We're getting into the colder months of the year (at least in the northern hemisphere). If you haven't done so already, it'll soon be time to switch on the heating. Rather than make manual adjustments to the thermostat throughout the day, why not let a smart version take care of the heavy lifting? As luck would have it, Google's Nest Thermostat is back on sale.
The device can be yours for $85. That's $45 off the regular price but some way off the record low of $61 it dropped to a year ago.
This is a more affordable version of the Nest Learning Thermostat and should do the trick for many people. When you leave your home, the Energy Star-certified Nest Thermostat can automatically adjust the temperature to prevent wasting energy on heating or cooling.
The Nest app allows you to tweak the settings remotely. This can come in especially handy if you're going to arrive home at a different time than usual. You can delay a temperature change or make it kick in earlier so your home's at the optimal level of warmth while minimizing energy waste.
The thermostat can be controlled via Google Assistant and other Matter-certified assistants such as Siri and Alexa. There's also a Savings Finder feature. This offers suggestions on how to tweak your temperature schedule to keep your costs lower.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/googles-nest-thermostat-is-back-on-sale-for-85-155604449.html?src=rss
At Tesla’s We, Robot event at Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio in California, the company finally unveiled its robotaxi. The car is expected to go into production before 2027, but even Musk caveated that, saying he was “highly optimistic with timeframes.”
The Cybercab doesn’t have a steering wheel and, according to Elon Musk (so pinch of salt!), could be very cheap to run. The Tesla boss said the operating cost of the robotaxi would be 20 cents a mile, 30 to 40 cents with taxes. He also confirmed people can buy one and that Tesla expects to sell the Cybercab for below $30,000. He still, predictably, said something weird. Musk said he envisions a future where people own several robotaxis and manage a fleet like shepherds. Huh?
The technology is a little different to most of its robotaxi competitors. Tesla has long dropped radars and sensors that other robotaxis, like Waymo’s, use extensively, instead going for cameras and AI object detection. There’s also no charging port, using inductive charging instead, so a completely different infrastructure is needed to keep these vehicles on the roads.
Not one to waste a big event, Musk also briefly introduced the Robovan — an autonomous van that can carry up to 20 people and transport goods, and he marched out a line of Optimus robots, which ended up serving drinks to attendees during the event.
Mubi has secured the rights to Grand Theft Hamlet. In this documentary, two out-of-work actors attempt to stage an entire production of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet within the game world of Grand Theft Auto Online during the Covid-19 pandemic. The movie comprises more than 300 hours of GTA footage.
Despite competition everywhere, Intel has broadly maintained its lead on gaming performance. The company’s most recent Core 5/7/9 often outperformed their AMD counterparts. However, that has come at the cost of power efficiency. Until now. According to Intel, the goal was to reduce power consumption by 40 percent and internal package temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Celsius with its 15th-gen chips. When the high-spec Intel Core Ultra 9 285K arrives on October 24, it will cost $589, the 14-core Ultra 5 245KF will be $294 and the 20-core Ultra 7 265K will go on for $394.
With many devices no longer including a charger in the box, especially the latest smartphones, a fast charger is no longer just a nice-to-have item — it’s arguably a must-have.
We’ve pulled together and tested the best chargers in three power output ranges. We have graphs, we have alternative options, we even tease more powerful chargers coming in the near future. In short, we’ve pulled together everything you need, besides buying one and shipping it to you ourselves.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-this-is-teslas-robotaxi-the-cybercab-111546066.html?src=rss
Despite all the inroads AMD has made in recent years with its Zen desktop CPUs, Intel has broadly managed to maintain one critical edge against its longtime rival: gaming performance. For those looking to eke every possible frame out of the latest AAA games, the company’s recent Core 5/7/9 often outperformed their AMD counterparts. Historically, however, that performance has come at the cost of power efficiency and thermals. Intel’s best 13th-genereation processors are absolute power-hungry beasts. That has limited their appeal, especially as small-factor PC builds have become more popular.
On Thursday, Intel detailed it’s long-awaited Arrow Lake processors, announcing five new models arriving on October 24. With the new CPUs, Intel is promising a paradigm change. Compared to its previous generation Raptor Lake chips, the company said its goal was to reduce power consumption by 40% and internal package temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Celsius. Judging by the benchmarks Intel shared ahead of today’s announcement, the company did just that.
