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2025 Porsche Macan Electric review: The obvious choice when the budget allows

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You have to give Porsche credit for going in early on EVs. The Taycan is a stellar sedan/wagon that's only gotten better. But even for a niche manufacturer like Porsche, it's not exactly a mass-market machine. To really move the needle on EVs, you need something more family friendly, and for the brand from Stuttgart, that's the Macan.

Porsche's gas-powered crossover SUV is its best-selling machine in the US, so it's an absolutely vital piece of the company's success. It's also Porsche's second full-on, battery-powered machine to hit the market. The Macan Electric doesn't replace its internal combustion predecessor, rather living alongside it on the dealership floor, creating a brutal sibling rivalry and a potentially difficult choice for buyers: gas or electric? 

Actually, Porsche made it a pretty easy decision. This is the right one.

Hardware tour

The Macan Electric shares a silhouette and a segment with that other Macan, but from a technology standpoint, there's little the two agree upon. The Macan Electric is built on a new platform called PPE, which at one point was destined to be the underpinnings of a smorgasbord of electrified offerings from both Porsche and Audi, including the A6 E-Tron and Q6 E-Tron.

For now, at least, Americans' increasingly fickle attitudes toward EVs have stymied some of those plans, meaning this Macan and the upcoming Cayenne Electric are the only two Porsches built from those bones. The Macan is the smaller of the two, powered by a variety of different configurations, starting with a single-motor, rear-drive configuration with 355 horsepower on the low end, up to the 630-hp, dual-motor Macan Turbo Electric on the high end. Buyers can also select the dual-motor Macan 4 Electric, speedier 4S Electric or quicker still GTS Electric.

I tested a base Macan Electric, its rear-mounted, 355-hp motor enough to scoot this 5,004-pound SUV from zero to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. The top-shelf Macan Turbo Electric gets to 60 in 3.1 seconds, absolutely humiliating the quickest exhaust-spewing Macan GTS's 4.3-second time.

At first glance, the electric Macan looks like a Tesla Model Y -- especially in dark blue.
At first glance, the electric Macan looks like a Tesla Model Y -- especially in dark blue.
Tim Stevens for Engadget

Of course, this is a Porsche, not a drag machine, and so cornering is key. Helping with the handling is an adaptive air suspension that not only lets you go from stiff to firm at the twist of a knob but also raises or lowers dynamically. When you're hunting for range or speed, the SUV gets down into an aerodynamic tuck low to the earth. If you're looking to head off-road, it'll hike itself up by 1.6 inches. 

While I wouldn't consider this an off-roader as such, the dual motor configurations should be competent in lower-grip situations. Open differentials at either end will keep your all-roading aspirations limited, but on some icy, slippery roads during the week I spent living with one, even the rear-drive Macan proved sure-footed and easy to handle, despite its summer-oriented Pilot Sport EV tires. 

At the heart of all that is a 100-kilowatt-hour battery, which offers the Macan Electric an EPA-rated range of up to 315 miles, depending on which trim you go with. In my testing, which included extended periods of driving with my foot flat to the floor, I managed 2.8 miles per kWh. That's a theoretical maximum range of 280 miles if you're driving like you stole it. Anyone doing the school run in a more sedate way will have no problem meeting or beating that EPA rating. 

User interface

The Macan's interior is equipped with multiple displays.
The Macan's interior is equipped with multiple displays.
Tim Stevens for Engadget

Beyond performance, the Macan Electric has another advantage over its internal combustion counterpart: it has a more modern interior. The highlight is the 12.6-inch, curved gauge cluster. Using buttons on the steering wheel, you can cycle through various views and telemetry elements to suit your desire for data or need to remain undisturbed.

That's paired with a 10.9-inch touchscreen in the middle, and you can even opt for a third display embedded way over on the right side of the dashboard. This one allows you to access streaming services like YouTube. I've never seen the point in that, though, but that's only because I've yet to meet a passenger who wouldn't rather just use their smartphone.

