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Amazon’s Memorial Day sale is in full swing, featuring deals on garden, sports, beauty, home items, electronics, and more. A particular sale that stood out to me, as a deals writer who frequently reviews headphones and speakers, is the one on Beats products. While it’s not uncommon to see Beats products with a good discount, it is rare to see the newest product (the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2) included in the sale.

Right now, you can get the Beats Pill, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, and the Beats Studio Buds+ for up to 41% off. All of these options are at their lowest prices ever, according to price-tracking tools.

Beats Studio Buds + are $40 off

Beats Studio Buds +

True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds, Enhanced Apple & Android Compatibility, Built-in Microphone.

$99.95
at Amazon

$169.95
Save $70.00

$99.95
at Amazon

$169.95
Save $70.00

The Beats Studio Buds + are very similar to the Beats Studio Buds, but there are some key differences. The Studio Buds + have an extra small ear tip size, an extra hour of battery life (total of nine hours), 12 more hours from the charging case (total of 36 hours), and perhaps more importantly, they have better ANC and better features for Android users, which you can read more about in PCMag’s review. You can get them for $99.95 (originally $169.95), matching the lowest price they have ever been, according to price-tracking tools.

The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are $50 off

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

Noise Cancelling, Heart Rate Monitor, IPX4, Up to 45H Battery & Charging Case, Apple & Android.

$199.95
at Amazon

$249.99
Save $50.04

$199.95
at Amazon

$249.99
Save $50.04

The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are the newest earbuds from Beats, and the second generation of the original Powerbeats Pro. Although they’re only $20 apart in price, don’t let that fool you. This new iteration offers a lot more in quality than the original ones, which you can read more about in Senior Health Editor Beth Skwarecki’s review. While your attention might go to its new heart-rate monitoring feature, it’s actually a flop. However, they’re still great workout earbuds with better flexible and durable ear hooks, ANC, audio quality, battery, case, and the newer H2 chip, which you also see in the AirPods Pro 2.

The Beats Pill is $50 off

Beats Pill

24H Battery Life, Water Resistant, Bluetooth, Apple & Android Compatible.

$99.95
at Amazon

$149.95
Save $50.00

$99.95
at Amazon

$149.95
Save $50.00

I’ve been trying out the Beats Pill speaker since it came out in June, and it has everything I would want in a portable speaker: a stereo sound when connected to another compatible speaker, multi-room mode to play the same music on multiple speakers, the Find My Device feature in case you misplace it, and Class 1 Bluetooth for extended range. If you’re an Apple user, you can take advantage of the AAC codec for better audio quality. You can get it for $99.95 (originally $149.95), the lowest price yet.

There’s a new way to screen for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the first blood test for the disorder. Fujirebio Diagnostics’ Lumipulse measures the ratio of two proteins that correlate with the presence or absence of Alzheimer’s. Previously, patients being screened for Alzheimer’s were limited to more invasive options: a PET Scan or spinal tap.

Lumipulse is intended for use in clinical settings with patients exhibiting signs of cognitive decline. At least in its current form, it isn’t something the general population can ask for as a standard screening.

The test works by measuring two proteins: pTau217 and β-amyloid 1-42. The blood test calculates their ratio, which correlates with the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain. People with Alzheimer’s have elevated pTau217 and lower β-amyloid 1-42.

In a clinical study, the test performed better with negative results than positive ones. As such, Reuters reports that the test will likely be used initially to rule out Alzheimer’s. Over 97 percent of negative results corresponded with a negative PET scan or CSF test result. Results for positives were a bit lower: a 91.7 percent correlation. So, positive results will need to be confirmed with more advanced diagnostic tests.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/the-fda-clears-the-first-blood-test-for-diagnosing-alzheimers-disease-201209676.html?src=rss

This week, Spotify rushed to remove hundreds of obviously fake podcasts found to be marketing prescription drugs in violation of Spotify’s policies and, likely, federal law.

On Thursday, Business Insider (BI) reported that Spotify removed 200 podcasts advertising the sale of opioids and other drugs, but that wasn’t the end of the scandal. Today, CNN revealed that it easily uncovered dozens more fake podcasts peddling drugs.

Some of the podcasts may have raised a red flag for a human moderator—with titles like “My Adderall Store” or “Xtrapharma.com” and episodes titled “Order Codeine Online Safe Pharmacy Louisiana” or “Order Xanax 2 mg Online Big Deal On Christmas Season,” CNN reported.

