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A tribally owned network of chargers will soon be complete, connecting reservations and bridging a gap in the Midwest.

Silicon Valley has increasingly pointed at rapid digital changes to blunt government efforts to rein in its power.

Amazon's Black Friday 2025 sale is just around the corner. It officially kicks off on Nov. 20, a full week ahead of Thanksgiving, and runs through Cyber Monday on Dec. 1. But like most Amazon shopping events, deals started pouring in in early November on Apple products, Lego, outdoor gear, and lots of tech.

Avid shoppers keeping their eyes on exclusive deals can enjoy a breezy shopping experience throughout Black Friday and Cyber Monday, thanks to Amazon's flexible payment options. Customers are no longer limited to debit and credit cards or Amazon gift cards. If you're an Apple loyalist, you can also use Apple Pay to make purchases on Amazon this holiday season.

SEE ALSO: Black Friday shopping? Here's how to use your Visa gift card on Amazon.

Apple Pay is compatible with most — but not all — vendors on Amazon, making it even easier to secure deals in just a few taps. You can use it in place of a traditional card payment whenever possible by following the steps below.

How to use Apple Pay on Amazon

Step 1: Set up Apple Pay on iPhone. If you haven't already, add your debit or credit card to your iPhone's digital wallet to set up Apple Pay on your mobile device.

Step 2: Open the Amazon app.

Step 3: Add items to your cart and go to checkout. If your vendor accepts Apple Pay, you'll see it under payment options (you can use the method only if you have linked a card to your iPhone's Wallet app); select Apple Pay.

Step 4: Confirm your address and payment details.

Step 5: Once Apple Pay's payment authenticator pops up on your screen, use your Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate the purchase.

Step 6: Confirm payment to finish the process.

How to use an Apple Card to make payments on Amazon

If you choose to make a purchase from a third-party vendor that doesn't accept Apple Pay, you can work around it by using your Apple Card instead. The process is fairly straightforward.

Step 1: Make sure you add your Apple Card to the Wallet app on your iPhone by clicking on the + symbol.

Step 2: Now, go to the Amazon app.

Step 3: You'll find four clickable options at the bottom of the home screen. Start the process by clicking on the Account icon, which is right next to the homepage icon.

Step 4: A new app page will appear. Tap on Your Account to access account details.

Step 5: Scroll down on the page until you see the Payments section and click on Your Payments.

Step 6: Another page with all your linked cards and bank accounts will appear on the app. Go to the Wallet tab and press +Add.

Step 7: Click on Add a credit or debit card and input your Apple Card details.

Step 8: Finally, click on Add and continue to finish the process. Now, you can use your Apple Card to make purchases on Amazon.

Waymo has some competition in San Francisco — Amazon-owned Zoox just launched in the City by the Bay.

Zoox, known for its toaster-shaped, carriage-style vehicles that lack steering wheels, launched its Zoox Explorers program today. Explorers is an early initiative that allows riders to try Zoox for free, with the company hoping to elicit feedback on the experience. Riders are required to download the Zoox app and add their names to a waitlist. Once chosen for the Explorers service, riders can travel around select San Francisco neighborhoods, including SoMa and the Mission.

SEE ALSO: Smooth, silent, strange: What it's really like to hail a robotaxi

"Zoox has been testing our autonomous technology in San Francisco since 2017," Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said in a statement. "It's our home. A city of innovation and progress, with an amazing mobility ecosystem that we feel Zoox can really complement. We have seen incredible interest in Zoox in this market and are excited about this first step to bring our purpose-built robotaxi experience to more people."

Zoox began in San Francisco in 2014, before Amazon acquired the company in 2020 for $1.3 billion.

Zoox is currently operating a similar service in Las Vegas, where riders can travel for free to limited locations as a precursor to a more expanded service. Zoox has had few safety incidents since launching in Las Vegas in September, but was previously the subject of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration probe after sudden braking by the vehicles caused a crash, as well as injuries involving motorcyclists. Zoom officials stated that a program update resolved the ghost braking issue.

Driverless Waymos are already ubiquitous in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Waymo, part of the Google empire, recently announced that its vehicles will soon be able to ride on freeways in the areas where it currently operates.

SAVE $800: As of Nov. 18, get the LG 45-inch Ultragear OLED curved gaming monitor for $899.99, down from its usual price of $1,699.99. That's a discount of 47% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon LG 45-inch Ultragear OLED curved gaming monitor $899.99 at Amazon
$1,699.99 Save $800   Get Deal

Looking for an easy way to make your favorite video games pop? A new monitor will do the trick nicely. If you're ready to indulge in a new addition to your setup, it might be time to treat yourself to a massive display that can give you those improvements you've been craving, especially since you can get one for an excellent price right now at Amazon.

