Blog

The Apple Watch Series 6 is already discounted at Amazon

[ad_1]

Buy Series 6 (44mm gold) at Amazon – $415 Buy Series 6 (44mm silver) at Amazon – $415

Buy Watch SE (GPS + Cellular 40mm) at Amazon – $320

There are two things to keep in mind with these discounts. First, not every model is on sale, so make sure to check the pricing of the specific one you want before adding it to your cart. Second, many Series 6 and SE models will take a couple of weeks to ship due to high demand. However, you can place your order now to lock in the lower price and simply wait a while to get your new smartwatch.

We have yet to fully review the $399 Apple Watch Series 6 and the $279 Apple Watch SE, but both made good first impressions. The former is Apple’s new top-of-the-line wearable, featuring all of the perks that the Series 5 had in addition to an updated processor, a blood oxygen sensor, an always-on altimeter and a number of new features introduced in watchOS 7. The Apple Watch SE is an entirely new device that sacrifices a few hardware perks — namely an always-on display, blood oxygen sensor and ECG abilities — for the sake of a lower price tag. All new Apple Watches come with a three-month free trial of Fitness Plus, Apple’s new exercise subscription service that’s slated to debut before the end of the year.

If you want to be truly safe, you can wait for our full reviews before taking the plunge and buying a new Apple Watch. But if you’re set on investing in one of the latest smartwatches, Amazon’s current sales are the best we’ve seen so far. It’s also worth noting that the online retailer also has the gold-with-pink-sport-band Apple Watch Series 5, which includes an always-on display and ECG capabilities, on sale for $299 as well.

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



[ad_2]

Source link

Engadget The Morning After | Engadget

[ad_1]

The big news last night was Elon Musk saying Tesla’s big battery innovations are, well, years away. But let’s start with something a little more immediate. Beside all the buzz regarding next-gen consoles, Microsoft has been busy elsewhere. It just signed a deal to buy ZeniMax Media, one of the largest independent games publishers in operation. Who? Well, it owns the studios behind some of the biggest franchises in gaming history, like id Software (Doom, Quake), Arkane Studios (Dishonored, Prey) and Bethesda Game Studios (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout).

Xbox Series family

For all those games, Microsoft is paying $7.5 billion in an all-cash deal expected to complete in the second half of 2021, subject to regulatory approval. It should bolster the benefits of Game Pass though, if these studios are producing games free-to-play for the service’s 15 million subscribers.

— Mat Smith

Tesla’s battery innovations won’t reach ‘high-volume’ production until 2022.

Tesla charging

Tesla’s once-delayed “battery day” presentation is set to kick off later today, but don’t expect any amazing new Tesla-made EV cells for your car this year. According to Musk, “What we announce will not reach serious high-volume production until 2022.” Musk added that the company plans to increase battery cell purchases from partners like Panasonic and LG, indicating it will take action to avoid shortages in the future, a possible hint that it may get into cell manufacturing itself, eventually.
Continue reading.

After the PS5 debacle, we’ll be watching today’s pre-orders closely.

Xbox Wireless Controller

Pre-orders for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S open up in the US later today at 8AM PT / 11AM ET — keep an eye out for our guide with advice on how get your reservation in, it will go live before then and update to note availability or sold out status — but Microsoft had other news to share first. Beyond its big Bethesda purchase, the company pushed a few software updates.

Xbox Microsoft Store

The Microsoft Store on Xbox One has a new look and feel, and when the new consoles ship they’ll all have the same app. The best news, though? The Store’s annoying autoplay video finally has a toggle so you can turn it off, similar to the one Netflix recently added.

The Xbox app on Android also has an update, and now everyone can stream games from a local console to their phone. Unlike xCloud, the games are being rendered in your house, and you don’t need a Game Pass subscription to make it work.

Last but not least, Microsoft revealed that its new Xbox Wireless Controller will keep the same price. It adds some low-latency tech, a dedicated Share button and a lightly refreshed design, but still costs $60, plus an extra $25 if you’d like to use a rechargeable battery pack instead of AA batteries.
Continue reading.

How long did that take?

Gmail on iOS

Last week, Apple delivered iOS 14 for its mobile devices, and apps are rolling out updates to support its new features. Those tweaks include the long-awaited ability to swap in new default apps for the browser and email apps. While some users report a bug reverts the associations when your device restarts, Google has updated Chrome and, more recently, Gmail to support the feature, so you never have to worry about an email link opening up in the wrong app again.
Continue reading.

