Category: Technology

Amazon’s Black Friday deals have started going live, and its Echo Show displays, Fire tablets and Fire TV devices are already being sold at a discount. Also on sale? Its Kindle e-readers, some of which are now listed for the lowest prices we’ve seen for them on the website. The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, for instance, is currently priced at $130 or 32 percent off retail, which is an all-time low for what we once called “the best e-reader” in a review. It has a bigger and more responsive screen (6.8 inches) compared to the previous generation, similar to the base fifth-gen Paperwhite. But the Signature edition also comes with 32GB of storage instead of 8GB. That’s four times the space for your ebook collection. 

Buy Kindle e-readers at Amazon – up to 34 percent off

The Signature edition has no ads and comes with a wireless charging capability on top of USB-C charging, as well. It can also automatically adjust the screen’s brightness and has warm lighting options to choose from. And now, it costs just as much as a regular-priced base Kindle Paperwhite. Meanwhile, the base Kindle Paperwhite model will set you back $95, which is also 32 percent less than retail and an all-time low for the device. If you don’t find wireless charging and auto-adjusting backlights important, don’t think you can use up 32GB of storage and don’t mind seeing ads on the lock screen, then this may be the better choice. 

But if you’ve been waiting for a deal on Amazon’s most expensive e-reader, the Kindle Oasis, then this is a great time to get one. It’s also on sale for $255 — that’s $95 less than retail and is also an all-time low for the device. The 7-inch e-reader has 32GB of storage and adjustable warm light. Unlike any of the other models in the Kindle lineup, though, it has page turn buttons and free cellular connectivity, so you can download books even without WiFi. If you have a non-US shipping address, it’s also worth noting that the international, no-ads version of the Kindle e-readers are on sale, as well.

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

 

The next big VR avatar performance will be the late Notorious B.I.G., East Coast rap legend. Broadcast in Meta’s Horizon Worlds, the show will use a virtual recreation of ’90s Brooklyn as a backdrop and will have performances by guest artists like Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Diddy” Combs. It will also feature a narrative journey of Biggie’s life by music journalist Touré.

Bringing an artist back from the dead in avatar form often meets a wave of criticism – and that was true this time as well. Meta responded, saying it received the blessing of the Notorious B.I.G. Estate.

Notorious’ long-standing rival, Tupac, starred in a hologram performance ten years ago at Coachella. We’ve also seen holograms of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. These have usually appeared in major awards ceremonies or standalone tours. Meta’s Horizon Worlds, however, doesn’t quite have the same cachet. But fans of Notorious B.I.G. will likely be intrigued.

– 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.

The biggest stories you might have missed

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Sony’s WH-1000XM5 are cheaper than ever in early Black Friday sale

Get the Pixel 6a for $299 in Google’s Black Friday sale

Or a Pixel 7 for $499.

We’re a week early, but the Black Friday deals are flowing in. This one’s particularly good: Google’s entry-level Pixel 6a is just $299, $100 less than normal. It’s one of if not the best cheap smartphones around, with a contemporary Pixel design and killer cameras. The sale runs for nearly two weeks, until November 28th. There are also discounts on home products like the Nest Thermostat, Nest Security Cam and Nest Doorbell.

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James Webb telescope captures the hidden features of a young protostar

More insight into the formation of stars in the early stages.

The latest image from your second favorite space telescope reveals the once-hidden features of a very young protostar in the dark cloud L1527, giving us a look into how stars form and turn into something like our sun. NASA says the 100,000-year-old protostar is at the earliest stage of star formation — our sun formed 4.6 billion years ago or so. The images give us an idea of what our solar system was like in its very early years.

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Testing out the Yale Assure Lock 2

The do-everything smart lock.

Tempted by a smart lock? Yale, a trusted, familiar name in locks, has launched the Assure Lock 2, which addresses many of the issues of smart locks in the past. With four configurations (touchscreen and keypad models, both with and without dedicated keyways) and three finishes, you should be able to find one that suits your door. It’s also compatible with most doors in the US and Canada. Thanks to support for all the major smart home platforms and modules that can add WiFi, Zigbee and Matter connectivity, the Assure Lock 2 covers all the bases. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford tests it out.

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Blizzard games like ‘World of Warcraft’ will go offline in China next year

Its license agreement with NetEase in the nation will expire on January 23, 2023.

Blizzard Entertainment will suspend key games like Overwatch 2 and World of Warcraft in China because it failed to reach an agreement with partner NetEase, it announced. Those titles, along with Hearthstone, StarCraft, Heroes of the Storm, Diablo III and Warcraft III: Reforged, will be unavailable in China starting on January 23, 2023. The money-making Diablo Immortal, which arrived earlier this year, won’t be affected as it’s covered by a separate agreement.

