Google’s latest 4th-gen Nest Learning Thermostat is on sale, just one month after the product was released. The device is $20 off via Wellbots, which brings the price down to $260. Just enter the code “20ENGNLT4” at checkout. This is a record low price, mostly because the thing just came out.
This is not an iterative improvement over the previous Nest Learning Thermostat. It’s a full redesign, with a new look and plenty of updated features. The LCD display is 60 percent larger than what’s found with the antiquated third-gen device, and there’s a curved front that eliminates the appearance of bezels. The whole thing is basically a screen now.
This larger display allows for plenty of personalization, with customizable faces like a smartwatch. It can even look like a regular analog clock. The UI automatically adjusts what’s displayed on the screen depending on how far you’re standing from the thermostat, thanks to integrated Soli radar sensors.
The new Nest is packed with AI, which is intended to provide more accurate readings and to offer potential actions to save money on that monthly utility bill. This is a smart thermostat, so it can be programmed to take actions on its own, depending on the ambient temperature and other factors.
To that end, it ships with a wireless temperature sensor that can be placed anywhere within range. Each Nest can integrate with up to six of these sensors, and more are available at $40 a pop or three for $100. The item also ships with a trim plate to cover paint and drywall imperfections and a steel plate for electrical box installations. It’s also likely to be relatively future-proof, as the third-gen Nest came out in 2015.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-20-off-googles-new-4th-gen-nest-learning-thermostat-130023124.html?src=rss
Intel says it has determined four scenarios that could lead to voltage stability issues in its Core 13th and 14th-gen processors, and it has released another new update to address the issue. Its customers have been having issues with those processors since 2022, but it was only in July this year that the company figured out that their instability problems were caused by elevated operating voltage. The company explained back then that microcode algorithms have been sending incorrect voltage requests to its processors. Microcodes, or machine codes, are sets of hardware-level instructions. Intel promised in the same announcement to release microcode patches to address the "root cause of exposure to elevated voltages."
In its new post on its community page, Intel enumerated the four scenarios that could cause voltage instability, starting with the motherboard's power delivery settings exceeding its power guidance. Another scenario is that a microcode algorithm had been allowing its processors to operate at higher performance states even at high temperatures. The company already released a microcode patch for this back in June. The third scenario involves another microcode algorithm requesting high voltages at a frequency and duration which can trigger the issue. Intel had also released a patch for this in August.
The latest microcode patch it has released, codenamed 0x12B, addresses the fourth scenario. Apparently, the processors could make elevated core voltage requests during light activity or while the computer is idle. Intel has distributed this patch to motherboard manufacturers, since it has to be loaded as a BIOS update. The company is already working with its partners, but it could still take several weeks for the manufacturers to roll out the fix to its products.
The voltage stability issues plaguing Intel's Core 13th and 14th-gen processors have been causing computers to crash and fail completely. And based on previous reports, installing the patches Intel has released will not fix PCs that have already started showing symptoms of the problem. Shortly after announcing that it had determined why its processors were failing, Intel extended their warranties by two years so that customers can get theirs replaced. That was very much welcome, seeing as even PCs that work well at first could start showing issues and give out in the end.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/intel-rolls-out-another-fix-for-its-cpu-voltage-issues-120026958.html?src=rss
Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro is almost here. The upgraded console is available to pre-order today with a whopping $700 price tag, thanks to new features like a more powerful GPU, better ray tracing and a narrower gap between graphical fidelity and performance.
But that isn’t far beyond your console budget, you can reserve pricey powerhouse before its November 7 launch. And, as to be expected, you'll probably want to do so immediately since the console already sold out in the UK. Here's everything you need to know about the new console and how to pre-order the PS5 Pro.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-ps5-pro-is-available-to-pre-order-today-115549437.html?src=rss
The 3S seems like a smart idea, since cost remains the second biggest barrier to getting VR/AR gear into people’s homes. The first, of course, being there’s still not a truly killer use case to convince the vast majority of people.
The other big news to come out of the show is the announcement of the Orion Smart Glasses, Meta’s new prototype AR wearable. These, the company admits, aren’t ready to go on sale yet, but it’s working with developers to refine the technology for some unspecified future release.
