Author Archives: Kris Holt

Apple’s 13-inch iPad Air M2 drops to a record-low price

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It's back to school season, which means many students and/or their parents are on the lookout for a laptop on which they can get schoolwork done. Depending on your needs, though, a tablet may do the trick (but you'll likely still want a keyboard attachment for extended typing sessions). Tablets offer flexibility in terms of study and play, and it's pretty hard to go wrong with a recent iPad.

As luck would have it, the 13-inch iPad Air M2 has dropped to its lowest price since Apple released it in May. The blue and space gray models are available for $729. That's $70 off the regular price.

While it's not the most powerful iPad around — the latest iPad Pro is the first device to use Apple's M4 chips — the M2 iPad Air is a great option. It's our recommendation for the best iPad for most people and we gave it a score of 91 in our review.

The M2 iPad Air delivers a great balance of performance, features and price. The 13-inch model has a brighter screen than its 11-inch sibling, and more screen real estate to get things done on. However, the 60Hz refresh rate is not as smooth as the 120Hz OLED panel on the latest iPad Pro.

The 8GB of included RAM and 128GB of base storage should be enough for basic tasks. The iPad Air will run for up to 10 hours on a single charge too.

There are cheaper and less-powerful iPads, but you'll be futureproofed to a certain degree with this one. AI-driven Apple Intelligence features will be available on the M2 iPad Air when Apple rolls those out later this year, and you can play some modern games such as Death Stranding and the Resident Evil 4 remake on the tablet (there's always the option to stream games from the cloud or local hardware too). One other feature we appreciate about this model is that Apple finally moved the front-facing camera to the horizontal edge, which makes much more sense for FaceTime or video calls in landscape mode.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-13-inch-ipad-air-m2-drops-to-a-record-low-price-143504371.html?src=rss

Final Fantasy XVI is coming to PC on September 17

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PC gamers have had to bide their time for the long-promised port of Final Fantasy XVI to hit their preferred platform, but the wait is almost over. The action RPG will hit Steam and the Epic Games Store on September 17. Both paid expansions, which are included in the complete edition, will be available on the same day.

Until now, the game has only been available on PlayStation 5. PC players can get a taste of what’s in store for them right now by checking out a demo that just went live on Steam and the Epic store.

Final Fantasy XVI forged a new path for the series by switching up the classic turn-based combat and opting for more action and hack-and-slash fighting. This helped make the game more approachable for those who don’t much care for the more tactics-based format, but the shift rankled some long-time fans.

In any case, Final Fantasy XVI is fun, though it's relatively easy. The cast deliver strong performances and the massive boss battles mesh well with the epic cinematic scope. The combat system, which is based on elemental attacks, helps make your fights look exciting too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/final-fantasy-xvi-is-coming-to-pc-on-september-17-172824223.html?src=rss

Amazon’s new Echo Spot drops to $55

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The latest incarnation of Amazon's Echo Spot is back on sale. The smart alarm clock has dropped from $80 to $55. The device was available for $45 during an introductory/Prime Day sale in July, but this is the lowest that the Echo Spot has dipped to since then.

The new model has a sharper display and better sound compared with the original one, Amazon claims (the company canned the first Echo Spot in 2019, two years after its debut). The front face of the new Echo Spot is split almost in half with a display up top and speaker at the bottom. Unlike the original model, there's no camera in this one, which is a welcome move. It always seemed odd for Amazon to include one in something many people use as a bedside device.

The Echo Spot has Alexa integration, of course. You can use the voice assistant to play music, control smart home devices and create a routine for waking up. The display can show you information such as the title of the song that's playing, weather details and, naturally, the time of day.

There are a couple of other Echo devices on sale at the moment, including the Echo Show 5. The 2023 model is a third off at $60. It's one of our favorite Alexa-powered smart displays, and it can work as an alarm clock too (the tap-to-snooze feature is very handy for those desiring a few more minutes of shut-eye). The Echo Show 5 does have a built-in camera, but there's a physical shutter you can use to block it.

Meanwhile, an Echo Dot can be yours for $30. That's 20 bucks off the regular price. This is our pick for the best smart speaker that costs under $50, so the value for money is even better thanks to this sale.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-new-echo-spot-drops-to-55-151842333.html?src=rss

The US lays out a road safety plan that will see cars ‘talk’ to each other

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The US Department of Transportation has laid out a nationwide road safety plan [PDF] that will lead to cars communicating with each other. The agency is hoping that broadly deploying vehicle-to-everything (V2X) tech will boost its "commitment to pursue a comprehensive approach to reduce the number of roadway fatalities to zero." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 40,990 people died in motor vehicle crashes last year.

