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22.11.2022 21:43 Google's Nest Thermostat is on sale for just $90 for Black Friday, with a tidy $40 discount. That's among the lowest prices we've seen, and close to the lowest it has gone for so far. Like most smart home devices, the Nest Thermostat grants control via smartphone, tablet, laptop or even a smart display like Amazon's Echo Show or Google's Nest Hub . Since it's programmable and capable of knowing when you're home, the thermostat can save energy by not overly heating or cooling an empty house. Google designed it to be easy to install, and most people can do it themselves. Google says 85 percent of systems are compatible, but before you pick one up, you might want to check your HVAC compatibility on Google's site. In addition to remote access and programmability, the Next Thermostat has a Savings Finder option within the Nest app that can suggest tweaks to your heating and cooling schedule to save energy. In some cases, owning a Nest can entitle you to rebates from your utility provider. The sale extends to some of Google's other smart home devices as well. If you're looking to expand your smart home ecosystem with Nest cameras or doorbells, this might be the time to dive in. The Nest Security Cam Wired is 30 percent off its usual $100 price tag, bringing it down to $70 for Black Friday. As the name suggests, this is the wired version of the smart camera, intended for indoor use. Its smart detection features can tell the difference between your pets wandering around and human visitors. It also lets you see, hear and talk to whomever's in the room and sends alerts and 1080p HDR video to your phone or other devices using the Google Home app. You get three hours of video history without a subscription, or with a $6-per-month subscription, the Nest cam offers 60 days of video history. Buy Nest Security Cam Wired at Amazon - $70Bring a video doorbell into the mix to keep track of packages and people showing up at your door with the Nest Doorbell Battery. It's down to an all-time low of $120, with a $60 discount. The doorbell installs using your existing doorbell wiring to continuously power the device, or it can run on the built-in rechargeable battery. Like the Nest camera, the Google Home app sends alerts and video feed from the doorbell to your phone, laptop or smart display. You can see, hear and talk to anyone who shows up, and you can even program the option of using pre-recorded messages to tell visitors you'll be right there or let delivery people know where to leave your package. Buy Nest Doorbell Battery at Amazon - $120Other versions of the cameras and doorbells are also on sale at Amazon right now. If you'd rather shop direct, the Google Store has Black Friday deals on even more Nest smart home devices. Shop the Google Nest Black Friday sale at AmazonGet the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

22.11.2022 21:43 A year after it was first announced, EA’s return to college football has a release window. In an interview with ESPN, Daryl Holt, the vice president and general manager of the company’s EA Sports division, said the publisher plans to release the game in the summer of 2024. If another year-and-a-half of development sounds like a lot for what will become an annual release for EA, it’s because the company says it wants to create a title fans will want to play."That's the best date for us to bring the game that we think is going to meet or exceed our player expectations," Holt told ESPN. "And cover the breadth and scale of what we want in the game. We're trying to build a very immersive college football experience."Besides announcing a release window, Holt shared some details about what the final game will look like. He said the title would feature at least 120 schools, all 10 FBS conferences and the College Football Playoff. He added that EA was working on finding a way to include real-life student-athletes in the game. “Our intent is to work towards that and find a meaningful way to include them in the game,” he said. An EA source told ESPN athletes would be compensated if they end up in the game. The final product will also feature Dynasty and Road to Glory modes – the latter allowing you to create your own player and take them through the college football process.2024 is a long time to wait for a new college football entry, but after nearly a decade since the release of NCAA Football 14, most fans are probably happy to wait if it means EA delivers a polished game. Holt promised EA Sports would share more information about the title ahead of release.

22.11.2022 21:43 If you’re looking for an affordable gift to help your friend or loved one be more productive over the next year, Logitech’s mice and keyboards are never a bad starting point. With Black Friday around the corner, Amazon has discounted a selection of the company’s products. One of the highlights of the sale is the Signature M650. Engadget recommended the M650 in our recent holiday gift guide. After a 25 percent discount, the mouse is $30. The M650’s customization makes it a great stocking stuffer. Logitech offers the mouse in six colors, two different sizes and both right- and left-handed configurations, meaning you should have no problem finding one that will work for a friend or family member.Buy Logitech Signature M650 at Amazon - $30 Another interesting option is the MX Anywhere 2S. At the moment, it’s $40, down from $60. The seven-button MX Anywhere 2S is notable for featuring support for Logitech’s Flow app. The software makes it possible to use the mouse with up to three computers at the same time. That’s useful if you use PCs with different operating systems installed on them since the Flow app allows you to easily move files, as well as copy and paste text and images. Even if that functionality doesn’t appeal to you, the MX Anywhere 2S has other things going for it, including a comfortable design and battery that can power the mouse for up to 70 hours.Buy Logitech MX Anywhere 2S at Amazon - $40The sale also includes Logitech’s multi-device keyboards. With Amazon’s promotion, you can get the K780 for $60 after a modest $5 discount, while the more affordable K480 is $30 after a $20 price cut. Like the MX Anywhere 2S, the K780 and K480 are useful if you want a peripheral that will work with more than one device. You can pair both keyboards with up to three devices and they feature handy slots for holding your phone or a small tablet in place. Of the two keyboards, the K780 is the more premium model and comes with a full set of numeric keys.Buy Logitech K780 at Amazon - $60Buy Logitech K480 at Amazon - $30Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

