How to buy sneakers for the hypebeast in your life

It's hard enough to find gifts for your loved ones during the holidays, but hypebeasts in particular are a picky bunch. They only want the most hyped products and the rarest sneakers, which can be a complicated world to navigate as a shopper if you're not familiar with it. But we're here to help. Thankfully, there are many ways to find something hypebeasts might like online -- even if you have to spend more money and time than you had hoped for. Here's how you can buy sneakers, apparel and even fanny packs (they call them waist bags) for the hypebeasts in your life.

Mark Zuckerberg still won't ban 'political' ads from Facebook

For the better part of the past four years, Facebook just hasn't been able to keep its name out of the bad news cycle. The latest backlash the company is facing has to do with its political ad policies, which essentially allow politicians to spread misinformation on the site. CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed the topic during Facebook's Q3 2019 earnings call today, saying he doesn't agree with "critics" who claim the company won't ban these controversial ads because "all we care about is money." Zuckerberg said ads from politicians will be less than 0.5 percent of Facebook's revenue this year, noting that the $5 billion FTC fine was more than 10 times more costly for the company.

Nike will drop exclusive, limited-edition sneakers inside ‘NBA 2K20’

Those of you who are into NBA 2K know that, for years, you've been able to buy sneakers from different brands for your virtual player in the game. But now, thanks to a new partnership between Nike and software publisher 2K Sports, you'll have a chance to get real sneakers for yourself as you're playing NBA 2K20. And they won't just be any kind of shoes -- they're going to be limited edition and exclusive to the popular basketball title. Nike says it will drop 10 "Gamer Exclusives" through NBA 2K20, starting on October 29th, when players will have the opportunity to purchase them by completing in-game challenges.

Nike puts an accessibility twist on its iconic Air Jordan 1

The Air Jordan 1, which NBA legend Michael Jordan debuted in 1985, continues to be one of Nike's most popular sneakers to this day. Throughout the years, the company has launched hundreds of different iterations of its iconic model, and now it's putting another twist on it that has the potential to help athletes and other people with disabilities. The AJI High FlyEase features Nike's FlyEase technology, one that was introduced in 2015 and is designed to make it easy for anyone to get their sneakers on and off quickly and easily.

Supreme’s burner phone is a hypebeast’s dream

Here's a few things to know about trying to score Supreme products during its weekly drop: I had to wait in line for about two hours, on a cold and windy day in NYC, just to get inside the brand's Brooklyn store. But to even make it that far, you have to first try and register online to get an invite to the shop in the first place. Typically, Supreme releases happen on Thursdays and store registration on Tuesdays, though they close out in minutes. I've gone through all of this many times before, but today I was there to pick up the "Supreme Blu Burner Phone," a low-end device that's made for hypebeasts.

Nike opens NBA season with YouTube-themed Kevin Durant sneakers

As the 2019-2020 NBA season gets ready to tip off on October 22nd, Nike has unveiled new colors of its signature basketball sneakers for opening week. One of those is the KD12 "YouTube," the latest edition of Kevin Durant's performance shoe that's themed after Google's video service. And while Durant won't make his debut for the Brooklyn Nets until sometime next year, due to a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered last season, Nike wanted to create a design to show his love for YouTube as a way to connect with fans. Durant joined YouTube in 2017, and has since used his channel to post videos about him traveling and meeting people around the world.

Nike's KD12 "YouTube"

Nest WiFi's range extenders double as smart speakers

The Pixel 4 wasn't the only secret Google couldn't keep from spilling all over the internet. Another device, the Nest WiFi, has been leaked a couple of times before the company's Made by Google event in New York City today. But now it's official. As rumored, Google's new Nest WiFi can be paired to "points," aka beacons, that will help extend the range of your wireless network at home. Not only that, but these Nest WiFi points can double as smart speakers, making them compatible with Google Assistant. This means you'll be able to use your voice to control your WiFi setup, like if you ever want to say "Hey Google, pause WiFi for kids devices."

Under Armour edition of Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active 2 arrives today

It's been a couple of months since we found out about Under Armour's spin on Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active 2. And all we heard back at IFA 2019 was that the wearable, which is geared toward runners, would be launching this fall. But, if you've had your eyes on it since its reveal in August, you'll be happy to hear that the Galaxy Watch Active 2 Under Armour Edition (say that ten times fast) can be yours starting today. As you've come to expect from most smartwatches, the UA Watch Active 2 features a heart-rate monitor and can show you stats like calories burned and distance covered. That said, where Samsung and Under Armour really want to make it shine is with its fitness coaching and training plans, which are customized for you using data from the watch during your runs. It can tell you how to improve your form in real time, for instance.

