Modified Sheep Skulls From 3700 BC Found In Egypt’s Mortuary Complex
Modified Sheep Skulls From 3700 BC Found In Egypt’s Mortuary Complex
Intentionally modified sheep skulls, gauged by the deliberate deformities, have been uncovered at the ancient mortuary complex in Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt, dating to about 3,700 BC. Numbering 6 in total, these large, castrated male sheep were found with horns not oriented in the natural direction, i.e., laterally. In some cases, the horns were found to be removed completely, a practice that continues in most parts of the world even today, a practice now traced to ancient Egypt.
Special by Castration: Upright, Parallel Horns Through Human Intervention
Led by Belgium researcher Wim Van Neer, the finds have been published in the latest edition of The Journal of Archaeological Science.
“The sheep were deliberately made ‘special’ by castration. In addition, their horns were directed upward, and in one case, the horns were removed,” provided Van Neer at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
“The horns had been intentionally manipulated to grow upwards and in three cases this resulted in upright, parallel horns… the Hierakonpolis sheep provide the oldest evidence for ***** modification of livestock, and the first demonstration of the practice applied to sheep,” researchers noted in the study.
Evidence of skull modification has been observed on an ancient sheep skull dating back to around 3,700 BC (Wim Van Neer et al., Journal of Archaeological Science).
This practice was prevalent in ancient Egypt primarily because of the nature of society, which was agrarian, and sheep were employed through the pharaonic *******, right till the predynastic *******. In addition, domesticated cattle supported the nutritional requirements of the population, supplying meat, bone marrow, dairy, and **** (wool was not as widely sought owing to the hot, arid, climate). Most estimates suggest that sheep were part of Egyptian life from around 5000 BC after being introduced from the Near East, or Levant region.
Modification of the horns was a means of exercising greater control, protecting the handler from being gored to ******, either deliberately or otherwise. To enable this, ancient Egyptians would fracture the bone and tie the horns together at the base to create a direction of moving parallelly, and upwards.
Depictions: Artistic Depictions Related to Economic Viability?
The oldest known artistic depiction of cattle with deformed horns are found at an elite tomb dating to the Old Kingdom of about 2686 BC to 2160 BC, reports The Independent. In terms of depicting sheep, or ram, there are several notable ones – the early temple at Abydos, for example, depicts “a ram modelled as a clay appliqué affixed to a tall ceramic jar stand”, and “two sheep with long spiral horns painted on a ceramic ritual vessel”.
From the time of the First Dynasty (3500 BC onwards), the frequency of the representations increased due to the incorporation of the ram or the sheep into the writing system in the form of a hieroglyph! At the same time, the sheep found its way into the religious system as an embodiment of various ram gods.
A sheep skull from ancient Egypt exhibits signs of modification (Wim Van Neer et al., Journal of Archaeological Science).
By the time of the Old Kingdom, roughly Fourth Dynasty (2600 BC) onwards, often touted as the ‘golden age’, agricultural scenes found their way to tomb walls, with “flocks of sheep trampling sown seeds”. Incidentally, in these depictions, the ***** was the corkscrew-type variant. The ammon sheep appear by the time of the mid-12 th Dynasty (Middle Kingdom, 1991 BC) – the ammon had back-curving crescent-shaped horns, and was possibly a ****-tailed breed.
“Beginning in the Middle Kingdom, iconographic evidence documents the presence of the ammon-type, but the earliest physical evidence comes from the excavations at Tell el Dab’a, where most of the faunal ******** date to the Second Intermediate *******. Out of a total of 25 individuals, 2 were of the corkscrew-***** type, 16 were male ammon sheep, 4 were female ammon sheep; there were also 3 hornless females,” write the researchers.
In fact, until the late New Kingdom (roughly 900 BC onwards), sheep with corkscrew horns were depicted among livestock resources. until the late New Kingdom, only to be replaced by the ammon, though the exact point of switching is unclear.
The study debates the prevalence of these depictions with economic viability and importance of the sheep – clearly, what was no longer integrated into the socio-economic setup was unlikely to be venerated in the same manner.
Top image: Ancient Egyptians modified sheep skulls so that their horns would grow upward rather than outward. Source: Wim Van Neer et al., Journal of Archaeological Science
By Sahir Pandey
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Take-Two CEO not worried about GTA 6 performance on Xbox Series S
Take-Two CEO not worried about GTA 6 performance on Xbox Series S
Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick has said that he’s “not worried” about the potential performance issues related to Grand Theft Auto 6 on Xbox Series S.
Speaking as part of Take-Two’s latest earnings, the CEO said that he’s never been concerned with any potential hardware issues.
“Look, we support the platforms where the consumers are for as long as they’re there, and we find a way to support platforms despite different levels of tech,” said Zelnick when asked about the Xbox Series S.
Microsoft mandates that any game released on Xbox Series X also be released on Xbox Series S, the lower-powered console.
“Our labels are really good at that,” Zelnick added. “I’m not really worried. I’ve never worried about where hardware was going. And I’ve said this many times over the years because, first of all, I don’t worry about things over which I have zero control.
“Secondly, I believe in the audience. The audience is going to show up if you have great properties, and so we just have to make sure to be on an array of platforms.”
The first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer was released in December 2023, confirming a planned 2025 release date. Updating its financial guidance in May, Take-Two narrowed the game’s release window from calendar 2025 to the fall of next year.
In its latest earnings results published on Wednesday, Take-Two reiterated the intention of its Rockstar brand to release GTA 6 in Fall 2025, as previously announced.
Zelnick also emphasized the importance of publishing on PC to the company. GTA 6 is not currently announced for PC.
“If one platform diminishes in value, there’s always another one,” he explained. “So we’re seeing great growth in PC right now, for example. And I have been able to view that open formats would continue to grow. PC is an open format.
“I do think PC will continue to be a more and more important part of the console business going forward, and that isn’t complicated for us to support at all. So the bottom line is we are selective about which platforms we support. We make the tech work when we can make it work as long as the audience is big enough to make that worthwhile.”
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Chimps do better at difficult tasks when they have an audience
Chimps do better at difficult tasks when they have an audience
A chimpanzee tackling a number test on a touch screen
Akiho Muramatsu
The pressure of a watching audience can have positive or negative effects on human performance, and it turns out the same is true of our closest relatives.
Christen Lin at Kyoto University, Japan, and his colleagues tested a group of six chimpanzees housed at the university’s primate research institute on three numerical tasks with varying difficulty.
In the first task, the numbers 1 to 5 appeared on the screen in random locations and the chimps simply had to touch the numbers in the correct order to get a food reward.
In the second task, the numbers weren’t adjacent: for example, 1, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 15 might appear on the screen. Again, the chimps had to press the numbers from smallest to largest in order to receive a reward.
Finally, in the hardest test, when the first number in the sequence was pressed, the rest of the numbers were hidden behind chequered squares on the screen. This meant the chimps had to memorise the location of the numbers in order to press them in the correct order.
The chimps were tested on the tasks thousands of times over a six-year ******* with varying audiences – from one to eight human observers, some familiar to the chimps and others who were new.
When the task was easy, the chimps performed worse when there were more people watching. But on the most difficult task, all six of the chimps did better as the size of the audience grew.
“It was very surprising to find a significant increase in performance as human experimenter numbers increased, because we might expect more humans being present to be more distracting,” says Lin. “However, the results suggest that this may actually motivate them to perform even better.
“For the easiest task, the humans may be distracting to them, but for the most difficult task it is possible that the humans are a stressor that actually motivates them to perform better.”
Team member Shinya Yamamoto, also at Kyoto University, says they were very surprised to find this effect in the chimps.
“Such an audience effect is often thought to be unique to humans, who live in a reputation-based normative society, where we sometimes perform better in front of an audience and sometimes perform worse than we expected,” he says. “But our study shows that this audience effect may have evolved in the ape lineage before the development of this kind of normative society.”
Yamamoto says it is difficult and sometimes dangerous to draw direct implications for humans from non-human studies. “But, in a casual way, we may be able to ease the tension of those who are extremely nervous in public by saying chimpanzees are the same!”
Miguel Llorente at the University of Girona, Spain, suggests further studies could explore how the audience effect is related to chimpanzees’ individual personalities.
“It would also be fascinating to explore these effects with chimpanzee audiences to understand more fully how these dynamics play out in a natural social context in order to generalise these results to the natural behaviour of chimpanzees,” he says.
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Early ****** Friday gaming laptop deals 2024: Asus, Alienware, Lenovo
Early ****** Friday gaming laptop deals 2024: Asus, Alienware, Lenovo
Update 11/06/24: November is officially here, and we’re only a few weeks away from ****** Friday. That means that we’re already seeing a lot more deals coming through as retailers ramp up their sales for the big event. We’ve updated the prices of the deals below, as well as added three more options for you to pick from, so you should find something great below!
Contents
Dell G15 — $920 $1,150 20% off
Alienware x14 R2 — $1,000 $1,700 41% off
HP Victus 16 — $1,130 $1,400 19% off
Acer Predator Helios 18 — $1,360 $1700 20% off
Asus ROG Flow Z13 Gaming Laptop Tablet — $1,499 $1,800 17% off
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 — $1,600 $2,000 20% off
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 — $1,610 $2,000 19% off
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 — $1,750 $2,000 14% off
Alienware m16 — $2,240 $2,800 20% off
How to choose a gaming laptop on ****** Friday
How we chose these ****** Friday gaming laptop deals
Show 6 more items
****** Friday doesn’t officially begin until November 29. As that’s near the tail end of November, it doesn’t take a long ponder to realize that the big shopping holiday is quite some time away. However, if you’re in the mood and market for a new gaming laptop, you don’t really need to wait. Retailers and companies are already pushing out deals on serviceable gaming laptops now. Some of them are even on the best gaming laptops available. So, if you want to get started on your portable gaming journey, there’s no need to wait until the last minute, you can get started with these great deals now.
