Engadget

10.07.2024 00:50 Google Maps is rolling out a speedometer as well as speed limit indicators for iOS and CarPlay, TechCrunch reported. Android has had both features since 2019, while Waze has had them since 2016. Now, iPhone users can use them to gauge how fast they’re driving while using Google Maps. To enable it, tap your profile picture on Google Maps and go to Settings > Navigation. Scroll down to the Map display section, and you’ll see the switches for the speedometer and speed limit features. When enabled, the speedometer will appear in the bottom left corner of the screen. If you drive over the speed limit the speedometer will change colors to remind you to slow down. Google said on its support page that the speedometer is for “informational use only” and should not be used as a substitute for your car’s actual speedometer. This is because your actual driving speed may differ from the speed shown on Google Maps. Just something to bear in mind for your own safety. The new speeding features were spotted being used by iPhone owners in India, and Google will roll them out worldwide in the coming weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-maps-speedometer-finally-comes-to-ios-and-carplay-185946210.html?src=rss

10.07.2024 00:50 Amazon Prime Day will officially arrive next week on July 16, but we're already starting to see good deals pop up. Amazon's Fire Max 11 tablet has fallen back down to $140 as part of the company's Prime Day deals. Normally $230, the large slate is now $90 off — precisely what you'd need to spend for Amazon's Fire Max 11 Keyboard Case. The Fire Max 11 features, you guessed it, an 11-inch screen with a sharp 2,000 by 1,200 pixel resolution. Its octa-core CPU should be plenty for streaming media and browsing maps, and it also features 4GB of RAM. The Fire Max 11 ships with either 64GB or 128GB of storage, and you can expand that to 1TB using an additional microSD card. It sports 8MP cameras on the front and back for video calls, as well as 1080p video recording. With an estimated 14 hours of battery life, the Fire Max 11 should make for a great road trip companion for the summer. In our hands-on with the Fire Max 11, we found it to feel more like a premium tablet, compared to Amazon's cheaper and kid-friendly Fire line. "With slimmer bezels, a more-premium aluminum build and weighing just over a pound, it's designed for those who also want to do some work and multi-tasking," Engadget's Cherlynn Low wrote. With this new low price, it makes sense to pair the Fire Max 11 with Amazon's $90 keyboard case. It has a kickstand for propping up the tablet, and it delivers a decent typing and touchpad experience. You can also add on Amazon's $35 Stylus Pen for doodling and jotting down notes. With all of those accessories, the Fire Max 11 could be nearly as productive as an iPad or Surface decked out with similar hardware. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-bring-the-fire-max-11-tablet-down-to-140-173040242.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 On Tuesday, the FTC unanimously banned the social messaging app NGL from hosting minors as part of a $5 million settlement. The first-of-its-kind ban comes after revelations that the company actively marketed the app to children with bait-and-switch tactics, false claims about AI moderation and the targeting of “popular” kids to try to lure others onto the predatory hellscape. “NGL marketed its app to kids and teens despite knowing that it was exposing them to cyberbullying and harassment,” FTC Chair Lina Khan wrote in an agency press release. “In light of NGL’s reckless disregard for kids’ safety, the FTC’s order would ban NGL from marketing or offering its app to those under 18. We will keep cracking down on businesses that unlawfully exploit kids for profit.” The FTC and the Los Angeles DA’s office worked together on the complaint, which paints a picture of an exploitative business that prioritized building its social graph above honoring even the most fundamental of ethics. Although NGL is still a relatively niche app with nowhere near the popularity of Instagram, TikTok and other first-tier platforms, it has “exploded” in popularity, according to The Washington Post. In 2022, it briefly became the most downloaded app on the iOS App Store. The company markets the app as a place to message anonymously with unknown friends and contacts from other social channels. That alone sounds like a recipe for disaster. But the FTC says the company made it much worse with false claims of using “world class AI content moderation” with “deep learning and pattern matching algorithms” to prevent cyberbullying and other concerning behavior. It also sent fake, computer-generated messages — which users believed were from their real friends — with provocative prompts like “Are you straight?” and “I know what you did.” In addition, the company’s predatory business practices also allegedly included bait-and-switch upsell tactics, which