Tag Archives: Technology & Electronics

The 10th-gen Apple iPad is at its lowest price ever in an Amazon Black Friday deal

Posted on by

There’s a good iPad deal to be found if you're looking for an entry-level model. The 10th-generation iPad has dropped to its lowest price ever. The 64GB WiFi variant is down to $349 for Black Friday. That's $100 off and $30 less than the previous low. You can take your pick from the pink, blue, silver and yellow hues, since they're all available for $349.

We gave the 10th-gen iPad, which Apple released just over a year ago, a score of 85 in our review. It's a complete redesign compared with the 9th-gen model. The Home button has vanished, Touch ID is integrated into the lock button and there's a larger, 10.9-inch display. Apple has also moved the front-facing camera to the landscape edge, which is far more sensible, particularly for those who take video calls on their tablet.

We found that the 10th-gen iPad offers better performance and battery life than the previous model, though its A14 Bionic chip is not as powerful as the M1 or M2 that you'll find in a current iPad Air or iPad Pro. The display pales in comparison to those on other types of iPads too. However, if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive Apple tablet on which you can browse the web, answer emails, stream TV shows and movies, take notes and maybe even take care of some light photo editing, the 10th-gen iPad will fit the bill.

Meanwhile, the 9th-gen iPad has been available at a record low price of $249 for a while. It's our pick for the best budget iPad, though the performance and battery life improvements on the 10th-gen iPad may make that worth the upgrade given the current sale price. However you slice it, the 9th-gen iPad is the least expensive Apple tablet around, and it's still capable enough when it comes to casual tasks.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-10th-gen-apple-ipad-is-at-its-lowest-price-ever-in-an-amazon-black-friday-deal-160553943.html?src=rss

These are the 10 best Amazon Black Friday deals on Kindles, Fire TV devices and Echos that you can get right now

Posted on by

Amazon started its Black Friday deals early this year, and many Amazon devices are on sale right now. We sifted through the sale and selected standout deals on Amazon Kindles, Fire TV sticks, Echo speakers, and Eero routers. There's also a bundle that combines an Amazon display with a doorbell to extend the utility of both. We expect these prices to stay the same through Cyber Monday, so it's probably a safe bet to do the majority of your shopping now.

Echo Show 5

The Echo Show 5 is Amazon’s smallest smart display and was completely refreshed back in May of this year. The processor and audio quality were improved, but the device remains largely the same. It makes a good screen-enabled bedside alarm clock or a handy kitchen display so you can see recipe videos or make calls as you cook. It’s currently down to $40 which is $50 off and a discount it has hit twice in the past couple months.

Ring Video Doorbell and Echo Show 5

The Ring Video Doorbell paired up with an Echo Show 5 is a great starter kit for a connected home. Right now, the two together are $65. Bought separately and at full price, you’d pay $190, though both devices are often discounted, so this deal is about $10 less than the typical sale price for the two. The doorbell runs on battery or your existing doorbell wires and shoots motion-triggered 1080p video, sending it to the Ring app on your phone or directly to your Echo Show 5.

Fire TV Stick 4K Max

The new Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $40, which is a 33 percent discount and its lowest price since its debut in September. This new model has a faster processor than the previous 4K Max dongle, and is the first stick to support Amazon’s Ambient Experience, which was previously limited to the Fire TV sets. When you’re not watching, the screen will display art, along with widgets for weather, calendar and smart home devices. The Alexa remote lets you search for and play shows and movies just by talking, and also supports Wi-Fi 6E, letting those who’ve upgraded to take advantage of that tri-band connection.

Kindle Scribe

The base model Kindle Scribe with 16GB of storage and Amazon's "Basic Pen" stylus is down to $240, which is $100 off its $340 list price and and a new low price that's $15 less than the members-only deal from Amazon’s July Prime Day. We gave it a review score of 85 when it came out last year and it’s one of our picks in our guide to the best E Ink tablets. At its core, it’s a Kindle ereader that lets you take hand-written notes. That includes drawing, making to-do lists, creating sticky notes and scribbling in the margins of a small selection of Kindle titles (mostly puzzle and journaling books).

