|
1825 Monetary Lane Suite #104 Carrollton, TX
Do a presentation at NTLUG.
What is the Linux Installation Project?
Real companies using Linux!
Not just for business anymore.
Providing ready to run platforms on Linux
|
Show Descriptions... (Show All/All+Images)
(Single Column)
- Security updates for Tuesday
Security updates have been issued by AlmaLinux (container-tools:rhel8, kernel, kernel-rt:4.18.0, kernel:4.18.0, pam, pam:1.5.1, perl-App-cpanminus, perl-App-cpanminus:1.7044, python-tornado, tigervnc, tuned, and webkit2gtk3), Debian (needrestart and webkit2gtk), Mageia (firefox, glib2.0, krb5, and thunderbird), Red Hat (firefox, postgresql, postgresql:12, postgresql:13, postgresql:15, postgresql:16, and thunderbird), SUSE (editorconfig-core-c, kernel, php7, php8, python, python-tornado6, python3-virtualenv, python310, python39, thunderbird, wget, and wireshark), and Ubuntu (firefox and haproxy).
- NixOS 24.11 released
The most recent version of NixOS, 24.11,was releasedon November 30. It contains GNOME 47, Plasma 6.2, LLVM 19, and lots more:The 24.11 release was made possible due to the efforts of 2669 contributors, who authored 49079 commits since the previous release. Our thanks go the contributors who also take care of the continued stability and security of our stable release.
NixOS is already known as the most up to date distribution while also being the distribution with the most packages. This release saw 8141 new packages and 20975 updated packages in Nixpkgs. We also removed 3970 packages in an effort to keep the package set maintainable and secure.
- Security updates for Monday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (dnsmasq, editorconfig-core, lemonldap-ng, proftpd-dfsg, python3.9, simplesamlphp, tgt, and xfpt), Fedora (qbittorrent, webkitgtk, and wireshark), Mageia (libsoup3 & libsoup), Red Hat (buildah, grafana, grafana-pcp, and podman), SUSE (gimp, kernel, postgresql14, python, webkit2gtk3, xen, and zabbix), and Ubuntu (ansible and postgresql-12, postgresql-14, postgresql-16).
- [$] The rest of the 6.13 merge window
The 6.13 merge window closed with the release of 6.13-rc1 on December 1. By that time,11,307 non-merge commits had been pulled into the mainlinerepository; about 9,500 of those landed after our first-half merge-window summary waswritten. There was a lot of new material in these patches, includingarchitecture-support improvements, new BPF features, an efficient way toadd guard pages to an address space, more Rust support, a vast number ofnew device drivers, and more.
- Kernel prepatch 6.13-rc1
Linus has released 6.13-rc1 and closed themerge window for this release. "And for once - possibly the first timeever - it looks like the release cycle doesn't clash horribly up withthe holiday season, and we'll have time both to stabilize this release,_and_ the work for 6.14 won't be starting until well into January."
- Rust 1.83.0 released
Version1.83.0 of the Rust language has been released.
This release includes several large extensions to what code running in const contexts can do. This refers to all code that the compiler has to evaluate at compile-time: the initial value of const and static items, array lengths, enum discriminant values, const generic arguments, and functions callable from such contexts (const fn).
There are also quite a few new stabilized APIs.
- The OpenWrt One router is now shipping
The OpenWrt One router, which was reviewedhere recently, isnow generally available.
This is the first wireless Internet router designed and built with your software freedom and right to repair in mind. The OpenWrt One will never be locked down and is forever unbrickable. This device services your needs as its owner and user. Everyone deserves control of their computing. The OpenWrt One takes a great first step toward bringing software rights to your home: you can control your own network with the software of your choice, and ensure your right to change, modify, and repair it as you like.
- Security updates for Friday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (firefox-esr, redis, twisted, and tzdata), Fedora (firefox, nss, pam, rust-rustls, rust-zlib-rs, thunderbird, tuned, and xen), and SUSE (cobbler, kernel, libjxl-devel, libuv, postgresql12, postgresql14, postgresql15, python-waitress, seamonkey, tomcat, and tomcat10).
- Giving thanks for the LWN community
Earlier today, one of our subscribers, anselm, posted the one millionth item in our database during a discussion in the comments about the GPL. One million articles and comments is a big milestone — one representing twenty two years of work by both the editors of LWN and the community. I think reaching this milestone on Thanksgiving is a lovely coincidental reminder of how far LWN has come, and how that wouldn't have been possible without your support. So thank you for reading.
- [$] GIMP 3.0 — a milestone for open-source image editing
The long-awaited release of the GNU ImageManipulation Program (GIMP) 3.0 is on the way, marking the firstmajor update since version 2.10 wasreleased in April 2018. It now features a GTK 3 user interface and GIMP 3.0introduces significant changes to the core platform and plugins. Thisrelease also brings performance and usability improvements, as well as morecompatibility with Wayland and complex input sources.
- Security updates for US Thanksgiving (Thursday)
Security updates have been issued by Debian (firefox-esr, netatalk, and thunderbird), Fedora (firefox, libsoup3, mingw-glib2, mingw-libsoup, mingw-python-waitress, mingw-python3, nss, perl-Module-ScanDeps, php, and python-aiohttp), Mageia (dcmtk, golang, iptraf-ng, libsndfile, microcode, php, postgresql15 & postgresql13, rapidjson, tomcat, wget, and zbar), Red Hat (openssl and openssl-fips-provider, toolbox, and webkit2gtk3), SUSE (firefox, frr, glib2, hplip, kernel, neomutt-20241114, ovmf, python-aiohttp, python-virtualenv, python310-tornado6, qemu, webkit2gtk3, and xen), and Ubuntu (mpg123 and vim).
- Elementary OS 8 released
Version8 of the Ubuntu-based elementary OS has been released. Thisrelease includes a rewritten Dock, new window-management features,improvements in the installation and initial setup procedures forvisually impaired users, as well as a new Secure Session mode:
In the Secure Session, apps will be more restricted and will requireyour consent for access to system features. When an app wants tolisten in the background for your keystrokes, take a screenshot,record the screen, or even pick up the color from a single pixel, youwill be asked first to make sure that it's okay. The Secure Sessionalso comes with other modern features like support for Mixed DPImodes—A hotly requested feature for folks using a HiDPI notebook ortablet with a LoDPI external display—and improved support formulti-touch gestures on touch screens and tablets.
- [$] The kernel's command-line commotion
For the most part, the 6.13 merge window has gone smoothly, with relativelyfew problems or disagreements — other than thisone, of course. There is one other exception, though, relating to thekernel's presentation of a process's command line to interested user-spaceobservers when a relatively new system call is used. A pull request with asimple change to make that information more user-friendly ran afoul ofLinus Torvalds, who has his own view of how it should be managed.
- Security updates for Wednesday
Security updates have been issued by Debian (mpg123 and php8.2), Fedora (libsndfile, mingw-glib2, mingw-libsoup, mingw-python3, and qbittorrent), Oracle (pam:1.5.1 and perl-App-cpanminus), Red Hat (firefox, thunderbird, and webkit2gtk3), Slackware (mozilla), SUSE (firefox, rclone, tomcat, tomcat10, and xen), and Ubuntu (gh, libsoup2.4, libsoup3, pygments, TinyGLTF, and twisted).
- [$] Arch Linux finally starts licensing PKGBUILDs
Arch Linux is popular as a basefor other Linux distributions; examples of Arch-derivatives include EndeavourOS, Manjaro, Parabola, and SteamOS.There's one small problem: the control files used to describe how to buildpackages for Arch Linux have no stated license. That creates a bit ofuncertainty about the rights and responsibilities for the downstreamderivatives. So far, that doesn't seem to have been a problem, nor hasit stopped other projects from assuming that reuse isallowed. However, the Arch project is looking to add some clarity byexplicitly assigning a liberal license to its packagesources. Currently the project is in the process of reaching out tocontributors to see if they have any objections.
- This Is Why I Switched to Xfce for Linux Mint on My Older Laptop
Linux is a great operating system for older computers. The open source operating system requires far fewer resources than Windows or macOS, and is thus a great way to breathe new life into an old laptop. However, sometimes when using Linux Mint, you may still run into some issues.
- NVIDIAs New Linux Patches For GPU Direct RDMA For Device-Private Pages
NVIDIA engineer Yonatan Maman posted a set of "request for comments" patches this Sunday to implement GPU Direct RDMA "P2P DMA" for device private pages. This is the latest in the effort by multiple vendors to allow more efficient data sharing between GPUs/accelerators and other devices like network adapters.
- 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup: December 1st, 2024
The 216th installment of the 9to5Linux Weekly Roundup is here for the week ending on December 1st, 2024, keeping you updated with the most important things happening in the Linux world.
- Using flock in Bash Scripts: Manage File Locks and Prevent Task Overlaps
Managing concurrent processes in a Bash script can be a challenging endeavor, especially when tasks need to be executed without overlap. This is where file locking comes into play. In this article, we will explore how to use the flock command in Bash scripts to create file locks, ensuring that only one instance of a task can run at a time. This capability prevents unexpected behaviors and resource contention, making our scripts safer and more reliable.
- 2024, the year of the Linux laptop
I was on my perfectly functioning 2017 Macbook Pro when I decided to upgrade all my brew packages. When doing that, brew (a command line package manager for macos) informed me that they ? like Apple ?, would stop supporting my hardware, and thus I would have to buy a new laptop, while the one I was using was doing fine (albeit a bit slow).
- Dolphin Emulator 2412 Added Official Linux Flatpak Support
The game emulator supported Linux previously through an official Ubuntu PPA, however discontinued! In the new release, it added back official Linux support through Flatpak package, which works in most Linux distributions, through runs in sandbox.
- Resources System Monitoring App For GNOME Now Displays NPU Usage
As an alternative to the GNOME System Monitor application for system monitoring, Resources has been in development as a currently unofficial, GNOME-aligned resource/hardware monitoring application written in the Rust programming language. Resources v1.7 was released on Friday and now has the ability to monitor NPU usage and other enhancements.
- Middle Manager Hiring has Plunged
Major U.S. corporations have eliminated thousands of middle management positions over the past two years in a widespread restructuring trend, with no signs of rehiring, according to workforce data from Revelio Labs. Job postings for middle management roles remained 42% below April 2022 levels in October, even as hiring rebounded for other positions. Meta, Citigroup, UPS, and Amazon have all reduced management layers or increased worker-to-supervisor ratios, citing efficiency goals. Middle managers accounted for 32% of layoffs in 2023, up from 20% in 2019, Live Data Technologies reports. Displaced supervisors, typically in their late 40s to 50s, face limited job prospects as companies permanently eliminate these positions rather than temporarily freezing hiring, Business Insider reports.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- UK Cyber Chief Warns Country 'Widely Underestimating' Risks From Cyberattacks
The cyber risks facing the United Kingdom are being "widely underestimated," the country's new cyber chief will warn on Tuesday as he launches the National Cyber Security Centre's (NCSC) annual review. From a report: In his first major speech since joining the NCSC -- part of the signals and cyber intelligence agency GCHQ -- Richard Horne will drive a shift in tone in how the cybersecurity agency communicates these risks. Despite some evidence showing cyberattacks growing year-on-year for half a decade, the NCSC has not previously confirmed the trend nor expressed alarm about it. "What has struck me more forcefully than anything else since taking the helm at the NCSC is the clearly widening gap between the exposure and threat we face, and the defences that are in place to protect us," Horne will say, according to an advance preview of his speech on Tuesday. Citing the intelligence that NCSC has access to as an agency within GCHQ, Horne will warn that "hostile activity in UK cyberspace has increased in frequency, sophistication and intensity," adding that despite growing activity from Russian and Chinese threat actors, the agency believes British society as a whole is failing to appreciate the severity of the risk. The annual review reveals that the agency's incident management team handled a record number of cyber incidents over the past 12 months -- 430 compared to 371 last year -- 89 of which were considered nationally significant incidents.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- India's EV Paradox: Highest Subsidies, Lowest Uptake
India, the world's fifth-largest economy, is offering the heftiest electric vehicle subsidies globally -- yet has achieved just 2% market penetration so far. From a report: India's total EV subsidies amount to 40-50% of vehicle prices when accounting for GST (goods and services tax), road tax benefits, state subsidies and production-linked incentives. For larger vehicles like the Grand Vitara, the effective subsidy reaches 61%. This dwarfs incentives in other major markets. China's subsidies represent about 10% of EV prices, while South Korea and Germany offer around 16-20%. The US provides roughly 26% through various federal and state programs. Yet India's EV penetration significantly lags these markets. China has reached 24% penetration, South Korea 18%, Germany 20%, and the US 8%. India's 2% looks particularly stark in comparison.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- China Retaliates Over New US Chip Restrictions
China banned exports of minerals and metals used in semiconductor manufacturing and military applications to the United States on Tuesday, escalating tensions in the growing technology trade war between the world's two largest economies. The commerce ministry halted shipments of gallium, germanium, antimony and related compounds, citing national security concerns. These materials are crucial components in advanced electronics and military hardware, with China controlling 98% of global gallium production and 60% of germanium output, according to U.S. Geological Survey data. The move comes in direct response to Washington's new restrictions on semiconductor exports to China, including controls on high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI systems and limits on manufacturing equipment sales.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Australia Struggling With Oversupply of Solar Power
Mirnotoriety writes: Amid the growing warmth and increasingly volatile weather of an approaching summer, Australia passed a remarkable milestone this week. The number of homes and businesses with a solar installation clicked past 4 million -- barely 20 years since there was practically none anywhere in the country. It is a love affair that shows few signs of stopping. And it's a technology that is having ever greater effects, not just on the bills of its household users but on the very energy system itself. At no time of the year is that effect more obvious than spring, when solar output soars as the days grow longer and sunnier but demand remains subdued as mild temperatures mean people leave their air conditioners switched off. Such has been the extraordinary production of solar in Australia this spring, the entire state of South Australia has -- at various times -- met all of its electricity needs from the technology. [...] [T]here is, at times, too much solar power in Australia's electricity systems to handle.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Coinbase Expands Crypto Buying Reach With Apple Pay Integration
Major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has integrated Apple Pay into its Onramp service, enabling third-party apps to offer direct cryptocurrency purchases through Apple's payment system. The move significantly streamlines the traditionally complex process of converting traditional currencies to cryptocurrencies, eliminating multiple steps and extra fees previously required. It also marks a notable shift in Apple's historically cautious stance toward cryptocurrency, following years of restricting crypto-related features and removing major exchanges from its App Store in certain markets.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- India Takes Out Giant Nationwide Subscription To 13,000 Journals
India has struck a landmark $715 million deal with 30 global academic publishers to provide nationwide free access to nearly 13,000 research journals. The "One Nation One Subscription" initiative, launching January 2025, will benefit an estimated 18 million students and researchers. The agreement, which surpasses similar arrangements in Germany and the UK, marks a significant shift in India's academic publishing landscape, despite the country's position as the world's third-largest producer of research papers. Science magazine: India's is expected to encompass some 6300 government-funded institutions, which produce almost half the country's research papers. Currently, only about 2300 of these institutions have subscriptions to 8000 journals. Under the new arrangement, "universities that aren't so well funded, and can't afford many journals, will gain," said Aniket Sule of the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. Specialist institutes that only subscribe to journals relevant to their field will benefit from accessing work outside their silos, he added. Colleges that want to subscribe to journals not included under this initiative can use their own funds to do so. Some part of the $715 million will cover the fees some journals charge to publish papers open access, making them immediately free to read by anyone worldwide when published, Madalli told Science. Details of that component have not been worked out yet, but the amount will be calculated based on the country's current spending on these fees, known as article-processing charges (APCs), which are paid by authors or their institutions, Madalli says.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Mexican Cartels Lure Chemistry Students To Make Fentanyl
schwit1 writes: Recruiters approach students with tempting offers, often after observing them for weeks. Promising salaries of over $800 per month -- double the average pay for chemists in Mexican companies, along with potential bonuses like cars or housing -- recruiters capitalize on the financial struggles of young professionals. These "cooks" are tasked with improving fentanyl's addictive quality and finding alternative synthesis methods to mitigate supply chain disruptions caused by stricter chemical export controls from China and pandemic-induced bottlenecks. The Times interviewed seven drug "cooks," three university chemistry students recruited by the Sinaloa cartel, two agents, a recruiter, and a university professor -- all anonymously to avoid cartel retaliation. According to the recruiter, candidates must be passionate, discreet, and indifferent to the ethical consequences of their work. The university professor highlighted a disturbing trend: students openly expressed interest in synthesizing illicit drugs during lectures.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Nike-owned NFT Wearables Startup RTFKT is Winding Down
RTFKT, the NFT project most known for its attempt at making "digital shoes" a thing, is shutting down, according to a statement on Monday. From a report: The project, acquired by athletic wear juggernaut Nike in 2021 for an undisclosed sum, plans to fully unwind by the end of January, though its Ethereum-based tokens will remain accessible. Launched in 2020 amid the beginnings of the mania around NFTs and the metaverse, RTFKT quickly garnered a reputation as a fast-moving startup. It spun up "drops" with brands, including Nike, and collaborated with the likes of sneaker designer Jeff Staple and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Company Claims 1,000% Price Hike Drove It From VMware To Open Source Rival
An anonymous reader shares a report: Companies have been discussing migrating off of VMware since Broadcom's takeover a year ago led to higher costs and other controversial changes. Now we have an inside look at one of the larger customers that recently made the move. According to a report from The Register today, Beeks Group, a cloud operator headquartered in the United Kingdom, has moved most of its 20,000-plus virtual machines (VMs) off VMware and to OpenNebula, an open source cloud and edge computing platform. Beeks Group sells virtual private servers and bare metal servers to financial service providers. It still has some VMware VMs, but "the majority" of its machines are currently on OpenNebula, The Register reported. Beeks' head of production management, Matthew Cretney, said that one of the reasons for Beeks migration was a VMware bill for "10 times the sum it previously paid for software licenses," per The Register. According to Beeks, OpenNebula has enabled the company to dedicate more of its 3,000 bare metal server fleet to client loads instead of to VM management, as it had to with VMware. With OpenNebula purportedly requiring less management overhead, Beeks is reporting a 200 percent increase in VM efficiency since it now has more VMs on each server.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- The Casual Moviegoer is a Thing of the Past
U.S. movie theaters are struggling to attract casual moviegoers, who once made up a significant portion of box office revenues, as shorter theatrical runs and changing consumer habits reshape the industry. The domestic box office, which regularly exceeded $10 billion in annual ticket sales before COVID-19, is expected to reach only $8.5 billion this year. Films now average 32 days in theaters compared to 80 days pre-pandemic, limiting opportunities for audiences to discover movies spontaneously. Midtier films generating $50-100 million at the box office have become scarcer, particularly in genres like drama and romantic comedy. Theater chains are responding with enhanced experiences and loyalty programs to draw audiences back. "It's fair to say there is a missing billion dollars that, if we had the right movies, people would be going to see them," said Bruce Nash, founder of movie business site the Numbers, told LA Times. Frequent moviegoers comprise only 12-15% of box office revenue, according to Patrick Corcoran of theater consulting firm Fithian Group.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Getty Images CEO Says Content-Scraping AI Groups Use 'Pure Theft' For Profit
Getty Images CEO has criticized AI companies' stance on copyright, particularly pushing back against claims that all web content is fair use for AI training. The statement comes amid Getty's ongoing litigation against Stability AI for allegedly using millions of Getty-owned images without permission to train its Stable Diffusion model, launched in August 2022. Acknowledging AI's potential benefits in areas like healthcare and climate change, Getty's chief executive argued against the industry's "all-or-nothing" approach to copyright. He specifically challenged Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman's assertion that web content has been "freeware" since the 1990s. The Getty chief advocated for applying fair use principles case-by-case, distinguishing between AI models for scientific advancement and commercial content generation. He also drew parallels to music streaming's evolution from Napster to licensed platforms like Spotify, suggesting AI companies could develop similar permission-based models. He adds: As litigation slowly advances, AI companies advance an argument that there will be no AI absent the ability to freely scrape content for training, resulting in our inability to leverage the promise of AI to solve cancer, mitigate global climate change, and eradicate global hunger. Note that the companies investing in and building AI spend billions of dollars on talent, GPUs, and the required power to train and run these models -- but remarkably claim compensation for content owners is an unsurmountable challenge. My focus is to achieve a world where creativity is celebrated and rewarded AND a world that is without cancer, climate change, and global hunger. I want the cake and to eat it. I suspect most of us want the same.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- 'Brain Rot' Named Oxford Word of the Year 2024
Oxford University Press: Following a public vote in which more than 37,000 people had their say, we're pleased to announce that the Oxford Word of the Year for 2024 is 'brain rot.' Our language experts created a shortlist of six words to reflect the moods and conversations that have helped shape the past year. After two weeks of public voting and widespread conversation, our experts came together to consider the public's input, voting results, and our language data, before declaring 'brain rot' as the definitive Word of the Year for 2024. 'Brain rot' is defined as "the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration." Our experts noticed that 'brain rot' gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media. The term increased in usage frequency by 230% between 2023 and 2024.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- ChatGPT Refuses To Say One Specific Name
An anonymous reader shares a report: ChatGPT users have spotted an unusual glitch that prevents the AI chatbot from saying the name 'David Mayer.' OpenAI's hugely popular AI tool responds to requests to write the name with an error message, stating: "I'm unable to produce a response." The chat thread is then ended, with people forced to open a new chat window in order to keep interacting with ChatGPT.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Employee Lawsuit Accuses Apple of Spying on Its Workers
A new lawsuit filed by a current Apple employee accuses the company of spying on its workers via their personal iCloud accounts and non-work devices. From a report: The suit, filed Sunday evening in California state court, alleges Apple employees are required to give up the right to personal privacy, and that the company says it can "engage in physical, video and electronic surveillance of them" even when they are at home and after they stop working for Apple. Those requirements are part of a long list of Apple employment policies that the suit contends violate California law. The plaintiff in the case, Amar Bhakta, has worked in advertising technology for Apple since 2020. According to the suit, Apple used its privacy policies to harm his employment prospects. For instance, it forbade Bhakta from participating in public speaking about digital advertising and forced him to remove information from his LinkedIn page about his job at Apple.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
- Gelsinger departs Intel with $9.7M handshake
CEO's severance pales in comparison to Musk's billion-dollar Tesla battle
Outgoing Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger is set to receive severance pay of around $9.7 million following his departure from the chip giant.…
- $373M ASML chipmaker shrinks to $228 – but it's made of Lego
What to buy the techie who has everything?
If you thought $373 million was a little bit beyond your budget to get your hands on the latest chipmaking machines, ASML will let you have one for just $228 – provided you don't mind it being made of Lego.…
- Asda hits the brakes on tech tweaks to avoid festive fiasco
Stability essential ahead of Christmas trading amid ongoing Walmart divorce
The UK's third-largest retailer has accelerated plans for a system freeze during the busy Christmas period as it grapples with a long-running tech divorce from its previous owner.…
- GitHub's boast that Copilot produces high-quality code challenged
We're shocked – shocked – that Microsoft's study of its own tools might not be super-rigorous
GitHub's claim that the quality of programming code written with its Copilot AI model is "significantly more functional, readable, reliable, maintainable, and concise," has been challenged by software developer Dan Cîmpianu.…
- GenAI comes for jobs once considered 'safe' from automation
Specialty in cognitive non-routine tasks means high-skilled city workers affected
Jobs in geographical areas and scope once thought to be at low risk of automation are soon to be the most affected by generative AI, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).…
- NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory datacenter flooded, offline until 2025
Burst water pipe blots out the Sun – or at least the data about it collected from two probes
Servers that store data collected by two NASA solar observation satellites are down – and the space agency doesn't know when they'll resume operations – after a four-inch chilled water pipe burst at the facility that houses them.…
- Employee sues Apple over 'spying' claims tied to mandatory devices
Cupertino's walled garden 'is a prison yard' claims plaintiff
Suing your employer while remaining employed is a risky play, but one Apple ad tech manager is trying it – claiming that the iGiant is forcing staff to expose their personal data and threatening them with pay clawbacks over non-compliance.…
- Bluesky keeps growing, and so do its problems
Impersonators, harmful content and AI scraping are up, too
It's undoubtedly a good time to be upstart social media network Bluesky given its rapid growth in the wake of the US presidential election, but questions of moderation and compliance matters are growing along with the influx of humans seeking bluer pastures. …
- Apple's backwards design mistake and the reversed capacitor
It's true – the Mac LC III really did have it installed the wrong way round
Did Apple really fit a capacitor backward on the Mac LC III? A multimeter-wielding retro fan has confirmed that, yes – somebody made a mistake decades ago, and a capacitor ended up installed the wrong way.…
- Musk seeks injunction to stop OpenAI morphing into for-profit company
Politics, electric cars, rockets, and social media not enough to keep some individuals busy
Elon Musk has filed for an injunction against OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, broadly designed to prevent the GenAI poster child from shifting towards an entirely for-profit business.…
- Who had Pat Gelsinger retires from Intel on their bingo card?