promised to reveal the identity of anonymous “friends” if they paid up to $10 weekly for a premium subscription. After paying, the service would only supply useless “hints” like the message’s timestamp, the sender’s general location and whether they used an iPhone or Android phone. It would also turn on recurring, hard-to-cancel charges that users didn’t expect. Even worse, Joao Figueiredo, one of the company’s co-founders, allegedly directed employees to look on “high school cheer pages” to find “kids who are popular to post and get their friends to post.” One user allegedly reported that their friend attempted suicide because of their experience on NGL. When consumers complained, NGL executives allegedly laughed them off as “suckers.” The FTC and Los Angeles DA added that NGL violated the COPPA Rule. It requires companies with apps “that are directed to or knowingly being used by children under 13 to inform their parents about the personal information they collect.” Other accusations include a violation of the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act. In addition, the dumpster fire known as NGL allegedly made no attempt to verify users’ ages, failed to obtain parental consent to collect and use data from preteen children and failed to honor parents’ requests to delete children’s data. Finally, the company supposedly “retained children’s data longer than reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose for which the data was collected.” Under the settlement terms, NGL and its cofounders have agreed to pay $4.5 million to “provide redress to consumers” and a $500,000 civil penalty to the LA DA’s office. From now on, the company will have to require an age gate that prevents new and current users under 18 from using the app, deleting all info associated with those under 13, agreeing not to misrepresent the origins of messages, make false claims about AI tech and received consent from consumers before billing them for subscriptions . It remains to be seen whether the FTC can use the unanimous, bipartisan ruling against NGL as a precedent to go after bigger fish in the social sphere using egregiously unethical marketing tactics of their own.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ngl-becomes-the-first-app-banned-from-hosting-minors-by-the-ftc-171524202.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 Apple’s Time Bandits remake has been floating around since 2018, which is actually more than a year before Apple TV+ started pumping out content, but we haven't had much by way of actual details. That changed today with a trailer, release date and a whole lot more. The upcoming adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s classic 1981 film will be a ten-episode series that premieres on July 24. The creative team is top-notch and just about perfect for a reimagining of Gilliam’s dark and hilarious time-twisting fairy tale. It’s being helmed by the dynamic duo behind the film What We Do in the Shadows, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. The latter also made a couple of Marvel movies, to varying degrees of success. The cast looks to be sufficiently stacked and led by the, and I can’t believe I’m saying this about someone so famous and rich, under-appreciated Lisa Kudrow. The rest of the titular bandits are portrayed by Charlyne Yi, Rune Temte, Tadhg Murphy and Roger Jean Nsengiyumva. Jemaine Clement replaces David Warner as the primary antagonist, which are some mighty big shoes to fill, and Waititi replaces Ralph Richardson as the Supreme Being. Interestingly, there are no original cast members here. This is an absolute reimagining and not a “pass the torch” type deal. To that point, the plot looks to follow the original. It’s about a lonely British child who discovers a time portal in his bedroom and gets involved in all manner of hijinks involving a lost time map. The film used to both amuse and terrify me to no end when it would turn up on TV when I was a kid. Here’s hoping the remake keeps that formula intact. The trailer certainly indicates it’ll be doing just that and also shows several iconic sequences from the movie, including romps through Ancient Greece and the creation of Stonehenge. Being as how the movie had plenty of guest stars as the gang traveled through time, the show could do the same. Sean Connery played Agamemnon in the film and John Cleese played Robin Hood. Neither character pops up in the trailer, so there could be some casting surprises in store. Waititi loves that kind of thing. The press release also mentions the Harlem Renaissance, which was not in the movie, so we’ll likely see a bunch of new time periods. Ten episodes of TV is a lot longer than a two-hour movie. Time Bandits premieres with two episodes on July 24. It continues until August 21, dropping two episodes each Wednesday. It joins like a hundred other fantasy and sci-fi shows on Apple TV+.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-tvs-new-time-bandits-show-just-got-a-glorious-trailer-and-a-july-release-date-165950320.