The holidays are approaching, and you may be scrambling to figure out what you should get dad for the occasion. If you’re shopping for a father who’s into consumer tech, though, we can help. Below, we’ve consulted our many hours of gadget testing and put together a list of standout gift ideas, from VR headsets to pizza ovens to meat thermometers.
Black Friday is set to soak the world in glorious deals, but why wait until later in the month? Some of the best deals are already live. For instance, the M2 MacBook Air is available via Amazon for just $749. The regular price is $1,000, so this is a discount of 25 percent. It even boasts 16GB of RAM.
This model easily made our list of the best MacBooks, even with the presence of the newer M3 MacBook Air. Here are the takeaways. This laptop, obviously, includes Apple’s proprietary M2 8-core CPU, which is more than fast enough for basic tasks and fine for even many advanced tasks, like music-making. We called it "Apple's near-perfect Mac" in our official review.
This is not the bare-bones standard model, as it comes with 16GB of RAM. Most versions ship with 8GB of RAM. The multitasking bona-fides are strong with this one. The M2 MacBook Air also ships with a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display with 500 nits of brightness and support for the P3 wide color gamut.
It’s thin and light. It’s a MacBook Air. This thing weighs around 2.7 pounds. The battery life is solid, at around 18 hours of use per charge. The four-speaker sound system can get surprisingly loud, so headphones are not a requirement when watching random YouTube videos or listening to music.
So what’s the downside? There isn’t one. Not really. This isn’t the M3 MacBook Air, so those looking for the latest and greatest model may be let down. The model does only ship with a 256GB solid state drive, but it’s easy enough to plug in an external.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-macbook-black-friday-deals-include-the-m2-macbook-air-with-16gb-of-ram-for-749-161500152.html?src=rss
Google now offers a dedicated Gemini AI app on iPhone. First spotted by MacRumors, the free software is available to download in Australia, India, the US and the UK following a soft launch in the Philippines earlier this week.
Before today, iPhone users could access Gemini through the Google app, though there were some notable limitations. For instance, the dedicated app includes Google’s Gemini Live feature, which allows users to interact with the AI agent from their iPhone’s Dynamic Island and Lock Screen. As a result, you don’t need to have the app open on your phone’s screen to use Gemini. The software is free to download — though a Gemini Advanced subscription is necessary to use every available feature. Gemini Advanced is included in Google’s One AI Premium plan, which starts at $19 per month.
The app is compatible with iPhones running iOS 16 and later, meaning people with older devices such as the iPhone 8 and iPhone X can use the AI agent. I’ll note here that the oldest iPhone that can run Apple Intelligence is the iPhone 15 Pro. Of course, that’s not exactly a fair comparison; Apple designed its suite of AI features to rely primarily on on-device processing, and when a query requires more computational horsepower, it goes through the company’s Private Cloud Compute framework.
Either way, it’s not surprising to see Google bring a dedicated Gemini app to iPhone. Ahead of WWDC 2024, Apple had reportedly been in talks with the company to integrate the AI agent directly into its devices.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-now-offers-a-standalone-gemini-app-on-iphone-160025513.html?src=rss
The executive arm of the European Union isn’t shying away from slapping major tech companies with hefty fines. The European Commission has fined Meta €797.12 million ($842 million) for violating antitrust regulations.
The EC says that by tying Facebook Marketplace to Facebook and “imposing unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads service providers,” Meta “abused its dominant positions" in the social networking space. Regulators determined that all Facebook users are “regularly exposed” to Marketplace, even if they don’t want to be. To that end, the link between the two services gives Meta “a substantial distribution advantage which competitors cannot match.”
In addition, the EC found that third-party classified ads services that advertised on the likes of Facebook and Instagram were subject to unfair trading conditions. “This allows Meta to use ads-related data generated by other advertisers for the sole benefit of Facebook Marketplace,” regulators contended.
The fine was determined based on the duration and extent of the infringement, as well as Meta’s revenue. The Commission also told Meta to end the practice and avoid repeating such conduct or trying something similar.
Meta said it will appeal the ruling. “This decision ignores the realities of the thriving European market for online classified listing services and shields large incumbent companies from a new entrant, Facebook Marketplace, that meets consumer demand in innovative and convenient new ways,” it claimed.
