Monday, November 22, 2021

Engadget RSS Feed

Engadget RSS Feed

Activision Blizzard CEO will consider leaving if problems aren't solved quickly

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 12:01 PM PST

Bobby Kotick has reportedly said he may consider resigning as CEO of Activision Blizzard if he can't fix the company's cultural problems fast enough. According to The Wall Street Journal, Kotick held a meeting last week involving senior leadership at Blizzard Entertainment in which he said he was "ashamed" of some of the incidents that had occured at the studio under his tenure as CEO. He reportedly went to apologize for his handling of the current situation after he was told some employees would not be satisfied unless he were to resign. According to The Journal, Kotick left open the possibility of a resignation if he couldn't fix the company's problems "with speed."

We've reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment.

Calls for Kotick to resign have steadily increased in frequency since The Wall Street Journalpublished a report last week which alleged he knew about many of the sexual misconduct incidents that had occured at the company over the years. According to the outlet, Kotick has also been accused of mistreating women himself, including one episode involving a voicemail in which he allegedly threatened to have his assistant killed.

After the report came out on November 16th, Activision Blizzard employees staged a walkout and later started a petition calling for Kotick to be removed as CEO of the company. Since then, a group of activist shareholders has also called on Kotick to step down. In leaked emails, the heads of Sony Interactive Entertainment and Microsoft's Xbox division both said they were troubled by the allegations that had come out of the publisher. In the latter case, Phil Spencer reportedly told employees he was "evaluating all aspects of our relationship with Activision Blizzard and making ongoing proactive adjustments."

One group Kotick has seemingly not lost support among is Activision Blizzard's board of directors. On the same day The Journal published its report, the company's board said it "remains confident that Bobby Kotick appropriately addressed workplace issues brought to his attention." 

Hideo Kojima's studio has opened a film, TV and music division

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 10:36 AM PST

"Why doesn't Kojima just make movies?" It's a rhetorical question fans of Hideo Kojima have asked after every game since Metal Gear Solid. For better or worse, no other creator in the gaming industry has pushed the medium closer to film than Kojima. And after hinting his studio could venture into filmmaking, it's doing precisely that. 

Per GamesIndustry.Biz, Kojima Productions has established a division dedicated to music, TV and film that will operate out of Los Angeles. Riley Russell, a former Sony Interactive executive, will lead the unit as it attempts to expand the cultural footprint of Kojima Productions.

"The new division will be tasked with working with creative and talented professionals in television, music and film, as well as the more familiar games industry," Russell told the outlet. "The team has as its charter, the goal of expanding the reach and awareness of the properties now under development at Kojima Productions, and to make them even more a part of our popular culture."

It's not surprising to see Kojima Productions expand beyond games. Kojima is known for his film-like approach to making games, and if you follow him on Twitter, you'll know he frequently tweets about his favorite albums and movies. The question now becomes how the studio plans to handle the expansion. Since reforming in 2015, Kojima Productions has released one game. You can push that number to two if you count the recent Director's Cut release of Death Stranding as a separate title. What would a film adaptation of Death Stranding look like? For that matter, what would an adaptation of any Kojima game look like? We may just find out soon enough.  

GameStop's Black Friday deals include all-time low prices on some Switch games

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 10:21 AM PST

GameStop's Black Friday sale is underway, and it includes some killer deals on Nintendo Switch games. Several have dropped from $60 to $27, which is the lowest price we've seen for them to date. The most notable title here is probably The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is widely considered one of the best games ever. If you haven't yet checked out the open-world adventure, now's a great time to do so ahead of the sequel's arrival in 2022.

Several other Switch games have dropped to an all-time low of $27 at GameStop: Astral Chain, Xenoblade Chronicles, Paper Mario and Kirby Star Allies. As spotted by Nintendo Life, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe and Splatoon 2 are also available at that price, which matches their respective previous lows.

The physical and digital editions of each game are on sale. If you're buying one as a gift, a physical copy might be the nicer option, but it's worth noting that GameStop's free shipping doesn't kick in until you spend at least $35. So, you might want to treat yourself too.

You can also find deals on PlayStation and Xbox games and services. Among them are a third off a year of PlayStation Plus and savings on games including Deathloop, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Far Cry 6 and FIFA 22.

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.

Ridley Scott says a Blade Runner TV series is in development

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 09:40 AM PST

Blade Runner director Ridley Scott has confirmed that a TV show based on the sci-fi classic is in the works. The filmmaker also mentioned in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today that work is progressing on the Alien series.

"We're already into having written the pilot for Blade Runner, and the bible," Scott said. "So already presenting Blade Runner as a TV show, which should probably be the first 10 hours, and then Alien is a similar thing. Alien is now being written for pilot." A bible is a plan that screenwriters or producers put together to detail the world of a TV show beyond what's in the scripts, including information about the characters and plot.