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Meta reportedly fired staff for hijacking Facebook and Instagram accounts

Some employees may have taken bribes.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Meta has fired or punished over two dozen workers for hijacking Facebook and Instagram accounts over the past year. Some offenders reportedly used Meta’s account recovery tool and even took “thousands of dollars” in bribes from outsiders seeking access.

The account recovery tool, called Oops, lets workers file reports about inaccessible accounts, which can then lead to restored control. It’s meant for use only in rare situations, such as for public personalities and family members, and asks questions about the source of the request. Its use has supposedly climbed in recent years, The Journal says, jumping from 22,000 “tasks” in 2017 to 50,270 in 2020.

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Democratic senators ask FTC to investigate Elon Musk over his handling of Twitter

The lawmakers cited the botched rollout of paid verification.

In a letter to FTC chair Lina Khan, signed by seven senators, including Elizabeth Warren, Dianne Feinstein and Richard Blumenthal, the Democrat senators have asked the FTC to investigate Elon Musk over his handling of users’ privacy and security in the wake of his takeover of Twitter. Under the terms of a 2011 agreement with the FTC, Twitter is required to review new features for potential privacy issues and regularly send reports to the FTC. The recent departures of top privacy and security executives came just ahead of a deadline to send one of those reports, according to The New York Times.

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This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Senior Commerce Editor, Valentina Palladino, about our massive Holiday Gift Guide. If you’re looking for a decent laptop to gift, or maybe some budget gear for yourself, we’ve got you covered! Also, they dig into the FTX debacle (which got much worse than last week!), and Elon Musk’s ongoing fail whale Twitter acquisition. And on a surprising note, we end up having strong feelings about Amazon’s chat-based virtual healthcare service.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

Engadget 2022 Holiday Gift Guide – 1:24

NASA’s Artemis 1 rocket finally launches – 27:20

Cherlynn got to try Apple’s SOS satellite text message service – 28:56

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon chips with hardware-accelerated ray tracing – 34:33

Tuvalu turns to the metaverse to save its culture from climate change – 38:38

Meta axes its Portal video chat device – 40:21

FTX continues to collapse as regulator investigations begin – 43:15

Elon Twitter is a mess: your weekly update – 48:36

Working on – 1:02:47

Pop culture picks – 1:05:59

Livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Valentina Palladino
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos
Graphic artists: Luke Brooks and Brian Oh

 

If you’re looking for extra peace of mind while away from home, you may want to look at Amazon’s early Black Friday sale on its own Blink security cameras. You can grab a two-pack of the Blink Mini for $30, which matches the lowest price we’ve seen on the indoor camera bundle.

Buy Blink Mini two-pack at Amazon – $30

Blink Mini is a wired camera, so remember you’ll need to keep the pair plugged into nearby outlets. They offer standard Blink features like 1080p video capture, infrared night vision, two-way audio and optional smartphone alerts if their motion sensors are triggered.

Setup is easy, only requiring plugging in the cameras, connecting them to WiFi and following setup instructions in the Blink app. You can also integrate them with Alexa, using Amazon’s voice assistant to see a live view and arm or disarm your camera. The cameras are available in black and white, and the deal applies to both color options.

Amazon also has the Blink Video Doorbell for $35, which is $15 off its sticker price. It also provides 1080p HD streaming and recording, infrared night vision and two-way audio. You’ll need to buy a Sync Module to use live view or two-way audio without a doorbell press or motion detection. Amazon’s early Black Friday deals also include a bundle with the Blink Video Doorbell and Sync Module 2 for $55.

Blink Outdoor cameras are also on sale at Amazon starting at $60, down from their usual $100 starting price. This wireless camera is weather-resistant, records up to 1080p resolution, and has night vision. In addition, Amazon says it can run for up to two years on two AA batteries. Finally, you can also snag Blink’s Outdoor + Floodlight bundle for $70. Usually priced at $140, the Floodlight’s LEDs blast 700 lumens of light onto your chosen outdoor area.

Buy Blink Video Doorbell at Amazon – $35Buy Blink Outdoor at Amazon – $60Buy Blink Outdoor + Floodlight bundle at Amazon – $70

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

 

NASA has expanded SpaceX’s role in the Artemis program and has selected the company’s Starship lunar lander to ferry the second batch of astronauts to the Moon. If you’ll recall, the agency picked SpaceX’s human landing system for Artemis 3, which will take humanity back to the Moon decades after the last Apollo mission. 

