One of Anker’s MagGo power banks is on sale for just $32 via Amazon. This is a discount of 21 percent, as the device is typically $40. For the price, you get a full-featured magnetic power bank that boasts a 10,000mAh capacity, which allows for around 22 extra hours of use with a modern smartphone.
The power bank features magnetic charging technology, like Apple’s MagSafe, and the device automatically attaches to the back of a smartphone via those same magnets. It’s also light and portable, so most pockets and handbags should be able to accommodate both the power bank and the attached smartphone.
On the downside, it’s not for every smartphone. It’s only for the iPhone 12 and up, as that’s when Apple introduced its MagSafe technology to the lineup. However, it can be used with other gadgets that allow for magnetic charging, like AirPod cases and the like. It’s also worth noting that, while cool, wireless magnetic charging is much slower than traditional wired charging.
We gave another Anker MagGo charger the top spot in our list of the best power banks. Anker makes good stuff. The primary difference between the one that topped our list and this one is that the former boasts Qi2 wireless charging technology, which is faster, and a nice LED display for data metrics. It’s also more than twice the price.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pick-up-this-anker-10000mah-magnetic-power-bank-for-only-32-150230046.html?src=rss
Things are really changing over at Apple with the announcement of a new M4 iPad Pro and M2 iPad Air. The company has also discontinued the ninth-generation iPad and cut the price of its 10th-generation model to $349. While that was exciting on its own, Apple's 10th-gen iPad is now available for an even better deal on Amazon: $334. The discount brings Apple's 64GB base model to a new record-low price.
The 10th-gen iPad is becoming Apple's cheapest option on the market and it's a solid product. We gave it an 85 in our review when it debuted in 2022 thanks to updates like a USB-C charging port and a redesign that made it more comparable to the iPad Air. It also has a landscape-mode front-facing camera so you can join video calls without being awkwardly vertical on people's screens.
Apple's most affordable iPad also has a 10-hour battery estimate but lasted 11 hours and 45 minutes for us when playing a movie pushed from iTunes — though gaming or other active use would shorten the amount of time it works between charges. This iPad also has a 10.9-inch screen, compared to it's predecessors 10.2-inches. Plus, it uses an A14 chip (the same one as in an iPhone 12).
The recipe for Google’s A-series Pixels is incredibly straightforward: Combine top-notch cameras with a vivid display and then cram all that in a tried and tested design for a reasonable price. But with the addition of a Tensor G3 chip, the Pixel 8a now supports the same powerful AI features as Google’s flagship phones. So when you consider that all this comes for just $499, you’re looking at not just the top midrange Android handset on the market but possibly one of the best values of any phone on sale today.
Design and display
Aside from a new aloe color option – which in my opinion is the best of the bunch – the Pixel 8a is nearly identical to the standard Pixel 8. However, there are a few subtle differences that become more noticeable when the two are viewed side-by-side. The most obvious is slightly larger bezels, which also has an impact on the Pixel 8’s screen size. Instead of a 6.2-inch display like on its pricier sibling, the Pixel 8a tops out at 6.1 inches. That said, you still get a vibrant OLED panel that produces deep blacks and rich colors, plus a slightly faster 120Hz refresh rate compared to the 90Hz on last year’s Pixel 7a.
The phone’s frame is still made out of aluminum, which feels great, while the metal camera bar in the back is actually a millimeter or two thinner, resulting in an ever so slightly sleeker device. Google also switched out the Pixel 8’s rear glass panel for plastic. But thanks to a new matte finish that’s supposed to mimic the texture of cashmere, it definitely doesn’t feel cheap. And while its IP67 rating for dust and water resistance is one step down from what’s on the mainline Pixel 8, that’s still enough to withstand dunks of up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Not bad.
