Match Group and its subsidiary OkCupid has finally settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission that dates back to its alleged sharing of user data back in 2014. According to the lawsuit, the FTC accused OkCupid of inappropriately sharing personal user data that includes photos and location info with a third party company, Clarifai, which offers AI-powered software for uses like facial recognition and content moderation.
According to the FTC, OkCupid’s privacy policy at the time noted that the company wouldn’t share a user’s personal information with others, except for some cases including “service providers, business partners, other entities within its family of businesses.” However, the lawsuit accused OkCupid of sharing three million photos of its users to Clarifai, which the FTC claims is a “unrelated third party” that didn’t fall under the allowed entities. On top of that, the lawsuit alleged that OkCupid didn’t inform its users of this data sharing, nor give them a chance to opt out.
“While we do not admit any wrongdoing, we have settled this matter with the FTC with no monetary penalty to resolve an issue from 2014 and move forward,” an OkCupid spokesperson told Engadget, adding that the allegations don’t reflect how OkCupid operates today. “Over the years, we have further strengthened our privacy practices and data governance to ensure we meet the expectations of our users.”
Moving forward, the settlement would “permanently prohibit” Match Group, which owns OkCupid, and Humor Rainbow, which operates OkCupid, from misrepresenting what kind of personal information it collects, the purpose for collecting the data and any consumer choices to prevent data collection. Even after the 2014 incident, OkCupid was found with security flaws that could’ve exposed user account info but, which were quickly patched in 2020.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/okcupid-settles-ftc-case-on-alleged-misuse-of-its-users-personal-data-175159228.html?src=rss
SystemRescue 13.00 has been released. The
SystemRescue distribution is a live boot system-rescue toolkit, based
on Arch Linux, for repairing systems in the event of a crash. This
release includes the 6.18.20 LTS kernel, updates bcachefs tools and
kernel module to 1.37.3, and many
upgraded packages. See the step-by-step guide for
instructions on performing common operations such as recovering files,
creating disk clones, and resetting lost passwords.
Following this past weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, Formula 1 goes into a five-week hiatus now that war in the Gulf has made it impossible to hold races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The unplanned break is probably welcomed up and down the paddock as teams, drivers, and officials try to get their heads around this new generation of F1 car and the radical new demands it places on them all. Those new challenges were on full display at Suzuka.
On the plus side, the race itself was quite exciting. That’s something you could not have said in 2025, a snoozefest with cars driving in procession and few opportunities to overtake. A hefty reduction in aerodynamic downforce for 2026 means that cars can follow each other more closely. But after this visit to one of motorsport’s most-loved, most challenging circuits, it’s very hard to avoid the conclusion that F1 has painted itself into a corner with its new hybrid systems. The sport itself recognizes this; on April 9, it will hold crisis talks to try to find a solution.
You don’t have the energy
The problem, as we have been warned for some time, is the new hybrid power trains, which combine a 1.6 L V6 that generates 400 kW (536 hp) with a 350 kW (469 hp) electric motor. Getting to a near 50:50 split between internal combustion and electric power was key to attracting new auto manufacturers to the sport, and Audi, Ford, Cadillac, and Honda were all enticed by the 2026 rules. The electric motor is fed by a 1.1 kWh (4 MJ) battery pack, but depending on the track, cars are allowed to deploy 8–9 MJ from the electric side, which means recovering that energy while out on track.
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have successfully transformed common plastic waste into a high-value precursor for Parkinson’s disease medication. Using engineered E. coli bacteria, the team converted polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into adipic acid, which was then further synthesized into a vital drug component, proving that the
Version
4.0.0 of the Rspamd
spam-filtering system has been released. Notable new features include
HTML fuzzy phishing detection, support for up to eight flags with fuzzy
hashes, and more. See the changelog for more on
improvements, breaking changes, and bug fixes.
Last year, just before the Fourth of July holiday, the US Space Force officially took ownership of a new operating system for the GPS navigation network, raising hopes that one of the military’s most troubled space programs might finally bear fruit.
The GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System, or OCX, is designed for command and control of the military’s constellation of more than 30 GPS satellites. It consists of software to handle new signals and jam-resistant capabilities of the latest generation of GPS satellites, GPS III, which started launching in 2018. The ground segment also includes two master control stations and upgrades to ground monitoring stations around the world, among other hardware elements.
RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon, won a Pentagon contract in 2010 to develop and deliver the control system. The program was supposed to be complete in 2016 at a cost of $3.7 billion. Today, the official cost for the ground system for the GPS III satellites stands at $7.6 billion. RTX is developing an OCX augmentation projected to cost more than $400 million to support a new series of GPS IIIF satellites set to begin launching next year, bringing the total effort to $8 billion.
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With so many options on the market, it can be tough to differentiate between vacuum robots and mop hybrids. But if you’re on a budget, one major factor to consider is whether it has a roller mop. A roller mop cleans hard floors better by preventing dirty water from spreading and is more effective at removing heavy-duty messes, similar to wiping up a mess with a wet towel. The new Eufy Omni C28 is the “most budget-friendly roller mop robot vacuum,” according to Mashable, and right now it’s 38% off for the Amazon Big Spring Sale, bringing it to a record-low price of $499.99 (originally $799.99).
Along with being surprisingly affordable for its extra-long roller design, the C28 is a compact choice for apartments and smaller homes with a dock that takes up less space than other auto-washing and drying hybrid cleaners. The one drawback is the 15,000 Pa suction power, which, on the surface, appears underwhelming compared to higher-powered options costing four figures. Despite this, professional and consumer reviews consistently state that the C28 leaves floors sparkling and dust-free, especially when the wet, pressurized roller mop does double duty.
It also performs well in smart mapping, with setup taking just a couple of minutes. While the 10.7-inch roller mop (which self-cleans with clean water nine times a second) is the main standout feature, the robot vacuum’s 4.5-inch height may not be slim enough to fit under some dishwashers and low-clearance furniture or cabinets. And despite 15,000 Pa suction, it can be a little noisy, particularly during the auto-empty process. It can cross thresholds up to 20 mm, and the roller mop lifts up to 10.8 mm when carpeting is detected.
The five-in-one base station keeps the C28 hands-free for up to 75 days, handling mop cleaning, dust removal, water tank refilling, wastewater collection, and hot-air drying, which runs a bit faster than competitors thanks to a four-air duct system. If you want a genuinely hands-free setup with an effective self-cleaning roller mop, the mid-range Eufy Omni C28 robot vacuum and mop is a solid option, offering great value for near-high-end features at less than half the price, especially during the Amazon Big Spring Sale, when it’s at its lowest price ever.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals Right Now
Over the last 50 years, Apple reimagined personal computers, catalyzed the era of the smartphone, enlarged an iPhone and called it the iPad and garnered a strong position in wearable tech through its Watch series and its AirPods. It also popularized software and services like its App Store, FaceTime, iCloud, iMessages and many more. For a lot of us, the first time we pinched-to-zoom on a photo was likely on an iPhone.
However, Apple gives and it takes away. Things have had to change, be removed and consumers have to move on to whatever’s new. For better or worse, the weight of Apple’s influence has led to entire product categories following suit. Or, more typically, there’s resistance, complaining and then… following suit. With the benefit of hindsight, most of these cases are examples of Apple seeing where technology was going and getting ahead of a transition that would have been inevitable. Often, these transitions have caused short-term pain for some, but time has proven Apple (mostly) correct about dropping older tech.
As Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch once said: murder your darlings. Here are some of the darlings we’ve lost over the years.
The death of the disk drive (1998)
This is a two-parter. The iMac G3 marked Steve Jobs’ return. The colorful all-in-one Mac was a new start in many ways. In 1998, Apple ditched the standard ports and myriad cable types of personal computers, going all in on USB and a little-known thing called the internet. (In fact, that’s what the ‘i’ in iMac stands for.)
In doing so, it also ditched the 3.5-inch floppy disk drive — although it did have a read-only optical disk drive. Even with sluggish internet and USB transfer speeds at the time, the convenience was plain to see and it led to a decade of thumb drives of ever-increasing storage limits. High-capacity alternatives to the floppy disk, like the Zip disk and even Minidisc, attempted to bridge the gap, but never gained the widespread traction and adoption of the original disk drive. But flash drives and, later, internet-based file storage quickly made them obsolete anyway. Apple was just a little early with its dismissal.
