Monthly Archives: June 2024

Surface Pro Copilot+ review: The best Surface tablet ever made, no thanks to AI

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It's taken 12 years, but Microsoft has finally made an Arm-powered Surface tablet that I don't want to toss out of a window. The new Surface Pro, one of the company's first Copilot+ AI PCs, is astoundingly fast and power-efficient, thanks to Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite chip. It can run native Arm apps well — but even better, it can also emulate older apps without much fuss. Basically, Microsoft has finally managed to do what Apple did with its M-series chips four years ago: Deliver killer laptops with power-sipping mobile chips.

Ironically, though, the Surface Pro's much-hyped AI features are far less compelling than the one-two punch of speed and solid battery life. At launch, the Surface Pro and other Copilot+ PCs can use the Cocreator in Paint to generate AI images alongside text prompts and doodles. They can also translate over 40 languages into English using Windows 11's Live Captions feature. The controversial Recall capability, however, is nowhere to be seen (Windows Insiders will be able to test it in the coming weeks, according to Microsoft, but there's no official public release date yet.)

Announced ahead of its Build developer conference last month, Copilot+ is Microsoft’s latest initiative aimed at getting consumers and device makers excited about AI PCs. Similar to Intel’s Evo PCs, Copilot+ systems need to meet a minimum range of specifications: They have to include a neural processing unit (NPU) with at least 40 TOPs (trillions of operations per second) of AI performance, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. While both Intel and AMD have tried to hype up the idea of an “AI PC” over the past year, there wasn’t much to actually do with them aside from using Windows Studio Effects in video chats.

To power the initial Copilot+ systems, Microsoft is partnering with Qualcomm to optimize Windows 11 for the chip maker's new Snapdragon X Elite and Plus models. Those processors are based on mobile Arm technology, instead of the x86 and x64 chips produced by Intel and AMD. Arm designs have typically led to poor performance and software incompatibility on Windows (see our reviews of the Surface Pro 9 5G and Surface Pro X as a refresher), but Microsoft says it’s finally optimized its OS to work better with the mobile architecture, and its new Prism emulator can also run older software far better than earlier solutions.

Recall is a clear example of Microsoft's reach exceeding its grasp. It was meant to help you find anything you were doing on your computer through a natural conversation with the Copilot AI assistant. But to do so, Recall continuously takes screenshots of your system, which are then stored on your hard drive. It didn’t take researchers long to find some obvious security gaps: it wasn’t tough for other accounts to get to your Recall data, and it was also easy pickings for remote hackers. Microsoft responded to the criticism by saying it would make Recall an opt-in feature, making it only accessible with biometric Windows Hello authentication and encrypting your database by default.

The lesson for Microsoft (and every other AI-hungry company) is that you have to build trust, ideally by prioritizing privacy and security, before forcing overbearing AI features onto your customers. The backlash against Recall comes from the company being blissfully unaware of how little people trusted it.

Surface Pro Copilot+ power connector
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

We’ve had many issues with the Surface lineup over the last few years, but the hardware has always been a step above typical PC laptops and tablets. That holds true for the new Surface Pro: It’s surprisingly thin and light, measuring 9.3 millimeters thick and weighing 1.97 pounds. Its recycled aluminum case makes it feel like a truly premium device, and the Surface Pro remains one of the most unique-looking devices on the market. I noticed plenty of furtive glances and curious faces as I tested it out in public — people were clearly intrigued by the way it looked. (Or perhaps they were just surprised to see one for the first time.)

As much as I like the Surface aesthetic, though, it’s hard to deny that Apple is bringing more significant stylistic breakthroughs with the iPad Pro. The new 13-inch model weighs just 1.28 pounds and is a mere 5.1mm thin — almost half as thick as the Surface Pro. From the start, Apple has had the advantage of designing the iPad Pro around efficient mobile chips, whereas the Surface Pro previously had to squeeze in laptop-grade Intel CPUs. Microsoft may be able to slim down the Surface Pro in the future, thanks to the advent of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chips, but for now buyers will have to live with new chips in familiar cases.

Surface Pro Copilot+ USB-C ports
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

And when I say familiar, I’m mainly referring to the Surface Pro’s built-in kickstand. It lets you prop up the tablet however you’d like, from a laptop-like angle to a nearly easel-like position when it’s completely opened. While it still gets the job done (and is something the iPad Pro and most other tablets don’t have), it also limits how you can use the Surface Pro. While you could always use it on a table, I’ve grown weary of balancing the metallic kickstand on my legs when working on the couch, hanging out in my backyard, or watching videos in bed.

