Tablets are always going to be popular items during Black Friday sales. They make for great gifts, and it’s as good a time as any to pick one up for yourself if you’ve been on the fence. Google’s Pixel Tablet is a solid choice, especially if you lean more toward Android than iOS (or iPadOS).

The 128GB version of the 11-inch Pixel Tablet has dropped back down to its all-time-low price of $399 at Amazon ahead of Black Friday. That’s $100 off the regular price. If you opt for the porcelain variant with 128GB of storage, you can get a case (which is normally $80) at no extra cost. Either way, the tablet comes with a charging dock. Meanwhile, the 256GB model is also $100 off at $499 — there’s no SD card slot to expand the storage, unfortunately.

We gave the Pixel Tablet a score of 85 in our review in June. Being able to plop the tablet onto the dock (which has a built-in speaker) is a big selling point as that effectively turns the tablet into a smart display. In this mode, you can use the tablet to stream music and video, control and monitor smart home devices, display your favorite photos and more. Thanks to Google Assistant, you’ll be able to do much of this hands free. That said, the dock perhaps doesn’t position the tablet at the most flattering angle for video calls. The case that you can get for free with the 128GB model handily has a kickstand.

The performance is fairly snappy thanks to the Tensor G2 chipset, while the 2,560 x 1,600 LCD display is decent enough (although being limited to a 60Hz refresh rate is a drag). You should get a full day of use out of the tablet before you need to recharge the 5,000mAh battery. Google is also promising OS updates through at least June 2026 and security updates for two years beyond that at minimum.

On the downside, the lack of a headphone jack is galling. During our review period, we ran into a few software hiccups while the tablet was in Hub Mode as well. Overall, the Pixel Tablet isn’t quite as compelling as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series when it comes to our pick for the best Android tablet. However, it’s still a strong choice for a more budget-friendly Android tablet. It’s significantly less expensive than Samsung’s models, especially during this sale.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-pixel-tablet-is-100-off-in-early-black-friday-sale-164321754.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Google’s Pixel Tablet is 0 off in early Black Friday sale

Microsoft is offering a steep, and relatively rare, discount on the Surface Pro 9 hybrid tablet as part of a larger Black Friday sales event. The savings fluctuate depending on which model you purchase, but you could save $800 on the absolute top-of-the-line model with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, bringing the price down to $1,800 from $2,600. This is a record-low deal for this particular SKU.

The discounted models offer 8GB to 32GB of RAM and 256GB to 1TB of solid-state storage. You have your choice between the 12th Gen Intel i5, the 12th Gen Intel i7, Microsoft’s proprietary Arm-based SQ2 chip or even the latest SQ3 chip. With this in mind, discounts range from $50 all the way to the aforementioned $800. Unfortunately, these deals don’t ship with a keyboard or a stylus. 

There has been some confusion between the Arm-based models and the Intel models. Simply put, the Intel models are for power users and the Arm-based models are more for general use. Yes, even though the SQ chips are newer, the Intel chips are faster. In our review of last year’s Surface Pro 9 SQ3, we called it a compromised machine compared to its Intel-based siblings.

With that said, the Surface line is well-regarded for a number of reasons. The 13-inch screen is gorgeous, the form factor is on-point and Microsoft makes it easy to source replacement parts, unlike certain rivals.

These deals are also available on Amazon, if that’s your preferred retail experience. You can grab an Intel i7 version with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state storage for $1,100, a savings of $500. You can also grab the aforementioned flagship tablet for $1,800, the same price as ordering directly from Microsoft. The company’s wider Black Friday deal also offers discounts on the Laptop 5 and Laptop Studio 2, among others. 

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-black-friday-deals-discount-the-surface-pro-9-by-up-to-800-161628594.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Microsoft Black Friday deals include up to 0 off the Surface Pro 9

If there’s a book lover on your holiday list, consider yourself lucky. There’s a huge range of gifts you can give them — and you don’t even need to know what’s next up on their to-be-read list. I’m a former bookseller with an abiding fiction habit who now tests book-related (and other) tech. Andrew Tarantola is Engadget’s resident book expert who produces our Hitting the Books column. He’s compiled the ten books he recommends for 2023 and I’ve included ereaders, accessories and subscriptions that I think the reader in your life will appreciate. Here are the best gift ideas for book lovers this year.

Kobo Clara 2E

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

Twelve South HoverBar Duo

Sony WH-CH720N

Nimble Champ portable charger

Glocusent Tri-Head Book Light

Audible subscription

Libro.fm subscription

Storygraph Plus

Blood in the Machine

Elon Musk

Extremely Online

The Teachers

Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground

American Prometheus

Starter Villain

The Far Reaches Collection

Optimal Illusions

Mother Brain

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-gifts-for-book-lovers-160047468.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The best gifts for book lovers in 2023

Google’s Threat Analysis Group revealed on Thursday that it discovered and worked to help patch an email server flaw used to steal data from governments in Greece, Moldova, Tunisia, Vietnam and Pakistan. The exploit, known as CVE-2023-37580, targeted email server Zimbra Collaboration to pilfer email data, user credentials and authentication tokens from organizations. 

It started in Greece at the end of June. Attackers that discovered the vulnerability and sent emails to a government organization containing the exploit. If someone clicked the link while logged into their Zimbra account, it automatically stole email data and set up auto-forwarding to take control of the address. 

While Zimbra published a hotfix on open source platform Github on July 5, most of the activity deploying the exploit happened afterward. That means targets didn’t get around to updating the software with the fix until it was too late. It’s a good reminder to update the devices you’ve been ignoring now, and ASAP as more updates become available. “These campaigns also highlight how attackers monitor open-source repositories to opportunistically exploit vulnerabilities where the fix is in the repository, but not yet released to users,” the Google Threat Analysis Group wrote in a blog post. 

Around mid-July, it became clear that threat group Winter Vivern got ahold of the exploit. Winter Vivern targeted government organizations in Moldova and Tunisia. Then, a third unknown actor used the exploit to phish for credentials from members of the Vietnam government. That data got published to an official government domain, likely run by the attackers. The final campaign Google’s Threat Analysis Group detailed targeted a government organization in Pakistan to steal Zimbra authentication tokens, a secure piece of information used to access locked or protected information.

