Engadget

27.03.2025 18:51 If you've ever seen Dyson's Hot+Cool Jet Focus in a store and wished the ultra-sleek appliance was more affordable, today's your lucky day. Amazon has the product, which usually costs $470, on sale for $300. That's nearly a record low. As its name suggests, the Dyson Hot+Cool AM09 Jet Focus can heat your room in the winter and cool it off in the summer. Its fan mode includes Air Multiplier tech, which creates a smooth and uninterrupted airstream thanks to its lack of traditional fan blades. When you need some warmth, its ceramic plates heat up quickly. The appliance has two modes: focused and diffused. Focused mode warms or cools one person, while diffused mode heats your entire room or provides a gentle breeze during the summer. It oscillates at a 70-degree angle. Dyson's fan has a sleep timer with a shutoff range between 15 minutes and nine hours, and you can store its curved and magnetized remote control inside the appliance to help prevent it from being lost. The lowest we've ever seen this product's price drop is $280, so being able to snag it for $300 in the middle of March, when we're nowhere near Black Friday or Prime Day, is about as good a deal as you can hope for. If you're on the market for other Dyson gear, a few more devices are included in the Amazon Spring Sale, including the Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum on discount for $330.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-dyson-hotcool-jet-focus-fan-is-36-percent-off-during-the-amazon-spring-sale-173031937.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 Anker makes some of the best power banks on the market and debuted a few great options earlier this year. That included Anker's Laptop Power Bank, a 25,000mAh portable charger with triple 100W USB-C ports and one USB port. Well, currently, that charger is on sale for $88, down from $110 — a 20 percent discount — as part of Amazon's Spring Sale. The new power bank, available in Black and Silver, comes with two USB-C cables and can charge four devices simultaneously. It works with laptops, smartphones, cameras, gaming consoles and more. For example, it can charge an MacBook Air with an M3 chip to 50 percent in 33 minutes. It can also get an iPhone 16 to the same level in just 25 minutes. Plus, its display shows the battery's health and temperature, along with output and input wattage. Anker's 140W four-port wall charger is also discounted for Amazon's Spring Sale. You can pick it up right now for $77, down from $90. It offers a display that tracks power usage for each port, fast-charge status and temperature. Plus, it has something Anker refers to as an "odometer," tracking lifetime usage hour by hour. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/these-anker-chargers-and-power-banks-are-up-to-20-percent-off-in-the-amazon-spring-sale-130131705.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 If you're on the market for a new smartwatch, Amazon has a great sale on the latest Apple Watch. You can pick up the Apple Watch Series 10 for only $299 right now, which is $100 off its usual price. This flagship model came out in September 2024 alongside the iPhone 16 series, and it has all of the latest features you'd expect in a high-end wearable. If you'd rather spend less, the Apple Watch SE is also on sale for only $169. The Apple Watch Series 10 is our pick for the best smartwatch overall. That may not necessarily apply if you're an Android user, since you need an iPhone to actually use an Apple Watch. In any case, we gave the Apple Watch Series 10 a score of 90 in our review. Apple's current flagship smartwatch has a bigger screen, making it easier to see your notifications and health data . The thinner frame makes it more aesthetically pleasing too. On the downside, losing the blood oxygen feature from previous models is a bummer, but that issue was out of Apple's hands to a certain extent. It's perhaps not quite worth an upgrade if you have a Series 8 or 9 already. Apple isn't exactly reinventing the wheel here. Plus the sleep apnea detection feature that debuted alongside the Series 10 is also available on the Series 9 and Ultra 2. Still, if you're an Apple Watch newcomer or upgrading from an even older model, the Series 10 is likely your best option, especially for the sake of future proofing. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-apple-deals-get-the-series-10-watch-for-100-off-184918072.