Microsoft hasn’t updated the Surface Pro’s ports either: You’ve still got the magnetic Surface Connector for power, as well as two USB-C USB 4 connections on the opposite side. Sure, that’s more than you’d get on an iPad Pro, but that device isn’t being marketed as a full-fledged computer. There’s also no wired headphone jack on the Surface Pro, either, even though its case clearly has room for one. I’ve come to understand why some PC makers would rather have thin devices instead of a 3.5mm connection, but that reasoning doesn’t apply at all in this case.

Under the hood, the Surface Pro comes equipped with either the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus chip or the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite. The base $1,000 model comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, but you can upgrade that to a 1TB SSD and up to 32GB of RAM. Microsoft also made the Surface Pro’s SSD easily accessible under the kickstand, so it’s a cinch to upgrade storage on your own down the line. (I’d still like to see an SD or microSD card slot, though.)

The Surface Slim Pen 2 ($130) remains the go-to stylus for Microsoft's tablets, and it's still a great device for doodling or jotting down notes. I don't think it's nearly as essential to the Surface experience as Microsoft used to claim, but for some users it can be helpful. It's well-balanced and easy to hold, and it charges easily as long as you get a keyboard with a Slim Pen slot.

Surface Pro Flex Keyboard
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Since the Surface is just a tablet, Microsoft doesn’t offer any of its keyboards in the box. So if you’re considering the Surface Pro, be sure to set aside at least $140 for the Pro Keyboard. If you’re interested in the Surface Slim Pen ($130 on its own), you can also get it bundled with the Surface Pro keyboard for $280. The new Surface Flex keyboard – which can still work when it’s detached from the tablet – is a whopping $350, or $450 together with the Slim Pen 2. That’s a hard price to stomach, admittedly, but I’ll explain later why the Flex may be worth it.

Surface Pro Copilot+
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The PixelSense screens on all of Microsoft’s Surface PCs have always impressed us – but in the end, they were just finely polished LCDs. The Surface Pro marks the first time Microsoft has offered OLED, which delivers better contrast, bolder colors and inky dark blacks. You’ll have to pay at least $1,500 to get the OLED screen, but in my testing it’s well worth the premium, since it makes everything on the Surface Pro look incredible.

The benefits of OLED were particularly noticeable when I watched The Acolyte, a Star Wars show that features plenty of bright colors alongside dark backgrounds. I’ll never stop being impressed by seeing truly pitch black scenes on OLED – on an LCD, they typically look more dark gray due to their backlights. The new display tech also impressed me while I was streaming Forza Horizon 5 or simply browsing websites, since it made text a bit easier to read and also made colors pop off the screen. The downside of living with OLED? It will quickly make every LCD in your life seem woefully outdated.

PCMark 10

Geekbench 6 CPU

3DMark Wildlife Extreme

Cinebench 2024

Microsoft Surface Pro (2024, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite)

12,615

2,769/13,842

6,430

120/770

Microsoft Surface Pro 10 for Business (Intel Core Ultra 5 135U, Intel graphics)

5,772

2,085/8,827

2,546

90/524

Dell XPS 13 (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, Intel Arc)

6,806

2,276/11,490

4,579

90/453

Apple MacBook Air (M3)

N/A

3,190/12,102

8,310

141/490

It’s not too often that I’m genuinely shocked while testing a device – chalk that up to writing about technology for 15 years and working in IT for eight years. But I’ll admit, I was blown away by the Surface Pro the instant I started using it. As soon as I opened it up, it was ready to set up Windows and get to work. I didn’t notice any of the usual slowdown or app incompatibilities I previously encountered on Arm-based Surfaces. Everything simply felt zippy. It was the same feeling I got when testing the M-series MacBooks: The Surface Pro is so fast and responsive I forgot it was using a mobile processor.

Then I started running benchmarks, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Our review unit with the Snapdragon X Elite scored 12,615 points in PCMark 10 — the highest we’ve ever seen on a laptop. In comparison, the next fastest PCMark 10 result we saw this year was the Framework Laptop 16, which reached 8,129 points with its beefy Ryzen 7840HS chip. The Surface Pro was also more than twice as fast as the Surface Pro 10 for Business (now it’s clear why Microsoft didn’t want to push that model on consumers).

Surface Pro Copilot+ kickstand view
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Now benchmarks aren’t everything, but the Surface Pro’s PCMark 10 score mirrored everything I was seeing during my usual workflow, which involves running dozens of tabs across Chrome and Edge, sending notes in Slack, editing images in Photoshop Elements 2022 and writing in Evernote. Most of the apps I used, including Slack, Spotify and Chrome, ran natively on the Surface Pro’s Arm chip, but I didn’t notice any hiccups on emulated apps like Evernote and Photoshop Elements.