Zimbra users were also the target of a mass-phishing campaign earlier this year. Starting in April, an unknown threat actor sends an email with a phishing link in an HTML file, according to ESET researchers. Before that, in 2022, threat actors used a different Zimbra exploit to steal emails from European government and media organizations.

As of 2022, Zimbra said it had more than 200,000 customers, including over 1,000 government organizations. “The popularity of Zimbra Collaboration among organizations expected to have lower IT budgets ensures that it stays an attractive target for adversaries,” ESET researchers said about why attackers target Zimbra.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/an-email-vulnerability-let-hackers-steal-data-from-governments-around-the-world-160005510.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – An email vulnerability let hackers steal data from governments around the world

“Black Friday” has really become a misnomer in recent years. What was once one day with truly limited-time offers has expanded into a month-long sales marathon that can feel more exhausting than exciting. It’s happening again in 2023: Target, Best Buy and Walmart are already advertising their deals, while Amazon Black Friday deals kick off in earnest later this week.

If you’re overwhelmed by the amount of discounts showing up in your internet feeds, you’re not alone — but these sales present a good opportunity to get your holiday shopping done a little earlier, while saving some cash. To help, we’ve rounded up the best Black Friday deals on tech we’ve tested and reviewed below. Will there be some surprises on Black Friday proper? Possibly — but most deals live now are actually decent and worth considering. We’re already seeing record lows on iPads, PS5 controllers and smart TVs. We’ll be updating our list regularly in the lead-up to Black Friday, so check back if there’s anything else you’ve had your eye on.

Apple iPad (9th-gen)

Apple’s 9th-gen iPad is down to $249 at Amazon and Walmart, which is a deal we’ve seen for much of the past month but still matches the tablet’s lowest-ever price. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide, and it earned a review score of 86 in 2021. It’s the last iPad to use Apple’s old design language, so it has thick bezels, a Lightning port, a Home button and a non-laminated display. This variant also comes with a paltry 64GB of storage. At this price, though, it’s still hard to do better if all you want is a large screen for streaming video, playing games and browsing the web. Its 10.2-inch display remains a step up from cheaper slates, its A13 Bionic chip is plenty fast for casual media consumption and its battery still lasts around 10 hours per charge. Most importantly, it’s the cheapest route into Apple’s huge app library, customer support and years of software updates.

Apple iPad Air

The iPad Air M1 is back down to a record low of $500 right now ahead of Black Friday. All color options have some sort of discount, and a few of them have a clippable coupon that will bring the final price down to $500. It’s still the best iPad for most people at the moment, although we expect to see a fresh lineup with the latest M-series processor debut early next year. However, if you want a new iPad immediately, the Air offers speedy performance, good battery life, a slim design and Apple Pencil 2 support.

Apple Watch Series 9

The new Apple Watch Series 9 has dropped to $349 at Amazon and Walmart in an early Black Friday deal. That’s $50 off its usual price and the lowest we’ve seen since it debuted in September. That’s the price you’ll pay for the 41mm model, and the 45mm models have the same $50 discount, bringing them down to $379 each. The Series 9 took the crown of the best smartwatch you can get right now in our guide thanks to its new S9 SiP that brings slightly speedier performance and on-device Siri processing, the new Double Tap feature and other improvements.

Apple M2 Mac Mini

Amazon has discounted the M2-powered Mac Mini desktops: the 256GB model has dropped to $500 thanks to a discount and a clippable coupon added on top of that, while the 512GB model is on sale for $690 with similar bundled discounts. It’s a great option if you want a speedy desktop running macOS, with a bevy of ports as well. It earned a score of 86 in our review, and it has a headphone jack, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-A connectors, two Thunderbolt 4 USB-Cs and an HDMI 2.0 port.

Meta Quest 2 VR headset

The Meta Quest 2 VR headset is $50 off and down to $249, which is the best price we’ve seen. Despite the launch of the impressive Quest 3, we still consider the Quest 2 to be one of the best VR headsets available right now — precisely because of its more affordable price. It’s still the best way to jump into VR without spending a ton of money, and the Quest 2 has the perks of being completely cordless and comfortable to wear for long sessions. The hardware includes fast-switching LCDs with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, and it comes with Meta’s sold motion controllers.

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

This Roku Black Friday deal knocks the price of the Streaming Stick 4K down to $30, which represents a 40 percent discount. It’s one of the best streaming devices available right now thanks to its support for 4K HDR content, Dolby Vision and AirPlay 2, among other things. Roku’s TV interface is super user-friendly, and this dongle supports private listening with headphones paired to your smartphone via Roku’s companion app.

Google Nest Thermostat

Google’s Nest Thermostat is on sale for $90 right now, which is $40 off and close to a record low. It’s a pared-down version of the Nest Learning Thermostat, but it has plenty of smart features and should help you save on energy costs over time. This model is Energy Star-certified and will automatically turn temperatures down in your home when you leave the house, and you can adjust heating and cooling schedules from your phone.

Google Pixel 8 Pro

Google’s latest flagship smartphones are up to $200 off for Black Friday, including the Pixel 8 Pro, which you can snag for $800. The standard Pixel 8 is as low as $549 depending on the storage capacity you choose as well. These are the best Android phones available right now thanks to some substantial upgrades Google brought to each handset this time around. They both have upgraded Tensor G3 processors, vivid OLED displays with 120Hz refresh rates, excellent cameras and solid battery lives.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

The Google Pixel Buds Pro are on sale for $116 at Wellbots. That’s the best price we’ve ever seen on what we consider to be the best wireless earbuds for Android users. Google learned from its previous generations of earbuds and made the best model yet with the Pros; they have improved sound quality, a comfortable design with reliable touch controls and good noise cancellation and battery life.

iRobot Roomba Combo j5+

You can save $300 on the Roomba Combo j5+ robot vacuum and mop at Amazon, spending $500 for the machine and its self-emptying base. The more affordable Roomba 694 is $116 off as well. The Combo machine lets you vacuum and mop with one machine and it comes with a base into which the vacuum dustbin will empty its contents after every job. The cheaper Roomba 694 is one of the best robo-vacs for people on a budget thanks to its slim design, strong suction power and easy-to-use mobile app.