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 Robinhood might have broken into the zeitgeist as a platform for trading meme stocks and cryptocurrencies, but now it’s following through on long-held ambitions in the hope of becoming a one-stop shop for all your finance needs. Starting this fall, it will offer banking services. Those with a Gold subscription will have access to Robinhood Banking, billed as a private banking offering with individual and joint checking and savings accounts as well as luxury benefits on offer. There will be the option to send money to others in more than 100+ countries and, handily for those who are tired of traipsing to an ATM, you can have cash delivered to your door the same day you request it . Features include access to estate planning and tax advisors, round-the-clock support, instant transfers between Robinhood accounts and up to $2.5 million in FDIC insurance through partner institutions. From the jump, there will be accounts for kids with spending controls and allowance options. You can have a debit Mastercard for your spending needs. Robinhood already offers a credit card. There will be the ability to link external bank accounts so you can better track your total net worth too. As for those perks, Robinhood says it will offer the likes of “tickets to exclusive events like the Met Gala, Oscars, F1 Monaco Grand Prix, The Masters and more, as well as private jet travel, global private chauffeurs, luxury helicopter rides and members-only vacation clubs.” Some of those seem like lofty promises. The Met Gala or the Oscars don't exactly just let anyone in, no matter how deep their pockets may be. Robinhood has also revealed other notable updates. Robinhood Strategies is open to Gold members today and other users will get access next month. This is billed as a low-cost wealth management service. The annual management fee is 0.25 percent but that’s capped at $250 per year for Gold members with at least $100,000 in investments . Portfolio offerings include single stocks and exchange-traded funds , with your risk tolerance, time horizon and other factors taken into account. Later in 2025, the platform will debut an AI-powered investment feature called Robinhood Cortex. The aim here is to provide real-time market analysis and insights, such as what may be impacting changes to a stock price. The tool will offer trading suggestions based on your goals as well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/robinhood-is-moving-into-banking-services-with-luxury-perks-and-same-day-cash-delivery-152523887.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 Nintendo is cutting out the middle man . In Thursday's Nintendo Direct presentation, the company announced its new smartphone app, Nintendo Today!, that will provide daily updates on games, characters and events. These tidbits might show up as videos, comic strips or quick break downs. The app also has an animated calendar that is customizable to themes from some of Nintendo's biggest titles, like The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario and Animal Crossing. Plus, it will include a schedule of events based on categories you choose or your favorite games. Similarly, you can add a widget to your home screen and then add art from one of Nintendo's game series. These news blasts will soon include more information on the Nintendo Switch 2. The company is holding a separate Nintendo Direct on April 2 just for the new system and will subsequently share updates on it and its games on the app. Anyone with a Nintendo account can access Nintendo Today! app on an iOS or Android device. It should be available to download today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-today-app-will-provide-updates-on-games-events-and-the-switch-2-150808151.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 Today’s Nintendo Direct provided a surprising bit of software news. The company just announced something called Virtual Game Card, which is a way to make playing and sharing downloaded titles more convenient. As the name suggests, this system creates a digital simulacrum of a physical game card. This means that multi-Switch households will easily be able to start a game on one console and transfer to another without any real hassle. Nintendo says they want to make digital games as easy to use as physical game cards. Sure, starting something on a regular Switch before moving over to the OLED model is a nice feature, but that's not the only hook. Nintendo, a company that famously loves money, is going to let us lend out digital games. This is pretty darned cool. There are some caveats. You can only loan games to up to eight people on the same Nintendo Family Account, so it’s really for families and tight-knit groups of friends. Also, the systems have to be able to connect locally via the same wireless network. So you can’t loan out a game to someone on the other side of the country. You can only lend one game out at a time and it lasts for two weeks. This functionality will be available at the end of April. Don’t worry. It’s also coming to Switch 2.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-just-introduced-a-way-to-loan-out-digital-games-to-friends-and-family-150733308.