Tag Archives: author_name|Kris Holt

Google Black Friday deals include the Pixel Watch 3 for a new low of $280

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The Pixel Watch 3 is on sale in an early Black Friday deal. Not even two full months after Google debuted the smartwatch, it has hit a new record low price of $280. That's a tasty discount of $70. That deal is specifically for the Wi-Fi-only 41mm model, but there's an offer on the 45mm option too. The larger variant can be yours for $330. That's $70 off as well.

Furthermore, you can save on the LTE-enabled versions of both sizes. The cellular variant of the 41mm Pixel Watch 3 has dropped by $100 to $350. As for the 45mm LTE model, that will currently run you $400, which is also a $100 discount.

The Pixel Watch 3 is our pick for the best smartwatch for Android users. It's Google's best Pixel Watch yet. It has a display with a 60Hz refresh rate. The screen can drop to just 1 nit of brightness while you're asleep (or perhaps at the movies) to help conserve battery life. The smartwatch can run for over 24 hours on a single charge. Handily, the Pixel Watch 3 charges faster than previous models too.

Thanks in part to the help of Fitbit's knowhow, the wearable is a great activity tracker. Functions include detection and custom running plans, along with the ability to track other metrics such as Cardio Load. However, you'll need to stump up for a Fitbit Premium plan to access more in-depth coaching. Some software quirks and slight bulkiness are other drawbacks of the Pixel Watch 3.

Other features include the likes of weather forecasts, calendar alerts and map directions that you can access via Google Assistant voice commands. In the end, we gave the Pixel Watch 3 a score of 84 in our review, with Engadget deputy editor Cherlynn Low calling it a "a serious smartwatch [that's] ready for the competition."

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/google-black-friday-deals-include-the-pixel-watch-3-for-a-new-low-of-280-184803582.html?src=rss

Volvo EV drivers can start using Tesla’s Supercharger network this month

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You can soon top up the battery of a Volvo electric vehicle at more than 17,800 Tesla Supercharger stations across the US and Canada. That should make it much easier for Volvo drivers to find a place to charge, even though they already had access to tens of thousands of fast charge points.

Starting November 18, drivers can locate Tesla Superchargers via the Volvo Cars app or built-in Google Maps. It's possible to pay for charging sessions via the Volvo Cars app as well.

There's one teensy catch, however, especially if you have had a Volvo EV for a while: to access Tesla Superchargers and other North American Charging Standard (NACS) chargers, you'll need an adapter. This costs $230 ($310 CAD) and can be ordered from authorized Volvo retailers. The automaker will start shipping them to retailers on November 18, but adapters for the EX30 will be available at a later date. That said, Volvo is including the adapter with purchases of the new EX90 flagship SUV, EX40 or EC40 starting with model year 2025.

Volvo announced in June 2023 that it would support Tesla Superchargers and the NCAS. It's one of many automakers that have backed a more standardized approach to EV charging in North America.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/volvo-ev-drivers-can-start-using-teslas-supercharger-network-this-month-165541360.html?src=rss

Volvo EV drivers can start using Tesla’s Supercharger network this month

Posted on by

You can soon top up the battery of a Volvo electric vehicle at more than 17,800 Tesla Supercharger stations across the US and Canada. That should make it much easier for Volvo drivers to find a place to charge, even though they already had access to tens of thousands of fast charge points.

Starting November 18, drivers can locate Tesla Superchargers via the Volvo Cars app or built-in Google Maps. It's possible to pay for charging sessions via the Volvo Cars app as well.

There's one teensy catch, however, especially if you have had a Volvo EV for a while: to access Tesla Superchargers and other North American Charging Standard (NACS) chargers, you'll need an adapter. This costs $230 ($310 CAD) and can be ordered from authorized Volvo retailers. The automaker will start shipping them to retailers on November 18, but adapters for the EX30 will be available at a later date. That said, Volvo is including the adapter with purchases of the new EX90 flagship SUV, EX40 or EC40 starting with model year 2025.

Volvo announced in June 2023 that it would support Tesla Superchargers and the NCAS. It's one of many automakers that have backed a more standardized approach to EV charging in North America.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/volvo-ev-drivers-can-start-using-teslas-supercharger-network-this-month-165541360.html?src=rss

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 are back on sale for $170 ahead of Black Friday

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Thanksgiving is a few weeks away, but there are some killer early Black Friday deals around already. For instance, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 have dropped back down to $170. That's $80 or 32 percent off the list price. It's not quite a record low, as the AirPods Pro 2 have been on sale for $169 in the past, but it's not far off at all.

