The 10 best Amazon Prime Day SSD deals we recommend for upgrading your storage

We’re nearing the end of Amazon’s October Prime Day event, but if you need a new microSD card for your camera or Nintendo Switch, a PS5 storage boost or an external drive for your travels, there are still numerous deals on offer. Yes, Black Friday is right around the corner, but Amazon has been using its October sales event to kick off the holiday shopping season since last year. The prices we’re seeing on storage gear may come back around for everyone in a month’s time — but if you’re a Prime member who wants to ensure they’re getting a good deal today, now’s a good time to shop. We’ve combed through the plethora of storage deals available for Amazon’s October Prime Day sale and highlighted the best we could find below, including discounts on some of the best SSDs and microSD cards we’ve tested.

Samsung Evo Select microSD

The Samsung Evo Select microSD card is on sale for $10 for October Prime Day. It’s not quite as good as our top pick in our microSD card guide, mostly due to its slower sequential write speeds, but it’s arguably the best value microSD card you can get right now. If you need more space, the 512GB model is down to an all-time low of $28 as well.

Lexar Professional 1066x microSD

The 256GB Lexar Professional 1066x microSD card has dropped to $18 for Prime Day. It’s a good alternative to our top pick in our microSD card guide, even if its overall speeds are a bit slower.

Samsung T7 Shield

The 2TB Samsung T7 Shield has stayed at a low price of $100 for October Prime Day. Samsung makes some of our favorite SSDs available right now, and the T7 Shield is the most durable of the company’s offerings. This portable drive has an IP65 rating for water and dust resistance, and it can withstand drops from up to 10 feet high. On top of that, its 1,050/1,000 MB/s read/write speeds should be enough for most people’s needs.

Crucial P3 Plus

The Crucial P3 Plus SSD with 4TB of storage is down to $180 — but only for Prime members. If you do subscribe to Amazon’s service, you’ll pay 20 percent less than the $225 starting price. It claims sequential read speeds of up to 5000MB/s and Crucial says it performs up to 43% faster than Gen3 NVMe SSDs.

Crucial X8

Crucial X8 portable drive is on sale for $48 right now. It supports read speeds up to 1,050 MB/s and drop protection from up to 7.5 feet. It also comes with a USB-A adapter for its included USB-C cable, so you can use it with a variety of devices.

Corsair MP600 Pro LPX

The jumbo-sized, 4TB version of the pick in our best PS5 SSDs guide, Corsair’s MP600 Pro LPX drive, is now on sale for $280. It checks all the boxes you’d want in a good drive for your console: it’s fast, with read speeds of up to 7,100MB/s, it comes with a pre-installed heatsink and it’s protected by a five-year warranty. Plus, it’s not the most expensive drive to begin with, which makes it a great value — especially when on sale like this.

Crucial MX500

The Crucial MX500 internal drive is on sale for $46 right now. It’s been a longtime favorite of ours for its sequential read speeds of 560MB/s and standard 2.5-inch design that should make it easy to swamp in for your desktop’s or laptop’s used-up drive. If you want something more spacious, the 4TB model is also on sale for $165.

Crucial P5 Plus

The Crucial P5 Plus SSD has stayed low at $54 for October Prime Day. It’s already our favorite affordable SSD for the PS5, so it’s an even better buy when you can get it at a discount. It has read speeds rated up to 6,600MB/s and the main downside to it is that you’d need to provide and install your own heatsink with this model to get it to work with Sony’s console. However, Crucial also makes a version with a heatsink integrated, and the 2TB version of that drive is down to $98 for Amazon’s sale.

Samsung 980 Pro

The Samsung 980 Pro SSD has been discounted to $50 for Prime Day. It’s a good option for the PS5, but keep in mind that it doesn’t come with a heatsink by default — but you can buy a version of it with an included one, or spring for your own. The 980 Pro has read speeds up to 7,000 MB/s and reliable thermal controls.

WD Black SN850X

WD Black’s 1TB SN850X is on sale for $60 right now. It has the right read/write speeds to be a good option for the PS5, plus you can get it (or it’s slightly slower counterpart, the SN850) with a heatsink included.

Your Fall 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 car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-ssd-storage-deals-prime-day-october-2023-201934920.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The 10 best Amazon Prime Day SSD deals we recommend for upgrading your storage

Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Took a Tiny, Shambling Step Toward a Carol/Daryl Reunion

When AMC first announced it was anchoring a new Walking Dead spinoff around Norman Reedus’ beloved Daryl Dixon, it was initially meant to bring along fellow zombie survivor Carol—only for it to suddenly become Carol-less months later. Now that Daryl Dixon is finally airing, it’s returned to its Carol-adjacent status,…

Read more…



Source: Gizmodo – Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Took a Tiny, Shambling Step Toward a Carol/Daryl Reunion

You’ll be able to stream PS5 games this month—but only on an actual PS5

Aloy draws a bow in the PS5 game Horizon Forbidden West

Enlarge / Horizon: Forbidden West.

