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16.02.2025 18:00 YouTube TV has reached a deal with Paramount to avoid cutting off subscribers’ access to certain channels, including CBS, CBS Sports and Nickelodeon. Earlier this week, YouTube TV announced in a blog post that Paramount content would be removed from its platform after February 13 because the two had failed to reach “a fair agreement” that would keep those channels available. On Friday, that deadline was extended, and YouTube TV said in an update on Saturday night that a deal had been reached and access would now go on uninterrupted. “We’re happy to share that we’ve reached a deal to continue carrying Paramount channels, including CBS, CBS Sports, Nickelodeon and more,” YouTube TV wrote in a blog post and on X. “With this agreement, YouTube TV will continue to offer 100+ channels and add-ons including Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and will enable more user choice in the future. To our subscribers, we appreciate your patience while we negotiated on your behalf.” BET+ will also remain available. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/youtube-tv-has-reached-a-deal-with-paramount-to-keep-carrying-cbs-cbs-sports-and-other-channels-154245757.html?src=rss

16.02.2025 03:10 In a blog post on Friday, Perplexity introduced a new tool called Deep Research that it says can conduct “in-depth research and analysis” to deliver detailed reports in response to your questions, and it’s free for limited use. It comes just a couple of weeks after OpenAI announced its own Deep Research feature for ChatGPT Pro users… which itself followed Google’s December announcement of Deep Research for Gemini. Perplexity’s tool is available only on the web to start, but it will hit the iOS, Android and Mac apps soon too. Introducing Deep Research on Perplexity.Deep Research lets you generate in-depth research reports on any topic.Available to everyone for free—up to 5 queries per day for non-subscribers and 500 queries per day for Pro users. pic.twitter.com/obovx7YEUF— Perplexity February 14, 2025 Perplexity says its Deep Research “excels at a range of expert-level tasks — from finance and marketing to product research” and takes about 2-4 minutes to come up with an answer, during which it “performs dozens of searches, reads hundreds of sources, and reasons through the material.” Once finished, its reports can be shared or exported as a PDF. The company claims it outperforms competitors — like OpenAI’s o3-mini and o1, and DeepSeek-R1 — on the Humanity’s Last Exam benchmark, earning a 21.1 percent accuracy score . Free users will be limited to five queries per day, while Pro subscribers will get 500, according to a tweet from the company.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/perplexity-has-its-own-deep-research-tool-now-too-224653030.html?src=rss

15.02.2025 22:21 Nintendo of America announced that it's opened purchases of the game-themed alarm clock, Alarmo, to the public so anyone can snag one, with or without a Switch Online membership. The bright red alarm clock comes with a handful of built-in themes to choose from at the start — Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, Pikmin 4 and Ring Fit Adventure — and Nintendo says others, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, will be available for free down the line. Alarmo will also be sold in select stores starting in March, as well as online in other regions. Alarmo first went on sale back in October, but only for Nintendo Switch Online members. That changed on Friday, when the company announced, “Nintendo Sound Clock: #Alarmo is now available on My Nintendo store, no Nintendo Switch Online membership required.” Nintendo Sound Clock: #Alarmo is now available on My Nintendo store, no Nintendo Switch Online membership required. Available while supplies last. Learn more: https://t.co/0EkqZJ9X5A pic.twitter.com/1Wwd96hQyx— Nintendo of America February 14, 2025 Alarmo can wake you up and put you to sleep with sounds and animations from your chosen title, and it has a motion sensor for sleep tracking . There’s an undeniable charm to it all; the characters will even celebrate when you finally drag yourself out of bed. The downside is that it costs $100. Still, I can’t say the idea of having a troupe of Pikmin greet me first thing every morning isn’t extremely tempting.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/anyone-in-the-us-can-now-buy-nintendos-alarmo-clock-from-the-online-store-171945008.html?src=rss

15.02.2025 17:30 New releases we picked up this week that belong on your reading list. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-ali-smith-gliff-dystopian-fiction-horror-comics-creepshow-160016239.html?src=rss

