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- Apple files appeal to delay change in App Store payments
- Burger King will sell Impossible Nuggets at select locations next week
- Facebook and Instagram are down for the second time this week (updated)
- Chrome's RSS follow button is now available to all Android users
- Kia’s Sorento plug-in hybrid is racing in the 1,500-mile Rebelle Rally
- Three classic Grand Theft Auto games will be re-released on modern platforms
- AirPods Pro drop to $179, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals
- In 'No Time to Die,' Bond's gadgets matter less
- The Carol smart exercise bike is a $2,400 paradox
- The best outdoor gear for the fall
- The 2020 Razer Blade Stealth is $600 off at Amazon right now
- Engadget Podcast: Windows 11, Surface reviews and Facebook’s latest crisis
- How to pre-order the Apple Watch Series 7
- Google adds a guitar tuner to Search
- The Morning After: The Internet Archive imagines a grim future of the internet
| Apple files appeal to delay change in App Store payments Posted: 09 Oct 2021 03:15 AM PDT The judge who presided over the Apple vs. Epic case largely sided with the tech giant, except in one area: She ruled that Apple must allow developers to direct users to other payment systems within their apps. Any changes the company has to make to App Store rules to accommodate for that must be in effect by December 9th, or so the judge originally ruled. But now, Apple has filed a notice of appeal (PDF via CNBC) asking for a stay on the injunction, which could push back developers' ability to offer alternative means of payment by one more year. In its appeal, Apple wrote that it "has already taken concrete, specific steps in the direction indicated by the Court's opinion — including by agreeing to eliminate the prohibition on targeted out-of-app communications." The tech giant argued that it "would be a poor use of resources" to require it to comply with the injunction due to the "near-inevitable litigation" from Epic regarding the scope of its compliance. "There is no reason to expend resources,"it said, adding that "a stay would maintain the status quo while the appellate process progresses to completion." Trystan Kosmynka, Apple's senior director of App Review, also said:
Allowing developers to add in-app links to external payment options would be a major shift for the company. It originally yanked Fortnite from the App Store when Epic offered buyers discounts and freebies if they make their purchases directly from the developer. Shortly after that, the tech giant removed Epic's developer tools, as well. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shared communications between the two parties back in September, wherein the tech giant said it wouldn't allow Fortnite back in the App Store until all court appeals are exhausted. The process could take five years. According to a previous analysis by the CNBC, the App Store had gross sales of around $64 billion in 2020. Apple typically takes a 30 percent cut from app purchases, though it recently lowered that to 15 percent for all apps that earn less than $1 million a year. Giving developers the means to accept alternative modes of payment could cost the company billions. As Bloomberg notes, however, the judge that issued the injunction didn't specifically mention that the company can't charge developers a commission for payments made outside the App Store. Whether Apple would still ask developers for a cut remains to be seen, though it would be a complex undertaking if it decides to do so. A hearing has been set for Apple's request to stay the injunction on November 16th, but it's looking to move the proceeding to November 2nd. |
| Burger King will sell Impossible Nuggets at select locations next week Posted: 08 Oct 2021 01:45 PM PDT At the start of September, Impossible's plant-based "chicken" nuggets started appearing at select restaurants and grocery stores across the US. It was a limited debut that meant not everyone who wanted to try them could. While it's not exactly a nationwide expansion, Burger King is about to begin carrying the nuggets. Starting on Monday, October 11th, the fast-food chain will add an eight-piece order of Impossible Nuggets to the menu at select restaurants in Des Moines, Iowa, Boston, Massachusetts and Miami, Florida. While they'll be only available for a limited time, you'll have a choice of dipping sauce. The nuggets themselves are made mostly from soy protein and sunflower oil. According to Impossible, its nuggets have 40 percent less saturated fat and 25 percent less sodium than animal-based chicken nuggets. One thing to note is that the nuggets BK plans to sell won't be vegan since they'll be fried in the same oil those restaurants cook their meat and cheese products in. Following the test, we could see Burger King start offering the food item nationwide fairly quickly. After it introduced the Impossible Whopper at select restaurants in 2019, it was only four months later before the plant-based burgers became available at BK spots across the US. |
| Facebook and Instagram are down for the second time this week (updated) Posted: 08 Oct 2021 12:32 PM PDT Facebook and its apps are down yet again, according to the company. The extent of the latest outage wasn't immediately clear, but Facebook and Instagram both acknowledged that "some" users are having trouble accessing their services.
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger all saw spikes in users reporting issues around 3PM ET Friday, according to downdetetcor.com, which tracks service disruptions on popular websites. However, the issues don't seems to be affecting all users equally, according to the site's outage maps. In a statement, a Facebook spokespersons aid the company was working on a fix, but didn't elaborate on the source of the problems. "We're aware that some people and businesses are having trouble accessing our products."