80486 processor lead architect leaves x86 giant after largest quarterly loss in its history
Intel has confirmed the sudden departure of chief executive Pat Gelsinger, in a move intended to restore investor confidence in the ailing Silicon Valley giant following a year of turmoil.…
- Windows 11 market share falls despite Microsoft ad blitz
Only 10 months left until Windows 10 end of support and people still seem to prefer it
Despite Microsoft's push to get customers onto Windows 11, growth in the market share of the software giant's latest operating system has stalled, while Windows 10 has made modest gains, according to fresh figures from Statcounter.…
- Telco security is a dumpster fire and everyone's getting burned
The politics of cybersecurity are too important to be left to the politicians
Opinion Here's a front-page headline you won't see these days: CHINA'S SPIES ARE TAPPING OUR PHONES. Not that they're not – they are – but, like the environment, there's so much cybersecurity horror in the media that, yes, of course they are. And?…
- Interpol nabs thousands, seizes millions in global cybercrime-busting op
Also, script kiddies still a threat, Tornado Cash is back, UK firms lose billions to avoidable attacks, and more
Infosec in brief Interpol and its financial supporters in the South Korean government are back with another round of anti-cybercrime arrests via the fifth iteration of Operation HAECHI, this time nabbing more than 5,500 people suspected of scamming and seizing hundreds of millions in digital and fiat currencies. …
- NASA's X-59 plane is aiming for a sonic thump, not a boom
Pilot James 'Clue' Less is ready to take to the skies
Feature Sitting in the hangar of Lockheed Martin's famous Palmdale, California Skunk Works facility is one of the oddest aircraft ever to take shape: the X-59 that's looking to revive supersonic travel over land.…
- Both KDE and GNOME to offer official distros
Leading Linux desktops boldly address the 'not enough distros' non-problem
KDE and GNOME have decided that because they're not big and complicated enough already, they might work better if they have their own custom distributions underneath. What's the worst that could happen?…
- Cloudy with a chance of GPU bills: AI's energy appetite has CIOs sweating
Public cloud expenses have businesses scrambling for alternatives that won't melt the budget
Canalys Forums EMEA 2024 Organizations are being forced to rethink where they host workloads in response to ballooning AI demands combined with rising energy bills, and shoving them into the public cloud may not be the answer.…
- TSMC bets big on 2nm by 2025 – but can it deliver?
Ambition meets reality as geopolitical, technical, and logistical challenges loom
analysis Over the last couple of weeks, TSMC's ambitious roadmap for its 2nm manufacturing process has sparked significant attention. The chipmaker is set to begin the mass production of its 2nm process node in 2025.…
- Ransom gang claims attack on NHS Alder Hey Children's Hospital
Second alleged intrusion on English NHS org systems this week
Yet another of the UK's National Health Service (NHS) systems appears to be under attack, with a ransomware gang threatening to leak stolen data it says is from one of England's top children's hospitals.…
- Microsoft preps big guns to shift Copilot software and PCs
IT admins be warned: 13,000 tech suppliers coming for your employer's checkbook
Canalys Forums EMEA 2024 When Microsoft needs to make a market, it turns to the channel - a nebulous term used for resellers, distributors and an assortment of other independent third party suppliers that sell wares and services. And by goodness Microsoft needs more feet on the street than ever if it's going to appease investors desperate to see returns on the billions of dollars it's betting on Generative Artificial Intelligence.…
- Panasonic brings its founder back to life as an AI
Digital clone of Kōnosuke Matsushita to dispense management advice to new generation
Japanese multinational electronics mainstay Panasonic – founded in 1918 as Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works –has created an AI version of its long deceased founder, Kōnosuke Matsushita.…
- Xen 4.19 is released
Xen Project 4.19 has been officially out since July 31st, 2024, and it brings significant updates. With enhancements in performance, security, and versatility across various architectures like Arm, PPC, RISC-V, and x86, this release is an important milestone for the Xen community. Read more at XCP-ng Blog
The post Xen 4.19 is released appeared first on Linux.com.
- Advancing Xen on RISC-V: key updates
At Vates, we are heavily invested in the advancement of Xen and the RISC-V architecture. RISC-V, a rapidly emerging open-source hardware architecture, is gaining traction due to its flexibility, scalability and openness, which align perfectly with our ethos of fostering open development ecosystems. Although the upstream version of Xen for RISC-V is not yet fully [0]
The post Advancing Xen on RISC-V: key updates appeared first on Linux.com.
- AI Produces Data-driven OpenFOAM Speedup (HPC Wire)
Researchers from TU Darmstadt, TU Dresden, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and Intel have developed advanced applications that combine HPC simulations with AI techniques using the open-source computational fluid dynamics solver OpenFOAM and the HPE-led SmartSim AI/ML library. These applications show promise for improving the accuracy and capabilities of traditional scientific and engineering modelling with data-driven [0]
The post AI Produces Data-driven OpenFOAM Speedup (HPC Wire) appeared first on Linux.com.
- Intel Announces Arc B-Series "Battlemage" Discrete Graphics With Linux Support
Succeeding the Intel Arc Graphics discrete graphics cards that launched two years ago as the DG2/Alchemist series, the next-gen Battlemage graphics cards are being announced today. The embargo lifts today on the new Intel Arc B-Series graphics cards with initial availability next week. Like the prior generation Intel graphics and as discussed already in many Phoronix articles, Battlemage is still treated to fully open-source graphics driver support on Linux.
- Rustls Multi-Threaded Performance Is Battering OpenSSL
The Rustls project as a modern TLS library written in the Rust programming language and an alternative to the likes of the widely-used OpenSSL and Google's BoringSSL has published some new performance figures. When looking at the multi-threaded server performance of Rustls, its performance is typically outperforming BoringSSL by a significant margin and downright dominating over OpenSSL...
- NVK, RADV, & Other Mesa Drivers Ready With Launch Day Vulkan 1.4 Support
Years ago when new OpenGL spec releases would occur, it could take months or years for the open-source Mesa drivers to catch-up in supporting the latest versions... Thankfully in the Vulkan space it continues to prove to be a very different story. As we've seen with prior Vulkan specs, today's Vulkan 1.4 spec release is greeted by same-day Mesa patches...
- AMD Per-Core Energy Counter Support Slated For Linux 6.14
While the Linux 6.13 merge window just closed yesterday in landing all of the new features and functionality for that first kernel version of 2025, already for the Linux 6.14 kernel cycle to follow a feature was queued up early this morning in a TIP branch: AMD per-core energy counter support...
- Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger Retires
While Intel has been under much financial difficulties and as they pursue their build out of new fabs to better compete with TSMC, to much surprise Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired effective today...
- Llamafile 0.8.17 Brings New Web UI For This Easy-To-Distribute AI LLM Framework
Llamafile 0.8.17 debuted this weekend as the newest version of this Mozilla research project for making it easy to distribute and run AI large language models (LLMs) within a single file. As implied by its name, Llamafile leverages Llama.cpp along with other open-source software into one consistent framework for helping to make single-file LLM executables a reality...
- XWayland Lands Support For xdg-system-bell
Olivier Fourdan has merged support for using the xdg-system-bell protocol by XWayland for dealing with "system bell" functionality for Wayland compositors supporting this newer protocol for ringing the system bell or otherwise implementing a visual indicator that a system bell type event may have been triggered...
- Lutris 0.5.18 Linux Game Manager Brings Many Improvements
Lutris 0.5.18 is out today as the newest version of this open-source game manager for Linux systems to help with installing and playing a variety of games whether they be native Linux titles, emulated Windows games with the likes of Wine / Proton, or console emulated games and more. Lutris also continues integrating with the likes of Steam, GOG, Humble Bundle, and other online game services for providing a nice Linux gaming experience...
- Xfce 4.20 Pre2 Released For Testing
Following the Xfce 4.20 Pre1 release from one month ago, Xfce 4.20 Pre2 is ready for testing ahead of the planned desktop release in two weeks...
- Apple M4, More AMD Zen 5 Benchmarks & Linux Kernel Drama From November
November was filled with interesting Linux benchmarks ranging from the Apple M4 testing kicking off to ongoing AMD Zen 5 benchmarks both for desktops and servers, a lot of exciting upstream kernel activity (and some drama...), and more. Even with the end of year holidays around, there remains new and original content on Phoronix each and every day. During November there were 250 original news articles on Phoronix along with another 14 Linux hardware reviews / multi-page featured-length benchmark articles...
- NVIDIA9s New Linux Patches For GPU Direct RDMA For Device-Private Pages
NVIDIA engineer Yonatan Maman posted a set of "request for comments" patches this Sunday to implement GPU Direct RDMA "P2P DMA" for device private pages. This is the latest in the effort by multiple vendors to allow more efficient data sharing between GPUs/accelerators and other devices like network adapters...
- Clang AutoFDO + Propeller Optimization Support Merged For Linux 6.13
Last night when writing about the Clang AutoFDO and Propeller optimization patches sent in for Linux 6.13 I had wondered whether Linus Torvalds would go through with the pull request given some of his past commentary around aggressive compiler optimizations... But to much delight, this evening Linus Torvalds has merged the Kbuild pull request that introduces Clang-based AutoFDO and Propeller compiler optimization support for allowing greater kernel performance out of tailored (profiled) workloads...
- Resources System Monitoring App For GNOME Now Displays NPU Usage
As an alternative to the GNOME System Monitor application for system monitoring, Resources has been in development as a currently unofficial, GNOME-aligned resource/hardware monitoring application written in the Rust programming language. Resources v1.7 was released on Friday and now has the ability to monitor NPU usage and other enhancements...
- Linux 6.13 Hits A "Tipping Point" With More Rust Drivers Expected Soon
In addition to the USB updates and big staging flush merged yesterday for the Linux 6.13 kernel merge window, the "char/misc" pull was also honored for that catch-all of various kernel changes. With the char/misc pull there are some notable additions for those wanting to write kernel drivers within the Rust programming language...
- Rust Hypervisor Firmware v0.5 Supports For More CPUs & Improves EFI Support
The Rust Hypervisor Firmware is a project out of the Cloud Hypervisor umbrella for developing open-source, Rust-based firmware that can be launched from any environment able to load ELF binaries and run them via the PVH booting standard. Rust Hypervisor Firmware v0.5 is out this weekend with the newest capabilities...
- AMD BIOS Tuning Guide Impact For Boosting AI/ML Performance On EPYC 9005 Series
Following the release last month of the EPYC 9005 series processors, AMD published a BIOS and Workload Tuning Guide of straight-forward settings recommendations for those running new EPYC Turin servers to optimize the performance of different workloads like databases and Java to HPC and AI/ML software. Recently I started running some benchmarks to look at the impact of AMD9s recommended BIOS tuning and beginning this comparison by looking at the performance (and power) impact across a range of AI / machine learning workloads on a 5th Gen AMD EPYC server.
- Apple Music Replay is here to highlight your impeccable (or terrible) taste
Apple Music users have had access to the Replay feature throughout 2024, but now Apple has wrapped up all of your stats in a bow with its annual recap of your entire year in streaming. This time, you’ll be able to view the full Replay experience in the Apple Music app via the home, new and search tabs. You9ll need to be on iOS 18.1 or later to see it there. In previous years, you had to go to a microsite to get the Replay lowdown, though that’s still an option on the web.
As always, you can save a playlist of your most-played songs in 2024, though that and your stats will be finalized in January. Also, if you missed them or want a point of comparison, you can still access your Replays from previous years (something Spotify doesn9t offer with Wrapped).
Along with the usual details about your top artists, songs, albums, genres and playlists — as well as the total number of minutes you’ve listened to Apple Music — there are some new features this year. You’ll now see if you’re in an artist’s top 500 or 1,000 listeners, expanding beyond the top 100 limit from previous years. You can check out the longest streak of consecutive days you’ve streamed from Apple Music. There’s the option to view your top song, artist and album by month. You’ll also see the first date that you listened to your top artist, song and album of the year.
Artists, meanwhile, have access to their own version of Replay for the first time. Via the dashboard, they can see the total number of minutes that subscribers have listened to their music, total listeners, top cities and most-shazamed song.
The most-listened to song on Apple Music overall this year was Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” the hook-laden diss track that utterly ethered Drake. Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” meanwhile, was the most identified song on Shazam.
For what it9s worth, I9ve had 55,265 minutes of Apple Music listening time so far this year. To my complete lack of surprise, Chappell Roan is my top artist and "Pink Pony Club" is my most-listened-to song. My other top three artists are Charlotte Cardin (who you should check out since she9s fantastic) and Queens of the Stone Age, which I9m completely happy with because I have impeccable music taste. I won9t mention who9s in fourth place or the fact her Eras Tour wraps up this weekend.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/apple-music-replay-is-here-to-highlight-your-impeccable-or-terrible-taste-161402068.html?src=rss
- PlayStation Cyber Monday deals still available include $75 off PS5 Slim consoles
Remember when it wasnearly impossible to get your hands on a PS5? Those days are over now, which is only a good thing for gamers and those looking to get the console for the first time. Cyber Monday may be over, but discounts on the PS5 are still around. You can still get the PS5 Slim for $75 off atAmazon,Walmart,Target,Sony and other retailers. You can get thedigital edition for $374, or thedisc-based model for $424. While we wouldn’t call this a budget console, these deals make it just a bit more affordable and an ideal time to see whatall the PS5 fuss is about if you don’t have one yet.
Despite the moniker, there’s nothing slim about the specs. This is a regular PS5, with the same horsepower as the original unit. However, the PS5 Slim is 30 percent smaller and around 25 percent lighter. When it comes to tech, smaller is typically a good thing.
Both versions ship with a DualSense controller and a 1TB SSD. These consoles also come with Astro’s Playroom pre-installed, which is the is a whopping $700, whereas these PS5 Slim consoles are just over half that. And we'd be remiss if we didn't also mention the sale happening on DualSense Wireless Controllers that work with PS5 consoles; you can pick them up starting at just $54 a piece at Amazon and Sony.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/playstation-cyber-monday-deals-still-available-include-75-off-ps5-slim-consoles-080645807.html?src=rss
- The 7 best white elephant gifts for 2024
There's a good chance you've heard of a white elephant gift exchange before, even if you have yet to participate or even know where the tradition originated. According to legend, the King of Siam would give a white elephant to courtiers who had upset them rather than having them executed. But this was a far more devious punishment. The recipient had no choice but to accept the opulent gift with gratitude, even though they knew they could not afford the upkeep for such an animal. Inevitably, this would lead them to financial ruin.
This story is almost certainly untrue, but it has led to a modern holiday staple: the white elephant gift exchange. Picking the right white elephant gift means toeing a fine line: the goal isn't simply to buy something terrible and make someone take it home. Rather, it should be just useful or amusing enough that it won’t immediately get tossed into the trash. So here are a few suggestions that will not only get you a few chuckles, but will also make the recipient feel (slightly) burdened.
White elephant FAQs What is white elephant?
A white elephant gift exchange is a party game typically played around the holidays in which people exchange funny, impractical gifts.
How does white elephant work?
A group of people each bring one wrapped gift to the white elephant gift exchange, and each gift is typically of a similar value. All gifts are then placed together and the group decides the order in which they will each claim a gift. The first person picks a white elephant gift from the pile, unwraps it and their turn ends. The following players can either decide to unwrap another gift and claim it as their own, or steal a gift from someone who has already taken a turn. The rules can vary from there, including the guidelines around how often a single item can be stolen — some say twice, max. The game ends when every person has a white elephant gift.
Why is it called white elephant?
The term “white elephant” is said to come from the legend of the King of Siam gifting white elephants to courtiers who upset him. While it seems like a lavish gift on its face, the belief is that the courtiers would be ruined by the animal’s upkeep costs.
Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-7-best-white-elephant-gifts-for-2024-150516584.html?src=rss
- China has banned certain metal exports in retaliation to the US chip restrictions
As of today, Chinese gallium, germanium and antimony are no longer being exported to the US. Germanium and gallium exports had already ceased in October, and antimony exports have dropped by 97 percent since September. This official declaration comes a day after the US announced it would further tighten technological exports to China, particularly referring to computer chips.
This ban includes materials that have “potential military applications,” as per Reuters.
The Chinese export ban primarily concerns what the government calls “dual-use items,” which are objects both the military and civilians can use. Due to this ban, graphite exports to the US from China must also undergo stricter reviews. However, they aren’t outright banned from exporting yet.
Gallium and germanium are used to make semiconductors, and the latter can also be found in fiber optic cables and solar cells. As for antimony, you may find it in shotgun shells, nuclear weapons, night vision goggles and some batteries.
These export bans are significant because China has been outputting 48 percent of globally mined antimony, 59.2 percent of refined germanium and 98.8 percent of refined gallium production. The US must now scramble to locate new deposits containing these materials, as the ban has already affected prices. Antimony trioxide has been 228 percent more expensive since the beginning of this year.
China has been finding ways to be technologically independent since the US banned exports to the Central Nation. The result of such efforts include HarmonyOS, Huawei’s chips being used in AI development and the Beidou Navigation Satellite System.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/china-has-banned-certain-metal-exports-in-retaliation-to-the-us-chip-restrictions-144005531.html?src=rss
- Kai Cenat takes back his Twitch subscriber record during month-long livestream
The Twitch subscriber crown is back in Kai Cenat's hands, with the creator ending his month-long subathon at almost 727,700 subscribers, VTuber Ironmouse set in September, who had, in turn, overtaken Cenat's number one spot — a competition I am suddenly very invested in.
Cenat not only streamed every day during "Mafiathon 2" in November, but did so 24 hours a day. He was joined by a cast of characters that feels like the lead up to a bad joke: What do Snoop Dogg, Bill Nye the science guy and Kevin Hart all have in common? They were guests on Cenat's livestream — I warned you it would be bad. But, seriously, he managed to stream for 30 days thanks to these guests and takeovers from his team that allowed him to sleep or go to the bathroom without a camera joining.
Twitch subscribers pay $5 for ad-free viewing and exclusives and, even with Twitch taking a serious cut, Cenat likely made upwards of $3 million. He stated that 20 percent of his proceeds will go towards a school he's building in Nigeria. Cenat currently holds 15.4 million followers on Twitch and 6.79 million followers on YouTube. We'll have to wait and see whether Ironmouse tries to reclaim the crown.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/kai-cenat-takes-back-his-twitch-subscriber-record-during-month-long-livestream-143006215.html?src=rss
- Intel unveils its budget Battlemage Arc GPUs with XeSS2 AI features
Intel9s second-generation Xe2 Arc GPUs are real, and once again, they could be compelling options for gamers looking for capable video cards under $250. Confirming leaks from the past week, Intel today unveiled the $249 Arc B580 and the slightly less capable $219 B570, both of which target 1,440p gaming. They feature the company9s new XeSS2 AI capabilities (which are also coming to the older Arc cards), including Super Resolution upscaling (like the original XeSS), frame generation and low latency modes. The goal, according to Intel, is to deliver more performance per dollar compared to NVIDIA9s $299 RTX 4060 and AMD9s Radeon 7600.
It9s a noble pitch, but one that9s also a repeat of what Intel attempted with its previous Arc GPUs. We liked those cards well enough, and the company was diligent about rolling out driver updates, yet that hasn9t stopped its overall GPU market share from falling to zero percent. I9d wager many gamers didn9t want to take a chance on Intel9s hardware and software when NVIDIA and AMD9s offerings were battle tested and just a bit more expensive.
Intel
The power bump from the Xe2 cards might change the situation for Intel, though. The company claims the B580 is on average 24 percent faster than its previous A750 Limited Edition GPU in 1,440p with ultra graphics settings, and it also has a 10 percent lead on NVIDIA9s RTX 4060. (Intel9s benchmarks show the B580 performing 43 percent faster than the RTX 4060 in Cyberpunk 2077, but at the same time it9s nearly 20 percent slower while playing RoboCop: Rogue City.)
Intel
Spec-wise, Intel9s new GPUs should keep up with the demands of 1,440p-focused gamers. The B580 features 20 Xe cores, 20 ray tracing units, 12GB of VRAM and a 2,670 MHz clock speed. The B570 comes in with a bit less all around: 18 Xe cores, 10GB of RAM and a 2,500MHz clock speed. I9d wager most people would be better off spending the extra $30 for a bit more future proofing, but 1080p gamers might not see the need for much extra power.
In a briefing with media, Intel Fellow Tom Petersen explained that the company learned a lot from its previous GPUs (which also marked the first time Intel seriously worked on discrete graphics since 2010). "With XE2, we have a new hardware platform, and that allows us to deliver higher utilization, improved work distribution, and less software overhead," he said. "So at the end of the day, it9s all about getting software efficiency up so that we can deliver the benefits of the hardware we9re building."
Intel
At the very least, Intel9s new XeSS AI features are competitive with NVIDIA9s DLSS3. The B580 GPU can double the performance of Diablo IV when using XeSS, according to Intel, and the new frame generation feature should be able to push your fps count even higher. Just like NVIDIA9s tech, it9s not just upscaling graphics from a lower resolution, it9s also interpolating entirely new frames. The company9s XeSS2 low latency, or XeLL, also improves responsiveness by 45 percent. Intel claims the B580 trounces the RTX 4060 in AI LLM performance, achieving around 20 more tokens per second in Llama 2 and Llama 3.1 workloads.
While it would be interesting to see if Intel can ever scale its Arc GPUs beyond the mid-range (the previous Arc 770 was a solid RTX 3070 Ti competitor), I9m honestly more intrigued by how the company is innovating in the low-end. Thanks to the rising complexity of high-end GPUs, the idea of cheap and capable video cards has practically disappeared over the last decade. Intel could win over a loyal fanbase of budget gamers if it actually sticks with its GPU efforts.
Intel
If you9re intrigued by these new GPUs, you won9t have to wait long to get your hands on them. Arc B580 cards will be available on December 13 for $249, while Arc B570 models will arrive next month on January 16 for $219. Intel will be making its own Limited Edition version of the Arc B580 (above), but it9s leaving the B570 cards up to its partners, including Acer, ASRock and Sparkle.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/intel-unveils-its-budget-battlemage-arc-gpus-with-xess2-ai-features-140027123.html?src=rss
- Jaguar unveils polarizing concept EV as part of its rebrand
Automaker Jaguar hasn't been getting much attention in recent years, but boy has that changed in the last few days! Last week, the company announced that it had chucked out its roaring cat design in favor of a Bauhaus-esque minimalist logo that was met by the public with a fair degree of shock. Now, the company has unveiled the Type 00 concept car (that's a photo, not an illustration) that's vastly different from anything it currently has in production, to say the least.
What's most noticeable is the length, especially in the nose, and low roofline. From some angles, the new vehicle looks like a computer render that didn't quite finish, especially the blocky front and rear ends. Other design features are highly futuristic/whimsical like brass bars running down the middle and sides, an oval steering wheel, fold-away interior screens, butterfly doors and a travertine stone "plinth" separating the passenger and driver compartments.
Jaguar
All of this is part of Jaguar's new "copy nothing" ideology, designed to break away from current models. "When Jaguar's at its best, it threw away the car design rule book and created the E-Type and the XJS. These were objects of desire," said Jaguar's chief creative officer at Miami Art Week.
Jaguar
Jaguar (which has been owned by India's Tata Motors since 2008) projects that a production version will have up to 430 miles of range and fast-charging that will add 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes. Other specs like acceleration and top speed haven't been revealed, and production models will probably lack some of the exuberance of the concepts.
Jaguar
The changes have been met with derision from some critics, but Jaguar said the company aims to be disruptive. "We've certainly gathered an awaful lot of attention over the last few weeks," managing directer Rawdon Glover told Sky News. "We need to make sure that Jaguar is relevant, is desirable, is future proof for the next 90 years of its history."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/jaguar-unveils-polarizing-concept-ev-as-part-of-its-rebrand-133026168.html?src=rss
- The best Cyber Monday deals you can still shop from Apple, Amazon, Walmart, Target and others
Cyber Monday is officially over, but as it has been for the past few years, it’s not totally done and gone. There remain a number of Cyber Monday deals you can still get right now, and that’s been a pattern we’ve seen persist over the past few years. Extended Cyber Monday sales tend to last for a couple of days after the main event. If you didn’t get the chance to shop yet, Engadget can help by sifting through the noise (and swath of decidedly bad deals) and highlight the best Cyber Monday tech deals you can still get today.
The best Cyber Monday tech deals still available
best smartwatch you can get thanks to its slightly thinner and lighter design, wide-angle OLED panel for better viewing angles, watchOS 11 features and slightly improved battery life. We gave it a score of 90 in our Apple Watch Series 10 review.
Bluetooth trackers to get if you have an iPhone, and they allow you to keep track of your keys, wallet and other belongings from within the Find My app. Just make sure to pick up anAirTag holder or case if you plan on using them with your keys.
microSD card in the budget bracket. Its mediocre write speeds make it less-than-ideal in a camera, but it should yield few complaints for most people just looking to add space to a Nintendo Switch or Android tablet on the cheap. Also available at Samsung.
latest version of DJI's smartphone gimbal includes improved tracking and a new Quick Launch feature for iPhones that automatically launches the companion app in camera view so you can get to filming. Also available at B&H Photo.
review for its speedy 4K gaming, minimal load times and excellent DualSense controller. Also available at Walmart, Target and Amazon.
Sony.
Chris Velazco/Engadget
best budget wireless earbuds you can get right now thanks to their comfortable design, pocket-friendly case, automatic wear detection, multi-device connectivity and, of course, built-in Alexa voice controls.
Bose.
review score of 88 earlier this year, and we currently recommend it as a great mainstream ultraportable in our laptop buying guide. The caveat is that it runs on an ARM processor, which performs well but may not work with every app or peripheral you use. If you can live with that, though, the bright 120Hz display, upscale aluminum design and long battery life all impress.
open-world game done right. Its world doesn’t kowtow to the player at every turn, and its delightful contraption-building mechanics provide a similar sense of freedom in solving puzzles.
Samsung and B&H.
Max Cyber Monday deal gives you access to the Ads tier for $3 per month for the first six months, coming out to a total of only $18 for that time period. New and returning Max subscribers can take advantage of this.
upper tier: In addition to giving access the full Audible Plus library, it lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month. We wouldn't call it essential, but if you've been on the fence, this is a good way to see if it'd work for you. Just note that the plan will auto-renew until you cancel.
best VPN for travelers provides access to tons of servers and had some of the fastest connections of any VPN service we tested. In addition to a VPN, this subscription tier gives you access to an ad blocker and password manager.