22.11.2022 21:43 I am one of those obnoxious people who loves technology, but also occasionally listens to music on large slabs of vinyl. As such, I’m probably the target audience for Victrola’s Stream Carbon turntable. The $800 record player boasts some lovely industrial design and has the expected RCA jacks for connecting to standard speakers – but it can also wirelessly link up and stream music to any Sonos speakers in your house. It’s an unconventional marriage of analog and digital, but one that had me intrigued. And after spending some quality time with the Stream Carbon, I can say it sounds great and works as advertised, though it does feel a tad extravagant – especially at this price.Visually, I found the Stream Carbon to be pretty striking, mixing mid-century modern minimalism with more recent flourishes. It’s certainly much lighter and less of an imposing presence than my Audio Technica AT-LP120 turntable . There’s a large, tactile knob on the front, which adjusts volume for your entire Sonos system. On the top, there’s not much to see besides the platter, a minimally adjustable tonearm, and a 33/45 RPM selector switch. Around back is a power port, Ethernet jack and RCA plugs for using the turntable with non-Sonos speakers.My only complaint about the Stream Carbon’s design is its somewhat wonky dust cover, an unremarkable piece of plastic that covers the platter and tonearm. It’s not connected to the turntable in any way, and I often found myself wondering what to do with it when I was actually playing records. Not a huge deal, but worth knowing about ahead of time.Nathan Ingraham / EngadgetSetup was quite simple. The tonearm counterweight has two marks on it, each of which corresponds to the cartridge the Stream Carbon includes; my review unit came with the Ortofon Red 2M. Then it’s just a matter of putting the belt into place and dropping the platter and mat over the top. If I were using standard speakers, I’d just plug them in, but the whole point of testing the Stream Carbon was to get it hooked up to my Sonos network. Fortunately, that too was easy.After installing the Victrola Stream app on my iPhone, it was just a matter of tapping “add a turntable” and adding it to my WiFi network. You then need to tell the turntable which Sonos speaker or group to use by default; I had set up two Play:1 speakers next to the turntable for this test. At that point, I didn’t need to do anything else in the Victrola app as everything playback related went through my Sonos system.Nathan Ingraham / EngadgetI kicked things off with my bright pink Carly Rae Jespen EMOTION record; moving the tonearm automatically started the record spinning, and after a short delay the tunes started coming through my Sonos speakers. From there, I could use the Sonos app to bounce that music anywhere I wanted in my house. I have speakers on each floor of my home and could play all of them at once, or just a single set. It felt pretty weird and rather indulgent to put on a record on the first floor and listen to it up in my third-floor office, but it is definitely something I tried. Putting aside that somewhat odd use case, though, the Stream Carbon reliably worked with any and all Sonos products I have in my house – that includes a pair of older Play:1s, some gen-2 One speakers and the first-gen Beam soundbar.After getting set up, I realized there was no real need to have a pair of speakers located directly next to the Stream Carbon. That should have been immediately obvious when I started setting things up, but it felt a little weird to have music automatically start playing on the Beam below my TV . But there’s definitely something freeing about being able to place the Stream Carbon anywhere you want without having to worry about the physical proximity of the speakers you’re using. It didn’t make sense to put the turntable anywhere else in my living room, but I’d definitely consider a less traditional placement if I was building my setup from scratch.Nathan Ingraham / EngadgetAs for audio quality, that depends on your speakers and the condition of your records. When playing my newer vinyl, though, the Stream Carbon sounded great. I jumped between the sparse acoustic tones of Gustavo Santaolalla’s score for The Last of Us Part II and Howard Shores majestic orchestral compositions for the Lord of the Rings films to pop tunes like the aforementioned Carly Rae Jepsen record and a greatest hits compilation from Canadian electro-rock outfit Metric.I’m no audiophile, but I was consistently impressed with the detailed soundscapes I heard with the combo of my Sonos speakers and the Stream Carbon. Noise from the records themselves was also minimal – my older albums like an original pressing of Metallica’s Master of Puppets and a late ‘70s copy of Pink Floyd’s Animals didn’t sound nearly as pristine, but the crackles and other sounds you hear from well-kept records were barely noticeable.Nathan Ingraham / EngadgetOne of the more unusual things about sound quality I noticed while using the Stream Carbon was that the Sonos Trueplay speaker tuning applies to record playback. If you haven’t used it before, Trueplay uses the microphone on an iPhone or iPad to listen to how a Sonos speaker sounds and adjust the audio to optimize it for the speaker’s placement in a room. Once you do this, the setting applies to anything being played through the speaker, whether it’s streaming audio through the Sonos app, audio from a connected TV or the Stream Carbon turntable.While I almost always use Trueplay on my Sonos speakers, having it turned on while using the turntable felt like it further abstracted the concept of “listening to a record.” I was already turning the analog audio into ones and zeros by streaming it to the Sonos, and now I was applying a layer of digital enhancement to that music. At this point, I might as well have just streamed an album directly from Spotify or Apple Music to my speakers.This gets at the heart of the questions I have about the Stream Carbon. Anyone who’s willing to spend $800 on a turntable is probably pretty serious about playing their record collection, and chances are they already have good speakers dedicated to that pursuit. That said, the Stream Carbon’s RCA outputs can easily be connected to traditional speakers, and the Sonos connectivity could just be a nice-to-have feature that you only occasionally use. But the market for people like that seems pretty small.The Stream Carbon could also make sense for someone who already has Sonos speakers but wants to get into collecting records. But again, $800 for a turntable is a lot of money when you’re just getting started with a hobby. Then there’s someone like me, who has a bunch of Sonos speakers and a decent stack of records. My turntable and speakers are fine, but nothing to write home about; the combo of the Stream Carbon and my Sonos speakers was definitely an upgrade. But, would I spend $800 of my own money on it? Probably not. Instead, I would probably spend half that and pick up some speakers like the Audioengine A5+ or any number of other quality bookshelf speakers out there and get a comparable audio upgrade.Even so, there’s a lot to like about Victrola’s Stream Carbon. It’s well-built, easy to set up and sounds great. And for Sonos fans, this is probably the easiest way to play records through the company’s speakers. It’s certainly a better option than shelling out $700 for the Sonos Amp, a component that you can attach to passive speakers to essentially turn them into Sonos-compatible speakers. But the Stream Carbon’s high price means that it’ll remain a niche product that could have a hard time attracting much of an audience – even among people like me, who still love playing records even in a world where listening to digital music is far easier.

