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15.11.2022 16:10 Everyone wants their home tidy, organized and safe, but it’s not always easy to keep it that way. Fortunately, there are gadgets that can help make all of it a little easier. We often review smart speakers, robotic vacuums and more here at Engadget, and for the holiday season we’ve compiled a list of favorites that will make excellent gifts for you or your loved ones. Plus, they don’t need to be super tech savvy to use these either – most of our suggestions are simple enough for those new to the smart home world.Instant Vortex PlusEngadgetAir fryers might seem like just glorified convection ovens, but in our tests, we found that they do produce astoundingly crisp foods, with results that are either better or comparable to convection toaster ovens. The Instant Vortex Plus is easily our favorite, thanks to its clear viewing window so your giftee can see the food while it’s cooking, plus there’s an odor-removing filter that helps reduce cooking smells. It’s roomy enough to fit four large chicken thighs and it heats up much faster than a conventional oven. Best of all, clean-up is near effortless – the rack is dishwasher-safe and the non-stick drawer basket can be washed with soap and water.Buy Instant Vortex Plus at Amazon - $133Arlo Essential Video DoorbellWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetIf your loved one frequently complains about stolen packages or simply wants a way to see who’s at the front door without opening it, consider gifting them a video doorbell. Our favorite is the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell, which is compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa and Apple Homekit. They’ll be able to get a 180-degree view of their visitor from head to toe, plus it alerts your phone with a video call whenever someone rings the bell. It comes with a three-month trial to Arlo’s Smart subscription service right out of the box, which also includes motion detection that differentiates between a person, package, vehicle or animal.Buy Arlo Essential Video Doorbell at Amazon - $150Google Nest Hub GoogleGoogle’s Nest Hub smart display is a great device to have around the home — especially if your gift recipient already uses the Google Assistant. It works as a digital photo frame and they can use it to watch YouTube and Netflix. It can also make calls via Google Duo and offers recipe videos along with step-by-step cooking instructions. If the user so chooses, they can track their sleeping patterns if they place the device next to their bed. Additionally, if they already have a Nest Doorbell camera, they can easily use the display to see who’s at the front door.Buy Nest Hub at B&H - $100Amazon Echo Show 8Will Lipman Photography for EngadgetFor those who prefer Alexa over the Google Assistant, the Echo Show 8 is a great alternative to the Nest Hub. It also works as a digital photo frame and its 8-inch display is a good size for streaming shows from Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu while prepping dinner. It can also be used to keep up with the news, check the weather and control smart home devices. Since Amazon has a partnership with Allrecipes and Food Network Kitchen, users can find assorted recipes and instructional videos as well.Buy Echo Show 8 at Amazon - $130Blink Indoor cameraWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetBlink’s indoor camera offers the gift of peace of mind in a compact and affordable package. Your loved one will appreciate the fact that Blink is wireless and battery-powered; since they don’t have to place it near an electrical outlet, it can sit almost anywhere. They also won’t have to worry about recharging the camera since it can last up to two years on its two included AA batteries. Aside from just letting them monitor their home, it also features customizable motion alerts so they’ll only get alerted when they want to. There’s also two-way audio so they can hear and speak to the person on the other end.Buy Blink Indoor at Amazon - $80iRobot Roomba 694Will Lipman Photography for EngadgetMaybe you have someone in your life who could use a little help cleaning up after themselves. For that, we recommend getting them one of our favorite robot vacuum cleaners, the iRobot Roomba 694. It can suck up dirt and debris from both hardwood and carpeted floors, with an edge-sweeping brush taking care of dusty corners. The companion app lets them control it remotely, or they can set up a cleaning schedule so the little robot can do its thing at a set time. It even automatically docks and recharges itself