V2X enables vehicles to stay in touch with each other as well as pedestrians, cyclists, other road users and roadside infrastructure. It lets them share information such as their position and speed, as well as road conditions. They'd be able to do so in situations with poor visibility, such as around corners and in dense fog, NPR notes.

A US-wide rollout will require an array of mobile, in-vehicle and roadside tech that can communicate efficiently and securely while protecting people's personal information, the DoT said in its National V2X Deployment Plan. The agency said smaller-scale deployments of V2X across the country have demonstrated safety benefits. Safety advocates claim the tech could prevent hundreds of thousands of crashes and mitigate the impact of collisions that do occur by reducing the speed of impact.

The timeline for the DoT's plan extends to 2036, by which time it hopes to have fully deployed V2X across the National Highway System, for the top 75 metro areas to have the tech enabled at 85 percent of signalized intersections and to have 20 vehicle models that are V2X capable. In the shorter term, the agency aims to have V2X tech installed across 20 percent of the National Highway System and 25 percent of signalized intersections in major metro areas by 2028.

It won't be an easy task, as a wide range of stakeholders have to play a part, including the Federal Communications Commission, which the DoT says will have to determine rules about spectrum allocation. Automaker suppliers (which will build V2X-enabled components), freight operators and app developers are also players in the DoT's vision.

There are some concerns, particularly in terms of cybersecurity and how to cover the costs of rolling out the tech (though the Federal Highway Administration recently announced nearly $60 million in grants related to V2X). But V2X has the potential to prevent thousands of deaths and serious injuries.

"The Department has reached a key milestone today in laying out a national plan for the transportation industry that has the power to save lives and transform the way we travel,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “The Department recognizes the potential safety benefits of V2X, and this plan will move us closer to nationwide adoption of this technology.”

"This plan is a vital first step towards realizing the full lifesaving potential of this technology — technology that could prevent up to 615,000 crashes," National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said. The NTSB has determined that V2X deployments could have prevented many fatal crashes over the last few decades, Homendy noted. The agency has been advocating for the tech since 1995.

As you might imagine, then, V2X is hardly a new concept. Several automakers — including Audi, Toyota and Volkswagen — have long been working on ways for their cars to communicate with each other and city infrastructure, in part because that plays a factor in autonomous driving.

There were efforts under the Obama administration to make vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication a mandatory feature of new cars. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration scuttled that plan during the Trump administration.

The rollout of V2X has been slowed by "regulatory uncertainty,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an automaker trade group. “This is the reset button,” Bozzella added, according to NPR. “This deployment plan is a big deal. It is a crucial piece of this V2X puzzle.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/the-us-lays-out-a-road-safety-plan-that-will-see-cars-talk-to-each-other-170043265.html?src=rss

X is closing its operations in Brazil immediately, but its service will remain live for users

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X says it's ending business operations in Brazil effective immediately, but the service will remain available to users in the country. The company says Alexandre de Moraes, the president of the Superior Electoral Court and a justice of the Supreme Federal Court, threatened one of X's legal representatives with arrest if it did not "comply with his censorship orders." 

According to Reuters, de Moreas demanded that X remove certain content from its platform. Rather than comply, X has opted to end its local operations "to protect the safety of our staff." 

According to X, de Moraes made the threat in a "secret order," which it shared publicly. X owner Elon Musk claimed that the demand "would require us to break (in secret) Brazilian, Argentinian, American and international law." He added that, "The decision to close the 𝕏 office in Brazil was difficult, but, if we had agreed to @alexandre’s (illegal) secret censorship and private information handover demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed."

"Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard, the Brazilian public not being informed about these orders and our Brazilian staff having no responsibility or control over whether content is blocked on our platform, Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process," X said in a statement on its Global Government Affairs account. "[de Moraes'] actions are incompatible with democratic government. The people of Brazil have a choice to make — democracy, or Alexandre de Moraes."

Musk has been railing against de Moraes for months. In April, he said he would defy orders from the legislator to block certain accounts in Brazil, claiming that they were unconstitutional. In response, de Moraes opened an obstruction of justice inquiry against Musk. X said later in April it would comply with every order issued by Brazil's top courts.

