Tag Archives: Consumer Discretionary

Meater 2 Plus review: A more precise and durable wireless meat thermometer

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Probe meat thermometers are insanely helpful whether you’re cooking indoors or out. They help ensure you don’t serve your family and friends undercooked chicken or an overcooked steak. While most of them use wired probes attached to some type of display or hub, Meater’s probes are completely wireless. This means you don’t have to dodge a cable when flipping or moving things around the grill. They’re also easier to use when wrapping large cuts like pork shoulders or brisket.

With two models under its belt, the Traeger-owned company is debuting its latest version today: the Meater 2 Plus. While the device may look awfully similar to Meater’s previous cooking gadgets and it still uses the charger as a Bluetooth range booster, there are some significant upgrades here. The company has installed additional sensors for more precise temperature readings, while also increasing heat resistance and overall durability. It has managed to do this without drastically increasing the price, too.

The biggest change for the Meater 2 Plus is on the inside. The company has added four more internal temperature sensors for a total of five. There’s also still the ambient temperature sensor on the opposite end to keep tabs on grill temps while you’re cooking. Meater says the five internal sensors offer “the real core temperature of the meat,” which it says can help reduce any subpar results due to an error in probe placement (the app helps with that, too). All five can measure temps down to a tenth of a degree with an accuracy that’s within half a degree.

The Meater app displays the lowest temperature of the five sensors in the main view of the app and goes by that for any targets you may have set. Additionally, you can see the real-time temps of all five sensors by tapping on the one being displayed. As it did before, the company’s mobile app offers guidance on target temperatures based on the doneness level you desire. There are lots of options for different types and cuts of meat, but you can also go full manual mode if you’re doing something like reheating leftovers or know exactly what you want. Either way, the app calculates estimated finishing time based on internal and ambient temperatures. It also warns you when there’s five minutes left, when you hit the target and when the required rest time (if any) is over.

Meater app
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Meater also added a new Master Class feature to its app that will offer over 50 video courses that teach cooking techniques like two-zone BBQ, reverse searing and more. Step-by-step demos will include ingredient and tool checklists for easy shopping. There will also be detailed written instructions so you’re not constantly swiping back through videos. Meater says this is just the initial batch and it plans to release new classes on a weekly basis.

The other big physical updates are improved heat resistance and durability. First, the Meater 2 Plus can withstand open flames at temperatures up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit (500 Celsius). This allows you to keep the probe in place while you sear. What’s more, the Meater app will warn you when the device is getting too hot.

That’s over 400 degrees hotter than the max temperature rating of the Meater Plus (527 degrees Fahrenheit). Plus, much of the competition, like ThermoPro’s TempSpike, can only handle just under 600 degrees. The Meater 2 Plus also has nine degrees more when it comes to the hottest internal temperature, now topping out at 221 degrees. The Meater 2 Plus is fully waterproof, so you can use it to deep fry or sous vide, as well. And when you’re done, you can just pop it in the dishwasher. I’ve done it several times and it’s still working just fine.

The temperature and waterproof upgrades are made possible by a new full-metal, stainless steel probe design. The Meater 2 Plus is 30 percent slimmer than the Meater Plus and a new Zirconia ceramic band allows the Bluetooth signal to radiate from the device. Thanks to a “high-performance antenna” and “optimized RF design” specifically tuned for high heat, the Meater 2 Plus offers an expanded range of up to 250 feet. That’s up from 165 feet on the previous model. The company says the new version can technically achieve 2,500 feet, but that requires a direct line of sight and no RF interference.

Meater 2 Plus review
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Most of our backyards won’t accommodate that, and you’re going to walk into the house to grab a beer at some point. In my tests, I was able to venture from my deck all the way to the mailbox on the street without losing connection. Like other Meater products, the 2 Plus works with Meater Link for Wi-Fi and Meater Cloud, providing unlimited range, though you’ll need to connect the Meater 2 Plus to another phone, tablet or laptop for these features.

Meater also improved battery life and charging efficiency. The Meater 2 Plus can be recharged for up to two years with one AAA battery, doubling the longevity of the previous model which the company rated at 100 charges. A fully charged probe will still last over 24 hours before you’ll need to dock it, unchanged from the Meater Plus. However, the Meater 2 Plus charges to 50 percent in only 15 minutes, enough for a 12-hour low-and-slow barbeque session. And as the company points out, you’ll never have to worry about charging if you keep the probe docked when it’s not in use.

I’ve tested the Meater 2 Plus for three cooks so far and I’ve been impressed with the performance for all of them. It’s completely wild to me to be able to throw this thing in the dishwasher instead of spending several minutes scrubbing the probe like I typically have to for all of my wired accessories. Of course, the highlight is the increased precision, which gives you a more detailed look at what’s going on during your cook. It was especially handy while smoking a turkey breast, allowing me to make sure the center was safe to eat while monitoring the rest to make sure it didn’t get too far past the coveted 165-degree mark. I also had no issues with high-heat use, though most of my testing was sub-350 degrees and primarily low-and-slow smoking. Besides turkey, I also used it for Over the Top Chili, smoked meatloaf and reheating leftovers.