Sponsored by Yahoo Mobile

Yahoo Mobile

[ad_2]

Source link

Amazon’s $500 ‘Prime Bike’ is a connected spin bike made by Echelon

[ad_1]

Echelon and Amazon’s partnership has been in the works for a short while, and the first bunch of devices were quietly sold over the last few weeks. It’s only now that the pair have gone public with the team up, and confirmed that the bike was requested by Amazon. There are a couple of differences, including a different resistance knob build and nicer handlebars.

“We were built on the idea of attainable fitness for everyone. The Prime Bike was developed in collaboration with Amazon, aiming to create an amazing, connected bike for less than $500 and it’s proven to be a phenomenal match,” said Lou Lentine, President and CEO of Echelon Fitness. “Amazon looking to us to partner on their first-ever connected fitness product is recognition of our commitment to deliver quality at a reasonable price-point as reflected in our explosive growth over the last year.”

It’s worth saying, however, that this likely doesn’t mark some new direction for Amazon’s own hardware products since the deal mirrors that at Walmart. A nice discount on a desirable piece of fitness equipment to tempt people into shelling out for a Prime exclusive, but nothing more. 

That said, if you were looking for something Peloton-troubling but don’t have Peloton money in your back pocket, this could be worth checking out. The Peloton Ex-Prime Smart Connect Bike is currently sold out, but it’s likely to come back into stock in the very near future, priced at $499.99. 

Peloton Ex-Prime Smart Connect Bike – $500 at Amazon

[ad_2]

Source link

Netflix cancels ‘Dark Crystal’ prequel series after one season

[ad_1]

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will not get a second season. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that the series, a prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson movie, has been cancelled by Netflix. The news comes just hours after the series won its first Emmy award for best children’s program. 

Featuring a blend of Henson-esque puppetry and digital effects, the show was fronted by an all-star cast including Nathalie Emmanuel, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Shazad Latif. In a statement, executive producer Lisa Henson said that the team behind the show is “grateful to Netflix for trusting us to realize this ambitious serious,” and that they will “look for ways to tell [more of this] story in future.”



[ad_2]

Source link

Blizzcon will be held online on February 19-20, 2021

[ad_1]

After cancelling this year’s BlizzCon convention due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Blizzard has announced that it will hold a replacement show online. BlizzConline (yep) will be held on February 19th-20th, 2021 with all the latest news around its popular franchises including World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Hearthstone and Starcraft.

Blizzard announced major new titles at BlizzCon 2019, including Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2, so we’ll likely get some updates about those. It will also hold a “Community Showcase” that will allow “cosplay crafters, artists, and other community creators to participate in the show and put their talent on display through a mix of world-class competition and exciting exhibitions,” Blizzard wrote.



[ad_2]

Source link

‘The Dark Overlord’ hacking group member sentenced to five years in prison

[ad_1]

A US district judge has sentenced a UK National to five years in federal prison for participating in the cybercrime activities of hacking collective group “The Dark Overlord.” Nathan Wyatt was extradited from the UK to the US in December 2019 for targeting computer networks of American companies. Victims include healthcare providers and accounting firms in the St. Louis, Missouri area where Wyatt faced charges. He has pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and computer fraud, and according to the Justice Department, he has admitted to being a member of The Dark Overlord since 2016.

The group is notorious for remotely accessing the computer networks of companies in the US to steal sensitive data, such as patient medical records and personal identifying information. They’d then threaten to release that data unless the victim companies pay a ransom that usually falls between $75,000 and $350,000 in bitcoin. Back in 2017, the group infamously leaked new Orange Is the New Black episodes even after the post-production company they stole the files from paid a $50,000 ransom. Last year, they also dumped a bunch of 9/11-related documents online.

[ad_2]

Source link

Royole’s FlexPai 2 5G foldable phone costs under $1,500

[ad_1]

Royole FlexPai 2

Royole

Compared to its competitors, Royole has once again priced its phone-tablet hybrid rather aggressively. In China, Huawei’s Mate Xs — which also uses an outward-facing flexible screen — costs 16,999 yuan or about $2,510, which is significantly more than even the higher-end FlexPai 2. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 is only asking for $1,999 in the US, but it’s still more expensive than Royole’s offerings.

In the same event, Liu finally shared detailed specs of the FlexPai 2. Just to recap, we already knew about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, 7.8-inch display (1,920 x 1,440), quad cameras and stereo speakers. When folded, you can either use the 5.5-inch “main” screen (1,440 x 900) which offers shortcut buttons along the hinge, or switch to the smaller 5.4-inch side (1,440 x 810) with the cameras next to it.

Royole FlexPai 2

Royole

Speaking of, we finally have the camera specs: there’s a 64-megapixel f/1.89 main camera, a 16-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, an 8-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto camera (3x zoom) and a 32-megapixel f/2.0 portrait camera. Much like its predecessor, the FlexPai 2’s camera app offers a dual-screen photography mode which lets your subject see himself or herself in the secondary screen.

