CD-indexing cue files are the core of a serious Linux remote code exploit

Blank CD inserted into a laptop CD drive, with a spindle of blank CDs nearby.

Enlarge / Cue files used to be much better-known, back when we all used CD-Rs to make legal backup copies of material that we owned outright. (credit: Getty Images)

It has been a very long time since the average computer user thought about .cue files, or cue sheets, the metadata bits that describe the tracks of an optical disc, like a CD or DVD. But cue sheets are getting attention again, for all the wrong reasons. They’re at the heart of a one-click exploit that could give an attacker code execution on Linux systems with GNOME desktops.

CVE-2023-43641, disclosed by GitHub on October 9, is a memory corruption (or out-of-bounds array writing) issue in the libcue library, which parses cue sheets. NIST has yet to provide a score for the issue, but GitHub’s submission rates it an 8.8, or “High.” While the vulnerability has been patched in the core library, Linux distributions will need to update their desktops to fix it.

GNOME desktops have, by default, a “tracker miner” that automatically updates whenever certain file locations in a user’s home directory are changed. If a user was compelled to download a cue sheet that took advantage of libcue’s vulnerability, GNOME’s indexing tracker would read the cue sheet, and code in that sheet could be executed.

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Source: Ars Technica – CD-indexing cue files are the core of a serious Linux remote code exploit

TikTok is changing how it pays filter creators

TikTok is making changes to its Effect Creator Rewards program. In a recent blog post, TikTok outlined the upcoming changes, which will include a lower threshold to join, and a new payment structure.

The Effect Creator Rewards program was first announced in May with roughly $6 million set aside to pay the creators of effects and filters. Prior to the program’s launch creators were essentially making filters, mini games and more for little to no reward — despite being integral to the success of the platform. Creators were previously required to have their filters used in at least 500,000 videos. That threshold has now been lowered, requiring creators to have just five filters published on the platform with at least three of them being used in 1,000 videos.  This may open up the program to smaller creators.

The program will also expand geographically. Creators in Brazil, Australia, Canada, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam are now eligible. While this is a step towards more inclusivity, there’s no indication of when the program may become open globally.

TikTok went on to announce it would be taking a new approach to payouts. Under the new rules, the pay rate will now be variable instead of a flat fee for all creators. TikTok says the payment each creator receives will be based on a few things, such as “the region where the video was created.” As of right now, it remains unclear whether this will be a good or bad thing for creators. If TikTok takes local cost of living into account, we could see creators in the United States pocketing a proportionally  larger amount of the $6 million fund  more than those in developing nations for the same amount of effort.We’ve reached out to TikTok for additional details on how the new pay structure will work and will up update if we hear back.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-is-changing-how-it-pays-filter-creators-200028299.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – TikTok is changing how it pays filter creators

Qualcomm Will Try To Have Its Apple Silicon Moment in PCs With 'Snapdragon X'

Qualcomm’s annual “Snapdragon Summit” is coming up later this month, and the company appears ready to share more about its long-planned next-generation Arm processor for PCs. ArsTechnica: The company hasn’t shared many specifics yet, but yesterday we finally got a name: “Snapdragon X,” which is coming in 2024, and it may finally do for Arm-powered Windows PCs what Apple Silicon chips did for Macs a few years ago (though it’s coming a bit later than Qualcomm had initially hoped). Qualcomm has been making chips for PCs for years, most recently the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 (you might also know it as the Microsoft SQ3, which is what the chip is called in Surface devices). But those chips have never quite been fast enough to challenge Intel’s Core or AMD’s Ryzen CPUs in mainstream laptops. Any performance deficit is especially noticeable because many people will run at least a few apps designed for the x86 version of Windows, code that needs to be translated on the fly for Arm processors.

So why will Snapdragon X be any different? It’s because these will be the first chips born of Qualcomm’s acquisition of Nuvia in 2021. Nuvia was founded and staffed by quite a few key personnel from Apple’s chipmaking operation, the team that had already upended a small corner of the x86 PC market by designing the Apple M1 and its offshoots. Apple had sued Nuvia co-founder and current Qualcomm engineering SVP Gerard Williams for poaching Apple employees, though the company dropped the suit without comment earlier this year. The most significant change from current Qualcomm chips will be a CPU architecture called Oryon, Qualcomm’s first fully custom Arm CPU design since the original Kryo cores back in 2015. All subsequent versions of Kryo, from 2016 to now, have been tweaked versions of off-the-shelf Arm Cortex processors rather than fully custom designs. As we’ve seen in the M1 and M2, using a custom design with the same Arm instruction set gives chip designers the opportunity to boost performance for everyday workloads while still maintaining impressive power usage and battery life.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Qualcomm Will Try To Have Its Apple Silicon Moment in PCs With ‘Snapdragon X’

The 50+ Best Prime Day deals to shop while you still can — from portable tech to smart home gear

We’re now deeply into day two of Amazon’s second Prime Day sale event for 2023. Most of the deals we’re tracking are still live, making this a great opportunity to shop early for the holidays — or to buy something for yourself. If you missed out on the deals from the company’s Prime Day event in July, this year’s “Prime Big Deal Days” sale has brought back many of the all-time low prices. Amazon even added a few brand new deals, just for October. We’re finding strong sales on our recommended headphones, tablets, TVs, video games and many other gadgets. We’ve rounded up the highlights below, and we’ve been adding new offers to our list every hour or two today. We’ll continue to do so until the sale closes, so keep checking back. For some (but not all) of the deals, you’ll need a Prime membership, but if you want to shop some great Prime Day tech deals ahead of Black Friday, here’s the best of what we’ve found.

Apple AirPods Pro

The second-generation AirPods Pro have dropped to $189 for Prime Day. Apple made a ton of small but noticeable improvements to these models, so now they have better sound quality, noise cancelation and Transparency Mode. There remains no competition if you have an iPhone and live within the Apple ecosystem — these are the best earbuds to get if you fall into that category.

Apple Watch SE

The Apple Watch SE is on sale for $199 right now. It’s the best smartwatch to get if you’re new to the wearable world, or you just want a basic, relatively affordable watch that has all of the basic features you’d need. On top of comprehensive health and fitness tracking, iPhone notifications and dozens of fun watch faces, you’ll get features like crash and fall detection, noise monitoring and Emergency SOS.

Apple 10.2-inch iPad

Apple’s most affordable tablet, the 10.2-inch iPad, is on sale for $249 right now. It may have an old-school design, but it’s certainly the best iPad for people on a budget and it has most crucial features you’d expect in an Apple tablet. It earned a score of 86 from us for its solid performance, sharp screen, TouchID-capable Home button and good battery life. The only major downside to this model right now is that it still sports Apple’s old Lightning port rather than USB-C.

Apple iPad Air

The iPad Air is on sale for $500, which is $99 off the MSRP. Apple may refresh the Air at some point soon, but for now, we think the existing iPad Air is the best blend of price and performance in Apple’s tablet lineup. This model only has 64GB of storage, however, and its display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. We gave the iPad Air a review score of 90 last year. And it’s our top overall iPad pick for most people 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

The new Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is down to $270 for October Prime Day, which is the lowest price we’ve seen since it came out a few months ago. You can’t get a better smartwatch than this one if you have an Android phone (bonus points if you have a Samsung phone), and it’s smaller and lighter than previous versions. Samsung brought back the spinning bezel on the Classic version, which is which makes the software’s UI easier to navigate, plus it has improved performance and updated health and fitness tracking tools.

