Tag Archives: Technology & Electronics

Anker’s Nebula Solar HD portable projector is nearly half off right now

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The Anker Nebula Solar HD portable projector is on sale at Amazon for $250. That matches a previous low and represents a 46 percent discount off the current $460 list price. Wshen it first came out in 2021, it went for $600. We give the Nebula Solar a shout out in our buyer's guide to projectors as a notable budget option, noting that you get a lot of features for the price. 

It's a 1080p HD projector that emits 400 lumens for reasonably bright outdoor use. The battery is included, which isn't always the case with portable projectors, so that's another relevant savings. You'll get up to three hours of play from a charge (depending on how bright you set the output) and sound comes courtesy of dual three-watt speakers with support for Dolby Digital Plus. 

Android TV is preloaded and the projector is Wi-Fi enabled to access that content. You can also connect via HDMI, USB or Bluetooth, and it can mirror content from your phone using Miracast. Since it's a projector, the screen size depends on how far away you place it from the wall or other projection surface. This one can deliver up to 120 inches of movie or TV visuals and has a built-in stand to help you adjust the angle. 

Of course, as a portable projector, the Nebula Solar isn't going to be as bright as its corded cousins, but if you want to try out watching a movie under the stars once the weather warms up, this is a pretty inexpensive way to do it. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ankers-nebula-solar-hd-portable-projector-is-nearly-half-off-right-now-173027922.html?src=rss

Anker’s Nebula Solar HD portable projector is nearly half off right now

Posted on by

The Anker Nebula Solar HD portable projector is on sale at Amazon for $250. That matches a previous low and represents a 46 percent discount off the current $460 list price. Wshen it first came out in 2021, it went for $600. We give the Nebula Solar a shout out in our buyer's guide to projectors as a notable budget option, noting that you get a lot of features for the price. 

It's a 1080p HD projector that emits 400 lumens for reasonably bright outdoor use. The battery is included, which isn't always the case with portable projectors, so that's another relevant savings. You'll get up to three hours of play from a charge (depending on how bright you set the output) and sound comes courtesy of dual three-watt speakers with support for Dolby Digital Plus. 

Android TV is preloaded and the projector is Wi-Fi enabled to access that content. You can also connect via HDMI, USB or Bluetooth, and it can mirror content from your phone using Miracast. Since it's a projector, the screen size depends on how far away you place it from the wall or other projection surface. This one can deliver up to 120 inches of movie or TV visuals and has a built-in stand to help you adjust the angle. 

Of course, as a portable projector, the Nebula Solar isn't going to be as bright as its corded cousins, but if you want to try out watching a movie under the stars once the weather warms up, this is a pretty inexpensive way to do it. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ankers-nebula-solar-hd-portable-projector-is-nearly-half-off-right-now-173027922.html?src=rss

Ghost of Tsushima is coming to PC on May 16

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Another tentpole PlayStation game is coming to PC. This time around, it's Ghost of Tsushima, the PlayStation 4's brilliant swansong. The director's cut of the open-world adventure will hit Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 16.

Nixxes, a Sony studio that's highly regarded for its PC ports, spent the last year working to bring Sucker Punch's game to another platform. Along with the Iki Island expansion and Legends co-op multiplayer mode, Ghost of Tsushima has all the bells and whistles fans have come to expect from PC ports of PlayStation games, such as unlocked framerates, expansive graphics settings and customizable mouse and keyboard controls. Plug in a DualSense controller and you'll get the same haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support that you would on PlayStation 5.

There's support for ultrawide monitors and Nixxes has fully optimized the game for 21:9 and 32:9 formats. You'll even be able to play at a ratio of 48:9 if you have a triple-monitor setup. You can use NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3 and Intel XeSS upscaling tech to boost the performance and visuals. NVIDIA's Reflex and AI-based DLAA anti-aliasing tool are supported too.

One other interesting thing to note is that Sony is promising more authentic lip sync if you choose to play with Japanese audio enabled, as your PC will render the cinematics in real time. Along with the black-and-white Kurosawa mode, that could help make the game feel even more cinematic.

