When Ellen Ripley said “Get away from her, you bitch,” she apparently wasn’t talking about the latest Alien movie. Turns out, Fede Alvarez’s 2024 Alien movie is actually much, much closer to the originals than anyone could’ve guessed.
Source: Gizmodo – We Finally Know When the New Alien Movie Takes Place
Apple unveiled its most popular podcasts of 2023 on Tuesday, revealing that true crime’s chokehold on the platform continues for another year. True crime took first place in two categories, with Crime Junkie as the most popular podcast for the second year in a row, and Scamanda as the most popular new show.
Source: Gizmodo – Apple’s Top Podcasts of 2023 Reveal Bloody Murder Is Still Hot
FriendlyELEC has just launched a NAS kit built around a System-on-Module based on the high-performance Rockchip RK3588 SoC. Some key features of this device include its 2.5GbE port, dual HDMI ports, dual MIPI DSI ports and four M.2 Key M slots This embedded device features the Rockchip processor seen this month in the Banana Pi […]
Source: LXer – FriendlyELEC NAS Kit with 2.5GbE port and up to 16GB RAM
Gaming deals are always abundant during the holiday shopping period, and there are a few good ones left on the Nintendo Switch that you can grab as leftovers from Cyber Monday. It’s next to impossible to find true discounts on Switch consoles, but Nintendo will often toss in some freebies when you buy one during this time of year. The OLED model is the one to get if you’re more likely to play the Switch in handheld mode, but if you plan to mostly use the console in docked mode, there’s no harm in opting for the standard Switch and saving $50.
There’s a bundle that includes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and three months of Switch Online access at no extra cost. You’ll get a Switch, the game and a Switch Online membership for $300. That’s handy for newcomers to the Nintendo ecosystem or those who want to race against a family member in Mario Kart. It’s worth noting that you won’t see the price of the bundle until you check out at Amazon.
It’s hard to argue that this is a great deal, given that the console has been around for nearly seven years and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a port of an even older Wii U game. But it’s among the best deals you’ll find on a Switch right now, at least until Nintendo releases the console’s successor (which is widely expected to happen in 2024). In addition, upgrading to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack plan or buying the Booster Course Pass for $25 will give you access to dozens of extra tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Those who don’t mind spending a little more cash may prefer to pick up a Switch OLED instead. A bundle at Walmart and GameStop includes Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and three months of Switch Online access. This bundle costs $350. So, if you’re hankering for some fighting game action on a larger, better display than you’ll find on the regular Switch, this is the way to go.
As for Nintendo Switch game deals, the company’s own e-shop has a sale running through December 3 that includes games like Super Mario Odyssey, Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Kirby and the Forgotten Land for $40. There are also much cheaper games included, too, like Portal Companion Collection for just under $7.
Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-switch-cyber-monday-deals-you-can-still-get-on-consoles-and-games-173014282.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Nintendo Switch Cyber Monday deals you can still get on consoles and games
Intel today published Compute-Runtime 23.35.27191.9 as their latest update to this open-source GPU compute stack enabling OpenCL and oneAPI Level Zero support on Linux and Windows. With this being their first tagged release since September, it’s coming in heavy on changes…
Source: Phoronix – Intel CR 23.35.27191.9 Released As A Big Update To Their Open-Source GPU Compute Stack
Enlarge / Just some of the prizes you can win in this year’s charity drive sweepstakes. (credit: Kyle Orland)
It’s once again that special time of year when we give you a chance to do well by doing good. That’s right—it’s time for the 2023 edition of our annual Charity Drive!
Every year since 2007, we’ve encouraged readers to give to Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play charity, which provides toys and games to kids being treated in hospitals around the world. In recent years, we’ve added the Electronic Frontier Foundation to our charity push, aiding in their efforts to defend Internet freedom. This year, as always, we’re providing some extra incentive for those donations by offering donors a chance to win pieces of our big pile of vendor-provided swag. We can’t keep it, and we don’t want it clogging up our offices, so it’s now yours to win.