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

Breville’s Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is 29 percent off and down to $320 for Black Friday. That’s the best price we’ve seen since the start of this year on one of our favorite air fryers. This Breville machine is much more than an air fryer, though — it has 13 cooking functions and a capacity that can handle a full turkey, so it’s more like a mini convection oven that sits on your countertop. It’s best for people who love to cook and have big families, or those who maybe don’t have a traditional oven and want a versatile (and relatively small) appliance for their kitchen.

Fitbit Charge 6

Fitbit’s newest fitness tracker, the Charge 6, is $60 off right now and down to a record low of $100. It’s the follow-up to one of our favorite fitness trackers, the Fitbit Charge 5, and it brings back the physical side button that previous generations had and integrates even more with Google services. It has an AMOLED touchscreen that displays all of your activity stats and smart notifications, a built-in GPS for mapping outdoor workouts, a week-long battery life and the ability to display turn-by-turn directions on its screen from Google Maps.

Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite

Amazon’s most affordable Fire TV Stick is down to $16 for Black Friday, which is only $1 more than its record-low price. You’ll find decent discounts across most of the Fire TV lineup right now — including a $20 discount on the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max — and this model is the cheapest of the bunch. It supports HD video as well as most major streaming services, plus it comes with a pared-down version of the Alexa voice remote. If you want the most powerful dongle that Amazon makes with support for 4K HDR content and Wi-Fi 6, you’ll have to spend $40 for the new Fire TV 4K Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is down to $328 at Amazon and B&H. Though this isn’t an all-time low, it’s about $70 off Sony’s list price and $20 lower than the headphones’ usual recurring sale price. The XM5 is the top recommendation in our guide to the best wireless headphones, as it offers a comfortable design, powerful ANC, crisp call quality and 30 or so hours of battery life. It also comes with a number of useful bonus features such as “Speak to Chat,” which automatically pauses your music when you start talking to somebody else. By default, its bass-heavy sound plays well with hip-hop and EDM, though you can easily customize the EQ curve through Sony’s app. We gave the XM5 a score of 95 in our review last year.

Dyson Black Friday deals

Dyson Black Friday deals include a $175 discount on the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, bringing the cordless vacuum down to $575. It’s hard to tell if this is a record-low price, but considering the standard V15 Detect is going for between $650 and $750 across the internet, we consider this to be a good deal. In addition to its strong cleaning power, the V15 Detect has a laser-powered optic cleaner head that illuminates the floor before you as you’re cleaning so you can see dust and grime more clearly. It also has a piezo sensor, which sizes and counts dust particles as you clean and shows you that information on its LCD display.

Echo Show 5 + Ring Video Doorbell bundle

Prime members can save 65 percent on this bundle that includes an Echo Show 5 and a Ring Video Doorbell, now that it’s down to only $65. The Show 5 is one of our favorite smart displays thanks to its compact design and a few useful features that make it a solid smart alarm clock like an ambient light sensor and its tap-to-snooze function. It also works well with the Ring doorbell because you can program it to see video feeds from the doorbell directly on the Show 5’s screen. There are a number of other Ring doorbells and security cameras on sale at the moment as well for as low as $30.

Samsung T9 SSD

The latest Samsung T9 portable SSD is on sale for $130 right now for a 1TB drive, which is the best price it’s been since it came out last month. You can snag these Black Friday deals from Amazon or Samsung direct, and you’ll save $40 if you spring for the 2TB version or $100 on the 4TB model. The T9 is the newest iteration of Samsung’s popular portable drive that we’ve long been fans of, and it supports read and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s. It also has dynamic thermal guard to prevent overheating, plus it comes with a USB-C to C and USB-C to A cords so you can use it with a variety of devices.

PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller

Amazon has discounted a bunch of PlayStation DualSense controllers ahead of Black Friday, including many of the colorways that typically go for $75. You can pick up Cosmic Red, Starlight Blue, Nova Pink and other models for $50 each, which is just about a record-low price. These controllers work with the PS5 as well as PC, and they sport adaptive L2 and R2 triggers, haptic feedback and a built-in mic array.

PS5 + Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 bundle

If you or someone you love hasn’t gotten their hands on a PS5 yet and is itching to do so, this bundle with the console and the new Spider-Man 2 game is down to its cheapest price yet — $500. The PS5 remains one of the best gaming consoles you can get right now, and when we reviewed the new Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we found it to be even better than its predecessor. In it, you can swap between playing as Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and it includes expanded combat mechanics.

PS5 Slim + Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III bundle

You can get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III for free with this PS5 Slim bundle that’s roughly $60 off its going rate and down to $500 at both Amazon and Walmart. Sony announced the svelte version of its flagship console last month and it’s been popping up sporadically across the internet since then. Depending on the model you choose, it’ll be up to 24 percent lighter than the standard PS5 and it will take up about 30 percent less space overall.

DJI Osmo Action 3 Creator Combo

As part of a larger sale on DJI cameras and accessories, the DJI Osmo Action 3 is seeing a discount as part of a bundle that includes two batteries, a 32GB microSD card and a case. Separately and not on sale, the set would run you $379, but is now down to $319. This isn’t the newest version of DJI’s GoPro Alternative camera, that one, the Osmo Action 4 isn’t on sale. The newer version has a larger sensor and improved dynamic range, but at a higher price. But if you don’t plan on shooting a lot of low-light footage, you may be happy with the performance of the Action 3. We put it through its paces in our review and liked the excellent video quality, and found it to be on par with GoPro’s Hero 10. The the magnetic clip mount and long-lasting, fast-charging battery are also reasons to buy. 

Masterclass Black Friday deal

Masterclass’ Black Friday deal gives you two memberships for the price of one, starting at $120 per year. That provides two individual memberships, while you can pay a total of $180 for access for two devices simultaneously, content downloads and a Family membership that covers six devices. Masterclass could be a good gift option for people who love to learn or collect hobbies as it provides access to hundreds of hours of video of masters of their craft explaining how they do their work. Some classes have exercises you can complete as well, making it feel more like a real class. This deal will be available until the end of the day on Black Friday proper.

Headspace Black Friday deal

Headspace’s Black Friday deal is back for 2023, knocking half off subscriptions for new and returning subscribers. You’ll spend $35 if you pay for one year upfront, or $6.50 per month if you choose the more frequent payment method. Headspace is a solid meditation and mindfulness app that packs a lot of value, including dozens of guided meditation sessions to choose from at various durations, “sleepcasts” and soothing audio to help you get better shut eye and curated yoga and fitness videos that can help you stick to your physical health goals.

