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Amazon has rolled out another round of discounts on its Fire TV media streamers ahead of Black Friday, which includes the entry-level Fire TV Stick Lite discounted to $15. While that isn’t the best price we’ve ever tracked — the streaming stick dropped to $12 during Amazon’s Prime Day sale this past July — it does match the lowest price we’ve seen otherwise. Amazon runs discounts on its streamer lineup fairly regularly, but the Fire TV Stick Lite typically drops to $20 during those sales, so this is a bit more savings than usual.

Elsewhere, the Fire TV Stick 4K and higher-power 4K Max are available for $25 and $35, respectively. Again, those are deals we’ve seen a few times in the past, but both prices still match the lowest we’ve tracked. The 1080p Fire TV Stick, meanwhile, is available for $20, which is $2 higher than its all-time low. We’ll also note that the previous-generation Fire TV Cube is on sale for $60, which matches that streamer-meets-smart-speaker’s all-time low, though Amazon recently launched an updated version of this device with a faster processor, a new HDMI input and WiFi 6E support. There’s always a chance we see lower prices on Black Friday proper, though Amazon is currently promoting most of these offers as “early Black Friday deals.”

If you can afford the step up, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the best of Amazon’s streaming sticks, offering a slightly more powerful CPU and GPU than the Fire TV Stick 4K, as well as an extra 0.5GB of memory. All of that should keep it performing better in the long-term. It also has a WiFi 6 radio, if you have or ever plan to upgrade to a router that supports that. The Fire TV Stick 4K is still a solid alternative if you want to save a few bucks: It’s physically identical to the 4K Max, has the same voice remote and still supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HDR10, plus Dolby Atmos for audio. Like all Fire TV Sticks, it still works with just about all of the major streaming apps. It’s just a bit less performant.

If you’re shopping for an older TV or don’t need 4K streaming, the Fire TV Stick Lite and base Fire TV Stick max out at a 1080p resolution but offer most of the essentials at a lower cost. They both run the same interface as the 4K models and work with HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG, though there’s no Dolby Vision support, and they’re both more prone to sluggishness when swapping between apps and Amazon’s home screen. The main difference between the two is in the remote: The Fire TV Stick’s has buttons for volume, mute, power, and app shortcuts, while the Fire TV Stick Lite’s doesn’t. The Fire TV Stick can also output Dolby Atmos audio to a compatible sound system. If you can live without those, though, the Lite is more or less the same streamer for a few bucks less.

With every Fire TV streamer, you still have to deal with an ad-heavy interface that heavily pushes you toward Amazon’s own apps and services. Roku and Google still sell compelling alternatives around the same prices; the former offers a more straightforward UI, the latter has more comprehensive search and is better about proactively recommending shows you might like, and both give similar performance. If you prefer one of those platforms, we’re still seeing deals on those devices as well: Roku’s Streaming Stick 4K is currently on sale for $25, while Google’s 1080p and 4K Chromecasts are down to $18 and $40, respectively. But Amazon’s options still work well for casual streaming, and if you frequently use Alexa, Prime Video, and other Amazon services already — or want to sideload additional apps — they should provide good value at their current deal prices.

Buy Fire TV Stick 4K Max at Amazon – $35Buy Fire TV Stick 4K at Amazon – $25Buy Fire TV Stick at Amazon – $20Buy Fire TV Cube (2nd gen) at Amazon – $60

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Even if you live for the holiday season, the shopping portion of it can be daunting for us all. Maybe you made a resolution last year to be better prepared this time around, but it’s easy to get sidetracked by all the other demands of everyday life. Holiday sales may have already begun, but if you’re just getting your list together now, you’re not alone.

This is where our holiday gift guide comes in. Every year, we gather our favorite gadgets and other miscellany into one big (and, we hope, helpful) guide. You’ll find gift ideas for the audiophile in your life, video gamers, board gamers, frequent travelers, people who work from home, and others. We also have all of our bread-and-butter gadget categories represented, with lists of our favorite laptops, tablets, smart home devices, home theater gear and gaming accessories.

We also know that gadgets can get expensive fast, so in addition to having a bunch of types of gifts covered in our guide, we have every budget represented, too. Whether you’re ready to splurge this year or need to find inexpensive gifts, we have options for you. And if you’re willing to wait, Black Friday and Cyber Monday should bring a number of great deals on some of our favorite gadgets. If you haven’t crossed everything off your list by that point, be sure to follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter so you don’t miss any of the worthwhile tech deals this season.

We hope that our product recommendations can lessen your holiday stress because you’ll spend less time worrying about which gift to get for whom. And don’t forget to pick up something for yourself along the way – you deserve it.

Check out all of our holiday gift guide stories right here.

 

Hulu is adding 14 new channels to its Live TV offering, the Disney-owned streaming service announced on Monday. Five of the additions – the Weather Channel, Comedy.TV, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama – are already available to watch, with the remaining nine (most of them Vevo music channels) joining the service on December 1st.

