|
Nov 13, 2024
Now you'll be able to play one of the greatest zombie survival games of all time on your iPhone or iPad. Capcom's Resident Evil 2 remake is headed to the Apple and Mac App Store on December 10.
The game won't be available on every Apple device. You'll need any iPhone 16 model, an iPhone 15 Pro or an iPad or Mac with the M1 chip or later. You'll also be able to try a small portion of the game before purchasing the full experience. The game comes with "universal purchase" and "cross-progression" for all your eligible devices, according to a Capcom statement.
The Resident Evil 2 remake will offer advanced controls for touchscreens and the Mac version. Both Leon and Claire will also have "a new Auto Fire feature" so you can unload your clip into whatever's shuffling towards you.
This is just one of four Resident Evil games available for Apple devices and computers. Capcom and Apple have released versions of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil 4 on the App Store and Resident Evil: Village on the App and Mac App Store.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-resident-evil-2-remake-will-shuffle-its-way-to-apple-devices-in-december-234511380.html?src=rss
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
GOG is launching an effort to help make older video games playable on modern hardware. The GOG Preservation Program will label the classic titles that the platform has taken steps to adapt in order to make them compatible with contemporary computer systems, controllers and screen resolutions, all while adhering to its DRM-free policy. The move could bring new life to games of decades past, just as GOG did two years ago with a refresh of the 1999 title Wheel of Time. So far, 92 games have received the preservation treatment.
"Our guarantee is that they work and they will keep working," the company says in the video announcing the initiative.
Preservation has been a hot topic as more games go digital only. Not only are some platforms eliminating disk drives by default, but ownership over your library is more
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Bluesky may still be the underdog in the race for alternatives to X, but the once Twitter-affiliated service is gaining momentum. The app just passed the 15 million user mark after adding more than a million new users over the last week, the company said in an update.
While Bluesky is still considerably smaller than Threads, which with 275 million users is its biggest rival, there are signs that Threads users have been increasingly curious about the upstart. "Bluesky" has been a trending topic on Threads in recent days and an in-app search suggestion shows there are more than 19,000 posts about "Bluesky." Bluesky itself has also made a push to win over Threads users in recent weeks by posting regularly on the Meta-owned service.
That effort seems to be working. A month ago, Engadget noted, the service had just under 9 million users. Its mobile app also has the top spot in Apple's App Store, followed by Threads and ChatGPT. Its recent success also seems to be driven, at least in
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
NHL 25 is slated to get a sizable content update at the end of the year. EA announced that the six teams of the Professional Women's Hockey League will be added to the game in an update this December. The Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, Montréal Victoire, New York Sirens, Ottawa Charge and Toronto Sceptres will be available to choose in the game's Play Now, Online Versus, Shootout and Season modes.
This EA sports franchise has been putting more women's leagues and female players into the spotlight in recent installments. Women's teams first appeared in NHL 22 back in 2022, and last year NHL 23 showcased Olympic gold medalist Sarah Nurse of Team Canada on its cover alongside Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks.
In addition to the December update with the PWHL partnership, NHL 25 is adding an NHL Arcade mode this Friday. In earl
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Spotify is aiming to give YouTube some competition with its new partner program for video creators and content that goes viral. The music and podcast app announced a new "Partner Program" that monetizes audio and video beyond income from advertising starting on January 2, 2025.
The new monetization program pays Spotify creators in two ways. Creators can earn a share of ad revenue from their content on all platforms through its Partner Program. They can also earn money through monthly podcast subscriptions that "allow listeners to support creators directly in return for exclusive bonus content and perks."
Both tiers also come with eligibility requirements. The Spotify Partner Program requires participants to host and upload their content through its Spotify for Creators platform, have streamed 10,000 hours and at least 2,000 unique views in a 30-day period and published at least 12 episodes. Subscriptions will be open to content creators who have at least two published episodes and at least 100 unique Spotify listeners in a 60-day period. The new programs will be available for subscribers in the US, UK, Canada and Australia next January.
Spotify has taken other steps to make its video and music content more accessible and mainstream. The music and video streamer integrated with TikTok and Instagram
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
After a lengthy consideration, the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Amazon's "captive-audience meetings" are a violation of the National Labor Relations Act. These are mandatory meetings where an employer shares its stance on unionization.
"Ensuring that workers can make a truly free choice about whether they want union representation is one of the fundamental goals of the National Labor Relations Act. Captive audience meetings—which give employers near-unfettered freedom to force their message about unionization on workers under threat of discipline or discharge—undermine this important goal," Chairman Lauren McFerran said of the ruling. "Today's decision better protects workers' freedom to make their own choices in exercising their rights under the Act, while ensuring that employers can convey their views about unionization in a noncoercive manner."
The decision noted that employers may hold meetings about unionization as long as workers receive advanced notice about the topic, are told that attendance is voluntary and without consequences for opting not to participate, and that attendance records are not kept.
Today's ruling centers on Amazon, which has a rocky history with its employees' efforts to organize and with
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
If you spend a good portion of your waking hours behind a desk, simply slapping an ergonomic mouse and keyboard on your desk won't solve the real problem, which is sitting still for too long. But after you've peppered in a few walks and added some stretches for good measure, your workstation ergonomics is the next thing to consider. Hunching, twisting and contorting are all likely to lead to discomfort in the long run.
Ergonomic keyboards can help: these boards split, tilt and/or angle the keys in ways that help keep your shoulders and chest more open and your forearms and wrists more aligned. One ergonomic board won't work for everyone, so I tested out 15 different models, and considered a mix of ergonomic features that include Alice and fully split designs, columnar orientations, thumb clusters, programmable keys and more. Here are the best ergonomic keyboards we could find.
Table of contents
Best ergonomic keyboards for 2024
What to look for in an ergonomic keyboard
How we tested ergonomic keyboards
What to look for in an ergonomic keyboard
Alice vs split
Most ergonomic keyboard layouts fall into two categories: Alice and split. The former is a single board with the two halves of the keys rotated about 30 degrees apart at the bottom. The separati
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
A startup called Wonder is now the new owner of Grubhub. The food delivery app announced its acceptance of the deal on its website earlier today.
Wonder acquired Grubhub from the Dutch food company Just Eat Takeaway for $650 million. Pending regulatory approval, the deal will close early next year. Wonder also announced it has raised an additional $250 million in venture capital funding "to further its mission and growth."
Chicago software engineers Matt Maloney and Mike Evens founded Grubhub in 2004 as an online restaurant ordering service and an alternative to those paper menus that showed up on doorsteps and in junk mailings. The company merged with the automated food ordering and delivery company Seamless in 2013. Just Eat Takeaway bought Grubhub in 2020 for $7.3 billion at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The numbers for restaurant delivery apps started to drop once the pandemic became part of history and people started going out again. Legal troubles started in 2021 when Chicago took Grubhub and some of its competitors to court for alleged unfair business practices and fees. Companies like DoorDash eventually settled but Grubhub's legal battle with Chicago is still raging in court, according to the Chicago Business Journal.
The District of Columbia won a similar lawsuit against Grubhub in 2021 that ended with a $3.5 million settlement. The following year, Gr
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
This time of year has a lot of merry and bright things to be excited about, but it can be stressful if you're stumped on what to get your mom, dad, best friend, coworker or kids' teacher as a holiday gift. Whether you enjoy or dread buying gifts for people, it's safe to say we all want to give our loved ones things they will enjoy and appreciate. But there's a lot of noise, junk and bad deals disguised as good deals to sift through as we get closer and closer to the holidays.
Allow us at Engadget to help you through it. Here, you'll find all of our holiday gift guides collected in one place, so you can more easily find the best Christmas gifts you need this year. Are you looking for white elephant gift ideas? Are you struggling to come up with a good gift for the father figure in your life? Are you just looking for a good board game to pick up for your own family? We've got you covered with gift ideas for all of those scenarios and more. We'll update this post as more of our gift guides hit the internet, so check back for even more gift ideas throughout the season.
Table of contents
Best white elephant gift ideas
Best board game gifts
Best gifts under $50
Best gifts for gamers
Best retro gaming gifts
Best gifts for coffee lovers
Best cooking gifts
Best tech toys for kids
Best gadgets for your pets
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Sure, early Black Friday deals offer a great opportunity to snag some essentials and upgrades for a lower price than usual, but if you have the leeway for a fun treat for yourself or a loved one, you'll find plenty of discounts in that realm too. For instance, you can snag the Ninja Creami ice cream maker for $50 off the list price. At $180, that's not too far away from its record low price, making it a solid deal. While it isn't quite the season for ice cream in North America, there's never truly a bad time to enjoy it.
The Ninja Creami is among our picks for the best kitchen gadgets. In fact, we reckon it's the best ice cream maker around.
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Black Friday deals are already popping up around the web, and that includes some Apple devices. You can pick up a four-pack of Apple AirTags for just $70, which brings the price per tag down to $17.50. That's a record-low price for the four pack and just about the cheapest we've seen on the price per unit.
Apple AirTags easily made our list of the best Bluetooth trackers, particularly for regular iPhone users. We love the vast finding network, which really helps when you misplace a tag. Just think of all of those AirTags, iPhones and other Apple devices out there helping to create this network.
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Blizzard pulled off a rare surprise today by shadow launching remasters of the original Warcraft and its sequel to commemorate the franchise's 30th anniversary. These updates of the hit RTS games are available right now and look to merge retro goodness with some modern sensibilities.
The remasters feature "brand new, hand-drawn visuals that capture the original art style from each game." Players will be able to swap between the original graphics and the remastered versions in real time. If the trailer is anything to go by, the games look purdy. The simple animations match the vibe of the two games nicely.
The original Warcraft is getting some serious quality-of-life changes to make the game more appealing to modern audiences. The update includes 16:9 resolution support and modern control options. For instance, players can now right-click to move units instead of having to rely on hotkeys.
Both remasters have also received "various UI and UX improvements such as tooltips and health bars, mission select screens, and increased unit selection." The original games placed strict limitations on how many units could be selected at once, so that last one is a nice improvement.
Warcraft 2 will even be available for multiplayer sessions. Franchise manager Brad Chan said during today's 30th anniversary livestream that "all legacy custom maps will still be fully compatible and playable." These remasters are available right now. Warcraft 1 is $10 and Warcraft 2 is $15.
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Google is conducting a "test" that will omit results from EU-based news publishers. The company says the time-limited trial will only affect a small portion of users in nine EU countries and will help "assess how results from EU news publishers impact the search experience for our users and traffic to publishers." But given the fragile state of the news media — and the company's history of threatening to pull its services in the face of news-related regulations — it's tempting to view it as the equivalent of a mob boss conducting a "little test" to see how the corner laundromat fares without its protection.
