Here are the best iPad deals right now

Select iPad models go on sale quite regularly. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

While the very best iPad deals come around during major sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday or Amazon Prime Day, you can still find plenty of great discounts at all times of the year if you know where to look. Whether you’re after the high-end iPad Pro or the most affordable entry-level iPad, there’s likely a sale going on somewhere you may be interested in.

Of course, it’s difficult to know exactly where you can find the most notable deals unless you’re scouring the major retailers on a daily basis. But that’s often what our deal hunters at The Verge are doing each and every day, so let us help you out. Below, we’ve listed the best deals you can get on each iPad model that is currently available, including the latest ones...

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Google Messages is getting end-to-end encrypted RCS group chats

Google’s making its implementation of RCS even better. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Google announced it’s going to start rolling out end-to-end encrypted group RCS chats to the Google Messages beta over the next few weeks. Google’s messaging app has supported encryption for one-on-one conversations for a while now, but this is a big step for feeling confident that most of your conversations can’t be read by carriers or Google.

In an announcement post on Friday, Google said the feature will be “available to some users in the open beta program over the coming weeks,” so it may be a moment before it’s generally available. Google also officially announced that it’s working on a feature that’ll let you use any emoji when reacting to an RCS message; the company was spotted testing this last month.

Image:...

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Another Blizzard QA department wins union vote

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Workers at Blizzard’s Albany, New York offices — organized as GWA Albany under the Communication Workers of America (CWA) — have won their union vote, making them the publisher’s second union and the third overall union in the US video game industry. The vote was a majority decision — 14 “yes” votes out of a total possible 18 votes — marking an important step in Blizzard Albany’s unionization process that began in July of this year.

Earlier this year, QA workers at Raven Software, one of Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty support studios, organized and won the company’s first union. QA workers were also leading this unionization effort, bringing national attention to QA worker complaints of low wages and overwork conditions.

Also, as in...

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Clip Studio Paint cancels AI image generator amidst backlash from users

Celsys has canceled an upcoming rollout of an AI image generator for its Clip Studio Paint app following backlash from the artist community who use it. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Japanese illustration app Clip Studio Paint has canceled the rollout of a recently announced AI image generator tool after backlash from its users. In a blog post and update to its announcement, Celsys (the company behind Clip Studio Paint) apologized to its community, saying, “We were so preoccupied with how generative AI technology could be used creatively that we lost sight of what our core users want from Clip Studio Paint as a creative tool.”

Celsys announced it would be launching the “experimental image generator palette” on November 29th as part of a winter update due December 6th. The company said the feature would be based on the open-source Stable Diffusion AI model, which has been criticized by artists for its use of artists’...

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The Meta Quest Pro’s new update will let it record what it sees

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The $1,499.99 Quest Pro headset is capable of mixed reality capture, something we wished it could do at launch, so that we could have shown you what we saw during testing. That feature is unlocked with a new software update (version 47) that has already rolled out to some users and should be arriving soon for others.

You’ll be able to hit record while you’re using applications that merge your actual reality with a virtual one, and you can see in the video below just how grainy it looks in there. It’s nice that this feature arrived so quickly after its launch, though it won’t change how we feel about the headset’s value overall.

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Beat Saber’s downloadable songs are half price until next week

It applies to individual tracks only.

Rhythm game Beat Saber is one of the best things to do in virtual reality. But — no offense to its default music packs — buying extra songs from major artists like Lizzo, BTS, Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Linkin Park is nearly a requirement in my book. (Yes, you could install Beat Saber mods that add extra tracks, but that would be piracy! It’s also sort of a hassle.) While they’re normally $1.99 apiece, until 11AM ET on December 6th, you can get any individual track from the 136-song catalog for half that price.

As Android Central notes, bundled music packs haven’t been discounted, so it’s not quite a full-scale half-price sale. You’ll still save money buying the songs individually, just comparatively less money, since the bundles already...

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Hate speech is soaring on Twitter under Elon Musk, report finds

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Elon Musk claimed last week that “hate speech impressions” on Twitter were down by one-third since he took over the company.

But the total amount of hate speech on the platform has risen during that same time period, according to research by the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

An average of 1,282 tweets with slurs against Black people appeared daily on Twitter before Musk took over; that number jumped to 3,876 after he bought the company. During the week of Musk’s tweet, it increased even further to 4,650 tweets a day on average.