Surface Pro Copilot+ AI features
The error message that appears when launching Fortnite on the Surface Pro.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Ideally, most users shouldn’t have to worry about the type of app they’re running – it should all just work, much like Apple Silicon Macs. Unfortunately, there are still some Arm issues on Windows. Both Fortnite (above) and League of Legends refuse to launch because they rely on kernel-level anti-cheat solutions, and Samsung has also warned its Copilot+ customers about issues with some Adobe Creative apps. It’s up to developers to update their apps for Arm hardware, so these issues aren’t entirely a knock against Microsoft. But if you’re interested in any Copilot+ system, make sure all of your commonly used apps are supported. (Or you could also wait for future Intel and AMD Copilot+ PCs, which won’t run on Arm.)

While nobody will confuse the Surface Pro with a gaming PC, I was able to play the indie adventure title 1000xRESIST smoothly with a paired Xbox controller. For more demanding titles, though, you’re better off streaming. The Surface Pro was able to launch Forza Horizon 5 on Game Pass streaming in 15 seconds, and it looked almost indistinguishable from having the game run locally. (The only thing you lose with Xbox streaming is HDR support, which offers a wider range of colors and brightness levels.)

Surface Pro Copilot+ with Surface Flex Keyboard
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

I won’t make any excuses for the Surface Pro Flex keyboard’s exorbitant $350 price. It’s $50 more than the latest iPad Pro Magic Keyboard, and its cloth-like covering doesn’t feel nearly as luxurious as Apple’s smooth metal case. But, I’ve grown to love yanking off the Flex Keyboard and typing my heart away. Instead of precariously balancing the Surface Pro on my lap, like I have for the past 12 years, I can just prop the screen up on a table and keep the Flex keyboard in my lap.

I wrote most of this review while reclining on my deck, with only the weight of the keyboard’s 0.75 pound frame on my lap. Honestly, I’m not looking forward to going back to a traditional laptop. The Flex keyboard also let me work in spaces where the Surface’s kickstand got in the way, like a cramped cafe table. I could easily see it being useful on planes too, where you could easily keep the Flex keyboard on your lap while the Surface sits on your tray table. (It would also be ideal for newer planes that don’t have any built-in screens and expect you to hang your own tablet on the back of the seat in front.)

Surface Flex Keyboard
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

While I’d still love to see Microsoft rework the Surface Pro’s kickstand, I’ll admit the Flex keyboard has opened up more ways for me to use the tablet. Instead of craning down at the Surface Pro’s screen on my kitchen counter, I can place it atop a few boxes and keep the keyboard lower for more ergonomic typing. Thanks to the Flex keyboard’s wireless versatility, I can be productive almost anywhere with the Surface Pro. The keyboard is also great for lengthy writing sessions, with a satisfying amount of key travel and a large haptic trackpad.

Surface Pro Copilot+ AI features
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

As I mentioned at the start of this review, none of the Surface Pro's AI capabilities are compelling on their own. It was fun doodling with Paint's Cocreator, but I found the resulting AI images (a combination of your drawings, text input and generative AI engines) to be far less compelling than asking Copilot to generate DALL-E 3 pictures. Copilot+ PCs can also make AI images from the Photos app, which also offers a slightly better interface for controlling the AI's creativity level and stylistic keywords.

It's still unclear what most people would do with these images, outside of sending them to friends or plugging them into boring presentations. Apple's upcoming Genmoji feature, which lets you create custom emojis with AI, seems far more useful in comparison.

Similarly, Microsoft's Live Captions feature seems like something people would actually want to use. Any Windows 11 PC running the 22H2 update (released in late 2022) can tap into its basic ability to subtitle video, but Copilot+ PCs can also automatically translate 44 languages into English. I tested it across a few anime shows and Spanish films, and the resulting captions were understandable but not as precise as properly translated subtitles. I could see these translations being useful in a pinch though, and they also work across video chats, so it may be helpful while working across language barriers.

Copilot+ PCs can also tap into a few new Windows Studio Effects, including a Portrait Light for brightening up your face and creative filters for illustrated, animated and watercolor effects. I found the latter filters to be fairly useless and a bit ugly, but the Portrait Light helped during video calls in my dark basement office. The existing Studio Effects, like automatic framing, eye contact adjustment and background blur options, will continue to work on older Windows 11 AI PCs as well as Copilot+ systems.

