The Morning After: Apple’s new iPad Pro is thinner than an old iPod nano

We kicked off our Tuesday with an early iPad event. And what a beastly iPad we got. Apple shook things up by slotting its brand-new M4 chip into its new highest-end iPad Pro. Apple says the new device delivers 50 percent faster performance than the M2 iPad Pro. It supports dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing and hardware-accelerated mesh shading — so, better-looking games and faster graphic processing.

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But that’s only half the story. The other major upgrade is Tandem OLED, which is a display of two OLED panels on top of each other. Expect richer colors and deeper blacks, but also brightness levels that max out at 1000 nits for standard and HDR and 1600 nits for HDR’s brightest spots. This switch in display tech makes it thinner than previous iPads. Actually, it ensures the new iPad pro is (somehow) thinner than the iPod nano.

The new iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch, each with 256GB of storage. We’ve already got our first impressions right here.

We also got new iPad Airs and an Apple Pencil Pro, for you professional scribblers.

— Mat Smith

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The latest Pixel A-series phone typically gets announced at Google I/O. However, to avoid distractions from all the other news, Google broke cover early. Compared to the standard Pixel 8, which has a 6.2-inch screen, the 8a features a slightly smaller 6.1-inch OLED display with noticeably larger bezels. But aside from that, the Pixel 8 and 8a are almost the exact same size. The 8a uses the same 64-megapixel and 13MP sensors for its main and ultra-wide cameras as its predecessor, but the Pixel 7a was a great camera phone, so no major complaints here. Sales start next week on May 14.

Continue reading.

OpenAI is trying to get ahead of the problem of these almost-real images circulating the internet by creating a toolset that detects images created by its own DALL-E 3 generator. The company says it can accurately detect pictures whipped up byDALL-E 3 98 percent of the time. While that sounds good, it’s loaded with caveats. The image has to be created by DALL-E, and it only successfully classified five to ten percent of images made by other AI models. It also struggles to spot generated images manually tweaked by a user.

Continue reading.

Wait, what?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-apples-new-ipad-pro-is-thinner-than-an-old-ipod-nano-111533601.html?src=rss

iPad Pro 2024 vs. 2022: What’s changed

You may have heard Apple updated its top-of-the-line tablets at its Let Loose event on Tuesday. The 2024 model has some big improvements, including the new M4 chip, a “noticeably thinner and lighter” build, a superior OLED display and upgraded accessories. We broke down the key differences between the latest iPad Pro and its 2022 predecessor to help you figure out if it’s worth the (hefty) investment.

Graphic showing two iPad Pro models (2024 and 2022) side-by-side. The new model: 13
iPad Pro: 13-inch (2024) vs. 12.9-inch (2022)
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget

In Engadget’s hands-on at Apple’s “Let Loose” event, Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham said the new iPad Pro’s thinner and lighter build and its Tandem OLED display are the first big changes you’ll notice when you pick up the latest model.

“In Apple’s extremely bright demo area, the iPad Pro screen showed its quality — everything was extremely clear, blacks were pitch-black and colors really popped,” he said after using it at Apple’s event. “After looking at the iPad Air display, it was obvious how much better these screens are.”

Side-by-side display comparison of the 2024 and 2022 iPad Pro models in front of a colorful background.
iPad Pro: 11-inch (2024 vs. 2022)
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget

Another change you’ll notice when you compare the two iPad Pros side-by-side is camera positioning. The 2024 model moves its front-facing camera to the top-center when viewed in landscape orientation. The older model used Apple’s original iPad configuration, where the camera was centered above the screen when holding it upright in portrait mode.

The new iPad Pro is also noticeably lighter and thinner than its 2022 predecessor. The 13-inch model is a mere 5.11mm (0.2 inch) thick and weighs only 579g (1.28 lbs), making it 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the 12.9-incher from 2022. Meanwhile, the new 11-inch variant is 5.3mm (0.21 inch) thick and weighs 444g (0.98 lb), making it 10 percent thinner and five percent lighter than the older one.