The company is trying to appease European regulators on other fronts. The EC said in the preliminary findings of an ongoing investigation that Meta violated the Digital Markets Act with its approach to an ad-free subscription, as it required EU users to consent to highly targeted advertising or pay to avoid it. This week, Meta lowered the monthly subscription fee and said it would offer an advertising option that won't use as much of a user's data, though this will include some unskippable ads.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-fines-meta-842-million-in-a-facebook-marketplace-antitrust-case-154111594.html?src=rss
We’re big Lego fans here at Engadget, so it’s not difficult for us to understand why the building block sets are some of the first items to sell out during the holiday shopping season. Kids and adults alike seek out Lego sets all year round, and they make particularly good gifts. Whether you know your recipient loves Star Wars or Super Mario, or they don’t have a fan-favorite franchise and just love building stuff, there are Lego sets out there that all kinds of people will love. And no, they don’t all cost hundreds of dollars — some, like seasonal advent calendars, come in at $50 or less. If you’ve got a Lego lover on your holiday shopping list (or if that person is you), these are the best Black Friday Lego deals for 2024. Most of these deals are on Amazon, but you can find the same (or similar) pricing direct at Lego and other retailers like Target.
The highlights for Black Friday include a couple of Lego advent calendars: one for Disney fans and another that's more general for all kids. Lego makes a bunch of other advent calendars in addition to these, and we expect to see more of them go on sale in the coming days.
There's also the beautiful Insect Collection, which when completed, includes three life-size, posable models of a butterfly, Hercules beetle and Chinese mantis. Even as someone who detests bun appreciate the elegance of this set and how striking they'd look sitting on a shelf.
Star Wars, Super Mario and Harry Potter sets have been discounted as well. For example, This King Boo's Haunted Mansion set is on sale for the first time since launch, and in addition to the brick mansion that opens out for better play, it includes King Boo, Yellow Baby Yoshi, Dry Bones and Boo figurines. We'll be updating this post through the entire Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period, so check back for the latest offers.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-black-friday-lego-deals-include-up-to-29-percent-off-star-wars-super-mario-sets-150013566.html?src=rss
Yes, it's already the middle of November which means it's about to be "Oh, no what should I buy the people in my life for the holidays" freak out time. Thankfully, it's also sale season, with deals popping up all over the place ahead of Black Friday. Today's big discount is a great one for checking off gifts for the gamer in your life.
Right now, the three month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is down to about $29 from $45 on Woot. This deal comes courtesy of a 19 percent sale on the pass coupled with an additional 20 percent off when you use the code TWENTY at checkout. The only catch: the deal is just available for today or until its sold out.
The Xbox Game Pass gives the recipient access to hundreds of Xbox and PC games — with lots of titles becoming available the day they're released. It also includes online multiplayer through an Xbox console, PC or cloud. Overall, this is a great deal for anyone who loves gaming and sure to get you a big thank you at the holidays.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-include-three-months-of-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-for-only-30-145739491.html?src=rss
One of the Gemini AI-powered features Google introduced at I/O this year was a solution for never-ending scam calls. It has the capability to detect whether a call is suspicious while it's still ongoing and can alert you so that you could drop the call as soon as possible. That live scam detection feature for phone calls is now available for Pixel 6 and newer devices, as long as you're part of the Phone by Google public beta program in the English language.
"[S]cam calls are evolving, becoming increasingly more sophisticated, damaging and harder to identify," the company said in its announcement. Scam Detection uses on-device AI to determine whether a call is a potential scam in real time. For instance, if the caller tells you it's your bank and asks you to transfer funds to another account because yours had allegedly been breached — a common scam tactic — you'll get an audio and a haptic alert. When you look at your phone, you'll see a visual warning, along with a button to easily end the call. If the AI ends up making a mistake, you can tap on the "Not a scam" button instead.
Google
Scam Detection is off by default, and it's up to you whether you want to activate it. Google says it doesn't send your calls or their transcripts to a remote server, because the feature processes phone calls on-device. On the Pixel 9 series, it's powered by Gemini Nano, which Google describes as its "most efficient model for on-device tasks." On Pixel devices older than the Pixel 9, it's powered by the company's other machine learning models.
