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Below, I rounded up the best early Black Friday deals of 2024 from some of our favorite retailers, like Amazon, Target, Walmart, Home Depot and REI. SKIP AHEAD Best early Black Friday deals | More early Black Friday sales | How I picked the best early Black Friday deals | Why trust NBC Select? Best early Black Friday deals of 2024To find the best early Black Friday deals, I combed through dozens of discounts across retailers. Best early Black Friday salesHere are the best early Black Friday sales to know about. How I found the best early Black Friday dealsAll of my recommendations above are based on NBC Select’s previous coverage and reporting.

Persons: I’ve, I’ll, Siri, It’s, TikTok Organizations: Black, NBC, Target, Walmart, Home, Alexa, Garmin, Amazon, beechwood, Wellness, Facebook, Twitter Locations: REI, Samsonite, grippy

☆ China's Hisense aims to become the No. 1 TV company in the U.S. within 2 years, top executive says
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-05 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — Chinese home appliance company Hisense aims to become the No. 1 seller of television sets in the U.S. in about two years, Catherine Fang, president of Hisense International, told CNBC in an exclusive interview Monday. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström, and Hisense Group Chairman Jia Shaoqian attended an event in Shanghai on Oct. 30 to mark the partnership. "We hope through this sponsorship we can increase our market share," Fang said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. The company was not immediately able to share to what extent those features were available on TV sets in the U.S.Hisense's 55-inch U8 TV series starts at around $700 in the U.S., while the 100-inch version costs around $3,000 or more.

Persons: Catherine Fang, Gianni Infantino, Mattias Grafström, Jia Shaoqian, Fang Organizations: Hisense, CNBC, FIFA Club, FIFA, Sports Locations: BEIJING, U.S, Miami, Shanghai

☆ AI is coming to Google Maps to help you find inspiration for what to do in an area
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google Maps and its platforms rolled out a Gemini AI update that enhances its location services. Starting this week, the company's Gemini AI will be integrated into Google Maps in the US on Android and iOS. Google vice president Miriam Daniel told Business Insider that the presentation of the results in Google Maps and the Gemini app might look different, "but the fundamental core is somewhat the same." AdvertisementDrivers will be able to report incidents within Google Maps. The tech giant has been working on integrating AI into various platforms, such as AI Overviews in Google search results.

Persons: —, Miriam Daniel, Susanne Franz, We're, Daniel Organizations: Google, Gemini, Drivers, Service, Waze, Android, Business

☆ 33+ best gift ideas for men in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-24 | by ( Cory Fernandez | Cory Fernandez Is A Commerce Editor For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +22 min

Brainstorming great gift ideas for men in your life, whether it’s your husband, boyfriend, dad or brother, goes a long way in making their holiday memorable. To find the best gift ideas for men, I gathered a long list of products and even got recommendations from my fellow NBC Select editors and writer, who tests hundreds of products every year. SKIP AHEAD The best tech gifts for him | The best food and home gifts for him | The best fitness and wellness gifts for him | The best apparel and accessories gifts for him | Why trust NBC Select? The Amazon Echo Dot is a great gift idea for someone who wants to have a “smart home” but doesnt know quite where to start. The Theragun Mini Massage Gun is a great gift idea for someone who regularly works out and wants to improve their recovery time.

Persons: Apple, Marshall, Jordan Bowman, Bowman, ”, they’ve, Bianca Alvarez, she’s, “, gifting, Alvarez, It’s, Lauren Swanson, They’re, Zoe Malin, Swanson, Harry Rabinowitz, Rabinowitz, Surie, Rosalie Sparaco, I’ve, Le Labo, Abercrombie &, Buck Mason, Steve Madden, TikTok Organizations: NBC, Apple, Apple Watch, Amazon, Bluetooth, Bose, Anker Power Bank, Press, Chicago Marathon, Clifton, Garmin, Adidas, Abercrombie, Abercrombie & Fitch, TSA, Facebook, Twitter Locations: New York City, stow, Lululemon, Patagonia

☆ Chinese smartphone companies tout AI features ahead of Apple Intelligence launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-23 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese smartphone company Honor on Wednesday revealed new AI features. U.S. sanctions cut Huawei off from Google, prompting the Chinese company to launch its own operating system, HarmonyOS, in 2019. Telecommunications giant Huawei on Tuesday launched an upgrade to its HarmonyOS system that eliminated reliance on the Google-created Android operating system. The new AI features are slated for release on Honor's forthcoming Magic 7 smartphone, due for launch on Oct. 30. Chinese home appliance and smartphone company Xiaomi will also launch a new phone this month that uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon Elite 8 chip.