Scott didn't provide any insight about who's involved with the Blade Runner series or how it ties into his movie or the sequel, Blade Runner 2049, which was released in 2017. An anime spinoff, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, debuted on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll this month. In addition, Westwood's classic 1997 adventure game Blade Runner is being remastered. So, Blade Runner fans have plenty to look forward to.

Meanwhile, the Alien series was announced last December. Noah Hawley — who adapted another popular movie, Fargo, for TV — is the showrunner of the upcoming FX show. The series won't premiere until at least 2023, unfortunately.

Twitter starts experimenting with shopping features in livestreams

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 09:30 AM PST

After its first serious foray into e-commerce this past summer, Twitter has started testing a new live shopping experience. The feature essentially allows users to both watch a broadcast and shop at the same time. The first live shopping stream will debut on November 28th at 7PM ET when Walmart hosts a Cyber Week-themed livestream with Jason Derulo. The songwriter will spend about 30 minutes talking about a variety of products, including electronics and home decor.

"Livestreaming on Twitter gives businesses the power to engage with their most influential fans, and adding the ability to shop into this experience is a natural extension to attracting and engaging with receptive audiences," Twitter said of the feature.

Twitter has also started testing a "Shopping Manager" it says will help with the merchant onboarding experience. Additionally, the company is expanding the availability of the "Shop Module." First announced in July, the tool allows brands and businesses to add a carousel to their profile that can highlight a selection of products. Over the coming weeks, the company says it will roll out the feature to more merchants in the US.

Compared to other social media platforms, Twitter has been slow to embrace and add e-commerce features. The fact the company is now adding a host of shopping features suggests it sees e-eommerce as a big part of its future.

Nintendo's Zelda-themed Game & Watch is a love letter to Link's 8-bit origins

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 09:30 AM PST

For the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. last year, Nintendo released a special edition Game & Watch. (If you don't know, Game & Watch were a line of handheld LCD devices from the '80s that could each play one very simple game.) Rather than featuring a single title, the Super Mario anniversary device had a full version of the original adventure as well as its Japan-only sequel, known in the West as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

Nintendo's pulling the same trick this year with a 35th-anniversary Legend of Zelda-themed Game & Watch that just went on sale. And like last year's model, it includes a color screen and full games, but the selection is more generous. It includes the original The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, both originally released on the NES. It also includes The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, which came out on the Game Boy in 1993, making this essentially a collection of Zelda's early 8-bit adventures.

I actually have never really played the first two Zelda games, though I do love Link's Awakening. I played the Switch remaster a few years ago, but I haven't touched the original game since my childhood — so when we got a chance to check this tiny device out, I was pretty thrilled to give that game a go.

The Game & Watch itself is elegantly designed, but also feels rather cheap. It's a tiny, palm-sized device with an eye-catching gold front, while the rest of the device is clad in green plastic. The front has a 2.36-inch color LCD screen that is very small but also looks great — and when playing Link's Awakening, the upgrade from the Game Boy's screen, which had no backlight, is dramatic. The D-Pad and buttons are nothing to write home about, but they're good enough.

On the right side of the device is an exceedingly modern USB-C port for charging its battery (which is pretty meager, so you're going to need to do that a lot) and a power button; the speaker is on the left side. Finally, there's a great Easter egg on the back: When the screen is on, the Triforce glows subtly through the green plastic. It's a great little detail.

The Legend of Zelda Game & Watch
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The Game & Watch has a few different modes: clock, timer and game. Pressing the "game" button lets you switch between the three Zelda titles, a Link-themed version of Vermin (from a 1980 Game & Watch), and the timer. The clock and timer are fairly self-explanatory, but their use of Zelda action as backgrounds is expertly done.

On the clock, you'll see the original Legend of Zelda, and the CPU-controlled Link essentially battles his way through the game over the course of the next 12 hours, defeating Ganon and rescuing Zelda at 11:59. If you're so inclined, you can pick up the console and control the action from the clock screen at any time. Likewise, the timer features a handful of different scenes from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link that you can either watch or play yourself. The device's packaging even converts into a little stand so you can use the Game & Watch as a desk clock.

If you're interested in this Game & Watch, though, you're not in it for playing the clock: you want to relive Link's earliest adventures on the smallest portable device you can find. Sure, you can play the NES Zelda collection on the Switch (or many other old Nintendo devices), but the Game & Watch's miniature screen and old-school controls feel just right for these adventures. That's doubly true with Link's Awakening, since it was originally designed for portable systems.

The games themselves are exactly as you remember them, with no quality of life enhancements or graphics updates; Link's Awakening is in black and white, rather than the later "DX" version released for the Game Boy color. I'm not complaining, though, as these original versions seem right for the Game & Watch as a celebration of the series' 8-bit origins.

