Category: Technology

Budding beatmakers (or musicians looking to add to their toolset) might be interested in checking out Ableton’s Black Friday deals. The company has slashed the price of its Live packages, the Push controller and sound packs by 20 percent. While that isn’t quite as generous as the 25 percent discounts we’ve seen from Ableton in the past, the company doesn’t often run sales. So, if you’ve been eyeing Live 11, one of the most popular digital workstations (DAWs) around, for a while, now might be the time to take the leap. You’ll have some time to think about it, though, as the deals run through January 11th.

The base Live 11 Intro option is down from $99 to $79 for the time being. It has what you need to get started with the DAW, including more than 1,500 sounds, 21 audio effects and 11 MIDI effects.

If you’re ready for something more full featured, consider the Live 11 Standard package, the price of which Ableton has lowered from $449 to $359. The bundle includes unlimited audio and MIDI tracks, as well as unlimited scenes and more than 1,800 sounds.

At the top end is the Live 11 Suite, which is down from $749 to $599. You’ll get access to more than 5,000 sounds, along with more audio and MIDI effects and extra software instruments. Current Live users can get 20 percent off upgrades too.

Meanwhile, it’s rare to see Ableton offering a discount on the Push controller, which has deep integration with Live. In fact, the company confirmed to Engadget this is the first time it has cut the price of the controller since 2016.

You’ll be able to use Push to play and tweak samples, step sequence your creative ideas and record your creations. If you don’t already own Live 11 but want to pick up Push, you’ll need to buy them as a bundle. The Live Intro 11 and Push package costs $639 (down from $898). Live 11 and the controller will set you back $918 (was $1,248). As for the bundle of Live 11 Suite and Push, that will run you $1,118 (down from $1,548). Current Live owners will see their Push price after logging into their account, but based on the bundle prices, it should be around $560.

Ableton allows customers to spread the cost of Live or Push over six months at the discounted rate. Meanwhile, students and teachers can save up to 40 percent off the standard price.

 

One of the most noteworthy updates Apple brought to the iPhone 14 series this year is Emergency SOS via satellite. It lets you send text messages to emergency services over satellite if you’re in need of help and outside of cellular coverage. The company hopes you don’t need to use the service, but in case you find yourself hurt and needing rescue in the wilderness, it can be frustrating if you’re unfamiliar with a tool you were expecting to be helpful. Today, Apple is rolling out a demo mode of Emergency SOS via Satellite so members of the public can see how it works.

After updating your iPhone 14 (or 14 Plus or 14 Pro or 14 Pro Max), you’ll need to navigate to the Emergency SOS section of Settings to find the Demo. It’s worth checking this out since not many people will know what to expect nor that the first step is to dial 911, instead of looking for an app. If you’re using demo mode, you won’t be connected to a real emergency services agent or relay center — the company’s system will navigate demo users to a server that sends canned responses. This prevents people from overloading actual call centers.

In addition to a controlled preview at Apple’s campus earlier this year, I also tried the satellite communications feature for myself at a special demo last week in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Using iPhones that Apple tweaked to disable cellular services, I was able to locate and connect to passing satellites and experience how long it would take to have a text conversation with an agent. Not only was it insightful to get a sense for how much slower satellite transmissions took compared to cellular, I also learned how best to concisely convey information about my situation in as few words as possible.

Apple doesn’t recommend that you try this yourself (i.e. find a place without any cellular coverage just to see what the experience is like). Instead, if you’re curious about the interface and how this works, that’s what this demo mode is for.

Emergency SOS via Satellite and the demo mode both roll out today in the US and Canada. Apple is also announcing that it’s expanding the service to France, Germany, Ireland and the UK in December. 

 

Back in September, CD Projekt Redc (CDPR) announced that it’s going to release an expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 entitled Phantom Liberty that would add characters and a new location to the game. Now, the developer has confirmed that you’ll have to pay for the DLC when it drops and if you want to see what’s new in Night City. CDPR’s global PR director Radek Grabowski told GamesRadar+: “As for the expansion’s pricing — we have not revealed exact details yet, but it will be a paid one.” Grabowski also told the publication that the developer’s expansions are “traditionally cheaper than full-price games.” To note, Cyberpunk 2077 cost $60 when it launched. 