This year’s swag pile is full of high-value geek goodies. We have 40 prizes valued at over $2,500 total, including gaming hardware and accessories, collectibles, books, apparel, and more. In 2022, Ars readers raised over $31,500 for charity, contributing to a total haul of more than $465,000 since 2007. We want to raise even more this year, and we can do it if readers dig deep.
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Source: Ars Technica – Win hardware, collectibles, and more in the 2023 Ars Technica Charity Drive
Fallout makes its global premiere on Prime Video April 12, 2024—and it’s a series that fans of Bethesda’s popular post-apocalyptic video game have been eager to learn more about. Today, we finally have fresh images to share, and they’re full of jumpsuits, power suits, and at least one missing nose.
Source: Gizmodo – Amazon’s Fallout TV Show Reveals Its Armor, Apocalypse, and Walton Ghoul-gins
In a newly released preview of Amazon Prime’s upcoming Fallout TV show, we learned a lot of new details about the world, characters, and story of the highly anticipated live-action adaptation of Bethesda’s popular post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. For example, the show is considered canon with the games. And Walter…
Source: Kotaku – Bethesda Confirms Fallout TV Show Is Canon In First Official Preview
Ikea just announced a set of smart home sensors all for under $10. The set includes a door and window sensor named Parasoll, a motion sensor called Vallhorn, and a water leakage sensor called Badring. These are set to be globally released in the first half of next year.
Source: Gizmodo – Ikea Just Announced Smart Home Sensors for Under
In the weeks following the launch of Skyrim developer Bethesda’s highly anticipated RPG Starfield, the game has caught a bit of attention for its plummeting player numbers on Steam. Its ranking from user reviews has also dropped on Valve’s digital storefront, falling from “Positive” into the pale orange of “Mixed.”…
Source: Kotaku – Why Is Starfield Hemorrhaging Active Players?
Sports Illustrated has responded to claims that it published articles written by AI. The iconic sports publication places the blame at the feet of the contractor and has since removed the alleged content.
The illustrious sports magazine came under fire following an article by Futurism suggesting that at least one of its writers was not
Source: Hot Hardware – Sports Illustrated Responds To Report It Published Articles By Fake AI Writers
Back in June, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) began an in depth investigation into the planned $20 billion Adobe and Figma merger. The organization has released its findings and, well, they don’t paint a rosy picture. The probe tasked independent experts to determine whether or not the merger would reduce competition in the design space and the results suggest that, in fact, it’ll do just that.
It must be noted, however, that these are provisional findings. With that said, the CMA’s message is clear. The group states that the merger will “eliminate competition between two main competitors”, which is fairly obvious given Figma and Adobe’s standing in the industry. The findings also state that the deal would “reduce innovation” and the development of competing products. Finally, it’ll also “remove Figma as a threat” with regard to Adobe’s flagship software suites like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Figma is a giant player in the UK design space, accounting for 80 percent of the market. It’s also a major part of the country’s $19.4 billion app development sector. Without the merger, the CMA suggests, Figma would continue to develop or expand products that challenge Adobe. That goes away once the merger is in place because, you know, why challenge yourself?
The investigation concludes that the merger would eliminate competition between these two major players across multiple fields, including product design, image editing and illustration. These sectors account for $60 billion in annual revenue across the UK, adding up to nearly three percent of the national economy, with 850,000 skilled workers across the impacted industries. Another intent of the investigation was to suss out if the merger would damage the UK’s economy and it concluded it most likely will.
Again, these are provisional findings and the CMA has yet to consult the data to reach a final decision as to whether or not it’ll allow the sale to go through. It plans on taking some time to “listen to any further views,” likely referring to Adobe. To that end, Adobe argues that buying Figma would strengthen both companies, saying that the Creative Cloud apps would get some of Figma’s collaborative features and vice-versa. The company says it’s “deeply committed” to keeping Figma an independent entity and that it has no plans to change the pricing, including Figma’s free tier.