Earlier this year, NASA announced that it was accepting new lunar lander proposals for use beyond Artemis 3 to ensure “redundancy in services.” While SpaceX wasn’t allowed to participate, the agency did say that it was planning to exercise an option under their existing contract and was asking the company to modify its landing system to meet a new requirement. That is, for its lander to have the capability to take human spacefarers from the Gateway station, which has yet to be installed in the lunar orbit, to the Moon itself. NASA can then use this upgraded lander for future missions, as humanity attempts to establish a long-term presence on the Moon. 

NASA says in its announcement:

“The aim of this new work under Option B is to develop and demonstrate a Starship lunar lander that meets NASA’s sustaining requirements for missions beyond Artemis III, including docking with Gateway, accommodating four crew members, and delivering more mass to the surface.”

SpaceX’s original contract with NASA was worth $2.9 billion, but this modification will add $1.15 billion to the total. The company’s Starship lunar lander is expected to take astronauts to the Moon for the first time in 2025. However, NASA Inspector General Paul Martin admitted in August that the agency is expecting Artemis 3’s launch date to slip to 2026. Based on his statement, NASA is anticipating delays related to the development of the human landing system and its next generation spacesuits. NASA’s Artemis 4 mission, which will take four more astronauts to the Moon, will take flight in 2027 at the earliest. 

For now, we’re still waiting for updates on the Orion vehicle after the successful Artemis 1 launch on November 16th. You can track the spacecraft’s location by following its official Twitter account, which frequently posts about its latest distance from Earth and from the Moon. 

 

Sony’s having a big sale at Amazon, with significant discounts on games, wired and wireless Inzone headsets and all-time low prices on its DualSense controllers. The latter are marked down by up to 33 percent to just $50, and we’re also seeing discounts of up to 64 percent on games like Returnal, Horizon Forbidden West, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. Sony is also hosting its own Black Friday sale at the PlayStation Store, with numerous other titles on sale.

Shop Sony games and hardware at Amazon

For anyone looking to get a second DualSense controller, particularly a colorful model, it’s never been a better time. All the models are on sale for $50, including the red, blue, pink, purple and camouflage versions, which normally sell for $75, so they’re a third off. All models offer advanced haptic feedback that give you strong feel of what’s happening on screen, with subtle differences between walking on grass or sand, for instance. And the analog triggers also recreate the feel of in-game tools, like the resistance of a bow when shoot an arrow.

You can also grab a number of physical games at steep discounts, including the aforementioned titles Returnal, Horizon Forbidden West, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. Other notable deals include Death Stranding Director’s Cut ($20 or 60 percent off) WWE 2K22 ($25 or 64 percent off), The Last of Us Part I at $50 (29 percent off), Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut ($30, or 57 percent off) and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart ($30 or 57 percent off). And if it’s some other game you’re after, Sony has numerous deals at the PlayStation Store as mentioned earlier.

Finally, Sony is selling both its wired and wireless Inzone H3, Inzone H7 and Inzone H9 gaming headsets for $78, $148 and $278 respectively, for savings of 22, 36 and 7 percent. You can also grab the PlayStation DualSense charging station and Media Remote for $20 each, or 33 percent off. 

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

 

Amazon’s layoffs announced on Wednesday will continue into early 2023, CEO Andy Jassy said in a letter to employees posted yesterday. He said that the company “hired rapidly” over the last few years but “the economy remains in a challenging spot.” With annual planning now extending into the new year, “there will be more role reductions as leaders continue to make adjustments,” he added. 

Jassy didn’t say how many people would be laid off or when, but noted that there would be “reductions in our Stores and PXT [people, experience and technology] organizations.” He added that the company will inform impacted employees well before any layoffs are made public. 

On Wednesday, the head of Amazon’s hardware division, Dave Limp, said that the company would consolidate team and “some roles will no longer be required.” According to a report in The New York Times, as many as 10,000 jobs could be cut as a result of the changes. The company said it would extend voluntary buyouts and provide employees with “a package that includes a separation payment, transitional benefits, and external job placement support.” Some workers may also be able to find different roles within the company.

Amazon is the latest tech giant to implement mass layoffs over the last few weeks. Meta cut 11,000 jobs last week, its first-ever mass-layoffs, and Twitter recently laid off about half its staff and cut thousands of contractor jobs. In addition, a large number of Twitter employees reportedly left the company following the deadline of Elon Musk’s “hardcore” ultimatum. 

 

Internet service providers (ISP) will soon have to be a lot more transparent with what their plans come with and how much they truly cost. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has introduced new rules that will require ISPs to display easy-to-read-and-understand labels that show key facts about their products at the point of sale. These labels will resemble the nutrition labels at the back of food products and should include, among other things, the price, speed, data allowances and other aspects of a company’s wired and wireless internet services.