Facebook's latest issues come just days after the company's worst outage in years, when every Facebook-owned service went down for more than six hours. The company later attributed the issue to a "faulty configuration change" that interfered with its DNS servers. "We've spent the past 24 hours debriefing how we can strengthen our systems against this kind of failure," Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a statement on Tuesday. But technical issues aren't the only problems plaguing Facebook this week. Monday's massive outage was also raised on the floor of the U.S. Senate this week, where lawmakers heard testimony from a whistleblower who said the company has routinely ignored researchers to prioritize profits and growth over users' safety. Though Facebook has tried to downplay and discredit these claims, the resulting scrutiny has already forced the company to "pause" work on an Instagram Kids app and slow down work on other new projects. Update 5:07PM ET: The issues affecting Facebook and Instagram should be over, and "and everything should be back to normal now," according to a company spokesperson. The source of the outage was — once again — "a configuration change," but the spokesperson said it was unrelated to the issues earlier in the week.
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| Chrome's RSS follow button is now available to all Android users Posted: 08 Oct 2021 11:16 AM PDT Google hasn't completely given up on RSS. Earlier this year, it started testing a Follow button in Chrome on Android, which allows users to get updates from websites on the new tab page. As of today, the feature is available in the browser's stable build, so all Android users can try it.
If you're running Chrome 94 or a pre-stable version, you might already see the Follow button in the menu. Otherwise, as Chrome director of engineering Adrienne Porter Felt wrote on Twitter, you can switch on the feature manually. Go to chrome://flags, search for "web feed" and enable the setting. Although the Follow button is only available on Android for now, Felt suggested it's coming to iOS next year. The feature won't quite have the same level of utility as dedicated RSS readers, of course. It might not make up for the terrible decision to kill Google Reader all those years ago either, but it could be a handy way to stay on top of updates from your favorite websites. |
| Kia’s Sorento plug-in hybrid is racing in the 1,500-mile Rebelle Rally Posted: 08 Oct 2021 10:16 AM PDT This week, the 2021 Rebelle Rally kicked off with participants in the all-female race embarking on a 1,500-mile trek across the deserts of Nevada and California. Hyundai's Kia is fielding two modified Sorento plug-in hybrids as part of the event. In the spirit of the rally, the automaker asked LGE-CTS Motorsports, a female-owned shop in Southern California, to make the two vehicles race-ready. Each one features underbody armor to protect its vulnerable internal components. Additionally, the shop fitted both Sorentos with bumper guards, skid plates and 1-inch spacers to elevate them just a bit higher off the ground. They're riding on 17-inch KMC matte black wheels fitted with Hankook Dynapro AT2 tires. For carrying equipment, LGE-CTS removed the rear seats to make room for an interior cargo mounting system and added roof racks. Notably, the shop didn't modify the powertrain of either PHEV. We're starting to see more and more electric vehicles take part in endurance races like the Rebelle Rally. At the end of April, Volkswagen's ID.4 SUV took part in the Mexican 1000 Rally. The company's Audi division is also getting ready to race a custom-built PHEV at the Dakar Rally at the start of next year. At this rate, it feels like it's only a matter of time before they become a more common sight at endurance races. |
| Three classic Grand Theft Auto games will be re-released on modern platforms Posted: 08 Oct 2021 08:58 AM PDT One of the worst-kept secrets in the gaming world has been confirmed: Rockstar Games is re-releasing three more Grand Theft Auto games. The bundle includes Grand Theft Auto III, GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas. The clunkily named Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC later this year. The bundle will also land on iOS and Android in the first half of 2022. — Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) October 8, 2021 Rockstar says the revamped games will have upgraded visuals and "modern gameplay enhancements" while retaining the look and feel of the originals. More details about the changes will be revealed in the coming weeks. Although all three games are classics, their visuals perhaps don't hold up too well in 2021. Updated graphics might make them worth revisiting, while some fans will appreciate being able to play them on Switch. Meanwhile, Rockstar will remove the original versions of GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas from digital storefronts starting next week. You'll still be able to download the games if you bought them previously. Elsewhere, the publisher plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of GTA III later this month (sorry, it is that old). Some special events and commemorative gear are coming to GTA Online this fall. The PS2-era games aren't the only GTA titles that Rockstar is reworking. An expanded and enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto V is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in March. |
