Tag Archives: region|US

The Morning After: The best smartphones under $300

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Aside from who’d win in a fight between Elon Musk and the ghost of Steve Jobs, the question I’m asked most is how to find the best budget-friendly smartphone.

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Samsung

As an insufferable early adopter/power user, I’m used to spending $1,000-plus on my daily addiction, but you don’t have to get a great capable phone in 2024. This time around, our top picks cost between $100 and $300, so we truly mean cheap. (In fact, our picks undercut my go-to recommendation of the Pixel 7A, which is hovering above $400.)

Take a look at our guide, which includes devices from OnePlus, Samsung and Moto.

— Mat Smith

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Where to recycle your used and unwanted gadgets

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No more Pornhub for Texas

The parent company blocked access to all its other adult entertainment websites.

You’ll have to get your kicks elsewhere, Texas. Pornhub is now inaccessible in the state, after the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled Texas can enforce its age-verification regulations for porn websites. If you try, you’ll be met with a message: “Dear user, as you may know, your elected officials in Texas are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website.” As you might have guessed, Texas now tops the list of states for VPN searches as its residents look for a workaround to access their favorite adult content.

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Google I/O 2024 takes place on May 14

What’s next for Android and the company’s AI products.

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Google

Google revealed the date for this year’s I/O conference in really annoying fashion. It asked folks to complete a tedious logic puzzle. Once enough people finished all 15 levels and got a marble to its destination repeatedly, they got the date.

The keynote will give us a look at upcoming Pixel and Android features — and maybe a bit of hardware. Please?

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SpaceX’s third Starship test launch takes off successfully

Next, the company plans to test relighting its Raptor engine in space.

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SpaceX

The third time’s the charm as SpaceX attempted another test of its Starship rocket. The Starship launched at 9:25AM ET on Thursday morning. Shortly after launch, it completed the hot-staging separation from its Super Heavy Booster, and the Starship successfully ignited the second-stage Raptor engines. While SpaceX said both the booster and Starship were going to return to Earth at “terminal velocity,” thus making any recovery of them impossible, it looks like Starship didn’t make it to splashdown, breaking up on re-entry (according to initial data).

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-best-smartphones-under-300-111502970.html?src=rss

Twitch is ending its pandemic-era Prime Video watch parties

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If you're one of the — apparently few — remaining people still doing watch parties now that the pandemic lockdowns are way behind us, we're sorry to say that watching Prime Video shows with your pals on Twitch will no longer be an option soon. The Amazon subsidiary is removing the Prime Video Watch Party feature from its online streaming platform on April 2, almost four years after it became available to all of its users. Twitch introduced the feature in a closed beta test back in 2019 and then rolled it out to US streamers in 2020, shortly after the world pretty much shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

You might have used watch parties as a way to connect with other people those days, so that you could still be together even if you couldn't be at the same place. It may have been a godsend if you'd spent those lockdowns alone and may have helped you get through some really tough, isolating days. According to Variety, almost one-fifth of adults in the US had participated in a virtual co-viewing experience back in 2020. But your habits may have changed after the lockdowns had lifted. You may no longer be using that Peloton bike and home gym setup... and you may no longer be hosting or attending watch parties as often anymore, or at all. Not when you can go to the gym or go to actual theaters with friends. 

In Twitch's announcement, it said that the feature's usage on its platform has "declined over the years." Instead of thinking of ways on how to make it more appealing, the company has decided to remove it altogether and to invest its resources in other features. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-is-ending-its-pandemic-era-prime-video-watch-parties-110004438.html?src=rss

Black Mirror will get six new episodes in 2025

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Black Mirror, the series that eerily foreshadowed our current tech dystopia, is set to return in 2025 for a seventh season, Netflix revealed at its UK Next event. The six-episode run will include a sequel to one of the best-loved episodes, the darkly funny Star Trek spoof USS Callister. 

It's light on details, with a Netflix teaser only teasing the 2025 date and sequel episode. "Robert Daly is dead, but for the crew of the USS Callister, their problems are just beginning," the description reads. The original episode from season 4 (2017) starred Jesse Plemons and Cristin Milioti, along with the voice of Aaron Paul and an uncredited cameo by Kristen Dunst. That episode won multiple Emmys, including one for Outstanding Television Movie.

