Tag Archives: author_name|Lawrence Bonk

Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro and Air is 40 percent off

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Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad is 40 percent off right now via Amazon. That brings the price down to $180, which is a savings of around $120. It’s not the lowest price we’ve ever seen for the 11-inch keyboard, but it’s certainly close. Typical sales drop it to around $250 or so, so this is still one heck of a deal.

This is the perfect keyboard to turn your 11-inch iPad Pro or Air into a standalone workstation. There’s a reason, after all, why it ended up on our list of the best iPad accessories. It magnetically attaches to the tablet, with a hinge that keeps the screen floating above the keyboard. In other words, it basically turns your iPad into a laptop.

We praised Apple’s Magic Keyboard for its emphasis on comfort and the precise trackpad. There are dozens upon dozens of competing third-party products out there, but none of them get the job done quite like this luxury keyboard. The major issue here is the price, which this sale somewhat alleviates.

There is one other potential issue on the horizon. There are rumors circulating that Apple is about to announce a new range of iPads, which may or may not work with this keyboard. If you’re buying a keyboard for an iPad you already own, that’s no big deal. If you want to buy both at once, however, you should wait for an official announcement.

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/apples-magic-keyboard-for-the-11-inch-ipad-pro-and-air-is-40-percent-off-172148756.html?src=rss

Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro and Air is 40 percent off

Posted on by

Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad is 40 percent off right now via Amazon. That brings the price down to $180, which is a savings of around $120. It’s not the lowest price we’ve ever seen for the 11-inch keyboard, but it’s certainly close. Typical sales drop it to around $250 or so, so this is still one heck of a deal.

This is the perfect keyboard to turn your 11-inch iPad Pro or Air into a standalone workstation. There’s a reason, after all, why it ended up on our list of the best iPad accessories. It magnetically attaches to the tablet, with a hinge that keeps the screen floating above the keyboard. In other words, it basically turns your iPad into a laptop.

We praised Apple’s Magic Keyboard for its emphasis on comfort and the precise trackpad. There are dozens upon dozens of competing third-party products out there, but none of them get the job done quite like this luxury keyboard. The major issue here is the price, which this sale somewhat alleviates.

There is one other potential issue on the horizon. There are rumors circulating that Apple is about to announce a new range of iPads, which may or may not work with this keyboard. If you’re buying a keyboard for an iPad you already own, that’s no big deal. If you want to buy both at once, however, you should wait for an official announcement.

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/apples-magic-keyboard-for-the-11-inch-ipad-pro-and-air-is-40-percent-off-172148756.html?src=rss

Apple announces new MacBook Airs with M3 chips

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Apple just announced a refresh for the ever-popular MacBook Air series, just one month after launching the Vision Pro headset. The big takeaway here? The new MacBook Air is outfitted with the company’s proprietary M3 chipset. This chip was previously reserved for the more powerful MacBook Pro line and the latest iMac models, and it's coming to new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models.

The M3 chip is significantly more powerful than its predecessor, with benchmark tests showing an approximate performance increase of 17 percent in single-core tasks and 21 percent in multi-core tasks. This carries over to GPU performance, with an improvement of around 15 percent compared to the M2. 

In other words, the line between the MacBook Air and the Pro continues to blur. Gone are the days when the Air was exclusively used for web surfing. (It is worth noting, however, that the new Air features the standard M3 chip, and not the M3 Pro or Max). 

Beyond the new chip, this is still the MacBook Air. It looks essentially the same as the 2022 model, with the same gorgeous 13.6-inch screen and surprisingly robust quad-speaker setup. We called the M2 version from two years ago "Apple’s near-perfect Mac" and an "ideal ultraportable." Similarly, the 15-inch model is essentially identical as the one that Apple introduced last summer, aside from the M3 upgrade.

The new MBAs come with a relatively humble 8 gigs of RAM — but these aren't Apple's power-user laptops. They... just have a very powerful chip. As before, both computers max out at 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.There should be new benefits, including, as Apple mentions, support for up to two external displays when the laptop is closed. There's also Wi-Fi 6E included in 2024's family of Air laptops.

The 13-inch M3 MacBook Air is priced at $1,099, while the 15-inch model starts from $1,299. Apple also bids farewell to the M1 MacBook Air, while the M2 13-inch model will remain on sale for $999.

Both new MacBook Air models are available to preorder today, with devices coming out Friday March 8. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-announces-new-macbook-airs-with-m3-chips-132810766.html?src=rss

Apple announces new MacBook Airs with M3 chips

Posted on by

Apple just announced a refresh for the ever-popular MacBook Air series, just one month after launching the Vision Pro headset. The big takeaway here? The new MacBook Air is outfitted with the company’s proprietary M3 chipset. This chip was previously reserved for the more powerful MacBook Pro line and the latest iMac models, and it's coming to new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models.