Performance
One of the biggest knocks against Google’s Tensor chips is that they don’t offer the same level of raw performance you get from rival Apple or Qualcomm silicon. And while that’s still true of the G3, when we’re talking about it powering a phone that costs $499, I’m much less bothered. In normal use, the Pixel 8a feels swift and snappy and even when gaming. Titles like Marvel Snap and TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge looked smooth. The only time I noticed significant hiccups or lag was when playing more demanding shooters like Call of Duty: Mobile.
While both sport very similar designs, the Pixel 8a (left) has a slightly smaller 6.1-inch screen with larger bezels than the standard Pixel 8 (right).
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Of course, the other part of the performance equation is all the on-device AI features that the Tensor G3 unlocks such as Audio Magic Eraser, Best Take and the Magic Editor, which you can use as much as you want instead of the 10-picture cap that free users are subject to in Google Photos.
Cameras
The Pixel 8a features the same 64MP main and 13MP ultra-wide sensors used in last year’s P7a. But that’s OK, because Google’s affordable phones punch way above their weight. So instead of comparing it with a similarly priced rival, I decided to really challenge the Pixel 8a by putting it up against the Samsung 24 Ultra. And even then, it still largely kept up.
In bright light, I’d argue the Pixel 8a might be the superior shooter, as it captured more accurate colors and excellent details compared to the warmer tones and often oversaturated hues from Samsung. This was especially noticeable when shooting a single yellow rose. The S24 Ultra made the middle of the flower appear orange and super contrasty, which looks great in a vacuum but doesn’t reflect what I saw in real life.
However, at night the S24 Ultra’s massive 200MP main sensor pulled back in front, producing images that were generally sharper and more well-exposed. That said, thanks to Google’s powerful Night Sight mode, the Pixel 8a wasn’t far behind, an impressive feat for a phone that costs $800 less.
Finally, while the Pixel 8a doesn’t have any other hardware tricks besides a solid 13MP selfie cam, Google’s AI is here to take your photos even further. Best Take allows you to capture multiple group shots and then swap in people’s reactions from various options. It’s easy to use and lets you create a composite where everyone is smiling, which feels like a win-win scenario. Then there’s the Magic Editor, a fun and powerful way to eliminate distracting elements or move subjects around as you please. It’s the kind of thing you might not use every day, but now and then it will salvage a shot you might have otherwise deleted. So even if you don’t care about AI or how it works, Google is finding a way to add value with machine learning.
Battery life and charging
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
While the Pixel 8a’s 4,492 mAh battery is a touch smaller than what you get on the standard model (4,575 mAh), it actually boasts slightly better battery life, possibly due to its more petite screen. On our video rundown test, the 8a lasted a solid 20 hours and 29 minutes, barely beating the regular Pixel 8’s time of 20:16.
Meanwhile, when it comes to recharging, both wired and Qi wireless speeds have stayed the same. This means you get up to 18 watts when using a cable, but a rather lethargic rate of 7.5 watts if you slap it on an induction pad. That might not be a big deal if you only use wireless charging overnight or to conveniently top up the phone while you’re doing something else. But if you need some juice in a jiffy, you better grab a cord.
Wrap-up
Google isn’t breaking new ground with the Pixel 8a. But the simple formula of class-leading cameras, a great display, strong battery life and a slick design will never go out of style – especially when you get all this for just $499. And with the addition of AI features that were previously only available on Google’s flagship phones, the Pixel 8a is a midrange smartphone that really is smarter than all of its rivals. To top everything off, there’s a configuration with 256GB of storage for the first time on any A-series handset (though only on the Obsidian model), plus even better support with a whopping seven years of Android and security updates.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The one wrinkle to this is that the deciding factor comes down to how much its siblings cost. If you go by their default pricing, the $499 Pixel 8a offers incredible savings compared to the standard $799 Pixel 8. However, prior to the 8a’s announcement, we saw deals that brought the Pixel 8 down to as low as $549, at which point you might as well spend an extra $50 to get the full flagship experience.
