Tag Archives: author_name|Lawrence Bonk

Amazon’s latest Echo Buds get new features including tap-to-start playlists

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Amazon’s Echo Buds just got a spate of new features via a software update, though most of these tools are only available for the recently-released 2023 lineup of earbuds. First up, you can now tap the earbuds to start a recommended playlist, so you don’t need to fumble with your phone to launch a playlist or even speak out loud to ask Alexa for help. It’s all in the tap.

You can launch playlists via one triple tap or a single long press, which is adjusted via the settings in the associated Alexa app. It looks like this feature works with all of the major streaming platforms, as Amazon says it accesses “your preferred audio provider” to find the playlist. Just look for “Tap Controls” in the Echo Buds device settings to get started. 

There’s also a new audio personalization tool that lets you tailor the sound to better integrate with your physical environment and the content you're consuming. For instance, you can tune the frequencies to accentuate the bass during a walk, to provide a fuller sound. The company lists other examples where this feature comes in handy, including watching movies on a laptop. This could actually be quite handy, as all sound sources are not created equal.

Again, head to the Echo Buds device settings via the Alexa app and look for the audio personalization options. You can even adjust each ear independently of one another, so your right ear can be louder or offer a different range of frequencies than the left ear. Amazon says the setup process here takes around four minutes. It’s also worth noting that this feature is available for both 2023’s model and 2021’s second-gen Echo Buds.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-latest-echo-buds-get-new-features-including-tap-to-start-playlists-170939952.html?src=rss

Sunbird shuts down its iMessage app for Android after major privacy concerns

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The Sunbird messaging app for Android has flown the solar coop. The app has completely shut down following massive privacy concerns, as reported by 9to5Google. This comes after the app received increased scrutiny when it partnered with Nothing to act as the basis of the smartphone manufacturer’s Nothing Chats app. Nothing’s app was only available for less than one day before the aforementioned privacy concerns came to light and it was pulled.

The app’s gone from Google’s Play Store, though the parent company says this shutdown is temporary, according to an announcement posted on Reddit. Long story short? Sunbird was a niche product that didn’t quite work and the Nothing collaboration turned the spotlight to that fact. It promised full end-to-end encryption but many users could exploit vulnerabilities to access private user messages. 9to5Google, for instance, found over 630,000 files using this vulnerability. Call me crazy, but that doesn’t seem too secure.

The writing was on the wall for Sunbird to anyone paying attention, which wasn’t that many people until Nothing got involved. The company missed several deadlines for launch, all while making lofty promises regarding secure iMessage and Android chat interoperability. During the company’s first announcement presser back in 2022, Sunbird refused to take questions regarding the underlying technology of the app and related privacy concerns, closing the Zoom chat when things got too hot, as reported by ArsTechnica. This led reporters to suggest that Sunbird simply wasn’t a “serious company.”

There’s also the giant Apple-sized elephant in the room. The tech giant recently announced it would offer support for RCS text messaging in 2024, completely eliminating the need for workarounds like Sunbird in the first place. In other words, the green bubble-blue bubble divide is coming to an end.

Despite erasing itself from the Play Store, Sunbird’s official website makes no mention of the shutdown, still boasting about the app’s peerless end-to-end encryption. The company’s also yet to make a public statement on the matter.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sunbird-shuts-down-its-imessage-app-for-android-after-major-privacy-concerns-160713312.html?src=rss

Webb telescope images show an unprecedented and ‘chaotic’ view of the center of our galaxy

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The James Webb telescope is back with some more gorgeous images. This time, the telescope eyed the center of the Milky Way galaxy, shining a light on the densest part of our surrounding environs in “unprecedented detail.” Specifically, the images are sourced from a star-forming region called Sagittarius C, or Sgr C for short.

This area is about 300 light-years from the galaxy’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A, and over 25,000 light-years from a little blue rock called Earth. All told, the region boasts over 500,000 stars and various clusters of protostars, which are stars that are still forming and gaining mass. The end result? A stunning cloud of chaos, especially when compared to our region of space, which is decidedly sparse in comparison.