Black Mirror debuted in the UK in 2011 with the occasional hiatus, including this year. It was created by Charlie Brooker and executive produced by Annabel Jones. 

Its last season, in 2023, featured five episodes and included a few bangers like Loch Henry and Joan is Awful. The latter takes streaming services to their logical, dark conclusion (think The Truman Show meets OpenAI meets Netflix) — and we expect similar themes in the upcoming season. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/black-mirror-will-get-six-new-episodes-in-2025-081523986.html?src=rss

Pornhub says adios to Texas

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If Pornhub were a cowboy, then it has just tipped its hat and ridden off into the sunset to leave Texas. It's now inaccessible in the state after the US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled that Texas can start enforcing its age verification regulations for porn websites. As 404Media reports, when you visit Pornhub or any other adult entertainment website owned by its parent company Aylo from within the state, you'll now get a message that begins with: "Dear user, as you may know, your elected officials in Texas are requiring us to verify your age before allowing you access to our website."

The message then explains that the practice would "impinge on the rights of adults to access protected speech" and that it's the "least effective and yet also most restrictive means of accomplishing Texas' stated purpose of allegedly protecting minors." Texas' age verification rules require porn website visitors to prove their age by providing a copy of one of their government IDs. Aylo said in its message that "providing identification every time you want to visit an adult platform is not an effective solution for protecting users online, and in fact, will put minors and your privacy at risk."

Texas governor Greg Abbott signed the age verification bill into law last year, but a group of porn websites that included Pornhub filed a lawsuit to block it a month later. A judge issued a preliminary injunction that blocked its immediate enforcement, ruling that the plaintiffs showed that they "will likely be violated if the statute takes effect" and that they will "suffer irreparable harm." However, the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton (pictured above), appealed the injunction. The court did strike down the law's requirement to "display health warnings about the effects of the consumption of pornography," but Paxton has clearly won the battle. 

Pornhub's message for its Texas visitors is the same one it shows visitors from other states with similar age verification laws, including Utah, Montana, North Carolina and Mississippi. Last year, Aylo also started requiring Louisiana visitors to verify their identities through the state's digital driver's license wallet app, but most states don't have a comparable application that works with its system. "We believe that the only effective solution for protecting minors and adults alike is to verify users' age on their device and to either deny or allow access to age-restricted materials and websites based on that verification," Aylo explained in its message. 

In a rather amusing yet expected turn of events, there was a spike in Google searches for "VPN" after the appeals court's ruling came out. As you might have guessed, Texas now tops the list of states for VPN searches, indicating that people are now looking for ways to circumvent Pornhub's shutdown in the region. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pornhub-says-adios-to-texas-071814587.html?src=rss

Max annual subscriptions are 40 percent off right now

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You still have a few more days to save 40 percent on a year's subscription to Max. The discount is available to new subscribers (and some existing ones) and includes every plan the streaming service offers. The top tier subscription is for the ad-free, 4K plan which will now cost $140 annually instead of $240. The mid-level plan is also ad-free but doesn't support 4K content. Thanks to these Max streaming deals that level is $105 for the year, instead of $192. The cheapest Max subscription is ad-supported and now $70 yearly, which works out to $5.83 per month as opposed to the usual $10. Max will run the discounts until Tuesday, April 9th.  

Not only is the deal open to all new subscribers, existing subscribers who buy their service direct from Max.com can also take advantage. If you're a returning subscriber and previously went through Max.com, the Apple App Store or Google Play, you can also get the discount. Unfortunately, only new subscribers via Fire TV are eligible. The timing of the deal is tied to March Madness promotions, as Max will stream all 2024 Division I NCAA men's basketball championship games live, along with other live sports. 

For those who don't remember, Max is the name given to the streaming service that combines HBO's programming with Discovery+ content. While the name may be less memorable, the smooshing of the two services means more content to peruse — from brands like HGTV and Food Network — in addition to fine HBO fare like The Last of Us and True Detective. It's also where you can find Studio Ghibli films and A24 movies. Plus Our Flag Means Death, though canceled, was superb. There's a reason we named Max one of the best streaming services out there. 

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/max-annual-subscriptions-are-40-percent-off-right-now-222339611.html?src=rss

TikTok is now asking users to call their Senators to prevent a US ban

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One day after a bill that could lead to a ban of TikTok in the United States passed the House of Representatives, the company is doubling down on its strategy of urging users to call lawmakers. The app began pushing new in-app messages to users asking them to "tell your Senator how important TikTok is to you” and to “ask them to vote not on the TikTok ban.”