Porsche's PCM interface on that central touchscreen is simple and clean, with more than a passing iOS resemblance. Perhaps that's why the company has been an early adopter of CarPlay Ultra. For the Android faithful, wireless Android Auto is here too, and it works great, looking nearly native on the widescreen display.

The Macan's gauge cluster is a curved 12.6-inch display.
The Macan's gauge cluster is a curved 12.6-inch display.
Tim Stevens for Engadget

Through simple menus, you can do everything from track lap times to enable or disable the augmented digital engine tone, which Porsche calls Electronic Sport Sound. I confess the futuristic whirring and whooshing does make driving aggressively a bit more fun, but most of the time I prefer to have it off.

Thankfully, not everything is controlled through the touchscreen. There's a separate, capacitive-touch panel just below it for climate-related functions, including toggling the prodigiously warm heated seats (which I'm enjoying as I write this). You'll find a physical volume knob there, too.

The Macan seats five comfortably, though I'd stick to four for anything longer than a quick run to a team lunch. Front and rear seats are comfortable, and there's a tolerable amount of legroom in the back. Headroom back there, though, is limited. If you have tall co-workers, they'll be tripping over each other to call shotgun.

Dynamics

Despite it's size, the Macan is surprisingly agile, which is partly due to its unique suspension.
Despite it's size, the Macan is surprisingly agile, which is partly due to its unique suspension.
Tim Stevens for Engadget

In the grand spectrum of SUVs on the roads today, the 188.3-inch-long Macan Electric is on the smaller side. But, as an EV, it's heavy for a crossover. At just a tick over 5,000 pounds, it's a substantial 850 pounds heavier than a regular base Macan.

Porsche's engineers addressed that as best they could with the aforementioned fancy suspension, plus larger, 20-inch wheels on each corner. The result is an SUV that is, in Sport or Sport Plus modes, remarkably fun to drive. Its steering is extremely quick for an SUV, which makes this thing feel lighter than it is. 

All the grip provided by those tires and suspension really gives you the confidence to push through the corners, too. And, when you push too hard, it breaks away quickly and predictably. I enjoyed romping on the throttle hard mid-corner to kick the tail out, the Macan giving me just enough time to grin and give a bit of a steering correction before everything was right and the tires were stuck again.

It's not a sports car, no doubt about that, and it tends to wallow a bit on bumpy roads thanks to all that weight, but it is far more engaging and fun than just about anything else in this category. Even this base model is quick off the line, but its breakneck initial throttle response is tempered by a somewhat flat acceleration at higher speeds. It just doesn't have the kind of Autobahn-dominating top-end that Porsches are typically known for.

The electric Macan's biggest flaw is the complete lack of lift-off regenerative braking.
The electric Macan's biggest flaw is the complete lack of lift-off regenerative braking.
Tim Stevens for Engadget

I suppose I'd have to cough up the extra $10,000 for the GTS, or a further $20,000 for the $109,000 Turbo if I really wanted that. Yes, these things get expensive quick. The base Macan Electric I drove started at $73,500, but carried enough options to drive its out-the-door price to $86,865. 

You are, at least, getting a machine that readily does double-duty. Despite its responsiveness and eager handling, the Macan Electric does a stellar job of settling down when you twist that Drive Mode knob on the steering wheel to the left, unwinding the suspension and relaxing the experience. The SUV manages excellent compliance over broken roads, flying over railroad tracks without complaint, and just generally being a calm and competent cruiser. 

But there's one, undeniable flaw that drove me absolutely nuts in the Macan Electric: a complete lack of lift-off regenerative braking. Porsche continues its adamant refusal to offer anything even approaching a one-pedal driving experience. That's a frustrating thing to me — maybe not quite as frustrating as GM phasing out Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but pretty close. 

