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Sony’s still excellent WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones are down to $250 for Black Friday. That’s $150 off the list price and equal to the all-time low (give or take a single cent) we saw on Prime Day. They may no longer be Sony’s flagship noise-canceling headphones, but if the WH-1000XM6 are out of your price range, these former Engadget favorites are well worth considering at this heavily reduced price.

We awarded the WH-1000XM5 a score of 95 in our 2022 review, praising the supremely comfortable redesign, sound quality and powerful ANC. Battery life is also very respectable at 30 hours. We found the punchy bass an improvement over their predecessors, and the overall sound deeper and more immersive than the M4 headphones. As for noise-canceling, Sony’s decision to double the number of microphones and processors used for ANC means an improvement in blocking higher frequency sounds, such as human voices. They aren’t entirely baby scream-proof, but then few headphones are.

Naturally, the WH-1000XM6 that this year replaced the M5 as Sony’s flagship model offers even better sound quality and noise cancellation, while remaining extremely comfortable throughout long listening sessions. But they’re also a lot more expensive at $450, and if you’re deal-hunting this Black Friday, the WH-1000XM5 headphones are the ones to go for.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonys-wh-1000xm5-headphones-are-152-off-for-black-friday-124434564.html?src=rss 

Jeff Bezos is spearheading a new AI started called Project Prometheus, focused on his current interests in space and engineering, The New York Times reports. The company, which has yet to be made public, will reportedly have $6.2 billion in funding. Part of that sum will come from Bezos, who will act as co-CEO. 

Project Prometheus will reportedly focus on creating AI systems that gain knowledge from the physical world, rather than just processing digital information, like AI chatbots. In particular, the company will reportedly explore how AI can support engineering and manufacturing in areas such as vehicles and space technology. Bezos founded space technology company Blue Origin more than two decades ago. The company’s New Glenn rocket had a successful second flight last week. 

He is joined by Vik Bajaj as co-founder and co-CEO. Bajaj is a physicist and chemist who worked on projects at Google X including Wing and what became Waymo. In 2018, he co-founded Foresite Labs, which supports entrepreneurs in the fields of AI and data science. Bajaj is still named as CEO of Foresite Labs on the company’s website and his LinkedIn page — the latter of which also shows his new titles at Project Prometheus. Bajaj lists his involvement in the new company as starting this month and puts San Francisco, London and Zurich as its locations. 

On its bare LinkedIn page, Project Prometheus’ overview states only “AI for the physical economy.” It also lists itself as a “Technology, Information and Internet” company with 51-200 employees. According to The New York Times, Project Prometheus has hired nearly 100 people, with some employees coming from fellow AI companies like OpenAI and DeepMind. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/jeff-bezos-will-head-a-new-engineering-focused-ai-startup-called-project-prometheus-122115977.html?src=rss 

Rivian‘s electric mobility spinoff Also announced a $3,500 starting price for its first e-bike called the TM-B. The startup unveiled the shapeshifting e-bike last month, with options for a limited Launch edition, a Performance version or a base model. During the reveal, Also said both the Launch and Performance TM-B models would start at $4,500, but only hinted at the base model’s price tag being less than $4,000.

While the base model TM-B is more than $1,000 cheaper than the other choices, it comes with several compromises, like a lower max range of 60 miles, a weaker 5x power assist, coil fork suspension and only a standard ride mode. In comparison, the higher-end TM-B options have up to a 100-mile range, a 10x power assist, air fork suspension and the choice between sport and standard ride modes. Also is only offering the base model TM-B in all gray, meaning you won’t get the transparent shell that highlights the virtual drivetrain called DreamRide.

While the TM-B’s starting price is more affordable than we first thought, it’s still a premium price tag for an e-bike. The TM-B base model is available for preorder with a $50 refundable deposit and will start shipping in late 2026, according to Also.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/rivian-spinoff-reveals-a-3500-starting-price-for-its-first-e-bike-195949124.html?src=rss 

Meta’s entry-level VR headset, the Quest 3S, is down to an even more budget-friendly price than usual in a deal on Amazon right now. The 128GB Meta Quest 3S is 17 percent off in an early Black Friday deal, bringing it to a record-low price of $250. It normally goes for $300. With the purchase, you also get the game Gorilla Tag for free. There’s also a 256GB option, which is on sale as well and comes with Batman: Arkham Shadow. That version costs $330, down from its usual price of $400.

The Meta Quest 3S is an impressive VR headset for the price, and scored a 90 in Engadget’s review, landing it among our picks for the best VR headsets around right now. It’s comfortable to wear, gets over two hours of battery life before needing to be recharged and offers a 96-degree field of view. While its 1,830 by 1,920 pixel per eye screen doesn’t quite achieve the sharpness of the Quest 3, it does have the same chip — the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 — as the pricier model, making for fast performance. It also comes with 8GB of RAM.

The Quest 3S also comes with the Touch Plus controllers, which have button and joystick controls as well as motion controls. It can also connect to gaming PCs and stream gameplay to Chromecast and AirPlay devices. Despite being relatively inexpensive, the 3S offers a great experience. In his review, Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar said the 3S is “the best $300 standalone VR headset we’ve ever seen.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-meta-quest-3s-vr-headset-drops-to-a-record-low-price-for-black-friday-180911805.html?src=rss 

Google is getting ready to spend $40 billion to increase its data center footprint in Texas. In an announcement posted on its website, Google said it’s planning to build more infrastructure for its cloud and artificial intelligence operations in the state. The plans call for three new data centers, one in Armstrong County and two in Haskell County, according to Google.

According to a press release from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, this is Google’s largest investment in any US state. The tech giant’s investment in the Lone Star State dates back to 2019, when it built a data center in Midlothian, Texas. Google later expanded its presence in the state with the development of another data center in Red Oak, bringing the company’s total investment into Texas to $2.7 billion. According to Google, the latest $40 billion investment will be made through 2027.

Google isn’t the only major tech company developing more AI infrastructure in the US. Earlier this year, NVIDIA announced plans to build manufacturing space for AI supercomputers in Houston and Dallas. More recently, Meta said it would invest $600 billion to build AI data centers across the US without specifying which states.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-plans-to-invest-40-billion-towards-building-data-centers-in-texas-183056066.html?src=rss