The new alerts are the second such message TikTok has pushed to users about the bill. Prior to the House vote, the company prompted users to call their representatives in the House. The step may have backfired as lawmakers accused the company of trying to “interfere” with the legislative process as Congressional offices were reportedly overwhelmed with calls, many of which came from somewhat confused teenagers.

The latest notifications are even more direct. “The House of Representatives just voted to ban TikTok, which impacts 170 million Americans just like you,” it says. “Now, if the Senate votes, the future of creativity and communities you love on TikTok could be shut down.” Like the previous alerts, users can choose to “call now,” and the app will find phone numbers if a zip code is provided.

TikTok is pushing new in-app messages urging users to call lawmakers.
Screenshot via TikTok

TikTok didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. But the message underscores just how big a threat the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” is to the company. If passed, TikTok would have about six months to sell itself or face a ban in the US. Though there have been several previous attempts to ban the app or force a sale, no measure has received as much bipartisan support so quickly. If passed by the Senate, President Joe Biden has said he would sign it into law.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew has also appealed directly to users, telling them to “protect your constitutional rights” and promising that the company would “do all we can including exercising our legal rights to protect this amazing platform.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-is-now-asking-users-to-call-their-senators-to-prevent-a-us-ban-213935787.html?src=rss

The FCC just quadrupled the download speed required to market internet as ‘broadband’

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The FCC has raised the speeds required to describe internet service as “broadband” for the first time since 2015. The agency’s annual high-speed internet assessment concluded that 100 Mbps downloads and 20 Mbps uploads will be the new standard. The news will likely irk ISPs who would love to keep pointing to 25 Mbps / 3 Mbps speeds (the previous standards) and convincing people they’re getting high-speed broadband.

The FCC’s report broke down several areas where the country’s online infrastructure falls short. The agency concluded that broadband isn’t being deployed quickly enough to serve Americans, especially those in rural areas and those living on Tribal lands. “These gaps in deployment are not closing rapidly enough,” the agency wrote in its report.

More specifically, the agency said fixed terrestrial broadband service (not including satellite) has yet to be deployed to around 24 million Americans, including about 28 percent of people in rural areas and over 23 percent of those living on Tribal lands. On the mobile front, it added that about nine percent of Americans (including 36 percent in rural areas and over 20 percent on Tribal lands) lack adequate 5G cellular speeds of at least 35 Mbps down / 3 Mbps up.

The report set a long-term goal of broadband speeds of 1 Gbps down / 500 Mbps up “to give stakeholders a collective goal towards which to strive.” Those numbers may hint at where the Commission would like to move the goalposts the next time it updates them. In 2015, when the commission set the 25 Mbps / 3 Mbps requirements, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel commented, “Frankly, it should be 100 Mbps”—the benchmark the agency finally moved to today, nine years later.

The FCC can’t police ISPs to force them to boost their speeds, but this type of move may be the best card it can play. What it can do is prevent them from marketing their services as “broadband” internet if they don’t meet these thresholds. It remains to be seen whether the companies providing the infrastructure play ball or opt for other marketing buzzwords to sell customers on glacial and outdated internet speeds.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-just-quadrupled-the-download-speed-required-to-market-internet-as-broadband-205950393.html?src=rss

Google I/O 2024 takes place on May 14

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It’ll soon be time for the tech world to once again turn its attention to Mountain View. Google has revealed the date for this year's I/O conference. The event is set for May 14. 

Google for Developers disclosed the date in annoying fashion. It asked folks to complete a tedious logic puzzle (think of the path puzzles from BioShock). Once enough people kindly finished all 15 levels and got a marble to its destination over and over again, Google announced when I/O will be happening. It will again be a one-day event this year.

While I/O is a developer conference, there’s always plenty of interest for consumers. The keynote, for instance, is bound to provide a look at some upcoming Pixel and Android features. We’ll likely learn about Google’s next steps in the fast-moving AI space as well (let’s just hope it’s not going to rebrand its chatbots yet again). Of course, we’ll have full coverage of the keynote and everything else you need to know from I/O right here at Engadget.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-io-2024-takes-place-on-may-14-200705393.html?src=rss

Intel’s latest desktop CPU hits 6.2GHz without overclocking, breaking another speed record

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Intel just broke another speed record when it comes to desktop CPUs. The company just introduced the Core i9-14900K CPU, which can reach up to 6.2GHz without overclocking, making it the fastest desktop processor available to consumers. The company did the same thing last year, but that chip maxed out at 6GHz. 

