Google’s products and services have been flooded with AI features over the past couple of years, but smart home has been largely spared until now. The company’s plans to replace Assistant are moving forward with a big Google Home reset. We’ve been told over and over that generative AI will do incredible things when given enough data, and here’s the test.

There’s a new Home app with Gemini intelligence throughout the experience, updated subscriptions, and even some new hardware. The revamped Home app will allegedly gain deeper insights into what happens in your home, unlocking advanced video features and conversational commands. It demos well, but will it make smart home tech less or more frustrating?

A new Home

You may have already seen some elements of the revamped Home experience percolating to the surface, but that process begins in earnest today. The new app apparently boosts speed and reliability considerably, with camera feeds loading 70 percent faster and with 80 percent fewer app crashes. The app will also bring new Gemini features, some of which are free. Google’s new Home subscription retains the same price as the old Nest subs, but naturally, there’s a lot more AI.

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As part of Google’s smart home announcements today, the company has unveiled a new look for its Google Home app that will begin rolling out globally today. The heart of the redesign is about Gemini for Home, which will replace the Google Assistant role in smart devices and promises a more conversational way to interact with and direct the company’s AI. The Google Home app is also now where customers will control their Nest devices.

There’s now a Home tab with a consolidated view of the system, an Activity tab that collects the notifications from all connected devices and an Automations tab for managing the hands-off side of the smart home hardware. The app also now has a persistent AI-powered “Ask Home” option in the header that Google describes as a “natural language command center for your entire home.” The company promises that it will be able to execute naturally written commands, such as searching for specific moments in a camera clip or creating more open-ended automations. However, some of those features will require a Google Home Premium subscription to access. 

In addition to the new Gemini features, the Google Home app has been rebuilt for increased reliability and performance. The software loads “significantly faster,” reportedly more than 70 percent faster on some Android devices. Camera views in the app should load 30 percent faster and playback failures should be down 40 percent in the new version. Google is also boasting a reduction of almost 80 percent in app crashes and said it is additionally working to improve battery draw.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/google-has-overhauled-its-smart-home-app-to-feature-gemini-130041497.html?src=rss

Google is finally ready to explain how Gemini will replace Google Assistant in your smart home. The company’s original voice assistant will be replaced with the aptly named Gemini for Home starting this month, ushering in what might be an easier-to-use and more conversational smart home era in the process.

Like Google teased at CES 2025, the biggest change Gemini for Home will introduce for Google Assistant devotees is an end to rigid commands. While you’ll still need to use a “Hey Google” wake word, the days of having to be precise are over. Google claims Gemini grasps context enough to not only remember what your last request was, but also understand that if you’re saying “Hey Google, I’m about to watch a movie, turn off the lights,” you specifically mean the lights in your living room. You’ll also be able to string multiple requests together into the same sentence, and create automations without having to whip out the Google Home app, just by describing them. And when you want to ditch wake words entirely, you can start a Gemini Live chat and have a smooth back and forth with Gemini about whatever you choose.

AI-based improvements will also extend to any cameras you have in your smart home. Google says Gemini can create more useful notifications if a camera detects motion or films a notable event from around your home, thanks to its semantic understanding of visuals. You can also pull a specific piece of footage with natural language requests and even receive answers based on things your smart home recorded via a new feature called “Ask Home.” Like Ask Photos in Google Photos, Ask Home understands the context and meaning of footage you’ve captured to provide answers to questions like “Did I leave the car door open.” And for a larger overview of what’s going on at home, the “Home Brief” can identify important events you’ve filmed and “summarizes hours of footage into a quick, digestible summary you can read to catch up on what happened while you were away,” Google says.

Google

Google says Gemini for Home will be available on all of its smart home devices released in the last decade, including new Gemini for Home-compatible doorbells and cameras created by Walmart. Unfortunately, if you’re interested in features like Gemini Live, AI-powered notifications, Ask Home and Home Brief, you’ll have to pay for a $10-per-month Google Home Premium subscription to use it. The subscription also unlocks an additional 30 days of cloud storage for any videos your smart home captures and comes included with Google’s AI Pro and Ultra subscriptions at no additional cost.