Wrap-up

The electric Macan commands (at least) a $10,000 premium over its gas-powered sibling.
The electric Macan commands (at least) a $10,000 premium over its gas-powered sibling.
Tim Stevens for Engadget

After driving a few different prototypes of the Macan Electric during its development phase, I very much enjoyed my time with a final, production version on some familiar roads around my home. It excelled in the dry and on slippery, early winter roads, made me smile when I was feeling rowdy, and then disappeared into the background when I just wanted to get home. 

It isn't a perfect machine. I'd hoped for a little more roominess inside, I lament the lack of one-pedal driving, and honestly, I wish Porsche's exterior designers had gone a little crazier. At a quick glance, it looks a lot like a first-gen Tesla Model Y, especially in Gentian Blue Metallic, which is a dead ringer for Tesla's Deep Blue Metallic. 

And there's also the significant premium that you'll have to pay to get into one: $10,000 over a base, gas-powered Macan. For that, you're getting a lot of extra performance, a dose of extra tech and all the joys and simplicities that come with living the EV lifestyle. That makes it well worth it in my book.


This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/2025-porsche-macan-electric-review-the-obvious-choice-when-the-budget-allows-140000851.html?src=rss

Unity games are coming to Fortnite

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Unity and Epic Games, the creators of today’s biggest video game engines, have announced a partnership that will make Unity games available in Fortnite. Epic has allowed creators to publish their own experiences (or “islands”) within Fortnite since 2018, and the number of experiences has grown considerably over the recent years. In 2024, 198,000 islands were published within the game, double the number from the previous year. This partnership has the potential to grow Fortnite experiences even further by welcoming Unity developers and can give existing developers more freedom.

“Just like the early days of the web, we believe that companies need to work together in order to build the open metaverse in a way that’s interoperable and fair,” said Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, in a statement. “Working alongside Unity we’re helping developers build fun games, reach bigger audiences, and find success.” Sweeney announced the partnership with Unity CEO Matt Bromberg at Unity’s annual developer conference. They said that developers will be able to publish games that use Unity’s game engine on Fortnite sometime next year. The companies promised to announce more details and exact timing in the future.

In addition, Unity has announced that the cross-platform commerce management dashboard it launched in October will support Unreal Engine. The dashboard allows developers to manage pricing and promotions across websites and stores for mobile and PC from one place. It will start supporting Unreal Engine in early 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/unity-games-are-coming-to-fortnite-133000076.html?src=rss

Amazon Black Friday deals: Pick up the Echo Spot smart alarm clock for only $50

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Amazon is selling the Echo Spot smart speaker for just $50 as part of a Black Friday promotion. The sale applies to multiple colorways and represents a discount of $30. This isn't a record low price, but it's extremely close.

For the uninitiated, the Echo Spot is a diminutive little speaker/alarm clock hybrid unit. It's a cute little doodad and looks great on a nightstand. The screen is customizable, so it doesn't have to display a clock. It can show song titles, smart home control dashboards, the weather and a lot more. Of course, there are numerous clock faces to choose from.

The Spot not only integrates with Amazon's smart assistant Alexa, but it provides access to the newfangled Alexa+. This is a smarter and more conversational version of the iconic smart assistant. Like most modern AI products, it's still working out some bugs. The underlying tech, however, is promising.

The speaker is decent enough for the size, though you won't be using it to fuel any house parties. It's a great tool for bedroom-based listening. This version doesn't have a camera, which is actually great news for the privacy conscious.

In addition to the Echo Spot, you'll even find Black Friday deals on some of the latest Echo devices that just came out last month. The Echo Dot Max is on sale for $90, the new Echo Studio has dropped to $190 and the latest Echo Show 8 has been discounted to $160.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-black-friday-deals-pick-up-the-echo-spot-smart-alarm-clock-for-only-50-130550824.html?src=rss

Read AI is building a note-taking app that works nearly anywhere

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You probably haven't heard of Read AI. The company has quietly been making a name for itself in the crowded AI space, signing up 50,000 customers daily in recent months. At first glance, Read AI resembles apps like Otter.ai. You can use the software to transcribe and summarize meetings, but it's also more ambitious than that. 