if it’s low on battery.Buy Roomba 694 at Amazon - $274August WiFi smart lockEngadgetSmart locks are a great way to add security and convenience to any home. We recommend August’s WiFi smart lock because it’s easy to use, and since it fits over an existing deadbolt, it’s great for homeowners and renters alike. It lets your loved ones unlock the door completely hands-free, which is handy if they have their arms full of groceries. They can set it so that it automatically locks once the door is closed, or after a set period of time. If someone’s at the door but they’re at the office or in the backyard, they can easily let them in with a single finger tap. They can also grant access for specific friends or family members, which means they might never need to put the key under the doormat ever again.Buy August WiFi smart lock at Amazon - $230Mila air purifierMila CaresAir purifiers are great gifts for anyone who has allergies, lives in a polluted area or just wants to breathe easier at home. And if you want to give someone a smarter air purifier, consider the Mila Air. It ships with one of seven pre-configured HEPA filters that can filter out particles and allergens like pollen and dust. It also has a ton of customization options: There’s a “Housekeeping Service” mode that goes full blast when no one’s in the room, a “Sleep Mode” that turns the lights off and reduces the fan speeds at night, plus a “White Noise” option that mimics soothing sounds like waterfalls. The Mila also has a bevy of sensors that can tell you if there’s carbon monoxide in the air, or if the humidity is too high.Buy air purifier at Mila - $349TP-Link Kasa smart plugWill Lipman Photography for EngadgetWith a smart plug, any appliance can be part of a connected home for not a lot of money. TP-Link’s Kasa smart plug is a particularly good one because it is both affordable and incredibly compact . Together with its companion app, they can schedule a timer to turn on and off anything from Christmas lights to a coffee maker. It’s also compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant, which lets them add voice control to any outlet.Buy Kasa smart plugs at Amazon - $30Eero 6 WiFi Mesh routerEeroWith most of us having so many gadgets and smart home devices, perhaps the best thing you can give your loved one is the gift of better WiFi to keep things running smoothly. Amazon’s Eero routers will deliver just that. The latest models support WiFi 6, the latest and fastest WiFi standard, and will support 75-plus devices simultaneously. It also covers up to 1,500 square feet with WiFi speeds up to 900 Mbps, so it’s unlikely they’ll ever have to deal with dead spots or buffering again. The Eero 6 also comes with a built-in Zigbee smart home hub that lets them connect compatible devices without having to purchase a separate device.Buy Eero 6 at Amazon - $89Philips LED Smart Bulb starter kitEngadgetAdd some color to your loved one’s life with the Philips LED smart bulb starter kit, which comes with four multi-color bulbs plus a Hue Hub that connects them all together. The bulbs can fill the room with millions of different colors so they can choose from warm moody lighting for a cozy atmosphere or rainbows for parties. In the companion app, they can create timers and routines so that their lights gradually turn on in the morning or off in the evening. And it’s scalable: They can eventually have up to 50 lights connected to one Hue Hub, giving them the freedom to outfit their whole home with smart lights if they wish.Buy Philips Hue starter kit at Amazon - $200

15.11.2022 16:10 The Lucid Air is a fantastic first car from a new automaker. It’s also a very expensive EV out of the reach of most people. The company has promised less expensive versions of the Air and today those vehicles are finally being unveiled.During the Los Angeles auto show, Lucid took the wraps off the Lucid Air Pure and Touring. The two vehicles might not hit 60 in under two seconds, but these are likely the trim levels that will dominate the automaker’s sales.The Pure is the first and only Air to come in under $100,000 starting at a still pricey $87,400. It’s best to remember that the Air is still a luxury vehicle. While it won’t hit 500 miles between charges, it has an EPA target of 410 miles and can charge at 250kW on a compatible DC fast charger.The Touring is slightly more expensive at $107,400 and can drive for an EPA estimated range of 425 miles.While the Pure wasn’t quite ready for testing, we were able to get behind the wheel of the Touring for a quick jaunt around the Lucid headquarters. Watch the video below for the full story.