Considering the 2022 model was already a svelte machine, it’s no wonder we found the new iPad Pro surprisingly thin and light relative to its processing power. Speaking of which…

Two iPads in front of a colorful gradient background. M4 and M2 chips below denote the different versions.
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget

The iPhone maker unveiled a new Apple Silicon version on an iPad instead of a Mac for the first time. The all-new M4 chip has up to a 10-core CPU configuration (four performance cores and six efficiency cores), which the company says translates to one and a half times faster performance than the M2 silicon in the 2022 model.

I say “up to” because, similar to MacBooks and some older iPad Pro models, Apple is shipping different chip variants depending on your pricing tier. The 1TB and 2TB versions of the 2024 model have that 10-core chip, while the 256GB and 512GB models drop down to a nine-core M4 with three performance and six efficiency cores.

The lower-tier and high-end M4 variants include a 10-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a 16-core neural engine, 120GB/s memory bandwidth and 16GB of RAM. So the different models don’t sound dramatically different — you just get an extra performance core in the more expensive tiers. We’ll have to wait until we get some extended time with them to see how that translates into real-world experience.

By comparison, the M2 in the 2022 iPad Pro has an eight-core CPU with four performance and four efficiency cores. It also has a 16-core Neural Engine (of course, an older version than the one in the M4), 100GB/s memory bandwidth and either 8GB or 16GB of RAM.

Graphic showing the different accessories available for the two most recent iPad Pro models. Includes keyboards and Apple Pencils.
Apple / Will Shanklin for Engadget

The new iPad Pro also has some new accessories you can’t use with the 2022 model. That includes a new Magic Keyboard that Apple claims makes “the entire experience feel just like using a MacBook.”

You can thank its bigger trackpad with haptic feedback (like on modern MacBooks) and an aluminum palm rest. The older model used a microfiber-esque material and physically clicking trackpad, so the new one should feel more solid underneath your hands and aligned with MacBooks’ look and feel.

The new Magic Keyboard also adds a new 14-key function row (also similar to a MacBook) with shortcuts for things like brightness, Spotlight search, Siri / dictation and media controls.

Meanwhile, the Apple Pencil Pro — exclusively compatible with the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air — looks much like its predecessor but adds some extra goodies. Those include a new sensor in its barrel that lets you squeeze it like the lovely little stylus it is.

The new squeeze gesture can bring up tool palettes or activate shortcuts. Third-party developers can even customize the actions for individual apps. For the first time, it also adds haptic feedback to let you know if your squeeze was accepted or if something you moved has landed in its intended spot.

The new Apple Pencil also works with Find My (another first), so you can check on its most recent location in Apple’s location app if you lose it.

Both models also work with the cheaper ($79) USB-C Apple Pencil from 2023.

Well, it can’t all be good news. With all those upgrades, Apple is once again asking you to consider paying more for a high-end tablet. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999, and the 13-inch model starts at a whopping $1,299. Those are each $200 higher than the starting prices in the 2022 model (when it was available).

But wait, it gets worse. Those prices don’t take into account the $299 (11-inch) or $349 (13-inch) you’ll pay if you want to add the new Magic Keyboard, nor does it factor in the $129 for the Apple Pencil Pro. You’ll have to pony up to make the new iPad Pro as much like a MacBook as possible: It will cost you almost what you’d pay for an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 chip.

On the slightly brighter side, you get more storage this time around. The 2024 iPad Pro starts with 256GB, double the 128GB in the 2022 model. Moving up from there, the other storage tiers are identical to its predecessor (ranging up to 2TB for those with Scrooge McDuck bank accounts).

Here’s a table showing the full specs comparison between the 2024 and 2022 iPad Pro models, including separate charts for the 13 / 12.9-inch and 11-inch variants.