I’ll be honest: I’m forever skeptical about the potential for AR to be as smart and useful as I’d need it to be. I’m not going to invest until it’s at least as useful as Jeeves — from PG Wodehouse, not the search engine — even if it’s never going to be able to fold my laundry.
Nathan Ingraham was lucky enough to play The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and is happy to share his thoughts. It’s a throwback top-down Zelda title, albeit with you playing as the title character for the first time. Rather than engaging in combat directly, Zelda must use her magic to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. Nathan’s a fan but, much like Tears of the Kingdom, found the sheer breadth and depth of tools available to be frustrating to marshal and organize.
The biggest reveal at Meta’s Connect event was its long-promised AR glasses, Orion. As expected, the prototype, each of which reportedly costs around $10,000, won’t be ready for the public any time soon.
In the meantime, Meta offered a glimpse of its new holographic avatars, which will allow people to talk with lifelike holograms in augmented reality. The holograms are Meta’s Codec Avatars, a technology it’s been working on for several years. Mark Zuckerberg teased a version of this last year when he participated in a podcast interview “in the metaverse.”
That technology may now be closer than we think. Following the keynote at Connect, I sat down with Mark Rabkin, a VP at Meta leading Horizon OS and Quest, who shared more about Meta’s codec avatars and how they will one day come to the company’s VR headsets as well.
“Generally, pretty much everything you can do on Orion you can do on Quest,” Rabkin said. The Codec Avatars in particular have also gotten much easier to create. While they once required advanced camera scans, most of the internal avatars are now created with phone scans, Rabkin explains.
“It’s an almost identical process in many ways in generating the stylized avatars [for VR], but with a different training set and a different amount of computation required,” Rabkin explained. “For the stylized avatars, the model has to be trained on a lot of stylized avatars and how they look and how they move. [It has to] get a lot of training data on what people perceive to look like their picture, and what they perceive to move nicely.”
“For the Codec avatars ... it's the same process. You gather a tremendous amount of data. You gather data from very high-quality, fancy camera scans. You gather data from phone scans, because that's how people will be really creating, and you just build a model until it improves. And one of the challenges with both problems is to make it fast enough and computationally cheap enough so that millions and millions can use it.”
Rabkin said that he eventually expects these avatars to be able to play in virtual reality on the company’s headsets. Right now, the Quest 3 and 3S don’t have the necessary sensors, including eye tracking, necessary for the photorealistic avatars. But that could change for the next-generation VR headset, he said: “I think probably, if we do really well, it should be possible in the next generation [of headset].”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/metas-orion-holographic-avatars-will-eventually-be-in-vr-too-235206805.html?src=rss
The biggest reveal at Meta’s Connect event was its long-promised AR glasses, Orion. As expected, the prototype, each of which reportedly costs around $10,000, won’t be ready for the public any time soon.
In the meantime, Meta offered a glimpse of its new holographic avatars, which will allow people to talk with lifelike holograms in augmented reality. The holograms are Meta’s Codec Avatars, a technology it’s been working on for several years. Mark Zuckerberg teased a version of this last year when he participated in a podcast interview “in the metaverse.”
That technology may now be closer than we think. Following the keynote at Connect, I sat down with Mark Rabkin, a VP at Meta leading Horizon OS and Quest, who shared more about Meta’s codec avatars and how they will one day come to the company’s VR headsets as well.
“Generally, pretty much everything you can do on Orion you can do on Quest,” Rabkin said. The Codec Avatars in particular have also gotten much easier to create. While they once required advanced camera scans, most of the internal avatars are now created with phone scans, Rabkin explains.
“It’s an almost identical process in many ways in generating the stylized avatars [for VR], but with a different training set and a different amount of computation required,” Rabkin explained. “For the stylized avatars, the model has to be trained on a lot of stylized avatars and how they look and how they move. [It has to] get a lot of training data on what people perceive to look like their picture, and what they perceive to move nicely.”
