Breville makes some of our favorite kitchen tech, and now thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale, you can get a top pick air fryer for much less than usual. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer is currently on sale for $260, which is $90 off its usual price. That's the lowest price we've seen on this air fryer toaster oven this year, a version of which has been a top pick of ours for a long time. Brevilles Smart Oven Air Fryer combines convection baking and air frying into a single, compact appliance. It features Element iQ system technology, which intelligently adjusts heat distribution to ensure precise and even cooking. Whether youre roasting a chicken, crisping up fries or baking cookies, this oven is designed to handle it all. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer has 11 cooking functions, including toast, bake, roast, broil, air fry, and pizza, making it a versatile tool for any kitchen. While throwing down close to $300 might seem steep, you have to consider how flexible this oven is, plus how good of a deal you can get right now. Air fryers have become convenient alternatives to ovens thanks to the speed at which you can cook with them. The Breville Smart Air Fryer is no different; its super convection technology speeds up cooking times while delivering that golden, crispy finish we all love. The LCD display and easy-to-use dials make navigating the settings simple, while the spacious interior can fit a 13-inch pizza or six slices of toast at once handy when you have a big family or crowd to feed. If you want even more features and are prepared to part with a little more cash, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is also on sale for $320, down from its usual $400. In our roundup of the best air fryers, we consider it the best air fryer toaster oven thanks to its extra cooking presets, a larger capacity and dehydration capabilities, making it an even better choice for those who frequently cook in bulk. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-breville-smart-oven-air-fryer-is-down-to-260-during-the-amazon-spring-sale-145714684.html?src=rss

Im sidestepping the desperate attempts at April 1 shenanigans and focusing on the imminent Nintendo Direct broadcast, which is likely to confirm rumors and sink others.The last few Switch 1 games have been revealed, meaning tomorrows Nintendo Direct: Switch 2 presentation, kicking off at 9AM ET / 6AM PT will be all about the new console no distractions. (Although, Id be cool with a Silksong release date, finally.)We already know the Switch 2 will be a bigger console, with a bigger screen and Joy-Cons. There also may be some sort-of-mouse functionality baked into the controllers this time, but Nintendos focus is on tech specs and the games. What does the company have cooking? Mat SmithThe biggest tech stories you missedGoogles new experimental AI model, Gemini 2.5 Pro, is now available to free users tooThe best midrange smartphonesApple is reportedly on track to launch the M5 iPad Pro and MacBook Pro later this yearGet this delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The Light Phone III doesnt have apps or internet, but still costs $799$599 if you pre-order.Light PhoneThe company behind several minimalist handsets has just released the Light Phone III. It may be the perfect device for folks who brag about giving up smartphones and have the money to experiment with stripped-down phones that are the ultimate step back from modern convenience. Whoops, sorry, I let my mask slip there. Hey, at least theres no AI nonsense.There is a cool, crisp B&W OLED display, new for this third iteration, instead of e-ink paper. Theres still no internet, no apps, no email. There is, however, a place for your podcasts and a simple camera with a physical button. Theres also a Maps app, powered by Here, but its private, so theres no info shared on where youre trying to get to. Privacy like that, however, costs a heady $799, unless you can get the pre-order price of $599 at launch, with estimated delivery in July.Continue reading.xAI, Elon Musks AI company, just purchased X, Elon Musks social media companyConfused? You should be.Yes, xAI has purchased X, according to a post shared by Musk. Besides their owner and similar names, the companies are already connected through xAIs chatbot, Grok, so it makes some sense. The biggest surprise may be that X is still valued at $33 billion according to Musk and his companies, at least. X, once Twitter, was acquired by Musk in 2022 for $43 billion. xAI, like many leading AI companies, has been raising money as often and as quickly as possible. Combining the two companies may ease some of the debt Musk took on.The companies futures are intertwined, according to Musk. Financially, now, thats very true.Continue reading.iOS 18.4 is available nowIt adds new emoji, Apple News+ Food and priority notifications.iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4 include a new Apple News+ Food section in the News app that collects recipes and food-oriented articles, including exclusive recipes for Apple News+ subscribers. The updates also introduce new emoji, AI-sorted Priority Notifications in the Notification Center and a new Ambient Music tool in the Control Center.After a bit of a delay, Apple Intelligence will be available in the European Union for the first time on iPhone and iPad. The suite of AI features will now also work in several new languages including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (simplified) as well as localized English for Singapore and India.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111414827.html?src=rss