13-inch iPad Pro (2024) vs. 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022)

12.9-inch iPad Pro (2024)

12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022)

Price

$1,299, $1,499, $1,899, $2,299

$1,099, $1,199, $1,399, $1,799, $2,199

Dimensions

281.16 x 215.5 x 5.1 mm

(11.09 x 8.48 x 0.20 inch)

280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4 mm

(11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inch)

Weight

1.28 pounds / 579 grams (Wi-Fi)

1.28 pounds / 582 grams (cellular)

1.5 pounds / 682 grams (Wi-Fi)

1.51 pounds / 685 grams (cellular)

Processor

M4

M2

Display

13-inch Ultra Retina XDR

2752 x 2064 (264 ppi)

12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR

2732 x 2048 (264 ppi)

Storage

256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

Battery

38.99 Wh

10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)

40.88 Wh

10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)

Camera

Back: 12MP, ƒ/1.8

Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4

Back: 12MP wide, ƒ/1.8 / 10MP ultrawide, ƒ/2.4

Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4

Compatible Apple accessories

Magic Keyboard (2024)

Apple Pencil Pro

Apple Pencil (USB-C)

Magic Keyboard (2020)

Apple Pencil (2nd generation)

Apple Pencil (USB-C)

11-inch iPad Pro (2024) vs. 11-inch iPad Pro (2022)

11-inch iPad Pro (2024)

11-inch iPad Pro (2022)

Price

$999, $1,199, $1,599, $1,999

$799, $899, $1,099, $1,499, $1,899

Dimensions

249.7 x 177.5 x 5.9 mm

(9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21 inch)

247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9 mm

(9.74 x 7.02 x 0.23 inch)

Weight

0.98 pound / 444 grams (Wi-Fi)

0.98 pound / 446 grams (cellular)

1.03 pound / 466 grams (Wi-Fi)

1.04 pound / 470 grams (cellular)

Processor

M4

M2

Display

11-inch Ultra Retina XDR

Tandem OLED

2420 x 1668 (264 ppi)

11-inch Liquid Retina

LED

2388 x 1668 (264 ppi)

Storage

256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB

Battery

31.29 Wh

10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)

28.65 Wh

10 hrs (Wi-Fi), 9 hrs (cellular)

Camera

Back: 12MP, ƒ/1.8

Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4

Back: 12MP wide, ƒ/1.8 / 10MP ultrawide, ƒ/2.4

Front: 12MP, ƒ/2.4

Compatible Apple accessories

Magic Keyboard (2024)

Apple Pencil Pro

Apple Pencil (USB-C)

Magic Keyboard (2020)

Apple Pencil (2nd generation)

Apple Pencil (USB-C)

Stay tuned for Engadget’s full review of the 2024 model. In the meantime, you can recap Nathan Ingraham’s initial impressions of the new iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pro, Devindra Hardawar’s recap of the new model’s features and Sam Rutherford’s run-through of the new M4 chip.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ipad-pro-2024-vs-2022-whats-changed-202056821.html?src=rss

Adobe’s full Creative Cloud suite is 40 percent off in a rare deal

Designers, photographers and other creators may want to check out this deal from Adobe. From now through May 13, first-time subscribers can save 40 percent on the monthly cost of the Creative Cloud All Apps plan for a full year. That brings the price down from a hefty $60 per month to a slightly more palatable $36. To get the deal, you'll need to agree to a 12-month subscription commitment. After the year is up, the plan will automatically renew at the regular price, unless you cancel. If you want to pay for the whole year at once, it'll run you $396, which is also 40 percent of the standard $660. 

Creative Cloud All Apps includes online access to Adobe stalwarts like Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and InDesign, plus about 20 additional apps — including Firefly, the text-to-image generative AI tool and the social-content-focused Adobe Express. The plan also comes with 100GB of cloud storage, tutorials, Adobe Fonts and 1,000 credits per month to use towards generative AI creation in Firefly and others.  

Adobe doesn't often run discounts on their service, so this is a rare opportunity to catch a break on the tools that, for some creative pursuits, are tough to replace. The $36 monthly price tag is likely the closest most of us will get to the enviable student and teacher pricing of $20 per month.

