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15 Nov 2024

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Treaty Principles Bill will greatly damage National's relationship with Maori - former minister
National's former Treaty negotiations minister says some MPs are more concerned about their careers than the party's history and traditions.

Olivia Podmore's family hope inquest will provide answers three years after Rio Olympian's death
The Rio cyclist's mother hopes the three-week hearing will ensure athletes in the high-performance system are safe and supported in future.

Grab these PS, Xbox, Fortnite, and Roblox gift cards on sale right now
Black Friday is looming on the horizon and we’re already seeing some amazing discounts. In fact, you can stock up on your favorite gaming gift cards since quite a few of them are 10 percent off right now. Amazon has $100 PlayStation Store gift cards down to $90 right now. You can then use that money to take advantage of the deals going on right now on the PS Store, allowing you to snatch some incredible games, from Tekken 8 to Resident Evil 4, for up to 75 percent off. Similarly, an Xbox Gift Card worth $100 is now available for $90 at Amazon. You can use the credit to get yourself some of those awesome games being slashed down in price by Microsoft, from the super-cute Stray to the popular UFC series. And if you’re a fan of Roblox and/or Fortnite, you’re in luck. Right now, a 10,000 Robux digital card that normally costs $100 can be had for just $90. Similarly, a digital card for 13,500 V-Bucks that’ll usually run you $90 can be snagged for just $81. This 10 percent deal applies to other amounts, too, so feel free to grab however many points you want and save regardless. Just note that this is a Prime-exclusive deal. But if you don’t have Prime, you can still claim these deals — by signing up for a free 30-day trial of Prime and canceling before the trial period ends. These are all digital codes, so you’ll be adding them to your own accounts. Make sure you place your order soon because these deals won’t be around forever.

Arm-based Windows 11 PCs now have an official ISO for clean installs
When power users get a new PC, sometimes they like to start fresh — so they pull the pro gamer move of re-installing Windows with a fresh ISO image direct from Microsoft that has no pack-in bloatware and no unnecessarily elaborate “driver management programs” from the manufacturer. That wasn’t an option for the more specialized build of Windows 11 on the new Snapdragon laptops… until now. Thanks to the Arm64-based hardware, which is different from the usual x86 and x64 guts you’re used to in most laptops and desktops, the build of Windows 11 on these new laptops is unique. It took a few months, but Microsoft has finally published a disk image (or ISO file) for these devices. You can now download it directly from Microsoft’s website to set up a direct reinstallation or create a bootable flash drive for another device. It’s just like the existing installation media tool. This is an exciting option for a very particular slice of the Windows userbase. Of course, that same slice is likely to be unimpressed by even a “clean” installation, as Microsoft’s pack-in software and integrated advertising has only gotten more and more intrusive over the last few years, to say nothing of the huge push for Copilot AI “features.” And assuming you want new updates for your fancy new laptop, it’s likely to get more bloated as time goes on. Keep in mind that using this method for a fresh install might create a few hiccups. That Snapdragon X system-on-a-chip has a lot fewer hardware variables than older designs, but it’s so new that you might not get every piece you need from Windows Update. Be prepared for the possibility of needing either an Ethernet connection or using ye olde sneakernet to load up drivers manually from another machine, and maybe a bit of Googling to find every file you need for that. It’s okay. If you clicked on this article, odds are pretty good that you know what you’re doing, or at least have the ability to find out. I believe in you.

Public servants 'exhausted' after job cuts, more redundancies to come
Thousands of jobs have been slashed from the public service, leaving those still with jobs struggling to keep up the same workload.

Health NZ's bid to remove Milo from staff rooms could have cost it $3m - union
The provision of hot drinks is enshrined in some health workers' contracts, "so if this was done as a cost-saving measure, it would have done anything but".