Intel
Intel’s new flagship, the Ultra 9 285K, features a 24-core CPU design consisting of eight ‘Lion Cove’ performance cores and 16 ‘Skymont’ efficiency cores, and a maximum boost clock of 5.7GHz. It, alongside the rest of the current Arrow Lake family, also comes with a neural processing unit (NPU), a first for one of Intel’s desktop CPU. But those specs aren’t what’s interesting about the 285K and its siblings.
In “lightly-threaded” workloads, including tasks such as Zoom calls and select Cinebench benchmarks, Intel recorded the 285K drawing up to 58% less power than the 14900K, the company’s 14th generation flagship. When it comes to gaming performance, the results are even more interesting. In Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, for instance, Intel said it saw the 285K run the game on average 4% faster, while drawing 165W less of system power. Even in more GPU-intensive games such as Black Myth: Wukong, the 285K offers promising efficiency gains, with Intel noting it saw the CPU draw 34 fewer watts of total system power compared to the 14900K.
Those efficiency improvements translate to equally impressive thermal gains, with Intel noting its data shows the 285K runs, on average, about 13 degrees Celsius cooler than the 14900K during gaming loads. The new processor even offers similar gaming performance when users limit its power draw from Intel's default of 250W to 175W or 125W. For those who like to undervolt their CPU or plan to go with an ITX case and motherboard for their next build, that's exciting news.
“I think it’s safe to say this is a huge turn of the corner for our desktop portfolio,” said Robert Halleck, general manager of Intel’s AI and Technical Marketing units. “I’m confident your testing will match the numbers we’re talking about today.”
Intel
On paper, Arrow Lake is exactly what Intel needs to claw its way back to sustainability; it’s easily the most efficient family of desktop processors the company has put out in a long time. However, whether that alone will be enough to turn Intel’s fortunes around is less clear.
In the short term, the company faces a rival AMD that is more competitive than ever. In the long term, it’s difficult to say how much of Arrow Lake’s efficiency should be solely attributed to Intel’s engineers. As recently as 2022, the company had maintained it would build the new processors using a combination of its own 20A fabrication process and TSMC’s 3-nanometer technology. But then Intel recorded a $1.6 billion loss in Q2 of this year and said it would cut more than 15,000 jobs in an effort to reduce costs by $10 billion. Part of that plan involved fully outsourcing Arrow Lake manufacturing to a third party. At the time, Intel didn’t specifically name TSMC. However, the list of companies capable of producing silicon at the density and scale required for Arrow Lake is very short. With Intel reportedly hitting a recent snag to get its next-generation 18A process off the ground, it’s clear the company still has a long ahead.
When the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K arrives on October 24, it will cost $589. For those looking for a more affordable entry into Intel's Arrow Lake ecosystem, the company will also offer the 14-core Ultra 5 245KF for $294 and the 20-core Ultra 7 265K for $394. Alongside its KF sibling, which comes without an integrated Intel Xe GPU, the 265K looks like it will be the dark horse of Intel's Arrow Lake line. The company said that 265K runs about 15 degrees cooler than the 14900K and draws up to 188W less system power.
Alongside its new Arrow Lake processors, Intel also shared more information about its upcoming Arrow Lake H laptop chips, which the company said would arrive at the start of next year.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/intels-15th-gen-cpus-are-all-about-power-efficiency-and-thermals-150024246.html?src=rss
Alongside its new family of Arrow Lake desktop hardware, Intel today also gave us a few tidbits around its upcoming Arrow Lake H mobile chips for high performance laptops. First off, they're not expected to arrive until the first quarter of 2025 — but the slight wait might be worth it, as Intel says they will offer powerful new Xe GPUs with XMX. Thanks to that upgrade, the GPU alone will offer four times better AI workload processing than its previous chips, alongside double the ray tracing performance and twice as much cache (8MB L2).
Notably, though, these new chips will still lag behind the company's less powerful Lunar Lake processors when it comes to NPU and overall AI TOPS (tera operations per second) figures. Arrow Lake H's NPU will hit 13 TOPS, the new GPU will reach 77 and the CPU will offer 9 TOPS. Taken altogether, it'll offer up to 99 TOPS of performance. Lunar Lake, meanwhile, sports a 48 TOPS NPU and up to 120 TOPS of system-wide AI performance.
