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- 'Star Trek: Discovery' season 4 will stream on Pluto TV in some countries
- US blocks companies aiding Chinese military's quantum computing efforts
- 'Fortnite' Chapter 2 will end with a big in-game event on December 4th
- The best TV deals we could find for Black Friday
- Apple explains how it alerts targets of state-sponsored spyware attacks
- Splice's music creation plans are going on sale for Black Friday
- WhatsApp on the web lets you create your own stickers
- Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook 2 drops to $399 ahead of Black Friday
- Elecjet’s graphene power bank is as exciting as a power bank can be
- Beats Studio Buds fall to a new low of $100 at Amazon
- The Morning After: Russia wants local offices from big tech companies like Google and Apple
- Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 hits an all-time low of $180
- Amazon is reportedly interested in developing a Mass Effect TV series
- GMC will begin Hummer EV deliveries in December
- Tesla requires Full Self Driving testers to allow video collection in case of a crash
- Samsung will build a $17 billion semiconductor factory in Texas
- Amazon delays Comixology integration to early 2022
- T-Mobile will pay $19.5 million settlement for 12-hour 911 outage (updated)
- Watch NASA’s asteroid-bound DART launch at 1:20AM Wednesday
- Russia demands large tech companies set up local offices by 2022
| 'Star Trek: Discovery' season 4 will stream on Pluto TV in some countries Posted: 24 Nov 2021 09:40 AM PST Don't panic that Star Trek: Discovery vanished from Netflix in many countries right before season 4 arrived — you might have a stopgap solution, depending on where you live. ViacomCBS has revealed that Discovery's latest season will be available on the company's free Pluto TV service in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the UK starting November 26th. New episodes will be available each Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9PM local time. There will be a simulcast on the Star Trek channel in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. If you'd rather have more permanent copies, people in France, Germany, Russia, South Korea and the UK can also buy the fourth season from "participating digital platforms" starting on the 26th. If Paramount+ is already available in a country, such as Australia, many Latin American countries and Scandinavian nations, you'll have to sign up but can get 50 percent off the first three months with the code STARTREK. This still leaves former Netflix viewers a step behind their Paramount+ counterparts, but they at least won't have to wait until 2022 to follow Michael Burnham's latest exploits. And ViacomCBS wins regardless — this might spike Pluto TV membership, even if only some users stick around once Paramount+ is available in their regions. |
| US blocks companies aiding Chinese military's quantum computing efforts Posted: 24 Nov 2021 08:34 AM PST The US is taking extra steps to prevent China's military from claiming quantum computing dominance. The Commerce Department has added eight technology producers to its Entity List to prevent them from supporting the Chinese military's quantum computing efforts. Officials are concerned the entities could feed "emerging" US tech that could aid with breaking encryption, producing 'unbreakable' encryption and developing anti-stealth or anti-submarine systems. The list focuses on a mix of companies and researchers, including QuantumCTek and the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale. The US also added three affiliates of Corad Technology Limited, a Chinese firm on the list since 2019, although it wasn't clear that quantum computing was involved — it was also accused of backing Iran's military and space programs as well as North Korea "front companies." The broader Entity List update included 27 organizations and people, including 13 in Pakistan accused of backing the country's "unsafeguarded" nuclear or ballistic missile programs. This is unlikely to put a stop to China's military uses of quantum computing when the country may need to research and develop much of the technology in-house. The expanded blocklist might slow things down, however, by limiting China's access to American processors and other equipment that could fast-track development. Consider this a stumbling block that gives the US a better chance of taking or maintaining the lead. |
| 'Fortnite' Chapter 2 will end with a big in-game event on December 4th Posted: 24 Nov 2021 08:15 AM PST It seems big changes are coming to Fortnite soon. Chapter 2, which started all the way back in October 2019, will wrap up with a one-time-only in-game event called The End at 4PM ET on December 4th. "With The Convergence complete, The Cube Queen prepares her endgame for the Island and nothing will ever be the same," Epic Games wrote in a blog post. "Grab your weapons and fight the ultimate destroyer of all reality." The Chapter 1-closing event was also named The End and it blew up the original island in spectacular fashion. Fortnite was offline for a few days before Chapter 2 started with an entirely new map. Among other updates, Epic also brought in a fresh user interface and new mechanics in Chapter 2. Given that the publisher says players will battle The Cube Queen "in one last stand for the fate of the Island" and that nothing will seemingly be the same, it seems likely more major changes are coming to the battle royale in the near future. If you have any Bars or Battle Stars, use them before the end of the season, since they won't carry over to Chapter 3. Starting on November 30th, character services and exotic item trades will be discounted in Bargain Bin Week. Fortnite will automatically redeem unused Battle Stars for the earliest available rewards. If you have any remaining quests you want to complete, now might be the time to do that. Squads of up to 16 players will be able to experience The End together. The event playlist will open at 3:30PM, so it's probably worth joining early to secure a spot. Meanwhile, since Epic is ending the season a day earlier than planned, everyone who logs into Fortnite before it wraps up will receive a 225,000 XP bonus. Those who take part in the event will unlock a special Loading Screen and Wrap too. |