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The Federal Communications Commission has approved Verizon’s $9.6 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications, valuing the Dallas-based company at $20 billion including debt. The approval comes after Verizon agreed to scale back diversity initiatives to comply with Trump administration policies.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who previously threatened to block mergers over DEI practices, praised the deal for its potential to “unleash billions in new infrastructure builds” and “accelerate the transition away from old, copper line networks to modern, high-speed ones.” The acquisition positions America’s largest phone carrier to expand its high-speed internet footprint across Frontier’s 25-state network. Verizon plans to deploy fiber to more than one million U.S. homes annually following the transaction.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Last August, my best friend asked me how she could help her neighbor set her iPhone so she could answer it without picking it up. The neighbor had Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and had lost dexterity in both hands over time. Some Google searches revealed I was far from alone in my confusion. So I asked Apple for some advice. Here’s what I said:

Q: “My friend has advanced MS and has some (very little) control of one of her hands. She can’t really swipe a screen or tap buttons. She wants it so that when she receives a call, she can just ask Siri or tell her iPhone to answer or reject it. But based on my research, the only way that’s possible is if a user has AirPods or Apple Watch connected, so Siri can announce incoming calls and listen for commands like “Answer” or “Dismiss.”

I also looked in the accessibility settings for Voice Control and there’s a way to answer all incoming calls after a set amount of time. But due to privacy concerns and spam calls, that’s not an ideal solution.

I was wondering if you knew any way for incoming calls to be answered with a voice command?”

A: Apple did respond, but unfortunately the solution is… complicated. I’ll lay out the steps on how to use your iPhone with Voice Control first, since that does provide a somewhat effective workaround. But you should read past the steps for some of the caveats.

How to use Voice Control on iPhone to answer calls

Before we get started, make sure your phone is running iOS 13 or later. You can also use Voice Control on iPads or iPod Touch (if you still have one). When setting up Voice Control, make sure you’re connected to the internet to download the necessary files, and Apple recommends you connect to Wi-Fi before you turn on Voice Control to use it for the first time. When all that is done, proceed with the following steps.

1. Open the Settings app and find the Accessibility settings. This is in the second group of options just below “General.” You can also just search for “Accessibility.”

2. Select “Voice Control,” which is listed in the “Physical and motion” section.

3. Turn on Voice Control by tapping or sliding the toggle next to it, and, in some cases, wait for the download to finish. If you’ve enabled Voice Control before, you can also just ask Siri to “Turn on voice control.”

4. Once the feature is on, you’ll see little numbers floating around your screen, next to key elements. Your microphone is now on and your iPhone is listening for your commands.

5. Read out the number next to what you want to trigger. If you’ve been following this guide, you can say “one” to go back to the Accessibility settings menu.

6. Say “Show me what to say” for a detailed list of things you can do. You can use commands like “Swipe down” or “Move down” to scroll through pages. Just remember that “Swipe up” will scroll down and “Swipe down” will scroll up. The system will continue to recognize your touch inputs, too.

7. When a call comes in, read out the number next to the answer option. From the lock screen, that was the number “five” in my experience. When my phone was unlocked, the number to accept the call was “six,” while “five” would decline it.

Voice Control isn’t perfect

As you can see from that seventh step, Voice Control is complicated. You’ll need to be within view of your screen to see the labels, and saying the wrong number can cause you to hang up a call by accident. You can say “Show Names” to display words instead of numbers in the labels, but know that in this case you’ll need to add “Tap” before each label to press it. That means when a call comes in, you can say “Tap Answer” or the label corresponding to the action you want. 

I want to point out that the numerical labels don’t consistently appear in all apps (the search bar at the top of chats in WhatsApp, for example, doesn’t have a number attached to it in my experience). Occasionally, the names in the labels are also oddly chosen, like how the word attached to my widget for my self-care app was just “Image.” It also takes time to build familiarity with Voice Control and learn all the available actions. 

I also found the system to be sluggish, and it sometimes took a noticeable delay before a command like “Swipe left” was registered and carried out. On my first few attempts, I thought my iPhone didn’t hear me and repeated the instruction, only for it to swipe through two pages instead. I’m using an iPhone 16 Pro, which is Apple’s latest flagship, so it’s not like I’m on an older, slower device, either.

While we were able to achieve a semi-effective approach with the Voice Control workaround, it didn’t really solve my friend’s neighbor’s problem.

