We’re still not sure if foldable phones are a real improvement over existing tech, but Lenovo is already pushing forward with a foldable PC. It’s different from your average laptop or 2-in-1 because the Thinkpad X1 Fold wraps around a 13.3-inch flexible OLED that folds up like a book.

The pitch is that this represents a “new personal computing category,” but it does have an optional Bluetooth keyboard accessory that pops in to make it seem more like a traditional laptop. It could take a few weeks before the first devices actually arrive, but there’s enough progress for Lenovo to open up pre-orders starting at a price of $2,499. Who’s diving in?

— Richard

Xbox Series X first look

Dive deep into quick resume and faster load times in backward compatible games.

There’s still a lot of time to go before the next-gen consoles launch, and while we have an Xbox Series X in for testing, we can’t yet dive into the full experience with games built specifically for it. However, right now Jessica Conditt can dive into its performance using backwards compatibility to run older games, and the Fast Resume feature that shuffles between multiple titles seamlessly. The key words so far? Fast, powerful and quiet.
Continue reading.

The perfect smartwatch for a newbie?

The Apple Watch SE, at $279 packs plenty of modern smartwatch features into a compact, low-profile package. It’s not the prettiest watch, and its sleep-tracking reports aren’t as insightful as the competition. But for the price, the Watch SE is an excellent starter smartwatch for newcomers — offering plenty more than the even-cheaper Series 3.
Continue reading.

It works in a browser app you can download from the App Store.

Although Apple is finally letting game streaming run on iPhone and iPad, you can’t officially use Stadia, xCloud or GeForce Now on those devices yet. However, members of the Stadia subreddit have been hard at work. Zachary Knox (aka u/zmknox) has created what’s probably the easiest-to-use method yet.

First, you’ll need a free browser app called Stadium, which you can download directly from the App Store. Once you enter a few settings and authenticate with your Google account, the app brings up the Stadia landing page whenever you open it. It’ll do for now — if it keeps working.
Continue reading.

The XPS 13 starts at $999, while a 2-in-1 starts at $1,249.

The refreshed XPS 13 2-in-1, XPS 13 and XPS 13 Developer Edition are the first Dell laptops to receive Intel’s Evo certification. That means they support fast charging, can run for at least nine hours on a single charge and wake from sleep in under a second.

All three systems have Thunderbolt 4 ports and memory upgrades from 3733MHz LPDDR4x to 4267MHz, with support for up to 32GB of RAM. The updated XPS 13 2-in-1 and XPS 13 offer Intel Xe graphics as well. On top of that, the 2-in-1 has an IR camera that supports Windows Hello and more design options. There’s no price listed yet for the Linux-equipped Developer Edition, but most of these devices will go on sale September 30th.
Continue reading.

Yes, it’s still happening. Amazon will hold its annual shopping event on October 13th and 14th. Which means, like last year, the event will take place over 48 hours. Prime Day 2020 kicks off at 12AM PT on Tuesday, October 13th and will end at midnight on Wednesday, October 14th. Amazon is not one to let a global pandemic stop its global sale. Expect plenty more detail when the company reveals what’s being discounted — we’ll be sorting the wheat from the endless chaff.

— Mat

Claire and Leon will fight mysterious foes and probably zombies.

Netflix has more Resident Evil programming in the works beyond a live-action show. In the midst of the Tokyo Game Show, still happening remotely, the streaming giant has revealed Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, a “CG anime” series due to premiere sometime in 2021. While the foes of the show (apart from zombies) are still mysterious, the production will revolve around iconic characters Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy — the protagonists from Resident Evil 2 and several other titles. Continue reading.

A 50,000-foot trip isn’t quite as ambitious.

The first high-altitude SpaceX Starship flight will be a little lower. Elon Musk now says the flight with the SN8 prototype will top out at 15km, or close to 50,000ft, instead of the 18km (60,000ft) he’d mentioned earlier.

While a 50,000-foot trip won’t be quite as ambitious, the goal should remain the same. SpaceX wants to show that Starship can perform more than short hops. If the high-altitude test is successful, it’s much closer to providing a fully operational rocket. Continue reading.