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/adobes-full-creative-cloud-suite-is-40-percent-off-in-a-rare-deal-170847284.html?src=rss

Everything announced at Apple’s Let Loose iPad event

Another Apple event is in the books and, as expected, the Let Loose showcase was all about iPad. We now have our first Apple device powered by an M4 chip in the iPad Pro, with the company surprisingly choosing to debut it there rather than in a Mac. There's also an upgraded iPad Air that's available in two sizes: 11 inches and 13 inches.

There are some accessory updates too, which isn't a big shock given that an Apple Pencil was prominent in the event's teaser image. So, without further ado, here's a rundown of everything Apple announced at its blessedly brief Let Loose event.

It had been expected for a while that any updated iPad Pro would have an M3 chip, but Apple decided to upend the expectations of many by instead slotting the brand new M4 into its highest-end tablet. Apple says the new device delivers 50 percent faster performance than the M2 iPad Pro. 

Rendering performance is said to be four times faster than on the M2 Pro as well. For the first time on an iPad, Apple is bringing support for dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated ray tracing and hardware-accelerated mesh shading to the Pro with the M4.

There are some power efficiencies here too. Apple says the M4 can deliver the same performance as an M2 using half the power. So, if you're using the tablet for tasks that aren't too strenuous, it stands to reason that the battery should last for longer.

The other major upgrade for the iPad Pro is new display tech called Tandem OLED. As the name suggests, it uses two OLED panels layered on top of each other. That means this tablet should have richer colors and deeper blacks on what Apple is calling the Ultra Retina XDR display. Apple says the brightness levels max out at 1000 nits for standard and HDR, and 1600 nits for HDR.

Despite the dual layer, the OLED panels are still thinner than an LCD display. To that end, Apple says the iPad Pro is now somehow thinner than an iPod nano (RIP, you beautiful thing), making it the company's most slender product ever. There's a nano-textured glass option for the first time on an iPad Pro too, but only if you opt for at least 1TB of storage.

One other notable change is that the Ultra Wide 12MP front-facing camera is now on the landscape edge. The Magic Keyboard users out there may be pleased about that tweak.

The new iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch, each with 256GB of storage. Add $200 to each of you want 5G cellular connectivity via eSIM.

We've already had a hands-on with the iPad Pro and, at first glance, the display seems like the show stealer.

We have to chat a bit about what's powering the iPad Pro: the all-new M4 chipset. The Pro is the first Apple product to use the M4, even before any Mac. 

The M4 has a new CPU with up to four performance cores and six efficiency cores. There's a 10-core GPU as well. Notably, the chipset's neural engine is focused on machine learning and AI. Apple says the neural engine is capable of 38 trillion operations per second — it's 60 times faster than the first neural engine that debuted in the A11 chip. AI features that the M4 will power on the iPad Pro will include real-time Live Captions, the ability to isolate subjects and remove backgrounds in videos in Final Cut Pro and automatic musical notation in StaffPad.

Odds are high that we'll start seeing Macs with the M4 pop up later this year, which might put folks off from buying the M3 MacBook Air Apple started selling just a couple of months ago (though the company says the MBA is now the best-selling 13-inch and 15-inch laptop on the planet). 

The main reason for Apple skipping a silicon generation with the iPad Pro is likely to start a transition into AI hardware ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Expect the company to talk much more about what it plans to do with AI across all its products next month.

iPad Air (2024) colorways.
Apple

The iPad Air was well overdue for an update after being stuck with an aging M1 chipset for over two years. The latest model (or models) boast an M2 chipset. Still recent enough to make it a notable upgrade from the previous Air while keeping the more powerful iPad Pro distinct.

As I mentioned, the iPad Air now comes in two sizes, the existing 11-inch form factor and the new, larger 13-inch variant. That makes the Air the most cost-effective large screen iPad as things stand. Oh, and the front-facing camera is also positioned on the longer edge of the Air now. Thanks, Apple.

