The Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a very high global risk of infection surges that could have severe consequences some areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. From a report: The UN agency urged its 194 member states to accelerate vaccination of high-priority groups and, in anticipation of increased case numbers, to “ensure mitigation plans are in place” to maintain essential health services. “Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” the WHO said. “The overall global risk related to the new variant … is assessed as very high.” To date, no deaths linked to Omicron had been reported, though further research was needed to assess Omicron’s potential to escape protection against immunity induced by vaccines and previous infections, it said.
Thanks to a new deep neural network called ExoMiner, NASA has added a whopping 301 exoplanets that human eyes had missed. These exoplanets have been added to the 4,569 other planets that have been validated by NASA.
NASA scientists, astronomers and researchers are always on the lookout for new exoplanets that may exist. Up until now the
Pulling yourself from arm’s length up to a horizontal bar is a phenomenal exercise for your back, your arms, and your core. But there’s more than one way to do it, and I’m not just talking about the fact that “pullups” and “chinups” are technically two different exercises. There are countless variations to make the…
If it feels like news surrounding vaccines and its detractors have come to epitomize nearly all aspects of recent daily life, that’s because it kind of has according to some of the world’s top dictionaries.
One of the throwbacks to the mid 2000s is the updated Motorola Razr, which takes us back to a time of Von Dutch hats, Paris Hilton at the peak of her popularity, and Myspace. The refreshed Razr is on sale for Cyber Monday, as are some other Motorola products. Let’s have a look.
The Motorola Razr 5G (Unlocked) is on sale for $767.99 at Amazon
Diffoscope is a “smart binary diff” tool that “knows” text and binary formats, and will recursively unpack and compare blobs, making it useful in package maintenance.
AirPower may not be as dead as we thought. Years after canceling the product, Apple is reportedly working on a new charger that could charge three devices at the same time.
Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin has put forward a new Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) that aims to tackle the network’s gas fee problems by adding a limit on the total transaction calldata, which would, in turn, reduce transaction gas cost. From a report: Since Ethereum can only process 15 transactions per second, gas fees tend to spike at times of network congestion. On November 9, the average transaction network fee reached USD 62 per transaction. As of now, Ethereum transactions cost around USD 44, according to BitInfoCharts.
After highlighting concerns regarding the transaction fees on the Ethereum network, Buterin suggested the new EIP-4488, saying that it would “decrease transaction calldata gas cost, and add a limit of how much total transaction calldata can be in a block.” In other words, EIP-4488 would limit the total transaction calldata, where data from external calls to functions are stored, before reducing the calldata gas cost to remove the possibility of breaking the network.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl has been a glitch-fest so far. While some of the bugs have been annoying or just plain weird, others, like duplication glitches, have effectively broken the game. First, players found a way to clone one Pokémon at a time. Then they found a way to duplicate entire teams. Now,…
While the Switch’s Joy-Cons are perfectly suitable for casual gaming, those who want a bit more control and comfort should consider springing for the Switch Pro Controller or something similar to it. Naturally, being an official accessory from Nintendo, the Pro Controller comes in at a steep $70 — but now it’s on sale for $50 at Amazon, which is $20 off and an all-time low.
The design of the Pro Controller will be familiar to most gamers, and immediately recognizable as more comfortable than Joy-Cons with its side grips and left-side D-pad. It pairs wirelessly with the Switch and it comes with its own charging cable, too. Plus, since it’s a first-party accessory, features like an infrared sensor and vibration aren’t lost like they often are with third-party controllers.
The Pro Controller’s $70 price tag is its biggest downside, which is why we recommend waiting for a sale like this one to grab the accessory. And if you’re not on the market for a new controller for yourself, it also makes a good gift for the Switch fan in your life. Those looking to spend a bit less should check out 8BitDo’s Pro 2 controller, which is on sale for $45 right now.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Part 1 of Netflix’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation was better than it had any right to be. Billed as a sequel to an ‘80s cartoon that never had enough story to make a sequel feasible, Kevin Smith managed to pull off a minor miracle by staying true to the foundations of the franchise while expanding it for its now…
If you’ve got an alcove, corner, or otherwise awkward empty space in a room that needs a little extra storage or decorative touch, the best solution may be a simple floating shelf. Floating shelves are cost-effective to make—and are fairly easy to install—and they can finish off a space that needs a little something.
