Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Apple's new Mac mini hasn't been available for that long yet, but you can already grab it at a discount. The M4-powered Mac mini has dropped to an all-time low of $500 thanks to a discount and an additional, clippable coupon that will bring the final price down to $500. That's a total of $100 of savings off the original price. The 2024 Mac Mini is available with an M4 or M4 Pro chip, both of which give the desktop computer a real boost from its previous version. We gave the upgrade a 90 in our review, in part due to the Pro's perks (which we'll get into later), but also general features like the base level being 16GB of RAM. This generation also offers front USB-C and headphone ports, as well as a design that's less than half the size of its predecessor. The Mac Mini with M4 chip should be plenty of power for all your basic tasks. But, if you need a bigger boost, then check out Mac Mini with an M4 Pro chip. It's currently on sale for $1,349, down from $1,399. This deal is available on the model with 24GB of unified memory and 512GB of SSD storage. It's remarkably fast and offers Thunderbolt 5 support, rather than the M4's Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt 5 can triple data transfer speeds to 120GB/s, up from 40GB/s. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-black-friday-deals-the-m4-mac-mini-drops-to-a-record-low-of-500-144307243.html?src=rss

Remember in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic when live audio was suddenly everywhere? The trend was made popular by the briefly viral phenomenon Clubhouse before seemingly every other online platform copied the feature for themselves.Since then, live audio has become mostly a footnote to a weird time when we were all stuck at home at the same time with nothing to do and listening to hours-long streams of strangers talking to each other passed as entertainment. Now LinkedIn, which was somewhat late to the live audio party in 2022, has opted to get rid of its standalone live audio events.In an update, the company says it will no longer support native audio events beginning next month. Users will stop being able to create new events as of December 2, and previously scheduled events will no longer work after December 31. Instead, the company is bringing together" audio events with its live-streaming feature, LinkedIn Live. LinkedIn Live, however, requires creators to use third-party tools to set up streams. So while audio-only streams will still be able to exist on LinkedIn, they will take a few extra steps.LinkedIn isn't the only company to change course on live audio. Reddit, Facebook, Spotify and Amazon have all shuttered their pandemic-era live audio products.Even Clubhouse (which, yes, still exists) pivoted away from the format last year. The feature is, however going strong on X despite a few high-profile technical issues.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/linkedin-is-killing-the-standalone-live-audio-feature-you-probably-forgot-about-232705727.html?src=rss

Amazon is doubling its investment in Anthropic. The e-commerce giant will provide Anthropic with an additional $4 billion in funding on top of the $4 billion it committed last year. Although Amazon remains a minority investor, Anthropic has agreed to make Amazon Web Services (AWS) its primary cloud and training partner."Before today's announcement, The Information had reportedthat Amazon wanted to make any additional funding contingent on a commitment from Anthropic to use the company's in-house AI chips instead of silicon from NVIDIA. It appears Amazon got its way, with both companies noting in separate press releases that Anthropic will use AWS Trainium and Inferentia chips to train future foundation models.Additionally, Anthropic says it will collaborate with Amazon's Annapurna Labs to develop future Trainium accelerators. Through deep technical collaboration, we're writing low-level kernels that allow us to directly interface with the Trainium silicon, and contributing to the AWS Neuron software stack to strengthen Trainium," the company said. Our engineers work closely with Annapurna's chip design team to extract maximum computational efficiency from the hardware, which we plan to leverage to train our most advanced foundation models."According to another recent report, Anthropic expects to burn through more than $2.7 billion before the end. Before today, the company had raised $9.7 billion. Either way, it's bought itself some much-needed runway as it looks to compete against OpenAI and other companies in the AI space.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-will-use-aws-ai-chips-after-4-billion-amazon-investment-222053145.html?src=rss

The 9th-gen iPad has fallen to $200 for Black Friday. Considering the regular price for this model was $330 at its peak, this is a great discount. This is a tablet Apple first released back in 2021, so it's getting a bit long in the tooth. The 10th-gen iPad is Apple's official budget" tablet, as the 9th-gen will ultimately be phased out. But it's still a fantastic machine, particularly for the price, particularly if you're dead-set on getting an iPad but have little to spend. This is a relatively ancient tablet with an equally ancient A13 Bionic chip. This isn't the best iPad to buy for those looking for raw power. However, it's the perfect tablet for those who want a media consumption machine on the cheap. Netflix in bed? Sign me up. This sale is for the 64GB model and doesn't apply to the 256GB version. The 9th-gen tablet is being discontinued, so it's highly likely this is the last chance to pick one up at this price. Once the stock is gone, it's all over. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-black-friday-deals-discount-the-9th-gen-ipad-to-a-record-low-of-200-161404354.html?src=rss

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally concluded" that Apple's restrictive mobile browser policies limit innovation. After an independent inquiry group shared its findings on browser competition on iOS and Android, the governing body's board plans to conduct an in-depth assessment of how Apple and Google constrict third-party browsers on their platforms. However, Apple - with its more closed ecosystem - appears to have borne the brunt of the CMA's concern.The CMA's investigation is based on the premise that Apple and Google have an effective duopoly on mobile platforms, allowing them to set the rules of how mobile browsers work. The board says third-party browser developers have complained that they're constricted by rules like Apple's requirement to use the company's WebKit browser engine.The group has provisionally found that Apple's rules restrict other competitors from being able to deliver new, innovative features that could benefit consumers," the CMA wrote. Other browser providers have highlighted concerns that they have been unable to offer a full range of browser features, such as faster webpage loading on iPhone."The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), which passed earlier this year, will give the UK body extra ammunition to carry out its next steps. The UK's equivalent of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) can designate big tech companies as having Strategic Market Status" with substantial and entrenched market power" and a position of strategic significance."Much like the EU's version, the law gives the UK some teeth to negotiate and force concessions from Big Tech behemoths that, at least in the US, often seem untouchable: The DMCC will empower the UK board to fine infringing companies up to 10 percent of their global revenue.The CMA's summary of Apple's hearing reveals the iPhone maker argued that it restricts browser engines to ensure users get the best security, privacy, and performance on iOS devices" - a familiar argument to those who've followed Apple's previous competition trials. Apple claimed healthy competition exists, due to the presence of third-party browsers with features like ad-blocking, VPNs and AI. The company also said it routinely considers developer feedback and hadn't heard any fuss over its current browser rules.Contradicting that, the CMA said other browser providers have highlighted features they can't implement on iOS, like faster webpage loading. Many smaller UK app developers also told us that they would like to use progressive web apps - an alternative way for businesses to provide apps to mobile users without downloading apps through an app store - but this technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the board wrote.The CMA also said that how browser choices are presented to users lets Apple and Google manipulate these choices to make their own browsers the clearest or easiest option." In addition, it pointed out a revenue-sharing agreement between the two companies that significantly reduces their financial incentives to compete in mobile browsers on iOS."The board's next step is a period of open comments on its findings, which will end on December 13. After its investigation, the CMA expects to make its final ruling in March 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-watchdog-says-apples-rules-restrict-ios-browser-competition-201106359.html?src=rss

Two Grand Theft Auto titles that helped Netflix's games division pick up steam are leaving the service next month. Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City won't be available through Netflix's library of mobile games after December 13.The Netflix app lists that as the "last day to play" both games. There's no such deadline on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas listing, indicating that subscribers can still enjoy CJ's story at no extra cost."Just like with series and film, games will be removed from Netflix as licenses expire," a Netflix spokesperson said, according to GameSpot. "Players will notice a 'Leaving Soon' badge and be notified by the app itself well in advance of removal." Netflix is removing those two games exactly a year after adding them and San Andreas to its library, indicating that it had an initial 12-month agreement with publisher Rockstar.Earlier this year, Netflix said that the GTA trio had boosted game engagement at the end of 2023. Some people even signed up just to play them, the company claimed. However, Netflix recently scaled back its gaming ambitions to a degree by closing a studio that had some notable developers who were working on a AAA title.You can still play the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition(what a mouthful!) versions of GTA III and Vice City on iOS and Android after December 13, but you'll need to buy them from the respective app stores. If you're looking for other games to play with your Netflix subscription, don't worry, we've got you covered with our picks. Or just Poinpy and thank me later.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/gta-iii-and-vice-city-are-leaving-netflixs-mobile-games-catalog-next-month-193106378.html?src=rss

Hackers breached an online course founded by far-right influencer, and accused human trafficker, Andrew Tate, according to reporting by Daily Dot. The hackers captured data on more than 800,000 users and revealed the email addresses of around 325,000 of them.Tate's self-proclaimed online university" hosts courses on fitness, finance and content creation, all for the low price of $50 per month. The site currently claims it has over 113,000 active users, which translates to an estimated $5 million per month injected into Tate's bank account. A source familiar with the breach told Daily Dot that Tate's website is hilariously insecure," so the hack wasn't difficult.The unnamed hackers cite hacktivism" as their motive, suggesting an issue with Tate's particular brand of toxic discourse and his alleged propensity toward sex trafficking underage girls. To that end, they broke into the website in the middle of a livestream led by Tate, accessing the primary chatroom.