15.02.2025 17:30 Uber is suing DoorDash, accusing the biggest food delivery provider in the US of putting pressure on restaurants to exclusively use its services. According to The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, Uber filed the lawsuit in California on February 14. Uber said it filed the lawsuit after hearing from "restaurants across the country" that were left with no choice but to "cave to demands or pay the price." Both DoorDash and Uber Eats offer their delivery services to restaurants, even for customers who buy from an establishment's own website or app. At the same time, they also offer advertising within their apps for those that want to promote their businesses. DoorDash has a significantly larger share of the market than Uber Eats and had previously said that 90 percent of major restaurants in the US is available on its platform. DoorDash allegedly threatened to charge higher commission rates for handling orders made through its marketplace if the restaurant is also on Uber Eats. In its complaint, Uber said that that in one instance, the company threatened to raise a restaurant's commission rate by 30 percent per order placed. The lawsuit stated another instance wherein DoorDash allegedly told a restaurant that it would cost them millions of dollars in additional fees if it also teamed up with Uber. In 2024, a large restaurant group scrapped long-running plans to launch on Uber after threats from DoorDash to increase its commission rates, Uber said. In addition, DoorDash allegedly threatened to demote restaurants also available on Uber within its app. Uber is now asking the court to compel DoorDash to change its business practices. Meanwhile, DoorDash denied all accusations. "Uber’s case has no merit," the company said in a statement. "Their claims are unfounded and based on their inability to offer merchants, consumers, or couriers a quality alternative."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/uber-accuses-doordash-of-anti-competitive-practices-in-a-lawsuit-130032964.html?src=rss

15.02.2025 12:20 One of our favorite grill accessories, the ThermoWorks Thermapen One, is on sale for $79 right now. This Engadget exclusive sale shaves $30 off this speedy thermometer. While it’s not the record low price, $79 is pretty close. The Thermopen One is calibrated to record temperatures accurately, with an error margin of 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit . It also does this within a second. To help users check the temperature conveniently, the display rotates 360 degrees and has a smart backlight display that brightens when it’s covered or in a low-light environment. The company claims that a single AAA battery in the thermometer will last for 2,000 hours, and it’s partly due to how it automatically turns on or off when you pick it up or put it down. An IP67 rating makes it safe to use in wet and dusty locations for a while. If that’s not reassuring enough, each Thermapen One comes with a five-year warranty. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-thermoworks-thermapen-one-is-on-sale-for-79-right-now-100052804.html?src=rss

15.02.2025 02:40 Newly restored pages on the websites of government agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration now include a disclaimer rejecting "gender ideology," as spotted by 404 Media. The move allows agencies to comply with a recent court order to restore missing webpages, while continuing to push the Trump administration anti-trans executive order that led them to delete those pages in the first place. You can see the disclaimer — which lifts language directly from President Trump's order — on the FDA's guidance document on the "Study of Sex Differences in the Clinical Evaluation of Medical Products" and a page linking to results from SAHMSA's report on "Behavioral Health of Adolescents across Sexual Identities." Like a lot of the current administration's slapdash attempts to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion, the disclaimer doesn't appear everywhere. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page on "Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines" doesn't include it, for example. The contents of the disclaimer are reproduced below: Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website as of 11:59 PM on February 11, 2025. Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes, male and female. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children, by promoting their chemical and surgical mutilation, and to women, by depriving them of their dignity, safety, well-being, and opportunities. This page does not reflect biological reality and therefore the Administration and this Department reject it. Government agencies were first directed to "end all agency programs that use taxpayer money to promote or reflect gender ideology" by the Office of Personal Management in January, which prompted the webpage takedowns, The Washington Post writes. Doctors of America, represented by Public Citizen, sued OPM and other agencies that took down pages over safety concerns, leading to the order to restore the websites to their original form this month. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/trump-administration-adds-note-rejecting-gender-ideology-to-government-websites-220253562.html?src=rss

