It’s not often that we see a discount on these chic speakers, but Ikea is selling the black-and-white versions for $99.99. You can also watch Top Gun: Maverick for free with a trial to Paramount Plus.
Online or in-store, you can get a black or white Symfonisk bookshelf speaker for $99.99, a $20 discount off its usual price. This is the second-gen model developed alongside Sonos, complete with Wi-Fi connectivity so you can use it to complete your Sonos surround sound setup. It supports Apple AirPlay 2 for easy audio streaming via Apple products and has Spotify Connect compatibility. This speaker can be slotted naturally onto a bookshelf or, like the image above suggests, mounted to your wall as a small shelf. This model released in early 2022 and has a faster processor and more memory than its predecessor, plus a more logical button layout. This deal lasts through January 22nd, 2023.
If you’re curious what else is available in the Sonos ecosystem of speakers, my colleague Chris Welch has an exhaustive guide to finding the right speakers for your living space.
Top Gun: Maverick landed on Paramount Plus today, and if you’re a member, you can stream it right away. If you aren’t a member, you can technically watch the movie for free with a one-week free trial to its Essential plan, which costs $4.99 per month once the trial expires. Or, if you’re interested in prepurchasing a year-long subscription with some big savings, you can do that by entering the code WINTER50 at checkout through January 2nd. If you’re a soccer fan, a year-long subscription will cover you for the remainder of the UEFA Champions League games.
If you don’t want to go the subscription route, Apple iTunes is selling 4K digital copies of Top Gun: Maverick for $10, or you can rent it for $5.99.
Watching this movie could be something fun to do with family over the holiday weekend. Personally, my expectations were low, but it’s surprisingly great with solid performances and incredible production values. Better yet, you can watch it if you haven’t seen the first movie. Just a note: this movie supports Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound, and it’s a real treat to watch with the lights lowered and the sound cranked up.
While perhaps not suitable for members of your family who may be terrified of zombies, this double-pack of remastered Resident Evil games is equally entertaining. For PlayStation and Xbox, you can get Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Resident Evil 3 (2020) together for $14.99. If you’re playing on a PS5 or an Xbox Series X / S console, both games can be updated to display more impressive visuals, including ray tracing and faster frame rates, to take advantage of that powerful hardware. You’ll just need to be connected to the internet to grab the update once you launch for the first time.
Both are must-play games, but Resident Evil 2 is particularly good and spooky. In the realm of game remakes, it’s impressive that Capcom managed to create a faithful recreation that somehow feels completely new to play. RE2 is also a little more chill to play than RE3 since you aren’t being pursued by the haunting Nemesis from the very start. If you want to learn more, check out our reviews of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3.
a:hover]:shadow-highlight-franklin [&>a]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-highlight-franklin dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-white md:text-30″>The last deals ‘til next week
- Ahead of Christmas, Samsung has reduced the cost of its M8 Smart Monitor to $399.99 in green, pink, or blue. We’ve seen this price floating around before, but it’s a great price considering that it gets you a capable 4K USB-C monitor that can also be used as a TV, complete with smart TV apps like Apple TV Plus, Netflix, and more. I wouldn’t recommend it for gaming, nor would I recommend using its included snap-on webcam if you have something better laying around, but it’s a solid value nevertheless. Here’s my review.
- In case you were waiting for Google’s latest hardware to go back down in price again, here’s your next chance to save. The Pixel 7 is $499 ($100 off) and the bigger Pixel 7 Pro with its telephoto lens and sharper screen is $749 ($150 off). The Pixel Watch smartwatch is $50 off, costing $299.99 for the Wi-Fi / GPS version.
- If you have a Steam Deck or a gaming PC, here’s a friendly reminder that Steam’s winter sale begins Thursday, December 22nd, at 1PM ET, lasting through January 5th, 2023. I’m personally hoping for some great deals.