Portable music players (2007)
Despite Apple’s iPod being the de facto music player at the time, it was supplanted by the company’s own biggest hit: the iPhone. At its peak, the iPod made Apple the zeitgeisty tech company it is today. It dominated the MP3 player market, and by 2006, iPods were responsible for 40 percent of the company’s revenue. And that was before the era of Apple including a free U2 album with every iTunes account.
When the iPhone launched in June 2007, it was swiftly followed by the iPod Touch in September. This was the iPhone without the phone part — indicating how the company saw the future of music listening. You didn’t need an iPod if you already had an iPhone in your pocket. It’s the best example of Apple cannibalizing a product that defined a decade with something far more impressive and, eventually, more successful.
It was a slow death. Ignoring the countless MP3-playing rivals, (RIP Zune), Apple dropped the classic iPod in 2014. It soon did the same to the tiny iPod nano and iPod shuffle in 2017. Finally, the company discontinued the iPod Touch in May 2022.
The physical smartphone keyboard (2007 plus change)
Unsplash / Thai Nguyen
When the iPhone’s capacitive screen and touch keyboard landed, there was a learning curve. Moving from physical keys (whether it was a 9-key alphanumeric version or the BlackBerry’s QWERTY experience) to a touch screen, especially on the tiny 3.5-inch panel of the first iPhone, wasn’t easy.
But it was the future. Physical keyboards took up physical space on devices — especially as those screens grew and grew. The adoption of touch keyboards sped up, thanks to third-party keyboard apps on Android, like Swype, SwiftKey and many others, introducing different input methods, smarter predictive text, typing algorithms and even touch heatmaps. Software keyboards were intrinsically more versatile, supporting multiple languages, infinite key arrangements and eventually emoji galleries. A colon-ellipsis smiley soon didn’t hit the same.
The death of the disk drive, part 2 (2008)
The MacBook Air, introduced by Steve Jobs in 2008, was famously pulled from a manila envelope to demonstrate its ultraportable design. To achieve that slimness, it had to ditch the internal optical drive entirely, making it the first MacBook without one. That move kickstarted an era of ultraportable laptops.
It was a major break from what laptop users were used to, and Apple tried to offer people some options. Apple introduced “Remote Disc,” a feature which allowed the Air to wirelessly use the optical drive of a nearby Mac or PC, and offered an external USB SuperDrive as an optional accessory. (I’ve used mine exactly once since I bought it in 2013.)
While it was considered underpowered compared to Windows competitors, the original MacBook Air set a new design standard for the industry. It positioned Apple’s Macs for a future of App Store software installations, faster internet connectivity, and the rise of streaming media, cloud storage, and the rest. Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBooks eventually followed suit, ditching optical drives in 2012.
Adobe Flash (2010)
Apple
In the early days of the iPhone, Apple famously refused to support Adobe Flash. This was in the early 2000s, too, when much of the web was built with Flash for animations and video support. The iPhone and iPad notably lacked support, creating a fractured browsing experience for years.
In April 2010, just as the first iPad arrived, Steve Jobs published his “Thoughts on Flash” open letter, criticizing its poor security and a lack of touch-friendliness. Many Flash games and interfaces interacted with the mouse cursor’s precise position, something that was invisible on the touchscreen iPhone.
It was also a calculated move. By denying Adobe access to the rapidly growing iOS user base, Apple forced developers to choose between sticking with the aging Flash or embracing open standards like HTML5. Also, by making Flash-based games and tools incompatible, it nudged those developers (and iPhone users) toward the App Store for those very games and tools (and more). There, Apple could curate and monetize those creations.
In a move described by Apple marketing executive Phil Schiller as “courage,” nixing the headphone socket ended up becoming the biggest headline to come from the iPhone 7 launch in 2016. Every flagship iPhone since has lacked the jack, with the most recent iPhone to include it being the original iPhone SE.
To make the change more palatable, Apple bundled a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter (expect more dongle chat later) with the iPhone 7, 8 and X. In-box headphones also swapped from the typical jack to Lightning. Naturally, this meant you couldn’t charge the phone while you listened to music, unless you already had a pair of wireless headphones.
Of course, this move was ultimately instrumental in making true wireless earbuds ubiquitous. While Apple wasn’t remotely the first company to introduce wireless earbuds (and then headphones), the removal of the headphone jack undoubtedly sped up adoption. Pour one out for the Bragi Dash, the Jabras, the Jaybirds of this world.