Black Friday is one of the best times of the year to pick up a new Echo speaker - it's usually as good of a time as Prime Day, since Amazon typically saves its best deals for these few periods. This year is no different; among the Amazon Black Friday deals is a steep discount on the Echo Pop smart speaker, bringing it down to just $18. The 55 percent discount brings Amazon's most compact speaker down to a record-low price. Amazon launched the Echo Pop in May 2023 as a new entry-level option for Alexa-powered devices. It features a 1.95-inch front-facing speaker which could work well in a small room like a study or a dorm room. It uses Amazon's AZ2 Neural Edge processor to allow for on-device tasks and lets you do all the standard commands with Alexa. Plus, you can get it in four colors: Charcoal, Glacier White, Lavender Bloom and Midnight Teal. The Pop isn't the only Echo device on sale ahead of Black Friday. Right now, you can get the fifth-generation Echo Dot for $23, down from $50 - a 44 percent discount. The Echo Spot is also on sale, dropping to $45 from $80 and the fourth-generation Echo is $55, down from $100. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-black-friday-deals-include-the-echo-pop-speaker-for-only-18-142842519.html?src=rss

Spotify is expanding its audiobook selection thanks to a deal with publisher Bloomsbury, adding over 1,000 books from authors like Sarah J Maas, Alan Moore and Ann Patchett. The new titles are arriving just a day after Spotify introduced new tools for audiobooks, like playlists, visual accompaniments and a sleep timer.Some of the new audiobooks include fantasies for adults like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke), award winners including Cuddy by Benjamin Myers and kids adventure books like Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures. The new collection also includes non-fiction titles by historians like Peter Frankopan and Want, an anthology collected by Gillian Anderson. Narration will be performed by high-end talent like Meryl Streep, Emilia Clarke, Adjoa Andoh, and Jamie Lee Curtis.Spotify started offering audiobooks in the US a year ago, with Premium subscribers gaining access to 15 hours of content per month (that can be topped up with an additional 10 hours for $12.99). With the average audiobook being about 8-12 hours, subscribers to the $11 Premium tier will be able to listen to about a book per month. Spotify said today that it has paid "hundreds of millions of dollars to publishers on an annualized basis."Bloomsbury already offers its audiobooks on Amazon's Audible, with many of the titles mentioned above already available on that platform (Want, Cuddy and others). Depending on the audiobook, it may be cheaper to just buy it outright than topping up your Spotify account, if want to listen to multiple titles in a month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/spotify-expands-its-audiobook-library-via-a-deal-with-publisher-bloomsbury-130100585.html?src=rss

Well, the rumors were true: this week the DOJ argued that Google should sell off Chrome to make up for its monopolistic search practices. On top of that, the US government also suggested a potential sale of Android if it can't stop prioritizing its own search on Android smartphones. In this episode, Devindra and Producer Ben discuss why neither outcome seems likely under the upcoming Trump 2.0 administration, which will likely focus on defanging any sort of regulation.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 podcast, Engadget News!Subscribe!

Black Friday is finally upon us, willing us to purchase some much-needed tech with some degree of a discount. Our Black Friday hub has been collecting the best deals available, so you can save a bundle in the run-up to the holidays. And while there have been some tasty deals in the last few days, the real blockbusters have now dropped.That includes $75 off the PlayStation 5 Slim, with a decent chunk sliced off the price of a PS5 wireless DualSense controller. Sony has also knocked $100 from the price of its class-leading XM5 headphones, which you can snag for $298. Not to mention, you can grab the brand-new M4 Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage for $500.There are plenty more where that came from, which is why we have the Black Friday hub. So go and get all the biggest and best deals without having to lift a finger.- Dan CooperGet this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!News In Brief

If you're in the market for a color ereader, one of Rakuten Kobo's latest models is on sale for Black Friday. Today, you can order the Kobo Libra Colour, which has a seven-inch color e-ink screen and physical page-turn buttons, for $200. If you're content with black-and-white reading, two of the company's other models - the Sage and Elipsa 2E - are also discounted. Although not everyone needs a pop of color while reading, the device can enhance the visual presentation of book covers, highlights and comics on its seven-inch 1,264 x 1,680 E Ink Kaleido 3 display. Unlike tablets such as the iPad, it doesn't add glare from sunlight. The device includes Kobo's ComfortLight Pro, which automatically adjusts the front light's blue levels for a more comfortable reading experience. It also has a dark mode for night reading. One way the device stands out from Amazon's new Kindle Colorsoft is physical page-turn buttons. Although reaching your thumb slightly to tap the screen isn't exactly a chore, I prefer the satisfying feel of physical buttons: Keep your thumb rested on it and press when it's time to flip the page. The Libra Colour supports note-taking, annotating and highlights - all in color - with the Kobo Stylus 2. Unfortunately, the pen-like accessory isn't included in the box; you'll need to pony up an extra $70 if you want a more notebook-like experience. The ereader has 32GB of storage, enough for 24,00 ebooks or 150 audiobooks. Rakuten Kobo rates the device for up to 40 days of battery life, although that will vary with usage. The Libra Colour has an IPX8 rating, meaning it can handle immersion in over 6.5 ft of water for an hour. As a welcomed perk, the ereader is self-repairable through a partnership with iFixit. On the black and white ereader front, Kobo's Sage and Elipsa 2E are also on sale for Black Friday. The Sage has a larger eight-inch display with deep contrast and fast page turns. Typically ringing up for $270, it's on sale for $240. Finally, the Kobo Elipsa 2E has a tablet-sized 10.3-inch screen and software built around note-taking (including handwriting conversion). It has a $400 MSRP but is discounted to $350. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-kobo-libra-colour-ereader-is-20-off-in-this-black-friday-deal-150004882.html?src=rss

Stephen Hawking toldLast Week Tonight's John Oliver a chilling but memorable hypothetical story a decade ago about the potential dangers of AI. The gist is a group of scientists build a superintelligent computer and ask it, Is there a God?" The computer answers, There is now" and a bolt of lightning zaps the plug preventing it from being shut down. Let's hope that's not what happened with OpenAI and some missing evidence from the New York Times' plagiarism lawsuit.Wired reported that a court declaration filed by the New York Times on Wednesday says that OpenAI's engineers accidentally erased evidence of the AI's training data that took a long time to research and compile. OpenAI recovered some of the data but the original file names and folder structure" that show when the AI copied its articles into its models are still missing.OpenAI spokesperson Jason Deutrom disagreed with the NYT's claims and says the company will file our response soon." The Times has been battling Microsoft and OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement with its AI models since December of last year.The lawsuit is still in its discovery phase when evidence is requested and delivered by both sides to build its case for trial. OpenAI had to turn over its training data to the Times but hasn't publicly revealed the exact information it used to build the AI modes.Instead, OpenAI created a sandbox" of two virtual machines so the NYT's legal team could conduct its research. The NYT's legal team spent more than 150 hours sifting through the data on one of the machines before the data was deleted. OpenAI acknowledged the deletion but the company's legal team called it a glitch." Although OpenAI engineers tried to correct the mistake, the restored data was missing the NYT's work. This led the NYT to essentially recreate everything from scratch. The NYT's lawyers said they had no reason to believe the deletion was intentional.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-new-york-times-says-openai-deleted-evidence-in-its-copyright-lawsuit-231805285.html?src=rss

2025 could be a tense year for Amazon. Reuters reports that, according to its sources, Amazon will likely" be investigated by the European Union (EU) for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by allegedly promoting and offering its own products ahead of others in its online store.The decision to launch the investigation will be made by incoming EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera. Her term will start next month following outgoing chief Margrethe Vestager, who is stepping down after serving two terms.Amazon denies that it violated the DMA. The EU's antitrust regulators launched an investigation into Apple, Meta and Google in March over issues such as fees and preferential presentation of its own apps on its online stores. The European Commission also hinted that it might be looking into Amazon's business practices under the new laws.The DMA took effect last year and establishes criteria for large online platforms to behave in a far way online and leave room for contestability," according to the EU's website. The guidelines prevent big tech companies like Amazon from giving preferential treatment to their own products and services on their platforms.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/report-amazon-is-likely-to-face-an-eu-antitrust-investigation-next-year-214556510.html?src=rss

The 4K Chromecast with Google TV streaming stick is down to $40 on Amazon as part of a Black Friday sale. That's a savings of 20 percent, or ten bucks for the math wizards out there. We called the 1080p version of this device a great little streaming dongle" and that certainly holds true for the newer 4K model. It supports HDR and is compatible with just about any TV with an HDMI port. Once plugged in, it streams via Wi-Fi. The model also allows users to view live TV in 4K. This works with a bunch of different live TV providers, like YouTube TV, Pluto TV, Sling TV and Philo. It ships with a voice remote embedded with Google Assistant, allowing people to bark orders regarding what stuff they want to watch. As with most streaming sticks, users can cast stuff from their phones or tablets. There's also the option to build a kid-friendly profile, complete with family-friendly content and robust parental controls. However, there is one caveat here. This model is likely on the way out. The company looks to be prioritizing the recently-released Google TV Streamer, which drops the dongle design in favor of a wedge. This one boasts more storage and a faster CPU than the aforementioned dongle. The company also shoehorned some AI in the new device because that's what everyone must do now. However, the Google TV Streamer costs $100. I'd go for the $40 Chromecast myself. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-include-the-4k-chromecast-with-google-tv-for-40-194854930.html?src=rss