| The best TV deals we could find for Black Friday Posted: 24 Nov 2021 08:00 AM PST Aside from the weeks leading up to the big game, the Black Friday shopping period is arguably the best time of year to buy a new TV. Whether you're looking for your first OLED set or a budget-friendly smart TV, you'll find many options at cheaper-than-usual prices at Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers. TVs from LG, Sony, Samsung, TCL and others have been discounted this year — and it's worth noting that while we highlight certain sizes here, you'll likely find that if one size is on sale, other sizes in the same lineup will also be discounted. And if you're not looking to upgrade your TV, there's a bunch of other home theater equipment on sale right now too, including streaming devices, soundbars and more. Here are the best TV deals, along with the best home theater sales, we could find for Black Friday. 55-inch LG C1 OLEDLG LG's mid-tier C1 OLED smart TV has been discounted to $1,300. It runs on the company's α9 Gen 4 AI processor 4K and supports Game Optimizer, Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Atmos and voice commands with Alexa and the Google Assistant. Buy 55-inch LG C1 OLED at Amazon - $1,300Buy 55-inch LG C1 OLED at Best Buy - $1,30055-inch LG G1 OLEDLG The LG G1 OLED smart TV has been discounted to $1,700. Part of the "gallery" series, it uses OLED evo panel technology to get better brightness and clearer whites than standard OLED displays. It also runs on LG's a9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K and supports features like G-SYNC, FreeSync, OLED Motion Pro and voice commands via Alexa and the Google Assistant. Buy 55-inch LG G1 OLED at Amazon - $1,700Buy 55-inch LG G1 OLED at Best Buy - $1,70055-inch LG A1 OLEDLG LG's A1 OLED TV is on sale for $1,100. The A1 series is the most affordable of the company's newest OLED sets, making these sets good options for anyone looking to upgrade to OLED while on a tight budget. Buy 55-inch LG A1 OLED at Amazon - $1,100Buy 55-inch LG A1 OLED at Best Buy - $1,10055-inch Sony Bravia XR A80J OLEDSony Sony's premium Bravia XR A80J OLED set is on sale for $1,400. It includes most of the company's best TV technology, including the Cognitive Processor XR, HDMI 2.1 support, 4K upscaling, XR Motion Clarity and improved sound with Acoustic Surface Audio+ and built-in subwoofers. Buy 55-inch Sony Bravia XR A80J OLED at Amazon - $1,400Buy 55-inch Sony Bravia XR A80J OLED at Best Buy - $1,40048-inch Sony Bravia A9S OLEDSony Sony's Bravia A9S OLED smart TV is down to $1,200, or $300 off its normal price. It runs on the company's Processor X1 Ultimate and supports HDR and Dolby Vision, Acoustic Surface Audio, X-Motion Clarity technology, AirPlay 2 and more. Buy 48-inch Sony Bravia A9S OLED at Amazon - $1,200Buy 48-inch Sony Bravia A9S OLED at Best Buy - $1,20055-inch Sony X950HSony Sony's X950H LED smart TV is on sale for $1,020, which is 15 percent off. While not an OLED set, this TV has local dimming LED backlighting along with the Android TV operating system, Google Assistant and Alexa support, Game Mode and AirPlay 2 and HomeKit compatibility. Buy 55-inch Sony X950H at Amazon - $1,02055-inch Samsung The FrameSamsung Samsung's The Frame is on sale for $1,000. This is the TV to get if you'd prefer to look at something more interesting than a black box when not actually watching a TV show or movie. Its art mode lets you select images to display on the screen whenever you want, and it also supports 4K AI upscaling and truer colors using Quantum Dot technology. Buy 55-inch The Frame at Amazon - $1,000Buy 55-inch The Frame at Samsung - $1,00085-inch Samsung QN90A Neo QLEDSamsung Samsung's massive 85-inch QN90A Neo QLED smart TV is $700 off right now, bringing it down to $3,300. It has Quantum HDR 32X for vibrant, vivid colors, mini LEDs for improved contrast and Object Tracking Sound+ for more immersive audio. Buy 85-inch Samsung QN90A at Best Buy - $3,30055-inch Vizio OLED 4K TVVizio Vizio's 55-inch H1 OLED TV is $300 off right now, bringing it down to $1,000. This is a solid price for a mid-sized OLED set that supports Dolby Vision HDR, Vizio's IQ Ultra processor, 120Hz gaming with VRR and built-in AirPlay and Chromecast technology. Buy 55-inch Vizio OLED at Best Buy - $1,00075-inch Vizio P-Series 4K TVVizio Vizio's 75-inch P-Series 4K TV is $400 off, bringing it down to $1,600. This set supports full array local dimming, a peak brightness of 1,200 nits, Dolby Vision HDR, Quantum Color, AirPlay 2 and more. Buy 75-inch Vizio P-Series at Amazon - $1,600Roku StreambarValentina Palladino / Engadget The Roku Streambar is down to $80 right now, or $50 off its normal price. It's a compact soundbar that will upgrade any living room relying on an old TV with weak audio. We gave it a score of 86 for its solid audio quality, Dolby Audio support and built-in 4K streaming technology. Buy Roku Streambar at Amazon - $80Vizio Elevate soundbarVizio Vizio's Elevate soundbar is on sale for $800, or $300 off its normal price. While