Slurs against transgender people increased 62 percent since Musk bought Twitter

Slurs against transgender people increased 62 percent since Musk bought Twitter, to 5,117 tweets a day on average, the report...

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Now one swipe is enough to see all your notifications in the latest iOS 16.2 beta

The Lock Screen will still require you to swipe up once more to see older notifications, but now the Notification Center won’t. | Image: Apple

Apple released its latest iOS public beta this week, and it has one convenient new feature that could help reduce your scrolling — at least by one swipe.

As pointed out by MacRumors, users who have installed iOS 16.2 beta 4 on their iPhones now only need to swipe upward once within Notification Center to see both their latest and older notifications.

In iOS 15, users were accustomed to seeing all notifications, new and old, in the pull-down Notification Center without extra effort. When iOS 16 rolled out this year, though, not only did users need to learn the new collapsed stack view for the Lock Screen, but the Notification Center also behaved similarly.

It doesn't sound like a groundbreaking change, but it’s possible to miss something...

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Alex Jones has filed for bankruptcy

Photo by Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images

Infowars founder Alex Jones has filed for personal bankruptcy in the wake of a billion-dollar defamation penalty. As reported by Reuters this morning, Jones filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a Houston court this morning. Jones’ company, Free Speech Systems, filed its own bankruptcy petition in July.

Today’s bankruptcy filing indicates that Jones has 50 to 99 creditors. That presumably includes over a dozen people who lost children at the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, which Jones claimed for years had been faked — leading to a series of defamation suits that Jones lost by default. He estimated his assets to be worth between $1 million and $10 million and his liabilities between $1 billion and $10...

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Coros Apex 2 and Apex 2 Pro review: slightly short of great

These are good multisport watches that zero in on the basics but miss some popular features that would make them great.

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The Verge’s 2022 holiday gift guide for working from home

Photography by Joel Goldberg for The Verge

Elevate your workspace aesthetic or just become a more productive human with our work-from-home gift guide.

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Deathloop for PS5 is just $10 at Best Buy

The game features a single-player campaign, as well as a tense, one-versus-one multiplayer mode. | Image: Bethesda

You’d think the best gaming deals of the year are behind us now that Black Friday is over and it’s December, but Best Buy appears to have other plans. The retailer surprised us today with a one-day deal on Deathloop for PlayStation 5 for a new all-time low of just $9.99 ($50 off). This deal is set to run until 1AM ET unless Best Buy runs out of stock before that.

Deathloop was one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2021, blending roguelike, run-based gameplay with the immersive sim first-person action that Arkane is known for. While this isn’t the first discount since its release, it’s the biggest yet, so long as you aren’t counting that it’s included as a freebie for subscribers of Xbox / PC Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra....

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The Callisto Protocol is terrifying sci-fi horror with terrifying difficulty spikes

Lead character Jacob in The Callisto Protocol. | Image: Krafton

The game, led by Dead Space creator Glen Schofield, takes an old-school approach to survival horror. And it works… except when it becomes painfully frustrating.

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Elon Musk is Elon Musk-pilled

[cash register noise] | Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge

Programming note: This will be the last This Week in Elon this year. In 2023, I will return with something delightful for you that is not just about Musk shenanigans — but we will have occasional chats when there is too much Elonning going on.

Generally, I don’t think rich people believe anything besides: (1) they are basically good; (2) they deserve their money and no one should take it; and (3) anything that threatens ideas (1) and (2) is bad. Everything else is pretty flexible.

At this point, I think if Texas governor Greg Abbott called Musk and told him to jump, Musk would say, “How high?”

I am giving you my priors here because I am about to discuss Elon Musk and politics. I have seen some suggestions that Musk has been red-pilled,...

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Huawei’s latest smartwatch has a secret inside: a pair of wireless earbuds

The face of the Huawei Watch Buds flips open to reveal hidden earbuds, a neat solution for folks who constantly leave their wireless earbuds at home. | Image: Huawei Central / collage by The Verge

If you’d already seen any leaks of the Huawei Watch Buds on the web, then you’d be forgiven for thinking it was some fan-made concept or an early-development product destined to never see the light of day. But, in an announcement on Weibo, Huawei has not only confirmed that the Huawei Watch Buds are a genuine product, but provided a teaser video for us to get a better look (via The Register).

