Saturday, December 4, 2021

Engadget RSS Feed

Engadget RSS Feed

Recommended Reading: Tech CEOs are yearning to be visionaries again

Posted: 04 Dec 2021 07:30 AM PST

The tech moguls are looking for a new playground

Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic

Mark Zuckerberg is building a metaverse. Jack Dorsey resigned from Twitter and is focused on blockchain and crypto. The Atlantic's Charlie Warzel argues that two of the biggest figures in online culture focusing their ambitions on "the escape pod" is a sure sign this "iteration of the internet" nears its end. 

'Magic dirt': How the internet fueled, and defeated, the pandemic's weirdest MLM

Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News

A $110 bag of dirt was marketed by Black Oxygen Organics as a way to improve brain function, heart health and rid the body of toxins. It took off as an internet-based multi-level marketing scheme before people started debunking claims of wellness benefits. Turns out, samples exceeded daily limits for lead and arsenic if multiple doses were taken. 

Here's why movie dialogue has gotten more difficult to understand (and three ways to fix it)

Ben Pearson, Slashfilm

Have you resorted to subtitles to help you follow dialogue in a movie because you can't hear it clearly? You're not alone, and it's not because you're suffering from hearing loss. There are a number of reasons for low talking, and thankfully, there are also a few ways to give yourself some relief. 

Activision Blizzard won't have a role at the 2021 Game Awards

Posted: 04 Dec 2021 07:15 AM PST

Activision Blizzard's ongoing workplace harassment scandal may have repercussions for one of its bigger media opportunities. In the wake of a Washington Postreport raising questions about Activision Blizzard's involvement at the 2021 Game Awards, producer Geoff Keighley confirmed the publisher wouldn't have a role at the show outside of the nominations chosen by influencers and media. There's "no place" for abuse and harassment anywhere, Keighley said.

 He added that the industry needed to "work together" to create a more inclusive space for developing games. The focus was on celebrating games and the people who made them, according to the founder. Keighley already said Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 wouldn't appear during the presentation.

It's not clear if the scandal had a direct impact on Activision's presence, but it's a contrast from 2020. Then, the company used the Game Awards to show Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's first season of battle royale material.

Questions remain, though. Most notably, the awards' advisory panel includes Activision Blizzard president Rob Kostich. The publisher still technically holds some sway over the event, even if it didn't dictate much of the show in practice. Keighley told the Post the show organizers had to "think very carefully" about how to move forward — much like Microsoft and other industry partners, the Game Awards team hasn't yet decided on the long-term repercussions (if any) for Activision's problematic workplace culture.

iRobot's Roomba s9+ vacuum with clean base is $200 off right now

Posted: 04 Dec 2021 07:00 AM PST

If you're looking to treat yourself this holiday season, a robot vacuum could be the gift that keeps on giving. We saw a bunch go on sale for Black Friday, but now Wellbots is having a sale on one of Roomba's most advanced models. The Roomba s9+ is $200 off right now when you use the code ENGADGET200 at checkout, so you'll end up paying $899 for the machine — that's the best price we've seen it and even cheaper than it was last month during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Buy Roomba s9+ at Wellbots - $899

The s9+ is even more advanced than the new Roomba j7+ that came out recently, although it does not have Precision Vision Navigation like the latter. Instead, the S9+ has the most suction power of any Roomba along with dual multi-surface brushes and Direct Detect technology, the latter of which helps the vacuum focus on the dirtiest spots in your home until they're fully clean. "Power-lift suction" also helps it deep clean carpets and suck up pet hair. It has sensors to help it move around objects like chairs and tablets and, thanks to its mapping technology, you can have it clean only certain rooms or areas of your home if you wish.

This model also has the clean base that comes with other more expensive Roombas. After each job, the s9+ will automatically return to its base for a recharge, and it will empty its bin into the clean base, which is basically an attached garbage can. That means you don't have to fuss with the vacuum every time you run it, and you'll only have to empty the clean base once every 60 days. That combined with the robot's easy-to-use companion app makes it a premium convenience machine — if you use iRobot's mobile app to start or schedule cleanings, you may not even have to touch the s9+ for weeks at a time while it does its job.

Even on sale, the Roomba s9+ is a big purchase — but it may be worth it for those who hate vacuuming and want their homes to be as clean as possible without having to do much themselves. There are plenty of budget options, though, if you'd rather save a good chunk of money and still get the benefits of a robot vacuum. The Roomba 694 is a good option, as well as the Anker RoboVac 11S. The former can be controlled via a mobile app while the latter comes with a remote that lets you maneuver the vacuum like a toy car in addition to setting schedules and the like.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Tour the White House's Christmas decorations on Google Street View

Posted: 04 Dec 2021 02:36 AM PST

You can now take a tour of the White House's halls decked with Christmas trees and other decor fit for the season — virtually, that is. Google first added the official residence of the President of the United States to the places you can visit on Street View almost a decade ago. But now, you can take a virtual walk of its premises to see how the place has been decorated.

The press office of the First Lady previously said that the administration would launch interactive viewing experiences for the White House's decorations this year. In addition, to the 360-degree Street View experience, there's now a "Holidays at the White House" tour available on the White House Experience mobile and web apps. According to The Hill, tours of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. are currently not available to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so these virtual experiences may be the only way you can get a glimpse of its decorations for the holidays.

The White House is only one of the many historic sites you can visit on Street View — there's also Chile's Palacio de la Moneda, the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Giza, the Palace of Versailles and the Colosseum, among others. If you still can't (or won't travel), maybe a virtual trip or two would be enough to sustain you for now. 

'Arma 3' and 'DayZ' add BattlEye anti-cheat support through Valve Proton

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 02:46 PM PST

While there are still many unknowns about Steam Deck's library of games, you can add four titles to the list that will work on day one. On Friday, Valve saidArma 3, DayZ, Unturned and Planetside 2 now all feature working BattlEye anti-cheat support when playing them through Proton. They join Ark: Survival Evolved and Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord for a total of six Windows titles that Linux users can play through the compatibility layer without the anti-cheat software causing issues. 

No matter how you frame it, only four new titles joining the compatibility list is a modest addition, particularly when you consider Valve said in November BattlEye integration on Proton had progressed to the point where all a developer had to do was contact the company to enable the feature within their game. The current list also doesn't cover some of the most popular online multiplayer games on Steam, including the likes of Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG. We still don't have a full picture of all the games that will work with Steam Deck's Linux-based operating system, but that's something Valve promised to clear up through a new verification program before the handheld launches in early 2022.

US will work with allies to limit the export of surveillance tools to authoritarian governments

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 01:50 PM PST

On the same day Reuters published a report on how NSO spyware may have been used to target State Department officials, the Biden administration announced the US would work with other countries to limit the export of surveillance software and other technologies to authoritarian governments. In a media event involving The Wall Street Journal, White House officials said the administration wants to coordinate with allies on a code of conduct related to export-licensing policies. Those involved in the effort would share information on tools used against political dissidents, journalists and foreign government officials.