Persons: George Zhao, Toby Zhu, Canalys Organizations: Huawei, Google, Telecommunications, Baidu, Qualcomm, CNBC Locations: Shanghai, China

Below, I rounded up the best October Prime Day deals that are still available right now. If you’re curious, the NBC Select team also compiled readers’ favorite Prime Day products and what our editors purchased. SKIP AHEAD Best Prime Day deals still live | More Prime Day sales still live | Best sales at other retailers | Why trust NBC Select? Best Prime Day sales still liveThese Prime Day sales are still going on, but keep in mind that not every item from a brand is discounted as described below. Each deal in this article is currently at its October Prime Day price or up to $10 higher.

Persons: it’s, They’re, ”, Sadhana Daruvuri, “, You’re, Rosalie Sparaco, Nikki Brown, fryer, you’ll, Cory Fernandez, There’s, TikTok Organizations: Deal, NBC, Apple, Alexa, Bath, Amazon Reviewers, Adidas, Wellness, Giftable Tech, Facebook, Twitter Locations: men’s

Zuckerberg's reveal of Orion late last month has triggered a level of enthusiasm that's unfamiliar in the metaverse. He showed off the gadget — a pair of black, thick-framed AR glasses — to the live audience before placing it on his face. In the meantime, Meta is looking to build on the success of its second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The smart glasses went viral on TikTok during the holiday shopping season, and sales exceeded both companies' expectations. Meta is also opening a pop-up shop to showcase the smart glasses and to get them in front of more consumers.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Manuel Orbegozo, Zuckerberg, Orion, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Alex Heath, Pong, Ray, Meta, it's, Meta's, Oculus, Michael Abrash, Sara Nicholson, Andrew " Boz, Bosworth, who's, Joseph Bonner, Bonner, Luxottica Organizations: Meta, Reuters, Facebook, Ray, Orion, Quest, Wall, VR, Reality Labs, Labs, IDC, CNBC, . Engineers, Argus Research, EssilorLuxottica, Solutions, West Hollywood Locations: Menlo Park , California, U.S, Los Angeles, West, Southern California

That’s why I’ll continue updating this article throughout October Prime Day, which is halfway over — if you haven’t started shopping, what are you waiting for? SKIP AHEAD Best Prime Day deals | More Prime Day sales | Best sales at other retailers | How I found the best Prime Day deals | Why trust NBC Select? Best Prime Day salesHere are the best Prime Day sales to know about. Best Prime Day home essentials salesBest Prime Day beauty and wellness salesBest Prime Day tech salesBest Prime Day grocery salesBest Prime Day home salesBest Prime Day kitchen salesBest Prime Day pet supplies dealsBest sales at other retailersHow I found the best Prime Day dealsAll of my recommendations above are based on NBC Select’s previous coverage and reporting. I’m an associate updates editor for NBC Select who's covered deals and sales for five years.

Persons: I’ve, ”, Sadhana Daruvuri, “, Lindsay Schneider, shea butters, Rosalie Sparaco, You’re, It’s, Rebecca Rodriguez, Alexa, you’ll, Bianca Alvarez, deodorant, Ashley Morris, TikTok Organizations: NBC, Deal, Bath, Alexa, AA, Wellness, Giftable Tech, Facebook, Twitter Locations: —, New York City

☆ The 23+ best Tech Deals Happening at Best Buy 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Cory Fernandez | Cory Fernandez Is A Commerce Editor For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

However, Best Buy’s flash sale is also happening on October 8 and 9. I spent weeks combing through thousands of discounts to find the best deals during Best Buy’s 48-hour flash sale. SKIP AHEAD Highly rated Best Buy flash sale deals | More deals from Best Buy’s flash sale | How I picked the best deals from Best Buy’s flash sale | Why trust NBC Select? More deals from Best Buy’s flash saleHere are the best sales from Best Buy’s flash sale to know about. To round up the best discounts on tech during Best Buy’s flash sale and Prime Big Deal Days, I found highly rated products at their lowest price in at least three months.