As of Nov. 18, get the LG 45-inch Ultragear OLED curved gaming monitor for $899.99, down from its usual price of $1,699.99. That's $800 off and a discount of 47%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: The best monitors in 2025

This massive 45-inch monitor boasts an 800R curve with a peak brightness of up to 1300 nits. It also has a 240Hz refresh rate with a 0.03ms response time, so your games are fast and smooth without lag. That all amounts to better play and even better-looking games in general. Of course, it's also compatible with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync, so you have improved frame sync on both PC and consoles.

Its OLED picture ensures deeper, darker hues as well as colors that pop. Additionally, low glare and a flicker-free display gives you a more crisp, clear look at what's happening on your screen. Because you absolutely need fewer distractions if you're getting your game on, after all.

This monitor is a great way to give your setup a leg up, especially at its significantly lower price, so grab it while you still can.

SAVE $401.99: The 55-inch LG Class B4 Series OLED 4K TV is on sale at Walmart for $698, down from the normal price of $1,099.99. That's a 37% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG 55-inch LG Class B4 Series OLED 4K TV $698 at Walmart
$1,099.99 Save $401.99   Get Deal

Now that it's dark by 4 p.m. and we're all ready for bed at 5 p.m., we're spending those remaining evening hours streaming our comfort TV shows. But not all TVs are worthy of your favorite shows and it's possible the bedroom TV's quality isn't quite as nice as the main TV in the house. If a TV in your home could use a 55-inch upgrade, check out this deal.

As of Nov. 18, the 55-inch LG Class B4 Series OLED 4K TV is on sale at Walmart for $698, marked down from the normal price of $1,099.99. That's a massive 37% discount that takes $401.99 off the list price.

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A 55-inch TV is ideal for a bedroom, smaller rec room, or a studio apartment. But just because it's not a massive 75-inch or larger TV doesn't mean it needs to skimp on quality. LG makes some of the best high-end TVs and this sale model is no exception.

The 4K LG TV uses the brand's α8 AI Processor which automatically detects what you're watching an adjusts to the best display possible. Plus, it could be an ideal model if you tend to move each year or once every few years since it only weighs 32 pounds with the stand.

SEE ALSO: This 100-inch Hisense QLED TV just hit a new all-time low

With a 120Hz refresh rate, four HDMI 2.1 ports, NVIDIA G-Sync, and AMD FreeSync Premium, you'll be in nice shape for gaming on this LG with most titles, including those on the Nintendo Switch 2. This model also comes with LG Channels which gives viewers access to over 300 free channels.

While it's over $400 off, upgrade streaming sessions with the 55-inch LG Class B4 Series OLED 4K TV at Walmart for under $700. Buying now means you'll avoid the major rush that'll happen later this week when Black Friday events officially begin.

TL;DR: AdGuard’s Family Plan gives you lifetime, device-wide protection from ads, trackers, and malicious sites for just $18.97 (reg. $169.99) with code FAMPLAN.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription $18.97
$169.99 Save $151.02   Get Deal

If you’ve ever tried to troubleshoot constant pop-ups, frozen web pages, or those suspicious “Download Now” boxes that definitely shouldn’t be clicked, you already know how messy the internet can get.

AdGuard’s Family Plan is one of the easiest ways to clean all of that up — quietly, consistently, and without forcing everyone in the house to become a cybersecurity expert.

SEE ALSO: Should you pay for a VPN?

For a limited time, you can grab lifetime access to the AdGuard Family Plan for just $18.97 (reg. $169.99) with code FAMPLAN through Nov. 20 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Once you activate it, your protection never expires. That alone puts it miles ahead of the usual annual subscription shuffle.

AdGuard works on browsers, smartphones, laptops, tablets — pretty much anything your household uses. And this subscription covers nine devices. It blocks intrusive ads before they even load, cuts off third-party trackers, keeps sketchy phishing attempts out of your family’s path, and generally makes the web run faster and cleaner.

Gamers benefit from fewer laggy ad scripts; kids get a safer browsing experience with parental controls; and adults get fewer annoyances across the sites they use every day. What people appreciate most is that it runs quietly in the background. There’s no pop-up nagging, no complicated security dashboard that needs constant tuning, and no learning curve.

If you’re looking for a simple, affordable way to protect everyone’s devices while making the internet feel faster and less chaotic, this deal is one of the easiest wins of the season. Don’t miss grabbing lifetime access to AdGuard’s Family Plan while it’s just $18.97 (reg. $169.99) through Nov. 20 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: If you’re tired of switching between different AI apps, the 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan gives you a single lifetime workspace powered by all the industry-leading models for just $74.97 (reg. $540).