Amazon
best smart speaker for $100 or less at the moment thanks to its loud audio with good bass quality, the ability to pair two together for stereo sound and Alexa’s utility.
best cordless vacuum you can get right now thanks to its excellent suction power, relatively light weight and good battery life. This model comes with a Fluffy Optic cleaning head that illuminates the ground in front of you so you can see where the most debris lies, and the pack-up includes three additional cleaning head attachments.
Android tablet sports an 11-inch 90Hz display, a microSD card slot for extra storage and a hefty battery. Also available at Samsung.
Solo Stove Bonfire Backyard Bundle for $400 ($180 off): Solo Stove Cyber Monday deals include up to 30 percent off fit pit bundles that give you all of the necessary accessories to make the most out of your new fire pit.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-deals-you-can-still-shop-from-apple-amazon-walmart-target-and-others-173752166.html?src=rss
- The best VR accessories for 2024
Virtual reality has come a long, long way since the days of Nintendo’s doomed Virtual Boy. The Meta Quest 3S just came out, Sony continues to offer support for the PS VR2 and there are a number of PC-connected VR headsets from HP, HTC, Vive and others. If you or someone you love has just dove head-first into the virtual world by buying one of these devices, the right accessories can make the experience even better than they thought it could be. But like any growing industry, there’s a growing number of virtual reality accessories out there and figuring out which are actually worth buying can be confusing. That’s where we come in: here are the best VR accessories for folks tired of boring-old actual reality.
We tried to keep these picks as universal as possible, to suit the various VR ecosystems out there. However, some of the best VR accessories only work on certain platforms and we’ll note this stuff as we go. We also stayed away from experimental and expensive add-ons, like treadmills and force feedback clothing, to keep you from bankruptcy.
Best VR controller accessories
Best VR headset upgrades
Best VR fitness accessories
Best VR cables, chargers and batteries
FAQs What equipment do you need for VR?
What you need depends on the VR headset you buy. Some devices, like the Meta Quest 3, are entirely standalone, which means you don't need anything but the headset itself to use it. Other VR headsets need to be connected to a system from which it can draw power and run software. Some systems, like the HP Reverb G2, must connect to a PC, while others like the PS VR2 can connect to gaming consoles like the PS5. Most VR headsets come with the basic controllers you'll need to control actions and movement in virtual worlds.
What's the difference between PC VR, Smartphone VR and Gaming Console VR?
The main difference between those three VR systems is the main machine that allows the VR headset to run. PC VR headsets require a PC, like a gaming laptop or desktop, to run, while smartphone and gaming console VR systems require smartphones and gaming consoles, respectively, to work.
Do all VR headsets need a phone?
No, not all VR headsets need a phone to work. Many VR headsets have build in displays that sit in front of your eyes and basically act as your window into the virtual world.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/best-vr-accessories-150021126.html?src=rss
- Meta says AI-generated content was less than 1 precent of election misinformation
AI-generated content played a much smaller role in global election misinformation than what many officials and researchers had feared, according to a new analysis from Meta. In an update on its efforts to safeguard dozens of elections in 2024, the company said that AI content made up only a fraction of election-related misinformation that was caught and labeled by its fact checkers.
“During the election period in the major elections listed above, ratings on AI content related to elections, politics and social topics represented less than 1% of all fact-checked misinformation,” the company shared in a blog post, referring to elections in the US, UK, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, France, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil, as well as the EU’s Parliamentary elections.
The update comes after numerous government officials and researchers for months raised the alarm about the role generative AI could play in supercharging election misinformation in a year when more than 2 billion people were expected to go to the polls. But those fears largely did not play out — at least on Meta’s platforms — according to the company’s President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg.
“People were understandably concerned about the potential impact that generative AI would have on the forthcoming elections during the course of this year, and there were all sorts of warnings about the potential risks of things like widespread deepfakes and AI-enabled disinformation campaigns,” Clegg said during a briefing with reporters. “From what we9ve monitored across our services, it seems these risks did not materialize in a significant way, and that any such impact was modest and limited in scope.”
Meta didn’t elaborate on just how much election-related AI content its fact checkers caught in the run-up to major elections. The company sees billions of pieces of content every day, so even small percentages can add up to a large number of posts. Clegg did, however, credit Meta’s policies, including its expansion of AI labeling earlier this year, following criticism from the Oversight Board. He noted that Meta’s own AI image generator blocked 590,000 requests to create images of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, JD Vance and Tim Walz in the month leading up to election day in the US.
At the same time, Meta has increasingly taken steps to distance itself from politics altogether, as well as some past efforts to police misinformation. The company changed users’ default settings on Instagram and Threads to stop recommending political content, and has de-prioritized news on Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg has said he regrets the way the company handled some of its misinformation policies during the pandemic.
Looking ahead, Clegg said Meta is still trying to strike the right balance between enforcing its rules and enabling free expression. “We know that when enforcing our policies, our error rates are still too high, which gets in the way of free expression,” he said.” I think we also now want to really redouble our efforts to improve the precision and accuracy with which we act.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-says-ai-generated-content-was-less-than-1-precent-of-election-misinformation-130042422.html?src=rss
- Peacock Cyber Monday streaming deal: Last chance to get a one-year subscription for only $20
Streaming deals are hard to come by nowadays, especially after all of the price hikes that have happened in recent months. But Cyber Monday tends to be the time of the year when streaming deals could pop up the most. This year is no different, and one of the best streaming deals we found is on one year of Peacock. You can snag it for only $20, which represents a 75 percent discount. But the offer ends December 2, so you have just a few more hours to sign up if you haven't already.
Peacock doesn’t have the name recognition of Netflix or Hulu, but it’s still home to plenty of good shows and movies. There’s a reason, after all, that the platform made our list of the best streaming services.
Peacock isn’t just home to the aforementioned Love Island and other reality shows about love not set on islands. The streamer also airs some top-notch content like the AI-centric Mrs. Davis and the surprisingly-decent video game adaptation Twisted Metal. A Peacock subscription also allows access to SyFy shows like the underrated The Ark. Other worthwhile programs include Hysteria!, We Are Lady Parts and Killing It.
There are a few little caveats. First, this subscription is the one with ads. Also, the offer is only available to new subscribers who are not currently paying for Peacock Premium or Premium Plus. Finally, it’s only available directly from Peacock, and not from third-party billers like Apple or Amazon.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/peacock-cyber-monday-streaming-deal-last-chance-to-get-a-one-year-subscription-for-only-20-080004595.html?src=rss
- The best Cyber Monday kitchen deals will save you up to 41 percent on Ninja, Breville, KitchenAid, Fellow and more
best Cyber Monday kitchen deals on the cooking gadgets and tools we recommend.
The best Cyber Monday kitchen deals for 2024
Whether for buying guides, reviews or our own use, we’ve tried plenty of gadgets that make home cooking simpler and more enjoyable. We also recently put together a cooking gift guide full of our favorite stuff. Our picks include low and high tech devices for kitchens both indoor and outdoor and right now, lots of those harder-to-categorize recommendations are currently on sale for Cyber Monday and listed here.
Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget
our official review, Engadget’s Billy Steele praises the longer battery life and extended range of this updated smart thermometer from the Trager-owned company. It also packs increased heat resistance and is more durable overall. Also direct from Meater.
two years now. The design allows you to steam and even bake foods in the zapper box while also acting as excellent food storage containers.
The best Cyber Monday deals on coffee and tea gearPhoto by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Like most workplaces, Engadget runs on coffee — or at least the people responsible for it do. Many of us put our collective caffeinated experiences together to come up with agift guide for coffee lovers. Of course, some of us are partial to tea, so we put aguide to tea gifts together as well. Right now for Cyber Monday, many of the picks from both lists are on sale.
coffee gift guide, this quality machine has two things going for it for the home barista: It’s not gigantic and not crazy expensive (compared to the $1,000-plus options out there). The controls are simple enough for newbies, but the results are cafe-quality. Also atWilliams Sonoma and direct fromBreville.
Amazon.
excellent for tea.
Millennial crockpot.” She uses this one a few times a week to make unfussy meals that keep her alive. The Nano model is a slightly smaller and less expensive version of the top pick in our buyer’s guide. Also direct from Anova for $99.
The best Cyber Monday deals on air fryers and Instant PotsInstant Brands
Air fryers make microwaves jealous. Food that would otherwise come out hot yet soggy comes out hot and crisp and doesn’t take that much more time. Another kitchen MVP is the ever popular Instant Pot, which can cook everything from soups to rice, beans and more. Here are the best Cyber Monday deals on the air fryers and Instant Pots we recommend.
top recommendation in our guide to air fryers and happens to be the model I bought for myself after reading our guide. It preheats quickly and keeps cooking odors to a minimum with replaceable filters (it even tells you when it’s time to replace). Plus clean-up is easy and the window is handy for making sure the nachos don't burn. Also at Walmart.
Best Buy.
non-Pro version of the Breville air fryer we recommend. It has a slightly smaller capacity (0.8 cubic feet instead of one cubic foot). But still has most of the same features including 11 of the 13 cooking functions.
buyer's guide to kitchen tech and it has five favorite buttons and extra wattage for a faster preheat. Best Buy has the eight-quart model on sale for $120.
kitchen tech guides and will bring plenty of extra muscle for a low price.
impressed us with its extraction abilities. Plus it’s relatively easy to clean (as long as you do it right after you juice). It takes up a good amount of space, but can extract an impressive amount of juice from even the driest-seeming carrot.
kitchen gadgets for its ability to make even the toughest ingredients smooth and creamy. Also atBest Buy and direct fromVitamix.
Amazon and Williams Sonoma.
Target and directly fromNinja.
kitchen tech guide. Its ton of available attachments can be used to make pasta, grind food, strain or spiralize fruits and veggies and more. This is no unitasker. Also at Target and direct from KitchenAid.
Target.
Expired Cyber Monday kitchen deals
Stanley IceFlow tumbler with straw for $23 ($18 off): Our resident grill master, Billy Steele recommends having a reliable source of frosty beverage at the ready when you grill. This is the one he picked for our grilling gear buyer’s guide.
Ninja AF150AMZ Air Fryer for $90 ($70 off): This gets an honorable mention in our air fryer guide. Though the round cooking basket doesn’t feel as roomy as square ones, the taller and thinner design might make the most of limited countertop space. Plus it has a dehydrate option for making your own dried fruit.
Ooni Karu 16 outdoor pizza oven for $520 ($130 off): The Karu 16 is our favorite multi-fuel outdoor pizza oven but it’s not cheap, so it’s best to get it when it’s on sale. It has a large capacity that can handle full size pizzas — and even cast iron cookware — using wood, charcoal or propane fuel. Plus the bottom-mounted digital thermometer helps you keep tabs on your cooking.
Ninja Creami ice cream maker for $160 ($40 off): One of our favorite kitchen gadgets, this ice cream maker is super easy to use and makes an infinite amount of frozen treats; you're really only limited by your imagination. This is an Amazon exclusive model that comes with just one pint. The model with two pint jars is on sale too, but it’s $40 more, making it cheaper to buy extra containers separately. The two-pint model is also direct from Ninja.
Cosori Electric Gooseneck Kettle for $50 ($20 off, see price in cart): This is a return to a discount we've seen multiple times this year, and it's about $14 more than the all-time low. But this kettle has earned its spot on one of our editors’ tiny countertops. It has different built-in temperature settings for different types of drinks and an elegant gooseneck pour. Also at Amazon.
Anova Culinary Sous Vide 3.0 for $99 ($100 off): This is the best overall sous vide machine, according to testing for our buyer’s guide and this price beats the one from July. We like the easy digital controls and the high flow rate that maintains water temperature better. Also the companion app is stuffed with recipes. It's $120 at Best Buy and directly from Anova.
Ninja DZ401 Foodi 10-quart air fryer for $130 ($100 off): What if you want to air fry two different foods at once? Go for our recommendation for a dual-zone air fryer. It’s best for larger kitchens and big meals and takes up a commensurate amount of space. It went as low as $150 for Cyber Monday last year.
Mannkitchen Pepper Cannon for $160 ($40 off with Prime): Our own Sam Rutherford admitted that $200 is a ridiculous price for a pepper mill (and this $160 Cyber Monday price is not much saner). But in his writeup, he details how the Pepper Cannon has become one of his favorite kitchen tools in such a way that makes me strongly consider it, ridiculous or not.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-kitchen-deals-will-save-you-up-to-41-percent-on-ninja-breville-kitchenaid-fellow-and-more-184142267.html?src=rss
- The best Cyber Monday Apple deals on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks and AirTags we could find
If you’ve been waiting for the right time to buy a new iPad, AirPods or Mac, Cyber Monday is your chance. Starting about a week before Black Friday, we began seeing all-time lows and first-time discounts on nearly everything Apple released this year and nearly all of them are still live.
While it’s tough to find direct, non-carrier deals on iPhones, the rest of Apple’s lineup is on sale from retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart and more. (Apple’s own website currently has a gift card promotion, but no discounts.) We’ve rounded up the best Cyber Monday Apple deals you can still get in the final hours of the sale, along with links to our reviews so you can hear our advice before you buy.
The best Cyber Monday Apple AirPods deals
Apple has four models of AirPods right now: The AirPods Pro 2, the over-ear AirPods Max and two AirPods 4, one with active noise cancellation and one without. Apple has been doing a lotof interesting things with their headphones lately, making this a good time get a pair.
introduced new colors. While the overall design and build is a bit old at this point, they still deliver balanced sound in a premium package.
alongside the iPhone 16 back in September. There are two versions of the AirPods 4, this is the standard version without active noise cancellation. Both have a redesigned shape for a better fit and offer an open ear design (as opposed to the closed-ear shape of the Pro model). We gave them an 88 in our review. Also at Target.
Target.
The best Cyber Monday Apple Watch deals
If you take steps or do a workout and you’re not wearing a smartwatch, does it really count? Of course, the Apple Watch is more than a fitness tracker, it’s also a shortcut to your iPhone notifications, a handy Siri portal and an always-on weather forecaster. Plus it tells time. While they’re not cheap, these Apple Cyber Monday deals should help.
we've seen yet on an Apple Watch Series 10. It is our top pick for the best smartwatch you can buy and has a slightly thinner and lighter design, a wide-angle OLED panel for better viewing angles, plus all of the watchOS 11 features that Apple recently released. Also at Walmart.
budget smartwatch hasn’t had an update since 2022. There were rumblings that we’d see an update with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 10 but that didn’t happen. But if you just need a reliable wrist companion for your iPhone and an accurate fitness and workout tracker, this will serve. This is a brand new all-time low. Also available at Amazon.
Apple Watch recommendation for adventurers and athletes thanks to its specialized features like a depth meter, SOS siren, and dual frequency GPS for more accurate route tracking.
The best Cyber Monday Apple iPad deals Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
The line between Apple’s tablets and laptops is a little blurry at this point, especially with the release of the iPad Pro this year, which (at the time) housed the company’s most powerful chip. The iPad Air is our current pick for the best iPad you can buy and we were delighted by the iPad mini that came out just last month. The only problem is iPads are among the more expensive tablets you can buy. Hopefully these Cyber Monday iPad deals help out.
discontinued this model with the release of the new iPad Pro and Air models earlier this year. In what's likely an effort to get rid of current stock, the price is down to a new record low. The 9th generation iPad is the former budget pick in our guide to thebest Apple tablets and will serve well as a casual browsing, streaming and game playing machine.
M4 system-on-a-chip. We gave it an 84 in our review calling it an engineering marvel and the best screen our reviewer had ever seen. It’s also our pick for the best iPad for power users. The only problem is it’s very expensive, but this sale helps a little. Also at Amazon.
in our buying guide and it earned a high score of 91 in our review. It strikes the best balance between performance, price and features of all slabs in the lineup. It has an M2 chip which is really overkill for casual browsing and gaming, but will ensure that your tablet is compatible with the latest Apple Intelligence tricks and demanding games. Also at Amazon.
The best Cyber Monday Mac and MacBook deals Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
Apple held a quiet Mac Week at the tail end of October in which it announced the new desktop M4 Mac mini, the all-in-one M4 iMac and the M4 MacBook Pro laptop. The 2024 M3 MacBook Air from back in March is still the model we recommend for most people.
all-time low a couple days ago, but that deal appears to have expired. Right now a $130 discount is the best we're seeing. This is our top pick for the best laptop for most people, and this model has 16GB of RAM built in — double the previous base amount so it can tackle the demands of the burgeoning Apple Intelligence.
all-time low. Also at Amazon.
already on sale. It has the latest Apple silicon, the M4 system on a chip that gives it a speed boost and enables the new Apple Intelligence features in macOS Sequoia. Also at B&H Photo for $100 off.
faster than ever M4 chip. Not much else changed, but that’s not a bad thing as the Pros are excellent machines that we recommend to pro users. They have enough power to handle even the most demanding video, audio and any other productivity tasks you can throw at it.
The best Apple Cyber Monday deals on Apple accessories Apple
Bluetooth trackers we recommend if you have an iPhone. They allow you to keep track of your keys, wallet and other belongings using the Find My app and nearly every other nearby iPhone. Note that you’ll need an AirTag holder or case to use them with your keys and a new generation is rumored for next year. The record low for the four pack is $70. Also at Walmart andTarget.
need a roadmap to help you figure out which stylus is compatible with which iPad. The Pro is the newest Apple Pencil and it’ll work with the newest iPad Air and Pro models and adds haptic feedback, squeeze and barrel roll movements to the mix of features. The all-time low was $90, but this is still a decent deal. Also at Amazon.
released late last year and effectively serves as Apple's "budget" stylus. It works with the widest range of Apple tablets, though not all of them so check before you buy. This is about $4 more than the all-time low. Also at Amazon.
announcement of a few new Macs — the new Pro and Air tablet came out in May along with the other iPads. In his review, Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham called it a “necessary update to the best small tablet on the market.” Also at Target and Adorama.
Apple Mac mini (2024, M4) for $529 ($70 off): This is Apple’s $599 example of good things, small packages. It's down to $529, which is about $30 more than it went for last week with a coupon, but if that deal doesn't come back, this is still a decent discount on a brand new Mac. The five-inch by five-inch box can tackle some serious workloads and remains the most affordable entry point to accessing Apple’s latest silicon. We gave it a solid score of 90 in our review, praising the incredibly fast M4 chip and useful ports.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) for $154 ($95 off): This is a new low price for what we call the best earbuds iPhone users can get. Recently, Apple’s tiny white gizmos got even better with the addition of hearing aid features. They have a remarkably natural-sounding transparency mode, solid active noise cancellation and make a great go-between for Siri’s assistance. Also at 'Walmart.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-apple-deals-on-airpods-ipads-macbooks-and-airtags-we-could-find-180105121.html?src=rss
- Cyber Monday gaming deals for 2024: The best sales for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PC
While many of Cyber Monday's better deals are leftovers from Black Friday, it's still a good time to restock on video games and gaming gear on the cheap. If you’re looking to pad out your backlog, pick up a new console or refresh your desktop with new peripherals, we’ve rounded up a bunch of Cyber Monday gaming deals that aren't total junk below.
We’ve dug through reviews and used price history trackers to ensure each offer below is a genuine deal. As of this writing, the selection still includes a ton of popular Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox and PC games for their lowest prices to date, $75 off PS5 consoles and several discounts on accessories we’ve tested and recommended.
V-Bucks; if it runs out of stock, the standalone console is available for the same price. Walmart and Best Buy, meanwhile, have separate bundles that pair the machine with the recent RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard or one of EA’s sports games for $450. Also available at Best Buy, Target, GameStop and PlayStation Direct, among others.
console alone is $75 off as well. It’s a good price either way, though it’s difficult to get too excited given that the Digital Edition once sold for $400 before this “slim” revision launched with a $50 price hike. Also at Target, Amazon, Best Buy and PlayStation Direct, among others.
newer all-white model without a disc drive. Whether any Xbox is a must-have is another question, as Microsoft has put less and less emphasis on exclusives. You also need to be sure you can live without physical media in this case. But if you’re sold on Xbox Game Pass or just have friends who use the platform, the Series X is still a nice piece of kit. Also at Walmart and Target for $400.
technical demands of some new games, and the 512GB of storage in this model can run out fast. That said, it still has value for casual players or Game Pass subscribers who don’t care about high frame rates and just want a cheap way to play the latest stuff. This $50 drop isn’t an all-time low, but it makes the console a bit more palatable. Just remember there’s no disc drive. Also at Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon and Target.
hardware is excellent, but Sony's software support has been weak. Like the Meta Quest, you can use the headset on PC with an optional adapter, but some reviewers have said that getting that to actually work can be a hassle. So, we’re mostly noting this deal for posterity. But if you do have cash to burn and want to dive into games like Gran Turismo 7, Tetris Effect or the Horizon spin-off bundled here, this deal matches the lowest price we’ve seen. If the bundle goes out of stock, the standalone headset is on sale for the same price. Also at Best Buy, Walmart, Target, GameStop and PlayStation Direct, among others.
The ASUS ROG Ally X.Photo by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
best gaming handhelds. It’s better-equipped to handle recent AAA fare than the Steam Deck, and its 120Hz VRR display does wonders to keep those games looking smooth. Windows itself remains something of a UI tire fire on handheld devices, but it does give you the flexibility to play games from any PC client. This $100 drop isn’t massive but nevertheless ties the handheld’s all-time low.
some legwork to get the most out of it. If you’re willing to tinker, though, it can run many games up to the PlayStation 2 and GameCube range fairly comfortably, which is rare at this price. Its responsive buttons and bright 4.7-inch display are nice, too, though you might want to grab Retroid’s grip add-on to make it a little more comfortable. Retroid recently launched the bigger and slightly more powerful Pocket 5 — which we’re currently testing — but this is a strong value for about $70 less. This discount is a new low. A few lower-power Retroid handhelds are on sale as well.
The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro.Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Best Buy, Walmart, Target, PlayStation Direct and others.
Amazon, Best Buy, Target and others for $40, with other colorways available for $45 or $50. Just remember that each one requires a pair of AA batteries or a separate pack for power.
sizable price hikes, but it’s still required if you want to play PS5 games online or use cloud saves. This year’s holiday deal is geared more toward upgrading than saving on your current plan, annoyingly, but those just signing up can grab an annual membership for 30 percent off. That brings the standard “Essential” tier down to $64. If you’ve been thinking of stepping up from the base service to the higher “Extra” or “Premium” tiers, you can take 25 or 30 percent off the usual cost of that upgrade. You can check Sony’s overview page for a refresher on what perks are included with each tier.
in her review. The game was briefly available for $43 at Amazon, but this is the best price we've seen otherwise. Also at PlayStation, Best Buy, Target and others.
Ordina). It is unafraid to test your resolve and make its quest matter, yet it grants you the freedom to simply walk in a different direction and find new paths forward. It’s great, and this deal brings it down to the best price we’ve tracked. Also at Amazon and Walmart, though stock has been spotty. If you want to double up with the game’s PlayStation and Xbox for $2 more.
favorable review earlier this year, and it’s one of the year’s highest-rated games overall. You need to have played its predecessor — and, ideally, the original PS1 game — to really get where it’s going, but it’s absolutely stuffed with things to do (for better and worse), and its combat system is still a rush. This is a new low for the PS5 exclusive. Also at Best Buy, or PlayStation for $2 more.
Amazon, Target and Best Buy, or at PlayStation for $2 more.
remains a joy, and none of it is overly self-serious. This discount is another new low. If Walmart’s listing goes out of stock, Target, Best Buy and PlayStation have it on sale for $40, which is the second-best price we’ve seen.
best way to jump in. This deal is a new low, and it comes as part of a wider suite of discounts on first-party PS5 games, including Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop and others.
highest-rated RPGs, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is unusually opaque and unforgiving for a major-studio release, but it owns that. If you can deal with some jank and hate the glut of self-serious hand-holdy “adventures” that’ve come out in recent years, it should be worth the occasional frustration. Don’t bother if you didn’t like the first one, though. This the biggest discount to date for the PS5 and Xbox versions. Also at Amazon, or at Xbox for $2 more.
open-world game done right. Its world doesn’t kowtow to the player at every turn, and its delightful contraption-building mechanics provide a similar sense of freedom in solving puzzles. This discount is a new low, though as of this writing it only applies to a digital copy.
favorite couch co-op games. This discount ties the lowest price we’ve seen for the Companion Collection, which bundles both games for the Switch, and it comes as part of a wider range of digital game deals at Nintendo’s online store.
Epic.
it’s not mindless: Its many boss fights are genuine duels, and it’s deeply flexible in how it lets you tweak your death machine to tackle stages in different ways. This price is another new low. Also at GameStop.
his review. This discount is the largest we’ve seen for the PS5 and Xbox editions, and it ties the all-time low for the Switch copy. Also at Amazon and GameStop.
technical disaster, but years of patches have ultimately left it in a healthy place, one that lets it more easily lean on its surprisingly pointed narrative and dirty-techno-future art style. This is a new low for the game’s Ultimate Edition, which includes last year’s well-regarded Phantom Liberty expansion.
Steam.
the Xbox’s true gems, a gorgeous and unusually soulful 2D adventure/visual novel that examines the nature of truth itself. This deal for the Xbox version represents an all-time low. Several other digital Xbox games are on sale as part of Microsoft’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale.
Xbox and PlayStation.
those characters are big goofy bears. This is the lowest price yet for the PS5 and Xbox versions of the game. Also at Walmart, Target and others.
pretty badly use a creative reset, but it’s ultimately still Madden, so there’s fun to be had if you’re in the football mood and feel like denying Patrick Mahomes a championship in at least one realm of existence. This is the best price to date for this year’s latest installment. Also at Walmart, or at PlayStation, Xbox and Steam for $5 more.