Phantom Liberty will be a spy thriller and will involve espionage work for the New United States of America. It will star the game’s main protagonist V and Johnny Silverhand, the popular Cyberpunk 2077 character played by Keanu Reeves. When it first announced the DLC, CDPR said that it was only going to be released for the Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 and PC. It will skip the PS4 and the Xbox One altogether, which perhaps isn’t surprising, considering the issues the developer faced upon the main game’s release. 

If you’ll recall, the game’s launch was marred by bugs and glitches — some even prevented players from completing quests and moving forward. Its performance was especially poor on older-generation consoles, prompting the developer to issue a statement that promised to roll out fixes that would make the game playable. The issues were so bad, Sony Interactive Entertainment pulled the game from the PlayStation Store and offered refunds to anybody who asked for one. That said, Cyberpunk 2077 was able to get past its buggy launch, thanks to CDPR rolling out a stream of patches, as well as to the release of a Netflix anime. In October, the developer announced that it’s going to work on a sequel to the game codenamed “Orion,” which will “further develop the potential” of the sci-fi franchise.

 

Nike has unveiled .Swoosh, a blockchain-based platform for members to collect and eventually create virtual jerseys, shoes and other goods they can wear in games and online spaces. You may get access to real-world products and special events, too. Sign-ups start November 18th, and you’ll need an access code to avoid the waiting list.

Nike doesn’t start official “programming” until December, and the first community-shaped virtual collection is scheduled to launch in early 2023. If you thought Nike had already dabbled in digital goods, you might be recalling its purchase of RTFKT to accelerate its virtual goods plans, which was almost a year ago.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Introducing Engadget’s 2022 holiday gift guide

Find gifts for everyone on your list, and maybe even yourself.

Our holiday gift guide is back for 2022. There are gift ideas for the audiophile in your life, video gamers, board gamers, frequent travelers, people who work from home and others. Naturally, we also have lists of our favorite laptops, tablets, smart home devices, home theater gear and gaming accessories, too. 

Continue reading.

Twitter fired employees who publicly called out Elon Musk

One of them said ‘no one trusts anyone within the company anymore.’

At least three Twitter employees who survived the mass layoffs that cut the company’s workforce in half have been fired after calling out their new boss on the platform. One of them is Eric Frohnhoefer, who responded to Elon Musk’s tweet apologizing for Twitter being slow in many countries. After a lengthy exchange of tweets, Musk tweeted that Frohnhoefer had been fired.

Continue reading.

Disney brings the first two episodes of ‘Andor’ to Hulu

TV station ABC will also air the first episode on November 23rd at 9 PM ET.

Disney announced it would begin airing Andor on ABC, FX, Freeform and Hulu. Starting November 23rd, the expansion means those without access to Disney+ can watch the first two episodes of Tony Gilroy’s Star Wars show. It comes amid questions about just how many people are watching the critically acclaimed show. Disney’s decision to air the show on more platforms would seem to lend weight to suggestions the show has been less popular than The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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‘The Witcher 3’ finally hits PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 14th

CD Projekt Red says it’ll feature ray tracing and faster load times.

The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will finally be available on December 14th. The studio hasn’t shown off what gameplay looks like on those consoles or many details about what’s in store, but it plans to reveal more during a livestream event sometime next week. The upgrade will be free for those who bought any version of the game, which debuted in 2015.

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‘God of War Ragnarok’ and ‘Elden Ring’ lead the 2022 Game Awards nominees

‘Horizon Forbidden West’ and ‘Stray’ each scored a hatful of nominations.

The Game Awards’ host and producer, Geoff Keighley, has revealed the nominees for the ninth edition of the ceremony. God of War Ragarnok (which hit PS4 and PS5 just last week) leads the pack with 10 nominations, followed by Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, with seven each. The terrific Stray also fared well with six nods. All four of those titles have been nominated for Game of the Year, along with A Plague Tale: Requiem and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

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Amazon has launched a new virtual health service that gives you a way to consult healthcare professionals for common conditions and get prescriptions for them without heaving to make a video call. This new product is called Amazon Clinic, and it offers a text-based solution that connects you with third-party virtual care options. You can choose among Amazon’s partner telehealth providers, but the purpose of your consultation has to be in the service’s list of accepted conditions, which include acne, hair loss, acid reflux, pink eye, sinusitis and UTI. You can also use the service to get prescription renewals for conditions like asthma, high blood pressure and migraine. 