But for those who don’t feel like waiting for a discount or might not care about details like slower wireless charging speeds, in addition to being the best midrange Android phone, the Pixel 8a is just a damn good deal.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-pixel-8a-review-the-best-midrange-android-phone-gets-flagship-ai-features-140046032.html?src=rss
Over the last few days, heightened solar activity (and those heady geomagnetic storms) led to outages in the GPS navigation systems that guide some modern tractors from John Deere and other brands. 404 Media reported farmers have been told to pause using high-tech tractors that use GPS systems to program and tightly farm their land. John Deere’s tractors’ Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) systems can apparently plant precisely, down to the centimeter. A bit of GPS noise could derail that.
Apple’s recently added option for App Store developers to include links to external payment methods isn’t actually all that appealing. In a hearing on Friday, as part of the ongoing legal battle with Epic, Apple said only 38 developers have applied to add such links — out of roughly 65,000 that could. The changes were to satisfy an injunction ordered by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in 2021. According to Bloomberg, Rogers said during the latest hearing: “It sounds to me as if the goal was to then maintain the business model and revenue you had in the past.”
The Alienware m16 R2 is a rarity among modern laptops. Normally after a major revamp, gadget makers like to keep new models on the market for as long as possible to minimize manufacturing costs. However, after the freshly designed m16 launched last year, the company re-engineered it again. This time limiting the GPU. By doing that, Alienware could rework the m16 into a gaming laptop with a sleeker design, better battery life and a more approachable starting price — built for what customers were buying when the original launched. It’s a good approach. Check out our review.
The Alphabet-owned autonomous taxi company has announced it’s now serving more than 50,000 paid trips every week across Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Waymo One operates 24/7 in parts of those cities, so if the company is getting 50,000 rides a week, that’s five bookings every minute.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-those-geomagnetic-storms-are-messing-with-farming-techs-gps-systems-111558939.html?src=rss
Apple will reportedly focus its first round of generative AI enhancements on beefing up Siri’s conversational chops. Sources speaking withThe New York Times say company executives realized early last year that ChatGPT made Siri look antiquated. The company allegedly decided that the large language model (LLM) principles behind OpenAI’s chatbot could give the iPhone’s virtual assistant a much-needed shot in the arm. So Apple will reportedly roll out a new version of Siri powered by generative AI at its WWDC keynote on June 10.
Apple Senior Vice Presidents Craig Federighi and John Giannandrea reportedly tested ChatGPT for weeks before the company realized that Siri looked outdated. (I would argue that the epiphany came about a decade late.) What followed was what The NYT describes as Apple’s “most significant reorganization in more than a decade.”
The company sees generative AI as a once-in-a-decade tentpole area worth shifting heaps of resources to address. You may recall the company canceled its $10 billion “Apple Car” project earlier this year. Apple reportedly reassigned many of those engineers to work on generative AI.
Apple executives allegedly fear AI models could eventually replace established software like iOS, turning the iPhone into “a dumb brick” by comparison. The clunky, awkward and overall unconvincing first wave of dedicated AI gadgets we’ve reviewed, like the Human AI Pin and Rabbit R1, aren’t good enough to pose a threat. But that could change as software evolves, other smartphone makers incorporate more AI into their operating systems and other hardware makers have a chance to innovate.
So, at least for now, it appears Apple isn’t launching direct competitors to generative AI stalwarts like ChatGPT (words), Midjourney (images) or ElevenLabs (voices). Instead, it will start with a new Siri and updated iPhone models with expanded memory to better handle local processing. In addition, the company will reportedly add a text-summarizing feature to the Messages app.
Apple’s M4 chip (shown next to VP John Ternus) could help process local Siri requests.
Apple
Apple’s first foray into generative AI, if The NYT’s sources are correct, sounds like less of an immediate threat to creators than some had imagined. At its May iPad event, the company ran a video plugging the new iPad Pro that showed various creative tools crushed by a hydraulic press. The clip accidentally served as the perfect metaphor for the (legitimate) fears of artists, musicians and other creators, whose work AI models have trained on — and who stand to be replaced by those same tools as they become more normalized for content creation.