Ghost of Tsushima is already a stunning game on PS5 and it's likely to look even more remarkable on a high-end PC (Sony notes it'll run on portable PC gaming devices too). More details, including system specifications, will be revealed ahead in the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ghost-of-tsushima-is-coming-to-pc-on-may-16-171130401.html?src=rss

Ghost of Tsushima is coming to PC on May 16

Posted on by

Another tentpole PlayStation game is coming to PC. This time around, it's Ghost of Tsushima, the PlayStation 4's brilliant swansong. The director's cut of the open-world adventure will hit Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 16.

Nixxes, a Sony studio that's highly regarded for its PC ports, spent the last year working to bring Sucker Punch's game to another platform. Along with the Iki Island expansion and Legends co-op multiplayer mode, Ghost of Tsushima has all the bells and whistles fans have come to expect from PC ports of PlayStation games, such as unlocked framerates, expansive graphics settings and customizable mouse and keyboard controls. Plug in a DualSense controller and you'll get the same haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support that you would on PlayStation 5.

There's support for ultrawide monitors and Nixxes has fully optimized the game for 21:9 and 32:9 formats. You'll even be able to play at a ratio of 48:9 if you have a triple-monitor setup. You can use NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3 and Intel XeSS upscaling tech to boost the performance and visuals. NVIDIA's Reflex and AI-based DLAA anti-aliasing tool are supported too.

One other interesting thing to note is that Sony is promising more authentic lip sync if you choose to play with Japanese audio enabled, as your PC will render the cinematics in real time. Along with the black-and-white Kurosawa mode, that could help make the game feel even more cinematic.

Ghost of Tsushima is already a stunning game on PS5 and it's likely to look even more remarkable on a high-end PC (Sony notes it'll run on portable PC gaming devices too). More details, including system specifications, will be revealed ahead in the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ghost-of-tsushima-is-coming-to-pc-on-may-16-171130401.html?src=rss

Beats Studio Buds + are on sale for a record-low price

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Those who are looking to upgrade their earbuds could do much worse than picking up a pair of Beats Studio Buds +. We reckon they're the best Beats option for most people. In addition, they give Apple fans who don't necessarily love the stems of AirPods but would prefer to stick with the company's products a solid option for true wireless earbuds. Now's a good time to snap up the Studio Buds + as they've dropped back down to $130, which is 24 percent off of the usual $170. That matches a record low price we saw during last year's Black Friday period.

We gave the Beats Studio Buds + a score of 84 in our review last May. The improved audio and active noise cancellation compared with the previous model are major plus points, as is longer battery life. We felt that the onboard controls were more reliable while the transparent color option is eyecatching. On the downside, there’s still room for improvement in terms of sound and the ambient audio isn’t as natural as it is on AirPods. The lack of wireless charging may been seen as a letdown too.

As you might imagine, given that Apple is a Beats brand, the Studio Buds + play nicely with the parent company’s ecosystem. There’s one-touch pairing with iOS, hands-free Siri support and iCloud device pairing. You can control the likes of ANC and transparency mode though your iPhone's Bluetooth menu and change the press-and-hold action if you wish. The earbuds are compatible with Android devices too, of course.

If you prefer overear headphones, it’s worth noting that the price of the Beats Studio Pro headset has also dropped as part of a broader sale on Beats gear. The headphones are down to $200, which is $150 off the usual price. Audio upgrades and the inclusion of a transparency mode helped the Beats Studio Pro earn a score of 81 in our review, but comfort may be an issue, as is the lack of multipoint connection for Apple devices.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/beats-studio-buds--are-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-155718053.html?src=rss

Beats Studio Buds + are on sale for a record-low price

Posted on by

Those who are looking to upgrade their earbuds could do much worse than picking up a pair of Beats Studio Buds +. We reckon they're the best Beats option for most people. In addition, they give Apple fans who don't necessarily love the stems of AirPods but would prefer to stick with the company's products a solid option for true wireless earbuds. Now's a good time to snap up the Studio Buds + as they've dropped back down to $130, which is 24 percent off of the usual $170. That matches a record low price we saw during last year's Black Friday period.

We gave the Beats Studio Buds + a score of 84 in our review last May. The improved audio and active noise cancellation compared with the previous model are major plus points, as is longer battery life. We felt that the onboard controls were more reliable while the transparent color option is eyecatching. On the downside, there’s still room for improvement in terms of sound and the ambient audio isn’t as natural as it is on AirPods. The lack of wireless charging may been seen as a letdown too.