15.11.2022 16:10 Sure, we all want NVIDIA's RTX 4090, but it's tough to stomach its $1,599 starting price or its massive power demands. That leaves impatient PC gamers with only one other new NVIDIA option this year: the $1,199 RTX 4080 with 16GB of VRAM. While $400 isn't exactly a huge discount in the world of high-end PC gaming , it may tempt some gamers.After all, it's faster than the RTX 3080 Ti that launched at the same price earlier this year, and it works with NVIDIA's powerful new DLSS 3 upscaling technology . If you can live without the bragging rights of having a 4090, the RTX 4080 is a powerful GPU that'll satisfy anyone who wants to game in 4K with ray tracing. For those stuck with lower resolution monitors, though, you're probably better off waiting for the eventual 4070 and 4060 cards, as well as AMD's upcoming RDNA 3 GPUs.Surprisingly enough, the RTX 4080 Founders Edition we reviewed shares the exact same design as the 4090. They both take up three PCI-e slots, sport massive vapor chambers, and they retain the unique pass-through fan design from NVIDIA's previous GPUs. I was expecting something a bit smaller, to be honest. At least the 4080 only needs three 8-pin PSU cables to function, whereas the 4090 demands four. Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetThe 4080's power cables also hint at one of its major advantages: It has a 320-watt thermal design profile and requires a 750W PSU, whereas the 4090 has a far more demanding 450W TDP. Unless you already have an 850W power supply, upgrading to the 4090 may involve getting a new unit and rewiring power throughout your entire system. These cards won't always use their maximum power loads, but you'll still need to be ready for the rare moments when they need more juice.While it may look just like the 4090, the RTX 4080 is a dramatically different beast under the hood. It's powered by 9,728 CUDA cores, 16GB of GDDR6X VRAM and offers a base clock speed of 2.21GHz . The 4090, on the other hand, has 16,384 CUDA cores, slightly higher clock speeds and a whopping 24GB of VRAM. Compared to the 3080 Ti, the 4080 wins out with NVIDIA's new Ada Lovelace architecture, significantly faster speeds and 4GB more VRAM. So what do these numbers mean in practice? The RTX 4080 scored around 3,500 fewer points in 3DMark's TimeSpy Extreme benchmark compared to the 4090. But if that more powerful card didn't exist, the 4080 would be the most capable GPU we've ever reviewed. Its TimeSpy Extreme score was about 50 percent higher than the 3080 Ti, and it reached a comfortable 130fps while playing Halo Infinite in 4K with all of its graphics settings maxed out. Seeing Cyberpunk 2077 hit 74fps in 4K with ultra ray tracing settings nearly brought a tear to my eye.None3DMark TimeSpy ExtremePort Royal ControlBlenderNVIDIA RTX 408012,87917,780/82fps4K High RT: 42 fps9,310NVIDIA RTX 409016,46425,405/117.62 fps4K High RT: 107 fps12,335NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti8,68312,948/59.95fps4K Med RT: 43 fps5,940AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT7,7139,104/42.15fps4K No RT: 28-40 fpsN/AA word on DLSS 3: It's NVIDIA's latest AI solution that can take lower-quality imagery and upscale it to higher resolutions. But in addition to intelligently sharpening edges and upgrading textures, DLSS 3 can also inject interpolated frames to smooth out 4K gameplay. While I can occasionally spot issues with particularly low quality DLSS upscaling, I didn't notice any unusual framerate hiccups while testing Cyberpunk and A Plague Tale: Requiem with the technology enabled.The only real downside to the RTX 4080 is that I can't help but compare it to the 4090. That same Cyberpunk ray tracing benchmark was almost twice as fast on the 4090, reaching an eye-watering 135 fps. It also hit a 40-fps-higher average framerate in the 3DMark Port Royal ray tracing benchmark. Still, these are the sorts of gains only the most dedicated gamers will notice, the exact market for the 4090. When it comes to actual 4K gameplay, even with ray tracing in demanding games like Control, I never felt held back by the RTX 4080.Devindra Hardawar/EngadgetAnd if you're looking for more performance, overclocking is always an option. I didn't have a chance to do so myself, but the 4080's thermal performance makes me think there's plenty of room for pushing things harder. It never climbed beyond 61 celsius during my testing, around 10 degrees cooler than the 4090. That's a testament to NVIDIA's excellent cooling setup .The real question: Is it worth settling for the 4080 if there's a chance you'll actually be able to buy the 4090 for $1,599? At the moment, most online retailers are selling 4090 cards for well above $2,000. It sounds crazy to say it, but the $1,199 card seems like a steal with that gulf. But, of course, who knows how long you'll be able to find the RTX 4080 at its launch price. It likely won't be too long before it creeps towards the 4090's higher tag.And if paying more than $1,000 for a video card seems insane to you — and let's be clear, it should — sit tight to see what NVIDIA's future cards look like. We're definitely expecting RTX 4070, 4060 and 4050 cards eventually, but the the question is when. AMD's flagship RDNA 3 GPUs will launch below $1,000, and at the entry level, Intel's new Arc GPUs are surprisingly compelling.All in all, the RTX 4080 is exactly what I'd want from an RTX 3080 Ti successor. It's faster and has plenty of new features to make it a demonstrable leap from the previous cards. I'm not saying you should be upgrading your 3080 anytime soon, but if you somehow stumble onto $1,199, I wouldn't blame you for being tempted by the 4080.