To try out Gemini for Home as soon as possible, you can sign up for early access in the Google Home app. Google says the update will roll out throughout the month of October, and come to smart speakers and smart displays “toward the end of the month.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/gemini-for-home-is-the-official-replacement-for-google-assistant-on-smart-devices-130041482.html?src=rss

A day after Amazon updated its security cameras, Google followed suit with its competing suite. A trio of new Nest security cams is available starting today. The latest Nest Doorbell and Nest Cams have higher-resolution (2K HDR) video and a wider field of view. That not only makes for better images, but it also opens the door to new (paid) AI features.

Google’s new additions include the Nest Cam Indoor (3rd gen), Nest Cam Outdoor (2nd gen) and Nest Doorbell (3rd gen). The company says the devices were designed to “provide the rich, detailed data our multimodal AI uses to understand.” The results, according to the company, are “better alerts” and the ability to “find important moments, faster.”

Google says DxOMARK rated all three as first in their class for image quality. The Nest Cams each have 2,560 x 1,400 resolution with a 152-degree diagonal field of view (FOV). The Nest Doorbell uses a 2,048 x 2,048 sensor with a 166-degree FOV. All three support up to 6x digital zoom.

Google

The company says the combination boosts the cameras’ ability to capture video in low-light conditions. Specifically, Google claims they offer 120 percent more light sensitivity than their predecessors. “This means the cameras can now stay in full-color mode much longer at dawn and dusk than before,” the company wrote.

The sharp resolution also allows you to digitally zoom in on a specific area in the Home app, cropping out the rest. Google says the feature could be handy for hot spots like a garden bed or walkway. Similarly, your alerts will include animated previews that zoom in on the subject. This could make it easier to tell at a glance who or what triggered the notification.

Google

The upgraded Gemini AI chops include a new chatbot feature called Ask Home. It lets you do things like ask what ate your plants. (In Google’s example, the chatbot explains that it was rabbits, producing photo evidence.) It also lets you perform smart home tasks or create automations using natural language. There’s another new AI feature called Home Brief that gives you an AI-generated summary of the day’s activities. Both of the new AI features require a Google Home Premium subscription.

All three cameras are available beginning today at the Google Store and with retail partners. The Nest Cam Indoor costs $100. The Nest Cam Outdoor will set you back $150. And the Nest Doorbell costs $180.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/googles-new-nest-doorbell-and-nest-cams-have-2k-video-and-new-ai-chops-130006878.html?src=rss

Google announced a wave of hardware updates today, including giving some love to the Google Home Speaker. We saw a teaser for the revamped smart speaker last month, so the announcement isn’t a surprise, but it does provide some specifics about what’s coming to the company’s smart home efforts.

This new Google Home Speaker puts the Gemini AI assistant front and center, as is the case with so much Google hardware these days. The light ring will also flash different colors to show when the AI model is listening, processing or responding. If you have a Google Home Premium subscription, you’ll also be able to use the Home to access Gemini Live. The blog post promises “more natural conversations” with this model, which it says has custom processing to support the demands of running an AI assistant.

Google is also bringing 360-degree audio to the Home Speaker. The upcoming iteration will be able to connect a pair of Home Speakers to the Google TV Streamer, allowing for a surround-sound home theater setup. The Home will still be able to connect to other Google Nest speakers as well. And for the privacy-minded, there’s a physical button to toggle the microphone off.

The new speaker won’t be available until spring 2026 and will retail for $99. It has four color options: porcelain, hazel, jade and berry. The Google Home Speaker will be available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The announcement follows hot on the heels of Amazon’s fall hardware event, which also had some big updates for smart speakers centered on its own Alexa+ AI assistant, including a brand new form factor called the Echo Dot Max.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/the-google-home-speaker-is-getting-a-gemini-driven-refresh-130004673.html?src=rss

After a few years of mostly humming along in the background, Amazon’s game streaming service is receiving an update. Amazon Luna will still act as a game streaming service with a rotating library of free games for Prime users, but now, Amazon also plans to offer “GameNight,” a collection of social party games that you can play with your friends with just a smartphone.

Luna’s GameNight collection includes over 25 multiplayer games, some that are reinterpretations of classic games like Angry Birds, Exploding Kittens or Ticket to Ride, and others that are entirely original and developed by Amazon, like Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg. If you’ve played any of Jackbox’s various multiplayer games, GameNight seems to use a similar setup. You load up the game in Luna, whoever’s playing scans an onscreen QR code with their phone and then they can join the game using their device as a controller.

