Category: Technology

Evernote is experimenting with severe restrictions to its free plan, which may nudge users to upgrade or quit the app entirely. According to a report from TechCrunch, some Evernote users were greeted with a pop-up message announcing that the free plan would be limited to a single notebook and 50 notes. The pop-up also introduced a “special 40 percent off” offer, encouraging users to upgrade to a paid plan to create notes and notebooks without limits.

But despite the in-app notification, Evernote’s website has no mention of changes coming to its free plan. A representative for the company explained to TechCrunch that the website had not been updated because the change was not yet final. The company confirmed it has been testing the limited plan with less than 1 percent of its free users. Based on how that goes, Evernote will determine whether to implement the new plan. If that does happen, the representative said the company would then communicate the changes to “the relevant customer touch-points.”

The limited version of the free plan would not prevent users from managing, editing or deleting their current notes. It would only take away the ability to create new notes unless users took the plunge and paid for their plan.

For years, Evernote was the go-to app for countless power users and productivity gurus. However, the app has been kind of on a downward slide for a while. In 2020, it appeared Evernote was trying to reclaim its crown with the release of a major cross-platform redesign. But the updates weren’t enough to revive the app, which was once valued at almost a billion dollars. Last November, Evernote was purchased by a Milan-based company called Bending Spoons, which went on to lay off 129 staffers. Bending Spoons later announced it would be abandoning most of its US operations, shifting Evernote development to Europe.

If implemented, this would be a dramatic change for die-hard Evernote fans who have stuck with the free plan for lightweight note-taking purposes. The change would make the free plan basically useless, and there would be no compelling reason to use Evernote over something free and more powerful like Apple and Google’s own note-taking apps.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/evernote-is-reportedly-testing-a-severely-restricted-plan-for-free-users-184607336.html?src=rss 

There are tons of great gaming deals floating around this Cyber Monday but few are better than one we’ve spotted for the Xbox Series X. After you apply a $49 coupon at Amazon, Microsoft’s most powerful gaming console is available for $400. That’s a record low price for the system — you could even put the savings toward a few months of Game Pass access. You’ll probably need to act quickly if you’re interested, though. There’s no telling when this deal will vanish.

Along with the PlayStation 5 (which has its own Cyber Monday Deals), the Xbox Series X is your top choice for a current game console. There are a few factors to consider when buying a gaming system. If you need something more portable, a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck is the way to go. If you prefer Sony’s formula of polished single-player adventures like The Last of Us or Spider-Man, the PlayStation 5 is likely your best option. Still, it’s hard to beat the combination of power, 4K gaming, game library and price that the Xbox Series X offers.

The value of an Xbox Series X gets even better if you have an Xbox Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Xbox Game Pass ($11 per month) grants you access to a vast library of games on your console, including third-party titles. You’ll be able to play every first-party game at no extra cost on its release day too. Game Pass Ultimate ($17 per month) adds online multiplayer and access to the PC Game Pass library, Xbox Cloud Gaming and EA Play (i.e. an extra batch of games from that publisher).

Xbox Game Pass includes hundreds of titles from major first-party games like the Halo series, Starfield, Minecraft, Doom Eternal and Forza Horizon 5 to stellar indies such as Hollow Knight, Jusant, Celeste and Cocoon. There are plenty of big-time third-party games available through the subscription too, including Assassin’s Creed Origins, Mortal Kombat 11, Madden NFL 23 and Grand Theft Auto V.

Best of all, you won’t need to wait for those to download to your Xbox Series X if you have a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. You can check many of them out via cloud streaming to decide whether it’s worth downloading them.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cyber-monday-deal-brings-the-xbox-series-x-down-to-a-record-low-of-400-on-amazon-185303684.html?src=rss 

Bungie has officially delayed the forthcoming Destiny 2 expansion, The Final Shape, until June 4 of next year, according to a video posted by game director Joel Blackburn. This delay has been rumored for a couple of months, ever since the company laid off an unknown amount of staffers working on the project. The expansion was originally supposed to come out in February and will act as an end to the game’s main storyline.

Bungie, however, says the expansion’s delay is just because it “needs more time to become exactly what we want it to be,” going on to note that staffers are polishing the title “to deliver an even bigger and bolder vision.” To that end, the company’s rejiggering its release calendar a bit to ease the burden of the just-announced delay.

Season of the Wish, the final season in the game’s calendar before it moves onto an episodic model, starts tomorrow and will now include more content than previously anticipated to offset the delay. Starting in February, there will be weekly progression-based quests called Wishes that offer unique rewards. Bungie’s also moving the Guardian Games up to March with a renewed focus on class vs. class combat. Finally, in April players will get a two-month content update called Destiny 2: Into the Light that will act as something of a bridge to The Final Shape.

The forthcoming expansion wasn’t the only title slapped with the delay hammer after those layoffs. The studio has also pushed back the release date for the extraction shooter Marathon all the way until 2025. This is a rebooted IP for Bungie that first came to Macs all the way back in 1994.