| AirPods Pro drop to $179, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals Posted: 08 Oct 2021 08:30 AM PDT October kicked off with a bunch of good tech deals across the web. All of Apple's wireless earbuds remain on sale at Amazon, so you can pick up the AirPods Pro for $179 or even the standard AirPods with the wireless charging case for $129. The new Beats Studio Buds are $25 off while a couple of Kindle models are on sale for as low as $60. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today. AirPods ProBilly Steele / Engadget The AirPods Pro, Apple's best sounding wireless earbuds, are back down to $179. That's $70 off their normal price and close to a record low. These buds earned a score of 87 from us for their IPX4 design, improved audio and solid ANC. Buy AirPods Pro at Amazon - $179AirPodsEngadget Amazon has standard AirPods for $109 right now and AirPods with the wireless charging case for only $129, too. The buds themselves are the same in both models, but you'll get the a case with wireless charging capabilities if you're willing to spend $20 extra. We gave the AirPods a score of 84 for their improved wireless performance and good battery life. Buy AirPods (wireless charging case) at Amazon - $129Buy AirPods (standard case) at Amazon - $109Apple TV 4KDevindra Hardawar/Engadget Apple's latest TV 4K set-top box is down to $159 at Adorama, or $20 off its normal price. It earned a score of 90 from us thanks to its speedy performance, support for Dolby Vision and Atmos, handy integration with iOS devices and the much improved Siri remote that comes with it. Buy Apple TV 4K 32GB at Adorama - $159Mac Mini M1Engadget The 512GB Mac Mini M1 is $100 off right now, bringing it down to $799. Although we may see a redesigned Mac Mini sometime this year, this is a good machine to get if you need an upgraded desktop with a slim profile and the power of Apple's M1 chipset. Buy Mac Mini M1 (512GB) at Amazon - $799Beats Studio BudsBilly Steele/Engadget Amazon discounted the new Beats Studio Buds to $125, which is $25 off their normal price. These are arguably the best Beats earbuds for most people, earning a score of 84 from us for their balanced sound, small, comfortable design and quick-pairing with iOS and Android devices. Buy Beats Studio Buds at Amazon - $125Razer Blade Stealth The excellent Razer Blade Stealth gaming laptop is $600 off right now, bringing it down to $1,400. It's the 2020 machine, but it remains a powerful laptop that's light enough to take wherever you go. This particular model has a 10th-generation Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 4K touchscreen. Buy Razer Blade Stealth at Amazon - $1,400Fire Kids Pro tabletsAmazon Amazon's sale on Fire Kids Pro tablets is still ongoing, knocking up to 40 percent off some models. The cheapest slab is the Fire 7 Kids Pro, which is down to $60, but you can also get the most powerful model, the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, for only $140. Along with additional parental controls and more content for kids aged six and up, these tablets come with a protective case, a two-year warranty and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. Buy Fire 7 Kids Pro at Amazon - $60Buy Fire HD 8 Kids Pro at Amazon - $90Buy Fire HD 10 Kids Pro at Amazon - $140KindleEngadget Amazon's Kindle is down to $60 right now, which is only $5 more than the all-time-low price we saw during Prime Day. We gave the e-reader a score of 91 when it came out in 2019 for its new front lights, slimmer design and higher contrast display. If you're willing to spend a bit more, you can get the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite, which was just replaced by a brand new Paperwhite, for $75. Buy Kindle at Amazon - $60Buy Paperwhite (2018) at Amazon - $75New tech dealsMaster & Dynamic fall favorites saleMaster & Dynamic is having a fall favorites sale that knocks up 20 percent off some of their most popular devices when you use the code TAKE20 at checkout. Discounted items include the MW07 Plus wireless earbuds and the MW65 wireless headphones with ANC. Shop Master & Dynamic saleNordVPNNordVPN, one of our favorite VPNs, is running a sale on a two-year subscription. You can sign up and pay $99 for two years, plus you'll get an extra three months free. We like NordVPN for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices. Buy NordVPN (2 years) - $99Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. |
| In 'No Time to Die,' Bond's gadgets matter less Posted: 08 Oct 2021 08:00 AM PDT At one point in No Time to Die, Daniel Craig's final entry as James Bond, you can see a sleek supercar in the background. It's the Aston Martin Valhalla, a 937hp beast of a plug-in hybrid, and it's just sitting there, with nowhere to go. If you've seen a Bond film before, you can imagine it's holding a slew of killer gadgets (though hopefully not invisibility). Surely it would appear later in the film, perhaps just in time to save our hero before he sips a martini from a built-in fridge. But no—nobody drives the car throughout the film's 163-minute runtime. We never even see it in motion. (Though that's not stopping Rocket League from pitching it as a Bond vehicle.) Nicola Dove/DANJAQ, MGM That undriven Chekhov's car makes one thing clear: No Time to Die, directed by Cary Joji-Fukunaga (True Detective, Beasts of No Nation), isn't your usual Bond movie. And as I watched the film, a momentous occasion after years of delays, I was struck by how few gadgets there were. Sure, Bond gets a cool watch, a classic bulletproof (and gun-equipped) Aston Martin and he rides in something called a gravity plane, but they come few and far in between. Instead, the film focuses on Bond's human drama: His inability to trust; his persistent death-wish; the danger he brings to others. Craig's Bond was different from the beginning. In 2006's Casino Royale, he was a fledgling agent he hadn't yet earned his 00 status. He was gruff and dirty, more used to getting into Bourne-esque fights instead of wearing a tux. But the Bond writer's and producers could never quite settle on how they wanted to transform the character. 2008's Quantum of Solace was a disaster mired by the Hollywood writer's strike (not to mentioned completely incomprehensible action). Skyfall was a return to form, elevating the franchise with Roger Deakin's Oscar-nominated cinematography. But the series hit a new low with 2015's Spectre, a boring and regressive film I haven't had the heart to revisit. Strangely, even though No Time to Die is Craig's final entry, it never tries to one-up the set pieces of its predecessors. There's a thrilling motorcycle chase early on, which features an astounding practical jump up a flight of stairs, a balletic shoot-out in Cuba, and a few smaller sequences later on. But the film cares less about spectacle than it does setting a mood. That may make it a divisive entry for some, but as someone fascinated by emotional action movies, like Michael Mann's much-maligned Miami Vice reboot, I found it endlessly compelling. (It helps that No Time to Die, like Casino Royale before it, actually makes you care about Bond and everyone in his orbit.) When I chatted with No Time to Die's VFX supervisor, Charlie Noble, he had a hard time pointing to a