15.11.2022 16:10 If you're itching for a new pair of AirPods but have strict holiday-shopping budget to stick to, you're in luck. You can pick up the second-generation AirPods for only $90 right now at Amazon, which is 43 percent off their normal price. While we did see them $10 cheaper during Amazon's October Prime Day, this remains a great sale price that doesn't come around very often.These buds are a bit old at this point, but any AirPods are hard to beat if you live within the Apple ecosystem. The second-gen buds pair almost instantly with your iPhone during setup, and then they'll switch seamlessly between other Apple devices as you use them. That means you can go from taking a call on your iPhone to listening to music from your MacBook without any hiccups. Apple's H1 chip inside the AirPods also enables hands-free Siri access, allowing you to call upon the virtual assistant to answer questions, send messages and do other tasks without touching your AirPods at all.Unlike the AirPods Pro, the standard AirPods have a fit that's akin to Apple's old-school EarPods, so if you always liked those that used to come with new iPhones, you'll probably like the fit of these buds, too. Sound quality is decent and wireless connectivity has been improved since the original versions of the buds. As far as battery life goes, you'll get five hours of listening time on a single charge, and a total of 24 hours of use when you employ the charging case that comes with the buds. Just keep in mind that these AirPods do not come with a wireless charging case, so you'll have to power them up with a Lightning cable.The most compelling reason to pick up the second-gen AirPods is their sale price. They're the cheapest Apple earbuds you can get right now — but if you're willing to spend a bit more, you'll get a lot more in return. Apple's third-gen AirPods are currently on sale for $160, and they provide much better audio quality, Adaptive EQ, spatial audio, six hours of battery life on a single charge and up to 30 hours of use overall. And if you want active noise cancellation, a more custom fit and a wireless charging case, you'll have to spring for the AirPods Pro, which are currently on sale for $230.Buy AirPods at Amazon - $160Buy AirPods Pro at Amazon - $230Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

15.11.2022 16:10 Back in September, CD Projekt Redc announced that it's going to release an expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 entitled Phantom Liberty that would add characters and a new location to the game. Now, the developer has confirmed that you'll have to pay for the DLC when it drops and if you want to see what's new in Night City. CDPR's global PR director Radek Grabowski told GamesRadar+: "As for the expansion's pricing — we have not revealed exact details yet, but it will be a paid one." Grabowski also told the publication that the developer's expansions are "traditionally cheaper than full-price games." To note, Cyberpunk 2077 cost $60 when it launched. Phantom Liberty will be a spy thriller and will involve espionage work for the New United States of America. It will star the game's main protagonist V and Johnny Silverhand, the popular Cyberpunk 2077 character played by Keanu Reeves. When it first announced the DLC, CDPR said that it was only going to be released for the Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 and PC. It will skip the PS4 and the Xbox One altogether, which perhaps isn't surprising, considering the issues the developer faced upon the main game's release. If you'll recall, the game's launch was marred by bugs and glitches — some even prevented players from completing quests and moving forward. Its performance was especially poor on older-generation consoles, prompting the developer to issue a statement that promised to roll out fixes that would make the game playable. The issues were so bad, Sony Interactive Entertainment pulled the game from the PlayStation Store and offered refunds to anybody who asked for one. That said, Cyberpunk 2077 was able to get past its buggy launch, thanks to CDPR rolling out a stream of patches, as well as to the release of a Netflix anime. In October, the developer announced that it's going to work on a sequel to the game codenamed "Orion," which will "further develop the potential" of the sci-fi franchise.

