Engadget

28.03.2025 19:30 Google is revamping its smart home lineup, ending production on two of its devices in favor of integrations with third-party manufacturers. First, it will sunset the Nest Protect smoke CO alarms. Existing products will continue to function and receive security updates until their expiration dates. They will also remain available for purchase while supplies last. Second, it will end production for the Nest x Yale smart lock. As with the Nest Protect, the remaining inventory will still be available for purchase and the devices will continue receiving security updates. Rather than manufacture its own smoke alarm, Google announced that it will take a partnership approach. The company is teaming up with First Alert for a new smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarm that will integrate with existing Nest Protect devices and can be controlled from the Google Home app. First Alert hasn't provided an exact release date, but says the new alarm coming soon to the US and Canada and will be priced at $130. It'll be available in both Google and First Alert's stores, and also sold through retail stores and "professional distribution partners." And on the lock side, Google will again partner with Yale. The pair is developing the Yale Smart Lock with Matter, which is meant to work with the Google Home ecosystem just as well as the Nest-branded lock. As the name suggests, it'll play nice with all manner of devices using the Matter smart home protocol, and Yale says its battery will last for up to a year. It'll be available "later this summer" at $170 in a variety of finishes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/google-will-stop-making-the-nest-protect-smoke-alarm-150024379.html?src=rss

28.03.2025 19:30 Baby Steps is a video game about hiking. This is, of course, a ridiculous concept. Before we get to the game’s protagonist, an adult toddler in a thin onesie, or its unserious side characters and nonsensical narrative, we have to acknowledge the absurdity at its very core. Leisurely walking around in nature is perhaps the most organic, least technological activity a person can engage in, and the desire to digitize this experience, recreating it for consumption from the butt-shaped cushions of your couch, is silly. It’s such a patently Game Developer™ impulse that, actually, I find it adorable. Much like the rest of Baby Steps. Baby Steps is a walking simulator from a trio of veteran game developers: Dance Central creator Maxi Boch, Ape Out developer Gabe Cuzzillo, and Bennett Foddy of QWOP and Getting Over It fame. It’s heading to PC and PlayStation 5 this year, and since its announcement video dropped in June 2023, it’s been a hotly anticipated curio for fans of annoyingly precise traversal mechanics and offbeat indie shit. It’s a larger audience than you might think. I played about 45 minutes of Baby Steps at GDC 2025 while Boch, Cuzzillo and Foddy looked on and intermittently told me how good I was at walking. The game stars Nate, an unemployed adult dude who lives in his parents’ basement, as he explores an arid mountain landscape one shaky, unsure step at a time. Maneuvering his body in the proper way is the main goal, and it’s a tricky one. Using a gamepad, you control Nate’s legs individually, one per trigger, and his limbs are incredibly sensitive to small changes in button depression. Pull a trigger tight to lift and bend one of his knees, and release it bit by bit to swing out his lower leg and place his foot precisely where it needs to be. Press forward with the left stick to give Nate just the right amount of momentum, get your trigger rhythm right, and suddenly, hey, you’re walking here. It sounds easier than it is. Thanks to the game’s incredibly precise mechanics, Nate falls over easily, faceplanting in the dirt and tumbling backward over rocky slopes like a ragdoll, covering his grey onesie in mud and sweat. This same precision also makes Nate shockingly sturdy at times, like when he pulls his whole body onto a ledge with a single step, ending in a perfectly balanced flamingo stance. There’s room in the controls for both mastery and mayhem, and by the time I put down the gamepad, I was walking Nate around with all the grace of a perfectly adequate five-year-old. I was proud of this accomplishment, too, damn it. Devolver Digital Literally placing one foot in front of the other requires so much concentration in the game’s first few minutes that it’s easy to ignore Nate’s surroundings, but as walking becomes easier, you’re finally able to look around and ask, “What the hell am I doing here?” The first two chapters of Baby Steps are set on a mountainside dotted with craggy rocks, patches of brown grass, long-abandoned wooden buildings, random carousel horses and dirt pits, and the only indication of where to go is an orange glow emanating from a ridgeline high above Nate’s spawn point. The few folks Nate meets along the way — a charmingly aloof guide and at least one other, much more prepared hiker — are incredibly entertaining to interact with, but they’re also pretty unhelpful with existential questions. Nate murmurs and monosyllabizes his way through conversations, and he tends to get cut off by the NPCs’ eager observations. Like when I was playing, Nate fell and got stuck at the bottom of a muddy hole, and his guide friend showed up and immediately said, “This hole used to be dry. Hey, did you pee in the hole? Did you pee in this hole?” In response, Nate made anxious noises and generally panicked. The comedy in Baby Steps is sharp and chaotic, with a delirious, improvised edge. Foddy does the voice work for most of the characters, and he tends to just make