That means most of the new additions will arrive a week before Disney increases the cost of its Hulu + Live TV bundle. After December 8th, the with ads package will cost $75 per month, up from $70 currently. With today’s expansion, Hulu notes the Live TV component of its service provides access to more than 85 channels, with mainstays like CNN, EPSN, MTV and the NFL Network represented.

For some, the new channels might make them reconsider canceling or modifying their Hulu + Live TV subscription, an outcome Disney is clearing banking on. Last week, the company announced Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ had a combined customer base of 236 million subscribers, putting the company in the ballpark of Netflix’s numbers. At the same time, Disney said operating losses for streaming increased from $0.8 billion to $1.5 billion during its most recent fiscal quarter. Moving forward, Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the company expects those losses to narrow, partly thanks to the price increases it announced earlier this year.

 

Self-driving cars frequently have trouble with poor weather, but Waymo thinks it can overcome these limitations by using its autonomous taxis as weather gauges. The company has revealed that its latest car sensor arrays are creating real-time weather maps to improve ride hailing services in Phoenix and San Francisco. The vehicles measure the raindrops on windows to detect the intensity of conditions like fog or rain.

The technology gives Waymo a much finer-grained view of conditions than it gets from airport weather stations, radar and satellites. It can track the coastal fog as it rolls inland, or drizzle that radar would normally miss. While that’s not as important in a dry locale like Phoenix, it can be vital in San Francisco and other cities where the weather can vary wildly between neighborhoods.

There are a number of practical advantages to gathering this data, as you might guess. Waymo is using the info to improve its Driver AI’s ability to handle rough weather, including more realistic simulations. The company also believes it can better understand the limits of its cars and set higher requirements for new self-driving systems. The tech also helps Waymo One better serve ride hailing passengers at a given time and place, and gives Waymo Via trucking customers more accurate delivery updates.

The current weather maps have their limitations. They may help in a warm city like San Francisco, where condensation and puddles are usually the greatest problems, but they won’t be as useful for navigating snowy climates where merely seeing the lanes can be a challenge. There’s also the question of whether or not it’s ideal to have cars measure the very conditions that hamper their driving. This isn’t necessarily the safest approach.

This could still go a long way toward making Waymo’s driverless service more practical, though. Right now, companies like Waymo and Cruise aren’t allowed to operate in heavy rain or fog using their California permits — the weather monitoring could help these robotaxi firms serve customers looking for dry rides home.

 

CD Projekt Red has revealed that 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, on PS4 or Xbox One, respectively. PC players will benefit from the update too. CD Projekt Red previously said the current-gen version of The Witcher 3 would include ray tracing and faster load times, as well as free downloadable content inspired by the Netflix series The Witcher2015 .

CDPR announced the current-gen version of the game back in September 2020. It planned to release that and the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S edition of Cyberpunk 2077 in 2021, but it delayed both into this year. The publisher released the latter in February. However, it ran into some issues with The Witcher 3. In April, CDPR said it would work on the upgrade in-house after initially outsourcing it to Saber Interactive. 

Cyberpunk 2077 saw a huge surge in interest earlier this year thanks to the (excellent) current-gen update and the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime series on Netflix. Perhaps this upgrade will cause The Witcher 3‘s player count to spike again. Netflix’s upcoming prequel to The Witcher could draw more eyes to the game too.

 

Amazon’s Alexa Together caregiver service is now more useful if you want to know a loved one’s specific activities. The company has added custom alerts that ping up to 10 caregivers when there’s particular smart home activity. You’ll know if the care receiver opened a sensor-equipped medicine cabinet, for instance, or whether the bedroom light turned on at the right time in the morning.

You can enable custom alerts through the “More” section in the Alexa App. Alexa Together costs $20 per month or $199 per year, and requires at least one Echo device for the person receiving support. It’s currently available only in the US and requires Amazon accounts for both the caregiver and the care recipient.

Alexa Together offers a number of remote aids, such as 24/7 urgent-care responses, remote assistance for features like reminders, and fall detection with compatible sensors. It was developed at the height of the pandemic, when in-person care was frequently impractical, but is also pitched as a way to grant independence to the elderly and others who might otherwise need physical check-ins.

It’s easy to imagine privacy concerns. If an intruder got access, they could learn when a family member leaves home or wakes up. Amazon notes that there are “multiple layers” of protection, however, including limited info in the activity feed and the power to revoke permission. It’s really a question of whether or not both sides of an Alexa Together setup are comfortable with the added level of detail.

 

Nike’s interest in the blockchain extends beyond buying a digital collectibles startup. The apparel maker has introduced “.Swoosh,” a blockchain-based platform that will let members collect and eventually create virtual jerseys, shoes and other goods they can wear in games and other online spaces. You may get access to real-world products and special events, too. The creation of an “inclusive” community is important, Nike says, although the company isn’t shy about wanting to make money — you can buy virtual products using conventional payments, much like you would a physical pair of runners.

The .Swoosh platform is currently in beta. Sign-ups start November 18th, and you’ll need an access code if you want to avoid sitting on a waiting list. Nike doesn’t start official “programming” until December, and the first community-shaped virtual collection is poised to launch in early 2023. The brand’s initial community building will focus on the US and some European countries.