The Biden Administration will announce the effort at the upcoming Summit for Democracy. The event, set to run for two days between December 9th and 10th, will see national governments and the private sector meet to discuss some of the challenges facing democracies in 2021 and beyond. Notably, China and Russia weren't invited to attend the meeting.

Officials told The Journal the effort is in part a response to a global increase in the use of digital surveillance tools. "Technology is being misused by governments to surveil and, in some cases— as in the case of the [People's Republic of China] — to control their population," an administration official told the outlet. The effort could include some of the existing members of the Wassenaar Arrangement, a pact that sets voluntary export controls on military and dual-use technologies.

The initiative would build on work the US government is already doing to limit the export and resale of cyber intrusion software to China and Russia. At the end of October, the Commerce Department announced a new set of rules that will require companies that want to sell their hacking tools to countries "of national security concern" to obtain a license from the department before they can do so.

'Grid Legends' arrives on February 25th

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 01:05 PM PST

The next game in the Grid series, and the first since Electronic Arts bought developer Codemasters earlier this year, has a release date. Grid Legends will hit PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC on February 25th.

Codemasters announced the game at EA Play Live in July. Grid Legends has a story mode inspired by Netflix docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive. It features live-action performances that were filmed using the same virtual set tech as The Mandalorian.

You'll be able to drive in more than 100 vehicles at the outset, and compete in more than 250 events in Career mode. The Drift and Elimination modes return, and players can check out a race creator and a new mode called Electric Boost. There's cross-platform multiplayer support, and Codemasters says you'll be able to race online after "three quick button presses" with the action starting almost immediately after you choose a race.

Grid Legends joins a bunch of major games that are coming out in February. It arrives on the same day as Elden Ring and soon after the likes of Dying Light 2, Horizon: Forbidden West, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen and Sifu. Although Grid Legends won't have to compete with any big racing games in February, another heavy hitter will be available just one week later: Gran Turismo 7.

Meanwhile, Codemasters has offered the first in-depth look at Grid Legends gameplay. Along with an Elimination race and a big rig in action, the 17-minute video shows some street racing in heavy rain.

IKEA's latest wireless charger appears to be a portable model

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 12:30 PM PST

IKEA has sold a variety of wireless chargers since 2015, but never one that you could use without plugging into a wall outlet. It looks like that's about to change with images of a new portable Nordmärke Qi charger making their way online courtesy of a few hawk-eyed Reddit users. We also have some details on the device thanks to German media outlet mobiFlip, which obtained them from a reader who bought one at a store in Cologne.

IKEA Nordmarke Qi charger
IKEA Nordmarke Qi charger

The individual paid €20 (approximately $22.64) to buy the portable charger. While it's not available online yet, you can see from the photos it features a 6,500mAh battery. It can charge your Qi-compatible devices at a glacial 5W. What you won't find inside the box is a power adapter or USB cable. It's up to you to supply those, so it's not quite as affordable as its price would suggest. However, one nifty feature is that the internal batteries are user-replaceable. 

We've reached out to IKEA to find out if the company plans to carry the Nordmärke portable Qi charger in the US. In the meantime, if you're desperate to find a way to charge your devices on the go, your best bet is to buy a portable power bank. You can find ones that cost less than $20. What's more, they will feature a bigger battery than the Nordmärke and they will charge your devices faster.

New Twitter CEO has already begun a 'major reorganization'

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 12:09 PM PST

Following founder Jack Dorsey's recent departure on Monday, Twitter's new CEO Parag Agrawal is wasting no time shaking up the company. A report from The Washington Post states that Agrawal announced a "major reorganization of the company" today, including exits by Michael Montano and Dantley Davis, who led engineering and design, respectively.

Twitter confirmed the reorganization to Engadget. A spokesperson said "Parag is focused on operational excellence and setting Twitter up to hit its goals; these changes were made with that in mind." The changes include moving to a "General Manager model" for teams in the product and technology organizations, which will mean having one person lead the work in those divisions. "This will allow us to operate more cross-functionally and enable faster, more informed decision-making," the spokesperson added.

Davis earlier today tweeted a picture from a team offsite, saying: "It was the highlight of the past two years at Twitter for me. Thank you to everyone who made this special. It has meant more than words can describe." Sara Beykpouf, who worked on the company's product team, also posted that today would be their last day at Twitter, although it's not clear if this is related to the reorganization.

ThePost reported that according to a companywide email it obtained, Montano and Davis will be leaving by the end of the year (i..e, this month). It also indicated that the "reshuffling appears to primarily affect the company's consumer, revenue, and core tech divisions, which will be helmed by Kayvon Beykpour, Bruce Falck, and Nick Caldwell, respectively."

In retrospect, there were hints that big changes at the company were underway. In a series of tweets sent by Twitter's Investor Relations account during the Bank of America Securities 2021 Leveraged Finance Conference yesterday. Specifically, the team said: "We can move faster and execute better. We'll focus on the same goals, same metrics, and same work. But we believe Parag can help us make decisions faster, and be more clear about where decision-making sits."

Update (12/3/21, 3:24pm ET): This post was edited to include a statement and details from Twitter that arrived after the story was published.

Facebook is testing a bill splitting feature in Messenger

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 11:44 AM PST

There may soon be more ways to get your friends to pay their share of the check. Facebook (or its parent company Meta) announced today that it's testing Split Payments, "a free and fast way to share the cost of bills and expenses." Starting next week, users in the US will be able to charge their friends in a group chat or from the Payments Hub in Messenger. 

In a group chat, you'll need to hit the "Get Started" button to initiate the payments, and then you can choose to divide a sum of money evenly or decide what each person owes. You can also choose to include yourself and add a customizable message. The money will be sent through Facebook Pay, and after you submit, your request will be sent to the group's chat room. 

Facebook also said it's added new custom group effects from four additional creators: King Bach, Emma Chamberlain, Bella Poarch and Zach King. Earlier this month, the company also released new "soundmojis" tied to the Stranger Things soundtrack and Taylor Swift's remaster of her album Red.

Elon Musk says the first Tesla Cybertruck will be a four-motor variant

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 11:28 AM PST

When Tesla finally starts rolling the Cybertruck off the production line in 2022, the electric vehicle will debut with a four-motor variant. CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter that model will offer "independent, ultra fast response torque control of each wheel." Some other EVs have a motor on each wheel, including Rivian's R1T.

Musk also reiterated that the Cybertruck will have front and rear-wheel steer. He previously noted the EV would offer rear-wheel steering, which will enable it to drive diagonally, "like a crab." Notably, the Hummer EV has a crab mode. Nissan's e-4orce all-wheel control system — which is in the Ariya electric crossover, upcoming next-gen Leaf and a lunar lander prototype — has front and rear motors too.

Tesla removed all Cybertruck specs and pricing from its website in October. Would-be owners can plunk down a refundable deposit of $100 and configure their order close to when Tesla starts production, which is scheduled to happen next year. However, it seems you'll likely have to wait longer if you want a two-motor version.

NSO spyware was reportedly used to target iPhones of US State Department employees

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 10:36 AM PST

On Friday, Reuters shed new light on the Biden administration's recent decision to sanction Pegasus spyware developer NSO Group. Citing four people "familiar with the matter," the outlet reports an unknown assailant used the firm's software to infect iPhones belonging to at least nine US State Department officials.