Dell G15 — $920 $1,150 20% off
Dell
The Dell G15 is one of our favorites in the budget space and, for that reason, it is one of our favorites overall. This one has an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of memory, an RTX 4050 laptop, and a full terabyte of SSD storage space for all the games you’ll want to play on it. Plus its FHD screen refreshes at 120Hz for great FPS gameplay.
Alienware x14 R2 — $1,000 $1,700 41% off
Jacob ****** / Digital Trends
The Alienware x14 R2 has a lot going for it (and a lot of customizable upgrades, if you so *******) and is a pretty incredible option if you’re looking for a smaller 14-inch gaming laptop. But the best feature? Our Alienware x14 R2 review describes it as having an “all-day battery life” and notes that it can last through 10 hours of web browsing, even beating out a Dell XPS 15 model. That’s pretty rare on a quality gaming machine, and you’ll likely be happy with it for $1,000.
HP Victus 16 — $1,130 $1,400 19% off
Digital Trends
This highly-affordable gaming laptop entry has an AMD processor, 16GB of RAM, an RTX 4060 laptop, and 1TB of SSD storage. We have an HP Victus 16 review, but the model there features much older hardware. Yet, the form factor stays the same and you can expect to get a moderately-sized laptop body that can be easily transported. At just $1,130, this is a great entry and budget option.
Acer Predator Helios 18 — $1,360 $1700 20% off
Riley Young/Digital Trends / Riley Young/Digital Trends
Not every 18-inch laptop has to cost an arm and a leg, and this deal for $1,360 is really worth grabbing if you want a budget-friendly option. It comes with an entry-level RTX 4060 and an IPS screen that can hit 165Hz, while the Intel i7-13700HX and 16GB of RAM will give you a great day-to-day experience.
Asus ROG Flow Z13 Gaming Laptop Tablet — $1,499 $1,800 17% off
Mark Coppock / Digital Trends
This laptop sits in a weird but cool spot in our listing of the best gaming laptops: best gaming tablet. It’s form factor initially had me confused, and a bit skeptical. It just looks so much like a Microsoft Surface laptop! But our Asus ROG Flow Z13 review converted me to its cause, confirming that it is, indeed, a good machine with a comfortable keyboard and touchpad plate.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 — $1,600 $2,000 20% off
Jacob ****** / Digital Trends
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 has an astounding 240Hz OLED display, gigantic trackpad, and is lightweight enough to be an easy carry-around. Our Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 review especially praises it for the beauty of its screen, showing that this is a good laptop for those wanting a beautiful experience. This iteration of the laptop comes with an RTX 4070 laptop and 1TB of SSD storage alongside 16GB of RAM.
Lenovo Legion Pro 5 — $1,610 $2,000 19% off
Jacob ****** / Digital Trends
This is the product that sits at the very top of our ‘best laptops’ list. It’s one of those good-value-for-the-price products that just gets even better with an extra 12% sliced off. The combination of good hardware and an excellent port selection along with a serviceable screen make for good times. In addition to creating a great gaming experience, our Legion Pro 5 review notes that it also has a nice presentation that doesn’t scream “Hey, I’m a gamer doing gaming over here!” which is always nice.
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 — $1,750 $2,000 14% off
Jacob ****** / Digital Trends
If you want a more powerful 14-inch laptop, this configuration of the G14 is really powerful, with an RTX 4070 and the very high-end AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS. On top of that, you get a whopping 32GB and 1TB SSD, all with a very sold $250 discount.
Alienware m16 — $2,240 $2,800 20% off
Alienware
This configuration of the Alienware M16 is probably one of the most powerful you’re going to find since it comes with the high-end RTX 4080, an AMD Ryzen 9 processor, and 16GB of RAM. Of course, you do pay a pretty high price for it, but the $560 discount is pretty substantial and makes it worth it.
How to choose a gaming laptop on ****** Friday
Your ****** Friday gaming laptop purchasing experience won’t be that different from other times, at least from a hardware perspective. That means that our gaming laptop buying guide will still have valuable insights for you at this time. In other words, performance and display are still going to be the primary things you’ll want to look at. During deals seasons like this one, it makes sense to be a tiny bit pickier than normal, however, as you can get something slightly better than you normally would and still get a discount.
One of the biggest things to remember when choosing your ****** Friday gaming laptop is that the GPUs are going to be somewhat different than when you pick up one of the best gaming PCs. You see, the RTX in a laptop is not the same as the one in a desktop. So, if you get an RTX 4090 laptop it won’t be quite as strong as the one in your desktop, though it’ll still be very fast. Check out our GPU guide for more details about what you should consider buying.
How we chose these ****** Friday gaming laptop deals
It is all a combination of great price and great product. Many of the laptops above were sourced directly from our compilation of the best gaming laptops, ensuring that you can get a top-of-the-line laptop at a lower-than-usual price. Others, however, had an eye-catching price that made us want to examine the laptop in more detail. Maybe it was a laptop we’d reviewed before, but an upgraded version, or something with similar stats but a lower price than the competition.
We also took care to make sure some budget gaming laptops made it on to this list. You shouldn’t be forced to buy a Nintendo Switch if you want budget gaming on the go, after all. While there are some premium products on the list above, nearly anyone should be able to find something that fits their normal laptop budget.
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In Trump 2020 election case, Jack Smith asks judge for time to determine “appropriate course”
In Trump 2020 election case, Jack Smith asks judge for time to determine “appropriate course”
What to expect in Trump’s ongoing legal cases
What could happen in Trump’s hush money, election and classified documents cases
03:21
Washington — Special counsel Jack Smith has asked the federal district court in Washington to forego current deadlines in the case against President-elect Donald Trump related to the 2020 election to allow prosecutors more time to assess the “unprecedented circumstance” arising out of his election Tuesday to serve a second term in the White House.
Smith told U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in a one-paragraph filing that his office would like additional time to “determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.” He said prosecutors will provide more information to the court by Dec. 2.
Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House on Tuesday and will be sworn-in for a second term on Jan. 20. As a result of Trump’s victory, the Justice Department and special counsel’s office are discussing how to wind down the ongoing federal prosecutions against Trump.
The Justice Department has a longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Citing the outcome of the election and Trump’s upcoming inauguration, Smith told the court that the deadlines in the pretrial schedule set by Chutkan should be tossed out “to afford the government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance.”
Trump is facing four federal charges in the case arising out of what Smith alleges was an unlawful scheme to subvert the transfer of power after the 2020 election. He pleaded not guilty and has denied wrongdoing.
Proceedings in the case were halted for months as Trump pursued claims that he was immune from federal prosecution all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that former presidents cannot face charges arising from official actions taken while in the White House.
The case returned to Chutkan in August, and a grand jury returned a new indictment against Trump that narrowed the allegations against him to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling. The two sides have been arguing in court papers about whether the new charges can stand.
More from CBS News
Melissa Quinn
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.
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Trump ********* election case paused as Jack Smith weighs fate
Trump ********* election case paused as Jack Smith weighs fate
Special counsel Jack Smith makes a statement to reporters about the 37 federal charges returned by a grand jury in an indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump on charges of unauthorized retention of classified documents and *********** to obstruct justice as Smith speaks at his offices in Washington, U.S. June 9, 2023.
Leah Millis | Reuters
A judge on Friday paused proceedings in the ********* election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump at the request of special counsel Jack Smith, a move that reflects the expected end of the prosecution.
Smith said that vacating the schedule of remaining pretrial motion deadlines would give the prosecutor’s team “time to assess this unprecedented circumstance” of Trump’s electoral victory “and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.”
“By December 2, 2024, the Government will file a status report or otherwise inform the Court of the result of its deliberations,” Smith wrote in a filing in federal court in Washington, D.C., which noted that Trump’s lawyers did not object to the requested pause.
Trump is charged in the case with ******* related to his efforts to undo his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Trump’s win against Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this week was considered a ****** knell for Smith’s prosecutions against him.
Trump has said he plans to ***** Smith, and is expected to force the DOJ to end the prosecutions.
And DOJ policy effectively bars the department from prosecuting a president while in office.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
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****** Ops 6 Boss Seemingly Confirms 1 Phenomenon Why Future Call of Duty Titles Will be on Game Pass
****** Ops 6 Boss Seemingly Confirms 1 Phenomenon Why Future Call of Duty Titles Will be on Game Pass
****** Ops 6 has been breaking records left and right since its launch, setting new benchmarks for both day-one players and Game Pass subscriptions. As the first Call of Duty title to debut on Microsoft’s subscription service following the historic Activision-Blizzard acquisition, all eyes were on how this new distribution model would impact the franchise’s success.
A potential watershed moment for Activision’s ever-lucrative franchise. | Image Credit: Activision
Now, just two weeks after launch, the game’s Associate Creative Director has shared some fascinating insights about player engagement that could have far-reaching implications for the future of the series. His observations about returning players and accessibility might just explain why we’ll be seeing more Call of Duty titles on Game Pass in the years to come.