Ultimate Team mode still blends grinding with gambling to mind-numbing effect — but we realize that many people just want to mess around as their favorite footy team. This is a new low for the PS5, PS4 and Xbox editions. Also at Walmart, or at PlayStation, Xbox and Steam for $5 more. The Switch version is down to $30, too, though it won’t run as well.
acknowledge that this is $1 off the best-ever price for the physical PS5 and Xbox copies of the latest WWE game, which should scratch the itch for most people looking to do some fantasy booking and digital powerbombing. Just don’t be surprised if you run into a few bugs every now and then; this is a 2K game, after all. Also at Walmart, Target and Best Buy, for $23 at Xbox, and for $20 at Steam. The last-gen versions are on sale for a few bucks less as well.
Target, Best Buy and Amazon. Nintendo has the Switch edition for $3 less, though that version is generally slower and more watered-down than the others.
fully increase the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a proprietary expansion card. Only two of those currently exist, but the C50 is one, and this discount drops the 1TB model to a new low. It’s normally sold for about $40 more in recent months. Is this still expensive compared to a normal SSD with the same capacity? You bet. But any extra savings should be welcome. A 512GB model is a couple bucks above its all-time low at $67 as well. Also at B&H and Best Buy.
other reviews suggest that it still performs well for what it is. This is a new low for the 1TB model. The 2TB version is down to its best price yet at $140 as well. Also at B&H.
little more natural. This matches the lowest price we’ve tracked for the second-gen model. Both the USB-C and Lightning versions are discounted. Note that the PlayStation-branded version officially supports Sony’s Remote Play app on both Android and iOS, while the standard model only supports it with the latter. Also at Backbone, Walmart and Best Buy.
raved about this wireless gamepad for Switch and PC in the past. It’s on the small side, but it’s comfortable, and its durable Hall effect joysticks should avoid the “drift” sensation that plagues many modern controllers. This discount isn’t the absolute lowest price we’ve seen, but it’s a solid $12 off the device’s typical street price. If you don’t need Bluetooth support, a version that only connects over a USB dongle and uses Xbox-style face buttons (instead of Switch-style ones) is on sale for $40.
best gaming headset. It’s one of the few wireless pairs with an open-back design, which helps it create a wider, airier and more natural sound than most of its competition. It’s exceptionally comfortable on top of that, though it lets in and leaks noise fairly easily, so you should only buy it if you normally play in a quiet environment. This deal marks the headset’s all-time low. Also at Best Buy.
B&H.
Target and Best Buy.
best mechanical keyboards, pairing an upscale (if heavy) aluminum case with a lovely typing experience and extensive customizability. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the tenkeyless model, but other size layouts are similarly discounted. Also at Amazon for $6 more, but only for Prime members.
Keychron.
more customizable version with RGB lighting is also on sale for $33.
The Keychron C3 Pro.Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
gaming mouse buying guide for those who don’t mind using a cable and prefer a more ergonomic right-handed shape. We’ve seen this discount several times before, but it matches the device’s all-time low. Note that Razer released an revised version with an improved sensor a few months ago, but that one costs $40 more, and it’s not a massive upgrade in practice. Also at Target, Best Buy and others.
gaming mouse buying guide. It has 12 customizable side buttons, which make it easier to pull off strings of actions in complex titles like Final Fantasy XIV or World of Warcraft. This is best price we’ve seen outside of a brief dip to $80 back in June. Also at Best Buy.
best gaming laptops. We gave it a score of 91 in our review this past April, praising its aluminum and (relatively) understated chassis, beautiful 120Hz OLED display and sufficient port selection. It can get toasty under load, and we wish the RAM was user-upgradeable, but this config can handle more demanding fare at high settings and the screen’s native 2.8K resolution without much trouble. It comes with a Ryzen 9 8945HS chip, 32GB of memory, a 1TB SSD and an RTX 4070 GPU. You may not want to completely max out certain games, but you can still get over 60 fps much of the time. In general, you’d buy this because it gets that level of power from a design that’s more portable and elegant than most gaming machines. Outside of one drop to $1,600 back in July, this ties the best price we’ve seen.
Another model with a 1080p panel, a Core i7-13650HX chip and a RTX 4060 GPU is on sale for a low of $1,100, but you’ll have to turn down game settings more frequently to get decent frame rates with that one.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14.Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
best gaming monitors. It’s a premium OLED panel with a sharp 4K resolution and a fast 240Hz refresh rate, though it can jump to a super-smooth 480Hz if you drop to 1080p (and own a PC that can handle that). That’s great if you spend a decent chunk of time in esports-style games like Counter-Strike 2. Being an OLED monitor gives it excellent contrast with deep black tones, though it’s not quite as vivid as the handful of QD-OLED monitors that use quantum dots to boost colors. Still, it’s well worth a look if you have cash to burn and know you’ll use the dual refresh rate modes. This deal is a new low. A similar model with a white finish is also on sale for $50 more.
Best Buy.
MSI briefly had it for less than $800 last week, but this is still a decent chunk off its usual street price.
reviewers we trust say it can get brighter than rival monitors with similar specs, plus it supports the popular Dolby Vision HDR format. It's certainly not cheap, but this discount still represents a new low. Also at Amazon and Best Buy.
Cyber Monday gaming deals that are no longer available
trouble keeping up with the most graphically demanding titles, and the design has always been rather chunky. This deal matches the lowest price to date for the version with an LCD display and 512GB of storage. The OLED model (not on sale) is better across the board, but this is a fantastic value if you can't pay the extra $200. The discount comes as part of Steam's Autumn Sale, which includes many of the game deals we highlight below.
best VR headsets: Its older Fresnel lenses certainly aren’t class-leading, but they’re good enough for those new to VR, and the whole thing is just as fast and comfortable as the pricier Quest 3. Most importantly, it can play the same wide array of apps and games. Amazon previously had a similar offer, but that appears to be out of stock.
drift issues, the Joy-Cons are far from Nintendo’s finest product. Still, they’re the Switch’s default controllers. If you need to restock, this is about as cheap as they’ve been in recent years.
lower-spec model is on sale for $1,700, though that one will run into issues sooner with more demanding games.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-gaming-deals-for-2024-the-best-sales-for-playstation-5-nintendo-switch-xbox-and-pc-180738558.html?src=rss
- The best Cyber Monday speaker deals for 2024: Big savings on JBL, Sonos, Echo, Marshall and more
Bluetooth speakers bring your music anywhere. Soundbars help you rely less on subtitles. Then there are smart speakers, which build your grocery list, tell you the weather or play that ‘90s song that’s been stuck in your head for a week (no diggity…).
Now that Cyber Monday deals on speakers we could find from brands like JBL, Sonos, Ultimate Ears, Marshall and others.
The best Bluetooth speaker Cyber Monday dealsJBL
Portable Bluetooth speakers make it easy for you to bring the music where plugs don’t reach — a picnic, the front stoop, an aimless wander along the Pacific Crest Trail. And right now for Cyber Monday, we’re seeing plenty of Bluetooth speaker Cyber Monday deals. Below is the best of what’s on sale, all pulled from our Bluetooth speaker guide as well as our reviews and news coverage.
The best JBL speaker Cyber Monday deals
Amazon and Walmart.
JBL.
JBL and Best Buy. The previous generation, the JBL Go 3 is down to $30.
The best Marshall Cyber Monday deals
Best Buy and directly from Marshall.
Best Buy and directly from Marshall.
favorite gadgets from last year. Engadget’s Sarah Fielding thinks it’s perfect, saying, “The sound quality is great and it stays connected to my phone regardless of where I go in my little house (the range is 30 feet). Plus, the battery is great, with a playtime of over 15 hours.”
holiday wishlist. The six-pound speaker needs to be plugged in and isn't waterproof, so it's intended to play indoors. But this is a good one to get if you want a retro-looking box for your living room that can emit Marshall's signature warm and balanced sound. Also at Amazon.
The best Bose Cyber Monday deals
promises premium sound from the SoundLink Home. We haven't had the chance to test it ourselves just yet, but if the sleek good looks are calling to you, this discount might be a good time to invest. Just note that it’s not waterproof as the “Home” moniker suggests.
announced the release of the SoundLink Home, the company also introduced this revamped Flex. The first generation is one of the picks from our Bluetooth speaker guide. This newer generation works with the Bose app and has a new programmable button. Also at Bose and Best Buy. The first generation model is on sale for the same price.
announced in May. Also at Amazon and Target.
just a couple months ago and is already on sale. It’s a smaller model that supports Dolby Atmos and has an AI Dialogue Mode as well as a Personal Surround feature if you happen to own a pair of the Ultra Open Earbuds. Bose says the AI smarts make voices easier to hear while retaining the audio’s immersive qualities. Also at Amazon.
The best Ultimate Ears speaker Cyber Monday deals
announced back in June. Wereviewed it shortly after and deemed it worthy of inclusion in our guide. Not only does it float, it puts out loud, 360 degree audio and packs 20 hours of listening in a unit that’s just over two pounds. Also at Best Buy.
came out at the same time as the Everboom. It supplanted the Wonderboom as the smallest speaker in UE’s lineup and even sports a built-in, flexible strap to attach to just about anything. It’s IP67 rated to be dust- and waterproof and can crank out 85 decibels of volume — impressive for something so small. Also atAmazon andB&H Photo.
Ultimate Ears for $1 more.
Other Cyber Monday Bluetooth speaker dealsBilly Steele for Engadget
guide and an 83 in ourreview. It offers much improved sound quality with impressive bass and full mids. You also get a long, 24-hour battery life and lossless audio over USB-C. Also atWalmart.
folding them into the new ULT Power Series branding. This 1.4-pound unit has a 12-hour battery life and IP67 rating. This matches the all-time low. It's two dollars more at Best Buy and direct from Sony.
Soundcore.
Tribit with an auto-coupon.
holiday gifts under $100. It delivers impressive bass for its size, has an IP67 rating, making it dust- and waterproof, and goes for 16 hours on a charge.
The best Cyber Monday smart speaker dealsNathan Ingraham / Engadget
The first thing to decide before you buy a smart speaker is who you prefer to do your smart home-related bidding: Do you want Alexa’s wry yet efficient manner, Google’s info-packed know-how, or Siri’s dreamy presence? Then check out these Cyber Monday deals so you can get that smart home help at a discount.
The Best Sonos smart speaker Cyber Monday deals
music lovers — but it's pricey and rarely goes on sale. This is a return to the lowest price we've seen. This is simply one of the best sounding speakers out there. To be clear, it’s only smart insofar as it can play music from your favorite streaming services using Wi-Fi and offers smartphone app connectivity — it doesn’t have Alexa or the Google Assistant built in. But you can use an Echo or Nest speaker to control playback with your voice.
best midrange smart speaker. We like the excellent sound quality plus it pairs well with other Sonos devices. It has Alexa built-in, so it can handle regular smart home duties, but it’ll also make your music sound far better than any spherical Echo can.
we've tracked before on one of Sonos's larger speakers. It went all-in on spatial audio, but as we found in our review, those results are hit or miss. However, the speaker itself delivers excellent sound quality, is easy to set up and has a line-in option as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Also at Adorama.
Sonos.
Sonos.
The best Amazon Echo smart speaker Cyber Monday deals
wall mount if you want to save some counter space.
brought it back in July. The half-moon screen can display the time, weather and the song that’s playing.
Other Cyber Monday smart speaker deals
HomePod for $20 off and Apple itself is offering a $25 Apple gift card when you buy from its storefront.
back in January at CES 2024. It takes its cue from the Frame TV that disguises itself as art. This wireless speaker has room for your own (physical) photo within its frame, along with two woofers, two tweeters and two mid-range drivers to spit out sound from your favorite streaming services. Also at Best Buy and directly from Samsung for $2 more.
we found in our review, it's far more exciting as a home hub than a tablet.
according to our review, and it’ll put the best of the Google Assistant’s assistance at your service. Also atGoogle.
Cyber Monday soundbar dealsDevindra Hardawar for Engadget
For our guide to the best soundbars, our audio expert Billy Steele picked six winners out of the dozens of home theater speakers he and other Engadget staffers have tested over the years. This is a great chance to improve upon the audio from your (probably thin) TV.
Amazon.
Amazon andAdorama.
in our review. It's a more affordable model that's more practical for smaller spaces than the Sonos Sub (which isn't on sale).
89 in our review.
Expired Cyber Monday speaker deals
JBL Xtreme 4 for $300 ($80 off): The latest generation of our recommended JBL Xtreme adds around nine hours of battery life and a replaceable battery. It’s also made from more recycled content and throws in some AI-powered tuning. Also at Target. The previous generation model is $250.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-speaker-deals-for-2024-big-savings-on-jbl-sonos-echo-marshall-and-more-182824313.html?src=rss
- Shark's excellent AI Ultra robot vacuum is half off for Cyber Monday
Robot vacuums can be great helpers around the home, but they’re often quite expensive. Thankfully, Cyber Monday deals on these machines have come in clutch, knocking hundreds of dollars off the sticker prices of some of the most high-end machines we’ve tested. A version of one of our top picks, thisShark AI Ultra robot vacuum, is half off and down to $300. That’s just about a record-low price, and this model comes with a self-emptying base so you rarely have to interact with it if you don’t want to.
As mentioned, the Shark AI Ultra is one of Engadget’s favorite robovacs; in fact, it’s the model our reviewer thinks most people should buy. The AI Ultra offers reliable cleaning performance, accurate in-home mapping and an app that makes it easy to get the most out of your new vacuum.
Another consideration is the AI Ultra comes with a base station that features a bagless design. In our view, that’s one of the primary reasons to buy Shark’s robovac over competing models. While some of the AI Ultra’s rivals will cost you less upfront, over the lifetime of one of those devices you may end up spending more due to their potential reliance on proprietary garbage bags.
The AI Ultra is also great if you value a vacuum that’s quiet. In our testing, Shark’s model produced significantly less noise than some of the other robovacs Engadget tested. It also did a commendable job of avoiding cat toys and other obstacles, with an object detection feature that allows the robovac to detect things as small as four inches. As long as you don’t need a built-in mop, the Shark AI Ultra is a great purchase, especially at $300 off.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sharks-excellent-ai-ultra-robot-vacuum-is-half-off-for-cyber-monday-120022214.html?src=rss
- Max Cyber Monday streaming deal ends tonight: Get six months of access for only $18
If you've been looking for a good time to join — or return to — the Max streaming service, today'sCyber Monday deal is your perfect opportunity.Max is offering new and returning subscribers six months of access to its ad-supported tier for only $18. That comes out to $3 per month, which is a 70-percent discount from the service’s standard monthly price. That makes it an excellent time to finally catch up or binge-watch The Last of Us or House of the Dragon.
The deal is only available in the US and will automatically renew during the six months — and beyond. If you don’t want to pay $10 monthly after the discount period, just remember to cancel before the renewal date. But don't delay, because today — Monday, December 2 — is the final day this deal is available.
Max’s lineup has series and films like The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, Euphoria, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Penguin, Dune: Part Two, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Barbie. In addition, you get full series from HBO’s legendary archives, like The Sopranos, The Wire, Sex and The City, Game Of Thrones and Six Feet Under. It also includes current and old content from Warner Bros., A24, Adult Swim, ID and the DC Universe.
Again, today is your final opportunity for this deal, so head over to Max and log in or sign up.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/max-cyber-monday-streaming-deal-ends-tonight-get-six-months-of-access-for-only-18-165721378.html?src=rss
- The best Cyber Monday laptop deals for 2024: Save on notebooks from Apple, Microsoft, Lenovo and more
It’s Cyber Monday, which means it’s a decent time to be on the hunt for a new notebook. To help you avoid wasting cash, we’ve researched reviews, checked price histories and rounded up a few Cyber Monday laptop deals that are genuinely decent.
To be candid, most of the better discounts available today are the same ones we saw on Black Friday. In fact, a few are slightly worse. But that still means several notebooks we recommended in our various buying guides are cheaper than usual. The latest MacBook Air is $200 off, for instance, while Microsoft's latest Surface Laptop has received a $300 cut. Our favorite Chromebook and gaming laptop are each discounted as well.
Before you dive in, just keep in mind that many of the deals below are for pre-configured models from third-party retailers. If you want to spec out your notebook more precisely, it's still worth buying directly from the manufacturer.
The Apple MacBook Air (2024).Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
best laptop you can buy. It ticks nearly all the boxes for those who prefer macOS, from its premium design and comfy keyboard to its lengthy battery life and capable performance for everyday use. We gave it a score of 90 in our review. A recent Amazon had it available for around $850 during Black Friday, but this is its lowest price otherwise. If you want more storage, the 512GB variant is also within $50 of its all-time low at $1,099.
Best Buy for $1,299.
most of the things we love about the newer M3 model at a lower price. The main sacrifices are a slightly lesser chip, technically slower storage in the base model and no ability to connect to two external monitors. This deal is for the entry-level variant, which includes an M2 chip, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Again, it's $50 more than the all-time low we saw during Black Friday but still $200 less than buying from Apple directly. Also at Best Buy.
The Apple MacBook Pro (2024).Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
gave it a 92 in our review earlier this month. Just keep in mind that there’s no USB-A port and, as with all Apple laptops, effectively no way to upgrade the device after purchase. This is the largest discount yet for the configuration with Apple’s M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. A version with 1TB of storage is $50 above its all-time low at $2,149 as well.
B&H.
review score of 88 earlier this year, and we currently recommend it as a great mainstream ultraportable in our laptop buying guide. The caveat is that it runs on an ARM processor, which performs well but may not work with every app or peripheral you use. If you can live with that, though, the bright 120Hz display, upscale aluminum design and long battery life all impress. This configuration includes a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It was technically available for $800 at Micro Center last week, but only with in-store pick up. Otherwise, this matches the best price we’ve seen. If you prefer a bigger screen, a 15-inch version with a quicker Snapdragon X Elite chip and a 256GB SSD is down to a low of $1,053. Also at Best Buy.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7.Sam Rutherford for Engadget
score of 87 in our review earlier this year. Its performance wasn’t quite top-of-the-line in benchmark testing, but it was still fast enough to handle the kind of web browsing, media editing and even light gaming that most people do with a notebook. The design is reasonably thin (0.6 inches), light (2.4 pounds) and highly durable, with a healthy array of ports (HDMI 2.1 included) and the kind of bouncy, responsive keyboard we’ve come to love from the ThinkPad line. The matte display virtually eliminates glare as well, though the 1080p webcam is just OK, and the side-mounted power button is somewhat awkward to press. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the config with Intel's Core Ultra 5 135U chip, 16GB of (non-upgradeable) RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 14-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display. Just enter the coupon code X1G12TDDEAL at checkout. Other configs are similarly discounted, including a more powerful model with a Core Ultra 7 155U chip and 32GB of RAM for $1,391. Use the code HOLIDAYTHINKDB for that one.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12.Sherri L. Smith for Engadget
best gaming laptops. We gave it a score of 91 in our review this past April, praising its aluminum and (relatively) understated chassis, beautiful 120Hz OLED display and sufficient port selection. It can get toasty under load, and we wish the RAM was user-upgradeable, but this config can handle more demanding fare at high settings and the screen’s native 2.8K resolution without much trouble. It comes with a Ryzen 9 8945HS chip, 32GB of memory, a 1TB SSD and an RTX 4070 GPU. You may not want to completely max out certain games, but you can still get over 60 fps much of the time. In general, you’d buy this because it gets that level of power from a design that’s more portable and elegant than most gaming machines. Outside of one drop to $1,600 back in July, this ties the best price we’ve seen.
The Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus.Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
Another model with a 1080p panel, a Core i7-13650HX chip and a RTX 4060 GPU is on sale for a low of $1,100, but you’ll have to turn down game settings more frequently to get decent frame rates with that one.
still overkill for most people, but its class-leading OLED display, remarkably slim frame and powerful M4 chip make it a tremendous tablet. It can work as a laptop replacement for certain creative types, but you’ll have to live with iPadOS’ continued shortcomings in multitasking, file management and other computer-y tasks. If you’re thinking of making the switch — or if you’ve just got money to burn and want a more portable companion to your current laptop — this matches the lowest price we’ve seen for the latest 11-inch model. Just clip the $50 on-page coupon. If you’re willing to pay for a roomier display, the 13-inch iPad Pro is also on sale for a low of $1,099.
Cyber Monday laptop deals that are no longer available
lower-spec model is on sale for a new low of $1,700, though that one will run into issues sooner with more demanding games.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-laptop-deals-for-2024-save-on-notebooks-from-apple-microsoft-lenovo-and-more-195505288.html?src=rss
- Cyber Monday Apple deals discount the AirPods Pro 2 to an all-time-low price
Cyber Monday deals are looking after anyone who wantsdiscounted Apple products. That includes theAirPods Pro 2, which have dropped to $154 — a record-low price. At the moment, you can also get theAirPods 4 starting at $119. These are some of the most sought after wireless earbuds during this time of year precisely because the sales are so good. But there's no guarantee the discounts will last past tonight, so if you've had your eye on a new pair of earbuds, now's the time to grab them.
While we periodically see AirPods dip in price throughout the year, the best time to buy is during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period. However, that also means they can be some of the first tech items to sell out, so if you’ve had your eye on a new pair or want to gift one this holiday season, we recommend buying them now.
AirPods Pro 2 are the best wireless earbuds that Apple makes with excellent sound quality and ANC, plus good battery life. They have all of the conveniences you’d expect from a pair of Apple earbuds, like quick paring and switching between Apple devices and hands-free Siri. And with a recent software update, the AirPods Pro 2 can double as hearing aids for those who take Apple’s hearing test and the results show mild to moderate hearing loss.
Whereas the AirPods Pro 2 have looked and felt mostly the same since their initial launch, the AirPods 4 received a big overhaul this year. They now come in ANC and non-ANC styles, and they have a slightly revised open-wear design. The H2 chipset inside gives them the same Apple conveniences as the AirPods Pro 2, but note that neither model supports MagSafe charging via wireless chargers. But these buds have improved sound quality and a better fit than the AirPods that came before them, and they’re noticeably more affordable than the Pro 2.
If you prefer over-ear headphones, your only option in the Apple ecosystem (aside from Beats) is the AirPods Max. You can grab them for $400 right now. We always recommend waiting for a sale to buy these cans since they start off much more expensive than all of our other top picks for the best wireless headphones. They also sport the H2 chipset inside, plus good sound quality and ANC, reliable touch controls and a solid battery life.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-apple-deals-discount-the-airpods-pro-2-to-an-all-time-low-price-165732840.html?src=rss
- Anker Cyber Monday deals: Save big on some of our favorite power banks, wireless chargers and other accessories
Thanks to the deals we see during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period, you can usually stock up on tech gear you need for yourself without going over budget while also picking up all of the holiday gifts you need. When it comes to mobile accessories, particularly charging gear, Anker makes a lot of our favorites. Whether you’re looking for a new power bank to take with you on your next trip or a wireless charger to put on your nightstand, Anker probably has one that will fit your requirements. We’ve collected all of the best Anker Cyber Monday deals below that are still available in the final hours of the sale.
power bank is one of the best you can get. The built-in USB-C connector makes it so you do not have to remember to bring a cable with you, and it fits neatly under your phone while it powers it up. Also available at Anker.
best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don't need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices. Also available at Anker.
best power banks you can buy today thanks to its versatile capacity, speedy Qi2 charging capabilities, clear screen that shows remaining battery power and its built-in kickstand. The black model has the steepest discount, while the other colors are down to $60. Also available at Anker.
Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods all at once. It also comes with a 40W USB-C charger and connecting cable, so you get everything you need to use it in the box. Also available at Anker.
best budget earbuds, as it delivers the kind of robust feature set we expect from pairs that cost three times as much. Call quality isn't the best, and it won't auto-pause when you take out an earbud, but its warm sound, powerful ANC, eight-ish hours of battery life and comfy design all impress for the money. This deal ties the lowest price we've seen. Also available at Anker with coupon.
More Anker Cyber Monday deals
Anker USB-A to USB-C cable (2 Pack, 10FT) for $12 (30 percent off)
Anker 20W USB-C charger with USB-C cable (2 pack; 2 chargers and 2 cables) for $12 (44 percent off)
Anker Nano 100W USB-C Charger, USB-C cable included for $33 (40 percent off)
Anker 525 7-in-1 USB C Power Strip Charging Station for $36 ($24 off)
Anker Soundcore 2 portable Bluetooth speaker for $38 ($6 off)
Anker 727 GaNPrime 100W charging station for $48 ($52 off)
Anker Prime 100W GaN USB-C wall charger (2x USB-C ports, 1x USB-A port) for $55 ($32 off)
Anker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station, Qi2 Certified 15W for $56 ($44 off)
Anker GaNPrime 10K 2-in-1 power bank for $59 (41 percent off)
Anker 25,600mAh 87W portable power bank, bundled with 65W USB-C wall charger and USB-C cable for $86 ($57 off)
Anker 15W 3-in-1 MagSafe wireless charging stand, bundled with 30W wall charger and USB-C cable for $104 (20 percent off)
Anker
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/anker-cyber-monday-deals-save-big-on-some-of-our-favorite-power-banks-wireless-chargers-and-other-accessories-191912466.html?src=rss
- Disney+ and Hulu Cyber Monday streaming deal ends tonight: Get one year of the Duo Basic bundle for $36
Cyber Monday streaming deals have come in strong again this year, and one of the best is onDisney+ and Hulu. The Duo Basic bundle is on sale for $3 per month for one whole year, which comes out to $36 for the entire time period. This bundle gives you access to Hulu’s basic tier with ads and Disney+’s basic tier with ads, and only new users or subscribers who canceled their plans at least a month ago are eligible to redeem the discount. If you're only interested in the Hulu part of the deal, you can get Hulu's ad-supported tier for $0.99 per month for one year, which comes out to just $12 for the first year. But both offers end tonight, so you have a few more hours to take the plunge if you haven't already.