Kindle Kids

If you’re looking for a good gift for a kid, the Kindle Kids edition is a great idea. It’s basically the same as the standard Kindle (which we named the best budget ereader you can buy) with a few extras. You also get a colorful protective case, a two-year warranty, and a year of Amazon Kids+, which grants access to thousands of kid-appropriate titles and hundreds of audiobooks. Even more helpful for parents, the kids edition syncs up with a parent dashboard that lets the grownups set time limits, add books and track their kid’s reading progress. The Kindle Kids usually goes for $120, but now it’s $80 instead. That’s $5 more than last Prime Day, but the lowest price we’ve seen outside of that sale.

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids and Kids Pro

The previous generation of the Fire HD 10 Kids and Kids Pro are on sale for $120 each, which matches their all-time lows. Amazon recently launched new versions of these devices, so the company is likely offloading old stock here. Still, this is the version we recommend as the best pick for kids in our guide to the best tablets. It comes with a protective case that doubles as a stand as well as a two-year warranty and a free year of subscription to Amazon Kids+, which includes kid-appropriate games, shows and songs.  

Apple MacBook Air M2 (15-inch)

The 15.3-inch version of Apple’s MacBook Air is down to $1,049 for an entry-level model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That matches the best price we’ve seen and takes $250 off Apple’s list price. The MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and we gave the 15-inch model a review score of 96 earlier this year, as it covers just about all of the things we look for in a quality mainstream notebook. Compared to the 13.6-inch version, it also includes a more powerful speaker system and a slightly upgraded GPU. The SSD in this base configuration is technically slower than the one in higher-capacity SKUs, but that shouldn’t be a major problem unless you’re looking to do more complex work. In general, you wouldn’t buy the Air for things like high-res media editing, though its M2 chip is still plenty powerful for everyday tasks.

If you do need more storage space, the 512GB model with 8GB of RAM is on sale for a low of $1,249. Variants with double the RAM are up to $250 off as well. Meanwhile, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air isn’t discounted on Amazon, but it’s down to $899 at Best Buy. That’s $200 off the notebook’s list price.

MacBook Air (M1)

If you want to spend the least amount possible on a new MacBook, go for the MacBook Air with the M1 chip. It’s still part of Apple’s official lineup of laptops, and we named it the best buy for students and anyone on a budget The base, 256GB base model is just $750 right now. That deal has been around for a while, but is continuing to hold strong during the October Prime sale. We gave it a high score of 94 in our review and called it “stunningly fast” at the time — keep in mind that the M2 chip is on the scene and the advent of the even faster M3 chip is imminent. But still if you need a laptop that will do the basics for a number of years to come, this is a decent buy.

Here are all the best laptop deals we found for Prime Day in October. 

Apple iPad mini

The Apple iPad mini has dropped to $400 for October Prime Day. It’s the best small tablet on the market right now and really your only option if you want a true one-hand-friendly iPad. It’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip and sports a Touch ID-toting power button, solid cameras, a good battery life and a USB-C port for charging.

Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony’s WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds are on sale for $278 for Prime Day, which is their best price yet. These are the best wireless earbuds on the market right now, and Sony improved upon it’s already remarkable buds with a more comfortable fit, better sound quality and features likes adaptive sound and Speak-to-Chat.

Anker Soundcore Space A40

The Anker Soundcore Space A40 is on sale for $54, which matches its all-time low and comes in $25 less than usual. The Space A40 is the top pick in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds, as it includes a host of features that belie its price: adaptive ANC, multi-device pairing, wireless charging, a transparency mode and up to 10 hours of battery life. Its audio quality and ANC aren’t quite as powerful as more expensive pairs, but both are more than effective enough for the money. Unlike many budget wireless headphones, its default sound doesn’t completely blow out the bass. Just note that its call quality is mediocre, and it lacks wear detection, so it won’t auto-pause when you remove an earbud.

Bose QuietComfort 45

The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones have dropped to $230 for October Prime Day, which is about $80 cheaper than their usual selling price. These cans earned a spot in our best wireless headphone guide thanks to their comfortable, if a little dated, design, excellent ANC and balanced audio.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

The Google Pixel Buds Pro have dropped to $120 for Prime Day. The company got a lot of things right after years of making pretty standard earbuds; the Pixel Buds Pro are Google’s best wireless earbuds yet. These will be great for Android users who want buds with punchy bass, good ANC, reliable touch controls and wireless charging.

Amazon Echo Dot

Amazon has knocked the price of the latest Echo Dot down to $23 right now. It’s one of the best smart speakers you can get thanks to its orb-like design, surprisingly good sound quality for its size and handy Alexa integration. The Dots can also act as Eero WiFi boosters, adding up to 1,000 square feet of coverage to your existing Eero system.

Amazon Echo Show 5

The latest Echo Show 5 is on sale for a record low of $40. The Show 5 has been one of the best smart displays available for quite some time, and it’ll be particularly good for anyone who wants an Alexa-capable smart display that won’t take up a lot of space. It also makes for a good alarm clock thanks to its sunrise alarm and tap-to-snooze features.

Tile Pro (2-pack)

The Tile Pro has a replaceable battery and taps into a decent finding network to locate lost items. Right now, Prime members can get a two pack for $42, which is about $2 more than it’s gone for on Amazon previously. It’s our pick for the best Bluetooth tracker for Android users. While the Tile finding network isn’t as vast as Apple’s (and likely not as large as Google’s upcoming network), the Pro still reliably allowed us to track down our missing backpack in a crowded pub for our guide.

Chipolo ONE

The Chipolo One is our pick for the best overall Bluetooth tracking device. It’s currently down to $25 for the single tag, or you can get a 4-pack for $60. In our guide, we found the Chipolo to reliably and consistently inform us when we’d left our keys behind. It also has the loudest ring of the trackers we tried, which makes it easier to find lost keys and other items when they’re nearby.  

Amazon Kindle

The standard Kindle has dropped to $75 for October Prime Day. This model saw a lot of improvements when it was updated in 2022. Capacity was doubled to 16GB and the screen resolution jumped up to 300 ppi for much clearer text. We named it the best budget option in our ereader guide because its perfect entry point to reading and borrowing ebooks and audiobooks.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

The Kindle Paperwhite, meanwhile, is down to $95 for an 8GB model. That’s $5 more than it went for during July’s Prime Day event but still $45 off its MSRP. The Paperwhite gets you a few extra perks over the standard Kindle, including a larger 6.8-inch screen, a more comprehensive front light and IPX8-rated waterproofing. This deal applies to the ad-supported version (which displays ads for Kindle books and services on your lock screen); it you want no ads on your device, you’ll need to pay $20 more.

$100 PlayStation Store Gift Card + $10 Amazon credit

Here’s a simple one: If you buy a $100 PlayStation Store digital gift card and use the code PSN100 at checkout, you can get an extra $10 Amazon credit to use on future purchases. If you often use Amazon and plan on picking up new PS5 games, renewing a PlayStation Plus subscription or buying any other content through the PlayStation Store anyway, it’s effectively a bit of free money.

Samsung Smart Monitor M8

The Samsung Smart Monitor M8 is down to just $500, which is $200 off its starting price and the lowest price we’ve seen thus far. This 32-inch display has built-in apps and allows you to access streaming services, just like you would on a smart TV. It can also act as a smart home hub, showing you your smart camera feeds and more. This discounted model is the updated 2023 version of the monitor that launched at CES 2022.

Blink Mini (2-pack)

A two-pack of Blink Mini security cameras has dropped to $40 for Prime Day. That’s about $10 more than they went for last Prime Day, but still a decent 38 percent discount. While these cameras are wired, they have most of the same features as the standard wireless Blink cameras including 1080p video recordings and support for two-way talk and motion alerts.

Google Indoor Nest Security Cam

A slew of Google Nest home security devices are on sale, including the battery-powered Nest Cam that can go inside or outside your home. Typically priced at $180, the security cam is down to $120 for Amazon’s October Prime Day event. The Nest Cam works with smart speakers and displays enabled with Alexa or the Google Assistant and can last up to seven months depending on how much activity it picks up. Its weather-resistant build and magnetic mount should make it easy to install on most surfaces. It sends live alerts to your phone and will even allow for on-demand check-ins without a subscription, though it only stores the last three hours for free. For six months of stored footage, you’ll need a Nest Aware membership.