The Meater 2 Plus is available now on the company’s website for $119.95. That’s $10-$20 more than the Meater Plus, depending on your wood preference for the charger on that previous model.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meater-2-plus-review-a-more-precise-and-durable-wireless-meat-thermometer-160039734.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Elon Musk’s new AI company, xAI, launches Grok the chatbot

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Elon Musk’s new AI company, xAI, will release its chatbot to X subscribers who pay $16 per month once it exits beta. A select group of X users started testing Grok, a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, this weekend.

Musk laid out his heady ambitions for xAI earlier this year, saying in July that its intended purpose is, quite literally, “to understand the true nature of the universe.” Having said that, Musk says Grok will wield a sense of humor, like this… banter sewn into a guide to making cocaine, which must be funny to someone.

Grok’s notable feature is its real-time access to information published on X, which Musk claims will be “a massive advantage over other models.” Rival chatbots are limited to the information fed to their model. If Grok constantly pulls new information from X, it could have an edge. It could also be more liable to the horrible biases of AI models, not to mention parsing the mass of misinformation swirling around the rebranded social network.

— Mat Smith

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X may start selling recycled user handles

It’s reportedly soliciting people to buy recycled user handles for $50,000.

Beyond subscriptions for access to chatbots, X is looking at other ways to make money. The company has been trying to find buyers for inactive user handles, even sending solicitation emails asking for “a flat fee of $50,000 to initiate a purchase,” according to Forbes. Elon Musk announced back in May that X, formerly Twitter, would start purging dormant accounts and even alluded to plans for recycling disused handles.

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Fortnite keeps breaking player count records since releasing its OG season

Fortnite OG brought back the original island map and more.

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Fortnite

Since the release of Fortnite OG at the end of last week, player counts have reached new all-time highs — peaking on Saturday with 44.7 million players, according to a tweet from the Fortnite team. Players reportedly clocked a cumulative 102 million hours of play, making it the game’s biggest day ever. Apparently, a 2018 map is old enough to be considered nostalgic.

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FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty of fraud

SBF faces up to 110 years in prison.

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Amr Alfiky / reuters

A federal jury has found FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried guilty on all seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. Arrested in the Bahamas back in December 2022, SBF faces a maximum sentence of 110 years in federal prison for multiple crimes, including committing wire fraud against FTX customers, wire fraud on Alameda Research lenders and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He’ll be sentenced on March 28, 2024.

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Washington DC pilots free AirTags scheme to tackle car theft

The pilot program will focus on certain areas.

The city of Washington DC will distribute free Apple AirTags to residents in specific neighborhoods, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Wednesday. The aim: to make stolen cars easier for police to track down. “We are equipping residents with technology that will allow the [Metropolitan Police Department] to address these crimes, recover vehicles and hold people accountable,” Bowser said.

DC is the second city to hand out free AirTags to make finding car thieves easier. Earlier this year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the city would give away 500 AirTags to make finding car thieves easier.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-elon-musks-new-ai-company-xai-launches-grok-the-chatbot-121533489.html?src=rss

Live in Washington DC? You might be able to get free AirTags for your car

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The city of Washington DC will distribute free Apple AirTags to residents in certain neighborhoods, mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Wednesday. The aim: to make stolen cars easier for police to track down.

“We are equipping residents with technology that will allow the [Metropolitan Police Department] to address these crimes, recover vehicles, and hold people accountable,” Bowser said in a statement, "we will continue to use all the tools we have, and add new tools, to keep our city safe.” Local publication DCist first reported the story.

DC residents in neighborhoods with the highest numbers of vehicle theft will be eligible to get free AirTags at three different events in the city over the next few months, starting next week. It’s not clear how many AirTags, which cost $29 a pop, will be given away.

Police officers will help residents put the AirTags in their cars and register them on their iPhones. If a car is stolen, residents will need to report the location of the car as it appears in Apple’s FindMy app to law enforcement.

DC is the second city to hand out free AirTags to make finding car thieves easier. Earlier this year, New York City mayor Eric Adams announced that the city would give away 500 AirTags to make finding car thieves easier. Since then the NYPD has held several AirTag and Tile tracker giveaways, focusing on Kia and Hyundai owners, though it's unclear if these come from the same supply announced by the mayor.

AirTags, which Apple released in 2021, have often sparked controversy. Critics have said that they let stalkers track victims silently without their knowledge — a safety issue Apple eventually addressed. But the devices have also been useful, letting people keep track of pets, checked baggage and stolen campaign signs. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/live-in-washington-dc-you-might-be-able-to-get-free-airtags-for-your-car-202616642.html?src=rss

You can try new Overwatch 2 hero Mauga this weekend

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BlizzCon is upon us, which means Blizzard had a ton of announcements for fans of its games duing the opening ceremony. The next Overwatch 2 hero was among the reveals and, as expected, the new tank is Baptiste's old running buddy, Mauga. A leak on the Nintendo Switch eShop's news tab gave the game away a few hours early.

Mauga wields a pair of chainguns and he has an unstoppable charge ability that can knock enemies off of maps. Another ability reduces damage sustained by nearby allies and allows them to heal when they attack enemies. Mauga's ultimate ability looks fun, if terrifying for the other team. He traps nearby opponents into a cage match and has unlimited ammo for a short period of time. 

Best of all, you'll have a chance to try Mauga before he officially joins the roster when Overwatch 2's eighth season goes live in December. He'll be available in most game modes on all platforms this weekend. BlizzCon attendees are able to try out Mauga on site too.