The Duo Basic bundle gives you the basic tier of Hulu and Disney+, both with ads, and only new users or subscribers who canceled their plans at least a month ago are eligible to redeem the discount. Note that there's no ESPN Plus included — but if you're not into sports, that's a nice net savings here.
This bundle with ads contains content from Disney+ and Hulu. The content is still the same as with ad-free plans, including movies and series like Deadpool & Wolverine, Frozen, Godmothered and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, the anticipated Star Wars series only on Disney+. If some of these newer shows aren’t to your liking, there are likely older classics worth your time in the library.
After 12 months, the subscription will renew at the regular price if automatic renewal is enabled. Disney+ is one of the best streaming services out there, focusing on providing family-friendly content but also with some more mature content. If you want even more adult-oriented shows and series, Hulu fits the bill. Both have original content as well.
There are a number of other Cyber Monday streaming deals still available now as part of Cyber Monday subscription deals. Key among them are discounts on one year of Peacock and six months of Max. Here are more details:
Peacock Cyber Monday deal brings the price of one year of access to the ad-supported tier down to only $20. Note that the subscription will automatically renew at the regular rate after the first year, and the deal is only available to new subscribers who are not currently paying for Peacock.
Max Cyber Monday deal gives you access to the Ads tier for $3 per month for the first six months, coming out to a total of only $18 for the promo period. New and returning Max subscribers can take advantage of this.
Paramount+ Cyber Monday deal. Essential lets you watch on three devices at once, while the premium tier includes access to Showtime originals and ad-free viewing (with the exception of live TV).
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/disney-and-hulu-cyber-monday-streaming-deal-ends-tonight-get-one-year-of-the-duo-basic-bundle-for-36-140024066.html?src=rss
- The best Cyber Monday SSD deals for 2024: Save on storage gear from Samsung, WD, Crucial and others
We're rounding the corner on Cyber Monday, but a number of SSDs, portable drives, microSD cards and other storage devices we recommend are still available at lower prices than usual. To help you separate the junk from the discounts worth your time, we’ve rounded up the best Cyber Monday storage deals we could find below.
Before you dig in, note that storage prices have generally trended upwards over the past year, so many of the deals we highlight below aren’t quite all-time lows. That said, all of them are at least lower than they’ve been in several months.
best SSDs, so it’s a fine “default” choice for gaming or general use. This is far from the 2TB model’s best-ever price, but it’s the largest discount we’ve seen in 2024. If you’re buying for a PS5, a version with a heatsink is on sale for $9 more. And if you need (tons) more space, the 8TB variant is down to a new low of $550. Also at Amazon, B&H and Adorama, though stock may be spotty.
standard version is available for a low of $120, albeit with shipping delays as of this writing. Also at B&H and Adorama.
B&H, Crucial and Adorama.
best portable SSD, offering dependable performance for most everyday tasks in a rugged, compact design. The 1TB version fell as low as $60 last year, but this is the largest discount we’ve seen in 2024. It’s a similar situation for the 2TB model, which is down to $120. Also at B&H, Best Buy and Newegg.
2TB version is about $18 off its usual street price at $102. Also at Kingston.
B&H and Adorama.
B&H.
favorite microSD card in the budget bracket. Its mediocre write speeds make it less-than-ideal in a camera, but it should yield few complaints for most people just looking to add space to a Nintendo Switch or Android tablet on the cheap. We’ve seen the last-gen version of the card sell for less, but this is a new low for the “new generation” 256GB model, which brings the sequential reads more in line with the higher-tier Samsung Pro Plus. Also at B&H and Samsung.
Samsung and B&H.
SanDisk and B&H.
Steam Deck or Microsoft’s Surface notebooks. It uses cheaper QLC memory, not the faster and more durable TLC, but other reviews suggest that it still performs well for what it is. This is a new low for the 1TB model. The 2TB version is down to its best price yet at $144 as well. Also at B&H.
fully increase the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a proprietary expansion card. Only two of those currently exist, but the C50 is one, and this discount drops the 1TB model to a new low. It’s normally sold for about $40 more in recent months. Is this still expensive compared to many SSDs with the same capacity? Sure. But any extra savings should be welcome. A 512GB model is a couple bucks above its all-time low at $67 as well. Also at B&H.
Best Buy.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-ssd-deals-for-2024-save-on-storage-gear-from-samsung-wd-crucial-and-others-193515841.html?src=rss
- Cyber Monday subscription deals for 2024: The best sales on Disney+, Peacock, Hulu, MasterClass and others
While theBlack Friday andCyber Monday sale events are arguably the best times of the year to pick up most gadgets, they’re also a great time to save on subscriptions and services you may already have or that you’ve been wanting to try. Whether it’s an audiobook service like Audible, streaming service like Peacock or an online learning subscription like MasterClass, you can typically find good subscription deals during this time of the year. Also, many of them also make it pretty easy to give a subscription, if you’re considering it as agift for a loved one this year.
To make it easier to find the services you want and need this year, Engadget has curated the best subscription deals you can get for Cyber Monday this year. Most of them end today, so now’s the time to take the plunge while you can still save during the final hours of the day.
Best Cyber Monday subscription deals
Disney+ Cyber Monday deal gets you the ad-supported tiers of both Disney+ and Hulu (known as the Duo Basic bundle) for only $3 per month for one year. It's one of the best streaming deals of the seasons since it gives you the ability to catch up on all those classic Disney holiday movies, and the thousands of episodes of TV that Hulu has.
Peacock Cyber Monday deal is back this year, bringing the price of one year of access to the ad-supported tier down to only $20. Note that the subscription will automatically renew at the regular rate after the first year, and the deal is only available to new subscribers who are not currently paying for Peacock Premium or Premium Plus.
Paramount+ Cyber Monday deal. Essential lets you watch on three devices at once and provides access to over 40,000 TV episodes and movies, while the premium tier includes access to Showtime originals and ad-free viewing (with the exception of live TV).
Max Cyber Monday deal gives you access to the Ads tier for $3 per month for the first six months, coming out to a total of only $18 for that time period. New and returning Max subscribers can take advantage of this.
best meditation app has tons of courses that address specific anxieties and worries, a good in-app search engine that makes it easy to find the right meditation you need and additional yoga routines, podcasts and music sessions to try out.
best meditation apps is a great option for anyone new to meditation thanks in part to the many short and focused sessions it includes. There's also a dedicated kids section and subscribers get access to a soothing music library.
best VPN for travelers provides access to tons of servers and had some of the fastest connections of any VPN service we tested. In addition to a VPN, this subscription tier gives you access to an ad blocker and password manager.
best VPN is based on open-source framework and has a no-logs policy. Its easy-to-use apps are available on most platforms including iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and more, and some of them even include a kill-switch feature.
NordVPN Plus two-year plan plus three extra months for $121 (70 percent off): In addition to VPN access, NordVPN's Plus plan gives you a password manager, ad blocker, anti-malware protection and more.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-subscription-deals-for-2024-the-best-sales-on-disney-peacock-hulu-masterclass-and-others-193006049.html?src=rss
- The 70 best Cyber Monday tech deals under $50
What can you get for under $50? Turns out, quite a bit. For speakers and Bluetooth trackers, as well as accessories like cables and chargers — all of which fall well (or just) below the $50 mark. Of course, if we added every random speck of cheap tech, this list could be a hundred miles long.
Instead, everything here is selected from the things we recommend, be it from testing for fast charger guide. Get the same deal at Anker with an auto-applied code.
guide to power banks. Also direct from Anker with an auto-applied code.
Xbox sale, you can save up to 55 percent on titles (some titles are going as low as $5). A number of our top picks for the best Xbox games are included in the sale, including this Halo collection, gaming roundup.
book lovers gift guide.
gifts for travelers guide. They come in versions made for Ireland, China and Japan, too.
plugs I tested.
iPad accessories guide. Also at Anker with an auto-applied code.
Bluetooth tracker overall is loud, compact and readily tells you when you’ve left your keys (or whatever else you attach them to) behind. If you’re looking for a finding network to locate things you’ve lost out in the wild, this isn’t the one to get, but for everyday locating misplaced keys in the house, this is great.
recommend in our guide to secure the tag to your luggage and more. Also at Amazon.
recommendation from our guide, Elevation Labs fabric mount is ideal for sticking an AirTag inside your coat, backpack or anything else you want to track. Also at Elevation Lab without Prime.
guide to iPhone accessories. Many other PopSockets are on sale directly from PopSocket for Cyber Monday.
budget ergo mouse has a vertical grip that’s a little wider than others of its ilk, which we found to be more comfortable. There are RGB lights, which can be fun. But which can also be turned off.
guide to USB-C hubs has an HDMI port, three USB connections (two type-A and one type-C) plus a generous 10-inch cable to give you more options when plugging into your laptop or tablet.
microSD card in the budget bracket. Its mediocre write speeds make it less-than-ideal in a camera, but if you just want to add space to a Nintendo Switch or Android tablet for cheap, this is great. Also at Samsung.
gift guide for travelers. We like that it zips shut, is water resistant and has a padded shoulder/hand strap. Plus it packs into itself and takes up just a little more room than a deck of cards.
The Best Cyber Monday subscription deals under $50 Max / Engadget
Disney+ Cyber Monday deal gets you the ad-supported tiers of both Disney+ and Hulu (known as the Duo Basic bundle) for only $3 per month for one year. It's one of the best streaming deals of the seasons since it gives you the ability to catch up on all those classic Disney holiday movies, and the thousands of episodes of TV that Hulu has.
six months of Max with Ads for $2.99 monthly instead of the usual $9.99. The subscription will automatically renew at that rate each month until the end of the promo period, when it'll automatically renew for the full $10. New and returning subscribers are eligible through Max.com, Roku, Apple and other streaming ecosystems, but is only open to new subscribers via Amazon Fire TV.
can get two months of Paramount+ Essential (with ads, usually $8 monthly) or Paramount+ with Showtime (ad-free, usually $13 monthly) for just $3 per month. It's one of our favorite streaming services and the best place to watch as much Star Trek as you want. As with all subscriptions, remember the standard pricing will auto-renew after two months.
full year of Peacock for just $20. It's also one of our favorite streamings services and has some excellent shows like best meditation app has tons of courses that address specific anxieties and worries, a good in-app search engine that makes it easy to find the right meditation you need, and additional yoga routines, podcasts and music sessions to try out.
Cyber Monday tech deals under $30 Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
best smart speaker under $50. It also has an internal sensor that can tell you the temp in the room and trigger connected thermostat functions. You can also get it with a free smart bulb for the same price.
in our tests, the accuracy was good and the physical design is one of the best of its kind.
reviewed the Loop Switch 2 earbuds at a concert and was impressed by what he heard (and didn’t hear). While the Switch model has three settings, these plugs just offer one level of noise dampening — and the “Experience” setting is the one Billy liked best.
best streaming devices we named the Roku Streaming Stick 4K the best pick for those wanting an ocean of free and live content. By combining Roku’s own free channels with content from other FAST apps this simple stick turns any screen into a portal to a near-infinite amount of movies and shows that you won’t pay a dime for. Also at Target and direct from Roku for $1 more.
best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don't need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices. Also at Anker within an auto-applied code.
our pick for a budget gaming headset. Also at Best Buy and direct from Hyper.
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
favorite smart plug overall connects to all the major smart home platforms, including from Apple, Google and Amazon. It’s perfectly simple to set up, stays connected and makes it easy to make your lights do what you want them to. Also at B&H Photo.
budget earbuds we recommend and there’s no noise cancellation or transparency mode, but if you need a pair of earbuds under $50 (or under $30 now) these are decently comfortable with a sound that’s a bit richer than others in its price range.
best accessories for an iPad. In addition to extra USB connections, you also get a microSD and standard SD card slots.
stocking stuffer guide. Also at Staples and direct from Logitech.
our battery guide, this small Baseus bank delivers a fast charge either wirelessly for MagSafe compatible iPhones or via the attached USB-C cable.
board game gift guide as a good pick for horror fans. Three to six players explore a haunted mansion, working together until one player reveals themselves as the traitor. It comes with 50 scenarios to keep you entertained evening after evening.
board game in our gift guide thanks to its hilarity-inspiring appeal. It forces players to communicate complex concepts using a given number of word magnet tiles.
Cyber Monday tech deals under $40Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Target.
gifts for tea lovers.
WFH gift guide. It offers four USB ports up front (both Type-A and Type-C) and three extra AC plugs in the back.
$10 weather-resistant adapter.
JBL and Best Buy.
good retro gaming device.
favorable review earlier this year. It helps if you’ve played its predecessor and it’s absolutely stuffed with things to do. This is a new low for the PS5 exclusive.
stocking stuffer gift guide thanks to their versatility (they can stand up, lay flat or be mounted) and there’s no end to the multiple colors and sequences you can program.
best ergonomic mice. It’s super light and glides across multiple surfaces. The buttons are customizable and the thumb rest is comfortable. Also at Amazon.
buying guide to USB-C hubs has a good array of ports, the ability to support two 4K monitors, and a nice long host cable so you can easily arrange it on your desk.
wallet-less version is $32 right now.
keyboard buying guide. We found the keycaps a bit slick, but its typing feel and sound are still levels above the membrane boards you usually find in this price range.
holiday gifts under $100. It delivers impressive bass for its size, has an IP67 rating, making it dust- and waterproof, and goes for 16 hours on a charge.
Cyber Monday tech deals under $50 Amazon
in her review. It went as low as $43 previously, but this is the best price we've seen otherwise. Also at PlayStation and Target.
best Bluetooth speakers. We didn’t review this one formally for our guide, but it’s one of the more affordable models the brand makes and the clip plus dunkable water resistance makes it easy to bring JBL’s signature dynamic range just about anywhere. Also at Walmart.
gifts for dad’s guide.
Ring sale that discounts home security gear by up to 50 percent (though many of those deals hit above the $50 mark).
best smart displays because it doubles as a “stellar alarm clock” with the auto-dimming screen, tap-to-snooze feature and a sunrise alarm. Plus the tiny, five-inch screen is perfect for a nightstand. Also, oddly, at Best Buy.
now it’s back.
Nestout for $1 more.
raved about this wireless gamepad for Switch and PC, calling it comfortable with durable Hall effect joysticks that should avoid the “drift” sensation that plagues many modern controllers.
top budget wireless earbuds are just $5 shy of their all time low. They have outstanding active noise cancellation for the price and offer a warm and pleasant default sound.
came out at the same time as the Everboom and is the smallest speaker in UE’s lineup. It’s IP67 rated to be dust- and waterproof and can crank out 85 decibels of volume — impressive for something so small. Also atAmazon andB&H Photo.
Tribit (see price in cart).
buying guide to webcams is back down to a low it’s hit a few times before. We like the excellent video clarity and easy set up and customization. Also at Anker with a coupon code.
we recommend, so grab one now for a less irritating summer next year.
Target.
MacBook accessories guide.
Expired Cyber Monday deals
Stanley IceFlow tumbler with straw for $23 ($18 off): Our resident grill master, Billy Steele recommends having a reliable source of frosty beverage at the ready when you grill. This is the one he picked for our grilling gear buyer’s guide.
Mysterium board game for $30 ($25 off): Our own Valentina Palladino recommends this game to anyone who loves a good mystery. It takes Clue to the next level and is best played with friends and family on a dark and stormy night.
OtterBox Performance Fast Charge Power Bank 20,000 mAh for $32 ($23 off): This is the larger-capacity model of the mid-range battery we recommend in our guide to power banks. Not only does it look cool, it’s durable and charges up a phone quickly through either the USB-C or USB-A port.
TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Extender (RE315) for $23 ($27 off): This is our pick for the best budget Wi-Fi extender. It's easy to set up and offers good performance for the price. Just keep in mind it has smaller (1,500 square-foot) coverage and no support for Wi-Fi 6e.
Elden Ring (PS4,PS5, Xbox) for $20 ($40 off): One of our favorite games is down to the best price we’ve tracked. It feels impressively handmade despite its epic scale that feels big but never superfluous. Also at Best Buy.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $40 ($30 off): Nintendo announced its Black Friday deals early, but they didn’t go live until November 25. The big callout here is Tears of the Kingdom. We found the game to be an absolute delight as it builds on all of the concepts and story introduced in Breath of the Wild. Also at Walmart.
Anker 633 Magnetic Battery for $40 ($15 off): Choose from a MagSafe option or the 20W Power Delivery port via a USB-C cable (which charges things faster). The handy kickstand means you can look at your phone while it charges and that port lets you charge non-MagSafe devices too.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-70-best-cyber-monday-tech-deals-under-50-181516184.html?src=rss
- Amazon Cyber Monday deals: The best sales on Kindles, Echo speakers, Ring doorbells and more
There are two (well, technically, three) optimal times of the year to pick up Echo speakers, Kindle ereaders and other Amazon devices: Amazon Prime Day (now multiple days) and the Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period. While Amazon likes to save its steepest discounts for its members-only shopping event, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see the same deals (or similar ones) during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
This year, we've seen some of the best prices of the year on all things Amazon, so now’s the time to buy if you want to beef up your smart home ecosystem or pick up a gadget as a gift this year. These are the best deals you can get on Amazon devices in the final hours of Cyber Monday 2024.
best smart speaker for $100 or less at the moment thanks to its loud audio with good bass quality, the ability to pair two together for stereo sound and Alexa’s utility.
best smart display with Amazon’s Alexa thanks in part to its 8-inch touchscreen, 13MP camera that supports auto-framing for better video chats and its built-in Zigbee smart home hub.
free Amazon Basics smart light bulb.
Ring sale that discounts home security gear by up to 50 percent.
best E Ink tablet guide, but it's about to be replaced with an update model. Nevertheless, this is a good discount if you can forgo the latest updates.
best smart speakers you can get right now thanks to its compact design, physical button controls that compliment voice commands and its solid sound quality for its size.
smart displays thanks to its compact design, ambient light sensor and sunrise alarm feature, all of which make it an excellent smart alarm clock. Amazon improved the speaker quality on this latest model, which gives sound deeper bass and clearer vocals.
best budget wireless earbuds you can get right now thanks to their comfortable design, pocket-friendly case, automatic wear detection, multi-device connectivity and, of course, built-in Alexa voice controls.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
$10 weather-resistant adapter.
other bundles on sale that include cameras, video doorbells and more.
stylus and keyboard case.
Fire HD 10 Kids tablet for $110 ($80 off): Designed for kids aged three to seven, this tablet comes with full parental controls plus one year of Amazon Kids+ for free with the tablet purchase. It also has a 10-inch FHD touchscreen, an octa-core processor and 13 hours of battery life, plus it comes with a two-year warranty and a protective case.
Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet for $110 ($80 off): This model is designed for kids aged six to 12 and comes with a slimmer protective case, a two-year warranty and one year of access to Amazon Kids+. Otherwise, you get a very similar experience here that you would with the non-Pro version, including parental controls, a 10-inch touchscreen, solid performance and a 13-hour battery life.
Fire TV Stick streamer for $18 ($22 off): This dongle ups the ante on the TV Stick Lite by adding support for Dolby Atmos audio, plus it comes with the regular version of the Alexa Voice Remote. It also supports Wi-Fi 5 and comes with 8GB of internal storage.
Fire TV Stick 4K streamer for $22 ($28 off): This mode is the cheapest Fire TV Stick you can get to stream 4K content, plus it has support for Wi-Fi 6 and Dolby Vision and Atmos. With its live picture-in-picture feature, you can view security camera feeds right on your TV while you’re watching your favorite show or movie.
Fire TV Stick 4K Max streamer for $33 ($27 off): In addition to 4K HDR streaming with Dolby Vision and Atmos support, the 4K Max dongle includes Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, 16GB of built-in storage and live picture-in-picture capabilities.
Fire TV Cube set-top box for $100 ($40 off): This model will provide the best performance of any Fire TV streaming device, and it supports 4K HDR content, Dolby Vision and Atmos and an enhanced version of the Alexa Voice Remote. Along with live picture-in-picture view and the Fire TV ambient experience, you can also hardware other devices to the Fire TV Cube including a cable box or a game console.
Amazon
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-cyber-monday-deals-the-best-sales-on-kindles-echo-speakers-ring-doorbells-and-more-182151425.html?src=rss
- Apple Cyber Monday deals bring a four-pack of AirTags down to $70
AirTags are not only some of thebest Bluetooth trackers you can get right now, but they also make a useful, affordable gift for anyone in your life who has an iPhone. Cyber Monday Apple deals have brought the price of a four-pack down to $73, which is only $3 more than their all-time-low price. That brings the cost per AirTag down to $18.25, which is currently cheaper than if you were to buy justone on its own.
Apple AirTags easily made our list of the best Bluetooth trackers, particularly for regular iPhone users. We love the vast finding network, which really helps when you misplace a tag. Just think of all of those AirTags, iPhones and other Apple devices out there helping to create this network.
Apple AirTags also offer the ability to tap into the ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless protocol. This creates a sort of game out of finding lost items, as long as the object is within 25 feet of the phone. The screen will display directional arrows and a distance meter so you can zero in on the lost item without having to ring the AirTag.
There are some caveats. These trackers only really work with iPhones, so Android users should buy something else. Also, the ringer only goes for seven seconds at a time, which isn’t always enough time to track something down. Finally, there’s no attachment point for connecting to a keychain or a related item. However, there are plenty of good AirTag accessories to solve that problem.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-cyber-monday-deals-bring-a-four-pack-of-airtags-down-to-70-191040048.html?src=rss
- The best Cyber Monday TV deals for 2024: Save on models from Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense and more
Cyber Monday is nearing its end, but there's still time to grab a good TV at a decent price. If you’re hoping to make a living room upgrade but aren’t sure which set to get — and you don’t want to fall victim to the many junky deals retailers throw out this time of year — we’re here to help.
We’ve spent the past several days scouring reviews and checking price histories to figure out which Cyber Monday TV deals are actually worthwhile. You can find our current favorites below, which include OLED and budget-level models alike from Samsung, LG, Hisense, Sony and TCL. If you’re already happy with your TV, we’ve also included a few standout streaming deals, both on devices from Amazon and Roku and services like Hulu and Peacock.
As in recent years, most of Cyber Monday's better TV discounts are leftovers from Black Friday. Some of those, in turn, have been available for a few weeks. Still, most of the discounts below represent all-time lows.
The best Cyber Monday TV deals for 2024
Reviews around the web have praised the U6N as one of the year’s best budget-level TVs. It’s one of the few options in its price range with mini-LED backlighting, quantum dots and full-array local dimming, features that help it deliver better contrast and richer colors than most of its direct rivals. Its picture will wash out if you don’t view it straight-on, and its 60Hz refresh rate isn’t the best for gaming, but it’s a good bargain all the same. While this deal has been live for several weeks, it’s still an all-time low. Other sizes are similarly discounted. Also at Amazon.
gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 ports. This is the 65-inch model's best price to date. If Amazon runs out of stock, the set is also on sale at Best Buy for $700. If you'd prefer a smaller size, the 55-inch model is available for a new low of $478.
55-inch version isn’t as bright as its larger counterparts, while the 75-inch set has slightly worse contrast. Viewing angles aren’t super wide either way. Also at Best Buy.
55-inch version is also on sale for a low of $997, a price we've seen a few times before, while the 65-inch model is available for $1,197.
The LG C3 OLED TV.LG
LG C4 (which isn’t majorly discounted). It uses a traditional WOLED panel, so it can’t put out the same rich colors as more technically advanced competitors like the Samsung S90D, nor can it get as bright. However, it’ll still look fantastic to those who aren’t picky about premium TVs, with top-notch contrast, motion and viewing angles. Overall brightness is better than the B4 above. There are four HDMI 2.1 ports and all the requisite gaming features on top of that, plus it supports Dolby Vision HDR, unlike Samsung’s TVs. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the 77-inch model and a nice value for those in search of a larger high-quality TV.
Samsung, B&H and Best Buy. Other sizes are discounted as well, but be aware that only the 55-, 65- and 75-inch versions use the superior QD-OLED tech.
Samsung and Best Buy, with other sizes on sale.
Samsung's The Frame TV.
Samsung, B&H and others.
local dimming to boost contrast. Instead, you’d buy it for its style, since it’s built to look like a framed piece of wall art and display actual artwork on-screen. Beyond that, this is one of the few TVs with a matte finish, which helps it ward off glare in bright rooms. This model was available for about $150 less at eBay earlier this week with a coupon deal, but that offer has expired. The discount here still takes about $350 off the set's average street price in recent months, though. Other sizes are on sale, but note that the 43- and 50-inch versions have a lower 60Hz refresh rate (instead of 120Hz) and lack variable refresh rate tech. Also at Best Buy and Samsung.
according to reviewers we trust, but it has slightly worse contrast. This is a new low for the latest 75-inch model. Also at Best Buy, with other sizes on sale.
Reviews suggest that it provides accurate colors out of the box and does well to preserve details in lower-resolution content, so it’s worth considering over the Hisense U8N if those are chief concerns. It only has two HDMI 2.1 ports, however, and it’s another LED TV with mediocre viewing angles. Most people will be happier with an OLED TV at this price, though this deal is an all-time low. Also at Walmart and B&H, with other sizes similarly discounted.
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max.The best Cyber Monday streaming deals for 2024
best streaming devices, theRoku Streaming Stick 4K gets you snappy performance, Apple AirPlay support, and a dead-simple interface that makes it easy to access free shows and movies. It works with the necessary HDR formats and apps as well (Twitch aside), though its search function isn’t as in-depth as some of its peers, and the UI looks fairly bland. This deal is $4 more than the best price we’ve tracked but still $11 off the stick’s average going rate in recent months. Also at Target and Best Buy.
be surprisingly flexible as a gaming device, too, though you’ll have to put up with an ad-heavy UI that promotes Prime Video and other Amazon services above all else.