It could significantly curb Chinese tech firms’ ability to do business.

The US didn’t waste much time blocking sales to China’s largest chipmaker. According to reports, the Commerce Department has added Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) to its entity list, effectively blocking interactions between US suppliers and the Chinese firm.

SMIC appeared to have been caught by surprise. A spokesperson said the chip giant hadn’t received any official word of restrictions and reiterated denials of any military link. The semiconductor producer is just the second top-tier company added to the entity list after Huawei. Continue reading.

WatchOS 7 is causing disconnections and complication woes too.

WatchOS 7 has landed, but if you’re an Apple Watch Series 3 owner, you might be experiencing random reboots after installing watchOS 7 on your devices. There can be multiple restarts per day and more bugs beyond that, including sluggish performance and features failing to load. Continue reading.

Am I having a nightmare or did Amazon really announce a security camera that flies around inside your house? I can’t quite get over this being a thing that exists, but with the way things go, we’ll probably have a roundup of twenty similar devices in a couple of months.

If you prefer your flights relaxing instead of unsettling, then Flight Simulator is still your best bet. Before you flip through the key stories from Friday and earlier this week, read Devindra Hardawar’s interview that explores how cloud servers are helping make it a “living game.”

— Richard

Our Apple Watch SE review and Microsoft buys Bethesda

This week, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into Microsoft’s massive (and surprising!) acquisition of Bethesda, and all of the other ZeniMax Media studios. Also, Cherlynn talks about her experience with the Apple Watch SE — is it enough to tempt her away from Android?

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.
Continue reading.

iPadOS 14 is missing the iOS App Gallery, but the Pencil experience is much better now.

Apple’s tablet hasn’t changed much from last year, except that it charges and runs a bit faster. The improvements are small but notable, and combine with tweaks in iPadOS 14 to make for an extremely flexible, powerful device, even if the base model’s 32GB of storage is looking a little small these days.
Continue reading.

And a 10,000mAh battery with a kickstand for $30.

The Apple Watch Series 6 saw its first discount at Amazon (only on a few models, but it’s better than nothing) and the 512GB model of the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro dropped by $200. Amazon’s also running a good sale on its newest Fire HD tablets, shaving up to $40 off their normal prices.

Here are all the best deals from the week that you can still snag today, and remember to follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for more updates.
Continue reading.

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).

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’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.

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.

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?

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.

Barring some kind of reprieve, listings for TikTok and WeChat will disappear from US app stores tomorrow. What happens after that? It’s tough to say, but Karissa Bell has broken down everything we know so far.

Peacock

As far as surprising tech news on Friday, we didn’t see a flood of PS5 or RTX 3080 pre-orders open up, but NBCUniversal and Roku suddenly squashed their beef. Their dispute over how to handle advertising has gone away, and some time soon, you’ll be able to stream Peacock content via Roku. It’s the smallest possible victory, but I guess we’ll take it.

— Richard

Apple Watch Series 6, Oculus Quest 2, RTX 3080 and more!

This week, it’s (almost) all about Apple as Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Valentina Palladino to dive into Apple’s event on Tuesday. Is the new Apple Watch Series 6 impressive? Is $279 for the Watch SE a good price? Then, Devindra tells us about his review of the Oculus Quest 2 and NVIDIA’s RTX 3080.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.
Continue reading.

Check out discounts on phones like Galaxy Note 20 and Motorola Edge.

Apple’s AirPods Pro remain at their lowest price ever — only $199 — and the latest MacBook Air is $100 off. Those in need of a new smartphone can grab the latest from Samsung for $200 less and the solid Beats Solo Pro headphones are down to $199.

Here are all the best deals from the week that you can still snag today, and remember to follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for more updates.
Continue reading.

Android needs to improve at supporting desktop-style environments and apps

The Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ are both beautiful, luxurious slabs of glass and metal. They sport 11-inch and 12.4-inch screens respectively, with pleasantly thin bezels all around. You can attach the S Pen magnetically to their backs and slap on the company’s cover to keep it in place more securely. Cherlynn Low explains why they make for solid tablets, but struggle as potential replacements for a PC, despite all of Samsung’s tweaks.
Continue reading.