If the deal’s approved by the UK, which looks more unlikely with this report, Adobe still has some other battles to fight before this merger officially goes through. The acquisition still faces a US investigation, and the EU has issued its own dire warning.
This would be the larger-ever-purchase for Adobe in its storied 41-year history. Figma, on the other hand, is a relative newcomer to the market, springing forth in 2012.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/adobe-and-figma-deal-will-harm-digital-design-sector-uk-report-suggests-163954858.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Adobe and Figma deal will ‘harm’ digital design sector, UK report suggests
Enlarge (credit: Microsoft)
Windows XP was an actively supported Microsoft product for 13 years, including five years where it was the newest version available and another three years where it was vastly more popular than its successor. That longevity—plus Microsoft’s total domination of personal computing in the pre-iPhone, pre-Android world—helped make its default wallpaper one of the most recognizable images on the planet.
Microsoft is returning to the Bliss hill once again with this year’s entry in its now-traditional ugly retro-computing sweater series. Blue hemming at the bottom and on the sleeves evokes Windows XP’s bright-blue taskbar, and in case people don’t immediately recognize Bliss as “a computer thing,” there’s also a giant mouse pointer hovering over it.
Past ugly sweaters have included a Minesweeper motif, MS Paint, the Windows logo, and the immortal Clippy. Microsoft’s ugly sweater site also has wallpapers and a few other retro Easter eggs for people with some time on their hands.
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Source: Ars Technica – Microsoft’s ugly sweater for 2023 is Windows XP’s iconic default wallpaper
If you own your home, it tracks that everything on your property belongs to you. But as you get closer and closer to your property lines, the space gets a bit more liminal: If there’s a fence separating your property from your neighbor’s, it’s a shared feature, even if only one of you technically owns it. After all, a fence defines both private properties, and you both benefit from it.
That’s why practicing proper fence etiquette is vital. A fence can literally form the edge where two lives rub up against each other, and it can be a source of friction if you’re not careful. And since fence ownership and rights can be vague and complicated, it’s in everyone’s best interests to follow a few simple rules to ensure that minor fencing disputes don’t grow into major problems. Here are the rules you need to follow so you’re always be on the right side of fence etiquette.
The rule of fence etiquette is to always know what you’re talking about. That starts with knowing your property lines: If the fence was already in place when you bought the house, you probably have no idea if it’s on your property, your neighbor’s, or on the line itself. If it’s entirely on your property, it’s your fence and vice versa—if it’s literally on the boundary line, it’s a boundary fence and your local area may have specific laws governing how that’s handled. If you’re not sure of your property lines, you might need to have a land survey done to establish them, which can cost anywhere from around $400 to $750.
Most local governments have specific requirements for the height, style, and other aspects of fences, and if you have a homeowner’s association (HOA), you should check if they have any rules regarding fencing as well. You want to know everything so you can avoid inadvertently breaking a law—or offending a neighbor.
Finally, if you’re building a new fence, you’ll need to know if your neighbors enjoy what are known as “prescriptive easements” on your property. An example of an easement is when a neighbor has to drive across a small section of your private property to access their own lot. If they’ve enjoyed that access for a long time, the law may recognize it as a right, and you could get into trouble if you suddenly fence that access off (not to mention making an enemy of your neighbor). Again, you’ll want to know about that before making any fence-related decisions.
Once you’re armed with the facts about your fence, property lines, and the local requirements, you’re ready to have all the fence conversations with your neighbor. Here are the general rules of fence etiquette that will avoid an all-out Neighbor War:
Knowing where your property ends and your neighbors’ begins is one thing—respecting those lines is another. Don’t let your fence dribble over onto the lot next door just to avoid some rocky dirt or to shave a few dollars off the installation costs without discussing it with your neighbor and obtaining permission.