Samsung and Google have already loaded their flagship phones with various generative AI features that go far beyond improving their virtual assistants. These include tools for editing photos, generating text and enhancing transcription (among other things). These features typically rely on cloud-based servers for processing, whereas Apple’s approach will allegedly prioritize privacy and handle requests locally. So Apple will apparently start with a more streamlined approach that sticks to improving what’s already there, as well as keeping most or all processing on-device.
The New York Times’ sources add that Apple’s culture of internal secrecy and privacy-focused marketing have stunted its AI progress. Former Siri engineer John Burkey told the paper that the company’s tendency to silo off the information various divisions share with each other has been another primary culprit in Siri’s inability to evolve far past where the assistant was when it launched a day before Steve Jobs died in 2011.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-big-ai-rollout-at-wwdc-will-reportedly-focus-on-making-siri-suck-less-203035673.html?src=rss
Samsung’s HW-Q990C was the best overall soundbar I tested last year, mostly due to its stellar audio and the fact that a subwoofer and rear speakers came with it. The company didn’t change much for the 2024 version, the HW-Q990D, but one tweak delivers a feature last year’s model should’ve had: HDMI 2.1. There are some new audio modes too, but you can find those on other Samsung soundbars. The Q990D is as powerful as ever, but it’s still pricey at $2,000. If you already bought a Q990C, the company hasn’t given you a reason to upgrade just yet.
What’s new on the Samsung Q990D?
The biggest addition on the Q990D is HDMI 2.1. With this, Samsung addressed my main criticism of the Q990C, which debuted last year at a time when much of the competition had already adopted the standard. HDMI 2.1 delivers 4K passthrough at 120 frames per second, which will improve the visuals if you connect your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X directly to the soundbar.
The Q990D also arrives with new audio modes. Private Listening turns off all of the front-firing drivers and uses only the rear satellite speakers. It’s basically an expanded version of the night mode a lot of companies offer on soundbars, aimed at reducing boomy bass when family or roommates might be asleep. My house has an open floor plan and my TV faces towards the hallway to the bedrooms, which means any soundbar will beam noise in that direction. Private Listening sends the audio the opposite way, and while you have to sacrifice some overall quality, it’s good enough for all the times you need to be quieter.
There’s also a new Party Play mode that provides more balanced sound between the soundbar and rear speakers for a better experience when you’re hosting a rager. When this is active, you get the full audio range rather than just the channels specifically programmed for the speakers behind you. I actually turned the speakers around and faced them out of the living room to project the re-tuned audio into other communal spaces. This makes a bigger difference for movies and TV because music already plays from the rear speakers with more balanced levels.
These two modes aren’t unique to the Q990D; the rest of the 2024 Q-series lineup will be able to use them too. This is the first time I’ve tested them though, and it’s notable that they actually work well on Samsung’s most expensive soundbar.
What’s good
Billy Steele for Engadget
The combination of a driver-packed soundbar, large subwoofer and more-robust rear speakers produces immersive sound that envelops my living room. Whether you’re listening to music or the soundscape of Dune, the Q990D retains the sonic prowess of its predecessor. Dolby Atmos content from Disney+ is as immersive as ever. I could hear the finer details of Knowhere in the opening scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, including the life-like reverb of Radiohead’s “Creep” playing over a loudspeaker. The directional sounds of the town, including the hustle and bustle of people moving around, make it seem like you’re standing right there.
For music, there’s deep, boomy bass when a track calls for it, and that crisp detail that I heard in movies is here too. Justice’s Hyperdrama shows off the Q990D’s range, with driving low-end tone on songs like “Neverender” accompanied by textured synths. Quieter genres like jazz are a blanket of sound too, with albums like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue offering subtleties that make you feel like you’re in the studio.