The attacks reportedly targeted federal employees who were either stationed in Uganda or whose work involved the East African country. Reuters wasn't able to identify who was behind the hacks. The State Department also declined to comment on the report. NSO says it will investigate the matter.

"If our investigation shall show these actions indeed happened with NSO's tools, such customer will be terminated permanently and legal actions will take place," a spokesperson for the company told Reuters. NSO said it would also "cooperate with any relevant government authority and present the full information we will have."

NSO says its spyware can't work on devices with US numbers that start with the country +1. But in the case of the State Department employees deployed to Uganda, they were reportedly using iPhones with local telephone numbers. They were also hacked before Apple released iOS 14.8, which addressed the CoreGraphics vulnerability NSO had exploited to allow its spyware to infect an iPhone without the victim even needing to tap on anything. On November 23rd, Apple sued NSO to "hold it accountable" for its actions.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters the threat to US officials is one of the reasons the White House is cracking down on NSO and working with allies to combat ransomware and other cybersecurity threats. On November 3rd, the Commerce Department added the company to its Entity List, preventing American companies from doing business with the firm. At the time, the company told Engadget it "dismayed" by the decision, and claimed its tools have helped the US by "preventing terrorism and crime."

Sony reportedly plans to launch its answer to Xbox Game Pass this spring

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 09:56 AM PST

Xbox Game Pass has been a hit for Microsoft, and it seems Sony is preparing to respond with its own version of an all-in-one game subscription service. The company is planning to merge PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now into a new offering, which is expected to debut this spring, according to Bloomberg.

The service, which is codenamed Spartacus, would likely be available on PS4 and PS5 for a monthly fee. It's unclear whether players would be able to access it on other devices, though the report notes Sony is putting more resources into cloud gaming. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate allows players to delve into more than 100 Xbox titles via the cloud on consoles, PC, phones and tablets. Microsoft plans to make game streaming sticks for TVs too.

It seems Sony will kill off PlayStation Now, but keep the PlayStation Plus branding. Sony may not yet have finalized how Spartacus will work, but there could be three tiers to the service. According to documents viewed by Bloomberg, the lowest tier would effectively be PlayStation Plus as it is now. The second level would add a "large catalog" of PS4 titles, with PS5 games joining later. The third and highest tier would include cloud gaming, expanded demos and, akin to Nintendo Switch Online, a bunch of older PS1, PS2, PS3 and even PSP games. However, those plans may not be set in stone.

It's not clear whether Sony plans to bring its first-party exclusives to the service on their release date, as Microsoft does on Game Pass. Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan said last year that the company wouldn't "go down the road of putting new release titles into a subscription model. These games cost many millions of dollars, well over $100 million, to develop. We just don't see that as sustainable."

But the landscape has shifted since Ryan's remarks. For one thing, Microsoft bought Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media this year. All of Bethesda's games (save for a couple of timed PS5 console exclusives like Deathloop) are on Game Pass, and future Bethesda titles like Starfield might not come to PlayStation at all.

Although Game Pass would likely be Sony's biggest competitor in the game subscription market, it'll be up against several other major companies. EA and Ubisoft have subscription services, Amazon launched Luna last year and Netflix added games to its existing plans. As for cloud gaming (a category Luna also falls into), there's NVIDIA's GeForce Now and Google Stadia, and even Samsung has cloud gaming ambitions.

PlayStation Now was one of the earliest major game subscription services when it debuted in 2015, but it had a fairly tepid response. Players were only able to access PS Now games via the cloud until 2018, when they were able to download some PS4 and PS2 titles to their console.

One of the biggest complaints we had about the service when we reviewed it again in 2019 was the lack of notable games. Since then, Sony has brought some big games like The Last of Us Part II to PS Now for a limited time.

By the end of Sony's 2020 financial year, there were only 3.2 million PS Now subscribers. Microsoft announced in January that it had 18 million Game Pass members. For that reason and many others, it's a smart idea for Sony to go back to the drawing board and create a more robust subscription service. 

Much like Microsoft, Sony has started looking beyond PlayStation consoles to bring its games to new audiences. Over the last year or so, it released Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone on PC. A bundle of Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is coming to PC in early 2022, as is the 2018 reboot of God of War.

Amazon's Kindle is on sale for $55 with three months of Kindle Unlimited

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 09:32 AM PST

If you missed Amazon's standard e-reader when it was on sale for $50 on Black Friday, you have another shot to grab it for less. The regular Kindle is back on sale for $55, and you'll get three months of Kindle Unlimited along with it. It may be a bit more expensive than it was one week ago, but the added bonus of Kindle Unlimited sweetens the deal a bit — and you're still getting the device for $35 less than usual.

Buy Kindle at Amazon - $55

Amazon updated the Kindle in 2019 and we gave it a score of 91 when we reviewed the e-reader. The base model gave the previous-generation Paperwhite a run for its money thanks to its new front-lit display with better contrast and its smaller, sleeker design. It also comes with 8GB of storage, which is plenty of space to hold thousands of titles.

The differences between the standard Kindle and the new Kindle Paperwhite will be more apparent, and they should be considering the latter costs $140. The new Paperwhite's 300ppi screen is slightly larger and 10 percent brighter, and page-turning is said to be about 20 percent faster. The higher-end model also has Audible support, so you can listen to audiobooks when you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones connected, and it's water-resistant as well.

If you can live without those extra perks, it's hard to beat the standard Kindle when it's on sale like this. It would make a good stocking stuffer for the book-lover in your life, or a convenient gadget if you plan on trying to read more in the new year. And with Kindle Unlimited for a couple of months, you'll get access to thousands of titles to read at your leisure at no extra cost. Just remember that the subscription will renew at the standard $10-per-month rate after the first three months are up.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Bird expands its electric wheelchair and mobility scooter rentals to San Diego

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 09:28 AM PST

Bird is bringing its electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters to more cities. The company and its partner, Scootaround, are expanding the program to San Diego as of today. The wheelchairs and mobility scooters recently arrived in San Francisco too. The California expansion follows a pilot in New York City.

Using a custom Scootaround interface in the Bird app, folks can find, reserve and pay to use accessible vehicles. They can select convenient pick-up and drop-off locations, and riders are provided with an in-person tutorial.

Bird is offering discounts on rentals. In San Diego, the vehicles cost $5 per day to use for up to three days at a time. The company also offers free rentals in some areas. 

Jimmy Wales is auctioning off an NFT of his first Wikipedia edit

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 09:13 AM PST

Following in the footsteps of Tim Berners-Lee and others, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales is auctioning off a piece of internet history. Starting today, you can bid in a Christie's auction to obtain an NFT of his first Wikipedia edit. Wales is also auctioning off the Apple iMac he used to work on the website. Bidding on the non-fungible token will start at $100, though we expect it will take several million to secure it before the auction ends on December 15th. Proceeds from the sale will go to charity and WT Social, Wales' Facebook and Twitter alternative.