The M3 chip is significantly more powerful than its predecessor, with benchmark tests showing an approximate performance increase of 17 percent in single-core tasks and 21 percent in multi-core tasks. This carries over to GPU performance, with an improvement of around 15 percent compared to the M2. 

In other words, the line between the MacBook Air and the Pro continues to blur. Gone are the days when the Air was exclusively used for web surfing. (It is worth noting, however, that the new Air features the standard M3 chip, and not the M3 Pro or Max). 

Beyond the new chip, this is still the MacBook Air. It looks essentially the same as the 2022 model, with the same gorgeous 13.6-inch screen and surprisingly robust quad-speaker setup. We called the M2 version from two years ago "Apple’s near-perfect Mac" and an "ideal ultraportable." Similarly, the 15-inch model is essentially identical as the one that Apple introduced last summer, aside from the M3 upgrade.

The new MBAs come with a relatively humble 8 gigs of RAM — but these aren't Apple's power-user laptops. They... just have a very powerful chip. As before, both computers max out at 24GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.There should be new benefits, including, as Apple mentions, support for up to two external displays when the laptop is closed. There's also Wi-Fi 6E included in 2024's family of Air laptops.

The 13-inch M3 MacBook Air is priced at $1,099, while the 15-inch model starts from $1,299. Apple also bids farewell to the M1 MacBook Air, while the M2 13-inch model will remain on sale for $999.

Both new MacBook Air models are available to preorder today, with devices coming out Friday March 8. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-announces-new-macbook-airs-with-m3-chips-132810766.html?src=rss

The new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for a record low of $40

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The latest version of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $40, which matches the record low Black Friday price. The streaming stick normally sells for $60, so this is a discount of 33 percent.

This is the most advanced streaming stick Amazon has ever made. As the name suggests, it can easily handle 4K video, and it also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The stick integrates with Wi-Fi 6E and boasts 16GB of internal storage, up from eight with the previous generation. There’s a new 2.0 GHz quad-core processor, on-device Alexa and a remote that gives you control over affiliated smart home devices.

This is also the first-ever streaming stick to feature Amazon’s AI Art feature. There’s a built-in image generation model, so you can set the screensaver to be, well, whatever you want. If the idea of a six-pawed cat eating a plate of slightly-off spaghetti doesn’t do it for you, the stick also allows access to more than 2,000 pieces of actual art for use as screensavers.

This is part of a larger Amazon sale on all of its various streaming devices, from sticks to actual televisions. Of note, the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite has been discounted to $20, which nearly matches a record low price. The Fire TV Stick Lite made our list of the best streaming devices, thanks to its simple interface and support for all of the major streaming platforms.

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/the-new-amazon-fire-tv-stick-4k-max-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-of-40-164541303.html?src=rss

The new Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for a record low of $40

Posted on by

The latest version of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $40, which matches the record low Black Friday price. The streaming stick normally sells for $60, so this is a discount of 33 percent.

This is the most advanced streaming stick Amazon has ever made. As the name suggests, it can easily handle 4K video, and it also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The stick integrates with Wi-Fi 6E and boasts 16GB of internal storage, up from eight with the previous generation. There’s a new 2.0 GHz quad-core processor, on-device Alexa and a remote that gives you control over affiliated smart home devices.

This is also the first-ever streaming stick to feature Amazon’s AI Art feature. There’s a built-in image generation model, so you can set the screensaver to be, well, whatever you want. If the idea of a six-pawed cat eating a plate of slightly-off spaghetti doesn’t do it for you, the stick also allows access to more than 2,000 pieces of actual art for use as screensavers.

This is part of a larger Amazon sale on all of its various streaming devices, from sticks to actual televisions. Of note, the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite has been discounted to $20, which nearly matches a record low price. The Fire TV Stick Lite made our list of the best streaming devices, thanks to its simple interface and support for all of the major streaming platforms.

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/the-new-amazon-fire-tv-stick-4k-max-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-of-40-164541303.html?src=rss

Activision studio Toys for Bob is going independent after sweeping Xbox layoffs

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Activision studio Toys for Bob has announced that it's leaving the corporate rat race and is spinning off as an independent developer. This comes just weeks after Activision Blizzard's parent company Microsoft instituted sweeping layoffs at Toys for Bob that impacted 86 employees. That’s more than half of the entire staff.

The developer said the choice to go indie will allow it to return to “being a small and nimble studio”, harkening back to its early days of the 1980s and 1990s when it made hit titles like Star Control. To that end, the company says it's already developing a new game, though there won’t be any official announcements for a while.