Google describes the experiment (via The Verge) as a "small, time-limited test" to omit EU results from search, Google News and the personalized Discover feed. It will only affect one percent of users in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Those users will still see results from other
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Threads could start getting ads much sooner than Meta has let on. The company is now planning to bring ads to its newest app "early next year" with the first ads arriving in January of 2025, according to a new report in The Information.
That suggests Meta is looking to start making money on the rapidly growing service far sooner than Meta executives have previously suggested. In August, when the app reached 200 million users, Mark Zuckerberg said Threads could become the company's next billion-user service. He said making money off the app would be a "multi-year" effort.
"All these new products, we ship them, and then there's a multi-year time horizon between scaling them and then scaling them into not just consumer experiences but very large businesses," Zuckerberg said. In the company's most recent earnings call, Meta CFO Susan Li said the company doesn't "expect Threads to be a meaningful driver of 2025 revenue at this time."
According to The Information, Meta is planning a slow rollout for ads on Threads. The company will start with "a small number" of advertisers in January. It's unclear how quickly the effort may expand. "Since our priority is to build consumer value first and foremost, there are no ads or monetization features currently on Threads," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
Meta's reported plans highl
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
AMD has confirmed it's laying off roughly four percent of its global workforce, according to reports by TechCrunch and others. It's not entirely clear how many people will be impacted by this move, or which divisions the laid off employees will be pulled from.
We can, however, do some math. The company had around 26,000 employees last year, according to an annual filing by AMD. Four percent of 26,000 comes out to just over 1,000 people. That's a lot.
So that leads us to why. You already know the answer. It's a bunch of corporate gobbledygook. "As a part of aligning our resources with our largest growth opportunities, we are taking a number of targeted steps," an AMD spokesperson told CRN.
Don't worry. The company also said it's "committed to treating impacted employees with respect and helping them through this transition." Engadget reached out to AMD for more information as to what that respect and help will look like. We'll update this story if we find out anything.
This news comes after a fairly mixed Q3 earnings report. The company grew revenue and profit, but the gaming division saw a massive year-over-year decline of 69 percent, according to Wccftech. The company has also struggled to compete with NVIDIA in the world of AI chips.
Experts still predict that AMD will make nearly $33 billion in 2025,
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Sony has revealed the latest slate of PlayStation Plus Game Catalog additions for Extra and Premium members, and it's a dang solid lineup this month. The biggest name, of course, is Grand Theft Auto V. That's returning to the Game Catalog after Sony removed it in June. GTA V has now sold more than 205 million copies (not a typo), but if you've yet to dive into the game or its perennially popular online mode, here's your chance. GTA VI, meanwhile, is set to arrive next fall.
In case you're all GTA'd out for the time being, there are lots of other PS Plus additions to explore. One of those is the open-world zombie survival action RPG Dying Light 2: Stay Human, which I've been meaning to check out for a long time. Like A Dragon: Ishin (which, coincidentally, is leaving Game Pass this month) and Chivalry 2 are among the other big names on the list, but I'm especially happy to see Overcooked! All You Can Eat make the cut.
That's a terrific bundle of both Overcooked games and all of the expansions. For years, I've been calling these games the perfect relationship test. Just, uh, maybe don't play with your partner if you're going through a rough patch.
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Everything old is new again. Turntable Labs just launched Hangout, a social music platform that's eerily similar to that champion of 2010s internet, Turntable.fm. The app is available as a web client or via an app for Android and iOS. It allows users to play virtual DJ, with over 100 million songs to choose from.
It not only functions like the old-school Turntable.fm. It even looks the same. There's a stage, record players and cartoon avatars that sort of look like characters from South Park. I started my own room just to check things out and am pleasantly surprised at the sheer number of songs here that I actually like.
Turntable Labs
This is because those 100 million songs have been secured through partnerships with Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. The catalog also pulls from Merlin, which represents a vast array of indie labels and rights holders.
The company likens the experience to "gathering around a jukebox or listening to albums with friends." It seems that way to me, as someone I don't know just jumped in my room and st
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Xbox is exploring a PC gaming handheld, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer told Bloomberg. In an earlier interview with IGN, Spencer had mentioned a hypothetical "Xbox gaming handheld PC device," which now appears to be in the early research and prototyping stage.
Spencer told IGN that he liked his Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and Steam Deck and that local play would be important to include if Xbox were to design a handheld console. As Kotaku noted, it's not clear what unique features an Xbox handheld would bring to the table. Still, any new piece of hardware is years away, Spencer told Bloomberg.
For now, work on the Xbox app — which works on existing handhelds — would be the priority, Spencer said, admitting it leaves room for improvement.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox-is-considering-a-pc-gaming-handheld-165515761.html?src=rss
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Amazon has released a new trailer for Secret Level, the upcoming Prime Video show that tells stories set in the worlds of beloved, popular or even upcoming games (and also Concord). Given that it's an anthology series, there's unlikely to be an overarching plot, so there's not much to grok here from a narrative perspective. And the sooner there's a mortarium on trailers being soundtracked to that overused M83 song, the better.
However, the visuals sure do look pretty. The quality of the animation is genuinely impressive. At least in some cases, the art style apes that of the game the episode is based on. That's particularly true for what we see of the Sifu episode, but Secret Level is not, for instance, retaining Spelunky's aesthetic.
Other episodes are based on the likes of Armored Core, Crossfire, Dungeons & Dragons, Exodus, Honor of Kings, Mega Man, New World: Aeternum, Pac-Man, The Outer Worlds 2, Unreal Tournament and Warhammer 40,000, along with "various" PlayStation Studios games. One
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Amazon Haul will be the ecommerce titan's new discount storefront designed to compete against Temu and Shein, CNBC reports. This new corner of Bezos's empire is mobile-only and promises items at "crazy low prices."
Unlike Amazon Prime's fast speeds, Amazon promises its Haul orders orders will arrive in less than two weeks. Previously, CNBC mentioned in a previous report that Amazon was exploring a storefront where goods would be sold to US customers directly from China, though now it seems the company itself is doing the importing and acting as an intermediary.
Speed isn't the only alteration to the typical Amazon arrangement customers
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
The Federal Trade Commission will get a chance to argue its case for Meta's breakup in court. On Wednesday, US District Judge James Boasberg allowed the FTC's lawsuit against the social media giant to move forward (PDF link). The FTC first sued Meta in 2020 in an attempt to force the company, then known as Facebook, to divest itself of Instagram and WhatsApp. Alongside dozens of attorneys general, the agency alleged Meta acquired the platforms in 2012 and 2014 to stifle growing competition in the social media market.
This past April, Meta asked Judge Boasberg to dismiss the case. In addition to noting that the FTC had previously approved both acquisitions, Meta argued that the agency had failed to show that the company held monopoly power in the social networking services market, and that, in buying Instagram and WhatsApp, it had harmed consumers. Additionally, the company claimed that it had invested billions of dollars in both platforms and made them better as a result, to the benefit of social media users everywhere.
While he did not entirely dismiss the lawsuit, Boasberg did force the FTC to narrow its case, dismissing an allegation that Facebook had provided preferential access to developers who agreed not to compete with it.
"We are confident that the evidence at trial will show that the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp have been good for competition and consumers. More than 10 years after the FTC reviewed and cleared these deals, and despite the overwhelming evidence that our services compete with YouTube, TikTok, X,
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
This is Lightfoot, a solar scooter conceived by San Francisco-based R&D outfit Otherlab that, it claims, will be available to buy in the US from January. The most eye-catching feature are the two side panels covered in solar cells that will hopefully keep you from needing a charger. In the gap between the two, however, is a fairly capacious cargo compartment with almost 1.6 cubic feet of space. That should be more than enough to haul your gear to and from work, or to pick up some groceries when you're out and about. The padded seat and footplates, too, are designed to carry the rider and an additional passenger when required, too.
Specs-wise, there's a pair of 750W brushless DC motors with a top speed of 20 miles per hour, generating 90Nm of peak torque, which should hopefully be enough to scale the hills around SF (and wherever you are). They're wired up to a 1.1kWh battery that the company promises will deliver a range of 37 miles on a single charge. The two 120W panels on either side will trickle charge the battery when on the road or parked up outdoors. Otherlab claims this idle solar charging will add three miles of charge per hour, or 18 miles if you leave it for a whole day.
Lightfoot / Otherlab
Aside from the solar hardware, Otherlab claims that you — or a qualified technician — will be able to keep this running without any outside assistance. It said most of the components are off-the-shelf motorcycle parts and that they can be repaired or replaced just as easily. Th
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
The Guardian announced it will no longer be active on X (formerly Twitter) — all its editorial accounts will stop posting on the platform. Users can, of course, still share the outlet's articles on X, and journalists working for The Guardian may link to or embed X posts in their articles or continue using the platform to gather news.
According to the statement, X has become rife with "far-right conspiracy theories and racism" and is simply not worth sinking more resources into. The newspaper would rather spend its time and energy on less "toxic" platforms. Additionally, The Guardian cites Elon Musk as a major reason for moving away, since the results of the recent US presidential election have allegedly shown how Musk "has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse." Essentially, the concern appears to be that continuing to post would be adding fuel to a propaganda machine.
The Guardian isn't the only news outlet to ditch X: NPR and PBS both left in 2023. Corporations like Apple, IBM, Disney and others still post, but no longer advertise on X. These companies have historically been the social media platform's biggest source of ad income, as reported by Axios.
The Guardian claims it's able to make this decision because it doesn't rely on advertising as
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Select YouTube creators can now produce their own remixes of existing songs. YouTube has announced a new feature for its AI-powered Dream Track tool that allows individuals to "restyle" a song and create a 30-second tune to use in a Short.
Creators in the experiment group for this feature can choose from eligible songs and then give an explanation to AI about how they want to remix it. These changes could focus on giving the song a different genre or mood — whatever twist they're imagining. From there a new song gets produced "that reimagines the music while maintaining the essence of the original song's vocals and lyrics," YouTube's announcement states. "These restyled soundtracks will have clear attribution to the original song through the Short itself and the Shorts audio pivot page, and will also clearly indicate that the track was restyled with AI."