Surface Pro Copilot+
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The Surface Pro lasted 12 hours and 15 minutes in the PCMark 10 Applications battery benchmark, which is a bit less than we've seen on comparable systems. The Surface Pro 10 for Business eked out a bit longer, 12 hours and 20 minutes, on the Modern Office benchmark, while the Dell XPS 13 hit 13 hours and 15 minutes. It's worth noting that PCMark 10 was being emulated on the Surface Pro, though its script launches native applications like the Office suite.

During my typical usage, I noticed that the battery life held strong for most of my workday. After eight hours of on-and-off work, it typically had around 40 percent of its charge left. Clearly, there's still room for optimization with the new Snapdragon processors, and Surface Pro owners will likely see better battery life as more apps gain native Arm support.

Unlike the recent MacBook Air models, the Surface Pro still has fans. And based on my testing, you'll hear them once you start downloading large files or running anything that taps into the GPU. The whirring noise isn't loud, exactly, but it's a noticeable in a quiet room. The Surface Pro also gets fairly warm during light gaming and software downloads — it's not enough to burn you, but it's not something you'd want on your lap during a hot day.

Surface Pro Copilot+
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

I’ll give Microsoft some credit for finally giving its base Surface Pro model 16GB of RAM. $1,000 is a surprisingly affordable entry point for the Surface Pro lineup, just remember you’ll have to spend at least $140 more for the companion keyboard. If you’re considering it as your primary computer, it’s worth spending $200 more for 512GB of storage. You could also jump straight to the $1,500 Surface Pro with the Snapdragon X Elite chip, OLED screen, 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD.

Our review unit, which included the OLED screen and Flex keyboard, would cost $1,950 altogether. That’s more than I’d want to spend for an ultraportable, so if you’re pinching pennies, the new Surface Laptop is a far better deal. It also starts at $999, but that includes a keyboard and a slightly larger screen than the Surface Pro. Sure, it won’t function as a tablet, but you could even buy an iPad or Android slate and still end up spending far less than $1,950.

At the moment, there aren’t any other Copilot+ PC-branded hybrid tablets on the market, but if you’re just looking for a new laptop, the ASUS Vivobook S 15, Dell XPS 13 (with Snapdragon) and HP Omnibook X 15 all seem to be solid options. We haven’t tested those Copilot+ systems yet, but we’re planning to get our hands on many of them soon.

Surface Pro Copilot+ kickstand view
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The Surface Pro is fast, stylish and, together with the Flex keyboard, lets me work comfortably almost anywhere. While I'd love to see a different kickstand design eventually, and I think the keyboards should definitely be cheaper, Microsoft has done the impossible with the Surface Pro Copilot+ PC: It's created an Arm-based Surface I don't hate. I dare say, I love it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/surface-pro-copilot-review-the-best-surface-tablet-ever-made-no-thanks-to-ai-160039966.html?src=rss

One of our favorite cordless vacuums is $175 off at Amazon

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No, vacuums aren't the most exciting thing to buy, but they do make life a lot better — especially if you have a pet. A clean house can be a bit cheaper right now thanks to a 30 percent discount on Tineco's Pure ONE S15 Pet Smart Cordless Vacuum Cleaner. The vacuum for pets is down to $349 from $500, and there's an additional, clippable $25 coupon that will bring the final price down to around $325 — a new all-time low price on one of our favorite cordless vacuums. 

Tineco Pure ONE S15 Pet Smart Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is a cordless option with a charging base that requires no installation. The vacuum uses Zerotangle technology and grabs hair without wrapping it around the device. 

If you're looking for a higher-end option, try Tineco's Pure ONE Station FurFree Cordless Vacuum Cleaner. It's 25 percent off, dropping to $599 from $799 — another record-low price. It can go into an OmniHub and gets self-cleaned when being recharged. The vacuum also has 60 days of use with a three liter eco dustbin. 

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/one-of-our-favorite-cordless-vacuums-is-175-off-at-amazon-153017720.html?src=rss

Even FromSoftware agrees Elden Ring’s DLC was too difficult

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Elden Ring’s latest DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, is a massive expansion. It’s bringing loads of players back to the game like it's the halcyon days of 2022. It features a dancing lion boss that’s really just two dudes in a suit. The whole thing is polished and great. This new content is also very, very hard, in true FromSoftware fashion. It’s so difficult, as a matter of fact, that the developer just issued a patch that (somewhat) alleviates the struggle.