up their lines at the mic. The result is a messy yet refreshing conversational flow, and every cutscene I encountered made me chuckle. Devolver Digital Most aspects of Baby Steps made me smile, in fact. At one point I entered a fast-walking groove while wandering along a rocky path on the edge of the canyon, and I realized the birdsong and the thuds of my own steps had morphed into a rhythmic song, encouraging my gait with a steady, organic beat. The game’s soundscape comes courtesy of Boch, and it intentionally ebbs and flows according to the way you play the game. Combine this responsive, immersive soundtrack with the constant focus you have to keep on Nate’s movements, and Baby Steps quickly becomes a hypnotic experience. The game’s details only encourage this feeling — the mountain is strangely beautiful, rendered in crisp 3D graphics, and it’s completely explorable, with no invisible walls in sight. If you can see it, you can attempt to climb it. Nate’s onesie collects sweat along the small of his back, under his arms, and in all the crannies you’d expect, and it also picks up mud when he falls, but the stains wash away when you get in water. On-screen prompts are rare. There are hidden hats to wear and penis graffiti to admire, and Nate can take numerous paths to reach the same point, bouncing pancake butt leading the way. Behind all the absurdity, Baby Steps is an incredibly well-crafted, hyper-detailed relaxation tool. While it is laugh-out-loud funny, its mechanics cut deeper than its oddball trailers suggest, and in practice, it actually left me feeling meditative. Baby Steps is a serious silly game. Baby Steps is being published by Devolver Digital, and it’s due to hit PS5 and PC via Steam later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/baby-steps-preview-serious-gameplay-in-a-silly-walking-sim-150008737.html?src=rss

28.03.2025 19:30 Those who are enrolled in the Android Auto testing program can now check out new features as part of the 14.1 beta, including support for a few games. As things stand, four Android games are available on compatible vehicle displays — Candy Crush Soda Saga, Angry Birds 2, Farm Heroes Saga and Beach Buggy Racing. They could help you pass the time when, say, you're waiting for your EV to charge or to pick up your kids from school. According to 9to5Google, which tried out the feature, you need to have the games installed on your phone to play them on your car's screen. They'll also only be accessible while the vehicle is parked. The publication noted that, when you get ready to move the car, the game will close right away. Until you park again, you can't tap on a game to reopen it. In addition, 9to5Google was unable to actually play Angry Birds 2 — the app got stuck on an "internet required" screen — though Beach Buggy Racing appeared to run well enough. Also part of this beta is a fullscreen mode for apps. To back out from that, you may need to swipe down from the top of the display. This gesture reveals an Exit button. Google announced Android game support in the latest Android Auto beta as part of its latest feature drop for Pixel devices. As The Verge points out, however, cars with Google built in already allow users to play a broader range of games while the vehicle is parked. As such, this appears to be a case of Google trying to give Android Auto more feature parity with cars that have Google built in. Still, it is not yet clear if or when Google plans to bring Android gaming and fullscreen support to the stable track of Android Auto.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/beta-test-brings-candy-crush-soda-saga-and-angry-birds-2-to-android-auto-143021332.html?src=rss

28.03.2025 14:20 This week, we learned that even government officials are addicted to their group chats — except with the Trump administration those chats include war plans and potentially classified information. In this episode, we dive into the sheer recklessness and stupidity of Signalgate. And speaking of reckless, we also discuss 23andMe's bankruptcy and the privacy concerns around selling off customer DNA data. Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News! Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Topics Signalgate: What happened, who was involved, and how to safely add someone to a Signal group chat – 0:48 23andMe files for bankruptcy, customers are urged to delete their sensitive data – 21:25 Canon’s PowerShot V1 and R50 V cameras go all in on vlogging – 27:21 Apple announces WWDC dates, updates Airpods Max, and dodges fines in the EU – 32:52 How did Napster sell for $207 million in 2025? – 45:32 Around Engadget – 48:44 Working On – 55:22 Pop Culture picks – 57:56 Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn LowProducer: Ben EllmanMusic: Dale North and Terrence O'BrienThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/engadget-podcast-signalgate-and-the-collapse-of-23andme-121504641.html?src=rss