YouTube rolled out Dream Track in November 2023, powered by Google DeepMind's Lyria model. It allowed a select group of US creators to make songs using the AI-generated voices of participating artists. The feature included a deal with Universal Music Group and partnerships with a slew of musicians, including John Legend, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan. It has expanded its availability to all US creators in the year since.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/youtube-creators-can-now-make-ai-song-remixes-for-shorts-143015775.html?src=rss
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Amazon is marking down a slew of its products for Black Friday and that includes its streaming devices. Currently, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is down to $33 from $60 — a 45 percent discount that brings it to a new all-time low price. This device is Amazon's most powerful streaming stick, supporting a 4K Ultra HD display, with an enhanced Alexa Voice Remote and Wi-Fi 6E support. You can, of course, use it to access Amazon Prime Video, along with Netflix, Disney and all your favorite streamers.
While the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a good option for streaming, we also use it for something a bit different: playing retro games. Our senior reporter Jeff Dunn bought one to play games from the PS1, Game Boy, Genesis, old arcade games and more. He finds it works much better than having to lug around any bigger devices. However, using your
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Hydrow, a company that makes smart rowing machines, just announced the Core, a new model that eschews monthly subscription fees. The Hydrow Core Rower features the "same award-winning design" as the original Pro Rower, which we said was positioning itself to be "the Peloton of smart rowing machines."
Obviously, the hook here is that the Core is a one-and-done purchase with no recurring subscription costs. It still comes with an attached display, which lets users "row through stunning destinations." All told, this machine offers access to 30 self-paced rows through these exotic locales.
Hydrow
The Core Rower supports unlimited users, which is nice, but there is one major caveat. There's no subscription, so there's no access to instructor-led workouts, badges, milestones and other premium features. However, customers can add a membership later for all of that stuff. Hydrow charges $44 per month for a subscription. It could be useful to try it out for a month to see if all of those additional bells and whistles are worth it.
The Hydrow Core Rower is available for preorder right now and costs $2,195. This is the exact same price as the flagship Pro Rower. The company also recently released a trimmed down version called the Hydrow Wave. This one
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Wouldn't it be nice if you could go out for a run without fear of being harmed? Technology has a way of making us both safer and at greater risk while out and about, but a new tool from Strava might help with the former. Strava has announced Night Heatmaps, a feature that shows which areas have more activity — or "heat" — between sunset and sunrise. Yes, Heatmaps is the feature that accidentally revealed the location of US military bases.
The update is a welcome one with sunset getting very early in some areas of the world, while night seems to last late into the morning. It also comes alongside a new Weekly Heatmap, which shows heat levels in an area over the last seven days. Again, this can help you know which paths will have the most people, but at all times of the day. While this added awareness is great for knowing where to go, some people might also purposely choose to avoid the busiest times, for fear of unwanted attention (there's no winning here).
In either case, the Night and Weekly Heatmaps are only available on subscriber accounts (a membership will cost you $12 monthly or $80 annually). It's also worth noting that Heatmaps pull solely from public activities on Strava, so you're not getting the full story of how many people go where.
Night and Weekly Heatmaps join the Global Heatmaps (also subscriber exclusive) and your Personal Heatmap. You can access any of them through the Map tab and filter the Heatmap by activity type.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/stravas-new-night-heatmaps-look-to-make-subscribers-safer-after-dark-140011174.html?src=rss
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
Apple and art house film company A24 are in early development on a film about convicted crypto scammer Sam Bankman-Fried with a script written by Lena Dunham, Variety reported. The project will be based on the Michael Lewis book Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon that many critics found overly deferential to Bankman-Fried.
The book describes the dizzying rise and equally vertiginous fall of Bankman-Fried and his FTX crypto exchange and Alameda hedge fund. However, it paints the FTX founder as a benevolent prodigy and glosses over the fact that he embezzled billions of dollars from customers and spent it on things like celebrity endorsements, political donations and high-end real-estate purchases.
FTX was worth billions at its peak, but the exchange eventually collapsed and Bankman-Fried was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Most FTX customers will get their original investments back, plus interest, but that's based on a bitcoin price of around $17,000 — and the current price is nearly five times that.
Basing the film on Lewis's fawning hagiography isn't a promising start. Hopefully, Dunham or other writers will also draw on far better books (like
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
It's 2024, and chances are you know at least one person who works remotely in some fashion. While the WFH life has its perks — nobody likes a long commute — it certainly comes with its own set of challenges, from lacking pro-level equipment to dealing with household disturbances. If you're looking to give a gift to someone who spends much of their time in their home office, we've rounded up a few techy gift ideas that should make their days a little more delightful, or at least easier to manage.
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA's research center responsible for robotic space missions, will lay off more workers before the year ends due to budget constraints. JPL Director Laurie Leshin has announced in a memo addressed to employees that the reduction will affect 325 people, or about five percent of its whole workforce. Leshin explained that the lab took various measures to meet its budget allocation for the 2025 fiscal year and to minimize the adverse effects of a limited budget on its workers. In the end, though, JPL "reached the difficult decision" to make "one further workforce reduction."
The lab already cut 530 employees and cut over 100 contractors from its roster earlier this year because of uncertainty over the final budget that the Congress will give NASA for 2024. It also froze hiring in response to the dilemma. The main reason why the lab had to implement those measures was because the Mars Sample Return Program was allocated a much smaller budget than it needed. NASA had requested $950 million for the mission, but only $300 million was allocated for it.
NASA's original plan was to bring home the samples collected by the mission in 2040. But its budget ballooned from $7 billion to $11 billion, and as The Washington Post notes, the government found the return date "unacceptable." For the 2025 fiscal year, NASA only requested $200 million for the project that could go through significant changes. The agency is now looking for ways to alter the mission and is even considering proposals from private companies.
Leshin said that the lay
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
LG Display's new free-form screen technology can expand from 12 to 18 inches, with a resolution of 100ppi. The display also uses a micro-LED light source smaller than 40 micrometers, so it can apparently be stretched over 10,000 times. While this probably isn't your next smartphone, we could see the tech in clothing, car panels and more.
LG Display has pushed the boundaries of screen tech for a while, revealing folding screens before foldable phones appeared, roll-up TVS before roll-up TVs went on sale and transparent displays before they appeared in fancy stores, theme parks and elsewhere. So expect to see this Bop-it of displays somewhere, eventually.
— Mat Smith
The biggest tech stories you missed
The coffee-table book of Apple Music's Best 100 Albums will set you back $450
The best travel gifts
Elon Musk will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, Donald Trump says
The best MacBook for 2024: Which Apple laptop should you buy?
Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
If you're a remote worker, or even work remotely part-time, you can step up your video conference game by investing in a good webcam. Built-in cameras on laptops and desktops have improved in recent years, but you typically still get higher quality and more personalized controls with an external webcam. And if you plan on video chatting with friends across the country or game-streaming regularly, you'll want the best webcam experience possible. But there's a lot of junk out there, as is typical in an overcrowded space. In this buying guide, we'll dive into the best webcams that will help you look sharp, no matter where you're dialing in from.
Factors to consider before buying a webcam
Resolution and field of view
While some newer computers have 1080p webcams, most built-in cameras have a resolution of 720p, so you'll want to look for an external webcam that has a higher resolution. FHD webcams will give you better video quality; ideally, you're looking for something that can handle 1080p at 60fps or 30fps. If you're considering a cheap 720p webcam, make sure to get one that supports at least 30fps (most will) or, even better, 60fps. However, if your primary concern is better picture quality during video calls, 1080p is the way to go.
Some webcams can shoot in 4K, but that's overkill for most people. Not to mention most video conferencing services like Zoom, Google Meet and Skype don't even support 4K video. When it comes to streaming, Twitch maxes out at 1080p video, but YouTube added 4K live streaming back in 2016. Ultimately, with 4K webcam shots having such limite
|
|
Nov 13, 2024
At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple announced updates coming to its various operating systems, most of which focus on its own version of AI, dubbed Apple Intelligence. MacBooks will get macOS 15, aka Sequoia, that will support Image Playground, Apple's image generation tool, and AI composition features that can rewrite, proofread and summarize text in Mail, Notes, Pages and more. But the AI smarts will only be available to Apple laptops with an M1 chip or newer. So if you have an older model (pre-2020), or want the latest chips to get the most out of macOS 15, you might want a new MacBook. This guide will help you pick which one makes the most sense for you.
After testing every model Apple makes, we think the 13-inch
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump has named Elon Musk as the leader of a new "Department of Government Efficiency," that will "dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies." The Tesla CEO and owner of X will spearhead the effort along with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump announced in a statement on Truth Social.
The scope of the role isn't exactly clear. Trump's press release said that "the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before." It also stated that "their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026."
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2024
Musk shared the news on X, but didn't indicate how the role might impact his obligations at his various other companies. Musk, who poured millions of dollars into Super Pac boosting Trump's campaign, has
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Amazon is closing down Freevee, its free ad-supported video on demand service. This platform was home to original programming as well as more than 100 originals from the Prime Video roster. Freevee will be phased out over the coming weeks, and its content will become available as part of Prime Video. The ad-supported tier of Prime Video is included as part of Amazon's Prime membership for $15 a month.
"To deliver a simpler viewing experience for customers, we have decided to phase out Freevee branding," an Amazon spokesperson told Variety. "There will be no change to the content available for Prime members, and a vast offering of free streaming content will still be accessible for non-Prime members, including select originals from Amazon MGM Studios, a variety of licensed movies and series, and a broad library of FAST channels - all available on Prime Video."
The free viewing platform went through several rebrands since its original launch as IMDb Freedive in January 2019. It entered its final phase
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
This year's action RPG Stellar Blade has been a solid win for Sony as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. Developer Shift Up revealed in a recent quarterly earnings report that sales "have remained steady even as the initial surge has calmed" following its spring launch. But there may be a second boost coming for the game, because the studio is planning a PC port of Stellar Blade some time next year.
"Given recent trends like Steam's growing presence in the AAA games market and the global success of Black Myth: Wukong, we are expecting the PC version to perform even better than the console version," the Korean company said when asked about their PC plans during the presentation.
The title referenced, Black Myth: Wukong, was able to
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira received a 15-year sentence in federal prison for leaking classified military documents on Discord in a Boston federal court, according to The Washington Post.
Teixeira appeared before the court earlier today and asked the judge for leniency. He also issued a statement apologizing for "all of the harm that I've caused, to my friends, family and those overseas."
Defense attorney Michael Bachrach also claimed that Teixeira was subjected to bullying in high school and his military unit as an adjudicating factor for his actions. Judge Indira Talwani didn't buy the defense's bullying claims stating that the Air Force has already disciplined 15 other members connected to Teixeira for not taking more actions "that might have stopped him from doing this."
Teixeira shared classified military documents as far back as late 2022 on a Discord server dedicated to the pixelated sandbox game Minecraft. The leak included information about the Ukrainian and Russian troop movements and military equipment used in the war in Ukraine and Russia's attempts to obtain more weapons from Egypt and Turkey. The documents eventually found their way to other Discord servers as well as 4chan and Telegram.
