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The Verge’s guide to Black Friday 2024

We’re here to sift through the deluge of discounts so you don’t have to.

Two telephotos for the price of one.

Oppo has launched the Find X8 series globally, including the X8 Pro with dual telephoto lenses. The standard X8 comes with just one zoom lens, and it looks an awful lot like the OnePlus 13 — also expected to launch globally sooner than later. Both brands sure are leaning into the big circular camera bump look, but there’s an essential piece of hardware still present: the alert slider.


Rendering of the Find X8 and Find X8 Pro.
The Oppo Find X8 in shell pink and the Find X8 Pro in pearl white.
Image: Oppo
JVC’s new open earbuds are smaller and cheaper than Bose’s Ultra Open.

Borrowing the design of Bose’s open-style earbuds, the JVC Nearphones attach to the side of your ear and position a 10mm driver inside so you can hear your music plus everything else around you. They’re smaller and lighter than the $299 Bose Ultra Open, and at $99.95 they’re a more affordable solution if you find regular earbuds uncomfortable.


JVC’s Nearphones wireless earbuds pictured in five different colorways.
JVC’s Nearphones are available in five colorways with matching charging cases.
Image: JVC
If you have one of these D-Link routers, you need to replace it, now.

The Register points out an advisory from D-Link for a series of business routers asking owners to “Please Retire and Replace” these models: DSR-150 / DSR-150N / DSR-250 / DSR-250N.

The problem? A “stack buffer overflow vulnerability, which allows unauthenticated users to execute remote code execution,” published after their EOL, so D-Link isn’t fixing it and will instead offer owners a discounted upgrade.


A D-Link DSR 150 router shown from the front and from the back on a white background.
D-Link DSR 150 router
Image: D-Link
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The first hands on videos reveal how small the DJI Mic Mini is.

DJI will potentially reveal its Mic Mini during a “Carry Less, Capture More” event teased on its website for November 26th. But leaker @Quadro_News has shared unboxing and hands on videos comparing the new DJI Mic Mini hardware to the DJI Mic 2 so you can see how much smaller the microphone transmitters, wireless receiver, and charging case really are.


Protect your devices with surrealist masterpieces.

Casetify has a new collection of cases and accessories inspired by Salvador Dali’s artwork. The standouts include a $100 melting clock iPhone case and a $55 Apple Watch case based on The Persistence of Memory, plus a $65 AirPods Pro case that wraps the earbuds in a pair of red lips from Face of Mae West Which May Be Used as a Surrealist Apartment.


Multiple images of Casetify’s Salvador Dalí case collection.
Casetify’s new collection was inspired by some of Salvador Dali’s most iconic surrealist artworks.
Image: Casetify
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Flic’s hub is now a scriptable Matter Controller

An update to the company’s Flic Hub LR Controller allows users to program custom commands for Matter devices, including those connected to Flic’s Button and Twist controllers.

Matter support in FlicScript — a JavaScript-based scripting API — will let you “subscribe and send commands to and from any Matter device” (up to 1.2) and create custom solutions for your smart home.

Flic launched the first independent Matter Controller earlier this year.


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Samsung Galaxy Watch FE review: a bogus bargain

As an entry-level device, the FE doesn’t quite nail the right mix of price, features, and hardware.

If Netflix can’t make live work, can anyone?

On The Vergecast: the perils of streaming sports, notebooks past and future, and TikTok CarPlay.

Airbags, but for knees.

That’s the concept behind Hippos Exoskeleton, a startup created by former basketball hopeful Kylin Shaw after he heard “a sickening pop from my knee while landing from a dunk,” according to TechCrunch.

The expanding “knee sleeve” uses predictive AI to detect risky movements and inflates in 30 milliseconds. The idea is to help prevent ACL tears and other injuries in athletes, construction workers, and older adults.


A gif demonstration how the Hippos Exoskeleton inflates after detecting it was kicked.
I’m wincing just looking at this concept animation.
Image: Hippos
Tesla’s now selling a seven-inch version of its humanoid robot.

Tesla’s Optimus robot is now available through the company’s online store, but in a version that’s even less capable than the ones at its recent Cybercab reveal. The $40, 1:10-scale Tesla Bot Action Figure stands 7.16 inches tall and is assembled from over 40 parts offering 20 points of articulation. It includes a tiny matching charging stand and a CyberHammer.


Two Tesla Bot action figures, one sitting and one standing, posed next to each other.

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Each seven-inch tall figure has 20 points of articulation.
Image: Tesla
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Meta starts bringing some AI features to EU Ray-Bans.

Owners of the smart glasses in France, Italy, Ireland, and Spain will get Meta AI features starting today, the company announced.

For now, Meta AI can answer general questions, but it won’t get multimodal features like using the Ray-Bans’ camera to tell you about things you see — the company has called the EU regulatory environment too “unpredictable” to do that right now.


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Apple could make a safety tweak to the next AirTags.

Apple’s wireless tracker’s rumored follow-up next year will have improved range, a better wireless chip, and a harder-to-remove speaker, according to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg.

Would-be stalkers often remove AirTag speakers to prevent victims from finding the device by playing sound on it when they’re alerted that it’s traveling with them, Gurman writes — hence that last change.