22.11.2022 21:43 Nintendo Switch Sports is a fun package that modernizes the world-conquering Wii Sports, but it was missing a few of the 2006 classic's game modes at the jump. One of those will arrive very soon as a November 28th update will add golf to the game.You'll have access to 21 holes from the Wii Sports series. Along with casual modes that you can enjoy with family and friends, you can check out a survival golf mode. Nintendo hasn't revealed too many details about the latter yet, other than the fact you'll need to "swing to avoid elimination." It may be similar to the 16-player bowling survival mode. No matter which modes you try, be sure to strap the Joy-Con to your wrist before you start swinging your hand around. You won't want the controller to fly out of your hand and smash your TV or monitor.Nintendo previously said golf would be available in Switch Sports this fall, so it's showing up right on schedule. The company hasn't confirmed whether the likes of boxing or baseball are on the way, but fingers crossed that Nintendo will add those as surprise updates at some point down the line.Get ready to grab that iron step up to the tee!The #NintendoSwitchSports Golf update will arrive on 11/28, and will include a total of 21 holes from the Wii Sports series. Swing to avoid elimination in Survival Golf, or enjoy some casual competition with friends and family! pic.twitter.com/yzhn7NQBUv— Nintendo of America November 22, 2022

22.11.2022 21:43 The president of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, has confirmed there are multiple ongoing investigations into TikTok. The probes concern the transfer of EU citizens' data to China and targeted advertising aimed at minors. Investigators are seeking to ensure that TikTok meets General Data Protection Regulation requirements.“The data practices of TikTok, including with respect to international data transfers, are the object of several ongoing proceedings,” Ursula von der Leyden wrote in a letter shared by Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr. “This includes an investigation by the Irish about TikTok’s compliance with several GDPR requirements, including as regards data transfers to China and the processing of data of minors, and litigation before the Dutch courts ."NEW: The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, confirms that #TikTok’s data transfers are under investigation object of several ongoing proceedings.This comes after concerns raised by Members of the European Parliament about data access from inside China https://t.co/aWlVl6hnXJpic.twitter.com/dhOCojKKOW— Brendan Carr November 22, 2022Von der Leyden was responding to concerns raised by members of the European Parliament regarding Chinese public authorities potentially gaining access to EU citizens' TikTok data, following a report by BuzzFeed News. The app's data practices have been under the EU's spotlight for a while. Earlier this year, TikTok agreed to enforce certain policies concerning ads and branded content following a complaint that accused the app of breaching EU consumer rules.Of course, TikTok has been in hot water on the other side of the Atlantic over its privacy and security practices. Last month, TikTok denied reports that China-based workers for its parent company ByteDance planned to track the location of some US citizens through the app.TikTok has been moving the data it holds on US users to Oracle data centers in the country in an attempt to placate officials who have been concerned about China potentially using the app against American citizens. In August, it emerged that Oracle was reviewing TikTok's content moderation systems and algorithms to make sure they're not subject to Chinese interference.Carr, the FCC's senior Republican commissioner, said this month that TikTok should be banned in the US. He previously urged Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores.

22.11.2022 21:43 Serious home pizza chefs who are looking to up their game may want to consider Ooni's offerings. The pizza oven company is running a sitewide Black Friday sale with 20 percent off all its products. At the lower end, the Ooni Fyra 12 is down to $279, nearly $70 off the regular price. At the other end of the scale is the Ooni Karu 16, which is nearly $160 off at $639.Shop Ooni Black Friday saleBuy Fyra 12 at Ooni - $279Buy Karu 16 at Ooni - $639We've frequently recommended Ooni's pizza ovens in our outdoor guides. They're relatively easy to use and deliver fairly consistent results, so if you're eager to make pizza at home and don't mind paying for a dedicated oven, it's worth considering these.The Fyra 12 seems like a solid option for folks who often host family and friends and are into pizza parties. It bakes 12-inch pies in as little as one minute, and it uses wood pellets to heat up to 950 degrees in just 15 minutes. If you're well-organized, you'll be able to crank out a bunch of pizzas quickly with the right toppings to keep everyone happy. Since it has foldable legs and a detachable chimney , the Fyra 12 is reasonably portable too, so it may even be an option for camping trips.At the upper end, the Karu 16 also has a mounted digital thermometer and a glass door. You can opt to cook pizzas in the Karu 16 using wood, charcoal or gas, though you'll need an attachment for the latter. Speaking of accessories, those are 20 percent off as part of Ooni's sale as well. Depending on where you are, you might want to wait a few months before cooking outside is a more practical option again. But, hey, if you snap up one of Ooni's pizza ovens now, you'll be ready to roll by the time spring comes back around.Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

22.11.2022 21:43 Meta's Pixel tracking tool is causing more headaches, this time for people filing their taxes online. The Markup has discovered that large tax prep services like H&R Block, TaxAct and TaxSlayer have been sending users' sensitive contact and financial information to Facebook through the Pixel. This sometimes included income data, filing statuses and even kids' college tuition grants.Intuit's TurboTax also uses the Pixel to send data, although that's limited to usernames and the last sign-in dates for given devices. The tool isn't used beyond the login page, and a spokesperson told The Markup that the non-tax info goes to marketers to provide a "better customer experience." You don't see ads for TurboTax on Facebook if you already have an account, for instance. TaxAct is also delivering financial data to Google through that company's analytics tool. The companies involved are altering or reevaluating their uses of the Meta Pixel. TaxAct has stopped sending financial data through the tracker, although it's still transmitting similar content to Google as of this writing. TaxSlayer has pulled the Pixel to rethink its usage. H&R Block hasn't changed its approach, but a spokesperson told The Markup the tax firm will "review the information."In