The changes center around the DLC’s new Shadow Realm Blessings mechanics, which buff attack and damage negation — but only within the DLC itself. Scadutree Fragments were previously assumed to buff player-character stats by about five percent and Revered Spirit Ashes would do about the same for companions, like spirit ashes and Torrent. 

The developer has bumped up the stat increases at the front end to make it a bit easier throughout the early parts of the expansion. This means that if you’ve already struggled through the opening hours of the DLC, you get a gold star and will unlikely notice any changes moving forward. This patch is essentially for new players. For PC users, the update also fixes a bug that automatically enables raytracing if you load save data in a particular way.

This patch comes after the difficulty caused players to review bomb the DLC on Steam, as reported by Kotaku. Hey, at least this particular instance of review bombing wasn't over culture war nonsense. 

There is a larger question here regarding the difficulty of our video games. Are some titles simply too hard or are modern players just used to handholding? I don’t have an answer for everyone, but I do have an answer for me. 

I’m busy and I just don’t have time to play the same section of a game over and over. That’s a one-way ticket to me losing interest and moving onto something else. I’m someone who appreciates a patch like this. However, I don’t want to take away someone else’s challenge. We each get something different from our hobbies. The perfect solution, to me, is a tried-and-true difficulty setting. But, devs are already plagued by crunch and that would be just one more thing to worry about. Why can't the world be black and white?! Oh well, I'm gonna go work on my caster build. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/even-fromsoftware-agrees-elden-rings-dlc-was-too-difficult-153725812.html?src=rss

Amazon Fire HD Kids Pro tablets are up to 53 percent off in an early Prime Day deal

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Amazon Prime Day 2024 is not quite here yet. You'll need to hang on until mid-July for that two-day extravaganza. But there are still some fresh deals on Amazon that are only available to Prime members. If you're in the market for a tablet or two to keep youngsters in your life occupied for a while, you're in luck — Fire HD Kids Pro tablets are on sale. The Fire HD 8 Kids Pro has dropped to $70 for Prime subscribers. That's a discount of $80 and a record low price.

If you, or the child in your life you'd be buying this for, would prefer a tablet with a larger screen, you can opt for the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro. That's also dropped to a record low. Prime members can snag that 10-inch model for $110, which is an identical $80 price cut (albeit a bit less in percentage terms).

The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is our pick for the best tablet for kids. It comes with a so-called kid-proof case and a promise from Amazon that the company will replace it for free if a youngster breaks it.

While the base model only comes with 32GB of onboard storage, you can easily expand that with up to a 1TB microSD card — perfect for loading the tablet up with a kid's favorite movies and TV shows before a long trip. The 1080p display is nothing to sniff at either.

The tablet also comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ (usually $5 per month for Prime members). This includes access to more than 20,000 games, books and apps for kids. Meanwhile, parents and guardians can manage use of the tablet through a dashboard. They can set up content filters, time limits and even education goals.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-fire-hd-kids-pro-tablets-are-up-to-53-percent-off-in-an-early-prime-day-deal-150504517.html?src=rss

Supreme Court ruling may allow officials to coordinate with social platforms again

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The US Supreme Court has ruled on controversial attempt by two states, Missouri and Louisiana, to limit Biden Administration officials and other government agencies from engaging with workers at social media companies about misinformation, election interference and other policies. Rather than set new guidelines on acceptable communication between these parties, the Court held that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the issue at all. 

In Murthy, the states (as well as five individual social media users) alleged that, in the midst of the COVID pandemic and the 2020 election, officials at the CDC, FBI and other government agencies "pressured" Meta, Twitter and Google "to censor their speech in violation of the First Amendment."

The Court wrote, in an opinion authored by Justice Barrett, that "the plaintiffs must show a substantial risk that, in the near future, at least one platform will restrict the speech of at least one plaintiff in response to the actions of at least one Government defendant. Here, at the preliminary injunction stage, they must show that they are likely to succeed in carrying that burden." She went on to describe this as "a tall order." 

Though a Louisiana District Court order blocking contact between social media companies and Biden Administration officials has been on hold, the case has still had a significant impact on relationships between these parties. Last year, Meta revealed that its security researchers were no longer receiving their usual briefings from the FBI or CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) regarding foreign election interference. FBI officials had also warned that there were instances in which they discovered election interference attempts but didn’t warn social media companies due to additional layers of legal scrutiny implemented following the lawsuit. With today's ruling it seems possible such contact might now be allowed to continue. 