Target, Best Buy and others.
buy that separately, though.) This latest model added a faster processor and Wi-Fi 6 support. This discount ties the lowest price we’ve tracked. Also at Roku, B&H and others.
Disney+.Disney
Hulu's ad-based tier for $0.99 per month for one year, making the final cost $12. One of the older streaming services, Hulu still offers a wide range of recent TV episodes and a strong library of original series like Only Murders in the Building, The Bear, indie studio A24. This deal gives six months of the service’s ad-supported plan for $3 per month ($18 total), but only to new and returning users, and only in the US. Normally, the subscription costs $10 per month. This is another one that’ll auto-renew by default, so it’s worth setting a reminder to cancel before the discounted period ends.
Paramount+ with Showtime 2-month subscription for $6 ($20 off, new and returning users only): Paramount’s holiday promo isn’t quite as appealing as the streaming deals above, as it only covers a two-month subscription. Still, if you want to stream local NFL games, Champions League soccer or shows from CBS, Nickelodeon, Showtime and MTV, this is at least a cheaper way to see if you’d actually stick with the service at full price. This deal applies to either the ad-free or ad-supported tier. Again, it’s only available to new and former users, and the subscription will auto-renew until you cancel.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-tv-deals-for-2024-save-on-models-from-samsung-lg-sony-hisense-and-more-191337414.html?src=rss
- Lego Cyber Monday deals: Save up to 29 percent on Star Wars, Super Mario sets
We’re big Lego fans here at Engadget, so it’s not difficult for us to understand why the building block sets are some of the first items to sell out during the holiday shopping season. Kids and adults alike seek out Lego sets all year round, and they make particularly good gifts. Whether you know your recipient loves Star Wars or Super Mario, or they don’t have a fan-favorite franchise and just love building stuff, there are Lego sets out there that all kinds of people will love.
And no, they don’t all cost hundreds of dollars — some, like seasonal advent calendars, come in at $50 or less. If you’ve got a Lego lover on your holiday shopping list (or if that person is you), these are the best Cyber Monday Lego deals for 2024 that you can still get now that Cyber Monday is nearly over. Most of these deals are on Amazon, but you can find the same (or similar) pricing direct atLego and other retailers likeTarget.
The highlights for Cyber Monday include a couple of Lego advent calendars: one for Disney fans and another that's more general for all kids. Lego makes a bunch of other advent calendars in addition to these, and we expect to see more of them go on sale in the coming days.
There's also the beautiful Insect Collection, which when completed, includes three life-size, posable models of a butterfly, Hercules beetle and Chinese mantis. Even as someone who detests bun appreciate the elegance of this set and how striking they'd look sitting on a shelf.
Star Wars, Super Mario and Harry Potter sets have been discounted as well. For example, this Star Wars set recreates the "boarding the Tantive IV" scene from Star Wars: A New Hope in which the Rebels battle Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers. This Super Mario expansion set includes a brick-built Bowser and his muscle car, and once complete, you can pull the lever on the car to make its hood ornament move. We'll be updating this post through the entire Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period, so check back for the latest offers.
Cyber Monday Lego deals
Lego Marvel Dancing Groot 76297 for $36 (20 percent off)
Lego Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 for $25 (29 percent off)
Lego Ideas The Insect Collection 21342 for $64 (20 percent off)
Lego Super Mario Bowser’s Muscle Car Expansion Set 71431 for $24 (20 percent off)
Lego Super Mario Adventures with Interactive Mario, Bowser Jr.’s Clown Car Playset 71439 for $40 (20 percent off)
Lego Super Mario Penguin Family Snow Adventure Expansion Set 71430 for $15 (23 percent off)
Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant 71426 for $48 (20 percent off)
Lego Star Wars: A New Hope Boarding The Tantive IV Fantasy Toy 75387 for $44 (20 percent off)
Lego Star Wars Droideka Model 75381 for $52 (20 percent off)
Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian Ambush on Mandalore Battle Pack 75373 for $17 (15 percent off)
Lego Star Wars The Mandalorian's N-1 Starfighter 75325 for $48 (20 percent off)
Lego Star Wars: The Clone Wars Captain Rex Y-Wing Microfighter Building Set 75391 for $10 (23 percent off)
Lego Harry Potter Hedwig at 4 Privet Drive 76425 for $16 (20 percent off)
Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle Owlery Toy 76430 for $36 (20 percent off)
Expired Cyber Monday deals
Lego Technic Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit Building Set 42179 for $60 (20 percent off)
Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle and Grounds 76419 for $136 (20 percent off)
Lego Disney Advent Calendar 43253 for $32 (29 percent off)
Lego Super Mario Yoshis’ Egg-cellent Forest Expansion Set 71428 for $7 (32 percent off)
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/lego-cyber-monday-deals-save-up-to-29-percent-on-star-wars-super-mario-sets-195025962.html?src=rss
- The best Cyber Monday robot vacuum deals you can still get from Shark, iRobot, Dyson and more
Robot vacuums can help automate a chore you may loathe doing yourself. And even if you don’t mind vacuuming regularly, it’s undeniable that it takes time out of your day that you could be using for other things. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period is a great time to look for one of these smart home gadgets because you can often find them for hundreds of dollars off their usual prices — this year is no different. We've seen steep discounts on many of our favorite robot vacuum cleaners, as well as some cordless vacuums too. These are the best Cyber Monday vacuum deals you can still get in the final hours of the sale.
Cyber Monday robot vacuum deals
best budget robot vacuums, the 11S Max has a slim design that lets it get under furniture better than other models, good suction power for its size and a long battery life. Just remember that this robovac doesn't have Wi-Fi connectivity, but it comes with a handy remote that lets you control it, set cleaning schedules and more.
best robot vacuums thanks to its superior suction power that can handle all kinds of messes and pet hair, its easy-to-use app and simple setup process. Also available at Dyson.
Cyber Monday cordless vacuum deals
best cordless vacuum you can get right now thanks to its excellent suction power, relatively light weight and good battery life. This model comes with a Fluffy Optic cleaning head that illuminates the ground in front of you so you can see where the most debris lies, and the pack-up includes three additional cleaning head attachments.
best cordless vacuums guide, the One S11 provides good suction for the price and it includes Tineco's iLoop smart sensor, which auto-adjusts suction power as you clean to account for messes big and small.
Tineco Pure One Station 5 cordless vacuum with self-emptying base for $339 ($170 off with coupon): One of Tineco's newest machines, the Station 5 stick vacuum cleans hard floors and carpets well, doesn't choke when it meets pet hair and includes a self-cleaning HEPA filter to maintain strong, consistent suction power. Plus, the bagless, self-emptying base cleans the machine's brush, tube, filter and dustbin after every time you use it.
Tineco Pure One Station Furfree cordless vacuum with self-emptying base for $400 ($300 off): This model has a massive 3L self-emptying base that can hold up to 60 days worth of debris, and it comes with cleaning attachments that can make grooming your pets easier.
Expired Cyber Monday deals
iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ robot vacuum and mop with self-emptying base for $980 (30 percent off): If you're looking to splurge, this robo vac-and mop combo machine is one of our top picks for the best robot vacuums thanks to its excellent cleaning power, good mopping capabilities, solid battery life and well-designed self-emptying base.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-robot-vacuum-deals-you-can-still-get-from-shark-irobot-dyson-and-more-200110230.html?src=rss
- Crunchyroll will soon paywall most of One Piece
Three years after buying Crunchyroll for over $1 billion, Sony plans to capitalize on its purchase (and piss off countless anime fans) by shutting free users out of one of its most popular series. The company said that starting soon, you’ll need a paid subscription to watch past the first 206 episodes of One Piece. Cue the obvious jokes about locking a show about pirates behind a paywall. (Yo ho!)
Crunchyroll will use a tiered rollout to block free members from most of the anime, which has been in production since 1999. On December 23, the Water 7 to Fishman Island story arcs will become paywalled. On January 20, Punk Hazard to Whole Cake Island (and six specials) will be locked behind subscriptions, followed by Reverie and Wano Kuni to Egghead Island on February 17.
Until Sony’s new content lockdown takes effect, free users can (as they always have been able to) watch the entire series with ads. Snippets of One Piece are also available on Hulu and Netflix (the latter also hosts the live-action version). But Hulu’s library only reaches episode 384, while Netflix’s goes to 238. The series currently has over 1,100 episodes.
Sony is reportedly in talks to buy Japanese publisher Kadokawa. In addition to games like Elden Ring, Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the studio produces anime like Overlord and The Rising of the Shield Hero. If today’s news is any indication, watching much anime in the West that doesn’t go through Sony may soon require the digital equivalent of the Straw Hat Pirates.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/crunchyroll-will-soon-paywall-most-of-one-piece-214652714.html?src=rss
- US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the first Bluesky user with a million followers
On Monday, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) became the first individual account with a million followers on Bluesky. The decentralized platform has seen a spike in adoption since the US election, with its user base tripling within three months. As for the reason why, AOC wrote about Elon Musk’s X in a recent post, “People are leaving Twitter because it’s not fun anymore and no one is obligated to be on a platform they don’t enjoy. It’s not rocket science.”
AOC has been active on the platform long before its post-election surge, posting 437 times since joining the platform in April 2023. “Waitress turned Congresswoman for the Bronx and Queens,” her profile description reads. “Grassroots elected, small-dollar supported. A better world is possible.”
Bluesky’s account is still the most popular on the platform by far, with nearly 17 million followers at the time of publication. But AOC’s audience of 1,032,729 users is the most of any individual. The next closest are George Takei’s 862,646 followers and Mark Hamill’s 797,541. As it turns out, being in a legendary “Star...” franchise and having witty, sharp and socially conscious takes pays off.
The top publication is follow Engadget on Bluesky, too.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/us-representative-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-is-the-first-bluesky-user-with-a-million-followers-202125073.html?src=rss
- Cyber Monday PlayStation deals discount the DualSense wireless controller to $54
Whether you picked up a new PS5 console on sale or not, you can also save on console accessories for Cyber Monday. One of the best deals for Sony fans is on the PS5 DualSense wireless controller, which you can give for $54 a pop at various retailers including Amazon, Target and Best Buy. The discount applies to a bunch of colorways, too, so you’re not limited to just the standard black or white versions. Just be aware that some color options are a tad more expensive at $60 each.
A brand-new PS5 ships with one of these controllers, but you need two to enjoy some sweet couch co-op. We called out the gamepad in our official review of the PS5, saying it had “some of the most advanced haptic controls” we’ve ever experienced.
The analog triggers can be manipulated to emulate various sensations, like pulling an arrow back or running out of ammo with a gun. It’s a gimmick, sure, but a fun one. The built-in haptics also allow for more realistic rumble, which is heads and shoulders above what the DualShock 4 offered.
There’s a built-in microphone, a headphone jack, a tried-and-true button layout and a pair of joysticks. It’s a really well-designed controller. It’s a DualSense. It is not, however, a DualSense Edge. That’s Sony’s ultra-premium controller that costs nearly $200. That one offers extra features like easy button remapping, multiple joystick nubs, customizable rear paddles and more.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-playstation-deals-discount-the-dualsense-wireless-controller-to-54-081313677.html?src=rss
- PS5 anniversary update adds themes for each generation of the PlayStation
Sony is giving gamers a surprise shot of nostalgia to celebrate PlayStation’s 30th anniversary — and not just the retro hardware that sold out in a flash. A software update pushed on Monday adds the classic boot screen and themes for each generation of console hardware. “Choose your favorite generation,” Sony’s introduction advises before popping up a menu with screen theming options for the PS1 through PS4.
After receiving today’s update, the software will prompt you to pick one when you boot up for the first time. As you’d expect, the themes change the PS5 dashboard’s menu colors and sound to match each console’s UI. You can try other themes in a new “PlayStation 30th Anniversary” item atop the console’s settings menu.
Sony / Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
Unfortunately, Sony says the themes are only available “for a limited time.” (It hasn’t said exactly when they’ll be gone.) The decision not to keep them around permanently seems like a missed opportunity. Perhaps someone on Sony’s marketing team saw creating a perception of scarcity or avoiding settings menu clutter as more important than letting folks permanently make their dashboard look like something that could fire up 2014 anniversary theme fitted the PS4, PS3 and Vita with the PS1’s look and startup sound.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ps5-anniversary-update-adds-themes-for-each-generation-of-the-playstation-184623315.html?src=rss
- Amazon Prime members can play Death Stranding for free on Luna this month
Amazon has revealed the list of PC games that Prime members can claim at no extra cost, as well as the titles they can stream for (almost) free on Luna. One of those in the latter camp is Death Stranding. You9ll be able to check out the Director9s Cut edition of Hideo Kojima9s hit walking sim for the rest of the month on Luna. That might just be long enough to start making sense of the game.
Another notable title in the Luna lineup this month is The Expanse: A Telltale Series. The narrative-heavy adventure game is a prequel to the TV show that ran for a few extra seasons on Prime Video after Syfy canceled it.
Along with those two and the mainstays of Fortnite, Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, Fallout New Vegas: Ultimate Edition, Trackmania and XDefiant, Prime members can play a bunch of other games on Luna this month. Those are The Jackbox Naughty Pack, Endling — Extinction is Forever, Disney•Pixar Cars, El Hijo, Disney•Pixar Wall-E, Split/Second, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, Chicken Police — Paint it RED!, Spitlings and Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure.
Of course, you can claim a whole host of PC games at no extra cost too. There are some great games in the mix, such as the excellent Overcooked 2 (the ultimate relationship test, in my eyes) and the compelling puzzle platformer Planet of Lana. Also available will be the likes of Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, Dredge, Quake II and Predator: Hunting Grounds.
Once you claim these games, they9re yours to keep forever, even if you cancel your Prime membership. Here9s what you can snap up and when, along with the launcher you can play each game on:
December 2
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (GOG)
Tomb Raider: Underworld (GOG)
Overcooked! 2 (GOG)
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (GOG)
Dredge (GOG)
December 5
Quake II (GOG)
Disney•Pixar Wall E (Amazon Games App)
December 12
Planet of Lana (GOG)
Hero’s Hour (GOG)
The Coma: Recut (GOG)
Electrician Simulator (Epic Games Store)
ReDrawn: The Painted Tower Collector’s Edition (Amazon Games App)
December 19
Nine Witches: Family Disruption (Amazon Games App)
Predator: Hunting Grounds (Epic Games Store)
Aces of the Luftwaffe — Squadron Extended Edition (Amazon Games App)
Simulakros (Amazon Games App)
Christmas Fables: The Magic Snowflake Collector’s Edition (Legacy Games Code)
December 26
The Town of Light (GOG)
That December 26 lineup looks suspiciously light, so there9s a chance that Amazon will reveal more additions to the lineup as a holiday treat. In the meantime, if you act quickly, you can still snap up many of the previously added offerings, including Overcooked: Gourmet Edition, Super Meat Boy, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Mafia: Definitive Edition and BioShock: Remastered.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/amazon-prime-members-can-play-death-stranding-for-free-on-luna-this-month-183907865.html?src=rss
- Call of Duty is getting some kind of game mode inspired by Squid Game
Here’s a collaboration I wasn’t expecting. The hit gaming franchise Call of Duty and the hit Netflix show Squid Game are teaming up for some kind of game mode to commemorate the latter’s second season.
We don’t exactly know what this partnership will entail, but it looks like a game mode for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone. There’s a trailer but it’s devoid of any real details.
We do know that we don’t have long to wait. The description underneath the trailer notes that “Squid Game comes to Call of Duty this January.” This makes sense, given that season two of the Netflix show drops on December 26.
Maybe players will enter the titular Squid Game with a full arsenal of modern weaponry. Or maybe we’ll actually play as the psychotic guards, gunning down desperate contestants with reckless abandon. Late stage capitalism, baby! In any event, we’ll find out next month.
This is just the latest promotion for the Netflix sensation. There’s a multiplayer smartphone game launching in a couple of weeks and a bizarre LARPing experience that costs $40. There’s even an actual reality show based on its fictional counterpart. Nobody actually dies on that one, but there were some on-set injuries and other ridiculous issues.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/call-of-duty-is-getting-some-kind-of-game-mode-inspired-by-squid-game-175829671.html?src=rss
- Cyber Monday deals include a $110 discount on the Dyson Airwrap
There are plenty of great gadgets on sale today for Cyber Monday that will track your steps or wake you up. But, personally, I'm more interested in the discounts on tools that will boost my beauty routine this winter. So, I'm very excited that theDyson Airwrap is down to $490 from $600 on Amazon — a 18 percent discount. That brings it to only $10 more than what we saw last year.
Ok, so spending half a grand on hair tools is still quite an investment, but it should be a big boost to your hair. We named it one of the best self-care gifts for 2024 thanks to its air flow system. It uses the Coanda effect to style your hair — theoretically causing less damage to your locks than typical hot tools. The device also comes with six attachments, including a wide-tooth comb, diffuser and Coanda smoothing dryer.
The Airwrap is only one of the Dyson hair products on sale for Cyber Monday. Right now, you can buy the Dyson Airstrait Hair Straightener (another of our self-care gift picks) for $399, down from $500 — a 20 percent discount. The same deal is available on the Dyson Corrale Hair Straightener, while the Supersonic Hair Dryer has dropped to $329 from $430.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-deals-include-a-110-discount-on-the-dyson-airwrap-153056335.html?src=rss
- Warcraft and Warcraft II are leaving GOG on December 13
Come later this month, GOG will stop selling the first two entries in Blizzard’s seminal Warcraft real-time strategy game series. On December 13, the marketplace will delist Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II: blog post published Monday, the CD Projekt-owned storefront said it was removing the games “at the publisher’s request.”
If you want to grab them before they leave GOG, CD Projekt is offering a modest discount on its Warcraft I & II bundle until December 13. If you pay for the game using US dollars, you can save $2 off the package. Similar discounts are available for customers paying in Euros, Pound sterling and Polish złoty. To take advantage of the discount, use the code “MakeWarcraftLiveForever” at checkout.
Blizzard did not immediately respond to Engadget’s comment request, asking the studio to explain the reason for its request. In 2019, Blizzard worked with GOG to bring Warcraft and Warcraft II to the storefront. Prior to that, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans had effectively become abandonware, which made the game difficult to obtain and get running on modern operating systems. If I had to guess, the fact Blizzard now wrote about the remasters last month, but, in short, I would argue the GOG versions do a better job of preserving Warcraft and Warcraft II as they were. If there’s a silver lining to the situation, it’s that GOG has pledged to continue supporting both games through its recently announced Preservation Program.
“Once a game joins the Program, we pledge to maintain its compatibility even if it gets delisted from the store,” GOG said. “This means that owners of those titles can still expect a seamless experience and tech support for those titles. This also considers potential changes in Windows OS that may impact games9 playability.”
We’ll update this article if we hear back from Blizzard.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/warcraft-and-warcraft-ii-are-leaving-gog-on-december-13-165855359.html?src=rss
- Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger has suddenly retired
Pat Gelsinger is retiring after over 40 years at the company, and close to four years at the chip manufacturer9s helm. Effective as of December 1, Gelsinger has left both his post and his position on the board of directors. The board has now created a search committee to "diligently and expeditiously" find a new CEO. In the meantime, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, the next CEO of Intel Products, and David Zinsner, executive vice president and CFO, will serve as interim Co-CEOs of the entire company.
While Gelsinger held previous positions at Intel, he had most recently spent a decade-plus in senior positions at EMC and VMWare. In 2021, he returned to Intel to replace Bob Swan, who held the title of CEO for for a bit over two years. "As a leader, Pat helped launch and revitalize process manufacturing by investing in state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing, while working tirelessly to drive innovation throughout the company," said Frank Yeary, who will become interim executive chair during the transition. "While we have made significant progress in regaining manufacturing competitiveness and building the capabilities to be a world-class foundry, we know that we have much more work to do at the company and are committed to restoring investor confidence."
Gelsinger oversaw Intel during a tumultuous time for the company. In late 2022, for example, Intel laid off about 20 percent of its staff in some divisions. This year alone, Intel has failed quality tests and announced it would lay off another 15,000 people — or 15 percent of their workforce — amid a $10 billion cost-reduction plan. Reporting by Bloomberg indicates the company9s board lost confidence in Gelsinger9s leadership due to these setbacks, and he was given the option to either retire or be forced out, which explains his very sudden departure.
Update, December 2 2024, 11:26AM ET: This story now includes additional reporting from Bloomberg.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/intels-ceo-pat-gelsinger-has-suddenly-retired-151410215.html?src=rss
- Trombone Champ in VR is some of the most ridiculous fun I’ve had all year
Until very recently, my only experience with VR was a one-minute demo about nine years ago. With an Oculus Rift strapped to my face, a virtual catapult hurled me over a low-res city. It was painfully disorienting and I felt my legs give way a bit. I swore off VR for a long time after that unpleasant experience.
Fast forward to 2024 and I was finally ready to try again. An attractive Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal on a PlayStation VR2 proved irresistible. But I felt like I needed to get my sea legs under me before tackling something more immersive and ambitious like the bundled-in Horizon: Call of the Mountain.
As it happened, the day on which my PS VR2 unit arrived also marked the debut of a VR version of one of my favorite games of the last few years, Trombone Champ.
The original game is a bit like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, only instead of using a plastic imitation of a musical instrument to play notes as they appear on screen, you9re moving a joystick or mouse and pressing a button to "toot." This time around, in Trombone Champ: Unflattened, you hold a virtual instrument to your mouth with one hand while using the other to slide to the correct (or wildly wrong) notes, mimicking an actual trombone.
Unfortunately, I had some trouble setting up my PS VR2. The right controller was working just fine in my PS59s menus and such, but button presses weren9t working in-game and I couldn9t grab the slide of the virtual trombone. I found the solution on Reddit, where users have mentioned similar trouble with new controllers, which in some cases appears to be due to debris getting stuck behind a trigger. In my case, I was able to fix the problem by desyncing the controllers and only re-registering them with the PS5 once I was in-game.
Obviously, the first thing I had to do in the Trombone Champ: Unflattened tutorial was more or less figure out how to play the opening fanfare of the main Super Mario. Bros theme. From there, I dove straight into the campaign.
The aptly named Flat2VR (which made a well-regarded VR mod for Half-Life 2) adapted Trombone Champ for VR. It did an admirable job of bringing Holy Wow Studios’ game to a new format with a fresh look and feel. Rather than trying to follow the notes of a song on a 2D chart, you’ll need to be on your toes as they fly at you on both sides. After a couple of songs, though, I changed a setting to have them on just one side to make it easier to focus.
You9re also tooting your way through these (primarily royalty-free) songs on stage in front of an audience of Nintendo Mii-style characters. I was trying my best to play these songs properly to get a good score, so I tuned out the crowd for the most part so I could concentrate.
That changed when I tried a ska song I don’t recall hearing before. I didn’t know where it was going and I struggled to keep up at the highest difficulty. The crowd wasn’t having any of it. Unlike in Guitar Hero and Rock Band, there’s no fail state here if you miss several notes in a row. The song keeps going, no matter how badly you mess up. As such, the audience was booing me relentlessly and I couldn’t get them back on board.
Flat2VR Studios/Holy Wow Studios
It’s been a long time since I’ve been on stage in a band or doing musical theater (yup, I was one of those kids), but I’ve never had a reaction like that. It weirdly cut to my soul, yet I was having a blast at the same time. Sorry to disappoint my virtual haters. I tried flipping them off with my floating hands, but it didn’t work. I resorted to pointing at myself with my thumbs in a “that’s right, this guy” motion, another thing I wouldn’t have tried in a non-VR experience.
Trombone Champ: Unflattened is wildly fun and easily one of the most delightful gaming experiences of 2024. Astro Bot and Another Crab9s Treasure, two of my favorite games of the year, both kept a smile on my face throughout — but Trombone Champ: Unflattened had me full-on cackling. I can’t imagine that I could have chosen a better intro to VR.
There’s a bit more to it, including a free play mode that unlocks all the songs for you (DLC tracks seem to be on the way). I did enjoy vandalizing — I mean, customizing — my trombone with spray paint too. I’m sure Glenn Miller would have loved that.
Maybe I’ll get better at Trombone Champ: Unflattened over time. If not, I don’t care. Being bad at this game makes it all the more enjoyable. The game9s at its best when you’re playing along with a song you’re familiar with. You know how it’s supposed to sound, so screwing up is much funnier.
While there are challenges that reward you for doing well, it’s almost as if the game wants you to suck at it. The toughest songs would be nearly impossible to nail, maybe even for actual professional trombone players, since they wouldn9t have the same tactility of having the instrument in their hands.
The PC adapter for PS VR2 has been out of stock for a while in Canada. But when I get one I’ll probably also snap up the PC version of Trombone Champ: Unflattened there because modders are already adding custom songs into the game.
One song that modders inevitably added to Trombone Champ was the ultimate rhythm game track: Dragonforce’s “Through The Fire and Flames.” In the original game, it9s so tough that even an "autotoot" tool that plays notes automatically struggles. So I9ve no doubt that trying to play it myself in VR will go very wrong and be highly entertaining.
Trombone Champ: Unflattened is out now on PS VR2, Meta Quest and Steam VR
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/trombone-champ-in-vr-is-some-of-the-most-ridiculous-fun-ive-had-all-year-161811221.html?src=rss
- Uber now offers boat hailing in India
According to Reuters, Uber now offers boat-hailing services on Dal Lake, located in the Kashmir region in India. These wooden Shikara boats are decorated with bright colors and have seemingly comfortable pillows to let tourists enjoy a scenic boat ride.
Those who want to enjoy the Dal Lake Shikara rides through Uber can make reservations at least 12 hours (and up to 15 days) in advance.