Good morning to everyone still trying to find a PS5 or NVIDIA RTX 3080. I’m not sure how this is still an issue in 2020, but both devices have had a launch period that boggles the mind and has frustrated many people who are just trying to hand over hundreds of dollars so they can do some ray-traced 4K gaming.

Sony told gamers pre-orders would start on Thursday, and then retailers opened their doors on Wednesday. When NVIDIA’s powerful new graphics card went on sale, it just as quickly went out of stock, and here we are — it’s like we’re all missing out on a SNKRS drop together. Anyway, stay tuned, we’ll keep you updated on PlayStation 5 offers as they arrive and any sightings of Ampere-powered graphics hardware that come in.

— Richard

If you’re looking for a new Xbox, this is the easiest way to get one.

Microsoft already announced that pre-orders for the next generation of its Xbox consoles will start next week, and now we have more details on exactly when that’s going to happen.

But what about Xbox? Well, pre-orders for the $499 Xbox Series X and the $299 Xbox Series S start on September 22nd at 11AM ET / 8AM PT for the US and Canada. US retailers taking orders online will include at least the Microsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club and Newegg. The big question now is Series S or Series X?
Continue reading.

Apple Watch Series 6 hands-on: A few new tricks in a very familiar package

There are only a couple hardware updates, but that’s not a bad thing.

We’ve taken a look at Apple’s new hardware in person, so let’s start things off with the Apple Watch Series 6. (More interested in the Apple Watch SE? Read about that right here.)

We knew there were no major changes, but we homed in on that new sensor. The blood oxygen sensor and the accompanying app in watchOS 7 are the big new fitness features on the Series 6. Like measuring ECG, measuring blood oxygen requires only a few taps on the Watch’s screen, but you need to wear the Watch in a certain way to get a successful reading. 

It took seven attempts of fiddling with the placement before Valentina Palladino, who tried out the new wearable, got it to work. The Series 6 does feel faster than its predecessor, but is that enough to be worth upgrading from the Series 5?
Continue reading.

‘The manufacturing of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems has ended.’

Three years after launching the Switch, Nintendo is putting the 3DS out to pasture. Back in July, the gaming giant shut down the Wii U and 3DS eshops in dozens of regions. Now, it has officially discontinued the family of handheld devices, in its myriad iterations. Yep, the 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and 2DS XL have all come to the end of the line. It’ll be interesting to see if Nintendo figures out a way to translate dual-screen games to the Switch — or its next-gen iteration.
Continue reading.

Last week, it was Xbox’s turn, and now we have a price for the new PlayStation. Sony has set a $400/$500 split for the Digital Edition vs. standard PS5, charging $100 extra for the privilege of a disc drive for physical media. If you need a reason to splash for the disc version, look no further than the new $70 benchmark for many new titles — disc games might be a little easier to find used or on sale. At least accessories like those DualSense controllers aren’t more expensive this time around.

Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and GameStop started taking pre-orders shortly after Sony’s event ended, but if you missed out on the first wave, keep checking back — a few people have reported success hours after they supposedly sold out.

Assuming you can secure a day-one purchase, you can expect it to see it November 12th in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, before the PS5 launches everywhere else on November 19th. If you still need some convincing, check our spec-for-spec comparison right here, as well as video highlights from the event. Games like Final Fantasy XVI and Devil May Cry V were impressive, but if you have to wait to upgrade, there’s some interesting news — Sony titles, like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West and SackBoy: A Big Adventure, are coming to the PS4, too. 

— Richard

5K video, 20-megapixel photos and a whole lot more.

GoPro’s slogan for the Hero 9 launch is “More everything,” and there really are enough new things here for that to feel fair. GoPro regulars will appreciate the higher resolution, while the new front screen fends off competition from DJI. Managing Editor James Trew says that the introduction of lens mods indicates the Hero 9 could remain versatile long after its launch, and the return of the removable lens cap and bigger battery life squashes two of the main negatives from previous cameras.
Continue reading.