not an all-time low, it's the best price we've seen on the device in months. It has multiple speakers inside the main portion that rotate upward whenever you're playing Dolby Atmos or DTS:X content. Plus, the whole system has 18 speakers, including a wireless subwoofer and two satellite surround speakers that you can position anywhere in the room. Buy Vizio Elevate soundbar at Amazon - $800Chromecast with Google TVGoogle The Chromecast with Google TV has dropped to $40, which is $10 cheaper than usual. We gave the device a score of 86 for its 4K HDR streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision and Atmos support plus its much needed and very handy new remote. Buy Chromecast with Google TV at Best Buy - $40Fire TV Stick 4K MaxAmazon The new Fire TV Stick 4K Max has dropped to $35. This has all of the features of the standard Fire TV Stick 4K plus support for WiFi 6 and picture-in-picture live view. Buy Fire TV Stick 4K Max at Amazon - $35Fire TV Stick 4KAmazon Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K is on sale for $25 right now. It's one of the easiest ways to get 4K streaming TV into your TV, plus it supports Dolby Audio and Alexa voice commands. Buy Fire TV Stick 4K at Amazon - $25Fire TV Stick LiteAmazon The Fire TV Stick Lite has dropped to $18. It provides 1080p streaming, access to services like Netflix and Prime Video and can stream music from services like Spotify and Pandora. Buy Fire TV Stick Lite at Amazon - $18Roku Streaming Stick 4KRoku The new Roku Streaming Stick 4K is on sale for $30, or $20 off its normal price. It builds upon the technology in the Streaming Stick+, supporting 4K HDR10+ content, Dolby Vision, long-range WiFi, voice search and TV controls with the included remote. Buy Roku Streaming Stick 4K at Amazon - $30NVIDIA Shield TVEngadget NVIDIA's Shield TV has dropped to $129, or roughly $20 cheaper than usual. This is one of the more powerful streaming devices available today thanks to its Tegra X1+ processor, support for Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos, Chromecast 4K and AI-powered 4K upscaling. Buy NVIDIA Shield TV at Amazon - $129Buy NVIDIA Shield at Best Buy - $129Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. |
| Apple explains how it alerts targets of state-sponsored spyware attacks Posted: 24 Nov 2021 07:12 AM PST Apple said it would keep notifying victims in its fight against state-sponsored spyware, and now it's clear just what happens if you're one of those targets. MacRumorsnotes that Apple has detailed how it alerts users when it believes they've been targeted by state-sponsored attackers. You'll get both email and iMessage notifications to the addresses and phone numbers associated with your Apple ID. If you visit appleid.apple.com, you'll also see a prominent "threat notification" message indicating what happened and when. The company stressed these notifications will never ask you to click links, download content or share login details like passwords and verification codes. It instead asked users to visit the Apple ID website to verify warnings. Apple also pointed users to a Consumer Reports list of emergency resources if you don't get the notification but are still reasonably confident you're under attack, whether from state actors or harassers. These kinds of notifications aren't new. Google, for instance, has been notifying potential victims for years. Apple's explanation is relevant in light of worries about spyware from NSO Group and others, however, and may be crucial if you're an activist, journalist or other critic who could easily face attacks from oppressive governments. |
| Splice's music creation plans are going on sale for Black Friday Posted: 24 Nov 2021 07:00 AM PST Music creation and collaboration platform Splice is offering new users a discount for Black Friday. If you sign up for a year-long Sounds+, Creator or Creator+ plan between November 24th and 30th, you'll save $20. During that time, a year of Sounds+ access will cost $80, the annual Creator plan will drop to $180 and a 12-month Creator+ subscription will be $280. We recommended the Creator plan in our holiday gift guide. The entry-level Sounds+ plan might offer enough for hobbyists, with 100 credits for royalty-free samples each month. Creator subscribers get twice as many credits, along with access to Splice's Astra soft synth, the Beatmaker drum machine and music production lessons and tutorials. The Creator+ plan is almost the same as Creator, but with 500 sample credits instead of 200. Those aren't enormous discounts, admittedly, and you do have to commit to a year-long subscription. Still, if you've been on the fence about leaping into Splice, this might be a good time. |
| WhatsApp on the web lets you create your own stickers Posted: 24 Nov 2021 06:08 AM PST You don't have to settle for pre-made WhatsApp stickers (or use a third-party tool) if you're sitting at your computer. The Vergereports WhatsApp has introduced a custom sticker creator for its web client and, within a week, desktop apps. Choose to attach a sticker and you can upload a custom image for editing. You can add emoji or text, crop pictures, cut out backgrounds and even slap existing WhatsApp stickers on top. This tool won't help much if you mostly chat on mobile, where apps already exist to produce WhatsApp stickers. It might help if you frequently message people from your desk, though, and it could be particularly useful if you're either a digital artist (and likely have creative tools on your computer) or prefer to edit images with a mouse instead of your fingers. |
| Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook 2 drops to $399 ahead of Black Friday Posted: 24 Nov 2021 05:50 AM PST As the Chromebook market has matured, a bunch of higher-end models have come out. Samsung's original Galaxy Chromebook was one of them, but the company realized that paying $1,000 for a Chrome OS machine was a hard sell for most. Enter the Galaxy Chromebook 2, Samsung's correction and a much better laptop with an easier-to-stomach starting price of $449. But now you can get the Galaxy Chromebook 2 for $50 less, or $399, which is a record low. That's for the base model with a Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, but the Core i3 model is also on sale for $549 — $50 more than it's lowest price, but still a decent deal. Buy Galaxy Chromebook 2 at Amazon - $399Buy Galaxy Chromebook 2 at Samsung - $399Samsung prioritized the right things when developing the Galaxy Chromebook 2. The design is much the same as the original, with a relatively light 2.2-pound frame, a premium build and a fiery red color. The company ditched the lovely yet taxing 4K display from the previous version and opted for a 1080p QLED touchscreen which remains nicer than panels on most other Chromebooks. While the 4K display did a number on the original laptop's battery life, this QLED display isn't as bad. We managed to get about 12 hours of use on a single charge, and while we wish the battery life was a tad longer, it should get you through a work day. The Galaxy Chromebook 2 has a convertible design, too, so you can use it in tablet mode or prop it up so it acts as a small TV for video streaming. It doesn't come with a stylus like some of Samsung's other laptops, but any Universal Stylus Initiative pen will work with it. If you're eyeing the Galaxy Chromebook 2 as a secondary or travel device, the base model with a Celeron processor may provide all the power you need. But hardcore Chrome OS fans who want to use this machine as their daily driver won't regret shelling out a bit more money for the Core i3 version. Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. |
| Elecjet’s graphene power bank is as exciting as a power bank can be Posted: 24 Nov 2021 05:45 AM PST Update 11/24: This article was originally published on November 12th, 2021. Due to a technical issue with the campaign, the Elecjet Apollo Ultra was pulled from Indiegogo, but has returned today. The article text remains as originally published, but links to the campaign have changed. In the space of a few years, we've gone from 5W USB adapters being the norm, to iPads and Nintendo Switches being able to charge at 18W, all the way up to modern laptops drawing up to 140W. This explosion in charging rates over a (somewhat) standardized USB-C connector has been great for consumers who can now mostly charge their stuff with one or two well-positioned adapters. But, it's made choosing the right power bank to keep all of your devices topped up on the go way more difficult. Enter Elecjet, a small company which has been carving out a niche for itself by using graphene in adapters and power banks. It launched its first "graphene-enhanced battery power bank," on Indiegogo back in 2019, and is now back with the Elecjet Apollo Ultra. It's a 37Wh (10,000mAh) power bank with a couple of notable specs: It can be charged at 100W, and can output at up to 87W across its two ports. These numbers are very high. On the output side, most 10,000mAh battery packs top out at around 18W; it's only chunkier chargers that reach figures like 65W. On the input side of things, you're looking at around 30W as the peak for a high-end portable charger. (There is a market for "laptop power stations," which can meet and in some cases best Elecjet's input and output numbers, but those are typically bulky units.) My personal power bank at the moment is a 20,000mAh Anker PowerCore, which maxes out at around 25W output and 30W input. Although it's double the capacity of the graphene model, after about a month of using a pre-production unit Elecjet sent me, I don't want to go back. Before I get into that, what does a "graphene-enhanced battery" even mean? Elecjet takes the lithium cells that are inside every device nowadays, and plays with the chemistry. Its "composite graphene cells," mix a graphene solution in with the lithium in the cathode, and then add some layers of graphene coating the anode. What you get from this sprinkling of graphene is much improved performance at the expense of size. Thanks to offering lower resistance and higher thermal conductivity, Elecjet's graphene-lithium composite cells can theoretically be charged five times faster, and run through five times more charge cycles, but are about 25 percent less energy dense than regular lithium. So, composite graphene batteries are faster and run cooler, but will either have a lower capacity or a larger size when compared to the batteries we're used to. I'm not really close to pushing the Apollo Ultra to its stated 87W limit. The devices I need to charge on the regular are an iPhone 12, a Nintendo Switch and an M1 MacBook Air. It happily charges my Nintendo Switch at 18W, my iPhone at 20W, and my MacBook Air at around 45W. That last figure is actually higher than the charger that came with the MacBook Air, but on plugging in a 65W Apple charger from a MacBook Pro, I saw essentially the same figure, so it appears that's a safe rate for the battery. I did run some tests on a friend's 13-inch MacBook Pro, though, and found it was able to charge it at a similar speed to the 65W charger that device came with, so I have no reason to doubt the output claims. Speaking of claims, this is nitpicking to the extreme, but the Apollo Ultra's USB-C port outputs at up to 65W, and its USB-A port can handle 18W. With the PPS power