Tag Archives: Handheld & Connected Devices

The best Prime Day Kindle deals take up to 25 percent off the Scribe and Paperwhite models

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In these final hours of Amazon's October Prime Day sale, we're down to just two Kindle models on sale (or, really available at all) on Amazon's site. Why are there just two active listing for Kindles right now? It's almost certainly because Amazon is going to announce new models soon. We have no hard evidence to back that up. But consider that the newest option, the Scribe, is two years old. Consider that Amazon has no color ereaders in its lineup (while it's rivals do). Then add in the fact that models are missing from one of Amazon's biggest sales of the year. It's a good bet that new models are on the way.  

So why would you want to bother with the Kindle sales that are happening. Some won't. But others may prefer a tried-and-true model over the latest thing. The good news is that an ereader isn't meant to do everything a tablet can. They should display crisp, 300 dpi text, have weeks of battery live, be comfortable to hold and have a soft front light for low-light reading. Both of these models do just that (plus the Scribe adds in note-taking). Here are the best Prime Day Kindle deals (all two of them). 

Amazon's latest Kindle Paperwhite e-reader, which was released at the end of October 2021.
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Amazon Kindles dominate the ereader market, and right now there are just two models to choose from. Of course, a new Kindle is likely on the horizon — rumors suggest as much and the last entry in the lineup came over two years ago. But since ereaders aren't as tech-heavy as a tablet, the generational bump may not make as much difference. 

  • Amazon Kindle Paperwhite for $125 ($25 off): The Paperwhite is an upgraded Kindle, adding a larger display, an adjustable warm light and a waterproof build. The flush-front screen makes page turns easier and a faster processor makes that action speedier, too.

  • Amazon Kindle Scribe for $255 ($85 off): You can write as well as read with this tablet. It has a large 10.2-inch display, auto-adjusting warm front light and an auto-rotating display. It comes with the Basic pen so you can use the notebook feature that even converts handwriting to text.

  • Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Case for $20 ($15 off): If you already have the latest (11th generation) Paperwhite, here's a deal on a case. It not only adds a little protection, opening or closing the cover also wakes or sleeps your device. 

  • Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Bundle for $135 ($70 off): If you want a case and are picking up the Paperwhite ereader for the first time, go for this bundle that includes the device, the cover and a power adapter for just $10 more than the sale price of the Paperwhite on its own. 

October Prime Day 2024 Kindle Kids deals

Kindles geared towards kids are basically the same thing as their “adult” counterparts, but these come with a cover, extended warranty and a free trial of Amazon Kids+ that lets youngsters access kid-friendly audiobooks, stories and more. Plus they don’t have ads on the lock screen (Amazon makes you pay $20 for that concession on the standard devices).

  • Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids for $115 ($55 off): The kids edition of the upgraded Paperwhite ereader has a flush-front design, waterproof build and warm front lights for late-night reading. It comes with a cover, a two-year warranty and a year of the kids subscription.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-prime-day-kindle-deals-take-up-to-25-percent-off-the-scribe-and-paperwhite-models-080333490.html?src=rss

Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is $85 off for Prime Day

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The Kindle that lets you take handwritten notes is on sale for Amazon Prime Day. The 16GB model of the Kindle Scribe is currently $85 off and down to $255 instead of the usual $340. That's not an all-time low — the ereader hit $240 as recently as July's Prime Day — but this is the lowest price we've tracked since then. And, while there's likely a new Kindle or two on the horizon, nothing is confirmed just yet. 

The Kindle Scribe is our pick for the best E Ink tablet that's also an ereader. The latency is next to nothing when it comes to drawing and handwriting notes, and we like that the basic stylus is included in the price (instead of coming as a separate purchase like with some E Ink slabs). You also get a number of brush types to choose from, like fountain pen, marker and pencil, and it's easy to create and manage notebooks in which you can put those stroke styles to work. 