In a statement, FCC Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel said that by requiring the companies to display their rates clearly, the agency is “seeking to end the kind of unexpected fees and junk costs that can get buried in long and mind-numbingly confusing statements of terms and conditions.” As you can see in the FCC’s example above, providers will have to itemize each one-time and monthly fee you’ll have to pay.

The FCC will require providers to prominently display these labels on their main purchasing pages, and in close proximity to an associated plan advertisement. They can’t be hidden behind multiple clicks and can’t be camouflaged by other elements in the page that they’ll likely be missed. The labels also need to be accessible from your customer account portal, and the provider must give you a copy when you ask. Further, the FCC is requiring the broadband companies to make the labels machine readable, so that third-party developers can easily create tools that would make it easier to compare ISPs.

The commission proposed rules for broadband labels back in January in response to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden signed into law last year. After the Office of Management and Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act reviews and approves the FCC’s requirements, ISPs will have six months (or a year, if they’re a smaller company) to comply. 

 

Elon Musk is now facing a new crisis at Twitter as a wave of employees seemed to reject his ultimatum of an “extremely hardcore” Twitter 2.0 or leave the company. Hours after a deadline for workers to check “yes” on a Google form accepting “long hours at high intensity, it seems a large number of employees have rejected Musk’s vision.

Exactly how many employees opted for severance over remaining at Twitter isn’t yet clear. The New York Timesreported the number was in the “hundreds,” while other early reports suggest the number could be much higher. The departures come after Musk already cut 50 percent of Twitter’s jobs in mass layoffs.

On Twitter, dozens of Twitter employees who had survived the initial round of layoffs tweeted farewell messages. One employee tweeted a video of a group of workers inside Twitter’s office counting down to the 5pm ET deadline on Musk’s ultimatum. “We’re all about to get fired,” he said.

Others tweeted messages alluding to Musk’s policies. In his Wednesday morning message, Musk had said that “only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.”

As the deadline approached, Musk reportedly grew concerned about how many remaining employees could leave the company. In a new memo, he appeared to walk back some of his earlier comments banning all remote work, though he still said he would fire managers if remote workers on their teams weren’t performing.

But it seems the concession wasn’t enough for many at Twitter Platformer’s Zoe Schiffer reported Thursday that Musk and his lieutenants were struggling to figure out just how many employees had declined to check the “yes” box on his Google form, and that Twitter would be closing down access to its offices for a few days as an extra precaution.

The departures raise new questions about whether the remaining Twitter engineers will be able to reliably keep the service up and running. Current and former employees are already speculating that the latest exodus could further put Twitter’s ability to function at risk, especially with the start of the World Cup a few days away.

Twitter no longer has communications staff, but Musk so far hasn’t publicly commented on the resignations.

 

Elon Musk is changing Twitter’s remote work rules yet again amid deadline for employees to commit to his vision for a “hardcore” company. Musk, who previously banned remote work at Twitter, has now indicated that some remote work is possible, Bloomberg and The Verge report.

“Regarding remote work, all that is required for approval is that your manager takes responsibility for ensuring that you are making an excellent contribution,” Musk wrote in a new memo to Twitter staff. He added that teams should be meeting in person at least once a month though weekly meetings are “ideal.”

Musk’s latest comments on remote work come one day after Twitter employees were told they had to agree they “want to be part of the new Twitter” where the expectation will be “long hours at high intensity.” Workers who wouldn’t check the “yes” box on the accompanying Google Form would be provided severance.

Now, it seems Musk is concerned that not enough employees are buying into his vision of an“extremely hardcore” Twitter. Bloomberg reports that Musk has been pitching “key employees” on his plans and that he has tapped other leaders “to convince employees to stay” on at the company.

But while the allowance of some remote work may seem like a victory for Twitter employees, who have enjoyed a “work from anywhere” policy for more than two years, Musk made it clear that he was more than willing to punish managers for remote employees who fall short of his expectations. “At risk of stating the obvious, any manager who falsely claims that someone reporting to them is doing excellent work or that a given role is essential, whether remote or not, will be exited from the company,” he wrote.

Since Musk took over Twitter, the employees who survived the initial job cuts have faced growing uncertainty and mounting pressure as the new CEO has prioritized features like paid verification. Esther Crawford, a Twitter manager who has been leading the revamped Twitter Blue, tweeted a photo of herself sleeping on the floor of a Twitter conference room in the days immediately after Musk’s takeover.

But not everyone has been as willing, or able, to adapt to Musk’s demands. And a Twitter lawyer recently told other employees that Musk’s requirement for workers to show up in the office or get fired might be illegal. Now, it seems at least one former employee is testing that notion, and has filed a lawsuit alleging that Musk’s new policies are discriminatory against workers with disabilities.