"It's AI on standby," Read AI CEO David Shim explains, adding that the company's vision is to give people a tool that can record, transcribe and analyze nearly every professional conversation they have, no matter where those discussions take place and whether they occur online or in-person. Today, Read AI is taking a major step toward realizing that vision with the release of its new Operator agent (I'll admit, the company could have picked a more original name), and new apps for Windows, macOS and Android. 

Between its own software, including an existing iOS app, and third-party integrations, Read AI users can now connect their accounts to more than 22 other platforms. Some of the more notable inclusions there are Gmail, Outlook, Slack, HubSpot and Notion. More importantly, with Read AI's mobile apps, you can record impromptu in-person meetings; the company has data showing that more than half of professional conversations occur outside of online spaces.   

In any case, no matter where you talk to your colleagues, Operator is there to generate notes and insights. "We don't just look at meetings," Shim says. "We look at topics that are interesting to you.” To that end, Read AI has built a series of in-house multimodal models that look for context beyond what's said during any interaction you record. For example, the company's systems are designed to catch when you enthusiastically answer a question or look away in disinterest, and use that data to decide how the software goes about summarizing your meetings. 

"That context is what enables us to identify what is valuable to you, and make that discoverable," says Shim. One way Read AI will surface those insights is through a feature the company calls Monday Brief. At the start of every week, you'll get a summary of all the calls and conversations you had over the last seven days, with suggestions for follow-up actions you can take.

Now, you might be wondering, like I was, how Read AI hopes to compete in a market where a company like Microsoft is aggressively pushing Copilot on its users. If Shim is worried about the big players, he doesn't show it. "There's a need for an independent third party," he says. "There's always something new coming out. And that ability to be the independent third-party that plugs into different solutions is actually what consumers want and need." To his point, since the launch of Copilot two years ago, Read AI has seen a 20x increase in the daily number of people using its software alongside Microsoft Teams. "We've seen the same thing along those lines for Zoom and Google Meet."   

He believes the company's approach to data privacy is another differentiator. By default, users are opted out of their data being used for training Read AI's future models. Shim also notes the company takes recording disclosure seriously. "You need to notify people that you're [recording] a call, and we put that front and center every single time." 

If you want to try Read AI, the company offers a free plan that includes five meeting transcripts per month. Pricing for its paid subscriptions start at $19.75 per month.    

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/read-ai-is-building-a-note-taking-app-that-works-nearly-anywhere-130000235.html?src=rss

Meta asks the Oversight Board to weigh in (a little) on Community Notes ahead of expansion

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When Meta announced last year that it was ditching third-party fact checkers in favor of an X-style Community Notes system, the company was careful to note that it would only implement the changes within the United States to start. Now, nearly a year later, the social media company is getting ready to expand the crowd-sourced fact checks to more countries, and is asking the Oversight Board for advice on a potential rollout. 

The company has requested that board weigh in on "factors we should consider when deciding which countries, if any, to omit from the international roll out" of Community Notes. Notably, Meta isn't asking the Oversight Board to advise on the merits of replacing traditional fact-checking organizations. Instead, the company wants guidance on how to approach country-specific challenges and whether there should be any carveouts. 

"We respectfully ask the Board to focus its examination on the country-level factors relevant to omitting countries from the international roll-out, and not on topics such as general product design or the operation of the Community Notes algorithm," the company wrote in its request shared by the board. 

Up to now, Meta has been experimenting with Community Notes on Facebook, Instagram and Threads in the United States only. People who want to be able to author notes still need to be approved, but the company allows anyone to rate notes. However, it seems that the feature so far hasn't gained as much traction for Meta as it has on X. In September, the company said that just 6 percent of the more than 15,000 notes that had been contributed had actually been published. By the end of the month, the number of published notes had risen to over 2,000, according to Meta. More than 90,000 people have signed on as contributors.