As people leave or deactivate their X accounts, there's been meaningful growth for alternative platforms like Meta's Threads and underdog Bluesky. Despite the huge gap in both user numbers and funding between the two, Threads seems to be borrowing from Bluesky's feature set to prevent it from becoming competitive.The Verge reported that Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, announced that Threads' algorithm is getting a rebalancing" to prioritize content from people you follow" and less recommended content from accounts you don't follow." Which... is pretty much how Bluesky does things.@mosseri/ThreadsThreads also started offering users a custom feeds tool as a way to stay way ahead of Bluesky's sudden growth. (Custom feeds are a feature Bluesky has offered its users since May of 2023.) The feature lets users pin topics to their home feeds. It's not known if the new algorithm change will affect the For Your" custom feed.Bluesky passed the 20 million user milestone on Tuesday. That number may still pale in comparison toThreads' 275 million users but Mosseri's announcement indicates Meta wants to remain the more enticing option for the estimated 550 million users still on X, should they eventually seek greener pastures.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-will-prioritize-accounts-you-follow-instead-of-randos-191529420.html?src=rss

Happy days. Massive and Ubisoft have listened to the complaints and fixed one of the most glaring problems with Star Wars Outlaws. Players know what I'm talking about. It's those mind-numbing stealth missions that automatically fail as soon as someone is spotted. A new patch lets the game continue, even after being caught, so players can try to shoot their way out of a situation.The developers say this change was instituted to give players a decision as to whether they prefer stealth or combat in any given scenario. Drew Rechner, Creative Director on Star Wars Outlaws, notes that the dev team has removed forced stealth from almost all quest objectives." However, stealth is still an option for any of these objectives. It's just not required.Star Wars Outlaws represents to us a true scoundrel experience and as Kay and Nix are street thieves by trade, stealth will always be an option for players that prefer that playstyle," the devs wrote in a blog post. We heard your feedback, and we're implementing changes that allow for greater player freedom and embracing more playstyles."The update also improves detection mechanics while operating in stealth mode, as the pre-existing enemy AI could be unpredictable and inconsistent." Now players will be able to choose stealth, action or, of course, a combination of both. My preferred method will be stealth until I get caught, which should happen approximately five seconds after entering a compound.Today's build expands player choice in other ways beyond removing forced stealth objectives. Players can now pick up and keep weapons for longer periods of time in the field, and the developers have added more opportunities to use them in various scenarios." Combat has also gotten another update, as players will now be able to target additional enemy body parts beyond the head for exploiting weak points."Update 1.4 even includes some slight graphical upgrades, thanks to a refined camera system that improves the focus. To accompany today's update, Ubisoft has dropped some story DLC called Wild Card. Everyone's favorite villain-turned-hero Lando Calrissian is a major player in this expansion.Star Wars Outlaws still has a few glaring problems, but Massive and Ubisoft have been busy improving the game since launch. The game now features improved and refined combat, with a complete overhaul of the stats of various weapons and enemies.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/star-wars-outlaws-just-fixed-those-maddening-stealth-missions-185341382.html?src=rss

There are already a bunch of Black Friday deals to check out, but if you're on the lookout for a great set of wireless headphones for yourself or a loved one, here's one that's absolutely worth your attention. Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones have dropped to $298. That's a $102 discount. This isn't quite the lowest price we've seen for the over-ear XM5s. They dropped to $280 at one point earlier this year. However, the headphones haven't gone back down to that point since, and this is still a great deal. We've long been recommending Sony's 1000X line and this is the best iteration to date. They earned a score of 95 in our review. The redesigned headphones are much more comfortable to wear for extended periods than previous models. Sony has improved the active noise cancellation (ANC) feature as well, thanks to the addition of a new chip and four more microphones. We feel that the company's current flagship headphones do a better job of blocking out high frequencies and background noise (and even human voices) than the XM4s. The XM5s can switch between noise modes depending on your location or activity, and they can pause audio automatically when you start speaking. They deliver better call quality than rival models and, in general, you'll get clear, crisp sound, including punchy bass. You won't need to charge the XM5s too often either, as they have a 30-hour battery life. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-slash-100-off-the-sony-wh-1000xm5-headphones-192016332.html?src=rss

If you already have a smart home ecosystem in place, or are looking to build one from scratch, now's a good time to look for IoT gear on sale during the Black Friday shopping period. One such device is the Google Nest wired indoor security camera, which you can get for $70 right now. That's 30 percent off its usual price and close to a record low. The sale includes three colorways, including snow, fog and linen. The second-gen wired device is designed for indoor use, thus the name, and is capable of capturing 1080p HDR video. It's motion sensitive and uses a bit of AI trickery to discern between people, animals and vehicles. The camera also includes night vision and an hour of event recording on the device itself, which comes in handy in the case of a Wi-Fi outage. There's a two-way audio function, as the camera includes both a microphone and a speaker. People can boot up the affiliated Google Home app to spark up a conversation. This app also lets you instantly call up emergency services if the conversation doesn't go as planned, though that requires a Nest Aware subscription. This brings us to a fairly significant caveat, though this one pops up with most modern security cameras. A whole lot of stuff is locked behind that aforementioned Nest Aware paywall, which costs $8 per month or $80 each year. This plan gives purchasers 60 days of video history and the ability to watch live streams on smart displays and even smart TVs. Subscribers will even receive alerts when familiar faces are recognized by the camera. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-google-nest-wired-indoor-camera-is-just-70-for-amazon-black-friday-week-160944313.html?src=rss

Apple has offered $100 million to Indonesia as part of an effort to lift a recent ban of the iPhone 16 in the country, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The company has presented an investment plan that would use that $100 million to set up a manufacturing plant in the nation.Earlier this month, Apple offered the country $10 million to reverse the ban. This latest proposal is worth ten times that, so the company certainly sees Indonesia as an important market. After all, the country is home to 280 million potential smartphone customers. The Ministry of Industry of Indonesia is scheduled to review Apple's proposal this week.This all started because Apple missed a local investment threshold by around $15 million. Indonesia mandates that certain devices sold in the country must have at least 40 percent domestic content." This percentage can be met by using domestically-sourced materials, building manufacturing plants or by employing local workers.Apple previously invested around $94 million in the country through a variety of means, but it wasn't enough to stave off the ban. The sale stoppage also applies to other recently-released Apple products, like the Apple Watch Series 10. The ban doesn't impact older Apple devices, which are still available for purchase throughout the country.Apple has opened up several developer academies throughout the country, but an actual manufacturing plant would be a major boon for Indonesia. Both Samsung and Xiaomi have already set up factories in the nation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-pledges-100-million-indonesia-investment-to-lift-iphone-16-ban-162217627.html?src=rss

Caring for yourself can be as simple as sitting down to do a breathing exercise or curling up under a weighted blanket. Or it can be getting a massage, going for a workout or dressing up for a fancy dinner. There are plenty of things you could get for someone that not only shows how much you care about them, but also remind them that it's worthwhile to take time for themselves. And while there's nothing wrong with an aromatherapy candle, it's more fun to go beyond the obvious choices and look at what tech products could help your loved ones feel their best. Our picks include things like styling gadgets and grooming devices, but also less techy options like a hair turban and face masks.

The first Neuralink clinical trials outside the US will take place in Canada. Neuralink has secured Health Canada's approval to launch human trials in the country, with the Toronto Western Hospital being the "first and exclusive surgical site" for the procedure. The company first opened its Canadian patient registry in March this year, but now it's actively looking for potential participants. "Recruitment is now open," it has announced on X.Under the CAN-PRIME study, Neuralink will embed its implant in the brain of the participant so that it can interpret their neural activity. The implant will allow them to control a computer or a smartphone with their brain without the need for wires or any kind of physical movement. Neuralink says the study aims to "evaluate the safety of [its] implant and surgical robot and assess the initial functionality of [its Brain Computer Interface] for enabling people with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts." What it learns from the trials could help the company find safer ways to place the implant inside the brain, as well as to enhance the technology's capabilities.Neuralink's first human patient (pictured above) received his implant earlier this year. He experienced some issues, wherein the implant's threads retracted from his brain, though he seems to be doing well these days. On X, he said that he will soon challenge himself to use Neuralink for 72 hours to demonstrate what the technology can do. For its second patient, Neuralink employed mitigation measures to prevent thread retraction. That patient was already using computer-aided design (CAD) software mere weeks after his surgery in July. At the moment, Neuralink is specifically looking for patients who "have limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)" for its trials in Canada.