Echo Dot

Amazon's most popular speaker, the Echo Dot is back down to $23. That matches its lowest price ever, which it dropped to for both Prime Day sales earlier this year. It's our favorite smart speaker under $50. It does a good job of delivering Alexa's abilities and smart home control and is capable of pumping out louder and cleaner music than you'd expect from such a compact device. It can also set reminders, answer questions and turn off your connected smart lights, just by asking Alexa — which should get even more conversational soon. The Dot with a built-in clock is also on sale, with a 42 percent discount making it $35 or about $5 more than it went for Prime Day in July.  

Echo Pop

Amazon’s smallest Echo speaker, the Echo Pop, is currently down to $18, which is a 55 percent discount and matches its all-time low price. It has the same Alexa-enabled features as a full sized Echo speaker, but takes up a lot less space. Of course, the sound won’t be nearly as full as its larger siblings, so this makes more sense as a way to add the AI's help to the corner of a room than it does as a dedicated music source.

Echo 

The Echo is the original Amazon smart speaker and it's been refreshed four times since its launch. The latest model switched over to the globe shape, which allows for larger and more directional speakers. It's currently down to $55, which is the same as it went for during both 2023 Prime sales, but about $5 more than it sold for last Black Friday. We named it our favorite smart speaker under $100 because it is noticeably louder than it's two closest competitors, the Nest Audio or HomePod mini and can fill a room with sound. The bass is impressive, though the highs could be crisper. It also brings all that Alexa can do to whichever room you park it in. 

Fire HD 10 tablet

Amazon’s revamped Fire HD 10 tablet with 32GB of storage is now down to $80, which is 42 percent off and represents the new model’s first discount since its debut in September. Fire tablets make great couch companions, handling casual streaming and browsing, though they aren’t productivity workhorses, particularly since you're locked into Amazon's own app store. This generation is speedier and lighter than the previous generation and includes a better 5MP camera for video calls.

Echo Show 10

The latest generation of the Echo Show 10 smart display is on sale for $90 off the list price. That makes it $160 and matches its lowest price ever. The Show 10 is unique among smart displays in that it can pivot to face the screen towards you as you move around the room. Combined that with the upcoming chatbot update to Alexa, and it feels like we're getting closer to the advent of house robots. In the meantime, you can use the smart display to show you the weather, tell you a joke or start playing M3gan.   

Eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi router

If you want to take advantage of that 6 GHz Wi-Fi band, you’ll need a router (and devices) that support it. Amazon’s own Eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi router is $400 for a set of three, that's a 27 percent discount and matches the lows it's hit a few times before. The set of three routers should blanket up to 6,000 square feet with Wi-Fi coverage. In our tests, the routers performed well enough; they’re easy to set up and use, with an app that has a clean UI and step-by-step instructions. Unfortunately, many of the management features are paywalled, whereas systems by Google offer many of those tools for free.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/these-are-the-10-best-amazon-black-friday-deals-on-kindles-five-tv-devices-and-echos-that-you-can-get-right-now-153025921.html?src=rss

The third-gen Apple AirPods are down to $140 in Amazon’s Black Friday sale

Posted on by

Apple’s third-gen AirPods have dropped back down to a record-low price for the Black Friday shopping season. This $30 discount comes back around every so often, but it remains rare in the world of AirPod discounts. That also means that these buds tend to sell out quickly when they're on sale, so if you've needed a new pair for yourself or want to gift these to someone for the holidays, now's a good time to grab them.

Released in 2021, the third-gen AirPods brought massive improvements to Apple's popular wireless earbuds. The company redesigned them to be more comfortable and fit better in different ear shapes, and those hardware changes also help lift sound quality. A custom driver and a high-dynamic-range amplifier also bring a lot to the table, and the whole revamped package produces noticeably better sound than that of their predecessors. While these buds do not support ANC, they do support spatial audio, dynamic head tracking and Adaptive EQ, all of which contribute to the overall sound improvements.

Battery life has improved here as well: Apple estimates six hours of listening time on a single charge, and up to 30 hours when factoring in the extra juice their charging case provides. When we reviewed these buds, we managed to get around seven hours of life on a single charge (spatial audio on, dynamic head tracking off), and overall, those battery life estimates are pretty decent when it comes to true wireless earbuds.