a statement to Engadget, a Meta spokesperson pointed barring advertisers from sharing sensitive info, and noted that the system is meant to filter out this content. Google's spokesperson, meanwhile, told The Markup the company had "strict policies" against targeting ads using sensitive content and that it anonymized analytics data to avoid linking it to users.It's not clear if any of the tax filing sites were misusing the data. Whether or not they were, they could still face penalties for gathering details without permission. Internal Revenue Service regulations require that tax prep firms obtain signed consent for using info for any reason beyond the filing. None of the websites in the report mentioned Meta or Facebook by name, and in some cases had only generic disclosure agreements. The sites gave users the option to decline sharing tax data, but Facebook received it regardless of what users selected.Meta is already in legal trouble over the Pixel. Two proposed class action lawsuits filed earlier this year accused the social media giant and hospitals of violating privacy laws by scooping up patient data without consent. The plaintiffs also claimed Meta failed to enforce its own policies. In that sense, the tax site revelation just adds to the company's problems.

22.11.2022 21:43 This might be your best chance to buy a virtual reality headset as a gift — or, let's be honest, for yourself. Amazon is selling a Meta Quest 2 128GB Black Friday bundle that includes the Resident Evil 4 VR remake and Beat Saberfor $350. That's less than the usual price of the hardware by itself, and makes it an easy choice if you wanted games to play from the very start. A 256GB bundle is also available for $430.The Quest 2 has been around for over two years, but it's still the go-to headset for standalone VR. While it's not as powerful as tethered hardware like the upcoming PlayStation VR2, the freedom of movement makes it very appealing. You can play games or enter the metaverse without tripping over cords or limiting yourself to one room. The high-res screens, comfortable fit and excellent controllers make the device pleasant to use for the two-plus hours of gameplay you'll typically get on a charge.The games will be familiar. Resident Evil 4 in VR is what you'd hope for — it turns the survival horror game into a first-person action game that takes advantage of the immersive technology to keep you on edge. Beat Saber, meanwhile, is an iconic rhythm game that has you slashing notes and dodging obstacles in pursuit of high scores. Both are good showcases for VR, particularly for newcomers who might not know what to expect.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

22.11.2022 16:20 Machine learning systems have been mopping the floor with their human opponents for well over a decade now , though the types of games they excel at are rather limited. Typically competitive board or video games using a limited play field, sequential moves and at least one clearly-defined opponent, any game that requires the crunching of numbers is to their advantage. Diplomacy, however, requires very little computation, instead demanding players negotiate directly with their opponents and make respective plays simultaneously — things modern ML systems are generally not built to do. But that hasn't stopped Meta researchers from designing an AI agent that can negotiate global policy positions as well as any UN ambassador.Diplomacy was first released in 1959 and works like a more refined version of RISK where between two and seven players assume the roles of a European power and attempt to win the game by conquering their opponents' territories. Unlike RISK where the outcome of conflicts are decided by a simple the roll of the dice, Diplomacy demands players first negotiate with one another — setting up alliances, backstabbing, all that good stuff — before everybody moves their pieces simultaneously during the following game phase. The abilities to read and manipulate opponents, convince players to form alliances and plan complex strategies, navigate delicate partnerships and know when to switch sides, are all a huge part of the game — and all skills that machine learning systems generally lack.On Wednesday, Meta AI researchers announced that they had surmounted those machine learning shortcomings with CICERO, the first AI to display human-level performance in Diplomacy. The team trained Cicero on 2.7 billion parameters over the course of 50,000 rounds at webDiplomacy.net, an online version of the game, where it ended up in second place in a 5-game league tournament, all while doubling up the average score of its opponents.The AI agent proved so adept "at using natural language to negotiate with people in Diplomacy that they often favored working with CICERO over other human participants," the Meta team noted in a press release Wednesday. "Diplomacy is a game about people rather than pieces. If an agent can't recognize that someone is likely bluffing or that another player would see a certain move as aggressive, it will quickly lose the game. Likewise, if it doesn't talk like a real person — showing empathy, building relationships, and speaking knowledgeably about the game — it won't find other players willing to work with it."MetaEssentially, Cicero combines the strategic mindset from Pluribot or AlphaGO with the natural language processing abilities of Blenderbot or GPT-3. The agent is even capable of forethought. "Cicero can deduce, for example, that later in the game it will need the support of one particular player, and then craft a strategy to win that person’s favor – and even recognize the risks and opportunities that that player sees from their particular point of view," the research team noted.The agent does not train through a standard reinforcement learning scheme as similar systems do. The Meta team explains that doing so would lead to suboptimal performance as, "relying purely on supervised learning to choose actions based on past dialogue results in an agent that is relatively weak and highly exploitable."Instead Cicero uses "iterative planning algorithm that balances dialogue consistency with rationality." It will first predict its opponents' plays based on what happened during the negotiation round, as well as what play it thinks its opponents think it will make before "iteratively improving these predictions by trying to choose new policies that have higher expected value given the other players' predicted policies, while also trying to keep the new predictions close to the original policy predictions." Easy, right?The system is not yet fool-proof, as the agent will occasionally get too clever and wind up playing itself by taking contradictory negotiating positions. Still, its performance in these early trials is superior to that of many human politicians. Meta plans to continue developing the system to "serve as a safe sandbox to advance research in human-AI interaction."