In part, it seems the Court was reluctant to rule on the case because of the potential for far-reaching First Amendment implications. Among the arguments made by the Plaintiffs was an assertion of a "right to listen" theory, that social media users have a Constitutional right to engage with content. "This theory is startlingly broad," Barrett wrote, "as it would grant all social-media users the right to sue over someone else’s censorship." The opinion was joined by Justices Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh and Jackson. Justice Alito dissented, and was joined by Justices Thomas and Gorsuch. 

The case was one of a handful involving free speech and social media to come before the Supreme Court this term. The court is also set to rule on two linked cases involving state laws from Texas and Florida that could upend the way social media companies handle content moderation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/supreme-court-ruling-may-allow-officials-to-coordinate-with-social-platforms-again-144045052.html?src=rss

OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite 4K PTZ Webcam Review: Budget-Friendly AI Camera Crew

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PROS:


  • Impressive auto tracking and framing performance

  • Good video quality for such a compact camera

  • Accessible price tag for a professional tool

CONS:


  • Slower USB 2.0 connection

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite distills the essential features you need for more engaging videos, presentations, and meetings.

Video streaming has become its own entertainment category and industry, allowing almost anyone to reach out to millions across the world and maybe even make some money while doing so. The barrier to entry is quite low, at least when it comes to equipment, as long as you have a smartphone or even a computer with a webcam. As you grow your content and your audience, however, you will eventually find yourself looking for tools that are made to support such activities, like a webcam that can help bring out the best in your video content and presentations. Of course, webcams are a dime a dozen, especially if you consider the cheap and unsurprisingly basic options out there. You might think you need to spend big bucks for a really good webcam, but the new OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite says otherwise. Compact yet packing quite a punch, the 4K PTZ webcam promises AI-powered features at an affordable price, and that naturally piqued our curiosity to see if it’s really good as it sounds.

Designer: OBSBOT

Aesthetics

Webcam designs are myriad and varied, and most of them are meant to sit on top of computer monitors or laptop lids for use in video chats. That often means using clips or, worse, adhesives, and they take on shapes that are designed to blend in with the monitor, leading to rather uninspiring designs. It might be called a webcam, but the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite is really a versatile gimbal camera that can be used for almost any purpose and in almost any setting as long as you’re connected to a computer, of course.

As such, it’s no surprise that the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite looks more like one of those gimbal cameras than a webcam, and for good reason. It’s a PTZ or “pan, tilt, zoom” camera, after all, and its base and arm work to move the camera as needed. Yes, you don’t have to position the camera yourself, but more on that later. What this means is that this webcam hardly looks like a webcam at all. Its rounded square base and the square camera hanging from its arm make it resemble a miniature professional video camera, and that’s a comparison that’s more than just skin deep.

All in all, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite has a compact and minimalist design that is distinctive but not distracting. It’s small enough to take with you anywhere your laptop and your work need to go, while still packing quite a collection of powerful features. The camera itself barely has any physical controls, creating a clean and professional-looking aesthetic. That means you’ll have to rely on indirect methods of control, like the OBSBOT App, hand gestures, or the optional remote control.

Ergonomics

You won’t be holding the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite in your hand, not unless you put it on a selfie stick or handle. It’s meant to either mount on top of you a monitor, stand on a desk, or attach to a tripod, and the camera’s design supports all three. Rather than relying on a separate clip that you might lose, the Tiny 2 Lite features a built-in stand that unfolds from the bottom, forming a simple cantilever-like mechanism that uses gravity and physics to stick to the top of a computer screen. It is, however, a very simple mechanism, and it might struggle to support older, thicker monitors as well as very slim laptop lids.

When in use, you won’t be touching the camera directly either, since there are no buttons in the first place, other than turning the camera down to activate its privacy mode. Your primary control method will be through the computer app that configures the camera’s settings, but OBSBOT really wants you to rely on automatic operations powered by its AI. For more precise control from a distance, however, you might prefer to spend an extra $49 for the optional remote control slash presentation clicker. Depending on your workflow, you might find this absence of direct control liberating or extra work.

Performance

OBSBOT made a name for itself with 4K webcams packed in tiny designs, and the Tiny 2 Lite is no different. What is different, however, is that it selects only the hardware and features that deliver the best possible experience without asking too much from the consumer’s finances. For example, the 1/2-inch CMOS sensor is quite capable, enabling 4K 30fps as well as 1080p 60fps video recording with crisp and clear details. It supports HDR, though not the PixGain HDR that the more expensive non-Lite OBSBOT Tiny 2 boasts of, and it only has a single ISO for all kinds of lighting conditions.