Better cooling than last gen, and powerful enough to help pros with 4K video editing.

If you prefer your gaming on a PC, then NVIDIA’s new gaming cards are your way into high frame-rate 4K gaming. Devindra Hardawar spent some time with the RTX 3080 this week to find out how it performs compared to the older 2080Ti and, surprise, it can handle advanced features like ray tracing without needing to compromise on resolution or frame rate. Check out the benchmarks inside for some help deciding on whether it’s worth the $699 price.
Continue reading.

Along with updates for the iPad, Apple TV, Watch.

As promised, Apple just dropped iOS 14. It’s now available on iPhone 6s and above, and it brings a whole bunch of new features. Those include home screen widgets, an App Library, Apple Clips, picture-in-picture mode and pretty significant changes to Siri and Messages. You should be able to update your various iThings directly, while Macs will have to wait a few more weeks before the Big Sur system update arrives.
Continue reading.

Deep breath, it’s Apple time again. The company is doing another remote event, this time likely to center on iPads and Apple Watches. What can you expect? All of this. But probably not new iPhones. It seems like you’ll have to wait until next month for those.

Meanwhile, it’s been a week for lots of Xbox Series X news, reviews of the Microsoft Surface Duo, Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Android 11. We have been busy.

-Mat

What to expect at Apple’s September 15th event

A new Apple Watch and iPad Air are practically a given.

Thanks to the coronavirus, next Tuesday’s event is going to be a little weird. Like WWDC, next week’s event will be virtual and (presumably) pre-recorded. More significant, though, is that Apple has already admitted it will be launching its next generation of iPhones later than usual. That means this will likely be Apple’s first September event without a new iPhone, since the tradition started with the iPhone 5 in 2012. 

Instead, expect the focus to be on other devices, like new iPads, a new Apple Watch and software. Continue reading.

Xbox Series X and Series S prices and release date revealed

And so much more.

Leaks spoiled the party for Microsoft, but it confirmed what we heard late on Monday. Its two new consoles are coming November 10th, and expect to pay $499 for the Series X and an incredibly tempting $299 for the disc-less Series S. Then there was all the other announcements, like financing options for the consoles (with Game Pass included), storage expansion and the addition of EA Play. How will Sony answer all this? Continue reading.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 review

The hardware is great, but…

You probably won’t be surprised by our verdict on the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Samsung’s third foldable smartphone. It’s better designed and both screens are bigger and better than before. Inside, it uses the fastest smartphone processor you’ll find in an Android phone today. According to Chris Velazco, who reviewed it, when it comes to hardware, Samsung did a fantastic job with the Galaxy Z Fold 2. But (and of course, there’s a but)  Samsung struggles with software when it has to lead the pack with new device form-factors. Lingering app compatibility issues mean devices like the Fold 2 still feel inconsistent. Continue reading.

OK, so that’s enough about Xbox. (Well, almost.) Changing tack, but sticking with Microsoft, we reviewed the Surface Duo, an unusual mobile device for a company that doesn’t make mobile devices. According to our reviews editor, Cherlynn Low, the hardware is solid. The use-cases and software, however, are a little messier. As she put it, it’s “Decent as a phone, quite bad as a tablet and somewhat functional as everything in between.” 

Unfortunately, there are so many software issues, and they’re in a device that costs $1,400. Sound familiar? It seems to be the curse of dual-screened devices, as Samsung had similar teething troubles with its debut Galaxy Fold device last year. 

Cherlynn is sympathetic towards the Surface Duo. Just like the aforementioned Galaxy Fold, Microsoft is trying to invent a new hardware category — or at least make it work this time around.

There’s a lot to cover with the Surface Duo, so make sure to read the entire review.

— Mat

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds offer powerful noise cancellation for $280

They land with a rename.

When Bose announced its Noise Canceling Headphones 700 in spring 2019, the company also teased two new true wireless models. And here we are: the QuietComfort Earbuds — taking on the label of the company’s popular noise-canceling over-ear headphones — and the Bose Sport Earbuds.