The Washington Post reports that members of the White House's National Security Council have used personal Gmail accounts to conduct government business. National security advisor Michael Waltz and a senior aide of his both used their own accounts to discuss sensitive information with colleagues, according to the Post's review and interviews with government officials who spoke to the newspaper anonymously.Email is not the best approach for sharing information meant to be kept private. That covers sensitive data for individuals such as social security numbers or passwords, much less confidential or classified government documents. It simply has too many potential paths for a bad actor to access information they shouldn't. Government departments typically use business-grade email services, rather than relying on consumer email services. The federal government also has its own internal communications systems with additional layers of security, making it all the more baffling that current officials are being so cavalier with how they handle important information.Unless you are using GPG, email is not end-to-end encrypted, and the contents of a message can be intercepted and read at many points, including on Googles email servers," Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation told the Post.Additionally, there are regulations requiring that certain official government communications be preserved and archived. Using a personal account could allow some messages to slip through the cracks, accidentally or intentionally.This latest instance of dubious software use from the executive branch follows the discovery that several high-ranking national security leaders used Signal to discuss planned military actions in Yemen, then added a journalist from The Atlantic to the group chat. And while Signal is a more secure option than a public email client, even the encrypted messaging platform can be exploited, as the Pentagon warned its own team last week.As with last week's Signal debacle, there have been no repercussions thus far for any federal employees taking risky data privacy actions. NSC spokesman Brian Hughes told the Post he hasn't seen evidence of Waltz using a personal account for government correspondence.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/national-security-council-adds-gmail-to-its-list-of-bad-decisions-222648613.html?src=rss

SpaceX has successfully launched the Fram2 private crewed mission on March 31 at 9:46 PM Eastern time on top of a Falcon 9 rocket. Fram2 is the first human spaceflight to explore the Earth's polar regions, which are not visible to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The crew will observe the Earth's poles through a panoramic cupola attachment from an altitude of 430 km (267 miles). SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule can fly from the North to the South Pole in around 46 minutes and Fram2 is a three-to-five day mission, so it's expected to provide scientists with a healthy amount of footage capturing the polar regions. In fact, SpaceX has already released the mission's first views of the Earth's poles from space.First views of Earth's polar regions from Dragon pic.twitter.com/3taP34zCeN SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 1, 2025 The crew will observe unusual light emissions resembling auroras in the regions, including STEVEs, which appear as purple and green light ribbons in the night sky. They will also conduct 22 experiments designed to better understand human health in space for the sake of long-duration missions in the future. The crew will capture the first human X-rays in space, study exercises meant to preserve muscle and bone mass, explore sleep and stress patterns using wearable tech, monitor their glucose and observe the female crew members' hormonal health. They also won't get the typical medical and mobility assistance upon landing to see how they re-acclimate to gravity on their own, and they will get an MRI immediately after they arrive. NASA called Fram2's launch a "significant step" in humanity's understanding of how our bodies will fare in outer space.pic.twitter.com/SYngaLWghI NASA (@NASA) April 1, 2025 Chun Wang, a Chinese-born cryptocurrency investor who now lives in Norway, paid for the trip and is one of the astronauts currently on board. Jannicke Mikkelsen, a filmmaker working on technology for movies shot in remote and hazardous environments, serves as the mission's vehicle commander. Rabea Rogge, a robotics researcher from Norway, is the pilot. Finally, Eric Philips, a professional polar adventurer and guide, is the mission's medical officer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacex-launches-fram2-the-first-crewed-spaceflight-to-explore-earths-polar-regions-130006166.html?src=rss