The thing I like most about the Q990D is that everything you need for a complete surround sound setup is included in the box. The subwoofer and rear speakers come with the soundbar and don’t require an additional purchase. Those satellite speakers also house up-firing and side-firing drivers, which isn’t always the case on comparable accessories from the competition. And the setup is as easy as plugging everything in because pairing with the rest of the system happens automatically.
What’s bad
Billy Steele for Engadget
An all-in-one setup is great, but that also means the Q990D is expensive. At $2,000, this is a considerable investment even if you’re getting everything you need in the package. The Q990D is currently on sale for $1,750, but we don’t know how long that discount will last. For comparison, Sony’s upcoming Bravia Bar 9 is $1,400. The cheapest subwoofer and rear speakers you can get for it are $400 and $350 respectively, which puts your total cost at $2,150. Of course, with Sony you have two options for subs and rears, and you don’t have to buy all of them. LG offers some respite if you want to go that route, with its S95TR coming in at $1,500 and including the subwoofer and rear speakers with up-firing drivers.
The overall size of the soundbar is something else you’ll need to consider. The Q990D houses 11 front-facing speakers, two up-firing drivers and a subwoofer. All of those components need space, and accommodating them means this soundbar ends up being quite large at 48.5 inches wide. While that’s not a deal-breaker per se, it does require some planning, so just know you’ll need ample room.
Like soundbars from other companies, the Q990D has some handy features that are reserved for Samsung TVs. For example, Q-Symphony, which uses your TV speakers in addition to the soundbar to expand the audio capabilities, requires a compatible 2020-2024 Samsung TV. The Q990D sounds great without this, but just know you’re not getting the full bag of tricks unless you also have a supported TV.
Wrap-up
Unless you care for the latest HDMI standards, the Q990D doesn’t offer a huge upgrade over last year’s model. Their design and features lists are nearly identical, except for two new sound modes and 4K/120 passthrough. And some of those additions are available on more-affordable Samsung soundbars. So if you already sprang for last year’s Q990C, there’s probably not enough reason to make another sizable investment. If you don’t already own a Samsung flagship soundbar, the Q990D offers boomy, immersive sound in an all-in-one package that now has all the modern conveniences it should.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-hw-q990d-soundbar-review-a-small-but-significant-update-180022782.html?src=rss
The new iPad Pro and iPad Air — and the internet's reaction to how they've been advertised — may have been the big Apple news of the week, but we're turning our attention to AirPods for our latest deals roundup. More specifically, all four models in Apple's wireless headphone lineup are currently on sale. The noise-canceling AirPods Pro and third-gen AirPods back down to lows of $180 and $140, respectively, while the entry-level earbuds and top-end AirPods Max are both cheaper than usual at $80 and $450. Beyond that, we've also found noteworthy discounts on Amazon's Kindle, LG's C3 OLED TV, Keychron's budget-friendly C3 Pro keyboard and annual Paramount+ with Showtime subscriptions, among others. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-entire-airpods-lineup-is-discounted-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-164320939.html?src=rss
Google has released a security update for the Chrome browser to fix a zero-day vulnerability exploit that has been used by threat actors. This is the fifth time this year the company has had to issue a patch for one of these vulnerabilities, as reported by Bleeping Computer.
"Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2024-4671 exists in the wild," the company said in a short advisory. It did not issue any specifics as to the nature of the real-world attack or the identity of the threat actors. This is common for Google, as it likes to wait until a majority of users have updated the software before announcing specific details.
We do know some stuff about the exploit. It’s being classified as a “high-severity issue” and as a “user after free” vulnerability. These bugs arise when a program references a memory location after it has been deallocated, leading to any number of serious consequences from a crash to a random execution of code. It looks like the CVE-2024-4671 vulnerability is attached to the visuals component that handles rendering and the display of content on the browser.