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 The weather might be getting nicer, but that doesn't reduce the need to sometimes stay home and have cozy nights in front of the TV. That's all the more desirable thanks to the great discounts available for Amazon's Spring Sale. For instance, the newest Amazon Fire TV Stick HD is currently down to $20 from $35. Amazon released the Fire TV Stick HD last October in a move that can best be defined as a rebrand. The company cut its price by $5 while keeping pretty much all the features of its previous basic streamer. It's also our pick for best budget streaming stick. The Fire TV Stick HD has HDR support and streams with full HD resolution. It also comes with an Alexa-powered remote control, which lets you search for titles with just a click of the Alexa button. That remote also has Netflix and Prime Video buttons, but the device can run most streaming apps, like Disney+ and Peacock. Elsewhere in the Fire TV lineup, you can grab the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for only $40 thanks to Amazon Spring Sale deals. This is the most powerful streaming dongle Amazon makes, with support for 4K HDR content, Dolby Vision and Atmos, Wi-Fi 6E and Amazon Luna and Xbox Game Pass gaming. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-deal-the-fire-tv-stick-hd-drops-to-only-20-144514303.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 The Amazon Big Spring Sale is in it's third day now and most of the deals look to be sticking around. To be fair, many of the deals started before the sale's official kick-off, but we'd be surprised if they remained after the sale's last day this coming Monday. Like last year, the discounts appear to be more focused on kitchen, fashion, cleaning and home decor. Those last few categories don’t really apply to what we cover here at Engadget. Kitchen gear, however, is getting more and more tech-reliant. And the intersection of food and tech is a place we feel very comfortable. We’ve reviewed Instant Pots, air fryers, coffee gear, sous vide machines and more. Lots of what we recommend is now on sale for Amazon’s latest sale. Read on for the best deals on cooking tech we could find. The best Amazon Spring Sale deals on air fryers, Instant Pots and more Breville Juice Fountain Plus for $140 : The powerful Juice Fountain impressed us with its extraction abilities. Plus it’s relatively easy to clean . It takes up a good amount of space, but can extract an impressive amount of juice from even the driest-seeming carrot. This price isn’t as low as the $110 Amazon sold it for back in January, but this is the lowest price we’ve tracked since then. Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano for $100 : This is the machine that led our editor to dub these machines the “Millennial crockpot.” She uses this one a few times a week to make unfussy meals that keep her alive. The Nano model is a slightly smaller and less expensive version of the top pick in our buyer’s guide. This is about $10 more than the all-time low, but is the cheapest we’ve seen Amazon sell it for over the past couple of months. Cosori 9-in-1 air frier for $90 : Cosori’s fryer earned a spot as the runner up for best overall air fryer in our guide. It has nine preset cooking modes and a six-quart capacity. We like that it doesn’t take up too much space, but can still cook up a decent amount of food Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro for $320 : If you want a more traditional toaster oven design with a huge capacity, go for our premium air fryer pick. The fryer-and-oven combo can accommodate a five-quart dutch oven, so it’s almost an auxiliary oven, which could come in handy when you’re cooking for a crowd. This isn't an all-time low — it went for $300 at the end of last year. Breville the Smart Oven Air Fryer for $280 : This is the non-Pro version of the Breville air fryer we recommend. It has a slightly smaller capacity and is missing two cooking functions . But if you’re not making your own jerky or baking a ton of bread, this one can toast, broil, air fry and slow cook. You can even get it in cool colors like Red Velvet Cake for the same price. Ninja DZ401 Foodi 10-quart air fryer for $190 : If you need to air fry two different foods at once, go for our recommendation for a dual-zone air fryer. It’s a beast, so we think it’s best for larger kitchens and people who make big meals. It went as low as $130 for Black Friday last year, but this is the cheapest price we’ve seen since then. Instant Vortex 2QT Mini Air Fryer for $50 : The budget pick in our guide doesn’t go on sale often — it’s already pretty cheap at its $60 list price. It’s sold for as little as $48 for Prime Day in July, but this is the cheapest we’ve seen since then. Its two-quart capacity is probably best for small kitchens and can crisp up food for one or two people. Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker for $90 $40 off): We like this Instant Pot model because it's simple to use and has several quick-cooking modes including beans, cake, sous vide and more. It went as low as $70 earlier this year, but this is still a 30 percent discount off the list price. Instant Pot Pro Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker for $138 : We also suggest this fancier Pro Plus model in our guide to kitchen tech. It’s a Wi-Fi connected unit with a canning function and you can even release the steam remotely using the companion app — which has over 800 recipes. This isn't an all-time low — it was $125 earlier this week and dipped as low as $99 for Black Friday last year. Ninja AF150AMZ Air Fryer for $120 : This went as low as $100 for the holidays last year, but this matches the lowest price we’ve seen since then. The fryer gets an honorable mention in our air fryer guide because it makes good use of limited counter space with its taller design. The round cooking basket doesn’t feel as roomy as square ones but it does have a dehydrate option that other cookers don’t come with. Anova Culinary Sous Vide 3.0 for $129 : We named this the best overall sous vide machine after testing a number of models for our buyer’s guide. This is about $30 more than the low it hit for the holidays last year, but this is the lowest price we’ve seen in 2025. We appreciate the easy digital controls and found that the high flow rate maintains water temperature better than other machines. Plus, if you’re at a loss for what to cook, you can check out the companion app which is replete with recipes. Fellow Stagg EKG Pro electric kettle for $165 : This exquisitely designed kettle has an LCD panel built into the base so you can choose a specific temperature down to the degree. And the hold feature keeps water hot for up to an hour. This is the pro model of the version we recommend in our tea guide. KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer for $380 : Small wonder that the home cook’s gold standard of mixers made its way onto our kitchen tech guide. Its ton of available attachments can be used to make pasta, grind food, strain or spiralize fruits and veggies and more. This is no unitasker. This is a solid $80 discount off of the MSRP, but we’ll note that Amazon sold it for as low as $330 at the end of last year and for $350 last month. KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender for $100 : The big selling point here is the removable battery that you can use for other KitchenAid Go appliances. In our testing, it had enough power to turn a roasted butternut squash into a smooth, creamy soup. The blender has hit this price a few times over the past few months and the deal isn’t as good as the $77 it sold for at the end of last year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-amazon-spring-sale-deals-on-kitchen-tech-and-gear-from-breville-kitchenaid-ninja-and-more-092909044.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 On Saturday, March 29, a solar eclipse will darken the skies. Unlike the “Great American Eclipse” of 2024, though, this will not be a total eclipse; instead, a partial eclipse will be visible in the early morning hours in parts of the northern hemisphere. A partial eclipse isn’t as dramatic as a total eclipse, but it’s still worth seeing. While the sun will not be fully obscured, with proper eye protection, you will be able to see the moon take a bite out of the sun. Because the eclipse will occur in many places during sunrise, viewers may get the chance to see the famed “devil horns” — the crescent of solar light emerging from behind the moon. When can you watch this partial solar eclipse, and those devil horns? Let’s talk about how to safely watch this eclipse. What areas will experience the partial solar eclipse, and when? The partial solar eclipse will be visible in areas of the northern hemisphere. It will be visible at sunrise in eastern North America and sunset in Siberia, Russia on Saturday, March 29. In Europe, it can be viewed around mid-morning. But the event’s footprint will be limited: No eclipse will be visible west of Toronto, Canada, and Washington, DC in North America. NASA This global map of the partial solar eclipse from NASA is more than a little confusing, but here’s how to read it. The yellow curve is the path of the partial solar eclipse, moving from west to east. The lighter colored yellow curves give the percent obscuration of the sun. Most of Europe will only see around a 20 percent obscuration , for example, while the extreme northeastern part of the United States will see up to 89 percent of the sun covered. The Nunavik region of Quebec will see maximum obscuration of 94 percent. The green lines on the map show the eclipse’s progress over time. Times are given in UTC, which is four hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time. However, sunrise and sunset makes things more complicated. This is depicted on the map by the orange loop. The left side of the loop shows where the eclipse ends at sunrise. Therefore, the eclipse is not visible west of that orange line. The right side of the loop is where the eclipse begins at sunrise. That