This years Amazon Spring Sale has ended, but there are still some deals floating around that you can take advantage of. While this shopping event focused the discounts on household, outdoor and fashion gear, a number of our favorite gadgets made it into the sale. In line with the "spring" theme, we found great discounts on cordless vacuums, robot vacuums, air purifiers and other smart home tech, along with solid deals on headphones, streaming devices, mesh Wi-Fi systems and more. Here, we've collected the best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can still get today even after the event has ended. Best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can still get Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $20 ($15 off): Our top pick for the best budget streaming device can play content at 1080p/60fps and now its remote can also control your TV's power and volume. There's also Alexa support built into the remote, so you can use voice commands to search for content. Sonos Ray for $179 ($100 off): This is our favorite midrange soundbar thanks to its compact, attractive design and easy setup. It's best for those who have a smaller living room or den they want to outfit with better TV sound. Also available at Sonos in their March Madness sale. Bose QuietComfort headphones for $249 ($100 off): These Bose over-ear headphones provide excellent noise cancellation, a comfortable fit and up to 24 hours of listening time on a single charge. A quick-charge feature will net you 2.5 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging, so you'll rarely have to go without them, too. Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $329 ($100 off): These hold the top spot in our best wireless headphones guide for excellent noise cancellation. These cans will give you a step up in ANC, blocking out most noise and chatter of those around you. General audio quality has been improved as well, and they have a comfy fit. Beats Fit Pro for $169 (15 percent off): These are the best wireless earbuds for working out thanks to their comfortable, secure fit, good sound quality with thumping bass and handful of convenient features provided by Apple's H1 chipset. It provides quick-pairing and switching between Apple devices (and quick pairing with Android phones), Find My compatibility and hands-free Siri. Dyson AM09 heater and fan for $408 (13 percent off): The AM09 has been around for ages, and for good reason. It's an excellent heater during cold months and fan during warm months, so you can use it all year round. Jet Focus control lets you choose from Focused or Diffused for personal or whole-room heating or cooling, and the handy sleep timer lets you set when the device turns off in intervals from 15 minutes up to nine hours. Levoit Core 400S air purifier for $187 ($33 off): Our top pick for the best air purifier for most people, the Core 400S has easy-to-use onboard controls, powerful filtering technology that isn't too loud and relatively affordable replacement filters. It reliably improved air quality in our testing, and even though its mobile app is a little overstuffed, it gives you another way to control and monitor the device. Chipolo One for $20 ($5 off): The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers. While Apples AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, weve found the One to send separation alerts faster when youve left an item behind and ring louder when youre back in its vicinity. Audible (three months) for $3 ($42 off): This deal gives you access to Audible Premium Plus, which includes one credit each month that you can spend on any book you'd like, along with listening access to thousands of other books, podcasts and Audible Originals. You also get to take part in Audible's exclusive member sales. Only US customers who are not already subscribed to Audible can take advantage of this deal. Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): Apples flagship wearable is the best smartwatch you can buy, period. While the Series 10 was an iterative update, thats not necessarily a bad thing. It sports a slightly longer battery life, a slimmer design and wide-angle OLED screen for better viewing angles. It tracks workouts accurately and delivers alerts to your wrist efficiently. Apple Watch SE for $199 (20 percent off): Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know theyre getting the core Apple wearable experience with few compromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies. iPad Air M3 for $549 ($50 off): The latest version of the iPad Air now runs on the M3 chipset, and it continues to hold the top spot in our best iPads guide. It has the best combination