22.11.2022 16:20 Fitness fanatics can be pretty intense. You’ll probably identify us from miles away, decked out in workout gear, obsessing over the food we eat, or discussing our gains nonstop. A fitness lover has probably invested a lot of time and money into tools that can help improve performance, which can make us tough to shop for — we probably already have everything we need! But we’re also very likely to be super excited by any new toy that could boost our workouts. Plus, the most dedicated of us probably wear out our favorite gear quickly enough that we could always use new stuff.What to get a fitness loverIt’s natural to assume that gifts for fitness lovers must be used during workouts, but recovery is an equally important part of anyone’s fitness journey. And presents for fitness lovers don’t have to be tech-infused, either. Gift cards to their favorite athleisure or fashion brands would probably be well-received, while compression braces or socks can provide them physical support. A pair of gloves would also help your weightlifting pal avoid getting more calluses, and special insoles can turn decent running shoes into great running shoes.A versatile gift for anyone trying to keep active would be a resistance band, which suits a variety of strength levels and is very travel friendly. And, as my sports chiropractor constantly reminds me, a foam roller is the best thing for my sore muscles.Tech gifts for fitness fansOf course there are plenty of gadgets targeting exercisers and our muscles. From traditional machines like treadmills to smart skipping ropes and VR boxing simulators – the land of fitness tech gets stranger by the day.As someone who’s recently become somewhat of a workout fiend, I would enthusiastically welcome anything that’s related to improving my performance. I’ve tested all manner of devices — whether it’s Gatorade’s sweat patch and hydration-tracking bottle or smart mirrors and form-checking cameras. From my experience, single-purpose devices are the most likely to sit around unused. Things like the Gatorade bottle and Fiture mirror, for example, which actually serve a purpose even if they’re deactivated, are more likely to withstand the test of time. Here are our favorite tech products for fitness lovers.Garmin Forerunner 745EngadgetSerious runners swear by Garmin’s Forerunner series. They’re the gold standard for running watches, thanks to their accuracy and comprehensive suite of features. You can track your cadence, stride length, ground contact time, balance and more, but Garmin also helps monitor your recovery time and training load.It’ll analyze your performance and workouts, using your aerobic and anaerobic data to see what effect your exercise is having on your endurance, speed and power. The Forerunner 745 will also tell you if you’re training productively, at your peak or if you’re overreaching. Like most other smartwatches, this will also track your sleep, control your music playback and alert you to incoming notifications from your phone. It may have a more basic-looking operating system than the Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch, but the Forerunner 745’s best trait is that it will last up to a week on a charge. — Cherlynn Low, Deputy EditorBuy Forerunner 745 at Garmin - $500Apple Watch Series 8Will Lipman Photography for EngadgetFor iPhone users, there is no better smartwatch than the Apple Watch. Whether you opt for the maxed out Ultra or the basic SE, you’ll be getting your loved one a well-rounded and competent wearable. The Series 8 sits between those two models and offers a great balance of features and comfort. It’s not as chunky as the Ultra and has an onboard skin temperature sensor that the SE doesn’t.Your giftee will receive reminders to stay active, have their walks automatically detected and be prompted to take mindfulness breaks throughout the day. Apple’s workout tracking also does a great job of logging time elapsed, calories burned, distance traveled and other key metrics. Plus, with watchOS 9, the workout pages now show what heart rate zone the wearer is in, so they can better understand when to push themselves harder or take it easy.If the person you’re shopping for is more of an endurance athlete or outdoor adventurer, the Ultra’s enhanced GPS and special features might make it a better gift, but at $800, it’s wildly expensive and you might want to split the cost with others. — C.L.Buy Apple Watch Series 8 at Amazon - $399Fitbit Inspire 3Will Lipman Photography for EngadgetCompared to older Inspire models, the third generation comes with a color touchscreen that’s easier to navigate. While Fitbit OS remains pretty basic, it will at least deliver smartphone notifications to your wrist. Plus, the lowkey software translates to 10-day battery life, even in that small, lightweight frame. If the person you’re shopping for prefers to leave their phone at home when they go on a run, the Inspire 3 lacks the onboard GPS necessary to route their journey, so you’ll need to look for something else. But for almost everyone else, the Inspire 3 is a great, low-profile way to keep track of your activity. — C.L.Buy Inspire 3 at Amazon - $100Samsung Galaxy Watch 5SamsungSamsung’s line of smartwatches remains the best on the market for Android users. Though the Galaxy Watch 5 runs the relatively basic Wear OS, the company has managed to bake in its capable health and fitness-tracking system to help the user stay active. Its auto-detection is among the most accurate in the industry, and it tracks an impressively long list of workouts, including swims. And if your loved one already uses Samsung phones and appliances, they’ll find some useful integrations like smart home controls from their wrist.The Watch 5 is also a capable sleep tracker, and though it doesn’t offer as many mindfulness-related features as Apple and Fitbit, Samsung does have some meditation guides in its Health app. It’s also the only smartwatch on this list with a round face, which fans of traditional watches may prefer. — C.L.Buy Galaxy Watch 5 at Amazon - $280Apple Fitness+AppleIf you’re shopping for someone that wants to get more active but is intimidated by gyms, a Fitness+ subscription is a great way to help them get started. Apple’s library of video workouts caters to all levels, but it’s especially friendly to beginners. Fitness+ contains comprehensive guides, as well as collections designed for pregnant people or new parents, giving