Many local governments require you to alert your neighbors about a fence installation or replacement, but you should do so even if there’s no such law in your area.
Even if the fence is entirely on your property and thus your property, always discuss changes with your neighbors before doing anything to a fence. They don’t own it, but they will appreciate having the opportunity to make you aware of any unforeseen impact your plans might have on them.
When building or replacing a fence, your HOA may have a lot to say about style and material. Your local government may have a lot to say about height and other requirements. But you should also take care to keep your fence in line with the look and feel of the neighborhood. Yes, it’s your property to do with as you will (within reason), but fences are weirdly shared aspects of your property. The courteous thing to do is to blend yours in with the rest.
Many fences have “finished” and “unfinished” sides. The unfinished side has the bracing and supports, the finished “good” side looks nice and clean. The good side should always face your neighbor. Again, this is simple courtesy, and doing so can avoid bad blood.
The laws regarding maintenance and fence-related expenses vary widely around the country, and are often a bit vague and difficult to enforce. If you think your neighbor should pay for some portion of a fence repair or replacement, you should broach the subject, but keep in mind that you probably can’t force them to pony up. If they refuse, your best bet is to just walk away.
If your neighbor is willing to share some of the fence expenses with you, they should get a vote on how the work is done. If you don’t agree on a style, material, or other aspect of the fence, try to find a compromise that works for you both.
A fence offers security, privacy, and—if done correctly—beauty to a property. They can keep the peace between neighbors by being a buffer zone—or they can be something to fight about. Good fence etiquette can avoid a lot of problems.
Source: LifeHacker – The Unbreakable Rules of Sharing a Fence With Your Neighbor
For as much as Doctor Who’s first 60th anniversary special, “The Star Beast,” was a celebration of the old, it also brought plenty of new with it—including Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney as Rose, Donna Noble’s trans teenage daughter. But for as important as Rose became to the episode, for showrunner Russell T. Davies,…
Source: Gizmodo – Doctor Who’s Russell T. Davies On the Importance of Showing Trans Struggles
When you think of Ganondorf, the villainous entity that plagues The Legend of Zelda’s Hyrule, what comes to mind? Despicable, evil, heinous, repulsive, vile—all good adjectives for the Demon King. “Robust and sexy” might not cross your brain, but those two words were purposeful descriptors to sketch his appearance in T…
Source: Kotaku – Zelda Devs Reveal Why They Made Ganon ‘Robust And Sexy’ In TOTK
Google says a first-of-its-kind geothermal energy project is now feeding carbon-free electricity (CFE) into the Nevada grid that powers its data centers in the area. The company says that the enhanced geothermal system (EGS) is delivering a round-the-clock supply of CFE to the grid. It’s a step toward Google’s goal of entirely powering its data centers and offices on CFE by 2030.
Google teamed up with clean energy startup Fervo Energy in 2021 to work on an EGS. Unlike other sources of CFE such as solar and wind, geothermal projects can operate at any time (solar projects, for instance, can only capture energy during the day).
Fervo Energy achieved a geothermal breakthrough earlier this year when its system achieved flow and power output records for an EGS. It was capable of producing 3.5 megawatts of electricity — enough to power around 2,600 homes. That test result was said to be the first time an energy company proved an EGS is capable of working on a commercial scale.
Scientists have been trying to make an EGS work since the 1970s. A natural geothermal system requires a blend of heat, rock permeability and fluid to generate electricity. In areas where there’s sufficient heat but not enough permeability, an EGS creates the latter by drilling deep into the earth and injecting fluid to create fractures in the rock.
At its Nevada site, Fervo drilled 8,000 feet into the ground, then extended the well horizontally to reach more of the hot reservoir. It drilled a second horizontal well to intersect the fractures in the rock. The company pumps cold water from the first well through the fractures into the second well. The water absorbs heat from the surrounding rock. This is used to generate steam and that produces CFE.