Google Nest Thermostat

In other Google deals, the Nest Thermostat is on sale for just $90, which is only about $10 more than the lowest price we’ve tracked and $40 off Google’s MSRP. This is Google’s entry-level smart thermostat, but it still lets you control your heating and cooling from anywhere, suggests tweaks to help you save money, and in some cases, can entitle you to rebates from your utility provider. It’s all relatively easy to program, and it works with Google’s Nest Hub and other smart displays like the Echo Show.

Amazon Fire HD 8

Amazon’s Fire HD 8 is down to $60 for the Prime Big Deal Days event, which is $5 more than the tablet’s all-time low but still $40 off its list price. This discount applies to the model with 32GB of storage; if you need more space, the 64GB version is on sale for $75. Either way, the Fire HD 8 is likely the cheapest competent tablet for most people: It’s slower than the Fire HD 10 and its display is limited to a 1,280 x 800 resolution, but it’s lightweight, it can last more than 10 hours on a charge and it’s still quick enough for basic streaming and reading. It’s not the best value at its standard going rate, but for $60, it’s hard to do better.

Amazon Fire 11 Max

The Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s largest and most performant tablet, with an 11-inch 2,000 x 1,200 resolution display, an aluminum frame, a respectable octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM. It has the same software limitations and lock-screen ads as any other Fire slate, so it’s a tough sell at its usual $230, but now it’s on sale for $150, which matches its all-time low. If you already use a bunch of Amazon services and don’t want to shell out for an entry-level iPad, it’s a big upgrade over the Fire HD 8 — just don’t expect to get any real work done with it.

Google Pixel Tablet

The 128GB Google Pixel Tablet is down to $409, which is $90 off and a new low. The 256GB model is also on sale for $509. While we think Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 works better purely as a tablet, Google’s 11-inch slate still gets you a sharp LCD display, a speedy Tensor G2 chip and an easy-to-hold design that weighs just over a pound. Its big hook, however, is that it can attach to an included charging speaker dock and double as a Nest Hub Max-style smart display. Android still isn’t as optimized for large screens as iPadOS, but if that extra functionality sounds useful to you, the Pixel Tablet is worth a look. We gave it a score of 85 in June. (The Galaxy Tab S9, meanwhile, isn’t on sale as of this writing.)

Google Pixel 7a

The Google Pixel 7a is down to a new low of $399 for this sale event. It’s the best midrange phone you can get right now thanks to its speedy Tensor G2 chip, smooth 90Hz display and support for wireless charging. The 7a also has solid cameras and an IP67 water-resistant design.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The entire Samsung Galaxy S23 series is on sale for Prime Day, including the S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. These are some of the best Android phones you can buy right now, and we recommend springing for the S23 Ultra if you want all of the latest features from Samsung. The Ultra runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and has a big, bold 120Hz display, built-in S Pen and an excellent main camera.

Nano Power Bank with built-in USB-C

Anker’s Nano Power Bank is a handy way to give your smartphone a little extra juice when you’re out and about and confronted with a dead battery. And it’s 25 percent off for Prime day, bringing it to $23, though only for Prime members. We’re testing this one now for inclusion in our power bank guide and so far, so good. Anker made this one with a built-in USB-C connector, which means you can use it with your Android phone or the new iPhone 15. If you’ve got a previous model iPhone, there’s a model with a built-in Lightning connector too. That model is 38 percent off, or $20. 

Sony WH-CH720N headphones

Sony’s WH-CH720N headphones are on sale for $98 for Prime Day. That’s a $52 discount and the lowest price ever, but it’s a Prime only deal. These cans didn’t get the best review from us, only earning a mild score of 79 as we didn’t love the overall plastic build that felt a bit cheap and the active noise cancelation wasn’t the best. But the fit is comfortable and the sound quality is pretty good, if you’re willing to put up with those drawbacks. Which may be easier to take at this new and improved price.  

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II have dropped to $199 for October Prime Day, which is the best price we’ve ever seen, though you’ll need to be a Prime member to get the deal. Though they’re a generation old now, they remain one of the best wireless earbuds you can buy if active noise cancellation is your main priority. On top of that, these buds have a relatively comfortable fit and pleasing audio quality.

Beats Studio Pro

The Beats Studio Pro headphones are on sale for $179 right now. That’s a sizable $170 discount. We reviewed these back in July when they came out and gave them a decent review score of 81. Unfortunately they didn’t push any of the top picks from our our best headphones list off their pedestals. They aren’t bad, however, offering pleasant, even-handed sound and good noise cancellation. Though Beats is now owned by Apple, these headphones still play nice with Android. There’s no wear detection and the mostly plastic design isn’t super premium, but at this price, you may not care.

Sony SRS-XB13

The four-inch tall SRS-XB13 is back down to $35 for Prime Big Deal Days, which matches its sale price from July’s Prime Day sale. You’ll need a Prime membership to see the deal, however. This is an older but still worthwhile model of the tiny portable speaker; Sony replaced it with the SRS-XB100 earlier this year, which is also currently seeing a 20 percent discount. Both devices are IP67-rated for water and dust resistance, and each can pair with another speaker for stereo sound.

Tribit StormBox Micro 2

The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is another small speaker we like that puts out decent volume for its size, and right now it’s down to $48, which is $12 off its usual going rate. This device has a strap on its back that works well on belts, backpacks, or even bike handlebars, so it’s easy to take on the road. And “on the go” is where the StormBox Micro 2 performs best, as it’s more about portable volume than pure fidelity.

Google Nest Wi-Fi Pro 6E

The Google Nest Wi-Fi Pro 6E is on sale for $300 right now for a pack of three routers. That’s within a dollar of the lowest price it’s sold for on Amazon. It’s one of the best Wi-Fi 6 router systems you can get at the moment thanks to its easy setup process, convenient Google Assistant integrations and Matter and Thread support. If you’re looking for a not-too expensive way to upgrade your home Wi-Fi system, and one that will take little time to set up, Google’s is the one to get.

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

Our favorite streaming stick, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, has dropped to $37 for this sale. It packs a ton of features into an affordable package, including 4K HDR streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision, AirPlay 2 and private listening when you have a pair of headphones. And since it’s so small, it makes for a great travel entertainment device too.

LG B2

The LG B2 OLED TV is down to $847 for a 55-inch model. That’s a new low and roughly $150 off its average street price in recent months. The B2 is the step-down model from the C2 — which is also on sale at $1,097 for a 55-inch set — as it’s not as bright or color-rich with HDR content, it runs on a slower processor and it has two fewer HDMI 2.1 ports. That said, its contrast, colors and motion performance will still be a significant upgrade if you’re upgrading from a more basic LED TV. LG’s new B3 TV promises a cleaner webOS interface, but it’s priced a good way higher as of this writing. If you want an OLED TV for less than $1,000, the B2 should be a better value.

Hisense U6K

If you want a more affordable TV, the Hisense U6K is also on sale, with the 55- and 65-inch models down to $400 and $548, respectively. We’ve seen these deals before, but each matches an all-time low. The U6K is has received generally positive reviews around the web, as it’s one of the few budget-level sets with quantum dots, full-array local dimming and a mini-LED backlight. All of that should help it deliver better contrast and color volume than most TVs in its price range. It’s not ideal for gaming though, as it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and lacks HDMI 2.1 ports. In general, it can’t match the brightness or viewing angles of a more expensive set, but it looks to be a good buy if you’re on a tighter budget.