How to answer or decline calls with Siri

In researching this guide, I’ve found that either there is now a way to answer calls with Siri or there was always one that I had missed in August of 2024. Regardless, I was able to test it today in a few different scenarios and while it’s certainly more convenient, it’s not without its limitations. 

1. Go to Siri Settings in your phone. You can find this by searching for “Siri” in your Settings app or just scrolling till you see “Siri” or “Apple Intelligence & Siri.”

2. Make sure the setting to allow your iPhone to listen for “Siri” or “Hey Siri” is on. If you’re running the latest version of iOS on an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro, this would be Talk & Type to Siri > “Hey Siri” or “Siri” or “Hey Siri” (whichever you prefer, as long as it’s not “Off”). On older iPhones or versions of iOS, it would be Talk to Siri > “Hey Siri” or “Siri” or “Hey Siri”

3. Turn on “Call Hang Up” if you want to be able to end a call with a voice command during the conversation. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for the other party to hang up. Note: Call hang up only works on phone and FaceTime calls, not on those via third-party apps like WhatsApp or Telegram.

4. When a call comes in, say “Siri, answer” or “Hey Siri, answer” to accept. Say “Siri, decline the call” to reject it. In my testing, “Siri, decline” did not work, but “Siri, decline the call” did. 

I was able to use this method to answer calls not only through phone or FaceTime, but via third-party apps too. I enabled “Announce calls,” setting it to do so “Always” rather than only when headphones or CarPlay were connected. But I never saw or heard alerts when a call came, besides the actual ringing. When I asked my friend about using this method with their neighbor, they mentioned that her speech was so affected at that point that Siri wouldn’t always recognize what she was saying.

Accessibility in tech has improved, but needs to get even better

Sadly, that neighbor had passed away before we were able to resolve the issue. Though I wasn’t able to solve her problem, I’m putting the limited guidance I’ve been able to compile here in the hope that it might be useful to someone in a substantially similar situation. 

I have yet to properly test the offerings on Android, but on that platform there are settings for Voice Access to be enabled for incoming calls and to remain active during calls, indicating there are options to use voice commands there.

My friend’s neighbor’s challenges are shared by countless people who are still struggling with consumer technology tools that rarely meet their full needs — whether they’re temporary limitations from injuries or longterm issues resulting from disability or age. Voice-based interactions that are meant to help those with physical disabilities need to better recognize speech impediments at a wider level, and both Google and Apple, along with other major tech companies, have taken steps toward building better models in those respects. 

The memory of our frustration with voice control felt all the more timely this week, which marked the 14th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (the third Thursday of each May). We saw Apple and Google announce new accessibility features, while companies like Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft reminded us of the assistive tools they recently released. 

It’s heartening to see increased development in inclusively designed tech, but it’s also worth considering how complete and useful some of these “solutions” are. Many of us will either need some form of assistive technology at some point in our lives or know someone who does and would. In spite of the continued improvements, there’s still plenty to do to ensure tech is accessible to all.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/ask-engadget-how-do-i-answer-calls-on-my-iphone-with-only-my-voice-193707009.html?src=rss

For a short period of time on Friday, Darth Vader could drop F-bombs in the video game Fortnite as part of a voice AI implementation gone wrong, reports GameSpot. Epic Games rapidly deployed a hotfix after players encountered the Sith Lord responding to their comments with profanity and strong language.

In Fortnite, the AI-voiced Vader appears as both a boss in battle royale mode and an interactive character. The official Star Wars website encourages players to “ask him all your pressing questions about the Force, the Galactic Empire… or you know, a good strat for the last Storm circle,” adding that “the Sith Lord has opinions.”

The F-bomb incident involved a Twitch streamer named Loserfruit, who triggered the forceful response when discussing food with the virtual Vader. The Dark Lord of the Sith responded by repeating her words “freaking” and “fucking” before adding, “Such vulgarity does not become you, Padme.” The exchange spread virally across social media platforms on Friday.

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Charter Communications announced a $21.9 billion deal Friday to acquire Cox Communications, combining two major cable providers as they face mounting competition from wireless carriers offering 5G home internet. The transaction merges Charter’s 31.4 million customers with Cox’s 6.3 million, creating a larger entity to defend against aggressive expansion from Verizon and T-Mobile.

Charter lost 60,000 internet customers in the March quarter, underscoring the industry’s vulnerability as traditional cable broadband growth stalls. Wireless carriers have successfully marketed their fixed wireless access services at lower price points while delivering competitive speeds, turning what was once cable’s most profitable segment into contested territory.