As the name suggests, the Huawei Watch Buds are a pair of earbuds concealed within a smartwatch that looks similar to the Huawei Watch 3. Details are a little sparse so there’s no word yet on what kind of performance or battery life you can expect from either of the products, but the watch itself does appear to be running HarmonyOS.

Huawei Watch...

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Kanye West suspended from Twitter after posting a swastika

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, has been suspended from Twitter shortly after posting an image of a swastika inside the Star of David. Twitter CEO Elon Musk confirmed the suspension late on Thursday, noting that Ye had “again violated our rule against incitement to violence.”

The Twitter suspension comes nearly two months after Twitter locked Ye out of his account following an anti-Semitic post. Instagram also restricted access to Ye’s account in October after he posted a screenshot showing a text message between him and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing Diddy of being controlled by Jewish people.

Just clarifying that his account is being suspended for incitement to violence, not an unflattering pic of me being hosed by Ari.

F...

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Tesla delivers first electric Semi trucks — three years late

Screengrab: Tesla

Five years after they were first revealed, the first Tesla Semi trucks were delivered to customers at an event at the company’s Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, Thursday.

The trucks, which were first unveiled in concept form back in 2017, were supposed to go into production in 2019 but were delayed for a variety of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a global parts shortage. Representatives from PepsiCo, which reserved 100 Semis shortly after its reveal, were on hand to receive the first batch of trucks.

Tesla says the Semi is powered by four independent motors on the rear axles, can accelerate 0-60mph in 20 seconds, and has a battery range of up to 500 miles. Prices may start at $150,000, and there have been a number of orders...

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Netflix is expanding its early feedback program to more subscribers

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Netflix currently has a relatively small group of about 2,000 subscribers who it invites to preview upcoming projects and provide feedback about them ahead of release, but that number’s about to grow significantly as the streamer looks to maximize its profits in an increasingly competitive streaming market.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Netflix plans to open up its Preview Club program to “tens of thousands” more subscribers across the globe in order to glean reactions from people that might end up being used to make last-minute tweaks to the streamer’s films and movies ahead of their broader release.

That’s reportedly what happened with ​​Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up after a small Netflix test audience said that they thought the...

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Eufy’s Dual doorbell proves two eyes on your porch are better than one

With dual cameras and dual motion detection, this camera catches it all — just not fast enough

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The Guardians of the Galaxy visit some strange new places in Vol. 3’s official trailer

The Guardians of the Galaxy are back. | Image: Marvel Studios

Disney just released the official trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it looks like the movie is going to be a wild ride across the stars. One featured planet looks a lot like Earth but is filled with bipedal aliens with animal faces. The Guardians will also be going to some kind of giant fleshy spiral thing in space. I’m intrigued!

James Gunn, who directed the first two movies, is at the reins again for Vol. 3 after being fired over offensive tweets and rehired less than a year later. But it seems like this will be Gunn’s last Marvel film given that he was recently appointed the new co-CEO of DC Studios. Many familiar faces from past Guardians films are returning as well, including Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Zoe Saldaña as...

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The best video doorbell camera to buy right now

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge, Shutterstock

We pick the best brainy buzzers

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Amazon’s poached Mike Flanagan from Netflix with an exclusive TV production deal

Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy at the 46th Annual Saturn Awards. | Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images for ABA

While Mike Flanagan’s forthcoming The Fall of the House of Usherseries based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe is still headed to Netflix, the Haunting of Hill House creator is getting ready to take his talents to another streaming platform that’s likely looking to beef up its horror catalogue.

Deadline reports that Mike Flanagan andIntrepid Pictures CEO Trevor Macy (who has also executive produced the whole of Netflix’s “Flanaverse”) have signed a new exclusive, multi-year overall TV production deal with Amazon Studios. Under the new deal, Intrepid Pictures will create new series and films for Amazon Prime similar to how the indie production house crafted series like ​​The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club for...

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Ye will not be the new owner of Parler

Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, wears a Balenciaga mouthguard during Paris Fashion Week. | Photo by Edward Berthelot/GC Images

Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, will no longer be purchasing Parler, the platform’s parent company confirmed on Thursday.

The announcement came shortly after Ye went on an antisemitic rant while appearing on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowarsprogram on Thursday. Despite the timing, Parler’s corporate owner, Parlement Technologies, claims that the two parties agreed to terminate the deal last month.