means to see the maximum partial solar eclipse at sunrise, it’s best to be along that blue line running down the middle of the orange loop. . If it seems incredibly confusing, that’s because it is indeed incredibly confusing. Some places with maximum obscuration will have a shorter eclipse duration because the partial eclipse will start before sunrise. The sun will also be low to the horizon in North America, so any viewing location will need to be above tall trees with a clear view of sunrise. In Europe, the viewing locations will be easier because the sun will be higher in the sky — but the sun will not be as obscured. For example, in Bar Harbor, Maine, the sun will rise at 6:19AM, and the maximum eclipse will be at 6:22AM, with 80 percent of the sun obscured. The partial eclipse will end at 7:11 am. Technically though, the eclipse will begin at 5:26 am ET, but because that's before sunrise, Mainers will be cheated out of about half their potential eclipse viewing time. Moving south, the best view will be through coastal New England, then down through Boston, New York City and Philadelphia.The path basically ends in Washington, DC, where just 1.2 percent of the sun will be obscured at 6:59AM ET. NASA According to Time and Date, only 44,800 people will see a 90 percent partial eclipse, while 3,820,000 will see an 80 percent. That’s a far cry from the 30 million people in the path of totality for the 2024 total solar eclipse. Will a total solar eclipse be visible in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? No, there is nowhere on Earth that a total solar eclipse will be visible for this event. For any solar eclipse to happen, the sun, the moon and the Earth need to line up. However, because the moon doesn’t orbit in the same plane as the sun and the Earth, eclipses are rare. A partial solar eclipse, like the one occurring on March 29, occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, but it’s not perfectly lined up. As a result, the sun will have a crescent shape — as if the moon took a bite out of the sun — but it will never be fully obscured as it is during a total eclipse. How long will the partial eclipse last? The visible duration of the eclipse depends on where you are, and what time sunrise is at your location. But globally, the eclipse will begin at 4:50 am ET . The maximum eclipse will occur at 6:47AM ET , and the event will end at 8:43AM ET . Keep in mind, though, that this doesn’t mean the entire partial eclipse will be almost four hours long in any given location because this is just for the extreme edges of the event. What’s the weather forecast along the viewing line? It’s spring across the Northern Hemisphere, which generally means unfavorable weather for any sky viewing. The Weather Channel’s senior digital meteorologist Chris Dolce said that cloud cover, and even rain and snow, may be likely in the northeastern United States during the eclipse, so it’s not great news there, unfortunately. If it’s just a partial eclipse, do I need eye protection? Anything that involves looking at the sun, even just 5 or 10 percent of the sun, requires eye protection. The sun can damage your retinas quickly, painlessly and often irreversibly. If you have solar viewers left from the 2024 eclipse, and they are undamaged, they’ll work just fine for this one too. According to the American Astronomical Society , modern eclipse glasses do not expire. It’s worth checking them out thoroughly, though, making sure there are no rips, tears or scratches across the lenses and that the filters and lenses are still attached to the frame. Solar eclipse glasses can be difficult to purchase at the last minute, so it’s always good to keep them around. However, if you donated or trashed your previous pair , you can buy them online — with some caution. Make sure any solar viewers conform to the ISO 12312-2:2015 international safety standard, and check the manufacturer against this list of brands from the AAS. Counterfeit eclipse glasses were rampant leading up the 2024 eclipse. Celestron is a reliable manufacturer of solar viewer equipment, and the company’s eclipse glasses are readily available on Amazon for a low price, though you’ll need fast shipping at this late date What are some cool things to look out for during this eclipse? A unique feature of solar eclipses during sunrise is you may be able to see the famed “devil horns,” depending on where you are. When the sun rises during an eclipse , as the crescent sun rises, it can look like devil horns coming up out of the ground. An earlier sunrise partial eclipse over Rice Lake, Ontario shows the "devil horns" phenomenon.John Fader via Getty Images It’s best to target Maine, New Brunswick, and Quebec to see this phenomenon. Additionally, the sun is currently at or near solar maximum, which means that our star is basically at the peak of its 11-year solar cycle. Scientists determined that the sun hit the highest level of