Amazon hopes these smartphone-controlled games will lower the barrier to entry for anyone intimidated by a controller, or who hasn’t already taken advantage of Luna as part of their Prime subscription. For everyone else, though, the company says the service is getting a collection of new high-profile games in the near future, including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Dave the Diver. As before, if you’re willing to pay for one of Amazon’s add-on subscriptions you can add even more games to your library, too. Unlike GameNight games, though, all of these titles will require a controller to play, whether it’s Amazon’s Luna Controller or a Bluetooth controller connected to the Luna app.

While not a radical reinterpretation of Luna, Amazon is at least trying to differentiate the service from something like Xbox Cloud Gaming or Google’s failed Stadia service. It’s not clear if game streaming is as important to Amazon as it is to Microsoft, but if the company is willing to pay, offering more games and more ways to play them seems like a good move.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/amazon-luna-will-offer-controller-free-party-games-in-an-attempt-to-woo-prime-subscribers-130004416.html?src=rss

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Peloton announced a whole new fleet of equipment devices and the addition of AI fitness coaching, all in an effort to usher in “a new era of connective wellness.” The upgraded Bikes and Treads will probably be the biggest news of the day, but I was interested in another development: the brand’s new partnerships and acquisition, which are also aligned with that “connective wellness” goal.

The company deepened its partnership with Hyrox, partnered with two new companies, and acquired Breathwrk, all while also adding more depth to existing elements of “human connection” on its robust platform.

Peloton acquired Breathwrk

Yesterday, I attended the press event announcing all the big Peloton news. For the most part, everything made sense. New devices, better software, and updated classes to go along with them seemed like logical steps for a leading at-home fitness company to take over a decade into its existence. But then a presenter mentioned that Peloton had “acquired Breathwrk.” This, it turns out, is exactly what it sounds like: It’s an app that guides the user through breathing exercises—like calming breaths, breathing for sleep, and breathing for energy—designed to “unleash your peak mental and physical potential.”

Earlier this year, Peloton execs hinted at price increases for memberships and mentioned a plan to roll out more “fitness and wellness experiences.” To that end, I’ve noticed a lot more “wellness,” generally, in the app’s offerings. Beyond the cardio and strength classes Peloton is known for, I’ve found meditation, “reflection rides,” and nutritional content. It’s been obvious for a while that the company’s aspirations are greater than dominating the exercise space; they want to go deeper on mental health, nutrition, and everything else that goes into being well-rounded and healthy.

Per Peloton, All Access and App+ members can now access Breathwrk’s app by using their Peloton login credentials. Further integrations between the two will be “coming soon.”

Peloton’s new partnerships

Peloton also announced partnerships with the Hospital for Special Surgery and Respin Health. HSS is a leader in orthopedics and rheumatology. Together, the two will “produce programming focused on musculoskeletal injury prevention and recovery.” That’s all expected to start rolling out in the next few weeks. It’s another bit of news that makes sense. In announcing the addition of an AI coach to personalize every member’s workout plan, Peloton’s reps pointed out that the software will use users’ goals and existing workout data to outline what they should do for the next week—including when they should take rests. While ramping up wellness initiatives, Peloton hasn’t overlooked the role rest plays in overall health. I’m interested to see what the HHS programming looks like in practice.

Respin is a platfor, launched by Halle Berry for those going through everything from perimenopause to postmenopause. The two brands will co-create an eight-week program of Peloton classes to specifically target symptom relief and various improvements for members going through those life changes. Again, these are coming in the next few weeks.

Finally, Peloton is doubling down on its partnership with Hyrox. That isn’t a new partnership, but it’s one that has apparently been fruitful enough to warrant the allocation of more resources. If you don’t know, Hyrox is a relatively new sport that involves running plus competing in things like sled pulls and pushes, among other exercises. You have to row, do burpees, and do a farmer’s carry, too, all in the name of demonstrating how versatile you are as an athlete. Peloton has had a special Hyrox training program in place for a few months now, but plans to expand its offerings with new branded classes that support training for the various parts of the race.

Improvements to “human connections”

Peloton is also expanding what users can do with its existing offerings aimed at “human connections.” Primarily, this involves the addition of Club Peloton and Official Peloton Teams.

Club Peloton is a recognition program that awards users a rank based on how consistently they work out and whether they try new types of exercises. If you check your Peloton app right now, you might find you’ve already been assigned a rank, like bronze, silver, gold, or legendary. The idea is that your rank will eventually earn you rewards, like discounts on products or early access to classes. You’ll also get a profile badge which will be visible to others when you’re on a class leaderboard.