Sony has announced a launch date for a new feature that will allow PlayStation Plus Premium members to stream PS5 games, just like they’ve been able to do with PS3 and PS4 games for a while.

The streaming service will roll out first in Japan on October 17, then in supported European countries (the full list is in Sony’s blog post) on October 23, and finally in North America on October 30.

Not all games will be supported, but it sounds like quite a few will. Sony platform experience executive Hideaki Nishino writes in a blog post that streaming will be available “for supported PS5 digital titles within the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Game Trials, as well as supported titles in the PS5 game library that PlayStation Plus Premium members own.”

Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments



Source: Ars Technica – You’ll be able to stream PS5 games this month—but only on an actual PS5

[$] Remote execution in the GNOME tracker

While the vulnerability itself is pretty run-of-the-mill, the recently disclosed
GNOME vulnerability has a number of interesting facets. The problem lies
in a library that reads files in a fairly obscure format, but it turns out
that files in that format are routinely—automatically—processed by GNOME if
they are downloaded to the local system. That turns a vulnerability in a
largely unknown library into a one-click remote-code-execution flaw for
the GNOME desktop.

Source: LWN.net – [$] Remote execution in the GNOME tracker

These Robot Vacuums Are at All-Time Low Prices During October Prime Day

It’s the final day of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, but there are still bargains to be had—particularly for you neat freaks out there. If cordless stick vacuums are too much work and you’d rather let a robot take over, you have many options to choose from, some of them up to 52% off. Here are Amazon’s best deals on…

Read more…



Source: LifeHacker – These Robot Vacuums Are at All-Time Low Prices During October Prime Day

AI on Track to Gobble Up as Much Energy as a Country, Study Finds

Artificial intelligence may have a larger impact on the environment than previously thought, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Joule. The research found that AI could undermine efforts to reduce carbon emissions by eventually consuming as much energy as a country the size of Sweden.

Read more…



Source: Gizmodo – AI on Track to Gobble Up as Much Energy as a Country, Study Finds

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.

Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments



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

Debian 12.2 “Bookworm” Released With 117 Bug Fixes, 52 Security Updates

Arriving two and a half months after Debian 12.1, the Debian 12.2 release is here to provide those who want to deploy the operating system on new hardware with up-to-date installation media so they won’t have to download hundreds of updates from the repositories after the installation.

The post Debian 12.2 “Bookworm” Released With 117 Bug Fixes, 52 Security Updates appeared first on Linux Today.



Source: Linux Today – Debian 12.2 “Bookworm” Released With 117 Bug Fixes, 52 Security Updates

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’

These Dyson Vacuum 'Dupes' Are up to 44% Off During October Prime Day

If you’re looking for a new vacuum and the Dyson cordless vacuum deals don’t tickle your fancy (or fit into your budget), consider a serviceable knockoff. These Dyson dupe vacuums, are about half the price of the “real thing” during Amazon’s October Prime Day sale. They may not have the fancy branding, but they have…

Read more…



Source: LifeHacker – These Dyson Vacuum ‘Dupes’ Are up to 44% Off During October Prime Day

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

Pixel 8 And Pixel 8 Pro Review: Artificially Intelligent, Naturally Elegant

Pixel 8 And Pixel 8 Pro Review: Artificially Intelligent, Naturally Elegant
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: Starting at $699.99 and $999.99 Google’s latest Pixel phones are the smartest smartphones in town. Brighter, flatter screens Seven years of OS updates Useful AI camera features and pro photo mode Refined, attractive design Faster charging Pro camera controls arbitrarily limited to Pixel 8 Pro $100 price bump…

Source: Hot Hardware – Pixel 8 And Pixel 8 Pro Review: Artificially Intelligent, Naturally Elegant

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

PS5 Finally Gets Cloud Gaming Later This Month

Sony’s cloud gaming efforts are starting to ramp up. PS Plus subscribers will be able to start streaming big-name games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the Resident Evil 4 remake directly to their PlayStation 5s in the coming weeks. The company also hints that PS5 cloud gaming might be coming to other devices, like…

Read more…



Source: Kotaku – PS5 Finally Gets Cloud Gaming Later This Month