spec it can output at 68.25W, but none of these combinations add up to the claimed 87W output figure. Output aside, the main benefit for me is how fast you can charge the battery itself. I'm quite forgetful, and will often be getting ready to leave the house with my phone on low battery, and then go to pick up my power bank only to find out it's empty. I'm sure that'll still happen, because if I haven't learned in 36 years to prepare for life adequately I'm not about to change now. But being able to charge the Apollo Ultra so quickly has meant it's really not an issue. Plugging it in for about six to seven minutes gives me enough juice to charge my iPhone from the red up to 100 percent, and honestly even a couple of minutes before I run out of the door has got me home without my phone dying on me. Although the pre-production units are limited to 87W input (and so took about 35 minutes to charge), the final, 100W edition will charge from 0 to full in under half an hour. It's like a safety net for my own stupidity. Its small size, at least in comparison to my regular power bank, is also a plus. At 130 x 68mm, Elecjet's bank has roughly the same footprint as an iPhone 13 mini, and it's about 17mm thick. It's totally pocketable for most folks, or at the least jacket-pocketable, which is not something I can say about my Anker. It's also, in my opinion, pretty attractive for a power bank, with nice quality white and black plastics, and a proper display that shows the battery percentage. After years of divining how much power is left with four little LEDs, having so many degrees of precision is very nice. For everything I love about its size and build quality, there's no getting around the fact that the Apollo Ultra's overall capacity is quite low. It can handle about two thirds of a MacBook Air's charge, two and a bit Switch charges, or three-ish charges of a modern smartphone. That's… absolutely fine. But the benefits of being able to charge something at 65W are somewhat limited when the battery drains in 35 minutes at that rate. What I really want is impossible with today's tech: Something this size, just as performant, but double the capacity. In the future, Elecjet says it will be able to make the power module smaller to mitigate the density issue, and it also claims it has " a new battery under the wraps" that can get far closer to the density of regular cells. In the meantime, it would be great to see Elecjet expand its current Apollo Ultra range to include larger capacity batteries. Some options would be good, so buyers can pick the compromise that suits them. A 55Wh battery pack would only be 50 percent larger, but handle a wider variety of devices. Even a 75Wh battery would only be double the volume. Judging the pricing Elecjet has opted for is difficult. The Apollo Ultra is on Indiegogo at $65, which is honestly the most expensive I've seen a battery pack of this capacity in recent memory. But it behaves more like the ultra-high end battery packs that go for $100+, and unlike those it fits in my jeans pocket. But it doesn't last as long as those— you see my problem. I think $65 is a reasonable price for what you get here. It's a sleek, cool-looking thing, and the fast-charging makes it more useful to me than a "regular" larger-capacity battery pack. As with all Indiegogo products, there's a big caveat in that you are not buying a product that currently exists. Production will begin shortly, and users backing today should expect their devices in early 2022. I have a working unit on my desk, so I'm confident that Elecjet can deliver a power bank as advertised. But the company's past Indiegogo campaigns do lead to even more caveats. Both the Elecjet Apollo and Apollo Max campaigns had issues. A few users reported exploding power banks, others never received their units and, perhaps worst of all, users who complained through the Indiegogo campaigns were left without answers for months or in a couple of cases years. All of the complaints have now been addressed, but only in the past few days leading up to the launch of the new product. Elecjet merged with another company named Real Graphene earlier this year. Both companies were founded by the same person, Samuel Gong, a UC Berkeley engineering graduate, but Gong says he was not involved in the day-to-day operations of Elecjet until the two merged. When I asked about the complaints surrounding prior campaigns, Gong acknowledged that "there were some issues with the previous products' quality," and said most people who didn't receive their product failed to provide a shipping address through Indiegogo. He said the company "was being managed by another team, and previous campaigns and products were done by [that] team." He added that the new Apollo Ultra was extensively prototyped and has been evaluated by UL (a well-regarded certification company) for safety. The press pack Elecjet provided touts "8 safety features" and notes the device never exceeded 42C in testing. This matches my personal experience, in which the device was cooler to the touch than my regular power bank, which was charging at a lower rate. As for not responding to customer support requests, he acknowledged that, after the merger, the company "couldn't dedicate enough time to previous campaigns." The reason he gave for the sudden responses to old complaints was that a new team has been hired to manage the Indiegogo campaign, and that team is also aiding backers of old projects from before the new leadership team was around. I'm extremely into the Elecjet Apollo Ultra. It's rare that I'm interested, let alone excited, about a product as dull as a power bank, but it's always good to see something totally new enter any tech space. Those caveats are certainly worrying, though. If you're not willing to take the risk but are still interested, Elecjet does have its own retail site, and a sizable Amazon presence, for its other products. You could always wait for the product to launch and hit more traditional retail channels (at a slightly inflated price) further down the line. |