FBI officials arrested Teixeira at his home in April of last year. Teixeira originally agreed to a plea deal with federal prosecutors in March that included a 16-year prison sentence for pleading guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information and violating the Espionage Act. If he
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Apple is rumored to be working on a new smart home product. Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reported that the company is developing a wall-mounted display for controlling appliances, interacting with Siri and videoconferencing. The tablet is said to look "like a square iPad" with "a roughly 6-inch screen." It would have a camera at the top as well as internal speakers and a built-in rechargeable battery. His sources said this smart home display could be officially announced as soon as March following three years in development.
This description sounds a lot like the Google Home Hub, which came out in 2018, or the Echo Show, which is already up to its eighth iteration. If Apple wants to be a serious competitor in this smart home space, it'll have to prove to customers that it has something to offer that these more established brands and products don't.
Right now, the only distinguishing feature is likely
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
More than 200 employees of 23andMe are being laid off as part of the company's ongoing cost-cutting measures. The layoffs will impact 40 percent of the genetic testing company's workforce.
23andMe CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki said in a statement released on Monday that the staff reduction would save the beleaguered company more than $35 million. She called the layoffs "difficult but necessary actions as we restructure 23andMe and focus on the long-term success of our core consumer business and research partnerships."
The company also announced it will start to shut down its therapeutics clinical programs that used its genetic database to research and develop new drugs. The therapeutics division housed two "immuno-oncology programs" that investigated therapeutic antibodies "designed to restore the ability of the body's immune cells to kill cancer cells," according to the division's website.
The San Francisco-based company has not had an easy year. Hackers hit the genetics giant in April of last year and leaked information of 6.9 million customers. The data breach went unnoticed for a year and a half, leading to a $30 million settlement of a class action lawsuit and resignations from the company's entire board.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/23andme-is-laying-off-40-percent-of-its-staff-221207302
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
The initial buzz for Apple's mixed-reality headset has died down, but new apps and experiences are still arriving for consumers who plunked down $3,500. The UK broadcaster Channel 4 just dropped a dedicated streaming app for the headset, which lets users watch stuff in "ground-breaking cinema-style."
Channel 4 is the first UK broadcaster to take this step. The app leverages the tech inside the headset to overlay streaming content on the real world, which allows for a "full-screen viewing experience" of stuff like The Great British Bake Off and Taskmaster, in addition to multi-screen view.
Speaking of Taskmaster, the broadcaster also announced an environment based on the comedy game show. Environments on the AVP transform the world around the user, so people can watch Taskmaster while sitting in a room inspired by Taskmaster (cue that Xzibit Yo Dawg meme.) Other streaming apps have their own environments. Paramount offers one based on SpongeBob Squarepants and Disney now includes one set in Iceland.
This app doesn't feature access to the recently-released Taskmaster VR experience. That one's still tied to Steam VR and Meta Quest. By most accounts, it's a pretty bad game, so the Vision Pro isn't missing much.
This article orig
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Apple has a history of eye-popping price tags, but the company is reaching new heights with a product that isn't even a gadget. After Apple Music unveiled a list of the 100 best albums of all time earlier this year, the streaming service is releasing a companion coffee table book. You can grab one of the 1,500 copies for a cool $450.
I find these endeavors to rank and quantify art hilarious, because music is subjective and personal by nature. But people do love to debate their own artistic opinions, so if that's your jam there's plenty to dig into with Apple Music's assessment. (And before you ask, the top spot was claimed by The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.) This particular countdown was assembled by "Apple Music's team of experts alongside an exclusive group of artists including Maren Morris, Pharrell Williams, J Balvin, Charli XCX, Mark Hoppus, Honey Dijon and Nia Archives, as well as songwriters, producers and industry professionals," according to the book listing.
I'm sure this limited-run hardcover will be very beautiful, and maybe the liner notes analyzing each entry are deeply insightful. But I also wonder who would bother to buy it. If you are one of those 1,500 people who wants one, the book is due to start shipping in January.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/the-coffee-table-boo
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Cadillac is adding to its fleet of EVs with a new luxury SUV. The 2026 Cadillac Vistiq is a three-row, all-electric SUV that will hit showrooms and dealerships sometime next summer with a starting price of $78,790.
The Vistiq's dual-motor, all-wheel drive system runs on a 102 kWh battery pack with a range of 300 miles that produces 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. The Vistiq also supports vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging capabilities: it can charge at home, and also deliver electricity to your house during a power outage. Using the features requires buying the GM Energy V2H bundle though.
The SUV's design borrows aesthetically from other Cadillac EVs. Like the Lyriq, it has flush door handles, and features similar looking lights and side panels. It also matches the Lyriq's 300 mile range. The "swept-back windshield" and "Black Crystal Shield grill" evoke the Escalade IQ.
Of course, the Vistiq's power and price are different from its Cadillac EV's. The new Cadillac EV SUV is less expensive than an Escalade IQ ($129,990) but more than a Lyriq ($58,595), and the Escalade IQ has a higher peak battery range at 450 miles.
The Vistiq comes with a 23-speaker AKG7 Studio Audio system with Dolby Atmos. The Android-powered infotainment system is baked into a 33-inch high resolution LED display. The Verge also reported
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Is Fortnite old enough to elicit nostalgia? Last year's trial run of bringing back the battle royale game's original map, weapons and early seasons would suggest so — at least for folks of a certain age. That test led to record-breaking player counts, topping 44.7 million in October 2023. Epic Games said on Tuesday that the OG Fortnite rewind is coming back again, and this time, it's for good.
OG Fortnite will let you play the original map, along with the loot and seasons as they were in 2017. In addition to the nostalgia factor, many players appreciate that era's simpler gameplay mechanics, map designs, weapons and items. It was also before expansion updates that added new game modes (it was Battle Royale only) and vehicles like cars, boats and helicopters.
Old-school Fortnite fans have less than a month to wait. The OG version returns to the game on December 6.
Blizzard must have seen something it liked in the 2023 trial. It borrowed a page from Epic and brought back Overwatch in its original form for a three-week event starting today.
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
The blackest of Fridays is nearly upon us and companies have already begun rolling out the deals to separate consumers from their bank accounts. Here's one for a well-regarded and budget-friendly robovac. The iRobot Roomba Essential Vac is on sale for just $140, which is a discount of 44 percent. The regular price is $250.
The Essential Vac features a similar design to the iRobot Roomba 694, which topped our list of the best budget robot vacuums. This one includes a three-stage cleaning system that works on both carpet and hard floors. It features the same smart navigation system as other iRoomba vacuums, so it'll avoid stairs and work its way around items of furniture.
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Meta has long been at loggerheads with European Union officials over its approach to targeted Facebook and Instagram ads. The company is hoping to placate regulators with some changes to its ad model in the bloc, which includes lowering the price of its ad-free subscription. Starting November 13, the plan will cost 40 percent less — €6 ($6.36) per month for signups via the web and €8 ($8.48) for those who subscribe on an iOS or Android device. The fee for each additional Facebook and Instagram account is €4 per month on the web and €5 via mobile.
The company will automatically drop current subscribers down to the lower pricing. It says that it will once again ask users in the bloc if they'd like to sign up.
When they see this prompt (which can only be ignored for a certain period of time), there will be a third option for EU Facebook and Instagram users to choose from. Those who don't want to pay for a subscription can instead opt to only view ads that are based on what they see in a given session in the apps. Meta will also factor in a few key data markers such as "a person's age, location, gender and how a person engages with ads."
These less-personalized ads naturally won't be as tailored to a given user's interests, the company notes. As such, people are perhaps less likely to click on such ads. To make up for that (and make sure this option doesn't hit Meta in the pocket too hard), folks who choose the less-personalized ads option will sometimes encounter unskippable ads. According to
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Waymo has announced expanded availability of its driverless rideshare service throughout Los Angeles. That's right. Waymo One is now available to all customers anywhere in LA county, which is 80 square miles. The company has dropped the waitlist for area residents. Now LA residents will get to experience sitting in endless traffic with a series of cameras and navigational algos leading the way instead of a person.
This expanded service starts today and it offers "fully autonomous rides" at any time of the day or night. Let's hear it for some drunken late night bonding with an algorithm. Waymo also says it'll further expand the service area in the future. After all, Los Angeles comprises five counties.
It's been offering driverless rides to LA customers for a while now, but with a mandatory waitlist. Waymo One also started small in San Francisco and Phoenix before announcing similar expansions. The service will be coming to Austin and Atlanta in the near future.
All told, the company says over 300,000 Los Angeles residents have joined the waitlist for the service
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
If you use Chrome on your iPhone, you're about to see some features sliding over from the Android version. Google Lens will let you add text to your image searches, and you can save files and pictures directly to Google Drive and Photos. You can get "Shopping Insights" for products you're browsing.
Chrome for iOS now lets you add words to your Google Lens visual searches, allowing you to add nuance to your query or "perform more complex and specific searches," as Chrome Product Manager Katia Muradyan wrote in a blog post. After activating Lens by tapping the camera icon in the Chrome search bar, you can ask questions about the object you're snapping a pic of, and it will produce corresponding results. Google says AI Overviews will also appear for some of these search results.
The feature shares some common ground with an Apple Intelligence feature for iPhone 16 owners in iOS 18.2, which is currently in beta. Visual Intelligence lets you point your camera at something and get info about it, including asking ChatGPT questions about it or searching for it on Google.
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Climate activists won against Shell in 2021 when a Dutch court commanded the oil giant to reduce its carbon emissions by 45 percent by the end of 2030. Three years later, Shell managed to win its appeal against this ruling. In the court's view, Shell doesn't have a "social standard of care" to curtail emissions, the BBC reports.
The 2021 ruling was noteworthy, as it was the first time a court made a private company obey the 2015 Paris Agreement in addition to Dutch law. However, the appeals court judge said that while Shell had an obligation to reduce emissions, a 45 percent cut could not be established as there is no universally accepted amount. Shell's statement says it's planning to reduce its products' carbon intensity by a comparatively paltry 15 to 20 percent by 2030 compared to a 2016 baseline.
The 2021 ruling would only be effective in the Netherlands as well. Shell wouldn't have been legally obligated to follow the lower court's ruling for its operations outside Dutch territory. Now even that small gain is off the table for now.
The activists, who are largely associated with Milieudefensie (the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth), issued a statement promising to continue the fight against climate change. "Large polluters are powerful. But united, we as people have the power to change them," said Donald Pols, Director
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Netflix is crowing that its ad-supported tier now boasts 70 million users throughout the globe, as reported by Variety. The company announced 40 million users back in May, so this is some real growth. The streamer has been slowly ramping up its ad tier, going all the way back to 2022.