Official Peloton Teams is an expansion of Peloton’s popular Teams feature, which I already love. With Teams, you join forces with friends and compete with or against them to hit certain goals, like a particular amount of workouts per week. You can also join Teams based on attributes like life stage (like being a new mom) or region (like the city where you live). Official Peloton Teams are the newest part of all that and are helmed by the company’s famous instructors. You can join ones like Move for Life, Cross Training, Hyrox training, and Menopause Health.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNBC: Lufthansa announced plans to cut 4,000 roles on Monday as it aims to increase profitability and lean on AI to drive efficiency. The airline group said it will eliminate a total of 4,000 FTE, or full-time equivalent, roles worldwide by 2030. The company is targeting primarily admin roles, the majority of which will be affected at its home base in Germany, as part of a broader restructuring strategy.

“The Lufthansa Group is reviewing which activities will no longer be necessary in the future, for example due to duplication of work. In particular, the profound changes brought about by digitalization and the increased use of artificial intelligence will lead to greater efficiency in many areas and processes,” the company said in a release issued during its Capital Markets Day in Munich. CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski said earlier this year that artificial intelligence had partially helped to shrink the company’s headcount by 40% down from 5,000 employees to almost 3,000.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

In a lot of ways, Meta’s hasn’t changed much with its second-gen Ray-Ban glasses. The latest model has the same design and largely the same specs as the originals, with two important upgrades: longer battery life and improved video quality. 

At the same time, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses have a lot of features that didn’t exist when I first reviewed them two years ago, largely thanks to AI. And with the release of its second-generation frames, there’s still a lot to look forward to, like new camera features and AI-powered audio. The good news is that Meta isn’t limiting these updates to its newest frames, so if you have an older pair you’ll still see the new features. But, if you’ve been on the fence about getting a pair, there’s never been a better time to jump in. 

Same look, (slightly) better specs

Meta and EssilorLuxottica haven’t strayed too far from the playbook they’ve used for the last two years. The second-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses come in a handful of frame styles with a number of color and lens variations that start at $379. I tried out a pair of Wayfarer frames in the new “shiny cosmic blue” color with clear transition lenses. 

I personally prefer the look for the slightly narrower Headliner frames, but the second-gen glasses still look very much like traditional Wayfarer glasses. I’ve never been a fan of transition lenses for my own prescription eyewear, but I’m starting to come around on them for smart glasses. As Meta has improved its cameras and made its AI assistant more useful, I’ve found more reasons to wear the glasses indoors. 

Karissa Bell for Engadget

Also, if you’re going to be paying $300 or more for a pair, you might as well be able to use them wherever you are. It also helps that the transition lenses on the second-gen Ray-Ban Meta glasses get a bit darker than my first-gen Wayfarers with transition lenses. Upgrading from the standard clear lenses will cost you, though. Frames with polarized lenses start at $409, transitions start at $459 and prescription lenses can run significantly more. 

As with the recent Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, the second-gen Ray-Bans come with a longer battery life and better camera. Meta says the battery can last up to eight hours on a single charge with “typical use.” I was able to squeeze a little more than five and a half hours of continuous music playback. That’s a noticeable step up from the battery on my original pair which, after two years, is starting to show its age. The glasses also now support higher-resolution 3K video recording, but the 12MP wide-angle lens shoots the same 3,024 x 4,032 pixel portrait photos as earlier models.

Karissa Bell for Engadget

For videos, there’s a noticeable quality boost, but I still think it’s probably not necessary for most people if you’re primarily sharing your clips on social media. It does make the glasses more appealing for creators, though, and judging by the number of them in attendance at Connect, I suspect Meta sees them as a significant part of its user base. I’m looking forward to Meta adding the ability to record Hyperlapse and slow-motion videos, though, as I think these may be more interesting than the standard POV footage for everyday activities. 

Meta AI + what’s coming

Two years ago, I was fairly skeptical of Meta’s AI assistant. But since then, Meta has steadily added new capabilities. Of those, the glasses’ translation abilities have been my favorite. On a recent trip to Argentina, I used live translation to follow along with a walking tour of the famous Recoleta cemetery. It wasn’t perfect — the feature is meant more for back-and-forth conversations rather than extended monologues — but it allowed me to participate in a tour I would have otherwise had to skip. (A word of warning: using the live translation for an extended period of time is a major battery killer.)

