There are some great keyboard attachments for Apple's iPad but, sometimes, you just want to physically write things down with a "pencil." While the Apple Pencil lineup can be confusing (see our helpful guide here), there are two great options currently on sale.  Take the 23 percent discount on the Apple Pencil Pro, for instance. The markdown drops its cost to $99 from $129, only $10 more than its all-time low price. Apple released this top-end model last year and it's certainly the best of the bunch. It offers features such as squeeze gesture to see menu options and a built-in gyroscope that improves the process of changing your pen's orientation and brush tools. Plus, it works with Apple's Find My network, so you can easily locate the tool at any time. However, it's only compatible with select iPads, including the iPad Pro with an M4 chip, iPad Air with M2 or M3 chips and the iPad mini with A17 Pro. If you don't want to spend close to $100, the Apple Pencil with a USB-C port is also on sale. The 2023 model is available for $66, down from $79 — a 16 percent sale. The big benefit (other than the reduced price) is that it works with a lot more iPads than the Pencil Pro. The Apple Pencil with a USB-C port also has all the basics, like tilt sensitivity, magnetic attachment and supporting Apple Pencil hover when using an iPad Pro. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-pencil-pro-drops-back-down-to-99-134027919.html?src=rss

Find out when you can watch Daredevil: Born Again episode 9 on Disney+ with our help.

It’s fair to assume that most of us can relate to the famous saying, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” This is just the second half of one of Benjamin Franklin’s last great nuggets of wisdom, but more on that to come. As Franklin would likely have reminded you, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, is the last day to file your federal income taxes for 2024.  With everything going on at Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), including reported layoffs at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), it might be tempting to try and fly under the radar this year and not file your taxes, hoping to dodge an audit. However, even with all the cuts in government jobs, this life decision will have consequences.  Here’s a deeper look at Franklin’s words, an overview on potential IRS job cuts, and what could happen if you don’t file by the April 15 deadline. Some of Benjamin Franklin’s last words What the average Joe might not know is that Franklin’s proverb was first penned in November 1789 in a letter to French scientist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, according to the National Constitution Center. It became public knowledge in 1817 when it was translated from French and printed as part of a larger collection of Franklin’s private correspondence. The reason for the letter was twofold. Franklin wanted to check up on his old friend because he hadn’t heard from him since the start of the French Revolution. He also updated Le Roy on America’s beginnings. The full quote reveals Franklin’s cautious optimism for the new country he helped create. “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” he wrote. He went on to discuss his own well-being. “My health continues much as it has been for some time, except that I grow thinner and weaker so that I cannot expect to hold out much longer.” Franklin’s words turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts as he died just five months later on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia. How DOGE cuts will affect the IRS Since Franklin valued the checks and balances found in the constitution and spoke out against authoritarianism, it is fair to say that he might have concerns about some of the Trump administration’s actions.  It’s likely he would have agreed with Theodore Chuang, a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Maryland, who claims that Musk’s leadership position is unconstitutional, as Inc. reported. According to Chuang, Musk’s position violates Article II, Section 2 of the constitution, otherwise known as the “appointments clause,” because he has not been properly appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. For now, Trump and Musk plan to continue their cuts.  In March, CNN reported on a leaked email from DOGE that called for a 20% reduction of the IRS, which would put 18,200 individuals out of a job. According to the nonpartisan Budget Lab at Yale University, although this would save $1.4 billion in 2026, it would ultimately cost the federal government $6.8 billion in lost tax revenue. If there are fewer people to collect taxes, fewer people pay. So what if I don’t file my 2024 taxes? Just because the IRS is laying off workers, that doesn’t mean you should blow off your taxes. They help fund everything from roads to education to defense of our country. If you miss the April 15 deadline and you owe, you could be slapped with interest and fees. The amount would depend on just how late you are and how much you owe. The IRS has a breakdown of failure-to-pay penalties on its website. If you owe the federal government money, the failure-to-file penalty is around 5% of the unpaid taxes due each month until you hit the 25% maximum. After 60 days, you will be charged $485, or 100% of the tax due, whichever figure is less. If you don’t pay on time, there is an additional penalty of 0.5% of the unpaid taxes for each month. You are able to appeal penalties if you can prove that you missed the deadline due to a “reasonable cause.” These include serious illness, natural disasters, death in the family, and more. Typically, the IRS does not accept an incompetent tax professional or absence of funds excuses. I don’t owe any taxes. Do I still have to file? If you are due a refund but have not filed your taxes, you won’t face penalty fees. However, you also won’t receive your refund if you don’t file within three years. For context, the ultimate deadline to file for 2024 tax refunds is April 15, 2028. If you don’t file by then, Uncle Sam will keep your money. How do I avoid fees and interest? If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, you have until April 15 to file an extension. Use Form 4868 to give yourself the gift of more time. It’s important to note, though, that even with this extension, you still need to pay your estimated taxes to prevent pesky penalties and inconvenient interest charges.