Fans have been awaiting Mauga's arrival in the game for several years. Blizzard had long intended to make him a playable character. The latest Overwatch 2 map, Samoa, included several references to the newcomer as well.

Meanwhile, game director Aaron Keller touched on some of the things that are coming to Overwatch 2 in 2024. The next competitive game mode is called Clash, which has five points lined up in a row. The first team to capture all five points or reach a maximum score wins. The first map will be a new take on Hanamura, an old favorite of many (including yours truly). 

Early next year, there will be a major rework of the competitive system with new rewards. Upcoming seasons will be themed around things like eldritch horror, Egyptian mythology and witches. Fans will also enter a mirror universe in which heroes and villains trade places. 

In addition, three more heroes will arrive in 2024. A damage hero named Venture will arrive in season 10 (which is likely to start in April) while a support codenamed Space Ranger will debut in season 12 i.e. around August. Some more details about what's ahead will be revealed during a BlizzCon panel on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-try-new-overwatch-2-hero-mauga-this-weekend-190042655.html?src=rss

The best Black Friday deals we’ve found so far from Amazon, Walmart, Target and others

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With each passing year, the phrase "Black Friday" becomes more of a misnomer. What was once a day of post-Thanksgiving special offers has become a month of sales promotions from retailers across the web. It's happening again in 2023: Target, Best Buy and Walmart are already advertising their early Black Friday deals, while Amazon is price matching many of those discounts and has its own "Holiday Deals" landing page. Many other shops and manufacturers have (or will soon have) early deals as well.

This barrage of sales promos can be aggravating, but it also presents a good opportunity to get your holiday shopping done at something closer to your own pace. To help, we've rounded up the best Black Friday deals you can get right now below. There's always a chance we get bigger discounts on November 24, but we're already seeing all-time lows on LG's A2 OLED TV, PS5 bundles, the 9th-gen iPad and other gadgets we like. We'll be updating our list regularly in the lead-up to Black Friday, so check back if there's anything else you've had your eye on. 

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

The latest version of Apple's AirPods Pro is back on sale for $200 at Amazon and Target. That's about $10 more than their record-low price and $50 off their usual going rate. The AirPods Pro are the "best for iOS" pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide thanks to their easy pairing and deep integration with Apple devices. Effective active noise cancellation (ANC), a superb transparency mode and a pleasingly warm sound profile help as well, as does a new "adaptive audio" mode that can adjust the earphones' noise control settings based on your surroundings. That said, their battery life is just average at six-ish hours per charge, and you really have to use an iPhone to get anything out of them. We gave the Lightning-based version of the second-generation AirPods Pro a review score of 88 last year; this new iteration is almost identical, only it comes with a USB-C charging case and has a higher IP54 dust-resistance rating.

Apple iPad (9th-gen)

Apple's 9th-gen iPad is down to $249 at Amazon, Walmart and Target, which is a deal we've seen for much of the past month but still matches the tablet's lowest-ever price. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide, and it earned a review score of 86 in 2021. It's the last iPad to use Apple's old design language, so it has thick bezels, a Lightning port, a Home button and a non-laminated display. This variant also comes with a paltry 64GB of storage. At this price, though, it's still hard to do better if all you want is a large screen for streaming video, playing games and browsing the web. Its 10.2-inch display remains a step up from cheaper slates, its A13 Bionic chip is plenty fast for casual media consumption and its battery still lasts around 10 hours per charge. Most importantly, it's the cheapest route into Apple's huge app library, customer support and years of software updates.

If you want a more modern design, the iPad Air is the top pick in our guide, and it's now on sale for $500. Be warned, though: A recent Bloomberg report says that Apple plans to launch new tablets in the spring. If you don't need an iPad right away, it's probably worth waiting.

Apple Watch Series 9

The new Apple Watch Series 9 has dropped to $349 at Amazon and Walmart in an early Black Friday deal. That’s $50 off its usual price and the lowest we’ve seen since it debuted in September. That’s the price you’ll pay for the 41mm model, and the 45mm models have the same $50 discount, bringing them down to $379 each. The Series 9 took the crown of the best smartwatch you can get right now in our guide thanks to its new S9 SiP that brings slightly speedier performance and on-device Siri processing, the new Double Tap feature and other improvements.

Apple AirPods (2nd gen)

Starting on November 8, Walmart has the second-gen AirPods for only $69 — a new record low and the cheapest we’ve ever seen. These AirPods are a bit old at this point, but at this Black Friday price, they’re a great deal for anyone who just wants a pair of earbuds that will work seamlessly with their iPhone, iPad or MacBook.

Apple M2 Mac Mini

Amazon has discounted the M2-powered Mac Mini desktops: the 256GB model has dropped to $500 thanks to a discount and a clippable coupon added on top of that, while the 512GB model is on sale for $690 with similar bundled discounts. It’s a great option if you want a speedy desktop running macOS, with a bevy of ports as well. It earned a score of 86 in our review, and it has a headphone jack, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-A connectors, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-Cs and an HDMI 2.0 port.