specific whiz-bang set-piece. Unlike Tom Cruise's latest Mission Impossible movies, this Bond outing isn't built around a specific stunt or gadget. And after the emptiness of Spectre, I'm all for that. Noble says he's more concerned with subtle VFX work, like adding additional cars to the background of a chase, or removing wires from a dangerous stunt. Sometimes the best visual effects are the ones you don't even notice. There's something genuinely refreshing about No Time to Die's practically lo-fi approach to action, especially after living through more than a decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's often weightless CG. Even something that's genuinely high-tech in the film, like a series of magnets the villains use to jump down an elevator shaft, aren't dwelled upon. Instead, the focus is on what that action means (in this case, it's a group of baddies stealing a potentially world-ending nanovirus from a high-security research facility.) Nicola Dove/DANJAQ, MGM Now don't get me wrong, I love a good Bond gadget or two. But for an aging franchise that seriously needs to reckon with its sexist and colonialist origins, I'm glad that No Time to Die decided to focus more on its characters. That includes Lashana Lynch's Nomi, who wastes no time taking up the 007 mantle when Bond disappears, as well as Paloma, a fresh spy recruit who joins for an action romp in Cuba. Daniel Craig may no longer be Bond, but this is a fitting end for his tenure. And the toys aren't going anywhere—now anyone can use them. |
| The Carol smart exercise bike is a $2,400 paradox Posted: 08 Oct 2021 07:21 AM PDT If you had the opportunity, would you pay more in order to use an exercise bike less frequently? That is, give or take, the sales pitch for Carol's at-home spin bike. It's the anti-Peloton, designed to be used for just 8 minutes and 40 seconds per workout. At the end of its standard program, it even tells you that you can go to the gym if you want to, rather than because you need to. But stealing back all of those hours from the capricious gods of exercise comes at a price: $2,395, plus $12 per month after the first three months. It's up to you to decide if that eye-watering fee is worth swerving all of those cardio sessions. ScienceDaniel Cooper Carol leverages the principles of Reduced Exertion, High Intensity Interval Training (REHIIT), a variation on the Tabata method of HIIT. Put simply, you're asked to exercise at a very high intensity for a very short period of time, rather than a long period of time in a steady state. In this example, Carol says that its standard sub-nine-minute workout gives you the equivalent workout to a 45-minute jog. This involves you going all-out for 20 seconds, but then having the better part of three minutes to recover. That 20-second frenzy is designed to deplete your body's stores of glycogen and pushes the heart rate through the roof. The long recovery time is designed to reset your body, enabling you to grind out far more from your muscles than you would in a standard Tabata workout. And studies have shown that, at least in male participants, a six-week REHIIT program can improve their insulin resistance and oxygen consumption. "One of the things I like about REHIIT is the long length of the recovery periods," says Stuart Moore, trainer and owner of Wheel Fitness, a specialist cycling practice. "This enables people without a lot of experience to recover properly between bouts of hard work and then go again with another round." He added that "all interval training can be useful," but stressed that would-be adopters "should get the important checks with your doctor" before trying this sort of thing. "I'd prefer complete beginners to interval training try something more mild than modified versions of HIIT," he said, "this could help with developing a base before delving into the more intense exercise later." Andrea Speir, co-founder and lead trainer at Speir Pilates, added that the psychological benefits on neophyte exercisers were crucial. "Because it spikes the heart rate and improves VO2 Max, cardiac output and boosts the metabolism [...] without being too strenuous," she said. "It's not as daunting to commit to it three-to-five times a week, which is where you really see great results," she added. HistoryDaniel Cooper It's not often that a company founder announces that their product exists because of a BBC documentary, but Carol isn't exactly a standard Silicon Valley story. Co-founder Ulrich Dempfle was a management consultant working with the UK's National Health Service on behalf of firms like McKinsey and PWC. Part of his role was to look for ways to encourage people to exercise more, despite the fact they would often say they didn't have enough time to become gym bunnies. It wasn't until he watched 2012's The Truth About Exercise that he became a convert to REHIIT. The documentary was fronted by Dr. Michael Mosely, who is chiefly responsible for making intermittent fasting mainstream in the UK. One of Mosely's gimmicks has always been to look for more efficient ways to feel healthy, and this was a love letter to REHIIT. Dempfle and his team contacted the academics whose research was featured in order to get a look at their equipment. Dempfle explained that the bikes featured had their intensity controlled by one of the academics while a person exercised on them, and that the price was astronomical. It was here that the idea of building an affordable REHIIT bike was more or less born. In fact, Carol would wind up being featured in a Mosley's 2018 follow-up documentary, The Truth About Getting Fit, albeit not named because of the BBC's rules against product placement. BikeDaniel Cooper At first glance, Carol could be mistaken for pretty much any at-home exercise bike. It has a very large, rear-slung flywheel and a beefy drive unit, which houses the system to electronically control the resistance, the secret sauce behind the REHIIT program. A pair of short handles with the customary heart rate-monitoring electrodes sit below the display housing, which holds a 10.1-inch screen. The seat height and distance is adjustable, as well as the height of the handlebars, and there are toe cages and clips on the pedals, for pro cyclists. After you've registered, you can then log in to the bike, which is a process you'll have to do every time you want to use it. After the