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The wait is (finally) over. There’s an official WhatsApp release for Apple iPads. It only took 16 years, as WhatsApp first entered the scene all the way back in 2009. As a matter of fact, the messaging platform predates the iPad itself, which launched in 2010.

The iPad offers much more screen real estate than a smartphone, and Meta seems to have made good use of the extra space. The app takes advantage of the tablet’s multitasking features like Split View and Slide Over, so users can view multiple apps at once. This lets folks, for instance, browse the web as they chat with a friend.

The iPad version of the app also works with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil, which should speed up conversations. It allows for video and audio calls with up to 32 people, and integrates with both the front and rear cameras. Just like other versions of WhatsApp, chats sync across devices. WhatsApp for iPad is available right now via the App Store.

One down, one to go. We are still waiting for Meta to make a dedicated Instagram app for iPad tablets. Recent reports indicate that the company is actually working on it, after a long 15 years in which we all have had to use a resized iPhone app and pretend we were enjoying ourselves.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/whatsapp-finally-launches-an-official-version-for-ipads-165608577.html?src=rss 

Dolby’s automatic speaker calibration tech FlexConnect finally comes to market via TCL’s 2025 QD-Mini LED TVs. The company had originally announced the technology back in 2023, and was set to debut it with TCL’s 2024 TV lineup.

FlexConnect lets users place wireless speakers anywhere in a room without worrying about perfect configuration. The surround sound will then be optimized automatically based on the layout of the room and the position of the speakers.

The first audio device to support this tech will be TCL’s Z100 smart speaker, which is designed to pair with TCL’s FlexConnect-enabled TVs. TCL’s Precise Dimming Series, which includes the QM6K, QM7K and the newly announced QM8K, will all be FlexConnect-compatible.

Users will be able to pair up to four Z100 speakers with their TCL TVs, which will work in concert with the TV’s built-in speakers to deliver intelligently calibrated Dolby Atmos sound. This innovation allows for immersive spatial sound without the need for a perfectly symmetrical speaker setup.

In today’s joint press release, John Couling, Senior VP of Entertainment at Dolby Labs, said “With Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, consumers can unlock even more flexibility and adaptability in how they design their home entertainment systems, while removing the stress of whether their speakers are in the right location to get an incredible Dolby Atmos experience.”

In the same release, TCL said the Z100 speakers are expected this summer. The Z100 and the TCL Precise Dimming Series represent the first FlexConnect products launched in the United States. Along with the QM8K launch, TCL also announced its first model of party speakers, as well as the Q65H, its latest Dolby Atmos soundbar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/tcls-newest-tvs-will-automatically-calibrate-wireless-speakers-163907846.html?src=rss 

Sony is revving its engines for its latest Days of Play sale, which includes the first official price cut for the PS5 Pro. The console will drop by $50 to $650 in the US. The sale starts on May 28 and runs until June 11.

You might have been able to find a PS5 Pro for less than the list price elsewhere, but this is the first time Sony has put it on sale on its own storefront. Retail partners will match the discount. If you don’t yet have a PS5 (or a powerful gaming PC) and can afford a Pro, it’s the way to go for the very best PlayStation experience. We gave it a score of 88 in our review — it might have scored higher but for the price and the lack of a built-in disc drive.

There are other discounts on consoles in the US and Canada as part of the sale. A bundle of either the standard PS5 or Digital Edition with a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 starts at $400/$510 CAD (for the Digital Edition). Sony says that will save you $120/$160 CAD compared with buying them separately. The PS5 standard and digital versions will be on sale in Europe and Asia too, starting at €400/£340/¥65,980.

It’s worth noting that Sony has considered raising the prices of PS5 hardware to offset the cost of tariffs. Microsoft this month jacked up the prices of Xbox consoles recently for that reason. So if you’ve been on the fence about getting a PS5 or PS5 Pro, now might be the time to snap one up.

Elsewhere in the Days of Play sale, accessories are getting discounts. You can save on the PlayStation VR2 ($50 off), PlayStation VR2 and Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle ($50 off), Pulse Explore earbuds ($30 off), DualSense Edge controller ($30 off), PlayStation Access controller ($20 off) and the DualSense controller ($20 off). Things like PS5 console covers and external storage drives will get price cuts as well.

You will, of course, be able to snap up PS5 games for fewer dollars than usual. MLB The Show 25, the brilliant Astro Bot and Lego Horizon Adventures are among the many first-party games getting discounts. If you haven’t played The Last of Us Part II and don’t want to wait a year or two before finding out where the story of HBO’s adaptation will go after that (somewhat unsatisfying) season finale on Sunday, you might like to snap up the remastered edition of the misery simulator, which will be included in the sale.

Hundreds of other games will be featured. The list includes several Assassin’s Creed titles, Grand Theft Auto V, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Balatro. On top of that, movies will be on sale through Sony Pictures Core

Elsewhere, some PlayStation Plus plans will be 33 percent off for new subscribers. Upgrading to the Extra or Premium tiers may cost you a third less than usual as well. That stinks for long-term PS Plus members who’d like to add another year or two (especially after recent price increases in several regions), but that’s standard practice for plans such as these as companies try to boost subscriber numbers.