Currently, around 4,000 Shikaras operate on Dal Lake. According to Uber, the app will let riders match with Shikara operators but won’t charge a fee. All of the boat ticket money paid by the passenger goes to the operator.
The Shikara operators shared mixed feelings about Uber9s entry into the market with Reuters. Some say working with Uber can help prevent bargaining and cheating, while others claim this won’t make a difference.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Uber is offering transport besides cars. Uber Copter launched in 2019. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is another service available in London, and it recently launched across Europe this summer. The company has also inserted itself into scooter rentals, flight bookings and, improbably, coders for hire.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-now-offers-boat-hailing-in-india-160156465.html?src=rss
- Cyber Monday deals discount the Kindle Scribe by 21 percent
Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is on sale for Cyber Monday, dropping to $270 from $340. That’s a 21 percent discount and, while not a record-low price, it’s pretty close. This pack gives you the 16GB E Ink tablet and the Basic pen. Just be aware: this discount is on the first-gen Scribe that debuted in 2022. Amazon announced an update model in October, but it has yet to be released. If you’re holding out for an upgrade, you’ll still have to wait a few more days for that one.
The Kindle Scribe was Amazon’s first tablet to support handwriting with a stylus. It’s conveniently lightweight despite being larger than other Kindle models, with a 10.2-inch screen. And unlike some other writing-focused notebooks out there, the screen is lit so you can use it in low-light settings. It comes with the Basic Pen, and can convert your handwriting to text thanks to an update it got in 2023.
It’s a good option if you’re looking for a tablet with an e-paper display that can handle basic writing tasks on top of being a solid ereader. Taking notes on books with the Scribe can be a little clunky though. You can’t write in the margins or directly on the text in most cases, but you can create sticky notes that’ll be linked to the words you’ve selected. There are certain books you can write on directly after Amazon rolled out an update with the feature last year, and those can be found in the “eBooks you can write on” section of the Amazon’s online store.
Amazon’s upcoming Kindle Scribe solves these issues, with a more seamless way of taking notes on books and the ability to write in the margins. That model is slated for release on December 4.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-deals-discount-the-kindle-scribe-by-21-percent-144838338.html?src=rss
- The Apple Watch SE is 40 percent off for Cyber Monday
iPhone users who want the smartwatch experience without shelling out a fortune have a great option in the Apple Watch SE, and the wearable is cheaper than ever right now thanks to a Cyber Monday deal. TheApple Watch SE has dropped to $149 at Amazon. That's a discount of 40 percent or $100 off — the best discount we've seen.
The Apple Watch SE is a good choice for iPhone users who have yet to hop into the smartwatch ecosystem or perhaps are clinging onto a much older Apple Watch but don't need a flagship model. If you're looking for something more advanced, you'd be better off with the Apple Watch Series 10, which is also currently sitting at a record low price for Cyber Monday and is our pick for the best smartwatch overall.
The second-gen Apple Watch SE is our pick for the best budget Apple Watch and we gave it a score of 89 in our 2022 review. It has the same chipset as the Apple Watch Ultra and Series 8, and it should feel faster if you're coming over from, say, a Series 6 or earlier model.
The SE shares some, but not all features with flagship Apple Watches. It supports crash detection, heart rate monitoring and emergency calling, and it is water resistant to 50 meters. We felt that the screen was easy to view, even when the sun was shining brightly. Fitness tracking is accurate (which is pretty important!). Perhaps most crucially, the Apple Watch SE is light and easy to wear.
The Ion-X glass isn't quite as robust as the sapphire crystal on other recent Apple Watch models, so you'll likely want to be extra careful with it. Other features present on other Apple Watch devices that are missing here include an always-on display, blood oxygen monitoring and temperature sensor. The very handy Double Tap feature isn't available here either.
While we feel that this is a good price for the second-gen Apple Watch SE, it's worth bearing in mind that a new model could arrive in the coming months. Apple is reportedly working on an Apple Watch SE with a plastic casing in a bid to reduce the price and allow for bolder color options. It's unlikely that Apple will announce this model before next year, though.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-se-is-40-percent-off-for-cyber-monday-183924545.html?src=rss
- Dyson Cyber Monday deals get you $200 off the 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum
Cyber Monday deals make it a bit easier to consider investing in something new. If that something for you happens to be a reliable assistant for home cleaning, consider thisDyson 360 Vis Nav, one of our choices for thebest robot vacuums. This is the first time it’s been discounted since Dyson started selling these earlier this year. You can pick it up for $200 less than usual at $999 both at Amazon andDyson directly.
We put this robot vacuum through its paces, and you can see the results in our Dyson 360 Vis Nav review. It managed to suck up an impressive amount of dog hair in our tests and has 360-degree vision augmented with LED lights to prevent collisions and accidents. While not perfect, it only hit chair legs a couple of times. On top of this, the robot has more than enough sensors and memory to remember your room’s layout.
Even if you’re not home, you can tell the vacuum to start cleaning up if you’ve connected it to your MyDyson app. It compiles deep clean reports and other useful information to help you find the right settings for better results in the future. Sadly, it doesn’t have a self-emptying base, but the debris ejection process is straightforward.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/dyson-cyber-monday-deals-get-you-200-off-the-360-vis-nav-robot-vacuum-143634945.html?src=rss
- Bose QuietComfort headphones are 43 percent off for Cyber Monday
The newest version of Bose’s QuietComfort headphonesare on sale via Amazon for just $200. This ties a record-low price, as these headphones typically cost $350. All told, the Cyber Monday sale represents a discount of 43 percent. Most colorways are included with this deal, so have at it.
A version of these cans made our list of the best wireless headphones, so there’s plenty to recommend. The battery life is fantastic, lasting around 24 hours on a single charge. There’s also a quick charge feature, which can squeeze two hours of additional use with just 15 minutes at the power outlet. These are primarily wireless headphones, but can operate with an analog connection.
The adjustable EQ is great and, of course, the sound is top-tier. Bose is known for making some pretty good stuff. There are touch controls built into the earcups, which is handy, and active noise cancellation. This ANC can be adjusted to create a transparency mode, so you won’t walk into a truck or whatever. The headphones are also quite comfortable, thanks to plush earcups and a padded band.
The only downside here is the price. It’s tough to recommend these headphones at $350, especially with rival products at similar price points from companies like Apple, Sony and Sennheiser. However, it’s really easy to recommend them at $200. That’s a legit steal.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/bose-quietcomfort-headphones-are-43-percent-off-for-cyber-monday-174600731.html?src=rss
- Sonos Cyber Monday deals include up to $200 off soundbars and speakers
Sonos Cyber Monday sales have begun, kicking off one of the few times of the year you can actually save a decent amount on the company’s speakers, soundbars and other gear. This time around, you can get up to $200 off, with some of the highlights being $50 off the Sonos Era 100 and $110 off the Sonos Five.
If you’re in the market for a soundbar, consider the Sonos Arc. Now that the Arc Ultra is available, Sonos has discounted its previous flagship soundbar by $200 to $699. For something more affordable, the Beam 2 is currently $369, down from $499. Lastly, there’s the Era 300. Right now, you can buy the Dolby Atmos-compatible speaker for $359, instead of $449 as usually priced. All of these deals are being matched by Amazon, too.
More than a few of Sonos’ speakers, including the Era 100, have found a spot and stayed on Engadget’s list of best smart speakers. If you care about music but still want a speaker with modern features, a Sonos system is the way to go. Not only do the company’s speakers sound great, but you also get access to things like AirPlay 2 that make it incredibly easy to play exactly the song you want to listen to in the moment.
You may have seen that Sonos bungled the release of the latest version of its companion app. That’s true, but as things stand, the company has done a lot of work in recent months to fix its software. As a daily user, I can safely say the Sonos app is in much better shape now than it was in the spring. Other than the premium price that comes with Sonos products, there’s not much they don’t do as well or better than the competition. With the discounts the company is offering for Cyber Monday, its speakers come even more highly recommended.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/sonos-cyber-monday-deals-include-up-to-200-off-soundbars-and-speakers-131538574.html?src=rss
- Cyber Monday Kindle deals include $30 off the 2024 Paperwhite
Amazon only rolled out the2024 Kindle Paperwhite in October, but it’s already discounted for Cyber Monday. The new ereader — which has faster page turns, a bigger and better screen and longer battery life — is marked down to $130 ($30 off). That’s its first discount on one of our picks forbest ereader since launch.
The sixth-generation Paperwhite has a seven-inch screen, noticeably bigger than the 6.8-inch one on its predecessor. Amazon also boosted the display’s contrast thanks to its oxide thin-film transistor display tech, which should help reduce eyestrain. It still has a warm light that you can tune to match your room’s lighting. The front light in the new model gets 25 percent brighter at its maximum level than the 5th-gen model. It’s one of our picks for the best ereader.
The new Paperwhite has 25 percent faster page turns than its predecessors, which Engadget’s Amy Skorheim found makes a marked difference in the reading experience. (The review was for the more expensive Signature Edition, but it has identical page turns.) At 7.8mm thick, this is the thinnest Paperwhite to date.
The ereader still has IPX8 water resistance, and the device uses a new rubberized texture that makes it easier to grip. Amazon estimates its battery will last up to 12 weeks per charge. It ships with a USB-C cable (but no power brick).
You can also save on the new standard Kindle on sale for $85 (from $110). Although that model skips out on the warm light and has a smaller screen, it gives you a lighter and more compact ereader on the cheap.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-kindle-deals-include-30-off-the-2024-paperwhite-090013082.html?src=rss
- Intel board kicks out CEO, launches new budget desktop GPUs
This is a bit of an odd few days for Intel. Mere days after the board ousted its CEO Pat Gelsinger, once heralded as the chip giants messiah, theyre today launching two brand new desktop graphics cards. Theyre aimed at the more budget-oriented consumer, and might very well be the last discrete graphics cards Intel makes, since this is one of the product lines on the chopping block. Intel’s next — and possibly last — desktop graphics cards will begin arriving in just 10 days.`Right on cue, the company has announced the budget $249 Arc B580 and $219 Arc B570, shipping December 13th and January 16th, respectively, as the “best-in-class performance per dollar” options in the GPU market. They’re based on the same Xe2 “Battlemage” GPU architecture you’ll find in Intel’s Lunar Lake laptop chips but with more than double the graphics cores, up to 12GB of dedicated video memory, and up to 190W of power compared to their limited laptop forms — enough power to see the B580 slightly beat Nvidia’s $299 RTX 4060 and AMD’s $269 RX 7600, according to Intel’s benchmarks, but sometimes still trading blows. ↫ Sean Hollister at The Verge As for Gelsingers dismissal, it seems the board forced him out after being frustrated with the slow progress the company was making in its turnaround. The fact that a finance person and a marketing person will together be interim CEOs seems to indicate the board is more interested in quick profit than a long-term turnaround, and with companies like Qualcomm being interested in acquiring Intel, the boards short-term mentality might be winning out, and ousting Gelsinger is just paving the way for selling off parts of Intel until theres nothing left. Who knows, I might be reading way too much into all of this, but it feels like expecting an organisation as complex as a high-end processor makers to turn itself around in just a few years is incredibly shortsighted, and youd think board members at Intel would understand that. If the goal is to maintain Intel as a separate, profitable entity making some of the worlds fastest processors, youre going to need to give a CEO and leadership team more than just a few years to turn the ship around. Within a few years well know the boards true intentions, but I wouldnt be surprised to see Intel being sold for parts over the coming years.
- FreeBSD 14.2 released
FreeBSD 14.2 has been released, and as the version number suggests, this isnt a major release with huge changes. Still, it does bring support for downloading and installing necessary firmware packages after installation, the latest versions of OpenZFS and OpenSSL, and much more. FreeBSD 14.2 is available for the main architectures it supports x86, PowerPC/POWER, ARM, and RISC-V, and can be downloaded from the usual location.
- If not React, then what?
Rejecting an engrained practice of bullshitting does not come easily. Frameworkism preaches that the way to improve user experiences is to adopt more (or different) tooling from the frameworks ecosystem. This provides adherents with something to`do`that looks plausibly like engineering, except it isnt. It can even become a totalising commitment; solutions to user problems outside the frameworks expanded cinematic universe are unavailable to the frameworkist. Non-idiomatic patterns that unlock significant wins for users are bugs to be squashed. And without data or evidence to counterbalance bullshit artistss assertions, whos to say theyre wrong? Orthodoxy unmoored from measurements of user outcomes predictably spins into`abstruse absurdities.`Heresy, eventually, is perceived to carry heavy sanctions. Its all nonsense. ↫ Alex Russell Im not a developer, but any application that uses frameworks like React that Ive ever used tend to be absolute trainwrecks when it comes to performance, usability, consistency, and platform integration. When someone claims to have an application available for a platform I use, but its using React or Electron or whatever, theyre lying in my eyes what they really have is a website running in a window frame, which may or may not even be a native window frame. Developing using these tools indicates to me a lack of care, a lack of respect for the users of your product. I am militantly native. Id rather use a less functional application than a Chrome web application cosplaying as a real application, and I will most likely not even consider using your service if all you have is a website-in-a-box. If you dont respect me, I see no need to respect you. If you want an application on a specific platform, use that platforms native tools and APIs to build it. Anything else tells me all I need to know about how much you truly care about the product youre building.
- The Hall SC-VGA-2 video processor, the Atari ST and NeXTSTEP: more tales of the unscreenshotable
This is the Hall Research Technologies SC-VGA-2, sold as a VGA/HDTV Video Processor.! In addition to slicing, dicing and pureeing, apparently, it will take any of a bundle of input formats and both rescale and resample them on the fly into the VGA or HDTV signal you desire, including 60Hz rates. This came from a seller specializing in teleprompter equipment and Hall still sells an HDMI version with additional resolutions 0 for around US$500. However, this or the slightly newer SC-VGA-2A and SC-VGA-2B are all relatively common devices and found substantially cheaper used. Lets try it out and show some sample output, including those delicious NeXTSTEP system messages and some ST grabs. ↫ Cameron Kaiser With the obscurity of some of the hardware Cameron Kaiser details on his website, Im not surprised he has some seriously unique needs when it comes to taking screengrabs. He couldnt very well not take the device apart, and inside it appears to be a system with two small processors, at least one of which is an Intel 8051 8bit microcontroller. Kaiser goes into his usual great detail explaining and showing how the device works. If youve got unique screengrabbing needs, this might be of interest to you.
- MNT Pocket Reform Sculpt 24.10 preview image
Within in the last release cycle we worked on adding and extending the support for the i.MX8MP SoC as also found in one of the SoM options for the MNT Pocket Reform and are happy to show-case a first preview version of Sculpt running on this handy computing device. ↫ Josef Söntgen If you have a Pocket Reform I reviewed its bigger sibling earlier this year you can now run Genode on it. Not everything is working flawlessly yet most notably audio and NVMe need work but networking is operational, so you can actually browse the web. Im not sure how much overlap there is between Genode users and Pocket Reform owners, but at least both groups now know its an option.
- The OSNews extra special discount bonanza extravaganza Black Friday super coverage
Today is Black Friday!, which is the day where a lot of retailers, both online and offline, pretend to have massive discounts on things they either raised the prices for a few weeks ago, or for useless garbage they bought in bulk thatll end up in a landfill within a year. Technology media happily partakes in this event, going full-mask off posting an endless stream of stories! promoting these discounts. Theyre writing ads for fake discounts, often for products from the very companies theyre supposed to report on, and dress them up as normal articles. Its sad and revealing, highlighting just how much of the technology media landscape is owned by giant media conglomerates. OSNews does not partake. Were independent, answer to nobody, and are mostly funded directly by you, our readers. If you want to keep it this way, and keep OSNews free from the tripe you see on every other technology site around this time, consider supporting us through Patreon, making a one-time donation through Ko-Fi, or buying some merch. Thats it. Thats our extra special discount bonanza extravaganza Black Friday super coverage.
- Cinnamon Desktop 6.4 released
The Cinnamon Desktop, the GTK desktop environment developed by the Linux Mint project, has just released version 6.4. The focus of this release is on nips and tucks in the default theme, dialogs, menus, and other user interface elements. They seem to have taken a few pages out of GNOMEs book, especially when it comes to dialogs and the OSD, which honestly makes sense considering Cinnamon is also GTK and most Cinnamon users will be running a ton of GNOME/Libadwaita applications. Theres also a new night light feature to reduce eyestrain, vastly improved options for power profiles and management, and more. Cinnamon 6.4 will be part of Linux Mints next major release, coming in late December, but is most likely already making its way to various other distributions repositories.
- So you want to write a KMail plugin?
Recently, Ive been moving away from macOS to Linux, and have settled on using KDE Plasma as my desktop environment. For the most part Ive been comfortable with the change, but its always the small things that get me. For example, the Mail app built into macOS provides an Unsubscribe! button for emails. Apparently this is also supported in some webmail clients, but Im not interested in accessing my email that way. Unfortunately, I havent found an X11 or Wayland email client that supports this sort of functionality, so I decided to implement it myself. And anyway, Im trying out Kontact for my mail at the moment, which supports plugins. So why not use this as an opportunity to build one? ↫ datagirl.xyz Writing a Kmail plugin like this feels a bit like an arcane art, because the process is not documented as well as it could be, and I doubt that other than KDE developers themselves, very few people are interested in writing these kinds of plugins. In fact, I cant find a single one listed on the KDE Store, and searching around I cant find anything either, other than the ones that come with KDE. It seems like this particular plugin interface is designed more to make it easy for KDE developers to extend and alter Kmail than it is for third parties to do so and thats fine. Still, this means that if some third party does want to write such a plugin, theres some sleuthing and hacking to be done, and thats exactly the process this article details. In the end, we end up with a working unsubscribe plugin, with the code on git so others can learn from it. While this may not interest a large number of people, its vital to have information like this out on the web for those precious few to find so excellent work.
- US Copyright Office strikes down proposed game preservation DMCA exception
A three-year fight to help support game preservation has come to a sad end today. The US copyright office has denied a request for a DMCA exemption that would allow libraries to remotely share digital access to preserved video games. ↫ Dustin Bailey at GamesRadar This was always going to end in favour of the massive gaming industry with effectively bottomless bank accounts and more lawyers than god. The gist is that Section 1201 of the DMCA prevents libraries from circumventing the copy protection to make games available remotely. Much like books, libraries loan out books not just for research purposes, but also for entertainment purposes, and thats where the issue lies, according to the Copyright Office, who wrote there would be a significant risk that preserved video games would be used for recreational purposes!. The games industry doesnt care about old titles nobody wants to buy anymore and no consumer is interested in. Theres a long tail of games that have no monetary value whatsoever, and theres a relatively small number of very popular older games that the industry wants to keep repackaging and reselling forever I mean, we cant have a new Nintendo console without the opportunity to buy Mario Bros. for the 67th time. Thatd be ludicrous. In order to protect the continued free profits from those few popular retro titles, the endless list of other games only a few nerds are interested in are sacrificed.
- The capacitor that Apple soldered incorrectly at the factory
There have been some past rumblings on the internet about a capacitor being installed backwards in Apple’s Macintosh LC III. The LC III was a “pizza box” Mac model produced from early 1993 to early 1994, mainly targeted at the education market. It also manifested as various consumer Performa models: the 450, 460, 466, and 467. Clearly, Apple never initiated a huge recall of the LC III, so I think there is some skepticism in the community about this whole issue. Let’s look at the situation in more detail and understand the circuit. Did Apple actually make a mistake? ↫ Doug Brown Even I had heard of these claims, and Im not particularly interested in Apple retrocomputing, other than whatever comes by on Adrian Black or whatever. As such, it surprises me that there hasnt been any definitive answer to this question with the amount of interest in classic Macs youd think this would simply be a settled issue and everyone would know about it. This vintage of Macs pretty much require recaps by now, so I assumed if Apple indeed soldered on a capacitor backwards, itd just be something listed in the various recapping guides. It took some very minor digging with the multimeter, but yes, one of the capacitors on this family of boards is soldered on the wrong way, with the positive terminal where the negative terminal should be. It seems the error does not lie with whomever soldered the capacitors on the boards or whomever set the machine that did so because the silkscreen is labeled incorrectly, too. The reason it doesnt seem to be noticeable problem during the expected lifespan of the computer is because it was rated at 16V, but was only taking in -5V. So, if you plan on recapping one of these classic Macs you might as well fix the error.
- Mozilla begs courts to allow Google search deal for Firefox to continue
The moment a lot of us has been fearing may be soon upon us. Among the various remedies proposed by the United States Department of Justice to address Googles monopoly abuse, theres also banning Google from spending money to become the default search engine on other devices, platforms, or applications. “We strongly urge the Court to consider remedies that improve search competition without harming independent browsers and browser engines,” a Mozilla spokesperson tells PCMag. Mozilla points to a key but less eye-catching proposal from the DOJ to regulate Google’s search business, which a judge ruled as a monopoly in August. In their recommendations, federal prosecutors urged the court to ban Google from offering something of value! to third-party companies to make Google the default search engine over their software or devices. ↫ Michael Kan at PC Mag Obviously Mozilla is urging the courts to reconsider this remedy, because it would instantly cut more than 80% of Mozillas revenue. As Ive been saying for years now, the reason Firefox seems to be getting worse is because of Mozilla is desperately trying to find other sources of revenue, and they seem to think advertising is their best bet even going so far as working together with Facebook. Imagine how much more invasive and user-hostile these attempts are going to get if Mozilla suddenly loses 80% of its revenue? For so, so many years now Ive been warning everyone about just how fragile the future of Firefox was, and every one of my worries and predictions have become reality. If Mozilla now loses 80% of its funding, which platform Firefox officially supports do you think will feel the sting of inevitable budget cuts, scope reductions, and even more layoffs first? The future of especially Firefox on Linux is hanging by a thread, and with everyone lulled into a false sense of complacency by Chrome and its many shady skins, nobody in the Linux community seems to have done anything to prepare for this near inevitability. With no proper, fully-featured replacements in the works, Linux distributions, especially ones with strict open source requirements, will most likely be forced to ship with de-Googled Chromium variants by default once Firefox becomes incompatible with such requirements. And no matter how much you take Google out of Chromium, its still effectively a Google product, leaving most Linux users entirely at the whim of big tech for the most important application they have. Were about to enter a very, very messy time for browsing on Linux.
- Leaving big tech behind: Murenas /e/OS on the Fairphone 5
There are so many ecological, environmental, and climate problems and disasters taking place all over the world that its sometimes hard to see the burning forests through the charred tree stumps. As at best middle-income individuals living in this corporate line-must-go-up hellscape, theres only so much we can do turn the rising tides of fascism and leave at least a semblance of a livable world for our children and grandchildren. Of course, the most elementary thing we can do is not vote for science-denying death cults who believe everything is some non-existent entitys grand plan, but other than that, whats really our impact if we drive a little less or use paper straws, when some wealthy robber baron flying his private jet to Florida to kiss the gaudy gold ring to signal his obedience does more damage to our world in one flight than we do in a year of driving to our underpaid, expendable job? Income, financial, health, and other circumstances allowing, all we can do are the little things to make ourselves feel better, usually in areas in which we are knowledgeable. In technology, it might seem like theres not a whole lot we can do, but actually theres quite a few steps we can take. One of the biggest things you, as an individual knowledgeable about and interested in tech, can do to give the elite and ruling class the finger is to move away from big tech, their products, and their services no more Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, or Amazon. This is often a long, tedious, and difficult process, as most of us will discover that we rely on a lot more big tech products than we initially thought. Its like an onion that looks shiny and tasty on the outside, but is rotting from the inside the more layers you peel away, the dirtier and nastier it gets. Also you start crying. Ive been in the process of eradicating as much of big tech out of my life for a long time now. Since four or five years ago, all my desktop and laptop PCs run Linux, from my dual-Xeon workstation to my high-end gaming PC (ignore that spare parts PC that runs Windows just for League of Legends. That stupid game is my guilty pleasure and I will not give it up), from my XPS 13 laptop to my little Home Assistant thin client. Ive never ordered a single thing from Amazon and have no Prime subscription or whatever it is, so that one was a freebie. Apple I banished from my life long ago, so thats another freebie. Sadly, that other device most of us carry with us remained solidly in the big tech camp, as Ive been using an Android phone for a long time, filled to the brim with Google products, applications, and services. There really isnt a viable alternative to the Android and iOS duopoly. Or is there? Well, in a roundabout way, there is an alternative to iOS and Googles Android. You cant do much to take the Apple out of an iPhone, but theres a lot you can do to take the Google out of an Android phone. Unless or until an independent third platform ever manages to take serious hold godspeed, our saviour de-Googled Android, as its called, is your best bet at having a fully functional, modern smartphone thats as free from big tech as you want it to be, without leaving you with a barely usable, barebones experience. While you can install a de-Googled ROM yourself, as theres countless to choose from, this is not an option for everyone, since not everyone has the skills, time, and/or supported devices to do so. Murena, Fairphone, and sustainable mining This is where Murena comes in. Murena is a French company founded by Gaël Duval, of Mandrake Linux fame that develops /e/OS, a de-Googled Android using microG (which Murena also supports financially), which it makes available for anyone to install on supported devices, while also selling various devices with /e/OS preinstalled. Murena goes one step further, however, by also offering something called Murena Workspace a branded Nextcloud offering that works seamlessly with /e/OS. In other words, if you buy an /e/OS smartphone from Murena, you get the complete package of smartphone, mobile operating system, and cloud services thats very similar to buying a regular Android phone or an iPhone. To help me test this complete package of smartphone, de-Googled Android, and cloud services, Murena loaned me a Fairphone 5 with /e/OS preinstalled, and while this article mostly focuses on the /e/OS experience, we should first talk a little bit about the relationship between Murena and Fairphone. Murena and Fairphone are partners, and Murena has been selling /e/OS Fairphones for a while now. Most of us will be familiar with Fairphone its a Dutch company focused on designing and selling smartphones and related accessories that are are user-repairable and long-lasting, while also trying everything within their power to give full insight into their supply chain. This is important, because every smartphone contains quite a few materials that are unsustainably mined. Many mines are destructive to the environment, have horrible working conditions, or even sink as low as employing children. Even companies priding themselves on being environmentally responsible and sustainable, like Apple, are guilty of partaking in and propping up such mining endeavours. As consumers, there isnt much we can do the network of supply chains involved in making a smartphone is incredibly complex and opaque, and theres basically nothing normal people can do to really fully know on whose underpaid or even underage shoulders their smartphone is built. This holiday season, Murena and Fairphone are collaborating on exactly this issue of the conditions in mines used to acquire the metals and minerals in our phones. Instead of offering big discounts (that barely eat into margins and often follow sharp price increases right before the holidays), Murena and Fairphone will donate
- Managing third-party packages in 9front
Every now and then, news from the club Im too cool to join, the plan9/9front community, pierces the veil of coolness and enters our normal world. This time, someone accidentally made a package manager for 9front. Ive been growing tired of manually handling random software, so I decided to find a simple way to automate the process and ended up making a sort of package manager! for 9front¹. Its really just a set of shell scripts that act as a frontend for`git`and keep a simple database of package names and URLs. Running the`pkginit`script will ask for a location to store the source files for installed packages (/sys/pkg`by default) which will then be created if non-existent. And thats it! No, really. Now you can provide a URL for a git repository to pkg/add. ↫ Kelly bubstance! Glenn As I somehow expected from 9front, its quite a simple and elegant system. Im not sure how well it would handle more complex package operations, but I doubt many 9front systems are complex to begin with, so this may just be enough to take some of the tedium out of managing software on 9front, as the author originally intended. One day I will be cool enough to use 9front. I just have to stay cool.