Conveniently, alongside the aforementioned iPhone 7, Apple announced the AirPods. Features like one-tap setup and automatic pairing brought the convenience people expected of Apple and put it into a tiny white case.
Despite early resistance and “bragging” from rivals who clung onto the headphone jack, at this point, the socket is mostly confined to cheaper smartphones or phones aimed at audiophiles (hi, Sony) or mobile gamers (ASUS ROG).
Eventually, the iPad Pro also lost its headphone jack, and the rest of the company’s tablets followed. The only non-Mac device to keep the jack? The iPod Touch, which had one until its discontinuation in 2022.
Bespoke ports (2016)
Engadget
2016 was the year of donglegate. Apple’s MacBook Pro redesign that year was another drastic shift in the laptop’s history. Chasing ever-thinner profiles and less port fuss, Apple stripped away nearly every legacy connector that professionals relied on. This was particularly jarring after the previous-generation MacBook Pro (2015) was often cited as the peak of utility, with a MagSafe charging port, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, two USB-A ports, not to mention a full-size HDMI port and an SD card slot.
Those were replaced with four (or on the cheapest 13-inch MBP only two!) Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and a headphone jack. For power users (like some Engadget editors), it demanded dongles (possibly multiple ones) in order to connect your USB-A thumb drive, wired internet, SD cards, external screens and well, at that point, pretty much everything. Many were particularly furious with the loss of the MagSafe charging connector. Of course, this also meant that one of those USB-C ports would be used primarily to charge the MBP. This sped up the availability of USB-C peripherals and accessories — perhaps because everyone was sick of carrying around so many dongles and hubs — but we still have USB-A devices. HDMI is everywhere. I still have SD Cards.
Eventually, Apple course-corrected itself. The 2021 MacBook Pro redesign reintroduced the SD card reader and HDMI port, and even MagSafe returned, freeing up a USB-C port.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/50-years-of-apple-pushing-tech-forward-for-better-or-worse-170025862.html?src=rss
Microsoft Copilot is reportedly injecting promotional “tips” into GitHub pull requests, with Neowin claiming more than 1.5 million PRs have been affected by messages advertising integrations like Raycast, Slack, Teams, and various IDEs. From the report: According to Melbourne-based software developer Zach Manson, a team member used the AI to fix a simple typo in a pull request. Copilot did the job, but it also took the liberty of editing the PR’s description to include this message: “Quickly spin up Copilot coding agent tasks from anywhere on your macOS or Windows machine with Raycast.” A quick search of that phrase on GitHub shows that the same promotional text appears in over 11,000 pull requests across thousands of repositories. Even merge requests on GitLab aren’t safe from the injection.
So what’s happening? Well, Raycast has a Copilot extension that can do things like create pull requests from a natural language command. The ad directly names Raycast, so you might think that Raycast is injecting the promo into the PRs to market its own app. But it is more likely that Microsoft is the one doing the injecting. If you look at the raw markdown of the affected pull requests, there is a hidden HTML comment, “START COPILOT CODING AGENT TIPS” placed right just before the ad tip. This suggests Microsoft is using the comment to insert a “tip” that points back to its own developer ecosystem or partner integrations.
Krita 6.0 open-source digital painting app is now available for download with Wayland color management support, Qt 6 port, and more. Here’s what’s new!
What does “FSR” stand for, PC gamers? If you said FidelityFX Super Resolution, well, you’re mistaken. It turns out FSR doesn’t stand for anything; instead, it’s simply a brand for AMD’s graphics technologies. AMD told us this back around the launch of FSR Redstone, at which point FSR 4 was being rebranded to “FSR Upscaling”, and then we had
Uber has acquired Blacklane, a Berlin-based startup that offers chauffeur services and bookings through its app, with plans to expand further into the luxury travel industry. Blacklane, founded in 2011, acts as a liaison between independent local chauffeur services and travelers looking for a more premium ride. According to Uber, the deal is subject to regulatory approvals but is expected to close by the end of 2026.
“This partnership marks a significant milestone in Blacklane’s next chapter and is a powerful step-change in introducing our service to new markets globally,” Jens Wohltorf, founder and CEO of Blacklane said in a press release. Uber didn’t disclose the acquisition details and it’s not clear if Uber Elite and Blacklane will compete against each other.