solar activity in October 2024, and this will continue for a year or so. This means that there may be sunspots visible on the surface of the sun when the eclipse hits. If you have solar binoculars or a solar telescope, this will make them much easier to see. Can I just point a telescope or camera at the sun? If you’re asking yourself this question, you probably already know the answer: Nope! Not without a solar filter. Whether it’s a phone camera, binoculars, a telescope or a mirrorless camera, the sun can do extreme damage to this kind of equipment. You can pick up solar filters at a camera store or online, or in a pinch, you can just use an extra pair of solar viewers. Simply remove the film and tape it over your smartphone camera, but don’t look at the sun when aiming the camera unless you’re wearing solar viewers as well. If you are interested in looking at the sun regularly, a pair of solar binoculars with a permanently attached filter is a great idea.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/partial-solar-eclipse-where-and-when-to-see-the-sunrise-event-on-march-29-144238528.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 A pair of cult classics from Sony's PlayStation Portable library are heading to the Switch. On Thursday, Nintendo announced Patapon 1 + 2 Replay, a package that brings together brand new remasters of 2007's Patapon and 2008's Patapon 2. Originally developed by Pyramid and Sony Japan Studio, which shuttered in 2021, the two games combine elements from strategy and rhythm games. As the player, you must guide a tribe of anthropomorphic eyeballs to victory over their foes through a combination of drum beats. Patapon and Patapon 2 were well-received on release and went on to define the PSP's library of quirky but fun games. In addition to HD graphics, Patapon 1 + 2 Replay includes quality of life changes that should hopefully make this the best way to play these two gems. No word yet if the remaster is also making its way to PlayStation consoles. We'll update this article once we know more. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/patapon-1--2-replay-brings-two-psp-classics-to-nintendo-switch-on-july-11-143627695.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51  After years of delays and at least one complete reboot, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is coming in the near future. During a Nintendo Direct presentation on Thursday, Nintendo offered a closer look at gameplay. The trailer shows Samus exploring a jungle planet called Viewros that "she was unexpectedly transported to." She'll battle malevolent alien creatures and scan relics to learn information that may help her escape. Not only that, Samus will receive new psychic abilities she can use to open doors and manipulate mechanisms, as well as control the direction of beams that she fires. There's a bit of a mystery as to why she receives these powers, but we'll probably learn that through the course of the story. There's still no specific release date as yet. However, Nintendo reaffirmed that the game is coming to the Switch in 2025. It will presumably run on the Switch 2 as well thanks to that system's backwards compatibility.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/metroid-prime-4-beyond-gameplay-trailer-shows-off-samus-new-psychic-abilities-143326681.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 Many Shark robot vacuums and related products have been deeply discounted as part of the Amazon Spring Sale. This includes the well-regarded Shark AI Ultra robovac, which is now $300 instead of $438. That’s a pretty serious deal. The Shark AI Ultra not only made our list of the best robot vacuums, but it was our very favorite. This is a fantastic machine. The suction is strong, particularly for a robot vacuum, and the mobile app is easy to use. The vacuum ships with an extra-large self-emptying base that can go 60 days without manual intervention. It’s great for pet hair and all-around cleaning tasks. The only major downside is that this isn’t a hybrid unit, so it doesn’t mop. For that, consider the Shark Matrix Plus. This 2-in-1 robovac vacuums and mops, and it’s currently on sale for $400. That’s a massive discount of 47 percent, as the typical price is an eyebrow-raising $750. This one also includes a self-emptying base that can accommodate 60 days of dirt and debris. It boasts a true HEPA filter and excels at mopping away deep stains. This is thanks to powerful scrubbers that operate at 100 times per minute. We couldn’t truly recommend this model at its original price, as that’s a whole lot of cheddar, but it’s a steal right now for $400. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/shark-robot-vacuums-are-up-to-47-percent-off-during-the-amazon-spring-sale-151615466.