As for The Final Shape, the expansion will include new dungeons, new maps, new character classes and much more. You’ll also get a final bow wrapped on the story, for those who play online shooters for the narrative arc.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bungie-confirms-destiny-2-expansion-delay-after-team-layoffs-180529846.html?src=rss 

The PlayStation 5 has been around for three years, if you can believe that. If you don’t already have Sony’s current console, there are some solid deals that might tempt you to take the plunge. The system is $50 off at GameStop with some caveats, but if you’re planning to play Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there are bundles at Amazon that might make more sense for you. You can buy the new, slimmer PS5 model and either game for $499. In other words, you’ll be getting a $70 game you might have already been planning to check out for free.

While many folks found it difficult to get their hands on the PS5 during the console’s first couple of years, Sony has smoothed out the supply issues. Both the standard and all-digital versions of the console are readily available. Sony released updated models that are slimmer and lighter earlier this month.

The PS5 is a great console and an excellent entry point for those looking to get into modern gaming. It’s certainly a worthwhile upgrade from the PlayStation 4 at this point. While we’ve seen many major games hit both PS4 and PS5 over the last few years, publishers and developers are making more titles exclusive to the current generation of consoles.

Sony’s current system has a fantastic controller in the DualSense. When a game embraces the feature fully, the vibrations of the haptic feedback add an extra level of immersion. A high-end version of the controller is available for serious competitive players, while the highly customizable, accessibility minded Access controller will be available in December.

The PS5 is capable of delivering impressive visuals at framerates of up to 120 fps. While the library of games perhaps wasn’t the most enticing at the outset, there’s now a ton of great titles available for the console (nearly every PS4 game is playable on PS5 too).

On that note, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is an excellent followup to the previous games in the series, Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. You’ll switch between Peter Parker and Miles Morales as the two superheroes attempt to (what else?) stop bad guys with nefarious plans. Hot tip: don’t skip the side missions. These include some truly lovely stories and they offer a nice break from the main missions.

As for Modern Warfare 3, the campaign is underbaked, but let’s face it: you’re probably more likely to be interested in the multiplayer and/or zombies modes. Multiplayer has a major nostalgia factor as it includes all of the launch maps from 2009’s original Modern Warfare 2. In addition, for the first time in the Call of Duty series, almost all of your gear will carry over from last year’s game, the rebooted Modern Warfare 2.

Meanwhile, if you’d prefer just to have a discount on the standard PS5 model, you can snap one up from GameStop for $450, or $50 off. There are a few things to keep in mind here. The discount is for the original, beefier model and it only applies if you opt for same-day delivery ($13) or in-store pick up (in which case GameStop will give you another $5 off). As such, you’ll need to be close enough to a GameStop to be eligible.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-cyber-monday-sale-2023-deals-on-a-console-bundle-with-marvels-spider-man-2-included-173911763.html?src=rss 

It’s Cyber Monday and Dyson is celebrating with deep discounts on a wide variety of cordless vacuums and related products, with a sale that’s basically an extension of its Black Friday offerings. The highlight is $250 off the V15 Detect Absolute stick vacuum, which is now $500 instead of $750. This is actually a better deal than the company presented for Black Friday.

The V15 boasts an integrated laser light and a dust particle counter to show you just how much dirt and grime it has picked up from your floor, which is great from a cleanliness perspective but bad from an “out of sight, out of mind” perspective. We really enjoyed the vacuum when we tried it back in 2021, touting its superior cleaning abilities and calling it “reliable, powerful and habit-forming.”

The V15 Detect Absolute also includes a laser-powered optic cleaner head and a handy LCD on the handle that displays the level of dust particles rummaging around the floor, along with battery life and other important metrics. To that end, you get around an hour of use per charge, with an eco mode to conserve battery life and a boost mode to do the opposite. Of course, you can also convert this little bud into a stubby handheld for hard-to-reach areas.

If $500 is just a bit too spendy for a vacuum, Dyson is also holding a sale on the V8 Absolute, bringing it down to $280 from $520. The motor isn’t as powerful as the V15, but there are plenty of other bells and whistles. This is a lighter model than the V15 that ships with two cleaner heads, with a battery that gets 40 minutes of use per charge.

Finally, Amazon is selling the Dyson Airwrap for $480, instead of the typical asking price of $600. This hair styler features a powerful motor that constantly moves air around, so there’s a reduced risk of accidental follicle damage when compared to rival products. This set comes with several accessories, including two different barrels, a smoothing brush, a round brush, a protective case and more.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dyson-cyber-monday-deals-for-2023-save-up-to-250-on-cordless-vacuums-plus-the-airwrap-for-its-lowest-price-yet-160454162.html?src=rss 

If your loved one is into action sports, filmmaking or photography, a camera or accessory would be a highly appreciated gift, to say the least. And there’s never been a better time to own a new camera, as the latest technology will let them take better photos and video than ever. It can be difficult to know where to start, though, with all the camera models out there, let alone the numerous accessories like backpacks, memory cards, tripods and more. Fortunately, we’ve done all the research and found cameras at a wide range of prices, along with accessories that will help your giftee get the most out of their gear.