The Legend of Zelda Game & Watch
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

How you feel about these games will depend on your history with the series. Like I said, I've never played the original NES Zelda adventures; I got on board with A Link to the Past in 1992. As such, I don't have a lot of nostalgic love for the original pair, and playing the first game was an exercise in frustration. There's barely a map, Link is slow while enemies are fast, and aiming is imprecise at best. I definitely died more than my fair share of times, which was rather humbling for this self-described Zelda expert. But hey, I shouldn't have expected anything different from a 1986 game, and I started to get the hang of it soon enough.

Link's Awakening, on the other hand, was like visiting an old friend. Muscle and brain memory combined to have me slashing my way through it in no time at all, and it controlled just like I remembered. The A and B buttons may have felt rather squishy, but the D-pad was close enough to the one on my old Game Boy that I felt right at home. I don't know if I'll finish the NES Zelda games, but I'll definitely play through Link's Awakening.

So who exactly is this $50 device for? The Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch was really only meant for people who loved that first Mario game, not necessarily people who love the Mario franchise in general. Likewise, The Legend of Zelda Game & Watch is best for someone who loved these original games growing up. It doesn't even have to be all three, though — if one of them was a formative gaming experience, you'll delight in getting a chance to play it on a cute little handheld. But someone raised on Twilight Princess or Breath of the Wild probably will find these a lot less essential.

Analogue's Pocket handheld starts shipping on December 13th

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 08:45 AM PST

After multiple delays, the Analogue Pocket finally has an exact release date. In an email the company sent to those who pre-ordered the handheld console, Analogue said it would start shipping the device on December 13th. It expects to deliver most pre-orders by the end of the year.

If you expect you won't be at home to receive your shipment during that time, Analogue recommends you email it about holding your order. In that case, your Pocket will ship sometime around January 3rd. Lastly, if you want to make any last-minute tweaks to your order, the final day to do so is November 28th.

Getting the Pocket to market has been something of a journey for Analogue. When the company first announced the $199 handheld, with its ability to play Game Boy, Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color and Atari Lynx games, it promised to deliver it sometime in 2020. But that was before the pandemic, and like with many other electronics, supply chain issues forced Analogue to adapt.

iRobot's Roomba 694 is on sale for a record low of $179 right now

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 08:35 AM PST

If you're looking for an affordable robot vacuum to gift this year, one of iRobot's latest may do the trick. The Roomba 694, which came out earlier this year as a replacement for the Roomba 675, has dropped back down to an all-time low of $179. Normally $275, this model was already fairly inexpensive — especially for an iRobot device — but this Black Friday sale puts it in line with budget models from the likes of Anker and others.

Buy Roomba 694 at Amazon - $179

iRobot carried over most of the features from the Roomba 675 to the new 694, but the latest robo-vac has a sleeker design that features three physical buttons on its top. You can manually control the device using those buttons, or you can turn to the mobile app for that. When we tested the Roomba 694 for our budget robot vacuum guide, we found it to be good at cleaning both hard and carpeted floors, thanks in part to iRobot's three-stage cleaning system, and we liked its ability to focus on particularly dirty spots until they were completely clean. One of the on-device buttons even lets you activate a spot-cleaning mode if and when you want the device to clean only a targeted spot.

The companion app is one of the Roomba 694's selling points. It's pretty easy to navigate, even for those who have never used a robot vacuum before. With the iRobot app and the device connected to WiFi, you can set cleaning schedule and remotely turn the device on and off. You can even use Alexa or Google Assistant commands to tell the robo-vac to start a cleaning job — and when it's finished, it'll automatically return to its base for a recharge. It should last roughly 90 minutes on a single charge, which should be enough time for it to clean one floor of your home (depending on how big it is) or the entirety of a small apartment.

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.

Uber Eats users in Ontario can now buy cannabis through the app

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 08:19 AM PST

Uber Eats is moving into the cannabis market. Starting today, users in Ontario can place an order at retailer Tokyo Smoke through the app. Don't expect an Uber driver to drop off joints, though. Cannabis orders are pickup-only for the time being.

Users need to search for "cannabis" or "Tokyo Smoke" and confirm they're of legal age before they can make their purchase. Orders will be ready for pickup within an hour. At the store, buyers will need to present their ID to Tokyo Smoke staff to prove they're aged 19 or older. 

With the help of the swift order turnaround, Uber and Tokyo Smoke hope they can steer business away from those who deal pot illegally. Uber says the underground market accounts for 40 percent of non-medical cannabis sales in Canada, where recreational use was legalized in 2018.

Cannabis is a new market for Uber. The company didn't mention whether it will offer cannabis purchases in other provinces or via other retailers, or if it will eventually deliver orders. Uber has been making inroads into alcohol delivery, and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said earlier this year the company might deliver cannabis in the US if it were legalized at federal level.

