The Best Cyber Monday Tech Deals at Amazon, Best Buy, and More That Are Still Active

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Cyber Monday is past, but the best tech keep going. If you’ve been patiently holding off on your holiday shopping, there’s still deals for you to get.

Across Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and more, some of my favorite tech gadgets are seeing price cuts. Granted, some of these are designed to fool you with fake markups, which is why it’s important to track an item’s price history before going in on something that looks too good to be true. Fortunately, I’ve already done all of the work for you. For the next couple of days, keep checking in here for the best deals on laptops, TVs, Apple devices, tablets, video games, and more. Prices are accurate as of the time of writing, but you can expect them to fluctuate and inventory to sell out, so you may not want to hesitate if you see a sale that grabs you. Scroll to the bottom of the post for live updates.

The Best Cyber Monday laptop deals that are still active

Apple 2022 M2 MacBook Air

$749.00 at Amazon

$999.00 Save $250.00

$749.00 at Amazon

$999.00 Save $250.00

If you’re like my in-laws, there’s a good chance you’re reading this list on a laptop that needs replacing. It’s a good thing that laptops are no stranger to Cyber Monday deals, across PC and Mac alike.

• Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M3 Chip: $1,199 at Amazon (was $1,299). This is Apple’s most recent MacBook Air, complete with the M3 chip. At time of writing, stock is currently limited to the 512GB models, which come with a base 16GB of RAM and can be upgraded to 24GB of RAM.

• Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M2 Chip: $949 at Amazon (was $999). If you’re OK going with a slightly older model, the M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is just a little cheaper than the M3 model right now.

• Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch with M4 Pro Chip: $2,299 at Amazon (was $2,499). This is a great middle-ground for the MacBook Pro, with the M4 Pro chip, up to 48GB of memory, 512GB of storage, and a 16-inch screen.

• Dell Alienware m16 R2 Gaming Laptop with Intel Core Ultra 9 chip: $1,499 at Dell (was $1,700). Here's one for the gamers. This 16-inch gaming laptop from Dell packs a lot for the price, with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, up to 64GB of memory, up to 2TB of storage, and a 16-inch QHD+ display.

• Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 laptop with Ryzen 9 chip: $1,200 at Best Buy (was $1,600). Another gaming laptop, this 14-inch model is a bit smaller, but manages to pack an AMD Ryzen 8 8945HS CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and 2,880 x 1,800 display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

• Acer Aspire Go 14 Laptop: $280 at Acer (was $350). This ultra-budget laptop is a good cheap pick, and should be good for people whose work depends mostly on the cloud. It comes with an AMD Ryzen 3 7320U CPU, 128GB of storage, 8GB of memory, a 14-inch screen, and Windows 11 in S Mode. Note that S Mode laptops can only use apps from the Microsoft Store by default, although this can be changed later.

The Best Cyber Monday tablet deals that you can still get

Apple iPad Air, 11" With M2 Chip

$569.05 at Amazon

$599.00 Save $29.95

$569.05 at Amazon

$599.00 Save $29.95

Not everyone needs a whole laptop. Tablets are just as valuable to plenty of techies out there, if not more so. Here are my favorite Cyber Monday tablet deals that are currently live.

• Apple 11-Inch iPad Air with M2 Chip: $643 at Amazon (was $699). If you're OK going for an older model of Apple Silicon, you can still get an M-series iPad on sale thanks to this deal from Amazon, which cuts a bit off an M2 iPad Air. The deal applies to the 256GB and 512GB models. RAM is 8GB.

• Apple 10.2-Inch 9th Generation iPad: $200 at Best Buy (was $330). If you’re just looking for a cheap, basic tablet, you can’t do much better than the 9th Generation iPad, which is still going strong with the respectable A13 Bionic chip three years later. It won’t support Apple Intelligence, but if you’re still not sold on AI, you'll still get 3GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+: $799 at Best Buy (was $1,000). A premium Android tablet from Samsung, this rectangle boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, 12GB of memory, 256GB of storage, a 12-inch 2,800 x 1,752 AMOLED screen, and comes with a stylus.

• Microsoft Surface Pro 13-Inch: $900 at Best Buy (was $1,200). This pick blurs the line between a tablet and a laptop, coming equipped with Windows 11, which gives it a full desktop ecosystem of apps to explore. Plus, this particular model also has a few Copilot+ goodies thrown in. Storage is 512GB and RAM is 16GB.