Currently, Blacklane is available in at least 500 cities across more than 60 countries. Besides on-demand chauffeur hailing, the startup offers long-distance rides from city to city, airport pickup with flight tracking, and by-the-hour bookings. Uber’s acquisition of Blacklane comes several weeks after it launched Uber Elite as an invite-only service for its “luxury ride experience.” Besides Uber Elite and Blacklane, another luxury hailing service has recently entered the US market. Earlier this month, Wheely announced its US debut with New York City as its first location, with five others to be announced in the coming years. Blacklane also currently operates in New York City, along with several dozen other cities in the US.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-to-acquire-berlin-based-chauffeur-hailing-app-to-ramp-up-its-luxury-travel-efforts-163855603.html?src=rss
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Apple products are notoriously expensive. Whether you’re an Apple fan or an Apple hater, we can all agree: These things aren’t cheap. That’s why shopping holidays, like Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, can be a great time to save on typically pricey devices. While this Spring Sale doesn’t have deals on most of Apple’s latest iPhones or Apple Watches, there are some great discounts on previous-gen devices—as well as one sale on a brand-new iPad.
iPad A16 (256GB)
$359.10 at Amazon
$499.00 Save $139.90
$359.10 at Amazon
$499.00 Save $139.90
Apple Watch Ultra 2
$399.49 at Amazon
$450.00 Save $50.51
$399.49 at Amazon
$450.00 Save $50.51
Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS + Cellular)
$499.00 at Amazon
$799.00 Save $300.00
$499.00 at Amazon
$799.00 Save $300.00
iPhone 13 (Renewed Premium)
$296.05 at Amazon
$346.88 Save $50.83
$296.05 at Amazon
$346.88 Save $50.83
iPhone 14 (Renewed Premium)
$358.26 at Amazon
$383.34 Save $25.08
$358.26 at Amazon
$383.34 Save $25.08
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (Renewed Premium)
$118.15 at Amazon
$149.00 Save $30.85
$118.15 at Amazon
$149.00 Save $30.85
iPad A16 deal
Apple sells a lot of different iPads, some with fancy features and inflated price tags. But most of us really just need Apple’s basic slab of glass, which Apple plainly calls “iPad.” To be more specific, many call this the iPad A16, as that’s the chipset this tablet comes with. It’s no M-series SoC, of course, but the A16 has no trouble running iPadOS 26, and I imagine it won’t have issues running the latest updates for years to come.
This particular iPad only has 128GB of storage, which isn’t much for a tablet in 2026. That said, if you can practice some storage management, and keep your iPad use to streaming and cloud storage for the most part, you can snag a cellular iPad for just $359.10. You can pay for a network plan if you want to, giving you the opportunity to use your iPad anywhere you can get cell service.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 deal
The Apple Watch Ultra line is designed for extreme use cases, like intense hiking, diving, or swimming. But its features can also be good for casual athletes, or anyone who wants the biggest watch display Apple makes. While Apple’s Ultra 3 is $799, you can save a lot of money by buying the previous generation model—especially with this Amazon sale.
Right now, Amazon is selling the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $399.49. That’s a great deal. While you don’t get the Ultra 3’s S10 chip or 5G connectivity, the Ultra 2 comes with most of the same fitness features, including a depth gauge to 40m and a siren. It also comes with cellular capabilities baked in—you’d have to spend an extra $100 to get the cellular version of the Apple Watch Series 11.
Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS + Cellular) deal
The Apple Watch Series 10, like the Ultra 2, is the last-gen Apple Watch model. And like the Ultra 2, it’s perfectly usable today. In fact, it might be a better value than the Series 11, as it offers a similar suite of features for a discounted price.
The real advantage with this model right now, however, is you can score Apple’s “premium” Titanium material at a huge discount. Usually, the Titanium Apple Watch starts at $799 for the 46mm option. But during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, you can pick one up for $499. My Apple Watch Series 6 is still going strong, but if it were showing even the slightest sign of failure, I’d be retiring it in favor of this watch in a heartbeat.
iPhone 13 (Renewed Premium) deal
If you need a new iPhone, you don’t have to go through Apple, or even your carrier. Instead, you can opt for an unlocked, refurbished iPhone, for a fraction of the cost of a brand new unit. In this case, the iPhone 13 might just be a great value: Amazon has Big Spring Deals on the 256GB variant, and prices vary by color. Right now, the cheapest option is the red version, a color Apple doesn’t offer anymore on new iPhones, for $296.05.
