Category: Technology

As with most other Amazon devices, Fire TV gadgets have been deeply discounted for October Prime Day. Whether you’re looking for a streaming device to upgrade an old TV or you need to pick one up as a holiday gift, now is a great time to buy one of Amazon’s devices. Fire TV gadgets hold their own against the Rokus and Chromecasts of the world, and one even makes an appearance on our list of best streaming devices. But arguably one of the best things about the lineup is that there’s an option for every budget — and most of them are down to record-low prices for this sale event. Here are the best deals on Amazon Fire TV Sticks (and more) that we could find.

Fire TV Stick Lite

The entry-level Fire TV Stick Lite has dropped to $18 for this sale, which is close to its record-low price. It’s a bare-bones dongle that provides FHD streaming, Wi-Fi 5 connectivity and access to all of the apps you’d want like Netflix, Disney+, Max and, of course, Prime Video. It also comes with a basic Alexa remote that lets you search for content using voice commands.

Fire TV Stick

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is down to $20 for Prime Day. It includes all of the same features that the Lite dongle has, but it adds Dolby Atmos into the mix for better audio. The Alexa Voice Remote that comes with this model lets you control your TV with voice commands, and it has power and volume buttons as well.

Fire TV Stick 4K

The Fire TV Stick 4K has dropped to $23 for this sale. It has the same processor, RAM and storage as the standard Fire TV Stick, but it can stream 4K HDR content in all its glory. It also supports Dolby Vision and Atmos, plus picture-in-picture live view that can show you feeds from compatible security cameras right on your TV screen. We should note that this is the previous model of the streaming stick — Amazon’s newly announced Fire TV Stick 4K is available now as well.

Fire TV Stick 4K Max

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the company’s most powerful streaming dongle and it’s down to $60 right now. It has a faster processor than the other sticks, a bit more memory and Wi-Fi 6 support. It can stream 4K HDR content with Dolby Vision and Atmos, and it comes with a full-feature Alexa Voice Remote that can control you’re entire setup.

Fire TV Cube

The Amazon Fire TV Cube has been discounted to $110 for October Prime Day. It’s the most powerful streaming device in Amazon’s lineup, with a 2.2GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. It streams 4K HDR content with Dolby Vision at Atmos, supports picture-in-picture live view as well as hands-free Alexa commands and you can connect other devices like your cable box or game console directly to it.

Amazon Fire TVs

Most of Amazon’s Fire smart TVs are on sale for Big Deal Days. You’ll find a number of different sized TVs in this sale made by brands like Toshiba, TCL and Insignia, so you should be able to find a model that’s the size you need and also within your budget. Arguably the best of the bunch are Amazon’s own Omni OLED Fire smart TVs, which support 4K HDR content with Dolby Vision IQ, hands-free Alexa and the Fire TV Ambient experience. The latter lets you display artwork, photos and more on the TV screen when you’re not actively using it.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/october-amazon-prime-day-fire-stick-deals-182130379.html?src=rss 

During Amazon’s Prime Day this year, Google is offering some of the most enticing deals on its phones and products, including the Google Pixel 7a. The Google Pixel 7a, which we crowned “the best midrange Android phone,” is now available for just $399. This price represents a new all-time low, making it even more affordable than it was during July’s Prime day when it was $450.

Although the Pixel 7a is only slightly over a year old and has recently been upstaged by the newly launched Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro at last week’s Made by Google event, it still offers impressive features like wireless charging and a 64-MP camera, making it a worthwhile purchase at its current price point.

The Google Pixel 7a offers 8 GB of RAM that helps the phone operate both smooth and fast, with internal storage up to 128 GB. Our review suggests that the Pixel 7a has outperformed competitors in its category, including the 3rd generation Apple iPhone SE and the Samsung Galaxy A54. The Pixel 7a boasts a 90Hz OLED screen and a powerful Tensor G2 processing chip, setting it apart from earlier Pixel models. Unless you’re determined to splurge on the latest model, this Prime Day offer could be a great fit for you.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for the best Amazon Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In the Know. Hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-google-pixel-7a-drops-to-a-new-low-of-399-for-prime-day-102820729.html?src=rss 

Game Pass subscribers will have to wait a bit more before they’re able to play Diablo IV and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III on the service. Activision Blizzard has announced on X, formerly Twitter, that it doesn’t have plans to add those games — among other upcoming and recent releases — to the service anytime this year. Based on its explanation, it’s waiting for Microsoft’s acquisition of the company to be finalized, which is expected to happen within this month. 