Persons: I’ll, Max, Bianca Alvarez, I’ve, earbuds I’ve, It’s, TikTok Organizations: NBC, Big Deal, Garmin Fenix, Samsung, Asus, Bluetooth, Amazon, Samsung TV, JBL, Apple, Amazon Alexa, Amazon Beats, Wellness, Bath, Giftable Tech, Deal, Facebook, Twitter

I’ll frequently update this list leading up to October’s Prime Day sale on Oct. 8 and 9. SKIP AHEAD Best early Prime Day deals | More early Prime Day sales | Best sales at other retailers | How I picked the best early Prime Day deals | Why trust NBC Select? Best early Prime Day kitchen deals4.3-star average rating from 68,314 reviews on AmazonThis microwave popcorn maker is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. Best early Prime Day salesHere are the best early Prime Day sales to know about. Best sales at other retailersHow I found the best early Prime Day dealsAll of my recommendations above are based on NBC Select’s previous coverage and reporting.

Persons: I’ve, I’ll, It’s, petrolatum, You’ll, it’s, you’re, —, popper, fryer, Lindsay Schneider, TikTok Organizations: NBC, October’s, Alexa Voice, Amazon, Bluetooth, Wellness, Bath, Giftable Tech, Deal, Facebook, Twitter Locations: California

Persons: I’ve, I’ll, It’s, petrolatum, popper, fryer, Lindsay Schneider, TikTok Organizations: Deal, NBC, October’s, Alexa Voice, Amazon, Bluetooth, Wellness, Bath, Giftable Tech, Facebook, Twitter Locations: California

☆ Skyfire lets your AI agent spend your money. We got an exclusive look at the pitch deck the startup used to raise $8.5 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-26 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Skyfire Systems just launched out of stealth and raised $8.5 million in seed funding. The startup lets AI agents make autonomous purchases on behalf of their users. Check out an exclusive look at the pitch deck the startup used to raise its seed funding round. A new startup is now tackling the next frontier in the space: using AI to make purchases on a user's behalf. The startup, Skyfire Systems, just emerged from stealth with $8.5 million in seed funding from financial firms Neuberger Berman, DRW, and Brevan Howard Digital.

Persons: —, Neuberger Berman, DRW, Brevan Howard, Draper, Ripple Organizations: Skyfire Systems, Service, Arrington Capital, RedBeard Ventures, Crossbeam Venture Partners, Inception, Draper Associates, ARCA, Business Locations: Silicon Valley, EveryRealm

Olivia Ott / NBC NewsHow we tested Windmill and July’s air conditionersTwo of my colleagues and I tested Windmill and July’s ACs for at least five weeks in our New York City apartments. July sent me its small 6K BTU air conditioner, which I put in my bedroom. My LG air conditioner was so loud that I felt like I couldn’t hear myself think. JulyEven after over a month, I’m still shocked when I walk into my bedroom and barely notice my air conditioner. For this article, I tested July’s air conditioner for over a month, and two members of NBC Select’s staff tested Windmill’s air conditioner for over a month.

Persons: you’ll, Zoe Malin, Nikki Brown, Olivia Ott, Bianca Alvarez, you’re, I’ve, ”, Brown, Alvarez, I’d, she’s, “, it’s, Windmill’s, I’m, Both Alvarez, hasn’t, —, TikTok Organizations: NASA, NBC, British, Units, National Council, Aging, Alexa, July’s, ACs, Windmill, AC, July’s AC, LG, Amazon Alexa, decibel, Facebook, Twitter Locations: New York City, BTUs, Taskrabbit, NYC, France

☆ Neuralink rival Synchron lets patients control Apple Vision Pro with their thoughts
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Neurotech startup Synchron on Tuesday announced it has connected its brain implant to Apple 's Vision Pro headset. Apple released the Vision Pro earlier this year, and users typically control it with eye movements, voice commands and hand gestures. He said Synchron will likely work to connect its BCI to other headsets, but it's starting with the Vision Pro. Apple has been "very supportive" of the Vision Pro integration, he added. Synchron is a part of an increasingly competitive BCI industry, and the company said Tuesday that it is the first to connect its system to Apple's Vision Pro.

Persons: Synchron, Thomas Oxley, Oxley, Elon Musk's, It's Organizations: BCI, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Apple, Vision, CNBC, Neuroscience, Blackrock Neurotech Locations: U.S, Australia

The best Prime Day deals are the ones that let you fill a need in your life while saving a few bucks. Read on for our editor's personal picks from this year's sale, and catch the remaining sales in our main Prime Day deals hub. Amazon Prime Day deals our experts bought themselvesI'm moving from a huge home in Kansas to a tiny apartment in New York City. I used Prime Day as an opportunity to downsize to a smaller model that was recommended by our air fryer expert. Check out our roundup of all of the best Prime Day deals, or browse Amazon's website for more.