Opens in a new window Credit: 1minAI 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription $74.97
$540 Save $465.03   Get Deal

If you’ve ever tried to keep up with all the different AI platforms, you know how messy it can get. One app handles writing. Another can edit images. A different one processes audio. And don’t forget the video editor. Plus the PDF tool. Plus, the model that does translations. And on and on.

1min.AI’s Advanced Business Plan basically puts an end to that AI chaos.

SEE ALSO: A new AI platform is giving lifetime access to ChatGPT, Gemini, and more

For a one-time payment of $74.97 (reg. $540), you get lifetime access to a single platform that brings together the top AI models — OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Anthropic’s Claude 3 family, Google Gemini, Meta’s Llama 3, Mistral, Cohere, and more — inside one interface that’s designed to actually streamline your work instead of giving you 12 more logins.

What makes it especially useful is that the platform doesn’t just offer chat. It offers tools — real tools — for the work people actually do every day.

You can generate blog posts, rewrite content, create brand-consistent social captions, run keyword research, summarize long PDFs, extract info from documents, make images, edit photos, clean up audio, and even work with video.

The best part? Because all these features are powered by multiple models, you can pick whichever one fits your task. Need factual precision? Try Claude Opus. Want a creative brainstorm? Use GPT-4o. Need speed? Haiku or Gemini Pro are good options.

And since the subscription is lifetime, you’re not crossing your fingers waiting for a renewal discount next year.

Pick up lifetime access to the 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan while it’s just $74.97 (reg. $540).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

To avoid regulatory scrutiny, big tech companies had steered clear of buying start-ups outright. Meta’s antitrust win may change that thinking.

Cloudflare suffered a major outage on Nov. 18, and it took many major platforms down with it. OpenAI, Spotify, X, and Canva were among just some of the websites and services that went down Tuesday morning.

Feel like you're experiencing deja vu? Well, you're not. 

The recent Cloudflare outage is not to be confused with the recent Microsoft Azure outage, which resulted in Xbox, Minecraft, and other platforms going down. And don't forget the other major incident that occurred in October, when issues at Amazon Web Services (AWS) led to Amazon, Reddit, Snapchat, and other big platforms going offline. It's also completely separate from the June outage, when Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Cloudflare took down swaths of the internet

OK, so the internet's biggest websites and platforms have been going down a lot lately. What's going on here? 

Why do so many websites go down at the same time?

Those big social media platforms, e-commerce websites, and gaming networks are all using the same few major service providers to host and deliver their content, with Cloudflare being one of them.

Cloudflare is one of the largest Content Delivery Networks (CDN), which is a system that manages web traffic. When Cloudflare functions normally, it manages web traffic and protects platforms from attacks.

"CDNs are distributed infrastructures that accelerate content delivery and enhance user experience by caching and serving web content closer to users," explained Angelique Medina, Head of Internet Intelligence at the network intelligence company Cisco ThousandEyes, to Mashable. "They essentially serve as the 'front door' to websites and applications, with users connecting to Cloudflare’s servers instead of those of its customers."

"When this 'front door' becomes unavailable, users lose the entry point to many sites and applications," Medina said. "Given the large number of customers and sites that they service, any meaningful disruption in their ability to deliver content could effectively render large parts of the internet unreachable to users."

Basically, the internet has consolidated, and we're all reaping the rewards of that consolidation.

“This isn’t just another technical setback," said Ramutė Varnelytė, CEO of IPXO, a leading IP resource management platform in Europe, in a statement provided to Mashable. "It’s further proof of how exposed [the] digital economy is to various malfunctions in just a few of the digital infrastructure service providers."

Are internet outages occurring more frequently?

Back in the earlier days of the internet, there were countless web hosting providers, and many companies even ran their own dedicated servers. Now, companies big and small are all utilizing the same few cloud service providers, whether it be AWS, GCP, or Azure. Cloudflare makes the internet even more vulnerable to disruption, as the company has no one-to-one direct competitor.

"The incident further emphasizes the inherent danger of the entire internet infrastructure relying on a few service providers," Varnelytė said.

But, is that it? And are these services really going down more than usual? According to Cisco ThousandEyes, which tracks outages and maps them, that's correct. Web downtime is actually not happening more than usual, even if it seems that way.

"Cisco ThousandEyes has not seen an increase in the frequency of service outages in cloud and other Internet infrastructure providers; however, the number of sites and applications dependent on these services has increased," Medina shared. "Because these services are increasingly a point of centralization — with a small number of companies handling large swaths of the Internet — if something goes wrong, it can lead to the disruption of many sites and applications around the globe."