As a matter of fact, the galactic center is “the most extreme environment” in the Milky Way, as stated by University of Virginia professor Jonathan Tan, who assisted the observation team. There has never been any data on this region with this “level of resolution and sensitivity”, until now, thanks to the power of the Webb telescope.

At the center of everything is a massive protostar that weighs more than 30 times our sun. This actually makes the area seem less populated than it actually is, as this solar object blocks light from behind it, so not even Webb can see all of the stars in the region. So what you’re looking at is a conservative estimate of just how crowded the area is. It’s like the Times Square of space, only without a Guy Fieri restaurant (for now.)

James Webb telescope image.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and S. Crowe (University of Virginia).

The data provided by these images will allow researchers to put current theories of star formation to “their most rigorous test.” To that end, Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument captured large-scale emission imagery from ionized hydrogen, the blue on the lower side of the image. This is likely the result of young and massive stars releasing energetic photons, but the vast size of the region came as a surprise to researchers, warranting further study.

The observation team’s principal investigator, Samuel Crowe, said that the research enabled by these and forthcoming images will allow scientists to understand the nature of massive stars which is akin to “learning the origin story of much of the universe.”

This is obviously not the first interesting image produced by the James Webb telescope. We’ve seen stars born in the Virgo constellation, water around a comet in the main asteroid belt and a fairly offputting view of the Pillars of Creation, among others. It’s seen things you people wouldn't believe and, luckily, it won’t all be gone like tears in the rain because of the internet and because Webb’s still out there.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/webb-telescope-images-show-an-unprecedented-and-chaotic-view-of-the-center-of-our-galaxy-185912370.html?src=rss

This Shark robot vacuum and mop combo machine is $300 off in an Amazon Black Friday deal

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The Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum and mop combo machine is on sale for $400 via Amazon as part of a Black Friday deal. This is a discount of $300, or 43 percent, and is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this particular model. This is a well-regarded midrange unit with plenty of functionality, including the ability to both vacuum and mop.

As a matter of fact, the Shark AI Ultra topped our list of the best robot vacuums in 2023. We admired its reliable cleaning performance, the intuitive mobile app that produces accurate home maps and the inclusion of Alexa/Google Assistant voice control options. We took a look at a slightly older model that didn’t yet include the sonic mop feature, so this refresh is likely even better than the one that topped that list.

It’s got all of the features you expect from a decent robovac, including obstacle avoidance, LiDAR navigation and, of course, a self-emptying base. The base is also bagless, so you won’t have to constantly dole out cash for new bags every few months. As a matter of fact, the only bad thing you can say about this thing is that it’s too expensive at its original price of $700. Well, that’s definitely been handled.

This is the week of Black Friday, so Shark’s combination unit isn’t the only robovac on sale. You can spend even less on a combo machine, as the TP-Link Tapo vacuum/mop hybrid device is on sale for $250 instead of $400. This is another fantastic unit and tops our list of the best budget robot vacuums.

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/this-shark-robot-vacuum-and-mop-combo-machine-is-300-off-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-180041559.html?src=rss

Amazon Black Friday deals include $100 off our favorite Wi-Fi 6 mesh router system

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The TP-Link Deco AXE5400 Wi-Fi 6 mesh router system is on sale for $200 as part of Amazon’s Black Friday commercial festivities. That’s a discount of $100 and matches a record-low price for the device. This deal is for the two-pack, so you get both the actual router and an extender to place somewhere else in the home.

This is a fantastic mesh router setup for most consumers at $300, so that absolutely remains true at $200. There’s a reason, after all, why TP-Link’s device topped our collection of the best mesh Wi-Fi router systems of 2023. We ended up calling it the “best for most people” in that list, citing the budget-friendly price tag and the powerful range, which is more than enough to offer coverage to every nook and cranny within the home.

In our official review of the router system, we admired the “blisteringly-fast speed” and decent reliability. We also liked that the security and parental control features are free, nestled within a proprietary app. The app itself is a bit bare-bones when compared to competing software, but it's still useful.