Speaking of which, Sony is adding an extra few games to the PS Plus Game Catalog for Extra, Premium and Deluxe members. They are:

Another Crab’s Treasure (PS5, May 29)

Skull and Bones (PS5, June 2)

Destiny 2: Legacy Collection (PS5 and PS4, June 4)

Grand Theft Auto III (PS5 and PS4, June 10)

Another Crab’s Treasure is a delightful Soulslike that was one of my favorite games of 2024. One of the best things about it is an accessibility option that gives you a giant pistol that can one-shot any enemy. Skull and Bones landed last year after years of delays and I’d say that “at no extra cost” is the best way to try it. Destiny 2: Legacy Collection includes hundreds of hours of gameplay with all of the expansions from the game’s Light and Darkness Saga, except for the last chapter, The Final Shape.

As it happens, the latest batch of monthly PS Plus games (which all PS Plus subscribers can claim and keep in their libraries as long as they maintain the membership) includes Destiny 2: The Final Shape, which will be available on May 28 for PS4 and PS5. The other titles, which you can claim starting on June 3, are NBA 2K25 (PS5 and PS4), last year’s remake of Alone in the Dark (PS5) and the Jet Set Radio-esque Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (PS5 and PS4). That’s a solid lineup!

Last but not least, two bona fide all-timers are joining the Classics Catalog on June 5 for PS Plus Premium/Deluxe subscribers. Myst and its sequel Riven will be available to members on PS4 and PS5 at no extra cost. Premium/Deluxe subscribers will have access to two more game trials from May 28: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (PS5) and Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (PS5 and PS4)

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-ps5-pro-gets-a-50-discount-in-sonys-days-of-play-sale-144517141.html?src=rss 

Summer brings sun, joy and lots of time spent outside. But, it also means a lot of tracking in dirt and debris from outdoors so, if you’ve been putting off getting a new vacuum, now might be the time. Currently, iRobot is running a Father’s Day sale on a few of its Roomba vacuums, including the 105 Vac Robot + AutoEmpty Dock.

The 105 Vac Robot is on sale for $280, down from $450 — a 37 percent discount. It’s one of the newer, more basic models in Roomba’s lineup and offers standard features like smart mapping. It also automatically empties debris for up to 75 days and has a schedule cleaning feature. Plus it has three cleaning stages: power-lifting suction, a multi-surface bristle brush and an edge-sweeping brush.

You can compare the iRobot’s 105 with other options on our list of best budget robot vacuums. Our top pick is also a Roomba, the Vac Robot Vacuum Q0120 — currently 48 percent off at Wayfair. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-roomba-robot-vacuum-with-auto-empty-dock-is-170-off-145834328.html?src=rss 

The Browser Company has stopped active development of the popular Arc web browser, according to a blog post from CEO Josh Miller. There will still be updates to fix security issues and the like, but there will likely be no new features added to the product.

Miller says that “for most people, Arc was simply too different, with too many new things to learn, for too little reward.” He also said that the browser “lacked cohesion, in both its core features and core value.”  

Instead, the company has shifted focus to a new product called Dia, which is an AI-powered browser of some kind. Dia was first announced at the tail-end of last year and has been described as “an entirely new environment — built on top of a web browser.”

Demos have shown Dia helping users write the next sentence in a paragraph, all while retrieving facts about a subject from the wider internet. It was also shown automatically grabbing Amazon links to insert in an email from a simple description and completing relatively complex actions based on user prompts. Some of this feels like an extension of what the company has already been doing with the mobile version of the Arc browser. 

Dia is currently being tested via an alpha build, but will open up to current Arc members in the near future. Miller says that the company has “approached Dia as an opportunity to fix what we got wrong with Arc.”

The Browser Company has considered selling or open-sourcing Arc, but won’t be doing anything so drastic at this moment. An open-source version of the browser would make a lot of current users happy, but Miller says it’ll be a challenge because it’s built on top of an internal SDK which is also the core component of Dia. Open-sourcing one would basically open-source the other. “That doesn’t mean it’ll never happen,” Miller said.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-browser-company-stops-active-development-of-arc-in-favor-of-new-ai-focused-product-153045276.html?src=rss 

Square Enix is following up last year’s release of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake with the remade versions of the first two games in the franchise. In celebration of the original game’s release on May 27, 1986, the company has announced that the Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D Remake set is arriving on October 30 on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X|S and the PC via Steam. Chronologically, the first two games in the franchise take place after the events in the third game. It revolves around the hero who went on a journey to complete the quest started by their father, a legendary warrior, to defeat the demon lord Baramos. 

Dragon Quest 1 and 2 revolve around the descendants of that hero, who received the title of “Erdrick” after the events of the third game. Both games are turn-based RPGs, wherein players can control the actions of all the members of a party. They, like the other games in the franchise, feature character designs by Akira Toriyama, who’s mostly known for creating Dragon Ball. Players can expect high-definition 2D graphics, brand new major story additions, a refined battle system and other quality-of-life updates with the remake set.

The digital and physical versions of the Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD-2D Remake set are now available for pre-order for $60, except for the digital Switch and Switch 2 games that will be available at a later date. Pre-orders will come with free in-game items, but the Collector’s Edition will also come with digital wallpapers, six characters, a dog and two boss monsters. And for those who didn’t get the third game’s remake last year, Square Enix is releasing a digital-only Erdrick Trilogy Collection with all three games on the same day. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/dragon-quest-1-and-2-hd-2d-remake-arrives-on-october-30-124540701.html?src=rss