Category: Technology

You don’t always need to invest in a brand new TV or an expensive sound system to up your home-entertainment game. A soundbar could do the trick, providing much better audio quality than most TVs offer and costing much less than a whole sound system. Roku’s Streambar is arguably one of the most convenient options available now, and it’s even cheaper ahead of Black Friday. You can pick up the compact device for only $80 right now, which is $50 less than usual and the lowest we’ve seen it.

We gave the Streambar a score of 86 when it first came out because it not only provides a solid sound upgrade for most TVs, but it also includes 4K streaming technology inside. That means if you have an old set that isn’t smart, you can turn it into a smart TV with the Streambar — no additional device required. It supports 4K HDR content and it’ll give you access to more streaming services than you’ll likely be able to use, including the big ones like Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and others.

As for audio, the Stremabar supports Dolby Audio and really makes sound effects and music in TV shows and movies pop. It doesn’t quite replicate the feeling of being in a movie theater of course, but it certainly makes your viewing experience more cinematic by upping overall sound quality. It can also double as a Bluetooth speaker, which will be useful if you want just one device in your living room that can do many things.

The Streambar also has the advantage of being relatively small. It’s roughly the size of a carton eggs, and its fabric-wrapped design is pretty attractive, if a little basic. It’s much smaller than other soundbars, so it’ll fit into even the most cramped of living-room setups.

But if audio isn’t your biggest concern and you just want a reliable yet affordable streaming device, there are a couple of other Roku deals worth considering right now. The company’s Streaming Stick 4K is down to only $25, while the Roku Express is on sale for $18. The former connects directly to your TV’s HDMI port to provide 4K streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision support and voice commands via its remote. The Express is a bit more limited, as it supports HD content, connects via an included HDMI cable and comes with a remote that doesn’t have voice command support.

Buy Roku Streaming Stick 4K at Amazon – $25Buy Roku Express at Amazon – $18

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If you’ve been waiting on a sale for Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro, that patience has paid off. Amazon is offering them at the lowest price we’ve seen yet, $230 or $19 (8 percent) off the regular $249 price tag. While not an enormous price cut, it’s a great deal on Apple’s best wireless ANC buds, considering they only came out in September. 

While they don’t look too different from the original AirPods Pro, the new models have some notable improvements that helped them garner a solid 88 score in our Engadget review. The biggest change is the new H2 chip that delivers improved noise cancellation and longer battery life. Audio quality is also improved, as is integration with Apple products, letting you switch seamlessly between an iPhone and MacBook, for example. They also come with new touch controls for easier operation.

They’re not perfect, as battery life could still be better despite the improvements from before, and the touch controls take a while to master. Also, they’re really designed for Apple products, so Android users might need to look elsewhere. Still, the 2022 AirPods Pro are some highly desirable wireless ANC earbuds and this is the best price we’ve seen to date. 

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

 

Former Amazon chief Jeff Bezos is the latest tech CEO hoping to be known for his philanthropy. The Amazon founder told CNN in an interview that he intends to give most of his net worth (currently $124 billion) to charity during his lifetime. Most of it will go toward either countering climate change or supporting those who can create “unity” for humanity. While Bezos shared few details, he and partner Lauren Sánchez said they were “building the capacity” to give this fortune to others and hope to make the most of the investment.

Before the revelation, Bezos announced a $100 million donation to singer and literacy advocate Dolly Parton. The executive previously pledged $10 billion over the course of a decade to the Bezos Earth Fund, which aims to drive political and technological solutions to human-made climate change. Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, has already given away about $4 billion to organizations in the past several months.

The strategy is familiar. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is well-known for donating to charities and scientific research through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and (along with Warren Buffett) founded The Giving Pledge to encourage billionaires to contribute at least half of their money to good causes. In 2015, Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg promised to donate 99 percent of his company shares, then worth $45 billion, to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The Facebook creator signed The Giving Pledge in 2010. Bezos hasn’t signed the pledge, although this move would qualify.