On the downside, if you can call it that, the hardware itself isn’t quite as attractive as some rival units, like those cute ‘lil Google Nest ovals, but routers typically get stuffed somewhere out of the way, so this isn’t a huge deal. In other words, we are nitpicking. This is a great mesh router system for just about anyone.

Amazon’s primary Black Friday deal is for the two-pack, as mentioned, but the single pack and the three-pack also get some love. You can snag the single-pack system for $120 instead of $170 and a three-pack, which covers up to 7,200 square feet, for $360 instead of $450.

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/amazon-black-friday-deals-include-100-off-our-favorite-wi-fi-6-mesh-router-system-155618201.html?src=rss

NVIDIA’s Shield TV Pro drops to a record-low of $170 for Black Friday

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If you’re looking for a streaming device with a bit more oomph than a standard USB stick, you should check out the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro. It’s on sale right now for Black Friday, matching a record-low price of $170. That’s $30 off the MSRP, representing a savings of 15 percent for those keeping score.

This is an extremely powerful device, with enough juice to stream movies, run a PLEX server, play games via the cloud and do just about anything you want. There’s a reason, after all, the Shield TV Pro made our list of the best streaming devices you can buy in 2023. It runs on the Android TV platform and boasts a capable Tegra X1+ processor, so it easily handles 4K streams. It’ll even upscale 720p and 1080p video to 4K via the company’s proprietary AI neural network.

We also liked that this box supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, in addition to boasting 16GB of built-in storage for direct uploads of content. You also get 3GB of RAM to help speed up navigation and opening apps. As for content, you have your pick from all of the major streamers and anything else available on the Google Play Store. It’ll also play just about any game from the Play Store, though you’ll have to bring along your own controller.

To that end, you can use the device to opt into NVIDIA’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service, which provides access to over 1,500 games, including the full spate of Xbox Game Pass titles. The Shield Pro boasts an ethernet port for graphically-intensive game streams. About the only downside to this device is the original asking price, an issue made less urgent due to this sale.

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/nvidias-shield-tv-pro-drops-to-a-record-low-of-170-for-black-friday-182709988.html?src=rss

A GoPro Hero 12 Black bundle with accessories is $100 off for Black Friday

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The GoPro Hero 12 Black action camera is on sale for $100 off as part of a Black Friday deal. The sale’s available via Amazon, Adorama and even the manufacturer itself. This deal is for an accessories bundle, so you can get a carrying case, a strap, an extra battery, a mount and other add-ons, in addition to the camera. All told, that brings the price down to $350 from $450.

This is the latest and greatest action camera by the company. We admired the Hero 12 in our official review, calling out the improved battery life when compared to the Hero 11, as it allows for 35 minutes of continuous use per charge. Remember, this deal ships with an extra battery, so that’s 70 minutes, minus 30 seconds of fiddling with the battery compartment.

We also loved the addition of Bluetooth audio streaming, which even works with devices like Apple’s AirPods Pro earbuds. This means you can easily wear earbuds without calling too much attention to yourself while hosting an impromptu vlog or live commentary of some kind. The latency is barely perceptible, if noticeable at all. This functionally also allows you to control the GoPro from afar, thanks to voice commands. Gone are the days of having to chop off those awkward final seconds of footage featuring you clumsily walking to turn the camera off.

The Hero 12 Black boasts a larger image sensor, allowing users to experiment with different aspect ratios using the same footage, in addition to offering an 8:7 mode across every setting. On the downside, this is a modest upgrade of sorts, so many of the remaining metrics remain the same as with the GoPro Hero 11. Your footage will look a bit cleaner, but it won’t be a night and day difference.

Still, this is a good deal for a full-featured action camera that ships with everything you need to not only get started, but thrive. This is a limited-time offer but there’s no set end-date, with the company stating that it “will continue until GoPro terminates the program.”

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/a-gopro-hero-12-black-bundle-with-accessories-is-100-off-for-black-friday-171926991.html?src=rss

Rivian now offers a wall charger and $2,000 install credit with EV truck purchases

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Rivian is sweetening the pot just ahead of the Tesla Cybertruck launch by offering a free wall charger and a $2,000 installation credit when you buy an electric pickup. This deal’s only for the R1T truck and doesn’t apply to the company’s R1S SUV. The Home Charging Bundle, as it's called, will be in effect until the end of the year.