Sony WH-1000XM5

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is down to $328 at Amazon and B&H. Though this isn't an all-time low, it's about $70 off Sony's list price and $20 lower than the headphones' usual recurring sale price. The XM5 is the top recommendation in our guide to the best wireless headphones, as it offers a comfortable design, powerful ANC, crisp call quality and 30 or so hours of battery life. It also comes with a number of useful bonus features such as "Speak to Chat," which automatically pauses your music when you start talking to somebody else. By default, its bass-heavy sound plays well with hip-hop and EDM, though you can easily customize the EQ curve through Sony's app. We gave the XM5 a score of 95 in our review last year.

Echo Show 5 + Ring Video Doorbell bundle

Prime members can save 65 percent on this bundle that includes an Echo Show 5 and a Ring Video Doorbell, now that it’s down to only $65. The Show 5 is one of our favorite smart displays thanks to its compact design and a few useful features that make it a solid smart alarm clock like an ambient light sensor and its tap-to-snooze function. It also works well with the Ring doorbell because you can program it to see video feeds from the doorbell directly on the Show 5’s screen. There are a number of other Ring doorbells and security cameras on sale at the moment as well for as low as $30.

Samsung T9 SSD

The latest Samsung T9 portable SSD is on sale for $130 right now for a 1TB drive, which is the best price it’s been since it came out last month. You can snag these Black Friday deals from Amazon or Samsung direct, and you’ll save $40 if you spring for the 2TB version or $100 on the 4TB model. The T9 is the newest iteration of Samsung’s popular portable drive that we’ve long been fans of, and it supports read and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s. It also has dynamic thermal guard to prevent overheating, plus it comes with a USB-C to C and USB-C to A cords so you can use it with a variety of devices.

PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller

Amazon has discounted a bunch of PlayStation DualSense controllers ahead of Black Friday, including many of the colorways that typically go for $75. You can pick up Cosmic Red, Starlight Blue, Nova Pink and other models for $50 each, which is just about a record-low price. These controllers work with the PS5 as well as PC, and they sport adaptive L2 and R2 triggers, haptic feedback and a built-in mic array.

PS5 + Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 bundle

If you or someone you love hasn’t gotten their hands on a PS5 yet and is itching to do so, this bundle with the console and the new Spider-Man 2 game is down to its cheapest price yet — $500. The PS5 remains one of the best gaming consoles you can get right now, and when we reviewed the new Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we found it to be even better than its predecessor. In it, you can swap between playing as Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and it includes expanded combat mechanics.

DJI Osmo Action 3 Creator Combo

As part of a larger sale on DJI cameras and accessories, the DJI Osmo Action 3 is seeing a discount as part of a bundle that includes two batteries, a 32GB microSD card and a case. Separately and not on sale, the set would run you $379, but is now down to $319. This isn't the newest version of DJI's GoPro Alternative camera, that one, the Osmo Action 4 isn't on sale. The newer version has a larger sensor and improved dynamic range, but at a higher price. But if you don't plan on shooting a lot of low-light footage, you may be happy with the performance of the Action 3. We put it through its paces in our review and liked the excellent video quality, and found it to be on par with GoPro's Hero 10. The the magnetic clip mount and long-lasting, fast-charging battery are also reasons to buy. 

Surfshark VPN

Surfshark’s Black Friday deal knocks up to 86 percent off two-year plans, and you’ll get a few extra months of service for free depending on the plan you select. We consider Surfshark to be one of the best VPN services available right now, particularly if you want a solid VPN at an affordable price. We believe the mid-tier plan, Surfshark One, will be the best for most people and a two-year plan is down to $2.69 per month, with an additional four months of services thrown in for free.

Samsung M80C Smart Monitor

Samsung’s Smart Monitor M80C is $300 off and down to $400 right now. You’ll see a $200 discount on the product page, but a clippable coupon will take the extra $100 off at checkout. The selling point for this display, and really any Samsung Smart Monitor, is that it pulls triple duty as an external display, a smart TV and an IoT hub. In addition to connecting it to your computer, you can use it standalone as a TV thanks to the built-in TV operating system and included remote, and the embedded SmartThings hub lets you directly connect things like smart lights and other gear to the display.

Motorola razr+

The Moto razr+ is 30 percent off and down to a record low of $700. It earned a spot in our best foldable phones guides thanks to handy exterior display that’s actually easier to use than that on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and its ability to fold in half and get super compact and pocket-friendly. It’s cameras are not on par with those on Samsung’s foldables, but it’s a generally solid flip phone with a ton of personality.

Reverb music gear holiday sale

Reverb is currently hosting a holiday sale with discounts on a number of synths, pedals, guitars, and recording devices. One callout is the Native Instruments' Maschine MK3, which is seeing a $300 discount making the $600 groovebox/drum machine/synth combo/controller just $299. The pad based controller will let you build full tracks from scratch without having to touch your mouse and keyboard. We're fans of Native Instruments and have covered and reviewed their gear many times over the years. If you're getting into desktop music-making, this is likely a sale you'll want to check out.  

Bose Quiet Comfort Earbuds

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are down to $199 at Amazon, which is the same as they went for for October Prime Day. During that sale you needed to be a Prime member to save, but now anyone can take advantage of the discount. They retail for $299, but have sold for $279 for the past few months, so this is still an $80 discount. We think they're best wireless earbuds you can buy for noise cancelation, as they do a great job of blocking out the world. They also have a smaller, more comfortable fit than the previous generation and offer good audio quality.