For a well-reviewed midrange model, the Hisense U8K provides much better contrast and peak brightness, plus more gaming-friendly features like ability to play 4K content at up to a 144Hz refresh rate. That one is down to $748 for a 55-inch model and $998 for a 65-inch set.

Samsung The Frame smart TV

Samsung’s The Frame TV is down to $998 for the 55-inch set with an included bezel cover to further the illusion that the set is art when it’s off. The discount is a hefty $550 less than this bundle’s average street price. Other sizes are discounted too, including 32-inch model for $548 to the 85-inch set for $3,498. The bundle deals are just for Prime members, but if you don’t need the bezel, even non-members can snag the Frame TV alone for the same $998. The expensive sets don’t have things you may expect like local dimming and mini-LED backlighting, so their picture quality isn’t as premium as you’d expect. But the realistic art-when-it’s-off effect is convincing.

iRobot Roomba 694

iRobot’s Roomba 694 has dropped to $199 for Prime Day. It’s our favorite cheap robot vacuum thanks to its strong suction power, attractive design and easy to use app. It’ll be a good option for robo-vac novices, or anyone that doesn’t want to fuss too much with an automatic dirt sucker. It clears hard and carpeted floors well, and it automatically returns to its base once a cleaning job is finished so it can recharge.

Razer Basilisk V3

The Razer Basilisk V3 is down to $44 for Prime members, which is a few bucks more than its all-time low but still $6 less than its usual street price. This is the “best for most” pick in our guide to the best gaming mouse, as its sturdy shape should be comfortable for each grip type and all but the smallest hands. (Provided you’re a righty.) It has 11 customizable buttons, including a “sensitivity clutch” for more precise aiming, and its thumb wheel supports both left-right tilt and a faster free-spin mode. That wheel is somewhat noisy, and the whole thing is too heavy for competitive-minded players, but it still tracks accurately and glides smoothly.

Dell G15 5530 Gaming Laptop

A configuration of Dell’s G15 5530 Gaming Laptop with an Intel Core i7-13650HX processor, 16GB of RAM, an upgradeable 1TB SSD and an 8GB GeForce RTX 4060 GPU is down to $1,130 for Prime Big Deal Days. That’s roughly $270 below its usual going rate. This is an updated version of the “best budget” pick in our guide to the best gaming laptops: It’s heavy, and it can run warm, but this configuration is more than capable of playing modern games at high-ish settings, and its 15.6-inch, 165Hz, 1080p display is sufficiently bright. It is stuck with a 720p webcam though. The slightly larger Dell G16 7630 is also on sale at $1,500 for a model with a Core i9-13900HX and RTX 4070.

Samsung Pro Plus microSD

The Samsung Pro Plus microSD card is on sale for $20 right now. It’s our top pick in our best microSD card guide because it was the most consistent of the ones we tested, with some of the best overall speeds and all of the important ratings that a good card should have: U3, V30 and A2. It’ll be a great pick for your tablet, smartphone or Nintendo Switch, and it comes with a full-sized adapter in case you need to use it with a camera or connect it to your computer.

Backbone One

The Backbone One is a well-built gamepad that snaps around the sides of your phone and works immediately with just about any game that supports controller input. It’s also convenient for cloud streaming games from a console or PC. Right now both its USB-C and Lightning models are down to $70, which is $30 off. That’s not an all-time low, but discounts on the device are relatively uncommon. We gave the One a positive review last year, and we currently highlight it in our guide to the best handheld gaming systems. Backbone says the USB-C models will work with Apple’s new iPhone 15 lineup as well.

WD and Seagate Storage Expansion Cards for Xbox Series X/S

It’s unfortunate, but the only way to fully expand the storage of an Xbox Series X/S console is to buy a proprietary expansion card. If your Xbox is hurting for space, the 1TB version of WD’s Black C50 card is at least a little cheaper than usual at $125. That’s a $25 discount and a new low. If you need more room, the 2TB model of Seagate’s Storage Expansion Card is also on sale for an all-time low at $230. That’s $50 off. (The 1TB Seagate card is available for $130, but there’s little reason to buy that when the WD model is cheaper.) Both of these are still pricier than a comparable SSD, but any bit of savings should be welcome.

SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless

The SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless is down to $175, which is within a dollar of its all-time low and $75 off its list price. This is the top wireless pick in our gaming keyboard buying guide, mainly due to its magnetic OmniPoint switches, which enable a range of helpful gaming features. For instance, you can raise or lower the actuation point of individual keys — setting a high point to make typing more comfortable or a low one to make presses more responsive — and use a rapid trigger mode to repeat inputs faster.

The rest of the keyboard is satisfactory as well, with multiple connection options and a useful OLED display for adjusting settings, though you’d buy this for its gaming features more than its typing experience. In general, we think the Wooting 60HE is a better option for gaming enthusiasts, but that one isn’t on sale; the Apex Pro is a close-enough substitute if you need to go wireless. The smaller Apex Pro Mini Wireless is also discounted for $15 less.

Echo Pop

The Echo Pop is Amazon’s smallest Echo smart speaker and it’s down to just $18 for Amazon’s October Prime sale, which is a 55 percent discount and the lowest price we’ve tracked. Amazon announced a Kids version of the Pop at their latest devices event, but that version won’t be out until the Prime sale is over.

Crucial MX500

The Crucial MX500 internal drive is on sale for $46 right now. It’s been an Engadget favorite for a while thanks to its sequential read speeds of 560MB/s and a standard 2.5-inch design that should make it easy to swap in for your desktop’s or laptop’s used-up drive.

August Smart Lock (4th gen)

August Home Smart Lock, one we’ve tried and liked, is down to $158 for Prime members right now, which is a $72 percent discount. It’s easy to install and won’t take up too much space it’s even slimmer than prior iterations. This isn’t an all-time low, as this model has dropped to $139 in the past — but this is still a solid discount. The lock should work with most existing deadbolts and it directly connects to your Wi-Fi without the need for a separate bridge. 

Here are all the deals we’ve rounded up so far:

Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-50-best-prime-day-deals-to-shop-while-you-still-can-from-portable-tech-to-smart-home-gear-194854033.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The 50+ Best Prime Day deals to shop while you still can — from portable tech to smart home gear

Beats Studio Pro headphones are $170 off on Amazon right now for Prime Day

Headphones are one of the hottest categories in any major sale and the October Prime Day event is no exception. There are discounts available all over the shop for true wireless earbuds and overear headphones alike. We reckon it’s worth drawing attention to the Beats Studio Pro headset, which has dropped to $180. That’s nearly half off, given that it regularly sells for $350. It’s the lowest price we’ve seen for these headphones to date.

Over the summer, we gave the Beats Studio Pro a score of 81 in our review. So, they’re not exactly the best wireless headphones you can buy. But the conversation changes significantly now that they’re down to $180.

A second-generation Beats audio chip helps to deliver better active noise cancellation, spatial audio and dynamic head tracking than previous models from the brand. We found that voice performance was above average and we appreciated the inclusion of a transparency mode and USB-C wired audio for higher-resolution playback.

There are several reasons why the Beats Studio Pro didn’t score higher than an 81, however. They’re not the most comfortable headphones around and there’s no automatic pause feature that kicks in when you take them off. Even though the Beats Studio Pro are from an Apple subsidiary, there’s no iOS multipoint connectivity option. So, you can’t connect them to, say, your iPhone and Mac at the same time for seamless switching.

Even so, this is an excellent deal, particularly for Beats fans. The sound quality is far better than you’ll find on previous Beats models, so if you’ve been clinging onto an older set for several years, it might be time to upgrade.

Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/beats-studio-pro-headphones-are-170-off-on-amazon-right-now-for-prime-day-194316696.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Beats Studio Pro headphones are 0 off on Amazon right now for Prime Day

Anime Powerhouse Crunchyroll Launches New Linear Channel in the U.S.

