Monday, January 17, 2022

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Amazon sale slashes Fire tablet prices by up to 50 percent

Posted: 17 Jan 2022 03:33 AM PST

If you've been waiting for a sale to buy one of Amazon's Fire HD tablets, today might be the day. You can currently pick up some key products on sale, with the best deals on the Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 8 Plus, available at all-time low discounts of 50 percent. The Fire 7 is also back to its Black Friday pricing, and kids tablets have big discounts as well. 

Buy Fire 7 tablet at Amazon - $35Buy Fire 8 HD tablet at Amazon - $45Buy Fire HD 8 Plus at Amazon - $55

We gave the 2020 Fire HD 8 a decent 81 score in our Engadget review, thanks to the new design, switch to USB-C charging, long battery life and solid performance. The Fire HD 8 Plus, however, offers a bit more RAM (3GB instead of 2GB), along with a faster processor and wireless charging support. Both models have 32GB of storage that's expandable via microSD.

The Fire 7 is more of a budget option that comes with a 7-inch IPS display, 2MP front- and rear-cameras and hands-free Alexa controls. It also offers roughly seven hours of battery life, depending on what you're doing. The biggest drawback is the lack of Google apps, but at $35, it's great as a couch device for reading, checking social media and browsing the web. 

If you're shopping for the younger set, meanwhile, the Fire 7 Kids Pro tablet is on sale for $50, or half off the regular $100 price. That price makes it an excellent budget kids option, thanks to the decent specs (a quad-core processor, dual cameras and expandable storage), along with the Kids+ content that includes educational content from National Geographic, Rabbids Coding, LEGO and others.

Buy Fire 7 Kids Pro tablet at Amazon - $50Buy Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet at Amazon - $80Buy Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet at Amazon - $140

Finally, the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro Tablet, with similar features to the Fire HD 7 Kids Pro but a slightly larger screen, is available for $80, for a savings of 43 percent from the regular $140 price. Finally, the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet comes with a 10.1-inch 1080p display, dual cameras, USB-C and 3GB of RAM. That model is available for $140 instead of $200, a discount of $60 or 30 percent. 

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

The UK Government is reportedly preparing a PR blitz against end-to-end encryption

Posted: 17 Jan 2022 02:16 AM PST

Meta recently said that it would implement end-to-end encryption in Facebook Messenger and Instagram by 2023, despite strong opposition from governments in the UK and elsewhere. However, the UK Home Office is reportedly planning an ad campaign to mobilize public opinion against end-to-end encryption using what critics called "scaremongering" tactics, according to a report from Rolling Stone. 

The UK government plans to team up with charities and law enforcement agencies on a public relations blitz created by M&C Saatchi advertising agency, the report states. The aim of the campaign is to relay a message that end-to-end encryption could hamper efforts to curb child exploitation online. 

"We have engaged M&C Saatchi to bring together the many organizations who share our concerns about the impact end-to-end encryption would have on our ability to keep children safe," a Home Office spokesperson told Rolling Stone in a statement. The government has allocated £534,000 ($730,500) for the blitz, according to a letter sent from the Home Office in response to a freedom of information request. 

The campaign may include elements designed to make the public "uneasy," according to a slideshow designed to help it recruit non-profit coalition partners. That includes a proposed stunt with adult and child actors placed in a glass box as it fades to black. It also involves a "social media activation where we ask parents to write to Mark [Zuckerberg] via their Facebook status." 

One slide noted that "most of the public have never heard" of end-to-end encryption, meaning they can "be easily swayed" on the subject. It also states that the government "must not start a privacy vs safety debate." 

Privacy advocates called the plans "scaremongering" and said that a lack of end-to-end encryption could have the opposite intended effect. "Without strong encryption, children are more vulnerable online than ever. Encryption protects personal safety and national security… what the government is proposing puts everyone at risk," Internet Society's Robin Wilton told Rolling Stone. 

Apple may have dropped built-in noise cancellation on the iPhone 13

Posted: 17 Jan 2022 12:34 AM PST

Apple's "Noise Cancellation" accessibility feature has been a staple on past iPhones, but may have been permanently removed from the iPhone 13 series, 9to5Mac has reported. The feature is designed to "reduce ambient noise on phone calls when you are holding the receiver to your ear," a feature that can help make calls easier to hear. 