In addition to the record-breaking CPU speed, the i9-14900KS boasts a 24 cores/32 threads architecture and 36 megabytes of Intel’s proprietary Smart Cache technology, which shares the cache memory between the various cores. Intel says this will allow for “powerful performance in gaming and content creation workloads.”

The chip also makes use of Intel’s Thermal Velocity Boost tool, which is a feature in 11th Gen and later Intel Core chips that ups the clock frequency by 100 MHz when the temperature is below a threshold of 70 degrees C, or 158 degrees F. In other words, make sure your cooling system is on point.

As for metrics, the company promises that gamers will experience up to 15 percent better performance and that content creators should enjoy a 73 percent performance uptick when engaging in compute-intensive workflows. The i9-14900KS is compatible with Z790 and Z690 motherboards, but Intel recommends the latest BIOS to ensure the best results.

The Core i9-14900KS is available right now and starts at $700. It’s available at traditional retailers as a boxed product and will be integrated into systems from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners in the near future. Intel continues to focus on raw speed, rather than AI, which has been noticeable throughout this year’s product announcements.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/intels-latest-desktop-cpu-hits-62ghz-without-overclocking-breaking-another-speed-record-193839340.html?src=rss

Recteq adds Flagship XL and built-in models to its smart pellet grill lineup

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Recteq revealed five new smart pellet grills in October, including unique dual-chamber and griddle options. Now, the company is back with two more models: a larger version of the recently overhauled Flagship 1100 and a built-in design for outdoor kitchens. 

The Flagship XL 1400 has all of the updates that were announced with the Flagship 1100 last fall, including the updated Wi-Fi-enabled controller and sturdier leg design. The key difference on this new version is increased cooking capacity. The Flagship XL 1400 has 1,437 square inches of grilling space, with a second grate situated above the main cooking surface. Recteq also increased the size of the pellet hopper, which can now hold a massive 60 pounds of fuel when full. Depending on which brand you use, that's at least three bags of pellets — way more than even the longest brisket cook will require. 

Like the Flagship 1100, this XL version does more than low-and-slow smoking as it has a temperature range of 180-650 degrees Fahrenheit. And the Wi-Fi connectivity means you can adjust cooking temps and monitor internal food temperatures from your phone. The Flagship XL 1400 is available now for $1,599.

Recteq Flagship XL 1400 smart pellet grill on a white background. The black and silver unit sits on a sturdy rolling cart with the company's trademark horn-shaped handles on the lid. A Wi-Fi-connected controller and display is mounted on the front of a side shelf that sits on the left side.
Recteq Flagship XL 1400
Recteq

Permanent outdoor kitchens have become increasingly popular spaces for socializing at home. These typically include a grill that's been mounted into some type of fixed counter or cabinetry, but there aren't a lot of options if you want to do that with a pellet grill. Most people simply remove the legs or cart for a pellet model to make it work in these setups, but Recteq has a new option that's specifically designed for outdoor kitchens. 

The E-Series Built-In 1300 is a fully stainless steel smart pellet grill with 1,300 square inches of cooking space. This model also packs Recteq's recently updated Wi-FI controller with dual-band connectivity and compatibility with the company's app. Like the SmokeStone griddle, the E-Series Built-In has a front-fill hopper for easy access and removable secondary cooking grates. The company says an a-frame-shaped drip pan makes grease drainage more efficient and a cast iron deflector helps evenly distribute the heat. 

Like the company's other pellet grills, the E-Series Built-In is more than just a smoker, which means it can be the cornerstone of an outdoor kitchen without needing another grill. This model can run at 180-700 degrees Fahrenheit, which will accommodate everything from barbecue to searing. Grills like this that are permanently installed are typically quite pricey, and the E-Series Built-In 1300 is no exception. It's $3,499, which is $900 more than the company's 2,535-square inch "BFG" unit, previously the most expensive option in the Recteq arsenal. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/recteq-adds-flagship-xl-and-built-in-models-to-its-smart-pellet-grill-lineup-181449204.html?src=rss