These AirPods, like every other pair of earbuds Apple makes, has an H1 chip inside that enables features like hands-free Siri and quick pairing and switching between Apple devices. It's one of the reasons the company's earbuds are so popular: if you live within the Apple ecosystem and use an iPhone, iPad or MacBook, using AirPods with any and all of those devices is pretty seamless. Given this sale, the third-gen buds could make a good gift for the Apple obsessive on your list this year, or a good replacement for any aging earbuds you may have.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-third-gen-apple-airpods-are-down-to-140-in-amazons-black-friday-sale-145507691.html?src=rss

Engadget Podcast: Why the PlayStation Portal is truly baffling

Posted on by

Sony’s next “PSP,” the PlayStation Portal, is one odd little device. It can only stream games from your PlayStation 5 – beyond that, it’s a $200 doorstop. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with CNET’s Scott Stein about the Portal and the many ways it baffles us. While it does manage to stream games from the PS5 just fine, it’s also expensive, clunky and lacks basic features like Bluetooth audio support. It’s really only meant for the most diehard PS5 owners (and even they should probably wait for a sale).

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

Topics

  • What was Sony thinking with the Playstation Portal? (With CNET’s Scott Stein) – 0:54

  • Microsoft rebrands Bing Chat to Copilot – 27:34

  • Qi 2 wireless charging standard will bring Magsafe’s satisfying magnetic click to all supported phones – 34:03

  • Nothing Phone 2 is getting iMessage...sort of – 47:40

  • Late breaking: Apple confirms RCS is coming to iPhones next year – 52:15

  • WhatsApp free storage on Google Drive is coming to an end – 53:53

  • Working on – 1:06:52

  • Pop culture picks – 1:07:34

Subscribe!

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Scott Stein
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-playstation-portal-review-133055102.html?src=rss

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 mobile chipset with AI acceleration

Posted on by

Qualcomm just unveiled the latest mobile chipset to join its armada, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. Obviously, this is a refresh of the mid-range Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 and brings some new features to the table. We’ve long known that Qualcomm chips were about to get on-device AI integration, and the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is no exception.

Nearly every aspect of this chip seems to have been designed with artificial intelligence in mind, with Qualcomm saying that the components “deliver across-the-board advancements to ignite on-device AI.” This should significantly speed up generative AI applications, with advertised benchmarks of just one second to create Stable Diffusion images from a text prompt.

Of course, a mobile CPU is more than just AI, despite what marketing wants you to believe, and the 7 Gen 3 seems powerful for a mid-range chipset. It boasts 2.63GHz peak CPU speeds, a 50 percent bump in GPU performance compared to the previous gen and “incredible power efficiency” that should ease the strain placed on your phone’s battery. Qualcomm also boasts that the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 will help unlock “extraordinary camera capabilities” and allow for increased 5G integration.

Mobile chipsets are only as good as the phones they power, so Qualcomm has announced partnerships with OEMs like Honor and Vive. The company says there will be an announcement later this month to officially unveil the first smartphone that uses the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. Maybe it’ll show up in the just-announced Honor Magic 6, which also boasts a built-in LLM.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomm-announces-snapdragon-7-gen-3-mobile-chipset-with-ai-acceleration-063019422.html?src=rss

Bluesky hits 2 million users and will soon release a public web interface

Posted on by

Bluesky has just crossed 2 million users a year after the service's first ever post was created. While that's nowhere near the numbers Threads has already reached, it's still a big accomplishment for the X rival that only opened the app to users in February and still requires an invite for access. Bluesky hit 1 million users merely a couple of months ago, in September, which could mean that the platform has been sending out more invites recently. In its post announcing the milestone, the Bluesky team has also revealed that it's launching a public web interface around the end of November. 

The interface will allow anybody, even those without an account, to view posts on the platform. Its launch could make more potential users aware about the service's existence, and Bluesky believes making its posts more accessible "will be especially useful for real-time commentary and breaking news." In the long run, it could make the service one of people's go-to social networks for news in the same way X users rely on the website to read about current events. 