That same month, the House Judiciary Committee released an interim staff report claiming that the Brazilian government was trying to force X (and other social media platforms) to censor more than 300 accounts. It said that the accounts included those belonging to former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro, a member of the country's federal senate and a journalist.

X does not have a public relations team that can be reached for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-closing-its-operations-in-brazil-immediately-but-its-service-will-remain-live-for-users-165224020.html?src=rss

Fortnite returns to iOS in the EU as the Epic Games Store debuts on mobile

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It's a big day for Epic Games. Not only has the company rolled out the latest season of Fortnite, it has achieved a long-held ambition by bringing the Epic Games Store to mobile devices. The app marketplace is now available on iOS in the European Union (after the bloc required Apple to allow third-party app stores on iPhone and iPad) and on Android worldwide. As a result, that means Fortnite is once again available on iOS in the EU without having to rely on cloud gaming services.

You may recall that, back in 2020, Epic tried to bypass the cut Apple and Google take from in-app purchases by telling Fortnite players on iOS and Android they could save money by buying the in-game V-Bucks currency directly from the publisher. Apple and Google removed Fortnite from their stores, making the game unplayable on their platforms as Epic was no longer able to update it to maintain parity with the console and PC versions. Epic swiftly sued both companies, kicking off legal battles that are still rumbling on today.

But the EU kicked open the door for Fortnite to make a return to iOS in the bloc with the Digital Markets Act coming into force this year. (As Android's a more open platform, Epic can make its store and Fortnite available worldwide there.) Epic said in early 2024 that it would bring its games store and Fortnite to iOS in the EU this year. After yet more cattiness from Epic when Apple twice rejected the app marketplace, the latter eventually approved an iOS version of the Epic Games Store in July.

Along with the official return of Fortnite on mobile, the Epic Games Store is bringing Fall Guys to iOS and Android for the first time. The mobile version of the excellent platformer battle royale has nearly full parity with the console and PC versions — the level-building creative mode isn't available on iOS or Android for now. Otherwise, the game supports full cross-play and cross-progression with the other versions as everything's synced through your Epic account.

Rocket League Sideswipe, a mobile spin-off of Rocket League, is available via the Epic store on iOS and Android too. Epic plans to work with other developers to bring their titles to the storefront in the future.

In addition, Epic is making its games available on other third-party mobile storefronts, starting with AltStore PAL today. It also plans to do so on Aptoide’s iOS store in the EU, ONE Store on Android and other app marketplaces.

“The tide is turning and the mobile ecosystem is finally opening up to competition. We are grateful to the European Commission for making it possible to launch the Epic Games Store and offer our games to iOS users in the European Union," Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said in a statement. "Now European iOS users and all Android users can access our store and games, as they've always been able to do on open platforms like PC and Mac. The fight is far from over, but this is tangible progress for developers and consumers who can begin to benefit from competition and choice."

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to dropping back into Fortnite, in part because for the last several years my iPhone's nickname has been Doctor Doom, aka the Marvel villain who is the central figure in the new season. Also, I'm dearly hoping that in short order Epic gives the people what they truly want: an emote of Chappell Roan's "Hot To Go!" dance in Fortnite. I would gladly spend all the V-Bucks I have on that.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-returns-to-ios-in-the-eu-as-the-epic-games-store-debuts-on-mobile-142457411.html?src=rss

Trombone Champ is coming to VR headsets this fall

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Trombone Champ, a ridiculous rhythm game that gets funnier the worse you are at it, is coming to virtual reality headsets. You won't have to wait an incredibly long time to try Trombone Champ: Unflattened either: it's coming to Meta Quest, Steam VR and PlayStation VR2 this fall.

Flat2VR Studios worked on the "reimiagining" of Holy Wow Studios' original game. You can perform on a virtual stage as notes careen toward you in a Guitar Hero-esque fashion. Your trombone is customizable as you can spray on the colors of your choosing and have absurd variants of the instrument.

There are more than 50 songs to play through. However, as with Guitar Hero and Rock Band, it's possible to mod the game and add your own tracks and characters. So if you really wanted to toot your way through "Baby One More Time" on a trombone with a fish attached, you could probably do just that.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/trombone-champ-is-coming-to-vr-headsets-this-fall-193041345.html?src=rss

Cute adventure game The Plucky Squire arrives on September 17

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The Plucky Squire has been one of my most anticipated games ever since it started popping up in showcases a couple of years ago. It was delayed out of 2023 and into this year, unfortunately, but the long wait to play it is almost over. Publisher Devolver Digital and developer All Possible Futures have revealed that The Plucky Squire is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on September 17. It'll be available in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium members at no additional cost on day one.