In an interview with The Verge, the internet entrepreneur said he wanted to package his first Wikipedia edit as an NFT in part because of the way the technology publicly records and verifies ownership. "I think what is specifically interesting is that for the first time, we have a publicly distributed, immutable kind of database, and that's new and different," he told the outlet.

It's also a way to give people a window into the early days of Wikipedia. Once the auction is complete, the NFT will grant its new owner control of a single webpage. Just like Wikipedia as it exists today, anyone can edit that webpage to change what it says. However, after five minutes, it will revert to its original state, with a single entry stating, "Hello, World!"

"What you see displayed is what Wikipedia looked like at the moment that I set up the software," Wales said. "The artistic concept is to take people back to that moment when I set up the website and had to think, 'Gosh, this is so vulnerable. Like anybody can edit. It might just destroy the whole thing, and I'll be taken over by trolls in five minutes.'"

The NFT will give its eventual owner the ability to change the editing window. They'll also have the option to turn off editing and, if they're really dull, the power to shut down the webpage. "With everything on Wikipedia, it's freely licensed," Wales said of the project. "So if you want to do anything, you pretty much can."

Twitter removed thousands more Chinese propaganda accounts

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 08:46 AM PST

Since 2018, Twitter has frequentlydisclosed the results of its efforts to shut down networks of accounts with ties to state propaganda campaigns. The company said it has suspended or removed another 3,465 accounts connected to eight operations in six countries.

Most of the accounts were suspended for violating platform manipulation and spam policies. All content linked to the campaigns has been scrubbed.

By far the biggest network of accounts Twitter removed this time around was one that "amplified Chinese Communist Party narratives related to the treatment of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang." It detected and took action against 2,048 such accounts. The company also took down 112 accounts linked to Changyu Culture, a company that's backed by the regional government of Xinjiang. 

A network of 418 accounts found to be participating in "coordinated inauthentic activity" that supported the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, and his National Resistance Movement party is gone. So too is a group of 276 "inauthentic" accounts that mainly shared content supporting Mexican government actions linked to political parties and public health.

Elsewhere, Twitter removed 277 accounts that promoted the views of the Venezuelan government. It suspended an app called Twitter Patria, which it says people connected to the removed accounts were using.

Gone too are 268 accounts that were filing bad-faith reports against civil rights group FichuaTanzania, its founder and members and supporters. Some of those were tweeting pro-government messages as well. Lastly, Twitter says it removed two batches of accounts connected to Russia — 16 that promoted a pro-Russia perspective in the Central African Republic, and 50 that criticized the civic Libyan government and promoted Russia's geopolitical position there and in Syria.

Since it started disclosing its efforts against state-linked manipulation campaigns three years ago, Twitter says it has removed more than 200 million tweets and nine terabytes of media connected to them. The company has taken action against operations originating in 17 countries.

The best tech deals still live from Cyber Monday

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have come and gone, but there are still some decent tech sales available right now. Apple's latest AirPods remain discounted to $150, while a number of our other favorite headphones and earbuds remain at record-low prices. A few Roombas are hundreds of dollars less than usual right now and you can still get some laptops, SSDs, smart speakers and more at very affordable prices. Here are the best Cyber Monday tech deals that you can still get today.

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 $150 at Amazon. 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 - $150

AirPods (2nd gen)

The previous-generation AirPods are on sale for $110 right now, or roughly $50 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 - $110

Apple Watch Series 7

The latest Apple Watch Series 7 is $20 cheaper right now, bringing it down to $380. It's the most comprehensive wearable Apple makes and it earned a score of 90 from us for its larger screen, faster charging and handy features in watchOS 8.

Buy Series 7 at Amazon - $380

Apple MagSafe battery pack

iPhone 12 MagSafe Battery Pack
Apple

Apple's MagSafe battery pack is 24 percent off right now, bringing it down to $75. It snaps to the back of the latest iPhones to wirelessly power them up when you're on the go. And when plugged in and attached to your phone, you can keep track of the pack's recharge from your iPhone's lock screen.

Buy MagSafe battery pack at Amazon - $75

Tile trackers

Tile Bluetooth trackers
Tile

A number of Tile's 2022 trackers are down to record-low prices today only. The latest Tile Mate is down to $19, which is 24 percent off its normal price, and the Tile Pro with a replaceable battery is on sale for $27.

Shop Tile one-day sale at Amazon

Sony WH-1000XM4

Our favorite pair of Sony headphones, the WH-1000XM4, are down to $248 right now, which is just about $100 off their regular price. We gave these cans a score of 94 for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.

Buy WH-1000XM4 at Amazon - $248Buy WH-1000XM4 at Best Buy - $248

iRobot Roomba 694

The Roomba 694 is $95 off, bringing it down to $179. This model came out earlier this year and works well on both hard and carpeted floors, supports WiFi connectivity for Alexa and Google Assistant commands and can be controlled via the iRobot mobile app.

Buy Roomba 694 at Amazon - $179

Samsung EVO Select microSD

Samsung's EVO Select microSDXC card in 128GB is down to $16, or 20 percent off its normal price. This is the latest model and while you can find microSD cards for less, EVO is a reliable brand and you're getting a full-sized adapter with this one.

Buy EVO Select microSD (128GB) at Amazon - $16

Instant Pot

The six-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus is down to $60, which is half off its normal price. This model supports pressure cook, warm, sauté, rice cook, sous vide and more modes, and its mid-size capacity makes it good for preparing food for many people.

Buy Instant Pot Duo Plus - $60

Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 multi-cooker

Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 pressure cooker and air fryer
Ninja

This Ninja 10-in-1 multi-cooker remains 41 percent off, bringing it down to $119. In addition to pressure cooking, slow cooking and steaming, this machine can air fry, broil, dehydrate and more. It also has a 6.5-quart capacity, which should be big enough to make food for a mid-sized family or a holiday gathering.

Buy Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 multicooker at Amazon - $119

Chromecast with Google TV

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 - $40

Lenovo Smart Clock 2

A gray Lenovo Smart Clock 2 on a wireless charging dock with its screen facing the camera. A row of options for volume, brightness, do not disturb and settings take up the bottom of the display. In the background are a black and a blue Smart Clock 2 on the left and right respectively.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Lenovo's Smart Clock 2 with a white-and-color smart bulb is down to $25, or $45 off its normal price. This is the latest version of Lenovo's tiny smart alarm clock, and it can double as a nightlight as well as control smart home devices, display weather forecasts and more.

Buy Smart Clock 2 bundle at Walmart - $25

Bose QuietComfort 45

Bose's new QuietComfort 45 headphones remain on sale for $279 right now, or $50 off their normal price. We gave them a score of 86 for their clear, balanced audio, improved ANC and long battery life.

Buy QuietComfort 45 at Amazon - $279Buy QuietComfort 45 at Best Buy - $279

Sony WF-1000XM4

Sony's excellent WF-1000XM4 earbuds are down to $248. We gave them a score of 86 for their great sound quality, powerful ANC and improved battery life.