In short, the number of disruptions isn't increasing. Rather, the shockwaves of individual incidents are getting bigger.

Meta has emerged victorious in its years-long legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission, which accused the company of maintaining an illegal monopoly over social networking.

In an opinion released Tuesday, Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., ruled that the FTC failed to prove its case. The agency first filed the lawsuit five years ago, arguing that Meta's ownership of Instagram and WhatsApp gave it outsized control over the market. But Boasberg wrote that even if Meta once held monopoly power, the FTC could not show that the company still "continues to hold such power now."

SEE ALSO: Apple rebukes Elon Musk’s App Store monopoly claims

Boasberg previously dismissed the case in 2021, saying the FTC did not provide enough evidence that Facebook, as the company was then known, had market power. The FTC later filed an amended complaint citing user metrics and comparisons to competitors like Snapchat, Google+, and MySpace, allowing the case to move forward. The long-delayed trial finally began earlier this year.

Meta's chief legal officer, Jennifer Newstead, praised the ruling in a statement to outlets, saying, "The Court's decision today recognizes that Meta faces fierce competition. Our products are beneficial for people and businesses and exemplify American innovation and economic growth."

At the center of the case were Meta's high-profile acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC sought to unwind both deals and argued that users lacked meaningful alternatives to Meta-owned platforms for connecting with friends and family.

But Boasberg sided with Meta's position that the social media landscape has transformed dramatically since the early Facebook era. Apps like TikTok and YouTube now compete for the same time, attention, and content, undercutting the government's monopoly claim.

"While each of Meta's empirical showings can be quibbled with, they all tell a consistent story: people treat TikTok and YouTube as substitutes for Facebook and Instagram, and the amount of competitive overlap is economically important," Boasberg wrote.

The best early Black Friday laptop deals at a glance: Best MacBook deal Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $749.99 (save $249.01) Get Deal Best gaming laptop deal Alienware 16X Aurora (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,649.99 (save $350) Get Deal Best Chromebook deal Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (Intel Core i3-1315U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $349 (save $250) Get Deal

I write about all things laptops here at Mashable, and whenever a family member or friend comes to me for shopping recommendations, I always tell them this: "Unless it's an emergency, don't buy anything until Black Friday."

My logic is simple. The year-end shopping season is when I see the deepest discounts on laptops emerge across Amazon, Best Buy, and other major tech retailers. It's partly because these stores 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, and Chromebooks. Voila: An upgrade that's normally out of your budget is suddenly affordable.

SEE ALSO: The 55+ best early Black Friday deals: Get big savings on MacBooks, Nintendo Switch 2, Keurig, and Samsung gear

I should note that most of the absolute best Black Friday laptop deals won't appear until Black Friday proper, which falls on Nov. 28 this year. However, I've stumbled upon half a dozen early offers that I don't expect to get much cheaper next week. (They're mainly MacBooks and Chromebooks so far; I'm not obsessed with any Windows laptop deals just yet — they're fine but not amazing.) If you see a deal featured in my list below, it's because I'd happily add it to my own cart right now if I was in the market for a new PC.

The M4 Apple MacBook Airs

Apple'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 in the lead-up to Black Friday.

For what it's worth, Costco is the only retailer that's been able to match Amazon's all-time lows on the M4 MacBook Airs thus far, and it's not reserving them for members, either. However, a one- to two-day delivery time à la Amazon Prime will cost you $9.86. (Standard shipping is free, and Costco members get the option of in-store pickup.)

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $749.99 at Amazon and Costco
$999 Save $249.01   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 15-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $949.99 at Amazon and Costco
$1,199 Save $249.01   Get Deal The 14-inch M5 Apple MacBook Pro

The 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, and our tech editor loved it.) It debuted in mid-October at a starting price of $1,599 and hasn't stopped getting cheaper since. At the time of writing, the base configuration with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is marked down to just $1,473 — a savings of just over $125.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $1,473 at Amazon
$1,599 Save $126   Get Deal A refurbished 13-inch M3 Apple MacBook Air

If you're in the market for a dirt-cheap-but-not-too-outdated MacBook, Best Buy has a refurbished 13-inch MacBook Air with last year's M3 chip on sale for only $569.99. (Walmart usually sells the M1 model from 2020 for $599, so this is a genuine steal.) It has a 1080p FaceTime camera and closed-lid support for two external displays, whereas the newer M4 version has a nicer 12MP webcam and open-lid support for two monitors. It also comes with half the RAM as the latest model and runs about 24% slower. Still, it's a fine pick for simple everyday tasks like web browsing and sending emails.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $569.99 at Best Buy
$849 Save $279.01   Get Deal The Alienware 16X Aurora