first attempt, you can just tap on your initials on a list of stored users, but there's no way to stay logged in by default. Given how beefy the bike is, and that it's designed for both at-home and professional use, I feel as if this makes it well-suited to offices and gyms, more so than people's homes. You could easily see this in the corner of a small business, with staff members getting their 10 minutes each day as they take a break from their work. DisplayDaniel Cooper When it comes to screens, there are two schools of thought dominating the at-home fitness market. Peloton's ubiquity means that consumers may soon expect all machines to have a glossy, massive HD display as the default. Companies like Wattbike, Concept2 and others, however, are happy pushing out machines that still leverage old-school LCD head units. (On a personal note, the Polar View offered by the Wattbike PMB is one of the best training tools I've ever encountered). Carol splits this difference by offering a 10.1-inch color touchscreen that offers the same sort of data you'd find on an LCD set, but cleaner and more colorful. The UI flashes an angry red when you hit the high intensity phase, and the visualizations showing your power output are great. A software update, too, came through during my review that has made the UI a lot cleaner and smoother than it was before. And, even better, you can use the display to live stream classes from Peloton's own app, although you'll need to subscribe to them separately. Boot the bike up for the first time and you'll be greeted by a Lenovo splash screen because Carol's display is quite literally a Lenovo tablet in a housing. On paper, this is genius: An Android tablet should last longer, is more affordable and should be easier to replace than a custom solution. Plus, you can (and Carol does) leverage Google's pre-built accessibility features for adjusting screen fonts and voice overs that it would take time and money to copy for little-to-no upside. Not to mention that, because it is an Android tablet, you can run third-party apps through the Play Store, albeit only ones that have been sanctioned by Carol's makers. So far, that's just Peloton, but there's no technical reason that your favorite fitness, or entertainment, app couldn't wind up on this screen as well. But, for all of those positives, slamming an Android tablet onto a bike and calling it quits still feels a bit lackluster for a bike costing two thousand four hundred dollars. In useDaniel Cooper Once you've answered the medical questionnaire, you have to go through six taster sessions for the bike to gauge your overall fitness level. After that point, you're free to sample the delights that the bike has to offer, including four different REHIIT workouts. I pretty much stuck to the standard program — the reason anyone would buy a Carol bike — but there are other options available. This includes an Energiser ride, which offers shorter, 10-second sprints, as well as 15-minute or 25 minute Fat Burn program, with 30 or 60 sprints, respectively. You also get the option for a Free Ride, with power controlled by yourself, or an Endurance ride with the resistance slowly ramping up beyond your ability to cope with it. Once you've chosen a program, you're asked to choose from a series of generic audio options but, again, I was advised by the company's representatives to stick with the default. (This was probably for the best, because the other options are essentially musak.) In it, a calm voiceover talks about how neanderthal man never jogged, they either walked slowly, or ran like their lives depended on it. At the same time, the on-screen coaching tells you to breathe in for four seconds, hold for a beat, and then exhale over six seconds, which is hard to coordinate if you're bad at multitasking. All the while you're asked to cycle at a very low level, never exceeding an output of 20 watts or so. There's a countdown timer on screen (and a timeline), so it's not as if you're not told when the sprints are about to begin. But the narration treats it more like a surprise, talking about the vista when, suddenly, she tells you that there's a tiger leaping out at you!, and you have to pedal for your life. The screen turns red three seconds before the sprint begins, letting you spool up as you prepare to go hell for leather to escape your predator. Because the resistance is calibrated to your fitness level, it continues to go up after your initial burst of energy to ensure that you're nicely wiped out by the end of the sprint. Hell, I found that I was flagging at the 10-second mark, and could never get back to my first output peak no matter what I tried. You may scoff at the idea that biking for just 20 seconds can wipe you out and make any positive impact on your fitness. You begin to feel your legs go as your body suddenly starts to wuss out, and the final quarter of the sprints have you running on fumes. As effective exercises go, the system makes good upon its promises, and you need that long recovery time to restore any sense of humanity you may have had. The screen will graph your output (and compare it to your output on the second sprint, when you hit it) and let you see how far you've dropped between runs. Although the on-screen display's promise that you won't sweat is mostly true, it's not entirely fair for sweaty, sweaty boys like me. Wrap-upDaniel Cooper In the period in which I was using Carol, I think my fitness did improve, as did my mood when I was trying to complete one of these more or less every single day. (The bike repeatedly advises you, as does its representatives, to only do a single sprint session in a 24 hour period and only three times a week to avoid injury.) You certainly start the day feeling more energized, and I can't complain that this has eaten a big chunk of my day when it hasn't. But I'm finding myself hamstrung by the price, especially given the fact that it's designed to do one job, one fitness program, to the exclusion of most others. Do I want to spend $2,399 plus an additional $12 a month on an appliance I'd use for 30 or 40 minutes a week? Yes, that's less than you can spend on a Wattbike Atom or Peloton Bike+, but it's still a lot. In that philistinic sense of knowing the cost of something but not its value, the numbers make my eyes water. It's a bike that does one thing, really, and it does it well, but I feel in my gut that I'd have an easier time singing this thing's praises if its price was just below the $2,000 mark. It's a weird psychological barrier for sure, and maybe you're scoffing at my imaginary parsimony. But as much as this thing is designed for a mainstream audience, right now, it's priced at the level where only enthusiasts can buy it. |