Buy WF-1000XM4 at Amazon - $248Buy WF-1000XM4 at Best Buy - $248

Bose QuietComfort earbuds

Bose's QuietComfort earbuds have been discounted to $199, which is $80 off their regular rate. These are some of the company's best true wireless earbuds and they earned a score of 87 from us for their clear sound, powerful ANC and comfortable size.

Buy QuietComfort earbuds at Amazon - $199Buy QuietComfort earbuds at Best Buy - $199

Sony WH-CH710N

Sony's affordable WH-CH710N wireless headphones are even cheaper right now at $78. We like these cans for their deep, punchy bass, solid ANC and 35-hour battery life.

Buy WH-CH710N at Amazon - $78Buy WH-CH710N at Best Buy - $78

Jabra Elite 85t

Jabra's Elite 85t earbuds are on sale for $150, which is $80 off its normal price. These earbuds impressed us with their strong ANC, comfortable size and wireless charging case.

Buy Elite 85t at Amazon - $150

Echo Buds (2nd gen)

The second-generation Echo Buds are on sale for $70 right now. Amazon massively improved its wireless earbuds this time around and we gave them a score of 80 for their better sound quality, good ANC and smaller design.

Buy Echo Buds (2nd gen) at Amazon - $70

iRobot Roomba j7+

iRobot's latest vacuum, the Roomba j7+, has dropped to $649 while the robot without the clean base is down to $449. This is one of the higher-end robo-vacs the company makes and it has new AI-driven computer vision technology that can detect objects and move around them as it cleans. That means it'll better avoid things like chairs and table legs, as well as unexpected obstacles like pet poop. The j7+ also comes with a clean base into which the robot will empty debris at the end of every cleaning job.

Buy Roomba j7+ at Amazon - $649Buy Roomba j7 at Amazon - $449

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 fully open, held vertically in a hand with its screen facing the camera.
David Imel for Engadget

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 smartphone is on sale for $850 right now, and you can get a free pair of Galaxy Buds 2 when you buy. This was the most impressive Samsung foldable to come out this year and we gave it a score of 82 for its striking, flexible screen, attractive build and water-resistant design.

Buy Galaxy Z Flip 3 at Amazon - $850

Roku Streambar

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 - $80

Crucial MX500 internal SSD

The compact Crucial MX500 internal drive in 1TB is down to $85, which is just a couple of dollars shy of its all-time-low price. We like its sequential read speeds of up to 560 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 510 MB/s, along with its standard 2.5-inch design and integrated power loss immunity feature.

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

Patriot Viper VP4300

Patriot's Viper VP4300 internal SSD in 2TB is 14 percent off right now, knocking it down to $370. This is our favorite SSD for the PS5 thanks to its sequential read speeds of 7,400MB/s and preinstalled heatsink.

Buy Patriot Viper VP4300 (2TB) at Amazon - $370

Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus

Sabrent's Rocket 4 Plus internal SSD has dropped to $160. In addition to already being more affordable than many competitors, it provides read speeds up to 7,000 MB/s and write speeds up to 5,300 MB/s when connected to a PCIe Gen4 motherboard.

Buy Rocket 4 Plus at Amazon - $160

Crucial P5

Crucial's P5 NAND NVMe SSD in 1TB is on sale for $145 right now, or 19 percent off its regular rate. This drive can reach sequential read speeds of up to 3,400MB/s and its M.2 format makes it a good option for both desktop and laptop users.

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

Razer Book

Razer's mainstream notebook, the Razer Book, has fallen to $1,500, or 25 percent off its usual price. The model on sale is specced out: it runs on an 11th-gen Core i7 processor, Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a 13.4-inch UHD+ touchscreen. This laptop includes a generous array of ports, eGPU compatibility and Chroma keyboard lighting.

Buy Razer Book at Amazon - $1,500

Razer Wolverine Ultimate

Razer's Wolverine Ultimate gaming controller is down to $100, or $60 off its normal price. The controller that comes with your Xbox is pretty good, but sometimes you might need a little more features from your gamepad. The Wolverine Ultimate may be wired, but it also has interchangeable thumbtacks and d-pads, so you can actually tweak the controller's layout according to the games you play and your own personal preferences.

Buy Razer Wolverine Ultimate at Amazon - $100

Amazon Echo

Amazon's Echo smart speaker is on sale for $60 right now. We gave it a score of 89 for its solid audio quality, attractive design and inclusion of a 3.5mm audio jack.

Buy Echo at Amazon - $60

Amazon Echo Dot

The tiny Echo Dot has dropped to $30, and you can grab the Echo Dot with Clock for only $35. We gave it a score of 88 for its good audio quality for the price, compact design and tap-to-snooze feature.

Buy Echo Dot at Amazon - $30Buy Echo Dot with Clock at Amazon - $35

Google Nest Mini

The Nest Mini is down to $25. It's the affordable speaker to get if you want to put the Google Assistant in your home without dropping too much money, or taking up too much space.

Buy Nest Mini at Best Buy - $25

Philips Hue White and Color smart bulbs (3 pack)

A three-pack of Philips Hue White and Color smart lights is on sale for $100, or about $30 off its normal price. While not a record low, it's a good sale price on smart bulbs that rarely see deep discounts. These can be controlled via the Philips Hue app and almost any voice assistant including Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri, and they support thousands of colors as well as 50,000 shares of warm and cool white light.

Buy Philips Hue smart lights at Amazon - $100

Adobe All Apps Plan

First-time subscribers to Adobe CC can get the All Apps plan for 40 percent off right now, bringing the monthly charge down to $30. If you're a student, it's even cheaper — just $16 per month for first-time customers. These programs are considered standard in most creative fields, so it's worth grabbing this deal if you know you'll be using things like Photoshop or Illustrator in the future.

Subscribe to All Apps plan at Adobe - $30/month

Headspace

The meditation app Headspace is down to $5 per month for new and returning customers. That's 60 percent off the normal price, and those who want to pay for a year upfront will get 50 percent off and pay only $35 for the year. Headspace has a bunch of guided meditation sessions along with sleep stories, calming ambient music, guided yoga sessions for stress management and more.

Subscribe to Headspace starting at $5/month

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

How a civil rights group is holding Europe's online ad industry to account

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 07:30 AM PST

An Irish civil rights group believes that it has successfully exposed the so-called legal fictions that underpin the online advertising industry. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), says that Europe's data protection regulators will soon declare the current regime illegal. At the heart of this complaint is both how the industry asks for permission, and then how it serves adverts to users online. Describing the situation as the "world's biggest data breach," the consequences of the ruling could have staggering ramifications for everything that we do online.

"The world's biggest data breach"

Real-Time Bidding (RTB) is the mechanism by which most online ads are served to you today, and lies at the heart of the issue. Visit a website and, these days, you will notice a split-second delay between the content loading, and the adverts that surround it. You may be reading a line in an article, only for the text to suddenly leap halfway down the page, as a new advert takes its place in front of your eyes. This delay, however small, accommodates a labyrinthine process in which countless companies bid to put their advert in front of your eyes. Omri Kedem, from digital marketing agency Croud, explained that the whole process takes less than 100 milliseconds from start to finish. 

