Get $20 off Google’s new 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat

Google’s latest 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat is on sale, just one month after the product was released. The device is $20 off via Wellbots, which brings the price down to $260. Just enter the code “20ENGNLT4” at checkout. This is a record low price, mostly because the thing just came out.

This is not an iterative improvement over the previous Nest Learning Thermostat. It’s a full redesign, with a new look and plenty of updated features. The LCD display is 60 percent larger than what’s found with the antiquated third-gen device, and there’s a curved front that eliminates the appearance of bezels. The whole thing is basically a screen now.

This larger display allows for plenty of personalization, with customizable faces like a smartwatch. It can even look like a regular analog clock. The UI automatically adjusts what’s displayed on the screen depending on how far you’re standing from the thermostat, thanks to integrated Soli radar sensors.

The new Nest is packed with AI, which is intended to provide more accurate readings and to offer potential actions to save money on that monthly utility bill. This is a smart thermostat, so it can be programmed to take actions on its own, depending on the ambient temperature and other factors.

To that end, it ships with a wireless temperature sensor that can be placed anywhere within range. Each Nest can integrate with up to six of these sensors, and more are available at $40 a pop or three for $100. The item also ships with a trim plate to cover paint and drywall imperfections and a steel plate for electrical box installations. It’s also likely to be relatively future-proof, as the third-gen Nest came out in 2015.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-20-off-googles-new-4th-gen-nest-learning-thermostat-130023124.html?src=rss

Google and Roblox teamed up on a weird game to teach kids about internet safety

Google and Roblox have teamed up to create a game that teaches kids how to spot internet scams and to increase caution regarding the sharing of personal information online. The suite of experiences is called, and I quote, Be Internet Awesome World. Did Melania Trump name this thing?

This “gameplay experience” exists within Roblox, which Google says helps it “reach kids where they’re already spending time to teach them the basics of online safety.” It brings kids to the “magical world of the Internauts” which is home to a number of minigames that address various aspects of internet safety. Some of the games focus on phishing attempts, while others emphasize “practicing kindness online.” Good luck with that last one.

In any event, Be Internet Awesome World is available right now within Roblox, which leads us to the elephant in the room. Roblox may be a great place to reach kids, with nearly 80 million daily active users and many of them children. It’s also been accused of being an unsafe space for the younger gamers among us.

Turkey banned the app entirely on the grounds that it allows for the exploitation of children. Sony didn’t even want to bring the game to PlayStation consoles for similar reasons, before finally relenting last year.

There have also been accusations of kids being financially exploited on the platform, according to reporting by The Guardian. Popular creations can make the designers a lot of money, and the userbase is mostly children under 16. This has led many to accuse the app’s developers of gaining notoriety through an influx of child labor. The Roblox tagline, after all, used to be “Make anything. Reach millions. Earn serious cash.”

Roblox takes around 30 percent of all money made via the platform, so it has a vested interest in the creative contributions of children. Studio head Stefano Corazza once told Eurogamer that the ability for teenagers to make money on the platform represented the “biggest gift” and that these kids “didn’t feel like they were exploited.”

“You can say, ‘Okay, we are exploiting, you know, child labor,’ right? Or you can say: we are offering people anywhere in the world the capability to get a job, and even like an income,” Corazza continued.

All this is to say that perhaps Roblox should get its own house in order before trying to teach kids about how to avoid scams online. Roblox CEO and co-founder David Baszucki has started to address these concerns, heading to Washington DC earlier this year to discuss child safety with lawmakers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/google-and-roblox-teamed-up-on-a-weird-game-to-teach-kids-about-internet-safety-190007350.html?src=rss

Google and Roblox teamed up on a weird game to teach kids about internet safety

Google and Roblox have teamed up to create a game that teaches kids how to spot internet scams and to increase caution regarding the sharing of personal information online. The suite of experiences is called, and I quote, Be Internet Awesome World. Did Melania Trump name this thing?

This “gameplay experience” exists within Roblox, which Google says helps it “reach kids where they’re already spending time to teach them the basics of online safety.” It brings kids to the “magical world of the Internauts” which is home to a number of minigames that address various aspects of internet safety. Some of the games focus on phishing attempts, while others emphasize “practicing kindness online.” Good luck with that last one.