“As we continue to work toward regulatory approval of the Microsoft deal, we’ve been getting some questions whether our upcoming and recently launched games will be available via Game Pass,” the gaming giant wrote. It added that it expects to start working with Xbox and add its titles to the Game Pass service once the deal closes, and that the process would begin “sometime in the course of next year.”

Microsoft first announced that it was buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in early 2022 and that it was hoping to close the deal by June 2023. However, several regulators moved to block the purchase over concerns that it would harm competition and stifle innovation. The European Commission rubberstamped the acquisition in May with the condition that Microsoft offers its games on other cloud gaming services. Meanwhile, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority blocked the deal until the companies promised to sell “cloud streaming rights for all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and console games released over the next 15 years to Ubisoft Entertainment… in perpetuity.” In the US, courts denied the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) request to issue an injunction on the purchase. However, the FTC announced in September that it plans to restart its in-house trial against the acquisition. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/modern-warfare-iii-and-diablo-iv-wont-come-to-game-pass-until-2024-085336560.html?src=rss 

Another day, another X update that limits what you can do on the site without paying Elon Musk for a verification checkmark. A post from the official X account announced that you can now restrict replies to just verified users — any tagged accounts can also comment. The new restriction is available whether you’re verified or not, joining the existing options to allow replies from everyone, only accounts you follow or people mentioned.

Musk launched what is now X Premium in November 2022 — only a few weeks after becoming the company’s official owner — providing anyone with a blue checkmark by their name for $8 per month or $84 per year. Verification was initially available on Twitter to confirm the identity of notable figures, but the paid system led to impersonations and the approval of bots. 

Many X Premium users have been shamed for choosing to fork over money for a checkmark and additional features like editing a post for up to an hour and cutting ads in half. As a result, X rolled out the option to hide that once-coveted checkmark and limit other users’ awareness of your subscription status. Of course, visible verification or not, now anyone who replies to a restricted post will be outed as a subscriber. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-now-lets-you-restrict-replies-to-verified-accounts-only-092514846.html?src=rss 

Google has successfully convinced a California federal judge that it did not infringe on Sonos’ multi-room audio patents. As Reuters reports, US District Judge William Alsup has thrown out a previous verdict that slapped the tech giant with a $32.5 million fine for infringing on patents held by Sonos related to managing groups of speakers. 

The judge explained that Sonos’ patents for the lawsuit “ostensibly descended from [a] 2006 provisional application.” However, the company apparently didn’t file the applications for the patents in question until 2019, and it didn’t roll out the technology to its own products until 2020. That’s years after Google, in 2014, presented Sonos with a plan to use multi-room audio technology while exploring a collaboration. 

Since Sonos connected its patents to a 2006 provisional application, they appeared to have predated Google’s products. But Judge Alsup said that the early application failed to disclose the actual invention, and that in 2019, Sonos amended the specification of its patent application to insert new matter. “This was not a case of an inventor leading the industry to something new,” Alsup wrote in his decision. “This was a case of the industry leading with something new and, only then, an inventor coming out of the woodwork to say that he had come up with the idea first — wringing fresh claims to read on a competitor’s products from an ancient application.”

Sonos sued Google in federal court in early 2020, accusing it of violating five of its speaker patents. Patrick Spence, the company’s CEO, said back then that Google had been “blatantly and knowingly” duping Sonos tech and refusing to cooperate on a “mutually beneficial solution.” Earlier this year, a California federal jury had ruled that Google did infringe on a patent Sonos holds and ordered the tech giant to pay $32.5 million in penalty. Alsup also served as the judge for those proceedings, but in his newer decision, he said “trial brought to light what happened here.”

In a statement, a Sonos spokesperson told Reuters that the new ruling was “wrong on both the facts and the law.” Based on that, Sonos is clearly not going to accept the newer verdict: The spokesperson said that the company is planning to appeal the decision. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/judge-tosses-out-325-million-fine-against-google-in-sonos-lawsuit-062238869.html?src=rss 

Unity game developer said that John Riccitiello will step down as president and CEO of the company after nine years in leadership, effective immediately. James Whitehurst, who previously served as senior advisor and president at IBM, will fill in as interim CEO. The leadership transition comes during a turbulent time for the company.

