclusive configuration that has 12GB of memory and a 120Hz touchscreen display, which retails for $699, and I'm kind of obsessed with it. It's overkill for most Chromebook users, sure, but it's definitely worth considering if you want a high-end, super-future-proofed model — especially now that it's $100 off for Black Friday. It's never been on sale before.
Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599 at AcerTL;DR: Live stream Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich in the Champions League for free on Virgin Media Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
There are a number of really exciting Champions League matchups this week, including Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich. This fixture can claim to be the "game of the round." Both teams are top of their respective domestic leagues and tied at the top of the Champions League standings after winning every game. Something has got to give when they come together in London.
If you want to watch Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich?Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Nov. 26. This fixture takes place at the Emirates Stadium.
How to watch Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich for freeArsenal vs. Bayern Munich is available to live stream for free on Virgin Media Player.
Virgin Media Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock Virgin Media Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland
Visit Virgin Media Player
Watch Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for Virgin Media Player?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Virgin Media Player, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Ireland
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.
Media server Plex announced in March that it would put an end to free remote streaming, but hasn't yet put the new changes into effect. That changes this week as Plex plans to pull the plug on free remote streaming from the Roku app first, with the rest of its supported platforms coming in early 2026.
The change impacts people who use the company’s personal media servers. Until now, a person could set up a server, set it to stream remotely, and access that server from anywhere. In addition, that person could give their credentials to friends and family members and they could stream from the remote server as well. This was all free of charge.
SEE ALSO: What's new to streaming this week? (Nov. 21, 2025)Under the new system, people can still do all of the above, they just need to have a subscription in order to do it. Customers have two subscriptions to choose from. The first is the typical Plex Pass subscription, which just saw a price increase in April to $6.99 per month. Plex’s second option was made just for this occasion. It’s called the Remote Watch Pass, and it costs $2 per year.
For the Remote Watch Pass, each person who wants to access the remote server needs to have one. Thus, if you’re sharing your personal server with four people, each of those four people need a Remote Watch Pass. Remote streaming from within your home network is still free, so you can still set up a server on your PC and stream it to your phone from across the house.
“This price increase will ensure that we can keep investing dedicated resources in developing new features, while supporting and growing your favorites,” Plex said in a blog post.
The inclusion of a subscription may chase away some users who used Plex for the free personal media server. For those folks, your best bet at a replacement is Jellyfin. It’s a free, open-source media server that you can stream remotely, but it does take a little extra configuration than something like Plex.
PAY $1 FOR A DAY OF ESPN, FREEFORM, OTHER CHANNELS WITHOUT CABLE: For Black Friday, Sling TV has slashed the price of its Orange package day passes from $5 to $1 between Friday, Nov. 28 and Sunday, Nov. 30.
Opens in a new window Credit: Sling TV Sling TV Orange Day Pass $1YouTube TV and Disney may have squashed their beef, but it's no secret that a decent number of frustrated YouTube TV subscribers ditched their subscriptions when Disney-owned channels went missing. If you're one of those people — or you just don't care to pay for many streaming services in general — we have a really cheap Black Friday streaming deal for you: Sling TV day passes are $1 instead of $5 for Friday through Sunday of Cyber Weekend.
SEE ALSO: 50+ of the best Black Friday TV deals in 2025: Score huge savings on Samsung, TCL, and HisenseThe humble Sling TV daily pass went a little viral as an affordable way to watch Monday Night Football on ESPN during the Disney blackout on YouTube TV. The $1 Sling pass isn't helpful for MNF on Dec. 1, as the deal expires on Dec. 1 at 1 a.m. MT. However, there's still some major live college football streaming and holiday movie watching to be done through the 30+ Sling TV Orange package channels like ESPN, TBS, TNT, AMC, and Freeform. The $1 Sling day pass covers all Orange channels for the full 24 hours.