And for those waiting for Bluesky to become a more open platform like Mastodon, the team says federation is "timelined for early next year if development continues as planned." To become a federated or a decentralized and distributed social network, the team is currently developing the AT Protocol, which will give users the power to migrate both their identities and their content from one personal data server to another. "This is one of the core features of Bluesky that makes it 'billionaire-proof,' — you’ll always have the freedom to choose (and to exit) instead of being held to the whims of private companies or black box algorithms," the announcement post reads. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bluesky-hits-2-million-users-and-will-soon-release-a-public-web-interface-062757340.html?src=rss

Apple will offer RCS support starting in 2024

Posted on by

The green bubble-blue bubble divide may be getting smaller soon. Apple has confirmed it will support the RCS messaging standard that it's long eschewed. That's not to say that messages from Android devices will no longer appear green on Apple's Messages app. It does mean that texts from iPhones to non-iOS devices will support the newer Rich Communication Services protocol, meaning they will not have to go through the aging SMS (and MMS) system. In a statement, Apple said "We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS."

That support will "work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users." With new features like voice memo transcriptions and Check In that aren't available on RCS, iMessage could still outshine default text messaging apps on Android. It also means there might not be change to any of the colors of the conversation bubbles.

Google has long taken potshots at Apple for not supporting RCS, saying the texting experience between iPhones and non-iPhones is so outdated it might as well be using a pager. With RCS support, messages between Android and iOS devices will be more secure (than over SMS), while media can be shared at higher quality.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Google said that it was happy to see Apple support RCS. “We welcome Apple’s participation in our ongoing work with GSMA to evolve RCS and make messaging more equitable and secure, and look forward to working with them to implement this on iOS in a way that works well for everyone,” Google posted on X.

A GSMA spokesperson told Engadget earlier this year that the RCS Universal Profile (UP) "provides the industry with an open, consistent and global messaging service across networks and devices. It simplifies interoperability and enables OEMs and OS providers to achieve scale and give consumers a richer and more consistent messaging experience regardless of device or network."

It has not been entirely clear why Apple has resisted adopting RCS until now, though security and potential for spam are both possible factors. It took until August this year for Google to enable end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in all RCS group chats in its Messages app for Android and Wear, while E2EE has been available for individual conversations since 2021. Compare that to chats in WhatsApp and iMessage, which have been encrypted since the 2010s, and it's clear that RCS is fairly late to offer this security feature.

It's not yet evident exactly when Apple plans to enable support for RCS UP, though the statement said "later next year." Today's announcement just happens to fall on the date that's the deadline for companies to file challenges at the European Union's General Court. Apple is reportedly looking to challenge the EU's decision to put all of the App Store on a digital antitrust list under its Digital Markets Act. 

In September, Apple launched the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, which are the company's first phones to come with USB-C charging ports in place of Lightning. This week, we also saw news about the release of the Qi 2 wireless charging standard with the new iPhones among the first available devices compatible with the updated protocols. 

Whether it was brought on by EU regulations or other motivations, it's clear Apple is opening up parts of its walled garden to play nice with other devices. And maybe, just maybe, you won't have to "buy your mom an iPhone."

Update, November 16, 2023, 7:00PM ET: This story was updated with a statement from Google. 

Update, November 17, 2023, 1:25PM ET: This story was updated with additional context around the availability of end-to-end encryption on RCS and other messaging platforms.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-will-start-supporting-rcs-in-2024-182232923.html?src=rss

Microsoft’s Copilot AI is officially coming to Windows 10

Posted on by

Microsoft's AI ambitions are moving a bit backwards: Today, the company has confirmed that it's bringing Copilot AI to Windows 10. At first, it'll be available to Windows Insider users in an upcoming Release Preview update, where Copilot will appear on the right side of the Task Bar. Once selected, you'll see the familiar Copilot interface, which you can use to ask the AI questions, manage Windows features or interact with documents. Microsoft says the Copilot window won't overlap with desktop content or block open windows.

If this all sounds familiar, it's because Windows Central reported that Windows 10 would be getting Copilot earlier this month. The move isn't exactly surprising. While Windows 11 is Microsoft's latest OS, it only accounts for 26 percent of Windows installations, according to GlobalStats. Windows 10, meanwhile, still holds 69 percent of the Windows market.

In 2020, Microsoft announced that Windows 10 reached 1 billion devices, and it still appears to be above that figure. Windows Central's reporting suggests that Windows 11 is on 400 million devices, in comparison. Just one look at those numbers and it makes sense why Microsoft is bringing its latest tech into an aging OS (its "end of service" date is still October 14, 2025). If the company was able to declare it brought Copilot's AI to 1.4 billion devices in 2023, this year of over-accelerated AI hype will have been worth it.