28.03.2025 14:20 Instagram has rolled out an update for Reels that will let users go through more of them more quickly. As TechCrunch has reported, the app now allows users to play Reels at 2x the speed by long-pressing on the right or the left edge of the screen. They'd simply have to release it if they'd like to resume watching at normal speed. Some users have had access to the feature for a while now, while others used to have it until Instagram removed it from their accounts, likely because the app was only testing it out. Now, an Instagram rep has told CNET that it's rolling out to everyone. We previously didn't have the feature and can confirm that we've gained access to it within the past few hours. The representative said that the option has been highly requested by the app's users. Being able to fast-forward Reels has become somewhat of a necessity for a lot of people today, seeing as Instagram's short-form videos are no longer limited to 15 seconds in length like they used to be. Reels can now be as long as three minutes, and there are signs indicating that the app could allow uploads as long as 10 minutes. We wouldn't be surprised if Instagram started allowing Reels that long in the future. Instagram and TikTok have had history of adopting new features previously unveiled by the other, and TikTok allows videos recorded within its app to be 10 minutes long. In fact, TikTok has had the option to watch videos at twice the speed for a while now, which is even more necessary for the app, since its users can upload videos up to an hour in length. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/instagram-will-let-you-watch-reels-at-twice-the-speed-120047663.html?src=rss

28.03.2025 14:20 The US will append a 25 percent tariff on top of any existing tariffs on all cars produced outside its borders. Additional fees will be imposed on imported components too like engines, transmissions, powertrains and electrical components. There’s a number of carve outs for US-based companies, as well as those sourcing gear from Mexico and Canada. But the move has been taken under the guise of “protecting” America’s car industry from imports. Of course, hefty tariffs are no guarantee consumers will flock to buy American if other brands are pricier. We’ve been here before: The ’70s oil shock meant bulky and inefficient American cars were suddenly money pits. That made light and efficient Japanese cars far more attractive to buyers who didn’t want to go broke at the gas pump. And that was despite a tariff regime that, as PBS reported in 2017, was equivalent to a 60 percent levy. Before 1980, Chrysler, GM and Ford were kings — now they muscle with Toyota, Honda and Hyundai for a slice of the pie. Given the new administration’s work to undermine the EV transition, it’s likely we’ll see a big pivot back to gas-powered vehicles. Especially as the one EV company likely to benefit from such a move has potentially diminished its reputation in the eyes of some buyers. The end result, however, may likely erode any sort of advantage the US auto industry has, allowing China the chance to race ahead in the rest of the world. — Dan Cooper Get this delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! The biggest tech stories you missed The Pentagon warns government officials that Signal is being targeted by Russian hackersI’m not sure why we should worry, it’s not as if government officials are secretly using Signal to agree war plans, are they?! Sorry… what’s that? The minimalist Light Phone III is officially available for purchaseIt offers private GPS for folks who don’t want Google tracking their movements. No Man’s Sky now lets players dig up planets to look for ancient alien skeletons Better charge up that Terrain Manipulator. A new MEMS tweeter for wireless earbuds doesn’t require an amplifier Better sound in a smaller package is always welcome. Utah just became the first state in the country to pass an age verification law for app storesNobody involved in this law has ever put their thumb on a TouchID sensor to allow an app to download because their kid hasn’t shut up about something for three hours. iPad with A16 review: No Apple Intelligence, no problem Plus, it’s cheap. Jeff Dunn for Engadget Engadget’s Jeff Dunn has put the new 2025 base-model iPad through its paces, and it comes with no surprises. The new slate gets a faster chip, A16, and 2GB more ram than its immediate predecessor. Naturally, compared to the pricier iPads, its performance isn’t going to pull up too many trees, but you’re not using a base model iPad for intensive work. Plus, it’s not going to get any Apple Intelligence features, which I’ll take any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Continue Reading. Canon goes all in on vlogging with the PowerShot V1 compact and R50 V mirrorless cameras It’s a tank parked on Sony’s lawn. Steve Dent for Engadget Canon has announced two new compact mirrorless cameras for the vlogging crowd, the R50V Mirrorless and PowerShot V1 Compact. Both are attempts to muscle in on Sony’s turf in the videography space, boasting 4K video , fancy autofocus tricks and a fully articulating display . Engadget’s Steve Dent will review them in due course, but it’s hard to wonder if the vlogging space really needs yet more entrants, especially right now. Continue Reading. Block reportedly lays off almost 1,000 employees It has more than 10,000 staff members. Block, Jack Dorsey’s payments company which owns Square and Cash App, has laid off 931 workers. The outfit denies the move is to cut costs, saying it’s to improve efficiency and flatten the organization by eliminating managers. As much as I’m sad for those folks who have lost their jobs, I’m staggered that 931 workers is only around eight percent of its workforce. When the tedious bores moaned Twitter was overstaffed, I knew they were talking out of their backsides. After all, a global social network needs bodies to keep the site running, engage with advertisers and moderate such a sprawling platform. And while most financial institutions need plenty of qualified folks to comply with financial laws — not that Block has a stellar record in that area — 10,000 people to run Square and Cash App seems like a lot. Continue Reading. Robinhood is moving into banking services with luxury perks and same-day cash delivery I’m sure Gamestop buyers would love to bank with Robinhood. This fall, Robinhood will offer banking services to users with a Gold subscription, with all the usual perks banks throw at customers. That includes checking and savings accounts, money transfers to more than 100 countries and same-day cash deliveries to your door. You can even get your own wealth-management service, for all of the vast riches you’ve got left over once you’ve paid your rent, your car loan and bought six eggs from your local corner store. Continue Reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-will-the-us-imported-car-tariffs-work-112509770.