15.02.2025 02:40 Elon Musk launched a $97.4 billion bid to take control of OpenAI. The Wall Street Journal reported a group of investors led by Musk's xAI submitted an unsolicited offer to the company's board of directors on Monday. The group wants to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI's for-profit arm. When asked for comment, an OpenAI spokesperson pointed Engadget to an X post from CEO Sam Altman. "No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want," Altman wrote on the social media platform Musk owns. On Friday, OpenAI's board of directors officially rejected Musk's bid. "OpenAI is not for sale, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr. Musk's latest attempt to disrupt his competition," the company said in a response attributed to Bret Taylor, the chair of OpenAI's board of directors. "Any potential reorganization of OpenAI will strengthen our nonprofit and its mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity." Taylor, incidentally, was the chairman of Twitter's board before Musk bought the social media platform for $44 billion in 2022. "OpenAI is not for sale, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr. Musk's latest attempt to disrupt his competition. Any potential reorganization of OpenAI will strengthen our nonprofit and its mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity."—Bret Taylor, Chair, on behalf of…— OpenAI Newsroom February 14, 2025 "It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was," Musk said in a statement his attorney shared with The Journal. "We will make sure that happens." OpenAI It's hard to say how serious this bid from Musk is and what — if any — chance it has to succeed. OpenAI is not a traditional company, and the nonprofit structure Sam Altman and others at the company want it to get away from may in fact protect it from Musk's offer. Were OpenAI a for-profit company with publicly traded shares Musk's bid would likely trigger what's known in corporate law as a Revlon moment, where, under certain circumstances, the company's board of directors would be forced to sell to the highest bidder to maximize shareholder profits. Update 02/14 4:34PM ET: Added response from OpenAI's board of directors. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-board-unanimously-rejects-elon-musks-974-billion-takeover-bid-215221683.html?src=rss

15.02.2025 02:40 Breaking: Netflix made an oopsie. On Thursday, word spread online that some of its content began appearing in the Apple TV app. The lack of an official announcement of the integration was enough to cast doubt on the news. But that didn't stop users from rejoicing and sharing "FINALLY!" GIFs on social media. Unfortunately, your triumphant festivities weren't warranted, as the company has said it was unintentional. A Netflix spokesperson told The Verge on Friday that the Apple TV app integration was an error that has been rolled back. Indeed, Redditors who had been tracking the forbidden fruit with unbridled glee confirmed that all signs of Netflix content had since vanished from Apple's streaming hub. Netflix giveth, and Netflix taketh away. While the boo-boo was still active, PC World reported it let you add Netflix originals like Stranger Things, Cobra Kai and The Crown but lacked licensed shows and movies. Even the available content was a buggy mess. For example, only season five of The Crown was available, leaving you to wonder what hijinks Liz and the gang had gotten into before or after the grunge era. The "Add to Watchlist" and "Continue Watching" features were also said to be spotty. It's easy to speculate that such a glitch was tied to internal testing accidentally made public, but there's no reason to assume that's anything but wishful thinking. At least for now, you'll have to watch Netflix content in the Netflix app, leaving Apple’s for a well-earned rewatch of The Sopranos , The Bear and Apple's own Silo.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-accidentally-made-its-content-show-up-in-the-apple-tv-app-212851906.html?src=rss