Sundance’s ‘biodigital’ film festival will try to bridge the gap between VR and reality

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 07:43 AM PST

Next year's Sundance Film Festival will mark a momentous return to Park City, Utah, after in-person festivities were cancelled last year. But Sundance isn't giving up on the digital platforms it used to stream films and bring cinephiles into a VR social hub last January. As part of its New Frontier exhibition, Sundance plans to expand The Spaceship, its virtual venue where attendees can chat together and explore VR and mixed reality art installations.

In an effort to connect Sundance's in-person attendees with its global online audience, the Festival will also launch a "Biodigital Bridge" in Park City. Shari Frilot, Sundance's Senior Programmer and Chief Curator of New Frontier, describes it as a human-scale screen where physical and digital attendees will be able to interact with each other. Developed together with the immersive studio Active Theory, the bridge will offer basic chat support, but it's mostly a way for Sundance-goers to see how other attendees enjoy the event.

Sundance New Frontier curator Shari Frilot.
Sundance New Frontier curator Shari Frilot.
Sundance Film Festival

Frilot says New Frontier has been pushing the concept of biodigital experiences for several years now, mostly through an exploration of how technology can intersect with our lives. Think of the way that an app like Uber, or even Google Maps, has reshaped the way we navigate physical spaces. But now that the pandemic has forced us to rely on our tech more than ever — Sundance wouldn't have been possible without it last year, after all — the term seems practically prescient. It's more than just a buzzword: Frilot says she's interested in exploring the technology that best serves humanity, or Team Human, as media theorist Douglas Rushkoff put it.

Last year, I found Sundance's online platform last year to be a fascinating way to explore the festival and interact with fans. The core of the experience is the aforementioned Spaceship, which allows attendees on computers and VR headsets to mull about together. On a laptop or desktop, it resembles a stripped down version of Second Life. You walk around as simplistic avatars, and if you choose, you can also flip on your webcam, which fills your avatar's head with a live video feed. Since Sundance's platform is built on WebXR, a way to deliver virtual reality over the web, you can enter that same space in VR by slipping on any headset and visiting Sundance's website.

Sundance Film Festival 2022 New Frontier
Sundance Film Festival

Compared to SXSW's VR platform, which looked beautiful but mostly felt like a virtual wasteland, it was clear that Sundance got something right last year. After isolating for most of 2020, being able to see many of my cinephile friends in VR made last year's Sundance feel special. So for next year, Frilot says, the festival is going even further. The Spaceship will be upgraded with a new Cinema House, where attendees on computers and VR headsets can view events livestreamed from Park City, as well as room-scale discussions.

On the ground, Sundance will also have a new space called The Craft, which will let in-person attendees visit New Frontier exhibits, artist discussions and panels. There will also be VR headsets to use, though the festival is also encouraging people to bring their own gear if they've got it. Sundance hasn't finalized its list of New Frontier exhibits yet, but Frilot tells me many artists are optimizing for the Oculus Quest 2, so fest-goers can experience their work without being connected to a PC. But there will likely still be pieces that demand a serious VR rig. Sundance's famed Egyptian theater will also host some New Frontier performances, which will occur both on the ground and virtually on the Spaceship.

Sundance's new virtual Cinema House.

You'll need a $50 Sundance Explorer Pass to access all of these virtual goodies, which is double what it cost last year. It's a shame to see the price jump so quickly, but it's also reflective of the deeper commitment the festival is making in its digital platforms. Notably, the Explorer Pass is also open to people around the world, whereas Sundance's virtual screenings are limited to U.S. attendees.

"[The virtual platform] is not just this thing that we're trying, we're actually doubling down on this," Frilot says. "This points to the vital landscape of how cinema and storytelling is going to manifest [going forward]. We're here to not only contribute to it, but to meet it and support it."

The Instant Pot Duo Plus is already half off for Black Friday

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 07:17 AM PST

For those who haven't jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet, the holiday shopping season is a great time to buy one because you'll find most models on sale. We're a few days out from Black Friday but the six-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus is already half off, bringing it down to a record low of $59. The higher-end Instant Pot Pro Crisp, which includes an air-fryer lid, is also down to an all-time low of $170.

Buy Instant Pot Duo Plus at Amazon - $59Buy Instant Pot Pro Crisp at Amazon - $170

The Instant Pot Duo Plus is better for most people, and certainly better for Instant Pot newbies. It combines nine cooking methods in one device: pressure cooking, slow cooking, sautéing, rice cooking, yogurt making, steaming, warming, sous vide cooking and sterilizing. It also has a number of quick-cooking modes, including slow cook, soup, eggs and rice, that can be activated with just one button press. All that is to say that this one device can prepare a bunch of different foods in various ways, without much hassle on the part of the home cook. The inner pot is made of food-grade stainless steel and is dishwasher safe, too, so cleanup is a breeze as well. And with this model's six-quart capacity, you'll be able to make a full meal for a mid-sized family or a group of visiting friends easily.