| Beats Studio Buds fall to a new low of $100 at Amazon Posted: 24 Nov 2021 05:11 AM PST If you're looking for budget wireless noise-cancelling earbuds in the Apple family, don't forget about the Beats Studio Buds. They're already a good deal at $150, but now you can pick them up during Black Friday at Amazon for just $100, the lowest price we've seen yet. Buy Beats Studio Buds at Amazon - $100The Studio Buds scored a solid 84 score in our Engadget review and also made our list of best wireless earbuds for 2021. The small, comfortable design and IPX4 water resistance makes them great for workouts and, more importantly, they deliver good sound quality with Beats' famous punchy base. Active noise cancellation is solid as well, and they can adjust the volume based on your environment via the active gain feature. Since the Studio Buds are Apple products, they use the company's H1 chip. That means they support Apple's Spatial Audio feature and let you easily switch between Apple devices — just as you can with a pair of AirPods. However, they're also device agnostic, so you can use the Fast Pair option to quickly set them up with your Android device. They also work with Find My Device on Android, so you can see their last known location. The main drawbacks are a lack of wireless charging and onboard controls, but most budget wireless buds lack those features. With the deal right now, you won't find many rivals that can match its features at that $100 price point. Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. |
| The Morning After: Russia wants local offices from big tech companies like Google and Apple Posted: 24 Nov 2021 04:15 AM PST We'll get into Russia's demands for big tech below, but first — ahead of a four-day weekend for some — let's talk about streaming shows. You've probably noticed by now that we've got a reboot problem. Nothing epitomizes that better than the live-action series remake for beloved anime Cowboy Bebop. Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar puts it into words well: "Netflix's remix is mainly in love with Cowboy Bebop. It wants to remind us of the anime." But in the effort to show its affection, it all rings a little hollow by comparison. GEOFFREY SHORT/NETFLIX Devindra even gets a little brutal, criticizing the times when the show "looks worse than a cheap Doctor Who episode." I know exactly what he means. Cowboy Bebop is now available to stream on Netflix. — Mat Smith Android 12 reviewLiving in a Material (You) worldEngadget Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low untangles the myriad versions of Android to offer some insight into what you might be getting with Google's latest mobile OS, Android 12. The standout change is definitely a new design that can tease color palettes from your favorite images, but like its rival, iOS, there are bigger shifts in privacy and how your data is being used. Spotify made a hub for Netflix soundtracks, playlists and podcastsListen to the 'Squid Game' theme, along with podcasts like 'Netflix is a Daily Joke.'Spotify After doing the same for Disney, Spotify has launched a Netflix hub, bringing all of the streaming service's soundtracks, playlists and podcasts into one place. While many of Netflix's soundtracks were already on Spotify, the new feature puts all content related to the service in one place. That includes playlists and soundtracks from series and films like La Casa de Papel, Narcos: Mexico, Outer Banks, Squid Game and, ahem, Cowboy Bebop. Epic Games buys the studio behind 'Guitar Hero' to create 'musical journeys' in 'Fortnite'It's another metaverse play.Epic Games has acquired Harmonix, the studio behind titles like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Dance Central and, more recently, Fuser. Epic's vision for Harmonix involves the metaverse. In the immediate future, the two plan to create "musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite." No word yet on how many millions of dollars the acquisition cost. Apple delays its digital ID cards until 2022The feature was previously scheduled to arrive before the end of 2021.In an update to the official iOS 15 website that was spotted by MacRumors, Apple says that functionality will now arrive sometime in early 2022. Apple first announced the feature at WWDC 2021, pitching it as a tool to allow you to add your driver's license or state ID card to Apple Wallet, just like you would a credit or debit card. Among the first locations to support the feature will be select Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at some US airports. Russia demands large tech companies set up local offices by 2022The government wants more control over Apple, Meta, TikTok and others.Russia's telecom regulator Roskomnadzor has called on 13 foreign and mostly American companies to launch official Russian presences by 2022 so they can comply with a law that took effect July 1st. The list includes familiar tech names, like Apple, Google, Meta (Facebook), Telegram, TikTok and Twitter. The law demands local offices for "internet companies" with over 500,000 daily users. Some of the companies already have offices, though, and it's unclear just what constitutes an official presence. Those deemed violating the law could face complete bans or limits on their ads, data gathering and money transfers.