For most people, the Alienware 16X Aurora is my new favorite gaming laptop, a mid-range model featuring a 240Hz matte display, one-zone RGB backlighting, an Intel Arrow Lake processor, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series graphics. Notably, it comes with a "Stealth Mode" hotkey that turns down its fan noise and backlighting while boosting its battery life — a nice-to-have when you're not using it for gaming. The variant I tested has a high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU, an RTX 5070 GPU, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of storage; it's already pretty fairly priced at $1,999.99, but Dell is currently selling it for $1,649.99 (or 18% off) as an early Black Friday deal. Other configurations with lesser specs start at just $1,349.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Alienware Alienware 16X Aurora (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,649.99 at Dell
$1,999.99 Save $350   Get Deal The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

Lenovo's convertible Chromebook Plus is my favorite Chromebook for most buyers because of its stellar build quality, decent performance, great speakers, nice keyboard, and 12-hour battery life. There are two configurations available: One with an Intel Core i5-1334U processor and 256GB of storage, and another with a less powerful Intel Core i3-1315U processor and 128GB of storage. They both retail for $599 at full price.

The first configuration is the model we tested, and it's a Costco exclusive (though you can buy it without a membership). It's marked down to $529.99 ahead of Black Friday, which is actually the first time I've ever seen it on sale. The other, more pared-down version is 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 buyers with basic needs.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (Intel Core i5-1334U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $529.99 at Costco
$599.99 Save $70   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (Intel Core i3-1315U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $349 at Best Buy
$599 Save $250   Get Deal The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514

Acer'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. The version Acer sells on its website has 16GB of memory, a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and a 2.8K touchscreen display. It's overkill for most people, but it's worth considering if you want a high-end, super-future-proofed Chromebook. It's on sale for $769.99 right now (normally $799.99). That's not a huge discount, but 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) $769.99 at Acer
$799.99 Save $30   Get Deal

SAVE $130: As of Nov. 18, get the Shark FlexStyle for $199.99 — its lowest price ever. That saves you $130 for 38% off ahead of Black Friday 2025.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark FlexStyle in Copper $199.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $130   Get Deal

Working as a shopping reporter, it's easy to be jaded about deals. I've covered all the big events for years, Prime Day and Black Friday, so it takes a lot to stop me in my tracks, but maybe more so, it takes a lot for me to hit 'add to cart'. Last year, I made exactly one Black Friday purchase — the Shark FlexStyle in the coveted Wicked color. Unfortunately the Wicked collab is no longer available, however, the Shark FlexStyle is back on sale — it just hit its lowest price ever ahead of Black Friday.

I'd endorse buying the Shark FlexStyle at any price, it's our preferred Dyson Airwrap dupe here at Mashable, but I'd especially recommend buying it when it's on sale. Right now, the Shark FlexStyle in Copper is down to $199.99 at Amazon, its lowest recorded price. That saves you $130 off of its $329.99 price tag, for 38% savings. This is an objectively stellar deal, but why should you shop it?

I'm not speaking in hyperbole when I say my hair has never looked better since using the Shark FlexStyle. I got the hair styler leading up to my 2025 wedding with the ambition of doing my own hair for the big day — which I did, and the FlexStyle played a huge role. I am certainly no hair expert, I previously used a Revlon One-Step to dry my hair in a pinch, but I never loved it. The Shark FlexStyle makes at-home blowouts a breeze. My hair looks full and frizz-free when using the Shark FlexStyle, especially when I use the oval brush attachment.

Not to mention, I know I can use it in a pinch. Just this morning, I needed to dry my hair but be out the door in 10 minutes. With the Shark FlexStyle my hair was dry and smooth in just seven minutes. The Shark FlexStyle is an incredible hair tool, and it's even better one sale. Ahead of Black Friday 2025, get the Shark FlexStyle for $199.99 and save $130.

On Tuesday afternoon, Cloudflare CTO Dane Knecht apologized to the internet.

After Cloudflare resolved an outage that caused widespread problems across the internet ecosystem, Knecht took to X to offer his apologies. The CTO wrote, "I won’t mince words: earlier today we failed our customers and the broader Internet when a problem in @Cloudflare network impacted large amounts of traffic that rely on us. The sites, businesses, and organizations that rely on Cloudflare depend on us being available and I apologize for the impact that we caused."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

His mea culpa continued: "That issue, impact it caused, and time to resolution is unacceptable. Work is already underway to make sure it does not happen again, but I know it caused real pain today."