15.02.2025 02:40 You could soon pay to access certain subreddits, according to comments shared by Reddit CEO Steve Huffman during a taped video AMA . Huffman has suggested the company might experiment with some kind of Reddit paywall before, and now its apparently happening. When asked if he could share information about the development of paid subreddits, Huffman said that "It's a work in progress right now, so that one's coming." To a follow up question about new features coming to Reddit in 2025, Huffman said "Paid subreddits? Yes," confirming they're on the list. Unfortunately there's little detail as to how paid subreddits will actually work when they do launch. It might make sense for only Reddit Premium subscribers to be able to access paid subreddits, for example. As Ars Technica notes, Reddit does offer an exclusive subreddit for subscribers called r/lounge. The company also currently pays some users for posting via the Reddit Contributor Program. The pieces for a paywall are there, but you have to fill in more than a few blanks to get them to fit together. However they happen, paid subreddits continue Reddit's goal of monetizing as much of its user-generated content as possible after going public in 2024. The company has signed licensing deals with both OpenAI and Google, and is currently pulling on users' posts to answer questions with its Reddit Answers chatbot, all in an attempt to squeeze as much value out of the content it already has. A paywall is maybe a blunter way to make that happen, but it's not surprising.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-ceo-says-paid-subreddits-are-coming-this-year-203823936.html?src=rss

14.02.2025 21:30 If you look at your Roomba with disgust, thinking about what a far cry it is from the Jetsons’ Rosey the Robot, help is on the way. Bloomberg reported on Friday that Meta plans to leverage its advances in AI and augmented reality to build a platform for futuristic humanoid robots that can help with household chores like folding laundry. Meta is reportedly creating a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division, which handles Quest VR headsets and the long-term Orion AR glasses project. Although it will build robot hardware during development, Meta’s long-term goal is more like Android, where Google makes the software platform that almost all of the industry uses. Meta would make the underlying sensors, AI and software for other companies to put inside their hardware. In other words, it wants to be the Android of androids. Like The Jetsons’ Rosey the Robot, Meta’s version would help with household chores.Warner Bros. / YouTube At least initially, Meta plans to make household chores the project’s central focus. Bloomberg lists folding laundry, carrying glasses of water, putting dinnerware in the dishwasher and other home chores as examples to build excitement around what could be an unsettling product category for many people. Speaking of Unitree, Meta has reportedly held early discussions with the Chinese robotics company, which also makes a quadruped "robot dog" that can run around, climb stairs and sit on its hind legs like a good girl. Meta is also said to have discussed its plans with California-based humanoid robot maker Figure AI, which can count OpenAI, Nvidia, Microsoft, Intel and Jeff Bezos among its investors. Karissa Bell for Engadget Today’s humanoid robots aren’t advanced enough to pitch in around the house like Rosey, but Meta believes all the resources it’s sinking into AI and XR are paving a road to that destination. Although the company thinks it will be a few years before useful humanoid robots are widely available, Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth reportedly views the company’s progress in hand tracking, low-bandwidth computing and always-on sensors as advantages. "The core technologies we’ve already invested in and built across Reality Labs and AI are complementary to developing the advancements needed for robotics," Bosworth reportedly wrote in a memo. "We believe that expanding our portfolio to invest in this field will only accrue value to Meta AI and our mixed and augmented reality programs." Meta isn’t alone in raising its eyebrows at the prospect of home robots for consumers. Last year, news broke that Apple was working on robotics. Ditto for Google. Both companies have published research papers on their robotics work. Flying cars may have to wait, but Rosey is looking a lot less like a pipe dream.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-is-reportedly-working-on-humanoid-robots-that-help-with-chores-192453416.html?src=rss

