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Two of our favorite Ooni pizza ovens are deeply discounted right now
Ooni has dropped the price on two of its most popular pizza ovens. The Fyra 2 is down to $250, from $350, and the high-end Karu 16 is $650 instead of $800. These are great deals that get close to record low prices.
The Fyra 12 easily made our list of the best pizza ovens, and for good reason. This outdoor oven features a tried-and-true compact design, so it won’t take up that much storage space when not in use. It's also just 22 pounds. It uses wood pellets instead of chunks, which makes tending the fire much easier.
It’s also easy to refill the unit with pellets, as there’s a handy chute up top. This oven excels with high-heat bakes, up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit. With temperatures this high, a pizza will cook in around a minute. The only real downside? The oven maxes out at 12-inch pies, which is indicated in the name. Budding pizzaioli will have to bake multiple pies to feed a hungry family, though the rapid cook time helps with this.
The Karu 16 actually topped our list of the best pizza ovens, and we named it best multi-fuel unit. It’s the company’s largest multi-fuel model, meaning people can choose from wood, charcoal or gas to cook up some pies. However, propane and natural gas burners are sold separately.
There’s a hinged glass door for taking a look at the pie as it cooks along with a digital thermometer to monitor the indoor temp. The larger size is also a boon, as this oven will accommodate 16-inch pizzas. That’s around the size of an extra-large pie from a legit pizza joint.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/two-of-our-favorite-ooni-pizza-ovens-are-deeply-discounted-right-no-163146867.html?src=rss
Apple's 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro is $300 off
Those seeking a good deal on a powerhouse MacBook need not look much further. The base M3 14-inch MacBook has dropped to its lowest price to date. Apple's laptop is available for $1,300 from Amazon when you apply a $99 coupon.
This was already the most affordable M3 MacBook Pro. But thanks to this deal, you can grab the laptop for $300 less than the regular price.
This model comes with the standard M3 chip, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. We typically recommend opting for a configuration with at least 16GB of RAM, especially if you plan to use your MacBook Pro for video editing. But given this deal, there's currently a $600 gap between the base model and one that has 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. However, if you just need more storage, a model with 8GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD will run you $1,500 when you apply a coupon. That's also $300 off.
The M3 MacBook Pro is our pick for the best MacBook for creatives, especially if you're able to swing a higher-specced configuration. But the base 14-inch model still has a lot going for it. There's a great MiniLED Liquid Retina XDR display with a 120Hz refresh rate, for one thing. While there's a 16-inch M3 MBP available, the 14-inch form factor strikes a nice sweet spot in terms of portability and screen real estate.
The six-speaker array and built-in mics do an excellent job of handling the audio side of things. The MacBook Pro also has far more ports than the current MacBook Air as you'll get an SD card slot, headphone jack, HDMI port and two Thunderbolt 4 sockets as well as the MagSafe charging port. The 14-inch MBP's battery, meanwhile, lasted for 20 and a half hours in our video rundown test.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-14-inch-m3-macbook-pro-is-300-off-154142961.html?src=rss
https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-14-inch-m3-macbook-pro-is-300-off-154142961.html?src=rss
Fitbit Ace LTE review: A kids' activity tracker that was fun for me, an adult
On more occasions in the last few weeks than I’d like to admit, I found myself doing jumping jacks in my kitchen an hour before going to bed.
That’s not when I’d usually prefer to do any exercise, but on those nights, I looked down at my watch only to see I was so close to hitting my Move Goal, yet still far enough away that shuffling around doing my nightly routines wouldn’t get the job done. And there’s no way I’d finish the day without making the elongated blue cat on my watch face vomit up a bunch of ice cream and turn rainbow-colored. Or, in other words, close my movement ring and watch it play a celebratory animation. I guess you could say the Fitbit Ace LTE has been a great motivator.
How the Fitbit Ace LTE works
The Fitbit Ace LTE is Google’s latest kid-focused activity tracker. It offers some smartwatch features, like location-tracking and the ability to call and text parent-approved contacts (who have downloaded the Fitbit Ace companion app). It looks a lot like the company’s adult fitness smartwatches from the Sense and Versa lines compared to the original Fitbit Ace, but more fun.
The digital clock face, for one, is trimmed with a faint ring that’s gradually overtaken by a cartoonish “Noodle” design as the wearer’s activity points rack up throughout the day. That includes the cat I mentioned, a dog, a tentacle, a robot arm and a deeply unsettling anthropomorphic hotdog that surely only kids in a certain pre-tween age range will get a kick out of. By swapping out the Ace LTE’s “Cartridge” band with one of the other styles (sold separately), you can add different Noodles and themes to the watch. There are built-in movement-based games as well, including quirky interpretations of a kart racer, golf and fishing.
Meet the eejie
Then there’s the eejie: a customizable humanoid creature that lives in the device, whose happiness is dependent on the completion of daily health goals.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that drawn to the eejie at first glance. When it comes to virtual companions, I’m typically more interested in weird little critters that in no way look human. But after designing my own eejie, I couldn’t help but get attached. It turns out there are a bunch of skin colors, eye shapes, hair types and mouths to choose from, so you can make your eejie as human or nonhuman as you want. Creating a character is always fun, and I could see kids getting really into crafting their virtual friends and switching up their outfits as they unlock more clothing and accessories. My eejie is a freaky-cute Nosferatu-like child with purple skin, sporting a huge pink bow.
The watch’s Daily Quests and Arcade are really the main stars, as they’re what actually entice you to move. Every day, there are four new quests to complete, which feels like a comfortable amount of tasks to be achievable without taking over a kid’s life. These include playing a game — the quests will always pick up from the last game you played — and hitting the daily Move Goal, which kids can set in the app. The other two items have less to do with activity. You might be instructed to visit Bit Valley, where the eejies live, and shown a brief tap-to-open fact to learn more about the watch’s health features. These more random tasks also sometimes included small mindfulness exercises, which is a thoughtful touch that I’m sure parents would appreciate.