Power On

[Bloomberg.com]

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Sony’s DVD Walkman was ahead of its time.

We’ve got portable CD players on the brain this week, but did you know Sony once made a wearable DVD player that let you watch movies while out for a stroll? YouTube’s Techmoan recently tested Sony’s D-VM1 from 2001 which looked like a chonky CD player, but had an inline remote with a lightweight 3.5-inch screen for watching DVDs away from home.


Bose is collaborating with Kith again to resurrect an iconic speaker.

The company recently partnered with Kith for its Ultra Open Earbuds, but this time Ronnie Fieg is helping to redesign Bose’s 901 speakers which originally debuted in 1968, but were discontinued in 2016.

We don’t know pricing or availability details, but Fieg, who’s working with furniture designer Mark Jupiter, shared images on Instagram of the limited edition and wonderfully retro redesign.


Kith’s redesigned Bose 901 speakers next to a piece of furniture.

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Bose is collaborating with Ronnie Fieg’s Kith to redesign its iconic 901 speaker.
Image: Instagram
Level’s latest lock supports Matter over Thread.

As promised, the smart lock that doesn't look like a smart lock now supports the new smart home standard, bringing better connectivity options without needing Level’s bridge.

The new Level Lock Plus (Matter) costs $329, and existing Level Plus owners can upgrade to Matter for free through January 14, 2025. But while they could support Thread, the Level BoltLock, and Lock Touch aren’t eligible for this upgrade.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.


The new Level Lock Plus (Matter) supports Matter over Thread so can work with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.
The new Level Lock Plus (Matter) supports Matter over Thread so can work with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.
Image: Level Home, Inc.
Razer has expanded its USB-C dock to 14 ports.

Following its 11-port USB-C dock launched at CES 2024, Razer has announced a new 14-port upgrade.

It features a similar aluminum housing, but the new dock now has 100W of power delivery to a laptop, transfer speeds of up to 40Gb/s, and supports two 4K displays — one at 120Hz and a second at 60. It’s available now for $229.99, but still doesn’t glow.


Razer’s USB 4 Dock on a desk nearby several glowing PC accessories.
Razer’s new USB 4 Dock has 14 ports and supports dual 4K monitors at 120Hz.
Image: Razer
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Boston Dynamics’ Spot can now avoid tripping on wires.

Although the robot dog can see the world in 3D, it can’t always understand it, so a recent software update now allows Spot to recognize and avoid hazards like wires, ladders, and rolling carts using AI foundation models.

Also, didn’t anyone else notice those two dino-headed robots in the background of this new Spot video? What else is Boston Dynamics secretly working on there?


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New DJI Mic Mini leaks reveal potential pricing.

Reliable leaker @JasperEllens has shared more images and details of DJI’s next compact wireless mic system. The DJI Mic Mini on its own, which connects directly to devices over Bluetooth, will start at €59 (around $63) but will also be available with a wireless receiver for €89 (around $94). A bundle featuring two mics, the receiver, and a charging case will be €169 (around $178).


Why are cassette and CD players so bulky now?

Let’s look inside cassette and CD players that mix retro looks with modernized features.

Amazon has made it easier to sideload books onto Kindles from Macs.

The company recently updated its Send to Kindle for Mac app with support for transferring books and other documents to Kindles with a USB cable. The feature is limited to the Kindle Scribe and “2024-released Kindle devices” but is compatible with Macs running Intel or Apple processors. Previously, Kindle users had to rely on third-party apps like Calibre or Android File Transfer.


The 2024 Kindle Paperwhite.
Amazon has made it easier for Mac users to sideload books and documents onto some Kindles.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Phone? Power bank? Why not both?

The Redmagic 10 Pro Plus is Nubia’s latest gaming phone and it comes with a massive 7,050mAh battery. There’s also a “liquid metal” cooling system, a built-in fan, and of course, lots of customizable gamer lights. Kind of a spectacle. It’s launching in China first with a global release slated for December.


Rendering of the Redmagic 10 Pro series.
I know it’s a roman numeral but I can’t stop seeing the X logo on the back.
Image: Redmagic
It’s 1972 again with Casio’s new calculator watches.

Although Casio’s first wearable calculators debuted in 1980, its new lineup of calculator watches pay tribute to even older hardware. They’re styled after the Casio Mini, the company’s first personal calculator from 1972, and feature inverted LCD displays plus five years of battery life. They’re available now for $35.95 each in black, ivory, or blue green colorways.


The Casio CA53WB-8B, CA53WB-1B, and CA53WB-3B calculator watches next to the company’s first personal calculator.
Casio’s new calculator watches were inspired by the company’s first personal calculator.
Image: Casio
Mophie’s new 3-in-1 travel charger folds even smaller.

Available now for $149.95, Mophie has a new version of its 3-in-1 folding travel charger. It features a pop-up 7.5W charger for fast charging compatible Apple Watch models and a 15W Qi2 pad for the iPhone that can be raised to use StandBy mode. Beneath that is a 5W wireless charger for the AirPods, and it’s all powered by an included 40W adapter.


Mophie’s 3-in-1 Travel Charger shown charging multiple devices and folded up for travel.
Mophie’s new travel charger is Qi2 compatible and can fast charge the Apple Watch.
Image: Mophie