| The best outdoor gear for the fall Posted: 08 Oct 2021 07:00 AM PDT The weather is starting to get cooler, but that doesn't mean it's time to head indoors for winter just yet. There's ample time to enjoy the backyard, porch or balcony before the first snowfall. We've rounded up the best outdoor gear for cooking, relaxing and imbibing this fall, from a pizza oven, to a uniquely designed fire pit and a smart outlet for your outdoor lighting. Ooni Karu 16Ooni If you've opened Instagram in the last several months, chances are you've seen someone firing up an Ooni pizza oven in their backyard. The company has become even more popular during the pandemic, and rightfully so. Its line of wood- and gas-fired pizza ovens allow you to make restaurant-quality pies at home. The Karu 16 is the company's latest offering, with a larger stone for bigger pizzas, an easier to access fuel chamber and a built-in thermometer. The door is also attached so it's simpler to use and has a glass window so you can keep an eye on things without losing heat. Like commercial Neapolitan-style ovens, the Karu 16 can reach temperatures of up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit, and does so in just 15 minutes. This model runs on wood chunks out of the box, but the company offers an optional gas burner for $100. Buy Karu 16 at Ooni - $799Traeger Ironwood 650 and 885Cooler weather is a perfect time to tune up your backyard pitmaster skills. Even if you're a beginner, Traeger's line of WiFi-connected pellet grills can guide you through the entire cooking process. The company's app, which allows you to control and monitor its grills remotely, is also packed with recipes and step-by-step guidance. Personally, I like the Ironwood series, which comes in two sizes with 650 and 885 square inches of grilling space. They sit in the middle of Traeger's lineup, and offer the best bang for your buck. Low and slow smoking? Yep. Hot and fast searing? They do that too. And with the company's pellet sensor, you don't have to worry about running out of fuel halfway through a 10-hour brisket sesh. Shop Ironwood series at Traeger starting at $1,400Weber Genesis II EX-315Engadget Weber is best known for its charcoal kettle grills, but its gas models aren't too far behind. Following up on the smart grilling tech it built into its SmokeFire pellet grills in 2020, the company brought the Weber Connect system to its gas lineup earlier this year. There are a number of options here, but the Genesis II EX-315 is a great mid-range choice. Thanks to the Connect tech, you get real-time food doneness updates, estimated completion times and fuel level monitoring. Weber Connect also offers step-by-step guidance based on the food you're cooking and the LED display on the grill shows both meat and ambient temperatures. Of course, the grill is WiFi-enabled, so all of this info can be sent to your phone. And if you get caught in the dark, a handle-mounted light and backlit control knobs are there to help. Buy Genesis II EX-315 at Weber - $1,030Thermoworks Thermapen OneThermoworks The Thermapen is the grilling tool I use most often. It's handy for making sure I'm not serving undercooked chicken or overcooking a pricey steak I've had in the sous vide for hours. It's also great to have in the kitchen to instantly check temps of things like bread. Thermoworks unveiled the successor to its wildly popular Thermapen Mk4 earlier this year with the Thermapen One. The device is super fast, giving you a reading in one second. It's also more accurate and has a brighter display than the previous model. The screen automatically rotates depending on how you hold it, plus an auto-wake and sleep feature and IP67 rating keep things running smoothly. Buy Thermapen One at Thermoworks - $105Meater Plus probe thermometerMeater I'll admit it: when I first saw Meater's wireless food probes I was skeptical that they would work well. The Meater Plus has all of the convenience of the company's original wireless probe, but with extended Bluetooth range. Each one has two sensors, so it can monitor both internal food temperature and the ambient temp of your grill. All of the info is sent to the company's app where you can set target temperature, get estimated completion times and follow step-by-step directions if you need them. What's more, you don't have to worry about routing wires since the Meater Plus is completely wireless and stays out of your way. Not having to fight food probe cords is a grilling innovation I'm sure a lot of people can get behind. Buy Meater Plus at Amazon - $100Thermacell E-55Thermacell Last year, the Thermacell Patio Shield kept us mosquito-free for socially-distanced outdoor activities. For 2021, the company is back with the E-55 that offers a 20-foot coverage area and is fully rechargeable. This slightly larger unit runs on a Li-Ion battery instead of burning fuel to keep the biting bugs at bay for up to 12 hours. If you need more protection for you and the fam, you can buy refills for up to 40 hours of use. Also, like other Thermacell products, the E-55 doesn't give off any odor, so you'll barely notice it's there. Buy Theramcell E-55 at Amazon - $40Solo Stove As the temperatures drop, a fire pit is a cozy place to spend your time. However, most of the cheap options you'll find at your local big box store aren't really designed to channel smoke away from you or to maximize airflow. Solo Stove's stainless steel fire pits do both, creating a roaring fire that won't smoke you out. Each of the three models, ranging from $269 to $599, are portable(ish) and burn whatever variety of wood you happen to have. I've been testing the Ranger, the smallest and most portable option. While you can certainly set these right on the ground or concrete patio, I highly recommend splurging for a stand and a weather-proof cover which cost around $80 for the Ranger and Bonfire models. Buy Solo Stove starting at $269TP-Link Kasa outdoor smart plug and dimmerTP-Link I tested the Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug for our first backyard guide and I was immediately hooked. TP-Link recently announced a new model of the smart plug in addition to a dimmable single-outlet version. Both are waterproof and plug into your existing outside outlet to give you one or two spots for lights and other gear. With the two-plug option, you can control each one independently. The Kasa app allows you to set a schedule, timer, runtime and more for each plug, so you can automate when those string lights over the deck turn on. Additionally, they work with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you don't even need to pick up your phone most of the time. Plus, 300 feet of WiFi range means you shouldn't have trouble connecting these to your home network for use. Buy Kasa outdoor smart plug at Amazon - $25Sony SRS-XB13Sony When you need tunes outside, whether that's at home or on the go, Sony's tiny XB13 speaker is a great option. Its small size makes it insanely portable, but it still manages big sound thanks to Sony's Extra Bass feature and Sound Diffusion Processor. It's rated IP67 for dust- and water-proofing so taking it outside shouldn't incite anxiety. What's more, it has a UV coating for protection from the sun. You can use the XB13 for hands-free calls and employ two of them at once for a stereo pair. It lasts up to 16 hours on a charge and will only set you back $60. Buy SRS-XB13 at Amazon - $58Brumate Toddy and Toddy XLBrumate I've been a big fan of Brumate's beverageware since I bought myself a Hopsulator Trio for a beach vacation a few years ago. I still use it all the time, during both warm and cool months. However, when the temperatures begin to dip, I tend to reach for hot beverages more often, so Brumate's Toddy insulated mug is a better option. The cup works well to keep drinks hot or cold and the trademark feature is the spill-proof lid. That thing has saved me from massive cleanup more times than I can count. The regular Toddy can hold 16 ounces while the Toddy XL doubles the capacity to 32 ounces. Buy Brumate Toddy starting at $30 |
| The 2020 Razer Blade Stealth is $600 off at Amazon right now Posted: 08 Oct 2021 06:00 AM PDT Those on the hunt for the next gaming laptop should check out the discounts on Razer Blade machines that Amazon has right now. Most notable among them is the 2020 Razer Blade Stealth, which is down to a record low of $1,400. That's $600 off its normal price and, given that one of our biggest complaints about the laptop was its high price tag, a great deal if you're looking for a powerful gaming machine in an ultra-portable shell. Buy Razer Blade Stealth at Amazon - $1,400We were impressed by the Blade Stealth's versatility — it's a gaming laptop that's powerful enough to run Overwatch in 1080p 70fps, but light enough to slip into a backpack and take to a coffee shop to do some work. It has a sleek yet sturdy design and weighs just three pounds, which is much lighter than most gaming machines. The particular model on sale has a 10th-generation Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. All of that should provide plenty of power in most situations, and the package is made better by the 13-inch 4K touchscreen that comes with it. Depending on how you use it, you should get around eight hours of battery life with the Stealth, too. A few other 2020 models are on sale at Amazon, and they appear to be different sales than those available on Razer's own site right now. There's the Razer Blade Pro 17, which is $900 off and down to a record-low of $2,300. That's for a model with a 10th-gen Core i7 octa-core processor, NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 17.3-inch 1080p display with a 300Hz refresh rate. The Razer Blade 15 Advanced with 10th-gen Core i7 octa-core processor, RTX 2070 Super Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 15.6-inch 1080p 300Hz display is down to just under $1,800 as well. We have seen it drop lower in the past, but that's still a good deal at over $800 off. Buy Blade Pro 17 at Amazon - $2,300Buy Blade 15 Advanced at Amazon - $1,787Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice. |
| Engadget Podcast: Windows 11, Surface reviews and Facebook’s latest crisis Posted: 08 Oct 2021 05:30 AM PDT It's not too often we get a new version of Windows and a new Android release! This week, Engadget Editor-in-Chief Dana Wollman joins Cherlynn and Devindra to chat about her Surface Pro 8 review, Windows 11, as well as the Surface Laptop Studio and Go. Also, Senior Editor Karissa Bell joins to talk about the latest news from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
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| How to pre-order the Apple Watch Series 7 Posted: 08 Oct 2021 05:00 AM PDT Unlike the latest iPads and iPhones, the Apple Watch Series 7 didn't immediately open up for pre-orders after it was announced in mid September. Apple only said the wearable would be coming "later this fall," and it seems that time is now. The Apple Watch Series 7 is available for pre-order today starting at 5am PT / 8am ET from Apple as well as Amazon and other retailers, and it will be widely available starting October 15. The wearable starts at $399 and comes in two sizes, 41mm and 45mm, as well as five colors: green, blue, midnight, starlight and Product Red. Pre-order Series 7 at Apple starting at $399Pre-order Series 7 at Amazon starting at $399The biggest changes come in the Apple Watch's screen this year, which is 20 percent larger with bezels surrounding it that are 40 percent smaller than those on the Series 6. The always-on Retina display is also 70 percent brighter, which should make it easier to see even when your wrist is turned downward. The Series 7 is also the first Apple Watch to have an IPX6 certification for resistance to dust, and it remains water-resistant as well. Battery life remains the same — roughly 18 hours — but the Series 7 will charge up to 33 percent faster than the Series 6 thanks to its new magnetic charger with USB-C connector. As usual, Apple's bringing a lot of updates to multiple Watch models with watchOS 8. The software update will include a new mindfulness app, sleep respiratory rate tracking, fall detection updates and new workouts like Tai Chi. Series 7 users will be able to access a new QWERTY keyboard on the Watch as well, so you can more easily type (or swipe) a message. We have yet to give the Series 7 the full review treatment, so be sure to check Engadget in the coming weeks for all of our thoughts on Apple's latest smartwatch. |