The action centers around a storybook. After the evil Humgrump realizes he's the villain of his own tale, he removes the titular squire (aka Jot) from the pages to try and change the narrative. Jot has to navigate 3D and 2D environments as he leaps between planes on his journey to save his friends and make sure there's a happy ending to the saga.

The visuals look absolutely adorable in both 2D and 3D formats. It looks like a mashup of top-down Zelda games, modern Mario and LittleBigPlanet. The first project from All Possible Futures (one of the heads of which is a former Pokémon artist) is an absurdly promising one. I can't wait to check it out next month. 

Meanwhile, Sony has unveiled some new details about a couple of other indie games. A new version of the first point-and-click Broken Sword game, The Shadow of the Templars, is coming to PS5 on September 19, 28 years after the original incarnation debuted. Revolution Software has reanimated the game in 4K with over 50 times the resolution of the original PlayStation version. 

Last but not least, Sulfur is a stylized first-person shooter with a lot of playstyle flexibility. There are said to be more than 35 million weapon and modification combos available. The next project from developer Perfect Random is coming to to PS4 and PS5 in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cute-adventure-game-the-plucky-squire-arrives-on-september-17-163651349.html?src=rss

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is over $100 off

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A good soundbar is one of the easiest ways to improve the audio quality of your home theater set up. As it happens the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), which is one of our favorite mid-range soundbars, is currently available for its best price to date (at least for a new and not refurbished model). It has dropped by $110 to $389 at Woot. That's 22 percent off the regular price, but bear in mind that the offer only applies to the white version.

The Sonos Beam does a bang-up job of delivering solid audio from your TV (or music or podcast service). It delivers impressive sound for its size, even if it lacks upward-firing speakers. While the first Beam lacked Dolby Atmos support, Sonos made sure to include it this time around. That makes a world of difference, even if Sony is relying on audio processing tech to simulate the Dolby Atmos experience, which traditionally requires upward-firing speakers.

We gave the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) a score of 88 in our review. One of the main downsides is that it only has one HDMI port. That means you won't be able to connect a games console or set-top box to the soundbar directly. You'll also need an adapter to use it with an older TV that has an optical jack.

Otherwise, the Beam is a great soundbar option. It's a cinch to set up and, as you might imagine, it connects to other Sonos speakers to easily help you build out a whole-home audio setup.

The soundbar works with many major music streaming services too, such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Annoyingly, the latter doesn't play nicely with Apple Music on the soundbar, but Sonos' own voice assistant supports the streaming service. Despite the trade-offs, you should be able to find some kind of voice assistant and music streaming service that works.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-sonos-beam-gen-2-is-over-100-off-152909480.html?src=rss

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season one is streaming for free on Samsung devices

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The second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is just around the corner. If you haven't watched the first batch of episodes or want to refresh your memory and have let your Prime subscription lapse, there's a way you can do that for free. From today until August 28, you can stream season one at no cost on Samsung TVs and other devices where the Samsung TV Plus app is available.

It's the first time that the show has legally been available to stream for free (unless you had access to Prime Video gratis). Samsung is offering the show to its users in the US, UK, Canada, Brazil and Germany on Samsung TVs and Galaxy devices. The company says that the eight-episode season "will also be available within Samsung TV Plus’ channel offering in select regions globally."

It's worth noting that Samsung TV Plus is ad-supported, so if you opt to watch The Rings of Power there, the episodes will include commercials. And, along with Samsung TVs and mobile devices, the Samsung TV Plus app is available on some of the company's refrigerators, so that could be an interesting way to catch up on or rewatch the first season.

Meanwhile, Amazon has dropped the final trailer for season two of The Rings of Power. "War has come to Middle-Earth," says one character (who I might recognize if I had watched the first season) before we briefly see an army of orcs march on what looks like Minas Tirith as Sauron exerts his authority. There are plenty of eye-popping visuals in the trailer, which shouldn't come as too much of a surprise considering this is slated to be the most expensive TV show of all time. Season two will debut on Prime Video on August 29.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-season-one-is-streaming-for-free-on-samsung-devices-142930211.html?src=rss