Been wanting to dip your toes into the world of anime? Genre powerhouse Crunchyroll has expanded its reach with the Crunchyroll channel, bringing English-dubbed programming to LG Channels, the Roku Channel, and VIZIO WatchFree+ starting October 11. From October 17, you can also find it on Amazon Freevee.

Read more…



Source: Gizmodo – Anime Powerhouse Crunchyroll Launches New Linear Channel in the U.S.

PlayStation 5 Cloud Streaming Launches This Month

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced plans to launch cloud streaming for PlayStation 5 this month. From a report: The feature, which will be available to PlayStation Plus Premium members, will receive a staggered rollout. Sony is targeting an October 17 launch for Japan, October 23 for Europe and October 30 for North America. “Select PS5 games will be available for streaming, and we’re planning to have hundreds of PS5 titles to support this new benefit,” said Hideaki Nishino, SIE’s senior VP of platform experience.

Supported titles will include Game Catalogue offerings like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, Ghost of Tsushima, Mortal Kombat 11 and Saints Row IV. Some PS5 digital titles that players own will be available for streaming too including Resident Evil 4, Dead Island 2, Genshin Impact, Fall Guys and Fortnite. Game Trials for PS5 titles like Hogwarts Legacy, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and The Calisto Protocol will also be available. Sony said DLC and in-game purchases will be available for PS5 game streaming too.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – PlayStation 5 Cloud Streaming Launches This Month

Build your dream desktop with these Prime Day PC components deals

Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4080.

Enlarge / Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4080. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

If you’re building a new PC, there’s no time like Amazon’s big Prime Day sale to grab a deal on PC parts. Components like fans, motherboards, CPUs, and GPUs are all on sale. Whether you’re starting from scratch on building your own powerful gaming rig or workstation, or you’re upgrading an existing build, we have some options.

GPU deals on RTX graphics cards

  • ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Twin Edge OC for $261 (was $340) at Amazon
  • ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 16GB Trinity OC for $990 (was $1,300) at Amazon
  • PowerColor Fighter AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming Graphics Card with 12GB GDDR6 Memory for $300 (was $350) at Amazon
  • ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 AMP AIRO Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Inspired Graphics Card Bundle for $585 (was $700) at Amazon
  • EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 SC GAMING for $200 (was $360) at Amazon
  • Intel Arc A750 Limited Edition 8GB PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card for $200 (was $220) at Amazon
  • ASUS Dual NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card for $230 (was $300) at Amazon
  • ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming Graphics Card for $870 (was $950) at Amazon
  • XFX Speedster QICK319 Radeon RX 6750XT Gaming Graphics Card for $350 (was $430) at Amazon
  • XFX Speedster SWFT319 Radeon RX 6800 Gaming Graphics Card for $400 (was $490) at Amazon
  • ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4060 Ti OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card for $415 (was $460) at Amazon

Storage and RAM

  • Lexar NQ100 480GB 2.5-inch SATA III Internal SSD for $18 (was $33) at Amazon
  • Lexar NQ100 1.92TB 2.5-inch SATA III Internal SSD for $62 (was $88) at Amazon
  • Crucial P3 Plus 4TB PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD for $180 (was $226) at Amazon
  • Crucial P3 4TB PCIe Gen3 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD for $160 (was $230) at Amazon
  • Crucial MX500 4TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD for $165 (was $204) at Amazon
  • Crucial Pro RAM 64GB Kit DDR4 3200MT/s for $100 (was $142) at Amazon
  • Lexar NM790 SSD 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 2280 Internal Solid State Drive for $87 (was $125) at Amazon
  • Lexar NM790 SSD 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 2280 Internal Solid State Drive for $45 (was $70) at Amazon
  • Lexar NM790 SSD 512GB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 2280 Internal Solid State Drive for $37 (was $50) at Amazon
  • Lexar ARES RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 RAM 3600MT/s CL18 Desktop Memory for $55 (was $80) at Amazon
  • Crucial T700 4TB Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD for $390 (was $600) at Amazon
  • Crucial T700 4TB Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD with heatsink for $410 (was $630) at Amazon
  • Lexar NQ100 960GB 2.5-inch SATA III Internal SSD for $33 (was $48) at Amazon
  • Lexar ARES RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 RAM 6000MT/s CL34 Desktop Memory for $76 (was $120) at Amazon
  • Lexar ARES RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 RAM 5600MT/s CL32 Desktop Memory for $72 (was $110) at Amazon
  • PNY CS2241 4TB M.2 NVMe Gen4 x4 Internal Solid State Drive for $175 (was $220) at Amazon
  • CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 5200 MHz CL40 for $90 (was $100) at Amazon

CPU deals on Intel and AMD processors

  • Intel Core i5-12600KF Desktop Processor 10 (6P+4E) Cores for $163 (was $199) at Amazon
  • Intel Core i7-12700K Desktop Processor with Integrated Graphics for $239 (was $276) at Amazon
  • Intel Core i5-12600K Desktop Processor with Integrated Graphics for $179 (was $194) at Amazon
  • AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core, 24-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor for $297 (was $570) at Amazon
  • Intel Core i7-13700K Desktop Processor with Integrated Graphics for $373 (was $419) at Amazon
  • AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12-Core, 24-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor for $382 (was $549) at Amazon
  • AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-Core, 32-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor for $509 (was $699) at Amazon
  • AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16-Core, 32-Thread Desktop Processor for $599 (was $699) at Amazon
  • AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 8-core, 16-Thread Desktop Processor for $307 (was $319) at Amazon
  • Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor for $219 (was $259) at Amazon
  • Intel Core i9-12900K Gaming Desktop Processor with Integrated Graphics and 16 (8P+8E) Cores for $327 (was $379) at Amazon
  • AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-core, 16-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor for $215 (was $449) at Amazon
  • Intel Core i9-12900KF Desktop Processor for $318 (was $373) at Amazon
  • Intel Core i9-12900KS Gaming Desktop Processor for $349 (was $400) at Amazon

Motherboards

  • ASUS Prime B550-PLUS AMD AM4 Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 & 3rd Gen Ryzen ATX Motherboard for $100 (was $140) at Amazon
  • GIGABYTE B650 Gaming X AX (AM5/ LGA 1718/ AMD/ B650 for $162 (was $200) at Amazon
  • ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero (WiFi 6E) LGA 1700 (Intel 13th & 12th Gen) ATX Motherboard for $540 (was $609) at Amazon
  • Gigabyte B550 AORUS ELITE AX V2 for $144 (was $190) at Amazon
  • ASUS Prime Z790-A WiFi 6E LGA 1700 (Intel 13th & 12th) ATX Motherboard for $250 (was $310) at Amazon
  • ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi D4 LGA 1700 (Intel 12th & 13th Gen) ATX Motherboard for $200 (was $230) at Amazon
  • ASUS Prime X670E-PRO WiFi Socket AM5 (LGA 1718) Ryzen 7000 ATX Motherboard for $290 (was $350) at Amazon
  • ASUS Strix STRIX Z790-A WIFI D4 Desktop Motherboard for $285 (was $350) at Amazon
  • MSI MPG Z690 Edge WiFi DDR4 Gaming Motherboard for $220 (was $300) at Amazon
  • GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS Elite AX DDR4 for $207 (was $260) at Amazon
  • MSI B550 Gaming GEN3 Gaming Motherboard for $100 (was $120) at Amazon
  • ASUS Prime X670-P Socket AM5 (LGA 1718) Ryzen 7000 ATX Motherboard for $200 (was $270) at Amazon
  • ASUS Prime H770-PLUS D4 Intel H770(13th and 12th Gen) LGA 1700 ATX Motherboard for $100 (was $160) at Amazon
  • ASUS ROG Strix B550-A Gaming AMD AM4 Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 & 3rd Gen Ryzen ATX Motherboard for $160 (was $180) at Amazon
  • MSI PRO Z790-A Wi-Fi ProSeries Motherboard (Supports 12th/13th Gen Intel Processors) for $190 (was $280) at Amazon
  • MSI MEG Z690 Unify Gaming Motherboard for $290 (was $330) at Amazon