Advertising is the lifeblood of the internet, providing social media platforms and news organisations with a way to make money. Advertisers feel more confident paying for ads, however, if they can be reasonably certain that the person on the other end is inside the target market. But, in order to make sure that this works, the platform hosting the ad needs to know everything it can about you, the user.

This is how, say, a sneaker store is able to market its wares to the local sneakerheads or a vegan restaurant looks for vegans and vegetarians in its local area. Companies like Facebook have made huge profits on their ability to laser-focus ad campaigns on behalf of advertisers. But this process has a dark side, and this micro-targeting can, for instance, be used to enable hateful conduct. The most notable example is from 2017, when ProPublica found that you could target a cohort of users deemed anti-semitic with the tag "Jew Hater."

Every time you visit a website, a number of facts about you are broadcast to the site's owner including your IP address. But that data can also include your exact longitude and latitude (if you have built-in GPS), your carrier and device type. Visit a news website every day and it's likely that both the publisher and ad-tech intermediary will track which sections you spend more time reading.

This information can be combined with material you've willingly submitted to a publisher when asked. Subscribe to a publication like the Financial Times or Forbes, for instance, and you'll be asked about your job title and industry. From there, publishers can make clear assumptions about your annual income, social class and political interests. Combine this information — known in the industry as deterministic data — with the inferences made based on your browsing history — known as probabilistic data — and you can build a fairly extensive profile of a user.

"The more bidders you have on something you're trying to sell, in theory, the better," says Dr. Johnny Ryan. Ryan is a Senior Fellow at the ICCL with a specialism in Information Rights and has been leading the charge against Real-Time Bidding for years. In order to make tracking-based advertising work, the publisher and ad intermediary will compress your life into a series of codes: Bidstream Data. Ryan says that this is a list of "identification codes [which] are highly unique to you," and is passed on to a number of auction sites.

"The most obvious identification is the app that you're using, which can be very compromising indeed, or the specific URL that you're visiting," says Ryan. He added that the URL of the site, which can be included in this information, can be "excruciatingly embarrassing" if seen by a third party. If you're looking up information about a health condition or material related to your sexuality and sexual preferences, this can also be added to the data. And there's no easy and clean way to edit or redact this data as it is broadcast to countless ad exchanges.

In order to harmonize this data, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the online ad industry's trade body, produces a standard taxonomy. (The IAB, as it is known, has a standalone body operating in Europe, while the taxonomy itself is produced by a New York-based Tech Lab.) The IAB Audience Taxonomy (subsequently revised to version 1.1) will codify you, for instance, as being into Arts and Crafts (Code 1472) or Birdwatching (435). Alternatively, it can tag you as having an interest in Islam (602), Substance Abuse (568) or if you have a child with special educational needs (357). 

But not every bidder in those auctions is looking to place an ad, and some are much more interested in the data that is being shared. A Motherboard story from earlier this year revealed that the United States Intelligence Community mandates the use of ad-blockers to prevent RTB agencies from identifying serving personnel, data which could wind up in the hands of rival nations. Earlier versions of IAB's Content Taxonomy even included tags identifying a user as potentially working for the US military.

It's this specificity in the data, coupled with the fact that it can be shared widely and so regularly, that has prompted Ryan to call this the "world's biggest data breach." He cited an example of a French firm, Vectuary, which was investigated in 2018 by France's data protection regulator, CNIL. What officials found was data listings for almost 68 million people, much of which had been gathered using captured RTB data. At the time, TechCrunch reported that the Vectaury case could have ramifications for the advertising market and its use of consent banners.

The issue of consent

In 2002, the European Union produced the ePrivacy Directive, a charter for how companies needed to get consent for the use of cookies for advertising purposes. The rules, and how they are defined, have subsequently evolved, most recently with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). One of the consequences of this drive is that users within the EU are presented with a pop-up banner asking them to consent to tracking. As most cookiepolicies will explain, this tracking is used for both internal analytics and to enable tracking-based advertising.

To standardize and harmonize this process, IAB Europe created the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF). This, essentially, lets publishers copy the framework laid down by the body on the assumption that they have established a legal basis to process that data. When someone does not give consent to be tracked, a record of that decision is logged in a piece of information known as a TC String. And it's here that the ICCL has (seemingly) claimed a victory after lodging a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority, the APD, saying that this record constitutes personal data.

A draft of the ruling was shared with IAB Europe and the ICCL, and reportedly said that the APD found that a TC String did constitute personal data. On November 5th, IAB Europe published a statement saying that the regulator is likely to "identify infringements of the GDPR by IAB Europe," but added that those "infringements should be capable of being remedied within six months following the issuing of the final ruling." Essentially, because IAB Europe was not treating these strings with the same level of care as personal data, it needs to start doing so now and / or face potential penalties.

At the same time, Dr. Ryan at the ICCL declared that the campaign had "won" and that IAB Europe's whole "consent system" will be "found to be illegal." He added that IAB Europe created a fake consent system that spammed everyone, every day, and served no purpose other than to give a thin legal cover to the massive data breach in at the heart of online advertising." Ryan ended his statement by saying that he hopes that the final decision, when it is released, "will finally force the online advertising industry to reform."

This reform will potentially hinge on the thorny question of if a user can reasonably be relied upon to consent to tracking. Is it enough for a user to click "I Accept" and therefore write the ad-tech intermediary involved a blank check? It's a question that ad-tech expert and lawyer Sacha Wilson, a partner at Harbottle and Lewis, is interested in. He explained that, in the law, "consent has to be separate, specific, informed [and] unambiguous," which "given the complexity of ad tech, is very difficult to achieve in a real-time environment."

Wilson also pointed out that something that is often overstated is the quality of the data being collected by these brokers. "Data quality is a massive issue," he said, "a significant proportion of the profile data that exists is actually inaccurate — and that has compliance issues in and of itself, the inaccuracy of the data." (This is a reference to Article 5 of the GDPR, where people who process data should ensure that the data is accurate.) In 2018, an Engadget analysis of data held by prominent data company Acxiom showed that the information held on an individual can be often wildly inaccurate or contradictory.

One key plank of European privacy law is that it has to be easy enough to withdraw consent if you so choose. But it doesn't appear as if this is as easy as it could be if you have to approach every vendor individually. Visit ESPN, for instance, and you'll be presented with a list of vendors (listed by the OneTrust platform) that numbers into the several hundreds. MailOnline's vendor list, meanwhile, runs to 1,476 entries. (Engadget's, for what it's worth, includes 323 "Advertising Technologies" partners.) It is not necessarily the case that all of those vendors will be engaged at all times, but it does suggest that users cannot simply withdraw consent at every individual broker without a lot of time and effort.

Transparency and consent

Townsend Feehan is the CEO of IAB Europe, the body currently awaiting a decision from the APD concerning its data protection practices. She says that the thing that the industry's critics are missing is that "none of this [tracking] happens if the user says no." She added that "at the point where they open the page, users have control. [They can] either withhold consent, or they can use the right to object, if the asserted legal basis is legitimate interest, then none of the processing can happen." She added that users do, or do not, consent to the discrete use of their data to a list of "disclosed data controllers," saying that "those data controllers have no entitlement to share your data with anyone else," since doing so would be illegal.