15.11.2022 16:10 One of the most noteworthy updates Apple brought to the iPhone 14 series this year is Emergency SOS via satellite. It lets you send text messages to emergency services over satellite if you're in need of help and outside of cellular coverage. The company hopes you don't need to use the service, but in case you find yourself hurt and needing rescue in the wilderness, it can be frustrating if you're unfamiliar with a tool you were expecting to be helpful. Today, Apple is rolling out a demo mode of Emergency SOS via Satellite so members of the public can see how it works.After updating your iPhone 14 , you'll need to navigate to the Emergency SOS section of Settings to find the Demo. It's worth checking this out since not many people will know what to expect nor that the first step is to dial 911, instead of looking for an app. If you're using demo mode, you won't be connected to a real emergency services agent or relay center — the company's system will navigate demo users to a server that sends canned responses. This prevents people from overloading actual call centers.In addition to a controlled preview at Apple's campus earlier this year, I also tried the satellite communications feature for myself at a special demo last week in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. Using iPhones that Apple tweaked to disable cellular services, I was able to locate and connect to passing satellites and experience how long it would take to have a text conversation with an agent. Not only was it insightful to get a sense for how much slower satellite transmissions took compared to cellular, I also learned how best to concisely convey information about my situation in as few words as possible.Apple doesn't recommend that you try this yourself . Instead, if you're curious about the interface and how this works, that's what this demo mode is for.Emergency SOS via Satellite and the demo mode both roll out today in the US and Canada. Apple is also announcing that it's expanding the service to France, Germany, Ireland and the UK in December.

15.11.2022 16:10 Amazon has launched a new virtual health service that gives you a way to consult healthcare professionals for common conditions and get prescriptions for them without heaving to make a video call. This new product is called Amazon Clinic, and it offers a text-based solution that connects you with third-party virtual care options. You can choose among Amazon's partner telehealth providers, but the purpose of your consultation has to be in the service's list of accepted conditions, which include acne, hair loss, acid reflux, pink eye, sinusitis and UTI. You can also use the service to get prescription renewals for conditions like asthma, high blood pressure and migraine. This is but the latest product Amazon has introduced in its bid to delve deeper into the healthcare sector. The e-commerce giant launched Amazon Pharmacy to deliver discounted prescription medicine to Prime members in 2020, and it entered a deal to purchase primary healthcare company One Medical for $3.9 billion in July. Amazon used to offer an app-based telehealth service called Amazon Care to its employees and other companies across the US, but it was shut down by the end of September. According to a previous Washington Post report, company senior vice president of health Neil Lindsay told employees that while "enrolled members have loved many aspects of Amazon Care, it is not a complete enough offering for the large enterprise customers been targeting, and wasn’t going to work long-term."Unlike Care, Clinic wasn't designed to be an enterprise offering. At the beginning of your consultation on the service, you'll have to select your condition and choose your preferred provider from the list of partners before answering a short questionnaire. You'll then be connected to a secure messaging portal where you can chat with a healthcare professional, who'll send you a personalized treatment plan. They can also send your preferred pharmacy — one of the options, of course, is Amazon Pharmacy — any necessary prescriptions. You'll remain connected to your healthcare professional for up to two weeks after your initial chat, and you can send them follow-up messages within that time. While the service doesn't accept insurance right now, you can pay with an FSA or HSA debit card or get your receipt reimbursed when possible. You do have to pay a flat fee upfront, which is dependent upon your condition. Amazon says that the cost of care is equivalent or less than the average copay in many cases. As for medication, coverage varies, but you can use insurance to pay for it. Amazon Clinic is only available in 32 states at the moment, though the company is hoping to expand its reach to additional states over the coming months.