The QuietComfort, or QC, Earbuds are the high-end noise-canceling model — and the most interesting of the two. The company says these true wireless earbuds are “the most effective noise canceling in-ear headphones ever” thanks to multiple microphones, a proprietary ANC (active noise cancellation) chip and a new algorithm. Bose says the system can respond to environmental distractions with the appropriate noise-blocking signal “in less than a fraction of a millisecond.” The QC Earbuds will cost $279.95 when they arrive on September 29th. 

Bose also updated its weird Frames series (glasses with audio built-in) with some sunglasses options, presumably confirming that someone, somewhere, is interested in them.
Continue reading.

‘Prince of Persia’ is getting remade, again

‘The Sands of Time’ is back, January 21st.

It’s been about 10 years since Ubisoft released The Forgotten Sands, the most recent mainline entry in the Prince of Persia series, but the company is finally returning to the historic franchise. The publisher showed off Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake at its Ubisoft Forward showcase last night. The remaster updates the PlayStation 2-era game for current and next-generation consoles, with the game slated to arrive on January 21st, 2021, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC. Continue reading.

Russia, China and Iran target US elections with cyberattacks

Microsoft warns it’s the same playbook from 2016.

Russia is once again trying to interfere with a US presidential election, according to a new disclosure from Microsoft, which also names China and Iran. The attacks have targeted both Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s campaigns, as well as other officials and groups associated with the 2020 elections.

So far, the “majority” of hacking attempts it has identified have not been successful and were “stopped by security tools built into our products.” But the groups behind the attacks have still been persistent.

To that point, Microsoft warns that states need “more federal funding” for election security, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading.

Today, we’re covering the history of Blue Origin, reviewing Android 11 and more. But first: three-thousand-two-hundred megapixels. Taken with sensors for the world’s largest digital camera, it would comically take 378 4K ultra-high-definition TV screens to display one image in full size. The image fidelity is apparently so high, you could see a golf ball 15 miles away.

The camera will live in Stanford University’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) telescope in Chile, where researchers will study dark energy, dark matter and create the “largest astronomical movie of all time.” 

The sensor is actually 189 charge-coupled devices (CCDs), which each capture 16-megapixel images. So where is the image itself, you big tease? Well, it’s still too early for that. These 3,200-megapixel images mean the world’s largest digital camera has passed its important first test. The team still has challenges ahead to build the rest of the camera, but final testing should start mid-2021 — just think of the selfies. 

Note: We’re having some issues with SSL certification, and are working to fix that as soon as possible.

— Mat

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ season 3 trailer shows the crew landing in the future

Season 3 will be out for streaming on October 15th.

CBS All Access has released the official trailer for the third season of Star Trek: Discovery, giving you a glimpse of what’s in store for its characters after they went into a wormhole last season. (It’s a bit late for spoilers, I think…) It shows Commander Michael Burnham and the rest of the USS Discovery crew making a one-way trip and landing in an unknown future where the Federation has mostly collapsed. This should be interesting, given the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery was set before the beginning of the original Star Trek series. Now, we’re going to the other side of the timeline. Continue reading.

Android 11 review: An incremental update that needs some polish

The new OS finally brings built-in screen recording.

Engadget

Most of the updates to Google’s mobile OS are subtle, focused on communications, media controls and, importantly, privacy settings. According to Cherlynn Low, the update brings useful features, like expanded power menu controls, and also offers a long-awaited built-in screen recorder. The new Conversations section in notifications might need work, but the good news is you can disable most of Android 11’s changes if you hate them. Continue reading.

Razer made the gum gamers didn’t know they needed

I can’t think of much worse than ‘gamer gum’.

Razer, makers of pretty decent neon-decorated gaming hardware is going into gum. As a follow up to its focus-sharpening Razer Respawn drink, and to meet an apparent need for fortified gum, the company has rolled out Respawn By 5 gaming gum.

Razer has partnered with Wrigley’s 5 gum (remember their mid-2000s sci-fi commercials?) to make a gum specifically for gamers. Infused with B vitamins and green tea extract, the product helps improve your focus and reaction time, if you believe the company’s press release. The price of getting an extra edge? 10 packs for $27.99. Continue reading.