Surfshark VPN

Surfshark’s Black Friday deal knocks up to 86 percent off two-year plans, and you’ll get a few extra months of service for free depending on the plan you select. We consider Surfshark to be one of the best VPN services available right now, particularly if you want a solid VPN at an affordable price. We believe the mid-tier plan, Surfshark One, will be the best for most people and a two-year plan is down to $2.69 per month, with an additional four months of services thrown in for free.

Samsung M80C Smart Monitor

Samsung’s Smart Monitor M80C is $300 off and down to $400 right now. You’ll see a $200 discount on the product page, but a clippable coupon will take the extra $100 off at checkout. The selling point for this display, and really any Samsung Smart Monitor, is that it pulls triple duty as an external display, a smart TV and an IoT hub. In addition to connecting it to your computer, you can use it standalone as a TV thanks to the built-in TV operating system and included remote, and the embedded SmartThings hub lets you directly connect things like smart lights and other gear to the display.

Motorola razr+

The Moto razr+ is 30 percent off and down to a record low of $700. It earned a spot in our best foldable phones guides thanks to handy exterior display that’s actually easier to use than that on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and its ability to fold in half and get super compact and pocket-friendly. It’s cameras are not on par with those on Samsung’s foldables, but it’s a generally solid flip phone with a ton of personality.

Reverb music gear holiday sale

Reverb is currently hosting a holiday sale with discounts on a number of synths, pedals, guitars, and recording devices. One callout is the Native Instruments’ Maschine MK3, which is seeing a $300 discount making the $600 groovebox/drum machine/synth combo/controller just $299. The pad based controller will let you build full tracks from scratch without having to touch your mouse and keyboard. We’re fans of Native Instruments and have covered and reviewed their gear many times over the years. If you’re getting into desktop music-making, this is likely a sale you’ll want to check out.  

Bose Quiet Comfort Earbuds

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are down to $199 at Amazon, which is the same as they went for for October Prime Day. During that sale you needed to be a Prime member to save, but now anyone can take advantage of the discount. They retail for $299, but have sold for $279 for the past few months, so this is still an $80 discount. We think they’re best wireless earbuds you can buy for noise cancelation, as they do a great job of blocking out the world. They also have a smaller, more comfortable fit than the previous generation and offer good audio quality.

Samsung 85-inch The Frame smart TV

The 85-inch Samsung The Frame smart TV is 23 percent off and down to a new record low of $3,300 at both Amazon and Samsung direct. The Frame has been super popular thanks to its design, which mimics framed artwork when not in use. It has a matte, anti-reflective display and an included slim wall mount so you can get the true “artwork” effect when you hang it on the wall. As an actual TV, it supports 4K content and Quantum Dot technology, plus it runs on Samsung’s Tizen TV operating system.

Solo Stove early Black Friday deal

Solo Stove’s Black Friday deals have knocked up to $245 off fire pit bundles, up to $100 off fire pits by themselves and even more. A standout is the Ranger Backyard Bundle 2, which is $145 off and down to $320. It includes the company’s most compact fire pit along with its accompanying shield, stand, lid and shelter. Everything you’d need for an easy setup right out of the box is included in this bundle, and the 2.0-version of the Ranger includes a removable base plate and ash pan, both of which make the fire pit much easier to clean.

TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug

The smart plug we recommend for most homes is TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Plug mini. A four-pack is on sale for $35 which is about $3 more than it sold for during Amazon’s October Prime day sale, but still a decent $15 savings. Plugs like these are a simple way to add some smart capabilities to any home, letting you turn on lights with just your voice, set automated schedules and routines that are triggered by other activities. These would make a great stocking stuffer for anyone you know who’s curious about smart home connectivity but hasn’t yet taken the plunge.  

ProtonVPN early Black Friday deal

Our favorite VPN service, ProtonVPN, is having a rare sale for Black Friday that brings a monthly subscription down to only $4 for a total of 30 months. That means you’ll pay $120 for two and a half years of access, which is a pretty good deal. ProtonVPN passed our tests with high marks, but what made it stand out among other VPN security services was its independently audited no-logs policy, and the fact that the company has proven they don’t comply with law enforcement requests to reveal data. If you want to jump in head-first with Proton services, the company has discounted Proton Unlimited, which includes access to VPN, Mail, Calendar, Drive and Pass, to just under $9 per month for the first year.

Google Nest Hub

If you’re partial to the Google Assistant, Google’s Nest Hub is also on sale for $50 at Target and Walmart. That’s $10 higher than its all-time low but still $50 off Google’s list price. The Nest Hub is the top overall pick in our smart display buying guide, and we gave it a review score of 89 back in 2021. It has a 7-inch screen, so it’s a bit bigger than the Echo Show 5 but should still be compact enough to fit neatly in a bedroom or small office. While it lacks a built-in camera, that may be a selling point for those who especially sensitive to their privacy (though no smart display is truly privacy-conscious). 

Ultimately, whether it’s worth getting a Nest Hub or Echo Show depends on what services you use: If you own a bunch of Nest devices and depend on apps like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Photos, Google’s display will make sense. If you want a larger model with a webcam and stronger speakers, the 10-inch Nest Hub Max is also on sale for $159.

LG A2 OLED TV

We expect to see many more TV deals as we get closer to Black Friday, but for now one standout is LG’s 48-inch A2 OLED TV on sale for a new low of $550 at Best Buy. This is an entry-level model from 2022, so it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, lacks HDMI 2.1 ports and doesn’t support other gaming-friendly features like VRR. That said, it’s still an OLED TV, so it delivers deep contrast, bold colors, wide viewing angles and low input lag. At this price, it should be a nice step-up option for smaller or secondary rooms. Just note that it can’t get as bright as higher-end OLED sets, so it’s best situated away from direct sunlight. 

FAQs

When is Black Friday 2023?

Black Friday 2023 lands on November 24 this year, with Cyber Monday 2023 following up a few days later on November 27. However, the early deals have already begun. The entire month of November might as well be renamed Holiday Shopping Month as that’s when companies really start to get serious with their discounts.

What day is Black Friday 2023 at Walmart?