Intel
The difference makes sense when you consider what these chips are meant for. Lunar Lake is mostly geared towards ultraportables and slim workstations, while Arrow Lake H chips are targeted at demanding notebooks with desktop-like performance. While they can technically be called AI PCs, Arrow Lake H's low NPU performance doesn't meet the bar for Microsoft's Copilot+ badge (those require at least 40 TOPS NPUs). You'll be able to run basic AI features, like Windows Studio Effects in video chats, but not more complicated tasks like Recall.
Intel didn't have many other details to share about Arrow Lake H, but we'll likely hear more at CES 2025.
Intel
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/intels-upcoming-arrow-lake-h-laptop-chips-will-offer-beefier-gpus-for-ai-workloads-150021214.html?src=rss
ByteDance is pushing further into hardware with its first set of earbuds. The TikTok owner's $170 Ola Friend buds will only be available in China for now. They link to the company's generative AI assistant, Doubao, which can be activated with a voice command.
According to the South China Morning Post, wearers will be able to use the open-ear buds as a tour guide while traveling and to practice English (among other things) after they're paired with the Doubao mobile app. The publication notes that Doubao is currently the most popular GAI app in China, with more than 47 million monthly active users in September.
The debut of Ola Friend follows ByteDance completing its purchase of Oladance, a maker of wearable audio devices, this year. ByteDance also owns VR headset maker Pico.
The earbuds are available in four colors, purple, silver, black and white. Pre-orders are open today and Ola Friend will ship on October 17.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/tiktok-owner-bytedance-unveils-its-first-earbuds-in-china-143507603.html?src=rss
Sony’s line of LinkBuds products has served two key purposes. First, it gave the company a playground to introduce wildly different designs like the donut-shaped first-gen LinkBuds. It also allowed Sony to develop the LinkBuds S, a more traditional set that offered a taste of its flagship 1000X products for $100 less. That model was certainly more compelling than the company’s basic models that go for $120 and below.
Two years after the LinkBuds and LinkBuds S, Sony is back with an all-new model and a revamped version of the original. With the LinkBuds Fit ($200), the company has developed a full-featured, comfy set of earbuds with impressive sound. And on the LinkBuds Open ($200), Sony tweaked its unique open-wear formula by updating some tools. Then there’s the third member of the 2024 LinkBuds trio, the LinkBuds Speaker ($180), which is designed to integrate seamlessly with the two new pairs of earbuds when you return home or to the office. Since Sony introduced these all together, I’ve reviewed them that way, so buckle up because you’re about to get three reviews for the price of one.
LinkBuds Fit
Sony’s LinkBuds S were a low-key hit in 2022. They have some of the great features from the 1000X line, with a similar overall shape, too. Small and comfy, they offer significantly more in terms of sound and tools than most $200 earbuds. With this year’s LinkBuds Fit, Sony has debuted the next progression in its active noise canceling (ANC) LinkBuds.
This is the option for people who prefer a closed design and a secure fit. Sony completely redesigned the LinkBuds Fit, aiming for the optimum shape for most people. To get there, the company made the main housing a lot smaller, as the whole thing tucks almost entirely into your ear. There’s a so-called Air Cushion silicon support wing that’s hollow instead of solid. This allows more flexibility, and honestly it’s more comfortable since you can tuck it into the ridges of your ears however you need to. The combination of the smaller size and the Air Cushion make the LinkBuds Fit some of the most comfy in-ears I’ve tested. Even though they plug your ears closed, they never become a burden, even after hours of constant use.
One of the best things about the LinkBuds S was the impressive sound quality for the price. That continues on the LinkBuds Fit as Sony offers balanced tuning right out of the box. There’s crisp highs, ample mid range and snappy bass throughout most genres, even with more restrained, country-tinged rock like Jason Isbell’s Live from the Ryman, Vol. 2. Plus, the company's DSEE Extreme upscaling can help restore some audio quality lost over compression for Bluetooth streaming. Audio presets and a 5-band EQ are here for adjustments, but I didn’t even think about using them.