Meta AI can also provide context and translations in other scenarios, too. I spent some time in Germany while testing the latest second-gen Ray-Ban glasses and found myself repeatedly asking Meta to translate signs and notices. For example, here’s how Meta AI summarized this collection of signs. 

Karissa Bell for Engadget

As I wrote in my review of the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, I still haven’t found much use for Live AI, which lets you interact with the assistant in real-time and ask questions about your surroundings. It still feels like more of a novelty, but it makes for a fun demo to show off to friends who have never tried “AI glasses.” There are also some very interesting accessibility use cases that take advantage of the glasses’ cameras and AI capabilities. Features like “detailed responses” and support for “Be My Eyes” show how smart glasses can be particularly impactful for people who are blind or deal with low vision.

One AI-powered feature I haven’t tried out yet is Conversation Focus, which can adjust the volume of the person you’re speaking to while dampening the background noise. Meta teased the feature at Connect, but hasn’t said exactly when it will be available. But if it works as intended, I could see it being useful in a lot of scenarios.

I’m also particularly intrigued by Meta’s Connect announcement that it will finally allow third-party developers to create their own integrations for its smart glasses. There are already a handful of partners, like Twitch and Disney, which are finding ways to take advantage of the glasses’ camera and AI features. Up to now, Meta AI’s multimodal tools have shown some promise, but I haven’t really been able to find many ways to use the capabilities in my day-to-day life. 

Allowing app makers onto the platform could change that. Disney has previewed a smart glasses integration for inside of its parks that would allow visitors to get real-time info about the rides, attractions and other amenities as they walk around. Golf app 18Birdies has shown off an app to deliver stats and other info while you’re on the course.

Should you buy these? And what about privacy?

When the Ray-Ban Meta glasses came out two years ago, this was a pretty straightforward question to answer. If the idea of smart glasses with a good camera and open-ear speakers appealed to you, then buying a pair was a no-brainer. 

Now, it’s a bit more complicated. Meta is still updating its first-gen Ray-Ban glasses with significant new features, like Conversation Focus, new camera modes and third-party app integrations. So if you already have a pair, you won’t be missing out on a ton if you don’t upgrade. (And with a starting price of $299, the first-gen glasses are still solid if you want a more budget-friendly option.)

There are also other options to consider. The upcoming Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses come with more substantial hardware upgrades and other unique features that will appeal to athletes and anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors. And on the higher end, there are the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses that blend AR elements with its existing features in an intriguing way. 

Karissa Bell for Engadget

I also have many of the same concerns about privacy as I did when I reviewed Meta’s first Ray-Ban branded glasses back in 2021. I’m well aware Meta already collects an extraordinary amount of data about us through its apps, but glasses just feel like they provide much more personal, and potentially invasive, access to our lives.

Meta has also made some notable changes to the privacy policy for its glasses in recent months. It no longer allows users in the United States to opt out of storing voice recordings in its cloud, though it’s still possible to manually delete recordings in the Meta AI app. 

The company says it won’t use the contents of the photos and videos you capture to train its AI models or serve ads. However, images of your surroundings processed for the glasses’ multimodal features like Live AI can be used for training purposes (these images aren’t saved to your device’s camera roll). Meta’s privacy policy also states that it uses audio captured via voice commands for training. And it should go without saying, but anyone using Meta’s glasses should be very careful about sharing their interactions with its AI app, as a bunch of users have already seemingly inadvertently shared a ton of highly-personal interactions with the world. 

If any of that makes you uncomfortable, I’m not here to convince you otherwise! We’re still grappling with the long-term privacy implications of generative AI, much less generative AI on camera-enabled wearables. At the same time, as someone who has been wearing Meta’s smart glasses on and off for more than four years, I can say that Meta has been able to turn something that once felt gimmicky into a genuinely useful accessory. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ray-ban-meta-2nd-gen-review-smart-glasses-are-finally-getting-useful-124720393.html?src=rss

Tesla’s updated Model Y Performance “Juniper” EV has finally arrived in the US for those who want some extra acceleration and are willing to pay for it. First launched last month in Europe, Tesla’s fastest Model Y arrives a good nine months after the long-range AWD model started selling stateside. 

We already knew that the new Model Y Performance was quick with acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, just 0.8 seconds slower than a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. What we didn’t know yet was the EPA range, which is 306 miles, compared to 327 miles and 357 miles for the Long Range AWD and Long Range RWD versions, respectively. So faster, but faster to the charging station as well. 

