This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commissions. Read Wirecutter's continuously updated list of Black Friday deals here. This drops the Series 3 38mm, and the 42mm ($230) to the best prices we've seen to date, almost $60 below recent sales. The Apple Watch Series 3 is the budget pick in our guide to Apple Watches. Nick Guy and Dan Frakes write, "It was introduced in 2017, but it offers most of the features and experience of the Series 4 at a significantly lower price. The Series 3 models have smaller screens--the biggest obvious difference--aren't as speedy, don't do automatic workout detection, and won't support the Series 4's ECG feature or fall detection. Even so, the Series 3 is still fast, designed with the same GPS features and swim-friendly waterproofing, and equipped with a bright screen that's easy to see outside."

Politics are bound to be a topic of conversation at Thanksgiving meals across the country today. Whether someone at your meal decides to share their thoughts on the state of America in 2018 is up to them. One thing you shouldn't do: ask Siri about Donald Trump or how old the president is. In an apparent glitch first spotted by The Verge, asking Siri the question "who is Donald Trump" or "how old is Donald Trump" returns an image of male genitalia in place of a picture of the 45th president of the United States. USA TODAY was able to replicate the glitchwhen asking Siri "who is Donald Trump" on an iPhone X on Thursday evening.

Google Assistant wants to help you get out of bed in the morning. The search giant has long given users the ability to set'routines,' or multiple tasks that are triggered by a single command, using its digital assistant. For example, when users say'Hey Google, good morning,' it will turn your lights on, brew your coffee and read you the news. Now, a new addition to Google Assistant makes it so that routines are triggered after you hit snooze on your alarm. Google Assistant wants to help you get out of bed in the morning.

The voice that responds when you say, "OK Google." These virtual assistants rely on artificial intelligence. They are increasingly ubiquitous, and they are female. Kate Devlin, a technology expert and senior lecturer at King's College, London, says it may stem from biases that can lurk deep in human thought, perhaps even unnoticed. She recounts how, when she asked a developer of one of the digital-assistants why he chose a female voice, his answer was, "I didn't really think about it."

Sure, you could choose a smart speaker based on sound or price. The go-to gadget gift of the season is available from Amazon, Apple and Google with better acoustics, new touch screens and deep holiday discounts. Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant also want to adjust the thermostat, fill your picture frame or even microwave your popcorn. Each artificial intelligence assistant has its own ways of running a home. You're choosing which tribe is yours.

Amazon may have defined the smart speaker category with the Echo and its successors, but many competitors have the company beat in one specific way: audio quality. Amazon says the No. 1 activity for Echo users is playing music, but anyone who has used an Echo knows that the sound quality is nothing to write home about. Amazon must have recognized this, because improved speakers in the new Echo Dot and Echo Plus were a major talking point when they were announced in September. Reading between the lines, it seems safe to say that Amazon believes its Echo speakers can be the centerpiece of a respectable home-audio setup. How else would you explain the new $129 Echo Sub, a device that does nothing aside from wirelessly pair with another Echo device to bring the bass?

Whether you need a smartphone, smart TV, smart home assistant, or smart charger that turns your smartphone into a smart home assistant that can control your suddenly smart TV, Google's Black Friday specials might have what you're looking for. Google's entire Home line of smart home assistants is getting some serious discounts. The new $150 Google Home Hub is now $99, the original and customizable $130 Google Home is now $79, and the tiny $49 Google Home Mini is just $25. Even the bass-blasting $400 Google Home Max is $50 cheaper, making the $350 purchase a bit easier to stomach. Adding a Chromecast device to your existing home theater setup makes streaming from mobile apps and even your PC incredibly simple, and extends the world of Google Assistant past the realm of audio-only interaction.

If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA Today's newsroom and any business incentives. Smart home devices can cost a pretty penny, but they can also be surprisingly affordable if you know what to look for, and how to spot a good deal. Lucky for you, Black Friday sales are here, and we've been combing through them all to find the very best deals. We test smart home products non-stop, all year long, so we know which are worth your time, and which you should pass up.

A leading cyber security expert has warned parents that private conversations among parents could accidentally order a present via an eavesdropping digital assistant. He suggested that merely discussing Christmas ideas in front of Alexa or Google Assistant, for example, could cause an unintentional order. The ready-to-please devices have been known to take personal conversations as commands and act upon them without the owners' knowledge. Matt Horan, of C3IA solutions, said that the systems are taking personal conversations as commands and acting upon them without the owners' knowledge. Users with Amazon and Google Home accounts have their payment details already saved and could find the smart devices have automatically ordered a Christmas present without them realising.

There are two ways to think about Google's Chromecast streaming dongle in 2018. You could consider it as your only streaming device, committing to Google's vision of using a phone or tablet as your only TV remote. This unconventional approach has its upsides, but it's less appealing than it used to be as low-cost streamers from Roku and Amazon have become faster and more versatile. Alternatively, you might view Chromecast as a secondary streamer, living alongside the Roku, Fire TV, or Apple TV that you already own. You won't have to give up a proper remote control, but can still use Chromecast to launch videos from your phone, screen-share from an Android phone or laptop, view Google Photos on the big screen, and control your TV with Google Assistant voice commands.