of power, design and extra features, so you can use it primarily as a media consumption device if you wish, or you can add iPad accessories like an Apple Pencil or a Magic Keyboard to turn it into a true workhorse. iRobot Roomba Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo for $149 ($126 off): This "essential" Roomba is relatively no-frills, but it has the added benefit of being a mopping robot in addition to a vacuum. It includes a washable mopping pad and a water reservoir so you can clean hard floors, and it will autonomously vacuum just like all of iRobot's other basic robovacs. Eufy 3-in-1 E20 robot vacuum for $400 ($200 off): If you cant decide between a robot vacuum or a lightweight stick vac, you dont have to. The new Eufy E20 combines a robo vac, cordless upright and handheld vacuum in one machine. Plus the automatically emptying base holds a lot of debris for its size. While we found the robot performance to be better than the stick vac suction, its still impressive and convenient for an all-in-one model. Cosori 9-in-1 air fryer for $90 ($30 off): One of our favorites in our best air fryers guide, this Cosori model has nine preset cooking modes and a spacious cooking basket that can handle more food at once than you might expect. It's not too large, so it can sit on your countertop all the time, and the basket has a safety release button that prevents accidental pulls. TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh Wi-Fi system for $280 (30 percent off): Our current pick for the best mesh Wi-Fi system you can get, this TP-Link bundle may be no-frills, but it gets the job done nicely. It's easy to set up and provides excellent Wi-Fi 6E performance, plus the three included nodes can cover up to 7,200 square feet. Samsung Evo Select microSD card (512GB) for $35 ($5 off): A value pick in our best microSD cards guide, this Evo Select card provides respectable read and write speeds, and it comes with a full-sized adapter. Samsung T7 portable SSD (2TB) for $140 (48 percent off): We're on the T9 series now, but if you're looking to save a bit of cash, the T7 remains a great option for on-the-go storage. It supports read and write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s and sports a pocket-friendly design.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-the-best-sales-you-can-still-get-from-apple-bose-irobot-dyson-and-others-130607704.html?src=rss

Thanks to Nintendo's January 16 teaser trailer, we've long known what the Nintendo Switch 2 will look like, and that it will arrive in 2025 over eight years after its predecessor. Now it's time for the other shoe to drop: A special Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct streaming on YouTube tomorrow (April 2) at 9AM ET is expected to reveal the all the other key details, including the price, release date and pre-order details. And we might see a few new games, too.We already know quite a bit about the new console, thanks to the January reveal. The Switch 2 looks very similar to the original system, albeit with a larger display, magnetic Joy-Cons and a sleeker design. The company also reaffirmed that the upcoming console will be backwards compatible with Switch games.Looking to catch up on everything we know or think we know about the Switch 2? Read on.What are the key last-minute Switch 2 news and rumors?The livestream placeholder for the April 2 Switch 2 Nintendo Direct is now live on YouTube, counting down to the 9AM ET start time. Nintendo has also confirmed that the presentation will last "approximately 60 minutes," which is more meaty than many of its recent game-only streams.If that first burst of Switch 2 news isn't enough for you, Nintendo will following up with gameplay video on April 3 and 4 at 10AM ET as well.The Nintendo Switch 2 was announced on January 16The rumor mill had heavily suggested that Nintendo would pull back the curtain on the Switch 2 on January 16, and that turned out to be the case.The company hasn't changed the core form factor. It's a portable console with detachable Joy-Cons. The Switch 2 can be placed in a dock for big-screen gaming. There are some significant differences from the original console, however.The most obvious one is that the next-gen Joy-Cons will no longer slide into place mechanically. Instead, they appear to attach to the main unit magnetically. There is a small connector that's likely used to charge the controllers. It's unclear at this point if Joy-Cons from the original system will be compatible with the Switch 2.One other big (and very welcome) change is the addition of a second USB-C port on the top of the device. That should make it much easier to plug in accessories while the Switch 2 is docked. FCC filings suggest that you'll be able to charge the console using either USB-C port, which is another nice quality-of-life change.It's great to see that Nintendo has kept the headphone jack as well. Let's just hope that Bluetooth headphone support is live from the jump this time and Nintendo doesn't leave everyone waiting four yearsfor