While the video quality that the Tiny 2 Lite produces is already good, the camera’s real selling point is its intelligent hands-free controls. Of course, this newer model leverages plenty of AI so that you can leave it to decide what it thinks is the best shot, whether it’s zooming up close or using a more panoramic shot. The camera tracks you as you go around, making presentations and demonstrations look more dynamic and natural. It also supports auto framing, where it pans or zooms to adjust to the number of people going in and out of view. If you need more direct control, you don’t have to reach for the remote and just use hand gestures to adjust the camera to your liking. As for that movement, it’s pretty smooth and quick, easily adjusting to your own movement as if you have a human behind the camera.

As many AI features that OBSBOT crammed in such a small and accessible device, it also had to leave out quite a number of them that you’d see on the OBSBOT Tiny 2. It doesn’t have voice control, for example, which might actually be a good thing for more privacy-concerned users, but neither does it have a desktop mode where the camera swings down to capture, rotate, and frame what you’re doing on the desk, which could be your notes or instructions for some process. The biggest “downgrade,” however, is using a slower USB 2.0 connection only, a decision that’s sure to become a bottleneck when you need fast video transfers from camera to computer. Fortunately, most of these features can be considered “extras” from a content creator’s point of view, allowing the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite to still deliver a solid performance at almost half the price of its older sibling.

Sustainability

One of the reasons why webcams are so ubiquitous is because of how easy and cheap it is to get the materials needed to make them. That means a load of plastic, which is admittedly lighter and more resilient than a premium but hefty aluminum chassis. Unfortunately, that doesn’t bode well for the sustainability of these products, especially the ones that feel and look cheap and are more likely to be thrown out the moment they start malfunctioning.

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite thankfully doesn’t look cheap nor feel like a throwaway product, but it’s still not something that will last you a long time if you aren’t careful. You won’t want to take it on daring adventures, especially in extreme conditions. This isn’t an action cam anyway, but it could still let you do some outdoor streaming if the weather allows it.

Value

OBSBOT launched the Tiny 2 last year to much applause for the wide array of smart features packed in a compact and stylish design. The one complaint has been its rather steep price tag, and the new Tiny 2 Lite finally addresses that. For only $179, it crams many of those AI features, particularly the core functions that truly define the Tiny 2. Naturally, it had to leave some out, but did OBSBOT cut off too much?

That’s hardly the case, as the Tiny 2 Lite delivers a solid PTZ webcam experience. Admittedly, that price tag might still look a bit too high, and not all features will appeal to everyone who needs a webcam. Those who mainly use webcams for meetings will find little reason to spend more on such a camera, though there are options like sleep mode made for those times when you need to briefly step away from a meeting.

Verdict

Being stuck at home doing video meetings and chats has made us realize how webcams seem to have been stuck in the early 2000s. A whole new crop of more powerful cameras has grown from this need, some going beyond just making you look presentable for a meeting. The OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite is designed for budding creators who need to focus on the content they’re recording instead of having to fiddle with camera controls. More than just high-quality 4K video, this small yet powerful PTZ webcam leverages AI to do the heavy lifting of framing the perfect shot to captivate your audience, clearly get your point across, or simply have fun. Best of all, you won’t have to break the bank just to get your hands on a tool that looks so simple yet packs quite a punch, helping you look professional in any video.

The post OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite 4K PTZ Webcam Review: Budget-Friendly AI Camera Crew first appeared on Yanko Design.

Early Prime Day deals discount the Bose QuietComfort II earbuds to a record-low price on Amazon

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Amazon Prime Day 2024 is nearly here, but there are already a bunch of solid early Prime Day deals available on tech products in the lead-up. Bose items are among the deals: you can grab this quality set of active noise cancelling (ANC) wireless earbuds for $100 off. The Bose QuietComfort II buds typically retail for $279, but it's available in two colorways for $179. That marks an all-time-low price for these earbuds.

Admittedly, this isn't the latest set of ANC earbuds in Bose's lineup. The most recent model, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, is among our picks for the best wireless earbuds. However, a set of those costs $299. The QuietComfort II buds offer similar features at what's currently a significantly lower price in this early Prime Day deal, though it's an older model.

At the time of Engadget's review in September 2022, senior reporter Billy Steele declared that the QuietComfort II was the top choice for anyone seeking earbuds with top-of-the-line noise blocking (our current recommendation for the best ANC earbuds is the QuietComfort Ultra, as it happens). The QuietComfort II's ANC capabilities are better than on the original model, while Bose made improvements to the audio quality and ambient sound mode. The buds personalize ANC and audio performance for your ears too.