The sonic abilities of the LinkBuds Fit are on full display with BONES UK’s Soft. The crunchy guitars, droning bass lines and punchy kick drum provide a full, deep soundstage for the textured vocals to float across. And for a bass-heavy experience, the synth-heavy tune “Generator” from Justice’s Hyperdrama is a loud, pulsing track with a big low-end thump while the keys still cut through on top. Interestingly, there’s nuance to the bassy beats on the LinkBuds Fit, rather than just a one-note rhythm. All of these sound improvements are due in part to the earbuds inheriting the Dynamic Driver X and Integrated Processor V2 audio chip from the 1000X. There’s more enveloping sound on the WF-1000XM5, but not by much, as Sony has closed the gap between its flagship model and the LinkBuds line – for now.
Billy Steele for Engadget
Features like Adaptive Sound Control, multipoint Bluetooth and Speak to Chat make their return on the LinkBuds Fit from the LinksBuds S. But Sony has gone well beyond those with a host of new conveniences. The company took a page from Apple’s book and now allows you to answer or reject calls by nodding or shaking your head. There’s also a built-in voice control that doesn’t require your phone’s assistant, something akin to what Bose offers on the new QuietComfort Earbuds. And because the earbuds are so small, there aren’t onboard touch controls. Instead, Sony employs the Wide Area Tap gestures from the original open-design LinkBuds. They work really well, but I will never be comfortable tapping my upper cheek to make adjustments.
Perhaps the only area where the LinkBuds Fit fall well short of the WF-1000XM5 is ANC performance. I’d call this active noise reduction more than cancellation. You’ll get some relief from constant sources like white noise machines or a raucous fan, but these earbuds don’t silence them. They also struggle mightily with human voices, so if you sit near a chatty coworker, you’ll have to crank up the volume to compensate.
For calls, the LinkBuds Fit will give you better-than-average voice clarity, which means you’ll sound better than if you’re on speakerphone. The earbuds also do a decent job of blocking background noise, although I noticed a slight delay in them picking up sounds that began during calls. Sony also boasts that this model has its “best ambient sound,” and while I’m not ready to bestow that honor, the audio mode does have a natural quality that makes it pleasant to use. Plus, a new Auto Ambient Sound feature can automatically adjust the level of transparency when you encounter a noisy environment.
With the LinkBuds Fit, Sony says you can expect up to five and a half hours with ANC on and 21 hours total when you factor in the case. There are a lot of advanced features at work here, and those have an impact on power consumption. With the volume at a comfortable 75-80 percent, I only managed around four hours and 45 minutes. That’s with noise-canceling active as well as Voice Control, Speak to Chat and DSEE Extreme all enabled. The good news is that Sony offers a tool called Auto Battery Save that will disable the latter three tools, as well as any EQ tweaks, to conserve power. This will extend things beyond the 5.5-hour mark, but not by a ton.
The LinkBuds Fit are a massive advancement over the LinkBuds S. In fact, they’re some of the best earbuds Sony has ever made. But they aren’t without a few significant faults. My primary gripe is ANC performance, and though it's the only one, it’s a biggie. Like it usually does on the 1000X line, Sony has packed in a ton of features here, and for the most part they work as advertised. It’s clear the company is taking notes from the competition with the Apple-esque head gestures and automatic sound adjustments, in addition to the Bose-like built-in assistant. But, somehow, Sony managed to innovate and keep the price tag exactly the same as the LinkBuds S.
LinkBuds Open
The original LinkBuds were wonderfully weird. After years of very normal-looking earbuds (besides the Xperia Ear Duo), Sony took a big swing in early 2022 with the donut-shaped, open design model that sought to provide all-day wear while keeping your earbuds unobstructed from your environment. They were different, but they were unique, with their own drizzle of Sony’s special sauce. However, overall comfort was a big issue, and one the company sought to remedy on the follow-up with the LinkBuds Open.
To start, Sony reduced the overall size of the IPX4-rated LinkBuds Open. Like the LinkBuds Fit, this model also has the Air Cushion silicon support that’s more flexible. That’s a big improvement from the small hump meant to stabilize the first version that didn’t offer much added support. Unfortunately though, the casing for the ring-shaped driver that sits in your ear is still hard plastic. After about 45 minutes, it became uncomfortable, and after several hours it was downright unbearable. On the bright side, the cheek-based Wide Area Tap controls are back and they’re reliable, if not slightly awkward.