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 18:51 Amazon's Spring Sale is bringing a lot of tempting deals on everything from robot vacuums to AirPods. The latest discount is also an Apple markdown, with the new 128GB iPad Air with M3 chip dropping to $549 from $599. Apple only released the 11-inch iPad Air M3 at the beginning of this month and it's already our pick for best iPad for most people in 2025. We gave it an 89 in our recent review thanks, in part, to the M3 chip's power. Geekbench 6 scores showed the iPad Air M3's single- and multi-core scores as about 16 percent more powerful than its predecessor. We also didn't notice any dip in battery life in exchange for the boost. You can pick up the discounted iPad in Starlight, Blue, Purple or Space Gray. Other perks of the new iPad include a better screen and multitasking capabilities than you'll get with Apple's baseline model. It also offers a separately available and much improved Magic Keyboard that's similar to the one you'll find in Apple's iPad Pro M4. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-apple-deals-include-a-50-discount-on-the-new-ipad-air-m3-141441087.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 14:30 The Backbone One is a fantastic accessory that brings a controller-like experience to mobile devices. There have been multiple iterations throughout the years, but now the company has announced a nifty-looking Xbox Edition. This could be the perfect way to finally work through that ever-burgeoning Game Pass library. First of all, this model is transparent Xbox green, which is a nice touch. It also includes a dedicated Xbox button, just like an actual gamepad. This button has multiple uses. When playing a game or in the official Xbox app, a single press opens up the Xbox Guide. Otherwise, it’ll bring up the Backbone app and show all available Xbox games. A double press starts or stops screen recording, though this is configurable to take screenshots. Holding it down while playing a game will trigger the secondary button press. Backbone Of course, it has a full suite of buttons that align with a typical Xbox controller. This allows gamers to “tap into their favorite games like Halo Infinite, Forza, and Indiana Jones” with the “precision, comfort, and reliability that Backbone is known to deliver.” The Backbone One: Xbox Edition is available right now for $110. However, folks can only pick it up from the company or via Best Buy as part of its Drops program. It will also only work with USB-C handsets, so older iPhones are a no-go. PlayStation fans already have their own Backbone One controller. That one features a traditional PlayStation layout, and it’s detected as an actual DualSense controller in the PS Remote Play app.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-backbone-one-xbox-edition-controller-is-a-great-way-to-work-through-that-game-pass-library-130031268.html?src=rss

27.03.2025 14:30 MEMS solid-state drivers have provided a big sound boost to wireless earbuds recently, offering the ability for companies to pack in a hybrid setup for a wider, more immersive soundstage. xMEMS' silicon-based micro speakers have been a popular choice for this purpose, with the company's Cowell and Muir drivers already appearing in products from Creative Labs and others. Now, xMEMS has developed what it calls the first amplifier-less silicon tweeter for wireless earbuds in a bid to take improved sound and efficiency even further. Officially dubbed Lassen, the tweeter is a lower-cost option for companies. Since it doesn't require a separate piezo amplifier chip like Cowell and Muir, it's more cost effective to integrate with savings of up to 25 percent compared to the other MEMS drivers. Ditching the amp also increases power efficiency without sacrificing performance. xMEMS says that Lassen can provide up to a 115dB boost in the 6kHz to 20kHz frequency range, which it claims surpasses the output of existing tweeter tech. Plus, xMEMS promises the "same superior sound quality and soundstage" as its previous solid-state micro speakers. Like Cowell, Lassen will be used in a dual-driver or hybrid setup in wireless earbuds. When paired with a dynamic driver, for example, the MEMS tweeter boosts the high-frequency details and clarity while the dynamic driver provides the necessary low-end thump. Based on our experience with current MEMS integrations, the ability for more companies to easily implement xMEMS' tech is a welcome proposition. xMEMS says there's also a space savings with Lassen, which is due to it rendering the amplifier chip unnecessary. The company argues that this should offer more room inside wireless earbuds for "advanced technologies." xMEMS says samples of the Lassen tweeter are available for audio manufacturers now and it plans full production in September. This means we'll likely see products with the new component early next year, which could make the annual earbud deluge at CES very interesting. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/a-new-mems-tweeter-for-wireless-earbuds-doesnt-require-an-amplifier-130007809.html?src=rss