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 This year’s Amazon Prime Day is nearly upon us, as it officially begins on July 16. However, some of the best early Prime Day deals are already coming in hot, including a deep discount on the Echo Show 5. The Amazon smart display is on sale for $50, which is a discount of $40. That’s just a tiny bit more than the record-low price. The Echo Show 8 is also on sale for $85, which is a new record low. The Echo Show 5 easily made our list of the best smart displays, for a great many reasons. The 5.5-inch screen is diminutive, especially when compared to the Echo Show 8, but that just makes it fit better on a desk or nightstand. To that end, it doubles as a fantastic alarm clock. The ambient alarm light sensor adjusts the screen’s brightness automatically, which is a nice way to wake up, and the tap-to-snooze function allows for a few more minutes of precious sleep. There’s a camera, which is great for simple video calls but does bring some privacy concerns. Amazon ships this display with a physical camera cover to solve that issue. Just pop on the cover when you aren’t actually using the camera. This isn’t a perfect smart display, though it’s a great one for the price. The main downside with the Echo Show 5 is that the speakers are not as powerful as those found with larger smart displays. This isn’t a dealbreaker. It’s still plenty loud, but you probably won’t use it to power a dance party. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-discount-the-echo-show-5-to-50-163031202.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 The summer is usually a quiet time for tech news but Samsung is about to shake things up a bit. The next Samsung Unpacked event is set for tomorrow, July 10. It will take place in Paris at 3PM local time, which is 9AM ET. If you want to tune in live, all the details for how to watch Samsung Unpacked are right here. The company released its Galaxy S24 devices earlier this year after its first Unpacked of 2024, so it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see new versions of the traditional smartphone format here . However, there’s a decent chance that Samsung will show off its latest set of foldables. Rumors are suggesting that it’s ready to reveal a new smartwatch too. And then there’s the small matter of the smart ring that Samsung has been teasing this year. What we expect from Samsung Unpacked July 2024 Samsung Galaxy Ring Samsung’s smart ring is its most intriguing upcoming device. It’s a brand-new product category for the company, though Samsung has been preparing for it by refining its health and wellness tech in its other devices over the last few years. The Samsung Galaxy Ring is slated to arrive “in or around August,” according to the company itself, so it would be more of a surprise if the device didn’t appear at Unpacked. After first teasing the wearable during January’s Unpacked, Samsung revealed more details about it in February. The Galaxy Ring will be available in three colors — platinum silver, gold and ceramic black — and multiple sizes. The ring will measure heart rate, movement and breathing to help track your sleep. It’s expected to support fertility tracking too. The Galaxy Ring will also be able to pair with a Galaxy Watch, so if you wear both, you’re likely to get more accurate health data. Samsung Naturally, the Galaxy Ring will be compatible with Galaxy phones but Samsung is aiming to make it work with other Android handsets. As of February, iOS compatibility was to be determined, so perhaps rival device Oura will remain the go-to choice for many iPhone users. For what it's worth, some of the company's smartwatches are compatible with certain iPhones and non-Samsung Android phones. Samsung has yet to reveal the exact release date and pricing for the Galaxy Ring. However, that information is almost certainly going to be announced at Unpacked. Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 It’s probably the right time for Samsung to roll out new foldables as we move into the back half of the year and the holiday shopping season. We may very well see the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and and Galaxy Z Flip 6 at Unpacked. The updates are expected to be relatively minor. Rumors suggest the Z Flip 6 will get a modest battery capacity increase to 4,000 mAh, an option to increase the RAM to 12GB and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. Camera upgrades also seem likely, with Samsung said to be bringing the same 50MP camera seen in the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 to the Z Flip 6. As for the flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, that's expected to have the same size screen and thickness as last year's model. The cover screen may adopt Corning Gorilla Armor for improved durability along with anti-reflective tech. It doesn't seem that the cameras will be upgraded, while there may only be a very small increase to battery capacity. It's a safe bet that there will be a chipset upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, though. Meanwhile, one leak has suggested that both devices are getting a $100 increase compared with last year's models. We'll need to wait until Unpacked to find out for sure whether that's the case. There has also been some chatter around a more premium Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra, as well as slim versions of both foldable formats. However, these may arrive alongside the Galaxy S25 lineup in early 2025. If they appear at the July Unpacked event, it's likely to be a tease at most. Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch Ultra Galaxy Watch 7 listings popped up early on some online stores, so we'll probably see that wearable show up at Unpacked too. It's expected to have a 3nm chipset that could improve power efficiency and performance. The health sensors are likely to get an upgrade too. This being 2024, there will naturally be some AI-powered features. A listing detailed AI-powered sleep, exercise and communications features, including a smart reply function for the latter. That's not all, though, as there are indications that a Galaxy Watch Ultra is on the way too. A number of leaked images suggest it'll be chunkier than standard Galaxy Watch models. The device is expected to have a rectangular design with a round watch face. Most intriguingly, the Galaxy Watch Ultra could have a digital crown-style dial and button combination on the side instead of a rotating bezel for navigation. Rumors peg the price at $700, which would be far more expensive than other Galaxy Watch devices. Here's hoping Samsung has packed enough features in there to make it worthwhile. Official Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Galaxy Ring Charger rendersLiterally, almost all things about the Samsung Unpacked have been leaked as always pic.twitter.com/EXFZOnWRV1— Tim Tom 0 June 16, 2024 Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro It's been a couple of years since the last Galaxy Buds models , so those are due for an upgrade. It's likely that we'll see both Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro at Unpacked on July 10. The two models will be available in silver and white colorways and have an IP57 rating for dust and water resistance, along with SmartThings Find support, according to Android Headlines. As with the Buds 2 Pro, it's expected that the Buds 3 Pro will have a two-way speaker designed to deliver richer audio, while the regular Buds 3 will have a one-way speaker. The higher-end model is also said to offer adaptive noise control, blade lights and ambient sound. Buds 3 Pro are also expected to deliver longer battery life than the more budget-friendly model, though both are believed to have active noise cancellation. There's one other big anticipated change as word on the street indicates Samsung is set to mimic Apple's AirPods by adopting a stem design. Whether you're a fan of that format or not, there's one clear advantage of the stem: it places the microphone a little closer to your mouth, which should improve call quality. For what it's worth, when Samsung revealed the Galaxy Buds Live in 2020, it said those lacked an "awkward stem." Galaxy Reserve pre-order deals Like it's been doing in recent years, Samsung has already made it possible to reserve "one of the next generation of Galaxy devices on Samsung.com." That'll make you eligible for "instant Samsung Credit" of $50 and "up to $1,500 in savings when they pre-order." Of course, this doesn't tell us much about what to officially expect from the company, but it's a sign there'll be at least something to reserve, right?This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/what-we-expect-from-samsung-unpacked-2024-including-galaxy-hardware-143014067.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 In typical Amazon fashion, early Prime Day deals are starting to pick up speed now that we're one week out from Prime Day 2024. Discounts just dropped on some Echo speakers, including the Echo Dot, which is down to a near record low of $25. That's half off and only about $2 more than the lowest price we've seen. Also discounted are the Echo Pop, which you can snag for only $18, and the full-sized Echo for $55. We expect these to be some of the best Prime Day deals you'll be able to get on Amazon devices for the shopping event. The Echo Dot is a good way to get Alexa into your home without taking up too much space. It's also a good option for students who have little space to spare in cramped dorms and apartments, or anyone who wants to add a bit more smarts in their home office. It's one of our top picks for the best smart speakers you can get right now thanks to its minimalist, compact design, physical volume adjustment and mic-mute buttons and its general Alexa chops. The latest model is also a much better speaker than previous