Walmart Black Friday deals will begin early this year on November 8. Walmart+ members will get a few hours of early access to Black Friday deals if they shop online on November 8, with access for everyone else starting later that day. Walmart will match its online Black Friday deals in stores starting November 10.

Will Amazon have a Black Friday sale in 2023?

Amazon will likely have a Black Friday sale in 2023. While the online retailer hasn’t made its deals known yet like Walmart has, Amazon will almost certainly have deals across all of the types of products it sells, including electronics. We anticipate seeing record-low prices on Amazon devices in particular, like Echo speakers, Fire TVs, Kindles and more. In years past, Amazon Black Friday deals have brought some of the best prices of the year on our favorite gadgets and gear, including headphones, tablets, smartwatches, robot vacuums and more.

What other retailers have Black Friday sales in 2023?

Most retailers have Black Friday sales, so you can expect to see Target, Best Buy, and others join Walmart and Amazon in discounting inventory to capitalize on holiday shopping interest. In the consumer electronics space, we expect most companies to have some sort of Black Friday promotion, so that means you will likely be able to get big-ticket items from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google, Sony, LG, Sonos and others for much cheaper prices.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-34-black-friday-deals-worth-shopping-for-right-now-from-amazon-walmart-target-and-others-144504420.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The 34 Black Friday deals worth shopping for right now from Amazon, Walmart, Target and others

The living room is where most people spend a good chunk of their time when they want to relax, but most people’s home theater setup could use a little TLC. While you can drop serious money fast in this space, that doesn’t have to be the case. If you’ve got a movie-lover on your gift list, or someone who’s particularly hard to shop for, getting them something to upgrade their TV-watching experience is usually a set bet. Here are some of the best home theater gifts for this year, and no, not all of them cost a fortune.

Apple TV 4K

Monoprice Monolith THX Atmos home theater speakers

Roku Ultra

Sonos Ray

Govee LED Strip Light M1

Samsung 55-Inch S90C OLED 4K Smart TV

Hisense U8K Mini-LED Smart TV

Sony PlayStation 5

Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X

Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB Direct-Drive Turntable

BenQ HT2060 Home Theater Projector

LG Cinebeam smart portable projector

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-home-theater-gifts-140037740.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The best home theater gifts of 2023

We consider Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro the best Android phones for most people, and right now both handsets are on sale for the lowest prices we’ve tracked. As part of an early Black Friday sale, the 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Pro has dropped to $799 at various retailers, while the 6.2-inch Pixel 8 is on sale for $549. That’s $200 off the usual going rate of the Pixel 8 Pro and a $150 discount for the Pixel 8. These prices are for unlocked models with 128GB of storage; if you need more space, the 256GB Pixel 8 is available for $609, which is another $150 discount. The 256GB and 512GB versions of the Pixel 8 Pro, meanwhile, are both $200 off at $859 and $979, respectively. The deals apply to each color finish of the two devices. 

We gave the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro scores of 90 and 93, respectively, in our review last month. Both phones offer a vivid OLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, solid battery life, speedy performance via Google’s Tensor G3 chip, a typically clean take on Android and superb photo quality. The cameras are particularly aided by a handful of AI editing tools: An “Audio Magic Eraser” feature does a convincing job of eliminating ambient noise from video clips, for example, while “Best Take” stitches together the best results from a series of group photos, so someone who blinked or sneezed during one shot won’t do so in the final product. (Philosophical questions over the intrusiveness of AI aside, this actually does work.) 

Perhaps the biggest feature, though, is Google’s promise to provide OS and security updates for a full seven years. Yes, you’ll almost certainly want to buy a new phone before 2030, but this extended support means there should be less pressure to upgrade down the line.

If money is no object, the Pixel 8 Pro is the better of the two: Its camera system comes with a sharper ultrawide lens and a dedicated 5x telephoto lens, it supports more advanced controls in the camera app, its display is slightly brighter and sharper and its battery lasts a bit longer. Its matte-glass back feels a little nicer in the hand, and the screen supports a wider variable refresh rate range (1-120Hz instead of 60-120Hz). Still, the standard Pixel 8 gets you most of the way there for less cash, and its smaller frame is easier to hold with one hand. Our biggest problem with both phones is that they’re priced $100 higher than their Pixel 7 counterparts, but these deals help lessen the blow. 

If you want a more affordable Android phone, the Pixel 7a is also on sale for $374, which is a $125 discount and an all-time low. That 6.1-inch phone is a step down from the Pixel 8 in most aspects, but it’s still our top recommendation for Android fans who can’t spend more than $500 on a new handset. In other Pixel deals, the Pixel Buds Pro are down to $120 — that’s within a dollar of the lowest price we’ve seen for the “best for Android” pick in our wireless earbuds buying guide. 

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-pixel-8-and-pixel-8-pro-are-up-to-200-off-in-a-google-black-friday-deal-140005289.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are up to 0 off in a Google Black Friday deal

Early Black Friday sales have been steadily rolling in, but few have been as practical heading into the long winter months as Google’s Nest Thermostat. The smart thermostat is typically $130 but is currently just $90 — a 31 percent discount and only $10 more than its all-time low. 

Google’s Nest Thermostat came on the scene in 2020 as a cheaper but solid alternative to its Nest Learning Thermostat (retailing at $240). Both devices have the same goal: to save energy and money. The standard Nest Thermostat is Energy Star-certified and turns the temperature down when you leave to avoid any waste. If you’re heading home sooner than expected (or staying out later, for that matter), you can adjust the heat schedule right on the app from your phone, tablet or laptop.

While it can be a big help with keeping those heating bills in check, Google’s Nest Thermostat should work just as well with your air conditioning system come summer. Plus, it also provides tips for both through the Savings Finder on ways to adjust your heating or cooling schedule to save even more money.

The thermostat isn’t the only Nest product offering a solid deal ahead of Black Friday. The Google Nest Wireless Doorbell is down to $120 from $180 — one of a trio of Nest products currently at their all-time low price. Rounding out the sale is the Google Nest Indoor Wired Security Camera for $70 from $97 and the two-pack Google Nest Wi-Fi Pro with Wi-Fi 6E available for $200, down from $300.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-nest-thermostat-drops-to-90-in-a-black-friday-deal-133052800.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Google’s Nest Thermostat drops to in a Black Friday deal

YouTube has announced new experimental AI services, including a feature called Dream Track in YouTube Shorts. It creates up to 30-second soundtracks using AI-generation versions of artists’ voices. Though musicians have mostly pushed back on AI (and their voices being used for training models without permission or compensation), YouTube got nine big names from the music industry to participate, including John Legend, Troye Sivan, CharliXCX and T-Pain. The company hoped to announce the feature at its Made on YouTube event in September but has been in negotiation with recording companies over rights and payments.