Additionally, there looks to be no hard feelings for former parent company Activision and, uh, grandparent company Microsoft. Toys for Bob said that both entities have “been extremely supportive of our new direction and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.”

Toys for Bob is primarily known for the Skylanders franchise, but was also behind the well-reviewed Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. It’s also been involved with creating content for Call of Duty: Warzone.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/activision-studio-toys-for-bob-is-going-independent-after-sweeping-xbox-layoffs-201548396.html?src=rss

Activision studio Toys for Bob is going independent after sweeping Xbox layoffs

Posted on by

Activision studio Toys for Bob has announced that it's leaving the corporate rat race and is spinning off as an independent developer. This comes just weeks after Activision Blizzard's parent company Microsoft instituted sweeping layoffs at Toys for Bob that impacted 86 employees. That’s more than half of the entire staff.

The developer said the choice to go indie will allow it to return to “being a small and nimble studio”, harkening back to its early days of the 1980s and 1990s when it made hit titles like Star Control. To that end, the company says it's already developing a new game, though there won’t be any official announcements for a while.

Additionally, there looks to be no hard feelings for former parent company Activision and, uh, grandparent company Microsoft. Toys for Bob said that both entities have “been extremely supportive of our new direction and we’re confident that we will continue to work closely together as part of our future.”

Toys for Bob is primarily known for the Skylanders franchise, but was also behind the well-reviewed Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. It’s also been involved with creating content for Call of Duty: Warzone.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/activision-studio-toys-for-bob-is-going-independent-after-sweeping-xbox-layoffs-201548396.html?src=rss

Google Chrome’s new slate of features will allow search even with a ‘bad’ network connection

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Google just announced a trio of features for its Chrome browser to allow for “more helpful suggestions.” Some of these tools are for the smartphone app, while others work with the standard PC-based browser.

First up, desktop Chrome users are getting new search suggestions that pull from what others have been using the browser to look for. The browser will still remember your recent queries and auto populate related search suggestions, but you’ll also see user-generated options to the right of those usual autofill suggestions, under a tab marked “People also search for.”

Chrome users on iOS and Android will now see more images to accompany suggested searches. In the past, Chrome only displayed images for search suggestions in the address bar that exactly matched a specific query, with Google giving an example of “Isanti dining table.” Now, broader searches — say, “bohemian table” — will tie an image to each option from the pull-down menu. A picture’s worth a thousand words, right?

An image of the new Chrome image feature.
Google

Perhaps the most puzzling new feature is that Chrome for iOS and Android is getting an optimization tool that allows for search even when users have a bad network connection. Google hasn’t revealed how this works, simply stating that it's due to “improved on-device capabilities.” The company says search will continue to work with a “bad” connection, so it’s likely some level of connection will still be necessary.

All three of these features are available today, so have at it. These are just the latest tools for the search engine, as Google seems to be constantly tweaking the service. The company recently added a trio of generative AI features and a Gemini-based writing tool.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-chromes-new-slate-of-features-will-allow-search-even-with-a-bad-network-connection-181522574.html?src=rss

Google Chrome’s new slate of features will allow search even with a ‘bad’ network connection

Posted on by

Google just announced a trio of features for its Chrome browser to allow for “more helpful suggestions.” Some of these tools are for the smartphone app, while others work with the standard PC-based browser.

First up, desktop Chrome users are getting new search suggestions that pull from what others have been using the browser to look for. The browser will still remember your recent queries and auto populate related search suggestions, but you’ll also see user-generated options to the right of those usual autofill suggestions, under a tab marked “People also search for.”

Chrome users on iOS and Android will now see more images to accompany suggested searches. In the past, Chrome only displayed images for search suggestions in the address bar that exactly matched a specific query, with Google giving an example of “Isanti dining table.” Now, broader searches — say, “bohemian table” — will tie an image to each option from the pull-down menu. A picture’s worth a thousand words, right?

An image of the new Chrome image feature.
Google

Perhaps the most puzzling new feature is that Chrome for iOS and Android is getting an optimization tool that allows for search even when users have a bad network connection. Google hasn’t revealed how this works, simply stating that it's due to “improved on-device capabilities.” The company says search will continue to work with a “bad” connection, so it’s likely some level of connection will still be necessary.

All three of these features are available today, so have at it. These are just the latest tools for the search engine, as Google seems to be constantly tweaking the service. The company recently added a trio of generative AI features and a Gemini-based writing tool.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-chromes-new-slate-of-features-will-allow-search-even-with-a-bad-network-connection-181522574.html?src=rss