that feature.The kickstand is getting an upgrade. As with the Switch OLED, it spans the length of the console this time around. But, according to the reveal trailer, this one looks fully adjustable, so you can tweak the viewing angle to one that works for you.There are still a great many unknowns regarding the upcoming console. We don't really know the specs yet, or what type of display it uses. We also don't know anything about battery life, the UI or launch games. We'll surely learn a whole lot on April 2.When will the Nintendo Switch 2 come out?2025. That's all we know for sure at this point.It's highly unlikely that Nintendo will release the console before the dedicated Direct on April 2, and not only because that's at the start of Nintendo's next financial year. Accessory manufacturer Genki, which had been a major source of leaks before Nintendo's January reveal, claimed the console would be released in April. Other reports have pegged June as the release window, as have several analysts.In any case, we should learn the release date during the April 2 Direct.When can I pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2?As with the release date, we expect clarity on this during or after the April 2 presentation. A Best Buy Canada post spotted on Reddit (since deleted, but archived) states that pre-orders will open on that day, but that has yet to confirmed.When can I try the Nintendo Switch 2?Nintendo is planning a worldwide roadshow to let gamers go hands-on with the console. These events start in New York and Paris on April 4-6, with others taking place throughout the following two months. That lends credence to some suggestions that Nintendo will release the Switch 2 in June.Ticket registration for many of the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events has closed, but waitlists are available. However, given that Nintendo is taking a first come, first served approach, your chances of attending the roadshow if you don't already have a ticket (or unless you signed up for the waitlist immediately) seem very small at this point.The full list of Nintendo Switch 2 Experience dates is as follows:North America:New York, April 4-6, 2025Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025Dallas, April 25-27, 2025Toronto, April 25-27, 2025Europe:Paris, April 4-6, 2025London, April 11-13, 2025Milan, April 25-27, 2025Berlin, April 25-27, 2025Madrid, May 9-11, 2025Amsterdam, May 9-11, 2025Oceania:Melbourne, May 10-11, 2025Asia:Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025Seoul, May 31-June 1, 2025Hong Kong, To be announcedTaipei, To be announcedWill the Nintendo Switch 2 have some weirdness?Everything we've seen and so far about this console has been fairly, well, traditional. It looks like the original Switch, but better. That's awesome, but will there be any of that unpredictable Nintendo magic? Maybe! There are two puzzling additions that folks can't make hide nor hair of.Genki, the accessories manufacturer, just published a landing page for their Nintendo Switch 2 accessories. This landing page features a video that includes a very detailed look at a Switch 2 mockup. pic.twitter.com/Db7RSk4YlQ Bob Wulff (@BobWulff) January 8, 2025 Keen eyes will have noticed a new button on the bottom of the right Joy-Con. Promotional images for a new app called Nintendo Today!, which the company says will provide users with daily news updates about things like games and the Switch 2, confirmed that it is a C button.However, it is not yet clear what this button does. Could it initiate voice chat during gameplay? Could it calibrate the controllers? Could it create a room-sized hologram of Bowser in your living room? We'll have to wait and see.Now onto the updated Joy-Cons. There appears to be a new sensor on the connecting side of each controller. It looks a whole lot like an optical sensor, which is what a computer mouse uses. This has led to speculation that players will be able to flip the Joy-Con over and use it like a mouse. Of note: the trailer shows the Joy-Cons moving along a flat surface, connector side down and looking suspiciously like a mouse.But why would anyone even want this? We can think of three words. New Mario Paint.Genki reveal isnt a mockup, its straight up just the Switch 2, optical sensor is literally flashing in this shot @Stealth40k #Switch2 pic.twitter.com/COeLsonqMd Ash (@Ashinarii) January 8, 2025 Mouse control isnt the only too strange for any company but Nintendo rumor floating around. A patent filed by the company suggests you can swap the Switch 2s Joy-Cons, snapping them onto either side of the console. That would align with the magnetic Joy-Con attachment scheme.But much like the weird mouse rumors, it doesnt necessarily align with, well, any logical reason for why youd want to do that. The patent suggests it could allow for more user choice in where the headphone jack is. But since its Nintendo, the company that brought us Labo cardboard peripherals and the Game Boy Advance e-reader attachment, we have to wonder if there are quirkier