The Department of Energy has acknowledged that, unlike with gas and oil fracking, EGS poses a low risk of water contamination. EGS reservoirs are typically much deeper in the ground than oil and gas reservoirs and aren’t close to groundwater or near-surface drinking water supplies. Geothermal power plants don’t release any water on the surface either.
A 2019 report by the DOE found that — through advancements in technology as well as in policy and procurement — EGS could generate up to 120 gigawatts of clean energy by 2050. That would be enough to cover over 16 percent of the US’ expected electricity needs.
Google says it’s working to accelerate adoption of EGS as a clean energy solution. To that end, it recently teamed up with Project InnerSpace, a non-profit organization that’s focused on removing barriers that are limiting the global development of geothermal energy. Fervo, meanwhile, is building an EGS site in Utah that it expects to deliver 400 megawatts of 24/7 carbon-free electricity — enough to power as many as 300,000 homes. Fervo says that site will start delivering power to the grid in 2026 and reach full-scale production two years later.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-first-geothermal-energy-project-is-up-and-running-162630603.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Google’s first geothermal energy project is up and running
It was just last week NVK developers were celebrating Vulkan 1.0 conformance while now this open-source NVIDIA Vulkan driver within Mesa is preparing to expose Vulkan 1.1 support…
Source: Phoronix – NVK Driver Nearing Vulkan 1.1 For NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 & Newer
Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, the eight-episode anime series based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s stylish graphic novels, is a pretty great spin on the original story, albeit a divisive one among fans who wanted a more straightforward retelling. The series follows Scott and Ramona, who, after establishing a budding…
Source: Kotaku – Scott Pilgrim Anime Ending Isn’t the Season 2 Tease You Think
Cyber Monday is officially in the rear view mirror, but if you’re still looking to pick up a new TV at a discount, it’s not too late. While some of the best Cyber Monday TV deals we could find are no longer available, a handful are still live, including discounts on both premium OLED TVs and more budget-friendly sets from Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense and TCL. To help make sure you get a TV that’s worth your money, we’ve rounded up the best of the bunch below. And if you’re already happy with your set, we’ve also included a few good Cyber Monday deals for Roku and Chromecast streamers that are still kicking.
A 55-inch model of Samsung’s S90C OLED TV is still available for $1,298 at Amazon, Walmart and B&H. Samsung itself has it for $2 more. This has been the S90C’s price for the last few weeks but, outside of a brief drop to $1,098 at B&H earlier this month, it matches the lowest rate we’ve tracked. The S90C has received near–universal praise for its QD-OLED panel, which uses quantum dots to boost its peak brightness and color saturation while retaining the high contrast and deep black tones of a typical OLED display. Put another way: It looks great, and it should hold up better than most OLED TVs in a bright room. It’s also an ideal gaming TV, as it has four HDMI 2.1 ports that support up to a 144Hz refresh rate in 4K. The main drawback is that, like all Samsung TVs, it doesn’t support the popular Dolby Vision HDR format.
The 48-inch LG A2 OLED TV is now available for $600 at Best Buy. That’s $50 higher than the all-time low we saw during Cyber Monday, but if you want to step up to an OLED TV at a reasonably affordable price, it’s still a solid value. The A2 is an entry-level model from 2022, so it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, lacks HDMI 2.1 ports and doesn’t support other gaming-friendly features like VRR. It has noticeably lower peak brightness than higher-end OLEDs like the S90, too, so it won’t pop as much with HDR content. That said, it’s still an OLED TV, so it still delivers deep contrast, bold colors, wide viewing angles and low input lag for the money. At this price, it should be a nice step-up option for smaller or secondary rooms.