Users can access Dream Track by typing an idea into the creation prompt and choosing from one of the participating artists. It uses Google DeepMind’s Lyria — a new, powerful music generation model designed specifically for creating high-quality vocals and instrumentals while giving the user more control over the final product. Any content Lyria produces will also have a SynthID watermark, denoting it as such. 

Charlie Puth and T-Pain created sample Dream Tracks, which YouTube has shared as inspiration. However, many of the artists involved expressed their apprehension about AI but hoped that collaborative work could create positive, non-exploitative opportunities. “When I was first approached by YouTube I was cautious and still am, AI is going to transform the world and the music industry in ways we do not yet fully understand,” singer CharliXCX said. “This experiment will offer a small insight into the creative opportunities that could be possible and I’m interested to see what comes out of it.” 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is keeping a close eye on internet providers to make sure they provide Americans with equal access to broadband services regardless of customers’ “income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion or national origin.” Two years after the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law became official, the FCC has adopted (PDF) a final set of relevant rules to enforce. 

The Commission will have the power to investigate possible instances of “digital discrimination” under the new rules and could penalize providers for violating them. It could, for instance, look into a company’s pricing, network upgrades and maintenance procedures to decide whether a provider is keeping an affluent area well-maintained while failing to provide the same level of service to a low-income area. As The Wall Street Journal explains, it could even hold companies like AT&T and Comcast liable even if they weren’t intentionally discriminatory, as long as their actions “differentially impact consumers’ access to broadband.” If the FCC does receive complaints against a particular provider, though, it will take into account any technical and economic challenges it may be facing that prevents it from providing equal access to its services. 

According to The Journal, the FCC approved the new rules in a 3-2 vote. Their critics — mainly internet providers and Republican members of the Congress — argued that the decision could affect investments and that the commission is taking things too far by penalizing unintentional discrimination. But FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel found the rules to be reasonable, especially since the agency will “accept genuine reasons of technical and economic feasibility as valid reasons.” 

In addition to adopting a set of rules for digital discrimination, the FCC has also updated its protections against SIM swapping and port-out scams (PDF). It will now require wireless providers to notify customers immediately when a SIM change or a port-out is requested for their account and phone number. Further, providers are required to take additional steps to protect their subscribers from the schemes. Finally, the FCC has voted to begin a formal inquiry (PDF) to look into the impact of artificial intelligence on robocalls. It could, after all, be used to block unwanted voice and text messages, but it could also be used to more easily defraud people through calls and texts. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fcc-will-crack-down-on-isps-to-improve-connectivity-in-poorer-areas-125041256.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The FCC will crack down on ISPs to improve connectivity in poorer areas

November 24 might be a few days away yet, but that hasn’t stopped swathes of the industry from posting their deals early. Engadget’s crack team of coupon-heads has pored over countless listings to find you some absolutely jaw-dropping bargains. That includes hefty bits of cash knocked off the price of a new Mac Mini M2, iPad, Meta Quest and Apple Watch. Even better, you can pick up a pair of Sony XM5s, long regarded as the best in their class, for just $328. Well, you can. Your humble narrator is in the UK, so is ineligible to grab any of these utterly sweet early deals.

— Dan Cooper

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The biggest stories you might have missed

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Lawmakers question Apple over cancellation of Jon Stewart’s show

Officials want to know if the rumors are true.

The Problem with Jon Stewart was, in theory, the ideal vehicle for the combative former Daily Show host. A well-heeled venture where Stewart could go deep on tough political topics, backed by a megacorporation too rich to be cowed by advertiser pressure. Except, so the rumors go, Apple pulled the plug on the series to prevent episodes critical of AI and China. Now, a bipartisan group from the House of Representatives is querying what happened and why.

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$1,900 Tesla Cyberquad is on sale again, less likely to maim children

Radio Flyer has updated the model to meet (checks notes) basic safety standards.

Radio Flyer has announced its kids’ version of the Tesla Cyberquad is back on sale, now with less risk to its rider. It launched back in 2021, only for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall it for not meeting safety standards. Now, it’s back for $1,900, plus the cost of a helmet and some knee and elbow pads (not included).

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The Analogue Pocket will soon come in 8 Game Boy Pocket/Advance colors

They look beautiful.

The Game Boy-aping Analogue Pocket will soon be available in eight gorgeous new colors to give us all some retro-gaming feels. Given they’re limited editions, and Analogue units sell out pretty quick, you’d better have your fingers ready when pre-orders open on November 17.

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Master & Dynamic MW09 review: Premium materials, impeccable clarity

Gorgeous, expensive and… not as good as its cheaper rivals.

Master & Dynamic hasn’t quite become a dominant, class-topping force in the world of true wireless earbuds. Its latest entry, the MW09, has been put through its paces by audio guru Billy Steele. Sadly, while it’s an improvement on previous offerings, it’s still not good enough to whip better, more affordable products into shape.

Continue Reading.

Researchers printed a robotic hand with bones, ligaments and tendons for the first time

Yes, it does remind us of Westworld.

A significant development in 3D printing technology may have far-reaching implications for the future of medical prostheses and soft robots. Researchers printed a hand with tendons, ligaments and bones, making them simultaneously rather than separately. The technique offers more durability and flexibility, making it the ideal basis for complex prostheses.

Continue Reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-best-early-black-friday-deals-for-2023-121527436.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Morning After: The best early Black Friday deals for 2023

Google is scaling up Search Generative Experience (SGE) for holiday shopping. The company announced Thursday that its AI-powered search bot can now spit out gift ideas, photorealistic images of product types and virtual try-ons of men’s tops.

Google SGE launched in May, offering AI-driven answers and suggestions to complement the search engine’s standard web results. The company has since added follow-up queries, better translations and interactive definitions in more complex subjects. The tool requires Chrome on desktop or the Google mobile app on smartphones.