Windows 10's Copilot will be previewed in North America, as well as parts of Asia and South America over the next few months. For Windows Insiders who want to get in line for the update, Microsoft suggests installing today's November preview update. Additionally, they'll need to enable the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" feature in Windows Update.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-copilot-ai-is-officially-coming-to-windows-10-180020032.html?src=rss

Instagram update adds new camera filters and video editing tools for content creators

Posted on by

Instagram is rolling out an app update that is surprisingly robust, bringing a whole bunch of new features to content creators. First and foremost, there’s finally some new camera filters, which should shake things up for a while. These filters range from “subtle color edits” to more expressive and stylized options.

There are some other minor Camera Roll improvements to make it easier to find what you need as you edit. These include updated previews, a refined search function and even the ability to zoom.

As for video editing, there’s a new undo/redo tool that lets you, surprise, undo actions and redo them with the press of a button. Instagram also says it's testing the ability to scale, crop and rotate individual clips as part of the editing process. The audio tools are also getting some love, as you can pull audio clips from a dedicated media hub to accompany a Reel. Followers can remix this content as they see it. If this sounds a lot like TikTok, well, that’s because it is.

To that end, there are 10 new English text-to-speech voices to choose from, though they are only available in select countries for now. Additionally, there are six new text fonts and styles available to caption up your Reels or Stories, in addition to bolded outlines that should really make your copy pop. Hopefully.

A doggo as a sticker.
Instagram

If you really want to make something weird, Instagram now allows you to pull any part of a photo or video and turn it into a custom sticker. This also works the other way around, so users can pull eligible content from a favorite creator and turn it into a sticker. This particular tool was aided in development by Meta’s custom Segment Anything AI.

Finally, there are some updated tools for creators to keep track of their slow and steady rise to viral fame. The Retention Chart will offer a moment-by-moment insight into how many people are watching your content, though it’s not rolling out for a couple of months. The rest of these tools are available today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-update-adds-new-camera-filters-and-video-editing-tools-for-content-creators-171537564.html?src=rss

Google’s Pixel Tablet is $100 off in an early Black Friday sale

Posted on by

Tablets are always going to be popular items during Black Friday sales. They make for great gifts, and it's as good a time as any to pick one up for yourself if you've been on the fence. Google's Pixel Tablet is a solid choice, especially if you lean more toward Android than iOS (or iPadOS).

The 128GB version of the 11-inch Pixel Tablet has dropped back down to its all-time-low price of $399 at Amazon ahead of Black Friday. That's $100 off the regular price. If you opt for the porcelain variant with 128GB of storage, you can get a case (which is normally $80) at no extra cost. Either way, the tablet comes with a charging dock. Meanwhile, the 256GB model is also $100 off at $499 — there's no SD card slot to expand the storage, unfortunately.

We gave the Pixel Tablet a score of 85 in our review in June. Being able to plop the tablet onto the dock (which has a built-in speaker) is a big selling point as that effectively turns the tablet into a smart display. In this mode, you can use the tablet to stream music and video, control and monitor smart home devices, display your favorite photos and more. Thanks to Google Assistant, you'll be able to do much of this hands free. That said, the dock perhaps doesn't position the tablet at the most flattering angle for video calls. The case that you can get for free with the 128GB model handily has a kickstand.

The performance is fairly snappy thanks to the Tensor G2 chipset, while the 2,560 x 1,600 LCD display is decent enough (although being limited to a 60Hz refresh rate is a drag). You should get a full day of use out of the tablet before you need to recharge the 5,000mAh battery. Google is also promising OS updates through at least June 2026 and security updates for two years beyond that at minimum.

On the downside, the lack of a headphone jack is galling. During our review period, we ran into a few software hiccups while the tablet was in Hub Mode as well. Overall, the Pixel Tablet isn't quite as compelling as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series when it comes to our pick for the best Android tablet. However, it's still a strong choice for a more budget-friendly Android tablet. It's significantly less expensive than Samsung's models, especially during this sale.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-pixel-tablet-is-100-off-in-early-black-friday-sale-164321754.html?src=rss