Engadget Podcast: A $249 Surface Laptop and Black Friday prep

It's that time of the year again: Figuring out all of the best gifts to buy from our Holiday Gift Guide. This week, Commerce Editor Valentina Palladino joins Cherlynn and Devindra to chat about our latest batch of product suggestions, as well as some tips on snagging deals ahead of Black Friday. Also, they chat about Microsoft's intriguing new $249 Surface Laptop SE, a low-spec, kid-focused notebook for schools. And Devindra chats with Ethan Zuckerman, a UMASS Amherst professor and technology researcher, about Facebook/Meta's vision of the metaverse and ways we can combat corporate control of the internet. (Check out Ethan's article at The Atlantic: Hey Facebook, I Built a Metaverse 27 Years Ago.)Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!EngadgetBlack Friday, a $249 Surface and Ethan Zuckerman on the metaverseSubscribe!iTunesSpotifyPocket CastsStitcherGoogle PodcastsTopicsMicrosoft goes after Chromebooks with the $249 Surface Laptop SE ' 1:50Holiday Gift Guide with Commerce Editor Valentina Palladino ' 17:06Google Project Relate brings voice recognition to people with speech impairments ' 36:12Peloton is making a $495 smart camera to detect your workout form ' 42:11Twitter Blue expands Twitter functionality for $3 a month ' 46:16Apple will make it easier to replace an iPhone 13 screen without breaking FaceID ' 52:45Roombas are about to get much smarter Alexa voice commands ' 54:47Peter Jackson sells most of WETA to Unity ' 55:55Pop Culture Picks ' 58:36Metaverse interview with Ethan Zuckerman ' 1:07:26Video livestreamCreditsHosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra HardawarGuest: Valentina PalladinoProducer: Ben EllmanLivestream producers: Julio Barrientos,Luke BrooksGraphics artists: Luke Brooks, Kyle MaackMusic: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
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