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 23:42 This year’s Amazon Spring Sale is in full swing, and as promised, a ton of household, fashion and outdoor gear has dropped to record-low prices. Tech isn’t a huge focus for this sale, but there are a decent number of devices on sale right now for some of the best prices we’ve seen all year. The selection may not be as good as that of Amazon Prime Day in July, but it still provides a good opportunity to save on things like headphones, robot vacuums, air purifiers and more.We’ve collected the best Amazon Spring Sale deals on tech gear here so you don’t have to go searching for them. The Spring Sale runs through March 31, so check back here for all of the latest deals as they drop. Best Amazon Spring Sale deals iPad Air M3 for $549 : The latest version of the iPad Air now runs on the M3 chipset, and it continues to hold the top spot in our best iPads guide. It has the best combination of power, design and extra features, so you can use it primarily as a media consumption device if you wish, or you can add iPad accessories like an Apple Pencil or a Magic Keyboard to turn it into a true workhorse. Dyson AM09 heater and fan for $300 : The AM09 has been around for ages, and for good reason. It's an excellent heater during cold months and fan during warm months, so you can use it all year round. Jet Focus control lets you choose from Focused or Diffused for personal or whole-room heating or cooling, and the handy sleep timer lets you set when the device turns off in intervals from 15 minutes up to nine hours. Dyson V15s Detect Submarine for $800 : This Dyson cordless stick vacuum and mop is a top pick in our best cordless vacuums guide thanks to its sleek design and included mop attachment that easily swap in so you can clean tile, hardwood and other flooring with liquid solution. Yes, it's expensive, but you're essentially getting two cleaning machines in one — plus, when used as a vacuum, it has excellent suction power and great battery life. Levoit Cordless Vacuum Cleaner for $150 : The lowest price we’ve tracked on this stick vac is $130 but this matches the lowest price we’ve seen this year. It’s our runner up budget pick for a stick vac in our guide. It doesn’t have a storage base and the bin is smallish, but it’s lightweight and super affordable. It also disassembles easily for storage making its lack of base less of a deal breaker. Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer for $280 : A version of one of our favorite air fryers, this air fryer toaster oven has 11 cooking modes including air fry, broil, bake, roast and more, and it has a large capacity that can fit up to six slices of bread at once or a 13-inch pizza. The Pro model is also on sale, down to $320 from $400. Sonos Ray for $179 : This is our favorite midrange soundbar thanks to its compact, attractive design and easy setup. It's best for those who have a smaller living room or den they want to outfit with better TV sound. Also available at Sonos in their March Madness sale. Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones for $318 : These top our list of the best wireless headphones you can get right now thanks to their supreme comfort, excellent sound quality and ANC, multipoint connectivity and 30-hour battery life. Bose QuietComfort headphones for $249 : These Bose over-ear headphones provide excellent noise cancellation, a comfortable fit and up to 24 hours of listening time on a single charge. A quick-charge feature will net you 2.5 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging, so you'll rarely have to go without them, too. Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $349 : These hold the top spot in our best wireless headphones guide for excellent noise cancellation. These cans will give you a step up in ANC, blocking out most noise and chatter of those around you. General audio quality has been improved as well, and they have a comfy fit. Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $20 : Our top pick for the best budget streaming device can play content at 1080p/60fps and now its remote can also control your TV's power and volume. There's also Alexa support built into the remote, so you can use voice commands to search for content. Spigen Spring Sale deals: Spigen makes some of our favorite tech accessories, and a number of the brand's products have been discounted as part of the Spring Sale. Key among them is one of our favorite iPhone cases, the Spigen Ultra Hybrid MagFit case; Prime members can pick up an iPhone 16 case for only $12. Apple Watch Series 10 for $299 : Apple’s flagship wearable is the best smartwatch you can buy, period. While the Series 10 was an iterative update, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It sports a slightly longer battery life, a slimmer design and wide-angle OLED screen for better viewing angles. It tracks workouts accurately and delivers alerts to your wrist efficiently. Mac mini M4 for $499 : If you're on the market for a new desktop, the upgraded M4 Mac mini is one that won’t take up too much space, but will provide a ton of power at the same time. Not only does it come with an M4 chipset, but it also includes 16GB of RAM in the base model, plus front-facing USB-C and headphone ports for easier access. Apple AirTags for $70 : These are the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhone users thanks to their vast finding network and accurate ultra wideband features for locating your things when they’re close by. Just attach them to your keys, wallet or bag with the right AirTag holder and keep track of everything in the Find My app. Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $170 : The AirPods Pro 2 remain Apple’s best set of wireless earbuds, as they offer the full set of Apple-focused features, strong ANC, onboard volume controls, a comfy in-ear design and a warm sound profile that most should find agreeable. They can even work as a hearing aid, though their six-hour battery life still isn’t the best, and you should only get them if you’re all-in on Apple hardware. If that’s the case, though, we call them the best choice for iPhone owners in our wireless earbuds buying guide. We saw this pair drop as low as $154 back in December, but this deal comes within a dollar of its best price since then. AirPods Max for $480 : If you’re looking for over-ear headphones with all of the conveniences of in-ear AirPods, the AirPods Max are one of your only options . The latest models have the same design as the originals, but now charge up via USB-C instead of Lightning. 10th-gen iPad for $279 : The previous version of most affordable iPad gives you an A14 Bionic chip, a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, TouchID built into the lock button and more. It’s compatible with the first-gen Apple Pencil and the keyboard folio, plus we found it to have solid performance and a matching battery life. Beats Studio Pro for $180 : These Beats headphones have improved sound quality, good Transparency mode and USB-C charging, plus decent mic quality for phone calls. They support wired USB-C audio, plus they have solid ANC as well. Beats Fit Pro for $169 : These are the best wireless earbuds for working out thanks to their comfortable, secure fit, good sound quality with thumping bass and handful of convenient features provided by Apple's H1 chipset. It provides quick-pairing and switching between Apple devices , Find My compatibility and hands-free Siri. Chipolo One for $20 : The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers. While Apple’s AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, we’ve found the One to send separation alerts faster when you’ve left an item behind and ring louder when you’re back in its vicinity. Blink Mini 2 for $20 : Blink's latest wired, indoor security camera is one of our favorites, particularly if you're just starting out building a security camera system. It's easy to set up and use, and it works seamlessly with Amazon's Alexa. Plus, if you want a local storage option, you can buy the Blink Sync Module 2 and a thumb drive to store video clips locally. Audible for $3 : This deal gives you access to Audible Premium Plus, which includes one credit each month that you can spend on any book you'd like, along with listening access to thousands of other books, podcasts and Audible Originals. You also get to take part in Audible's exclusive member sales. iRobot Roomba Combo Vac and Mop for $149 : This "essential" Roomba is relatively no-frills, but it has the added benefit of being a mopping robot in addition to a vacuum. It includes a washable mopping pad and a water reservoir so you can clean hard floors, and it will autonomously vacuum just like all of iRobot's other basic robovacs. Eufy 3-in-1 E20 robot vacuum for $400 : If you can’t decide between a robot vacuum or a lightweight stick vac, you don’t have to. The new Eufy E20 combines a robo vac, cordless upright and handheld vacuum in one machine. Plus the automatically emptying base holds a lot of debris for its size. While we found the robot performance to be better than the stick vac suction, it’s still impressive and convenient for an all-in-one model. Cosori 9-in-1 air fryer for $90 : One of our favorites in our best air fryers guide, this Cosori model has nine preset cooking modes and a spacious cooking basket that can handle more food at once than you might expect. It's not too large, so it can sit on your countertop all the time, and the basket has a safety release button that prevents accidental pulls. Levoit Core 400S air purifier for $190 : Our top pick for the best air purifier for most people, the Core 400S has easy-to-use onboard controls, powerful filtering technology that isn't too loud and relatively affordable replacement filters. It reliably improved air quality in our testing, and even though its mobile app is a little overstuffed, it gives you another way to control and monitor the device. TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh Wi-Fi system for $280 : Our current pick for the best mesh Wi-Fi system you can get, this TP-Link bundle may be no-frills, but it gets the job done nicely. It's easy to set up and provides excellent Wi-Fi 6E performance, plus the three included nodes can cover up to 7,200 square feet. Samsung Evo Select microSD card for $35 : A value pick in our best microSD cards guide, this Evo Select card provides respectable read and write speeds, and it comes with a full-sized adapter. Samsung T7 portable SSD for $140 : We're on the T9 series now, but if you're looking to save a bit of cash, the T7 remains a great option for on-the-go storage. It supports read and write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s and sports a pocket-friendly design. Amazon Spring Sale FAQs When is the Amazon Spring Sale? The