The Game Pass Effect on ****** Ops 6
In a recent interview with BBC, Miles Leslie from Treyarch revealed an interesting trend that’s emerged since the game’s launch on Game Pass:
What we’ve seen is it’s allowed people that might have been on the fence, might have had some of that friction, might have been like, ‘I haven’t played in a while’ to actually come back and try the game.
This phenomenon of returning players isn’t just a happy accident. The game’s impressive 60% increase in sales on PlayStation and Steam compared to 2023’s release—according to Microsoft‘s latest earnings call—suggests that the Game Pass availability might be creating a ripple effect across all platforms, potentially indicating that the subscription service is acting as a discovery tool rather than a replacement for traditional purchases.
Leslie further emphasized the importance of accessibility in today’s gaming landscape:
We’ve gotten to the point now where ****** Ops and Call of Duty have been around so long… And really the challenge for us is how do you bring along the fans that love Call of Duty, but how do you create an environment where you can welcome new fans in?
This balance between catering to veterans and welcoming newcomers has been a crucial factor in the game’s success. The Game Pass launch seems to have struck that perfect chord, providing an easy entry point for new players while maintaining the core experience that longtime fans have come to expect.
A New Chapter for the Franchise?
The higher-ups appear to be pleased with the game’s performance. | Image Credit: Microsoft/YouTube
The success of this new distribution strategy hasn’t gone unnoticed by Microsoft, either. CEO Satya Nadella has already confirmed that Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6 set a record for new Game Pass subscribers on launch day, though specific numbers remain under wraps.
But perhaps more telling is Leslie’s insight into how they’re monitoring player engagement:
The key is, are they having fun? Where are the friction points? And that’s what we’re analysing. You never know until it’s in the hands of millions of players how it’s going to be received.
This focus on reducing barriers to entry while maintaining the core Call of Duty experience suggests that the Game Pass model isn’t just a temporary experiment—it’s likely the blueprint for the franchise’s future.
The inclusion of nostalgic elements such as the revamped round-based Zombies mode, the updated Nuketown map, and the return of the classic Prestige system (among many others) demonstrate that Treyarch understands the delicate balance of innovation and tradition required to keep both new and returning players engaged.
What do you think about Call of Duty‘s future on Game Pass? Has the subscription service influenced your decision to try ****** Ops 6? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Best Buy’s early ****** Friday already has discounts up to 53% off
Best Buy’s early ****** Friday already has discounts up to 53% off
Digital Trends
Update 11/06/24: With November finally here, big retailers like Best Buy have started bringing out all their best deals, and if you’ve been waiting a while to ******* something up, now is the time. We’ve gone through the deals below, updated the pricing, and added a few new deals as well. We’ll continue to update this article over the next few weeks, so be sure to check back regularly!
****** Friday is still a long time away. It starts on November 29 after all, the day after Thanksgiving. What does that mean for you? Not much if you’re the type to wait until the last minute. However, big stores are already starting with their deals now. And one of those big stores is Best Buy, one that we know you love. You can get excellent Best Buy deals now. That means getting early ****** Friday smartwatch deals, early ****** Friday gaming laptop deals, early ****** Friday TV deals, and more. So go ahead and get started shopping now, you won’t regret getting things bought early.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) — $28 $50 44% off
Amazon
If you’re in the Amazon ecosystem and want a good smart speaker, then this 5th Gen Amazon Echo Dot is worth taking a look at, especially since it has a whopping 44% discount. Not only is it connected with Alexa so you can do voice control, but it can also pair with your phone and stream your music directly, which is nice.
Keurig K-Select Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker — $70 $150 53% off
Keurig
The Keurig K-Select is a premium single-serve coffee maker that uses those convenient pods you know about, making up to 12 oz of coffee at a time. There’s even a ‘strong brew’ option for those of you that need an extra jolt in the morning. At 53% off, this is the time to buy.
Bella PRO SmartCrisp — $80 $130 38% off
bella PRO
Air fryers offer a great alternative to traditional frying since they’re a lot healthier, use up a lot less oil, and you don’t really need to sit on top of them and baby them. Luckily, this Bella PRO SmartCrisp has a great $50 discount, and with an eight-quart capacity, it can fry up a lot of stuff in one go.
iRobot Roomba Essential ****** Vacuum & Mop — $160 $275 42% off
iRobot
You may know that you can get a ****** vacuum to help out around the house, but you may be surprised that you can get a vacuum and mop combo for just $220. This deal lets you get it all done at once at a very low price. Check it out while it is 42% off.
50-inch Insignia F30 Series — $200 $300 33% off
Insignia
If you’re unfamiliar with Insignia, Best Buy’s brand focuses on budget-oriented products, like this F30 Series TV. That said, it’s still a great TV, especially since you get 4k resolutions at bargain-bin prices. It also supports HDR10 and is built on the ***** TV system, so it’s great for those already in the Amazon ecosystem. Keep reading for more TV discounts or check out our entire article on early ****** Friday TV deals.
Arlo Pro 5S 2K 3 Camera Indoor/Outdoor Wireless Bundle — $250 $500 50% off
Arlo
Arlo is considered one of the best home security camera makers, so this deal on three of their indoor/outdoor cams is a fantastic way to get started on your home security journey. In our mashup of the Arlo Pro 5S vs Ring Stick Up Cam — two of the most premium security cams available — the Arlo Pro 5S was considered best for those wanting the “most vivid images possible.”
Jackery Explorer 300 Plus + 40W Solar Panel — $280 $400 30% off
Jackery
For those who enjoy camping or generally deal with a lot of power cuts, getting yourself a good portable power station is a great way to get some extra power. This Jackery Explorer 300 Plus bundle also comes with a 40-watt panel, so you can fill it back up even when the power is out, and the $120 discount makes it worth grabbing as soon as possible if you like it.
Ninja Woodfire Pizza Oven — $300 $400 25% off
Ninja
One of the most fun things to do outside is to make pizza, and this Ninja Woodfire Pizza Oven is a great option for that, especially with its $100 discount. Of course, it does a lot more than just pizza, and with the ability to heat up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit and fit a 12-pound turkey, you get a lot of options.
Sony WH-1000XM5 — $350 $400 13% off
Sony
It’s deals season again, so it means that you can once again safely buy the continuously undisputed best headphones. These are definitely headphones that you wait until the holidays to buy, and you can get $50 off, but you will need a My Best Buy Plus membership. Check out our WH-1000XM5 review to see why they’re so great, but for a quick spoiler: They’ve got great ANC and responsive, easy, earcup tap controls.
Apple MacBook Air 15 M2 — $1,149 $1,299 12% off
Luke Larsen / Digital Trends
The M2 MacBook Air 15 is a laptop that doesn’t need an introduction, especially given that the MacBook Air 13 is one of the most popular laptops out there, especially regarding battery life. Luckily, this Apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and the MacBook Air 15 is also great, with Apple’s M2 chip, one of their most powerful. It has a larger 15-inch Retina display running at 2880 x 1864 resolution, and the battery life will last you around 16 to 17 hours, which is slightly less than the MacBook Air 13, but not by much.
Samsung 65-inch Class S90D OLED TV — $1,600 $1,699 6% off
Samsung
This is one of Samsung’s latest TVs, and with a $100 discount, it’s worth grabbing right now. It’s a great TV for gaming for several reasons. It has motion acceleration to 144Hz, it has AI depth enhancement, gives you access to Samsung’s cloud gaming service, and it comes with a free Game Pass Ultimate trial. As a premium OLED TV, it’s also great for general entertainment.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 — $1,600 $2,000 20% off
Jacob ****** / Digital Trends
Also considered one of the best ****** Friday gaming laptop deals, this laptop balances strong power and easy maneuverability, so you don’t wind up with a gaming laptop that’s just about as stationary as a desktop. It has an RTX 4070 laptop GPU, 1TB of SSD storage, 16GB of RAM, and what our Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 review describes as an absolutely beautiful screen.
How to choose what to buy from Best Buy on ****** Friday
Best Buy is home to just about everything you’ll read about in the Digital Trends archives. That means you can get stuff from the best gaming laptops to models from the best refrigerator brands all in the same place. As a result, it can be hard to parse everything. So, where should you start?
Best Buy tends to house higher-end laptops and monitors than you might find at your local Staples, for instance. And this tends to be a great place to start. While its sometimes advantageous to pop into your local Best Buy and tap the keys on the laptops and stare into the TV screens yourself, you can also check out our reviews on the top models here.
Then, you might also want to check out appliances, security devices, and even the best cameras that Best Buy has to offer, as you can often find great deals on these high-dollar products at Best Buy as well.
In short, we recommend starting with your basic electronic needs — laptops, monitors, desktops, consoles, TVs, etc. — and then taking a peek at higher dollar items. Alternatively, if you’re really in the market for a new fridge or ****** vacuum, go ahead and start there.
How we chose these Best Buy ****** Friday deals
The above ****** Friday Best Buy deals are chosen from a place of having a lot of experience with both the products you like and the Best Buy digital store. We’ve found the best prices on a variety of categories of products that we know you’re looking for. There’s a lot to cover at Best Buy, certainly, and you might want to do your own looking if you have something specific in mind. However, generally speaking, the products above are going to get you started out on the right foot.