As with other tech CEOs making large donations, though, Bezos faces criticism over his legacy. Amazon has repeatedly fought climate legislation, and saw its emissions spike in 2021 despite a commitment to reducing its environmental impact. And while he has argued that Amazon needs to treat its employees better, the rough warehouse working conditions at the heart of the issue emerged under his watch.

There are also questions as to why he waited until now to give most of his money to charity. While he has often made charitable pledges, he has also poured funds into side projects that haven’t done much to advance humanity, at least not in the short term — sending rich people into space with Blue Origin, for example. As with Gates and Zuckerberg, there’s a concern Bezos is trying to mend his reputation by offloading most of his wealth.

 

If you’re thinking of getting a laptop or tablet as a gift, you’ve got a wealth of options. Thanks to the latest round of hardware from Intel, Apple, AMD and NVIDIA, all of our portable devices have gotten faster and more efficient. Even the cheapest iPad can be a decent productivity machine, while gaming laptops can almost match the power of their desktop siblings. And now that Windows 11 has proven very stable over the past year, it’s a perfect time to give someone a nifty PC upgrade.

Dell XPS 13

Not to sound like a broken record, but the XPS 13 is still one of the best Windows ultraportables you can buy. This year, Dell also streamlined its design to be even slimmer and lighter than before. The result is a laptop that’s easy to carry all day, and a joy to behold thanks to its incredibly thin screen bezels. It’s been upgraded to lower-wattage Intel 12th-gen processors, which is a boon for battery life without sacrificing much performance. The XPS 13 can also be configured with an OLED screen, an ideal gift for someone who could use a bright and color accurate display. If you’re looking for better performance and even more striking design, Dell’s new XPS 13 Plus is also a great gift option. For most users, though, the standard XPS 13 will still be a fantastic laptop.

Shop XPS 13 models at Dell

Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

Apple’s successor to the miraculous M1 MacBook Air is even more impressive, thanks to its thinner design, larger 13.6-inch screen, and a rocking quad-speaker setup. If you were feeling a bit bored by Apple’s older design, this is the upgrade you’ve been waiting for. While it’s still fan-less, the M2 MacBook Air remains one of the fastest ultraportables around. It’ll handle all of your productivity tasks, and even a bit of media creation, without breaking a sweat. And if you’re looking for more of a deal, Apple’s M1 MacBook Air is still a very compelling laptop, especially when it goes on sale.

Buy MacBook Air M2 at Amazon – $1,199

Apple iPad

Apple’s newest iPad has basically a stripped down iPad Air: It has a new flat-edged design, a faster processor and a more convenient front-facing camera. Starting at $449, it’s a great deal more expensive than the previous model, but all of the upgrades also make it far more future proof. And if you pair the iPad with Apple’s new Magic Keyboard Folio, it can even tackle basic typing, email and productivity work. If you can’t stomach the higher price (or the $250 keyboard accessory), last year’s $329 model is a fantastic deal. It’s fast enough for most users, and it also has a few keyboard accessories for writers.

Buy iPad (9th gen) at Amazon – $329Buy iPad (10th gen) at Amazon – $449

Amazon Fire HD 10

Amazon’s Fire tablets are basically just video-first Android slates, but they also prove you don’t have to pay a ton to buy a useful tablet for someone. Last year’s Fire HD 10 is a bit faster than before, has 50 percent more memory and features a slightly brighter screen. And, as a bonus, there’s a Bluetooth keyboard accessory that can turn it into a cheap productivity tablet. But its core selling point is the same as always: it can tackle most tablet tasks easily, and it won’t cost too much. (There are also kid-centric Fire tablets worth considering, which come with a more durable case and two years worth of free replacements.)

Buy Fire HD 10 at Amazon – $150

Razer Blade 15

You can take all of the praise we’ve given Razer’s Blade 15 over the years and apply it to the latest model. Razer’s flagship gaming notebook still has a sleek unibody aluminum case, and it packs in the latest CPUs and GPUs, including NVIDIA’s top-end RTX 3080. And thanks to improved screen choices, you can also gift models with fast 1,440p displays, which require less horsepowerpower to run than 4K screens. If portability is a greater concern, take a look at the Razer Blade 14, a sub-four-pound notebook sporting AMD’s latest processors.

