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Google is going all-in on Amazon’s Big Deal Days Prime sale with an array of deals on its latest Pixel phones, along with Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel Watches, Nest Thermostats and more. To start with, Pixel 8 phones are available in a bundle with the Pixel Buds Pro starting at $700, effectively giving you the earbuds for free. The Pixel 8 Pro is offered in a similar bundle with the Pixel Watch 2 from $1,000, again letting you have the latter for free.

Google has also discounted the Pixel 7a smartphone, Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds Pro individually, with 40 percent discounts on each. And along with some of the Nest savings we saw earlier, Google’s Nest Thermostat is available for just $90, saving you 31 percent off the regular price. 

Google’s new Pixel 8 flagship has a smaller 6.2-inch display and body than its predecessor, along with a more rounded and compact design. It’s improved across the board spec-wise, with a new Tensor G3 chip, a brighter 1,400 nit display with 120Hz refresh rate, a larger battery and a much-improved 50-megapixel (MP) camera. If you’d been looking to pull the trigger on one, and also eyeing some Pixel Buds Pro, you can get both in a bundle starting at $700 — saving you a full $200 (22 percent). 

The Pixel 8 Pro boosts the size of the display, while also offering enhanced photo and video features along with a new temperature sensor and a full seven years of software support. If the $100 higher price over the Pixel 7 Pro gave you pause, you can pick it up now with a Pixel Watch 2 for the same $1,000 price, saving you $350 (the price of the Pixel Watch), or 25 percent. 

If you’d rather pay less and don’t need a watch or earbuds, Google’s also offering the Pixel 7a for $400 (20 percent off), as we saw yesterday. It’s still the latest midrange Pixel phone, and offers impressive features like wireless charging and a 64-MP camera, along with a 90Hz OLED display, Tensor G2 processor and 8GB of RAM. The $400 price is the lowest we’ve seen, letting you get the best mid-range phone on the market at a steep discount. 

Google’s Pixel Buds Pro are on sale in no less than six colors for $120 (40 percent off the regular $200 price) — again an all-time low. They were well-reviewed across the board and even made it into our list of the best earbuds. These are far and away the best wireless earbuds Google has ever made, with deep and punchy bass, decent ANC performance, near-perfect touch controls, wireless charging and more. If that’s still too much and you don’t need the noise cancellation, the Pixel Buds A-Series are on sale in four colors for just $60 for a savings of 40 percent. 

Google’s original Pixel Watch combines Samsung and Fitbit technology into a clean, beautiful design. It’s just been superseded by the Pixel Watch 2, which offers better battery life and improved fitness tracking, but it’s still a beautiful and powerful wearable. And it’s now at an all-time low, priced at $210 for the Wi-Fi version (40 percent off) and $260 for the LTE model (35 percent off). 

If it’s smart home products you’re seeking, Google has you covered there as well. The Google Nest Thermostat is on sale for just $90 (31 percent off), back down near the lowest prices we’ve seen. It lets you control your heating and cooling from anywhere and suggests tweaks to help you save money, and in some cases, can entitle you to rebates from your utility provider. It’s easy to program an works with Google’s Nest Hub and other smart displays like the Echo Show. 

The Nest Doorbell (Battery) is a popular item because it’s much easier to install than any wired doorbells. As with the cameras, it will send you alerts when you have a visitor and you can chat with them through your phone and the built-in speaker and microphone. If the regular $180 price has made you pause, it’s now on sale for $120. 

Meanwhile, the Nest Cam Outdoor has a weatherproof design so that you can install it outside your home, along with expanded Night Vision to better spot outdoor intruders. It’s on sale for just $120, or $60 off the regular $180 price. Finally, the Nest Cam indoor is designed to blend in to your home, with a range of colors, built-in stand, wall mount and hinge, and is currently on sale for $70 or 30 percent off the regular price.