As you might imagine, given that Apple is a Beats brand, the Studio Buds + play nicely with the parent company’s ecosystem. There’s one-touch pairing with iOS, hands-free Siri support and iCloud device pairing. You can control the likes of ANC and transparency mode though your iPhone's Bluetooth menu and change the press-and-hold action if you wish. The earbuds are compatible with Android devices too, of course.

If you prefer overear headphones, it’s worth noting that the price of the Beats Studio Pro headset has also dropped as part of a broader sale on Beats gear. The headphones are down to $200, which is $150 off the usual price. Audio upgrades and the inclusion of a transparency mode helped the Beats Studio Pro earn a score of 81 in our review, but comfort may be an issue, as is the lack of multipoint connection for Apple devices.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/beats-studio-buds--are-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-155718053.html?src=rss

The Morning After: iOS 17.4 is here

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Apple’s latest update to iOS has an important addition — at least in the European Union. With the arrival of iOS 17.4, Apple now officially supports third-party app stores on the iPhone. Web browser makers no longer need to base their apps on Apple’s WebKit, and Apple is opening up the NFC chip to wireless payment methods that are not Apple Pay. These changes all adhere to strict new rules in the EU. (Expect to hear more changes from Apple, Google and other major tech players as the EU’s Digital Markets Act comes into power.)

If you’re not in the EU (same), Apple Podcasts now offers automatic transcriptions in English, Spanish, French and German. You can search text and tap it to play the audio at the granular word level. It wouldn’t be an iOS update with even more emoji (finally, phoenix emojis), lots of bug fixes and more.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Microsoft is ending support for Android apps on Windows

The best thing about the M3 MacBook Air is… the M2 MacBook Air

Mini’s first electric Countryman has a wild interior

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

Nothing Phone 2a review

A budget phone packed with personality.

TMA
Engadget

Cheap midrange smartphones don’t have to be boring, contrary to popular belief and the phones on sale at your nearest electronics store. Taking a leaf out of the Pixel’s strategy book, Nothing’s latest phone, the 2a, is cheaper, slightly lower specced and still delivers on most of the essentials, with a particularly eye-catching screen on the $349.

There’s a caveat, of course. Folks in the US will need to sign up for the company’s Developer program to buy the Phone 2a, and while the handset supports 5G on T-Mobile, you won’t get any 5G on AT&T or Verizon. Check out the full review.

Continue reading.

Facebook, Instagram and Threads all dropped for a couple of hours

Meta even logged out some users.

Meta says it has resolved an issue that prevented people from accessing Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The problem started at around 10AM ET, with outage reports for the services (and WhatsApp) spiking. “Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services,” Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X. “We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”

Continue reading.

Colorware takes you back to grade school with the Apple Number 2 Pencil

‘Do not sharpen.’

TMA
Colorware

Colorware has painted many items over the years, going back to the iPhone 3G and beyond, but its latest product is particularly clever. The limited edition Apple Number 2 Pencil transforms Apple’s second-gen stylus into a facsimile of a standard HB #2 pencil. Under the clever skin, you still have a high-latency Apple Pencil. The Apple Number 2 Pencil costs $215, while the boring, buttoned-down white second-generation Apple Pencil is $79.

Continue reading.

TikTok to creators: make longer videos, get paid

Creator Rewards is now out of beta and will pay for videos longer than a minute.

Last year, TikTok rolled out a new monetization system called the Creativity Program for streamers, to encourage longer videos that sell more ads. Now, the company is rolling the scheme out widely with a new name, the Creator Rewards Program, which only pays for videos longer than one minute. Time for us to get our TikTok on.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-ios-174-is-here-121539723.html?src=rss

The Morning After: iOS 17.4 is here

Posted on by

Apple’s latest update to iOS has an important addition — at least in the European Union. With the arrival of iOS 17.4, Apple now officially supports third-party app stores on the iPhone. Web browser makers no longer need to base their apps on Apple’s WebKit, and Apple is opening up the NFC chip to wireless payment methods that are not Apple Pay. These changes all adhere to strict new rules in the EU. (Expect to hear more changes from Apple, Google and other major tech players as the EU’s Digital Markets Act comes into power.)