Knect also posted an update on the outage on X, promising a full explanation for the underlying issue.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

On Tuesday mornings, the Cloudflare outage caused a broad range of services, apps, and websites to go down for many users. The website Downdetector showed user-reported issues at X, ChatGPT, Canva, Spotify, League of Legends, Canva, DoorDash, Claude, Uber, and YouTube. Even Grindr went down temporarily. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, Mashable's parent company.)

In an emailed statement to Mashable on Tuesday morning, Cloudflare said the problem was caused by a crash in a software system that handled traffic for many of its customers.

"To be clear, there is no evidence that this was the result of an attack or caused by malicious activity," the statement added. "We expect that some Cloudflare services will be briefly degraded as traffic naturally spikes post incident but we expect all services to return to normal in the next few hours. A detailed explanation will be posted soon on blog.cloudflare.com. Given the importance of Cloudflare's services, any outage is unacceptable. We apologize to our customers and the Internet in general for letting you down today. We will learn from today's incident and improve."

If this internet outage feels familiar, it's because it's the third major outage in 2025. Just last month, we reported on a widespread Amazon Web Services outage. And before that, a Google Cloud Platform outage likewise took down swaths of the internet.

Advent calendars are some of our favorite Christmas gifts, and with Black Friday coming up fast, you're running out of time to order. Already, some of the season's most popular Advent calendars have gone out of stock, but there are still plenty of festive countdowns available.

Our favorite Advent calendars: Best Skincare Advent Calendar Kiehl's Advent Calendar 2025 $152 (A $292 value) Get Deal Best Beauty Advent Calendar Sephora Premium Makeup & Skincare Advent Calendar Gift Set $65.60 (a $245 value) Get Deal Bet Lego Advent Calendar Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 $37.99 (save $7) Get Deal BEST TRADITIONAL ADVENT CALENDAR Lenox Treasured Traditions Days of Christmas Tree and Ornament, Set of 25 $167.99 (save $252.01) Get Deal BEST FOOD COUNTDOWN Fly by Jing 2025 Limited Edition Advent Calendar $98 Get Deal Best for Prime Members Amazon 12 Days of Beauty 2025 Advent Calendar $98 (a $245 value) Shop Now BEST FOR CROCS LOVERS Crocs Holiday Advent Calendar 2025 $34.99 (save $150) Get Deal BEST MINI GIFT Mini Brands Books Advent Calendar by Zuru $24.99 (save $10) Get Deal Best for Kids Bluey Mini Figures 2025 Christmas Advent Calendar $15.99 (save $6) Get Deal

Even better, thanks to the best early Black Friday deals, you can find popular Advent calendars from top brands like Kiehl's and Williams-Sonoma on sale. Not every calendar will be on sale, but the best ones still represent a great deal, as they let you enjoy hundreds of dollars' worth of products for a lot less than you'd usually pay.

So, whether you're looking for the best beauty Advent calendars, calendars for kids, or something more traditional, we've gathered them all up into one place for you. Keep checking back as we approach Black Friday, as we'll keep adding more products as they go on sale — and crossing off the ones that go out of stock.

The best Advent Calendar to buy during Black Friday Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 $37.99 at Walmart
$44.99 Save $7   Get Deal Why we like it

This Lego Christmas playset comes with 24 toys in total, and it's packed with easter eggs for Star Wars fans, young and old. (BB-8 as a snowman? A Jawa in a holiday sweater? Say less.) Adults can certainly enjoy Advent calendars, but we're not sure we can enjoy them quite as much as a kid eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus.

Even more Advent Calendars on sale Opens in a new window Credit: Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters Exclusive Beauty Advent Calendar $50 at Urban Outfitters
A $160 value Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Williams-Sonoma Williams-Sonoma Christmas Popcorn Advent Calendar $59.99 at Williams-Sonoma
$79.95 Save $19.96   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Bloomingdale's Bloomingdale's 25 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar $325 at Bloomingdale's
An $800 value Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Funko Funko Pop! Countdown Calendar: The Nightmare Before Christmas $39.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $10   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: National Geographic National Geographic Gemstone Advent Calendar 2025 $20.49 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $9.50   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Dermstore Dermstore 12 Days of Beauty Advent Calendar $300
An $888 value Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Insight Editions Wicked For Good: The Official Advent Calendar - 25 Days of Surprises $34.99 at Amazon
Deal to watch Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Bluey Store Bluey: Awesome Advent Calendar Book Bundle $19.60 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $10.39   Get Deal

If fears of an AI bubble bursting were already keeping people up at night, recent comments from Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai certainly won't help.