Black Friday is really in the air now, and we got the deals to prove it. Google's latest and greatest smartphone, the Pixel 9 Pro, is $150 off. This deal applies to 1TB version of the standard model. With the discount applied, the Pixel 9 Pro is $1,300. We're seeing various discounts on the beefy XL version as well, but they aren't super consistent. At the moment, the lowest price on the Pixel 9 Pro XL is $934. That's still a lot of money, but these are maxed out versions of Google's most powerful phones. The latest iPhone 16 Pro models with a full 1TB of storage cost between $1,500 and $1,600. These Pixel handsets are also unlocked, so feel free to bring it to any carrier out there. The Google Pixel 9 Pro easily made our list of the best smartphones in 2024, and this is especially true for those tied to the Android ecosystem. The camera features are outstanding, including the much-improved telephoto camera. We said the Pixel camera is still the best smartphone camera" in our official review, and that holds true today. The battery life is on point and the bright screen makes these phones a joy to use outdoors. The newly-adopted Tensor G4 chip even allows the phones run cooler than their predecessors. Both the Pixel 9 Pro and the XL are absolutely best-in-class smartphones, with access to all of the AI tomfoolery one would expect from a modern Google handset. Google Gemini is nearly-baked, while Apple Intelligence is about as half-baked as it gets. On the downside, there's the price. This is a serious investment, even with the discount. Also, 1TB of storage is a whole lot and in today's world, with streaming and cloud storage, is likely overkill. However, avid shutterbugs could probably fill up that drive in no time flat. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-google-pixel-9-pro-with-1tb-of-storage-is-150-off-for-black-friday-143005140.html?src=rss

It looks like 2025 is going to be an excellent year for action role-playing games. We've already started things off with a big Dragon Age: Veilguard bang, but next year will also bring Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Fable and the subject of today's dissection, Avowed. Each title offers something distinct for single-player RPG fans, and Avowed is poised to provide top-tier dialogue trees and rich worldbuilding, courtesy of Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds and Pentiment studio Obsidian Entertainment. This is the studio's first tentpole title under the Xbox Game Studios banner and its first AAA fantasy game ever. While I couldn't determine its full scope in the preview I played this week, I'm pleased to report that so far, Avowed's world is as gorgeous as its writing. The preview included the game's first two hours or so, from character creation through the initial main missions. Avowed is a spin-off of the Pillars of Eternity series and it's set in the Living Lands, an area unexplored in the existing games, giving Obsidian a blank canvas for an epic original story. A blight called Dreamscourge is spreading across the region, infecting plants, animals and people with a prismatic fungus that induces madness, rage and death. You play as the envoy of the emperor of the Aedyr Empire, which has a deep history of invading and colonizing the surrounding lands. Of course your protagonist is special, even by the standards of this magical world. Players are a godlike, meaning they've been touched by the divine and marked by facial growths of rainbow fungus. Generally, your godlike status and relationship with Aedyr automatically instills respect and suspicion in the people you meet. As you learn more about the Dreamscourge, it becomes impossible to ignore its similarities to the godlike marks you carry, and this existential terror builds beautifully in the game's first few hours. Are nature's mutations madness or divinity? It's a thin distinction with a long and dark history, and Avowed wallows in this gray area. Its first few hours introduce multiple narrative themes that can be mined throughout the game - the violence of colonization, palace intrigue, spiritual visions, insanity and religious fervor form the most prominent talking points. These arcs play out in conversations with supporting characters and in interactive pieces of lore scattered around the environments, each concept unspooling in a natural and intriguing fashion. There are plenty of opportunities in the dialogue trees to investigate these ideas and learn more about the world or your companions, with specialized responses that unlock if you have the right stats. In general, dialogue in the Avowed preview is nice and quippy, and each new character comes with a distinct, believable personality. Already, I'm curious to know more about the people of the Living Lands. There are no strict classes in Avowed. Instead, players freely level up their abilities across fighter, ranger, and wizard using acquired skill points. There's also a godlike tree, a page to upgrade your companions' skillsets, and a character sheet with classic RPG attributes that you can place points into. I focused on building up my magic, health and damage, and it took a minute to find my preferred combat style. There are two weapons loadouts you can swap between on the fly, a pop-up radial with extra abilities, and four programmable spots on the D-pad. It's a lot to manage in the frenzy of battle, but new weapons and tools are added to your inventory at a steady pace and it's easy to experiment with different builds. In terms of weapons, I stumbled across a knife, spear, bow, shield, grimoire, wand, pistol and giant hammer, but I suspect there were even more tools hidden in the world. The bow and pistol have unlimited ammo, but reloading the pistol is a lengthy process, and the hammer is incredibly powerful, but its swing takes a moment to connect, leaving you vulnerable between hits. Combat is chaotic - especially when fighting hordes of giant spiders - but the game responds well to rapid-fire inputs and generally, each encounter feels like a real skills test. Obsidian Entertainment For me, everything felt right once I found the wand. I closed out the preview with the bow in one loadout, and the grimoire and wand in the other, and I was starting to feel like a real badass. The wand is a quick midrange weapon, and combined with the rechargeable spells in the grimoire and the long range of the bow, it worked really well for my preferred fighting style. One annoyance I noted was the fact that I couldn't draw my bow while taking sustained toxic damage, as each small hit made my character lose focus - this was a tough lesson to learn while trying to fight off a gang of rat-toothed reptilian creatures, but I definitely absorbed it. In any RPG, I have a hard time leaving an area without smashing every vase, breaking every box and exploring every path. Avowed rewards this behavior with bits of worldbuilding, potions, strange animals, coins and tools hidden in the corners and crannies of the Living Lands. Or, sometimes, there's just a breathtaking view. Either way, it makes me excited to see what secrets the full game is hiding. I also played Avowed for about 45 minutes at Xbox's Gamescom event in August, starting with a pre-built mage character in the middle of a search-and-rescue mission a few hours into the game. I had a good time flinging spells from my grimoire and chatting with characters in the caves I was exploring, but I sensed a slight disconnect that I attributed to the rushed and public nature of the demo. Now, I know what was missing: Character creation. Obsidian Entertainment Rich character customization is a massive reason RPGs can feel so immersive and emotionally powerful, and it was a treat to play around with this system in Avowed's latest preview. As a godlike, your character's face is dotted with technicolor fungal growths, and tweaking the placement and appearance of these details was delightful, allowing my brain to build the foundations of my character's story immediately. I chose a face with fuschia butterfly-wing paddles covering my eyes and forehead, and a crown of neon ridges draped over my skull. I then started molding my character's backstory as a witchy scholar with a logical mind and a heart of gold, and swapped a dexterity attribute point for constitution. All of the expected customization mechanics were there, allowing me to tweak the size and shape of each facial feature, and change my hairstyle and color, skin tone, body type, voice, background, basic skills, pronouns and name. Put simply, the Monster Factory boys could have a lot of fun with this one. That said, it's hard to find anything ugly in Avowed. It's shaping up to be a beautiful game, and the preview showcases expansive medieval vistas, shimmering psychedelic spores, rainbow-flecked animals and highly detailed NPCs. I was particularly impressed with the skin textures in the preview: Our main companion, Kai, has snakelike teal skin, and I very much enjoyed watching the light shine on his scales as we chatted by the fire of our party camp. Maybe I'm developing a reptile fetish, or maybe Avowed is just a really pretty game - at least when running on a PC with an RTX 4070 Super. I haven't had the chance to try it out on an Xbox yet, and I'm curious to see how it will perform on both the Series X and Series S. Obsidian Entertainment I have it on good information that Pillars of Eternity players will recognize the rainbow fungus and its infesting ways, but I don't because I've never played those games. Avowed is my introduction to Obsidian's dark fantasy universe, and I'm not alone in this position. Developers at Obsidian are keenly aware that Avowed will be the first Pillars game for many players, as art director Matt Hansen and production director Ryan Warden explained to me in August. We don't want players to feel like there's required reading," Hansen said. So everything that we do should be accessible and fun and enjoyable on its own. If you're just playing Avowed and that's the only game you play, you'll have a good time. And then on top of that, we're finding ways to weave in little winks and nods." He specified that these take the form of documents, books and even a few familiar faces. He continued, We just wanted to make sure that this is a game that's fun for everyone, and thankfully the world is rich enough that it's easy to inject someone in at any point. It's also part of the reason we picked the Living Lands. Its unexploded territory gives us a lot of freedom." Warden added, Even on the quest front, we try to keep it enriched by lore, but you're not completely lost when you're a new player." He said that characters in Avowed offer more information on the history of any given situation if you're interested in asking them for it, and there's a lore tooltip feature that allows you to look up terms mid-conversation (which is also a thing in Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, so it's kind of like a meta wink). Obsidian Entertainment Hansen and Warden also shared some thoughts about the scope and layout of the full game, something that can't be conveyed in a two-hour preview. The game is structured similar to Outer Worlds, where there's open zones that are open-world in structure, but not one contiguous open world," Warden said. So it allows the critical path, the main story to be more focused and have key moments that happen at a cadence that doesn't feel weirdly paced, but it also allows a ton of freedom for player choice. You can go off and do side quests and the regions are just small enough to be manageable. You can do a lot, you can explore, but it's not just checking off a bunch of icons. Everything is bespoke. It's hand-done. There's not much reuse of things." Hansen nodded and said, Lots to explore, but you're not punished for not exploring it. I mean, frankly, I'm becoming an old man. I don't want to spend 120 hours on a game anymore. I like being able to play through our game relatively swiftly. Or, I've had playthroughs that were like six times as long as other playthroughs because I started to get into the nitty gritty. And that's a nice accommodation." It can be as long as you want it to be," Warden finished. Avowed is due to hit Steam and Xbox Series X/S on February 18, 2025. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/avowed-preview-classic-obsidian-fantasy-on-a-aaa-budget-140056761.html?src=rss