Air frying is a big trend right now and thankfully you don't have to buy a dedicated air fryer to get those results. A few Instant Pot models have an air fry mode, but they require a special lid. The Instant Pot Pro Crisp is one such model that comes with the necessary lid (along with the standard multi-cooker lid) and it's $80 off right now, bringing it down to $170. This model has 11 cooking modes, the two included lids plus additional accessories like an air fryer basket and a dehydrating/broiling tray. It's also an eight-quart machine, making it even better than the discounted Duo Plus for large families and gatherings.

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.

Google Messages will display iMessage reactions as emoji

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 07:09 AM PST

The latest version of Google's Messages app seems to fix a long-standing issue for Android users: it finally displays reactions sent via Apple's iMessage correctly. As reported by 9to5 Google, the app now turns Tapbacks into emoji.

Until now, Messages has converted Tapbacks into "fallback" text. So, if an Android user sent a message to an iPhone owner reading "see you in ten?" and their iOS buddy used the thumbs up reaction, Messages displayed that response as its own line of text (i.e. "liked 'see you in ten?'"). That often made conversations far messier than they needed to be, especially in group chats.

Google brought emoji reactions to Messages on RCS-compatible Android devices last year, but there are some differences from iOS Tapbacks. While Apple uses a heart icon, a "ha ha" label and other punctuation, Google uses emoji. So, the Android app appears to convert the heart into a face with heart eyes, "ha ha" into a laughing face and so on. Some nuance might get lost in translation, but it's still far cleaner than Google's previous method of displaying Tapbacks.

Word of the change first emerged via 9to5 Google's deep dive into the latest Messages beta. Google is now rolling out the update. We're not quite at the stage where iMessage is on Android, but at least Google is playing a little nicer with iOS.

GoDaddy discloses recent security breach that exposed 1.2 million accounts

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 07:01 AM PST

In disclosures to the Securities and Exchange Commission, web registrar and hosting company GoDaddy has revealed that it discovered it had been hacked. The company says that it discovered an "unauthorized third party" had gained access to its Managed WordPress hosting environment. Anything up to 1.2 million users have seen their email address and customer number exposed, as well as admin passwords for both WordPress sites hosted on the platform, plus passwords for sFTPs, databases and SSL private keys.

The document says that GoDaddy believes that the breach first occurred on September 6th, 2021, and the investigation is currently ongoing. Demetrius Comes, Chief Information Security Officer, says that GoDaddy is currently working with law enforcement and a private IT forensics firm. In addition, it says that it has reset the relevant credentials and will work with users to issue new SSL certificates. Comes ends his statement by saying that the company will, perhaps a little too belatedly, "learn from this incident" and will take steps to prevent such a breach happening in future.

This is far from the first time that GoDaddy has been spoken in the same sentence as a security breach in recent years. In 2018, an AWS error exposed data on GoDaddy servers, and in 2020, 28,000 user accounts were breached by an unauthorized individual. Later last year, GoDaddy was also referenced as part of a hack that took down a number of sites in the cryptocurrency space.

A little-known company made smart fitness clothing you might actually wear at the gym

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 07:00 AM PST

Smartwear hasn't quite had its moment. Innovators like Hexoskin and Omsignal, not to mention huge companies like Adidas and Ralph Lauren, have struggled to make an impact, demanding a lot of money for dedicated shirts and sensors, while contending with mediocre accuracy, polarizing style choices and not many compelling reasons to exist. As Adam Crofts, founder of the startup Prevayl, puts it, there have been a lot of lessons to learn from other companies' mistakes. He's hoping to get it right.

Prevayl, whose first products launch in the UK later this month, combines a small tracking sensor with a line of fitness "smart" shirts, from crop tops through to vests and compression shirts, in addition to a companion app (of course) and an online community. Usually, that means something approximating a forum, but according to the company's website, it's created "a members-only private community designed for amateur athletes and the sporting elite."

It's limited its first wave of users to 700 people. The audience seems to be, well, the fittest friends and acquaintances you know. The ones that know what they can benchpress, their fastest 5K time, or their VO2 Max. The latter is not a haircare product.

Prevayl's sweet spot is this area between amateur athlete and biometric obsessive, and it's approaching the fitness tech fight with style. It has a slick promotional video featuring pro athletes, a moody black logo and a surprisingly slick, well designed app. (Seriously, it amazes me how poor most entry-level fitness apps can still look.) And the shirt? Well, it looks good on the athletes.