The search giant says 20 percent of apparel searches are five words or longer, suggesting people often look for something particular when seeking info about fashion products. Now, Google SGE can generate “photorealistic images” of the item you’re picturing. You can then tweak the image with follow-up prompts before SGE uses the generated output as a foundation to search for actual products it thinks come the closest.

“Let’s say you want a new winter coat — a colorful, patterned puffer jacket — and you haven’t found quite what you’re looking for,” wrote Julie Black, Google’s Director of Shopping Product, in an announcement blog post. “With generative AI in Search, just look for that style and tap the ‘Generate images’ button to see photorealistic, generated images that match your vision. From there, you can refine the images in real time — so if you’d prefer a colorful metallic jacket instead of patterned, just enter that refinement in the text box. Then you’ll see a new set of photorealistic images. Once you’ve found one you like, just scroll down to see similar shoppable products.”

Google also wants SGE to help you formulate the perfect gift. If you search for “great gifts for home cooks” on a compatible device / browser combo, it can produce ideas organized into subcategories like specialty tools, artisanal ingredients, culinary subscriptions and cooking classes. Google says you can refine the query to be ultra-specific, using examples like gifts for home cooks who love pasta or gift ideas for a seven-year-old who wants to be an inventor.

Google SGE added virtual clothing try-ons for women’s tops in June, which the company says have led to “significantly more high-quality interactions from shoppers.” Virtual try-ons for men’s tops arrive today. If you search for women’s or men’s tops from a supported brand, you’ll see 40 virtual models representing different shapes, sizes, heights and skin tones. You can choose one that looks the closest to you or the person you’re shopping for to get an AI-powered view of how the product may look on them. Supported labels at launch include Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic, JCrew and Under Armour.

If you haven’t already enrolled, you’ll need to activate SGE for your account before trying it. Visit the Search Labs page or activate SGE in the Google app by tapping the beaker icon on the upper left.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-ai-powered-search-tool-can-help-tackle-your-holiday-shopping-120028149.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Google’s AI-powered search tool can help tackle your holiday shopping

Countless aspects of generative AI have caused rampant debate, including its access to copyrighted material. Now, the vice president of audio at Stability AI, Ed Newton-Rex, has resigned due to his belief that training generative AI models using copyrighted content doesn’t qualify as “fair use,” he wrote in an op-ed on Music Business Worldwide. He joins the likes of artists such as Bad Bunny, who recently spoke out against a viral TikTok song that used AI to mimic his voice.

Meanwhile, AI companies have steadfastly supported fair use (training models with copyrighted material without asking permission or providing compensation), and Newton-Rex’s decision marks a unique change from the norm. In his public resignation letter, Newton-Rex explains that he believes Stability AI has a more “nuanced view” than some of its competitors. However, he had an issue with the company’s recent submission to the United States Copyright Office, which argued that AI development should fall under fair use.

“I disagree because one of the factors affecting whether the act of copying is fair use, according to Congress, is ‘the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work,'” Newton-Rex stated. “Today’s generative AI models can clearly be used to create works that compete with the copyrighted works they are trained on. So I don’t see how using copyrighted works to train generative AI models of this nature can be considered fair use.”

Newton-Rex is a published classical composer and founded Jukedeck, which created music using AI, in 2012. He became the product director of TikTok’s in-house AI lab after the company purchased Jukedeck in 2019 and subsequently worked at Voicey (acquired by Snap) before joining Stability AI in November 2022.

Ironically, there’s also been an (as yet unsuccessful) push to protect AI-produced work. In August, a judge upheld the US Copyright Office’s decision that AI-generated art can’t be copyrighted, stating, “Human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai-music-pioneer-quits-after-disagreement-over-fair-use-of-copyrighted-works-114546092.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – AI music pioneer quits after disagreement over ‘fair use’ of copyrighted works

Even though Facebook has been moving away from providing its users with easy access to news over the past year, it apparently still remains a go-to source for current affairs in the US. According to Pew Research, three out of ten adults in the country still regularly get their news from Facebook, which has outpaced all the other social media websites in the center’s study. YouTube comes next in the list, with 26 percent of US adults getting news from the video hosting website, while Instagram takes third place with 16 percent. While apparently not as popular as the first three when it comes to news, TikTok (14 percent), X (12 percent) and Reddit (8 percent) also serve as news sources for the US populace. 

When it was reported a year ago that Meta will no longer be paying publishers to run their content on Facebook’s News Tab, a spokesperson said “[m]ost people do not come to Facebook for news, and as a business it doesn’t make sense to over-invest in areas that don’t align with user preferences.” But according to the study, 43 percent of users still get their news regularly from the platform. That is, however, admittedly smaller than the 54 percent of users who used to go to the social network to keep themselves updated and read about the latest events back in 2020. Meanwhile, 43 percent of TikTok users say they’re getting news from the app now, compared to 22 percent three years ago. Out of all the social networks in the study, though, X (formerly known as Twitter) has the highest percentage of users (53 percent) who go to the website for news. 

Based on the study’s responders, men mostly rely on Reddit to keep them abreast of current events, followed by Twitter and YouTube. Meanwhile, women consume news from Nextdoor the most, followed by Facebook and Instagram. In addition, most of the people who get their news from social media are Democrats or lean Democratic, though “there is no significant partisan difference among news consumers on Facebook, X or Nextdoor.” Bottom line is, a lot of people still look to social media websites to read about the latest happenings and new information as they come out. These companies will have to continue keeping a close eye on the spread of misinformation on their platforms, even if they do decide not to focus on news anymore. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/three-in-ten-us-adults-still-get-their-news-from-facebook-110526907.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Three in ten US adults still get their news from Facebook

Unity just announced that its Muse AI platform is officially available as an early access build for general use. Originally unveiled back in July, Muse is a package of AI-powered tools intended to streamline the game development process, particularly for those who lack the time or patience for intensive coding. It costs $30 per month.

Unity Muse is described as an “ever-expanding suite of AI-powered features” made for developers of all skill levels. The platform lets you source usable code by interacting with a chatbot. This bot will also answer any questions you may have about what to do next, as it has complete access to the platform’s resource library. These types of bots are becoming a key tool in the game designer’s arsenal.

Tags are a key way to seek out content on social media, but so far they’ve been missing on Meta’s fledgling Threads platform. That’s changing soon, however, as the feature is now in testing on Threads in Australia “with more countries coming soon,” Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a new thread.