Amazon Spring Sale 2025 runs from March 25 through March 31. What is Amazon's Spring Sale? The Amazon Spring Sale is a multi-day sale event that has taken place at the end of March since 2024. Do I have to be a Prime Member to shop the Amazon Spring Sale? No, Amazon Spring Sale deals are available to all, including those who do not subscribe to Prime. What types of deals can I expect to find during the Amazon Spring Sale? In the past, we've seen a lot of spring cleaning and fashion items in sale during the Big Spring Sale. We expect this year to be no different. We at Engadget in particular will be on the lookout for discounts on our favorite spring cleaning tech, including robot vacuums, cordless vacuums and air purifiers, along with deals on kitchen and smart home gear. Are there deals I can shop now ahead of the Amazon Spring Sale? Yes, check out our list of the best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can get right now above. How long does the Amazon Spring Sale last? The Amazon Spring Sale lasts seven days this year, running from March 25 through March 31. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-the-best-discounts-from-apple-bose-sonos-beats-anker-and-others-130607581.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 23:42 Anker power banks and other charging gear have been discounted thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale. Noteworthy among the deals is this Anker 321 MagGo power bank that's going for only $20 for Prime members. The discount applies to all colorways, too, including white, black, pink, green and purple. Anker devices are some of our favorites and a few of them have made it onto our list of the best power banks and portable chargers. This particular model on sale is MagSafe-compatible, so it will magnetically attach to the back of your iPhone when you need a power-up. It's also compatible with MagSafe iPhone cases, too. Inside, there’s a 5,000mAh battery that provides up to 19 hours of additional use for modern iPhones. It’s equipped with heat sensors that continuously monitor temperatures to avoid accidental damage and it can juice up a phone while it’s being charged itself. This power bank is also on the smaller side, so it easily fits into pockets, bags and purses. The only downside is that this is only for Prime members. However, the Anker Nano 3-in-1 portable charger is on sale for everyone. This non-magnetic charger includes a large 10,000mAh battery and is currently $35. Even some of Anker's latest power banks and chargers that it debuted at CES have discounts as part of the Spring Sale as well. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-anker-magnetic-power-bank-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-for-the-amazon-spring-sale-152009338.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 23:42 The Amazon Spring Sale has made me jealous — I'm envious of those who can now pick up Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones at a record-low price, as someone who paid full price for them long ago. Our top picks for the best wireless headphones you can buy are on sale for $318, which represents a 20 percent discount. The sale is available on the Silver and Smoky Pink models. There are few tech products I would recommend to anyone, but Sony's XM5 headphones are one of them. I've raved so much about them that my parents and brother all bought a pair . One of the biggest things for me, as someone who gets headaches easily, is that they're so comfortable. I've worn them on quite a few overnight flights now and can easily keep them on the whole time. Speaking of flights, the active noise cancellation is another reason they're a treat for those overnight hauls. The XM5s have double the processors and and microphones for ANC as their predecessor. I once slept two rows away from a crying baby and, with music on, I couldn't hear a thing. Plus, the 30 hours of battery life means I don't have to worry about them dying half way through my travels . Their excellence on flights isn't the only reason we gave Sony's XM5 headphones a 95 in our review. They're also great for listening to music while working or out for a walk. The XM5s have 30mm carbon fiber drivers and DSEE Extreme, together boosting the sound's quality and depth. My only complaint is that the M5s don't fold up, but especially at this price, they're still such a great buy. This discount is part of a larger sale on headphones and earbuds for the Amazon Spring Sale. If the XM5s don't quite meet your criteria, there are other models on sale from Beats, Bose and other brands. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-deals-include-the-sony-wh-1000xm5-headphones-for-20-percent-off-123340367.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 23:42 There's a lot in the world to be angry about today. So, why not do like we did in the '90s and channel that aggression into beating the living hell out of bad guys in a delightfully loud and over-the-top arcade game? Marvel Cosmic Invasion takes characters like Spider-Man, Captain America and Wolverine and gives them a beat-'em-up that looks straight out of a grunge-era cabinet. If this sounds like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, that's no coincidence. Marvel Cosmic Invasion is not only cut from the same cloth; it's from the same team . The idea is to recreate the look, sound and feel of side-scrolling '90s button-mashers like X-Men, The Simpsons and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with modern touches. Tribute Games / Dotemu Like Shredder's Revenge, it exploits the advantages of modern graphical engines without betraying its muses' old-school pixel