[Legitimate Interest is a framework within the GDPR enabling companies to collect data without consent. This can include where doing so is in the legitimate interests of an organization or third party, the processing does not cause undue harm or detriment to the person involved.]

While the type of sharing described by the ICCL and Dr. Ryan isn't impossible, from a technical standpoint, Feehan made it clear that to do so is illegal under European law. "If that happens, it is a breach of the law," she said, "and that law needs to be enforced." Feehan added that at the point when data is first collected, all of the data controllers who may have access to that information are named.

Feehan also said that IAB Europe had practices and procedures put in place to deal with members found to be in breach of its obligations. That can include suspension of up to 14 days if a violation is found, with further suspensions liable if breaches aren't fixed. IAB Europe can also permanently remove a company that has failed to address its policies, which it signs up to when it joins the TCF. She added that the body is currently working to further automate its audit processes in order to ensure it can proactively monitor for breaches and that users who are concerned about a potential breach can contact the body to share their suspicions.

It is hard to speculate on what the ruling would mean for IAB Europe and the current ad-tech regime more broadly. Feehan said that only when the final ruling was released would we know what changes the ad industry will have to institute. She asserted that IAB Europe was little more than a standards-setter rather than a data controller in real terms. "We don't have access to any personal data, we don't process any data, we're just a trade association." However, should the body be found to be in breach of the GDPR, it will need to offer up a clear action plan in order to resolve the issue.

It's not just consent fatigue

The issue of Real-Time Bidding data being collected is not simply an issue of companies being greedy or lax with our information. The RTB process means that there is always a risk that data will be passed to companies with less regard for their legal obligations. And if a data broker is able to make some cash from your personal information, it may do so without much care for your individual rights, or privacy.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Mobilewalla, an Atlanta-based ad-tech company, had enabled warrantless surveillance through the sale of its RTB data. Mobilewalla's vast trove of information, some of which was collected from RTB, was sold to a company called Gravy Analytics. Gravy, in turn, passed the information to its wholly-owned subsidiary, Venntel, which then sold the information to a number of federal agencies and related partners.

This trove of information may not have had real names attached, but the Journal says that it's easy enough to tie an address to where a person's phone is placed most evenings. And this information was, at the very least, passed on to and used by the Department of Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service and US Military. All three reportedly tracked individuals both in the US and abroad without a warrant enabling them to do so.

In July 2020, Mobilewalla came under fire after reportedly revealing that it had tagged and tracked the identity of Black Lives Matter protesters. At the time, The Wall Street Journal report added that the company's CEO, in 2017, boasted that the company could track users while they visit their places of worship to enable advertisers to sell directly to religious groups.

This sort of snooping and micro-targeting is not, however, limited to the US, with the ICCL finding a report made by data broker OnAudience.com. The study, a copy of which it hosts on its website, discusses the use of databases to create a cohort of around 1.4 million users. These people were targeted based on a belief that they were "interested in LGBTQ+," identified because they had searched for relevant topics in the prior 14 days. Given both the unpleasant historical precedent of listing people by their sexuality and the ongoing assault on LGBT rights in the country, the ease at which this took place may concern some.

Looking to the future

On November 25th, the APD announced that it had sent its draft decision to its counterparts in other parts of Europe. If the procedure doesn't hit any roadblocks, then the ruling will be made public around four weeks later, which means at some point in late December. Given the holidays, we may not see the likely fallout — if any — until January. But it's possible that either this doesn't make much of a change in the ad landscape, or it could be dramatic. What's likely, however, is that the issues around how much a user can consent to having their data used in this manner won't go away overnight.

Update, Dec 3rd, 2021 12:30 PM ET: Corrected a reference to the IAB's Context Taxonomy which should have referred to its Audience Taxonomy. Corrected the spelling of Venntel. 

Apple got Prince William to record a 'Time to Walk' Fitness+ episode

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 07:10 AM PST

Apple has brought in several high-profile figures for guest appearances on the Fitness+ series "Time to Walk." Among them are Dolly Parton, Randall Park, Camilla Cabello and Stephen Fry. To close out the second season, Prince William will make an appearance in a holiday-themed episode. He'll discuss the importance of staying mentally fit as well as how listening can empower others. 

Apple Fitness+ users can check out the 38-minute episode on demand starting on December 6th. There will also be a few free airings on Apple Music 1 — at 8AM GMT and PST on December 6th and 8AM in Sydney's time zone on December 7th.

Apple will make donations to three mental health charities chosen by Prince William. They are Crisis Text Line in the US, Shout 85258 in the UK and Lifeline in Australia. The latter provides free, around-the-clock crisis support and suicide prevention services. Shout and Crisis Text Line offer people in crisis support via text.

"Time to Walk" episodes are recorded while notable people take a stroll outside or in areas meaningful to them. They share stories, photos and music, and discuss lessons they've learned and their perspective on gratitude and purpose, among other things. The idea is that Apple Fitness+ will listen to episodes via an Apple Watch and connected earphones while going for a walk themselves. For those using a wheelchair, the series is renamed "Time to Push," and episodes center around a wheelchair workout instead of a walk.

Microsoft reverses Windows 11 changes that made it hard to switch browsers

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 06:30 AM PST

Microsoft appears to be eliminating Windows 11 changes that made it harder to switch default browsers, according to a report from The Verge's Tom Warren. A new Insider build now lets you switch from Edge to Chrome, Firefox or other browsers with a single button, rather than laboriously changing the default for each type of link.

The change only applies to internal links loaded outside a browser. Currently, when you click on such a link, it opens up a dialog box that gives you the option of switching browsers, but your preference isn't retained unless you tick the "always use this app" box. What's worse, you have to set the default for multiple types of web files, including HTM, HTML, HTTP and HTTPS. Each time, a confusing nag box pops up asking you to reconfirm your preference.

In the latest build, you can set your default browser with a single button, as EarTrumpet app developer Rafael Rivera noticed. "In the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22509 released to the Dev Channel on Wednesday, we streamlined the ability for a Windows Insider to set the 'default browser' to apps that register for HTTP:, HTTPS:, .HTM, and .HTML," Microsoft VP Aaron Woodman told The Verge. 

Shortly after Windows 11 came out, Microsoft said it made the changes to give users more granular control. That prompted complaints from rival browser makers including Brave, Opera, Firefox and Chrome. "We condemn this Windows 11 approach, because the choice of a default browser has many implications for individuals and their privacy. Users should be free to choose," a Brave spokesperson told The Verge. 

Microsoft has run into fairly serious antitrust issues with its browsers in the past, having been hit by the EU with a $730 million fine in 2013 for browser choice non-compliance. The EU also fined the company $1.35 billion in 2008 over a similar issue. The new feature is now in testing, but it's not clear when it will be released widely. 