The Google chief sat down with the BBC for an exclusive interview to talk all things AI — from energy demands to UK investment to the future of jobs. But the most striking moment came when Pichai admitted that if the AI bubble does burst, no one is safe.

"I think no company is going to be immune, including us," he told the BBC.

In the interview, Pichai said that while the AI sector has seen tremendous growth, there's also a lot of "irrationality" fueling the boom as valuations and investments rocket upward. He warned that the industry can "overshoot" during hype cycles like this, drawing a direct parallel to the dot-com boom and bust of the late 90s and early 2000s.

The dot-com era saw early internet companies skyrocket in value on pure optimism, only for the bubble to burst in 2000, wiping out hundreds of companies and countless jobs.

The concern now is that AI may follow a similar trajectory. Big Tech valuations have surged in recent months: Alphabet has reached a valuation of $3.5 trillion, OpenAI has reportedly hit a $500 billion valuation, and NVIDIA has become the first company to ever surpass the $5 trillion mark.

But cracks are beginning to show. In the past few weeks, several major investors have started offloading NVIDIA stock. On Monday, it was reported that Peter Thiel's hedge fund exited its entire $94 million position. Even more eyebrow-raising, Michael Burry — famous for predicting the 2007-08 mortgage crisis — is reportedly betting against NVIDIA and Palantir.

Despite all this, Pichai himself appears largely unfazed.

"We can look back at the internet right now. There was clearly a lot of excess investment, but none of us would question whether the internet was profound," he told the BBC. "I expect AI to be the same. So I think it's both rational and there are elements of irrationality through a moment like this."

Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp did not illegally stifle competition in social networking, a judge found, a major win for the tech giant.

A peek at the best early Black Friday deals on robot vacuums Best budget robot vacuum deal Eufy E20 3-in-1 $349.99 at Amazon (Save $150 at Amazon) Get Deal Best mid-range robot vacuum deal Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra $799.99 at Amazon (Save $500 at Amazon) Get Deal Best premium robot vacuum deal Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller $1,199.99 at Amazon (Save $400 at Amazon) Get Deal

I test robot vacuums for a living and have been keeping tabs on robot vacuum deals trends for over half a decade — and I'd say Black Friday's count of robot vacuums on sale beats spring cleaning sales and even both Prime Day. It makes sense: Many brands release their new vacuums for the year at CES in January (or at least near the CES time frame), so Black Friday is often an eleventh hour push to sell the "old" but still great robot vacuums from the past year.

SEE ALSO: I tested 25 robot vacuum and mop combos and found 5 that actually scrub

But I'm noticing something peculiar this year: There aren't as many good early robot vacuum deals as there were at this point in 2024. Last year, the week before Thanksgiving saw a major chunk of Black Friday vacuum deals already live (officially marked with the retailer's "Black Friday deal" tag). In 2025, confirmed early Black Friday prices feel impossible to come by so far — despite Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target being in the thick of their early Black Friday sales.

Below, I've pulled the early Black Friday deals on robot vacuums that are actually worth your money — the ones at record-low pricing or matching their October Prime Day sale price. But my ultimate advice? Use the next few days to read up on what to look for in a robot vacuum and assess the features that are non-negotiables in your home. Then, check back to this post as more deals go live ahead of Black Friday.

Best early Black Friday robot vacuum deal so far Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller $1,199.99 at Amazon
$1,599.99 Save $400   Get Deal Why I like it

The Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller is the most powerful robot vacuum on the mainstream market, and it's back at its record-low October Prime Day price of just over $1,000. Spending that much on a vacuum probably sounds like brain rot to budget shoppers, but think of it this way: The Dreame's 30,000 Pa of suction power is more than 10,000 Pa stronger than the most powerful robot vacuums we saw on sale last Black Friday, and they were still hovering around the $1,000 mark. With the addition of a robust self-rinsing roller mop, this is a real bang for your buck.

I've been testing the Aqua10 Ultra Roller at home for over a month and can personally confirm its efficacy. Its pet hair pickup on rugs has impressed me the most: It has had about a 99 percent pickup rate for large clumps of cat hair that I put in its path and smoosh down into various pile heights. On patterned rugs that camouflage the layer of fur to the naked eye, I've ChomChom-ed the area after the Aqua10 Ultra Roller has done a few passes — and there's barely anything left over to get rolled into the ChomChom compartment. This carpet performance plus a livestream pet camera make the Aqua10 Ultra one of the best vacuums a pet owner could have on hand (robot or not).

