Category: Technology

Everyone wants their home tidy, organized and safe, but it’s not always easy to keep it that way. Fortunately, there are gadgets that can help make all of it a little easier. We often review smart speakers, robotic vacuums and more here at Engadget, and for the holiday season we’ve compiled a list of favorites that will make excellent gifts for you or your loved ones. Plus, they don’t need to be super tech savvy to use these either – most of our suggestions are simple enough for those new to the smart home world.

Instant Vortex Plus

Air fryers might seem like just glorified convection ovens, but in our tests, we found that they do produce astoundingly crisp foods, with results that are either better or comparable to convection toaster ovens. The Instant Vortex Plus is easily our favorite, thanks to its clear viewing window so your giftee can see the food while it’s cooking, plus there’s an odor-removing filter that helps reduce cooking smells. It’s roomy enough to fit four large chicken thighs and it heats up much faster than a conventional oven. Best of all, clean-up is near effortless – the rack is dishwasher-safe and the non-stick drawer basket can be washed with soap and water.

Buy Instant Vortex Plus at Amazon – $133

Arlo Essential Video Doorbell

If your loved one frequently complains about stolen packages or simply wants a way to see who’s at the front door without opening it, consider gifting them a video doorbell. Our favorite is the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell, which is compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa and Apple Homekit. They’ll be able to get a 180-degree view of their visitor from head to toe, plus it alerts your phone with a video call whenever someone rings the bell. It comes with a three-month trial to Arlo’s Smart subscription service right out of the box, which also includes motion detection that differentiates between a person, package, vehicle or animal.

Buy Arlo Essential Video Doorbell at Amazon – $150

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)

Google’s Nest Hub smart display is a great device to have around the home — especially if your gift recipient already uses the Google Assistant. It works as a digital photo frame and they can use it to watch YouTube and Netflix. It can also make calls via Google Duo and offers recipe videos along with step-by-step cooking instructions. If the user so chooses, they can track their sleeping patterns if they place the device next to their bed. Additionally, if they already have a Nest Doorbell camera, they can easily use the display to see who’s at the front door.

Buy Nest Hub at B&H – $100

Amazon Echo Show 8

For those who prefer Alexa over the Google Assistant, the Echo Show 8 is a great alternative to the Nest Hub. It also works as a digital photo frame and its 8-inch display is a good size for streaming shows from Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu while prepping dinner. It can also be used to keep up with the news, check the weather and control smart home devices. Since Amazon has a partnership with Allrecipes and Food Network Kitchen, users can find assorted recipes and instructional videos as well.

Buy Echo Show 8 at Amazon – $130

Blink Indoor camera

Blink’s indoor camera offers the gift of peace of mind in a compact and affordable package. Your loved one will appreciate the fact that Blink is wireless and battery-powered; since they don’t have to place it near an electrical outlet, it can sit almost anywhere. They also won’t have to worry about recharging the camera since it can last up to two years on its two included AA batteries. Aside from just letting them monitor their home, it also features customizable motion alerts so they’ll only get alerted when they want to. There’s also two-way audio so they can hear and speak to the person (or pet) on the other end.

Buy Blink Indoor at Amazon – $80

iRobot Roomba 694

Maybe you have someone in your life who could use a little help cleaning up after themselves. For that, we recommend getting them one of our favorite robot vacuum cleaners, the iRobot Roomba 694. It can suck up dirt and debris from both hardwood and carpeted floors, with an edge-sweeping brush taking care of dusty corners. The companion app lets them control it remotely, or they can set up a cleaning schedule so the little robot can do its thing at a set time. It even automatically docks and recharges itself if it’s low on battery.

Buy Roomba 694 at Amazon – $274

August WiFi smart lock

Smart locks are a great way to add security and convenience to any home. We recommend August’s WiFi smart lock because it’s easy to use, and since it fits over an existing deadbolt, it’s great for homeowners and renters alike. It lets your loved ones unlock the door completely hands-free, which is handy if they have their arms full of groceries. They can set it so that it automatically locks once the door is closed, or after a set period of time. If someone’s at the door but they’re at the office or in the backyard, they can easily let them in with a single finger tap. They can also grant access for specific friends or family members, which means they might never need to put the key under the doormat ever again.

Buy August WiFi smart lock at Amazon – $230

Mila air purifier

Air purifiers are great gifts for anyone who has allergies, lives in a polluted area or just wants to breathe easier at home. And if you want to give someone a smarter air purifier, consider the Mila Air. It ships with one of seven pre-configured HEPA filters that can filter out particles and allergens like pollen and dust. It also has a ton of customization options: There’s a “Housekeeping Service” mode that goes full blast when no one’s in the room, a “Sleep Mode” that turns the lights off and reduces the fan speeds at night, plus a “White Noise” option that mimics soothing sounds like waterfalls. The Mila also has a bevy of sensors that can tell you if there’s carbon monoxide in the air, or if the humidity is too high.