Called Community Notes, these challenges asked me to do things like write down the sights and smells around me, or turn off the lights in a room that isn’t being used. The watch will sometimes show fun facts to complement your movement goals, like “walk 5,000 steps, the length of 33,333 hot dogs.” It’ll also deliver gentle reminders to complete your quests in the notification section. (Parents have the option to silence these and other notifications during designated “School time” so they don’t become a distraction).
Games on the Fitbit Ace LTE
As I would imagine will also be the case for kids, completing my game quest for the day has been easy. The games are a lot of fun, more so than I was expecting. So far, the Fitbit Ace LTE offers six: Kaiju Golf, Pollo 13, Jelly Jam, Smokey Lake, Galaxy Rangers and Otal’s Secret. And Google said that new games will periodically be added to keep things fresh. Two more — Spirit Garden and a virtual pet game, Sproutlings — are already on the way.
Games require a bit of patience on startup, though, with slow loading times and a few too many dialogue boxes to tap through before you can actually play, especially the first time. Even I was antsy trying to get through this, so I can only imagine how a kid might be squirming. But once you’re in, it’s smooth sailing. There’s a good amount of variety in the small catalog, too, with options for both relaxed and more active play.
Pollo 13, in which you play as a chicken racing through space in an inflatable tub, had me out of my seat, moving around and shouting. On the other hand, Otal’s Secret had me solving puzzles, which I did from the comfort of my couch. At first, I was unsure how such seemingly involved games would work on the watch’s small screen, but everything was well-sized and laid out nicely.
You can only play for limited amounts of time before the game will stop and prompt you to get moving in order to proceed. Only after hitting certain activity milestones will the game be unlocked again. Most of the time, this meant I’d just play in short bursts and return later after I’d naturally racked up more move points over the course of the day. But there were a few moments where I had nothing better to do, so I’d set out to hit those goals right away, taking a brisk walk in the vicinity of my house or, again, launching into some jumping jacks (I’m not very creative).
Pollo 13 on the Fitbit Ace LTE.
After months of using a Fitbit Charge 6 prior to this, I found that the Ace LTE was turning me into a much more active participant in my fitness. I exercise a fair amount in general, and my Charge 6 has basically become a way to passively keep track of my habits. But the visual rewards that came with achieving my goals on the Fitbit Ace LTE felt more like a gratifying pat on the back than the boring notifications on the standard trackers, so I worked to keep earning them. In addition to the silly Noodle animations, I’d be surprised here and there with the appearance of a bouncing pug piñata that I could tap to break open, revealing presents like arcade tickets to buy things for my eejie.
Fitbit also slyly uses a dash of guilt as a motivator by tying the eejie’s emotional state to the fulfillment of quests. After the first time I saw how dejected she looked when I accidentally neglected my goals for a few days, I never wanted to let her down again.
The Fitbit Ace LTE versus Tamagotchi and Digimon
All of these things make it a really great health-focused device for kids. Hell, if a software update could bring some of these features to Fitbit’s regular fitness trackers, I’d download it in a heartbeat. The Fitbit Ace LTE is essentially a fully realized version of something toymakers have dipped their toes into with wearable virtual pets like recent Tamagotchi and Digimon devices. It straps a little companion to your kid’s wrist in hopes that it’ll encourage them to get moving, and uses games to make it all go down easier.
Bandai’s Digimon Vital Bracelet — which was released in Japan in 2021 before coming to the US the following year with the Vital Hero model — took a direct approach to fitness, using metrics like daily steps and heart rate activity to influence the outcome of the monsters’ evolution paths. With a companion app, you can also participate in battles, and more monsters can be unlocked by buying and swapping in what are known as DIM cards.
The Tamagotchi Uni, the first version of which came out in 2021, expanded on the basic step-counters of earlier models to include a full-fledged walking activity. Rather than simply logging steps, initiating a Tama Walk will send your pet on a 20-minute stroll, during which it can pick up supplies that can later be used to craft special items. How fruitful these outings are depends on how much you moved in real life to fill up the red activity bar. Plus, going on Tama Walks is a good way to boost your pet’s happiness.
As a sophisticated fitness device rather than a toy, Fitbit Ace LTE is able to go so much further. Its game Jelly Jam, for example, almost exactly mirrors a movement-based dancing game found on the Tamagotchi Uni and the Japan-exclusive Tamagotchi Smart. But while the Tamagotchi version is something I stopped playing pretty quickly after the novelty wore off — it’s boring and the toy’s sensors don’t correctly log the motions half the time — Fitbit Ace LTE’s spin on an arm-tracking dance game is pretty fun, if only because it actually works as it’s meant to.
Best of all, it could come with me anywhere. I swam with it, went horseback riding and even put it through a few dance classes. It’s lightweight and never felt cumbersome in any of those situations.
Still, a part of me wishes there were more ways to get involved with the eejie’s care beyond simply dressing it up and keeping it happy, like feeding or playing with it directly. Right now, it doesn’t have much depth and mostly feels like a mascot. I wouldn’t mind seeing future eejie options that include more animal-like creatures, either. My only real gripe with the watch is its battery life. It’ll need to be charged every night, which might be tricky for kids to remember. I woke up to find it dead several times after taking it off and forgetting to pop it on the charger. And it doesn’t track sleep.
Nonetheless, the watch is also a good peace-of-mind option for parents just as much as it is a solid wellness device. The call/messaging features are as basic as they come, but they work just fine for the intended purpose — giving parents and trusted individuals an easy way to get in touch with their kids, and vice versa.
Calls with the watch sounded decent on both ends, and the location-sharing feature accurately reflected the device’s position when I checked it in the app. The Fitbit Ace app itself is easy to set up and navigate, with a simple interface that shouldn’t be hard to work with, even for someone who isn’t very tech savvy.