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| Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 hits an all-time low of $180 Posted: 24 Nov 2021 03:40 AM PST Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 went on sale for $200 earlier this month, but it has become even more affordable ahead of Black Friday. The smartwatch is now listed for $180 on both Amazon and Walmart, which is the lowest price we've seen for the device on those websites. That's $70 less than its original $250 retail price. While only the black 40mm Bluetooth-capable variant is being sold for $180, the other colors, 44mm versions and LTE-capable watches are also on sale for $50 less. Buy Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 at Amazon - $180Buy Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 at Walmart - $180We gave the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 a score of 85 in our review. It's the first generation of Galaxy Watch to run Wear OS, giving it the capability to download apps straight from the Play Store. There's now even a section on the store showing all your current apps with smartwatch counterparts that makes the installation process even more painless. The device has gesture controls, as well, so you can simply flick your wrist or lift your arm to answer or decline calls. We also praised the watch for having comprehensive health tracking capabilities. Samsung gave it a new 3-in-1 biometric sensor to enable body mass scans using bioelectrical impedance analysis. In addition, it has new sleep tracking features (like snore detection), faster heart rate monitoring and updated calorie count algorithms. Another upgraded element that deserves a mention is its sharper screen. The only big difference between the Watch 4 and the Watch 4 Classic is the latter's spinning bezel and stainless steel case. If you like the latter's looks better, however, you can also get the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic for $300 on Amazon. That's an all-time low for the device and is $50 less than its original price. Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. |
| Amazon is reportedly interested in developing a Mass Effect TV series Posted: 24 Nov 2021 03:05 AM PST Amazon Studios is "nearing a deal" to develop a series based on Electronic Arts and BioWare's Mass Effect franchise, according to Deadline. No particulars have been released, but Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke told Deadline that it's "continuing to invest in fantasy genre of all kinds, we have a genre-focused team on the ground in Studios who work tirelessly with our creative partners on those slates, and you can look forward to more." The success of the fantasy series Wheel of Time shows why Amazon is going in that direction. Salke revealed that it was "one of the Top 5 series launches of all time for Prime Video," adding that it saw "tens of millions of streams" and high completion rates, to boot. Mass Effect rumors have cropped up of late, with EA recently stating that it's "not a matter of if, but when" a TV series based on the game will be made. Witcher star Henry Cavill also hinted at a Mass Effect series in a cryptic Instagram post with (easily deblurred) text, as The Verge noted. Mass Effect Legendary Edition arrived earlier this year with updated gameplay and graphics, to generally good reviews. The series first arrived in 2007 with the original Mass Effect, a third-party shooter and role playing game that pits Commander Shepherd and the Systems Alliance against the Reapers, an ancient machine race invading the Milky Way. That was followed by two sequels (2010 and 2012), along with a fourth game, Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017). BioWare and EA are currently developing a fifth, all-new installment. |
| GMC will begin Hummer EV deliveries in December Posted: 24 Nov 2021 02:10 AM PST The first electric Hummers will be making their way to their new owners this holiday season. According to Autoblog, GMC boss Duncan Aldred has announced that deliveries of the Hummer Edition 1 — the all-electric truck variant that'll set buyers back over $112,000 — begin in December. The conference has also revealed that Edition 1 has an EPA range of 329 miles, a bit lower than the 350-mile range the automaker was originally expecting. GMC's four-ton electric truck has 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 ft/lb of torque generated by its three motors, giving it the capability to get from zero to 60 miles-per-hour within 3 seconds. The truck can also tow up 7,500 pounds and can carry up to 1,300 pounds. It was built on the Ultium battery pack, the platform GM developed to electrify dozens of models across its brands in the coming years. When it starts shipping out next month, the Edition 1 Hummer EV will become of the first electric trucks in the market along with Rivian's R1T. Tesla is also working on the electric Cybertruck, but the company delayed its release to 2022 in August. Autoblog says more than 80 percent of the reservations for the Hummer EV is for the Edition 1, but other versions of the electrified vehicle are still arriving in 2023. Some of those EVs will cost less and have longer ranges. GMC will also start deliveries for the SUV version of the Hummer EV in 2023. |
| Tesla requires Full Self Driving testers to allow video collection in case of a crash Posted: 24 Nov 2021 01:21 AM PST With Tesla's latest FSD ("Full Self-Driving") release, it's asking drivers to consent to allowing it to collect video taken by a car's exterior and interior cameras in case of an accident or "serious safety risk." That will mark the first time Tesla will attach footage to a specific vehicle and driver, according to an Electrek report. Tesla has gathered video footage as part of FSD before, but it was only used to train and improve its AI self-driving systems. According to the new agreement, however, Tesla will now be able to associate video to specific vehicles. "By enabling FSD Beta, I consent to Tesla's collection of VIN-associated image data from the vehicle's external cameras and Cabin Camera in the occurrence of a serious safety risk or a safety event like a collision," the agreement reads.
As Electrek notes, the language could indicate that Tesla wants to ensure it has evidence in case its FSD system is blamed for an accident. It could possibly also be used to detect and fix serious issues more quickly. FSD 10.3 was released more widely than previous betas, but it was quickly pulled back due to issues like unwarranted Forward Collision Warnings, unexpected autobraking and more. At the time, CEO Elon Musk tweeted that such issues are "to be expected with beta software," adding that "it is impossible to test all hardware configs in all conditions with internal QA, hence public tests." However, other drivers on public roads are unwitting beta testers, too. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating a driver's complaint that FSD led to a November 3rd collision in Brea, California. The owner alleged that it caused his Model Y to enter the wrong lane and hit another car, causing considerable damage to both. Tesla is releasing the new beta to even more users with Driver Safety Scores of 98 and up — previously, beta releases were limited to drivers with perfect 100 scores. Tesla charges drivers $199 per month for the feature or $10,000 in one shot, but has failed meet promised deadlines for autonomous driving. Currently, the FSD system is considered to be a Level 2 system — far from the Level 4 required to really be "full self-driving." |