At first glance, this appears to be some sort of vintage display case. In fact, it's a window-mounted birdhouse. You install it like a window A/C and load it with feed, and then you've got something like an aquarium for birds.I like the end result that they're selling—you get to check out birds up close, binoculars-free—but am puzzled that the unit doesn't seal from the outside. That access hole is permanently open. It does open wider so you can more easily clean the thing out (from the outside of your house). The only interface on the interior is the lid up top, which covers the refill hole. With no way to keep rain out of this thing, I can't imagine it would last long. Nevertheless, manufacturer Coveside Conservation Products, which makes wildlife feeders and habitats, has mass distribution; this item is sold at Lowe's, for $165.

Vinyl records have made a remarkable comeback, captivating music enthusiasts with their warm analog sound and tactile experience. Yet as streaming services dominate our listening habits, we’ve gradually lost touch with one of music’s most cherished visual traditions: album artwork. Those square canvases that once commanded our attention while needle met groove have been reduced to tiny thumbnails on digital interfaces, diminishing the artistic vision that countless musicians and designers poured into creating these visual companions to their sonic creations. Enter the Toshiba Aurex AX-RP10, a portable record player that brilliantly reconnects listeners with this lost dimension of music appreciation. Unlike conventional turntables that focus solely on sound reproduction, this innovative device celebrates album artwork as an essential component of the vinyl experience. By incorporating a dedicated jacket holder, Toshiba acknowledges what vinyl enthusiasts have always known, that album covers aren’t merely packaging but artistic statements deserving their own moment in the spotlight. Designer: Toshiba The Aurex AX-RP10 breaks from traditional record player aesthetics with its refreshingly minimalist design. Eschewing the wooden cabinets and retro styling that dominate the turntable market, Toshiba has created something distinctly modern and portable. The compact form factor houses a 2,000 mAh battery for truly wireless listening, while Bluetooth connectivity allows you to pair with your favorite speakers without the tangle of cables that typically anchor turntables to a single location in your home. Perhaps the most striking visual element of the AX-RP10 is its transparent glass cover that sits atop the spinning vinyl. This clever design choice allows you to observe the mesmerizing rotation of your records while protecting them from dust and accidental touches. For vinyl newcomers, the inclusion of a dedicated arm lifter switch eliminates the anxiety of potentially damaging precious records, a thoughtful feature that makes the analog experience more accessible to those raised in the digital era. The unusually compact body creates a distinctive visual signature, with most of the vinyl disc extending beyond the turntable’s edges. This design choice results in a floating effect that draws attention to the record itself rather than hiding it within a bulky housing. The contrast between the sleek, minimal player and the colorful, spinning vinyl creates a visually arresting centerpiece for any room, transforming music playback from a background activity into a focal point of your living space. What truly sets the AX-RP10 apart from competitors is its dedicated jacket holder positioned at the rear of the unit. This seemingly simple addition fundamentally transforms how we interact with our vinyl collections. As your record spins, the corresponding album artwork stands proudly displayed, creating a complete sensory experience that connects visual art with audio. The holder elevates album covers from storage sleeves to displayed artwork, encouraging deeper appreciation of these often overlooked visual components. The thoughtful integration of modern technology with vinyl’s analog charm makes the Toshiba Aurex AX-RP10 a perfect bridge between past and present. By honoring album artwork as an essential part of the musical experience, this portable player reminds us that great music has always been a multi-sensory art form. For vinyl enthusiasts who cherish both sound quality and visual aesthetics, this innovative turntable offers a fresh way to celebrate records in their full artistic glory: spinning black discs accompanied by their rightful visual counterparts, exactly as the artists intended.The post Toshiba Wireless Portable Record Player Puts Album Jackets on a Pedestal first appeared on Yanko Design.

Working on a shoestring budget doesn’t mean you can’t edit using professional grade software, especially when said software is free. I’ll show you the very basics of DaVinci Resolve to help you get stated.

The verbose programming language felt like a universal form of communication—until it didn’t.

Geo Group, a private prison firm that makes digital tools to track immigrants, becomes one of the Trump administration’s big business winners as its tech is increasingly used in deportations.