It’s not a full-featured smartwatch with an app library or even a way to communicate outside of the Fitbit Ace app, but its limitations are designed to keep risks to an absolute minimum. Given it’s made for kids starting at age 7, I think this is worth the trade-off. At $230 plus the $10/month Fitbit Ace Pass (which allows you to use the LTE connectivity without adding a new line to your existing phone plan), it is pricey. But it should be able to grow with a kid for at least a few years into the early double-digits without coming off as age-inappropriate. Pop off that bright green protective bumper, and it looks like any other smartwatch.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/fitbit-ace-lte-review-a-kids-activity-tracker-that-was-fun-for-me-an-adult-140043586.html?src=rss
Vampire Survivors hits PS4 and PS5 on August 29
As developer Poncle promised, Vampire Survivors is making its way to PlayStation this summer and now there's a firm release date. Many people's pick for the best game of 2022 is coming to PS4 and PS5 on August 29. All of the paid expansions will be available on launch day as well.
PlayStation was the last remaining major platform for the all-conquering, vampire-less game to land on. After coming out of early access on PC and Mac in October 2022, it hit Xbox the following month and then mobile that December (an ad-free version arrived on Apple Arcade earlier this month). The Switch port dropped a year ago. The only place that's really left to go now is VR.
For the uninitiated, each character in Vampire Survivors has a unique starting perk and weapon, which fires automatically. All you essentially have to do is control your character's movement and make careful choices about weapon and perk additions and upgrades when you level up as you fend off literally thousands of monsters. Runs typically last for up to 30 minutes, if you can survive that long. It's terrifically chaotic and, best of all, the game costs just five bucks.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/vampire-survivors-hits-ps4-and-ps5-on-august-29-134602924.html?src=rss
Tenways AGO-T is a well-equipped, but heavy e-bike
There’s a problem with most e-bikes, which is that you’ll never find one that does every job perfectly. A city cruiser with no grunt will leave you stranded when you reach an incline while a beefy cargo bike can haul gear, but it’s too big for commuting. Tenways’ AGO-T has tried to square many of these circles by sticking almost too much power onto a Dutch-style step-thru frame.
It’s marketed as a bike for city living, but for cities where you’re not just dealing with flat, well paved roads. It’s got a beefy motor and battery, giving it enough power to tackle the steepest hill with ease, and a decent pannier rack for cargo capacity. But all of that extra power comes with the weight that comes with it, and so while it’s meant to be nimble, it’s also hefty.
The e-bike market is sufficiently homogeneous that I won’t look at a unit unless it’s got some eye-catching features. The AGO-T’s spec-list sold me on a test ride given the sheer volume of stuff bolted onto its frame: A Bafang M420 mid-drive motor with 80 Nm max torque (although you’ll get less of that in day-to-day-use); a Gates carbon belt; and Enviolo’s stepless shifting hub. You also get hydraulic disc brakes, a Selle Royal seat, an integrated front light and an integrated rear light built into the pannier rack.
There’s often something a little medicinal about most bikes with a step-through frame. But a combination of paneling to hide away a lot of its mechanisms and the fancy “Jungle Green” paint job sets the AGO-T apart. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it's a rather stylish way to get around town, even if it’s built more for power than maneuverability.
You can expect to pay a pretty penny for those sorts of specs, and the AGO-T is priced £2,699 (around $3,500). That’s a lot of cash for a bike, but not unreasonable given the gear on show, and the fact it’s been packaged so neatly. You can get a cheaper alternative like Gazelle’s Paris C7+ for a grand less, but you’ll notice compromises, like the weaker motor.
The AGO-T has a range of 100km (62 miles) with its motor-assisted top speed limited, as per the law, to 15 miles per hour. Put it this way, I rarely if ever felt like I was going too slow on this thing, and often had to dial down its speed.
The last few e-bikes I’ve tested had basic digital displays offering little more than your speed and how much assist the bike was giving you. By comparison, the AGO-T’s full-color LCD display comes across almost as too much, especially given its enormous size. There’s a lot of negative space in the UI, too, and it looks more like the instrument cluster on a car. Sometimes less is more. And, yes, a TFT LCD isn’t ideal when you’re out in really strong sunlight.
Up top is the time and battery level, while the middle shows speed in miles or kilometers per hour. The lower third indicates the assist level (from 0-5) and then there are two boxes, which cycle through a number of data points: Average speed, maximum speed, trip time, range, the amount of CO2 you haven’t burned and the trees you’ve commensurately saved. I’m not sure I’d ever need those last two data points available to me all the time, and I’m not sure what the basis for that claim is anyway. Especially when those sorts of metrics are far better suited to the app than the primary display.
As for the app, it’s like every other e-bike app in that you probably won’t ever look at it except to satisfy your curiosity. There is a built-in GPS that you can use by mounting your phone to the handlebars or, even better, with the directions pushed to the bike display. Sadly, the quality of the GPS on offer is well below Google or Apple Maps, with many local landmarks not listed. Similarly, the turn-by-turn directions routed to the bike screen consist only of turn signal and distance, which is a far cry from what a good GPS should offer. This is a feature that could be world class and suffers by merely being adequate, if that.
The AGO-T weighs 31kg (68 pounds) and you will feel every gram of that weight when you’re holding it. I do not recommend carrying it up and down stairs unless you’re built like the worst person you see at the gym. If you live in a poorly-served apartment building I don’t think this is the bike for you, but if you can safely store this at ground level, go for it. It’s like owning an SUV which is great when you’re tooling around town, and awful when you can’t fit into a small space in the parking lot.
Its heaviness means it’s a little stodgier when you’re on the road, especially at low speeds where you’ll have to work harder to maintain balance. There’s an accessibility argument often made about e-bikes that they help empower folks who may not be as physically strong. A bike like this might fall at this hurdle given its heft. But in motion, the AGO-T is tuned to be sedate, gliding around the roads rather than zooming down them. This smoothness makes sense, because you’re looking at this to get you from A to B, as well as haul some bags or a kid along with you.