College football games to watch with a $1 Sling TV day pass this weekendUtah @ Kansas — 12 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 28, ESPN
Temple @ North Texas — 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 28, ESPN
Texas Tech @ West Virginia — 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, ESPN
Houston @ Baylor 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, TNT
UCF @ BYU — 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, ESPN2
Vanderbilt @ Tennessee — 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, ESPN
Florida State @ Florida — 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, ESPN2
Virginia Tech @ Virginia — 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, ESPN
SMU @ California — 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, ESPN2
Notre Dame @ Stanford — 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, ESPN
Aside from football, channels like TBS, AMC, and Freefrom have a solid lineup of classic movies slated for the weekend. Let's say you've been itching to watch Elf, but don't have an HBO Max subscription — you can pay $1 to watch it on TNT on Saturday. Here are a few upcoming holiday or generally cozy options:
Four Christmases — 4 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 28, TBS
The Polar Express — 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, TNT
Elf — 8 and 10 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 28, TBS
Cars, Cars 2, and Cars 3 — starting at 1 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 28, Freeform
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas — 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday. Nov 28, Freeform
A Christmas Story — 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, TNT
Wonka — 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, TBS
Finding Nemo — 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, Freeform
National Lampoon Christmas Vacation — 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 29, TNT
Christmas with the Kranks — 5, 7, and 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 30, AMC
Coco — 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 30, Freeform
Well, folks, it's that time of year. Holiday cheer, a big ol' bird on the table, walking the tightrope of polite conversation, and, most horrifyingly, praying to high heavens that your Thanksgiving air travel plans go off without a hitch.
If you're one of the projected 82 million Americans traveling domestically this week, you're in luck. So far, according to USA Today, flight cancellations are low this week, despite general fears that the recent government shutdown would lead to travel woes. This comes a few weeks after the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered a 10 percent cut in flights at 40 U.S. airports due to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Thousands of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents went to work without pay for over a month, Reuters reported at the time. But thankfully, after 43 long days, the shutdown ended just in time for Thanksgiving travel.
But the government shutdown isn't the only thing that might cause a bump in your holiday travel. The FAA expects this to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel week in 15 years, and typical weather and mechanical issues are sure to arise, particularly with winter storms moving into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region — sorry, Chicago travelers.
How to check your flight status onlineThis is something you should absolutely do before you leave for the airport. There's not much worse than zipping up your suitcase, locking up your house, making the trek to the airport, and finding your way through security and to your gate only to find out you could have stayed in pajamas the whole time. Before you head to the airport, always check the airport website or your airline's website.
We also recommend downloading your airline's app, which makes it easy to check for updates on the fly. Finally, to check on a specific flight or route, you can use sites like Flight Aware and Flight Tracker. If the plane you're taking to Wichita is delayed on its way into Atlanta, these tools can help you anticipate likely delays.
Thanksgiving flight cancellation trends so farOverall, flight cancellations are on the low side this year, according to a CNN report, but that can change fast.
Flight Tracker has a tool called the Misery Map, which shows which airports are experiencing the most delays and cancellations. As of Wednesday, Nov. 26, Chicago O'Hare International Airport has far more issues than any other airport, per Flight Tracker. The airports with the most delays and cancellations so far include:
Chicago O'Hare (ORD)
Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Minneapolis–Saint Paul (MSP)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Denver (DEN)
La Guardia New York City (LGA)
Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX)
George Bush Intercontinental Airport Houston (IAH)
Boston Logan (BOS)
If your flight is canceled, congratulations: You now have the perfect complaint to make over Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone will agree with you when you say something like, "Traveling during the holidays, am I right?"
Now you need to get to work. If you're still at home when you find out your flight is canceled, head to the airport website or your airline's website. Check if you're owed a refund or other types of compensation. Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Transportation has a dashboard that shows you exactly what airlines owe you in the event of a cancellation. Check the DOT's Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard to make sure you get everything you're entitled to.