We’re also paying special attention to Best Buy events that are separate to official “****** Friday” deals. That’s one of the reasons we’ve started early this year — manufacturers have, too. Best Buy is big enough to pull their own stunts and events over the course of the holiday season, and we’ll be sure to be watching.
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Champions Trophy 2025: ‘Hybrid model’ not acceptable to Pakistan Cricket Board
Champions Trophy 2025: ‘Hybrid model’ not acceptable to Pakistan Cricket Board
A “hybrid model” for hosting the Champions Trophy will not be accepted by Pakistan, according to its Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Pakistan is due to stage a first global tournament since 1996, an eight-team 50-over competition in February and March next year.
However, political tensions between Pakistan and India mean the two countries have not played each other outside major tournaments in 11 years and India have not visited Pakistan since 2008.
As a result, there is speculation India could play their matches in a country other than Pakistan, possibly the ******* ***** Emirates.
“Sports should stay above politics and cricket should not be sacrificed at the altar of politics,” said PCB chair Naqvi.
The situation has not been publicly addressed by the International Cricket Council, which is yet to officially publish fixtures for the event. The tournament is slated to begin on 19 February, 100 days from Monday.
Confusion over the schedule is making it difficult for teams, supporters and media to make plans for the event.
The tournament is made up of two groups of four, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals. If India’s matches are played outside of Pakistan, it leads to the prospect of the semis or final potentially needing two grounds more than 1,000 miles apart, with the eventual venue not known until India’s progress is determined.
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I Became A Bean Nuisance In ***** Ways: Free For All
I Became A Bean Nuisance In ***** Ways: Free For All
***** Ways: Free For All is full of minigame goodness, but a little light on the silly deaths we love so much.
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Hackers are now targeting Windows driver flaw for malware
Hackers are now targeting Windows driver flaw for malware
As if there weren’t enough threats to your Windows computer already, here is another one to be careful with. Kaspersky reports that tens of thousands of compromised PCs are infected as cybercriminals advertise fake activators and cracks to lure in unsuspecting users for distinct software such as AutoCAD, JetBrains, and Foxit PDF Editor.
The malicious package named SteelFox has been quietly spreading since February 2023, but its distribution has exploded recently. The malware is dispersed using torrent trackers and forums, where it is used as a tool to activate authentic versions of the previously mentioned software.
The experts at Kaspersky warn that the malware mimics cryptocurrencies and steals sensitive financial and non-financial information from your devices. When you install the fake ******, a vulnerable driver called WinRingO.sys is added that restores CVE-2021-41285 and CVE-2020-14979, four- and three-year-old vulnerabilities that give hackers full access to your PC.
When hackers access these vulnerabilities, they insert XMRig, a program that steals computer resources to mine cryptocurrency, an ******* known as cryptojacking. XMRig uses your electricity, PC power, and the internet to mine Monero and other cryptocurrencies, making your PC useless. An info stealer is also inserted to retrieve data from 13 web browsers, including browsing history, credit card info, session cookies, network data, and system information. A Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connection is also established.
The report also mentioned a malicious post that included complete instructions on how to launch the software illegally. Further, Kaspersky says that “the ********** chain looks legitimate until the moment the files are unpacked.” The damaging software is inserted in the process and adds the machine code that launches Steelfox.
Kaspersky also says it has blocked 11,000 attacks thus far, but the number can easily be much higher. Affected users are worldwide, including in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Russia, China, UAE, Algeria, Egypt, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India.
You can stay safe by only downloading software from legitimate sources, and having top-tier antivirus software such as Bitdefender is a great idea.
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Ronald Reagan’s Son Michael Says America Needs His Dad’s Help Once Again with These 3 Principles
Ronald Reagan’s Son Michael Says America Needs His Dad’s Help Once Again with These 3 Principles
The son of former President Ronald Reagan says three key principles that his father exemplified while in the White House would greatly benefit politicians today.
Columnist and author Michael Reagan often travels around the globe discussing his father’s legacy.
He recently told Crosswalk.com that today’s political climate is very divisive, but people can benefit from choosing the live the way his father did.
He pointed to the new movie “Reagan” to show how his father, a ***********, had a genuine friendship with House Speaker Tip O’Neill, a Democrat.
“And here are two people who disagree with each other politically,” he explained. “(There is a) great moment when my dad says, ‘You know, we’re friends after five o’clock.'”
Reagan pointed out that it was important to have that element in the film because it is not seen enough in today’s political world.
In one true-to-life depiction in the film, O’Neill could be seen sitting at Reagan’s bedside in the hospital after he survived an ************** attempt.
“Tip O’Neill is sitting there in a chair with his rosary, praying for and with my father,” Reagan said. “You say, ‘Would that happen in today’s day and age?’ And unfortunately, I think not, and that’s what’s really sad, that we don’t do these things, that we don’t find ways to reach out to each other. We find ways to walk away from each other. And that’s what’s really sad.”
Reagan says taking personal responsibility is another simple principle that would benefit today’s political culture.
“What happens is we get in trouble for hiding, not being forthright (in today’s world). And Iran Contra, which was depicted in the movie, ended when my dad took responsibility for Iran Contra,” Michael Reagan said. “It was done. We don’t do that. …That’s another great lesson to learn. Take responsibility for your actions.”
Lastly, Reagan’s policy of standing by his deeply held convictions serves as a good model for political leaders. He references his father’s pro-life stance and the book he famously wrote called, “********* and the Conscience of the Nation.”
“Know what you believe and know why you believe it,” Michael Reagan said. “So many people today believe it because a poll or a study said to believe this. And my dad believed it because he actually believed it. The books in his library, he actually read the books in his library … Stand strong for your beliefs and know who you are and what you are. And I think that’s so very important.”
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly ********** perspective.***
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The best early deals we could find from Amazon, Best Buy, Apple, Samsung and more
The best early deals we could find from Amazon, Best Buy, Apple, Samsung and more
With each passing year, ****** Friday seems to turn more and more into “****** November,” with many retailers starting their holiday sales weeks before the day itself. But while the bombardment of promos can be annoying, it also presents a good chance to beat the rush and finish holiday shopping ahead of time, without paying more than you have to.
To help you cut through the noise, we’re rounding up the best early ****** Friday deals we can find in one easy place. While most major tech retailers haven’t started their early sales in earnest just yet, we’ve seen more than a few new discounts on gadgets we recommend pop up this week. While some have hit their lowest prices to date, there’s always a chance discounts will get even deeper as we get closer to the actual sales holiday. We’ll continuously update this post as more ****** Friday sales pop up, so be sure to check back.
The best early ****** Friday deals
Billy Steele for Engadget
Apple MagSafe charger pad for $25 ($14 off): Apple’s newest MagSafe charger provides up to 25W of fast-charging power to iPhone 16 handsets when paired with a 30W or 35W adapter. It works with older iPhones too, of course, and will provide that satisfying magnetic snap with the latest Apple smartphones (and AirPods, too).
Apple 2024 M4 iMac desktop computer for $1,214 ($85 off): Apple just released the refreshed iMac last month, and now the silver model is $85 off and down to $1,214 at Amazon. It has the latest Apple silicon, the M4 system on a chip that gives it a speed boost and enables the new Apple Intelligence features in macOS Sequoia.
Apple iPad (9th gen) for $200 ($129 off): Apple discontinued this model with the release of the new iPad Pro and Air models earlier this year. In what’s likely an effort to get rid of current stock, the price is down to a new record low of $200. The 9th generation iPad is the former budget pick in our guide to the best Apple tablets and will serve well as a casual browsing, streaming and game playing machine.
Pixel Watch 3 for $280 ($70 off): Google’s latest smartwatch is down to an all time low price. This is the model we recommend for anyone with an Android phone in our guide to the best smartwatches and it earned an 84 in our review. It detects workouts quickly, has an extra long battery life and is one of the more attractive smartwatches on the market. The deal applies to the 41mm size with GPS only but the larger and cellular-enabled models are on ***** too. Also at Best Buy and Target.
Beats Solo 4 for $100 ($100 off): The Solo 4 is light on features and may be uncomfortable on larger heads, but its even-handed sound and 50+-hour battery life make it worth considering if you prefer a more compact on-ear design instead of traditional over-ears. We gave it a score of 79 in our review. This discount ties an all-time low and is also available at Walmart, Target and Best Buy. The full-size Beats Studio Pro is discounted as well, but that pair is a bit ******* to recommend over the top picks in our wireless headphone buying guide.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones for $199 ($150 off): This ties the lowest price we’ve seen for Bose’s mid-tier noise-canceling headphones. At this price, their effective ANC and light fit make them a worthy alternative to higher-end pairs like the Sony WH-1000XM5 (our favorite pair overall). That said, their bass-heavy sound won’t be for everyone, and the XM5 has a more comprehensive feature set. Also at Bose.com, Target and Best Buy. The higher-end QuietComfort Ultra, meanwhile, are $100 off and put out even stronger ANC, though we still prefer the XM5 for around the same price.
Anker MagGo 3-in-1 foldable charging station for $82.50 ($27.50 off): This Qi2 charging station supports up to 15W of power output and can charge an iPhone, Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods all at once. It also comes with a 40W USB-C charger and connecting cable, so you get everything you need to use it in the box.
Anker 3-in-1 10K portable charger for $36 ($9 off, Prime members only): A top pick in our best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don’t need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices.