Just a month ago, Unity rolled out some significant concessions to its developer pricing model after widespread backlash over its plan to charge developers for game installations. The move will directly impact developers, publishers and distributors. The upheaval of Unity’s business model came at the same time as a series of massive layoffs. In 2023, the company reduced its headcount three times in an attempt to cut costs.

Despite the recent controversy, Unity said it expects third-quarter revenue to fall somewhere between $540 million to $550 million, which is up 67 to 70 percent from last year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/unity-ceo-john-riccitiello-stepping-down-effective-immediately-231422660.html?src=rss 

The Porsche Taycan is one of the most desirable EVs on the market, quick and lovely and yet somehow practical, too. But, with less than 250 miles of range on a charge and a starting price of at least $90,000, it’s not exactly a mainstream car.

Porsche’s next EV might get a little closer. Meet the electric Macan, which for a time at least will live along-side the gasoline-powered Macan. Porsche doesn’t have all the details to share yet, but this battery-powered SUV will offer upwards of 600 horsepower in a similar, crossover SUV shell. Range? That hasn’t been determined, but I was told it will go “a lot” farther on a charge than the Taycan.

What it will cost, though, remains to be seen. The Macan is one of Porsche’s most attainable cars, starting at just over $60,000, but the all-electric version is liable to be rather more dear than that. What’s it like to drive? Even though it isn’t finished, it’s already a hoot. Come onboard for a spin.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/porsches-electric-macan-will-be-the-one-to-get-220021814.html?src=rss 

Popular audio gadget maker Bastle just released an iOS app called Outsidify that lets you capture and transform audio directly from your iPhone’s speakers and microphone. Despite the slightly cringey app name, it looks pretty darned fun, allowing users to explore the ambient noise around them to create some truly unique soundscapes.

Once you capture some audio via the app, use Bastl’s latest creation to make harmonious or discordant feedback, manipulate responses, apply resonant filters and more. You can even use your mouth, speaking directly into the phone’s microphone, to create your own resonant filter.

Additionally, you can capture impulse responses from just about anything, with Bastl using a coffee cup or a construction site pipe as examples. These IRs can then be used to run other audio sources through to create custom reverbs and the like, via a DAW or a standalone piece of hardware. The only caveat here is the phone has to fit inside of the object or the space it’s capturing, so your dreams of having an impulse response from the inside of a toilet paper roll are, sadly, quashed.

The integrated media player allows for full looping and lets you adjust the start and end points. There’s also a speed slider, from ¼ speed to 4x, and a cropping function. As for the recorder, it saves wav files to pass on to other devices, again with adjustable start and end points. You can also speed match recordings, so the recorded speed automatically matches the tempo set in the player while preserving the pitch. Of course, there’s also a countdown timer so you can get in position before the app starts recording.

The audio gets transformed via a feedback pad with adjustment options for amount and tone. There’s even an adjustable delay that changes how long it takes the microphone to reach the feedback pad.

Outsidify is an iOS exclusive that costs $6 when purchased from the official App Store. This app is unique for Bastle, as the company typically manufactures analog gadgets like the battery-powered Kastle portable synthesizer. We’ve also praised Bastle’s Microgranny Monolith granular sampler and the Bestie portable mixer.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bastles-outsidify-app-lets-you-capture-and-transform-sounds-via-a-smartphone-185421887.html?src=rss 

Meta’s Threads app, the social media platform that rivals X (formerly Twitter), may get a trending topics section. The potential new feature has come to light after an app developer reposted screenshots of the feature in use that were originally shared by a Meta employee.

The developer that reposted the screenshots, William Max, said that, “Just to be clear: I’m not a “leaker” or anything like that,” in a post. He continued, “I simply follow many engineers and employees working at Meta, and one of them accidentally posted a screenshot that was meant to be private. Fortunately for us, I happened to see it at the right moment. I will not disclose who posted the screenshot for obvious reasons.”