| Samsung will build a $17 billion semiconductor factory in Texas Posted: 23 Nov 2021 09:41 PM PST Samsung has committed to build a chip-making factory in Texas, just as the US starts to push for the expansion in semiconductor production within the country. The Korean tech giant will be investing $17 billion into the new facility, which will manufacture high-end and advanced chips for smartphones, 5G and artificial intelligence, among other applications. According to The Wall Street Journal, construction for the factory is scheduled to begin next year, while production within the facility is expected to start in the second half of 2024. The US government has been taking steps towards boosting semiconductor production in the US, following the global chip shortage caused by shuttered plants and the high demand for PCs and other devices during the pandemic. This issue continues to have a huge impact across industries — just this year, automakers like GM and Ford had to suspend or cut production in their US plants due to supply constraints. Samsung scouted locations in Arizona, New York and Florida for the new project and also considered Austin, where it has an existing factory. It ultimately chose Taylor, Texas for this new facility due to the generous tax breaks and incentives it offered, as well as the city's capability to do rolling blackouts and providing electricity to certain facilities in the case of power outage. Kim Ki-nam, chief executive of the Samsung Electronics Device Solutions Division, said in a statement:
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| Amazon delays Comixology integration to early 2022 Posted: 23 Nov 2021 04:03 PM PST Amazon has delayed its plan to integrate Comixology purchases and the platform itself into its broader ecosystem. In a FAQ the company posted this week, it said the updated Comixology app, which is slated to bring a host of changes to how the service works, will arrive in early 2022, instead of 2021 as previously announced. "We wanted to take just a little extra time to incorporate feedback we received from our community," the company says in the document. " With this goal in mind, we decided to hold launch until early next year." According to Amazon, the new Comixology app includes improvements to filtering and sorting. It also promises faster and more reliable downloads. The catch is that you'll need an Amazon account to use the app at all. What's more, once the company rolls out the updated software, the current Comixology app won't work following a grace period. However, the biggest change the app was set to introduce is already live as of this week. You no longer need the Comixology app to read purchases you make through the platform. Instead, they're also available through the Kindle app. All that points to a future where Comixology may not exist sometime in the next few years. |
| T-Mobile will pay $19.5 million settlement for 12-hour 911 outage (updated) Posted: 23 Nov 2021 03:08 PM PST T-Mobile is once again on the hook for a 911 outage. The carrier has agreed to pay $19.5 million to settle an FCC investigation of a 12-hour service outage in June 2020 that led to 911 call failures. While the FCC didn't know exactly how many emergency calls were affected due to some overlapping issues, it recorded tens of thousands of issues. Over 23,000 calls suffered a "complete" failure, the FCC said, while a similar amount didn't include location data. Roughly another 20,000 didn't include callback info. The outage began when a leased fiber link in the T-Mobile network went awry, and a single-location routing flaw magnified the crisis. T-Mobile also had problems remotely accessing the fiber link. This isn't the first time T-Mobile has dealt with a 911 outage. It settled to the tune of $17.5 million over failures in 2014. We've asked T-Mobile for comment. The FCC said the carrier responded to outage-related questions in a "timely" fashion, however, so this wasn't a hotly disputed issue. Not that the company was likely to fight a settlement that won't significantly impact its finances. And like it or not, this won't do much to help people who couldn't get full help in a moment of crisis. Update 11/24 12:45PM ET: T-Mobile told Engadget it takes reliable connectivity and public safety "very seriously" with multiple failsafes, and that it was "moving on" from the FCC investigation to focus on its network expansion. You can read the full statement below.
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| Watch NASA’s asteroid-bound DART launch at 1:20AM Wednesday Posted: 23 Nov 2021 02:15 PM PST In mere hours, NASA will attempt to launch one of its most interesting missions in recent memory. At approximately 1:21AM ET, a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California carrying the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) craft. In about a year, NASA will attempt to intentionally crash DART into an incoming asteroid to see if it can alter its course. The test will mark the first time humans have attempted to change the path of an asteroid. The binary system NASA will target as part of the test doesn't pose a threat to Earth, but what the agency learns from the mission could be vital in the future. NASA has identified at least 23 objects that could potentially collide with Earth over the next 100 years. And developing a feasible defense strategy is key to protecting humanity from that threat. You can watch the entire launch unfold on NASA's Live YouTube channel. Live coverage will start at 12:30AM ET on November 24th. |
| Russia demands large tech companies set up local offices by 2022 Posted: 23 Nov 2021 01:19 PM PST Russia is getting serious with demands that foreign tech companies set up shop within its borders. Reuterssays the country's telecom regulator Roskomnadzor has called on 13 foreign and mostly American companies to launch official Russian presences by 2022 so they can comply with a law that took effect July 1st. The list includes familiar tech names like Apple, Google, Meta (Facebook), Telegram, TikTok and Twitter. The law demands local offices for "internet companies" with over 500,000 daily users. Some of the companies already have offices, though, and it's unclear just what constitutes an official presence. Those deemed violating the law could be subject to either complete bans or limits on their ads, data gathering and money transfers. As you might have guessed, the concern is that Russia might use the law to wield more control over those companies and their content. Russia has clashed with Apple multiple times, for instance, including a fine for allegedly abusing App Store dominance — this law might give officials more leverage. The move might also help Russia pressure companies into censoring content the government deems objectionable, such as social media posts backing the political opposition to Putin's regime. The announcement makes a tricky situation that much more difficult. Russia is a significant market some companies can't always afford to lose but honoring the request could also mean enabling censorship and other rights abuses. Companies may soon have to make decisions that are painful regardless of the outcome. |
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