Anker Soundcore Space A40 for $45 ($35 off, Prime only): The Space A40 is the longtime top pick in our guide to the best budget earbuds, as it delivers the kind of robust feature set we expect from pairs that cost three times as much. Call quality isn’t the best, and it won’t auto-pause when you take out an earbud, but its warm sound, powerful ANC, eight-ish hours of battery life and comfy design all impress for the money. This deal ties the lowest price we’ve seen — it’s only available to Prime subscribers at Amazon, but you can also grab it at Anker’s online store with an on-page coupon.
Fitbit Charge 6 fitness tracker for $100 ($60 off): Our top pick for the best fitness tracker, the Charge 6 has a comfortable design, built-in GPS and heart rate monitors and 20 exercise modes ready to be tracked.
Google Nest Indoor security camera (wired) for $70 ($30 off): Google’s security camera can tell the difference between people, animals and vehicles while it’s monitoring your home, and it supports 1080p video, night vision and two-way audio.
Google Nest Wi-Fi Pro 6E (three-pack) for $279 ($120 off): We consider the Nest Wi-Fi Pro mesh system to be one of the easiest for folks who have never installed their own router, and the three-pack provides coverage for up to 6,600 square feet. Also available at Google.
Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen) for $225 ($55 off): The recently revamped smart thermostat from Google is currently $55 off at Woot when you enter the code ENGBFNLT55 at checkout. It has a larger, customizable display and uses AI that aims to help you save on energy bills.
The Amazon Echo Show 5. (Amazon)
Amazon Echo Pop for $18 ($22 off): Amazon’s smallest smart speaker has dropped to a record-low price. It’s part of a larger ***** that includes the Echo Dot for $28 and the new Echo Spot for $50.
Amazon ***** HD 10 for $75 ($65 off): No ***** HD tablet comes close to matching the performance, build quality and app support of an iPad, but they’re significantly more affordable, and they still work well enough if all you need is something for casual streaming, e-reading and web browsing. At this price, the 10.1-inch ***** HD 10 is likely a better value than the smaller ***** HD 8, as it has a sharper display, it’s a tick faster and it can last slightly longer on a charge. Just be ready to deal with a bunch of ads for Amazon’s own apps and services. This discount ties an all-time low, and it’s also available at Best Buy and Target.
Amazon Echo Show 5 for $50 ($40 off): We highlight the Echo Show 5 in our guide to the best smart displays. While the Echo Show 8 — which isn’t majorly discounted yet — has a roomier display, louder speakers and sharper cameras, this 5.5-inch model provides most of the same functionality in a design that’s easier to fit on a nightstand. If you’re already onboard the Alexa train, it’ll work nicely as a smart alarm clock. This deal is $10 more than the all-time low we saw last ****** Friday, so it may drop further in the weeks ahead, but for now it matches the best price we’ve seen in 2024. Also at Target, Kohl’s and Best Buy.
Blink Outdoor 4 (6-pack) for $180 ($300 off): The Outdoor 4 is a wireless, IP65-rated outdoor security camera we highlight in our guide to the best smart home gadgets. It captures decent (if not class-leading) 1080p video, it’s relatively painless to install and it supports features like night vision, motion alerts, local storage and two-way talking. The catch is that it locks things like person detection and cloud storage behind a subscription plan. Still, it’s a solid value on balance, and this deal furthers that. We’ve seen this price on a six-camera bundle for a few weeks, but it’s still an all-time low. An eight-camera pack is also on ***** for $250, another low.
Audible Premium Plus (3-month) for $1 ($29 off): Those who don’t currently subscribe to Audible can get three months of the audiobook service’s Premium Plus plan for $1. Normally, the service costs $15 per month after a 30-day free trial. As a refresher, Premium Plus is Audible’s upper tier: In addition to giving access the full Audible Plus library, it lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month. We wouldn’t call it essential, but if you’ve been on the fence, this is a good way to see if it’d work for you. Just note that the plan will auto-renew until you cancel.
Samsung Music Frame for $248 ($150 off): This unique smart speaker can show art or your own photos while it plays music, and it can sync with your Samsung TV speakers. Also available at Samsung.
JBL Clip 5 speaker for $50 ($30 off): This tiny speaker has a built-in clip so you can hang it from a backpack or bag easily, plus it packs good sound with punchy base. You can expect 12 hours of battery life on it as well.
Hisense U8N 4K TV (55-inch) for $728 ($371 off): The U8N is the next step up from the U7N in Hisense’s TV lineup, so it should provide better colors, contrast and brightness across the board. If you don’t mind buying a smaller panel for around the same price, this is another new low. Also at Best Buy.
Samsung T9 portable SSD (4TB) for $300 ($250 off): The latest model in the T-series of Samsung’s portable drives supports read and write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s, and it has dynamic thermal guard to keep it cool even when you’re pushing it to its limits. Also available at Samsung.
Seagate Storage Expansion Card 2TB for $200 ($160 off): Seagate’s expansion card is one of the best options for expanding your Xbox Series X/S storage. A 2TB version has dropped to $200, its lowest price to date. It’s one of our picks for the best Xbox Series X/S accessories. Also available at Seagate.
iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max for $974 ($425 off): You can get a sizable discount on one of the newest (and more expensive) robovacs at Wellbots with the code ENGBF425. This one mops, vacuums, empties itself and cleans its own mop pad with little involvement from you.
Expired ****** Friday deals
Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $170 ($80 off): These are the best AirPods you can get this year, thanks to their good sound quality, secure fit, solid ANC and transparency mode, and they have more hearing aid features now too.
Apple Pencil Pro for $92 ($36 off): While this deal is a couple bucks higher than the lowest price we’ve ever seen for Apple’s top-of-the-line iPad stylus, it’s still a sizable drop compared to buying from Apple directly. Just be aware that Pencil Pro is only compatible with the most recent iPad Airs and iPad *****. Also at Walmart.
Apple iPad mini (7th gen) for $400 ($100 off): The latest iPad mini only just arrived this month, but it’s already $100 off with an on-page coupon at Amazon. Only the purple colorway is on *****, but this is a giant discount for a new Apple release, so we wouldn’t expect it to last long. We gave the new mini a review score of 83: It’s a minor refresh, but it continues to provide most of the iPad Air’s strengths in a form factor that’s easier to tuck in a bag and hold with one hand. This deal is available in additional colors at Costco, but only to store members.
Apple iPad Air (13-inch, M2) for $691 ($107 off): If you’d prefer more screen space, the 13-inch iPad Air is also down to an all-time low at Amazon. This model can get slightly brighter than its smaller counterpart, but the two slates are virtually identical otherwise.
Apple iPad Air (11-inch, M2) for $497 at Amazon ($102 off MSRP): This is a new low for the latest iPad Air, which we consider to be the best Apple tablet for most people. While it lacks the top-end performance and 120Hz OLED panel of the iPad Pro, it’s much less expensive, and it still gets you a more futureproof M2 chip, a superior display and better accessory support than the base-model iPad. Also at Best Buy.
Apple AirTag (4-pack) for $74 at Amazon ($25 off): The AirTag is, unsurprisingly, the top pick for iPhone users in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers, as it uses Apple’s giant network of Apple devices and ultrawideband tech to locate items accurately. Its effectiveness has had deeply unfortunate side effects, but if you use it as intended, it can provide a little extra peace of mind. While not an all-time low, this deal is a welcome drop from the usual $80 street price we’ve seen for a four-pack in recent months. Also at Best Buy.
Apple MacBook Air (13.6-inch, M2) for $700 at Amazon ($300 off): This matches the all-time low for Apple’s last-gen MacBook Air, which ******** a perfectly competent notebook for everyday use. The caveat is that this model only comes with 8GB of RAM, so it’s really only meant for lower-power tasks. Apple (finally) made 16GB of memory the standard across its MacBook lineup earlier this week, so this might be an instance of Apple trying to clear out old inventory. Still, this is a great value if you only need a laptop for basic web browsing, emailing and word processing. Clip the on-page coupon to see the full discount.
Anker Soundcore Motion+ for $69 at Amazon ($31 off): We recommend the Soundcore Motion+ in our guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers. While it isn’t especially light or compact, it pumps out a more spacious sound than most speakers in its price range, it’s waterproof and it lasts a decent 12 to 15 hours per charge. We’ve seen this discount a few times before, but it comes within a few bucks of the lowest price we’ve tracked. Also at Anker’s online store with an on-page coupon.
Hisense U7N 4K TV (65-inch) for $700 at Amazon ($300 off): Various reviews around the web suggest that the U7N is one of the year’s better TV values, with impressive brightness and contrast for the money. It supports up to a fast 144Hz refresh rate in 4K, which is great for gaming, and it runs on the easy-to-grok Google TV platform. Its image can wash out when viewed at an angle, though, and it’s limited to two HDMI 2.1 ports. This discount is a new low for the 65-inch model. Also at Best Buy.
Dyson Digital Slim cordless vacuum for $250 ($250 off): It’s hard to beat a Dyson for less than $300, but we do expect even more Dyson ****** Friday deals to pop up as we get closer to the big day. This model is 33 percent lighter than the Dyson V11, which could make it a good pick for someone who loathes their current, heavy-duty upright vac. The LED screen shows power mode, maintenance alerts and remaining run time, and you should get up to 40 minutes of battery life here. Also available at Dyson.