In a statement from the Oversight Board, the group said it would consider issues like whether a crowd-sourced fact checking system would make sense in countries with "low levels of freedom of expression" or without a free press, as well as places with "low levels of digital literacy." It also said it was hoping to hear public comments from researchers who have studied different approaches to countering misinformation.

Unlike with a typical case from the Oversight Board, which deals with specific content moderation decisions, Meta has no obligation to implement any of the group's recommendations. But, the company has previously chosen to follow its suggestions in previous policy advisory opinions, including its decision to roll back COVID-19 misinformation rules following a recommendation from the board.

Update, November 19, 2025, 9:15AM PT: Added additional stats about Community Notes adoption.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-asks-the-oversight-board-to-weigh-in-a-little-on-community-notes-ahead-of-expansion-110000208.html?src=rss

The best robot vacuums on a budget for 2026

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If vacuuming is your least favorite chore, employing a robot vacuum can save you time and stress while also making sure your home stays clean. While once most robo-vacs landed on the higher end of the price spectrum, that’s not the case anymore. Sure, you could pick up a $1,000 cleaning behemoth with mopping features, but it would be incorrect to assume that you need to spend that much money to get a good machine.

Now, you can get an autonomous dirt-sucker with serious cleaning chops for $500 — sometimes even $300 or less. But you get what you pay for in this space; don’t expect affordable robot vacuum cleaners to have all of the bells and whistles that premium machines do, like self-emptying capabilities or advanced dirt detection. After testing dozens of robot vacuums at various price points, I’ve narrowed down our top picks for the best budget robot vacuums you can buy right now.

Since I've tested dozens of robot vacuums, I'm often asked if these gadgets are "worth it" and I'd say the answer is yes. The biggest thing they offer is convenience: just turn on a robot vacuum and walk away. The machine will take care of the rest. If vacuuming is one of your least favorite chores, or you just want to spend less time keeping your home tidy, semi-autonomous robotic vacuum is a great investment. Many models, albeit more expensive ones, even come with features like a self-empty station to further reduce maintenance.

There are plenty of other good things about them, but before we dive in let’s consider the biggest trade-offs: less power, less capacity and less flexibility. Those first two go hand in hand; robot vacuum cleaners are much smaller than upright vacuums, which leads to less powerful suction. They also hold less dirt because their built-in bins are a fraction of the size of a standard vacuum canister or bag. Fortunately, some models include features like an auto-empty station, which helps with dirt capacity, especially in homes with pet hair.

When it comes to flexibility, robot vacuums do things differently than standard ones. You can control some with your smartphone, set cleaning schedules and more, but robo-vacs are primarily tasked with cleaning floors. On the flip side, their upright counterparts can come with various attachments that let you clean couches, stairs, light fixtures and other hard-to-reach places.

When looking for the best cheap robot vacuum, one of the first things you should consider is the types of floors you have in your home. Do you have mostly carpet, tile, laminate, hardwood? Carpets demand vacuums with strong suction power that can pick up debris pushed down into nooks and crannies. Unfortunately, there isn’t a universal metric by which suction is measured. Some companies provide Pascal (Pa) levels and generally the higher the Pa, the stronger. But other companies don’t rely on Pa levels and simply say their bots have X-times more suction power than other robot vacuums.

So how can you ensure you’re getting the best cheap robot vacuum to clean your floor type? Read the product description. Look for details about its ability to clean hard floors and carpets, and see if it has a “max” mode you can use to increase suction. If you are given a Pa measurement, look for around 2000Pa if you have mostly carpeted floors. Pay attention to the brush roll mechanism as well, especially if you're dealing with dog hair or other stubborn debris that can cause tangles. Many budget models use bristle brushes, while others offer tangle-free designs to minimize maintenance.