The Best Cyber Monday deals on phones you can still snag

Apple - iPhone 15 128GB (Unlocked) - Black

from News https://lifehacker.com/tech/extended-cyber-week-sale-best-tech-deals-2024
via

IFTTT

This Smartwatch and Fitness Tracker for Kids Is 22% Off Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

The Fitbit Google Ace LTE, now $179.95 (down from $229.95), is designed with kids in mind, featuring a bright OLED display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor powering its many sensors. It’s built tough, with a durable Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen and 5ATM water resistance, making it more than capable of handling everyday bumps and splashes. However, the real value of this smartwatch comes only when it's paired with the Ace Pass subscription ($9.99/month), which unlocks calling, texting, GPS tracking, and movement-based games. Without the subscription, the watch is essentially a glorified step tracker—a role the more affordable Fitbit Ace 3 ($84.95) can easily handle.

Fitbit Google Ace LTE

$179.95 at Amazon

$229.95 Save $50.00

$179.95 at Amazon

$229.95 Save $50.00

The games are designed to get kids moving, tying progress to activity goals. Kids can customize their Eejie, a Tamagotchi-like character, and earn daily rewards for staying active, with the watch limiting how much they can unlock each day to keep things balanced and avoid overtiring. On the downside, this PCMag review notes that the games can be slow to load, and the controls sometimes lack responsiveness. It also doesn’t include a camera—something some parents might see as a privacy win, while others might miss it for selfies or video calls.

For parents, features like GPS tracking via Google Maps (location data is stored for 24 hours and is accessible only to parents) and the ability to call or text up to 20 trusted contacts, including an emergency auto-call function if a parent doesn’t respond, provide added peace of mind. Additionally, School Time mode is another thoughtful addition, muting games during certain hours while keeping activity tracking and essential communication active. That said, the Ace LTE lacks sleep tracking, which might be a disappointment for parents given its price. Also, with a battery life of about 16 hours, the watch will need nightly charging, which might feel like a drawback for busy families.

from News https://ift.tt/diXyuIn
via IFTTT

How to Use Fabric Gift Wrap (and Why You Should)

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

I absolutely love presents. Giving them, getting them, even wrapping presents is something I get pumped about. Yes, I’m the weirdo in the family that creases the corners to get those sharp perfect edges. And maybe I judge the wrapping of others, but that’s besides the point—all that is changing this year. I’m jumping on the sustainable fabric gift wrap train, and I hope you’ll join me for the ride.

What’s the point of fabric gift wrap?

Fabric gift wrap is not a new thing. It’s been used for centuries in other countries, like Japan where it’s called furoshiki, Korea where it’s called bojagi, as well as in India, Turkey, and across multiple African countries and cultures. It’s so widely used I wonder why it’s not more of a popular practice in America. Using paper gift wrap can be attractive, I agree. But I have a lifetime’s worth of memories of a massive trash bag of paper wrap after every Christmas and at every child’s birthday party. It is, truly, so much waste. Additionally, as if you needed a reminder this holiday season, nice wrapping paper is inordinately expensive. 

Why not pay for some beautiful and sustainable wrap, that can be easier on the environment and save you and your family money in the long run? Even if you only use it for half of your presents, that’s a big difference. 

Bee's Wrap Reusable Organic Cotton Fabric Wrapping Paper

$23.99 at Amazon

$29.99 Save $6.00

$23.99 at Amazon

$29.99 Save $6.00

I got a set of four recently from Bee’s Wrap and fell head over heels simply on the pattern and feel. The fabric is a 100% cotton square (this set comes with two small squares, one medium, and one large), with bright patterns, and a finished, stitched edge. The fabric can be used over and over again, it’s washable, and can even be ironed if it gets wildly creased. 

How to wrap presents with fabric

There’s a whole lane of artistry you can go down with using fabric wrap. You can add pleats, multiple wraps that overlap, or beautiful knots. I’ll be honest here; I haven’t tried to get fancy with it. I put a box diagonally on the square and tie the opposite ends.

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Then with the other two flaps I tie a loose knot. Even though I'm definitely doing it the lazy way, it looks great!

Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

If you have oddly shaped gifts you can take a look at this website or this one. Both have easy wrapping methods and solutions. Almost any gift can be wrapped beautifully with fabric. 