Herman Miller is not where you go to pick up a casual item - well maybe you do, and that's great. But, a 25 percent off sale on all its products in-store and online ahead of Black Friday is making the high-end brand's home offerings more accessible. Take their famous Aeron Chair, which is over $450 off, dropping from $1,805 to $1,354 (the gaming version is down to the same price). There are a range of items on sale that are relatively more affordable, like the Eames Wire Base Low Table, down to $221 from $295, and the Verus Task chair, which is down to $630 from $840. Accessories are also a lower point of entry if you want to take advantage of this sale. Take the Oripura Laptop Stand, available in three colors for $37, down from $49. Plus, there's a range of throw pillows, like the Mela Lumbar Throw Pillow by Sonnhild Kestler for $112, down from $150 and the Toostripe Pillow by Alexander Girard for $131, down from $175. Then there's Herman Miller's creme de la creme pieces, including the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. The 25 percent discount brings this set down to between $4,046 and $7,496 (typically $5,395 to $9,995). It's available in a range of wood shells and upholstery, as well as a standard or tall size. The company also has a few funkier pieces that are sure to get people talking if you're willing to drop a couple grand (see the Nelson Coconut Chair and Luva Modular Armchair, for examples). Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/herman-miller-has-a-25-percent-off-sale-for-black-friday-133010737.html?src=rss

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is no longer regulating just banks, now supervising Apple and other companies offering digital wallets and payment apps. It will focus on companies that handle over 50 million transactions per year and ensure they have "the authority to conduct proactive examinations to ensure companies are complying with the law in these and other areas," the bureau said in a statement. "Supervision also is an important tool for the CFPB to assess risks that can emerge rapidly in this market, including from outages and other issues that could lead to millions of consumers losing access to their funds."The CFPB will supervise Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo and others in the areas of privacy and surveillance, debanking (losing access to their app without notice) and errors and fraud. This could provide more options for opting out of data collection and restricting them from misrepresenting their data protection practices, among other regulations. "Digital payments have gone from novelty to necessity and our oversight must reflect this reality. The rule will help to protect consumer privacy, guard against fraud, and prevent illegal account closures," said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. In October, the CFPB fined Apple and Goldman Sachs $89 million over misleading customers and not following through with disputed transactions on the Apple Card.The CFPB originally proposed this setup in November 2023, but the final policies have changed. Most notably, businesses originally had to process just five million transactions, rather than the 50 million. It also reduced the number to just count US dollars, rather than a wider scope. The supervision will go into effect 30 days following the Federal Register publication.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-us-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-will-now-regulate-apple-pay-venmo-and-others-132129928.html?src=rss

Creators who sell assets on itch.io will now have to be a lot more upfront about using generative AI. The marketplace for independent digital creators has introduced a new rule that requires users to label their projects if they were produced using generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Midjourney. Users will see an AI generation disclosure box when they upload their projects. If they confirm that their project contains AI-generated output, they'll be required to indicate what kinds of content were made with generative AI, whether they're graphics, sounds, text and dialogue or code.If they have a public asset page, they'll see a dialog box when they access their dashboard, making it easy to bulk tag their projects. They'll be able to select multiple projects from their list and then indicate whether they contain AI-generated content or not. All assets with AI output will get the "AI Generated" tag, while those without will be tagged as "No AI." Each content type will have its own sub-tag, as well.itch.io requires all assets that used AI in any way, even if the creator had hand-edited it, to be tagged as AI Generated. And if it finds any untagged work that used artificial intelligence tool, it will make that asset ineligible for indexing so that potential buyers could no longer find it. However, it's unclear what measures the marketplace is taking to police its website. While itch.io's new policy may not be enough for those who'd rather ban AI content altogether, the tags will allow buyers who don't want AI assets in their work to filter them out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/itchio-marketplace-now-requires-asset-creators-to-disclose-their-use-of-generative-ai-130031999.html?src=rss

As our homes (and lives) get smarter, the need for some sort of digital hub big enough to run things becomes more urgent. It's why Amazon surprise-released a new 21-inch version of its Echo Show that does everything the Show 15 did, but biggererer. It gets a built-in smart home hub with Thread, Zigbee and Matter control, Wi-Fi 6E and a better camera for video calls.I bought an Echo Show 8 on a whim to use as a screen for my Ring doorbell and found it quite underwhelming. But the idea of having a 21-inch screen that could theoretically lay out to-do lists and calendar tasks on the daily is quite appealing. Having two small kids makes being able to marshal all our schedules on one device quite desirable.- Dan CooperGet this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The best Black Friday deals

It's Black Friday, and if you're in the market for a smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is $70 off. That makes it $230, a record low for the device. Our team tried out the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 at the Paris Galaxy Unpacked event earlier this year (Samsung's second Unpacked of the year, to be precise). It's one of the first smartwatches to receive Wear OS 5, the latest Google wearables operating system. Fun fact, even Google's products didn't get it until later. The Galaxy Watch 7's features include an improved heart rate tracker, an energy score calculator to determine your physical readiness for the day and suggested responses in messaging, which are powered by Galaxy AI. Galaxy AI will formulate responses based on your past conversations, but the feature only works if you allow it to read them. Additionally, Samsung's AI model can gather your sleep habits and provide useful insights. The smartwatch is even powerful enough to detect signs of sleep apnea and severe instances of breathing disruptions. While we haven't reviewed the Galaxy Watch 7, we did put the Galaxy Watch 6 through a detailed evaluation. We found it to be comfortable to wear and great for fitness enthusiasts, and it has dedicated health-tracking functions for those who need it. If anything, we take it as a good sign that Samsung has a high standard for its smartwatches. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/samsungs-galaxy-watch-7-drops-to-230-for-black-friday-120049385.html?src=rss

Who couldn't use a good massage right now? This Black Friday sale slashes $50 off one of our favorite gifts for moms: the compact and triangular Theragun Mini 2.0 massage gun. It can soothe aches and pains and easily slide into a small purse, backpack or gym bag. The massager is discounted to $149, down from its usual $199. It's part of a larger sale of Therabody's often coveted recovery devices both at Therabody and at Amazon. Although more forceful massage guns are available, Therabody's second-gen mini massage gun strikes a nice balance of power and portability. It's 20 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than its predecessor, measuring 5.55 x 4.92 x 1.93 inches and weighing one pound. This 2.0 model has a slightly longer battery life than the first Theragun Mini: up to 120 minutes from a full charge (via USB-C). It has three speeds, ranging from 1,750 to 2,400 percussions per minute (PPM). Its 12mm amplitude delivers deep tissue massage to help you recover after a workout or soothe areas of habitual tension or chronic aches. Although this model lacks a screen, it has an LED speed indicator. You can also pair it via Bluetooth with the Therabody app to control the device and perform guided massage routines. This model includes three attachments: a dampener (firm but gentle), a standard ball (firmer) and a thumb (for trigger points). However, if you decide to expand its arsenal, it's compatible with all of Therabody's fourth and fifth-generation attachments. The massage gun includes a soft carrying case to protect it while bouncing around in your workout bag. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-include-the-theragun-mini-massager-for-149-150030292.html?src=rss

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has released a 23-page document calling for the breakup of Google, including a sale of the Chrome web browser and restrictions on Android, confirming previous reports. Selling Chrome "will permanently stop Google's control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet," DoJ lawyers argued in the filing.The regulator said that Google must also stop favoring its own search engine in Android. If the company fails to do that, DoJ lawyers argued that it should also be required to divest its mobile device operating system. They also proposed that Google syndicate search results separately and sell its click and query data to aid rival search engines and AI startups.In a response on its Keyword blog, Google said the DoJ's "staggering proposal" would harm consumers and affect US tech leadership. "[The] DoJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America's global leadership," wrote Global Affairs president and chief legal officer, Kent Walker. "DoJ's wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision. It would break a range of Google products - even beyond Search - that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."All of this started back in 2020, when the DoJ and multiple states filed a lawsuit arguing that Google paid billions to device manufacturers to secure default status for its search engine. Then in August this year, federal judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google "is a monopolist" in the industry and used its power to charge "supracompetitive prices for general search text ads." (As of last year, Google controlled around 90 percent of the search engine market, processing nearly 9 billion searches per day.)The DoJ's proposals to breakup Google are based on that ruling, but the makeup and philosophy of the department is likely to change drastically in a Trump administration. Indeed, Google's Keyword blog seems to be aimed directly at the incoming president, invoking dangers to security, required disclosure to foreign companies and the mandating of "government micromanagement." Recently, Trump himself weighed in on the matter, suggesting a breakup might be too drastic. "What you can do without breaking it up is make sure it's more fair," he said last month.All of this is still at an early stage, with many court cases and appeals likely to come. Still, it would represent a seismic shift in how Google, a company with 182,500 employees, does business. More importantly, it could drastically affect how the internet works, as over 60 percent of web interactions start with a search query - and most of those are done using Google search.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/department-of-justice-confirms-that-it-wants-google-to-sell-off-chrome-094929822.html?src=rss

Black Friday has arrived, which means Amazon's smart displays are back on sale and significantly discounted. To start, the Echo Show 8 is $70 off its regular $150 price. That's the cheapest Amazon has sold the Show 8 for since the company's Prime Day sales event in July when the device hit a record low price. Amazon has also discounted the more affordable Echo Show 5. Right now, it's on sale for $50, down from $90. Both the Echo Show 8 and Show 5 have been on Engadget's best smart displays list for years. Of the two, the former is the best pick for most people. The 8-inch screen is just large enough to make it easy to interact with the display, but not so big so as to make a device that hogs space on your bedside table. The fact the Show 8 will adapt the size of its user interface to how far away you are from it is icing on the cake. The Show 8 is also a great choice if you want a smart display that's great for video calling. Not only does its 13-megapixel camera offers great image quality, but Amazon has also included a feature that automatically frames your face and follows your movements. As you can imagine, it's a useful feature to have if you want to move around while chatting with your friends and loved ones. When you're not using the Show 8, there's a physical camera cover to protect your privacy. I should also mention that the Show 8 is one of the better-sounding smart displays Engadget has tested, thanks to the inclusion of spatial audio and a room calibration feature. As for the Echo Show 5, it's a great option if space is limited on your desk or nightstand. It's currently one of the smallest smart displays on the market. The inclusion of an ambient light sensor and tap-to-snooze features make for a great smart alarm clock. It can also work as a sunrise clock if you don't want to be jarred from bed. Either way, both the Show 8 and Show 5 are great smart display, especially when you can get them on sale like they are now. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-echo-show-8-drops-to-a-record-low-of-80-in-this-amazon-black-friday-deal-150003009.html?src=rss