You may find some budget robot vacuums also offer vacuum/mop combo capabilities. These bots feature a water tank, which means they can offer mopping functionality, enhancing debris pickup, and resulting in shiny floors. However, these are less common when you’re shopping in the lower price range.

Size is also important for two reasons: clearance and dirt storage. Check the specs for the robot’s height to see if it can get underneath the furniture you have in your home. Most robo-vacs won’t be able to clean under a couch (unless it’s a very tall, very strange couch), but some can get under entryway tables, nightstands and the like. As for dirt storage, look out for the milliliter capacity of the robot’s dustbin — the bigger the capacity, the more dirt the vacuum cleaner can collect before you have to empty it.

You should also double check the Wi-Fi capabilities of the robo-vac you’re eyeing. While you may think that’s a given on all smart home devices, it’s not. Some of the most affordable models don’t have the option to connect to your home Wi-Fi network. If you choose a robot vac like this, you won’t be able to direct it with a smartphone app or with voice controls. Another feature that’s typically reserved for Wi-Fi-connected robots is scheduling because most of them use a mobile app to set cleaning schedules.

But Wi-Fi-incapable vacuums usually come with remote controls that have all the basic functions that companion mobile apps do, including start, stop and return to dock. And if you’re concerned about the possibility of hacking, a robot vac with no access to your Wi-Fi network is the best option.

Obstacle detection and cliff sensors are other key features to look out for. The former helps the robot vacuum navigate around furniture while it cleans, rather than mindlessly pushing its way into it. Many also offer no-go zones, letting you block off areas you don’t want the robot to enter. Meanwhile, cliff sensors prevent robot vacuums from tumbling down the stairs, making them the best vacuum for multi-level homes.

When we consider which robot vacuums to test, we look at each machine’s specs and feature list, as well as online reviews to get a general idea of its capabilities. With each robot vacuum we review, we set it up as per the instructions and use it for as long as possible — at minimum, we’ll use each for one week, running cleaning cycles daily. We make sure to try out any physical buttons the machine has on it, and any app-power features like scheduling, robot mapping and more.

Since we test robot vacuums in our own homes, there are obstacles already in the machine’s way like tables, chairs and other furniture — this helps us understand how capable the machine is at avoiding obstacles, and we’ll intentionally throw smaller items in their way like shoes, pet toys and more. With robot vacuums that include self-emptying bases, we assess how loud the machine is while emptying contents into the base and roughly how long it takes for us to fill up the bag (or bagless) base with debris.

First and foremost, always empty your robot vacuum’s dustbin after every cleaning job, or use a self-empty station if the model supports it. Simply detach and empty the dustbin as soon as the robot is done cleaning, and then reattach it so it's ready to go for the next time. It’s also a good idea to take a dry cloth to the inside of the dustbin every once in a while to remove any small dust and dirt particles clinging to its insides.

In addition, you’ll want to regularly examine the machine’s brushes to see if any human or pet hair has wrapped around them, or if any large debris is preventing them from working properly. Some brushes are better than others at not succumbing to tangled hair, but it’s a good idea to check your robot’s brushes regardless — both their main brush and any smaller, side brushes or corner brushes they have. These parts are often easy to pop off of the machine (because they do require replacements eventually) so we recommend removing each brush entirely, getting rid of any tangles or other debris attached to them and reinstalling them afterwards. If you have a robot vacuum with mopping capabilities, you’ll need to wash the bots’ mop pads too, to avoid any unpleasant smells or tracking mess around your home. Similarly, if your robot vacuum has a water tank, it’s worth washing this out regularly to keep it clean.

Robot vacuums also have filters that need replacing every couple of months. Check your machine’s user manual or the manufacturer’s website to see how long they recommend going in between filter replacements. Most of the time, these filters cannot be washed, so you will need to buy new ones either directly from the manufacturer or from other retailers like Amazon or Walmart.