“For the Codec avatars ... it's the same process. You gather a tremendous amount of data. You gather data from very high-quality, fancy camera scans. You gather data from phone scans, because that's how people will be really creating, and you just build a model until it improves. And one of the challenges with both problems is to make it fast enough and computationally cheap enough so that millions and millions can use it.”
Rabkin said that he eventually expects these avatars to be able to play in virtual reality on the company’s headsets. Right now, the Quest 3 and 3S don’t have the necessary sensors, including eye tracking, necessary for the photorealistic avatars. But that could change for the next-generation VR headset, he said: “I think probably, if we do really well, it should be possible in the next generation [of headset].”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/metas-orion-holographic-avatars-will-eventually-be-in-vr-too-235206805.html?src=rss
Although Meta Connect 2024 lacked a marquee high-end product for the holiday season, it still included a new budget VR headset and a tease of the “magic glasses” Meta’s XR gurus have been talking about for the better part of a decade. In addition, the company keeps plowing forward with new AI tools for its Ray-Ban glasses and social platforms. Here’s everything the company announced at Meta Connect 2024.
Orion AR glasses
Meta
Today’s best mixed reality gear — like Apple’s Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 — are headsets with passthrough video capabilities. But the tech industry eventually wants to squeeze that tech into something resembling a pair of prescription glasses. We’ll let you judge whether the Orion AR glasses pictured above pass that test, but they’re certainly closer than other full-fledged AR devices we’ve seen.
First, the bad news. These puppies won’t be available this year and don’t have an official release date. A leaked roadmap from last year suggested they’d arrive in 2027. However, Meta said on Wednesday that Orion would launch “in the near future,” so take what you will from that. For its part, Meta says the full-fledged product prototype is “truly representative of something that could ship to consumers” rather than a research device that’s decades away from shipping.
The glasses include tiny projectors to display holograms onto the lenses. Meta describes them as having a large field of view and immersive capabilities. Sensors can track voice, eye gaze, hand tracking and electromyography (EMG) wristband input.
The glasses combine that sensory input with AI capabilities. Meta gave the example of looking in a refrigerator and asking the onboard AI to spit out a recipe based on your ingredients. It will also support video calls, the ability to send messages on Meta’s platforms and spatial versions of Spotify, YouTube and Pinterest apps.
Meta Quest 3S
Meta
This year’s new VR headset focuses on the entry-level rather than early adopters wanting the latest cutting-edge tech. The Meta Quest 3S is a $300 baby sibling to last year’s Quest 3, shaving money off the higher-end model’s entry fee in exchange for cheaper lenses, a resolution dip and skimpier storage.
The headset includes Fresnel lenses, which are familiar to Quest 2 owners, instead of the higher-end pancake ones in Quest 3. It has a 1,832 x 1,920 resolution (20 pixels per degree), a drop from the 2,064 x 2,208 (25 PPD) in the Quest 3. Meta says the budget model’s field of view is also slightly lower.
The Quest 3S starts with a mere 128GB of storage, which could fill up quickly after installing a few of the platform’s biggest games. But if you’re willing to shell out $400, you can bump that up to a more respectable 256GB. (Alongside the announcement, Meta also dropped the 512GB Quest 3 price to $500 from $650.)
The headset may outlast the Quest 3 in one respect: battery life. Meta estimates the Quest 3S will last 2.5 hours, while the Quest 3 is rated for 2.2 hours.
Those ordering the headset will get a special Bat-bonus. Quest 3S (and Quest 3) orders between now and April 2025 will receive a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow, the VR action game coming next month.
The Quest 3S is now available for pre-order. It begins shipping on October 15.
Out with the old
To celebrate the arrival of the Meta Quest 3S, Meta is kicking two older models to the curb. The Quest 2 and Quest Pro will be discontinued by the end of the year. The company says sales will continue until inventory runs out or the end of the year, whichever comes first.
The company now views the Quest 3S, with its much better mixed reality capabilities, as the new budget model, so the $200 Quest 2 no longer has a place. The Quest Pro, which never gained much traction with consumers, has inferior cameras and passthrough video than the two Quest 3-tier models. The Pro launched two years ago as a Metaverse-centric device — back when the industry was pounding that word as hard as it’s pushing “AI” now. The headset launched at a whopping $1,500 and was later reduced to $1,000.
