Google launches Private AI Compute, a cloud AI platform using Gemini models and TPUs, ensuring user data privacy and secure processing for smarter services. Read...

Mizuho Bank has launched a Boomi-based platform to streamline payments and ensure ISO 20022 compliance across Asia Pacific, cutting onboarding to weeks. Read...

Hewlett Packard Enterprise unveils GX5000 supercomputers to advance AI research with enhanced computing, energy efficiency and high-speed networking. Read...

Cybersecurity experts warn of rising email threats as phishing kits Tycoon 2FA and Cephas evolve, using steganography and code obfuscation to evade detection. Read...

Visa has launched its Scan to Pay QR service across Asia Pacific, enabling millions of merchants to accept Visa payments via popular digital wallets and apps. Read...

Job and financial scams are rising in Australia and New Zealand as cost-of-living pressures drive more consumers into risky online offers, warns Trend Micro. Read...

Despite 89% piloting AI, 78% neglect core data security, leading to breaches largely from known vulnerabilities, warns new Tenable research. Read...

Having some extra storage on hand is absolutely essential for anyone and everyone because it’s not always best to rely on the internet to send them off, either due to an unreliable connection or the sensitivity of the documents. So, with Black Friday breathing down our necks — or, if we’re being truthful, already here — it’s time to finally get one (or two). As always, Black Friday is a fantastic time to get things because we see a ton of discounts. Even better, some of these products are dropping to their very best prices, or, in some cases, to brand new lows. Not all deals are created equal, of course, so we’re going to help you find the best. Best early Black Friday deals on 64GB to 256GB flash drives Kingston Ironkey Vault Privacy 50, 128GB, USB 3.2, Encrypted — $139.99 (13% off on Amazon, was $160) Lexar JumpDrive Dual, 128GB, USB 3.2 — $16.99 (23% off on Amazon, was $22) SanDisk Ultra, 128GB, USB 3.0 — $12.99 (16% off on Amazon, was $15.49) PNY Elite-X, 128GB, USB 3.2 — $14.99 (17% off on Amazon, was $18) Samsung Fit Plus, 256GB, USB 3.1 — $25.99 (28% off on Amazon, was $36) Samsung Type-C, 256GB, USB 3.2 — $32.99 (23% off on Amazon, was $20) SanDisk Ultra Luxe, 256GB, USB 3.2 — $25.94 (21% off on Amazon, was $33) The best deal out of the lot right now is for the Samsung Fit Plus. That’s an absolutely tiny flash drive that’s literally the size of your thumb that can hit 300MB/s transfer speeds. As tiny as this model is, you should mak sure you don’t lose it by actually putting it on a keychain or lanyard of some kind. Best early Black Friday deals on 512GB to 2TB flash SanDisk Extreme Pro Dual, 512GB, USB 3.2 — $69.99 (13% off on Amazon, was $80) SanDisk Ultra Flair, 512GB, USB 3.0 — $36.99 (21% off on Amazon, was $47) SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe, 512GB, USB-C — $42.95 (19% off on Amazon, was $53) SanDisk Ultra Fit, 512GB, USB 3.2 — $39.99 (20% off on Amazon, was $50) PNY Pro Elite V3, 1TB, USB 3.2 — $99.99 (7% off on Amazon, was $107.99) Right now, the 512GB SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe is probably our favorite deal, partly due to the discount and partly due to the fact that this thing has both a USB-C and a USB-A connector, thus being useful with all sorts of devices. Black Friday: The best tech deals around Check out our roundups for the best PC-related deals in a wide variety of categories! Early Black Friday laptop deals Early Black Friday desktop computer deals Early Black Friday SSD deals Early Black Friday monitor deals Early Black Friday Chromebook deals Early Black Friday VPN deals Early Black Friday office chair and desk deals Early Black Friday power bank deals FAQ 1. When is Black Friday? Technically, in 2025, Black Friday lands on November 28. Practically, however, Black Friday is already here for most retailers, so you don’t have to wait for the end of the month to take advantage of the best discounts. 2. What should I look for in a Black Friday flash drive deal? We know price and discounts are very important elements in every purchase decision-making, but it’s also important to look for other things. One of the main things to look for is a solid, known brand. Brands we’re partial to when it comes to thumb drives are Samsung, SanDisk, Corsair, and Kingston, to name just a few. Capacity is also important, and so is the transfer speed you can expect from any flash drive — you don’t want to fall asleep waiting for that file to finish moving. Ideal discounts are also upwards of 15 percent, although we do love seeing half-off deals. Most models get their prices slashed across all capacity versions, so make sure to check them all in case one of them catches your eye more. 3. How did we find the best USB flash drive Black Friday deals? We look for good deals day in and day out because, while we love tech, we don’t love paying full price for things. Obviously, not all discounts are worth our time, and we know just how to find those stellar deals. For Black Friday, we compare the prices with their regular retail prices, check price history to see how much they’ve changed in the past few weeks, and see if the price drops are worth our time (and yours). Read...