Persons: you've, Read, fryer, — Lauren Savoie, I've, It's, Samantha Crozier, Gabrielle Chase, Sam, Sally Kaplan, TCL, Brendan Griffiths, Anker, — James Brains, — Sally Kaplan, Dot, — Christopher Meinck, They're, it's, — Jaclyn Turner, Lauren Savoie, I'm, I'd, — John Lynch, They've, Mandolines, NoCry, Les Shu Organizations: Business, Amazon Prime, Sony, Microsoft, Taco Bell, Lenovo, Echo, Commerce, JW, JW PEI, Love Locations: Kansas, New York City, Taco, Crystal City, Hawaii, Brooklyn, Europe

It's your last chance to shop Amazon Prime Day deals on tech, beauty products, vacuums and more. SKIP AHEAD The best Prime Day deals | More Prime Day sales to check out | The best sales at other retailersWant more from our everyday experts, straight to your inbox? Other Amazon Echo smart speakers are also on sale during Prime Day, including the Echo Spot ($44.99) and Echo Dot ($24.99). Best Prime Day salesHere are the best Prime Day sales to know about. Best Prime Day clothing, shoes and accessories salesBest Prime Day tech salesBest Prime Day home and kitchen salesBest Prime Day pet supplies salesBest Prime Day beauty and wellness salesBest Prime Day travel salesBest Prime Day food and beverage dealsPrime Day: Best sales at other retailersFrequently asked questions When does Amazon Prime Day end?

Persons: I’ve, they’re, It’s, Chamberlain, They’re, fanny, —, Siri, Differin, dermatologists, shea, Alexa, Lindsay Schneider, Mili, it’s, you’ll, Chili Crisp, Zhong, TikTok Organizations: Amazon, NBC, AA, AAA, Apple, Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu, Spotify, Apple Music, Sirius XM, Chengdu Crunch, Amazon Prime, Wellness, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Chili, Zhong Sauce

☆ OpenAI Unveils New ChatGPT That Listens, Looks and Talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Cade Metz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As Apple and Google transform their voice assistants into chatbots, OpenAI is transforming its chatbot into a voice assistant. On Monday, the San Francisco artificial intelligence start-up unveiled a new version of its ChatGPT chatbot that can receive and respond to voice commands, images and videos. system called GPT-4o — juggles audio, images and video significantly faster than previous version of the technology. The app will be available starting on Monday, free of charge, for both smartphones and desktop computers. “We are looking at the future of the interaction between ourselves and machines,” said Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer.

Persons: ”, Mira Murati Organizations: Apple, Google Locations: San Francisco

☆ Adobe releases Acrobat AI assistant starting at $4.99 a month
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen speaks during an interview with CNBC on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 20, 2024. Adobe on Monday released its artificial intelligence assistant, which helps users understand the contents of digital documents. Monthly subscriptions start at $4.99. As part of the release, Adobe is also launching a free mobile version of the tool in beta that can respond to voice commands, and is bringing the service to extensions on Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. Adobe said subscription pricing for the feature is an "early access" rate and will change in the future.

Persons: Shantanu Narayen Organizations: CNBC, New York Stock Exchange, Adobe, Microsoft Edge, Google

☆ Sam Altman may have Siri and Alexa in his sights after OpenAI filed a 'digital voice assistant' trademark application
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

OpenAI filed a trademark application for a "voice engine" and to build "digital voice assistants." OpenAI also filed trademark applications in October for future models like GPT-6 and GPT-7. OpenAI has filed a trademark application to build "digital voice assistants" and a "voice engine", which signals that it may be set to release a new product. It also has a general-purpose speech recognition model called Whisper. OpenAI also filed trademark applications for its future models, including GPT-6 and GPT-7 in October.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, —, Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alex, Lex Fridman, Altman, OpenAI's, it's, didn't Organizations: Service, US, Business, GPT

Learn moreAmazon's third-generation Echo Buds are the brand's most budget-friendly headphones yet. Amazon Echo Buds (2023) Amazon's third-generation Echo Buds lack noise cancellation, but they sound solid for the money and include hands-free Alexa support on a budget. And unlike more expensive headphones, the third-gen Echo Buds don't come with active noise cancellation (ANC) to help reduce background sounds that might interfere with your music. Sarah Saril/InsiderDespite their drawbacks, the Echo Buds are still a solid budget choice for users of multiple devices. Sarah Saril/InsiderThe Echo Buds (3rd Gen) aren't for everyone, but they have their appeal.