Backbone One (PlayStation Edition) for $60: The Backbone One is an comfy gamepad that snaps around your phone and lets you play mobile or cloud-based games without having to rely on touch controls. We’ve recommended it before. This deal on the PlayStation-themed version isn’t an all-time low, but it’s $10 to $20 less than the usual discounts we’ve seen over the past year. Sony’s listing doesn’t specify whether this is the first- or second-gen model — the latter can fit a wider range of phones and cases — but that shouldn’t be a major hindrance if you use an older iPhone or Android device. Both the USB-C and Lightning variants are on *****.
****** Friday FAQs
When is ****** Friday 2024?
****** Friday 2024 lands on November 29 this year.
When do ****** Friday deals start?
We expect some ****** Friday tech deals to start as early as November 1. Over the past few years, retailers have been kicking off the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier. This trend will continue in 2024, and you’ll likely find early ****** Friday deals available online and in stores in the weeks before the actual shopping event.
When do ****** Friday deals end?
Some ****** Friday tech deals will end immediately on Saturday, November 30. But those will likely be few and far between. Along with starting deals earlier and earlier, retailers have also extended ****** Friday deals past the day for a while now, too. In the tech space, we’ve seen many ****** Friday deals in the past run through Cyber Monday.
Where are the best ****** Friday deals?
There is no one place to buy all of the best ****** Friday deals, but you can expect the big retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target to have many of the same ****** Friday deals available — both in the lead up and on the day itself. We also recommend checking direct-to-consumer sites like Apple, Samsung, Sonos and others to make sure you’re getting the best deal before you cross things off your list.
Does Apple have ****** Friday deals?
You typically will not find cash discounts on Apple’s website for ****** Friday, though it has offered various gift card bundles during ****** Friday in recent years. You may be able to find local Apple store discounts on accessories, but Apple isn’t a retailer known for slashing prices on its products. However, you can find more traditional Apple ****** Friday tech deals at other retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy.
Check out all of the latest ****** Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
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Ryzen 7 9800X3D gutted to get a look inside AMD’s gaming champion — **** shot reveals CPU cores and 3D V-Cache
Ryzen 7 9800X3D gutted to get a look inside AMD’s gaming champion — **** shot reveals CPU cores and 3D V-Cache
One Bilibili user used a blowtorch on his Ryzen 7 9800X3D (via @9550pro on X) to examine the internal components of AMD’s latest gaming champ.
The video of the autopsy“, filmed by someone whose username on Bilibili translates to “all nonsense,” shows the 9800X3D’s heat spreader removed using a blowtorch. AMD uses solder to connect the CPU to the heat spreader, which only melts at very high temperatures, hence the need for a blowtorch to remove it.
On Ryzen CPUs that lack 3D V-Cache, it’s easy to get a shot of the CPU **** after removing the heatspreader. However, 3D V-Cache models use stacking technology to combine the core complex **** (CCD), which contains the CPU cores, with the 3D V-Cache. On Ryzen 9000X3D CPUs, the CCD is on top of the 3D V-Cache, but it was the other way around in previous generations. AMD now puts the CCD on top to help it cool down faster, which in turn helps increase frequency.
To get a peek at the CCD and the 3D V-Cache ****, the Bilibili user appears to have torn it off the circuit board. This naturally caused quite a bit of damage and shattered the V-Cache chip. Despite that, the video offers a pretty good look at the bottom side of the cache-filled chip, and we also get a decent view of the CCD on top. X user @94G8LA even reconstructed what the Zen 5 CCD and 3D V-Cache should look like.
The 9800X3D doesn’t use unique chips; this Zen 5 CCD is used in other Ryzen 9000 CPUs, and the 3D V-Cache is very similar to the one used in Ryzen 7000X3D processors. These **** shots don’t exactly reveal anything we didn’t already know, though they are exciting.
The CPU’s lack of uniqueness didn’t stop it from substantially improving over the 7800X3D in our review. Placing the CCD on top made a big difference, showing that the strategy behind 3D chip stacking isn’t fully developed yet. Perhaps one day, we’ll even see the CCD, 3D V-Cache, and IO **** all in a single stack, at least as soon as AMD figures out the best order for these ***** to be in.
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Special counsel Jack Smith seeks pause in Trump ********* case
Special counsel Jack Smith seeks pause in Trump ********* case
Special counsel Jack Smith makes a statement to reporters about the 37 federal charges returned by a grand jury in an indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump on charges of unauthorized retention of classified documents and *********** to obstruct justice as Smith speaks at his offices in Washington, U.S. June 9, 2023.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Special counsel Jack Smith on Friday asked a judge to pause proceedings in the ********* election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump.
Smith said that pause, which Trump’s lawyers did not object to, would give the prosecutor’s team “time to assess this unprecedented circumstance” of Trump’s electoral victory “and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.”
Trump’s win against Vice President Kamala Harris was considered a ****** knell for Smith’s prosecutions against him.
Trump has said he plans to ***** Smith, and is expected to force the DOJ to end the prosecutions.
And DOJ policy effectively bars the department from prosecuting a president while in office.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
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Miyamoto: I Am No Genius
Miyamoto: I Am No Genius
Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto is one of the most famous and groundbreaking creative types across all of entertainment, but the man himself doesn’t agree that he’s a genius. As part of Nintendo’s latest earnings briefing, Miyamoto pushed back against the suggestion that he’s been able for decades to turn out hit after hit because he’s a “genius.”
“You referred to me as a ‘genius,’ but I consider myself quite ordinary,” he said.
Miyamoto went on to say he gives a speech each year to Nintendo’s new hires, and the feedback he gets from these people is that he is “surprisingly ordinary.”
Making great games allows Miyamoto to have an easier career, he said. “I often think it would be fun if I didn’t have to work, so I’m always thinking about things like, well, if I have to work, how can I do it more efficiently. And if I am going to do the same work, how can I make it more of a hit, because when a project is a hit it makes future work easier,” he said.
Miyamoto went on to reveal more of what he tells new hires coming to Nintendo. He said many people come to work at Nintendo and aspire to make “upgraded versions” of games they’ve played before. But Miyamoto pushes back against this idea and encourages them to think differently.
“[Game design] is about observing the world around us and figuring out how to assemble those elements into an engaging video game,” he said. “I explain that game design is about planning. That is, it is about assessing what hardware and development environment to use to create the game, whether the desired game can be realized with its available processing power, and engaging in trial and error to bring it to life.”
Miyamoto has had a long and illustrious career at Nintendo. The 71-year-old started at Nintendo all the way back in 1977 and helped create Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda. He’s remained a key player at Nintendo to this day in his “Creative Fellow” position, contributing to all manner of Nintendo game franchises. In addition to his work on Nintendo’s game franchises, he was an executive producer on 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie and will produce the upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda film. He’s also involved in the Nintendo theme parks.
Miyamoto has no plans to retire, but has admitted he has spent time thinking about who may fill his shoes one day.
As for Nintendo’s hardware business, the Switch is now in its eighth year on the market. It’s sold more than 146 million units worldwide, and all eyes are on Nintendo to reveal the Switch 2 by April 2025.
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What are the security risks of bring your own AI?
What are the security risks of bring your own AI?
Since the launch of ChatGPT by Open AI in November 2022, interest in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools has increased dramatically. Its ability to generate a response based on a question or request has seen it used for a variety of purposes, from writing emails to underpinning chatbots.
The recent Work trend index report by Microsoft, based on a survey of more than 31,000 professional employees, shows that 75% of knowledge workers are now using some form of GenAI in their jobs, and nearly half of those surveyed started using it within the past six months. However, nearly 80% of those using GenAI are bringing their own AI to work, and the percentage increases slightly when focusing on small businesses. It is worth noting that this adoption is not just by younger users, who are typically more likely to embrace new technology, but by users of all ages.
As more information is generated and needs to be processed, we increasingly struggle with what is known as digital debt. An example of this is email overload. The Microsoft report notes that approximately 85% of emails are read in less than 15 seconds – this shows why people are keen to move towards tools that help streamline the mundane tasks in their working lives.
“There is this digital debt that has built up over decades, but it has been accelerated during the pandemic,” says Nick Hedderman, senior director of the modern work business group for Microsoft. “68% of the people we spoke to said they’re struggling with the volume and pace of work. Nearly 50% said they feel burnt out.”
The generative AI tools that are typically being used by professionals are those found on smartphones (such as Galaxy AI) or on the internet (such as ChatGPT). Unfortunately, because these tools are open source, they are outside of corporate oversight. Furthermore, when an online tool is free, then the user is frequently the product as their information is usable by others.
“If it’s free, you need to think about it in the same way as any social media site. What data is it being trained on? In essence, are you now the commodity?” says Sarah Armstrong-Smith, chief of security for Microsoft. “Whatever you put in, is that going into training models? How are you verifying that data is held securely and not being utilised for other purposes?”
More than anything else, the use of external generative tools is a data governance challenge, rather than a GenAI problem, as it relies on shadow IT – hardware or software used in an organisation that is not overseen by the IT department.
“You’ve always had sanctioned versus unsanctioned applications. You’ve always had challenges with data sharing across the cloud platforms,” says Armstrong-Smith. “If it’s that easy to cut and paste something out of any corporate system and put it into a cloud application, irrespective if it’s a generative AI app or any other app, you have a problem with data governance and data leakage. The fundamental issues of data control, data governance and all of those things don’t go away. In fact, what it’s highlighted is the lack of governance and control.”
Data governance
The data governance problem of using external generative AI tools is twofold.