Google didn't say when live scam detection will make it out of beta, but it promised that it's coming soon to more Android devices. In October, the company also rolled out enhanced scam detection for Messages, which also uses on-device machine learning models to identify scam texts.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/googles-live-scam-detection-for-phone-calls-is-now-out-for-pixel-devices-143017096.html?src=rss
With its biggest update to Final Cut Pro (FCP) in years, Apple may be re-embracing the professional video creator crowd it has neglected since the launch of FCP X in 2011. The company finally unveiled its successor, Final Cut Pro 11 (FCP 11), an update that leans heavily on AI tools. At the same time, it introduced spatial video editing to produce content for the Vision Pro headset.
The key AI feature is Magnetic Mask, which lets you cut out people and other moving subjects, then stylize them or put them in another location altogether. "This powerful and precise automatic analysis provides additional flexibility to customize backgrounds and environments," Apple wrote. "Editors can also combine Magnetic Mask with color correction and video effects, allowing them to precisely control and stylize each project."
Apple
The other key new AI feature is Transcribe to Captions, which automatically analyzes interviews and other timeline audio, transcribes it and places the captions directly on the timeline — effectively automating the entire process. That feature uses an Apple-trained large language model (LLM) designed to transcribe spoken audio, the company said.
Final Cut Pro 11 also joins other pro editing apps like Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve in offering VR/AR video editing. "Spatial video editing" allows users to import and edit AR/VR video directly in the app, while adding effects, color correction and more. Footage can be captured from an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 models, along with Canon's R7 mirrorless camera paired with the new RF-S 7.8mm F/4 lens. Users can choose from different viewing modes to preview left- and right-eye angles, or bring their edit directly in to Apple Vision Pro to get a 3D preview.
Apple also unveiled Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1, further optimizing it for Apple silicon. The app also offers enhancements to the "light and color" feature that let you quickly improve the color, contrast and overall look of your video. And finally, the company released a new version of Final Cut Camera, which includes the ability to shoot in compact but high-quality HEVC files with Apple Log, rather than using storage-gobbling ProRes.
As a professional tool, Final Cut Pro 11 is still missing features found in Resolve and Premiere Pro like text-based editing and certain advanced color correction tools. Still, the new version and features will no doubt be welcomed by FCP diehards. It's now available to download for $299 for new users (following a free 90-day trial) and is free to existing Final Cut Pro owners.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apples-ai-infused-final-cut-pro-11-is-now-available-140030992.html?src=rss
We don’t speak for all moms, but a brief and unscientific survey has confirmed one gift most moms will love across the board: Time. Unspoken for, unstructured, zero-obligation time. While we couldn’t find extra hours on sale anywhere online, we did find some gadgets and gizmos that help save time and others that make precious down time more enjoyable. Our recommendations include some of the gifts we’ve given to the moms in our own lives as well as what the moms on staff would want for themselves. Most have a tech bent, because we are who we are, but all should appeal to any mom who wants to make the most of their time.
Snapchat is adding new location tracking abilities to its parental control features. The changes will give parents new visibility into their children’s Snap Map settings and allow them to keep tabs on their whereabouts.
The new features, which will be available “over the coming weeks,” will be added to Snapchat’s Family Center, the app’s portal for parental control features. With the updates, parents will be able to request to view their child’s location or share their own. Parents can also opt to receive “travel notifications” when their child leaves specific places, like their school or home.
Separately, Family Center, which already allows parents to keep tabs on who their children are chatting with, will also allow them to see who their teen has shared their location with in the app’s Snap Map.
That feature could help address some criticism the company has faced about the role its app’s location sharing abilities has played in crucial safety issues. Snapchat’s location sharing has come under particular scrutiny by safety advocates who have alleged it had enabled teens to connect with strangers, including drug dealers and potential predators. The feature was called out in a lawsuit brought by New Mexico’s Attorney General earlier this year over alleged safety lapses at the company.
In its latest update, Snap notes that it bars all users from sharing their location info with users who aren’t already their friends. And the company says it plans to push additional reminders to users about their Snap Map settings “prompting them to be extra thoughtful about their” choices.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/snapchat-will-let-parents-track-their-kids-through-family-center-130004215.html?src=rss