Know what is even better than scoring a gaming laptop for a discount on Cyber Monday? Buying one on sale with a high-end display, whether that be a fancy OLED screen or a panel with a fast refresh rate. As it so happens, there are several options that fall into those categories, all marked down on Amazon for Cyber Monday.
There’s a new coronavirus variant in town—and it may have a striking impact on oil. Global prices fell by more than 10% on Friday after the World Health Organization declared the omicron variant a “variant of concern.” The dip marks the biggest one-day crash since the early days of the pandemic.
The latest iteration of the Nintendo Switch introduced an upgraded OLED screen that’s a real treat for the eyes, but those who were hoping for an even bigger upgrade might want to consider the Orion: a portable Switch dock that gives the handheld an expanded 11.6-inch screen.
In some ways, money is the perfect gift. It’s liquid, which means the recipient has total agency to do whatever they want with it. Cash is the easiest way to give money, and no one’s going to be mad about getting a box full of twenties for their birthday—but unless you’re Robert Deniro in a Scorsese film, giving cash…
Microsoft’s $300 Xbox Series S was the most popular console during Black Friday, it’s been claimed. From a report: According to Adobe’s Digital Economy Index data, the cheaper Series S outsold both PS5, Switch OLED Model and the more expensive Xbox Series X during the biggest holiday sale day of the year. Adobe claims its data comes from analysing 1 trillion visits to retail sites, in addition to surveying over 1,000 retailers on their most popular items. If accurate, a key element of Series S’s popularity is likely that, unlike the highly sought-after PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, Series S has been widely available to purchase during Black Friday week. At the time of publishing, it’s still in stock at many retailers.
If you’re still on the hunt for the best laptop to replace your aging machine, or to gift to a loved one, Cyber Monday has brought a bunch of options for you. Laptops and tablets from the likes of HP, Apple, Samsung and others are on sale today, and there are a number of discounts from Black Friday still lingering across the interwebs. As usual, we recommend going directly to manufacturers like Dell, HP, Microsoft and Razer if you’re looking for a machine with a specific amount of RAM or storage. However, it can be simpler to go to retailers like Amazon and Best Buy and pick from the pre-configured models they have in stock.
HP Spectre x360 13
HP’s Spectre x360 13 is on sale for $840. This particular model has an 11th-gen Core i5 processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and 13.3-inch FHD touchscreen. It earned a score of 94 from us for its gorgeous design, thin-bezeled screen, powerful performance and comfortable keyboard and trackpad.
Razer’s mainstream notebook, the Razer Book, has fallen to $1,500. The model on sale is specced out: it runs on an 11th-gen Core i7 processor, Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a 13.4-inch UHD+ touchscreen. This laptop includes a generous array of ports, eGPU compatibility and Chroma keyboard lighting.
Starting at 1pm ET today, you can get the Dell XPS 13 with an 11th-gen Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a 13.4-inch 4K touchscreen for $1,200. Amazon has a slightly different model with a FHD+ touchscreen for $1,440 today only as well. We gave the 2020 model a score of 94 for its attractive design, powerful performance and thin-bezeled screen.
ASUS’ ZenBook 13 convertible laptop is on sale for $1,010, or 16 percent off its normal price. This model has an 11th-gen Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and a 13.3-inch FHD OLED display.
Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet is on sale for $230, or $70 off its normal price. A couple of models are on sale, but the base version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage would make a good secondary device for most people. We gave the Duet a score of 79 for its good performance, solid battery life and included detachable keyboard.
The latest MacBook Pro laptops are $200 cheaper than usual at Adorama and B&H Photo. We gave them a score of 92 for their powerful performance, lovely Liquid Retina XDR displays and new bevy of ports.