The assistant will now let you set reminders based on objects you see. For example, you could say, “Hey Meta, remind me to buy that book next Monday” to set an alert for something you see in the library. The glasses can also scan QR codes and dial phone numbers from text it recognizes.
Meta’s assistant should also respond to more natural commands. You’ll need to worry less about remembering formal prompts to trigger it (“Hey Meta, look and tell me”). It will let you use more casual phrasing like “What am I looking at?” The AI can also handle complex follow-up questions for more fluid chats with the robot friend living in your sunglasses.
According to Meta, the glasses’ live translation is also getting better. While last year’s version struggled with longer text, the company says the software will now translate larger chunks more effectively. Live translations will arrive in English, French, Italian and Spanish by the end of 2024.
Meta AI updates
Meta
The company said Met AI now supports voice chats. Although this capability existed before, it was limited to the Ray-Ban glasses.
Meta also partnered with celebrities to help draw customers into its chatbots. That’s right, folks: You can now hear Meta’s chatbot responses in the dulcet tones of the one and only John Cena! Other celebrity voices include Dame Judi Dench, Awkwafina, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell.
Meta’s AI can now edit photos with text prompts, performing tasks like adding or removing objects or changing details like backgrounds or clothes. AI photo editing will be available on Meta’s social apps, including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, Meta’s Llama 3.2 AI model introduces vision capabilities. It can analyze and describe images, competing with similar features in ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.
Although Meta Connect 2024 lacked a marquee high-end product for the holiday season, it still included a new budget VR headset and a tease of the “magic glasses” Meta’s XR gurus have been talking about for the better part of a decade. In addition, the company keeps plowing forward with new AI tools for its Ray-Ban glasses and social platforms. Here’s everything the company announced at Meta Connect 2024.
Orion AR glasses
Meta
Today’s best mixed reality gear — like Apple’s Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 — are headsets with passthrough video capabilities. But the tech industry eventually wants to squeeze that tech into something resembling a pair of prescription glasses. We’ll let you judge whether the Orion AR glasses pictured above pass that test, but they’re certainly closer than other full-fledged AR devices we’ve seen.
First, the bad news. These puppies won’t be available this year and don’t have an official release date. A leaked roadmap from last year suggested they’d arrive in 2027. However, Meta said on Wednesday that Orion would launch “in the near future,” so take what you will from that. For its part, Meta says the full-fledged product prototype is “truly representative of something that could ship to consumers” rather than a research device that’s decades away from shipping.
The glasses include tiny projectors to display holograms onto the lenses. Meta describes them as having a large field of view and immersive capabilities. Sensors can track voice, eye gaze, hand tracking and electromyography (EMG) wristband input.
The glasses combine that sensory input with AI capabilities. Meta gave the example of looking in a refrigerator and asking the onboard AI to spit out a recipe based on your ingredients. It will also support video calls, the ability to send messages on Meta’s platforms and spatial versions of Spotify, YouTube and Pinterest apps.
Meta Quest 3S
Meta
This year’s new VR headset focuses on the entry-level rather than early adopters wanting the latest cutting-edge tech. The Meta Quest 3S is a $300 baby sibling to last year’s Quest 3, shaving money off the higher-end model’s entry fee in exchange for cheaper lenses, a resolution dip and skimpier storage.
The headset includes Fresnel lenses, which are familiar to Quest 2 owners, instead of the higher-end pancake ones in Quest 3. It has a 1,832 x 1,920 resolution (20 pixels per degree), a drop from the 2,064 x 2,208 (25 PPD) in the Quest 3. Meta says the budget model’s field of view is also slightly lower.
The Quest 3S starts with a mere 128GB of storage, which could fill up quickly after installing a few of the platform’s biggest games. But if you’re willing to shell out $400, you can bump that up to a more respectable 256GB. (Alongside the announcement, Meta also dropped the 512GB Quest 3 price to $500 from $650.)
The headset may outlast the Quest 3 in one respect: battery life. Meta estimates the Quest 3S will last 2.5 hours, while the Quest 3 is rated for 2.2 hours.
