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The best deals we found this week: AirPods Pro, Galaxy Buds+ and more
The best deals from this week include Apple AirPods Pro for $200, Samsung Galaxy Buds+ for $130 and DJI Osmo Mobile 3 for $98.
Google is finally fixing Bluetooth audio on Home speakers
Most people who buy Google smart speakers use them for direct streaming, but that hasn't been entirely voluntary for the past year. Ever since late 2018, people have complained that any Bluetooth connections (from phones or to other speakers) would drop after a few minutes or less. Not much of a feature, is it? However, relief appears to be in sight. Google staff have confirmed that they're "investigating" a fix. There's no mention of when it might be ready, but it's a welcome relief after many months of silence.
Walmart's best Black Friday deals: Roku, Oculus, Instant Pot and more
Fighting a crowd the day after Thanksgiving isn't for everyone. If you'd rather avoid the chaos and shop from the comforts of home, we've got you covered. Walmart revealed its Black Friday deals already, a mix of gadgets for gaming, TV streaming and more. There are also lucrative gift card offers when you buy a new phone, and that amount can increase if you have a worthy trade-in. We've listed the links to current product pages below. The deals go live online at 10PM ET on Wednesday, November 27th and they'll be available in-store on Thanksgiving Day at 6PM local time (except for the phone offer).
Target Black Friday deals: AirPods, Beats Studio 3 Wireless and more
Target has shared its Black Friday flyer, detailing many of the hardware-related deals the retailer plans to offer later this week. You'll be able to take advantage of the company's promotions starting November 28th through the 30th. We've only highlighted a handful of deals that looked compelling to us -- so you may want to browse Target's flyer to see what else it has on offer. We've linked the current product pages below for easy access when the deals go live.
Google Home update leaves some speakers unusable
Smart speakers' frequent under-the-radar updates are usually convenient, but they're creating a lot of headaches for some Google device owners. Google has confirmed that it's fixing a problem with firmware updates that have bricked Home and Home Mini speakers. Some people have had success by temporarily unplugging the power cable or performing a factory reset, but others haven't been so lucky -- numerous owners have reported that their devices are completely unusable. If you're affected, you'll see the speaker's four lights stay lit.
Spotify offers a free Google Home Mini to all US Premium subscribers
Spotify is bringing back its smart speaker giveaway for another year, and this time it's being considerably less picky. The streaming music service is offering free Google Home Minis to all new and existing Premium subscribers in the US "while supplies last," including individuals -- it's not reserving them for family plan members. This won't be quite so thrilling when Google just introduced the upgraded Nest Mini (this comes across as clearing out stock), but it's hard to object if you've been itching to start a smart home setup.
New leak shows Google’s Nest Mini comes with a wall mount
We're less than a day away from the start of Google's 2019 fall hardware event, but that doesn't mean the leaks have to stop. WinFuture's Roland Quandt, a frequent leaker with a solid track record, just shared official-looking images of Google's upcoming Nest-branded Home Mini refresh.
Google streamlines music transfers between Home and Nest devices
Moving music between different Google Home and Nest devices has been a convoluted process for a while now, but Google is at long last making it easier to do just that. The company is introducing a new feature called stream transfer that allows you to ask Assistant to move music and podcasts between different Chromecast, Google Home and Nest devices. One example the company gives is, "Hey Google, move the music to the living room speaker."
Google's Nest Mini with wall mount and audio port hits the FCC
It looks like those reports that Google's Nest-branded Home Mini successor will feature a wall mount and auxiliary audio jack are accurate. A new FCC filing, first spotted by 9 to 5 Google, seemingly confirms everything we've heard about the Nest Mini's feature set.
Baidu takes second place from Google in the smart speaker market
Google is no longer the world's second-biggest smart speaker maker. According to a new report published by market research firm Canalys, China's Baidu now holds that title. The company surged past Google thanks to a strong second-quarter in which it grew smart speaker shipments by 3,700 percent year over year. The feat is particularly impressive given that Baidu was effectively a non-entity in the space a year ago with shipments of only 0.1 million units.
Google pledges to 'maximize' recycled material in own products
Google has been making consumer hardware under its "Made by Google" brand -- like its Pixel phones and Google Home Minis -- for three years, and dabbled in other hardware for a few years before that. Now, it's ready to make its products more sustainable. Starting in 2022, 100 percent of its Made by Google products will include recycled materials and will maximize recycled content whenever possible. By 2020, 100 percent of all shipments going to or from customers will be carbon neutral.
Google will give 100,000 Home Minis to people with paralysis
Smart speakers aren't just cool gadgets to play with for some differently abled people, such as those dealing with mobility issues or vision loss. For them, a smart speaker could be an important tool that can help them become more independent in their day-to-day lives. According to Google's Nest team, they receive a lot of emails from people with disabilities, telling them how the Home speakers are giving them more independence. That's why the tech giant has teamed up with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to give away 100,000 Home Minis to people living with paralysis and their caregivers.