Sony made two key adjustments to improve the sound quality on the LinkBuds Open. First, it built a revamped ring-shaped driver and paired it with the Integrated Processor V2 chip from the 1000X line. These two changes make for louder sound and richer bass, according to Sony. And the claim holds up. You’ll only need around 65-70 percent volume, unless you suffer from some degree of hearing loss. And there is more pronounced low-end tone, though you’ll have to coax it out with an EQ tweak.
By default, the stock tuning is heavily reliant on treble, which means vocals tend to overpower most of the mix. However, Sony’s EQ tools actually help balance things out, and adding more mids and bass makes the LinkBuds Open’s sound profile more well-rounded. After this adjustment, the kick drum thumps under vocals and guitars, an improvement over the default sound profile for Better Lovers’ thunderous, crunching single “A White Horse Covered In Blood.”
Billy Steele for Engadget
Like it did with the LinkBuds Fit, Sony brought over a lot of the handy tools from the 1000X earbuds to the Open. Those include multipoint Bluetooth and Speak to Chat, but Adaptive Sound Control automation isn’t here. Sony did add its voice assistant, Adaptive Volume Control and head-gesture recognition for answering calls. The company also offers a fit check via your phone’s camera, something it's done for other products to check your positioning for 360 Reality Audio. Most of these work well, though in my experience Speak to Chat is still tripped up when I coughed or cleared my throat. And it seemed to be even more sensitive on the LinkBuds Open than other models I’ve tested.
Thanks to the design, the LinkBuds Open are nice to wear during calls since, well, you can hear yourself. However, the quality of your voice on the other end isn’t as clear as what I encountered on the LinkBuds Fit. It will get the job done, but I did sound slightly muffled. And background noise, while subdued, is noticeable at times when I’m talking.
Sony says you should be able to eke out eight hours of use on the LinkBuds Open, a significant improvement over the five and a half hours on the first LinkBuds. Indeed, I had no trouble hitting that number during my tests with DSEE Auto and other power-taxing tools enabled. If you find yourself in a pinch, Sony devised a faster quick charge solution that gives you an hour of use in three minutes. What’s more, Auto Battery Save from the LinkBuds Fit is in play here, automatically disabling advanced features when you hit 20 percent battery to extend listening time.
The LinkBuds Open offer some improvements over the first-gen model, but Sony hasn’t addressed an inherent issue with the design. Simply put, they aren’t comfortable to wear for longer than a few minutes and that will be a problem for a lot of people. I understand the outer shell around the ring driver has to be robust enough to protect it, but there needs to be even the slightest bit of cushioning to relieve the pressure. If Sony fixes that, it will have a more compelling product rather than a novelty.
LinkBuds Speaker
The LinkBuds Speaker is an unexpected part of the new LinkBuds lineup. It’s a small Bluetooth speaker that’s designed to be your go-to device when you’re stationary, and is equipped with several features that sync with the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open in a bid to make your life easier – at least in terms of listening to music or podcasts.
The LinkBuds Speaker won’t win any design awards, but that’s par for the course with small Bluetooth speakers. Up top are volume and playback controls which you can also use to start music from select streaming services with one tap (Amazon Music, Spotify and Endel). There’s also a microphone for calls, if you’re okay with a no-frills speakerphone option. Around back, the power button sits at the bottom just above a USB-C charging port. There’s also an attached loop here so you can hang the LinkBuds Speaker on a hook or carabiner. That USB-C port is technically the backup charging method though, since the IPX4-rated speaker comes with a charging cradle that connects via metal contacts on the bottom.
Inside, Sony paired one of its X-balanced woofers with a single tweeter and a passive radiator. The company says this combo provides “well-balanced” and “pleasant and clear sound” that’s tuned so it isn’t exhausting to listen to for long periods of time. In the end, the LinkBuds Speaker suffers a similar fate to comparable Bluetooth devices with a lack of overall fidelity. While it’s true the treble is bright, clean and punchy, the bass is restrained and the mid-range is lacking right out of the box. There are no audio presets to assist you there, but Sony does offer a full 5-band EQ for adjustments, along with a separate Clear Bass slider. You can save changes as custom settings for future use, if you hit on something you like.