Tenways markets the AGO-T on the basis it can take whatever a city can throw at it. I had no doubts, given the power of that Bafang mid-drive motor, that it would be able to tackle the steep hills in my home city of Norwich. When I test e-bikes or scooters, I try to zip up a hill with an incline of 22.4 degrees, which regularly defeats lesser bikes. But with the AGO-T, I actually had to turn the gears down because it felt too easy and weightless with the assist up to the max. Even after I’d tweaked things, I think this is the first time I’ve ridden up that hill and not broken even the merest hint of a sweat.
This does, however, come at the cost of the range, and the estimates quickly started dropping once I’d started tackling hills. That said, you can easily get 30 miles out of this on a charge, which is more than enough for most days, right?
Tenways also claims the AGO-T can tackle rough terrain on this bike, so I took it over a few dirt tracks. The adjustable front forks and suspension seat meant that the bike evened out some pretty bumpy areas. Obviously, I wouldn’t want to take this off-roading but I was surprised at how well it coped with gravel tracks and dirt pathways riddled with tree branches.
As a city cruiser that can eat hills like they’re cotton candy, the Tenways’ AGO-T is a bit of a fantasy bike. I could easily see myself using this as my primary bike, especially given the variable terrain of my home city. Whether you should buy one becomes less a question of its qualities that your needs in the given moment. Are you in need of a bike that can handle all types of terrain at any gradient that’ll also give you cargo space? Are you strong enough to wrestle with its considerable weight? And, of course, do you have enough cash in the bank to buy it and then make sure there’s safe places to park it? If the answer to all of those is yes, then this is pretty much a slam dunk.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/tenways-ago-t-is-a-well-equipped-but-heavy-e-bike-133005101.html?src=rss
Google and Meta reportedly teamed up for ads targeting young teens
Google worked with Meta to roll out ads that targeted young teens even if it's against the former's rules, according to the Financial Times. Based on the documents seen by the publication, Google worked on a marketing project designed to advertise Instagram to YouTube users within the 13- to 17-year-old age range. Google had blocked age-based ad targeting for users under 18 years ago, but the company reportedly found and used a loophole.
Since they couldn't go for the demographic they wanted to reach, they instead targeted a group of users Google had labeled as "unknown." Google's staff proposed the group to Meta, The Times said, because the company had data points to prove that a large number of users under the label are below 18 years in age. The company even reportedly told Meta that the daily engagement it gets from 13- to 17-year-old users exceeds TikTok's and Instagram's. The Information says using this loophole is against Google's rules, as well, since it has policies against proxy targeting.
Meta and Google worked with media agency Spark Foundry to launch the marketing program in Canada between February and April, according to the report. When it did well, they kicked off a trial in the US in May and had made plans to expand it to other regions, as well as to include other Meta apps in the campaign.
However, Google had investigated and ultimately cancelled the project after being contacted by the Times. "We prohibit ads being personalized to people under-18, period," the company told the publication. It said that its safeguards worked properly in this case because it didn't directly target registered YouTube users know to be 18. That said, it didn't outright deny using the loophole and only said that it will take "additional action to reinforce with sales representatives that they must not help advertisers or agencies run campaigns" that attempt to work around its policies.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/google-and-meta-reportedly-teamed-up-for-ads-targeting-young-teens-130024683.html?src=rss
Turkey has blocked Roblox over child exploitation reports
Just five days after blocking Instagram, Turkey has banned Roblox over reports of inappropriate sexual content perceived as exploiting children, Türkiye Today reported. An official from the Türkiye Directorate of Communications also cited "promotion of homosexuality" and incentives for children via the game's Robux virtual currency as reasons for the ban.
The regulator also said that monitoring content on Roblox is a significant challenge. The countrywide restrictions were imposed following an investigation by the chief public prosecutor's office.
Last week, Instagram was blocked in in the country following a dispute over Hamas-related content on the platform. Turkey’s head of communications stated in a post on X that Instagram was "actively preventing people from posting messages of condolences” for Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader who was killed earlier this week.
Turkish authorities have banned major social media services before. Twitter was briefly blocked in the country last year following an earthquake that killed thousands of people. YouTube and Twitter were also blocked in 2014.
Roblox has had its own problems, particularly around complaints of child exploitation. Earlier this year, the company was hit with a lawsuit accusing it of exploiting child labor and deceptive advertising. The company was also sued in 2022 for allowing adult users to sexually prey on a 10-year-old girl. Discord, Snap and Meta were also named in that suit.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/turkey-has-blocked-roblox-over-child-exploitation-reports-120018044.html?src=rss
Proton Pass now supports Touch ID and Windows Hello biometric logins
Proton’s password manager is gradually catching up with rivals like 1Password. The company, known initially for its encrypted email and VPN services, added biometric authentication to its Proton Pass app, which came out of beta earlier this year. The feature works with Touch ID on macOS and Windows Hello on Microsoft’s desktop OS.
Like with many other services, biometric authentication lets Proton Pass users quickly unlock the security app using their fingerprint or face without typing the login password every time. However, it isn’t available for free users: Only those on a Pass Plus plan (and above) get access. The minimum plan costs $23.88 annually or $4.99 if you’d rather pay monthly.
Proton is also fleshing out its password manager to include identities, meaning it can autofill forms with your contact info in one click. Similar to biometric authentication, this type of feature has been seen countless times in competing products. Still, it (along with the recent addition of dark-web scouring) shows Proton is dedicated to building out its encryption-focused password manager, which initially launched in beta in early 2023.
Unlike biometric logins, identities are available for free users — not just those on a paid plan.