Amazon's one-day sale knocks up to 30 percent off 2022 Tile trackers

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 05:40 AM PST

Tile Bluetooth trackers were some of the many small gadgets on sale last week for Black Friday, but you have another chance to grab some of the latest models for less today. Whereas the previous sale focused on multi-packs, this one-day deal knocks up to 30 percent off individual Tile trackers. The classic 2022 Tile Mate is 24 percent off, bringing it down to $19, while the Tile Slim is down to $28 and the Tile Sticker is on sale for $23.

Shop Tile one-day sale at Amazon

These small devices let you keep track of things like your keys, wallet, backpack, water bottle and more using your the Tile network and your smartphone. In addition to making the Tile ring so you can more easily find your stuff, you can also digitally add your contact information to the Tile, allowing anyone who finds your belongings to contact you by scanning the QR code on the tracker. The 2022 models improve on the previous versions with a wider, 250-foot finding range, IP67 water-resistant designs and louder rings.

All but one of the latest Tiles have a three-year, non-replaceable battery. The Tile Pro, which is also included in this sale and is down to $27, has a one-year replaceable battery, making it the better option for those who don't want to buy a whole new tracker once the battery runs out. The Tile Pro also has a 400-foot finding range, the widest of them all, and the loudest ring, too. If someone you know is constantly misplacing their things, this sale is a good opportunity to pick up a stocking stuffer for them that they'll actually use regularly.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by visiting our deals homepage and following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter.

Engadget Podcast: Dorsey leaves Twitter and a dive into Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chips

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 05:30 AM PST

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the significance of Jack Dorsey leaving Twitter. Will the social network thrive, or stumble, after losing its co-founder for a second time? Also, Cherlynn explains what's up with all of Qualcomm's new Snapdragon chips for phones, computers and… portable gaming consoles? Is it enough to take on Apple's M1 chips? Or will Windows once again hold Snapdragon PCs back?

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!


Subscribe!


Topics

  • What is Twitter without founder Jack Dorsey? – 1:21

  • Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip – 22:38

  • Updates from the Theranos / Elizabeth Holmes trial – 45:44

  • Spotify's Wrapped feature is available this week – 51:41

  • Working on – 56:18

  • Pop culture picks – 59:20


Video livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos,Luke Brooks
Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Kyle Maack
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

'Pokémon Go' can now run on iOS at higher frame rates

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 04:36 AM PST

Niantic has just rolled out updates for the Pokémon Go app, and one of the new features for iOS will let you run the game at higher frame rates. The Verge has discovered a new option that allows you "unlock your device's native refresh rate for higher FPS." It's not explicitly stated in the app's change log and probably falls under the "various quality-of-life improvements" the developer has listed. Also, the option is off by default, so you'll have to find it in settings if you want to take advantage of your phone's capabilities.

As the publication notes, PokĂ©mon Go was previously capped at 30fps on iOS — players have had to employ workarounds to get their games to run at 60fps — but newer phones are capable of more frames per second than that. The iPhone 13 Pro, for instance, has a 120fps screen. The Verge says switching the feature on made a huge difference and made the game a lot more responsive. While Niantic may have been trying to cater to owners of the new iPhone, the option can also be accessed on its predecessors. It just may not work as well on hardware powered by older chips.

You can find the the feature in the game's advanced settings, which will show "native refresh rate unlocked" when it's switched on.

The Morning After: Tesla begins selling Cyberquads for kids

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 04:15 AM PST

Tesla is selling a scaled down kiddie version of its Cyberquad ATV for the scions of EV owners around the world. For the uninitiated, when Tesla announced its beefy, alien-looking Cybertruck, it also promised a similar-looking ATV would debut alongside. While both the truck and ATV remain in the works, you can get your kids a unit that'll impress everyone at the next off-road meet you go to. Packing a lithium-ion battery with a reported 15 miles of range and a 10MPH top speed, the kiddie Cyberquad will set you back $1,900, but bear in mind orders are not guaranteed to reach you before the holidays.

— Dan Cooper

Alexa can now tell you if your washing machine stops or water is running

The smart-home gizmo gets some quality-of-life additions.

Today's edition of "intrusive or useful" features Alexa, after Amazon updated its Custom Sound Detection with new features. Long story short, while you could manually train Alexa to keep its microphones listening for water running or a beeping washing machine, now it'll do that automatically. That means your phone will let you know if someone's been a bit lax at the taps or needs to go change over the laundry. Another big addition is the ability for Alexa to refill prescriptions via Amazon Pharmacy, all from the comfort of wherever your Alexa is currently parked.

Continue Reading.

Apple reportedly warned suppliers of slowing demand for iPhones

The chip shortage and a desire for something newer is reportedly to blame.

Image of the iPhones 13
David Imel for Engadget

Apple has reportedly told suppliers to expect a smaller number of iPhone 13 orders across the next year. Apparently, demand for the new handset has begun to dip ahead of the holiday season, due to both the chip crisis and rumors of the iPhone 14. Apple had previously cut its initial orders by 10 million, but had told suppliers at the time that it'd order more when materials were less constrained. That is, however, reportedly no longer the case, but we're sure Apple will — as per usual — still report mega profits when it publishes its quarterly reports.

Continue Reading

Polestar offers an early camouflaged glimpse at its electric SUV

It'll be the first model made in the US, too.

Preview image of the Polestar 3 with camo.
Polestar

Polestar has offered-up an early look at the Polestar 3, the company's first US-made SUV, due to launch at some point in 2022. The camouflage-covered whip promises to be more environmentally friendly (but, you know, it's still a SUV) and full of even more tech. Gadgets and gizmos we're likely to see include new LiDAR sensors paired with NVIDIA's computing tech, for hands-free highway driving. Naturally, details will continue to be drip-fed over the coming months, but it certainly looks the part, doesn't it?

Continue Reading

Rocket Lab details its reusable Neutron launch vehicle

You'll get serious 'You Only Live Twice' vibes from this.

Image of the new Rocket Lab launch vehicle.
Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab is showing off its next-generation Neutron vehicle, a fully reusable satellite launch platform. The company has focused on maintaining the light weight and ease of re-use, despite the larger size, with a new carbon composite body. And, unlike conventional rockets, the first stage carries the second stage to the heavens inside its body. Once aloft, the first stage opens its faring — described as a Hungry (Hungry) Hippo mouth — to send the second stage on its way.

Continue Reading

The most-used emoji in 2021 are mostly unchanged from 2019

Although I'm not sure we're all using the same emojis in the very same way.

Today, I learned the Unicode Consortium describes the cry-laughing emoji as Tears of Joy. And not, as I had thought, That Sense of Ennui Felt When Things Go Wrong In The Most Stupidly Ironic Way Possible. However you describe it, the tears-down-your cheek image is the world's most used emoji and has been since 2019. In fact, while much of the world has changed since 2019, the way we use little images to convey our emotions has not. Especially if you're sharing with the world how you've messed something up in the most stupidly ironic way possible.

Continue Reading.

The biggest news stories you might have missed

Adidas's first foray into the metaverse will likely include NFTs

EA is going 'all-in on Battlefield' with plans for a connected universe

Apple's 2021 App Store Awards highlight 'connection'

Microsoft Office's simplified visual update is now available
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)