The only real difficulty is in wrapping extra-large presents. Most of these cotton squares won’t fit. You might end up using paper for those, or if you’re committing to fabric, use a flat sheet from a bedding set. 

Fabric gift wrap is great for everyone

If you, like my brothers, hate wrapping presents because it’s fussy and always turns out messed up, fabric gift wrap is for you. If you, like my stepfather, hate collecting everyone’s tossed, crumpled up paper balls and odd shreds of tape and ribbons, fabric gift wrap is for you. And if you, like myself, would never give up the suspense and joy of unveiling a present’s mysterious content, fabric gift wrap is for you. I can’t think of a significant downside, really. No more paper cuts, and no more running out of tape.

Fabric gift wrap actually makes a great gift, as well. It might seem weird to give sustainable gift wrap as the gift, but I’d be pretty stoked about it. I gave two people presents that were wrapped in the Bee's Wrap fabric recently, and they were both nearly more excited by the wrapping than the present itself. Once you get your whole family up to speed on fabric wrap you can even exchange wrapping with the gifts, knowing you’ll use theirs and vice versa, circulating different colors and patterns throughout the years.

Multiple vendors sell fabric gift wrap now, too, so you can explore gorgeous patterns and prints for all occasions. Happy gifting, all.

from News https://ift.tt/oYOSWn6
via IFTTT

Use Your Thanksgiving Leftovers to Make These Stuffed Mushrooms

Thanksgiving leftovers are perfect. That said, I’m aware that after a couple of days, you might grow weary of them. So instead of setting up a plate that imitates Thanksgiving, have a little fun: Use your leftover Thanksgiving dinner to make stuffed mushrooms. 

I’m a sucker for these snackable morsels. The humble de-stemmed mushroom cap is the perfect shallow vessel to hold anything savory. When roasted, white button or cremini mushrooms become juicy containers, bursting with concentrated umami. On a regular day, I’ll pack mushrooms with a sausage and cream cheese mixture. But the days after Thanksgiving present an unusually delicious opportunity. If the filling is anything related to carbs, cheese, or meat, the mushroom base seems to magnify those flavors—and this is exactly where the outcast scraps of your leftovers will shine. 

What can you use for stuffing?

At the risk of sounding too optimistic: anything. Anything that made it to the Thanksgiving table is eligible to get chopped up and smooshed into a mushroom cap. I used leftover stuffing (the name says it’ll work), chopped turkey, and mashed potatoes. Superb. You could use mac and cheese, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, or Brussels sprouts—a combination of unlikely partners, or a single item with a bit of cheese. The post-Thanksgiving fridge is your oyster.

How to make stuffed mushrooms from leftovers

1. Set up your raw mushroom caps

Pop out the stems of medium to large button or cremini mushrooms, you can do this easily by wiggling the stem. Chop up the stems for the filling, or save them for another use.

2. Oil the fungi

Dribble a teaspoon or so of cooking oil into your palms and rub the caps to coat the outsides in oil. Line them up on a plate (to transfer to the air fryer), or on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the caps with salt.

3. Make the stuffing

If you’re using leftovers that are already mushy or in small bits, like mac and cheese, stuffing, peas, or corn pudding, there’s no need to chop it—just add it to a bowl. If you have roasted veggies or turkey you want to use, then chop it up into small pieces. Combine the components in a bowl and mix them thoroughly. You want the filling to hold together at least a little. This is easy if you add a spoonful of stuffing or mashed potatoes to the mix. If you don’t have those, you can add an egg or cream cheese and a spoonful of bread crumbs. 

4. Fill the mushrooms

Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture into the mushroom caps. Pack it down and heap it on top. Repeat with all of the filling or until you’ve filled all the caps. 

Even these teeny mushroom caps still held stuffing, mashed potatoes and a bit of cheese. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

5. Cook ‘em

Air fry the mushrooms at 325°F for 10 minutes; you can also bake them in a conventional oven at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until you see mushroom juices pooling at the bottoms. 

Serve the stuffed mushrooms after they’ve had a few minutes to cool. These small bites packed with big umami energy will bring you a small reminder of Thanksgiving while bringing an entirely new vibe to our plate. Enjoy them as an appetizer or a full meal if you pair them with a salad and some bread. 

from News https://ift.tt/K4oAFR0
via IFTTT