The exploit was discovered and reported to Google by an anonymous researcher. The fix is available for Mac, Windows and Linux and updates will continue to roll out to users over the coming days and weeks. Chrome updates automatically with security fixes, so users can confirm they are running the latest version of the browser by going to Settings and About Chrome. Users of Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi should also update to a new version as soon as they are available.
As stated, this is the fifth of this type of flaw addressed by Google this year. I don’t mean “within the last calendar year.” I mean in 2024. Three were discovered back in March at the Pwn2Own hacking contest in Vancouver. This isn’t a record or anything. Google found and fixed five in one month back in 2020.
Zero-day exploits have been a constant thorn in Google’s side. These are a type of cyberattack that take advantage of an unknown or unaddressed security flaw in computer software, hardware or firmware. The company typically pays out big money for bug discoveries, as part of its Vulnerability Rewards Program.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-just-patched-the-fifth-zero-day-exploit-for-chrome-this-year-153723334.html?src=rss
As rumors foretold, Apple has revamped the iPad Pro with an M4 chip, tandem OLED screen and a thinner case. There's also a new Magic Keyboard that should deliver a more MacBook-like typing experience! In this week's episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss how Apple is shining a new light on tablets (which also includes the new iPad Air models) and reworking its vision of mobile computing. Does anyone really need the iPad Pro today? And could it be more compelling if iPadOS improves its multitasking capabilities? Also, we discuss the launch of Google's new mid-range phone, the Pixel 8a.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
Topics
New iPad Pro with OLED and M4 processor, iPad Air and Apple Pencil announced at ‘Let Loose’ event – 1:04
Google announces Pixel 8a with 120Hz OLED screen and AI capability – 20:50
What the heck happed with Helldivers 2? – 28:31
Microsoft shuts down Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin – 34:10
Hades 2 early access is out now – 42:01
Around Engadget: Steve Dent reviews Fujifilm X100 VI – 45:39
Apple has apologized for its Crush! ad, which sparked a furious backlash among artists, musicians, and other creators. AdAge reports Apple said the video “missed the mark,” and it has scrapped plans to run the commercial on TV. The video shows a series of musical instruments and other tools for human expression, including a guitar, drums, trumpet, amplifiers, record player, TV and much more being crushed to “All I Ever Need Is You” by Sonny and Cher. The crusher pulls up to reveal an iPad. Tonally, you could see how it could be misconstrued.
Apple is rumored to have more AI tricks planned for its next WWDC, while this new iPad Pro has a chip that boasts a lot of AI power, all with the looming threat of AI to creatives.
But — and imagine I’m using my indoor voice, here — it’s just an ad. However, Apple is such a huge company that it wields a huge amount of influence. And everyone is watching.
In a rambling interview, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey claimed Bluesky was “literally repeating all the mistakes” he made while running Twitter. Dorsey’s complaints seem to boil down to two issues. First, he never intended Bluesky to be an independent company, with its own board and stock and other vestiges of a corporate entity. Instead, his plan was for Twitter — as it was called — to be the first client to take advantage of the open-source protocol Bluesky created.
Dorsey also didn’t like Bluesky’s form of content moderation, and how it has occasionally banned users for things like using racial slurs in their usernames. A lot of this isn’t particularly surprising. If you’ve followed Dorsey’s public comments over the last couple years, he’s repeatedly said Twitter’s “original sin” was being a company beholden to advertisers.
The FDA has issued the highest level of recall for the app.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Class I recall for the t:connect mobile app on iOS, which people with diabetes use to monitor and control an insulin pump. The FDA received 224 injury reports as of April 15. Insulin pumps, like the t:slim X2, automatically deliver insulin under the user’s skin at set intervals and whenever needed. The bug excessively drained power from the pump, meaning it could shut down without warning and before the user expected it to, leading to the under-delivery of insulin.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apple-apologizes-for-its-ipad-pro-ad-that-crushed-human-creativity-111523044.html?src=rss