versions, with louder and clearer audio. If you're on a tight budget, or you want to give Alexa a try without investing too much money, the Echo Pop is a good alternative now that it's down to $18. If you were to slice the Echo Dot in half, you'd get the Echo Pop. It makes for a decent bedside speaker, and it has built-in eero functionality, meaning you can extend the range of your home's Wi-Fi network with the Pop if you have an eero router already. But for the best sound quality out of these, you'll want the regular Echo smart speaker. It has the biggest footprint of all three, and the biggest internal speaker along with a 3-inch, built-in woofer. In addition to Alexa chops, it has a temperature sensor and a Zigbee smart home hub inside, which allows you to connect gadgets like smart lights, smart door locks and more without the need for a separate hub. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-bring-the-echo-dot-down-to-only-25-155547466.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 Vampire Survivors, one of the very best games of the last few years, is already available for iPhone. It arrived on iOS out of the blue at the tail end of 2022. That version is ad-supported, which can disrupt what's otherwise a perfectly enjoyable mobile gaming experience. However, Apple Arcade subscribers will soon be able to play an ad-free version of the auto-shooting roguelike at no extra cost. Vampire Survivors+ is coming to the subscription service on August 1. That version of the game will include both of the premium expansions at no extra cost as well. The base game includes 50 playable characters and 80 weapons, so with the extras that the DLCs add to the mix, you'll have countless of hours of gameplay at your fingertips. You'll even be able to play with up to three friends on the same device if you connect enough controllers to it. That's not all though, as Apple has announced two other upcoming additions to the service. Temple Run: Legends flips the franchise on its head. The original Temple Run was a big hit on the iPhone. However, this will be the first level-based game in the series and it'll have more than 500 stages. Those craving a classic infinite run mode will still have access to one, though. Temple Run: Legends is coming to Apple Arcade on August 1. In addition, another Apple Vision Pro game is coming to Apple Arcade. Physics-based puzzle game Castle Crumble will arrive on August 29.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ad-free-vampire-survivors-is-coming-to-apple-arcade-on-august-1-155244352.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 Amazon Prime Day 2024 is coming next week, so you still have time to sign up for a free trial of Prime before the shopping event begins. However, in typical Amazon fashion, we’re already starting to see early Prime Day deals pop up. The online retailer has gotten into the habit of teasing early Prime Day deals leading up to the big event, with most of them being available exclusively to Prime members. However, there are always some good tech deals on Amazon available to everyone at the same time. We’ve collected the best early Prime Day deals here so you don’t have to go searching for them. We’ll be updating this post regularly, so check back to see the latest discounts. Amazon Prime Day FAQs When is Prime Day 2024? Amazon Prime Day 2024 lands on July 16 and 17 this year. The shopping event focuses on exclusive deals for Prime members, which means you’ll have to be a Prime subscriber on Prime Day to take advantage of most of the savings. Amazon still offers a 30-day free trial to new Prime subscribers, so you can start your free trial now to participate in the event. Is Prime Day the same days every year? No, but Prime Day usually happens during the summertime in the United States. In recent years, Amazon has held a second sale event in the fall as well, dubbed October Prime Day, which is similar to the summertime sale. Can anyone shop Amazon Prime Day? Amazon Prime Day focuses on exclusive deals available only to Prime members. However, if you don’t pay for Prime and have no intention of doing so, you should still check out Amazon on Prime Day for sales that are available to all shoppers — there are always a few of them. Best early Prime Day deals: Engadget top picks Best early Prime Day deals: Apple Best early Prime Day deals: Amazon Best early Prime Day deals: Anker Best early Prime Day tech deals Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-amazon-prime-day-early-deals-we-could-find-from-apple-anker-and-more-110027139.