art. Appropriately, the characters' visual style is inspired by 90s-era Marvel comics. You'll choose a team of two superheroes and can tag between them mid-fight. At launch, you can play as Captain America, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Storm, Phyla-Vell, Venom and Nova. The developers are mum about which characters we might see in the future, but it's hard to imagine Marvel stalwarts like Thor, Iron Man, Black Panther, Hulk and Black Widow not swooping in at some point. Tribute Games / Dotemu Its story sounds as extravagant as you'd want from a '90s-inspired Marvel beat-'em-up. "The immortal Super Villain Annihilus has launched an unprecedented attack across the galaxy, threatening all life as we know it," the description reads. "Fighters both Earth-born and cosmic must now join forces in a star-spanning adventure against the deadly Annihilation Wave. Brawl through the streets of New York City all the way to the depths of the Negative Zone to foil Annihilus' vow to spread death across the cosmos." You can play with up to four players, local or online. Marvel Cosmic Invasion will be available for PC, Switch, PS5 / PS4 and Xbox. There's no word yet on pricing or an exact release date, but Dotemu says it will arrive later this year. In the meantime, you can check out the announcement trailer below. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/marvel-cosmic-invasion-is-a-90s-style-beat-em-up-in-the-mold-of-shredders-revenge-191110625.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 23:42 In the final days of our pre-Switch 2 world, Nintendo is trying to rethink how sharing games works. The biggest announcement from the company's latest Direct was its upcoming Virtual Game Cards feature, a new approach to sharing digital games that improves on the company's current system, but still carries limitations that keep it from feeling truly modern. Virtual Game Cards attempt to make digital games as easy to share as physical ones. That starts with the company visually representing games as "cards" and using the language of loading and ejecting them, and extends to how simple they are to share. Two Switch consoles logged into your Nintendo Account can share any digital game just by "ejecting" it from one and "loading" it on another. The only catch is that the consoles need to be connected over local wireless when the trade happens, and be able to access the internet to download the game and run it for the first time. You can similarly share a Virtual Game Card with anyone in the same Nintendo Account family group for two weeks, after which the game automatically returns. In both cases, saves for each game stay on the console where the game was played, making it simple to share the Virtual Game Card again and keep playing. In comparison to Nintendo's current system, which requires defining a Switch console as "primary" and able to be used offline and other devices as a "secondary" and needing an internet connection to play shared games, Virtual Game Cards are a meaningful improvement. If you're a parent trying to share games with your kids or a super-fan with multiple Switches , Virtual Game Cards have basically solved the problem — or at least made it much easier to manage and understand. The company isn't exactly leading the pack here, though. If I own a game on PlayStation, I can download it on my Playstation 4 and PlayStation 5, and play on either console, without needing to go through the rigamarole of ejecting virtual cards. The same goes for Steam games. Valve even goes further and lets the vast majority of games be shared and played on accounts connected to the same Steam Family, without your computers needing to be near each other when you "hand-off" games. People are highly sensitive to any kind of DRM. Just ask Xbox, which had big plans to change how loaning games work when the Xbox One was announced, but had to dramatically backtrack after basically everyone complained. Nintendo isn't pulling an Xbox, per se, but it is pitching something adjacent. Virtual Game Cards are inarguably better than how things work now, but they require an internet connection and they still limit how many people can play a game at once. Nintendo came up with a better mental model for sharing games, but not necessarily a better way to do it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendos-digital-switch-game-sharing-plan-could-be-so-much-simpler-190353732.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 23:42 Shadow Labyrinth, an utterly bonkers riff on Pac-Man and sidescrolling Metroidvania games, will hit digital store shelves on July 18. It’ll be available for Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game casts players as Swordsman No. 8 as he befriends a yellow orb called Puck. For the gaming historians out there, Puck-Man was the original name for Pac-Man. The gameplay involves switching from the classic sword-wielding hero to Puck, with the latter able to crawl on walls and gobble up yellow dots. There’s also a third form, a mecha construct called Gaia. The gameplay looks frenetic and fairly violent, which seems like an odd choice for everyone’s favorite perpetually hungry orb. Bandai Namco is making the game, however, and it made the very first Pac-Man all of those decades ago. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt here. In any event, it’s not as if developers haven’t experimented with Pac-Man in the past. The famished fiend has been featured in racing games, platformers, endless runners, puzzlers and more. What’s one more genre to add to the mix? Shadow Labyrinth will be available in the original version and as a Digital Deluxe edition. That one comes with a digital artbook and the soundtrack.