14.02.2025 21:30 Instagram is testing a new dislike button, which the company has signaled is a way for users to effectively downvote a distasteful or irrelevant comment. The dislike button is only for comments, and not the actual content itself. The platform is testing this with both Reels and Feed posts. The service will not show a dislike count, though Instagram head Adam Mosseri says that dislikes will eventually contribute to comment ranking. In other words, this feature is most like the Reddit downvote button. "This gives people a private way to signal that they don’t feel good about that particular comment," Mosseri wrote on Threads. "Our hope is that this might help make comments more friendly on Instagram." A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch that the primary purpose of the dislike button is to improve the quality of the comment section, echoing Mosseri’s post. This is just a test for now, so the button is only available to a “very small group of people.” It may get a broader rollout down the line. Instagram has been busy in recent months. Platform representatives announced that it was working on a video-editing app that looks eerily-similar to TikTok’s sibling app, CapCut. The platform even expanded the length of Reels to three minutes, which was seen as another TikTok mimic. It also recently got rid of third-party fact checkers because of freedom or something.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-is-testing-a-dislike-button-but-only-for-comments-192130246.html?src=rss

14.02.2025 21:30 After being rumored to be in the early stages of the project last year, Meta confirmed today that it's building "Project Waterworth," an over 50,00 km subsea cable that will connect five continents. The company has partnered on other cable projects previously, but this would be the first piece of subsea infrastructure it owns outright. The project touches land in the US, Brazil, India, and South Africa, and is apparently breaking new ground technically, too. Meta claims Waterworth is the longest 24 fiber pair cable project in the world, and the company is using "first-of-its-kind routing" to place the cables as deep as possible, "at depths of up to 7,000 meters." If cables aren't deep enough, undersea hazards, like boats dropping and dragging their anchors, can cause permanent damage, disrupting service. Meta Meta's announcement doesn't go into detail about how the cable will be used, beyond noting that subsea cables enable "digital communication, video experiences, online transactions and more," and that high-speed connectivity is a necessity for "AI innovation." On their own, Meta services and platforms are said to account for about 10 percent of global fixed internet usage and 22 percent of mobile traffic, so at the very least the company's existing businesses stand to benefit from a stable connection. Interestingly, Meta isn't only one backing the new project. A United States-India joint statement released after Prime Minister Modi visited the US revealed that India is financially involved in Waterworth, too. The country plans on helping to finance, maintain and repair the portions of the cable that are in the Indian Ocean.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-confirms-its-building-its-own-subsea-cable-190153227.html?src=rss

14.02.2025 21:30 Apparently President's Day was created to honor George Washington's birthday. But now on a Monday in February we celebrate every US president by shopping for deals. Nixon, Taft, Coolidge, Polk, Johnson, Hoover and all those other guys — they'd be quite proud of us. In our searches we found quite a few deals on the tech we recommend, including $100 off Apple's new iPad Mini, a streaming deal for a year of Peacock for $30 and an $80 discount on the Apple AirPods Pro 2 . If you're already thinking about spring cleaning, you may want to check out the robot vacuum deals we gathered up from both iRobot and Dyson. And if you're in the market for security cams, a number of Amazon's Blink devices are currently discounted. Here are the best President's Day tech deals from this week that you can shop right now. Spotlight President's Day deal The best President's Day tech deals Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Apple iPad mini for $499 at Amazon : Apple’s smallest tablet was updated in October and got a new A17 Pro chip, which Engadget's Nathan Ingraham found to be plenty fast for anything you'd want to do with the mini — casual browsing, couch binging, game playing and email checking. He gave it an overall score of 83 in our official review and particularly enjoyed it as a Balatro machine. It's also our favorite small iPad on our list of the best iPads. Apple AirPods 4 for $100 at Amazon : Apple's newest wireless earbuds came out in September and last week, they hit their lowest price yet. That price is still going strong, so you can still pick them up at a discount. Engadget's Billy Steele gave them a review score of 88, saying they sounded clearer and more balanced than most open-back earbuds. Plus you get all the Apple-perks like fast pairing and device switching with other Apple gadgets, hands-free Siri and Find My tracking. Also at Target and Best Buy. There's also a noise-canceling version on sale for $149. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Apple 2024 MacBook Pro M4 for $1400 at Amazon : Apple's latest Pro-model laptop is down to $1,400 at Amazon with a discount and an on-page coupon. The 14-inch MacBook Pro has 16GB of memory and 512GB SSD storage and both the Space Black and Silver colorways are on sale. Engadget's Devindra Hardawar gave the computer a 92 in his review and it's currently Engadget's pick for the best MacBook for creatives. It has a fast M4 chip, long battery life, bright display and Sharp 12MP Center Stage webcam. Apple Studio Display with tilt-adjustable stand for $1,300 at Amazon : We appreciated the excellent build quality of Apple's pricey display in our official review, but noted that it's probably only for Apple diehards. Both the standard glass model and the nano-textured glass option are on sale. The Studio Display made our list of the best monitors and has built-in speakers, a 12MP camera, three USB-C ports and a screen with 5K resolution — but a max refresh rate of 60Hz and single-zone backlighting. Apple Pencil for $69 at Walmart : Apple sells too many versions of the Apple Pencil. So we made a guide. The USB-C model works with all current-generation iPads, including the M2 iPad Air, the M4 iPad Pro, the new iPad mini and the 10th generation iPad. It'll also work with a few older tablets too. Just note that this one attahced magnetically but doesn't recharge that way, like the other Apple Pencils. And it doesn't have pressure sensitivity. Also at Amazon and Target. Peacock Peacock Premium at Peacock for $30 : Here's one from our new streaming deals guide: A year of Peacock's streaming service is $30 if you use the code WINTERSAVINGS at checkout. The code is valid through February 18 and saves you 60 percent off the usual $80 annual fee. Though it's called "Premium" it's actually the ad-supported tier . Peacock is one of our picks for the best streaming services and has some great original content, including Poker Face, a Twisted Metal adaptation and Mrs. Davis. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite for $135 at Amazon : Our choice for best premium ereader. is the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition that goes for $200 and isn't discounted. The standard Paperwhite, on sale here, is basically the same machine, minus a few perks like auto-adjusting front lights, extra storage and wireless charging. This is the lowest price we've tracked this year on a very lovely e-reader with remarkably fast page turns, a super crisp display and a great battery life. Photo by Valentina Palladino / Engadget Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition for $230 at Amazon : Engadget's Valentina Palladino found a lot to like about the Kindle Colorsoft in her review including quick page turns, the fairly accurate color technology and the pinch to zoom feature, which was especially nice for reading comics. If you're just looking to read black and white text, you can save yourself a bit of money and go with the Paperwhite — text on the Colorsoft is not as crisp. KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 quart tilt head stand mixer for $350 at Amazon : One of our top picks for kitchen tech is, unsurprisingly, KitchenAid's famed stand mixer. It's not only powerful, the seemingly endless array of available attachments make it a true kitchen multitasker. KitchenAid is hosting a larger sale for President's Day on its own website, and many of the brand's countertop appliances are currently up to $100 off. iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max for $789 at Wellbots : Wellbots has a few iRobot vacuums on sale for President's Day, including the new Roomba Combo 10 Max and its Autowash Dock, which can empty and cleans the vac. Right now it's on sale for $789 if you use the code ENGAD410 at checkout. That'll take a full $610 off the hefty $1,399 MSRP. That's even cheaper than the last time it was on sale. Not only does the robot itself mop and vacuum, the dock can hold 60 days worth of dust and seven days worth of dirty mop water. For a slightly cheaper combo robo vac, Wellbots is also discounting the Roomba Combo j5 for $239 instead of the full $529 with the code ENGAD210. Dyson V12 vaccuum for $499 at Dyson : Now through President's Day, the Dyson V12 Detect Slim stick vacuum is $150 off. This is the lighter sibling to the V15 model we picked as the best cordless vac in our guide. This one includes the Fluffy Optic cleaner head that won us over in our testing. It's a hard-floor brush head with a laser "blade" that clearly shows you the tiniest bits of dust so you can be sure to suck them up. The Gen5 Outsize Absolute is also on sale for $150 off. It's down to $899. That model is the largest cordless vac and has up to 140 minutes of run time. Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget Samsung LS60D Music Frame for $150 at Woot : You might be familiar with Samsung's Frame TV — the sets that mimic works of art when you're not watching television. The Music Frame furthers that home-theater-as-decor aesthetic by hiding Dolby Atmos audio equipment behind what looks like a regular picture frame. This one doesn't have a screen, instead you'll insert your own photo or art behind the glass. Inside are two woofers, two tweeters and two mid-range drivers. The speaker array is capable of Dolby Atmos audio and it leverages Samsung's SpaceFit tech to calibrate the sound to the room. We checked it out at CES 2024 and were impressed with how robust the music sounded. Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker for $116 at Amazon : Our current top pick for a fitness tracker is back on sale. It went as low as $100 for Black Friday, but this is the lowest price we've seen this year. Our favorite fitness tracker is the successor to our previous top pick, the Charge 5. This new generation has a more accurate heart rate monitor and the ability to pair with exercise machines via Bluetooth. Plus there's now a physical side button for navigation in addition to the touchscreen. 8BitDo Mill food composter for $874 at Mill : A President's Day sale from Mill, the kitchen composter company, will run until Monday, February 17 and will give you $125 off a new composter. If you've explored the different options for composting food and have decided to give a composting machine a try, Mill could be one to check out. The machine dries and grinds food scraps, reducing odors and bulk while creating grounds that you can add to your garden. 8BitDo 8BitDo Pro 2 controller for $39 at Amazon : The black version of one of our picks for the best Switch controllers is down to a record-low price. The programmable controller is compatible with the Switch, Apple devices, Android devices, Windows PC, Steam Deck and Raspberry Pi. Blink Mini 2 for $38 at Amazon : The Blink Mini 2 security camera sell for $40 each at full price, so this deal gets you two for less than the MSRP for one. The small security cameras have two way talk and listen, capture live video in 1080p and have infrared sensors for black and white images at night. You'll need a Blink Subscription Plan if you want to save clips to the cloud, but if you also buy a Sync Module 2, you can save clips from your Blink Mini cameras to a flash drive. Blink Video Doorbell and Sync Module 2 for $35 : Here's a bundle that combines the Video Doorbell with a Sync Module 2, the device that allows you to store footage from your Blink cameras and doorbells locally. The doorbell offers 1080p daytime footage and infrared night video plus two-way audio. You can use it wired or on batteries that should last two years before needing to be replaced. The Blink subscription plan is required if you want person detection and the ability to store clips in the cloud. Ring Battery Video Doorbell for $60 at Amazon : Another Amazon security device company, Ring, is also having a sale right now. The discount matches the record-low price for the Ring Video Doorbell. This battery-powered model doesn't need to be wired into your home, so you can put it near any door. The removable battery is rechargeable via USB-C and will likely need a refill every couple months. You'll need a Ring subscription to access all the features, like person and package alerts and extended event history. Apple Apple Music for $3 at Apple : Normally an Apple Music subscription is $11 per month after a 30-day free trial. And when you buy a new Apple device, you usually get a three-month trial. But if you somehow haven't yet signed up for the service, this promotion applies to you. The deal will run through February 27 and is open only to people who are entirely new Apple Music — current and previous customers are not eligible, nor are those who qualify for the free trial that comes with a new device. You'll need to redeem the offer through an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Apple Music made our guide to the best music streaming services for its lossless streaming quality, ease of use with Apple devices and emphasis on using DJ curation over AI and algorithm playlists. Note that the subscription will automatically renew unless you cancel. NordPass Premium for $35 at Nord : One of our favorite password managers for cross-platform availability is having a sale. NordPass Premium is currently available for $35 for 27 months. At full price, two years would cost you $81, and this deal throws in three months for free. NordPass also offers a free tier, but the Premium plan keeps you logged in when you switch devices while also helping you analyze your passwords to improve their strength. EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra for $5,299 at EcoFlow : The whole-home backup battery and inverter from EcoFlow is on sale for a Valentine's Day/President's Day sale at the manufacturer's