Persons: Sarah Saril, Alexa, there's, earbuds, Lizzy McAlpine, Alison Wonderland, aren't, that's, Bose Organizations: Business, Alexa, Amazon, Sony, Bose, Samsung, Apple, ANC

☆ Amazon's secret war on Android: The company has a plan to cure Alexa's addiction to Google's operating system.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Amazon's Alexa division is cutting costs across the board, having laid off thousands of employees and reshuffled projects over the past 18 months. Vega is a "new portable operating system for consumer electronics developed by Amazon," the document explained. Tech newsletter Lowpass previously reported on some parts of the new Vega OS. Feature parity gapThe feature parity gap between Amazon's own Alexa devices and third-party voice-assistants using Alexa has long been a problem, both internally and externally, according to the people familiar. Not off Android entirelyWith the new Vega OS, Amazon is reducing its reliance on the Android-based Fire OS.

Persons: Panos Panay, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Vega, Dave Limp, Alexa, It's Organizations: Alexa, Business, Software, BI, Amazon, Amazon's, Tech, Google, Blue, Washington Post, Vega

☆ AI-powered devices could drastically change how we interact with technology. But will they catch on?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"The key isn't hardware but the user experience it enables," Khosla, whose firm Khosla Ventures, is an investor in Rabbit, told Business Insider in an email. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. At the same time, I don't think the average consumer wants to carry around multiple devices," S. Somasegar, a managing director at Madrona, told Business Insider. That's where we're at," he told Business Insider. Ginsberg said he's excited about the Humnane Pin because AI voice assistants have finally become powerful enough to be useful for average consumers.

Persons: Vinod Khosla, Khosla, Navin Chaddha, Ai, Somasegar, Bernstein, Nielsen, Zachary Ginsburg, Ginsberg, Marc Benioff, Sam Altman, Lachy Groom, Avi Schiffmann, it's, Chaddha Organizations: Khosla Ventures, Software, Business, Mayfield, Microsoft, Calm Ventures, Bond Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Harvard Locations: Humane's

☆ ChatGPT can help you ace a job interview, says ex-Disney recruiter—here’s how: 'The questions were spot on'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

He himself recently used the app in such a way and found "that the questions were spot on." Here's how he recommends doing a mock interview with ChatGPT voice. "Say, 'I want to conduct a mock interview based on this job description.'" "Select 'voice mode,' which is an interactive voice command aspect of the app where you can have back-and-forth conversations with ChatGPT." The idea is you're giving it the big picture information then activating voice mode to get that dialogue going, he says.

Persons: ChatGPT, It's, Simon Taylor, Taylor Organizations: Disney

☆ As AI takes hold of your smartphone, the end of the app era could be in sight
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Smartphone makers flooded Mobile World Congress to show off new AI features. More AI tools are moving on to devices, which would make them faster and cheaper to run. Now, as the industry looks to capitalize on the AI boom and galvanize a stagnating mobile market, phone makers want the AI tools to run locally on the phone itself. The company attended MWC to tout how it's helping phone makers such as Samsung and Honor run more AI tools on their phones. Samsung was also there, previewing some of the AI tools it's begun to roll out on its phones, including a nifty live-translation feature.

Persons: —, chipmakers, it's, Morgan Stanley, Francisco Cheng, Hugh Langley, Cheng, Siri, Francisco Jeronimo, Jeronimo Organizations: Congress, Service, Mobile, Companies, Qualcomm, Samsung, Hugh Langley Qualcomm, MWC, Google, Motorola, IDC, Insider, Deutsche Telekom, Brain.ai Locations: Barcelona

☆ For $350, you too can have glasses with 'AI superpowers' (and look like a modern-day Gandhi)
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Brilliant Labs — a Singapore-based startup funded by the creator of Pokemon Go — just released Frame, a $350 pair of non-prescription glasses powered by a multimodal AI assistant called Noa. The glasses project visuals and information directly onto the lenses, so wearers can prompt them with requests for information about almost everything they see or hear. Frame projects visuals and information directly onto the lenses of the glasses. Similarly, the glasses can query both available live web sources and GPT-4 for nutritional information, Tavangar said. The AI startup Humane launched a nearly $700 Ai Pin in November that combines voice command with AI to answer questions, summarize texts, translate languages, and play music.

Persons: —, Noa, they’re, John Lennon, Steve Jobs, Gandhi, Justin Sullivan, OpenAI’s, Bobak Tavangar, Tavangar, ” Tavangar, Pin Organizations: Service, Business, Staff, Labs, buzzy Locations: Singapore

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