“With the introduction of identities and biometric authentication, Proton Pass is significantly boosting productivity for our users,” said Son Nguyen Kim, Proton Pass product lead. “These features not only enhance our security offerings but also streamline everyday tasks, allowing users to save time and reduce stress in managing their digital lives.”
The new features are available today in the Proton Pass app for Windows and Mac.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/proton-pass-now-supports-touch-id-and-windows-hello-biometric-logins-100025225.html?src=rss
The best iPad cases for 2024
Whether you’ve got a new iPad or an older model, it’s worth protecting it with one of the best iPad cases. Not only does a case add an extra layer of protection and durability to your device, but it can also act as a stand or double up as a keyboard, introducing added functionality to your iPad. While we all take extra care to ensure our devices don’t get damaged, accidental drops and falls are bound to happen. And if you’re still on the fence about whether to invest in an iPad, you might want to look into Apple’s recent WWDC event and get excited about what’s to come in iPadOS 18. To help you choose the best protective case, we’ve done our research and testing to ensure your money is well spent. No matter whether you’re looking for an iPad case with a built-in keyboard, or a simple and protective case, we’re confident these will suit most needs.
Best iPad cases
FAQs
Should you keep your iPad in case?
It’s almost always a good idea to keep your iPad in a case so it’s protected against hazards and accidents. The best iPads are expensive — even the most affordable model will set you back nearly $300 — so you’ll want to safeguard your gear as much as possible.
What is the difference between an iPad case and an iPad cover?
All iPad covers are cases, but not all iPad cases are covers — yes, it’s a bit confusing, but allow us to explain. Most iPad covers are cases that surround the back of your tablet and have a flap that covers the screen, so it provides protection for the body as well as its display. Plenty of iPad cases also have screen covers, but you don’t have to get one with that feature. Instead, you could just get a case that hugs the back of the tablet and nothing else. Those accessories will be marginally thinner and lighter than their cover-toting counterparts, and give your iPad a more svelte profile.
How often should I charge my iPad?
How often you charge your iPad will depend on how often you use it. Most iPads will last at least a regular work day with frequent usage, which is one of the reasons why many have opted to use their iPads as laptop replacements. But with heavy usage, like constant video streaming or gaming, will come more rapid battery drain. A good rule of thumb is to charge your iPad when you go to sleep each night, that way you’ll have a topped-up device waiting for you in the morning.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-ipad-cases-to-protect-your-tablet-130033533.html?src=rss
https://www.engadget.com/best-ipad-cases-to-protect-your-tablet-130033533.html?src=rss
YouTube invites users to test its community notes feature
YouTube seems to be starting to roll out its community notes feature to a select group of users. Screenshots of YouTube’s official invitation to join the pilot program for its new community correction feature are popping up all over social media, according to 9to5Google.
Aye YouTube is adding community notes pic.twitter.com/xVOw9yEzhJ
— Ian Zelbo (@ianzelbo) August 7, 2024
YouTube first announced its community notes feature in June. The new feature allows viewers to submit short blurbs that provide additional context or correct information to certain video content. The community notes feature comes ahead of the US presidential election.
There is no official start date for the new feature, but YouTube has added a section to its “Help” database with instructions on writing and submitting notes. We’ve also reached out to Google for a comment on the new feature.
The pilot program is currently only available in English for mobile devices in the US, according to the support page. The company previously said it would invite participants through email or their Creator Studios account. The select group of test subjects will provide feedback to YouTube to help the platform determine which notes are “helpful,” “somewhat helpful” or “unhelpful,” before rolling out its community notes feature to the public, according to the official YouTube blog.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/youtube-invites-users-to-test-its-community-notes-feature-224823088.html?src=rss
Fortnite Battle Pass rewards may appear in the shop under new Epic Games policy
Fortnite is reversing a long-held policy for its Battle Passes. Previously, developer Epic Games had treated Battle Pass items as limited-time rewards that would never show up in the in-game shop. Going forward, Epic Games may make Battle Pass rewards available in the shop, but not until at least 18 months after the pass expires. The company said that the updated policy will not have any impact on battle pass pricing.
"This change lets us continue investing in new and exciting Battle Pass rewards while enabling players down the road to also enjoy the content, including Outfits based on popular licensed characters," Epic Games said in a blog post published on Wednesday.
This policy covers every item type that might show up in a Fortnite Battle Pass. The shop may offer alt styles of a Battle Pass reward as well as the original. The 18-month wait time will also apply to any items from the game's Bonus Reward and Quest Reward tabs.
The chance to buy a cosmetic later on takes some of the exclusivity pressure off each season for players. Epic said there was no guarantee that a Battle Pass cosmetic would become available in the shop at a later date, so playing enough to obtain unlocks is still the most reliable way to get an item you really want. However, the studio said it would notify players if an item would be exclusively available via Battle Pass.
Battle passes are a common way for game developers to maintain revenue for games-as-a-service. The latest one for Fortnite has a post-apocalyptic theme, with tie-ins to the Mad Max and Fallout franchises. Or if cute and colorful is more your jam, check out the limited time integration with Fall Guys.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-battle-pass-rewards-may-appear-in-the-shop-under-new-epic-games-policy-220355795.html?src=rss
Sonos is delaying two product launches until it fixes its buggy app
Last quarter should've been a triumphant one for Sonos with the launch of its first headphones, but the company is facing the realities of its botched app redesign. CEO Patrick Spence explained in the company's Q3 earnings press release that Sonos has reduced its 2024 fiscal guidance as a result of "problems" both customers and partners encountered with the software update. But, the issues don't stop with revenue. The company also said on its earnings call it will delay two new product launches planned for Q4 until the app is fixed.
“Thanks to Ace, our long-awaited entry into headphones, we reported year over year revenue growth and delivered results that slightly exceeded our expectations in our third quarter,” Spence said. “This was overshadowed by the problems that our customers and partners experienced as a result of the rollout of our new app, which in turn has required us to reduce our Fiscal 2024 guidance. We have a clear action plan to address the issues caused by our app as quickly as possible."