After I made the necessary tweaks to address the sonic shortcomings, the speaker sounded slightly better, but there was still a lack of crisp detail some of the competition offers (like the Beats Pill). The only place you’ll notice decent clarity is in the vocals and top end of the EQ. And for outdoor use, you'll be glad the high end is more pronounced so you can better understand the lyrics in the open air.
Billy Steele for Engadget
The LinkBuds Speaker works with Sony’s new Sound Connect app for access to various settings. There’s one key feature I’ll discuss since it’s unique to this device. First, the app allows you to set up routines so that your music starts at specific times during the day. There’s also an automatic switching element to this that works with the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open, along with additional support for the LinkBuds S, WF-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM5. All of this is managed in the Auto Play section of the app.
Once you sync a set of earbuds or headphones with the LinkBuds Speaker, Sony’s app walks you through the process of setting up morning and bedtime routines. Right now though, those are the only two options, which is frustrating since I need to adjust things throughout the day too. You can set them to any time you want, but they’ll still be labeled “Get Ready” and “Bedtime.” Oddly enough, Apple Music is listed on Auto Play, but Amazon Music isn’t – which is different from the one-tap play setup. Here, you can have the speaker pick up where you left off from your chosen music service or you can have a specific playlist or album set for those two times.
After a routine is set, any music will automatically swap from the speaker to earbuds or headphones when you put them on, and vice versa when you take them off. It works really well, quickly making the change and gradually increasing the volume on the speaker so you’re not blasted from the start. In the mornings, the speaker will even announce the date, time and weather if you want it to (and grant it exact location access). You can also have the device tell you the time on the hour. Lastly, the speaker stays in low-power mode when it’s not in use, which is what allows you to swap the audio when you’re in range.
Sony promises up to 25 hours of battery life on the LinkBuds Speaker, if you have the volume set to “level 23.” Since that’s 23 out of 100, that’s not really a viable scenario. For comfortable, casual listening, you’ll want something around 60 percent – or level 60 in Sony-speak, I guess. At maximum volume, which is deafening, the speaker supposed to last up to six hours. I wouldn’t recommend anything above about 80 percent though, because the pronounced treble starts to cancel out everything else in the mix from that point upwards.
I can see avid users of Sony’s earbuds and headphones enjoying the LinkBuds Speaker's routines and automatic switching. However, there’s much better audio quality from the competition, and in a few cases it’s available for less than the $180 Sony is asking for. I’d like to see Sony incorporate this type of hand-off feature in a speaker designed for your living room or office. With something that’s bigger and offers better sound performance, the company would have a more compelling package for a LinkBuds sidekick.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sony-linkbuds-fit-and-linkbuds-open-review-two-designs-one-clear-champ-134529932.html?src=rss
One of our favorite workout apps for yoga and pilates, Alo Moves, is coming to VR on the Meta Quest 3. Priced at $69 a year, Alo Moves XR is set to be the first wellness app on the platform to feature volumetric 3D-capture classes that allow for extra immersion.
The app uses a volumetric 3D technique to capture classes from all angles, so "users can interact with their 3D instructors, repositioning them and viewing every angle for a full 360-degree perspective, helping perfect form and movement techniques," the company wrote. At the same time, you can choose from various picturesque locations including Spain, Norway and Thailand. On a more practical note, the app uses room mapping and object detection of your own physical space to make sure you don't bump into anything.
Alo Moves
Alo Moves XR is launching with 32 classes across yoga, pilates and mindfulness with some of its popular instructors including yoga teacher Ashley Galvin and pilates specialist Bianca Wise. The app promises a structured release schedule with four to five new mixed-reality yoga and pilates classes added monthly, along with weekly meditation and sound bath sessions. It also offers things like class history tracking, post-class feedback and milestone badges.
Later this year, Alo Moves will introduce new instructors and expand offerings with 20+ minute yoga sessions, quick toning/sculpting classes, yoga fundamentals, evening reset stretching, breathwork and more.