15.11.2022 16:10 Nike has unveiled .Swoosh, a blockchain-based platform for members to collect and eventually create virtual jerseys, shoes and other goods they can wear in games and online spaces. You may get access to real-world products and special events, too. Sign-ups start November 18th, and you'll need an access code to avoid the waiting list.Nike doesn't start official "programming" until December, and the first community-shaped virtual collection is scheduled to launch in early 2023. If you thought Nike had already dabbled in digital goods, you might be recalling its purchase of RTFKT to accelerate its virtual goods plans, which was almost a year ago.– 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 laptops and tablets to give as holiday gifts in 2022Apple's second-gen AirPods Pro fall to a new all-time lowHulu with Live TV adds 14 new channels ahead of next month's price increaseAmazon reportedly plans sweeping layoffs that could affect thousands of employees The original 1997 'Berserk' anime is coming to Netflix on December 1stThe first-ever Xbox transparency report reveals a surge in bot bansSoft robotic device stimulates muscles, sparks hope for ALS and MS patientsIntroducing Engadget’s 2022 holiday gift guideFind gifts for everyone on your list, and maybe even yourself.EngadgetOur holiday gift guide is back for 2022. There are gift ideas for the audiophile in your life, video gamers, board gamers, frequent travelers, people who work from home and others. Naturally, we also have lists of our favorite laptops, tablets, smart home devices, home theater gear and gaming accessories, too. Continue reading.Twitter fired employees who publicly called out Elon MuskOne of them said 'no one trusts anyone within the company anymore.'At least three Twitter employees who survived the mass layoffs that cut the company's workforce in half have been fired after calling out their new boss on the platform. One of them is Eric Frohnhoefer, who responded to Elon Musk's tweet apologizing for Twitter being slow in many countries. After a lengthy exchange of tweets, Musk tweeted that Frohnhoefer had been fired.Continue reading.Disney brings the first two episodes of 'Andor' to Hulu TV station ABC will also air the first episode on November 23rd at 9 PM ET.DisneyDisney announced it would begin airing Andor on ABC, FX, Freeform and Hulu. Starting November 23rd, the expansion means those without access to Disney+ can watch the first two episodes of Tony Gilroy’s Star Wars show. It comes amid questions about just how many people are watching the critically acclaimed show. Disney’s decision to air the show on more platforms would seem to lend weight to suggestions the show has been less popular than The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi.Continue reading.'The Witcher 3' finally hits PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on December 14thCD Projekt Red says it’ll feature ray tracing and faster load times.The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will finally be available on December 14th. The studio hasn't shown off what gameplay looks like on those consoles or many details about what's in store, but it plans to reveal more during a livestream event sometime next week. The upgrade will be free for those who bought any version of the game, which debuted in 2015.Continue reading.'God of War Ragnarok' and 'Elden Ring' lead the 2022 Game Awards nominees'Horizon Forbidden West' and 'Stray' each scored a hatful of nominations.The Game Awards’ host and producer, Geoff Keighley, has revealed the nominees for the ninth edition of the ceremony. God of War Ragarnok leads the pack with 10 nominations, followed by Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, with seven each. The terrific Stray also fared well with six nods. All four of those titles have been nominated for Game of the Year, along with A Plague Tale: Requiem and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.Continue reading.

15.11.2022 16:10 If you've been waiting for a Masterclass deal so you can learn from known experts in their field at a discount, you may want to find someone to split an annual membership with. The website's Cyber Monday offering gives you the chance to buy two annual memberships for the price of one either to gift or to split with a friend. You can technically keep the other subscription for yourself, just take note that the second year-long membership will expire 365 days from the date of your purchase if you don't redeem it. The second annual membership will be in the same tier you choose, but if you give it to someone who already has an existing subscription, they'll be getting another year of their current membership plan instead.Buy 2 Masterclass annual memberships for the price of 1Masterclass' annual membership will set you back $15 a month for an individual plan, which does not have offline viewing and can only be accessed on a single device at a time. If you want to be able to watch videos without an internet or to share your account with family members, you can pay for the $20-a-month Duo plan or the $23-a-month Family plan. A membership will give you access to videos from more than 180 instructors that include Gordon Ramsay, Stephen Curry, Neil deGrasse Tyson, RuPaul, Serena Williams and Natalie Portman. To be eligible for this offer, though, you must not have an active annual membership plan and must not have purchased a get-two-memberships-for-one deal in the past. You must also sign up through Masterclass' website and not through a third-party portal. The offer is now live on Masterclass and will be available until November 28th at 11:59 PM Pacific/November 29th at 2:59AM Eastern.