This is but the latest product Amazon has introduced in its bid to delve deeper into the healthcare sector. The e-commerce giant launched Amazon Pharmacy to deliver discounted prescription medicine to Prime members in 2020, and it entered a deal to purchase primary healthcare company One Medical for $3.9 billion in July. Amazon used to offer an app-based telehealth service called Amazon Care to its employees and other companies across the US, but it was shut down by the end of September. According to a previous Washington Post report, company senior vice president of health Neil Lindsay told employees that while “enrolled members have loved many aspects of Amazon Care, it is not a complete enough offering for the large enterprise customers [the company has] been targeting, and wasn’t going to work long-term.”

Unlike Care, Clinic wasn’t designed to be an enterprise offering. At the beginning of your consultation on the service, you’ll have to select your condition and choose your preferred provider from the list of partners before answering a short questionnaire. You’ll then be connected to a secure messaging portal where you can chat with a healthcare professional, who’ll send you a personalized treatment plan. They can also send your preferred pharmacy — one of the options, of course, is Amazon Pharmacy — any necessary prescriptions. You’ll remain connected to your healthcare professional for up to two weeks after your initial chat, and you can send them follow-up messages within that time. 

While the service doesn’t accept insurance right now, you can pay with an FSA or HSA debit card or get your receipt reimbursed when possible. You do have to pay a flat fee upfront, which is dependent upon your condition. Amazon says that the cost of care is equivalent or less than the average copay in many cases. As for medication, coverage varies, but you can use insurance to pay for it. Amazon Clinic is only available in 32 states at the moment, though the company is hoping to expand its reach to additional states over the coming months. 

 

Bankruptcy documents filed by the crypto exchange FTX indicate that it currently faces more than 100,000 creditors, but that number could expand to over one million, The Financial Times has reported. The company also stated that it has been in contact with US federal prosecutors, as well as “dozens of federal state and international regulatory agencies” over the last few days. 

FTX filed for bankruptcy last week following the sudden collapse of its exchange. Today, the Securities Commission of The Bahamas said it had received court approval to appoint two partners from the Bahamas and Hong Kong to oversea the unwinding of FTX Digital Markets, a key part of FTX. The filing called the state of affairs “unprecedented,” noting that “barely more than a week ago, FTX, led by its co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, was regarded as one of the most respected and innovative companies in the crypto industry.” 

In addition, the Royal Bahamas Police confirmed yesterday that they were working “to investigate if any criminal misconduct occurred,” according to the FT. The day after the bankruptcy was filed, the company reported that millions of dollars went missing from crypto wallets following “unauthorized transactions.” In addition, at least $1 billion worth of customer funds vanished from FTX prior to that.

FTX’s troubles started after the price of its native FTT token plunged and numerous users withdrew their cryptocurrency. After it was reported that FTX was facing a liquidity crisis, rival Binance said it would sell off around over $500 million worth of FTT, all but wiping out the token’s value. Binance then said it would take over FTX, but backed out of the deal a day later, citing concerns that emerged while carrying out due diligence. Bankman-Fried said he plans to eventually publish an account detailing exactly what happened to FTX.

 

If you’ve been waiting for a Masterclass deal so you can learn from known experts in their field at a discount, you may want to find someone to split an annual membership with. The website’s Cyber Monday offering gives you the chance to buy two annual memberships for the price of one either to gift or to split with a friend. You can technically keep the other subscription for yourself, just take note that the second year-long membership will expire 365 days from the date of your purchase if you don’t redeem it. The second annual membership will be in the same tier you choose, but if you give it to someone who already has an existing subscription, they’ll be getting another year of their current membership plan instead.

Buy 2 Masterclass annual memberships for the price of 1

Masterclass’ annual membership will set you back $15 a month for an individual plan, which does not have offline viewing and can only be accessed on a single device at a time. If you want to be able to watch videos without an internet or to share your account with family members, you can pay for the $20-a-month Duo plan or the $23-a-month Family plan. A membership will give you access to videos from more than 180 instructors that include Gordon Ramsay, Stephen Curry, Neil deGrasse Tyson, RuPaul, Serena Williams and Natalie Portman. 

To be eligible for this offer, though, you must not have an active annual membership plan and must not have purchased a get-two-memberships-for-one deal in the past. You must also sign up through Masterclass’ website and not through a third-party portal. The offer is now live on Masterclass and will be available until November 28th at 11:59 PM Pacific/November 29th at 2:59AM Eastern.