In any event, Be Internet Awesome World is available right now within Roblox, which leads us to the elephant in the room. Roblox may be a great place to reach kids, with nearly 80 million daily active users and many of them children. It’s also been accused of being an unsafe space for the younger gamers among us.

Turkey banned the app entirely on the grounds that it allows for the exploitation of children. Sony didn’t even want to bring the game to PlayStation consoles for similar reasons, before finally relenting last year.

There have also been accusations of kids being financially exploited on the platform, according to reporting by The Guardian. Popular creations can make the designers a lot of money, and the userbase is mostly children under 16. This has led many to accuse the app’s developers of gaining notoriety through an influx of child labor. The Roblox tagline, after all, used to be “Make anything. Reach millions. Earn serious cash.”

Roblox takes around 30 percent of all money made via the platform, so it has a vested interest in the creative contributions of children. Studio head Stefano Corazza once told Eurogamer that the ability for teenagers to make money on the platform represented the “biggest gift” and that these kids “didn’t feel like they were exploited.”

“You can say, ‘Okay, we are exploiting, you know, child labor,’ right? Or you can say: we are offering people anywhere in the world the capability to get a job, and even like an income,” Corazza continued.

All this is to say that perhaps Roblox should get its own house in order before trying to teach kids about how to avoid scams online. Roblox CEO and co-founder David Baszucki has started to address these concerns, heading to Washington DC earlier this year to discuss child safety with lawmakers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/google-and-roblox-teamed-up-on-a-weird-game-to-teach-kids-about-internet-safety-190007350.html?src=rss

iRobot’s Roomba Combo Essential with self-emptying base is $170 off right now

iRobot's Roomba Combo Essential bundle is available for $280 right now via QVC. This is a discount of $170 for a combo pack that includes the Roomba Combo 2 robovac and the self-emptying base. The vacuum typically costs $280 all by its lonesome, so this basically gets you a free base. However, the vacuum is available for just $200 right now via Amazon without the base.

This is certainly a budget-friendly entry in the company’s lineup of robot vacuums, but it gets the job done. The company says this model outperforms the Roomba 600 Series, with 20 times more suction power. It’s also a vacuum/mop hybrid, so it can handle all aspects of floor cleaning.

It accesses the same smart navigation algorithm as other iRobot vacuums, which allows it to move freely around the space without bumping into things or falling down stairs. The battery life is also on point, allowing for around two hours of use per charge. Of course, it’ll return to the charging base on its own when the battery gets low.

It also integrates with the company’s proprietary app, which lets people customize a whole host of settings and dictate cleaning schedules. The only major downside of this vacuum is that it doesn’t typically come with a self-emptying base, but this bundle does. It holds up to 60 days of debris, so that’s two glorious months of laying on the couch without having to do a dang thing.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/irobots-roomba-combo-essential-with-self-emptying-base-is-170-off-right-now-184650126.html?src=rss

iRobot’s Roomba Combo Essential with self-emptying base is $170 off right now

iRobot's Roomba Combo Essential bundle is available for $280 right now via QVC. This is a discount of $170 for a combo pack that includes the Roomba Combo 2 robovac and the self-emptying base. The vacuum typically costs $280 all by its lonesome, so this basically gets you a free base. However, the vacuum is available for just $200 right now via Amazon without the base.

This is certainly a budget-friendly entry in the company’s lineup of robot vacuums, but it gets the job done. The company says this model outperforms the Roomba 600 Series, with 20 times more suction power. It’s also a vacuum/mop hybrid, so it can handle all aspects of floor cleaning.

It accesses the same smart navigation algorithm as other iRobot vacuums, which allows it to move freely around the space without bumping into things or falling down stairs. The battery life is also on point, allowing for around two hours of use per charge. Of course, it’ll return to the charging base on its own when the battery gets low.