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/the-best-prime-day-deals-on-google-pixel-phones-and-nest-devices-113543783.html?src=rss 

Sony’s well-reviewed WH-CH720N headphones are on sale for just $98, which is $52 off the MSRP. It’s part of Amazon’s October Prime Day event, so make sure to snatch one up soon before the deal ends or before the stock runs out. These headphones are typically $150, and considered a bargain at that price, so this discount is sure to entice many consumers.

The WH-CH720N is already a budget-friendly purchase when compared to Sony’s spate of high-end headsets, but it still brings some modern features to the table. During our review, we called out the proprietary V1 chip that allows for high-grade active noise cancellation (ANC) and helps boost the sound quality a bit. We also appreciated the robust battery life, allowing for 35 hours of use per charge, which is a mighty fine metric for budget or mid-range headphones.

The controls are easily accessible, with a power/pairing button on the left side and a noise canceling button on the right side that cycles between ANC and transparency modes. There’s also the typical three-button array for volume and for switching tracks. The center button, however, can be used to instantly call up your preferred voice assistant, like Siri or Google Assistant.

As for connections, there’s the standard USB-C port for charging and there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack if you want access to sweet, wired audio. The design is comfort-forward, with ample cushioning in the ear pads and a lightly-wound headband hinge that won’t squeeze your noggin.

What are the downsides here? The exterior uses a whole lot of plastic, which takes the aesthetic appeal down a notch. This model also lacks Sony’s Speak-to-Chat feature that automatically pauses audio when you’re talking. The 720N headphones don’t even pause when you take them off, so make sure you manually push the stop button on your track to preserve battery life.

As previously stated, this is a limited-time Amazon Prime Day deal that will likely bid adieu by the end of the day. These headphones are available in both black and white.

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/sonys-wh-ch720n-headphones-are-just-98-for-prime-day-114520875.html?src=rss 

There remain iPad deals to be had for the second day of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. The second Prime Day of sorts has knocked down the prices of many iPads as well as tablets from other tech giants too. If you’re looking to upgrade from an aging iPad, or you want to snag an early holiday gift for someone on your list, now’s a great time to do so — particularly if you’re a Prime member. Here are the best iPad deals, plus the best deals on other tablets, that we could find for October Prime Day 2023.

iPad (9th gen)

Apple’s most affordable tablet, the 10.2-inch iPad, is on sale for $249 right now. It may have an old-school design, but it’s certainly the best iPad for people on a budget and it has most crucial features you’d expect in an Apple tablet. It earned a score of 86 from us for its solid performance, sharp screen, TouchID-capable Home button and good battery life. The only major downside to this model right now is that it still sports Apple’s old Lightning port rather than USB-C.

iPad (10th gen)

The new base iPad has dropped to $399 for October Prime Day. It has an updated design that makes it look more like an iPad Air or Pro, with slim bezels and no Home button. We gave it a score of 85 for its improved performance, new landscape-oriented front-facing camera, USB-C charging and solid battery life.

iPad Air

Apple’s iPad Air is on sale for $500 right now. It’s arguably the best iPad for most people thanks to its solid performance rendered by the M1 chipset, big 10.9-inch display, USB-C charging and second-generation Apple Pencil support. M1 might not be the latest Apple chipset, but it’s powerful enough to handle pretty much any task you throw at it — and since the Air works with keyboard accessories, it could be a decent laptop replacement when on the go.

iPad mini

The Apple iPad mini has dropped to $400 for October Prime Day. It’s the best small tablet on the market right now and really your only option if you want a true one-hand-friendly iPad. It’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip and sports a TouchID-toting power button, solid cameras, a good battery life and a USB-C port for charging.

Amazon Fire 7

Amazon’s Fire 7 tablet is on sale for $40 for October Prime Day. It’s the cheapest Fire tablet in the lineup, and it’s really only a viable option if you have a strict budget to adhere to since other Fire tablets provide much stronger performance. The Fire 7 includes a 7-inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen, up to 32GB of storage and up to 10 hours of battery life.