The company has doubled the base storage from the previous generation to 128GB. The 11-inch model starts at $599 and the new 13-inch Air is $799. For 5G cellular connectivity, you'll need to pay $150 extra. As with pretty much everything else Apple showed off today, the new iPad Air will drop next Wednesday.

We've also had some hands-on time with the new iPad Air. With the combination of the price and the various hardware updates, Apple could be onto another winner here.

Apple Pencil Pro
Apple

There's a new Apple Pencil around town and it has some nifty tricks up its sleeve, including haptic feedback. The Apple Pencil Pro supports a new squeeze gesture too. If you rotate the barrel, you can change the orientation of brush and pen tools, just as you would with a pen and paper.

Find My support for the first time in an Apple Pencil is very welcome, considering how easy it is too lose the dang thing if you don't store it securely on the side of your iPad. 

The Apple Pencil Pro costs $129. Preorders are open today and it ships on May 15.

Overshot keyboard.
Apple

Meanwhile, there's a new Magic Keyboard that's only compatible with the iPad Pro. This one is made from aluminum to give it a more premium feel and perhaps help users believe that the iPad Pro is the laptop replacement Apple has long envisioned its tablets being.

The latest version has a larger trackpad with haptic feedback, while there's a row of function keys, à la a more traditional keyboard.

The new Magic Keyboard also ships next week. If you want one for the 11-inch iPad Pro, it'll run you $300, while the larger variant is $350.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/everything-announced-at-apples-let-loose-ipad-event-161005007.html?src=rss

Apple quietly gives the 10th-generation iPad a $100 price drop

Near the end of its “Let Loose” event that brought new versions of the iPad Pro and iPad Air, Apple made some changes to the cheaper end of its tablet lineup. The 10th-generation iPad, the newest version of the budget model, now starts at $349, down from its original $449.

Alongside the price drop, Apple’s 9th-generation model (which was still rocking a Lightning port and home button) is now kaput. Its successor replaces it with a more modern design, USB-C and Touch ID on its lock button.

Apple’s new iPad lineup, showing outlines and captions for each model available.
Apple’s new iPad lineup sees the new price for the 10th-generation iPad and the end of its predecessor.
Apple

The 10th-generation iPad launched in 2022. Back then, Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham described it as “a complete redesign from [the 2021] model that cribs heavily from the iPad Air while also bringing a handful of compromises to upsell potential customers on Apple’s more expensive tablets.”

Although the 10th-gen model officially gets the $100 price cut, the model was already frequently discounted to that price at Apple’s retail partners. That price now gets you the 64GB base model, while the 256GB tier now costs $499, also a $100 drop from its 2022 launch.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-quietly-gives-the-10th-generation-ipad-a-100-price-drop-150256714.html?src=rss

Apple’s new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro gets a function row and haptic trackpad

Apple has announced a refreshed Magic Keyboard accessory at today’s iPad event. The new keyboard is designed to specifically work with the M4 iPad Pro line, though it doesn’t integrate with the iPad Air or any other model.

When connected to the iPad Pro, it makes the tablet look like an actual laptop. Apple says “the entire experience feels just like using a MacBook.” To further assist this laptop mimicry, the keyboard boasts a larger trackpad with haptic feedback. There’s also a new function row for quick access to convenient controls, like brightness and the like.