"Phone Noise Cancellation is not available on iPhone 13 models, which is why you do not see this option in [the Accessibility] settings," Apple support told one of 9to5Mac's readers. When the reader asked for clarification, the support team confirmed that the feature is "not supported."

Questions about noise cancellation came up on Reddit and Apple support pages shortly after the phone went on sale, with readers noticing that it was no longer available on the Accessibility page. The feature is still available with iOS 15 on past iPhone models, but is nowhere to be found on the iPhone 13. 

"Noise Cancellation" normally uses an iPhone's camera microphone to detect and remove ambient noise around you, so you can more easily hear the other person on a phone or FaceTime call — something that can be valuable for the hard of hearing. The issue only applies if you use the handset by itself without, say, Apple's AirPods noise-cancelling earphones. (It does not affect what others hear; for that, Apple introduced the Voice Isolation feature with iOS 15.)  

Apple has yet to officially confirm that the feature has been permanently removed on iPhone 13 devices; so far, the only word about it has come indirectly from Apple Support. As such, Engadget has reached out to Apple for further clarification. 

Subaru unveils a 1,073HP electric race car

Posted: 16 Jan 2022 01:36 PM PST

Subaru is still new to EVs, but that isn't stopping it from unveiling more ambitious projects. Electrekreports the automaker has introduced two concept EVs at the Tokyo Auto Salon, including its first all-electric race car. The STI E-RA Concept hints at Subaru's upcoming track vehicle with 1,073HP of total power from its four Yamaha motors, extensive downforce and all-wheel drive mated to a "unique" torque vectoring system that maximizes grip and stability.

While the 60kWh battery is relatively small, Subaru is confident the E-RA can thrive on the track. It's hoping to set a Nürburgring lap time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds at some point in 2023. That's not as quick as VW's ID.R (6 minutes 5 seconds), but it's comfortably ahead of road cars like Tesla's Model S Plaid (7 minutes 35 seconds). The company plans to test the E-RA at Japanese racing circuits later in 2022.

Subaru Solterra STI Concept
Subaru

The brand also unveiled a Solterra STI Concept (at middle) that, as the name implies, is a sportier version of the upcoming crossover. Subaru didn't discuss under-body changes, but the upgraded Solterra has a roof spoiler, skirt spoilers and other customizations to signal its performance ambitions.

However much the E-RA represents Subaru's motorsport plans, it's also serving as a declaration of intent. Like VW's racer, it shows the company is serious about EVs and can produce high-performance cars in addition to everyday people haulers. The challenge is to translate lessons learned from concepts like this to regular vehicles. Subaru is late to EVs compared even to incumbents like VW, Mercedes and GM, and it may need to move quickly if it wants to counter the electrification efforts of its rivals.

Safari exploit can leak browser histories and Google account info

Posted: 16 Jan 2022 12:07 PM PST

Apple device users appear to be vulnerable to a significant browser privacy flaw. According to 9to5Mac, FingerprintJS has disclosed an exploit that lets attackers obtain your recent browser history, and even some Google account info, from Safari 15 across all supported platforms as well as third-party browsers on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. The IndexedDB framework (used to store data on many browsers) is violating the "same-origin" policy that prevents documents and scripts from one location (such as a domain or protocol) from interacting with content from another, letting appropriately coded websites deduce Google info from signed-in users as well as histories from open tabs and windows.

The flaw only compromises the names of the databases rather than the content itself. However, this would still be enough for a malicious site owner to grab your Google username, discover your profile picture and otherwise learn more about you. The history could also be used to piece together a rudimentary profile of the sites you like. Private browsing won't defeat the exploit, FingerprintJS said.

We've asked Apple for comment. FingerprintJS said it reported the issue on November 28th, however, and that Apple hadn't yet addressed it with security patches honoring same-origin policy. Until then, the only solution may be to either use a third-party browser on Macs or block all JavaScript, neither of which is necessarily an option.
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