Samsung 85-inch The Frame smart TV

The 85-inch Samsung The Frame smart TV is 23 percent off and down to a new record low of $3,300 at both Amazon and Samsung direct. The Frame has been super popular thanks to its design, which mimics framed artwork when not in use. It has a matte, anti-reflective display and an included slim wall mount so you can get the true “artwork” effect when you hang it on the wall. As an actual TV, it supports 4K content and Quantum Dot technology, plus it runs on Samsung’s Tizen TV operating system.

Logitech G203 gaming mouse

Amazon is having a big sale on Logitech gaming accessories and peripherals, including gaming headsets, mice, keyboards and more. Of note is the Logitech G203 Lightsync wired gaming mouse, which is half off and down to only $20. It’s one of our favorite gaming mice thanks in no small part to its affordable price, but it’s also fairly lightweight and sturdily built with an ambidextrous design that will work for right- and left-handed users. Also discounted is the Logitech G733 Lightspeed wireless gaming headset, which is 20 percent off and down to $120. It has an attractive design with subtle LED lighting and a stretch band, and it has a solid wireless connection with audio to match.

Solo Stove early Black Friday deal

Solo Stove’s Black Friday deals have knocked up to $245 off fire pit bundles, up to $100 off fire pits by themselves and even more. A standout is the Ranger Backyard Bundle 2, which is $145 off and down to $320. It includes the company’s most compact fire pit along with its accompanying shield, stand, lid and shelter. Everything you’d need for an easy setup right out of the box is included in this bundle, and the 2.0-version of the Ranger includes a removable base plate and ash pan, both of which make the fire pit much easier to clean.

TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug

The smart plug we recommend for most homes is TP-Link's Kasa Smart Plug mini. A four-pack is on sale for $35 which is about $3 more than it sold for during Amazon's October Prime day sale, but still a decent $15 savings. Plugs like these are a simple way to add some smart capabilities to any home, letting you turn on lights with just your voice, set automated schedules and routines that are triggered by other activities. These would make a great stocking stuffer for anyone you know who's curious about smart home connectivity but hasn't yet taken the plunge.  

ProtonVPN early Black Friday deal

Our favorite VPN service, ProtonVPN, is having a rare sale for Black Friday that brings a monthly subscription down to only $4 for a total of 30 months. That means you’ll pay $120 for two and a half years of access, which is a pretty good deal. ProtonVPN passed our tests with high marks, but what made it stand out among other VPN security services was its independently audited no-logs policy, and the fact that the company has proven they don't comply with law enforcement requests to reveal data. If you want to jump in head-first with Proton services, the company has discounted Proton Unlimited, which includes access to VPN, Mail, Calendar, Drive and Pass, to just under $9 per month for the first year.

Google Nest Hub

If you're partial to the Google Assistant, Google's Nest Hub is also on sale for $60 at Target, B&H, Best Buy, Google's online store and others. That's $20 higher than its all-time low but still $40 off Google's list price. The Nest Hub is the top overall pick in our smart display buying guide, and we gave it a review score of 89 back in 2021. It has a 7-inch screen, so it's a bit bigger than the Echo Show 5 but should still be compact enough to fit neatly in a bedroom or small office. While it lacks a built-in camera, that may be a selling point for those who especially sensitive to their privacy (though no smart display is truly privacy-conscious). 

Ultimately, whether it's worth getting a Nest Hub or Echo Show depends on what services you use: If you own a bunch of Nest devices and depend on apps like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Photos, Google's display will make sense. If you want a larger model with a webcam and stronger speakers, the 10-inch Nest Hub Max is also on sale for $129. That's a $100 discount. 

LG A2 OLED TV

We expect to see many more TV deals as we get closer to Black Friday, but for now one standout is LG's 48-inch A2 OLED TV on sale for a new low of $550 at Best Buy. This is an entry-level model from 2022, so it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, lacks HDMI 2.1 ports and doesn't support other gaming-friendly features like VRR. That said, it's still an OLED TV, so it delivers deep contrast, bold colors, wide viewing angles and low input lag. At this price, it should be a nice step-up option for smaller or secondary rooms. Just note that it can't get as bright as higher-end OLED sets, so it's best situated away from direct sunlight. 

FAQs

When is Black Friday 2023?

Black Friday 2023 lands on November 24 this year, with Cyber Monday 2023 following up a few days later on November 27. However, the early deals have already begun. The entire month of November might as well be renamed Holiday Shopping Month as that’s when companies really start to get serious with their discounts.

What day is Black Friday 2023 at Walmart?

Walmart Black Friday deals will begin early this year on November 8. Walmart+ members will get a few hours of early access to Black Friday deals if they shop online on November 8, with access for everyone else starting later that day. Walmart will match its online Black Friday deals in stores starting November 10.

Will Amazon have a Black Friday sale in 2023?

Amazon will likely have a Black Friday sale in 2023. While the online retailer hasn’t made its deals known yet like Walmart has, Amazon will almost certainly have deals across all of the types of products it sells, including electronics. We anticipate seeing record-low prices on Amazon devices in particular, like Echo speakers, Fire TVs, Kindles and more. In years past, Amazon Black Friday deals have brought some of the best prices of the year on our favorite gadgets and gear, including headphones, tablets, smartwatches, robot vacuums and more.