One user, @eddygraphic1, commented, “Is this a concept or real screenshot?” The employee, @willianmax, replied, “It’s real. An employee just posted by accident. 🤫” Another, @brian.g.holm said, “Please god, let this be real, AND SOON.” Max responded, “It’s real. I just don’t know if it’s coming soon (probably not).”

In the screenshots, the feature appears to list trending topics according to the number of threads it received. However, the topics don’t appear to necessarily rank from most popular to least. For example, Drake’s new hit “For All the Dogs” ranked first with 59.4K threads while “Loki Season 2” which had 91K threads, got slotted in fourth. So it’s not exactly clear how the rankings are listed.

According to the screenshots, the trending topics were showcased near the search tab. A trending tool seems like a straightforward embed for any social media app that thrives off of user-generated content. However, it’s for that very reason that trending topics can be a bit problematic. In the past, similar tools have been a place for messy contention on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. In 2018, Facebook killed its trending topics feature due to controversy over it repeatedly resurfacing conspiracy theories and misinformation. Meanwhile, X notoriously had to deal with bots that spammed the trending section with specific agendas.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/trending-topics-feature-may-be-coming-to-the-threads-app-183412664.html?src=rss 

Just one day before Amazon kicks off its October Prime Day, Walmart has launched a Holiday Kickoff sale. We’ve seen retailers host “anti-Prime” sales before, offering their own discounts that go live on or just before the big Amazon sales. We dove in to the deals and searched for the tech savings that are worth your time. One notable plus is that Walmart carries some devices that Amazon doesn’t, like the Google Nest Hub. Other worthwhile deals include the 9th generation iPad for $1 less than it sold for during Amazon’s July Prime Day and an Xbox Elite Series 2 core controller for just $88. 

Apple 10.2-inch iPad (Wi-Fi, 64GB, 9th gen)

Apple’s 9th-generation iPad dropped down to $250 in July for Amazon’s first Prime Day of 2023, and it was one of the top sellers. Now Walmart’s sale has dropped that price by a dollar, which makes it the new lowest prices o far. This is the budget pick in our guide to the best iPads and while it doesn’t have the thin bezels and as much accessory support as our favorite, the iPad Air, it’s excellent for light gaming, streaming and browsing the web — and it’s the most affordable way to snag an iPad. 

iRobot Roomba j7+ 

iRobot’s Roomba j7+ is down to $300, which is a huge, $400 discount over the regular price. We named this the runner up model in our robot vacuum tests, though the version we recommended didn’t have a clean base, this one does. It has strong suction power and utilizes advanced obstacle avoidance, which helps it steer clear of furniture and other objects while it’s cleaning. 

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)

The second-generation Google Nest Hub is down to $60, which is about $5 more than Walmart sold it for last time it did a Prime-adjacent sale. This is the top pick for a Google smart display in Engadget’s Engadget’s guide The seven-inch screen lives in an unobtrusive exterior and through it you can watch YouTube, access the Google Assistant, control your smart home devices, and even check in on your cameras around the house. But it doesn’t have a built-in camera itself, so you won’t be able to make video calls from it. 

Microsoft Xbox Elite Series 2 Core

The Xbox Elite Series 2 Core wireless controller is down to $88. That beats the low price we saw a few months ago by a healthy $12 and is a $42 discount overall. The Core version of this gamepad is just like the regular Elite Series 2, except without the additional accessories (like extra joysticks and triggers). Both are designed for competitive gamers with a wrap-around grip, 40 hours of rechargeable battery life, adjustable tension sticks and hair-trigger locks. 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

If you haven’t bought Nintendo’s acclaimed 2023 Zelda game, TOTK for your Switch yet, here’s a good opportunity. It’s a game we thought unlocked “a ton of creative potential” and is now 31 percent off, bringing it down to $48 which is just $2 more than the lowest price we’ve tracked. This is the standard, physical copy of the game. 

Apple iPad (Wi-Fi, 64GB, 10th gen)

The 10th generation standard iPad is down to $399. While that’s a $40 savings, it’s still about $20 more than the all time low price we’ve tracked for this model. This one didn’t make the cut in our list of the best iPads. Though it has a bigger screen and a newer chip than the 9th generation, it’s still not Apple’s own M-series silicon and it does away with the home button and headphone jack, which the earlier version retains. 

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-walmart-prime-day-deals-182730464.html?src=rss