Power Supply Units

  • ASUS ROG STRIX 1000W Gold PSU, Power Supply for $160 (was $210) at Amazon
  • Cooler Master MWE Gold 850 V2 Full Modular for $95 (was $100) at Amazon
  • EVGA 100-N1-0650-L1, 650 N1, 650 W for $44 (was $65) at Amazon
  • EVGA Supernova 1600 G+, 80+ Gold 1600 W for $210 (was $350) at Amazon
  • Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 850 W 80+ Gold SLI/ CrossFire Ready Ultra Quiet 140mm Hydraulic Bearing Smart Zero Fan for $100 (was $140) at Amazon
  • Thermaltake Toughpower 750 W 80 Plus Gold Semi Modular PSU ATX for $80 (was $110) at Amazon
  • Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 850 W for $110 (was $160) at Amazon
  • EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT, 80 Plus Gold 1300 W for $180 (was $250) at Amazon
  • ASUS ROG Thor 850W Platinum II for $170 (was $250) at Amazon
  • EVGA Supernova 1000 P3, 80 Plus Platinum 1000 W for $210 (was $250) at Amazon
  • EVGA Supernova 1000 G7, 80 Plus Gold 1000 W for $180 (was $240) at Amazon
  • Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID 360 ARGB Motherboard Sync All-in-One Liquid CPU Cooler for $100 (was $140) at Amazon
  • GIGABYTE GP-UD850GM PG5 Rev2.0 850W PCIe 5.0 Ready for $97 (was $140) at Amazon
  • Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1350W for $208 (was $260) at Amazon
  • Corsair HX1000i Fully Modular Ultra-Low Noise ATX Power Supply – ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 Compliant for $230 (was $260) at Amazon

Fans and coolers

  • Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo Black CPU Air Cooler for $33 (was $45) at Amazon
  • MSI MAG CoreLiquid 360R V2 – AIO ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler for $95 (was $140) at Amazon
  • NZXT Kraken 280 RGB – RL-KR280-B1 – 280 mm AIO CPU Liquid Cooler for $142 (was $200) at Amazon
  • Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360L Core 360 mm Close-Loop AIO Liquid Cooler for $101 (was $120) at Amazon
  • Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240L Core 240 mm Close-Loop AIO Liquid Cooler for $85 (was $100) at Amazon
  • AORUS WATERFORCE X 360 AIO Liquid CPU Cooler for $187 ($240) at Amazon
  • ASUS ROG RYUO III 360 ARGB All-in-one AIO Liquid CPU Cooler 360 mm Radiator for $245 (was $290) at Amazon
  • MSI MAG CoreLiquid C240 – AIO ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler – 240 mm Radiator for $90 (was $120) at Amazon
  • Thermaltake Riing Quad 120 mm 16.8 Million RGB Color 9 Blades Hydraulic Bearing Case/Radiator Fan for $90 (was $120) at Amazon

Cases and towers

  • ASUS TUF Gaming GT501 Mid-Tower Computer Case for up to EATX Motherboards for $135 (was $180) at Amazon
  • ASUS TUF Gaming GT502 ATX Mid-Tower Computer Case for $140 (was $170) at Amazon
  • Thermaltake Tower 200 Mini-ITX Computer Case for $100 (was $130) at Amazon
  • CORSAIR Crystal Series 680X RGB High Airflow Tempered Glass ATX Smart Case, Black for $193 (was $275) at Amazon
  • Corsair 5000D Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX PC Case – White for $165 (was $175) at Amazon
  • Thermaltake Core P3 Pro E-ATX Tempered Glass Mid Tower for $120 (was $160) at Amazon
  • Antec NX200 M, Micro-ATX Tower, Mini-Tower Computer Case for $44 (was $65) at Amazon
  • Corsair iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW Tempered Glass Mid-Tower Smart ATX Case for $70 (was $125) at Amazon
  • Corsair Carbide Series 175R RGB Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case for $53 (was $85) at Amazon

Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

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Source: Ars Technica – Build your dream desktop with these Prime Day PC components deals

PS5 Cloud Streaming Coming to All Plus Premium Members This Month

PlayStation 5 owners will finally have the opportunity to beam games to their console without downloading, though the service is still only available on the PS5 itself, and you’ll need to pay $160 a year to access the feature and the few games available to stream at launch.

Read more…



Source: Gizmodo – PS5 Cloud Streaming Coming to All Plus Premium Members This Month

YouTube TV, which costs $73 a month, agrees to end “$600 less than cable” ads

Screenshot of a YouTube TV ad that claims the service costs $600 less than cable.

Enlarge / The disputed YouTube TV ad. (credit: Google)

Google has agreed to stop advertising YouTube TV as “$600 less than cable” after losing an appeal of a previous ruling that went against the company. Google said it will “modify or cease the disputed advertising claim.”

The case was handled in the advertising industry’s self-regulatory system, not in a court of law. The National Advertising Review Board (NARB) announced today that it rejected Google’s appeal and recommended that the company discontinue the YouTube TV claim.

YouTube TV launched in 2017 for $35 a month, but the base package is $72.99 after the latest price hike in March 2023. Google’s “$600 less than cable” claim was challenged by Charter, which uses the brand name Spectrum and is the second-biggest cable company after Comcast. The National Advertising Division (NAD) previously ruled in Charter’s favor but Google appealed the decision to the NARB in August.

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Source: Ars Technica – YouTube TV, which costs a month, agrees to end “0 less than cable” ads

Mysterious fast radio bursts look a lot like earthquakes, study finds

Artist's impression of a fast radio burst (FRB) traveling through space and reaching Earth.

Enlarge / Artist’s impression of a fast radio burst (FRB) traveling through space and reaching Earth. (credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser/CC BY 4.0)

Astronomers have been puzzling over the mysterious origins of fast radio bursts (FRBs) since they were first detected in 2007. Now scientists at the University of Tokyo have come up with new evidence that at least some FRBs may be caused by so-called “starquakes” on the surfaces of neutron stars, according to a new paper published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

As Ars Science Editor John Timmer reported previously, FRBs involve a sudden blast of radio-frequency radiation that lasts just a few microseconds. Astronomers have cataloged hundreds of them; some come from sources that repeatedly emit FRBs, while others seem to burst once and go silent. You can produce this sort of sudden surge of energy by destroying something. But the existence of repeating sources suggests that at least some of them are produced by an object that survives the event. That has led to a focus on compact objects, like neutron stars and black holes—especially a class of neutron stars called magnetars—as likely sources.

Magnetars are an extreme form of a neutron star, a type of body that is already notable for being extreme. They are the collapsed core of a massive star, so dense that atoms get squeezed out of existence, leaving a swirling mass of neutrons and protons. That mass is roughly equal to the Sun’s but compressed into a sphere with a radius of about 10 kilometers. Neutron stars are best known for powering pulsars, rapidly repeating bursts of radiation driven by the fact that these massive objects can complete a rotation in a handful of milliseconds.

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Source: Ars Technica – Mysterious fast radio bursts look a lot like earthquakes, study finds

Valve has no plans for Counter-Strike 2 support on Macs or older Windows PCs

Valve has confirmed that Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) won’t support Mac and older Windows PCs. The game’s predecessor, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), ran on those machines, but the company said since the refreshed title “represents the largest technical leap in CS history,” users on those platforms are out of luck.