The AirPods Pro 2 are our pick for the best wireless earbuds for iPhone. We also gave them a score of 88 in our review back in 2022.

We feel that the transparency mode, which is powered by Apple's H2 chip, is excellent. It sounds far more natural here than on any other earphones we've tested. 

Apple has built on this by recently enabling hearing health features on the AirPods Pro 2. These include an FDA-approved hearing aid function and hearing test. The earphones may also be used to help protect your hearing in loud environments, such as concerts, without muffling the audio.

Other useful features include fast pairing and ease of switching between Apple devices, spatial audio, hands-free Siri and solid active noise cancellation. The earphones are IPX4-rated for water resistance too. On the downside, the touch gestures take a little getting used to.

The AirPods Pro 2 ran for about six hours and 15 minutes on a single charge during our testing. The charging case (the battery of which you can top up wirelessly or via USB-C) adds up to three extra charges.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-pro-2-are-back-on-sale-for-170-ahead-of-black-friday-150737558.html?src=rss

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 are back on sale for $170 ahead of Black Friday

Posted on by

Thanksgiving is a few weeks away, but there are some killer early Black Friday deals around already. For instance, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 have dropped back down to $170. That's $80 or 32 percent off the list price. It's not quite a record low, as the AirPods Pro 2 have been on sale for $169 in the past, but it's not far off at all.

The AirPods Pro 2 are our pick for the best wireless earbuds for iPhone. We also gave them a score of 88 in our review back in 2022.

We feel that the transparency mode, which is powered by Apple's H2 chip, is excellent. It sounds far more natural here than on any other earphones we've tested. 

Apple has built on this by recently enabling hearing health features on the AirPods Pro 2. These include an FDA-approved hearing aid function and hearing test. The earphones may also be used to help protect your hearing in loud environments, such as concerts, without muffling the audio.

Other useful features include fast pairing and ease of switching between Apple devices, spatial audio, hands-free Siri and solid active noise cancellation. The earphones are IPX4-rated for water resistance too. On the downside, the touch gestures take a little getting used to.

The AirPods Pro 2 ran for about six hours and 15 minutes on a single charge during our testing. The charging case (the battery of which you can top up wirelessly or via USB-C) adds up to three extra charges.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-pro-2-are-back-on-sale-for-170-ahead-of-black-friday-150737558.html?src=rss

Seagate’s 2TB Xbox expansion card is down to a record-low price ahead of Black Friday

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While Activision has been striving to shrink its notoriously huge Call of Duty games so they take up less storage space, you may still need more room on your console. That's true even if you have the new Xbox Series X with 2TB of built-in storage. Games can quickly fill an internal SSD and if you're an Xbox Series X/S gamer, Seagate's expansion card is perhaps the way to go.

The 2TB variant is on sale at the minute. It has dropped to an all-time low of $200. That's $160 off the regular price.

Look, proprietary storage stinks, but the choice for Series X/S owners looking for more space is largely between Seagate's Storage Expansion Card and WD's Black C50. It's possible to store Series X/S games on a regular external drive, but you'll need to move them to internal storage or an expansion card anyway to actually play them. If you don't want to deal with shifting large files around and waiting for transfers to complete, or you don't want to delete and download games more than is necessary, an expansion card is the way to go.

Seagate's version is one of our picks for the best Xbox Series X/S accessories. The 2TB version should give you ample space — at least until you start filling it up with all of the huge Call of Duty games that have started hitting Game Pass.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/seagates-2tb-xbox-expansion-card-is-down-to-a-record-low-price-ahead-of-black-friday-210647959.html?src=rss

Seagate’s 2TB Xbox expansion card is down to a record-low price ahead of Black Friday

Posted on by

While Activision has been striving to shrink its notoriously huge Call of Duty games so they take up less storage space, you may still need more room on your console. That's true even if you have the new Xbox Series X with 2TB of built-in storage. Games can quickly fill an internal SSD and if you're an Xbox Series X/S gamer, Seagate's expansion card is perhaps the way to go.

The 2TB variant is on sale at the minute. It has dropped to an all-time low of $200. That's $160 off the regular price.