Both the Galaxy S7 and S7+ tablets are still on sale for Cyber Monday, down to $499 and $699, respectively. Either would be good options for Android lovers looking for a new tablet — we were impressed by their beautiful build, vibrant 120Hz displays, long battery lives and S Pen support.
The Surface Laptop Go has dropped to $550, or $150 cheaper than usual. It earned a score of 81 from us for its attractive design, speedy CPU and excellent keyboard and trackpad.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 is $500 off right now, bringing it down to $900. We gave it a score of 82 for its thin and light design, colorful display and included S Pen.
Google’s Pixelbook Go is on sale for $599, or $50 off its normal price. It earned a score of 84 from us for its excellent keyboard, thin and light design, good performance and solid battery life.
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 is down to $399, or $50 off its normal price. We gave the Chrome OS machine a score of 82 for its impressive screen, powerful performance, surprisingly loud speakers and eye-catching design.
ASUS’s capable Chromebook Flip C436 is on sale for $650 today only, which is $150 off its normal price. That gets you a 10th-gen Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 14-inch FHD touchscreen and a convertible design. With those specs, this Chromebook could easily be a daily driver for Chrome OS diehards.
The Fire 7 tablet is on sale for $35. If you’re looking for a cheap tablet to be a couch device, or to give your kid without worry, this is a good option. While it doesn’t have the Google Play Store, you can still use it to check email, watch videos, play music and more.
The Fire HD 8 tablet is on sale for $45, or half off its normal price. We gave it a score of 79 for its decent performance, good battery life, wireless charging capabilities and USB-C port.
The biggest of Amazon’s tablets, the Fire HD 10, is half off right now, bringing it down to $75. It’s the best Fire tablet to get if you care at all about performance. We like its 1080p display, 12-hour battery life and its Show Mode feature.
The 8-inch version of Amazon’s kids tablet is half off and down to $70. This comes with a protective case, a two-year warranty and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+.
The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is 40 percent off, knocking it down to $120. You’re getting the same thing in this bundle — a protective case, a two-year warranty and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ — along with a larger tablet.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Don’t miss a moment of the action this coming year with a GoPro HERO action cam, on sale now for Cyber Monday. Choose from three different HERO models that are all marked down on Amazon.
The GoPro name has long been known for quality action cameras. Whether you are mounting one to a helmet cam and capturing your incredible flips while snowboarding
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has resigned from the company and CTO Parag Agrawal has replaced him as chief executive effective immediately. CNBCfirst reported on Dorsey’s departure.
Over the last six years, Dorsey had been in the unusual situation of running two notable tech companies: Twitter and Square. His first stint as Twitter CEO, which he co-founded, ended in 2008 when he was pushed out, but he was still on the board. He returned as CEO in 2015 when Dick Costolo departed.
Last year, activist investment firm Elliott Management called for Dorsey to leave his position at Twitter. The firm’s founder, Paul Singer, suggested Dorsey’s dual CEO role meant he wasn’t able to focus enough on the social media platform. Twitter reached a deal with Elliott Management, which included a $2 billion stock buyback, to keep Dorsey in place, despite a shaky outlook for the company when the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to take hold.
Twitter missed Wall Street expectations on revenue and earnings per share last quarter. The main engagement metric, monetizable daily active users (mDAU), rose by 13 percent year-over-year to 211 million. However, average US mDAUs remained at 37 million for the second quarter running. In September, the company agreed to pay $809.5 million to settle a class-action suit, in which investors accused the company of providing misleading numbers about engagement.
Advertising is still by far the biggest driver of Twitter revenue ($1.14 billion of the $1.28 billion it generated last quarter), but the company has been exploring other ways of making money over the last couple of years. Twitter bought newsletter service Revue in January and integrated it into the core Twitter platform. Users can charge readers to read newsletters and Twitter takes a five percent cut.
More recently, the company rolled out Twitter Blue, a $3/month service geared toward power users that adds features such as an undo button, bookmark folders and a way to make threads more readable.
Update 11/29 10:45AM ET: Updated with confirmation.