If you’re not in the EU (same), Apple Podcasts now offers automatic transcriptions in English, Spanish, French and German. You can search text and tap it to play the audio at the granular word level. It wouldn’t be an iOS update with even more emoji (finally, phoenix emojis), lots of bug fixes and more.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Microsoft is ending support for Android apps on Windows

The best thing about the M3 MacBook Air is… the M2 MacBook Air

Mini’s first electric Countryman has a wild interior

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

Nothing Phone 2a review

A budget phone packed with personality.

TMA
Engadget

Cheap midrange smartphones don’t have to be boring, contrary to popular belief and the phones on sale at your nearest electronics store. Taking a leaf out of the Pixel’s strategy book, Nothing’s latest phone, the 2a, is cheaper, slightly lower specced and still delivers on most of the essentials, with a particularly eye-catching screen on the $349.

There’s a caveat, of course. Folks in the US will need to sign up for the company’s Developer program to buy the Phone 2a, and while the handset supports 5G on T-Mobile, you won’t get any 5G on AT&T or Verizon. Check out the full review.

Continue reading.

Facebook, Instagram and Threads all dropped for a couple of hours

Meta even logged out some users.

Meta says it has resolved an issue that prevented people from accessing Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The problem started at around 10AM ET, with outage reports for the services (and WhatsApp) spiking. “Earlier today, a technical issue caused people to have difficulty accessing some of our services,” Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X. “We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”

Continue reading.

Colorware takes you back to grade school with the Apple Number 2 Pencil

‘Do not sharpen.’

TMA
Colorware

Colorware has painted many items over the years, going back to the iPhone 3G and beyond, but its latest product is particularly clever. The limited edition Apple Number 2 Pencil transforms Apple’s second-gen stylus into a facsimile of a standard HB #2 pencil. Under the clever skin, you still have a high-latency Apple Pencil. The Apple Number 2 Pencil costs $215, while the boring, buttoned-down white second-generation Apple Pencil is $79.

Continue reading.

TikTok to creators: make longer videos, get paid

Creator Rewards is now out of beta and will pay for videos longer than a minute.

Last year, TikTok rolled out a new monetization system called the Creativity Program for streamers, to encourage longer videos that sell more ads. Now, the company is rolling the scheme out widely with a new name, the Creator Rewards Program, which only pays for videos longer than one minute. Time for us to get our TikTok on.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-ios-174-is-here-121539723.html?src=rss

The Logitech MX Brio packs a big upgrade in image quality and a handy party trick

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Logitech has been in the webcam game since way before the pandemic made having one a necessity. But for some reason, none of them were good enough to be part of its flagship productivity lineup alongside peripherals like the MX Master 3S and MX Mechanical. That changes now with the introduction of the $200 MX Brio which sports a new sensor for significantly improved image quality, upgraded mics and a special hinge that could be really handy for presentations.

Even before you get to photo and video quality, the MX Brio impressed me with a much more premium design compared to the old non-MX Brio from 2017. It’s available in three colors (silver, gray and black) and has an aluminum housing instead of plastic like on the previous model. But what I really like are details like the built-in shutter that can be opened and closed by twisting the ring on the front of the camera. This means you don’t have to worry about losing a lens cap like you do with some of its rivals like the Razer Kiyo Pro.

The Mx Brio comes with a clip that allows you to clip it to a laptop or monitor and tilt for top-down presentations.
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

The MX Brio also comes with a clip for mounting it on your laptop or monitor. However, if you prefer a more sophisticated setup using a tripod, the clip detaches magnetically to reveal a hidden 1/4-inch thread. That said, the coolest thing about the clip is its extra hinge that allows you to tilt the camera down into what the company calls Show Mode, which automatically rotates its field of view (FOV) to provide a bird’s eye view of your desk.

This one simple feature makes it super easy to share notes or show off a product without needing to reconfigure your entire setup or add a second camera to the mix. It’s something I’ve wanted to do countless times on the Engadget Podcast (back when we were still livestreaming it), but couldn’t since my workspace doesn’t have room for a dedicated top-down camera arm.