We gave the device a score of 85 in our full review of the Kindle Scribe, again praising the writing experience as well as the premium build and ample screen size. One caveat is the lack of support for writing in the margins on most Kindle ebooks. While there's a small library of titles that allow you to scribble directly on the page, they're mostly crosswords and planner titles. For most ebooks, you'll make notes in a pop-up window linked to the text. 

As an ereader, the Scribe has a few abilities other ereaders don't, such as letting you read two pages side-by-side when the screen is in landscape orientation. It also has a flush-front display and auto-adjusting warm front lights. We also like how easy it is to read borrowed library books on a Kindle. Plus a recent update enabled handwriting-to-text conversions that you can email to your contacts.  

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-kindle-scribe-is-85-off-for-prime-day-120059393.html?src=rss

The best Prime Day Samsung Galaxy deals include up to 25 percent off the Galaxy S24 lineup

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Android phone fan? Not into Google's Pixel phones? Well, we have good news: Samsung has discounted the majority of its Galaxy S24 lineup as part of the final day of Amazon's October Prime Day sale — but these enticing prices are only expected to last a few more hours. The deals bring the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra down to $998, which is 23 percent off the jumbo-sized phone's list price and about $100 off its street price on Amazon in recent months. If the premium path isn't your style, the Galaxy S24+ is also on sale for $750, while the standard Galaxy S24 is on sale for $600. 

One important note: While the specs and screen sizes here often meet or exceed that of the newer Galaxy S24 FE, that model's $649 price is currently deferred by inclusion of your choice of a $100 Amazon gift card and the option to add the Galaxy Buds FE headphones for just $50 more. 

We'll quickly run through each offer below.

This is a particularly nice price cut for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which has a list price of $1,300. That means you can keep an extra $300 compared to buying from Samsung directly and walk away with one of our top Android phones of 2024. The Ultra impressed us with the upgraded titanium frame, improved display and camera options, and AI capabilities that offered function as well as flash. Its performance from a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC offered a 30 to 35 percent spike over the previous year's chip. One of the only downsides our review found was the price tag, so a sale like Prime Day is a great time to snap up something from the higher end of the Samsung line.

This Prime Day deal can save you $250 on the Galaxy S24+, which normally costs $1,000. The S24+ was expected to be a minor iteration on the Samsung product line, but this mid-range option provided a solid experience for customers who aren't interested in shelling out for the bleeding-edge features on top-flight, premium end of phone models. This models had respectable performance speeds in our tests, boasted a Quad HD+ screen and offered notably long battery life. The specs may not blow your mind, but it still showcased the possibilities of Samsung's Galaxy AI suite. 

Sometimes, you want to keep it simple. The introductory Galaxy S24 model is getting a $200 discount on its $800 baseline package for Prime Day. Like the S24+, this phone probably isn't going to be a conversation starter, but it's a solid choice for a workhorse device that gets daily use. And like its mid-range counterpart, the S24 packed solid battery performance into its 6.2-inch frame and it has a Full HD+ screen.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-prime-day-samsung-galaxy-deals-include-up-to-25-percent-off-the-galaxy-s24-lineup-101558797.html?src=rss

The newest Apple iPad mini falls to a new low of $350 for October Prime Day

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During the last day of Amazon's October Prime Day sale, Apple's current-model iPad mini is still going for just $350. That's $30 less than it sold for during Prime Day in July and marks a new all-time low for the smallest Apple tablet. The 30-percent discount takes a $149 off the $499 sticker price. Though, you'll notice the deal only applies to Prime members, so you'll need to have that subscription in place to get the full discount.

It's important to note that a new iPad mini may be announced soon — possibly during a yet-to-be announced October Apple event. But that new tablet isn't likely to be discounted. Plus, what you buy now should get years of support, considering the 4th generation of the iPad mini got five years of OS and security updates after it was discontinued in 2019, and the 5th-gen iPad model is still supported after getting dropped from the official lineup in 2019. 

We name the mini the best (and only) compact option in our guide to the best iPads. As far as where the model lands on Apple's tablet continuum, on one end there's the massive, 13-inch, M4-equipped, professionals-only, computer-replacing iPad Pro. Over at the other end is the mini. It's good at things like showing cooking videos, handling FaceTime calls and playing games — almost like a giant iPhone. 