Yes, budget robot vacuums can be good for pet hair. Just keep in mind they generally tend to have lower suction power and smaller dustbins than more expensive (and larger) robot vacuums. If pet hair is your biggest concern, we recommend getting as expensive of a robot vacuum as your budget allows, or consider investing in a cordless vacuum since those tend to be more powerful overall.

Budget robot vacuums typically last 40-60 minutes per charge, and the best ones will automatically return to their charging dock when they need more power.

Yes, budget robot vacuums work on both carpets and hardwood floors.

Home mapping features are typically exclusive to more expensive robot vacuums. Check the product description of any robot vacuum you're thinking of buying and look for "smart mapping" or "smart home mapping" in the feature list if you want a device that supports it.

Check out more from our spring cleaning guide.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-budget-robot-vacuums-133030847.html?src=rss

The best budget gaming laptops for 2025

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Even though just about everything is getting more expensive these days, it’s still possible to find a few cheaper gaming notebooks under $1,000. If you’re just looking to hit 60 fps to 120 fps of performance, or you just want to play the latest games without cranking up your graphics settings, these are the notebooks to consider. You’ll still find high refresh rate displays, as well as modern CPUs and GPUs. Just be prepared to live with slightly flimsier build quality, as well as plastic cases.

To get a high-end gaming experience, you can easily spend $5,000 on a fully tricked-out notebook like the Razer Blade 18. But when it comes to the best budget gaming laptops, we're focusing on the other end of the pricing spectrum: laptops under $1,000. Rising prices due to tariffs and a more chaotic economy has made it tougher to find these inexpensive gems, but they’re still around if you look hard enough.

Stepping up a bit to systems between $1,400 and $2,000 puts you firmly in mid-range territory, which is beyond the scope of this guide. Still, it's worth keeping an eye out for sales that can push those higher-end models below $1,000. Be sure to check out our guide to the best gaming laptops for a general overview of what to look out for in these more expensive systems.

Cheap gaming laptops are definitely worth it if you’re trying to save money and are being realistic about what you can get at this price range. You can expect to find Intel and AMD's latest (but not greatest) CPUs, as well as entry-level GPUs like NVIDIA's RTX 4050. Budget models are also typically paired with FHD (1080p) screens running at a respectably high refresh rate of 120Hz or beyond — ensuring smooth frame rates in your favorite games. You’ll occasionally see some 16-inch budget options, like Alienware’s Aurora 16 when it dips below $1,000 on sale.

Many cheap gaming laptops also skimp on specs like RAM and hard drive space. We'd recommend getting at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage at a minimum. Modern games need a decent chunk of memory to run, and they also tend to be large, so you wouldn't be able to fit much alongside Windows 11 on a 256B SSD. You might be tempted to jump on one of those dirt-cheap gaming laptop deals from Walmart or Best Buy, but it's just not worth it if you're stuck with 8GB of RAM or a tiny SSD. You can’t upgrade those components down the line, which gives super-cheap laptops a short lifespan.

As for build quality, expect to find more plastic than metal on budget gaming machines. Still, the best budget gaming laptops we're recommending should be sturdy enough to last a few years. Affordable systems will also be heavier and thicker than mid-range and higher-end models, and often don’t have the best Wi-Fi or connectivity options. Battery life is another trade-off, though even the most expensive gaming laptops can struggle with longevity.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-budget-gaming-laptop-130004199.html?src=rss

Cloudflare outage was not caused by a cyber attack

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Cloudflare wrongly suspected that the widespread outage that took numerous websites offline on November 18 was caused by a DDoS attack, the company’s CEO has admitted. In his blog post that breaks down what happened, however, Matthew Prince explained that after realizing their mistake, his team was able to fix the issue. “The issue was not caused, directly or indirectly, by a cyber attack or malicious activity of any kind,” he wrote. It was instead caused by a change to its database systems’ permissions, which led to an issue with a file used by its Bot Management system.