Spence said the new products were ready to ship in Q4, but that right now "our number one priority is to make this right and ensure that the next chapter is even better than the previous ones." Of course, the company hasn't officially discussed exactly what those two products are just yet. Bloomberg reported late last year that Sonos was working on a set-top TV streaming box and a successor to its premium Arc soundbar. The CEO also admitted during the call that the total cost of fixing the issues with the app will cost the company $20-$30 million. However, Spence is confident Sonos will bounce back, describing this as only one "chapter" in the company's history.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/sonos-is-delaying-two-product-launches-until-it-fixes-its-buggy-app-213743460.html?src=rss
Meta shutters its first-party VR game studio Ready at Dawn
Ready at Dawn Studios, the game studio behind the Echo virtual reality series for the Meta Quest, has been shut down by its parent owner, Meta, effective immediately.
Android Central reported Meta’s decision to close Ready at Dawn Studios almost a year and a half after purchasing the game studio. The news comes on the heels of a mid-July report that Meta plans to cut its Reality Labs division’s budget by 20 percent by 2026 when it is reportedly scheduled to release the Meta Quest 4 and Quest 4s, its next VR headsets.
Ready at Dawn’s reach in the gaming industry goes all the way back to the days of Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP). The studio released its first game in 2006 with Daxter, a PSP spinoff of the popular Jak and Daxter series. Ready at Dawn also released three titles in Sony’s God of War series for the PSP including Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta and the Olympus Collection that bundled its two earlier titles. The studio made the jump to consoles starting with the PlayStation 4 in 2015 with The Order: 1886. The Victorian-era third-person action adventure became one of the year’s most anticipated titles for its boundary pushing graphics. Following a wave of mixed reviews, Ready at Dawn took a stab at a multiplayer title with a cheerier disposition in 2017 called De-Formers for the PS4, Xbox One and PC. Engadget senior editor Jessica Conditt described the colorful character combat competition as “cannibalism combat in a 3-D cartoon.”
The rise of and ease of access to virtual reality prompted the studio to pivot again in 2018 to the new immersive game medium. The studio released the first two VR titles in its Echo game series including the free-to-play Oculus Rift and Quest virtual sport Echo Arena and the interactive, gravity-free sci-fi adventure Lone Echo. Both found a fanbase on the all-in-one VR headset leading to sequels including the free-floating arena shooter Echo Combat in 2018 and Lone Echo II in 2021.
Oculus bought the studio in 2023 and allowed it to continue operations in its California and Oregon offices. The same year, Meta shut down its free Echo VR game due to dwindling player numbers.
Meta has slashed more than 20,000 jobs since 2023, a period that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has characterized as a “year of efficiency.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/meta-shutters-its-first-party-vr-game-studio-ready-at-dawn-212212491.html?src=rss
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders call for an antitrust investigation into Venu Sports
Venu Sports appears poised to offer a one-stop shop for streaming all kinds of athletic events. However, the extensive amount of sports content controlled by Disney (which owns ESPN), Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, has raised questions about the upcoming streaming service. Three members of Congress have called on the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether Venu violates antitrust laws.
"If this JV [joint venture] is permitted to proceed, competitors would be forced to negotiate with Fox, Disney, and Warner Bros. for access to over half of the major sporting licensing rights while simultaneously competing against these companies to offer the best product to broadcast or stream these programs," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) wrote in an open letter. They also questioned whether Venu could lead to increased prices for consumers. (And the prices for Venu are already looking pretty steep, with a launch price of $43 a month.)
This group isn't the first to question this sports streaming venture. Shortly after the joint venture between the three companies was announced, FuboTV filed a lawsuit alleging that Venu would fall afoul of antitrust laws.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/senators-elizabeth-warren-and-bernie-sanders-call-for-an-antitrust-investigation-into-venu-sports-203458843.html?src=rss
New York's flood warning drones screamed at residents in 'incomprehensible' Spanish
New York City has implemented a new drone warning system to alert residents to hazardous weather conditions. Unfortunately, the drones need to work on their Spanish.
A resident spotted one of the new drones issuing a flood warning on Wednesday to NYC neighborhoods in English and Spanish, but the Spanish words that came out of the drones were “incomprehensible,” according to a resident who shared a video on X.
As a Spanish speaker, I can confidently say that this is incomprehensible. The city couldn’t find a single person who spoke Spanish to deliver this alert? https://t.co/uI9ERCuDmV
— Josefa Velásquez (@J__Velasquez) August 6, 2024
The drones had no problem issuing a weather warning in English as it delivered the news about an incoming batch of heavy rainfall in a clear and distinguishable tone. The Spanish message, however, sounded like a robot speaking the language for the first time.
Zach Iscol, the commissioner of NYC’s emergency management department, acknowledged the mistake on X in a reply.
“I’m very proud of the work our team has done preparing for this storm, but this shouldn’t have happened and we’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Iscol wrote in a reply.
The New York Times published a story on Tuesday about the new emergency alert drone system. The city sent the drones out to communities around 1 p.m. to inform residents about the heavy rainfall headed their way. Iscol told the newspaper that NYC Mayor Eric Adams came up with the idea to use drones as a new part of its warning system. Adams has instituted similar, tech-heavy initiatives during his term such as a security robot that patrolled the Times Square subway station, and the controversial “Spot Robot,” also known as the “Digidog,” for the New York Police Department to use during hazardous situations like hostage standoffs.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/new-yorks-flood-warning-drones-screamed-at-residents-in-incomprehensible-spanish-194507725.html?src=rss
People are returning Humane AI Pins faster than the company can sell them
Humane’s universally derided AI Pin is not exactly flying off of store shelves, according to internal sales documents published by The Verge. As a matter of fact, returns seem to be currently outpacing new purchases. So many have been returned, that there are only around 7,000 units out in the wild. The company had once hoped to sell 100,000 in the first year, so that ain’t happening.