The diminutive slab has an 8.3-inch screen that's pretty easy to hold in one hand, thanks to bezels that split the difference between screen real estate and giving your fingers a comfortable place to grip. It's equipped with Apple’s A15 Bionic system on a chip (SoC), which makes it technically faster than the standard 10th-gen iPad. And It's compatible with the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil and the Apple Pencil USB-C.  

When it came out back in 2021, Engadget's Valentina Palladino gave it a respectable review score of 89, praising the portability, that lead her to use it more often that she thought she would. She also found the updated 12MP front camera to be particularly nice for FaceTime calls, particularly with the Center Stage feature that keeps you in focus as you move about your space. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-newest-apple-ipad-mini-falls-to-a-new-low-of-350-for-october-prime-day-072832605.html?src=rss

Amazon’s October Prime Day sale includes the Apple Watch SE at a new low of $170

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We consider the Apple Watch to be the best smartwatch for most people (as long as you have an iPhone), but if you've never owned a wearable before or have a tight budget, you may not want to spend $400 or more on the new Series 10. The Apple Watch SE is a solid budget option, and October Prime Day deals have brought it down to an all-time-low price. You can pick one up for $170, which is about $80 off its normal going rate.

While there were rumors Apple was going to release a new Watch SE in September alongside the latest iPhones, that didn't materialize. The second-gen SE remains the most up-to-date version of the wearable, and it has very specific omissions to get its price down, namely the lack of an always-on display, no blood oxygen or temperature monitoring and no support for the Double Tap feature introduced with the Series 9.

But otherwise, the Apple Watch SE has all of the core features that the main Apple Watch Series 10 does including all-day activity and sleep monitoring, heart rate tracking, emergency calling, up to 50 meters of water resistance, crash detection and excellent workout tracking. It has a built-in GPS for making the latter even better, mapping outdoor activities like runs, and bike rides. And since it syncs seamlessly with iPhone, you can consider it an extension of your handset. That means you'll receive call, text and app notifications to your wrist and you can decide which are important enough to whip out your phone for, or which can be left for later.

That said, arguably the biggest downside of the Apple Watch SE is one that all Apple Watches share — they only work with iPhones. But chances are, if you're even considering an Apple Watch at all, you likely have the phone you'd need to use it (Android users should consider Samsung or Google wearables instead). And at this sale price, it'll be hard to beat for iPhone users who are new to smartwatches or if you're looking for a gift for an iPhone user in your life who you know is keen on tracking their activity more consistently or looking at the phone less throughout the day.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-october-prime-day-sale-includes-the-apple-watch-se-at-a-new-low-of-170-072721519.html?src=rss

EA’s Grid Legends racing game careens onto iOS and Android this December

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The EA/Codemasters racing sim Grid Legends is coming to mobile this December, after first releasing for consoles and PC back in 2022. It’s actually a port of the deluxe edition of the game, which was originally released in 2023. This version includes all of the available DLC and some other goodies.

It’s coming to iOS and Android and offers “full support for all popular gamepads”, with touch and tilt controls for those who don’t have a third-party gamepad. There’s a trailer, with footage captured on mobile devices, and it looks pretty darn good. The visuals are, dare I say, console-worthy.

To that end, the game will only run on the iPhone 12 Pro, the iPhone 13 Pro, and every model released since the iPhone 14. It’ll run on any iPad with an M1 chip or better. As for Android, the game will only run on devices with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chips.

Preorders are available now on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. It costs $15. There’s no actual release date yet. It’s just sometime in December.

For the uninitiated, Grid Legends is a well-regarded racing game that draws from both hardcore sims and arcade racers. There’s a lengthy career mode, plenty of multiplayer challenges and an extensive list of courses. All told, there are more than 100 vehicles to choose from.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/eas-grid-legends-racing-game-careens-onto-ios-and-android-this-december-165137002.html?src=rss

Our favorite budget Samsung phone is only $180 for Prime Day

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It’s officially Amazon Prime Day, so be prepared to be inundated with deals if you head over to the online retailer's site. If you're on the market for a new smartphone, one of our favorite affordable handsets has dropped to a great sale price. The fantastic Samsung Galaxy A15 smartphone is available for just $180, which is a discount of ten percent. The typical price is $200 for this budget-friendly handset.