Yes, Black Friday is basically here and, though we're not sure where this year went, all the sales are softening the blow. Amazon, sure to be the home of a lot of shopping this year, has already marked down some of its most wanted products. Included in the sales is our choice for best smart speaker under $50, the fifth generation Amazon Echo Dot. Right now, you can pick up the speaker for just $23 - an all-time low price. The fifth-gen Amazon Echo Dot came out in 2022 and has great features, including exceptionally loud and clear audio for its sticker price (let alone the discounted one). It has all the basics and does them well: letting you set alarm clocks and timers, streaming music and podcasts from your streamer of choice and using Alexa for all your questions. If you're unsure about the Echo Dot then check out some of Amazon's other speakers on sale for Black Friday. There's the Echo Spot, which is back to its October Prime Day all-time low price of $45, down from $80. Amazon originally released the Echo Spot in 2017, but discontinued it after two years. The new model launched earlier this year sans awkward bedside camera and plus a better quality display and sound. You can also pick up the Echo Pop for only $18, down from $40. This speaker is a great option if you want a solid device in a small room. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-echo-dot-drops-to-only-23-for-black-friday-150042813.html?src=rss

If you can't get your kids to sit through one of the five NBA games airing on Christmas Day, tune into Disney+, ESPN+ or ESPN2 for a special Disney-fied version. ESPN announced that it will air a Dunk the Halls" broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs versus the New York Knicks featuring animated Disney characters.The broadcast starts at 12PM eastern. If you just want to watch the game played by regular, boring humans, that will also air on Disney+ and ESPN+ as well as ABC and ESPN.Dunk the Halls" will use Sony's Beyond Sports technology to turn Madison Square Garden into Main Street USA from the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The game will also feature appearances from classic Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald and Daisy Duck as well as Santa and his elves from the animated Disney short Prep & Landing.This is the first time the NBA has arranged to air a game with animated characters and graphic overlays. It's also the latest game in a new trend of mixing live sports events with a network's signature cartoon characters. ESPN+, Disney+ and the NFL+ app will air an alternative version of the Bengals-Cowboys game on December 9 featuring virtual characters and scenes from The Simpsons. ESPN3's Full Court Press broadcasts use technology designed by Second Spectrum to create augmented graphics that track players movements and provide real time updates.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-nba-will-air-a-christmas-day-game-with-disney-characters-224921665.html?src=rss

If you're one of the people out there making calls with Meta's Messenger app, its latest update adds a bunch of new features for making video and audio calls, according to the official Meta blog.When you make a video call, you can add an AI-generated background to your screen by tapping on the effects icon in the sidebar and selecting Backgrounds." So instead of showing your friends and family your grungy apartment or your car that you haven't cleaned out since you bought it, you can replace the background with a field of sunflowers or an alien landscape as one of its suns is setting. That's something we've seen from basically every other video calling platform, so it's not a big surprise to see Meta add it here.Meta also added some new features for video calls including high definition video, background noise suppression and voice isolation to help you make clearer, higher-quality calls directly from Messenger," according to the blog.The HD video feature will be the default mode for Messenger calls made over W-iFi connections. HD calls can also be made on cellular data in settings by turning on Mobile data for HD video." Background noise suppression and voice isolation can also be turned on and off in Messenger's call settings section.You can also leave voice and video messages for your contacts beyond just a line of text and maybe a cheeky emoji or two. Simply tap the record message" button on the lower right side of the screen to leave a video or audio message if the person you are contacting doesn't pick up the call.Finally, if you don't have a free hand but need to make a call, iPhone users can ask Siri to make calls and messages for them on Meta's Messenger app. Simply activate Siri and say Hey Siri, send a message to [contact name] on Messenger" and dictate the message you want to send them.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/metas-latest-features-for-messenger-calling-include-ai-backgrounds-200047824.html?src=rss

The battle over who will get all of X's users now that it's an utter cesspool continues. Threads just began rolling out its own custom feeds feature to compete with rival Bluesky. Custom feeds have long been a hallmark of Bluesky and now Threads users can get in on the action. Meta announced it was testing custom feeds just last week, so those tests must have been successful. It's either that or they want to stall Bluesky's continuing momentum.Simply put, the feature allows users to pin topic-based feeds to the home screen of the app. This gives people the option to scroll through additional feeds beyond the algorithmic for you" feed. This is a very good thing, as Thread's current for you" algorithm can be easily manipulated by just posting stuff like who likes cats?" I have seen quite literally 400 posts like that in my feed, all looking for engagement. I like cats but, come on.In any event, users can create a custom feed by searching for keywords and taping the ..." menu to get started. A feed will be created based on the keyword, though the toolset allows for more granular adjustments. For instance, users can add specific profiles to customize each feed. Threads aficionados can create up to 128 custom feeds.Threads has one significant advantage over Bluesky when it comes to custom feeds. Making one on Bluesky is something of a process. It took me around two seconds to make a Star Trek feed on Threads.Lawrence Bonk / ThreadsDespite Bluesky's continued growth, it's still a minor player when compared to Threads. Bluesky just announced 20 million users, which is great, but Threads has more than 275 million users. Threads has also been growing by around a million users a day, according to a recent post from Instagram chief Adam Mosseri.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-rolls-out-its-custom-feeds-tool-after-a-quick-testing-phase-195012720.html?src=rss

Sony offered a sneak peek at its PlayStation Black Friday deals, which start on Friday. In addition to some (currently nebulous) deals on hardware and games, the sale will include up to 30 percent off PlayStation Plus memberships. The deals will run from November 22 through December 2.PlayStation Plus subscriptions will be up to" 30 percent off for a 12-month membership. If you're already a PS Plus Essential Member, you can save 25 percent on the remainder of your plan when upgrading to PlayStation Plus Extra. Or, you can shave off 30 percent if you're upping your membership from PS Plus Extra to PS Plus Premium / Deluxe.SonyLess specific (as of now) are the PlayStation Black Friday deals on hardware and games. Direct from PlayStation and through Sony's retail partners, there will be sales on PS5 gear, including the Fortnite Cobalt Star Bundle. PS VR2 headsets, DualSense wireless controllers, Pulse headphones or earbuds and PS5 console covers will also be discounted. What we don't know yet is how much savings Sony will offer on any of it.Sony didn't mention the PlayStation Portal, which is about to get a lot more interesting. This week, the company said the handheld will soon run a beta test for cloud streaming. The portable device's inability to do anything but stream your local PS5 games at launch was a bit baffling, to say the least.Select" games for PS5, PS4 and PC will also see price cuts. Sony mentions digital titles like Star Wars Outlaws, Madden 25 and Hogwarts Legacy, so we at least know a few on-sale games to look out for. But similar to the hardware deals, we don't know how juicy the deals will be (or which other titles will be available). You can check back on Friday morning to learn more.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-playstation-black-friday-deals-will-cut-25-to-30-percent-off-ps-plus-subscriptions-193815734.html?src=rss

Microsoft has announced a long-anticipated feature for Xbox Cloud Gaming. Starting today, you'll be able to stream select games that you own on TVs and Meta Quest VR headsets, as well as supported browsers on phones, tablets and PCs in every country where Xbox Cloud Gaming is available. Microsoft plans to expand the feature to Xbox consoles and the Windows Xbox app next year.You'll still need to be an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member to use this feature, but it means that you're no longer limited to streaming only the games that are on that service. The "stream your own game" option includes support for 50 titles at the outset, with more to be added later. You can stream the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, Stray, The Witcher 3, Balatro, Animal Well, NBA 2K25, Baldur's Gate 3 and several Final Fantasy games. Just look for the "stream your own game" section on Cloud Gaming.An Xbox spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that "streaming the games you own requires a digitally purchased game." So, you won't be able to stream a physical copy of, say, Farming Simulator 25 via this feature, but if you have the disc in your Xbox Series X, remote play is still an option.Although it's broadly good that people have more ways to play their games, this move lines up with Xbox inching toward an all-digital future - one in which gamers without access to fast, reliable Internet connections may be left behind. This also lets Xbox expand its cloud gaming offerings without having to necessarily pay third-party developers and publishers big bucks to get their projects on Game Pass proper.The stream your own game initiative also ties into Microsoft's new ad campaign about all kinds of devices being an Xbox when they are, in fact, not. The rollout comes a day after Sony started publicly testing a cloud gaming option on PlayStation Portal, a feature that the device should have had from the beginning.Update November 20, 1:41PM ET: Added clarification from Xbox that only digitally purchased games, and not physical copies, are eligible to stream.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/you-can-now-stream-some-xbox-games-you-own-but-you-still-need-game-pass-ultimate-181047095.html?src=rss

William Shatner, who once sparred with Engadget over Twitter's verification policy, has finally reprised his most famous role. Captain Kirk is back in the short film 765874 - Unification. This eight-minute story is live now on YouTube and follows the events of Star Trek: Generations, which was the last time Shatner donned his Starfleet uniform.The short was made by a graphics company called OTOY, along with Paramount and Shatner himself. It technically exists to honor the 30th anniversary of Generations, but it also acts as a proper send-off to the first Star Trek captain.Now it's time to get into spoiler territory, for those who haven't seen a 30-year-old movie. Captain Kirk is dead. He died on an uninhabited planet after trying to stop Malcolm McDowell from unleashing an extra-dimensional time ribbon called the Nexus on an unwitting solar system of innocent folks. You know the drill. It's Star Trek!Anyways, the short follows Kirk after dying on that planet. Is it the after-life or maybe the residual effects of the Nexus? We don't know. There's no dialogue to help us along. Instead, a de-aged Kirk, sometimes played by Sam Witwer, wanders an otherworldly realm until he eventually finds an old friend. It's surprisingly touching, particularly for die-hard Trek fans.