What other retailers have Black Friday sales in 2023?

Most retailers have Black Friday sales, so you can expect to see Target, Best Buy, and others join Walmart and Amazon in discounting inventory to capitalize on holiday shopping interest. In the consumer electronics space, we expect most companies to have some sort of Black Friday promotion, so that means you will likely be able to get big-ticket items from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, Sony, LG, Sonos and others for much cheaper prices.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-black-friday-deals-weve-found-so-far-from-amazon-walmart-target-and-others-134510813.html?src=rss

Samsung’s SmartTag 2 four-pack is just $80 right now

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Samsung only debuted its new SmartTag 2 in mid-October, but the device already has a great sale going. Right now, you can get four SmartTag 2 trackers for just $80, down from $92. The 13 percent price cut puts each one at just $20 — that's quite a saving compared to the $30 a single SmartTag2 costs. 

The original SmartTag came on the scene in 2021 as a counter to the AirTag and Tile — but only for Galaxy users. Now, with its newest iteration, Samsung has updated quite a few features, such as taking the Bluetooth and ultra-wideband (UWB) variants and combining them into one model. The SmartTag2 also does something Apple still hasn't mastered: providing a key ring for its smart tracker. The initial model simply had a punch hole. 

Samsung's SmartTag 2 is also IP67 dust and water-resistant, giving you an easier time for runs in the rain or letting your dog wander around with it in all sorts of weather. Plus, its battery life lasts 50 percent as long as its predecessor, giving you 700 days in Power Saving Mode and 500 days in Normal Mode. At the moment, the SmartTag 2 still only works for Samsung devices, but it's definitely a good option if you have one. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-smarttag-2-four-pack-is-just-80-right-now-122558604.html?src=rss

Apple Arcade exclusive ‘Japanese Rural Life Adventure’ is a surprising story of rebirth

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For the third time in less than two years, I have COVID-19. Whenever an illness has forced me to stay in bed, my comfort food has been gaming. In 2009 I played through all of Assassin’s Creed II in a feverish, swine flu-induced haze. When I was sick with COVID for the first time, I jumped into Red Dead Redemption 2 blind, and found a story about sickness and human mortality. Now, during one of the most stacked years in recent gaming history, I find myself under the covers not with Starfield, Spider-Man 2 or any of the other big fall releases. Instead, my bedside companion is a small Apple Arcade exclusive called Japanese Rural Life Adventure.

I discovered this gem through an X account that tweets about upcoming indie games. I took one look at Japanese Rural Life Adventure and knew I had to play it. The game features a beautiful pixel art style, and a pastoral setting evocative of anime classics like Only Yesterday and Wolf Children. What I didn’t expect to find was a heartwarming experience about the importance of community.

In its opening hours, Japanese Rural Life Adventure plays out much like Stardew Valley or, for that matter, any other farming sim made in the past two decades. When the game’s protagonist first arrives in the countryside, they find their new home in disrepair, nearly every inch of the surrounding fields overgrown with weeds. But following a predictable start, the game shows its true character.

Almost uniquely among other games in the genre, Japanese Rural Life Adventure doesn’t include any romantic partners for the player’s character to pursue. Nearly everyone you meet is elderly. They complain of aching bones, bad backs and a dim future where there aren’t any young people to carry on their community’s traditions.

“I was born and raised in the city, in a big town. I have no memories of playing in rivers, climbing mountains, or anything like that,” Takeo Fujita, the founder of Japanese Rural Life Adventure developer GAME START, told me over email. “I have no older relatives living in the countryside. In other words, you could say that the ‘gentle and simple countryside’ found in Japanese Rural Life Adventure comes from a sense of longing that I felt watching and reading Japanese TV dramas and manga.”

Longing for a simpler life is something that pervades Japanese Rural Life Adventure – not just its setting, but also its mechanics and the scale of its gameplay. For all the time I’ve put into the game, I have not become a farming mogul. At most, it’s possible to plant and maintain four fields for growing rice and produce, alongside a few fruit trees. In fact, there’s only so much “work” for your character to do in a single day. And the days, compared to those in Stardew Valley or recent Harvest Moon entries, are long, adding to the sense of a slower pace of life.

Japanese Rural Life Adventure consistently pushed me to slow down and appreciate everything it had to offer beyond farming: fishing, bug catching, cooking and photographing wildlife, all of which have their own fun minigames associated with them. Sometimes, I would just let my character rest on the front porch to watch a cherry blossom tree shed its pedals or to bask in the sparkle of fireflies at night.

mmm fish
GAME START

At first, Japanese Rural Life Adventure limits players to the small area around their farm. More often than not, advancing the plot or opening a new section of the game involves helping others. Before I could buy seeds to grow my first batch of cucumbers and daikon radishes, I first had to build a bench for an old peddler lady to sit and rest. After completing a few of the game’s early objectives, including the partial restoration of a local Shinto shrine, the nearby town unlocks.

The town is in a sorry state when you first visit. The roads are weed-ridden and potholed. Nearly every building is falling apart. The young people are long gone. It’s one step removed from becoming a ghost town.

As it turns out, this town is the heart of Japanese Rural Life Adventure. After exploring it for a bit, I meet the village head, who tasks my character with restoring the decaying roads and buildings, including a Buddist temple and schoolhouse, all in hopes of bringing tourists who will help revitalize the local economy.