First, there is data leakage, where users are copying potentially confidential information and pasting it into an online tool that they have no control over. This data could be accessed by others and used in the training of AI tools.
If you take a random dataset that you have not verified and don’t know what it’s trained on, and then bring that dataset into a corporate environment or vice versa, you can poison the model or algorithm because you’re introducing non-verified data into the corporate dataset
Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Microsoft
There is also leakage into an organisation, if unverified and uncorroborated information is added to an organisation’s knowledge base. Users are all too often assuming that the information provided by an external GenAI tool is correct and appropriate – they are not corroborating the data to ensure it is factually accurate, which they would be more likely to do when searching for information on the internet.
“The danger is, if you take a random dataset that you have not verified and don’t know what it’s trained on, and then bring that dataset into a corporate environment or vice versa, you can even poison the actual model or the algorithm because you’re introducing non-verified data into the corporate dataset,” says Armstrong-Smith.
This latter is the more serious problem, as potentially incorrect or misleading data is incorporated into a knowledge base and used to inform decision-making processes. It could also poison datasets that are used to train in-house AI, thereby causing the AI to give misleading or incorrect information.
We have already seen instances of improperly used GenAI tools leading to poor results. Generative AI is being trialled within the legal profession as a possible tool to assist in writing legal documents. In one instance, a lawyer used ChatGPT to prepare a filing, but the generative AI hallucinated fake cases, which were presented to the court.
“In a corporate environment, you have to be mindful of the fact that it is business data,” says Armstrong-Smith. “It is a business context, so what tools do you have available today that are going to have all the governance in place? It’s going to have security; it’s going to have resilience. It’s going to have all of those things built in by design.”
If a significant proportion of employees are routinely relying on external applications, then there is demonstratively a need for that digital tool. To ascertain the most appropriate generative AI solution, it is best to identify the use cases. That way, the most appropriate tool can be deployed to meet the needs of employees and to seamlessly fit into their existing workflow.
The key advantage of using a corporate generative AI tool rather than an open platform, such as ChatGPT, is that data management is maintained throughout the development process. As the tool is kept within the network boundaries, corporate data can be protected. This mitigates possible leakages from using external tools.
The protection offered by using a corporate AI tool is that the back-end system is protected by the AI provider. However, it is worth noting that protection for the front end – as in the use cases and deployment models – ******** the responsibility of the user organisation. It is here that data governance ******** key and should be considered an essential element of any development process when deploying generative AI tools.
“We’ve always referred to it as a shared responsibility model,” says Armstrong-Smith. “The platform providers are responsible for the infrastructure and the platform, but what you do with it in terms of your data and your users is the responsibility of the customer. They have to have the right governance in place. A lot of these controls are already built-in by default; they just have to take advantage of them.”
Awareness among users
Once generative AI tools are available in-house, employees need to be aware of their presence for them to be used. Encouraging their adoption can be challenging if employees have developed a way of working that relies on using external GenAI platforms.
As such, an awareness programme promoting the generative AI tool would educate users on the tool’s accessibility and functionality. Internet moderation systems could also redirect users from external platforms to the in-house GenAI tool.
Generative AI is here to stay, and while expectations may have peaked, its uses are likely to grow and become ubiquitous.
“I think for a lot of companies, and where you will certainly see Microsoft focusing, is on this concept of agentic generative AI,” says Henderson. “This is where you take a business process and figure out how an agent might serve an organisation internally.” An agent could operate within an organisation’s network and carry out specific functions, such as scheduling meetings or sending invoices.
Although generative AI is a new technology, which could mitigate mundane and time-consuming tasks, data protection continues to remain a key concern. It is therefore incumbent upon organisations to make employees aware of the risks posed by using external tools and to have the appropriate generative AI tools within their own network to protect the sanctity of their data.
“As we know with technology, as it gets more commoditised, the price is going to come down, which means AI is going to be more mainstream across the board and you’ve got more choice about what model to use,” concludes Armstrong-Smith.
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2 Reasons to Like Coinbase After the Election, 1 to Still Avoid
2 Reasons to Like Coinbase After the Election, 1 to Still Avoid
Coinbase’s post-election gains could signal a turning point for the stock.
Last week’s earnings miss has been all but forgotten about by investors.
While many analysts are bullish, Coinbase has its fair share of voices urging caution.
Shares of Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:), the crypto exchange with a market cap of around $64 billion, have had a roller-coaster year. For those of us who have been following the crypto space and its related stocks for some time, this is perhaps not all that surprising. After all, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more volatile security over the past couple of years than .
Coinbase started the year strong, though after peaking in March, its stock sank 45% from July through September. But with a notable post-election rally kicking off, including a 30% jump in yesterday’s session alone, the stock is already up 70% from its low.
For investors who are interested in crypto and stocks like Coinbase, there’s a lot of news and opinions to digest right now. Let’s jump in and see why there are at least 2 reasons to like Coinbase and one reason to avoid them.
To start with, let’s take a look at Coinbase’s recent earnings report, which came out last week before the election. At first glance, it wasn’t a great report. The company missed analyst expectations for both revenue and earnings due to what they said were lower crypto prices, which impacted trading volumes and commissions. Still, Coinbase’s revenue did grow an impressive 80% year-over-year, while its earnings per share doubled from the prior quarter.
These were promising trends, and helped fuel immediate post-election speculation that Coinbase could be in for a serious rally. Bitcoin’s recent rally above $75,000, including a 10% jump from the election, bodes well for Coinbase’s trading revenues as investors flock back to digital assets. One of the reasons for this is that a Trump administration is considered to be more crypto-friendly in many ways, not least of all around regulation.
While the earnings miss was disappointing, the changing political landscape points to a potential recovery into, and through, 2025. This is one key reason to like the look of Coinbase right now.
Analyst Updates
Another reason is the bullish outlook by some of the analysts. In the aftermath of last week’s report, the teams at Canaccord Genuity Group Inc (TSX:), HC Wainwright and Needham & Company all reiterated their Buy ratings on the stock. HC Wainwright’s price target of $295 in particular should be quite tempting to investors, given it’s still pointing to a targeted upside of around 15% even with Wednesday’s pop.
There are contrasting views to take note of here though. Both Barclays PLC ADR (NYSE:) and Bank of America Corp (NYSE:) rated the stock Neutral last week, and urged caution due to the earnings miss. However, given how much the fundamental landscape has changed, you have to be wondering if these ratings will soon be revised upwards.
Potential Concerns
Going a step further than the Neutral ratings, and giving us at least one reason to avoid Coinbase right now, was Mizuho’s (NYSE:) Underperform rating on the stock last week. While the team there still boosted their price target up to $178, that’s still calling for nearly a 30% drop from current levels.
It’s not often that you see such disparity among analysts, especially with a stock that can rally as quickly as Coinbase, but this is perhaps indicative of its inherent volatility. To paraphrase an old saying, when Bitcoin sneezes, Coinbase catches a cold, and there’s no sign of this tight relationship weakening in the months ahead.
Getting Involved
For now though, Bitcoin is rallying and so is Coinbase. Investors are nothing if not forward looking, and the prospect of a lightly regulated crypto-landscape for the next 4 years will more than outweigh almost every concern around last quarter’s underperformance.
As we head into the last couple of weeks of the year, Coinbase appears well-positioned to capitalize on the risk-on sentiment that was initially fuelled by the and which has been added to by the outcome of the election. While it’s important to note not everyone is a fan of its prospects, there are, for now at least, more reasons to like them than to avoid them.
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Wales seek to end horror run against Fiji in Cardiff
Wales seek to end horror run against Fiji in Cardiff
Gareth Anscombe has been selected at fly-half and there is a first cap for New Zealand-born wing Blair Murray in the Wales team to play Fiji in a Cardiff Test between Australia’s World Cup conquerors.
Warren Gatland’s Welsh team are seeking to avoid a 10th successive Test defeat after a horror run, with Australia showing more than a passing interest in the outcome of Sunday’s match as they play Wales next, after their England opener, on the ‘grand slam’ tour.
The 24-year-old Murray qualifies for Wales through his mother and has only recently signed for the Scarlets, but gets an immediate chance to impress.
“I think he’s been playing well for the Scarlets,” coach Warren Gatland told reporters on Friday. “He hasn’t had a lot of games. He came through the New Zealand pathway. We were pretty excited when he committed to us. He gives us a left-footed option which we haven’t had in a while. He gets touches and defends well.”
Gatland has also selected several less experienced players, including centre Max Llewellyn, who has two previous appearances, his midfield partner Ben Thomas (four caps) and prop Archie Griffin (three).
“We have excellent competition in the squad, so it was a tough selection and there were some close calls but I think there’s a really nice balance for Sunday. We have some experienced players back alongside some exciting youngsters,” Gatland said.
Anscombe, making a first Wales appearance since last year’s Rugby World Cup when his 23 points with the boot helped crush Australia, has been preferred to Sam Costelow, who is among the replacements, and will have the vastly experienced Tomos Williams alongside him at halfback.
Fiji, who also beat Australia 22-15 in France last year, have made four changes and one positional switch to their backline as they welcome back several experienced players.
Vuate Karawalevu moves from the wing to fullback, with Jiuta Wainiqolo taking his place in the number 14 jersey.
Waisea Nayacalevu and Josua Tuisova take over as the centre-pairing, with Semi Radradra also into the team on the opposite wing.
The changes will boost a side that was thumped 57-17 by Scotland last weekend in a game that fell outside of the international window.