The company’s Bot Management system uses a machine learning model to score bots for every request they make when they crawl Cloudflare’s network. Its clients rely on those bot scores to decide whether to allow or to block specific bots from accessing their websites. One the uses of having bot scores is being able to block AI companies’ bots so they can’t use a website’s content to train their LLMs. In July, Cloudflare launched an experiment called “pay per crawl,” which allows website owners to let an AI bot crawl their pages if they get paid for access.

Prince said the model relies on a “feature” configuration file to make a prediction on whether a bot request was automated or not. The feature file is refreshed every few minutes, and a change in the underlying mechanism generating that file caused a change in its size that triggered the error. “As a result, HTTP 5xx error codes were returned by the core proxy system that handles traffic processing for our customers, for any traffic that depended on the bots module,” Prince wrote.

This recent event has been Cloudflare’s worst outage in years. The company said it hasn’t had an outage that has “caused the majority of core traffic to stop flowing through [its] network” since 2019. Prince apologized for the issue on behalf of his team.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/cloudflare-outage-was-not-caused-by-a-cyber-attack-053000551.html?src=rss

TikTok now has an in-app ‘affirmation journal’ and sound machine

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TikTok is replacing its screen time management page with a Time and Well-being space, which also comes with new wellness features. You can now find an affirmation journal, where you can set your intentions for the day using the 120-plus cards the app provides. You can, say, choose the “grace” card that reminds you to be free of the expectation of others. The card is downloadable on your device, and you can share it with others.

You’ll also find an in-app soothing sound generator that you can use to listen to relaxing audio, such as those featuring the sound of rain, waves and white noise. The sounds stop after a few minutes when the timer ends, so you can play them to induce sleep when you go to bed. TikTok says its users are 14 percent more likely to listen to music to help them relax or go to sleep than non-users. You’ll also find different types of breathing exercises you can do in the new space.

In addition, TikTok is rolling out new well-being missions, expanding the original set it launched in July. These missions, which are particularly designed for teens, will reward you with badges for completing challenges related to balanced digital habits. The new Sleep Hours Mission will award you with a badge if you stay off TikTok at night, while the daily screen time mission will earn you another if you set a screen time limit and manage to stick to it. There’s also a new weekly screen time mission that will prompt you to check your screen time report every week, as well as a well-being ambassador mission that will earn you badges if you invite others to do the missions.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-now-has-an-in-app-affirmation-journal-and-sound-machine-050100713.html?src=rss

TikTok will let users tone down the amount of AI content in their feed

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TikTok is the latest social platform to hand users more control over the amount of AI-generated content they see. The app is experimenting with a new setting that will allow users to request to "see less" AI in their "For You" feed.

The new toggle will be available in “the coming weeks” in the app's "manage topics" section that lets people personalize the types of videos more likely to appear in their feed. In a blog post, TikTok says the control is meant to help users "dial things down" if they want to see less AI content in their recommendations. The update follows a similar move from Pinterest, which has faced complaints about AI slop drowning out authentic images on the platform.

TikTok, like most other platforms, has seen an influx of AI-generated content in recent years. The company, which requires users to label such creations, says that there are more than 1.3 billion videos with these labels. At the same time, the company notes that its existing methods for detecting AI content aren't perfect, Currently, TikTok relies on a widely-used watermarking system called Content Credentials that adds metadata to AI-generated content. But these signals can get harder to detect when images or videos are edited in other apps or copied and reshared to other sites, as often happens with viral content. 

To address this, TikTok says that it will also experiment with an additional "invisible watermarking" system that could help it identify and label AI content more reliably. "'Invisible watermarks' add another layer of safeguards with a robust technological 'watermark' that only we can read, making it harder for others to remove," the company explained.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-will-let-users-tone-down-the-amount-of-ai-content-in-their-feed-050100596.html?src=rss