- Microsoft Word is using you to train AI!
The author of this article, Dr. Casey Lawrence, mentions the opt-out checkbox is hard to find, and they arent kidding. On Windows, heres the full snaking path you have to take through Words settings to get to the checkbox: File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Privacy Settings > Optional Connected Experiences > Uncheck box: “Turn on optional connected experiences”. That is absolutely bananas. No normal person is ever going to find this checkbox. Anyway, remember how the AI! believers kept saying hey, its on the internet so scraping your stuff and violating your copyright is totally legal you guys!!? Well, what about when youre using Word, installed on your own PC, to write private documents, containing, say, sensitive health information? Or detailed plans about your companys competitor to Azure or Microsoft Office? Or correspondence with lawyers about an antirust lawsuit against Microsoft? Or a report on Microsofts illegal activity youre trying to report as a whistleblower? Is that stuff fair game for the gobbledygook generators too? This AI! nonsense has to stop. How is any of this even remotely legal?
- Using (only) a Linux terminal for my personal computing in 2024
A month and a bit ago, I wondered if I could cope with a terminal-only computer. The only way to really find out was to give it a go. My goal was to see what it was like to use a terminal-only computer for my`personal`computing for two weeks, and more if I fancied it. ↫ Neils blog I tried to do this too, once. Once. Doing everything from the terminal just isnt viable for me, mostly because I didnt grow up with it. Our familys first computer ran MS-DOS (with a Windows 3.1 installation we never used), and Im pretty sure the experience of using MS-DOS as my first CLI ruined me for life. My mental model for computing didnt start forming properly until Windows 95 came out, and as such, computing is inherently graphical for me, and no matter how many amazing CLI and TUI applications are out there and there are many, many amazing ones my brain just isnt compatible with it. There are a few tasks I prefer doing with the command line, like updating my computers or editing system files using Nano, but for everything else Im just faster and more comfortable with a graphical user interface. This comes down to not knowing most commands by heart, and often not even knowing the options and flags for the most basic of commands, meaning even very basic operations that people comfortable using the command line do without even thinking, take me ages. Im glad any modern Linux distribution I use Fedora KDE on all my computers offers both paths for almost anything you could do on your computer, and unless I specifically opt to do so, I literally literally literally never have to touch the command line.
- MaXX Interactive Desktop springs back to life with new release and updated roadmap
I had to dive into our archive all the way back to 2017 to find the last reference to the MaXX Interactive Desktop, and it seems this wasnt exactly my fault the project has been on hiatus since 2020, and is only now coming back to life, as MaXXdesktop v2.2.0 (nickname Octane) Alpha-1 has been released, alongside a promising and ambitious roadmap for the future of the project. For the uninitiated MaXX is a Linux reimplementation of the IRIX Interactive Desktop with some modernisations and other niceties to make it work properly on modern Linux (and FreeBSD) machines. MaXX has a unique history in that its creator and lead developer, Eric Masson, managed to secure a special license agreement with SGI way back in 2005, under which he was allowed to recreate, from scratch, the IRIX Interactive Desktop on Linux, including the use of SGIs trademarks and IRIX unique look and feel. Its important to note that he did not get access to any code he was only allowed to reverse-engineer and recreate it, and because some of the code falls under this license agreement and some doesnt, MaXX is not entirely open source; parts of it are, but not all of it. Any new code written that doesnt fall under the license agreement is released as open source though, and the goal is to, over time, make everything open source. And as you can tell from this v2.2.0 screenshot, MaXX looks stunning even at 4K. This new alpha version contains the first changes to adopt the freedesktop.org application specifications, a new Exposé-like window overview, tweaks to the modernised version of the IRIX look and feel (the classic one is also included as an option), desktop notifications, performance improvements, various modernisations to the window manager, and so, so much more. For the final release of 2.2.0 and later releases, more changes are planned, like brand new configuration and system management panels, a quick search tool, a new file manager, and a ton more. MaXX runs on RHEL/Rocky and Ubuntu, and probably more Linux distributions, and FreeBSD, and is entirely free.
- New 'Mirrored' Network Mode Introduced in Windows Subsystem for Linux
Microsoft's Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) continues to evolve with the release of WSL 2 version 0.0.2. This update introduces a set of opt-in preview features designed to enhance performance and compatibility.
Key additions include "Automatic memory reclaim" which dynamically optimizes WSL's memory footprint, and "Sparse VHD" to shrink the size of the virtual hard disk file. These improvements aim to streamline resource usage.
Additionally, a new "mirrored networking mode" brings expanded networking capabilities like IPv6 and multicast support. Microsoft claims this will improve VPN and LAN connectivity from both the Windows host and Linux guest.
Complementing this is a new "DNS Tunneling" feature that changes how DNS queries are resolved to avoid compatibility issues with certain network setups. According to Microsoft, this should reduce problems connecting to the internet or local network resources within WSL.
Advanced firewall configuration options are also now available through Hyper-V integration. The new "autoProxy" feature ensures WSL seamlessly utilizes the Windows system proxy configuration.
Microsoft states these features are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders running Windows 11 22H2 Build 22621.2359 or later. They remain opt-in previews to allow testing before final integration into WSL.
By expanding WSL 2 with compelling new capabilities in areas like resource efficiency, networking, and security, Microsoft aims to make Linux on Windows more performant and compatible. This evolutionary approach based on user feedback highlights Microsoft's commitment to WSL as a key part of the Windows ecosystem.
Windows
- Linux Threat Report: Earth Lusca Deploys Novel SprySOCKS Backdoor in Attacks on Government Entities
The threat actor Earth Lusca, linked to Chinese state-sponsored hacking groups, has been observed utilizing a new Linux backdoor dubbed SprySOCKS to target government organizations globally.
As initially reported in January 2022 by Trend Micro, Earth Lusca has been active since at least 2021 conducting cyber espionage campaigns against public and private sector targets in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. Their tactics include spear-phishing and watering hole attacks to gain initial access. Some of Earth Lusca's activities overlap with another Chinese threat cluster known as RedHotel.
In new research, Trend Micro reveals Earth Lusca remains highly active, even expanding operations in the first half of 2023. Primary victims are government departments focused on foreign affairs, technology, and telecommunications. Attacks concentrate in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Balkans regions.
After breaching internet-facing systems by exploiting flaws in Fortinet, GitLab, Microsoft Exchange, Telerik UI, and Zimbra software, Earth Lusca uses web shells and Cobalt Strike to move laterally. Their goal is exfiltrating documents and credentials, while also installing additional backdoors like ShadowPad and Winnti for long-term spying.
The Command and Control server delivering Cobalt Strike was also found hosting SprySOCKS - an advanced backdoor not previously publicly reported. With roots in the Windows malware Trochilus, SprySOCKS contains reconnaissance, remote shell, proxy, and file operation capabilities. It communicates over TCP mimicking patterns used by a Windows trojan called RedLeaves, itself built on Trochilus.
At least two SprySOCKS versions have been identified, indicating ongoing development. This novel Linux backdoor deployed by Earth Lusca highlights the increasing sophistication of Chinese state-sponsored threats. Robust patching, access controls, monitoring for unusual activities, and other proactive defenses remain essential to counter this advanced malware.
The Trend Micro researchers emphasize that organizations must minimize attack surfaces, regularly update systems, and ensure robust security hygiene to interrupt the tactics, techniques, and procedures of relentless threat groups like Earth Lusca.
Security
- Linux Kernel Faces Reduction in Long-Term Support Due to Maintenance Challenges
The Linux kernel is undergoing major changes that will shape its future development and adoption, according to Jonathan Corbet, Linux kernel developer and executive editor of Linux Weekly News. Speaking at the Open Source Summit Europe, Corbet provided an update on the latest Linux kernel developments and a glimpse of what's to come.
A major change on the horizon is a reduction in long-term support (LTS) for kernel versions from six years to just two years. Corbet explained that maintaining old kernel branches indefinitely is unsustainable and most users have migrated to newer versions, so there's little point in continuing six years of support. While some may grumble about shortened support lifecycles, the reality is that constantly backporting fixes to ancient kernels strains maintainers.
This maintainer burnout poses a serious threat, as Corbet highlighted. Maintaining Linux is largely a volunteer effort, with only about 200 of the 2,000+ developers paid for their contributions. The endless demands on maintainers' time from fuzz testing, fixing minor bugs, and reviewing contributions takes a toll. Prominent maintainers have warned they need help to avoid collapse. Companies relying on Linux must realize giving back financially is in their interest to sustain this vital ecosystem.
The Linux kernel is also wading into waters new with the introduction of Rust code. While Rust solves many problems, it also introduces new complexities around language integration, evolving standards, and maintainer expertise. Corbet believes Rust will pass the point of no return when core features depend on it, which may occur soon with additions like Apple M1 GPU drivers. Despite skepticism in some corners, Rust's benefits likely outweigh any transition costs.
On the distro front, Red Hat's decision to restrict RHEL cloning sparked community backlash. While business considerations were at play, Corbet noted technical factors too. Using older kernels with backported fixes, as RHEL does, risks creating divergent, vendor-specific branches. The Android model of tracking mainline kernel dev more closely has shown security benefits. Ultimately, Linux works best when aligned with the broader community.
In closing, Corbet recalled the saying "Linux is free like a puppy is free." Using open source seems easy at first, but sustaining it long-term requires significant care and feeding. As Linux is incorporated into more critical systems, that maintenance becomes ever more crucial. The kernel changes ahead are aimed at keeping Linux healthy and vibrant for the next generation of users, businesses, and developers.
kernel
- Linux Celebrates 32 Years with the Release of 6.6-rc2 Version
Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Linus Torvalds introducing the inaugural Linux 0.01 kernel version, and celebrating this milestone, Torvalds has launched the Linux 6.6-rc2. Among the noteworthy updates are the inclusion of a feature catering to the ASUS ROG Flow X16 tablet's mode handling and the renaming of the new GenPD subsystem to pmdomain.
The Linux 6.6 edition is progressing well, brimming with exciting new features that promise to enhance user experience. Early benchmarks are indicating promising results, especially on high-core-count servers, pointing to a potentially robust and efficient update in the Linux series.
Here is what Linus Torvalds had to say in today's announcement:
Another week, another -rc.I think the most notable thing about 6.6-rc2 is simply that it'sexactly 32 years to the day since the 0.01 release. And that's a roundnumber if you are a computer person.Because other than the random date, I don't see anything that reallystands out here. We've got random fixes all over, and none of it looksparticularly strange. The genpd -> pmdomain rename shows up in thediffstat, but there's no actual code changes involved (make sure touse "git diff -M" to see them as zero-line renames).And other than that, things look very normal. Sure, the architecturefixes happen to be mostly parisc this week, which isn't exactly theusual pattern, but it's also not exactly a huge amount of changes.Most of the (small) changes here are in drivers, with some tracingfixes and just random things. The shortlog below is short enough toscroll through and get a taste of what's been going on. Linus Torvalds
- Introducing Bavarder: A User-Friendly Linux Desktop App for Quick ChatGPT Interaction
Want to interact with ChatGPT from your Linux desktop without using a web browser?
Bavarder, a new app, allows you to do just that.
Developed with Python and GTK4/libadwaita, Bavarder offers a simple concept: pose a question to ChatGPT, receive a response, and promptly copy the answer (or your inquiry) to the clipboard for pasting elsewhere.
With an incredibly user-friendly interface, you won't require AI expertise (or a novice blogger) to comprehend it. Type your question in the top box, click the blue send button, and wait for a generated response to appear at the bottom. You can edit or modify your message and repeat the process as needed.
During our evaluation, Bavarder employed BAI Chat, a GPT-3.5/ChatGPT API-based chatbot that's free and doesn't require signups or API keys. Future app versions will incorporate support for alternative backends, such as ChatGPT 4 and Hugging Chat, and allow users to input an API key to utilize ChatGPT3.
At present, there's no option to regenerate a response (though you can resend the same question for a potentially different answer). Due to the lack of a "conversation" view, tracking a dialogue or following up on answers can be challenging — but Bavarder excels for rapid-fire questions.
As with any AI, standard disclaimers apply. Responses might seem plausible but could contain inaccurate or false information. Additionally, it's relatively easy to lead these models into irrational loops, like convincing them that 2 + 2 equals 106 — so stay alert!
Overall, Bavarder is an attractive app with a well-defined purpose. If you enjoy ChatGPT and similar technologies, it's worth exploring.
ChatGPT AI
- LibreOffice 7.5.3 Released: Third Maintenance Update Brings 119 Bug Fixes to Popular Open-Source Office Suite
Today, The Document Foundation unveiled the release and widespread availability of LibreOffice 7.5.3, which serves as the third maintenance update to the current LibreOffice 7.5 open-source and complimentary office suite series.
Approximately five weeks after the launch of LibreOffice 7.5.2, LibreOffice 7.5.3 arrives with a new set of bug fixes for those who have successfully updated their GNU/Linux system to the LibreOffice 7.5 series.
LibreOffice 7.5.3 addresses a total of 119 bugs identified by users or uncovered by LibreOffice developers. For a more comprehensive understanding of these bug fixes, consult the RC1 and RC2 changelogs.
You can download LibreOffice 7.5.3 directly from the LibreOffice websiteor from SourceForge as binary installers for DEB or RPM-based GNU/Linux distributions. A source tarball is also accessible for individuals who prefer to compile the software from sources or for system integrators.
All users operating the LibreOffice 7.5 office suite series should promptly update their installations to the new point release, which will soon appear in the stable software repositories of your GNU/Linux distributions.
In early February 2023, LibreOffice 7.5 debuted as a substantial upgrade to the widely-used open-source office suite, introducing numerous features and improvements. These enhancements encompass major upgrades to dark mode support, new application and MIME-type icons, a refined Single Toolbar UI, enhanced PDF Export, and more.
Seven maintenance updates will support LibreOffice 7.5 until November 30th, 2023. The next point release, LibreOffice 7.5.4, is scheduled for early June and will include additional bug fixes.
The Document Foundation once again emphasizes that the LibreOffice office suite's "Community" edition is maintained by volunteers and members of the Open Source community. For enterprise implementations, they suggest using the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from ecosystem partners.
LibreOffice
- Raspberry Pi OS Debuts New Version Featuring Linux Kernel 6.1, Improved Performance, and App Updates
Today, the Raspberry Pi Foundation unveiled a fresh edition of their official Raspberry Pi OS distribution tailored for Raspberry Pi computers, featuring component updates, bug fixes, and several performance enhancements.
The most significant alteration in the Raspberry Pi OS 2023-05-03 release is the transition from the long-term supported Linux 5.15 LTS kernel to the long-term supported Linux 6.1 LTS kernel. This shift is expected to boost the performance of Raspberry Pi devices.
Indeed, current Raspberry Pi OS users, like myself, were already utilizing the Linux 6.1 LTS kernel when executing the rpi-update command via a terminal emulator. However, Linux 6.1 LTS is now the standard kernel in new Raspberry Pi OS images, available for download from the official website for those planning to install it on their Raspberry Pi computer.
Various applications have received updates in this new Raspberry Pi OS version. The most notable is Chromium 113, the default browser for Raspberry Pi OS. In addition to incorporating the latest security patches, Chromium 113 introduces WebGPU support by default, potentially enhancing the performance of web apps and overall browsing experience.
Other updates include Raspberry Pi Imager 1.7.4, RealVNC Viewer 7.0.1.48981, RealVNC Server 7.0.1.49073, Mathematica 13.2.1, and Matlab 23.1.0. Another intriguing update is the revised VLC hardware acceleration patch, designed to enhance video playback performance.
The libcamera and libcamera-apps elements have also been updated to refine IMX296 sensor tuning, enhance audio resampling and encoding management using the libav library, boost the performance of Qt preview window rendering, optimize thumbnail rendering, support 16-bit Bayer in the DNG writer, manage generalized statistics, and rectify an overflow problem that caused inaccurate calculations in the AGC algorithm.
The picamera2 library has also been updated, incorporating an MJPEG server example that utilizes the hardware MJPEG encoder, an example showcasing a preview from two cameras within a single Qt app, the capacity for the H.264 encoder to accept frame time intervals for SPS headers, promote the correct profile/level, and support constant quality parameters, as well as introduce new Exif DateTime and DateTimeOriginal tags.
Several bugs were addressed, including an occasional segfault in the CPU temperature plugin, an X11 server crash when altering screen orientation, X11 server DPMS malfunctions, and the addition of new language translations.
kernel
- Debian 11.7 Released: Seventh ISO Update Brings Enhanced Security and Bug Fixes to "Bullseye" Operating System Series
The Debian Project has unveiled the release and widespread availability of Debian 11.7, serving as the seventh ISO update to the current Debian GNU/Linux 11 "Bullseye" operating system series.
Arriving approximately four and a half months after Debian 11.6, Debian 11.7 delivers updated installation media for those seeking to install the Debian GNU/Linux 11 "Bullseye" operating system series on new computers. This ensures that users won't need to download numerous updates from repositories following installation.
Debian 11.7 incorporates all security and software updates from December 17th, 2022, the release date of Debian GNU/Linux 11.6, up until today. In total, Debian 11.7 consists of 102 security updates and various bug fixes for 92 packages.
For more information on these security updates and bug fixes, consult the release announcement. The Debian Project emphasizes that this Debian Bullseye point release does not represent a new version of Debian GNU/Linux 11 but merely updates certain included packages.
The Debian 11.7 installation images can be downloaded from the Debian website or via this direct link for 64-bit (amd64), 32-bit (i386), PowerPC 64-bit Little Endian (ppc64el), IBM System z (s390x), MIPS 64-bit Little Endian (mips64el), MIPS 32-bit Little Endian (mipsel), MIPS, Armel, ARMhf, and AArch64 (arm64) hardware architectures.
Debian 11.7 live images, pre-installed with the KDE Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, LXQt, LXDE, Cinnamon, and MATE desktop environments, can also be downloaded from the aforementioned link, but only for 64-bit and 32-bit systems.
Current Debian GNU/Linux 11 "Bullseye" users do not need to download these new ISO images to maintain up-to-date installations. Instead, they should regularly execute the sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade commands in a terminal emulator.
Debian
- What’s New in Debian 11 “Bullseye”?
Image
Debian is a preferred choice of millions of Linux users for some of the most popular and powerful operating systems, like Ubuntu and its derivatives are based on Debian.
Debian 11has finally been released, finally, after a long development work of two years. Bullseye – that’s the name given to this latest Debian Linux distro. So what are the updates and upgrades? In this article, let’s check out what’s new in Debian 11.
Debian 11’s ArchitectureDebian supports a good range of hardware architectures.
Supported Architectures
ARM EABI (armel) ARMv7 (EABI hard-float ABI and armhf) 64-bit ARM (arm64) 32-bit PC (i386) 64-bit PC (amd64) Little-endian MIPS (mipsel) 64-bit little-endian PowerPC 64-bit little-endian MIPS IBM System z (s390x)Not Supported Hardware
Old MIPS 32-bit CPUsLinux Kernel InformationDebian 11 supports the Linux Kernel 5.10 LTS. Debian 10 Buster, the earlier version to Debian 11, used Linux Kernel 4.19 while released. A newer kernel means a new set of bug fixes, new hardware support, and improved performance.
This is the perfect kernel for Debian bullseye considering the Debian lifecycle.
Supports exFATexFAT is the shortened form of the Extensible File Allocation Table. It’s a filesystem used for flash memory, such as SD cards and USB flash drives.
Now Debian 11 provides support for the exFAT. For mounting the exFAT filesystem, you don’t need the filesystem-in-userspace implementation provided by the exfat-fuse package additionally anymore. Thanks to kernel 5.10! exFAT comes in handy with it. Tools for checking and creating an exFAT are given in the exfatprogs package.
Bauhaus Movement Inspired Theme & WallpaperDebian features cool wallpapers and a default theme for each of the major releases. Debian 11’s theme is inspired by the Bauhaus movement. Bauhaus means “building house” and it was an art and design movement from 20th century Germany. The Bauhaus movement revolved around abstract, geometric style featuring little emotion or sentiments.
Its modern aesthetic still is immensely influential for designers, architects, and artists. You can see this theme all through Debian 11 whether it’s the installer, login window, or the Grub menu.
Newer Desktop Environment VersionsDebian 11 offers newer desktop environment versions. Desktop flavors you get here are, KDE Plasma 5.20, GNOME 3.38, LXDE 11, LXQt 0.16, Xfce 4.16, and MATE 1.24. Debian prefers stability and it’s quite clear from the desktop environments. You might not get the latest cutting-edge distributions like Fedora or Arch/Manjaro.
Updated PackagesDebian 11 consists of more than 11,294 new packages out of 59,551 packages. It also reduced over 9,519 “obsolete” packages and removed 42,821 that were updated. A total of 5,434 packages remained as they were.
A good number of software applications and package updates are included in Debian bullseye, such as Apache 2.4.48, Calligra 3.2, Emacs 27.1, LibreOffice 7.0, Inkscape 1.0.2, Linux kernel 5.10 series, Perl 5.32, PHP 7.4, Vim 8.2, PostgreSQL 13, and the list goes on. All these ready-to-use software packages are built with over 30,000 source packages.
With this huge selection of packages and wide architecture support, Debian has always stayed committed to its aim of being The Universal Operating System.
Improved Printer and Scanner FeaturesDebian 11 presents a new ipp-usb package. It is built with a vendor-neutral IPP-over-USB protocol that is supported by many latest printers. So, many modern-day printers will be supported now by Debian. And you won’t need the drivers for that.
SANE driverless backend lets you use scanners without any trouble.
EndnotesWant to try Debian Bullseye? Get it from here. You can also check “bullseye” with Live Images without installing it on your PC. This will load and run the entire OS in read-only mode. These live images are available for the i386 and amd64 architectures in the form of USB sticks, DVDs, and netboot setups. Debian Live has a standard image. So you can try a basic Debian without any GUIs.
And that’s the ending of this article. Hope you find our Debian 11 guide helpful.
#Linux Debian News
- Nvidia Linux drivers causing random hard crashes and now a major security risk still not fixed after 5+ months
Image The recent fiasco with Nvidia trying to block Hardware Unboxed from future GPU review samples for the content of their review is one example of how they choose to play this game. This hatred is not only shared by reviewers, but also developers and especially Linux users.
The infamous Torvalds videos still traverse the web today as Nvidia conjures up another evil plan to suck up more of your money and market share. This is not just one off shoot case; oh how much I wish it was. I just want my computer to work.
If anyone has used Sway-WM with an Nvidia GPU I’m sure they would remember the –my-next-gpu-wont-be-nvidia option.
These are a few examples of many.
The Nvidia Linux drivers have never been good but whatever has been happening at Nvidia for the past decade has to stop today. The topic in question today is this bug: [https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/bug-report-455-23-04-kernel-panic-due-to-null-pointer-dereference]
This bug causes hard irrecoverable crashes from driver 440+. This issue is still happening 5+ months later with no end in sight. At first users could work around this by using an older DKMS driver along with a LTS kernel. However today this is no longer possible. Many distributions of Linux are now dropping the old kernels. DKMS cannot build. The users are now FORCED with this “choice”:
{Use an older driver and risk security implications} or {“use” the new drivers that cause random irrecoverable crashes.}
This issue is only going to get more and more prevalent as the kernel is a core dependency by definition. This is just another example of the implications of an unsafe older kernel causing issue for users: https://archlinux.org/news/moving-to-zstandard-images-by-default-on-mkinitcpio/
If you use Linux or care about the implications of a GPU monopoly, consider AMD. Nvidia is already rearing its ugly head and AMD is actually putting up a fight this year.
#Linux NVIDIA News
- Fedora KDE Approved as an Official Spin
If you prefer the Plasma desktop environment and the Fedora distribution, you're in luck because there's now an official spin that is listed on the same level as the Fedora Workstation edition.
- OSI and LPI Form Strategic Alliance
With a goal of strengthening Linux and open source communities, this new alliance aims to nurture the growth of more highly skilled professionals.
|