Next, you've got to figure out your next move. Can you take a train to your destination, or rent a car? Is there another airline you can switch to? Or are you going to take your refund, head back home, and order dinner in lieu of navigating travel? Move quickly in situations like this, as rental cars and other flights can fill up quickly.
As always, no matter what travel issue ails you this holiday season, be nice to the people airline workers trying to get you across the country. And you just might want to show up at the airport a bit earlier than usual to wade your way through the inevitable lines.
Being a consumer has been challenging over the past few years. Between a global pandemic and sweeping tariffs, wallets have taken repeated hits — but for PC hobbyists right now, it might actually be the worst moment to start building a rig.
New reporting from Ars Technica lays out just how dire the situation has become, showing that prices for essential PC components, such as RAM and SSDs, have skyrocketed. The culprit is the ongoing AI boom, with data centers reportedly consuming the world’s supply of memory and storage hardware, driving prices straight into the stratosphere.
SEE ALSO: The best SSD for gamingTake the Patriot Viper Venom 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR5-6000 kit, which increased from $49 to $110 — a 124.5 percent rise — between August and November 2025. Or the Team Delta RGB 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5-6400, which skyrocketed from $190 to $700, a staggering 268.4 percent spike. At the time of this writing, the Team Delta RAM kit priced has "dropped" with its highest recent retail price topping out at a jaw-dropping $1,049 just a week ago.
SSD prices have crept upward, too, though they haven’t entered panic territory yet. RAM, however, is a different story. If you’re eyeing an upgrade, you may want to sit tight for a bit.
As Ars Technica points out, memory and storage shortages are notoriously difficult to manage because chip manufacturing depends on years of advance planning. The supply we’re dealing with today is the result of production decisions made long before the current AI-driven surge in demand. That inherent lag makes the memory market especially prone to violent price swings.
The pandemic offered a perfect example. Manufacturers were blindsided by the sudden, massive spike in demand for PCs and consumer tech in 2020 and 2021, only to watch that demand crater once buying habits normalized. PC sales soared, plummeted, then stabilized — all within a few years. Volatility like that makes long-term planning almost impossible for memory suppliers.
Until the supply of RAM catches up to the appetite of data centers and AI developers, anyone looking to boost their RAM is probably best off waiting for the market to cool down rather than paying the current premium.
AI company Anthropic released its latest flagship AI model, Claude Opus 4.5, this week. Opus is considered one of the best AI models out there for developers looking to ramp up their coding output or to create AI agents.
So, what does the latest model, Opus 4.5, bring to the table?
As expected, Opus 4.5 performs exceptionally well on the various AI model benchmark tests. As TechCrunch points out, Opus 4.5 is the first model to score over 80 percent on SWE-Bench verified, which the outlet calls a "respected coding benchmark."
It seems like Opus 4.5 likely becomes the preferred AI model for vibe coders as well as experienced programmers with the way it performed on these tests. And Anthropic is further driving that by bringing additional upgrades to its Claude Code product.
SEE ALSO: Streaming just got cheaper: Score Black Friday deals on HBO Max, Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and moreAccording to Anthropic, along with Opus 4.5, Claude Code will receive two more upgrades. Anthropic says that Claude Code's Plan Mode "now builds more precise plans and executes more thoroughly" and is now available in its desktop app, which allows users to run multiple sessions at once. Anthropic provides an example of having one AI agent fix a bug while another one researches GitHub.
SEE ALSO: 85+ Black Friday deals: We found record-low prices on AirPods, MacBooks, Samsung TVs, and KindlesIn addition, Anthropic is more broadly rolling out two other products, Claude for Chrome and Claude for Excel, to more subscribers. Opus 4.5 will be able to showcase its multitasking prowess in these products as users can provide AI agents with parallel tasks in their browser or in their spreadsheets.
Opus 4.5 also brings some memory upgrades to the AI model which will now give users the ability to chat without limits. Clause will now summarize earlier conversations and will allow users to continue a single chat thread for as long as they'd like.
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