There are subtle changes to the front and rear end, along with 21-inch Arachnid wheels and a more sporty suspension with adaptive damping. It also supports faster charging, thanks to the higher-density battery cells. Inside, it has racier looking seats with bolstered side cushions and electric thigh cushion extenders. 

For all that, you’ll pay $57,490 which is $12,500 more than the base Long Range RWD model and an $8,500 bump over the LR AWD version (that’s almost exactly the same price as Tesla’s original Model S, by the way). If you were hoping to buy one and get the $7,500 federal tax credit discount, unfortunately that has now expired — but state credits may still apply.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/teslas-updated-model-y-performance-launches-for-57490-123018911.html?src=rss

October Prime Day is nearly here, and new early deals are popping up every day. Amazon uses October Prime Day to kickstart the holiday shopping season — even if you haven’t even thought about the holidays yet, you should give the latest Prime Day Lego deals a look. A number of Lego sets from the Super Mario and Star Wars collections are already on sale for up to 38 percent off.

When shopping for Lego sets on Amazon, we highly recommend checking a price tracker like Keepa or CamelCamelCamel before buying. It’s not difficult to find Lego sets “on sale” at Amazon, but often those discounted prices have been around for a long time. We’ve clocked “deals” in which the sale price has been available for months already, going back as far as late spring and early summer 2025. Here, we’re mostly highlighting discounts on new Lego sets, recent price drops and record-low (and close to them) prices on popular Lego sets from franchises like Star Wars, Super Mario and others.

Best October Lego Prime Day deals

• Lego City Advent Calendar 2025 60475 for $25 (29 percent off)

• Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 75418 for $38 (16 percent off)

• Lego Minecraft Advent Calendar 2025 21280 for $38 (16 percent off)

• Lego Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2025 76456 for $38 (16 percent off)

• Lego Star Wars: The Mandalorian Paz Vizsla and Moff Gideon Battle set 75386 for $25 (38 percent off)

• Lego Star Wars Brick-Built Star Wars Logo set 75407 for $55 (8 percent off)

• Lego Star Wars R2-D2 set 75379 for $80 (20 percent off)

• Lego Super Mario: Mario Kart Donkey Kong & DK Jumbo set 72033 for $28 (19 percent off)

• Lego Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi Building set 71438 for $104 (20 percent off)

• Lego Classic Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 for $18 (49 percent off)

• Lego Botanicals Bouquet of Roses 10328 for $48 (20 percent off)

• Lego City F1 Garage & Mercedes-AMG & Alpine Cars set 60444 for $68 (15 percent off)

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/prime-day-lego-deals-get-up-to-38-percent-off-star-wars-and-super-mario-sets-121513961.html?src=rss

YouTube TV has announced that it has reached a “short-term extension” agreement with NBCUniversal so that it can continue offering its programs while they negotiate a new long-term deal. The service warned customers last week that its partnership with NBCUniversal was going to expire on September 30 and that they haven’t signed a new deal yet. It said at the time that NBC was asking the service “to pay more than what they charge consumers for the same content on Peacock, which would mean less flexibility and higher prices for [its own] subscribers.” 

While YouTube TV was able to prevent the removal of NBC programs at the last minute, it wasn’t able to reach a similar deal with Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the US. It sent out an email to customers, telling them that it has failed to reach an agreement with TelevisaUnivision that reflects the value of its content. “Unfortunately their current demands aren’t supported by their performance on YouTube TV over the last four years,” it said in the email. The broadcaster has “over 160 million subscribers and billions of views across YouTube,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. However, it apparently “only represents a tiny fraction of overall consumption” on its TV subscription service. 

In early September, TelevisaUnivision warned customers that Google was planning to remove its programs from YouTube TV’s standard package and to charge viewers an extra $15 to be able to access its network. The broadcaster called it the “Hispanic tax” and questioned Google’s ethics at “a time of economic uncertainty for many.” The broadcaster called YouTube TV’s actions “tone-deaf and egregious on the eve of a potential government shutdown” in a new statement regarding its network’s removal from the service. “To add insult to injury, YouTube TV chose to take this step during Hispanic Heritage Month — an act that is deeply insensitive and offensive,” it added.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-tv-keeps-nbc-with-a-last-minute-extension-but-loses-univision-121508916.html?src=rss