Buy Razer Blade 15 at Amazon – $3,000

ASUS Zephyrus G14

ASUS’s excellent Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop is back, and this time it finally has a webcam. (That fixes our one main flaw with the original model.) The G14 remains one of the best 14-inch gaming laptops around, with the power of AMD’s Ryzen 9 6900HS chip and either Radeon 6700S or 6800S graphics. That’s pretty impressive for a computer that starts at just 3.6 pounds. You can choose between 1080p 144Hz or 1,440p 120Hz screens, both of which look fantastic. The G14 can appear flashy, thanks to its optional rear LED panel, but it can also do double duty as an attractive productivity PC. It’s a gaming machine that won’t look out of place in a lecture hall, making it ideal for students who don’t want to draw too much attention while they’re watching Twitch streams during class.

Buy ASUS Zephyrus G14 at Amazon – $1,100

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2

We called the Surface Laptop Go 2 “basic, but in a good way” in our review, and that pretty much says it all. It’s a $600 computer with the design language of Microsoft’s excellent Surface Laptop, and some slightly lower-tier specs. We love that it has a better CPU than the first model, faster storage and improved cooling. It’s the ideal computer for a high school student who doesn’t need high-end components, and wants a sturdy computer that can last a day’s worth of classes (and beyond!).

Buy Surface Laptop Go 2 at Amazon – $799

Dell G15 Gaming Laptop

We’ve been huge fans of Dell’s budget G15 gaming laptops for years, and the latest model is no exception. It starts at around $900 and includes a 12th-gen Intel Core i5 chip and NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 graphics. You can scale it all the way up to an i9 CPU and RTX 3070, all the while staying below the price of many comparable gaming machines. The G15 isn’t as sleek as the Razer Blade, but it’s a sturdy and reliable computer that will serve any budding gamer well.

Shop G15 models at Dell

 

Berserk, the long-running manga that married fantasy and, well, violence, is coming back to the small screen. The original 25-episode 1997 anime series based on the manga and directed by Naohito Takahashi is coming to Netflix on December 1st, according to ComicBook.com.

As is clear from the trailer below, Berserk is a pitch black and fairly brutal anime that came some eight years after the manga first appeared in Young Animal magazine. The series covers the so-called Golden Age Arc, covering the period when Guts joined the Band Of the Hawk and met the other primary characters, Griffith and Casca. It’s considered by some fans to be the best take on the manga, and is said to have inspired or influenced major anime hits like Fullmetal Alchemist and Attack on Titan.

The release of Berserk material from Netflix seemed a fait accompli when it was announced that the streaming service had secured the rights to that franchise, along with Parasyte, Monster and other classic anime. In addition, new material could be coming soon as well, according to a countdown clock that appeared recently on Berserk’s official website, pointing to a date in mid-December. Nothing is official yet, but it looks like promising times for fans of the franchise. 

 

Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts chastised Elon Musk on Sunday after the billionaire’s glib response to a request for information about Twitter’s new verification policies. “Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?” Musk tweeted Sunday morning after Markey criticized the company’s new $8 per month Twitter Blue subscription.

Senator Markey countered: “One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you’re spending your time picking fights online”. He said, “Fix your companies. Or Congress will.”

Twitter suspended its new paid account verification less than two days after launch. It’s been a disaster. Trolls were able to impersonate celebrities, politicians and brands, leading to chaos. One managed to tank the stock of the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, claiming the company would offer insulin for free. Another said Lockheed Martin was reassessing its military contracts with countries and territories with poor human rights records.

It’s only Monday, but it’s already shaping up to be another week filled with Twitter drama. Have you signed up to Mastodon yet? Let me know. I’m still on Twitter. For now.

– Mat Smith

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Magic Leap 2 is the best AR headset yet

But will an enterprise focus save the company?