Nike also hinted at how it will motivate some creators. After that first collection arrives, the firm will launch a community challenge that gives winners a chance to co-create virtual items with Nike. They’ll earn a royalty on whatever products they ultimately sell.

The debut comes just under a year after Nike bought RTFKT to accelerate its virtual goods business, and represents its first major push into the field. Nike also faces some competition from athletics wear rivals eager to profit from the blockchain. Adidas has participated in NFT drops, for instance, while Reebok has released its own collectible items. The .Swoosh rollout could help Nike counter those challenges by creating a go-to hub for digtally-savvy fans.

 

If you’ve been waiting on a sale for Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro, that patience has paid off. Amazon is offering them at the lowest price we’ve seen yet, $230 or $19 (8 percent) off the regular $249 price tag. While not an enormous price cut, it’s a great deal on Apple’s best wireless ANC buds, considering they only came out in September. 

While they don’t look too different from the original AirPods Pro, the new models have some notable improvements that helped them garner a solid 88 score in our Engadget review. The biggest change is the new H2 chip that delivers improved noise cancellation and longer battery life. Audio quality is also improved, as is integration with Apple products, letting you switch seamlessly between an iPhone and MacBook, for example. They also come with new touch controls for easier operation.

They’re not perfect, as battery life could still be better despite the improvements from before, and the touch controls take a while to master. Also, they’re really designed for Apple products, so Android users might need to look elsewhere. Still, the 2022 AirPods Pro are some highly desirable wireless ANC earbuds and this is the best price we’ve seen to date. 

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You don’t always need to invest in a brand new TV or an expensive sound system to up your home-entertainment game. A soundbar could do the trick, providing much better audio quality than most TVs offer and costing much less than a whole sound system. Roku’s Streambar is arguably one of the most convenient options available now, and it’s even cheaper ahead of Black Friday. You can pick up the compact device for only $80 right now, which is $50 less than usual and the lowest we’ve seen it.

We gave the Streambar a score of 86 when it first came out because it not only provides a solid sound upgrade for most TVs, but it also includes 4K streaming technology inside. That means if you have an old set that isn’t smart, you can turn it into a smart TV with the Streambar — no additional device required. It supports 4K HDR content and it’ll give you access to more streaming services than you’ll likely be able to use, including the big ones like Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and others.

As for audio, the Stremabar supports Dolby Audio and really makes sound effects and music in TV shows and movies pop. It doesn’t quite replicate the feeling of being in a movie theater of course, but it certainly makes your viewing experience more cinematic by upping overall sound quality. It can also double as a Bluetooth speaker, which will be useful if you want just one device in your living room that can do many things.

The Streambar also has the advantage of being relatively small. It’s roughly the size of a carton eggs, and its fabric-wrapped design is pretty attractive, if a little basic. It’s much smaller than other soundbars, so it’ll fit into even the most cramped of living-room setups.

But if audio isn’t your biggest concern and you just want a reliable yet affordable streaming device, there are a couple of other Roku deals worth considering right now. The company’s Streaming Stick 4K is down to only $25, while the Roku Express is on sale for $18. The former connects directly to your TV’s HDMI port to provide 4K streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision support and voice commands via its remote. The Express is a bit more limited, as it supports HD content, connects via an included HDMI cable and comes with a remote that doesn’t have voice command support.

Buy Roku Streaming Stick 4K at Amazon – $25Buy Roku Express at Amazon – $18

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

 

Former Amazon chief Jeff Bezos is the latest tech CEO hoping to be known for his philanthropy. The Amazon founder told CNN in an interview that he intends to give most of his net worth (currently $124 billion) to charity during his lifetime. Most of it will go toward either countering climate change or supporting those who can create “unity” for humanity. While Bezos shared few details, he and partner Lauren Sánchez said they were “building the capacity” to give this fortune to others and hope to make the most of the investment.

Before the revelation, Bezos announced a $100 million donation to singer and literacy advocate Dolly Parton. The executive previously pledged $10 billion over the course of a decade to the Bezos Earth Fund, which aims to drive political and technological solutions to human-made climate change. Bezos’ ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, has already given away about $4 billion to organizations in the past several months.

The strategy is familiar. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is well-known for donating to charities and scientific research through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and (along with Warren Buffett) founded The Giving Pledge to encourage billionaires to contribute at least half of their money to good causes. In 2015, Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg promised to donate 99 percent of his company shares, then worth $45 billion, to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The Facebook creator signed The Giving Pledge in 2010. Bezos hasn’t signed the pledge, although this move would qualify.

As with other tech CEOs making large donations, though, Bezos faces criticism over his legacy. Amazon has repeatedly fought climate legislation, and saw its emissions spike in 2021 despite a commitment to reducing its environmental impact. And while he has argued that Amazon needs to treat its employees better, the rough warehouse working conditions at the heart of the issue emerged under his watch.

There are also questions as to why he waited until now to give most of his money to charity. While he has often made charitable pledges, he has also poured funds into side projects that haven’t done much to advance humanity, at least not in the short term — sending rich people into space with Blue Origin, for example. As with Gates and Zuckerberg, there’s a concern Bezos is trying to mend his reputation by offloading most of his wealth.