If money is truly no object, the 55-inch Sony A95L is $300 off and down to a new “low” of $2,498 at Amazon and B&H (and $2,500 at Best Buy). That’s far from cheap, but this ultra-premium QD-OLED TV has received wide praise for delivering perfect black levels, superb image processing, particularly punchy colors, and high brightness levels relative to other OLED sets. It’s another Google TV and, unlike the Samsung S90C, it supports Dolby Vision HDR. It can even play games at 4K/120Hz with Dolby Vision, and several reviews praise the quality of its built-in speakers. The main negative, apart from its eye-watering price, is that it only has two HDMI 2.1 ports. The S90C should be a better value for most, particularly gamers, but this deal makes the A95L at least a little cheaper than usual.
The 55-inch version of Samsung’s The Frame TV is still down to $978 at Amazon and B&H, which is nearly $400 off its average street price in recent months. It’s available for a couple bucks more at Samsung and Best Buy. This LED TV lacks contrast-boosting features like local dimming and mini-LED backlights, so its picture quality, while good, can’t match the best sets in its price range. Instead, you’d buy a Frame TV for its style. The whole thing is designed to look like a mountable piece of wall art, and when you aren’t watching something, you can use it to display artwork and photos. The TV comes with a few pieces by default, while others are available with an optional subscription.
The 55-inch Hisense U8K remains available for $698 an Amazon and Walmart, which is an all-time low and $50 less than its typical street price in recent months. Best Buy has it for $700. The 65-inch model is still a decent value at $900 — though that’s $30 higher than the low we saw on Cyber Monday — while the 75-inch set is at a low of $1,290. Several reviews have praised the U8K as one of the year’s best values among midrange TVs, one that gets impressively bright and delivers strong contrast for an LED display. It comes with two HDMI 2.1 ports that play 4K video up to 144Hz, it supports all the major HDR formats and its Google TV platform is easier to use than most smart TV UIs. Its motion and color performance will still trail a good OLED TV, though, and reviews say it’ll wash out much more heavily when viewed from an angle. But if you want to stay under $1,000 for a 65-inch model or smaller, it should be a good value.
The Hisense U6K is down to $350 for a 55-inch model and $498 for a 65-inch model, both of which represent all-time lows. The U6K is a well–reviewed option for those on a tighter budget, as it’s one of the few affordable sets to use quantum dots, mini-LED backlights and full-array local dimming. All of that helps it deliver better contrast and color volume than most TVs in this price range. It can’t get as bright as the U8K or TCL QM8, so it won’t exactly sparkle with HDR content, and its picture will degrade when viewed at an angle. Its 60Hz refresh rate and lack of HDMI 2.1 ports mean it’s not ideal for gaming, either. But trade-offs are to be expected for less than $500; if you don’t want to pay up for a higher-end model, this looks to be a solid compromise.
We’ll also note the Hisense U7K, which is down to a low of $900 for a 75-inch set at Amazon and Best Buy. The 65-inch and 55-inch models are also available for lows of $700 and $480, respectively. As its name suggests, this TV sits between the U8K and U6K in Hisense’s lineup: It doesn’t look as rich or bright as the former, but it’s a step up over the latter if you can afford to stretch your budget a little more.
The TCL QM8 is generally regarded as a close rival to the Hisense U8K in the same price bracket. Its 65-inch model is still down to $900 at Amazon, which is only $2 higher than lowest price we’ve tracked. Like Hisense’s set, the QM8 uses quantum dots, mini-LED backlights and an expansive local dimming feature to deliver strong contrast for a non-OLED TV and enough brightness to overcome glare in any room. It, too, runs Google TV, and it has two HDMI 2.1 ports that can play in 4K/144Hz.
The QM8 isn’t available in a size lower than 65 inches, so those who don’t have the space for a larger TV should get the U8K. But TCL’s TV does have one advantage for gamers: Its eARC port is separate from its HDMI 2.1 ports. That means those with a PS5, Xbox Series X and eARC-enabled soundbar can have all three hooked up at once and enjoy 4K/120Hz gaming on the two consoles without having to change inputs. One of the U8K’s HDMI 2.1 ports, on the other hand, doubles as the eARC port, so it might cause a little extra hassle. Otherwise, the two sets appear to offer similar performance.