Black Friday Chromebook deals: What to expect and early sales
Early Black Friday deals on Chromebooks have begun at Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers. I’m on the hunt for the best Chromebook sales, and I’ve already found some worth snatching up. Black Friday 2024 could be weird. America’s new president is promising 60 percent tariffs on goods coming from China next year, which will raise prices across all kinds of categories, including electronics. Should that happen, snapping up a Chromebook deal now would be prudent. I’ve listed the best Chromebook deals that I can find, followed by an explanation of why I think you should buy them. I’ve been tracking Chromebook deals during Black Friday for the past several years, so I have a good idea of what to buy and how much you should pay. (If you’d like more information, I recommend reading the FAQ at the bottom below this list of early Black Friday Chromebook deals.) Best early Black Friday budget Chromebook deals Acer Chromebook 315 (Celeron N4500/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display), now $139.00 (22% off at Walmart) Asus Chromebook CM1402 (Kompanio 520/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p display), now $129.00 (57% off at Best Buy) Asus Chromebook CX1 (Celeron N4500/4GB RAM/128GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p display), now $159.00 (31% off at Walmart) Samsung Chromebook 4 (Celeron N4000/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display), now $209.00 (35% off at Amazon) Lenovo 14-inch Chromebook (Kompanio 520/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p display), now $206.99 (31% off at Amazon) Asus Chromebook CM14 (Kompanio 520/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 14-inch 768p display), now $166.00 (41% off at Amazon) Asus Chromebook C424 (Celeron N4020/4GB RAM/128GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p display), now $196.00 (22% off at Amazon) Lenovo Ideapad Slim 3 (2023) (Kompanio 520/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p display), now $203.85 (8% off at Amazon) Budget Chromebooks are all about the tradeoffs. In this case, there aren’t any deals with 8GB of RAM, which is what I’d prefer. Among these, the Acer Chromebook 315 gives you the most for your money, including a nice big display and a relatively modern processor. The Celeron N4500 is faster in single-threaded tasks than the Arm-based Kompanio with battery life. The Acer 315, Asus CM1402, and the Asus CX1 are all good, thrifty choices. Samsung Chromebooks tend to be a bit overpriced, but they also tend to have lovely displays, which is why I’ve included the Chromebook 4 and placed it pretty highly. Personally, I also like Lenovo’s keyboards, and a lot of Chromebooks end up skimping on their keyboards. I’m just not a fan of Asus keyboards, for example. The last three entrants in this current list of deals, including the Asus CM14 and Asus C424, have weaknesses. What’s wonderful is that we’re still seeing cost-effective budget Chromebooks with 1080p screens… but the CM14 has a lower-resolution 768p screen that you won’t be as happy with it as you would with alternatives, and the C424 has one of the slower Celeron processors available. As for the Lenovo Ideapad Slim 3? It’s a modern Chromebook, as the “2023” indicates, but it’s just a little bit more expensive than the others. Best early Black Friday mid-range Chromebook deals Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (Refurbished) (Core i3-1215U/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display), now $199.99 (47% off at Walmart) Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (Core i3-1215U/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display), now $299.00 (25% off at Best Buy) Lenovo Flex 3 (Pentium Silver N6000/8GB RAM/64GB eMMC, 15.6-inch 1080p display), now $328.99 (31% off at Best Buy) HP 2-in-1 Chromebook (Core i3-N305/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p display), now $399.00 (37% off at Best Buy) Asus Chromebook Plus CX5601 (Core i3-1215U/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, 16-inch 1920×1200 display), now $479.00 (20% off at Best Buy) Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (Core i5-1335U/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, 14-inch 1920×1200 display), now $529.99 (24% off at Best Buy) I almost never include refurbished Chromebooks in deal recommendations, but this one’s an exception. Why? Because the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 is the same exact Chromebook as one of the better deals on the list, just refurbished — and $100 cheaper. For a Chromebook, that’s big! A Chromebook Plus with that hardware for $199.99 is a very, very