We blinked and, somehow, Black Friday is already here. Well, technically, it’s a couple of weeks away, but we’re already seeing some of the best deals of the year, including for the impressive mini PCs. We love a good mini PC because they take up so little space (sometimes you can even mount it to the back of your monitor), they’re powerful, and they’re quite affordable. Plus, you can typically upgrade a mini PC’s RAM and storage if you want to put more money into it. Finding the right deals can be tricky, however, as there are many things to consider in terms of configuration, discounts, and starting prices. Fear not, because we’re here to help you out. Best early Black Friday deals on AMD Ryzen mini PCs Bosgame E2 – AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $189.99 (21% off on Amazon, was $240) Acemagician Kron K1 – AMD Ryzen 5 7430U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support — $251.99 (21% off on Amazon, was $319) Beelink SER5 — AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 500GB, triple display support — $279 (20% off on Amazon, was $349) GMKtec G10 — AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support — $219 (27% off on Amazon, was $300) Acemagician S3A – Ryzen 7 8745HS, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB SSD, Radeon 780M, triple display support — $359 (33% off on Amazon, was $539) Beelink SER5 Max – AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 500GB SSD, triple display support – $349 (19% off on Amazon, was $429) Geekom A8 – AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, quad display support – $549 (13% off on Amazon, was $629) Bosgame P4 — AMD Ryzen 7 5825U, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, triple display support — $350 (13% off on Amazon, was $400) Bosgame P3 Lite — AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, Radeon 680M, triple display support – $390 (19% off on Amazon, was $479.95) Kamrui E3B – AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $298.90 (30% off on Amazon, was $427) Geekom AX8 Max – AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, quad display support – $599 (20% off on Amazon, was $749) Geekom A9 Max – AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB SSD, quad display support – $999 (17% off on Amazon, was $1,199) My favorite deal of this bunch right now is for the Bosgame P4. It has a decent processor, tons of memory, and quite a lot of storage space. Plus, it features a Radeon 680M integrated GPU that will actually allow you to play some games. At $350, this is a great pick. Best early Black Friday deals on Intel mini PCs Kamrui GK3 Plus – Intel Alder Lake N95, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $179.10 (19% off on Amazon, was $220) Kamrui Essenx E1 – Intel N97, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, dual display support – $229.59 (28% off on Amazon, was $280) Acemagic Vista V1 – Twin Lake N150, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, dual display support – $179.10 (22% off on Amazon, was $229) Beelink EQi13 — Intel Core i5, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 500GB SSD, dual display support – $479 (20% off on Amazon, was $599) Geekom GT2 – Intel Core Ultra 9, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB SSD, quad display support – $999 (23% off on Amazon, was $1,299) Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny M70q — Intel Core i5, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1T SSD — $800 (64% off on Amazon, was $2,199) If you’re looking for a mini PC to browse online, check social media, and send some emails, the Kamrui Essenx E1 is a solid pick, especially at this price, giving you an awesome 1TB of storage space. If you want something that can handle more complicated workloads and apps, the Beelink EQi13 is a fantastic pick that promises to deliver a speedy performance. Black Friday: The best PC deals around Check out our roundups for the best PC-related deals in a wide variety of categories! Early Black Friday laptop deals Early Black Friday desktop computer deals Early Black Friday SSD deals Early Black Friday monitor deals Early Black Friday Chromebook deals Early Black Friday VPN deals Early Black Friday office chair and desk deals Early Black Friday power bank deals Early Black Friday USB flash drive deals FAQ 1. When is Black Friday 2025? This year, Black Friday drops on November 28. Lucky for you (and us too), Black Friday deals are already here in most shops these days, so you don’t actually have to wait until the end of the month. 2. What are some things you need to consider when getting a mini PC? Just like when you get any new computer, you have to consider your performance needs. What are you going to use the mini PC for? Is it browsing? Is it work? Do you want a bit more power? Your answers will dictate what CPU you want on your device, how much RAM, and storage. 3. Can a mini PC replace a desktop computer? Absolutely, yes! Mini PCs are powerful enough to replace desktops for most users, especially if you’re mostly using it for work, media streaming, or browsing. There are even some higher-performance models that you could use for photo and video editing or gaming, but they’re a bit more pricey. The great thing is that mini PCs easily support multiple monitors, which makes them ideal for multitasking. Read...

Good news, soccer fans: You’ll be paying a lot less for your Major League Soccer habit next year.  Apple has announced that starting next year, it will do away with the add-on paywall for Apple TV’s Major League Soccer coverage, meaning all Apple TV subscribers will get to stream MLS regular season and playoff action for no extra charge.  For this past regular season of MLS Season Pass, Apple charged $14.99 a month or $99 for the full season, while Apple TV subscribers had to shell out a discounted rate of $12.99 a month or $79 for the season. Apple had already dropped its MLS paywall for Apple TV subscribers at the end of the regular season, so all 2025 MLS playoff games are included in its $12.99-per-month subscription (following a recent price hike). “Our partnership with Apple has always been about innovating for our fans,” said Don Garber, the commissioner of Major League Soccer, in a press release. “Bringing every MLS match to Apple TV takes that vision to the next level by making it easier than ever for fans everywhere to watch, connect, and be part of the game.”  Also chiming in was Apple SVP Eddie Cue, who called the news a “win for fans everywhere.”  Aside from regular season marches, Apple TV’s 2026 MLS coverage will include the annual Leagues Cup tournament, the MLS All-Star Game, the Campeones Cup, the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.  The standalone MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will wrap up with the 2025 season, which is still in progress.  Apple signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with Major League Soccer back in 2022, and it kicked off its standalone MLS Season Pass the following year.  For the 2025 MLS season, Apple debuted Sunday Night Soccer, a weekly marquee matchup that boasts an “enhanced” production and “dedicated” studio programming, along with pre- and post-game shows. Sign up for Apple TV Read...