Amazon Fire HD 8

The Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet has dropped to $60 for Prime Big Deal Days. It’s a solid step-up from the Fire 7 if you can spend a little bit more money. You’ll get an 8-inch HD touchscreen, a hexa-core processor, a 5MP rear-facing camera in addition to the selfie cam and a battery that should last up to 13 hours on a single charge.

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)

The 2021 Fire HD 10 tablet has dropped to $75 for Prime Day. One of the more powerful slabs in Amazon’s lineup, the HD 10 provides a 10.1-inch FHD touchscreen, an octa-core processor, up to 64GB of internal storage and a 12-hour battery life. This year’s Fire HD 10 is up for pre-order now and it includes a 25-percent bump up in performance, an improved front-facing camera and a lighter design.

Amazon Fire Max 11

Amazon’s new Fire Max 11 tablet is on sale for $150 for Prime Day. The slab has an 11-inch 2000 x 1200 touchscreen, an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, up to 128GB of built-in storage and up to 14 hours of battery life. It can also work with a detachable keyboard and stylus, so you could use it like a 2-in-1 laptop.

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/the-best-prime-day-ipad–tablet-deals-available-right-now-120003904.html?src=rss 

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone and prefer Android to iOS, Amazon’s October Prime Day (or “Prime Big Deal Days”) sale looks like a good time to take the plunge. While you won’t find any iPhones on sale, the event has brought several handsets we like from Samsung, Google, OnePlus and Motorola down to lower prices than usual. There’s always a chance we see better deals come Black Friday, but for those who need a refresh today, here are the best Prime Day smartphone deals we could find. Just remember that a few of these offers are only accessible to Prime members.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is on sale for $950. That’s $100 more than the deal we saw during July’s Prime Day event but $50 lower than the typical sale price we’ve seen in recent months and $250 off Samsung’s list price. The high-end S23 Ultra is the top Android pick in our guide to the best smartphones, and it earned a score of 89 in our review this past February. Our biggest knock against it was that it’s expensive, but this deal helps mitigate that a bit.

Samsung Galaxy S23+

The Galaxy S23+, meanwhile, is on sale for $800, which is within $50 of the lowest price we’ve seen for the unlocked model. This 6.6-inch handset sits between the standard Galaxy S23 and the S23 Ultra in Samsung’s lineup: It has the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, 1080p resolution and triple-camera system as the former, but it provides a larger OLED display without being as weighty (or pricey) as the latter. Compared to the base S23, it also supports faster charging speeds up to 45W instead of 25W. We gave the S23+ a score of 86 in February.

Samsung Galaxy S23

Rounding out the Galaxy S23 deals, the standard model is available for $650. Again, that’s $50 more than the deal we saw during July’s Prime Day sale but still $150 off Samsung’s MSRP and $50 lower than the usual discount we’ve seen in recent months. The S23’s biggest selling point is that it’s one of the smallest high-end phones on the market, with a 6.1-inch display that’s generally easier to hold with one hand. It’s a step down from the S23 Ultra, with lesser battery life, charging speeds and camera hardware, but that’s to be expected given the lower price.

Google Pixel 7a

The Google Pixel 7a is down to $399, which is the lowest price we’ve seen for this unlocked version and $100 off Google’s MSRP. This is the top pick in our guide to the best midrange smartphones, and we gave it a review score of 90 back in May. It delivers just about everything we want out of an affordable handset: a steady Tensor G2 chip, a relatively smooth 90Hz display, strong cameras, wireless charging support, IP67 water resistance and a clean software experience with several years of planned updates. The upcoming Pixel 8 will almost certainly be better in a vacuum, but for less than $400, the 7a is a great value.