Here it is.
Apple

The keyboard now features an aluminum palmrest and is available in two colors. Magic Keyboard ships with the iPad Pro next week. The keyboard costs $300 or $350, depending on which iPad Pro model it aligns with. The company also announced new iPads today, including an OLED iPad Pro and a refreshed iPad Air

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-new-magic-keyboard-for-the-ipad-pro-gets-a-function-row-and-haptic-trackpad-144312086.html?src=rss

Apple’s thinner new iPad Pros feature an M4 chip and “tandem” OLED displays

Apple's new iPad Pro models are its most laptop-like tablets yet. They're the first devices powered by the company's M4 chip, which will deliver faster performance and more AI capabilities. And, for the first time outside of the iPhone and Apple Watch, both the new 11-inch and (slightly larger) 13-inch iPad Pros will sport OLED screens. That's a step up from the LCD and Mini-LED displays on the previous models, and it should lead to bolder colors, inky dark black levels and far better contrast. 

iPad Pro 2024
Appole

These aren't your typical OLEDs, either: Apple says the new iPad Pros feature "tandem" OLED displays (branded as Ultra Display XDR) for 1,000 nits of SDR and HDR brightness, as well as 1,500 nits of peak brightness. That solves the brightness issues facing earlier OLED screens, and it means you likely won't miss the extreme brightness of Mini-LED. For an additional $100, you can also equip the 1TB and 2TB iPad Pro models with nano-texture glass, which helps to reduce screen glare. 

Thanks to the OLED displays, Apple was also able to make the new iPad Pros far thinner and lighter than before. The 11-inch model is 5.3mm thick and "weighs less than a pound," according to the company, while the 13-inch is 5.1mm thick and is "nearly a quarter pound lighter than its predecessor." Notably, Apple says the bigger iPad Pro is the thinnest device it's ever made. 

iPad Pro 2024
Appole

It's interesting to see Apple skip the M3 chip entirely and debut the M4 on the iPad Pro — that's a sign of just how important the company considers these new tablets. The M4 chip sports up to a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU. (Oddly enough, you'll have to buy the iPad Pro with 1TB or 2TB of storage to get the fully-powered M4, the lower tier models are stuck with a 9-core CPU. Those storage tiers also come with 16GB of RAM, instead of 8GB) Apple claims the M4's CPU is up to 50 percent faster than the M2, and its GPU is four times as fast. It also features a Neural Engine that can reach 38 TOPS (tera operations per second) of AI performance. That's faster than any processor shipping today, and it's slightly below the upcoming Snapdragon X Elite chips, which feature a 45 TOPS NPU.

As for other new hardware, the iPad Pros feature a 12-megapixel rear camera that can capture Smart HDR images. It can also identify documents and scan them more easily thanks to a True Tone flash. Apple claims it can use AI to take multiple images and merge them into a clearer scanned image. Just like the recent 10th-gen iPad, Apple also moved the iPad Pro's webcam to the top of the tablet's landscape orientation, which will be helpful for wider video chats. (When it was at the top of the iPad's portrait view, it always felt like you were looking off to the side when you rotated it to landscape view.)

Apple Magic Keyboard
Apple

In addition to vastly better performance and premium OLED displays, Apple's new Magic Keyboard ($299 for the 11-inch and $349 for the 13-inch) goes a long way towards making the iPad Pro seem like a laptop. It features a metal wrist rest, function keys and a much larger trackpad. The company claims it will make using the iPad Pro feel more like a MacBook (let's just hope we see some iOS 18 multitasking updates to truly cement that). For the artists out there, Apple also unveiled a new $129 Pencil Pro with squeeze and rolling capabilities, as well as haptic feedback.

The new iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model ($1,199 with 5G) and $1,299 for the 13-inch ($1,499 with 5G). Those prices are both $200 more than the previous models, yet another sign of Apple positioning these things more like notebooks.

Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Let Loose' event right here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-thinner-new-ipad-pros-feature-the-m4-chip-and-tandem-oled-displays-142031520.html?src=rss

Amazon’s standard Kindle is on sale for $80

Amazon’s entry-level 16GB Kindle is on sale for $80, which is a discount of 20 percent. This is the latest iteration of the standard ereader, dating back to 2022. Amazon doesn’t do too many Kindle hardware updates, so we don’t know if this sale precludes a forthcoming refresh. The sale covers both the black and blue denim versions.