The 65-inch TCL Q6 is available for $500 at Amazon and Best Buy, which is $20 more than its all-time low but still $50 below its usual street price. The 75-inch set is also on sale for $650, which is an all-time low. The Q6 is another budget-level TV released in 2023. Most reviews we trust say it lags well behind the Hisense U6K when it comes to contrast and HDR performance, but it’s worth highlighting because it supports a faster 120Hz refresh rate — so long as you play at a 1080p or 1440p resolution instead of 4K. If you’re a competitive-minded gamer who doesn’t want to spend a ton on a new TV, that extra smoothness might be worthwhile. Note that this set runs Amazon’s Fire TV platform, which’ll work best if you often use Amazon services like Prime Video.
The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is still down to $30 at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Best Buy and Roku’s online store, among others. That’s $5 more than its all-time low but still $14 off the average street price we’ve seen in recent months. The Streaming Stick 4K is the top pick in our guide to the best streaming devices: It runs quickly, it supports the major HDR formats and streaming services (Twitch excluded) and it has useful features like AirPlay support and a private listening mode. The Roku OS platform isn’t the sexiest piece of software design, but it’s a breeze to navigate and its search tool does well to find shows across disparate apps.
A couple other Roku streamers of note remain on sale as well. The Roku Express 4K+, for one, is within a dollar of its all-time low at $25. That dongle can’t plug directly into an HDMI port, lacks Dolby Vision support and has slightly slower Wi-Fi than the Streaming Stick 4K, but it offers the same general experience otherwise. This deal is available at several stores, including Amazon, Home Depot, Best Buy and Roku.com.
The Roku Ultra, meanwhile, is down to $69 at various retailers. That’s a $30 discount. The Ultra is the “best set-top box” pick in our media streamer guide; it’s pricier than the Streaming Stick 4K, but it adds an Ethernet jack and a microSD slot for expanding storage. It also comes with Roku’s Voice Remote Pro, which has a rechargeable battery, two programmable shortcut buttons, a remote finder function and a built-in headphone jack for private listening. Just note that you can buy the Voice Remote Pro separately and use it with most other Roku streamers if you don’t want to buy a whole new device.
The Google Chromecast is on sale for $38 at Amazon, Walmart, Target and others. This deal doesn’t represent an all-time low, but it’s still $12 off Google’s list price. The Chromecast is the runner up in our streaming device guide: It was released way back in 2020 and doesn’t support Wi-Fi 6, but it still performs competently and supports the major apps. Its biggest selling point is the Google TV interface, which does well to proactively suggest shows you might like based on your viewing history and has a genuinely convenient voice search function. If the idea of a streamer that adjusts to your viewing habits sounds appealing, it might be worth grabbing over one of the Roku players above.
If you’re shopping for an older TV, meanwhile, the 1080p version of the Chromecast offers most of the same benefits and is on sale for $20.
If you’re happy with your TV setup but need new things to watch, Hulu and Paramount+ are still running Cyber Monday sales for new and returning subscribers. The former is offering a year of its “with ads” tier for $12 total, down from $80. At the latter, you can get that three months of the ad-supported “Essential” tier for $6 instead of $18. Neither service is essential, but if there’s a show you’ve been meaning to watch on one, offers like these at least make the barrier of entry a bit less imposing. Just remember that your subscription will be set to auto-renew in most cases, so you’ll have to cancel manually if you don’t want to pay full price after the discounted period ends.
Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-cyber-monday-tv-deals-that-are-still-available-save-hundreds-on-sets-from-samsung-sony-lg-and-more-160503246.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – The best Cyber Monday TV deals that are still available: Save hundreds on sets from Samsung, Sony, LG and more