Amy Reinhard, president of advertising at Netflix, says that the company continues "to see steady progress across all countries' member bases." She also noted that over 50 percent of new Netflix sign-ups are for these ad-supported plans. The transformation of streaming into regular TV is nearly complete.
There's one major potential caveat. The company released the aforementioned data regarding new sign-ups, which is impressive, but there isn't any information regarding pre-existing customers. It's highly possible a whole lot of people downgraded from a premium tier to an ad-supported tier.
I'm one of them. I don't mind watching an ad or two as I mindlessly stuff food down my gullet while pseudo-watching an episode of The Diplomat or The Circle. In other words, there's an argument to be made that the ad-supported tier could be eating into the more expensive offerings.
There's also an argument to be made that this year's growth spurt for the ad-supported tier could attract companies with deeper ad-spending budgets, thus making up the difference. Netflix is airing live NFL broadcasts on Christmas Day, and it says it has already sold
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
I'm a big fan of Anker's chargers, especially its portable ones, as they tend to be sleek, fast and small enough to shove in my pocket (the last bit is a requirement for me). While the company's products run the gambit price-wise, there's a big sale on one of Anker's more expensive options: the 200W Prime Power Bank. Right now, you can get this power bank and its 100W charging base for just $110, down from $185 — a 41 percent discount.
Anker's 200W portable charger is our choice for best premium power bank thanks to features like charging an iPhone in an average of one hour and 48 minutes. One of the best parts of the power bank is its sleek screen, which shows the power coming in or out and how much battery the accessory is holding. This feature is much more exact than the four dots on my cheaper (but still loved)
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
This year may not go down as one of the best years in gaming like 2023 did, but that doesn't mean there weren't a lot of great new releases. Between titles like Astro Bot and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, there were plenty of games to keep even the most dedicated of gamers busy in 2024. And if you're shopping for one, especially as a non-gamer, it can be tricky to navigate what's worth buying. Don't worry, Engadget is here to help. We guarantee this gift guide will help you find something for your game-loving friend or loved one.
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
It's rare that you'll find discounts on Apple products through the company's own retail channels, but other storefronts are often happy to slash prices on such wares. You can find early Black Friday deals on a bunch of Apple products, including MacBooks. The M3 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM has dropped to its lowest price to date at Amazon. The laptop will run you $899, which is $200 off the list price.
This is a 13-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of storage. Other configurations with more storage space are on sale too. One with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Black Friday may technically just be one day, but it's evolved to consume the entire month of November in the US at this point. For the past few years, retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target have ushered in the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier, and this year is no different.
Early Black Friday deals are already here, bringing discounts to some of our favorite tech we've tested this year. While it's still advisable to wait until the week before Thanksgiving to ensure you're getting the best of the best deals, you have plenty of opportunities to save right now if you're eager to get a jump on your gift list this year. These are the best early Black Friday deals we could find; we'll be updating this post regularly throughout November, so check back for the latest discounts.
Engadget's top picks
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Signal users may be familiar with the problem of creating group chats just for a group call, but that's about to become a thing of the past. You can now share a call link and let up to 50 people hop in, all in the span of a few seconds. The days of selecting contacts one by one are over.
Now, all you have to do is create a call link after going to the Calls tab and send it to whomever you want. The link is also reusable, which is convenient if you have fixed call times. Participants can raise their hands and send emojis. Hosts can set the room up so people must be approved before joining the conversation.
Based on Signal's blog post, the new group call experience highly resembles Zoom. Those interested in privacy yet desire a conference call-like experience may find the new update helpful. Like Zoom, the desktop app offers more options.
Besides Zoom, these features will be familiar to frequent users of Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and some WhatsApp users. Raising hands is found on all three platforms as a non-verbal way to signal the speaker. WhatsApp does have a lower participant count of 32 people after an update in June. While there's no raise hands function, doing certain gestures can send emojis for all to see. It's worth noting that many apps with group call functionality are adopting similar features.
These new features are available on Android, iOS, Windows and macOS. If you don't see them yet, we recommend
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Rode has announced the Wireless Micro, a two-mic kit with a smartphone receiver and charging case that costs just $149. The idea is to help TikTok and other creators capture much better-quality audio than their smartphone's microphone can offer.
The receiver unit connects to the bottom of your smartphone via a USB-C or lightning port. Meanwhile, the microphones (aka transmitters) attach to the subject via integrated clips or magnetic attachments, then capture what Rode calls "pristine" quality sound. Specifically, they offer a 20-20 kHz frequency range and 73 dB signal-to-noise ratio, with a transmission range around 330 feet.
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Baidu, which is often called China's answer to Google, has launched its own pair of AI-powered smart glasses at its annual World Conference event in Shanghai. The device will run on the company's ERNIE generative AI technology and was designed to "become a private assistant," according to the Financial Times. Users will reportedly be able to interact with the device using their voice and ask it questions about what it sees in their current environment. They can also tell it to play music and even track their calories consumption. And since the glasses are equipped with cameras, they can ask it to snap photos or take videos.
When the glasses start shipping sometime next year, they could become the Chinese consumers' alternative to Meta's and Snap's devices. Meta teamed up with Ray Ban a few years ago to release a pair of smart sunglasses that can livestream and send photos hands-free. Its latest model comes built-in with Meta's generative AI assistant that users can talk to. However, the company's device isn't officially sold in China, because its servers are blocked in the country. Baidu has yet to announce how much its glasses would cost, but Meta is selling its device for $299.
The Baid
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Team17, the developer of the Worms and publisher of Dredge, Blasphemous and more, is working on Rogue Point, a new rogue-lite tactical FPS game. The studio has enlisted the help of Crowbar Collective, the team behind Black Mesa, the fan-made and Valve-approved Half-Life remake that needs no further introduction. Rogue Point is currently in development and slated to enter early access soon.
Rogue Point is set in a dystopian future where a single CEO had controlled everything. After his death, competing companies work to carve up his empire. To achieve this, they hire mercenaries using the MERX app, and it's as simple as getting food using Uber Eats. Currently, only Rogue Point, a team of vigilantes, is fighting back against this dystopian state of affairs.
Team17/Crowbar Collective
The game pits teams of four against computer-controlled enemies of different classes, each offering unique challenges. Players must strategize and play with the right loadouts or risk losing. There's plenty of gear to acquire, too, with some weapons only available in the mission field.
Maps are procedurally generated to ensure no two playthroughs are the same. Unlocked equipment may also be used in future run
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
NVIDIA has been testing a single app that merges the GeForce Experience and Control Panel over the past year. After rolling out several betas to make sure it works as intended, the company has officially launched the NVIDIA application, which is now available to download for users with its GPUs in their PCs and laptops.
The company says the app is meant to make it easy to keep their NVIDIA Studio and GeForce Game Ready drivers updated and to give users quick access to its latest programs. In its home screen, users will find a prominently displayed section that will lead them to the latest driver downloads, as well as sections that will take them to other NVIDIA applications. At the bottom, they'll find a Library section showing their most recently opened games and programs that they can launch from there.
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
The winter holidays are upon us and despite the festive feelings we might be hoping for, this time of year is often paired with increased stress, worry and anxiety. Fortunately, there are some great tools for helping to manage those negative emotions while promoting positive ones. One of those tools is the Headspace mental health app, which is running a three-week Black Friday deal. From November 12 through December 4, you can snag a Headspace annual plan for half off. This subscription normally costs $70 a year, but during this promotion, you can access the service for $35 billed annually. And what better time than the holiday chaos to gift someone (or heck, to gift yourself) a little bit of mindfulness?
Headspace's service has features to help users with meditation, sleep tools, mindfulness and general mental health. Its holistic approach made Headspace stand out as one of our
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
As someone who gets motion sick easily and doesn't love unexpected things coming at me, 4DX has never been my cup of tea. However, as a long time fan of Wicked, that could change as Xfinity has released a new 4DX ad ahead of Wicked the movie's November 22 release date.
The ad is a short film titled Stay Connected to Your Dreams and was directed by Alice Brooks, Wicked's director of photography. It centers on Wicked's leads Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. The short film shows viewers Erivo and Grande's childhoods and their love of Wicked, Grande's decade and a half old tweet wishing she'd one day play Glinda and the calls when each actor learned they'd been cast in the movie.
According to Xfinity, the 4DX film will allow the audience to "feel the magic of Oz" and includes synchronized motion seats, wind, lightning and, of course, bubbles (IYKYK). The company also claims it's the first 4DX spot to be played nationwide. While we've not always been fans of 4DX, Wicked lovers might enjoy the slightly more immersive experience.
You can experience the short film in select 4DX Regal theaters before the movie premieres or
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
We wouldn't blame you if you try to do all of your tech shopping around the holidays. That's when you can typically get the best sales, both on relatively affordable gear and (more importantly) on big-ticket items. But it would be wrong to think that only the most expensive tech is worth gifting. Since we at Engadget test a plethora of gadgets every year, we know that there are some hidden (and not so hidden) tech gems at lower price ranges — you just have to know where to find them. That's where we come in — these are the best tech gifts under $50 that you can get this year.
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Fujifilm is developing a medium-format, 102-megapixel cinema camera, the company said in a surprise announcement. Due next year, the GFX Eterna will carry a boxy, modular design reminiscent of Sony's FX6 or the new Blackmagic Pyxis and will likely be launched with a top handle, electronic viewfinder and other optional accessories.
The new camera will have a medium format GFX 102-megapixel (MP) CMOS II HS sensor, the same one used on the GFX100 II. That sensor is 43.8mm x 32.9 mm in size, or 1.7 times larger than the full-frame sensor found on the aforementioned FX or Pyxis. That will be one of the largest cinema camera sensors available, even bigger than
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Today's edition of things I suddenly really really need comes courtesy of LG Display. The company has developed what it claims to be the first display capable of stretching up to 50 percent. The screen is able to expand from 12 inches to 18 inches and can bend, twist and stretch — basically the Bop It of the tech world. LG Display unveiled another model in 2022, which stretched from 12 inches to 14 inches — about 20 percent longer.
So, how did it go from 20 percent to 50 percent stretch capabilities? According to the company, "By applying a number of new technologies, such as improving the properties of a special silicon material substrate used in contact lenses and developing a new wiring design structure, LG Display improved the panel's stretchability and flexibility, exceeding the original national project's target of 20 percent elongation."