Fiji’s only previous victory over Wales in 14 Tests came at the 2007 World Cup in France, though they did also manage a draw in 2010.
Wales
15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Mason Grady, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Blair Murray, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Taine Plumtree, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Gareth Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 ******* Tshiunza, 20 James Botham, 21 Jac Morgan, 22 Ellis Bevan, 23 Sam Costelow.
Fiji
15 Vuate Karawalevu, 14 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (captain), 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Semi Radradra, 10 Caleb Muntz, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Meli Derenalagi, 5 Temo Mayanavanua, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Samuela Tawake, 2 Tevita Ikanivere, 1 Eroni Mawi.
Replacements: 16 Sam Matavesi, 17 Haereiti Hetet, 18 Jone Koroiduadua, 19 Mesake Vocevoce, 20 Albert Tuisue, 21 Simi Kuruvoli, 22 Isaiah Ravula, 23 Sireli Maqala.
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Marvel Rivals and Destiny: Rising Employees At NetEase Arrested
Marvel Rivals and Destiny: Rising Employees At NetEase Arrested
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November 8, 2024
A number of employees at Marvel Rivals and Destiny: Rising developer NetEase Games have been arrested, according to a new report.
According to ******** outlet Leifeng — with additional context via Bloomberg Law — nine employees, including two senior executives, were arrested for allegedly laundering money.
Per the report, the contract value appears to be worth 2 billion yuan, which is just about $278.6 million. In actual money, it’s a bit lower at 800 million to 1 billion yuan, or $111.4-$139.3 million.
The two executives implicated in the case are Xiang Lang and Jin Yuchen. Xiang served as the head of NetEase’s esports division while Jin was the head of the company’s publishing side. Neither executive is still with the company.
Names of other employees at the company weren’t made available. At least one who was questioned by outlet Yicaiglobal has denied any claims of money laundering.
The allegedly *********** took place within the segments of the company the two executives worked, the company said. They also confirmed that 27 different companies have been blacklisted due to links to ******.
Other details of the incidents couldn’t be shared due to there still being an active investigation. More information will be provided at a later date.
For more Insider Gaming, read about how much Unity spent as part of its mass layoffs and restructuring. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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ASE to bolster North ********* semiconductor supply chain — new packaging and test facility in Mexico expected to hire 500 engineers and technicians in first year
ASE to bolster North ********* semiconductor supply chain — new packaging and test facility in Mexico expected to hire 500 engineers and technicians in first year
ISE Labs, a subsidiary of ASE Technology, has acquired land in Tonalá, Jalisco, to establish a semiconductor packaging and testing facility, the company said this week. This move strengthens ASE’s regional presence and reflects the company’s expectations for increased demand for outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) services in North America.
ASE, the world’s largest OSAT service provider, plans to use the Jalisco facility for chip packaging and testing. However, the company is tight-lipped about which packaging techniques (e.g., wire bond packages, leadframe packages, laminated flip-chip BGA packages, etc.) it will use. The new site in the Axis 2 Industrial Park within the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area will be the foundation for a facility expected to employ some 500 skilled engineers and technicians within its first year.
To address the facility’s workforce needs, ISE Labs will work closely with local agencies, including Jalisco’s State Ministry of Economic Development, State Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and State Ministry of Education. These partnerships will enable workforce training initiatives through collaborations with educational institutions and chambers of commerce, ensuring a pipeline of skilled personnel for ISE Labs.
Demand for semiconductor test and packaging services is expected to grow in North America as multiple chipmakers — including major ones like Intel, TSMC, and Samsung, as well as specialized foundries like GlobalFoundries and IDMs like Texas Instruments — are building up new fabs and expanding existing production facilities, so they are going to produce more silicon in the coming years. That silicon must be tested and packaged, where ASE Technology and its subsidiary ISE Labs come into play.
“ASE is a leading global company that represents the future and it has selected Guadalajara, Jalisco for this strategic investment that will bring important projects to our state,” said Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, Governor of the State of Jalisco. “It also establishes Jalisco as the first state in Mexico, and indeed ****** America, that will offer OSAT services to major semiconductor companies from across North America.”
For now, it is unclear when the new facility will come online, except that it will happen over the next few years. Also, ISE Labs did not disclose the packaging techniques it will offer in Mexico. Technically, ISE offers a wide range of technologies in the U.S. so that the company could transfer many of them to its ******** facility.
“We are excited to strengthen ISE’s partnership with the state of Jalisco by securing future business expansion through our purchase of land in Tonalá,” said Kenneth Hsiang, CEO of ISE Labs. “This proactive investment demonstrates ISE’s commitment to innovation, growth, and its valued relationship with the state of Jalisco. It also provides business flexibility to expand as demand for semiconductor packaging and test continues to grow throughout North America.”
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Breakout Alert: Qualcomm Just Hit the Rally Button
Breakout Alert: Qualcomm Just Hit the Rally Button
Qualcomm smashed analyst expectations last night with its latest earnings.
Analysts are calling for nearly 35% upside from current levels.
After months of consolidation, shares are on the verge of breaking out.
Qualcomm (NASDAQ:), the California-based semiconductor heavyweight with a market cap of $192 billion, has had a decent year. It started with a bang and continued 2023’s rally all the way to a fresh all-time high in June before shares slid 35% into August.
Since then, they’ve been consolidating their gains and setting a strong foundation for the next leg of the rally. Last night’s earnings report should offer a fresh spark, and there are plenty of reasons to believe that this stock could be gearing up for another run toward new highs. Let’s ***** in and see why this tech giant is worth getting excited about.
Qualcomm’s Fundamental Performance
To start with, let’s take a look at Qualcomm’s earnings report, which came out after the bell rang to end yesterday’s session and which gave investors plenty to smile about. Qualcomm not only smashed analyst expectations for both its revenue and earnings but also announced an impressive $15 billion share buyback program while raising forward guidance.
These are two of the most bullish signals a company can give to the market, and they show the level of confidence management has in the company’s future. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon summed up, “We are pleased to conclude the fiscal year with strong results in the fourth quarter, delivering greater than 30% year-over-year growth in EPS.”
Bullish Analyst Updates
Beyond its bullish fundamental performance, Qualcomm has been catching the attention of analysts. Just this week, the team at JPMorgan reiterated their Overweight rating on Qualcomm shares, emphasizing the company’s promising growth trajectory. This echoed a similarly bullish stance from Susquehanna last month, whose $230 price target still points to a potential upside of some 35% from where the stock closed on Wednesday.
These updates suggest growing confidence in Qualcomm’s long-term potential, especially as the company makes strides with its 5G and Internet of Things units. With a big Investor Day scheduled for November 19, the company will have even more of an opportunity to highlight its growth and diversification strategy further. For investors considering getting involved, this could be a key catalyst to position ahead.
Potential Concerns
With all that being said, it has to be noted that not everyone on Wall Street is completely bullish on Qualcomm. Some analysts, such as those from Citigroup and Cantor Fitzgerald, have rated the stock Neutral in the past month.
Both cited sector-specific risks, such as potential supply chain disruptions and competitive pressures, as headwinds worthy of caution. However, following this week’s earnings beat and optimistic guidance, it’s reasonable to think these concerns must have dissipated somewhat.
Getting Involved With Qualcomm Stock
The stock’s technical setup is another reason to be excited, and it appears to be on the verge of a breakout.
Qualcomm shares were trading up more than 5% in Thursday’s pre-market session, which would put them at their highest level since before August’s dip.
This would also mean they’re trading above the narrow range they’ve been stuck in for the past 3 months, which suggests the bulls have firmly taken control. It’s worth noting that Qualcomm’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) is only around 54 right now, suggesting there’s a ton of room for upward movement if a breakout is indeed on the cards.
With the broader market hitting new highs, the current risk-on environment should benefit growth stocks like Qualcomm in particular. We could be looking at the start of a post-election rally across equities, which will only add fuel to that which was started by the Fed trimming rates. Given Qualcomm’s surprisingly strong fundamental performance and the red-hot macro environment that’s taking shape right now, investors shouldn’t be too surprised if Qualcomm starts making short work of that $230 target.
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The AI Lending Giant’s Big Comeback
The AI Lending Giant’s Big Comeback
Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) just blew past expectations with a staggering 36% share price surge today. The catalyst? A strong Q3 2024 performance that’s turning heads on Wall Street. Total revenue came in at $162 million, up 20% year-over-year, while lending volume jumped an eye-popping 43% sequentially. CEO Dave Girouard wasn’t shy about celebrating the win, stating, We’re back in growth mode, as the company also returned to positive adjusted EBITDAa critical milestone after several challenging quarters.
The numbers behind the hype tell a compelling story. Upstart originated 188,149 loans totaling $1.6 billion this quarter, a 30% boost from last year, thanks to rising conversion rates that climbed to 16.3% from 9.5% a year ago. Despite a GAAP net loss of $6.8 million, it’s a sharp improvement from the $40.3 million loss in Q3 2023. Contribution profits also rose 9%, hitting $102.4 million with a solid 61% margin, demonstrating the platform’s efficiency in scaling operations.
Wall Street analysts are taking notice. Upstart’s bullish Q4 outlook projects $180 million in revenue, with adjusted EBITDA expected to hit $5 million. Investors are flocking to the AI lending leader as it solidifies its position in the fintech space. The big question now? Can Upstart sustain this momentum and deliver on its promise of long-term growth. Stay tuned.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
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