Look, proprietary storage stinks, but the choice for Series X/S owners looking for more space is largely between Seagate's Storage Expansion Card and WD's Black C50. It's possible to store Series X/S games on a regular external drive, but you'll need to move them to internal storage or an expansion card anyway to actually play them. If you don't want to deal with shifting large files around and waiting for transfers to complete, or you don't want to delete and download games more than is necessary, an expansion card is the way to go.

Seagate's version is one of our picks for the best Xbox Series X/S accessories. The 2TB version should give you ample space — at least until you start filling it up with all of the huge Call of Duty games that have started hitting Game Pass.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/seagates-2tb-xbox-expansion-card-is-down-to-a-record-low-price-ahead-of-black-friday-210647959.html?src=rss

Google Black Friday deals include the Nest Wi-Fi Pro 6E for its lowest price ever

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For many homes, a single router just won't cut it. Unless the device is in a prime position at the center of your home and there are few walls and other obstacles for the signal to deal with, your Wi-Fi network may not reach the outer limits of your house or property. As such, a mesh network might be what you need. A three-pack of Google's Nest Wi-Fi Pro 6E is worth considering, especially because it has dropped to its lowest price to date. You can pick up this bundle for $279 at Amazon right now. The three-pack normally retails for $400.

This is our pick for the best mesh Wi-Fi system for folks who are using the tech for the first time. There isn't a great deal of customization here and there are more powerful options out there. But the Nest mesh system is easy to set up and then just let it do its thing.

Together, these three nodes provide up to 6,600 sq. ft. of Wi-Fi coverage and speeds of up to 2,402 Mbps. That's more than enough for most people. Though if you're gaming, you'll probably want to connect to Ethernet if possible to minimize lag.

As you might expect, the Wi-Fi Pro 6E integrates with other Google services. It's compatible with the Matter and Thread smart home standards too.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/google-black-friday-deals-include-the-nest-wi-fi-pro-6e-for-its-lowest-price-ever-191945311.html?src=rss

Google’s Nest Wi-Fi Pro 6E is cheaper than ever in this early Black Friday deal

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For many homes, a single router just won't cut it. Unless the device is in a prime position at the center of your home and there are few walls and other obstacles for the signal to deal with, your Wi-Fi network may not reach the outer limits of your house or property. As such, a mesh network might be what you need. A three-pack of Google's Nest Wi-Fi Pro 6E is worth considering, especially because it has dropped to its lowest price to date.

You can pick up this bundle for $279 at both Amazon and the Google Store. The three-pack normally retails for $400.

This is our pick for the best mesh Wi-Fi system for folks who are using the tech for the first time. There isn't a great deal of customization here and there are more powerful options out there. But the Nest mesh system is easy to set up and then just let it do its thing.

Together, these three nodes provide up to 6,600 sq. ft. of Wi-Fi coverage and speeds of up to 2,402 Mbps. That's more than enough for most people. Though if you're gaming, you'll probably want to connect to Ethernet if possible to minimize lag.

As you might expect, the Wi-Fi Pro 6E integrates with other Google services. It's compatible with the Matter and Thread smart home standards too.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/googles-nest-wi-fi-pro-6e-is-cheaper-than-ever-in-this-early-black-friday-deal-191945827.html?src=rss

Apple’s latest MagSafe charger drops to $25 in an early Black Friday deal

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Apple has been forced to ditch the Lightning port and switch to USB-C for charging across its products. But there's another way to top up the battery of recent iPhones thanks to MagSafe. The company recently released a new, more powerful MagSafe charger, the price of which has fallen in an early Black Friday deal. It has dropped from $39 to $25.

The latest MagSafe charger was introduced alongside the iPhone 16 lineup this fall. When it's used with an adaptor that supports 30W of power or more, the charger reaches speeds of up to 25W with an iPhone 16 (the charging speed still maxes out at 15W on older iPhones).

As you might imagine, the charger can juice up an iPhone 16 more quickly than previous versions. According to Apple, when used with a 30W USB‑C power adapter, it can charge an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro up to a level of 50 percent in 30 minutes. Meanwhile, since the charger is Qi compatible, it can charge an iPhone 8 or later as well as AirPods with a wireless charging case.

The MagSafe charger is one of the handiest iPhone accessories to have around. This version has a 1m (3.3 ft) cable. The other model, which has a 2m (6.6 ft) cable, is also on sale. It has dropped from $49 to $34.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-latest-magsafe-charger-drops-to-25-in-an-early-black-friday-deal-173636146.html?src=rss