The free-form screen technology, as LG Display calls it, has full red, green and blue color with a resolution of 100ppi. The display also uses a micro-LED light source smaller than 40 micrometers, allowing the screen to be stretched over 10,000 times. The company claims it should still have high quality images even if it undergoes an external shock or is in more extreme temperatures than normal.
Unfortunately for me (though certainly good for my wallet), the stretchable display is currently just a prototype. However, it could be used for flexible items like clothing, car panels and more in the future.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lgs-new-display-stretches-from-12-to-18-inches-124504018.html?src=rss
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
One of the most useful new features in the public beta of iOS 18.2 is the capability to share the location of a lost item connected to Apple's Find My network. Sure, you could already share an item's location with people in your contacts list, but Apple says this could help when you have to rely on the help of a stranger.
When you choose Share Item Location in the Find My app on iPhone, iPad or Mac, you get the option to share a link that shows the location of your missing item. The link's recipient will be able to open it on any device, and they'll also be able to see your Apple account email and/or phone number so they can get in touch with you. You can even share the information with selected airlines. Apple has apparently worked with several carriers to integrate this feature into their systems.
Better still, air transport tech company SITA is also incorporating Share Item Location into WorldTracer, its baggage-tracing system. Apple says more than 500 airlines and ground handlers at 2,800-plus airports use it. Perfect for when I head to Portugal in just five days' time. Yes, brag.
For now, it's part of the public beta, so if you want the feature, you'll have to install iOS 18.2.
— Mat Smith
The biggest tech stories you missed
Amazon reportedly wants drivers to wear AR glasses for improved efficiency
This Shin Megami Tensei board game features 72 intricate demon figurines
|
|
Nov 12, 2024
Apple sells just three models of smartwatches — the Series 10, the Ultra 2 and the SE — and they fall pretty neatly into the categories of flagship, premium and budget, respectively. But if you're wondering whether the adventure-ready features of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are worth the price bump, or if the just-the-basics tools of the Apple Watch SE will be enough, Engadget is here to help. We've been testing and reviewing Apple wearables since the beginning and we have lots to say about them. Ultimately we think the Apple Watch Series 10 is the best Apple Watch for most people — in fact, it's our pick for the
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
After briefly offering a transparent Steam Deck OLED last year, Valve has announced its next limited edition variant featuring a bold new color: "white." It'll cost you $679 when it's available on November 18, and it features the exact same hardware as the 1TB Steam Deck OLED. (Most importantly, it sports that gorgeous 7.4-inch display with HDR and a 90Hz refresh rate). There's also a white carrying case, naturally. While the perils of white console hardware are hard to ignore (especially for a hefty portable that'll surely trap plenty of hand grease), this new variant may convince early Steam Deck owners to make the jump.
As we covered in our review, the Steam Deck OLED's display looks significantly bolder than the original LCD models, especially with the addition of HDR support. This time around, Valve says it's also shipping the limited edition white model worldwide where Steam Decks are already available (including Australia).
"We're curious to see what the response is, and will use what we learn to inform future decisions about any potential new color variants down the line," Valve said in an e-mail. "We've always said our intent is to continually work on improving Steam Deck, and that's true from both a software perspective (continuing to ship improvements) and a hardware one (Steam Deck OLED, as well as ongoing work toward the future of Steam Deck and other hardware plans)."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/a-white-
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
If you have an iPhone that can run iOS 18, you can now download and install the public beta of iOS 18.2. One of the most useful new features is the capability to share the location of a lost item connected to Apple's Find My network with a third party. You can already share an item's location with people in your contacts list, but Apple says this could help in instances wherein you have to rely on the help of a stranger.
When you choose "Share Item Location" in the Find My app on iPhone, iPad or Mac, you'll get the option to share a link that shows the location of your missing item. The link's recipient will be able to open it on any device, and they'll also be able to see your Apple account email and/or phone number so that they can get in touch with you. You'll be able to see how many people visited the link, which expires after you're reunited with your lost belonging or after a week if you haven't found it by then.
Along with benevolent strangers, you'll be able to share the locations of misplaced AirTags and Find My accessories with select airlines. Apple has worked with several of them to integrate this feature into their systems. Only a small number of airline staff can access each Share Item Location link, and Apple says they'll first need to authenticate themselves with an Apple Account or partner email address.
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
Madden NFL has been around for almost 40 years (really) so it's high time the gaming franchise got the documentary treatment. Prime Video has got you covered. The platform just announced that It's in the Game: Madden NFL will stream on November 26, which is just ahead of Thanksgiving.
The four-part docuseries will explore "one of the biggest video games of all time" that "became a worldwide phenomenon, spanning generations." The show will explore Madden's "archaic 8-bit origins to its success as an annual must have." Prime Video says EA Sports has given it access to the vaults, so there should be plenty of new footage for diehard fans.
As the story goes, EA founder Trip Hawkins approached commentator John Madden back in 1984 for his endorsement and expertise, but the game took four long years of development before coming out in 1988. This extended development time was allegedly due to Madden himself, who demanded a realistic football experience. I'm sure the documentary will get into all of that.
Formerly known as John Madden Football, the franchise became an annual event in 1990 and changed its name to Madden NFL in 1993. These games have sold over 130 million copies worldwide since 1988. The latest iteration, Madden NFL 25, released back in August to fairly middling reviews.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a-tv-show-about-ea-sports-madden-games-h
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
Black Friday is right around the corner and the deals are already coming in hot. You can pick up a four-pack of Apple AirTags for just $70, as an early Black Friday promotion. This is a discount of 30 percent and represents a record low price.
Apple AirTags easily made our list of the best Bluetooth trackers, particularly for regular iPhone users. We love the vast finding network, which really helps when you misplace a tag. Just think of all of those AirTags, iPhones and other Apple devices out there helping to create this network.
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
If you're looking for an excellent midrange smartphone for yourself or a loved one among all the early Black Friday deals, your search may be over. Google's Pixel 8a is on sale. It has dropped by $100 to $399.
That's not quite the lowest price we've seen for the handset. It fell to $380 at one point. But this is still a good deal if you're looking for a great phone that won't break the bank. This price is for a configuration with 128GB of storage, but 256GB models are also
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
Amazon is reportedly developing smart glasses for its delivery drivers, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. These glasses are intended to cut "seconds" from each delivery because, well, productivity or whatever. Sources say that they are an extension of the pre-existing Echo Frames smart glasses and are known by the internal code Amelia.
These seconds will be shaved off in a couple of ways. First of all, the glasses reportedly include an embedded display to guide delivery drivers around and within buildings. They will allegedly also provide drivers with "turn-by-turn navigation" instructions while driving. Finally, wearing AR glasses means that drivers won't have to carry a handheld GPS device. You know what that means. They'll be able to carry more packages at once. It's a real mitzvah.
I'm being snarky, and for good reason, but there could be some actual benefit here. I've been a delivery driver before and often the biggest time-sink is wandering around labyrinthine building complexes like a lost puppy. I wouldn't have minded a device that told me where the elevator was. However, I would not have liked being forced to wear cumbersome AR glasses to make that happen.
To that end, the sources tell Reuters that this project is not an absolute certainty. The glasses could be shelved if they don't live up to the initial promise or if they're too expensive to manufacture. Even if things go smoothly, it'll likely be years before Amazon drivers are mandated to wear the glasses. The company is reportedly having trouble integrating a battery that can last a full eight-hour s
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
For the first time in over two years, Overwatch 2 players will be able to group up in teams of six. A three-week event featuring that format starts tomorrow, November 12. But there's a twist: you won't be able to select Kiriko or Sombra, or battle it out with an additional player on each side on Push maps just yet. That's because in Overwatch 2's first real taste of 6v6, Blizzard is taking us all the way back to the beginning with a limited-time mode called Overwatch: Classic.
You will be able to experience Overwatch almost exactly as it was upon its May 2016 debut. That means you can choose from the first 21 heroes, who all have their original kits and abilities. That means Hanzo loses his Lunge jump but regains his dreaded Scatter Arrow, Bastion and Torbjorn are vastly different than they are now and Cassidy's Flashbang once again stun locks enemies for a moment.
Symmetra reverts to being a support who can teleport allies almost anywhere on the map from the spawn room, while Mercy can will once again bring five dead teammates back to life. Ultimate abilities will charge up faster too.
In addition, just like in Overwatch for a brief period at the very beginning, there are initially no limits on hero selection. So if you and your teammates want to run with a composition of four Winstons and two Lucios, have at it. However, this will only apply for the first few days, after which Blizzard will apply the single hero limit
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
The popular Shin Megami Tensei video game series is getting a physical board game. A Japanese company called Icrea is behind the effort and is launching a Kickstarter on November 12 to raise funds for the project.
SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI THE BOARD GAME (the company asked us to use all caps) is a "full-scale board game project" complete with 72 "high quality and detailed demon figures." Collecting demons and adding them to your party is a major part of the game, so these figurines should help with immersion. It'll also help with getting random demon figurines lost in the couch.
Icrea/Atlus
There's a board with various locations from the franchise and plenty of series-specific cards to rifle through. The company says a game should take anywhere from three to four hours. The title has already generated a fair amount of excitement at both Gen Con and the most recent Tokyo Game Show.
We don't know exactly when this will be available for purchase. You know how Kickstarter timelines work. There are going to be a bunch of stretch goals, however, should the company reach the initial financial threshold. It's a Shin Megami Tensei board game with dozens of cool-looking demon figurines. It shouldn't have any trouble finding financial backers.
For the uninitiated, Shin Megami Tensei
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
Elon Musk's xAI launched its AI chatbot, Grok, at the end of 2023 and it has remained exclusively available to X (formerly Twitter) premium users since. Now, one year later, Grok is seemingly coming to free X users in select areas, TechCrunch reports.
The news comes from multiple reports on X by researchers and users who spotted updates to Grok. According to X user Swak, there are stipulations to who can access Grok for free and how much they can use it. For starters, accounts need to be at least seven days old and have a phone number attached to them. Free users are also reportedly limited by how many things they can do in two hours. They can ask the Grok-2 model 10 questions and the Grok-2 mini model 20 questions within that time frame. Furthermore, free users only get three image analyses each day.
The
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
While reading through the list of Grammy nominees earlier I came across quite a surprise. There, competing for record of the year alongside the likes of Beyoncé's Texas Hold 'Em and Chappell Roan's Good Luck Babe, was Now and Then by The Beatles. No, to my dismay, this isn't a time travel situation, but the result of AI.
So, here's the story of how The Beatles got nominated for two Grammys — they also snagged a best rock performance nod — 50 years after formally breaking up. It starts with a demo John Lennon recorded in the 1970s that was given to Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison for inclusion on the The Beatles Anthology, released in 1995. While other tracks like Free as a Bird and Real Love made it on, technology wasn't advanced enough to separate Lennon's vocals and piano without reducing the recording's quality.