Those ordering the headset will get a special Bat-bonus. Quest 3S (and Quest 3) orders between now and April 2025 will receive a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow, the VR action game coming next month.
The Quest 3S is now available for pre-order. It begins shipping on October 15.
Out with the old
To celebrate the arrival of the Meta Quest 3S, Meta is kicking two older models to the curb. The Quest 2 and Quest Pro will be discontinued by the end of the year. The company says sales will continue until inventory runs out or the end of the year, whichever comes first.
The company now views the Quest 3S, with its much better mixed reality capabilities, as the new budget model, so the $200 Quest 2 no longer has a place. The Quest Pro, which never gained much traction with consumers, has inferior cameras and passthrough video than the two Quest 3-tier models. The Pro launched two years ago as a Metaverse-centric device — back when the industry was pounding that word as hard as it’s pushing “AI” now. The headset launched at a whopping $1,500 and was later reduced to $1,000.
The assistant will now let you set reminders based on objects you see. For example, you could say, “Hey Meta, remind me to buy that book next Monday” to set an alert for something you see in the library. The glasses can also scan QR codes and dial phone numbers from text it recognizes.
Meta’s assistant should also respond to more natural commands. You’ll need to worry less about remembering formal prompts to trigger it (“Hey Meta, look and tell me”). It will let you use more casual phrasing like “What am I looking at?” The AI can also handle complex follow-up questions for more fluid chats with the robot friend living in your sunglasses.
According to Meta, the glasses’ live translation is also getting better. While last year’s version struggled with longer text, the company says the software will now translate larger chunks more effectively. Live translations will arrive in English, French, Italian and Spanish by the end of 2024.
Meta AI updates
Meta
The company said Met AI now supports voice chats. Although this capability existed before, it was limited to the Ray-Ban glasses.
Meta also partnered with celebrities to help draw customers into its chatbots. That’s right, folks: You can now hear Meta’s chatbot responses in the dulcet tones of the one and only John Cena! Other celebrity voices include Dame Judi Dench, Awkwafina, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell.
Meta’s AI can now edit photos with text prompts, performing tasks like adding or removing objects or changing details like backgrounds or clothes. AI photo editing will be available on Meta’s social apps, including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, Meta’s Llama 3.2 AI model introduces vision capabilities. It can analyze and describe images, competing with similar features in ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is back this year, returning on October 8 and 9. The “fall Prime Day” of sorts has served as the online retailer’s unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for the past few years.
We expect most of the deals to be Prime exclusives, meaning you must be an active Prime subscriber to get the discounts. There are always a couple of deals available for everyone, though, so it’s worth perusing Amazon’s site even if you don’t pay for Prime. It’s also worth doing so now because we’ve found a number of solid early Prime Day deals already available. These are the best of the bunch; we’ll be updating this post regularly in the lead-up to October Prime Day, so check back for the latest deals.
Prime Day deals on Apple gear
Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget
In addition to discounts on iPads and Apple Watches, you can save a bit on the new AirPods 4 right now. AirTags have a slight discount as well, both in single and multi-packs.
Apple AirTag for $25 ($4 off): This is only $2 more than the record-low price we've seen on a single AirTag in the past. A four-pack is also on sale for $79.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $689 ($110 off): This is a record-low price on the Ultra 2, which remains Apple's most premium smartwatch and the one best for adventurers, ultramarathoners and the like.
Apple iPad (10th gen) for $299 ($50 off): The base iPad didn't receive a refresh this year (yet), but Apple did cut the price to $349. It's still selling for a record low right now.
It's a safe bet that we'll see even more Amazon gear discounted on October Prime Day, but for now, you can snag a Fire tablet on sale, as well as Ring and Blink security cameras for much cheaper than usual.
Ring pan and tilt security camera for $50 ($30 off): This security camera joined the Ring lineup only a few months ago, and this is the best price we've seen on it. It's part of a larger Ring sale that discounts home security gear by up to 50 percent.
Blink Outdoor 4 + Blink Mini 2 bundle for $50 ($90 off): It's almost a guarantee that Blink security systems will be on sale for Prime Day(s) and this time is no different. This bundle is 64 percent off, and there are a bunch of other bundles on sale that include cameras, video doorbells and more.