Image quality on the MX Brio has taken a huge jump from the previous model.
Photo by Sam Rutherford

As for image quality, the MX Brio is based on a Sony Starvis sensor that supports recording at up to 4K/30fps while also offering much better dynamic range and low-light sensitivity than before. To test this, I compared the MX Brio to its predecessor and the difference was immediately apparent. Even when using the basic Windows Camera app, the new model’s pics were much more colorful and accurate. Furthermore, the position of my desk means I often have to contend with bright backlighting that makes my face look unusually dark, but the MX Brio overcame that in a way the old model never could. And thanks to certification for several major apps including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, you’ll look even better when using proper video conferencing software.

Another thing I appreciate is that Logitech gives you a ton of options to adjust things like white balance, FOV, exposure and more. The addition of dual beamforming mics also helps audio come through clearly while AI cuts down on distracting ambient noise. But one of the best nods to general usability is that now you can use both the Options+ or Logitech’s G Hub app to control the webcam. This is nice for anyone who needs to hop on calls for work but also wants to livestream at night without needing to switch between multiple devices or programs. The only thing that’s really missing is the ability to quickly set a custom white point using gray cards like you can on a traditional digital camera.

Granted, I’ve only had a short time to play around with the MX Brio. But even so, it’s clear Logitech finally has a webcam that can hang with the company’s portfolio of best-in-class productivity devices.

The MX Brio goes on sale today, though the black model will only be available from Best Buy for the first 90 days.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-logitech-mx-brio-packs-a-big-upgrade-in-image-quality-and-a-handy-party-trick-080134629.html?src=rss

Lawmakers have a new plan to force ByteDance to sell TikTok

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A group of lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok in order for the app to remain available in the United States. The “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” would prohibit US app stores and web hosting services from distributing TikTok unless it divested from parent company ByteDance.

The bill is the latest in a long line of attempts by lawmakers and other officials to ban or force a sale of the app. Former President Donald Trump attempted to force a sale of TikTok in 2020, but was ultimately unsuccessful. The Biden Administration has also pressured the company to divest. And a US District Court Judge recently blocked an attempt to ban the app in Montana.

The new bill, which comes from a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House, takes a different approach. It would give ByteDance a six-month window to sell TikTok before app store-level bans would come into effect. It would also require TikTok and other apps to “provide users with a copy of their data in a format that can be imported” into competing apps. And though TikTok is referenced several times in the text of the bill, the legislation would open the door for bans on other “foreign adversary-controlled” apps if the president deemed them to be a national security threat.

“This bill is an outright ban of TikTok, no matter how much the authors try to disguise it,” TikTok said in a statement. “This legislation will trample the First Amendment rights of 170 million Americans and deprive 5 million small businesses of a platform they rely on to grow and create jobs.”

TikTok CEO Shou Chew has maintained that a divestment would not fully address officials’ concerns about US user data. The company has spent years trying to address national security concerns about its service with an initiative called Project Texas. Under the plan, created as a result of years of negotiations with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), US users’ data would be separated into US-based servers and government officials would be able to oversee audits of TikTok’s source code and other aspects of its operations.

The Washington Post reported last year that TikTok’s negotiations with CFIUS had been recently “revived amid doubts the [Biden] administration has the authority to ban TikTok on its own.” If Congress was able to pass the new bill, it would clear up such questions and create a new process for forcing ByteDance's hand. 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other digital rights groups have criticized the government's efforts to ban TikTok. In a statement on the latest bill, the ACLU said the proposed measure was "unconstitutional" and would hurt free speech. "Just because the bill sponsors claim that banning TikTok isn’t about suppressing speech, there’s no denying that it would do just that," senior policy counsel Jenna Leventoff said. 

Columbia University's nonprofit Knight First Amendment Institute raised similar concerns. "Congress can protect data privacy and security without banning Americans from accessing one of the world’s most popular communications platforms," the organization's executive director Jameel Jaffer said in a statement. "It should start by passing a comprehensive privacy law restricting the kinds of information that TikTok and other platforms can collect." 

Update March 5, 2024 6:50 PM ET: This story has been updated to add comments from the ACLU and Knight First Amendment Institute. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lawmakers-have-a-new-plan-to-force-bytedance-to-sell-tiktok-220408004.html?src=rss