The company promises an experience "that feels as close to in-person as possible," according to its press release. It looks like a smart way to use virtual reality (or extended reality as Meta would rather you call it), particularly as it lets you study an instructor's technique from all angles. That would make it a cut above other Meta fitness apps like Oh Shape and Les Mills Bodycombat.
Alo Moves XR will cost $10 per month or $69 a year, but purchasers of the Alo Moves x Meta Quest bundle can grab it for $49 per year. If you already have an Alo Moves subscription, you'll be able to add Alo Moves XR for $20 annually.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/workout-app-alo-moves-is-now-in-vr-on-meta-quest-3-130050184.html?src=rss
Starting this fall, Uber will give its riders new self-identification options if they are deaf or hard-of-hearing and blind or have low vision. The company said that riders with hearing or vision issues often worry about potential misunderstandings that could cause them to miss their ride. If they choose to self-identify on the app, their driver will be notified beforehand and could work with them on their needs, such as making sure they're picked up exactly where they're located instead of having them look for their ride.
Uber is also moving the communication preferences settings to the Accessibility page so that passengers can easily change their preferred contact method. If they indicate that they only want to communicate via in-app chat, for instance, their driver wouldn't be able to call them. The company will start pilot testing another self-identification option for riders with service animals in the US and Canada over the next few weeks, as well. Uber said it will send its drivers a new service animal education video, with tips on how to transport the service animals and a reminder that it's against the company's policy to deny someone a ride because they're traveling with one.
Uber has added features to make its rides more accessible over the years, but it hasn't been smooth sailing for the company. It previously faced lawsuits for not providing wheelchair-accessible service in every US market even after teaming up with an external company to improve its accessibility for wheelchair users. In 2021, the Department of Justice sued the ride-hailing platform for charging passengers "wait time" fees because they need more time to enter a car due to their disabilities. And even with its promise to foster inclusion and be more accessible, whether or not a passenger gets a ride may still depend on the driver.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-will-let-riders-disclose-whether-theyre-hard-of-hearing-or-have-low-vision-130027692.html?src=rss
Another October Prime Day is in the books, but all of the deals haven’t disappeared from Amazon’s site just yet. This year’s Fall Prime Day brought a bunch of discounts on smartphones, speakers, wearables, robot vacuums and more tech, and you can still grab some of the sale prices right now even after the event has officially ended. While it’s possible we see some of these deals come back in a month during Black Friday, it’s a good idea to pick up your top items now if you’re keen on getting some of your holiday shopping done early. Here are the best Prime Day deals you can still get today.
Best Prime Day deals you can still get: Engadget's top picks
Apple deals can be hit or miss during Amazon Prime Day, but we saw a number of good ones this time and many of them are still available. Whether you've been on the hunt for a new Apple device for yourself or you know you want to pick one up as a gift, you can save a bit of cash if you do so now.
Apple 10th-gen iPad for $299 ($50 off): The new, baseline iPad updates a familiar device with a fresh design, improved performance, USB-C charging and a better battery life.
Apple 9th-gen iPad for $199 ($130 off): This model is on its way out, but $200 for an iPad is a solid sale price. This slab has a 10.2-inch display, an A13 Bionic chip and 64GB of storage — plus the antiquated physical Home button.
Apple AirPods Max for $395 ($154 off): These expensive cans are a much better buy when on sale, and they boast excellent sound quality, good ANC, a luxe design and a solid battery life. They're available in Lightning or USB-C.
Apple AirPods 4 for $119 ($10 off): This modest discount has been available for a few weeks now, but it's still worth highlighting given that Apple only launched its new wireless earbuds last month. We gave the pair a review score of 88, praising its improved fit, comfort and overall sound quality. This model doesn't include active noise cancellation or wireless charging, however.
Apple Watch SE (2nd gen, GPS) for $170 ($79 off): The entry-level Apple Watch remains a fine choice for first-time smartwatch buyers, so long as you can live without the larger always-on display and more advanced health features of the pricier Series 10. This is another one of the lowest prices we’ve tracked for the 40mm model; the larger 44mm variant is similarly discounted at $200.
Apple 13-inch MacBook Air M2 for $749 ($250 off): Despite having a slightly older chipset, the M2 MacBook Air remains a great budget option for most anyone, save those who regularly push their daily driver to the limit with activities like video editing.