You create a tag in the usual way by placing a hash before a word, which then displays in blue text without the hash — much as mentions work in Facebook. To seek out topics, type a hash plus a keyword into the search field to see a list of relevant posts, as one does on Instagram. So far, it’s limited to a single tag per post, likely to discourage hashtag spamming — though that may change, as Meta said the feature is still a work in progress.

Despite still not being in Europe, Threads has shown consistent growth and now counts nearly 100 million monthly active users, Zuckerberg wrote last month. The app recently gained a few key features like the ability to delete your threads profile without killing your Instagram account and avoid automatically sharing Threads posts with Facebook and Instagram. It also added pinned posts, and Instagram boss Adam Mosseri hinted that DMs may (or may not) be done via Instagram’s inbox. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-introduces-tags-to-help-users-categorize-posts-092650879.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Threads introduces ‘tags’ to help users categorize posts

Workers at Sega of America are accusing the video game company of “bad faith bargaining with workers” for its plan to lay off dozens of temporary workers. The publisher known for franchises that include Sonic the Hedgehog and Yakuza is now facing an unfair labor practice complaint filed by the Communications Workers of America (CWA). In April, 200 people in various departments across the company overwhelmingly voted in favor of unionization and formed the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS-CWA) under the CWA. Now, Sega allegedly intends to lay off 80 of those unionized workers.

In its complaint, the CWA explained that it’s been in bargaining with Sega since September. On November 6, Sega apparently presented the organization with a proposal to phase out of all its temporary employees by taking their work offshore to the company’s offices in Europe and Japan by February 2024. Those temporary employees make up 40 percent of the union’s bargaining unit and mostly work in quality assurance and localization, which the group describes as “critical to Sega’s success.”

The afternoon after their meeting, the CWA said Sega presented its proposal to the affected employees through captive audience meetings. “We believe this is a clear case of bad faith bargaining,” the CWA wrote in its complaint, since Sega dealt directly with the union members and “violated status quo” by telling them they’re losing their jobs. 

“Sega will not be allowed to get away with this unlawful behavior,” Elise Willacker, Senior QA Tester Temp, said in a statement. “We call on the company to make all temporary employees permanent and return to the bargaining table in good faith. There is no other just alternative.” As Kotaku notes, the organization’s complaint is now in the hands of the National Labor Relations Board, but it may take a while to resolve and may not prevent the layoffs from taking place. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sega-faces-unfair-labor-practice-complaint-for-planned-mass-layoff-of-union-members-073046095.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Sega faces unfair labor practice complaint for planned mass layoff of union members

In September, Google opened its AI-powered search experience to teens in the US, giving them access to richer results with additional information and links. Now, the company has also given teens in most countries around the world access to its Bard AI chatbot, as long as their language is set to English and they meet the minimum age needed to be able to manage their own Google account. Take note that the minimum age requirement differs across countries, but it’s anywhere from 13 to 16 years old.

Google says teens can ask Bard for writing tips, such as how to write a class president speech, for suggestions on what universities to apply to, as well as for help on coming up with science fair project ideas. In other words, questions kids their age are likely to Google. The company is also adding a math learning experience, so teen users can type in a math question or upload a photo of it, and the chatbot can show them its step-by-step solution. 

Similar to when it opened Search Generative Experience (SGE) to minors, Google says it put “appropriate safeguards” in place. The company trained Bard to recognize inappropriate content for younger users, so that it wouldn’t return any illegal or age-gated responses.

In addition, Bard will automatically run its double-check response feature when a teen user asks their first fact-based question, because they might not be aware of a common phenomenon called “hallucination” in LLMs. When a generative AI chatbot is hallucinating, it means it’s giving nonsensical and inaccurate responses. Google says it will soon run double-check, which means returning Google results for a question, for all new Bard users in the future. For teens, it will keep recommending the use of double-check even after their first question “to help them develop information literacy and critical thinking skills.”

Finally, Google has designed an onboarding process especially for younger teens, including showing them the video embedded below.

SpaceX aims to send Starship to space for its second test flight on November 17, now that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given it the clearance to do so. The company completed its next-generation spacecraft’s first fully integrated launch in April, but it wasn’t able to meet all its objectives, including having its upper stage fly across our planet before re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in the ocean near Hawaii. SpaceX had to intentionally blow up the vehicle in the sky after an onboard fire had prevented its two stages from separating. 

According to federal agencies, debris from the rocket explosion was found across 385 acres of land on SpaceX’s facility and at Boca Chica State Park. It caused wildfire to break out on 3.5 acres of state park land and had led to a “plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site.” The FAA grounded Starship until SpaceX took dozens of corrective actions, including a vehicle redesign to prevent leaks and fires. As Space notes, the agency finished its safety review in September, but it still had to work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to finish an updated environmental review of the spacecraft. 

For now, the FAA has given SpaceX the license to fly Starship for one flight. The company will open the spacecraft’s two-hour launch window at 8AM EST on November 17, and if all goes well, Starship will fly across the planet and splash down off a Hawaiian coast as planned. Starship, of course, has to keep acing test flights before it can go into service. The fully reusable spacecraft represents SpaceX’s future, since the company plans to use it for missions to geosynchronous orbit, the moon and Mars. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/spacex-prepares-for-starships-second-test-flight-after-securing-faa-clearance-035159364.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – SpaceX prepares for Starship’s second test flight after securing FAA clearance

Good news for hardcore Neon Genesis Evangelion fans who spent $700 (or more) on ASUS’ special edition motherboard! The PC maker announced that it will be offering a free fix for the embarrassing typo — “EVANGENLION” instead of “EVANGELION” — on the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero EVA-02 Edition. This will come in the form of a replacement part printed with the correct spelling, so users can directly swap out the original decorative piece. To show that the company understands “the significance of this matter,” it’s also extending the warranty by one year, even though “the misprint is purely aesthetic and does not affect any functionality or performance.”

Meanwhile, the offending typo has already disappeared from ASUS’ website, but you can still spot the extra “n” in the original product shots on Amazon and Micro Center.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/asus-offers-free-fix-for-evangelion-typo-on-motherboard-020129844.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – ASUS offers free fix for “Evangelion” typo on motherboard