site. Samsung Evo Select microSD card for $70 at Amazon : The Evo Select is the budget pick in our guide to the best microSD cards: It's not the fastest model we tested, but it'll serve as a way to add storage for your Nintendo Switch or Android tablet. This deal matches the all-time low for the extra-spacious 1TB model. Also at Samsung and B&H. Roomba iRobot Roomba Vac Essential for $119 at Amazon : The top pick in our guide to the best budget robot vacuums has hit a new low price. It can't map paths in your home, instead it randomly traverses a room until it's covered the area. But it has good suction and cleans well, plus it's easy to set up and control through Roomba's mobile app. Also at Best Buy and Target. LG B4 OLED TV for $600 at Best Buy : This ties the lowest price we've seen for the 48-inch LG B4, which is the entry-level model in LG's 2024 OLED lineup. While it's not as bright or color-rich as some higher-end alternatives, it still offers the essential perks of any good OLED TV: superb contrast with deep black tones, clear motion, wide viewing angles and the like. It's also a nice value for gaming, as it has four HDMI 2.1 ports that support refresh rates up to 120Hz. It's just better off in a darker room, and this particular model is relatively small. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-presidents-day-tech-deals-on-apple-samsung-dyson-blink-and-more-173252189.html?src=rss

14.02.2025 21:30 Amazon is holding an event on February 26 at 10AM ET, and that's unusually early in the year for the company, which typically has its launches in the fall like the rest of its peers. However, considering the last time Amazon had a "devices and services" showcase was in September 2023, this one is overdue. While we don’t exactly know what the company plans on showing off, we certainly have some educated guesses. Let’s get into it. First of all, the company's hardware chief, Panos Panay, and his devices and services team will be on hand. This indicates the presence of new gadgets at the event. However, the main focus will likely be more information on the long-promised next-gen Alexa. Invites are out! Seems like the smarter and 'remarkable' version of Amazon’s Alexa is finally launching on Feb 26th. Can't wait to try it out. @alexadevs @AlexaGames @alexa99https://t.co/oQhwGjtySx#AmazingAlexa #RemarkableAlexa #SmarterAlexa #NewAlexa #AlexaLaunchFeb26th pic.twitter.com/eQWv3rE8MY— Voice Games February 6, 2025 How do we know this? Amazon sent out five versions of a bare-bones invite to the event. Internet sleuths pieced the images together and, lo and behold, the background spells out the word “Alexa.” The AI-infused refresh has faced several delays since first being announced back in 2023. We reported that the team was having trouble getting the updated chatbot to do basic things, like creating a timer and turning on smart lights. These kinds of tasks have been the bread and butter of the current Alexa chatbot for years. The development team has also reportedly had issues with hallucinations. The company claims the new LLM-powered Alexa will be able to “process nuance and ambiguity—much like a person would—and intelligently take action." Amazon says that it’ll be able to complete complex requests, like “Alexa, every weeknight at 9PM, make an announcement that it’s bedtime for the kids, dim the lights upstairs, turn on the porch light and switch on the fan in the bedroom.” That sounds useful, if it works. That brand-new Alexa would likely benefit from some dedicated hardware, thus the inclusion of Panay and his team. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten updates to the Echo line of smart speakers, so a refresh of some kind is more than likely. It’s also possible the budget-friendly and useful Echo Buds earbuds will get an upgrade. We also saw some Echo Frames glasses at the September 2023 event, which bring hands-free access to Alexa wherever you go, too, so it's possible the company updates that device since there has been a lot of development in the smart glasses space in the last year and a half. What shouldn’t we expect? Well, Amazon just introduced some new Kindles at the tail-end of last year. It’d be weird to see an e-reader at this event. Also, while it’s possible the company could introduce new Fire tablets and the like, that doesn’t really gel with the whole Alexa theme. Update, February 13 2025, 12:05PM ET: This story has been updated to add context in the intro on when Amazon last held a "devices and services" event. Update, February 14 2025, 11:50AM ET: This story has been updated to add details on the last Echo Frame update, which was revealed at Amazon's event in September 2023.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/amazon-is-holding-a-devices-event-on-february-26-heres-what-to-expect-193513762.html?src=rss