Magic Leap’s glasses were supposed to lead us into the augmented reality era. But despite raising nearly $2 billion by 2020, it didn’t quite happen. Like Google Glass before it, Magic Leap felt like a false start. But the company isn’t dead yet. With a new CEO onboard – former Microsoft executive Peggy Johnson – it’s aiming for something far more practical: AR for the enterprise. It’s a retread of the HoloLens playbook, sure, but according to Devindra Hardawar, after the endless drumbeat of metaverse hype (mostly from Meta), it’s nice to be genuinely surprised by a new headset. Read on for his impressions.

Continue reading.

Meta layoffs lead to Portal and smartwatch project cancellations

This was after the mass layoffs.

Meta is stopping development on its smart displays and fledgling smartwatch project, according to Reuters. The company’s executives reportedly told employees – those left after mass layoffs that saw 11,000 people lose their jobs – that it would end work on Portal devices. The Information reported in June that the Portal made up less than one percent of the global market of smart displays. Meta has yet to release a smartwatch, though there have been multiple reports and leaks over the years. Now, we’ll never see it.

Continue reading.

‘Star Wars’ and Studio Ghibli team up for a Disney+ Grogu short film

It’s streaming now.

Studio Ghibli recently tweeted a teaser video showing both its logo and Lucasfilm’s, as well as a photo of a Grogu figurine. Now we know what those posts are hinting at. Together, the two companies created a short film, hand-drawn by Studio Ghibli. Better yet – you can stream it right now.

Continue reading.

What we bought: Samsung’s The Frame TV

Our favorite piece of living room art.

Samsung’s The Frame TV series came out in 2017. Engadget’s Amy Skorheim bought a 43-inch model back in 2019 and is a big fan. The picture is bright, the sound is clear and its Tizen OS is easy to figure out – but she forked out over $800 for it. But The Frame does a great job of looking like art hanging on her wall. The thin panel has picture-frame edges and mounts flat against the wall, like a giant photo. The panel connects via a thin wire to an external receiver/port hub/tuner box combo, helping to maintain the illusion of artwork, not a TV panel.

Continue reading.

 

Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts chastised Elon Musk on Sunday after the billionaire had a snarky response to the lawmaker’s request for information about Twitter’s new verification policies. “Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?” Musk tweeted Sunday morning after Markey shared a recent letter he sent criticizing the company’s new $8 per month Twitter Blue subscription. “And why does your pp have a mask!?” Musk added a few hours later, referring to Markey’s profile picture, which shows the senator wearing a face covering.

Markey wasn’t impressed by Musk’s response. “One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you’re spending your time picking fights online,” he said. “Fix your companies. Or Congress will.”

Markey sent the letter that prompted the exchange on November 11th. In the letter, Markey asks Musk to explain how The Washington Post was able to create a verified account impersonating him and why an official pop-up told Twitter users the verification was due to a role in government. Musk has until November 25th to answer those questions and others in writing.

Twitter suspended paid account verification less than two days after launching its new Blue subscription. While the service was available, trolls used it to impersonate celebrities, politicians and brands, leading to chaos on the platform. One account pretending to be LeBron James claimed the NBA star had requested to be traded by the Los Angeles Lakers. Another one tanked the stock of the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly.

While there’s no certainty Markey’s warning will translate to government action, the likelihood of a regulatory response became more solid on Sunday after Democrats secured a Senate majority. Markey is also a member of the Subcommittee on Communication, Media, and Broadband, the Senate panel most likely to recommend action against Twitter.

 

Less than two days after Twitter’s first attempt to charge for account verification ended in disaster, Elon Musk announced the company is working on a new way to authenticate users. On Sunday afternoon, he tweeted the social media website would soon begin rolling out a feature that will allow organizations to identify accounts that are “actually” associated with them.

Musk didn’t say as much, but the feature is almost certainly a partial response to the problems the platform encountered this past week. After the company began rolling out its new $8 per month Twitter Blue subscription on Wednesday, the website was quickly overrun by trolls who used the service to impersonate celebrities and brands. In particular, the situation was a nightmare for businesses and advertisers. As one example, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly’s stock fell by 4.37 percent on Friday after a fake “verified” account said the company was making insulin free. The prank erased about 15 billion from Eli Lilly’s market cap and forced an apology from it.