Prevayl smart shirt

At a preview event in London, the team set me up in one of their first shirts, ahead of a planned launch early next year. It feels like a premium, luxury sports tee. It's breathable, soft to the touch and tight. An elasticated band across the chest on all of the garments houses the conductive sensors, connected with graphene-augmented knitted electrodes. The fibers connecting these sensors look like metallic shoelaces and are machine washable. The shirt can go straight into a warm laundry wash; you just need to ensure you've taken the sensor out from the tiny pocket on the front of the clothing.

Prevayl smart shirt
Mat Smith/Engadget

There's no need to fasten the sensor in place, as it comes in contact with the conductive fabric as soon as it's in the front of the shirt. The sensor itself is an evolution from the chunky haphazard sensor unit design of smartwear's past. The sensor has a plastic stopper that protects the USB-C charging port, while the charging cable is a small, machined aluminum clasp that magnetically folds in on itself.

The company makes everything here in-house, and Crofts believes this is why Prevayl can do things differently. "Usually, it's been tech [companies] trying to make clothing or visa versa." The company's approach to the clothing itself was "style led" design. Prevayl's head office has entire machines and technicians dedicated to knitting the clothing part of the equation.

Despite the sensor itself being so small, it's packed with tech. There's a "clinical-grade" ECG, that tracks your workout with four times the frequency of Polar heart rate monitors. It also monitors breathing frequency, motion and even body temperature. There's even a bioimpedance sensor, which can be used for body composition scans, but there didn't seem to be any feature that takes advantage of that yet. Prevayl is trying to do it all.

The company puts all this biometric data to use through many of the features and guidance you've seen on other fitness devices and services. Like Whoop, the system can be used to gauge whether your body has fully recovered from a workout; like MyZone's traffic light system, it color-codes your workout effort into five categories, measuring both how hard you're working out and when your heart rate has recovered. This is all in addition to tracking your heart-rate, caloric burn and more. Within the app, you can even see an accurate cardiogram of your heart as it beats away.

Prevayl smart shirt
Mat Smith/Engadget

One of the bigger challenges, which many fitness trackers and wearables struggle with, is ensuring a decent level of accuracy. Crofts mentioned multiple times during our interview that the company has been obsessed with gathering data.

The company worked with the UK's University of Salford to validate the accuracy of its ECG unit. The team also recruited professional athletes, including British Olympic and Paralympic athletes and professional sportspeople, to test its prototypes and offer up crucial data for the team to chew over. The next stage is testing with more typical gym-goers, weekend warriors and the marginal gain-chaser, kicking off this month.

Even sized at a large, my tee felt a little too snug. I know many of us aren't fans of the compression fit, but this, a tank top and crop top are the only options for now. Fortunately, Prevayl is working on loose fit and long-sleeved options, which I'd find more appealing. More colors, beyond Personal Trainer Black (my name, not theirs), are also incoming. The issue remains, though: If you wanted to use this system frequently, you will need more than one top. Or to do a daily laundry run.

As the sensor is removable, this should strip away some (most?) of the cost of additional shirts. But Prevayl wants to invade the luxury sportswear segment and that means prices to reflect that ambition. To begin with, it will cost you at least £120, which is roughly equivalent to $160. This starter kit includes a sensor priced at £60, and a tank top. Not including the sensor, the Smart Tank will cost £60, while the Smarts Sports Bra will be £65. The Smart T-Shirt, which I tested, will cost £70. The impressive specs and tight app integration will go up against the expensive cost of entry.

Judging from my demo with Prevayl's team (and my own early testing), the product is already looking polished. I spoke with a fitness professional at my local gym who, conveniently, had also tested out Prevayl. She noted that any new smartwear product would have to fight against incumbent chest straps and fitness trackers. Unlike a smartwatch, it's nearly impossible to wear this top in tandem with a chest strap from another manufacturer. People are creators of habit — especially when it comes to exercise. People swear by Strada or their Apple Watch because it's familiar and consistent. At this early stage, Prevayl's online community isn't yet live.

For now, the company is focusing on the UK and Ireland, but Prevayl's spokesperson told me that the US will be a priority. I'm planning to test the smart shirt further, but I might have to invest in more items if I want to get serious about using Prevayl regularly.

Crucial's 1TB MX500 internal SSD is back on sale for $85

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 06:34 AM PST

It's frustrating to run out of space on your desktop or laptop, but you can turn to storage devices for extra room and now's a good time to look for them if you're getting short on space. Black Friday deals have already popped up on some of our favorite models, including those from Crucial. The 1TB MX500 internal SSD is on sale for $85, which is 15 percent off its normal price and only a few dollars shy of a record low. The 2TB model is down to $168 as well, and if you don't need that much extra space, you can pick up the 500GB version for only $53.

Buy Crucial MX500 (1TB) at Amazon - $85

The MX500 should fit into most computers thanks to its 2.5-inch design, and it supports sequential read speeds of up to 560 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 510 MB/s. It also comes with AES 256-bit hardware encryption as well as integrated power-loss immunity, the latter of which should protect your data even if your power gets cut unexpectedly.