Facebook and Messenger’s new camera filter, stickers focus on mental health

In honor of World Mental Health Day, Facebook has launched a couple of features that it hopes will bring awareness to the cause and help people who may need emotional support. For starters, it worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) to create a camera filter for Facebook and Messenger Stories called "Let's Talk," which the company says is designed to be an invitation for friends or family to reach out for support if they're struggling. According to Facebook, based on a survey it conducted in the US, UK and Australia, 80 percent of people who participated said they could be more honest when using messaging apps, rather than speaking to someone in person -- hence why it thinks these features could be helpful.

Foot Locker wants to reinvent itself with a dedicated app for streetwear

Whenever you think of Foot Locker, what probably comes to mind are its thousands of brick-and-mortar stores, because chances are you've visited at least one in your lifetime. But, as important as physical retail locations are to the company's business, Foot Locker is also having to quickly adapt to the new ways people are shopping for sneakers, apparel and other types of gear. That's why back in February it invested $100 million in GOAT, one of the most popular apps for buying shoes on the resale market. And now, it is creating its own incubator called Greenhouse, which has just launched an app that Foot Locker says will feature carefully curated partnerships that are going to "contribute to [its] modern resurgence."

Greenhouse x Adidas Speedfactory collaboration

Adidas made a Snapchat game to drop limited, 8-bit-themed baseball cleats

Adidas is teaming up with Snapchat on a unique way to launch a product. The sportswear giant has created an 8-bit game you can play in Snapchat, called Baseball's Next Level, where you'll have the chance to buy its new 8-bit-themed baseball cleats. Produced in partnership with developer AvatarLabs, Baseball's Next Level is a home run derby, old-school style title that will let you play as some of Adidas' Major League Baseball athletes. That includes Aaron Judge (Yankees), Carlos Correa (Astros), Alex Bregman (Astros), Justin Turner (Dodgers) and Kiké Hernandez (Dodgers), all of whom have their own Adizero or Icon V cleats in the Adidas 8-bit collection, which you can buy directly from the game.

Instagram’s Threads is compelling, but kind of creepy

Look, I'm not one to constantly post selfies. I'd rather just take pictures of random buildings or my sneakers. But, when I do take a selfie, it's mostly just so I can share a goofy face with my family or best friends. I've mentioned this before in previous stories about Facebook, Instagram has become one of my main messaging apps -- right up there with iMessage and WhatsApp. That's why the idea of Instagram's new Threads app, which is designed specifically for private messages between you and your closest friends, sounds so intriguing.

The North Face’s high-tech Futurelight jackets are finally here

It uses a proprietary nanospinning technology that lets air move through fabric easily and according to the company offers more venting than ever before.

Instagram's Threads is a camera app for sharing with your closest friends

If you want to get a glimpse of Mark Zuckerberg's "privacy-focused" vision for Facebook, then look no further than Instagram's new social app: Threads. This new standalone, camera-first messaging app is an extension of Instagram's Close Friends feature on Stories, which lets you share pictures, videos and more only with groups of people you've carefully selected. As the Facebook CEO has said in recent months, his plan is to take Facebook into an era of "simple, intimate places," where individuals can have a dedicated space for private interactions on its family of apps. And with Threads from Instagram, which launches today on iOS and Android, the company is taking a step in that direction.

The North Face's Futurelight installation

Instagram makes its 'Restrict' anti-bullying tool available to everyone

Instagram is continuing to expand its anti-bullying efforts. A few months after it started testing its "Restrict" tool with a small group of users, the company is now rolling it out to everyone. The feature, which is designed to protect your account from unwanted interactions, makes it easy for you to quietly filter out people who may be harassing you in the app. Instagram says its latest anti-bullying tool can be useful for those who are reluctant to report or block bullies, particularly young people, as Restrict gives them a subtle way to hinder any problematic followers. This means that comments from accounts you restrict won't show up publicly on your posts (unless you approve them), and they won't be able to see when you're active or have read their direct messages.

Nike’s Adapt Huarache are self-lacing sneakers you’ll actually want to wear

This probably isn't shocking to anyone who knows me, but I love sneakers perhaps too much for my own good. So when Nike introduced the Adapt BB with power laces earlier this year, I was pretty intrigued: It brought two of my favorite worlds together, sneakers and technology. But for me, the problem with the Adapt BBs is that they're designed to be a performance basketball shoe, meaning they're bulky and not something I could wear every day. Now Nike has created the Adapt Huarache, a reimagined version of a classic lifestyle sneaker from 1991, which also features its FitAdapt self-lacing technology.

Facebook will test hiding ‘Likes’ on its own site

As rumors suggested, Facebook is getting ready to start hiding "Likes" on its own site. The company has now officially started a test that will remove public visibility of Like, reaction and video view counts from people's posts and ads across Facebook. This is going to be happening only in Australia, though, and Facebook told Engadget it has not decided whether the test will expand to other places in the future. Facebook said it wants to get some initial results from Australia, before eventually deciding which steps to take next.