This isn’t a brand new iPhone with all the latest bells and whistles, of course, but it’s a solid device—even in 2026. It has Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, the company’s standard 6.1-inch OLED display, two 12MP camera (one wide, one ultra-wide), and full compatibility with the latest version of iOS. Amazon says its Renewed Premium products do not have scratches on the display, nor any cosmetic damage you can see from 12 inches way, and battery life that is great than 90% of the capacity of the product when it was new.
iPhone 14 (Renewed Premium) deal
Amazon also has a Big Spring Deal on the iPhone 14, if you’re willing to pay slightly more for a slightly newer iPhone. That said, the iPhone 14 also uses Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, though it has one extra GPU core than the iPhone 13. (You might notice a slight advantage in graphics-intensive apps and games.) The iPhone 14’s camera is a bit better, but doesn’t break any ground, and it supports Bluetooth 5.3 while the iPhone 13 supports Bluetooth 5. In fact, the only other major difference here is the iPhone 14’s lack of physical SIM slot. If you need SIM card support, stick with the iPhone 13.
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (Renewed Premium) deal
Apple’s AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation also get a decent discount during the Big Spring Sale—if you’re okay buying a pair of Renewed Premium earbuds. Right now, the earbuds are 21% off, meaning you can get a pair of noise cancelling AirPods for just $118.15. That comes with modern AirPods features, like Transparency Mode, Adaptive Audio (which adjusts the volume based on your environment), and Conversation Awareness (which automatically lowers the volume when it detects you’re speaking).
The only hitch here is that these AirPods are not “brand new.” Again, these are Renewed Premium, which Amazon asserts have high standards for a refurbished product. That’s all well and good for iPhones, but AirPods are another story, since no one wants someone’s previously worn earbuds. My hope is that in this case, these are “open box” items, in which someone returned unused AirPods after breaking the seal on the packaging. But as it’s impossible to know for sure, it’s the risk you take to buy AirPods at a 21% discount.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals Right Now
While having the new System76 Thelio Mira in the lab I ran some benchmarks of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS vs. 26.04 development on that AMD Ryzen 9000 series powered desktop. Those results were interesting for how the Ubuntu performance has changed over the past two years, but even if drilling down to just the past six months there have been some nice gains on the AMD Zen 5 desktop. In this article is a look at how Ubuntu 26.04 in its near-final state is performing relative to Ubuntu 25.10 with this Ryzen 9 9950X desktop.
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Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is nearing its end, but there’s still time to take advantage of solid deals for all your fitness needs—here are all the best fitness deals under $100 that are still available.
Deals on strength training equipment
It seems like the heavier you want to lift, the more expensive it’s going to get. In the meantime, there are great deals on starter dumbbells, storage solutions, and more:
If you’re willing to go slightly above your $100 budget, I recommend opting for these Lifepro adjustable dumbbells, currently on sale for $150.09, down from $189.99.
The Fitbit Inspire 3 is on sale for $69.95, down from $99.95. If you want a simple, minimalist fitness tracker, this is a great way to grab one on the cheap. The Inspire 3 is, in many ways, a pared-down Charge 6, and I simply have to mention that the Fitbit Charge 6 is currently $119.95, down from $159.95. If you’re stuck deciding between these two budget options, I recommend reading my colleague Beth Skwarecki’s review of the Charge 6 here.
For a reliable chest strap, the Polar H10—widely regarded as the best heart rate monitor out there—is on sale for $76.99, down from $104.99.
If you’re looking for a travel-sized massage gun, the Bob and Brad Q2 Ultra Mini Massage Gun is on sale for $78.82, down from $99.99. For me, the real selling point of this massage gun—which I reviewed in-depth here—is how great the heat therapy feels. Plus, its compact size makes it perfect for travel or bringing to the gym—something I never considered with my full-sized TheraGun Therabody.
The original Shokz OpenRun are available for $89.94, down from a list price of $129.95. They might not have as powerful bass or as long a battery life compared to my favorites, the OpenRun Pro 2 (also on sale right now, for $139.95), but they’re still a top choice of open-ear bone conduction headphones.