If you're looking for an internal drive that's a bit more high-end, or one that works with the PS5, Crucial's P5 Plus in 1TB is down to $145, which is 19 percent off its regular rate and an all-time low. This drive made it into our PS5 SSD guide because, even at its normal price, it's a solid budget option for the console as long as you're willing to supply your own heatsink. It's an NVMe PCIe SSD with read speeds up to 6,600 MB/s and write speeds up to 5,000 MB/s, and it's optimized for high-performance gaming and computing.

For those with tighter budgets who still want to expand their PS5 storage options, Crucial's X6 external drive in 1TB is 38 percent off right now, bringing it down to $80. Yes, you can use portable SSDs with the console, but there are some limitations: when connected to a PS5, an external drive can only be used to play PS4 titles or store PS5 games. That means you can move a PS5 title out of cold storage when you want to play it, which may be best if you have slower internet speeds impeding your ability to download games quickly. We like the X6 for its fast 540 MB/s read speeds, durable design that's shock, drop, vibration and temperature resistant and its compatibility with a wide range of devices.

Buy Crucial P5 Plus (1TB) at Amazon - $145Buy Crucial X6 (1TB) at Amazon - $80

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 best deals on AirPods you can get for Black Friday

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 05:47 AM PST

Apple's AirPods are some of the most popular earbuds (and headphones) available right now, so don't be shocked if they top some of your loved ones' wish lists. Black Friday typically brings decent sales on these devices, and we're already starting to see good discounts across the web. There are a few different models at this point: the latest 3rd-generation AirPods were updated just last month with a new design, improved audio quality and longer battery life, while the AirPods Pro remain the best sounding Apple earbuds and now they come with a MagSafe charging case. You can still grab the 2nd-generation AirPods as well, and the AirPods Max are best for those that prefer over-ear headphones. Here are the best deals on Apple's AirPods that we found for Black Friday.

AirPods Pro

Apple AirPods Pro
Billy Steele / Engadget

The updated AirPods Pro with the MagSafe case are on sale for $170 at Amazon right now. Walmart will have them for $159 starting at 3pm ET today for Walmart+ members, while everyone else can get that discount starting at 7pm ET. If you're a Sam's Club member, you can grab the Pros for $150 with $70 of Scan & Go Savings starting on Black Friday. These offer the best sound quality and fit of any of Apple's earbuds, and now they have a magnetic wireless charging case that's compatible with MagSafe accessories.

Buy AirPods Pro at Amazon - $170Buy AirPods Pro at Walmart - $159

AirPods (3rd gen)

Apple totally overhauled AirPods for the third-generation version with the biggest changes coming in the design and audio quality.
Billy Steele/Engadget

Apple's latest AirPods are down to $155 for Black Friday at Amazon thanks to a sale price and an additional $15 coupon that will be applied at checkout. We gave them a score of 88 for their more comfortable design, much improved audio quality and longer battery life.

Buy AirPods (3rd gen) at Amazon - $155

AirPods (2nd gen)

Apple AirPods.
Engadget

The previous-generation AirPods are on sale for $115 right now, or roughly $44 off its normal price. While not the latest models, these are still decent earbuds that we liked for their improved wireless performance and good battery life.

Buy AirPods (2nd gen) at Amazon - $115

AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Max
Engadget

Apple's AirPods Max in a few colors are down to $440 right now, or only $10 more than their record-low price. These headphones earned a score of 84 from us for their excellent, balanced sound, solid ANC and good battery life.

Buy AirPods Max at Amazon - $440

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.

Canon's best budget mirrorless camera is $100 off at Amazon

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 04:31 AM PST

Canon's EOS M200 is still one of the best budget mirrorless cameras thanks to features like the Dual Pixel autofocus system and 4K video. Now, you can pick one up with an EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 at Amazon for just $450 or $100 (18 percent) off the regular price. 

Buy Canon EOS M200 at Amazon - $450

The EOS M200 is a top pick as a budget camera because it's so compact and versatile. It takes great photos thanks to the 24.1-megapixel APS-C sensor, which delivers sharp images with natural colors and skin tones. It also comes with Canon's Dual Pixel eye-detect autofocus tech, so most of them will be in focus, too. And for social or tourist shooting, it comes with a pop-up flash.

At the same time, it can handle 4K video at 24 fps, albeit with a 1.6 times crop. That, along with the flip-up display, makes it very useful as a vlogging camera — and it's even good for social media because it can also shoot vertical video. The 15-45mm lens, meanwhile, offers a decent zoom range for most types of shooting.

The downsides are the lack of a viewfinder, though that helps keep the size very small. It also offers a limited lens selection and relatively slow burst shooting speeds. However, it's a real bargain at $450, which is a cheaper price than most cameras without any lens at all. 