Buy air purifier at Mila – $349

TP-Link Kasa smart plug

With a smart plug, any appliance can be part of a connected home for not a lot of money. TP-Link’s Kasa smart plug is a particularly good one because it is both affordable and incredibly compact (and if you’re really short on space, there’s a mini version that’s even smaller). Together with its companion app, they can schedule a timer to turn on and off anything from Christmas lights to a coffee maker. It’s also compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant, which lets them add voice control to any outlet.

Buy Kasa smart plugs at Amazon – $30

Eero 6 WiFi Mesh router

With most of us having so many gadgets and smart home devices, perhaps the best thing you can give your loved one is the gift of better WiFi to keep things running smoothly. Amazon’s Eero routers will deliver just that. The latest models support WiFi 6, the latest and fastest WiFi standard, and will support 75-plus devices simultaneously. It also covers up to 1,500 square feet with WiFi speeds up to 900 Mbps, so it’s unlikely they’ll ever have to deal with dead spots or buffering again. The Eero 6 also comes with a built-in Zigbee smart home hub that lets them connect compatible devices without having to purchase a separate device.

Buy Eero 6 at Amazon – $89

Philips LED Smart Bulb starter kit

Add some color to your loved one’s life with the Philips LED smart bulb starter kit, which comes with four multi-color bulbs plus a Hue Hub that connects them all together. The bulbs can fill the room with millions of different colors so they can choose from warm moody lighting for a cozy atmosphere or rainbows for parties. In the companion app, they can create timers and routines so that their lights gradually turn on in the morning or off in the evening. And it’s scalable: They can eventually have up to 50 lights connected to one Hue Hub, giving them the freedom to outfit their whole home with smart lights if they wish.

Buy Philips Hue starter kit at Amazon – $200

 

After announcing it would share ad revenue with Shorts creators earlier this year, YouTube is experimenting with new revenue streams for the service. The platform plans to introduce TikTok-like shopping features to Shorts, allowing users to shop directly for products promoted by influencers through links in videos, The Financial Times has reported. 

YouTube plans to roll out two separate schemes starting in 2023. The first is an affiliate marketing system that would pay a commission to select US-based creators who promote products. Meanwhile, users in the US, India, Brazil, Canada and Australia would be able to shop through Shorts via links. All of that in on top of the aforementioned system that will see creators take a 45 percent share of ad revenue starting early next year

“It is very much an endorsement model, versus a more traditional advertising model or a paid-placement model,” YouTube Shopping’s GM Michael Martin told the FT. “Our goal is to focus on the best monetization opportunities for creators in the market.”

YouTube’s Shorts channel, which recently got its own tab, now has 1.5 billion monthly users, surpassing the 1 billion users now on TikTok. Despite that success, though, Alphabet revealed in its last earnings report that YouTube ad sales revenue was down and missed expectations.

As such, YouTube is experimenting with new sources of revenue already being exploited by TikTok and Meta. However, the endorsement approach hasn’t worked as well in the US as other countries, so YouTube plans to focus its direct shopping schemes in markets where it has worked, like South Korea. 

 

Descript aims to simplify video editing by making it a matter of tweaking transcripts, but now you don’t even need to have ready-made audio. The company has redesigned Descript with a new interface that includes a writing tool. You can write a script in Overdub on the fly and either use text-to-speech to vocalize your narration or replace it with your own recording later. This could mainly be helpful if your content doesn’t have any spoken-word material, but it might also come in handy if you’re not comfortable speaking.

The app as a whole now centers on “Scenes,” or distinct visual segments (pictured above). You effectively treat moments in a video like you would slides in a presentation, with each getting its own overlays and titles. The concept is potentially easier to grasp than working with a conventional video editor’s timeline. Accordingly, there are now templates with ready-made layouts, title sequences and social clips.

Other additions revolve more around features you might expect from established media editing tools. The Descript recorder is now built into the editor, with separate tracks for your screen and the camera. Color control lets you modify elements like exposure and white balance, while AI-powered chroma keying allows to remove backgrounds like you would using a green screen. And if you need a pre-made soundtrack or B-roll footage, you now have access to stock media from providers like Giphy, Storyblocks and Unsplash.

The new Descript is available now for Macs and Windows PCs. How much you’ll pay depends on how you intend to use it. The tool is free for three hours of transcription and other core features, but you’ll need to pay $12 per month for watermark-free video exports and 10 hours of transcription. Heavy-duty users will want to spend $24 per month to get unlimited Overdub, 30 hours of transcription per month and pro versions of tools like Audiograms and filler word removal.

As before, Descript makes the most sense if you’re working with either dialogue-heavy videos or podcasts. You may still want to stick to a conventional timeline-based editor to produce the next great movie or TV show. However, the new version may be appealing if you need to produce a reasonably polished video in a hurry.

 

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.

Continue reading.

‘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.

Continue reading.

‘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.

Continue reading.

 

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.