“Parlement Technologies has confirmed that the company has mutually agreed with Ye to terminate the intent of sale of Parler. This decision was made in the interest of both parties in mid-November,” a company spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.

Ye first announced his intent to purchase the social media platform in October...

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The best floodlight camera to buy right now

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

These security cameras will shed some light on your smart home.

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How to change your video doorbell ringtone

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

A video doorbell is a high-tech upgrade for your front door, adding visual voicemail to your doorstep and a heads-up to who’s there on your smartphone or smart display. Another fun and little-known feature of smart doorbells is the option to change up the doorbell’s ringtone.

Depending on the model, you can change the sound the doorbell itself makes or the sound the electronic chime inside your house makes. For example, Nest video doorbells can use different tones at the front door, but Ring and Arlo doorbells only change the sound of the compatible digital chimes inside your house.

Changing your video doorbell sounds is fun to do for the holidays — Ring and Google offer Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, and other holiday-themed chimes —...

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Today’s Google Doodle celebrates one of gaming’s hidden figures

Gerald “Jerry” Lawson is one of the overlooked founding fathers of gaming.

Among the litany of recognizable names in the gaming industry, there is one that’s often left out of the conversation. Gerald “Jerry” Lawson, the engineer responsible for the development of the video game cartridge, among other outstanding achievements, is the subject of today’s Google Doodle. While his name may not get the same recognition as the likes of Carmack, Romero, or Bushnell, Lawson was an instrumental part in the growth and development of video games, long before many of these prominent upstarts would hang their shingle.

Image: Google

Today’s Google Doodle is an interactive celebration of Gerald “Jerry” Lawson’s contributions to gaming.

A Brooklyn-born and -raised Black man, Lawson began his career...

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is coming to theaters on June 30th

Image: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is coming to theaters on June 30th, 2023, according to the film’s first trailer released on Thursday. The movie will feature Harrison Ford returning for his fifth main film as the titular explorer, as well as Phoebe Waller-Bridge as his goddaughter. It’ll be scored by John Williams, which is pretty obvious from the trailer.

It also seems like we’ll get to see Jones rocking his iconic hat and whip, though the latter feels decidedly outclassed. In what feels like a throwback to one of the franchise’s best scenes, we see Indy face off against a room full of goons with his whip, only to discover that they’re all armed with guns.

The previous entry, 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal...

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You can earn money through Discord now

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Discord is expanding its server subscription program, allowing more creators to start charging subscription fees for premium access and perks.

“Starting today, we’re expanding the availability of Server Subscriptions, allowing creators on Discord to earn money directly within their server,” wrote Discord creator product lead Derek Lang.

Community servers in the US have the capability to enable subscriptions provided they meet the minimum criteria.

• You must be 18 years or older.
• Your account must be in good standing.
• You must have both your email and phone number verified.
• You must have two-factor authentication enabled.

There also appear to be additional criteria similar to the stipulations required to become a Discord partner,...

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Coinbase says Apple forced it to remove NFT transfers from its iOS wallet

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Coinbase has accused Apple of forcing it to remove NFT transfers from its Wallet app on iOS. On Thursday, it tweeted that Apple “blocked our last app release until we disabled the feature” because the iPhone maker wanted the blockchain fees associated with an NFT transfer to go through its in-app purchase system, giving it a 30 percent cut.

According to Coinbase, it’s impossible to make that happen for a variety of reasons, with one important one being that Apple’s system doesn’t support paying in crypto.

While some NFT marketplaces let you purchase the digital tokens using traditional fiat currency like the US dollar, the fees Coinbase is talking about are a different matter entirely. On blockchains like Ethereum, which many NFT...

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Epic’s free app that turns real-life items into 3D models is available now on iOS

Image: Epic Games

Epic Games’ RealityScan app, which lets you scan real-life objects and turn them into 3D models for video games or other projects, is now officially available on iOS as a free download after an initial limited beta launch in April. The app could be a handy tool to recreate objects from the world around you without having to build them on your own from scratch.

To “scan” an object in the app, you take a bunch of photos of it from as many angles as you can. As you’re walking around the object and photographing it, RealityScan helpfully shows each picture you’ve taken in augmented reality, as well as a heat map of where the object needs more coverage. You’ll also be able to preview your scan right from the app to see how it looks before...

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