 

Opera’s fondness for building social networks into its browser now extends to what’s arguably the hottest platform at the moment. The company has updated its desktop browser with quick access to TikTok through the sidebar. You’re ultimately accessing the web version anyone can use, of course, but this is still helpful if you want to quickly check your feed at work (especially longer clips) or upload edited videos from your computer.

The addition joins fast access to Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. You also have access to a media player sidebar with access to services like Apple Music and Spotify. These are again web apps, but Opera is clearly hoping to reel in users who’d rather not run separate native apps or switch browser tabs.

The TikTok feature is ultimately an extension of a familiar strategy. As with its gaming and crypto browsers, Opera is hoping to draw you away from the likes of Chrome and Safari by integrating useful (or at least trendy) services into its client. When all modern browsers tend to perform well, Opera effectively argues, why not use one that might be more convenient?

It’s not certain how well that approach is working for the company’s bottom line. Opera has gained share in the past few years, climbing from just under 2.3 percent in Statcounter’s October 2019 rankings to nearly 3.6 percent three years later. However, it remains a distant fifth and is competing more with Firefox (just over 7 percent share) than Chrome (66.5 percent). If anything, Opera is establishing itself more as the go-to option for those tired of what Apple, Google and Microsoft have to offer.

 

If you’re on the lookout for a portable Bluetooth speaker, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is a top choice and now available at an all-time low price. You can grab one in four colors at Amazon for $70, for a savings of $30 (30 percent) off of the regular $100 price tag. 

Buy Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 at Amazon – $70

The UE Wonderboom 3 was one of the stars of our best portable Bluetooth speaker roundup. It’s tiny yet powerful, delivering the biggest sound in its size range. It’s also quite handsome, and the refreshed model comes in a variety of colors, including the black, white, blue and pink models on sale. It delivers an extra hour of battery life over the past model along with improved wireless range. With an IP67 rating on top of the company’s five-foot drop test durability, it can go with you almost anywhere and survive to tell the tale.

The audio quality is punchy and bright enough for what you’d expect at this scale and price range. Although there’s no app support or connectivity with the rest of the UE speaker lineup, you can easily pair it with a second Wonderboom for stereo sound. There’s also an outdoor mode button on the bottom that boosts the mid and high range to help the audio carry over a greater distance.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

 

At least three Twitter employees who survived the mass layoffs that cut the company’s workforce in half have been fired after calling out their new boss on the platform. One of them is Eric Frohnhoefer, who responded to Elon Musk’s tweet apologizing for Twitter being slow in many countries. “App is doing >1000 poorly batched RPCs just to render a home timeline!” Musk wrote. Frohnhoefer responded that after six years of working on Twitter for Android, he can say that Musk’s statement “is wrong.” 

The multi-company executive then asked him what the right number was and what has he done to fix Twitter for Android, which has been “super slow.” He replied with the work his team has done for the app and listed a few reasons on why it’s slow: “First it’s bloated with features that get little usage. Second, we have accumulated years of tech debt as we have traded velocity and features over perf. Third, we spend a lot of time waiting for network responses.”

Their exchange went on in several threads, and when one user told Frohnhoefer that he should’ve informed his boss privately, he replied: “Maybe he should ask questions privately. Maybe using Slack or email.” After that, Musk informed everyone on Twitter that Fronhoefer had been fired.

The former Twitter app engineer told Forbes that he had gotten no communication from Twitter about his dismissal and that his laptop “just shut off.” He added that “[n]o one trusts anyone within the company anymore,” so it’s been hard to function. The former Twitter employee also said that before Musk took over, “people were more open and felt that they could criticize and now that’s clearly not the case.”

Another engineer named Ben Leib was also fired, Bloomberg has confirmed. Leib also responded to the same apology tweet by Musk, saying that as a former “tech lead for timelines infrastructure at Twitter,” their new owner had no idea what he was talking about. And then there’s Sasha Solomon, a tech lead for the company who chimed in with her own response to the same Musk tweet and who later announced that she, too, got fired.

There have been massive changes over at Twitter after Elon Musk officially purchased the company. He immediately dismissed its top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, and ordered mass layoffs that saw around 50 percent of the social network’s employees lose their jobs. Twitter also launched the $8-a-month Blue subscription that provided everyone who can pay access to instant verification. Making the blue checkmark easy to obtain, however, led to the rise in impersonation and legitimate-looking fake accounts on the website.