It also integrates with the company’s proprietary app, which lets people customize a whole host of settings and dictate cleaning schedules. The only major downside of this vacuum is that it doesn’t typically come with a self-emptying base, but this bundle does. It holds up to 60 days of debris, so that’s two glorious months of laying on the couch without having to do a dang thing.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/irobots-roomba-combo-essential-with-self-emptying-base-is-170-off-right-now-184650126.html?src=rss

Meta will use AI to create lip-synced translations of creators’ Reels

Meta just announced an intriguing tool that uses AI to automatically dub Reels into other languages, complete with lip-sync. This feature was revealed at the annual Meta Connect livestream event and was introduced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg showed this off during the keynote, and everything seemed to work flawlessly. The technology not only translates the content, according to Meta, but will also “simulate the speaker’s voice in another language and sync their lips to match.” It’s worth noting, however, that this didn’t appear to be a live demo, but was still pretty impressive. 

As for a rollout, the company says the feature will arrive first to “some creators’ videos” in English and Spanish in the US and Latin America. Meta didn’t give a timetable here. It just said the US and Latin America will be getting it first, which indicates that it’ll be tied to English and Spanish at launch. The company did mention that more languages are coming soon.

That wasn’t the only AI tool spotlighted during Meta Connect. The company’s AI platform will now allow voice chats, with a selection of celebrity voices to choose from. Meta AI is also getting new image capabilities, as it will be able to change and edit photos based on instructions from text chats within Instagram. Messenger and WhatsApp.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-will-use-ai-to-create-lip-synced-translations-of-creators-reels-175949373.html?src=rss

Meta will use AI to create lip-synced translations of creators’ Reels

Meta just announced an intriguing tool that uses AI to automatically dub Reels into other languages, complete with lip-sync. This feature was revealed at the annual Meta Connect livestream event and was introduced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg showed this off during the keynote, and everything seemed to work flawlessly. The technology not only translates the content, according to Meta, but will also “simulate the speaker’s voice in another language and sync their lips to match.” It’s worth noting, however, that this didn’t appear to be a live demo, but was still pretty impressive. 

As for a rollout, the company says the feature will arrive first to “some creators’ videos” in English and Spanish in the US and Latin America. Meta didn’t give a timetable here. It just said the US and Latin America will be getting it first, which indicates that it’ll be tied to English and Spanish at launch. The company did mention that more languages are coming soon.

That wasn’t the only AI tool spotlighted during Meta Connect. The company’s AI platform will now allow voice chats, with a selection of celebrity voices to choose from. Meta AI is also getting new image capabilities, as it will be able to change and edit photos based on instructions from text chats within Instagram. Messenger and WhatsApp.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-will-use-ai-to-create-lip-synced-translations-of-creators-reels-175949373.html?src=rss

Meta will stop selling the Quest 2 and Quest Pro by the end of the year

Meta just revealed the budget-friendly Quest 3S VR headset at its annual Connect keynote event, but it also made a sad announcement about some of its previous headsets. The company will stop selling both the Quest 2 and the Quest Pro by the end of the year.

“With Quest 3S on the shelf, we’re officially winding down sales of Quest 2 and Pro. We’ll be selling our remaining headsets through the end of the year or until they’re gone, whichever comes first,” the company wrote in a blog post that also announced the pending launch of the Quest 3S.

The company will be selling Quest 2 and Pro accessories for “a bit longer” after the stock of headsets runs out. This includes the carrying case, the Touch Pro controllers and bundles like the Quest 2 Active Pack. Meta recently lowered the price of the Quest 2 to $200, and it’s still a decent headset for beginners. The Quest 3S is better in every way, but it starts at $300, while the standard Quest 3 costs $500.

It’s the end of an era for the Quest 2. This was a hugely successful headset, as it launched during the dog days of COVID-19. For many, it became a crucial item to survive endless isolation, along with stuff like Zoom and Animal Crossing: New Horizons

It’s the end of an error (see what I did there?) for the Quest Pro. This headset never caught on, likely because it was originally priced at $1,500 before being quickly lowered to $1,000. It still costs a grand from Meta, but can typically be found for around $900 via Amazon and other retailers.