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 Prime Day is approaching as quickly as lunchtime hunger pangs and, as ever, there are some early deals to be had. One of the tastiest we've seen so far is a significant discount on Apple's AirPods Max. The over-ear headphones have dropped to $399. They've been hovering at around $449 for quite some time and now they have dropped to a new record low price. The AirPods Max have been around since 2020 , but they're still a great option for those looking for over-ear headphones — especially if you're already heavily entrenched in the Apple ecosystem. We gave them a score of 84 in our review, with the audio quality, active noise cancellation performance and battery life proving to be positives. You can control the AirPods Max with an Apple Watch-style rotating crown and there's a separate button for switching between ANC and transparency modes. You'll need to use a Lightning cable to charge the headset, which will quickly pair to your iPhone and other devices that are signed into the same iCloud account. Unfortunately, AirPods Max do not support lossless audio from Apple Music due to a Bluetooth limitation, though spatial audio does work. It's also worth bearing in mind that there's likely a new AirPods Max model coming relatively soon, perhaps by the end of the year. Elsewhere, Apple's AirPods Pro are also on sale. You can snap up a pair for $169, which is 32 percent off the regular price of $249. That's not a bad deal at all if you prefer an in-ear format for your audio needs. AirPods Pro also have some features that the AirPods Max lack, including an adaptive mode that brings together ANC and transparency. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-see-apples-airpods-max-drop-to-a-new-record-low-150058492.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 Now is a good time to invest in a tracker if you're sick of losing everything from your wallet to your keys — don't worry, this is a safe space to admit it as I am too. Amazon Prime Day early sales are upon us, including a new all-time low price on Apple's AirTag 4-pack. The set is down to $75 from $99 — a 24 percent discount. Apple's AirTags can pair with your iPhone or iPad and appear in the Find My app. The devices are about an inch and a quarter in length and width, with a battery that lasts about a year at a time. The device is also water and dust resistant, so you don't have to worry about it getting too gross if it's on your dog's collar, for instance. Plus, newer iPhone models utilize ultra-wideband technology to give you detailed instructions when locating one. Unfortunately, you'll still need to get a holder if you want to attach an AirTag anywhere, but we have you covered with our guide to the best Apple AirTag accessories for 2024. If you only need one or two AirTags, head over to the sale on individual ones. Right now, you can pick up one AirTag for $24, down from $29 — a 17 percent discount. This deal is also a record-low price, with you technically able to get three for less than the four-pack . Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-include-a-four-pack-of-airtags-for-a-record-low-of-75-143919897.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 David Ellison, the new chief executive of Paramount, has big plans for the media giant and wants to turn it into a "media and technology" company, according to the Financial Times. Ellison is taking over as Paramount's boss after his production studio, Skydance Media, agreed to acquire the company behind massive films and franchises like The Godfather, Top Gun, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. Skydance served as its financial partner in several projects that include Top Gun: Maverick. According to Reuters, Skydance is paying $2.4 billion to buy National Amusements, the firm that holds a controlling stake in Paramount. As the Times notes, Paramount struggled financially after investing billions of dollars in its streaming service. Paramount+, however, has yet to turn a profit despite the company's efforts and even though it launched a plan with ads in order to get more people to sign up. Earlier this year, the media giant laid off 800 employees, including Paramount+ workers. But Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, intends to continue investing and working on the streaming service. He's planning to rebuild Paramount+'s technology and use modern infrastructure to improve its recommendation algorithm that helps users find new shows. In addition, he's planning to work with his father's company to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Jeff Shell, who's going to become the combined company's president, told the Times that Paramount+ is going to team up with other streaming services and enter bundling agreements. The goal is to cut costs and to get customers to keep paying for access. Shell said they've already had calls from "different potential partners" and they're going to consider agreements that will get the service "more scale" and will get them to break even more quickly. The merger is expected to be finalized next year, after which the new Paramount will be valued at $28 billion. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/paramount-and-skydance-will-merge-to-create-new-tech-media-giant-140052942.