The combined company, which will be headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, plans to adopt the Cox Communications name within a year of closing while retaining Spectrum as its consumer-facing brand.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Always wanted a LEGO version of the little anthropomorphic lamp from the beginning of Pixar movies but never had the skills to make one yourself? Or any skills, really? Sorry I’m projecting. Well I’m in luck, because LEGO has just announced an official Pixar Luxo Jr. build set. If I can just follow the instructions without rage eating any of the 613 pieces I can turn them into Luxo Jr. and his bouncy ball, which doubles as a stand. You know, I always saw a lot of myself in those little videos. Mostly because I can relate to the ball constantly getting stomped on. PLOT TWIST: The ball is anthropomorphic too.

Health authorities in densely-populated Hong Kong and Singapore have warned that Covid-19 cases are spiking, as a resurgent wave spreads through Asia. Bloomberg: The virus’ activity in Hong Kong is now “quite high,” Albert Au, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the city’s Center for Health Protection, told local media this week. The percentage of respiratory samples testing Covid-positive in Hong Kong recently reached its highest in a year.

Severe cases — including deaths — also reached its highest level in about a year to 31 in the week through May 3, the center’s data shows. While the resurgence is yet to match the infection peaks seen in the past two years, rising viral load found in sewage water and Covid-related medical consultations and hospitalizations suggest the virus is actively spreading in the city of over 7 million people.

Rival financial hub Singapore is also on Covid alert. The city-state’s health ministry released its first update on infection numbers in almost a year this month, as the estimated number of cases jumped 28% to 14,200 in the week through May 3 from the previous seven days while daily hospitalization rose around 30%. Singapore now only provides case updates when there is a noticeable spike.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Iconic video game maker Hideo Kojima has left behind a USB stick filled with game ideas in the case of his death, as indicated in an interview with Edge Magazine that VGC reported on. Kojima says it’s “kind of like a will” and that he hopes that his staff will continue to make games after he passes.

Don’t worry. He isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. This was spurred on by the pandemic. “Until then, I didn’t think I was old, you know? I just didn’t feel my age, and I assumed I would be able to create for as long as I live,” he told the magazine. Kojima is 61 years old, which is a spring chicken when compared to luminaries like Shigeru Miyamoto (72) and Sid Meier (71.)

While Kojima isn’t planning on leaving this mortal coil in the near future, he does say that he only has so much time left for active game development. He gives himself around ten years before he reaches an age in which his creative energy could be depleted.

So, the idea of a USB stick was born. He hopes it will allow Kojima Productions to carry on as an entity after he passes or retires. “This is a fear for me: what happens to Kojima Productions after I’m gone? I don’t want them to just manage our existing IP.”

While we don’t know what type of ideas are on the USB stick, Kojima did recently introduce a few off-the-wall game concepts regarding the passage of time. He discussed a concept involving memory, in which the main character gradually forgets important information and abilities if someone takes too long of a break from playing. Kojima also discussed a game that encompassed an entire life and another one that would involve the real-time creation of wine or cheese.

The designer also planned on a mechanic that made Sam’s beard grow over time in the forthcoming Death Stranding 2. However, he scrapped it because “Norman Reedus is a big star” and he didn’t “want to make him look uncool.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/kojima-is-leaving-behind-a-usb-stick-with-game-ideas-for-after-he-dies-184029255.html?src=rss

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The gold standard for a bang-for-your-buck portable speaker is the Beats Pill, which you can easily find for $100. But if you’re looking for an even more affordable equivalent, it is the Tribit StormBox Flow, which you can currently find for $55.99 (originally $79.99) after using the 30% on-page coupon.

Tribit StormBox Flow

30H Playtime, IP67 Waterproof, Bluetooth 5.3, TWS, Custom EQ, Type-C.

$55.99
at Amazon

$79.99
Save $24.00

$55.99
at Amazon

$79.99
Save $24.00

I’ve had the Tribit StormBox Flow for a couple of months—what makes it special is what you get for the money. At $55.99, you won’t find another portable speaker that is rated IP67 for waterproof, has a well-made companion app with full EQ, has Bluetooth 5.3, and a speakerphone function. You can read more about its feature set in PCMag’s full review.

Tritbit seems to be focused on making the best outdoor speaker and earbuds it can while staying under a certain budget. Not all of its products are home runs (I’ve tried a couple of speakers), but the Tribit StormBox Flow was one of the few that did surprise me based on what it can do for the price.