If you’re eyeing Sony noise-cancelling headphones that won’t put you out hundreds of dollars, the Sony WH-CH720N are available for $94 (originally $179.99) on Amazon right now. For more great deals on home gym equipment (even though, fair warning, many of them exceed this post’s $100 benchmark), check out my round-up here.
Last Friday, Mathieu van der Poel won the E3 Saxo Classic onboard an unreleased Canyon Endurace CFR.
The fact that van der Poel won is hardly a surprise – this was his third successive victory at the one-day race – but the fact he did it on an endurance bike is more shocking.
The Dutchman has become synonymous with the Canyon Aeroad, using it for every race and every stage, regardless of the terrain, begging the question of why he’s switched to the Endurace.
We spotted the Endurace out in the wild just last week, and Van der Poel using the bike could just be a marketing stunt hatched by Canyon that paid off spectacularly. But it also signals a shift in endurance bike design, which is a more intriguing story.
The racy endurance bike
Mathieu van der Poel’s Canyon Endurace CFR looks racy, but I don’t think it’s as aggressive as the Aeroad he’ll be used to. JASPER JACOBS / BELGA MAG / Belga / AFP via Getty Images
Despite being an endurance bike, van der Poel’s Endurace carried all the hallmarks of a race-bike setup.
And remember, this is a CFR (Canyon Factory Racing)-branded bike, with a suitably aggressive-looking layout.
Thinking you’ve seen this kind of thing before? You have. The second-generation Trek Domane launched 10 years ago, and was available in two geometries – a standard ‘H3’ endurance layout, and a H1/H2 fit, which was designed to be a more aggressive geometry without quite encroaching on the Madone’s territory.
Trek’s Domane has long led on the split-geometry approach. SRAM
The racier layout was refined into the H1.5 geometry for subsequent generations, and remains available today on the Domane RSL frameset alongside the standard Domane SLR (and SL).
Of course, it’s also possible that every new Endurace will get this layout, more similar to the original Specialized Roubaix, a race bike originally developed for the demands of the cobbles at Paris–Roubaix.
But I think this is unlikely, given the Endurace’s established position in Canyon’s bike hierarchy, and the emerging trend away from overly aggressive, long-and-low fits.
Less aggressive, more aero
Blending aerodynamics and an endurance-oriented layout is becoming fashionable. Daniel Benson
It’s likely that the upcoming Endurace is following a similar path to the Trek Domane, which manages to accommodate the extreme fit requirements of pro athletes but still lends itself to longer days in the saddle and the roughhouse nature of the cobbled classics.
Sénéchal was running a 10mm spacer under his new swept one-piece cockpit, but the head tube didn’t look especially short, while the space left behind the front tyre’s trailing edge suggests the front wheel might be pushed a little more forwards than on the Aeroad.
We’re seeing taller front ends, even on race bikes as aggressive as the Factor One. Factor
If it does have a slacker head tube angle, that will make the steering less reactive, which is ideal for the hectic nature of a cobbled classic, and for tired endurance riders.
Remember, bikes such as the Factor One are already on the scene, with claims that a taller front end is faster because the rider can hold a more aerodynamic position. This means any loss from the increased head tube surface area is more than compensated by the optimised rider position.
Plus, the frame appears to benefit from a narrower seat tube profile than the Aeroad, which would improve comfort, alongside clearance for wide road tyres.
Factor in the potential energy savings from a slightly more comfortable ride position, and it’s a modern recipe for real-world speed.
What about the Endurace CF SLX and SL?
So, where does this leave the Endurace CFR’s more affordable siblings? Steve Sayers / Our Media
No doubt, the Endurace CFR will come with a hefty price tag, and it’s more likely that you and I will be able to afford the second- or third-tier bikes. So what might we see here?
If my theory holds true, I suspect the CF SLX and SL-grade bikes may come with an even more relaxed geometry, similar to the current-generation Endurace.
It’s also possible that Canyon will offer the SLX in a more relaxed layout, but with the aerodynamic tube profiles seen on the unreleased CFR, and then keep the SL with its current frame design.
That said, in previous generations, the geometry has been the same across all models of the Endurace, and it would be a shame if Canyon decided to reserve the aero gains for those with deeper pockets. After all, that appears to be the point of the new Endurace – it’s a race bike, but one all of us could ride, and perhaps should.