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 If you're in the market for some new tech then Amazon's early Prime Day deals have you covered. The latest deal worth shopping is a 32 percent discount on the second-generation Apple AirPods Pro. The Prime Day sale brings them down to $169 from $249 — a new all-time low price. These earbuds are our choice of best wireless earbuds for iPhone users. The second-gen AirPods Pro came out in 2022 and are still Apple's newest in the series. We gave them an 88 in our review thanks to an H2 chip that produces solid noise cancellation and an excellent transparency mode. You can also swipe for volume control and access Personalized Spatial Audio. Plus, Apple shrunk the ear tip, added a built-in speaker to the case and switched out the lightning port for a USB-C one. If you're looking for something a bit cheaper, check out the deal on Apple's third-gen AirPods. They've dropped to a new all-time low of $129 from $169 — $11 cheaper than the sale we saw yesterday. For one-fourth off their sticker price, you get AirPods that are comfortable, offer excellent audio quality and are IPX4 sweat and water resistant. Plus, they have six hours of continual battery life and 30 hours total with the case. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-discount-the-airpods-pro-to-a-new-low-of-169-130559143.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 Spotify is bridging the gap between podcasters and their listeners by launching a comment section for podcasts, which will start showing up on episodes today. Listeners can find the service's new comment section by scrolling past the play controls or navigating to the episode page once they're done listening. At launch, all posts will be private by default, and creators will have full control over what comments will show up on their page. They have the power to publish and unpublish any response they want. If they have no time to do that, they can enable comments for specific episodes only or opt out of the feature altogether. The service is making it possible for all creators to oversee comments by giving them access to the updated Spotify for Podcasters app, whether or not they're hosted by the company. Creators that aren't hosted on the Spotify for Podcasters platform just have to claim their show through the app first. In addition to being able to control what responses get published on their page, creators will also receive notifications for new comments and for reaching show milestones. They'll get access to analytics and insights on their audience, as well. Spotify says listeners who engage with its interactive features, such as its Q&As and polls, are four times more likely to return to a show within 30 days. Those users also spend twice as many hours per month listening to podcasts than those who don't engage with Spotify's interactive features. The company intends to make its platform even more interactive and has more plans for fall this year. It also vows to continue improving its comments experience based on the feedback it gets from both podcasters and listeners. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spotify-is-launching-a-comment-section-for-podcasts-130034091.html?src=rss

09.07.2024 19:20 Amazon Prime Day will officially arrive on July 16, but we're already starting to see good deals pop up. Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max is now just $35 as part of an early Prime Day 2024 deal. That's the lowest price we've ever seen for the company's premium streaming stick — it typically retails for $60 and has been previously discounted to $40. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is Amazon's most capable portable streaming device. Just plug it into your TV's HDMI port , and you'll instantly have access to all of your favorite streaming apps, like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon's own Prime Video. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max supports fast WiFi 6E connectivity, and in addition to its 4K resolution it offers Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG to make your shows and films look their best. With a 2GHz quad-core processor and 16GB of onboard storage , the Fire TV Stick 4K Max should be zippy and have enough space to your favorite apps and games. Its WiFi 6E support also makes it a great option for streaming games with Amazon Luna. The bundled Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced gives you instant access to Amazon's virtual assistant, allowing you to search for shows or just ask about the weather. If you don't need all the bells and whistles of the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, there's also the Fire TV Stick Lite on sale for $15, one of our favorite inexpensive streaming devices. And if you need Ethernet and hands-free Alexa support, Amazon's Fire TV Cube is now just $100 as part of this early Prime Day Deal. Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/early-prime-day-deals-include-the-fire-tv-stick-4k-max-for-a-record-low-of-35-123038908.html?src=rss