More robot vacuums on sale ahead of Black FridayRobot vacuum mop combos

• Yeedi C12 Plus with self-empty station — $239.99 $399.99 (save $160)

• Roborock Q8 Max — $179.99 $259.99 (save $80)

• Dreame D20 Plus with self-empty station — $296.99 $399.99 (save $103)

• Roborock Q10 S5+ with self-empty station — $259.99 $549.99 (save $290)

• 3i G10+ with dust compression — $255.99 $449.99 (save $194)

• Narwal Freo Pro with self-empty and mop washing station — $379.99 $699.99 (save $320)

• iRobot Roomba 405 with self-empty and mop washing station — $398.99 $799.99 (save $401)

• Roborock Qrevo with self-empty and mop washing station — $399.99 $649.99 (save $350)

• Yeedi M12 Pro with self-empty and mop washing station — $359.99 $899.99 (save $540)

• 3i P10 Ultra with self-empty and mop washing station — $499.99 $1,099.99 (save $600 with Prime)

• Eufy X10 Pro Omni with self-empty and mop washing station — $499.99 $899.99 (save $400)

• Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro self-empty and mop washing station — $599.99 $889.99 (save $400)

• Dreame X40 Ultra with self-empty and mop washing station — $649.99 $1,199.99 (save $550)

• Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra with self-empty and mop washing station — $799.99 $1,299.99 (save $500)

• Roborock Qrevo CurvX with self-empty and mop washing station — $849.99 $1,499.99 (save $650)

• Dreame X50 Ultra with self-empty and mop washing station — $1,049.99 $1,699.99 (save $550)

Robot vacuums that don't mop

• Eufy E20 3-in-1 robot vacuum and stick vacuum with self-empty station — $349.99 $649.99 (save $300)

• iRobot Roomba Plus 504 with self-empty station — $379.99 $749.99 (save $370)

SAVE $49.01: As of Nov. 18, get the Apple Watch Series 11 for $349.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $399. That's a discount of 12% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple Watch Series 11 $349.99 at Amazon
$399 Save $49.01   Get Deal

Looking to pick up a new smartwatch? There are tons of great choices out there, but for our money, Apple serves up some of the best. One of the best picks you can opt for out of the bunch, in fact, is on sale right now thanks to an early Black Friday deal at Amazon. If it's time to lock in a purchase, this might be the best one.

As of Nov. 18, get the Apple Watch Series 11 for $349.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $399. That's $49.01 off and a discount of 12%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: The 30+ best early Black Friday Apple deals: We found record lows on AirPods and MacBooks already

The Series 11 offers a range of smartwatch-centric features such as calling, texting, and app availability from the App Store of course. But some of its most attractive features are its health and fitness sensors. It can notify you of potential high blood pressure issues, give you a daily sleep score, help you take an ECG any time, track your heart rate, and much more.

It can also track your workouts, help you figure out your training load, connect to Apple Fitness+ for more healthy options to stay in shape, and even measure potential sleep apnea as well as your blood oxygen levels. There's a lot it can do in terms of keeping you in the loop health-wise, so you might want to scoop it up just for that alone.

This watch also boasts up to 24 hours of battery life with normal use, a durable glass display, and a water resistance rating of 50m with IP6X dust resistance. It really does have just about everything you might need, so if you've had your eye on one, now's the time to dive in.

Kristen Stewart has already had a long and varied career, moving from child star in films like Panic Room to teen blockbuster lead in Twilight. From there, she jumped into daring arthouse films, earning critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Spencer, and embracing her status as a queer heartthrob in Love Lies Bleeding. Now, her career continues to evolve as she steps behind the camera for her feature directorial debut, The Chronology of Water.

Based on the memoir of the same name by Lidia Yuknavitch, The Chronology of Water stars Imogen Poots. She plays the film's version of Lidia, who escapes from an abusive home and immerses herself in the world of competitive swimming in the 1980s. But when her athletic pursuits come to an end, she finds herself grappling with love, sexuality, addiction, and her penchant for self-destruction, all while discovering herself through writing. The trailer teases the film's fragmented nature, as Lidia moves through flashes of the memories that came to define her.

The Chronology of Water had its premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reactions. Critics praised Stewart's strong sense of direction and Poots' lead performance.

In an interview with the New York Times out of Cannes, Stewart joked that critics were actually being too kind to the film. "I'm totally willing for people to come for it," she said. "I'm almost wanting it."

The Chronology of Water also stars Thora Birch, Jim Belushi, Earl Cave, Tom Sturridge, Charlie Carrick, and Kim Gordon.

The Chronology of Water hits select theaters Dec. 5, before expanding nationwide on Jan. 9.