Prime Day deals on tech
Engadget
Early Prime Day deals on tech include discounts on robot vacuums, webcams, smart plugs and more. There are also wireless earbuds and smartphones that you can grab for cheap, along with storage gear and power banks.
Google Pixel Buds A-Series for $64 ($35 off): This is one of the best prices we've seen on Google's budget-friendly wireless earbuds, which we praised for their solid sound quality, deep Google Assistant integration and small, comfortable design.
Logitech Brio 500 Full HD Webcam for $93 ($37 off): Our top pick for the best webcam you can buy right now is $37 off, a decent discount even if it's not a record-low sale. If you spend a lot of your day on video calls, this will be a solid upgrade to your computer's built-in cam. It has a wide field of view, auto-light correction and shoots 1080p video.
Samsung T7 Shield (4TB) for $280 ($220 off): If you're looking for a high-capacity portable SSD that can take a beating, this deal is the best price we've seen on the 4TB T7 Shield since June.
Kasa Smart Plug EP25 (4-pack) for $34 ($16 off): These are our top pick in our guide to the best smart plugs available right now thanks to their compatibility across all four of the main smart home ecosystems, their easy setup process and reliable connection.
Streaming subscription deals
Paramount+
While these discounts aren't technically October Prime day tech deals, we'd be remiss not to mention them. While sales on streaming services are becoming more common, there isn't as much rhyme or reason to them as there is to, say, Amazon's Prime Day sale cycle. That said, if you see a discount on a service you've been meaning to try, it's worthwhile to jump on it.
Disney+ Basic plan (with ads) for $2 per month: New and returning customers can take advantage of this sale price for three months, so roughly 90 days worth of access will only cost you $6. That tier is usually $8 per month and includes all Disney+ content, but with commercial breaks. As usual with these types of deals, the plan will automatically renew — and the regular price increases to $10 per month starting on October 17.
Everything you need to know about October Prime Day 2024
When is October Prime Day 2024?
October Prime Day will be held on October 8 and 9 this year.
What is October Prime Day?
October Prime Day is a members-only sale event run by Amazon in which the online retailer has thousands of sales on its site that are exclusively available to those with an active Prime members.
How long is October Prime Day?
October Prime Day will last two full days.
What is on sale for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days?
Most October Prime Day deals will not be revealed until the days of the event. However, in years past, we've seen everything from clothing to household essentials to outdoor gear go on sale during this event. Engadget cares most about tech deals, and in past fall Prime Days, we've seen things like phones, tablets, headphones, earbuds, robot vacuums, smart home gear and more receive deep discounts.
Do I need an Amazon Prime membership to shop Prime Day deals?
Yes, because most deals will be Prime exclusives. However, there are always a few decent deals available to all Amazon shoppers, so it's worth checking out Amazon's site during October Prime Day to see where you can save even if you don't pay for Prime.
Apple Magic Mouse (black) for $85 ($15 off): The white version of Apple's popular accessory is still cheaper at $68, but the black colorway rarely goes on sale. Both mice pair quickly and are relatively light with responsive touch gestures.
Apple Pencil (1st gen) for $69 ($30 off): If you have a 10th-gen iPad or older, this is the stylus to get. We've seen this discount for a couple of weeks now, but it's still $10 below the average sale price. It's also discounted at Walmart.
Beats Fit Pro earbuds for $159 ($41 off): Our overall favorite pair of earbuds for running are on sale for $41 off. They've hit this price point often over the past few months, but it's a decent discount on buds we found to be comfortable with a secure fit and great audio quality.
iRobot Roomba Vac robot vacuum for $170 ($80 off): This affordable robo-vac is only $10 more than it was during July Prime Day right now, making it an even better option if you want a robot vacuum without spending a ton.
8BitDo Ultimate C wired gaming controller for $15 ($5 off): Now at $1 cheaper than it was during Prime Day in July, this 8BitDo accessory is an even better option for PC gamers or folks looking for a more comfortable Steam Deck controller.