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: Adele has the power to remove the shuffle button

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 04:15 AM PST

Spotify has removed the shuffle button from all album pages after Adele pressed the company for the change in time for the launch of her album 30. According to her own tweet, albums should be listened to "as [artists] intended" as they tell "a story." If you were ever in doubt of the influence of major music artists like Adele or Taylor Swift, here's your answer.

Adele's debut single from 30, "Easy On Me," broke a single-day Spotify streaming record previously held by K-pop megagroup BTS. That probably helped.

— Mat Smith

'Halo Infinite' is best when it stops being 'Halo'

Choices.

The Morning After
Microsoft

Halo Infinite's opening had Engadget Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar worried, especially after its year-long delay. Sure, it was nice to be back in Master Chief's shoes, but he feared a retread of familiar Halo gameplay, even with the addition of a new grappling hook. Same environments, same cannon fodder.

But a few hours in, once Devindra acquired a Cortana-like AI called The Weapon, Halo Infinite finally opened up. After clearing out an early area, he was presented with something rarely seen in Halo: choice. Read on for his full preview of arguably Xbox's most highly anticipated game. 

Continue reading.

Sponsored by CISCO

Your work-from-anywhere solution

CISCO Image 3

Disneyland gets the 'Hey, Disney' voice assistant in 2022

You'll also get smarter MagicBands in the bargain.

Disney has revealed that "Hey, Disney" is coming to Disneyland hotel rooms sometime in 2022. As in Walt Disney World, it'll be available alongside Alexa in your room's Echo speaker and handle requests ranging from amenities through to stories and jokes.

There's more technology in the park, too, as MagicBand+ wearables will also reach Disneyland in 2022. You can use the wristband to enter the park, make purchases and go touch-free, and they'll use a mix of lights, haptic feedback and gesture controls throughout the theme park.

Continue reading.

Early Pixel 6a leak suggests Google might finally ditch the headphone jack

One of the last hold-outs.

The Morning After
OnLeaks/91Mobiles

Google's Pixel 6 is barely on store shelves, but don't let that stop rumors about its budget A-Series getting another device. Well-known tipster OnLeaks and 91Mobiles have posted what they say are Pixel 6a design renders, and they might prove polarizing. The future midrange phone would follow the redesigned Pixel 6, meaning, yes, that 'cyclops' camera bar. However, the headphone jack from the Pixel 5a and other "a" models appears to have vanished.

Continue reading.

El Salvador plans to create an entire city based on Bitcoin

There would even be a power plant to help with bitcoin mining.

President Nayib Bukele has unveiled plans to build a Bitcoin City near a volcano along the Gulf of Fonseca, between La Unión and Conchagua. Yes, it sounds like a video-game locale in Cyberpunk, but sadly it's more about business. Even if it's near a volcano.

The metropolis will have its own geothermal power plant to support crypto mining, and there will be no capital gains, income, payroll or property taxes, just value added tax.

Continue reading.

Creepy soft synth has a visualizer that stares back

Synth#boi is an art project you can play — and buy.

TMA
Synthboy

The more you play on the Synth#boi, the more the 'person' in the visualizer lights up — it's as if the device is staring back at you and judging your performance. Which isn't sinister at all. 

Continue reading.

 

 

The biggest news stories you might have missed

Early Black Friday gaming deals include one year of PS Plus for $40

Why Apple changed its mind on Right to Repair

ICYMI: It's finally time to test SharePlay on iOS 15.1

Engadget Deals: Apple Watch SE and Fitbits drop to all-time low prices at Amazon

Netflix renews 'Arcane' for a second season

UK will require new homes to have EV chargers starting in 2022

Posted: 22 Nov 2021 03:35 AM PST

Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will be required for all new homes and businesses in the UK starting in 2022, the government announced today. The new measure aims to boost EV adoption in the nation by adding up to 145,000 extra charging points each year. 

 "This will mean people can buy new properties already ready for an electric vehicle future, while ensuring charge points are readily available at new shops and workplaces across the UK — making it as easy as refueling a petrol or diesel car today," the press release states.

The UK government has already backed the installation of over 250,000 charging points, so the new rules would increase that by over 50 percent in the first year alone. Buildings like supermarkets and workplaces are included in the law, along with large scale renovations that will have over 10 parking spaces. However, details of the rules, like specifications and power outputs of the installations, have yet to be released. 

Britain's opposition Labour party noted that London and the southeast part of the country have more charging points "than the rest of England and Wales combined," and the new law doesn't help in that regard. It also said that it doesn't include any provisions that would make EVs more affordable for lower- and middle-income families, the BBC reported.

The UK government aims to completely ban the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2030 — 10 years earlier than planned. The government previously said that it's prepared to spend £500 million (about $660 million) on building EV charging infrastructure in the country.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)