On the downside, six hours of battery life is a little on the low side (even by 2022 standards). The lack of useful, increasingly common features such as multipoint pairing and wireless charging proved disappointing too. Still, if you're looking for a set of earbuds that do a strong job of blocking out background noise without breaking the bank, the Bose QuietComfort II is by and large a terrific option.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-discount-the-bose-quietcomfort-ii-earbuds-to-a-record-low-price-on-amazon-141044394.html?src=rss

Bentley Continental GT Speed: A Grand Tourer for the Modern Era

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The Bentley Continental GT Speed has set a new standard in the luxury automotive industry with its groundbreaking Ultra Performance Hybrid powertrain. This fourth-generation model seamlessly integrates a potent 4.0-litre V8 engine with a 190 PS electric motor, resulting in an astonishing combined output of 782 PS and 1,000 Nm of torque. This impressive feat […]

The post Bentley Continental GT Speed: A Grand Tourer for the Modern Era appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

Forza Horizon 4 will be pulled from digital stores and Game Pass in December

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Another notable game is set to vanish from digital storefronts. Developer Playground Games says Forza Horizon 4 will be delisted from the Microsoft Store and Steam on December 15, making it no longer available for digital purchase on either Xbox or PC. You may still be able to snap up a physical copy.

Xbox will run frequent sales on the game on both storefronts until the delisting. The standard edition is currently 80 percent off on Steam ($12). Forza Horizon 4 will go on sale on the Microsoft Store on July 14.

Playground says the delisting is due to licensing agreements expiring. Forza Horizon 4 has digital versions of a ton of real-life cars as well as many licensed songs. It's a pity that it's being removed from sale — especially given Xbox's stated commitment to game preservation and that Forza Horizon 4 was well-received — but unless developers are able to snag licenses for deeply integrated aspects of their games in perpetuity, delisting is a sad inevitability. All the more reason to dive into the excellent sequel, Forza Horizon 5, if you haven't already.

The studio, which is busy working on Fable these days, has also announced that Forza Horizon 4's Festival Playlists are winding down. The last one will commence on July 25 when Series 77 goes live and it will end on August 22. This will be your last chance to earn achievements that are linked to the Festival Playlist. After Series 77 ends, it won't be possible to do anything on the playlist tab, other than to view the festival playlist history. Daily and weekly challenges will still be available, though.

All of the Forza Horizon 4 DLC, including a neat Lego one, has been delisted already, but there's some good news if you bought any of the expansions and you were playing the open-world racing title via Game Pass. If you had an active and fully paid (i.e. not discounted) Xbox Game Pass subscription on June 25 and you had purchased Forza Horizon 4 DLC, you'll receive a token that you can redeem for the base game. Playground notes that it might take a while for your code to hit your Xbox Message Center, but you'll have until June 25, 2026 to redeem it.

There's one other shimmer of light in the darkness here as the game's servers will remain online for the foreseeable future. As such, other than Festival Playlists, Forza Horizon 4 will remain playable as normal, including online multiplayer modes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/forza-horizon-4-will-be-pulled-from-digital-stores-and-game-pass-in-december-134510642.html?src=rss

Amazon is reportedly working on a new AI chatbot

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Amazon is allegedly working on a new chatbot codenamed "Metis," Business Insider reports, citing an internal document and unnamed sources familiar with the project. It would be powered by a new AI model, Olympus, rather than Amazon's previously released Titan.

With Metis, Amazon is reportedly aiming to use an approach known as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). As the company describes it, RAG "redirects the LLM to retrieve relevant information from authoritative, pre-determined knowledge sources. Organizations have greater control over the generated text output, and users gain insights into how the LLM generates the response."

Basically, RAG allows systems to retrieve data outside of pre-loaded information from sources like APIs and document repositories. This data can be updated separately without having to retrain a model and could allow it to access up-to-date information, thus providing more accurate, clear responses (ideally).

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and Rohit Prasad, its AGI team's head scientist and a senior vice president, are working directly on the development of Metis. The team also reportedly includes many veteran Alexa AI workers, and their work on Metis seems to borrow from technology they developed for the forthcoming  "Remarkable Alexa" voice assistant.

Amazon tentatively plans to release Metis in September, around the time the company typically has its product launch event. However, one of the sources stated: "Technically it will work, I guess, but the question is if it's already too late." OpenAI first launched ChatGPT at the end of November 2022, and Google launched Bard (now known as Gemini) in March 2023 — to name just two of the big players that Amazon will face. Amazon's Titan isn't as powerful as its competitors, though the company has been trying to reach more customers with options like a business-centric model, Q.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-reportedly-working-on-a-new-ai-chatbot-132948672.html?src=rss