Black Friday deals have arrived for Samsung smartphones, and now you can get a few of our favorites for a few hundred dollars less than usual. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is currently down to $950 from $1,300. The Ultra came out in early 2024 and quickly became our choice for best premium Android phone. It scored an 89 in our review thanks to features like its long battery life - we often had over 50 percent left after 24 hours. It has a titanium frame and a 6.8-inch OLED panel that peaks at 2,600 nits, rather than the previous 1,750 nits. Plus, it has a slew of AI tools and utilizes Samsung's Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for fast performance. If $950 feels (understandably) a bit steep then check out the Samsung Galaxy S24+. The 256GB model is currently marked down from $1,000 to $770 - still a solid chunk of change, but a noticeable difference. The Samsung Galaxy S24+ garnered an 87 in our review, not far off from its sister device. It comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and features like Chat Assist and Live Translate. Its battery life impressed us, though its low-light photography performance left something to be desired. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/samsung-black-friday-2024-deals-save-up-to-350-on-galaxy-s24-smartphones-150043358.html?src=rss

Amazon just surprise-dropped the Echo Show 21, a massive smart display with all kinds of bells and whistles. As the name suggests, this device boasts a 21-inch screen. It's also wall-mountable, just like the pre-existing Echo Show 15. The display boasts a 1080p resolution, which won't be winning any awards, but the audio quality looks to be much-improved from previous models. The Echo Show 21 should be capable of delivering immersive sound, double the bass and room adaption technology." The camera has been refreshed, with more than double the field of view and 65% more zoom than the first-generation Echo Show 15." It also looks like the auto-framing algorithm has been improved. This thing could be a beast for video calls, as the unit now offers improved methods for the reduction of unwanted ambient noise. There's a built-in smart home hub, with Wi-Fi 6E, Thread, Zigbee and Matter control capabilities. The company says the device should be able to adjust some stuff locally, like lights, switches and plugs. This function first popped up in the Echo Hub, which was first revealed last year. The panel can double as a Fire TV, which is nothing new, and works with Amazon's Fire TV remote. However, the Echo Show 21 ships with the Alexa Voice Remote, along with wall-mounting equipment. A countertop stand is sold separately. The smart display costs $400 and is available now. The Echo Show 15 has also gotten a refresh, for those with limited wall or countertop space. The new model boasts all of the features outlined above, just in a smaller form factor. This one costs $300 and is available now. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/amazon-just-launched-the-massive-echo-show-21-smart-display-174115181.html?src=rss

We've tested scores of speakers over the years, and the best ones have made their way into three of our buying guides: soundbars, portable speakers and smart speakers. Right now Black Friday sales are already underway, bringing notable discounts to a few of our top picks.Amazon's says its Black Friday deals will start in earnest November 21, and we expect other retailers to follow suit. That means there will be far more Bluetooth speakers, smart speakers, and soundbars on sale at that point - and we'll update this post as soon as those new discounts go live. In the meantime, brands like JBL and Bose are already on sale. As of this writing, these are the best Black Friday deals on speakers we could find.The best Bluetooth speaker Black Friday dealsJBLPortable Bluetooth speakers make it easy for you to bring the music where plugs don't reach - a picnic, the front stoop, an aimless wander along the North Country Trail. And right now for Black Friday, we're seeing plenty of Bluetooth speaker black Friday deals. Below is the best of what's on sale, all pulled from our Bluetooth speaker guide as well as our reviews and news coverage.The best JBL speaker Black Friday dealsJBL Clip 5 for $50 ($30 off): It's tiny, portable and brings its own clip along with it. You'll get 12 hours of listening from its waterproof body and the whole thing weighs just over half a pound.JBL Flip 6 for $80 ($50 off): This is the one I bought after reading our guide and I love it. The crowler-sized speaker has great sound quality, is durable as heck and can either sit on its end or on its side. Plus it's waterproof, dustproof and packs 12 hours of playtime. Also at Amazon and Walmart.JBL Xtreme 3 for $250 ($80 off): We compare the size of the Xtreme 3 to a football, but since it weighs over four pounds JBL includes a strap for easier carrying. Like most portable speakers it's waterproof and dust-proof. The lively highs and hefty lows sound great outside, but really the speaker really shines when it can resonate indoors. Also at JBL.JBL Xtreme 4 for $300 ($80 off): The latest generation of our recommended JBL Xtreme adds around nine hours of battery life and a replaceable battery. It's also made from more recycled content and throws in some AI-powered tuning. Also at Target.JBL Go 4 for $40 ($10 off): JBL's smallest portable speaker has up to seven hours of battery life on a charge, has an IP67 waterproof rating and has a tiny built-in carry strap so you can bring it wherever you go. Also at JBL and Best Buy.The best Bose speaker Black Friday dealsBoseBose SoundLink Home for $199 ($20 off): It's a smaller speaker at just two pounds but Bose promises premium sound from the SoundLink Home. We haven't had the chance to test it ourselves just yet, but if the sleek good looks are calling to you, this discount might be a good time to invest. Just note that it's not waterproof as the Home" moniker suggests.Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd gen) for $119 ($30 off): When Bose announced the release of the SoundLink Home, the company also introduced this revamped Flex. The first generation is one of the picks from our Bluetooth speaker guide. This newer generation works with the Bose app and has a new programmable button. Also at Bose and Best Buy. The first generation model is on sale for the same price.Bose SoundLink Max for $299 ($100 off): The largest portable speaker Bose makes is part of the new SoundLink lineup which Bose announced in May. Also at Amazon and Target.Bose Smart Soundbar for $399 ($100 off): The latest Bose soundbar came out just a couple months ago and is already on sale. It's a smaller model that supports Dolby Atmos and has an AI Dialogue Mode as well as a Personal Surround feature if you happen to own a pair of the Ultra Open Earbuds. Bose says the AI smarts make voices easier to hear while retaining the audio's immersive qualities. Also at Amazon.Other Black Friday Bluetooth speaker dealsMarshall Willen for $70 ($50 or 42 percent off): This is close to an all-time low price on a tiny music box that we named one of our favorite gadgets from last year. Engadget's Sara Fielding thinks it's perfect, saying, The sound quality is great and it stays connected to my phone regardless of where I go in my little house (the range is 30 feet). Plus, the battery is great, with a playtime of over 15 hours."Sony ULT Field 1 for $98 ($32 off): Earlier this year, Sony waved goodbye to the Extra Bass and XE-Series products, folding them into the new ULT Power Series branding. This 1.4-pound unit has a 12-hour battery life and IP67 rating. This matches the all-time low. It's two dollars more at Best Buy and direct from Sony.Anker Soundcore Motion 300 for $60 ($20 off with coupon): Weighing in at less than two pounds, Anker's speaker has a bright, punchy output with a crisp high end and thumpy bass. Plus it's waterproof and goes for 13 hours on a charge. No wonder it made our list of the best speakers. Also direct from Soundcore.Black Friday smart speaker deals from SamsungSamsung Music Frame for $248 ($150 off): Samsung first announced its Music Frame back in January at CES 2024. It takes its cue from the Frame TV that disguises itself as art. This wireless speaker has room for your own (physical) photo within its frame, along with two woofers, two tweeters and two mid-range drivers to spit out sound from your favorite streaming services. Also at Best Buy and directly from Samsung.Black Friday soundbar dealsFor our guide to the best soundbars, our audio expert Billy Steele picked six winners out of the dozens of home theater speakers he and other Engadget staffers have tested over the years - and one of them is on sale for Black Friday (we expect more sales to pop up closer to Black Friday so check this post again). This is a great chance to improve greatly upon the audio from your (probably thin) TV.Samsung HW-Q990C for $1,100 ($898 off): The top spot in our soundbar guide isn't cheap, but this Black Friday deal helps. And, for the price, you get a complete home theater audio setup complete with soundbar, subwoofer and two rear surround speakers. Samsung's HW-Q990C may not have the prettiest name, but the sound quality is a thing of beauty, earning it an 89 in our review.Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-speaker-deals-for-2024-include-up-to-42-percent-off-jbl-bose-marshall-sony-and-more-172645887.html?src=rss