I didn’t expect this from Japanese Rural Life Adventure. In Japan, declining birth rates and one of the world’s oldest populations threaten to erase rural life as the country knows it. A 2019 Bloomberg article, citing data from the Japan Policy Council, frames the stakes succinctly: “If current trends continue, by 2040, 869 municipalities – nearly half of Japan’s total – will be at risk of vanishing.”

Fujita says GAME START didn’t set out to create a game about the plight of his country’s towns and villages. “When developing games, we do not consider difficult themes such as vanishing rural communities or population aging. We believe that games should be something you can enjoy and forget about everyday life,” he said. "‘Growth’ and ‘development’ are elements that can make a game attractive to prospective players. So we adopted ‘village regeneration’ as one of the themes of the game.”

Take my dog. Please!
GAME START

To some extent, all games like Japanese Rural Life Adventure share an interest in community. After all, it’s safe to say part of the reason why so many people love Stardew Valley is because of Pelican Town and all the weird and wonderful characters that inhabit it. However, in orienting almost all of the player’s actions towards the betterment of its unnamed town, Japanese Rural Life Adventure puts community front and center in a way I hadn’t seen in the genre before. It’s also that focus that makes the game feel fresh and compelling.

Take the restoration project I mentioned earlier. The village head compensates the player for completing the tasks he assigns to them, but I found the money I earned was often only enough to cover the costs of the next repair I needed to complete. More rewarding was seeing the results of my efforts. The project culminates in a summer festival that requires a significant investment from the player, both in terms of time and money spent. Before I could even start preparing for the event, I first had to repair and repaint the torii gates of the temple where the town planned to hold the festival. It was also up to me to produce the 21 chochin lanterns needed to light everything. This task consumed a few hours of my time, but the reward was a beautiful night time celebration that felt like a culmination of everything I had done up to that point. The fact I won a young koi fish to release in the pond in front of my house was a bonus.

Often, Japanese Rural Life Adventure doesn’t feature a lot of mechanical sophistication. Watering plants is as straightforward as a single tap, and most other tasks involve either foraging or buying the right items, but what it has a lot of is heart. That was something I needed.

Japanese Rural Life Adventure is currently available on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-arcade-exclusive-japanese-rural-life-adventure-review-170006419.html?src=rss

Subaru EVs will support Tesla’s NACS chargers starting in 2025

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Subaru just announced forthcoming support for Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), joining other big-time manufacturers like Hyundai. The company will update the charging ports of its electric vehicles for North American consumers beginning in 2025. This will give consumers access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the country.

The company also says it will continue to advance NACS adoption for vehicles manufactured and released after 2025, so future EV owners should be in good shape. Subaru will offer an adapter for anyone that owns or leases a vehicle with the Combined Charging System (CCS), further solidifying NACS as the one to beat.

This is part of the company’s efforts to transform half of its vehicles to EVs by 2030. Subaru has a long way to go in this regard, as it currently sells just one true electric vehicle, the Solterra. This EV starts at $45,000, so it’ll have to manufacture some more budget-friendly cars to meet that 50 percent threshold.

As previously mentioned, Subaru is just the latest company to jump on the NACS bandwagon. Honda made a similar promise for 2025, as did Toyota and Lexus. As of this writing, there are around 56,000 EV charging stations in America, with many of them integrating the NACS standard in the short-term future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/subaru-evs-will-support-teslas-nacs-chargers-starting-in-2025-185214250.html?src=rss

A new 3D Sonic platformer is coming to Apple Arcade in December

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Apple has announced the latest slate of upcoming games for Apple Arcade, one week after it increased the price of the subscription service for the first time in many markets. Among the titles Apple has in the pipeline is a new, exclusive 3D Sonic platformer.

In Sonic Dream Team, Doctor Eggman has found a way to turn dreams into reality. Sonic and his pals will have to navigate strange dreamscapes as they try to stop their old foe. Along with Sonic, you'll be able to play as Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Cream and Rouge. Each character has their own unique abilities. You'll be able to check out Sonic Dream Team when it lands on Apple Arcade on December 5.

Hitting the service on the same day is Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition. It's a mashup of an Animal Crossing-style life sim and an adventure game with a host of Disney and Pixar characters you can befriend.

Disney Dreamlight Valley has been in early access on other platforms since August last year. It was supposed to become a free-to-play title with paid expansions upon its official release in December, but developer Gameloft has changed tack, instead deciding to charge $40 for the base game on consoles and PC. However, you won't need to pay extra to play it on Apple Arcade. You'll also get access to the A Rift In Time expansion at no extra cost.

In addition to those titles, six other games are coming to Apple Arcade over the next couple of months, such as Football Manager 2024 Touch. In a first for the soccer management sim series, you'll be able to carry over your progress from Football Manager 2023 Touch.