OnePlus 11

The unlocked version of the OnePlus 11 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is down to $650. That matches the lowest price we’ve seen for this variant and comes in $150 below the phone’s MSRP. This is the top midrange pick in our guide to the best Android smartphone, as it offers a superb 6.6-inch, 120Hz OLED display, super-fast charging, long battery life and a speedy Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. That said, its IP64 dust- and water-resistance rating could be better, and its camera system generally isn’t as impressive as what you get from a Galaxy S23. We gave the device a score of 83 in our review this past February.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Moving onto foldables, the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is down to $800 for an unlocked 256GB model, which is another all-time low. We gave this one a review score of 88 in August, and we currently name it the best flip-style foldable in our smartphone buying guide. There’ll always be some durability concerns with foldable phones like this, and the Z Flip 5’s cameras aren’t quite on par with the best “normal” handsets. But for the most part, this is a modern flagship you can fold in half. The big upgrade this year is its larger 3.4-inch cover display, which is handier for completing tasks while the phone is folded.

Motorola Razr+

Though we think the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the better flip-style foldable for most, the Motorola Razr+ is a solid alternative. Its main benefit is a bigger 3.6-inch cover screen that works with all apps out of the box. (You can get most apps to work on the Z Flip 5’s outer display too, but it requires a workaround.) Right now the unlocked Razr+ is available for $800, which is an all-time low and $150 off its typical street price. We gave this device a score of 85 in our review this past June.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

If you want a larger, book-style foldable, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 is on sale for $1,400. That’s $400 off Samsung’s MSRP and the best price we’ve tracked for the unlocked model. We call the Z Fold 5 the best foldable for multitasking in our smartphone buying guide and gave it a review score of 86 earlier this year. It’s an iterative update over last year’s model and still plenty expensive even after this discount, but it’s fast, and its bright 7.6-inch main display is still a treat. The big upgrade this year is a redesigned hinge, which helps eliminate any gap between the two sides of the device when it’s folded in half.

OnePlus Nord N30 5G

The OnePlus Nord N30 is our pick for the best budget phone you can buy, as it provides a fast-for-the-price Snapdragon 695 chip, a surprisingly decent 6.7-inch 120Hz display and the promise of security updates through June 2026. It’ll also be updated to Android 14. If you need a new phone on the cheap, the Nord N30 is currently down to $237. That’s $63 off its list price and marks the lowest price we’ve seen for an unlocked model.

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

The Samsung Galaxy A54 is the updated version of a phone we highlight in our midrange smartphone guide, and it’s now down to $330. That’s the lowest cash discount we’ve seen and $120 off Samsung’s list price. We’d still recommend the Pixel 7a to most, but the Galaxy A54’s lovely OLED display, lengthy battery life, IP67-rated water resistance and five years of security updates make it a worthy alternative. Just don’t expect top-tier performance, and know that its camera falls short of the Pixel 7a.

Motorola Moto G Stylus

The Moto G Stylus is an honorable mention in our budget smartphone guide, as it’s one of the few ultracheap phones to come with a built-in pen. Most people are better off with the Nord N30 or one of our midrange picks, but if you really can’t spend more than $100 and need that stylus support, it’s an alright buy at its current deal price of $161. That’s a few bucks cheaper than the price we’ve seen for most of the last few months and roughly $40 off Motorola’s list price.

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/the-best-amazon-prime-day-smartphone-deals-for-october-2023-122351211.html?src=rss 

California is officially the first state to pass a law streamlining personal data removal. On October 10, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 362, known as the Delete Act, into law, requiring the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) to create and roll out a tool allowing state residents to request that all data brokers delete their information. There are nearly 500 registered data brokers in California.

Advocates for the bill painted it as a necessary protection. “Data brokers possess thousands of data points on each and every one of us, and they currently sell reproductive healthcare, geolocation, and purchasing data to the highest bidder,” Senator Josh Becker, author of the bill, said in a statement. “The Delete Act protects our most sensitive information.”