15.11.2022 16:10 Bankruptcy documents filed by the crypto exchange FTX indicate that it currently faces more than 100,000 creditors, but that number could expand to over one million, The Financial Times has reported. The company also stated that it has been in contact with US federal prosecutors, as well as "dozens of federal state and international regulatory agencies" over the last few days. FTX filed for bankruptcy last week following the sudden collapse of its exchange. Today, the Securities Commission of The Bahamas said it had received court approval to appoint two partners from the Bahamas and Hong Kong to oversea the unwinding of FTX Digital Markets, a key part of FTX. The filing called the state of affairs "unprecedented," noting that "barely more than a week ago, FTX, led by its co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, was regarded as one of the most respected and innovative companies in the crypto industry." In addition, the Royal Bahamas Police confirmed yesterday that they were working "to investigate if any criminal misconduct occurred," according to the FT. The day after the bankruptcy was filed, the company reported that millions of dollars went missing from crypto wallets following "unauthorized transactions." In addition, at least $1 billion worth of customer funds vanished from FTX prior to that.FTX's troubles started after the price of its native FTT token plunged and numerous users withdrew their cryptocurrency. After it was reported that FTX was facing a liquidity crisis, rival Binance said it would sell off around over $500 million worth of FTT, all but wiping out the token's value. Binance then said it would take over FTX, but backed out of the deal a day later, citing concerns that emerged while carrying out due diligence. Bankman-Fried said he plans to eventually publish an account detailing exactly what happened to FTX.

15.11.2022 10:40 If you're on the lookout for a portable Bluetooth speaker, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is a top choice and now available at an all-time low price. You can grab one in four colors at Amazon for $70, for a savings of $30 off of the regular $100 price tag. Buy Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 at Amazon - $70The UE Wonderboom 3 was one of the stars of our best portable Bluetooth speaker roundup. It's tiny yet powerful, delivering the biggest sound in its size range. It’s also quite handsome, and the refreshed model comes in a variety of colors, including the black, white, blue and pink models on sale. It delivers an extra hour of battery life over the past model along with improved wireless range. With an IP67 rating on top of the company’s five-foot drop test durability, it can go with you almost anywhere and survive to tell the tale.The audio quality is punchy and bright enough for what you’d expect at this scale and price range. Although there’s no app support or connectivity with the rest of the UE speaker lineup, you can easily pair it with a second Wonderboom for stereo sound. There’s also an outdoor mode button on the bottom that boosts the mid and high range to help the audio carry over a greater distance.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

15.11.2022 10:40 Opera's fondness for building social networks into its browser now extends to what's arguably the hottest platform at the moment. The company has updated its desktop browser with quick access to TikTok through the sidebar. You're ultimately accessing the web version anyone can use, of course, but this is still helpful if you want to quickly check your feed at work or upload edited videos from your computer.The addition joins fast access to Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. You also have access to a media player sidebar with access to services like Apple Music and Spotify. These are again web apps, but Opera is clearly hoping to reel in users who'd rather not run separate native apps or switch browser tabs.The TikTok feature is ultimately an extension of a familiar strategy. As with its gaming and crypto browsers, Opera is hoping to draw you away from the likes of Chrome and Safari by integrating useful services into its client. When all modern browsers tend to perform well, Opera effectively argues, why not use one that might be more convenient?It's not certain how well that approach is working for the company's bottom line. Opera has gained share in the past few years, climbing from just under 2.3 percent in Statcounter's October 2019 rankings to nearly 3.6 percent three years later. However, it remains a distant fifth and is competing more with Firefox than Chrome . If anything, Opera is establishing itself more as the go-to option for those tired of what Apple, Google and Microsoft have to offer.

15.11.2022 10:40 At least three Twitter employees who survived the mass layoffs that cut the company's workforce in half have been fired after calling out their new boss on the platform. One of them is Eric Frohnhoefer, who responded to Elon Musk's tweet apologizing for Twitter being slow in many countries. "App is doing >1000 poorly batched RPCs just to render a home timeline!" Musk wrote. Frohnhoefer responded that after six years of working on Twitter for Android, he can say that Musk's statement "is wrong." The multi-company executive then asked him what the right number was and what has he done to fix Twitter for Android, which has been "super slow." He replied with the work his team has done for the app and listed a few reasons on why it's slow: "First it's bloated with features that get little usage. Second, we have accumulated years of tech debt as we have traded velocity and features over perf. Third, we spend a lot of time waiting for network responses."Their exchange went on in several threads, and when one user told Frohnhoefer that he should've informed his boss privately, he replied: "Maybe he should ask questions privately. Maybe using Slack or email." After that, Musk informed everyone on Twitter that Fronhoefer had been fired.He’s fired— Elon Musk November 14, 2022The former Twitter app engineer told Forbes that he had gotten no communication from Twitter about his dismissal and that his laptop "just shut off." He added that " o one trusts anyone within the company anymore," so it's been hard to function. The former Twitter employee also said that before Musk took over, "people were more open and felt that they could criticize and now that’s clearly not the case."Another engineer named Ben Leib was also fired, Bloomberg has confirmed. Leib also responded to the same apology tweet by Musk, saying that as a former "tech lead for timelines infrastructure at Twitter," their new owner had no idea what he was talking about. And then there's Sasha Solomon, a tech lead for the company who chimed in with her own response to the same Musk tweet and who later announced that she, too, got fired.you did not just layoff almost all of infra and then make some sassy remark about how we do batching like did you bother to even learn how graphql works https://t.co/eUhZuZZyid— sachee@macaw.social November 13, 2022There have been massive changes over at Twitter after Elon Musk officially purchased the company. He immediately dismissed its top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, and ordered mass layoffs that saw around 50 percent of the social network's employees lose their jobs. Twitter also launched the $8-a-month Blue subscription that provided everyone who can pay access to instant verification. Making the blue checkmark easy to obtain, however, led to the rise in impersonation and legitimate-looking fake accounts on the website.