In addition to macOS, older hardware, “including DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems,” are discontinued. Valve described the abandonment as a “difficult decision” based on technological advances. The company notes that, when combined, users on those platforms represented less than one percent of active CS:GO players, suggesting the gaming behemoth didn’t view legacy support for those platforms as a cost-conscious move.

Valve will offer refunds to eligible players on those systems who bought the Prime Status Upgrade, an optional $15 boost that matches players with fellow subscribers while earning various bonuses. However, there are caveats. Mac users can only get their money back if “most of their CS:GO playtime was on macOS” between March 22 and September 27. Meanwhile, DirectX 9 and 32-bit Windows users must have bought Prime Status Upgrade from Steam between those dates. 

Valve will only offer refunds until December 1. In addition, the company notes that CD keys, gifted purchases and banned accounts are ineligible.

The legacy version of CS:GO, currently classified as a “frozen build,” is still available for players on the defunct platforms. But Valve says that version will lose support after January 1, 2024. Any functionality associated with the Game Coordinator (access to inventory) “may degrade and/or fail” after that date.

Valve launched Counter-Strike 2 in late September after months of hype. The enormous update offers enhanced graphics, upgraded maps and more believable smoke. It uses Valve’s in-house Source 2 engine for more believable lighting, sharper textures and updated geometry. CS2 replaced CS:GO on Steam.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/valve-has-no-plans-for-counter-strike-2-support-on-macs-or-older-windows-pcs-185307909.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Valve has no plans for Counter-Strike 2 support on Macs or older Windows PCs

Google wins Sonos patent case, immediately ships speaker software update

Promotional image of smart speaker.

Enlarge / The Nest Audio. (credit: Google)

Google and Sonos have been volleying patent infringement lawsuits back and forth for a few years now. Sonos has been making Internet-connected speakers since 2005 and has a lot of patents, while Google only jumped into the market in 2016 with the first speaker in the Google Home lineup (now called “Nest Audio”). You may remember that in early 2022, Google lost a Sonos patent infringement case around controlling multiple speakers together in a group. After losing, rather than just paying Sonos a licensing fee for the feature, Google instead chose to reach into customers’ homes and disable the feature from devices people had already bought.

This week Google managed to convince a federal court that some of the patents from the 2022 ruling are invalid, and Google’s response was to immediately ship an update re-enabling the group speaker features on customers’ devices. Here’s the pretty wild statement Google made to customers on the Nest Support forum:

We recently made a change to speaker groups for Nest speakers, displays, and Chromecast where certain devices can only belong to one speaker group at a time in the Google Home app. A federal judge has found that two patents that Sonos accused our devices of infringing are invalid.

In light of this legal decision we’re happy to share that we will be rolling back this change. Devices will be able to belong to multiple speaker groups and you will no longer run into an error when trying to add a device to additional groups. We’re beginning to roll out this update immediately and expect it to go live across our devices and the Home App on Android in the next 48 hours. The change will also be coming soon to the Home App on iOS.

As it says in the statement, the invalidated patents were around adding speakers to multiple speaker groups. Google Home/Nest Audio and Sonos speakers can play audio from multiple speakers in multiple rooms, using their built-in microphones to automatically juggle the surprisingly complex audio delay problems, creating a seamless whole-home audio experience. Sonos smacked down Google with five patents in 2022, with the (still valid!) headline patent allowing for the control of multiple speaker volumes at once. Sonos won $32.5 million in damages from Google.

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Source: Ars Technica – Google wins Sonos patent case, immediately ships speaker software update

Anker charging accessories get discounts up to 57% from Prime Day deals

Amazon’s October Prime Day sale is discounting many of Anker’s best accessories. So if you’re in the market for cables, portable chargers or power adapters, you can get a those devices for a lot less money right now. While most of these deals are just for Prime members, one or two are open to anyone. One notable deal is on the new Nano power bank with a built-in USB-C connector. Now that the iPhone 15 has USB-C charging, you can handle iPhone charging with the same accessories Android phones use. We’ve tested and recommended Anker products in plenty of our buying guides as they tend to be reliable, well-designed and reasonably priced buys. Here’s the best of what’s on offer for Anker’s Prime Day sale. 

Nano Power Bank with built-in USB-C

Anker’s Nano Power Bank comes with either a built-in USB-C connector, for iPhone 15 and Android phones or a built-in Lightning connector for iPhone 14 and earlier. They’re both on sale for Prime Day, but only for Prime Members. You’ll save 38 percent on the Lightning version and 25 percent on the USB-C version. Both will give your phone a partial charge whenever you need it.

Anker Prime 67W USB C Charger

The Prime 67W USB-C Charger comes with two USB-C ports and one USB-A and it’s 37 percent off, bringing its price from $60 to $38. Though keep in mind, you’ll need to be a Prime member to take advantage of the sale. 

Anker X Transformers USB-C 65W Charger, 735

The Anker 65W USB-C Charger 735 is 20 percent off right now for Prime members. We named this the best 65W fast charger you can buy after putting it through a slew of tests on five different devices. Of course, we didn’t test the one branded with the Transformers, but that can only make it faster, right?

Anker Lightning Cable (3-pack)

If you’re still rocking an iPhone 12, 13 or 14 and your cords are breaking at the seams, pick up Anker’s lightning cable three-pack for 20 percent off, dropping from $25 to $20.

Anker 765 USB C to USB C Cable

One of the best deals in the sale comes courtesy of Anker’s fast charging 765 USB-C to USB-C cable, which is down from $35 to $15 — a 57 percent discount for Prime members. It’s compatible with the new iPhone 15 models, along with the MacBook Pro 2021, iPad Pro, iPad Air 4th and Samsung’s Galaxy S23+ and Ultra.

Other notable deals

Then there’s Anker’s portable chargers currently on sale for every time you stay out later than expected or drain your battery playing games. The Prime 20K Power Bank is down to $22.40 from $28 and can juice up an iPhone 12 halfway in 30 minutes using USB and USB-C chargers. For $30 (down from $60), you can pick up Anker’s Magnetic Portable Charger 5K for wireless charging. Plus, the Prime Power Bank with 200W Output and a smart display has fallen from $130 to $90 for Prime Day — giving you high-speed charging with enough money left over to buy quality cables.

If you’re a Prime Member, you can also save on our pick for the best budget wireless charging stand, Anker’s 313 Wireless Charger. Don’t expect fast charging here — this tops out at 10W (and just 5W for iPhones). But you can position your phone in landscape orientation to take advantage of StandBy mode on iPhones. 

Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-charging-accessories-get-discounts-up-to-57-from-prime-day-deals-184324221.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Anker charging accessories get discounts up to 57% from Prime Day deals

Utah Lawsuit Accuses TikTok of Deploying Casino Tactics to Keep Kids Glued to Screens

Utah’s governor and attorney general are adding their names to the lengthy list of mostly Republican lawmakers gunning for TikTok. This week, Utah AG Sean Reyes sued the company for allegedly creating casino-inspired addictive features that harm children and for misleading parents about its commitment to safety on…

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Source: Gizmodo – Utah Lawsuit Accuses TikTok of Deploying Casino Tactics to Keep Kids Glued to Screens

Star Trek: Prodigy finds a new home on Netflix

Star Trek: Prodigy has found a new streaming home with Netflix, after being both canceled by Paramount+ and completely deleted from the platform back in June. Not only will Netflix air the previously-released 20-episode first season later this year, but it’s also putting the final touches on the second season, which will stream sometime next year.

The initial cancellation came as a surprise, as Paramount had already greenlit a second season and those episodes were just about finished. Then it did that recent streamer thing where it went through and deleted all of the old episodes, kicking them to the dustbin of history. That may be possible for a lesser-known IP, like the criminally underrated Infinity Train, but this is Star Trek. Trekkers have been conducting successful campaigns to bring back shows ever since the original series was canned back in 1969. These are the same fans, after all, that helped Star Trek: The Animated Series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture get off the ground.