To date, around 10,000 have been sold and 3,000 have been returned, leaving the aforementioned 7,000 in the hands of consumers. This gadget costs $700, so I’d obviously have returned it after learning it doesn’t actually do anything useful. Wouldn’t you? To that end, over 1,000 pre-orders were canceled once reviews started coming in.
We called it the “solution to none of technology's problems” and struggled to understand who it was even for. This was before the charging case accessory became a potential fire hazard, which added to the image of the product being the ultimate example of tech hubris. There’s a reason, after all, why noted tech vlogger Marques Brownlee called it “the worst product” he had ever reviewed.
Humane has been, sort of, trying to turn things around, mostly by trying to find a larger company to scoop it up into its portfolio. HP has been considering a purchase, according to The New York Times. Also, the company’s allegedly been in active negotiations with investors, as reported by The Information.
Humane has taken umbrage with The Verge and its reporting, with spokesperson Zoz Cuccias claiming “inaccuracies” regarding the financial data but didn’t go into specifics. Instead, she said “we have nothing else to provide as we do not comment on financial data, and will refer it to our legal counsel.”
The Verge reports that the company has no refurbishment operation in place, which is another lost opportunity for revenue. The problem allegedly boils down to a limitation with carrier partner T-Mobile that doesn’t allow Humane to reassign one of these pins to a secondary user. The returned pins could be destined for the scrap heap, but Humane is reportedly holding onto the returns for now, in the hopes it solves the problem with T-Mobile.
The company has been releasing software updates to address user feedback, so who knows. Maybe the ship can right itself. There’s still the question of spending $700 for a secondary device that underperforms when compared to a smartphone. The same question applies to a $200 device. We’re looking at you Rabbit.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/people-are-returning-humane-ai-pins-faster-than-the-company-can-sell-them-191523105.html?src=rss
PaleoScan is a cheap imaging device democratizing fossil research
An innovative scanner created by an NYU computer scientist is allowing scientists to digitize previously isolated fossils in remote South American regions. Claudio Silva’s PaleoScan provides a portable and affordable way to preserve and share collections of ancient impressions that may have otherwise been lost or smuggled.
Brazil’s Araripe Basin is lush with ancient fossils, some in unusually pristine condition. After a visit to the nearby Plácido Cidade Nuvens Museum of Paleontology (MPPCN), where many of them are stored, Silva saw “a labyrinth of floor-to-ceiling metal shelving units” that was “stacked high with piles of the most beautiful fossils he’d ever seen” from the Cretaceous period, as described by Smithsonian Magazine. The problem was the collection of insects, fish, turtles and pterosaurs from a distant past hadn’t been digitized. And, given the region’s limited funding, staffing and remote location (getting there requires a flight on a four-seater puddle-jumper of a plane), there wasn’t much hope for remedying that.
Another problem the museum (and others like it) faced was illegal fossil trafficking. The Araripe Basin is a prime target for the ruthless exploitation of historical resources by smugglers and wealthier nations. Digitizing the fossils could help thwart that practice — both by providing virtual scans, which help offset the risk-benefit ratio for smugglers, and by creating a global dataset paleontologists could use to trace stolen artifacts to their source.
“Empowering resource-poor museums and institutions to scan their own fossils and provide virtual versions of those fossils to the rest of the world, I think, would really help the scientific community, but also the institutions themselves,” paleontologist Akinobu Watanabe with the New York Institute of Technology told Smithsonian Magazine.
Claudio Silva / PaleoScan
Silva, an expert in graphics visualization and geometry processing, saw an opportunity. He departed the MPPCN, promising to return in two years to help digitize their collection. Given the breadth of that task, it wouldn’t have been surprising to hear some snickers or sarcastic jokes from staff after he took off on his flight back to the US.
The solution Silva created is PaleoScan, a low-cost, high-throughput scanner that he packed into “large wooden boxes” on his journey back to MPPCN in the summer of 2023. Designed to fill in the gaps between hard-to-reach fossil collections and the global community of paleontologists, the device produces high-quality 3D fossil reconstructions through cheap and relatively portable scanning.
Adaptable for different fossil sizes, PaleoScan uses a downward-facing camera on an automatic gantry. Its calibration board allows for batch scanning with simple correction for scale and offset camera positioning. The device costs less than commercial 3D fossil scanners, is more easily transportable than CT (computed tomography) scanners and is much easier to operate, even for the less technically inclined.
PaleoScan’s camera is mounted to a frame moving on two axes. It takes “thousands of individual raw photos of a fossil under controlled light conditions,” as described by Smithsonian Magazine. Meanwhile, the person operating it only needs to navigate a touchscreen (which, in videos, appears to be a repurposed mobile device).
Claudio Silva / PaleoScan
Once scanned, the photo batch is uploaded to the cloud for processing, where software stitches them together into highly detailed 3D models. The processed data can then be saved in a metadatabase and made available via an API for paleontologists around the world to study and share. (Think something like a GitHub for fossil enthusiasts.)
The researchers say the resulting reconstructions are validated as highly accurate. Museum workers can receive tutorial videos with step-by-step instructions for operating the scanner.
Over 200 unique fossils, using over a terabyte of high-quality data, have already been digitized at the MPPCN, and the response from the paleontology community has been receptive and enthusiastic. Researchers unrelated to the project were impressed with the scanner and hoped to get their hands on versions for other remote regions in Mexico and Chile. Some have requested an upgraded model with true 3D capabilities rather than the current two-axis version ideal for the Araripe Basin’s mostly flat fossils, something Silva says is already in the works.
