38+ min ago (350+ words) The company already pulled the curtain on its Black Friday promos, here's what you need to know. Tech companies are starting to show their Black Friday hands ahead of time, and now, we can add Meta to that list. The company added what it's calling Meta's "best deal of the year" to its online store over the weekend, further lowering the price of its Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1 smart glasses. The wide-ranging sale also cuts the price of prescription lenses, accessories, and the Meta Quest 3S headset. Aside from the frames, Meta is offering 20% off prescription lenses ordered from its site. That extends beyond the discounted Ray-Ban Meta Gen 1 frames " buyers can claim the discounted lenses with the purchase of any Ray-Ban Meta or Oakley Meta HSTN frames. Both offers end on Dec. 1, 2025. Meta's last-generation smart glasses are about $60 cheaper ahead of…...

4+ hour, 37+ min ago (291+ words) The OnePlus 15 hasn't even settled into everyone's hands yet, but OnePlus is already pushing its first major software update, and it's surprisingly huge. The first software patch, labeled CPH2749_16.0.1.303(EX01), brings a long list of refinements that touch everything from performance and themes to network tools and fingerprint animations. For a first update, this one's pretty loaded, coming in at 2.3GB. OnePlus is positioning this release as a "new level of seamless experience," and it's evident with improvements to app launch speeds from the Home screen. The update also leans heavily into personalization, with options to resize clocks when using certain Flux themes, rename widgets, and stack same-sized widgets by dropping them on top of each other. OnePlus is also touching up the lock screen. The fingerprint scanner animation gets a glow effect that looks cleaner and more modern. While it's not a…...

8+ hour, 33+ min ago (483+ words) I've been needing new earbuds for a minute, and Black Friday made it happen. I've really been wanting some new earbuds for a while, and I've been hesitant about buying a new pair since Jabra doesn't make consumer earbuds anymore. None of the other options really offer everything I want in earbuds, although some come close, and that's why I finally opted to get the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 as soon as they went on sale for Black Friday. The Powerbeats Pro 2 are normally $250, but right now you can save $50 and snag them for $200. It's not quite the same low we saw during Prime Day when they were just $180, but I couldn't wait any longer, as I don't know when they'll be on sale again, let alone for such a low price. The Powerbeats Pro 2 may not have hit its lowest…...

10+ hour, 32+ min ago (286+ words) The Gemini transition is well underway, and Google Assistant might start disappearing soon. Gemini is replacing Google Assistant on most mobile devices. Learn more about what you can do with Gemini, privacy, protection of minors and availability for supported devices, languages and territories. Gemini will understand the same commands as Google Assistant and also give you the option to speak naturally. Google Assistant is still available for use until March 2026. While the full banner message calls out the transition as being for "most mobile devices," this message only appears with the March 2026 cutoff date on the Android Auto Help page. Still, considering Google says the Gemini for Android Auto rollout will continue over the coming months, it may prove to be a quick cutoff date. It is possible Google makes Google Assistant available on Android Auto beyond March 2026, and is…...

12+ hour, 21+ min ago (311+ words) The latest Gmail update gives users a little more information before interacting. Google is rolling out a new update for Gmail on Android, and though the patch is slowly appearing, it's bringing quite a QoL touch-up. It was recently highlighted that Google is bringing a potentially useful notification change to Gmail by 9to5Google. The update reportedly adds a preview to a received email's notification in the notification panel. When received, the compact version of the alert will showcase the email's title with a preview of its attachment on the right side, like a text. Users can gain a gist of what's going on from that; however, expanding the notification in your panel provides more for the preview. These updated alerts, of course, retain the sender's name for this attachment preview. Another change 9to5 notes is that if an attachment is received in…...

12+ hour, 22+ min ago (502+ words) Derrek is the managing editor of Android Central, helping to guide the site's editorial content and direction to reach and resonate with readers, old and new, who are just as passionate about tech as we are. He's been obsessed with mobile technology since he was 12, when he discovered the Nokia N90, and his love of flip phones and new form factors continues to this day. As a fitness enthusiast, he has always been curious about the intersection of tech and fitness. When he's not working, he's probably working out. Black Friday is in full force. The annual shopping event evolved from a day to a weekend, and has now become an entire week. For many of us, that's a good thing; it means those pricey tech products we've been eyeing all year or for the past couple of months are finally…...

13+ hour, 12+ min ago (319+ words) Gemini's Android takeover is accelerating, and Google is clearing the path. The classic Google Assistant branding continues inching closer to its terminus, and Google is ruthlessly scrubbing the brand name from more places across the Android interface to hasten that. Google is quietly rewriting one of the most familiar parts of Android: the place where you turn "Hey Google" on and off. First spotted by Android Authority, the Gemini app's settings are being reworked so the old "Hey Google & Voice Match" section will soon be called "Talk to Gemini hands-free." For years, that screen has screamed Google Assistant. Now, new details found in the latest Gemini app (version 1.0.795460806) show Google replacing the Assistant branding with Gemini in the wake-word setup. You still get the toggle to enable hands-free activation and a separate "Manage Voice Match" page, but the old Assistant…...

13+ hour, 37+ min ago (371+ words) The best part about this deal is that you don't need to wait until Black Friday. This deal is available as part of Best Buy's early Black Friday promotion, of which we've already seen quite a few Chromebooks discounted. But saving $100 on the Spin 514 is particularly exciting, not just because it's one of Acer's latest offerings, but also because it's the first time that this Chromebook has gone on sale. Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514:$699 $599 at Best Buy For many, the ideal Chromebook provides all-day battery life, a bright and vibrant screen, and a convertible design, all while being powerful enough to handle a multitude of tasks. The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 checks pretty much all of the boxes here, and is currently on sale for $100 off. "Recommended if: You're in the market for a Chromebook that is both powerful and…...

14+ hour, 30+ min ago (896+ words) So many tech products! It can help if you take a breath, a step back, and think about what you really need. We're here to help you do just that! There are plenty of tech products out there. Some are great buys offering excellent value, but others aren't. Most fall somewhere in the middle. Unless you have the means to buy one of everything, you have to decide if something is the right fit for you. That can be hard; the companies making them will tell you that you need one to make your life complete, people who got a lemon or just didn't like it will say the product is garbage, and reviewers simply can't cover everything. Often, it's good to take a step back and see what's inside that pretty package. Was it worth what you paid for…...

16+ hour, 20+ min ago (598+ words) Score major Samsung savings on Z Fold 7, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and more. The Black Friday deals are popping up all across the web, but while everyone else is focused on Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart's offerings, there's one site that you really shouldn't overlook: Samsung." Keep reading for my TOP 5 recommendations for Android users, and don't forget to check back later to see what's new: I'll keep adding new deals to this list as they go live! Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 256GB: $1,999.99 From $999.99 with trade-in | $1,599.99 without at Samsung The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is one of the best foldable phones ever built, with a cutting-edge design, powerful hardware, and a suite of innovative AI features. It's also pretty price-y, which is why it's awesome to see Samsung's Black Friday sale offering up to $1,000 off when you trade in an old or broken phone....