So they went to work, amplifying fan engagement across various social media sites. Prodigy’s creators have long held out hope for a new platform, and it looks like this optimism has finally paid off.

Star Trek: Prodigy follows a ragtag group of alien adolescents after finding the titular spaceship. It’s actually very good and acts as the perfect entry point for parents who want to introduce their kids to the ideals of Star Trek. It’s also a pseudo-sequel to Star Trek: Voyager, with Kate Mulgrew reprising her role as Captain Janeway and Robert Beltran appearing as Chakotay, among other guest stars. Season two looks like it’ll integrate further with Voyager, if leaks are anything to go by.

It’s odd that the show will now be on Netflix, given that one of Paramount’s slogans is “The Home of Star Trek.” This has been a busy week for streamers selling shelved projects to other platforms. Disney+ inked a deal with Roku, giving the platform rights to air an adaptation of the acclaimed book series The Spiderwick Chronicles. As for Star Trek animation, Paramount+ is still home to the stellar Star Trek: Lower Decks which is currently airing its fourth season.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-prodigy-finds-a-new-home-on-netflix-183015701.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Star Trek: Prodigy finds a new home on Netflix

Not burn-in: Scary OLED TV image retention may stem from “buggy” feature

Sony A95K OLED TV

Enlarge / Sony announced the A95K QD-OLED TV in early 2022. (credit: Sony)

Image retention is scary to see on your OLED TV but often easy to eliminate. Many modern OLED TVs subtly work their own magic when you’re not watching in order to remove the problem, as RTINGS demonstrated in a video released Friday. However, TV vendors aren’t all doing perfect jobs at implementing OLED screens’ compensation cycles.

Temporary image retention differs from permanent image retention, aka burn-in, in that it points to a change in the panel’s thin-film transistor (TFT) layer, rather than degradation of the OLED layer. Untreated permanent image retention doesn’t lead to burn-in, a Sony spokesperson confirmed to me, but anyone looking at a screen suffering from image persistence will want to eradicate the sticky images, fast.

These temporary artifacts can be the result of heat affecting the amount of light emitted by the OLED pixels and can happen within minutes of usage. But letting the TV cool down by turning it off usually fixes this.

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Source: Ars Technica – Not burn-in: Scary OLED TV image retention may stem from “buggy” feature

Amazon Prime Day deals on Apple Watch and smartwatches hit their lowest prices yet

This is the last day of Amazon’s Prime Day sale of 2023 and all three models of the Apple Watch lineup are still seeing discounts as of right now. Apple just announced the Apple Watch Ultra 2 at its iPhone event last month, but it’s already $50 off for Prime, which is its lowest price yet. The other new wearable from Cupertino is the Apple Watch Series 9. That one is seeing a modest, $9 discount, but that’s not surprising for as new as it is. The budget model, the Apple Watch SE, wasn’t given a new iteration this time around, so the newest is still the second generation SE, which is down to $199 instead of its $250 MSRP. We’ve also included smartwatch deals from Samsung, Google and Withings, just in case you’re not an iPhone user (or have an Android user on your holiday gift list). Here are the best Prime Day deals on Apple Watches and smartwatches we could find this Prime Big Deal Days.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the brand’s newest high-end watch and has the same list price as last year’s model, which is $799. For Amazon’s sale, it’s down to $749 or $50 off, which is a new low. The new Ultra has the same S9 SiP (system-in-package) as the Series 9, which allows for on-board processing of Siri requests and will help offer more intuitive answers to questions about your health and activity data. The Ultra 2 comes with GPS and cellular connectivity and has a large 49mm case to accommodate its always-on Retina display and battery with a claimed 36-hour lifespan. Engadget’s Cherlynn Low particularly liked the new Modular Ultra watchface, which manages to make the most of the watch’s vast screen real estate.

Oddly, Apples first generation Apple Watch Ultra is not on sale for Prime Day. It’s still full price at $799 at Amazon right now, which means there’s very little reason not to go for the newest model if you’ve been thinking about getting Apple’s most premium wearable. 

Read our thoughts from our hands-on with the Apple Watch Ultra 2. 

Apple Watch Series 9

It only arrived last month, but the new Apple Watch 9 has already handily beaten out other contenders for the top spot in our guide to the best smartwatches. And now it’s on sale for $9 off the list price, thanks to Amazon’s second Prime Day. It’s a modest discount, but likely the largest you’ll find on a Apple’s brand new flagship wearable. That makes the 41mm case $390 and the 45mm size $420 instead of $429 on Apple’s site. One of the most notable updates to this model is the upcoming Double Tap feature that will let you answer calls or dismiss an alarm just by tapping your thumb and forefinger together.

Now that the Apple Watch Series 8 is no longer the brand’s most recent model, it’s seeing a significant discount. The list price is $399 for the 41mm GPS model, but the sale brings it down to $300 which is nearly $100 off.

Read Engadget’s full review of the Apple Watch 9 and the usefulness of Double Tap. 

Apple Watch SE

Apple didn’t release a new version of the Apple Watch SE, which makes the second generation the current budget watch in the brand’s official lineup. It’s usually $250 for the GPS-only model and 40mm case but October’s Prime sale brings that base model down to $199. If you want more room on the screen, you can grab the 44mm version, which is usually $270 but down to $229 during the sale.

In our Engadget review, we called the SE “the best smartwatch $250 can buy.” It doesn’t have the new Double Tap and on-board Siri features of the new watches, and it’s missing a few of the sensors you get with the higher-end models, such as blood oxygen, temperature sensing and EKG readings. You also don’t get an always-on-display.

Here’s our review of the Apple Watch SE (second gen). 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

For those who don’t carry an iPhone, the Galaxy Watch 6 is our favorite Android smartwatch. Samsung’s latest wearable was released a few months ago and typically goes for $300, but is down to $269 during Amazon’s sale. It’s lighter than the previous model with a brighter display, better battery life and a processor upgrade. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic returns the spinning bezel which Samsung removed on the Watch 5. That model usually sells for $400, but the sale brings it down to $369 instead.

Engadget’s Malak Saleh gave the Galaxy Watch 6 an 84 in her review, noting the expansion of the wellness and health features — though many of those updates simply bring the Galaxy Watch 6 up to the standards of its competitors like Apple Watch and Google’s Pixel wearables. Still it’s a comfortable, well-designed wearable with customizable workout routines that will give you a good amount of health data.

Here’s our full review of the Galaxy Watch 6.

Google Pixel Watch

The Google Pixel Watch 2 was announced last week and will ship this Thursday. That’s probably why the first generation of the Google Pixel Watch is 40 percent off. That brings it to $210 and an all-time low. While we liked the overall design, we found the rather short battery life concerning. Since the newer generation promises a slightly larger battery and more efficient use of it, you may want to go with the Google Pixel Watch 2, which we had a moment to try out during Google’s event. But it looks like that one isn’t discounted for Amazon’s sale and is currently selling for the full $350.

Here’s our review of the first generation Google Pixel Watch.  

Withings Steel

You can get the look of a classic analog watch combined with the health tracking features of a smartwatch by opting for Withings Steel HR Sport. The hybrid watch is usually $200, but the Prime sale brings it down to $160. Instead of displaying your health and workout stats on the watchface, the Steel HR Sport sends everything to the companion app on your phone. It can track heart rate, activities and workouts as well as monitor your sleep. Since it has no screen, Withings claims the battery can go for up to 25 days on a charge.

Your October Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Fall Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-prime-day-deals-on-apple-watch-and-smartwatches-hit-their-lowest-prices-yet-182507971.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Amazon Prime Day deals on Apple Watch and smartwatches hit their lowest prices yet