As they say, out with the old and in with the new. The Quest 3S is, essentially, the new Quest 2. It starts at $300, boasts the same CPU as the original Quest 3 and handles full-color passthrough.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-will-stop-selling-the-quest-2-and-quest-pro-by-the-end-of-the-year-173704500.html?src=rss

Meta will stop selling the Quest 2 and Quest Pro by the end of the year

Meta just revealed the budget-friendly Quest 3S VR headset at its annual Connect keynote event, but it also made a sad announcement about some of its previous headsets. The company will stop selling both the Quest 2 and the Quest Pro by the end of the year.

“With Quest 3S on the shelf, we’re officially winding down sales of Quest 2 and Pro. We’ll be selling our remaining headsets through the end of the year or until they’re gone, whichever comes first,” the company wrote in a blog post that also announced the pending launch of the Quest 3S.

The company will be selling Quest 2 and Pro accessories for “a bit longer” after the stock of headsets runs out. This includes the carrying case, the Touch Pro controllers and bundles like the Quest 2 Active Pack. Meta recently lowered the price of the Quest 2 to $200, and it’s still a decent headset for beginners. The Quest 3S is better in every way, but it starts at $300, while the standard Quest 3 costs $500.

It’s the end of an era for the Quest 2. This was a hugely successful headset, as it launched during the dog days of COVID-19. For many, it became a crucial item to survive endless isolation, along with stuff like Zoom and Animal Crossing: New Horizons

It’s the end of an error (see what I did there?) for the Quest Pro. This headset never caught on, likely because it was originally priced at $1,500 before being quickly lowered to $1,000. It still costs a grand from Meta, but can typically be found for around $900 via Amazon and other retailers.

As they say, out with the old and in with the new. The Quest 3S is, essentially, the new Quest 2. It starts at $300, boasts the same CPU as the original Quest 3 and handles full-color passthrough.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-will-stop-selling-the-quest-2-and-quest-pro-by-the-end-of-the-year-173704500.html?src=rss

Meta reveals the budget-friendly Quest 3S VR headset

Meta has announced the budget-friendly Quest 3S VR headset at its annual Connect keynote. Rumors have been swirling for months that the company was working on a cheaper follow-up to the impressive Quest 3, and now it’s here and priced at $300.

This is pretty dang close to the original Quest 3, which costs $500. The latest headset uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen2 processor and boasts 8GB of RAM, so it can easily handle Quest 3 exclusives like the forthcoming Batman: Arkham Shadow. It offers the same full-color passthrough for mixed reality apps and games and ships with the same controllers as last year’s model. The refresh rate also hovers between 90Hz and 120Hz. 

A picture of the headset.
Meta

The external sensors/cameras also seem nearly identical to the standard Quest 3. There are two RGB cameras to create the stereoscopic color passthrough and four VGA cameras for hand tracking and controller tracking. These also help determine user movements and position in 3D space. Finally, there are two flood LEDs for illumination.

So what’s the catch? Meta has to make up for that lost $200 somehow. First of all, there are no pancake lenses and there’s no 4K content. These look to be the same Fresnel lenses as found with the Meta Quest 2, with a resolution of 1832 x 1920 per eye and 20 PPD (pixels per degree.) The field of view is also slightly reduced when compared to the regular Quest 3 headset.

The storage gets a major hit. The base model comes with 128GB, though there’s a 256GB model available for $400. Meta has lowered the price of the 512GB Quest 3 to $500, from $650, so the entry-level 3S features around a quarter of the storage.

On the plus side, the battery life is actually a bit better with the Quest 3S when compared to the Quest 3. Meta says it should get around 2.5 hours of use per charge, compared to 2.2 hours with the Quest 3.

There’s also a nice little bonus for the holiday season. Customers who orders any Quest 3 or 3S model will get a free digital copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow when it’s released this October. The company did the same thing with the criminally underrated Asgard’s Wrath 2 last year. The promotion goes until April.

The Quest 3S works with most Quest 3 accessories, which is good news because it also ships with the standard, and totally uncomfortable, headstrap. That Elite Strap is a wise investment, especially the one with the battery.

Preorders are open right now and there’s a shipping date of October 15. With the pending release of the Quest 3S, Meta’s phasing out the Quest 2 and the Quest Pro. The Zuck gives and the Zuck takes.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-reveals-the-budget-friendly-quest-3s-vr-headset-171843107.html?src=rss