Here’s how it works. The wall charger ships a few days after ordering the truck, saving you around $800, and the purchase automatically provides a credit with Rivian’s installation partner Qmerit. Just contact Qmerit to set up an installation and it should be smooth sailing from there. According to the installation company, these installation projects typically cost $800 to $2,000, plus a $150 deposit to schedule a visit. In other words, Rivian’s deal should essentially make this free. It’s also worth noting that the R1T qualifies for that $3,750 tax credit.

This enticing offer comes just ahead of scheduled Tesla Cybertruck deliveries, which allegedly begin on November 30. Tesla’s experienced its fair share of controversy regarding the stainless steel dystopian wonder. The company originally instituted a strange policy that would fine Cybertruck buyers $50,000 if they attempted to resell the vehicle too soon, before reversing course after public outcry. There’s also this offputting video. It’s certainly been a long, strange trip since the truck-ish vehicle was announced back in 2019.

Of course, Rivian has had its own issues recently. The company instituted two, yes two, airbag recalls in less than a month. It’s also gone through a couple rounds of layoffs, which is not typically a good sign. It’s not all bad news, however, as Rivian is building a $5 billion manufacturing facility in Georgia.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rivian-now-offers-a-wall-charger-and-2000-install-credit-with-ev-truck-purchases-162252249.html?src=rss

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are $50 off in an Amazon Black Friday deal

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The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are $50 off as part of an early Black Friday sale on Amazon. This brings the price down to $379 and represents a record-low for the recently-released flagship headphones. They just launched last month, so getting any deal at all is a nice surprise.

We loved these headphones in our official review, but thought they were a bit on the expensive side, so this deal couldn’t have come at a better time. We praised the best-in-class active noise cancellation technology, comfortable form factor and improved transparency mode. The sound quality is also on point, with “considerably warmer and clearer” audio signals when compared to previous models. We went as far to say that the QuietComfort Ultra headphones are finally letting Bose catch up to rivals Sony and Sennheiser in the sound quality department.

They also feature a unique spatial audio mode that claims to provide a more immersive listening experience, though we found these tools to be something of a mixed bag. Sometimes it makes songs sound significantly better, which is great, but other times it can muddy the audio a bit.

In any event, if you’re looking for some great headphones at a slightly reduced cost, this is your chance to fill up those stockings with premium audio ahead of the actual Black Friday sales.

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-bose-quietcomfort-ultra-headphones-are-50-off-in-early-black-friday-sale-140058854.html?src=rss

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 mobile chipset with AI acceleration

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Qualcomm just unveiled the latest mobile chipset to join its armada, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. Obviously, this is a refresh of the mid-range Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 and brings some new features to the table. We’ve long known that Qualcomm chips were about to get on-device AI integration, and the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is no exception.

Nearly every aspect of this chip seems to have been designed with artificial intelligence in mind, with Qualcomm saying that the components “deliver across-the-board advancements to ignite on-device AI.” This should significantly speed up generative AI applications, with advertised benchmarks of just one second to create Stable Diffusion images from a text prompt.

Of course, a mobile CPU is more than just AI, despite what marketing wants you to believe, and the 7 Gen 3 seems powerful for a mid-range chipset. It boasts 2.63GHz peak CPU speeds, a 50 percent bump in GPU performance compared to the previous gen and “incredible power efficiency” that should ease the strain placed on your phone’s battery. Qualcomm also boasts that the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 will help unlock “extraordinary camera capabilities” and allow for increased 5G integration.

Mobile chipsets are only as good as the phones they power, so Qualcomm has announced partnerships with OEMs like Honor and Vive. The company says there will be an announcement later this month to officially unveil the first smartphone that uses the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. Maybe it’ll show up in the just-announced Honor Magic 6, which also boasts a built-in LLM.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomm-announces-snapdragon-7-gen-3-mobile-chipset-with-ai-acceleration-063019422.html?src=rss