plenty of options for those who may find themselves in different life situations.Starting in October, Apple opened up Fitness+ so you no longer have to own an Apple Watch. Now, your giftee just needs to have an iPhone, and they can follow along the routines through their TVs, iPads or, yes, iPhones. If they also own an Apple Watch, they can pause and resume the classes from their wrist, as well as see their heart rate and Move ring progress on the screen.Since the videos can be viewed on iPads, Fitness+ is suitable for people who travel a lot. They can take the classes in hotel rooms, RVs, cruises and more. It’s also a great last-minute gift. Just know that for anyone that has a specific favorite sport and doesn’t want to explore new types of activity, Fitness+ might feel too easy. — C.L.Subscribe to Apple Fitness+Withings Body+ smart scaleEngadgetThe right weighing scale can deliver more readings than just weight alone. Case in point: Withings’ Body+ smart scale. It’ll tell you how heavy you are, sure, but it also uses multi-frequency bio-electrical impedance analysis to get your muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass, water percentage and visceral fat level. And like all good connected scales, it’ll send all that information to an app on your phone so you can track your progress over time.The Body+ scale also offers Pulse Wave Velocity tracking, which measures the speed at which your blood travels to see your vascular and nerve health. At $100, it’s not the cheapest, but it does produce a wide range of data that regular weighing scales don’t. You can also consider less premium devices from Withings that also offer body composition measurements, like the Body Scan or Body+, which will serve your friend perfectly well. — C.L.Buy Withings Body+ scale at Amazon - $100Theragun MiniTherabodyIt’s important to take care of your body even after you’ve completed a tough workout. The Theragun Mini can take your recovery routine to the next level by helping you massage out tension points in your muscles with more force than you could even provide on your own. It has three different speeds, all of which work better on different muscle groups, and its ergonomic design makes it pretty easy and comfortable to hold while using it. Sure, you can get more speed options, smartphone connectivity and more with the high-end models, but the Mini is great not only for its relatively affordable price, but for its compact design as well. Weighing only three pounds, it could easily live in your gym bag for daily muscle maintenance but you could also throw it on your carry-on before a trip so you can work out those cramps and knots you’ll inevitably get after sitting in an airplane seat for a few hours. — Valentina Palladino, Senior Commerce EditorBuy Theragun Mini at Amazon - $199Shokz OpenRun ProShokzThe Shokz OpenRun Pro Bluetooth headphones provide a unique way of blending music with an active lifestyle that’s ideal for runners, cyclists and more. They use bone conduction to deliver sound to your inner ear through your cheekbones, leaving your ears open so you can remain aware of your surroundings.The OpenRun Pro model is the company’s premium offering and provides one of the richest bass experiences available for this style of headphones. They’re IP55 water-resistant, offer a useful 5-minute quick charge for 1.5 hours of listening and last up to 10 hours on a full charge. You should keep in mind that the open-ear design is a tradeoff, since they’re not great for noisy environments.This is an interesting gift for fitness enthusiasts because they’re probably not the first style of headphones that they’d consider. But once they’ve taken them for a run or a bike ride, the benefits of having music while also keeping track of nearby traffic or pedestrians is game changing. — Jon Turi, Homepage EditorBuy OpenRun Pro at Amazon - $180Withings ScanWatch HorizonWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetThere are smartwatches, there are fitness watches, and then there is Withings’ ScanWatch Horizon. It’s the French company’s gussied-up version of its class-leading hybrid that remains my only pick for people who want something smart, but classy, on their wrist. Horizon comes with activity, fitness, sleep and heart-rate tracking as well as a built-in ECG to monitor your heart health. But it’s been styled like a diver’s watch, with the OLED subdial the only clue that it’s a lot smarter than it looks at first glance.Maybe it’s the fact that what makes Horizon so good is how well-hidden its smarts really are, and how good it looks on your wrist. And that’s before you get to the practical stuff – it’s $500, so it’s cheaper than a Submariner and does plenty more. The battery will last for a month at a time, reducing the need for you to keep your charger close by at all times. And Withings’ Health Mate app remains one of the best on the market for giving you insights about your body you might not have noticed yourself. — Daniel Cooper, Senior ReporterBuy ScanWatch Horizon at Amazon - $500

22.11.2022 16:20 Demand for the current generation of Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox consoles has been through the roof for the better part of two years now, and that should only amplify during Black Friday. We can't guarantee you'll be able to get the Switch, PS5, or Xbox Series X/S you've been eyeing this holiday season, but to help make your search a little bit more convenient, we've compiled all the product listings we can find for each console in one place. Again, demand for these machines is high, so not every console may be in stock by the time you read this. And though Black Friday is near, we don't expect to see many outright discounts on most consoles, either — at the time of publication, the only deals available are for the lower-power Xbox Series S and the base Nintendo Switch. We'll update this article over the course of the week if new offers pop up. For now, though, let us save you a bit of Googling.Nintendo SwitchEngadgetNintendo's primary deal this Black Friday bundles the base-model Nintendo Switch with a copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a three-month subscription to its Nintendo Switch Online service. If that sounds familiar, it's because Nintendo has run this exact same promotion during Black Friday for the last few years. It's hard to call this a great deal at this point — the Switch OLED is a pretty firm upgrade, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a five-year-old rerelease of an eight-year-old Wii U game. But if you don't need the OLED model's upgraded display and just want to save a few bucks, there's at least some value here. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still receiving updates and normally retails around $50, while a 3-month Switch Online membership normally goes for $8.Buy Nintendo Switch holiday bundle at:AmazonWalmartTargetGameStopBest BuyNintendoNintendo Switch OLEDKris Naudus / EngadgetThe $350 Switch OLED is the newest Switch model, so it should be unsurprising to hear that Nintendo isn't advertising any deals for the device this Black Friday. Really, discounts of any kind for the console have been exceedingly rare since it launched in October 2021. Stock for the Switch OLED is generally spottier as well, but we've rounded up where it's available below. As a reminder, the Switch OLED isn't any better at running games than the standard model, but its 7-inch OLED display is larger and more vibrant, it doubles the internal storage , its built-in kickstand is much sturdier and its updated dock has an Ethernet port. We gave it a review score of 89 last year.Best Nintendo Switch OLED at:AmazonWalmartTargetGameStopAdoramaBest BuyNintendoNintendo Switch LiteEngadgetWe have seen a few deals for the $200 Switch Lite since it arrived in 2019, but the compact console isn't discounted for Black Friday as of this writing. This is the entry-level, handheld-only variant of the Switch; again, there's no difference in power, but it has a smaller 5.5-inch LED display, it doesn't work with Nintendo's dock and it's not equipped with detachable controllers. It also has a genuine D-pad. We gave it a review score of 90 a few years back.Best Nintendo Switch Lite at:AmazonWalmartTargetGameStopAdoramaBest BuyNintendoPlayStation 5Aaron Souppouris / EngadgetThere've been next to no discounts on Sony's PlayStation 5 since it arrived two years ago, and we don't expect that to change this Black Friday. The console is easier to actually purchase these days — and brick-and-mortar stores are more likely to have it now than in years past — but stock still tends to dry up fast whenever it does become available. Retailers like Amazon and Sony itself continue to hold their inventory behind an invite system to fend off scalpers, while others like GameStop keep it behind store membership programs.As has been the case for the past few months, it'll likely be easiest to get the console as part of a bundle. Sony's main one of those this holiday season pairs the console with a digital copy of God of War: Ragnarok, which we broadly recommended earlier this month. It costs $559 , which is only $10 off what the console and game would cost otherwise. Since it's more expensive than buying the $500 PS5 alone, though, there should be a little less competition when trying to buy one. Walmart had these bundles up for sale as of Monday, but it gave priority access to members of its Walmart+ service for the first several hours of the day. We wouldn't be surprised to see more stock for individual PS5s become available as the week rolls on, but you'll likely need to be vigilant or use a lengthier invite process to more reliably grab one. Note that the $400 Digital Edition is traditionally much harder to find in stock than the standard model, too. The PS5 itself could still do with a few more exclusives, but its library is growing all the time, and its hardware will still represent a significant upgrade for those hanging onto a PS4.Buy PlayStation 5 at:AmazonWalmartTargetGameStopAdoramaBest BuySonyBuy PS5 Digital Edition at:AmazonWalmartTargetGameStopBest BuySonyBuy PS5 + God of War: Ragnarok bundle at:AmazonWalmartGameStopBest BuySonyQVC Buy PS5 Digital Edition + God of War: Ragnarok bundle at:AmazonWalmartGameStopSonyXbox Series XAaron Souppouris/EngadgetMicrosoft's Xbox Series X has been more readily available to purchase over the past year than the PlayStation 5, but discounts for it have been virtually nonexistent, and it's still not uncommon to see it out of stock at third-party retailers. There aren't any Black Friday deals of note going on for it as of this writing. Like the PS5, Amazon still holds the device behind an invite system, and Walmart had it available to Walmart+ subscribers earlier Monday. Your best bet right now looks to be buying from Microsoft itself, though again we could see more stock elsewhere on Black Friday proper. Again, the latest Xboxes are somewhat lacking in exclusives, but Xbox Game Pass remains a strong value for those who play lots of games, and the Series X is still a powerful piece of hardware for 4K gaming. Buy Xbox Series X at:MicrosoftAmazonWalmartTargetGameStopBest BuyXbox Series SAaron Souppouris / EngadgetThe one console that is genuinely discounted is the Xbox Series S. Microsoft announced last week that the diminutive console would be available for $250, which is $50 off its standard going rate, though this week we've seen it as low as $235 at Dell and $240 at Amazon. The former deal is still available.Target may have the best deal of the bunch, though, as it's throwing in a $50 store gift card alongside the discount. Its stock currently appears be dropping in and out, though. Microsoft, meanwhile, is bundling its Xbox Stereo Headset with the console. Normally, that gaming headset retails around $50.We've seen the Series S fall to $250 in the past, but this is still a good price for those who want a secondary console or a more affordable route into the Xbox game library. We gave the Series S a review score of 85 at launch: It lacks a disc drive, only has 512GB of built-in storage and isn't designed to push 4K resolutions like the Series X, but it can play all the same games, its SSD still allows for fast load times and its compact design is easier to tuck away.Buy Xbox Series S at:Microsoft Target AmazonDellWalmartGameStopAdoramaBest BuyGet the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