The A15 found a place of distinction in our list of the best cheap phones, in addition to appearing in our list of the best budget Android smartphones. It’s a solid offering with plenty of features typically reserved for more expensive models.

It boasts a fairly robust camera system, with a 50MP rear camera and a 13MP front camera. There’s also 5MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro. It’s lightweight, at seven ounces, and includes an actual OLED display. That’s practically unheard of for budget-tier smartphones. The 5G-enabled handset ships with a 5,000 mAh battery, which gets the job done. 

There are some light caveats. This deal is for the entry-level model with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. However, the Galaxy A15 boasts a nano SIM slot that expands the storage all the way up to 1TB. Today’s sale includes both the black and light blue versions of the phone.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-budget-samsung-phone-is-only-180-for-prime-day-152458679.html?src=rss

Apple’s revamped Mac mini and iPad mini could be here as soon as November 1

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It seems Apple has a slew of hardware announcements in store for us this fall. In the Power On newsletter this week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is gearing up to announce new MacBook Pro models, the redesigned Mac mini, the M4 iMac and a new iPad mini before the end of the month, and is targeting a release date of November 1 for “at least some” of these products.

According to Gurman, we’re likely to see a low- and high-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, both packing the M4 chips. There will also be a 16-inch high-end MacBook Pro. As for the Mac mini, Gurman previously reported that the upcoming M4 Mac mini may be tiny compared to its predecessors, with a build roughly the size of an Apple TV box. The size reduction may also mean it drops the USB-A ports. Following the fall releases, Gurman predicts Apple will have a bunch of other products ready for early 2025, including a 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air, along with a refreshed iPhone SE and iPad Air in both sizes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/apples-revamped-mac-mini-and-ipad-mini-could-be-here-as-soon-as-november-1-171029304.html?src=rss

The first Apple Intelligence features are expected to arrive on October 28

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Apple Intelligence will start rolling out on October 28, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Apple said last month that it was targeting October for the release of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 — which will bring some of the first Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 16 and other Apple devices — but it didn’t set a firm release date at the time. The first wave of Apple Intelligence features will include the text editor and summarization tool, Writing Tools, along with smart audio recording and transcriptions for Mail, Notes, Pages and other apps.

We’ll also likely see the new Memories feature in Photos, which is designed to be an easy-to-use editor for making movies with images from the gallery, and Clean Up, which can remove objects from the background of images. Other Apple Intelligence features, like ChatGPT integration and Genmoji, are expected to come with later versions of iOS 18 that will roll out across the end of the year and early 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-first-apple-intelligence-features-are-expected-to-arrive-on-october-28-144459627.html?src=rss

Google’s theft protection features have started showing up for some Android users

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Three new theft protection features that Google announced earlier this year have reportedly started rolling out on Android. The tools — Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock and Remote Lock — are aimed at giving users a way to quickly lock down their devices if they’ve been swiped, so thieves can’t access any sensitive information. Android reporter Mishaal Rahman shared on social media that the first two tools had popped up on a Xiaomi 14T Pro, and said some Pixel users have started seeing Remote Lock.

Theft Detection Lock is triggered by the literal act of snatching. The company said in May that the feature “uses Google AI to sense if someone snatches your phone from your hand and tries to run, bike or drive away.” In such a scenario, it’ll lock the phone’s screen. 

Offline Device Lock, on the other hand, can automatically lock the screen after a thief has disconnected the phone from the internet. You can already remotely lock your phone with Google’s Find My Device, but the third feature, Remote Lock, lets you do so without having to scramble to figure out your Google account password. All you’d need for this is “your phone number and a quick security challenge using any device.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/googles-theft-protection-features-have-started-showing-up-for-some-android-users-210634941.html?src=rss