But, last year McCartney and Starr used modern machine learning technology to pull Lennon's vocals for a new track. Now and Then, released in November 2023, includes McCartney on bass, Starr on the drums, Lennon's vocals and a guitar in Harrison's style (a 1995 recording of him makes up some of the background rhythm guitar. You can watch a documentary about making the track here.
Unsurprisingly, the song is said to be the last from the Beatles. We'll have to wait until the awards show in February to see whether o
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
It's no secret that most technology nowadays isn't exactly built to last forever, with new product models regularly on sale on replace malfunctioning items. However, Apple, which famously announces new products each September, is taking new steps to let people repair their own devices. Apple has launched parts and tools for the iPhone 16, including the Plus, Pro and Pro Max.
Now, if you have an iPhone 16 model that's acting up, you can go to Apple's self service repair store and — possibly — get what you need to fix it. Choose the product type and model then pick from the iPhone 16's choices of back glass, battery, camera, top speaker, TrueDepth camera, SIM tray and more. Apple's iPhone 16 should be easier to fix than its predecessor, receiving a 7/10 on the iFixit repairability scale, compared to a 4/10 for the iPhone 15.
You can either get kits or just the necessary part with prices varying based on your phone model. For example, a battery and screw kit for the iPhone 16 Pro Max is $119, but its $99 for the regular iPhone 16. You can get quite a lot of money back on the kit prices if you return the replaced piece afterward. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, for instance, goes down to $61.88 after you send back the old battery.
Apple created its self-service program in 2022, giving its customers access to actual Apple parts when something in their device failed. Howeve
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
As the world turns, so do the console generations. The Nintendo Switch is over seven years old, so it's due for a refresh. Nintendo Switch 2 rumors have been swirling for years, but now they are really heating up. A sequel to Nintendo's most successful home console ever is coming and it's likely coming sooner rather than later.
Will it be a straight up sequel to the Switch with updated specs while retaining the same hybrid functionality or will Nintendo get weird with it? Will it even be called the Switch 2, or will the company go with something like the Super Switch or even the New Nintendo Switch? You can never tell with Nintendo. Heck, maybe it'll call the thing the Switch U.
In any event, recent weeks have brought feverish speculation regarding all aspects of the forthcoming gaming console. It's important to note, however, that very little information has been confirmed by Nintendo. The company operates on its own timetable. With that said, here are all of the rumors that are most likely to come true, given industry analysis.
When will the Nintendo Switch 2 be announced?
As previously mentioned, Nintendo marches to the beat of its own drum. We don't exactly know when it'll hold an event to reveal the console. It likely won't be in 2024, as the tech year is winding down and it's rare to get announcements of new harder in late November and December.
Even Nintendo has trouble keeping the lid on a major console release, so we could learn som
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
Since the dawn of humanity, we have traveled. We've come a long way from on-foot journeys laden with animal hide satchels. But the goal of good travel gear is the same: Get you and your necessities to a destination in the highest level of comfort available. If you know someone who is always catching a flight, rides the train to work or is bravely embarking on a cruise, some new tech may just help them out. We've put together our collective experiences in roving about the planet to come up with the items we wish someone had given us before we booked. Here are the best travel gifts for the jetsetter or accidental tourist on your list.
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
Nintendo is set to show off the Donkey Kong Country expansion of its Super Nintendo World theme park today (Monday, November 11) at 5PM ET, the company revealed in a post on X. That means the new Universal Studios Japan area might finally open soon, after being delayed from the previously announced launch window of Spring 2024.
The new park attraction featuring Mario's barrel-throwing nemesis was first revealed in 2021. The centerpiece is a ride called Mine Cart Madness, named after the best level in the 1994 SNES game Donkey Kong Country. After being blasted out of a barrel cannon, you'll take a mine cart ride through the jungle that includes a "leap across a collapsed track" as Nintendo showed in a render earlier this year.
??:
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
2024 has been a rough year for Sonos. The company's would-be triumphant entry into the crowded headphones market was overshadowed by a disastrous app redesign. In the fallout of the botched software update, the company decided to delay products that were ready to be shipped to give itself more time to right the course. Consumer trust eroded, and people who already owned Sonos gear were living in a cycle of constant frustration.
Thanks to a number of rumors, we already knew that one of the pending product releases was the Arc Ultra ($
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against a streamer called EveryGameGuru, accused of streaming gameplays of pirated games before they were even released — and of providing viewers access to piracy tools and illegal copies of the games.
EveryGameGuru allegedly streamed Mario & Luigi: Brothership across five days, weeks before its official release on November 7. After Nintendo had the videos taken down from various platforms, including YouTube, they continued live streaming on Loco and even included a QR code for their CashApp handle.
Nintendo said EveryGameGuru sent the company an email, saying it has "a thousand burner channels" and "can do this all day."
Don't anger the house of Mario! The company is asking for $150,000 in damages per violation of its copyright. 404media did the math: That could add up to millions, seeing as the suit cites at least 10 games, streamed on at least 50 occasions.
— Mat Smith
The biggest tech stories you missed
Engadget review recap: Two new Macs, the PS5 Pro and more
Sony has sold 65 million PS5s
Andor season two will hit Disney in April
Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
|
|
Nov 11, 2024
Laptops are evolving fast, with some new models harnessing AI-powered features that adapt to your usage and improve performance in real time. These AI PCs can optimize battery life, manage power across tasks and even enhance webcam quality during video calls. While AI integration is still relatively new in laptops, it's a feature to watch if you're considering future-proofing your setup. Plus, it's exciting to see how these AI-powered PCs might handle everything from productivity to entertainment, offering smart adjustments and enhancements that could make our digital lives a bit easier.
Out of the 11 notebooks we've tested and reviewed in the first half of 2024, we consider Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air M3 to be the best laptop for most people, and this is still the case in our November top picks. It's powerful enough to handle most tasks (even light video editing); it has a great screen and built-in speakers; and its battery could last around 20 hours (depending on what you're doing, of course). The MacBook Air M3 is also one of the lightest and thinnest systems we've reviewed, and it's dead silent, thanks to a fanless design. While Apple has debuted its new M4 chip in the recent iPad Pro, we may not see it in the MacBook Air until next year. For now, the MacBook Air M3 is still an excellent laptop to buy, particularly if you need a machine with good battery life.
Of course, not everyone wants a MacBook, and there are excellent Windows laptops and Chromebooks out there, too. Windows systems offer a range of configurations, from budget to high-end UHD screens with stunning IPS panels that boast high nits for vivid brightness. Chromebooks, on the other hand, tend to be more affordable and are great for users who mostly work online. Whether you need a powerhous
|
|
Nov 10, 2024
There is already a bunch of early Black Friday deals to check out, but if you're on the lookout for a great set of wireless headphones for yourself or a loved one, here's one that's absolutely worth your attention. Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones have dropped to $298. That's a $102 discount.
This isn't quite the lowest price we've seen for the over-ear XM5s. They dropped to $280 at one point earlier this year. However, the headphones haven't gone back down to that point since, and this is still a great deal.
|
|
Nov 10, 2024
Black Friday may technically just be one day, but it's evolved to consume the entire month of November in the US at this point. For the past few years, retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target have ushered in the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier, and this year is no different.
Early Black Friday deals are already here, bringing discounts to some of our favorite tech we've tested this year. While it's still advisable to wait until the week before Thanksgiving to ensure you're getting the best of the best deals, you have plenty of opportunities to save right now if you're eager to get a jump on your gift list this year. These are the best early Black Friday deals we could find; we'll be updating this post regularly throughout November, so check back for the latest discounts.
Engadget's top picks
Apple MagSafe cha
|
|
Nov 10, 2024
Sony will soon stop offering the free adapter that allows gamers to connect the PlayStation Camera to their PS5. The camera (which was released for the PS4) is required to use the original PlayStation VR on the company's current console, as the headset has a light-based tracking method. The PS5's own HD camera accessory isn't compatible with PS VR.
"As of November 26, 2024, or until supplies last, the PlayStation Camera adapter will no longer be available," Sony says on a support page. In the meantime, you may be able to request an adapter via a form. Alternatively, as Wario64 points out, you may have to call Sony support at 1-800-345-7669. You'll need the serial number from the PS VR's processing unit to claim an adapter.
If you miss out on grabbing the accessory from Sony, there are third-party options available. Still, this one's free and it's the official Sony adapter.
As a reminder, PS VR games do not run on PS VR2, in part because the headsets use different tracking methods. Some games have been ported to the latest headset, as well as other VR platforms. However, many are still only available on the original PS VR, including several first-party titles. So if you want
|
|
Nov 09, 2024
Star Wars fans have been waiting quite some time to find out when they'll be able to watch the second and final season of Andor. At the D23 Brazil fan expo, Lucasfilm revealed that the Rogue One prequel series will debut on Disney on April 22, 2025. That's almost three years since the first season premiered in August 2022, and just after next year's edition of Star Wars Celebration.
The show focuses on Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in the years leading up to the events of Rogue One. It details how he came to work against the Empire as an important operative for the Rebel Alliance. Andor has been widely hailed as one of the best pieces of Star Wars media over the last few years, and now you know when you'll be able to watch more of the rebel spy's story.
— Andor | A Star Wars Original Series (@andorofficial) November 9, 2024
In the meantime, Star Wars fans will be able to check out the seemingly Goonies-esque Skeleton Key. The series stars Jude Law and focuses on a group of kids discovering a spaceship and going on an adventure. The first two episodes will hit Disney on December 3.
This art
|
|
Nov 09, 2024
The ex-head of NetEase's esports division and NetEase Games' former general manager are said to have been arrested on money laundering and bribery charges. Alongside ex-executives Xiang Liang and Jin Yuchen, several other people who worked at the company were reportedly arrested over alleged corruption.
As noted by Game Developer, Chinese outlet Leifeng reported that the former employees in question allegedly laundered in the region of 800 million to 1 billion yuan ($111 million to $139 million). NetEase confirmed to Bloomberg Law only that police were investigating possible corruption. The company is said to have dismissed nine staff membe
|
|
Nov 09, 2024
A lot of people tried to use OpenAI's DALL-E image generator during the election season, but the company said that it was able to stop them from using it as a tool to create deepfakes. ChatGPT rejected over 250,000 requests to generate images with President Biden, President-elect Trump, Vice President Harris, Vice President-elect Vance and Governor Walz, OpenAI said in a new report. The company explained that it's a direct result of a safety measure it previously implemented so that ChatGPT would refuse to generate images with real people, including politicians.