Other upcoming games include cooking title Delicious - Miracle of Life+, Puzzle & Dragons Story (an exclusive) and oil rush-based sim Turmoil+. Knotwords+, a version of the word game that caught fire last year in the wake of Wordle’s success, will hit Apple Arcade on November 3. Indie classic Downwell+ (from Poinpy developer Ojiro Fumoto) will land join the service's lineup on November 17.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-new-3d-sonic-platformer-is-coming-to-apple-arcade-in-december-163949794.html?src=rss

Formula E preseason testing 2023: Five key takeaways from Valencia

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Formula 1 may do its preseason tests right before the new schedule of races begins, but Formula E holds its trials months before the first E-Prix. The official action starts in Mexico City in January, but last week the all-electric series took to the turns of Valencia for its annual preseason test. 2024’s Season 10 will be the second for the ultra-efficient Gen3 car, following a debut that delivered lots of wheel-to-wheel racing and a hard-fought driver’s championship that was decided in the final two races. While there isn’t a new car this year, there’s still plenty to know before the lights go out in Mexico.

A battery fire cut testing short

Teams lost a considerable amount of track time after a battery fire following the Tuesday morning session. The Race reports that the incident occurred in a pit stall occupied by WAE, the all-electric series’ battery supplier. The fire reportedly started from a battery that had been removed from the DS Penske driven by rookie Robert Shwartzman for three separate stints. Shwartzman had to stop on track due to an issue and once the car was back in the pit lane, the battery was removed and taken to WAE for inspection. Motorsport.com reports that the automatic battery safety system was activated causing the driver to stop. According to The Race, witnesses say there was a small audible explosion about 90 minutes after the car came to a halt on the circuit.

Formula E canceled the Tuesday afternoon and both Wednesday sessions while it looked into the cause of the fire. One person was taken to the hospital as a precaution but was released without any treatment. The series’ governing body, the FIA, deemed conditions safe to resume testing on Thursday afternoon following “investigations and findings provided by the technical suppliers,” Formula E explained.

As The Race notes, there has never been a traction battery fire at an E-Prix in nearly 10 years of events. There were incidents in 2015 and 2017, but those affected the smaller 12-volt battery. This was also unrelated to the new Attack Charge as Shwartzman had yet to demo that infrastructure. Formula E only had eight units for 11 teams and DS Penske didn’t have one at the time, The Race reports.

The first female driver in a Gen3 car

Gabriela Jilkova, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3
Gabriela Jilkova drives the TAG Heuer Porsche
Simon Galloway

During the preseason test in Valencia, teams were required to put rookie drivers in their cars for three of the 18 scheduled hours of running. The lineup included former F2 driver Robert Shwartzman (DS Penske) and current F2 drivers Victor Martins (Nissan) and Zane Maloney (Andretti), among others. The rookie test saw the first female driver in a Gen3 Formula E car as well. ​​LMP3 and GT4 driver Gabriela Jilkova got behind the wheel of the Porsche team’s EVs, completing a 46-lap run. Formula E previously held rookie tests ahead of the Berlin E-Prix and during an extra practice session in Rome, both happening earlier this year.

The first test of Attack Charge

During a 10-hour session last Friday, Formula E held a simulated race, giving teams a 27-lap trial to test setups, run through safety car periods and demo the upcoming Attack Charge pit stops. The series had planned to introduce the stops last season, but supply-chain issues meant the technology would only be ready for the final few races. By then, Formula E felt it would be too late and decided to postpone the debut of Attack Charge to this season.

There is still a lot of unknown about how the stops will work, but what we do know is that they will take place during a specific window Formula E officials will announce right before the race. The series has also said that teams will be unable to double stack their two cars, a practice of pitting both vehicles back-to-back, which could lead to some interesting decisions about which driver gets priority. An Attack Charge stop is also expected to be quite long at 30-35 seconds. A mechanic hooks up a charging cable to the back of the car while the battery is replenished.

Jaguar and Porsche are quick… again

Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 6
Mitch Evans in the Jaguar TCS Racing I-TYPE 6
Simon Galloway

After strong showings at the start of the Gen3 era last season, it looks like Jaguar TCS Racing and TAG Heuer Porsche are going to be contenders once again. Jaguar and Porsche vehicles claimed four of the top five times in each of the three test sessions, including quick laps from the Envision team that runs Jaguar powertrains.

Jaguar’s Mitch Evans posted the fastest time of the week, notching a 1m24.474s mark that was over half a second quicker than the fastest lap in last year’s test. Evans, who finished third in the driver’s championship in Season nine, also topped the times in the second session. New teammate Nick Cassidy, who finished second in the championship last season while driving for Envision, kept Evans from sweeping all three sessions with a 1m24.617s in the final running of the week.

Mahindra seems poised to bounce back

Season nine was one to forget for Mahindra. The team that’s been in Formula E since the series began finished 10th out of 11. Significant offseason changes include an all-new driver pairing of Edoardo Mortara and Season seven champ Nyck De Vries. Mortara was fifth fastest in the first session of the week while De Vries posted the third best time in session two. Mahindra was hampered by the battery fire as it suffered damage to its equipment and both cars, but both drivers showed great pace at different points during the week.

The driver’s championship should be close again

19 of the 21 drivers set lap times within 0.7 seconds of each other during the last session of the week. Sure, that’s one-lap pace as opposed to managing all of the nuances of a Formula E race (like energy consumption and regeneration), but it’s clear the drivers are learning how to unlock the potential of the Gen3 cars. Last year, for example, teams were grappling with new cars and new tires, having to figure out the optimal performance for a harder Hankook compound.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/formula-e-preseason-testing-2023-five-key-takeaways-from-valencia-133234132.html?src=rss