Elgato Stream Deck+ for $170 ($30 off): Combine the discount with the clippable coupon to get a record-low price on this upgraded version of the standard Stream Deck.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $40 ($20 off): An often recurring sale, this discount is only $5 more than the record low. In addition to streaming shows, we like it as a retro gaming emulator and it even lets you play current games through XBox Game Pass cloud gaming.
Cosori 9-in-1 air frier for $90 ($30 off): This newer air fry from Cosori has nine preset cooking modes and a six-quart capacity that makes it just the right size to cook a good amount of food without taking up too much space on most countertops.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-prime-day-2024-the-best-early-deals-ahead-of-the-october-big-deal-days-sale-and-everything-we-know-about-the-event-so-far-050506744.html?src=rss
Google filed a complaint against Microsoft with the European Commission on Wednesday. In it, Google accused Microsoft of making it prohibitively expensive for cloud customers to move their work from Azure to other providers, like Google Cloud.
Google claims Microsoft’s cloud licensing terms restrict European customers from switching to competing cloud platforms despite “no technical barriers to doing so.” In a blog post explaining its complaint, Google wrote that Microsoft’s practices have “significantly harmed European companies and governments,” costing European businesses €1 billion ($1.1 billion) annually, wasting taxpayer money and stifling competition.
Amazon’s AWS leads Europe’s cloud market. Microsoft’s Azure is second, followed by Google in third. Oracle, Salesforce and IBM rounded out the top six in Q2 2024.
On Wednesday, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the EU governing body received Google’s complaint. “We will assess it according to our standard procedures,” EC spokesperson Lea Zuber wrote.
Google’s complaint referred to a settlement this summer between Microsoft and CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe), the trade body for Europe’s cloud industry. The latter filed a complaint against Microsoft in late 2022, accusing the company of anti-competitive practices with Azure (strikingly similar to Google’s complaints from today). The full details of the settlement, which led to CISPE withdrawing its complaint, weren’t made public. CISPE wrote in July that Microsoft would make changes to address its concerns. Those included releasing an enhanced version of the Azure Stack HCI, which would bring features that Microsoft's customers enjoy to European cloud providers.
In a statement to Engadget, Microsoft was optimistic that the EC would dismiss Google’s complaint. “Microsoft settled amicably similar concerns raised by European cloud providers, even after Google hoped they would keep litigating,” a Microsoft spokesperson wrote, referring to a Bloombergreport that Google offered a $500 million alternative deal to keep the antitrust complaint alive. “Having failed to persuade European companies, we expect Google similarly will fail to persuade the European Commission,” Microsoft’s spokesperson wrote.
Google says Windows Server is at the heart of its complaint. Describing it as “a must-have workhorse in many IT environments,” the company says Microsoft changed its practices after cloud computing became a more lucrative business. “But as Azure faced more competition, Microsoft introduced new rules that severely limited customer choice,” Google wrote.
Google said the licensing terms Microsoft adopted in 2019 “imposed extreme financial penalties” on companies who wanted to use Windows Server software with Azure competitors like AWS and Google Cloud. “Microsoft’s own statements indicate that customers who want to move their workloads to these competitors would need to pay up to five times more,” Google wrote, citing an archived 2023 webpage comparing Azure pricing to that of AWS. Google said Microsoft also limited security patches and created other barriers to choice in cloud providers.
Google also linked to research from Professor Frédéric Jenny, a French economist and chair of the OECD Competition Committee. The study claims that European companies and government organizations pay “unfair, additional costs” to customers who license software to run on cloud infrastructure from independent service providers. Professor Jenny claimed those choosing non-Microsoft cloud providers “sucked an additional €1,010,394,489 out of the European economy in 2022.”
Google Cloud’s Head of Platform Amit Zavery wrote on Wednesday that Microsoft’s practices lock customers into Azure, hurt cybersecurity and limit innovation. Zavery also spoke with CNBC, advocating for a more open market for cloud providers. “Today the restrictions [do] not allow choice for customers,” he said. Zavery wants Microsoft’s restrictions “to be removed and allow customers to have and choose whatever cloud provider they think is best for them commercially and technically.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-microsoft-183050473.html?src=rss