| Google adds a guitar tuner to Search Posted: 08 Oct 2021 04:35 AM PDT Smartphones have made it easier than ever to tune your guitar. All you have to do these days is find a decent tuning app or ask Google Assistant to tune your instrument. Now Google has made the process even more painless by launching a chromatic tuner right within Search. The tech giant has told Android Police that it has just rolled out the new Search feature, which can be accessed on pretty much any device. Unlike the Assistant function that needs, well, a device that can access the voice assistant, you can summon this tuner simply by doing a query in Search on mobile or desktop. Just type in "google tuner" to see it right on top of the results page. Of course, the device you're using must have a functional microphone to be able to hear your instrument, and you'll need to give the feature permission to access it. This is what the tuner looks like on desktop: Engadget According to Android Police, its effectiveness depends on the microphone of your device. Some devices might need you to play loudly or really, really close to them, and smartphones might work better than computers for this particular purpose. After you get it to work, the tuner will let you know whether your instrument is in tune or if you need to adjust it with the help of a visual indicator. This built-in Google tuner joins other music-related features in the tech giant's search engine, including "Hum to Search," which can help you identify songs stuck in your head. |
| The Morning After: The Internet Archive imagines a grim future of the internet Posted: 08 Oct 2021 04:15 AM PDT Browsing the internet has gotten better in many ways. Richer design, more interactivity, embedded media, faster speeds for doing everything. But the internet is also worse in places: more attempts to illegally steal your personal information or legally track your footprints through the web. I click on one Pokémon plushie an Engadget colleague shared with me (guess who), and my embedded ads across sites are now mired in Pokémon detritus. The Internet Archive has concocted a thought experiment to celebrate its 25th anniversary, imagining how the web might look another 25 years from now. Paste a site's URL into the Wayforward Machine and you'll see a version of that page covered in pop-ups. The messages include one reading "Classified content. The website you are trying to access features information that the owner(s) have opted to restrict to users that have not shared their personal information." Another, in Orwellian wording, says: "This site contains information that is currently classified as Thought Crime in your region." The Internet Archive created a subsite that features a timeline of fictional changes, including a law allowing corporations to copyright facts, leading to Wikipedia moving to the Dark Web, which would be pretty incredible. — Mat Smith Watch the first trailer for 'Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City'The reboot hits movie theaters on November 24th.Sony Pictures Sony Pictures has provided a taste of what's in store with the first trailer. Writer and director Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down) said earlier this year he was taking the franchise back to its horror roots, and well, the trailer backs up those comments. Expect lickers, zombie dogs and plenty of good old-fashioned zombies. YouTube's accessibility upgrades include multiple audio tracksAutomatic captions are now available for streams of any size, too.YouTube is expanding video accessibility for viewers with sight issues and those beyond the English-speaking world. It's currently testing the option of adding multiple audio tracks to videos. While this will help international viewers — if you have the ability to add other language dubs — it should also enable descriptive audio for people with little-to-no vision. YouTube said the feature will land in the next few quarters. YouTube cancels its divisive Rewind annual highlight reelIt won't be missed.In more good news, YouTube has confirmed its annual Rewind video won't be returning. Rewind debuted in 2010 but struggled in recent years. In particular, with Rewind 2018, many felt the video ignored major creators on the platform, like Pewdiepie, while elevating people who were famous outside of YouTube. Never forget that Will Smith, er, moment. Microsoft made a translucent controller for the Xbox's 20th birthdayIt will go on sale exactly 20 years after the release of the original Xbox.Microsoft Microsoft plans to celebrate the birthday of its first-ever home system by putting out a handful of translucent accessories, including the Xbox Series X/S controller you see here. According to Microsoft, the translucent design is a reference to the see-through controllers it shipped with the original Xbox debug kit. I have all the time in the world for translucent gadgets, having already installed see-through cases for my Switch's Joy-Cons. This is a good way to celebrate a console's milestone. Tesla is moving its headquarters to Texas from CaliforniaIn a state where it can't directly sell its cars to locals.Tesla isn't just building a factory in Austin, Texas — it's also moving its headquarters there, too. Panasonic's new camera is another cube with a giant lens attached to itIt's an S1H in a different shape.Panasonic In 2020, Panasonic announced the BGH1, its first-ever box-style camera. This was pretty much its GH5S rehoused in a body better suited for video production. Now, it's time for an upgrade. Panasonic has announced the DC-BS1H. It's the full-frame S1H in a new body. Specifications include a 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor that can capture footage up to a 6K resolution. Panasonic claims the BS1H's sensor features more than 14 stops of dynamic range and includes an optical low-pass filter along with dual native ISO, all aimed at reducing moiré and noise. The biggest news stories you might have missed
Google turns its AI on traffic lights to reduce pollution Disney may be developing a 'WandaVision' spin-off starring Kathryn Hahn US Justice Department forms a cryptocurrency enforcement team |
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