For more on PaleoScan’s innovation and future, you can check out the research paper and Smithsonian Magazine’s in-depth write-up.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/paleoscan-is-a-cheap-imaging-device-democratizing-fossil-research-190034334.html?src=rss
The Disney+ password-sharing crackdown starts 'in earnest' in September
A few months back, Disney promised to further crack down on password sharing, or the practice of multiple households using the same account for a streaming service. That's set to come into effect in the very near future for many more Disney+ users, meaning that account sharers will have to pay extra or have separate subscriptions to keep using the service. Disney started targeting account sharing in Canada late last year and in June in select other countries. It's about to expand those efforts in the coming weeks.
Referring to the streaming division, "we need to basically make it a higher return, a higher margin business and a more successful business," Disney CEO Bob Iger said on an earnings call with investors on Tuesday. "And we're doing that right now. We started our password sharing initiative in June. That kicks in, in earnest in September. By the way, we've had no backlash at all to the notifications that have gone out and to the work that we've already been doing."
It's unclear how much Disney will charge US customers to share their account with someone located outside of the primary household. Netflix charges an extra $8 per month per additional household, and that strategy has paid off.
It's also worth noting that the expanded password-sharing crackdown is scheduled just before Disney increases its streaming prices yet again. Most Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ plans are going up by $1 or $2 per month in October. The ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu bundle is going up from $10 to $11 per month as well.
Iger added that along with bolstering the programming slate, Disney+ needs "stronger recommendation engines" — something that's being worked on — and more efficient marketing to keep viewers engaged and paying for the service every month or year. To help with that, the company will soon start rolling out what it's calling "continuous playlists." These are effectively cable-style channels that will stream around the clock. The first batch includes ABC News Live and a playlist of TV shows and shorts for pre-schoolers.
Meanwhile, Disney revealed that its streaming business is now profitable. Disney+ alone reached profitability for the first time in the January-March period, while the entire direct-to-consumer (DTC) business was $47 million in the black last quarter. That's a stark turnaround from the $512 million loss Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ collectively posted a year earlier. Disney said the business became profitable one quarter earlier than expected.
The company is also planning to roll out a fully standalone ESPN streaming service next year. Venu, a joint sports streaming venture from ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, is slated to go live this fall, but that service is facing an antitrust backlash from rivals and lawmakers.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-disney-password-sharing-crackdown-starts-in-earnest-in-september-184122554.html?src=rss
The Disney+ password-sharing crackdown starts 'in earnest' in September
A few months back, Disney promised to further crack down on password sharing, or the practice of multiple households using the same account for a streaming service. That's set to come into effect in the very near future for many more Disney+ users, meaning that account sharers will have to pay extra or have separate subscriptions to keep using the service. Disney started targeting account sharing in Canada late last year and in June in select other countries. It's about to expand those efforts in the coming weeks.
Referring to the streaming division, "we need to basically make it a higher return, a higher margin business and a more successful business," Disney CEO Bob Iger said on an earnings call with investors on Tuesday. "And we're doing that right now. We started our password sharing initiative in June. That kicks in, in earnest in September. By the way, we've had no backlash at all to the notifications that have gone out and to the work that we've already been doing."
It's unclear how much Disney will charge US customers to share their account with someone located outside of the primary household. Netflix charges an extra $8 per month per additional household, and that strategy has paid off.
It's also worth noting that the expanded password-sharing crackdown is scheduled just before Disney increases its streaming prices yet again. Most Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ plans are going up by $1 or $2 per month in October. The ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu bundle is going up from $10 to $11 per month as well.
Iger added that along with bolstering the programming slate, Disney+ needs "stronger recommendation engines" — something that's being worked on — and more efficient marketing to keep viewers engaged and paying for the service every month or year. To help with that, the company will soon start rolling out what it's calling "continuous playlists." These are effectively cable-style channels that will stream around the clock. The first batch includes ABC News Live and a playlist of TV shows and shorts for pre-schoolers.
Meanwhile, Disney revealed that its streaming business is now profitable. Disney+ alone reached profitability for the first time in the January-March period, while the entire direct-to-consumer (DTC) business was $47 million in the black last quarter. That's a stark turnaround from the $512 million loss Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ collectively posted a year earlier. Disney said the business became profitable one quarter earlier than expected.
The company is also planning to roll out a fully standalone ESPN streaming service next year. Venu, a joint sports streaming venture from ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, is slated to go live this fall, but that service is facing an antitrust backlash from rivals and lawmakers.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-disney-password-sharing-crackdown-starts-in-earnest-in-september-184122554.html?src=rss
Facebook will let creators remove account warnings if they complete ‘educational training’
Meta is making it a little easier for creators to avoid the dreaded “Facebook jail.” The company announced a new policy that will allow people with professional accounts to complete in-app “educational training” in order to avoid a strike on their account for first-time violations of the platform’s community standards.
In a blog post announcing the change, Meta notes that it can be frustrating for creators to navigate the company’s penalty system, which restricts Facebook accounts from certain features, including monetization tools, after multiple offenses. Under the new rules, creators who receive a warning for a first-time offense will have the option to remove the warning if they view an in-app explanation of the rule they broke.
Particularly serious offenses, “such as posting content that includes sexual exploitation, the sale of high-risk drugs, or glorification of dangerous organizations and individuals” are not able to be removed. Instead, the system is geared toward helping creators correct “unintentional mistakes,” according to the company. “We believe focusing on helping people understand why we have removed their content will be more effective at preventing re-offending, giving us not just a fairer approach, but a more effective one,” Meta explains.
It’s not the first time Meta has tried to reform its penalty system, which has been criticized by the Oversight Board and is a frequent source of frustration to users who may get strikes for mundane comments taken out of context. Last year, the company said it was trying to focus more on educating users about its rules rather than restricting their ability to post. Though the latest policy change will only affect creators with professional accounts to start, the company says it is planning to expand it “more broadly in the coming months.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/facebook-will-let-creators-remove-account-warnings-if-they-complete-educational-training-181503330.html?src=rss