The Kindle is one of the most iconic brands in the ereader space, and for good reason. Amazon has been pumping them out for 17 years. This model actually made our list of the best ereaders, and we recommend it for anyone shopping for a budget-friendly reading tablet. We loved the price, which is made even more alluring by today’s sale, and the huge ebook selection via Amazon.

We also liked how easy it is to use. Even if you’ve never held an ereader in your life, you’ll be quickly turning pages in no time. There are a bunch of customization options, allowing you to fiddle with font type, font size, margins and more. You can even save a bunch of settings together as a “theme”, which is handy in households with more than one reader. The integration with audio books is also nice, as it ensures you’ll be on the same page no matter how you absorb the content.

This ereader isn’t waterproof and it lacks many of the add-ons common with more expensive models. The standard Kindle is about as basic as this tech gets, but as a one-purpose device, are extra bells and whistles really necessary? I splurged for the fancier Kindle Scribe, which comes with a stylus, but I kind of wish I didn’t. Since buying it, I’ve read like 150 books and written approximately zero notes. Simple is better, and cheaper.

As with most Kindles, there are ads on the lock-screen, which may be a dealbreaker for some. I fully understand aversion to advertisements, they generally suck, but I’ve never found them to be a problem on Kindles. I barely notice them. 

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/amazons-standard-kindle-is-on-sale-for-80-171207351.html?src=rss

Microsoft’s latest Windows security updates might break your VPN

Microsoft says the April security updates for Windows may break your VPN. (Oops!) “Windows devices might face VPN connection failures after installing the April 2024 security update (KB5036893) or the April 2024 non-security preview update,” the company wrote in a status update. It’s working on a fix.

Bleeping Computer first reported the issue, which affects Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2008 and later. User reports on Reddit are mixed, with some commenters saying their VPNs still work after installing the update and others claiming their encrypted connections were indeed borked.

“We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release,” Microsoft wrote.

There’s no proper fix until Microsoft pushes a patched update. However, you can work around the issue by uninstalling all the security updates. In an unfortunate bit of timing for CEO Satya Nadella, he said last week that he wants Microsoft to put “security above else.” I can’t imagine making customers (temporarily) choose between going without a VPN and losing the latest protection is what he had in mind.

At least one Redditor claims that uninstalling and reinstalling their VPN app fixed the problem for them, so it may be worth trying that before moving on to more drastic measures.

If you decide to uninstall the security updates, Microsoft tells you how. “To remove the LCU after installing the combined SSU and LCU package, use the DISM/Remove-Package command line option with the LCU package name as the argument,” the company wrote in its patch notes. “You can find the package name by using this command: DISM /online /get-packages.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-latest-windows-security-updates-might-break-your-vpn-202050679.html?src=rss

You can finally use passkeys to sign into your Microsoft account

Microsoft is celebrating World Password Day (IT folks deserve holidays, too!) by helping to kill them. The company has finally rolled out consumer passkey support for Microsoft accounts, nearly two years after Apple and Google.

Once you set it up, the passkey lets you sign into your Microsoft account using your face, fingerprint or device PIN. It works not only on Windows but also on Apple and Google’s mobile and desktop platforms.

Passkeys are an easier and more secure way to access your account. They use what’s called a cryptographic key pair to ensure only you can get in. One half of the pair is stored on your local device, only accessible via your secure local login. The other part stays on the app or website. Requiring both of them to sign in acts as a deterrent for things like password leaks and phishing attacks.

In addition to Apple, Google and now Microsoft, companies adopting passkeys include Amazon, 1Password, Dashlane, Docusign, eBay, PayPal and WhatsApp (among others). Google said on Thursday that its passkeys have already been used a billion times.

Microsoft’s passkey support works starting today on the company’s desktop apps and websites, including Microsoft 365 (Office) and its Copilot AI assistant. The Windows maker says passkey support for its mobile apps “will follow in the coming weeks.”

You can get started by signing into your Microsoft account here and following the instructions.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-finally-use-passkeys-to-sign-into-your-microsoft-account-155431241.html?src=rss