Comcast is spinning out Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango and a bunch of NBCUniversal (NBCU) cable networks into a separate company. That means USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel will soon have a new home. Comcast is hanging onto other NBCU operations, namely NBC, Peacock, film and TV studios, Telemundo and theme parks. Bravo is also sticking around to help keep feeding Peacock's ever-hungry reality TV maw.Comcast says the new entity will be a tax-free spin-off" and the step is "expected to be accretive to revenue growth at Comcast and approximately neutral to Comcast's leverage position." In other words, it's to do with money - and perhaps laying the groundwork for further consolidation between major media companies. The spun-out properties pulled in around $7 billion between them over the last year or so, while their future parent will still have a partnership with NBCU. Comcast is aiming to complete the transition within the next year.In its press release, Comcast calls the spin-off company "SpinCo," which is a placeholder and surely won't be the business' actual name. After all, having "SpinCo" as their parent company's moniker wouldn't exactly be great optics for CNBC and MSNBC journalists.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/comcast-is-spinning-out-rotten-tomatoes-and-cable-networks-into-a-separate-company-151153285.html?src=rss

Black Friday is usually a good time to restock on video games and gaming gear at a discount, and this year should be no exception. If you're looking to pad out your backlog, pick up a new console or refresh your desktop with new peripherals, we're rounding up the Black Friday gaming deals that are most worth your attention below.To be candid, the selection as of Wednesday morning is fairly light - we expect tons more discounts to pop up Thursday and Friday, after Amazon, Best Buy, PlayStation and other retailers start their official Black Friday sales in earnest. That said, a number of noteworthy Switch, PS5 and Xbox games are already down to their lowest prices to date, while the Xbox Series X and a few well-reviewed accessories are cheaper than usual too. We've dug through reviews and used price history trackers to ensure each offer below is a genuine deal, and we'll update this post regularly over the next couple of weeks as additional deals become available.

Ooni is discounting all of its ovens and accessories by 20 percent as part of a Black Friday deal. This sweeping sale means you can snag one of our two top choices for a home pizza oven. If you're looking to splurge, the Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel pizza oven is available for $519, down from its typical price tag of $799. We appreciate that this model can use wood, charcoal or gas to sizzle up your slices, plus it has a built-in digital thermometer and can fit up to a 16-inch pie. If you'd rather not prep your pizza in the great outdoors, then the Ooni Volt 12 Electric pizza oven might be more your speed. It's on sale for $719 instead of the usual $899. This is our top choice this year for an indoor pizza oven thanks to its quick heating and flexibility for fitting pans or other baked items into its 13-inch interior. It's also flexible on location, since the weather-resistant materials mean it can be used outside too. At the scorching temperatures needed for good pie, you don't want to mess around with the wrong gear. Since Ooni is also cutting the prices on accessories, this is a good time to stock up on other essential tools, like a baking stone or pizza peel. And if you need the ingredients to kick off your pizza journey, Ooni is also taking 20 percent off orders of its dough and up to 50 percent off other grocery items. The Black Friday offer for Ooni goods will be available from today through 11:59 pm local time on December 2. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-20-percent-off-ooni-pizza-ovens-for-black-friday-150052139.html?src=rss

Strinova is a third-person hero shooter coming out this week, and its recent closed beta functioned more like an open beta despite the label. Its anime art style caught my eye, so I decided to register and try it out. While this hero shooter had much in common with others in the genre, I thoroughly enjoyed the new mechanics it introduced.This new third-person shooter from iDreamSky has elements players of Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch and Valorant will find familiar, such as game modes and Agent roles. However, the game sets itself apart by implementing a mechanic called Stringify," allowing Agents to turn from 3D into paper-thin 2D models.Stringify allows Agents to avoid gunfire, climb up walls and even glide through the air, but they can't shoot or use abilities while Stringified. This mechanic allows for possibilities like chambering sniper rifle rounds while minimizing one's hitbox and traversing walls mid-gunfight. It was incredibly entertaining to move around like this, but it isn't so over-the-top like how some Call of Duty games and Titanfall implement movement mechanics. Spamming glides or sprints won't do much good.Each Agent has unique abilities and primary weapons, while secondary weapons and grenades can be swapped out. You have many familiar roles like snipers, designated marksmen with semi-automatic rifles, mid-range assault units and close-quarters-focused brawlers armed with shotguns. The abilities range from defensive supports to lone-wolf offensive kits, though Strinova doesn't encourage engaging groups of enemies alone due to a longer time to kill.My favorite Agent from the open beta is Meredith (image below), a mid-range assault Agent who can glide in mid-air longer due to a time-slowing mechanic. Her gunplay feels almost inspired by Warframe's Zephyr, who also has extended airtime. Meredith also has area denial abilities that apply debuffs, most significantly with her Ultimate Skill that drains HP temporarily while limiting vision.Jeremy Gan for EngadgetAnother standout is Audrey, whose ability turns her into a stationary turret and lets her fire her machine gun without recoil or reloading. However, you'll want to watch out for overheating. She has a limited shield that blocks some incoming fire while aiming down the sights - but there's a catch. Despite being a bullet hose, she's vulnerable to a single sniper headshot, and a shotgun user can take her out quickly before she enters turret mode, which has a longer startup animation.There were four game modes in the open beta: team deathmatch, team arena, escort, and demolition. Escort is similar to what Overwatch offers, which has an attacking team escorting a payload to the goal. Demolition is basically competitive Counter-Strike. Team deathmatch has five teams of three fighting each other, while team arena has a 7v7 format. In the last two game modes, Ultimate Skills are disabled.Based on my experience, Strinova has a longer time to kill, which forces players to be more tactical, especially when everyone can use Stringify to move around. I was forced to ditch my highly aggressive playstyle and employ proper movement and peeking to ensure I survived gunfights. Since each Agent gets to turn 2D, glide and climb walls, there are plenty of ways to get the drop on opponents.Jeremy Gan for EngadgetStrinova ran smoothly on my gaming laptop, reaching 120FPS easily and rarely dropping many frames. However, there was a glaring bug in which my A key was perceived as being held down. The only way to fix" was to pause or unplug my keyboard. I usually had to perform the latter, and it was rather annoying to deal with, though hopefully it's something that gets worked out by release.I definitely enjoyed playing the Strinova open beta, and the game is set to come out on November 21. There are plenty of other cool things in the game, but the combat absolutely stands out. I don't play that many hero shooters, but this one is like a diamond in the rough to me.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/strinovas-2d-stringify-mechanic-breathes-some-new-life-into-hero-shooters-140043155.html?src=rss

While pretty much every TV is a smart TV these days, you might still want a dedicated streaming box to do the heavy lifting - or maybe you'd like to have one for a projector. There a number of Black Friday deals on streaming devices, including the latest Roku Ultra. That box has dropped by $20 to $80, which is an all-time low-price for the streaming box. Roku unveiled the 2024 Ultra in September. It claims that the device is at least 30 percent faster than any of its other players. As such, apps should load quickly and moving around the user interface should feel zippy. The previous version is our pick for the best set-top streaming box (we're currently testing the 2024 model). The Roku Ultra offers 4K streaming with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, as well as Dolby Atmos audio. It supports Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and you can plug in an Ethernet cable as well. This model comes with a second-gen Voice Remote Pro, which boasts backlit buttons and USB-C charging, though Roku says it should run for up to three months on a single charge. Other features include hands-free voice control and a lost remote finder function. Roku ditched the headphone jack for wired listening this time around, unfortunately, but you can still connect wireless headphones to the Roku Ultra via Bluetooth. The Roku Channel offers more than 400 free, ad-supported streaming channels, along with on-demand shows and movies. The Roku Ultra is also compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit and AirPlay. In addition to the latest Ultra, you can save on a number of other Roku devices for Black Friday. The most affordable of the bunch is the Roku Express HD, which is down to only $20, and the Roku Streambar SE is on sale for $70 - only $10 more than its record low. Those keen on upgrading their entire TV set should consider this 55-inch 4K Roku Smart TV, which is on sale for $278. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-2024-roku-ultra-drops-to-80-in-this-black-friday-deal-181528897.html?src=rss

The UK government is expected to launch a parliamentary inquiry into the roll of social media in summer riots, particularly around the use of generative AI, The Guardian reported. As part of that, MPs (members of Parliament) wish to cross-examine X owner Elon Musk, along with senior executives from Meta and TikTok, as part of a Commons science and technology select committee social media inquiry."[Musk] has very strong views on multiple aspects of this," said Labour chair of the select committee, Chi Onwurah. "I would certainly like the opportunity to cross-examine him to see ... how he reconciles his promotion of freedom of expression with his promotion of pure disinformation. [The committee will] get to the bottom of the links between social media algorithms, generative AI, and the spread of harmful or false content."The government is looking into the use of fake images created by generative AI, often containing Islamophobic content, which were widely shared in social media posts on Facebook and X. Such posts may have inflamed riots last August that took place after three schoolgirls were murdered. MPs are also looking into big tech business models that "encourage the spread of content that can mislead and harm."Musk, who may soon have a large role in the US government under incoming president Trump, has criticized the UK government and isn't likely to attend. During the riots in August he said: Civil war is inevitable," and on Monday stated that "Britain is going full Stalin."In December, UK regulator Ofcom will publish new rules as part of the Online Safety Act. With the new regulations, it's likely that social media platforms will be forced prevent the spread of illegal materials such as CSAM and survey activities that could stir up violence. Companies like X and Facebook will then be required to remove any illegal material.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/uk-government-will-summon-elon-musk-as-part-of-social-media-inquiry-130004409.html?src=rss