sweet deal. Just pay attention to the return policy in case something snuck past quality control. The one thing I’m a bit suspicious of, however, is the fact that Intel’s 12th- and 13th-gen Core chips sucked down a decent amount of power. The Pentium Silver and Core i3-N305 inside the Lenovo Flex 3 and HP 2-in-1 will absolutely have longer battery life, though markedly less performance. If you expect your Chromebook to be plugged into the wall most of the time, however, you can opt for other Chromebooks instead. I quite like the Asus Chromebook Plus CX5601 and Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714, as well. These Chromebook Plus laptops offer higher performance for higher prices, with add-ons like Thunderbolt ports. These are honestly great machines, but just not as budget-friendly as some of the other choices. If you’ve decided that a Chromebook isn’t for you and you’d prefer a laptop instead, check out our Black Friday laptop deals and our Black Friday deals shopping page. FAQ 1. When is Black Friday? Officially, this year’s Black Friday takes place on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Cyber Monday is the following Monday, or Dec. 2, 2024. 2. When do Black Friday Chromebook deals begin? Early Black Friday sales have already begun at several retailers, though sales should ramp up as Black Friday nears. Retailers haven’t been shy about adding early sales to unload inventory before the Black Friday craziness begins. Note that early Black Friday sales can sometimes include a “sneaky season,” where retailers add sales, then raise prices, and then discount again for Black Friday. 3. What should you pay for a Black Friday Chromebook deal? I’m actually surprised that there’s as many early Chromebook deals as there have been for 2024. Good deals, too! Last year, there simply weren’t as many deals before Black Friday proper. I’d expect budget Chromebook deal prices to drop below $100 for Black Friday on a model or two, but $129 or $139 for an early Black Friday deal is surprisingly impressive. I usually like mid-range Chromebooks to be about $250 or so, but we’ll see what we end up with. Early mid-range Chromebook prices aren’t bad right now. In general, I’d expect the type of Chromebooks we recommend (see below for more detail on that) to be priced below $350 in the weeks leading up to Black Friday. Prices should drop a bit more as Black Friday approaches. In general, we put our top picks at the top of our lists. I absolutely factor price into my picks, but I’m looking for value: the best bang for your buck. I feel like I’ve really benefited from a good deal when I get the most for my money, and that’s what I want to help you get, too. 4. What features should I look for in a Black Friday Chromebook? We still prioritize three things when looking for a Chromebook deal: memory, the display (size and resolution), and the CPU. Retailers are still trying to unload Chromebooks with 4GB of RAM, 768p screens, and ancient processors. Ignore those, for the most part. Some can be justified as budget Chromebook options, but I really feel that you deserve a Chromebook with at least 8GB of RAM, a 1080p screen or better (with screen sizes above 13 inches, if possible), and a relatively modern CPU. I don’t put a lot of weight on the CPU, if only because a Chromebook doesn’t need a lot of horsepower behind it. A 1080p screen offers a comfortable laptop-like viewing experience. Be aware that “HD” does not mean 1080p! It basically means 768p, which is going to be a bit hard on your eyes. “Full HD” or “FHD” equates to 1080p. Our recommended CPUs include Intel Celerons, Intel Pentiums, Intel Core chips, AMD Ryzen processors, and Arm chips from MediaTek or Qualcomm. All of those have their pros and cons, though the performance differences probably won’t matter as much as additional memory. More memory (that is, 8GB rather than 4GB of RAM) allows for more browser tabs and a smoother browser experience. Onboard storage really doesn’t matter all that much, though an SSD of at least 32GB is preferable for storing apps, documents, screenshots, and the like. If you’re familiar with our lengthy laptops versus Chromebooks explainer, you know that one of the potential gotchas is buying a Chromebook whose support window expires soon. Google now supports new Chromebooks for up to 10 years, so this is less of a concern. 5. Which Chromebook does PCWorld rate highest? Our editors regularly review Chromebooks, so make sure to check our rankings of the best Chromebooks of 2024. We recommend a wide range of price points, and the article offers a great primer on Chromebook shopping. What’s more, some of our top picks will likely go on sale before or during Black Friday.