Current privacy laws allow Californians to make this request, but they must contact each company, and it can be denied. The CPPA has until 2026 to build the necessary system and has the authority to charge brokers to use it. Under the Delete Act, each broker must register with the CPPA and fulfill deletion requests every 45 days or risk facing a penalty such as a fine. Third-party compliance audits are set to begin in 2028 and occur every three years moving forward.

The Delete Act met opposition from organizations such as the Association of National Advertisers, which voiced concerns about schemes that charge consumers exorbitant amounts of money to delete their data and small businesses or non-profits being unable to reach their target audience without this detailed information.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/californias-new-law-makes-it-easier-for-consumers-to-request-the-deletion-of-their-data-095555419.html?src=rss 

Utah has sued TikTok over child safety issues and the company’s China-based ownership, CNBC has reported. In the complaint, attorney general Sean Reyes called the app “an addictive product” and accused it of misleading users about its relationship with China-based parent company ByteDance. The state recently enacted some of the strictest social media laws in the country, requiring parental permission for teens to use social media. 

The lawsuit compares TikTok to a slot machine that provides “dopamine manipulation” trigged by swiping up on videos. That addictive nature is particularly harmful for the “not-yet-fully-developed” brain of young users and can create a dependence on the app, the state claims. It noted that the US Surgeon General has warned about mental health harms around social media, and cited excessive TikTok usage based around the company’s own (redacted) figures. 

“What these children (and their parents) do not know is that TikTok is lying to them about the safety of its app and exploiting them into checking and watching the app compulsively, no matter the terrible effects it has on their mental health, their physical development, their family, and their social life,” the complaint states. 

The lawsuit also delves into TikTok’s links to China. “To avoid scrutiny from its users (and regulators), TikTok has also misled Utah consumers about the degree to which TikTok remains enmeshed with and under the control of ByteDance, it’s China-based parent company.” 

TikTok previously said that it has dedicated more than $1.5 billion on data security, and has rejected allegations that it’s spying for the Chinese government. The company also recently opened a Transparency and Accountability Center in an effort to fend off regulators and potential bans.

The federal government has yet to take any concrete action against social media platforms, but states have been more active. Utah recently passed a law requiring parents to get permission before teens can create accounts on TikTok, Snap and other platforms. It also mandates curfew, parental controls and age verification features. The state didn’t go as far as Montana, however, which outright banned the use of TikTok. Tomorrow, a judge will hear arguments in TikTok’s lawsuit seeking to overturn that ban — a case that could open the company up to more scrutiny and set precedent around the US.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/utah-sues-tiktok-over-child-safety-issues-and-its-links-to-china-085516390.html?src=rss 

If you have several Google Nest speakers, Chromecast and smart displays, you can add each of them to several different groups in the Google Home app again. The company implemented changes last month, which would allow certain devices to be added to only one speaker group at a time in response to Sonos’ patent lawsuit. This development, announced by the Nest team, undoes that change. If you’ll recall, Sonos sued the company back in 2020, accusing it of infringing on several patents it holds, including ones related to managing groups of speakers.

In May, a California federal jury determined that Google had infringed on Sonos’ intellectual property and ordered the tech giant to pay a $32.5 million fine. However, US District Judge William Alsup has just tossed out the verdict after finding that Sonos’ patents were unenforceable. Alsup ruled that Sonos had improperly linked its multi-room audio patents to a 2006 patent application, which didn’t disclose the actual invention. He also concluded that Sonos didn’t file applications for the patents involved in the lawsuit until 2019, years after Google presented it with a plan to use multi-room audio technology while exploring a collaboration.

Sonos told Reuters that the judge’s ruling was “wrong on both the facts and law” and that it intends to lodge an appeal. Google has decided to roll back its previous changes despite Sonos’ plan, though, which means you “will no longer run into an error when trying to add a device to additional groups.” The update has already started rolling out and is currently making its way to the Home app on Android. Google says the change is also “coming soon” to the Home app on iOS devices.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-brings-back-smart-speaker-grouping-after-sonos-lawsuit-victory-081200931.html?src=rss