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/shadow-labyrinth-the-edgy-pac-man-metroidvania-arrives-on-july-18-185011811.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 23:42 Ubisoft is continuing its efforts to course-correct after several challenging years. Today, the video game company announced that it will launch a subsidiary centered around three of its most familiar franchises: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. The as-yet-unnamed subsidiary will fold in the teams working on those three series, including Ubisoft studios in Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Barcelona and Sofia. This new business will receive an investment of €1.16 billion from its longstanding partner Tencent, granting the conglomerate a minority ownership stake. Following the transaction, Ubisoft will narrow focus to its other franchises, such as The Division and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. "Today Ubisoft is opening a new chapter in its history," CEO and Co-Founder Yves Guillemot said. "As we accelerate the company’s transformation, this is a foundational step in changing Ubisoft’s operating model that will enable us to be both agile and ambitious." Ubisoft has been cutting costs and jobs over the past several months after several of its new projects flopped. There have been hints for a while that the company's leaders were interested in either finding a buyer or exploring a joint venture with Tencent to help reverse its fortunes. It's encouraging that the recent Assassin's Creed: Shadows has already reached 3 million players, but Ubisoft will probably need a few more wins to fully stabilize. There is some extra good news in the announcement. The description of the new subsidiary does specify that "it will drive further increases in quality of narrative solo experiences." So while we can expect to also see multiplayer and free-to-play offerings from the Ubisoft umbrella, they aren't giving up on single-player games.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-spins-out-subsidiary-with-a-billion-dollar-investment-from-tencent-183516992.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 23:42 Meta has spent the last few years remaking Facebook’s main feed into a “discovery engine” that primarily serves up recommended content from pages, groups and accounts users don’t already follow. But while the company has said the change is necessary to compete with TikTok, it’s also frustrated Facebook users who miss seeing posts from people they actually know. Now, Meta is trying to remedy this with a revamped “Friends” section of the app that will only show posts and content related to your Facebook friends. The company says the update is the first of many meant to bring “OG” features back into the 21-year-old social network. With the update, the “Friends” tab of the Facebook app that used to only be for friend requests will now be home to a feed exclusively made up of content related to your friends. This includes feed and Story posts, as well as Reels, birthdays, friend requests and “people you may know suggestions.” While Meta is spinning the change as a part of a larger push to make Facebook feel more “social,” it’s not the first time the company has offered dedicated feeds for “friend only” content. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg showed off dedicated “friends” feed in 2022 amid the company’s push to bring more recommendations to users’ “home” feeds. That feed, which surfaces posts from friends in reverse chronological order, is still available, though it’s somewhat buried in the app. It’s not clear what else Meta has in store for other “OG” Facebook features that could play on nostalgia for the 21-year-old social network. But it’s apparently a priority for Zuckerberg. “I actually think that there's this whole opportunity that I think is going to be pretty fun to to go after and build which is just to kind of go one-by-one and build up a a bunch of these things that used to be these joyful experiences that people had as part of Facebook that just kind of don't exist on the internet today,” Zuckerberg said in a podcast appearance promoting the change.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-decides-content-from-your-actual-friends-is-an-og-facebook-feature-180803853.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 More than a decade after debuting on the iPhone in 2014, the Monument Valley series is making its way to Switch consoles. On Thursday, Nintendo announced Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2 would hit the eShop on April 15, with Monument Valley 3, the most recent entry in the series, arriving sometime this summer. This isn't the first time Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2 have been available outside of mobile devices. In 2022, series creator Ustwo Games released the two games on PC. The work the studio did then likely made the job of porting the games to Switch a lot easier; there was likely no need to rework the art assets for the console's widescreen display. Both games will come with all the additional chapters, add-ons and DLC Ustwo released over the years. For most people, this will probably be their first chance to play Monument Valley 3. Although the game has been available on mobile devices since the end of last year, it requires a Netflix subscription to access, and with the cost of the Standard plan increasing at the start of the year to $18 per month, it's understandable if you decided to skip it. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-monument-valley-games-are-finally-coming-to-the-switch-171801177.html?src=rss