Royole FlexPai 2

Royole

Also revealed today was a touchpad located below the cameras. This can be used to wake the display with a double tap while on standby, and when using apps, a double tap toggles split screen mode with up to three screens, courtesy of Royole’s Android 10-based waterOS 2.0.

The rest of the fresh specs include the 4,450mAh battery (a bump from the previous 3,970mAh), the 6.3mm and 12.8mm thicknesses when opened and closed, respectively, the 339-gram weight (about 12 ounces) and 5G bands — these appear to be mostly China- and Europe-friendly.

Royole Cicada Wing FFD bend test

Royole

Liu also announced that the FlexPai 2’s third-generation Cicada Wing FFD (Fully Flexible Display) turns out to be more durable than expected. The panel was originally tested to last for over 200,000 bends, which is the benchmark for the latest foldable phones. However, with the help of China’s National Institute of Metrology, this panel is now certified to last over a staggering 1.8 million bends. It’ll be interesting to see how Samsung will respond to this figure.

Royole FlexPai 2

Royole

The foldable phone race has been going on for at least three years, but due to various manufacturing hurdles, there are still only a few contenders, with Samsung, Motorola, Huawei and Royole being the only brands available in this market at this very moment. That said, there’s no word on whether Royole will be bringing the FlexPai 2 to other markets. And even if you buy an imported version, chances are you still can’t side load Google services into the unit — as is the case with the original FlexPai.

There are also those who believe other form factors is the way to go, with LG offering a snap-on secondary screen as a more affordable alternative, along with the more recent twist-swivel-screen and, potentially, a slide-out screen in the near future. At the end of the day, it’s always good to have more options in the consumer market.

[ad_2]

Source link

Microsoft keeps the same price for its new wireless Xbox controllers

[ad_1]

On Tuesday morning Microsoft will start taking pre-orders for its next-generation console family, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. While the consoles will work with existing Xbox One gamepads, if you want a second Xbox Wireless Controller to maintain the subtle tweaks, low latency connection and dedicated Share button shown off in March, it will cost $60. That’s the same price as its predecessor, and, as Microsoft had confirmed previously, still means it uses AA batteries right out of the box.

Xbox Wireless Controller - Shock Blue

Microsoft

If you’d prefer a play-and-charge solution, Microsoft is selling a rechargeable battery pack and USB-C cable combo for $25, all set for delivery on November 10th along with the new consoles. Sony’s DualSense PS5 gamepad, by comparison, costs $70, but comes with its rechargeable battery built-in. While the Series X comes with an all-black controller and the Series S comes with one that’s all-white, Microsoft will also sell a two-toned Shock Blue version at launch.

[ad_2]

Source link

Elon Musk warns that Tesla’s ‘Battery Day’ tech is two years away

[ad_1]

The Tesla “battery day” presentation is almost here, set to take place tomorrow after being rescheduled from April due to the coronavirus pandemic. But with just hours to go until the company reveals something — the expectation is that it has developed at least one new type of battery cell that could help it stay ahead of growing EV competition — Elon Musk has some news.

According to Musk, “what we announce will not reach serious high-volume production until 2022,” and this will have implications for its Semi, Cybertruck and Roadster. He also went on to say that the company plans to increase battery cell purchases from partners like Panasonic and LG, but indicating the company will take action to avoid shortages in the future, a possible hint to ward getting into cell manufacturing itself. We’ll find out exactly what that means when the presentation occurs tomorrow, with the Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Battery Day event scheduled to start at 4:30PM ET / 1:30PM PT.



[ad_2]

Source link

The Xbox’s redesigned Microsoft Store is now available to all

[ad_1]

With less than 24-hours before Microsoft starts taking Xbox Series X and Series S pre-orders, the redesigned Microsoft Store on Xbox is now available to all users — though not without some launch day issues. The product of what the company says is years of development, the updated marketplace brings with it a couple of notable enhancements to the experience of buying content on an Xbox.

One of those is enhanced speed, with Microsoft saying the new interface loads in under two seconds in most instances. The company has also tweaked the storefront to make it easier to see what games your friends are playing, as well as to find out what’s on sale at any given moment. Overall navigation has been polished as well. There are new search filters, a revamped Wish List and an updated cart that makes it easier to see what you’ve added to it. Parents will also appreciate the tweaks Microsoft has made with safety in mind, as the new interface does a better job of highlighting content ratings and makes it easier for caregivers to lift restrictions on specific games.



[ad_2]

Source link