The announcement would seem to indicate Musk is coming to terms with the fact that a social media platform can’t exist without content moderation. When a user asked him if anyone would be able to use the upcoming feature, Musk responded: “Ultimately, I think there is no choice but for Twitter to be the final arbiter, but I’m open to suggestions.”

That’s something he probably wouldn’t have said before taking over Twitter. Prior to closing the deal, Musk cast himself as a free speech “absolutist.” During his recent TED Talk appearance, he said he was in favor of very little content moderation. “If in doubt, let the speech… let it exist. If it’s a gray area, I would say let the tweet exist,” he said at the time. The problem with that approach is that it has led to an advertiser exodus and a significant drop in revenue for the company. That’s not something Twitter can sustain with its current debt load.

 

After laying off 50 percent of the company’s employees, Elon Musk has turned his attention to Twitter’s contract workers. According to separate reports from Platformer’s Casey Newton and Axios, the social media platform began reducing its contingent staff on Saturday afternoon. The scale of the job cuts is unclear, but Newton puts it at “a large number,” with the company’s content moderation and marketing teams among those affected by the layoffs.

Twitter also appears to have provided no notice to those who lost their job this weekend. Many found out they weren’t working for the company anymore after they abruptly lost access to Twitter’s internal systems. “One of my contractors just got deactivated without notice in the middle of making critical changes to our child safety workflows,” one manager posted in the company’s Slack, according to Newton. Yet others found out by reading the reports about the cuts. Some workers are now worried they may not get paid for their last two weeks of work. Following Twitter’s November 4th layoffs, many contractors ended up on teams with no full-time staff, leaving no one to sign off on their time sheets.

Twitter did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. The company reportedly cut its entire communications department during its recent reorganization.

The cuts come at the end of another turbulent week at Twitter. On Wednesday, the company began rolling out its new Twitter Blue subscription with verification only to suspend sign-ups less than two days later after it was overrun by trolls. Musk also reportedly told employees Twitter was losing so much money that bankruptcy was “not out of the question.”

 

If you’re looking to buy additional storage for your PC or PlayStation 5, you don’t have to wait until Black Friday to score a deal on some of the best solid-state drives on the market. Ahead of Thanksgiving, Amazon is holding a sale on Samsung storage gear, including the company’s excellent NVMe models. PS5 owners will want to turn their attention to the Samsung 980 Pro. After a 53 percent discount, the 2TB model with heatsink is $190, down from $400. It’s the perfect plug-and-play upgrade for Sony’s latest console, meeting all the compatibility and cooling requirements set out by the company.

Buy Samsung 980 Pro at Amazon – $119 and up

Amazon has also discounted the non-heatsink versions of the 980 Pro and 970 Evo. The latter is the highlight here. At the moment, you can grab the 2TB model for $160, rather than $500. The 500GB is also discounted by 54 percent, making it $60 at the moment. Both the 980 Pro and 970 Evo are great options if you want to add a fast Gen4 NVMe to your PC – just make sure you have a compatible motherboard and processor. If you want to give life to an older PC, Samsung’s excellent SATA SSDs are included in the sale.

Those looking for portable storage are also in luck. The 1TB and 2TB versions of the T7 Shield are currently 44 and 48 percent off, respectively. That means you can get the more expensive model for $150, and the 1TB variant for a record low of $90. Best of all, all three colorways – blue, black and biege – are included in the sale. The T7 Shield is an Engadget favorite. The combination of USB 3.2 Gen 2 support and IP65-certified protection make it a great option for anyone who wants a fast and reliable backup solution.

Buy Samsung T7 Shield at Amazon – $90 and up

One last product worth highlighting is the Samsung EVO Select microSD. Amazon has discounted all four models, with the 512GB variant receiving the largest price cut. After a 47 percent discount, you can get that version for $45. It typically retails for $85. The EVO Select microSD is a great option for those looking to beef up their Nintendo Switch with fast storage. Make sure to check out the rest of the sale to see if there’s something else that might fit your needs.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.