Canon EOS R100

Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40

GoPro Hero 12 Black

Joby Gorillapod 3K Stand

WD My Passport SSD

Lowepro ProTactic BP 350 AW II Backpack

Peak Design Everyday Messenger Bag

Nanlite LitoLite 5C RGBWW Mini LED Panel

Rode VideoMic Go and Wireless Go II

Lexar Professional 1667x 64GB SDXS UHS II card

ProGrade Digital CFexpress 2.0 Type B Gold card

Amazon Basics 60-inch tripod

Giottos Rocket Air Blaster

SmallRig SD Memory Card Holder

Lenspen L-DSLRK1N lens cleaning kit

Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio 18.6

Understanding Exposure, Fourth Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-gifts-for-photographers-and-videographers-140040483.html?src=rss 

There’s no reason you should have to do anything besides exist in the cold dark of winter, including cleaning. Cyber Monday sales on iRobot’s vacuums are making it much more affordable to put your feet up and let a machine do the work for you. A range of iRobot’s vacuums are currently discounted, including a 42 percent off deal on the iRobot Roomba 694. The robot vacuum is down to an all-time low price of $159 from $275.

The Roomba 694 is already one of iRobot’s more affordable options, but it becomes much easier to justify getting when saving $116. It’s also a great product — we named it this year’s best budget robot vacuum thanks to its sleek design, good cleaning power and iRobot’s always great app. You can control its functions on the device or through that app (except spot-cleaning, which only works with the physical button). It’s especially great if you have a smaller place, like an apartment, as the robot vacuum lasted about 45 minutes in our test before recharging in its dock.

If you want to use the iRobot sale to go all out, then check out the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ — currently 29 percent off. The self-emptying and auto-fill vacuum and mop is usually $1,399 but has dropped to $999 for Cyber Monday. This 2-in-1 model has a retractable mop to leave you out of any system switches. In fact, the dock can refill water for 30 days and empty any debris for 60 days, making cleaning the floors something you rarely need to think about. It also has a dirt detective (which weirdly sounds fun?) that determines which rooms are usually dirtiest and starts with those.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-cyber-monday-deals-include-up-to-400-off-roomba-robot-vacuums-151536935.html?src=rss 

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro has dropped to a record low of $320 as part of a Cyber Monday sale that includes significant discounts on many of the company’s appliances. The air fryer is typically available for $400. Breville’s products tend to be on the pricier side and they don’t go on sale often. So, if you’re a Breville aficionado or haven’t been able to find an entry point into its wares until now, this looks like a good opportunity to snap up a device or two.

This model is our pick for the best multi-purpose air fryer. Sure, it’s a capable air fryer, but it’s so much more than that. In a pinch, it can act as a second oven, which could be very useful if family and/or friends are coming to your place for the holidays. The appliance has a number of other functions, such as toasting, broiling, baking, pizza baking, dehydration, slow cooking and proofing.

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is large enough to accommodate a 14-pound turkey or a five-quart Dutch oven. There’s enough space for a 9 x 13-inch pan too.

On the downside, the “Smart” part of the product’s name is a slight misnomer. You can’t control or monitor it it using an app. Instead, Breville says the device employs algorithms to distribute power as needed between six independent quartz elements to foster an ideal cooking environment. It uses sensors and temperature control to detect and eliminate cold spots, with the aim of delivering a precise, even cook.

If you’d prefer a model with app integration and voice assistant compatibility, you can opt for Breville’s Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro, which is also on sale. It has dropped to $440. With that model, you can opt to receive push notifications when your food is finished cooking. There’s a companion app with guided recipes too.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cyber-monday-deals-the-breville-smart-oven-air-fryer-pro-is-80-off-at-amazon-153902077.html?src=rss 

Cyber Monday is as good a time as any to snap up a smart speaker (or two or three) to build out your home audio setup, and here’s some welcome news for those who’ve been dithering over whether to buy Sonos’ most powerful model. The Sonos Five is 20 percent off for Cyber Monday. The smart speaker has dropped from $549 to $439. It’s a one-day-only deal, so you’ll need to act quickly if you’re interested.

We reckon the Sonos Five is the best smart speaker for music lovers. In truth, it’s more of a connected speaker than a smart speaker, since it doesn’t have a built-in voice assistant. If you already have other Sonos speakers or don’t mind setting up an Echo Dot or Nest Mini so you can control the Five with Alexa or Google Assistant, that won’t be too much of an issue.

The Sonos Five delivers the highest quality audio of any device in our round-up of the best smart speakers. It certainly sounds better than any other Sonos model. The Sonos Five pumps out audio with more bass, clarity and stereo separation than many other smart speakers. If you can swing it, we recommend picking up two units and pairing them in a stereo setup for even better music playback.

Folks who aren’t quite willing to splash out that much cash on a Sonos device may be pleased to learn that many of the company’s other speakers and soundbars are also on sale through the end of November 27. Sonos home theater devices are up to 20 percent off, while you can save up to 25 percent on portable speakers. Most of the products pair together seamlessly, so you can, for instance, set up two Era 100 speakers ($50 off at $199) as surrounds for a second-gen Sonos Beam ($100 off at $399) for a great home theater system.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-sonos-five-speaker-is-20-percent-off-today-only-for-cyber-monday-140059880.html?src=rss