The sound quality is acceptable for what you’d expect from a portable speaker. If you play it too loud, you will hear some distortion. But as long as you’re playing it below about 85%, it won’t be noticeable. The full EQ is helpful and surprisingly, one of the best I’ve seen on a portable speaker. The bass punches above its weight, especially for a speaker this portable. If you get more than one, you can pair them to make a stereo sound. The 30 hours of battery life is also competitive with high-end outdoor speakers.

More original Switch games are getting the Switch 2 treatment. Although their enhancements are subtler than the Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, at least these will be free updates.

On Friday, Nintendo detailed the legacy Switch titles that will receive upgrades for the Switch 2. They include some of the console’s best games from the company’s biggest franchises.

Most of the platform’s big Mario games are included: Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. You’ll also find the platform’s top-down Zelda titles: Echoes of Wisdom and Link’s Awakening. A pair of Pokémon games makes the cut: Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. Even Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker gets in on the action.

The enhancements vary by title. They range from various visual upgrades to multiplayer GameShare functionality.

Here’s the complete list:

• ARMS – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates and HDR)  

• Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain – GameShare (up to four players, local / online GameChat sharing)  

• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – visual upgrades (resolution and HDR) and GameShare (two players in all courses, local / online GameChat sharing)  

• Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics – GameShare (up to four players can play 34 games, local / online GameChat sharing)  

• Game Builder Garage – visual upgrades (resolution), Joy-Con 2 mouse control  

• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – visual upgrades (resolution)  

• Pokémon Scarlet – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates)  

• Pokémon Violet – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates)  

• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates and HDR), GameShare (up to four players in Super Mario 3D World, two players in Bowser’s Fury and local / online GameChat sharing)  

• Super Mario Odyssey – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates), GameShare (two players, local / online GameChat sharing)  

• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – visual upgrades (resolution, HDR)  

• The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – visual upgrades (resolution, HDR)

All of the free updates will be available on the Switch 2’s June 5 launch date. You’ll first need to install a system update for the new console.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/more-switch-games-are-getting-switch-2-upgrades-182647659.html?src=rss

The rapid expansion of generative AI has changed the way Google and other tech giants design products, but most of the AI features you’ve used are running on remote servers with a ton of processing power. Your phone has a lot less power, but Google appears poised to give developers some important new mobile AI tools. At I/O next week, Google will likely announce a new set of APIs to let developers leverage the capabilities of Gemini Nano for on-device AI.

Google has quietly published documentation on big new AI features for developers. According to Android Authority, an update to the ML Kit SDK will add API support for on-device generative AI features via Gemini Nano. It’s built on AI Core, similar to the experimental Edge AI SDK, but it plugs into an existing model with a set of predefined features that should be easy for developers to implement.

Google says ML Kit’s GenAI APIs will enable apps to do summarization, proofreading, rewriting, and image description without sending data to the cloud. However, Gemini Nano doesn’t have as much power as the cloud-based version, so expect some limitations. For example, Google notes that summaries can only have a maximum of three bullet points, and image descriptions will only be available in English. The quality of outputs could also vary based on the version of Gemini Nano on a phone. The standard version (Gemini Nano XS) is about 100MB in size, but Gemini Nano XXS as seen on the Pixel 9a is a quarter of the size. It’s text-only and has a much smaller context window.

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The FCC has announced its approval of the merger between communications giants Verizon and Frontier, after a deal was made last year. Verizon will acquire Frontier Communications for $9.6 billion in cash, in addition to absorbing $10 billion of debt.

Key to earning approval from the FCC was Verizon’s commitment to ending all DEI-related practices, in line with the Trump administration’s aim to dismantle all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from both public organizations and private companies.

The statement from the FCC said the approval “ensures that discriminatory DEI policies end,” and that Verizon “has reaffirmed the merged entity’s commitment to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination.”

“By approving this deal, the FCC ensures that Americans will benefit from a series of good and commonsense wins. The transaction will unleash billions of dollars in new infrastructure builds in communities across the country—including rural America. This investment will accelerate the transition away from old, copper line networks to modern, high-speed ones. And it delivers for America’s tower and telecom crews who do the hard, often gritty work needed to build high-speed networks,” said Brendan Carr, FCC chairman.

Verizon plans to upgrade and expand Frontier’s existing network across 25 states and expects to deploy fiber to more than one million American homes annually.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/fcc-approves-verizons-20-billion-merger-with-frontier-181434890.html?src=rss