22.11.2022 16:20 This is a prime opportunity to go shopping if you're looking for more Android-friendly alternatives to Apple AirPods. Amazon is selling the Google Pixel Buds Pro for $150 as part of a Black Friday sale — a full $50 discount that represents the best price we've seen yet for the true wireless earbuds. The savings apply regardless of color, so you can get a style that matches your phone or fashion sense.We'll be frank: these are the best-sounding Pixel Buds yet. On top of better bass than other models, they add active noise cancellation that helps block the outside world. These are the Google earbuds you want if you have a noisy commute or office, or just want to hear more detail in your favorite songs. The seven-hour battery will help you get through most of a typical workday, and automatic Android device switching helps if you also have a tablet.There are limitations. While the Pixel Buds Pro do work with iPhones and other non-Android devices, you will lose functionality like the auto device switching . We also weren't thrilled with the call quality and transparency mode. If you spend more time listening to music than talking to friends, though, these in-ears are an easy pick.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

22.11.2022 16:20 Earlier this year, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority said it was consulting on a possible probe into Google and Apple's dominance in the mobile phone market. Now, the regulator has announced that it received "widespread support" for its proposals and has launched a market investigation into the two tech giant's "duopoly" in cloud gaming and mobile browsers. "Many UK businesses and web developers tell us they feel that they are being held back by restrictions set by Apple and Google," said the CMA's interim chief executive, Sarah Cardell in a statement. "We plan to investigate whether the concerns we have heard are justified and, if so, identify steps to improve competition and innovation in these sectors."The CMA noted that Apple and Google have a "stranglehold" over mobile device operating systems, app stores and browsers. It said 97 percent of UK web browsing in 2021 happened on either Apple or Google's browser engines, "so any restrictions on these engines can have a major impact on users' experiences." It also noted that cloud gaming services count 800,000 UK users, "but restriction on their distribution could hamper growth in this sector." Many responses to its earlier consultation came from browser vendors, web developers and cloud gaming services, the CMA said. Developers in particular complained about bugs and glitches in web pages, giving them "no choice but to create bespoke mobile apps when a website might be sufficient." The UK authority has been a thorn in the side of technology companies of late. It recently forced Meta to sell Giphy after the former lost an appeal, is investigating Google separately over competition in ads, and is looking into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition. "Market investigations can result in changes to companies’ behavior and restrictions, which improve competition and lead to greater choice for consumers and better-quality products," it said with regard to its latest probe.

22.11.2022 16:20 Developers at Mysk claim Apple's anonymous usage data for some of its in-house apps includes a Directory Services Identifier uniquely linked to your Apple ID and iCloud data. Mysk notes that Apple's tool to prevent third-party app tracking debuted in iOS 14.5, so this shouldn't affect other software you use on your devices. For example, the developers noted your behavior when browsing apps in the iPhone’s App Store is sent to Apple with this ID. As Gizmodo also notes, Apple encrypts the usage data so isn't necessarily processing personal and general info together.Apple continues to draw a lot of attention to its privacy policies, as it has used them to differentiate its hardware from rivals. You might remember the “what happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone” ads that appeared in Las Vegas at CES one year. We’re still waiting to hear from Apple.– Mat SmithThe Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.The biggest stories you might have missedThe best smartphones you can buy right now The FCC is cracking down on ringless voicemail spamLG Display unveils thin speakers that can be hidden in car interiorsTwitter is reportedly hiring againBlue Verified won't be coming back until Twitter can stop impersonation.Twitter won't be firing and laying off more people, Elon Musk apparently told remaining staff during an all-hands meeting. According to The Verge, which heard a partial recording of the event, the company is even actively looking for people to fill roles in engineering and sales.Musk announced during the meeting that Twitter might not be relaunching paid verification for a while. It had to pause its $8-a-month Blue subscription with verification shortly after it was launched due to a steep rise in impersonation and fake accounts. The service won’t return until Twitter is confident it can stop impersonation.Continue reading.Ubisoft will release games on Steam again, starting with 'Assassin's Creed Valhalla'Including the free-to-play 'Roller Champions.'UbisoftUbisoft will bring its games to Steam again nearly four years after it turned its attention to the Epic Games Store and its own games launcher. First up is one of the publisher's biggest games of the last few years, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which will be available on Steam on December 6th. City builder Anno 1800 and the free-to-play Roller Champions will hit Steam at a later date. It might be a good time to start Valhalla: Ubisoft will release the game's last content update on December 6th, concluding Eivor’s story.Continue reading.The best gifts for gamers in 2022Without buying a game they may already own.EngadgetPicking a gift for someone who loves gaming can be tough. New games appear all the time: Do they already have this game? Have they already played that game? To save you some trouble , these gifts are a bit different but should be appreciated all the same. You may also find something to pique your interest.Continue reading.NASA's Orion crew vehicle successfully completes Moon flybyThe Artemis 1 spacecraft was just 81 miles above the lunar surface.NASA's Orion spacecraft has successfully completed one of the key maneuvers of its maiden journey: a flyby of the Moon during which it got as close as 81 miles to the lunar surface. The flyby burn was one of two necessary maneuvers for Orion to enter its retrograde orbit around the Moon. Next up is the distant retrograde orbit insertion burn, which is slated to take place this Friday. Orion will remain in this orbit to test various systems, including guidance, navigation, communication, power and thermal control.Continue reading.