Macworld The iPad is an excellent platform, so good that many of us prefer using it over a MacBook. But it has user interface issues that hinder productivity, issues that, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, are going to be addressed in iPadOS 19. In his later Power On newsletter, Gurman states that with iPadOS 19, the goal is to make the iPad “more like a Mac” with updates that address “productivity, multitasking and app window management.” How Apple will implement those changes is not detailed by Gurman, who notes that while Apple won’t be putting macOS on the iPad, the update will bring the software up to the level of the hardware. Windows management is the biggest problem with iPadOS. When used for production, users need to switch between apps constantly, which is difficult on the iPad. With iPadOS 16, Apple introduced Stage Manager as a window management tool several years ago, but it restricts window sizes and layouts uncomfortably. Split View, which was in place before Stage Manager, limits the user to two open app windows. So, when Gurman states that iPadOS 19 will be more like a Mac, it doesn’t seem likely that Apple will implement a macOS-like Desktop, but rather window management like that of macOS, where the user can freely resize windows and move them around the screen. That would make it easier to work with multiple apps at the same time. That will be especially beneficial for iPad Pro users who have devices with larger displays and are using professional-level production apps. Gurman specifically mentions the M4 iPad Pro and the upcoming M5 iPad Pro, which could mean that Apple will taylor some features specifically for the higher-end hardware. Apple will unveil iPadOS 19 at the WWDC keynote on Monday, June 9, at 10 am PT, alongside iOS 19 and macOS 16, among other updates.

iPads are about to become more productive, at least, that’s if the almost seer-like speculation is correct. Apple plans to give its “What’s a PC?” tablets even more Mac-like attributes this year, with details about its plans expected at WWDC 2025 in June. What can we expect? To be honest, more of the same — so that’s more about making iPads productive, giving them better window management, and improving multitasking capabilities. Bloomberg explains the aim is to make iPads operate “more like a Mac.” These improvements are apparently made possible by the superior performance of the M4 and later series Apple Silicon chips, which are capable of handling tough tasks with low energy consumption. Apple has been working in this direction for a while, kind of, by adding Stage Manager to enables a more Mac-like workplace. (The Mac also gained Stage Manager). However, it’s arguable whether this feature really ticks the boxes for those who want their tablets to be more like Macs. The borrowers That’s not to say the next iteration will be a point improvement on Stage Manager. Apple might well optimize that user interface with ideas borrowed from visionOS. That means possible gesture-based controls, and — assuming the new AI team leaders can make Apple Intelligence run on time — more reliance on contextual-based understanding while working within some applications. (Though I imagine features like those will be rolled out slowly; no one wants their Photoshop transition to be undermined by a hasty head movement from an involuntary cough).  All the same, if visionOS can be seen as an in-goggles equivalent of the UI we see Tom Cruise using in Minority Report, then taking that same UI and putting it on screen is just a matter of display. The reason I suggest some vision ideas might inform future development of Apple’s other platforms is because of previous hints and the evidently growing power of the visions team, which is now involved in OS development across the company’s ecosystem, including Apple Intelligence. It’s more logical, in this context, to think that those vision ideas are proliferating than not. One is like another Where might such ideas be applied in the iPad user interface? The latest reports are sketchy on any details, and what also isn’t clear is the extent to which Apple might tweak macOS to make it more like the iPad (as it does with Stage Manager, I think). But if we assume that multitasking and window management are the pain points, then the aim must surely be to make those processes easier and more intuitive. Presumably, that means single interactions to move between windows and/or take content between apps and tasks. If you think about it, while you can do those things on iPads much of the time, getting there sometimes involves three or more steps. On a Mac, it takes perhaps two. That’s the degree of seamless multitasking support the teams may be looking to achieve. That doesn’t mean they’ll achieve it within the limits of a touch-based system — but what those systems can achieve will become even more impressive as the first M5-powered iPads appear; performance gains enable usability enhancements. What will this mean to you?  Productivity professionals should be able to use their iPads to replace even more of the tasks they may use a Windows device for today, turning Apple’s tablet into an even more viable replacement device as Microsoft terminates Windows 10 support later this year. Those abilities should, in theory, extend to any flattish Apple device equipped with enough processor horsepower, and with the company now also expected to introduce folding iPads and iPhones next year, don’t be too surprised if the UI ideas that appear in the iPad this year logically inform the nature of those devices once they ship. It seems that in Apple’s world, not only will you wear your Mac-like sunglasses, but you’ll also fold them up to pop it in your pocket.  That combination is, of course, only possible because of the computational performance-per-watt of Apple Silicon, which enables thinner, lower-power devices that punch above their weight. It will be interesting to see how closely Apple’s moves match this speculation in the coming months. You can follow me on social media! Join me on BlueSky,  LinkedIn, and Mastodon.