A number of Lego sets are still on sale post October Prime Day. Some of our favorites come from the Star Wars, Super Mario and Harry Potter lineups, and you'll find savings up to 41 percent on those.
Yes, Black Friday is right around the corner, but it would be unwise to sleep on these Prime Day tech deals that you can still get today. We're seeing steep discounts on headphones, TVs, streaming devices, gaming gear and more, making it a good time to pick up something for yourself or cross a few items off your holiday shopping list early.
Sonos Era 100 for $199 ($50 off): This is one of our favorite smart speakers thanks to its excellent sound quality, Trueplay tuning and Bluetooth support. Plus, if you have two of them, you can pair them for a stellar stereo sound experience.
Roku Ultra (2024) for $79 ($21 off): The brand new Ultra is 30 percent faster than the previous model, and it supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and Wi-Fi 6.
LG 55-inch C4 evo OLED smart TV for $1,297 ($700 off): LG's midrange OLED sets, the C4 family includes upgraded Alpha 9 Gen 7 chip, improved brightness and a 144Hz max refresh rate. Most sizes are discounted at the moment.
Shark AI Ultra robot vacuum cleaner for $300 ($119 off): Shark’s robo-vac can clean both carpet and hard floors well and maps your home while it cleans so you can more easily send it to specific rooms and areas when you want. Its self-emptying base can also hold up to 60 days worth of debris.
Crucial X9 Pro portable SSD (1TB) for $85 ($10 off): The X9 Pro is the top pick in our guide to the best portable SSDs, combining dependable performance with a rugged compact design. We've seen this 1TB model go for much less in previously sales, but it's sat in the $90 to $100 range for almost all of the past year. This discount marks the lowest price we've seen since January.
SanDisk Ultra microSD card (1.5TB) for $90 ($60 off): If you don’t care about performance so much and just want a big chunk of space for as little cash as possible, this deal should work. You’ll have to deal with slower transfer speeds, but the discount takes roughly $20 off this 1.5TB card’s typical going rate in recent months.
Dyson V15 Detect Plus cordless vacuum cleaner for $696 ($54 off): This version of our top pick in our best cordless vacuum cleaner guide has superior suction power and can handle pet hair without breaking a sweat, plus it has 60 minutes of run time and comes with a number of cleaner-head accessories.
Ninja DualZone air fryer for $168 ($32 off): This 8-quart model of one of our favorite air fryers can cook two totally different foods at the same time, and you can set it up for both foods to be done cooking at the same time. The larger, 10-quart model is $50 off and down to $200.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-prime-day-deals-you-can-still-get-after-the-october-big-deal-days-sale-apple-anker-sonos-lego-and-more-040010396.html?src=rss
The Internet Archive has been hit with a series of DDoS attacks this week that have taken the service offline. The Verge noticed a popup on the site today when the online database went down. The popup has since disappeared, but the site is not currently available.
According to security researcher Troy Hunt, the DDoS attack came just as the Internet Archive was preparing to disclose a previous breach of its site that resulted in the theft of more than 31 million records. Hunt, who runs the haveibeenpwned service, said that the timing of the two attacks appears to be "entirely coincidental" and that there are likely "multiple parties" involved. " It's clearly not just one attack," he wrote.
🚨🚨🚨The Wayback Machine looks like it has been compromised.
Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle has been publishing updates on the attacks on X, with the latest news simply that the team is attempting to bring the site back online. A DDoS organization known as Blackmeta claimed responsibility for the attacks with a confusing message that the platform "belongs to the USA." The Internet Archive is a non-profit headquartered in San Francisco that provides free access to a vast library of software and media, as well as hosting the Wayback Machine web archive. The message also referenced the stolen records with "HIBP" referring to Hunt's haveibeenpwned site that tracks compromised accounts.
This isn't the first time the archive has been targeted by DDoS attacks, but this week's attacks are the latest in a string of bad news for the Internet Archive. The platform has been fighting a legal battle over ebook copyrights and recently lost its appeal in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Update October 9, 2024, 7:25 PM ET: This story was updated with additional information from security researcher Troy Hunt.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/the-internet-archive-taken-down-by-ddos-attacks-222317044.html?src=rss