OpenAI has been preparing for the US presidential elections since the beginning of the year. It laid out a strategy that was meant to prevent its tools from being used to help spread misinformation and made sure that people asking ChatGPT about voting in the US are directed to CanIVote.org. OpenAI said 1 million ChatGPT responses directed people to the website in the month leading up to election day. The chatbot also generated 2 million responses on election day and the day after, telling people who ask it for the results to check Associated Press, Reuters and other news sources. OpenAI made sure that ChatGPT's responses "did not express political preferences or recommend candidates even when asked explicitly," as well.
Of course, DALL-E isn't the only AI image generator out there, and ther
|
|
Nov 09, 2024
Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against a streamer called EveryGameGuru, whom it's accusing of streaming gameplays of pirated games before they were even released and of providing viewers access to illegal ROM copies and piracy tools. In its lawsuit, the company said the defendant livestreams himself playing games on YouTube, Discord, Twitch, TikTok, Trovo, Kick, Vaughn, Dlive, Picarto, Nimo, Facebook and Loco, often with very little commentary. Apparently, EveryGameGuru streamed gameplays of at least 10 different titles before their official release date in at least 50 occasions since 2022.
EveryGameGuru allegedly steamed Mario & Luigi: Brothership on October 22, 23, 24, 25 and 29, way before its official release on November 7. After Nintendo got the videos taken down from various platforms, including YouTube, he continued livestreaming on Loco and even included a QR code for his CashApp handle. He would also create new accounts after his old ones get disabled, and Nintendo said he sent the company an email, telling it that it has "a thousand burner channels" and that he "can do this all day." We found a user with the same name on Loco, with streams of Super Mario Jamboree before it officially became available on October 17 this year.
In addition to those two games, Nintendo listed the other games that the defendant played on video before their release dat
|
|
Nov 09, 2024
Techtober rolled straight into November this year. The first week of the month was a busy one at Engadget HQ as we published a number of high-profile reviews over the last few days. There's the MacBook Pro and Mac mini from Apple alongside the beastly (and expensive) PS5 Pro. Plus, we've got yet another VR headset and more ereaders for the bookworms. Read on to catch up on all of this week's reviews and for a tease of what's coming next.
Apple MacBook Pro (2024) review
Our Mac expert Devindra Hardawar had a busy week. Publishing four reviews in total, he primarily focused on an Apple double dip. He put the new M4-powered MacBook Pro through its paces in both 14- and 16-inch sizes. Unsurprisingly, the new chips offer a speed boost, but there are also updates to the display, webcam and battery life. Spec upgrades remain pricey, but if you opt for a machine with M4 Pro or M4 Max power, you'll also gain Thunderbolt 5 support.
"If you're running an M1 MacBook Pro, or still trucking along with an Intel model, you'll definitely see some notable performance gains from these machines,"
|
|
Nov 09, 2024
DJI's Neo is shockingly capable for a tiny drone, but it did have a couple of weaknesses — namely, the lack of vertical video and relatively slow flying speeds in tracking mode. The company has now addressed both of those issues with a new firmware update, adding vertical video and increasing the Neo's tracking speeds, among other things.
Considering that the Neo is designed and priced for creators, the lack of vertical video was a big miss. It can now handle that, albeit it only at 1080p 60 fps 9:16 and not 4K. That lower resolution is due to the fact that the camera gimbal doesn't actually rotate 90 degrees like on the Mini 4 Pro; instead, it shoots 4K horizontal resolution then crops off the sides.
|
|
Nov 09, 2024
If you weren't able to buy Apple's latest iMac in time to get it on its release day on November 8, here's your chance to get a discount on the all-in-one computer. The company is already selling it for $85 off at Amazon before the Black Friday frenzy even begins. Apple's refreshed computer has a list price of $1,299, but you can now get its silver version for just $1,214. Meanwhile, the blue and the green versions will set you back $1,249. Nothing huge, but it's always nice to get a brand new device for almost $100 off its original price.
The 2024 iMac model is powered by the company's M4 chip, its latest silicon that enables the computer to run up
|
|
Nov 08, 2024
If you're at least in your mid-30s (give or take), you know the voice of Elwood Edwards, realize it or not. He recorded the phrase, "You've got mail!" and three other lines for Quantum Computer Services in 1989. That company later rebranded to America Online, and the rest is early internet history. Edwards died on Tuesday.
WKYC first reported (via Variety) that Edwards passed away one day before what would have been his 75th birthday. He was a longtime off-camera presence at the Cleveland TV station, working as a graphic designer, camera operator and jack-of-all-trades employee.
His wife, Karen Edwards, worked at Quantum when she heard the company's then-CEO talking about needing a voice for the software that would soon bombard mailboxes across the US. "So, she volunteered my voice," Edwards said in a 2012 video. "And on a cassette deck in my living room, I recorded the phrases that you've come to know."
He was paid a grand total of $200 for his voi
|
|
Nov 08, 2024
It's almost time again for Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ), the zany speedrun-fest for a good cause. The hook for this year's event is a run of the Dreamcast classic Crazy Taxi with a live backing band. Funds raised from this year's showcase will benefit the nonprofit Prevent Cancer Foundation. AGDQ 2025 runs from January 5 to 12 in Pittsburgh.
The live instrumental band rocking out during a Crazy Taxi run sounds like a fun centerpiece. You can check out a preview in the video below, which showed the same band rocking out to a recorded run of the game at Summer Games Done Quick (SGDC) 2024. On Saturday, January 11 at 4:48PM ET, you can catch a fully live version.
Other highlights on the agenda include a run of the instant PlayStation classic Astro Bot on Sunday, January 5 at 6:30PM ET, a speedrun of Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire for 3DS on January 11 at 8:18AM ET and a play-through of the Wii port of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the same day at 4PM ET. You can check out the full schedule for more.
Last year's AGDQ (also in Pittsburgh) r
|
|
Nov 08, 2024
There's a new portable gaming console in town, joining an ever-crowded field. The Ayaneo 3 is the manufacturer's latest portable device, following last year's Ayaneo 2S. This Windows-based handheld looks to be an improvement in nearly every major way over its predecessors.
The Ayaneo 3 will be available in a few different versions. Purchasers can choose between two processors, an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 or Ryzen 7 8840U. The HX 370 is the more powerful option, offering an "extraordinary handheld gaming experience with AI support." It's worth noting that the 8840U should still be able to run plenty of modern games, as the company says it's a good choice for "gamers who prefer classic powerful performance."
Folks can also select between two display options. There's a model with a serviceable 7-inch LCD screen and another with a 7-inch OLED. Portable devices really pop with OLED screens.
Ayaneo
Every model boasts a new back button design, to provide for a "richer button combination experience." The company says the design has been "ergonomically optimized" so human fingers can easily reach those back buttons. There's also a trigg
|
|
Nov 08, 2024
Ghosts of Sparta rejoice, for you can now think in peace without your smart-ass son reminding you how slow-witted you are. The latest patch for the PS5 version of God of War Ragnarok adds the option first seen in the PC port to tone down the boy's excessive and unsolicited hints when Kratos is contemplating the game's many puzzles. Stick a sock in it, Atreus.
Game Version 06.00 for PlayStation 5 adds the "reduced puzzle hints" feature. Although Atreus isn't the title's only overly helpful companion, he's Kratos' most frequent comrade in the award-winning game and therefore the most notorious culprit. Activating the option will pipe down all of your partners' excessive hints throughout the game, a feature players would've loved to have had when Ragnarok arrived two years ago.
The update also includes PS5 Pro enhancements, like a new mode that enables "Favor Quality" while keeping things running at a smooth 60 fps. The patch also lets owners of the new console unlock the framerate when running on variable refresh rate monitors, and the Favor Performance mode gets boosted to match the PS5 Pro's boosted specs. Finally, it adds support for the AI-fueled P
|
|
Nov 08, 2024
The Pixel Watch 3 is on sale in an early Black Friday deal. Not even two full months after Google debuted the smartwatch, it has hit a new record low price of $280. That's a tasty discount of $70. That deal is specifically for the Wi-Fi-only 41mm model, but there's an offer on the 45mm option too. The larger variant
|
|
Nov 08, 2024
Black people throughout the country, in more than 20 states, have been getting racist text messages that order them to report to a plantation for slave labor, according to reporting by CNN and numerous other outlets. The texts reference "slave catchers" and "picking cotton," in addition to warning the recipients that they will be searched upon arrival.
— Complex (@Complex) November 8, 2024
These hate-filled messages have been received by both kids and adults. The "texts appear to be targeting Black and Brown individuals, including students," New York's attorney general Letitia James said. Various AG offices from other states have also issued statements.
The texts all come from unknown phone numbers and began ramping after the election on Tuesday. NAACP president Derrick Johnson said that "these messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday's election results."
|
|
Nov 08, 2024
With each passing year, Black Friday seems to turn more and more into "Black November," with many retailers starting their holiday sales weeks before the day itself. But while the bombardment of promos can be annoying, it also presents a good chance to beat the rush and finish holiday shopping ahead of time, without paying more than you have to.
To help you cut through the noise, we're rounding up the best early Black Friday deals we can find in one easy place. While most major tech retailers haven't started their early sales in earnest just yet, we've seen more than a few new discounts on gadgets we recommend pop up this week. While some have hit their lowest prices to date, there's always a chance discounts will get even deeper as we get closer to the actual sales holiday. We'll continuously update this post as more Black Friday sales pop up, so be sure to check back.
The best early Black Friday deals
Billy Steele for Engadget
|
|
Nov 08, 2024
This time of year has a lot of merry and bright things to be excited about, but it can be stressful if you're stumped on what to get your mom, dad, best friend, coworker or kids' teacher as a holiday gift. Whether you enjoy or dread buying gifts for people, it's safe to say we all want to give our loved ones things they will enjoy and appreciate. But there's a lot of noise, junk and bad deals disguised as good deals to sift through as we get closer and closer to the holidays.
Allow us at Engadget to help you through it. Here, you'll find all of our holiday gift guides collected in one place, so you can more easily find the best Christmas gifts you need this year. Are you looking for white elephant gift ideas? Are you struggling to come up with a good gift for the father figure in your life? Are you just looking for a good board game to pick up for your own family? We've got you covered with gift ideas for all of those scenarios and more. We'll update this post as more of our gift guides hit the internet, so check back for even more gift ideas throughout the season.
Table of contents
Best white elephant gift ideas
Best board game gifts
Best retro gaming gifts
Best gifts for coffee lovers
Best cooking gifts
Best tech toys for kids
Best gadgets for your pets
More coming soon!
Best white elephant gift ideas
|
|