15.11.2022 01:10 At just $349, this is the lowest price we've seen on the Apple Watch Series 8. It's gone this low before, but it never stays on sale for long. If you've been thinking about upgrading or getting your first Apple Watch, now might be a good time to move on it. Both the 45mm and 41mm sizes are $50 off, and the deal applies to the midnight, red and silver case colors. The starlight case is still regular price as of this writing. This is the GPS model, without cellular connectivity, so you'll need your phone around to make calls and texts, but with its built-in capabilities, the watch can still track runs, play music and check your heart rate if you leave your phone behind. The Apple Watch is our current favorite smartwach overall, as it's a robust wearable that balances activity and health tracking with plenty of lifestyle and connectivity features, such as keeping up with podcasts or staying on top of your calendar. And of course, if you're an iPhone user, adding an Apple Watch to the mix is a no-brainer. When we tested out the Series 8 upon its debut, we liked the extended battery life, quick charging and a low power mode that squeezed out an extra two hours of use after the watch ran down to 20 percent. New for the Series 8 are temperature readings as well as crash detection. While the look is pretty unchanged from the Series 7, that's not necessarily a bad thing, particularly if you want that iconic, square Apple Watch look. In the end, we named the Apple Watch Series 8 the "new best smartwatch," with our reviewer deciding to use it as her primary smartwatch. But like we said, this $50-off deal doesn't tend to stick around long, so you might want to grab it now. Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

15.11.2022 01:10 2022 is winding down, which means it's almost time to reward the folks behind some of the year's best games. While many folks tune into The Game Awards primarily for world premieres, trailers and an inevitable Hideo Kojima sighting, there are, in fact, some trophies to dole out as well. The show's host and producer, Geoff Keighley, has revealed the nominees for the ninth edition of the ceremony.God of War Ragarnok leads the pack with 10 nominations, followed by Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West with seven each. The terrific Stray also fared well with six nods. All four of those are among the Game of the Year nominees. They're joined by A Plague Tale: Requiem and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.Unsurprisingly, given the strong showings by God of War Ragarnok and Horizon Forbidden West, Sony Interactive Entertainment had the most nominations of any publisher with 20, followed by Annapurna Interactive and Nintendo with 11 each, Bandai Namco with eight and Riot Games with six. A jury made up of representatives from more than 100 publications and influencer outlets determines the nominees . Voting is open now on The Game Awards' website and Discord server. Fans in China can vote through Bilibili.There's a new category this year called Best Adaptation, which is for shows and movies based on games. The nominees are Arcane: League of Legends, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, The Cuphead Show!, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Uncharted. Sorry, Halo. It's not hard to imagine HBO's The Last of Us making the cut next year, though.A ton of other games, big and small, earned nominations across 31 categories . Marvel Snap, Immortality, Scorn, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Splatoon 3, Tunic, Cult of the Lamb, Sifu, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, MultiVersus, Vampire Survivor, Diablo Immortal and Overwatch 2 were among the titles that received nods. Of note, there was no love for Apple Arcade or Netflix in the Best Mobile category.The ceremony takes place on December 8th. If you're not attending in person or watching at an IMAX theater, you'll be able to catch The Game Awards on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Steam, Instagram Live and dozens of other platforms.