designs at hand.Is the Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible?The company confirmed in November 2024 that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible. It will also feature access to Nintendo Online, so users will be able to play all of those old retro titles.In the initial Nintendo Switch 2 press release, Nintendo reiterated that physical and digital Switch games will work on the new system. However, it noted that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2." More details about which games those are will be revealed later.During a Nintendo Direct on March 27, the company revealed a new system for loaning digital Switch games out to friends and family members. Virtual Game Cards are designed to make it easier to start a game on one console and continue on another as well. Although Nintendo's approach to this is not as simple as it perhaps should be, Virtual Game Cards will also be available on the Switch 2.Will old games be enhanced in any way?The original Switch has, to put it mildly, struggled to run some of the late-generation software that's come down the pike. Could these games be enhanced to take advantage of the increased horsepower of the Switch 2? We have no idea. We also don't know if any of these releases will receive graphical upgrades, perhaps taking advantage of upscaling tech.What will the cartridges taste like?You may remember that the original Switch cartridges taste absolutely awful. This was on purpose, to discourage folks from putting the games in their mouth. Will the successor follow suit and continue to dip cartridges in a foul-tasting bitter coating? Only time will tell.What about specs?The rumors regarding specs are all over the place, so its tough to pin down. We know one thing for sure: Itll be more powerful than the ancient Switch hardware, which was already antiquated back in 2017. One analyst allegedly got a hold of a spec sheet from the Korean United Daily News that said the Switch 2 would boast an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM and 64GB of internal eMMC storage. This tracks, as these specs are about as underpowered now as the original Switch was in 2017. However, some reports do indicate that the console will include 12GB of RAM.Another source suggests that the eight-core CPU will be packaged inside an NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip). Given the current Switch runs on an NVIDIA chip, that makes a lot of sense. The CPU will be more powerful, but it's the Switch 2's new GPU that will be a major differentiator. It's all-but-confirmed that the Switch 2 will support DLSS, NVIDIA's "deep learning supersampling" upscaling tech, which would allow the console to render games at a low resolution internally while outputting a high-resolution image. (Fun fact: We actually wrote about how perfect DLSS was for the Nintendo Switch 2 when the technology was announced alongside the RTX 20 series back in 2018.)There are still questions about the Switch 2 and DLSS: Will the system support newer DLSS features like frame generation? Will existing games be automatically tidied up by NVIDIA's algorithm? Regardless of the exact implementation, DLSS upscaling will be a huge leap over the rudimentary techniques available to Nintendo Switch developers.As for the display, there are many conflicting rumors. Early reports from solid sources suggested the Switch 2 would have an 8-inch LCD screen. The Switch 2's display certainly looks larger than that of the original Switch in a side-by-side comparison in the reveal trailer. Some folks have worried that the Switch follow-up may actually be too big, especially for kids.Certain analysts have suggested this would be an OLED screen, while others have said it would be a Mini-LED display. A Mini-LED display is basically an LCD display that has a backlight made of (surprise!) mini-LEDs rather than edge lighting. This allows for local dimming, making the blacks more black.We're hedging our bets here. We think itll be a standard LCD, to cut costs, with an OLED or Mini-LED model coming later down the line. However, Mini-LED screens are slightly cheaper than OLED displays, so thats certainly a possibility at launch.As for resolution, recent reporting suggests that the console will output 1080p in handheld and 4K when docked. That's much better than the OG Switch.More tenuous leaks have intimated that the Switch 2 could also support a faster microSD card standard known as microSD Express. This allows for significantly faster transfer rates than the common UHS-I cards supported by the Switch today. Its technically been around for several years, but weve only recently started to see microSD cards that take advantage of the spec hit the market.We actually tested one of them from SanDisk for our microSD card buying guide and found it could reach sequential read speeds up to around 900 MB/s. With the current Switch, microSD transfer speeds top out closer to 100 MB/s.So, in theory, all of this could bring a sizable boost in load times and general storage performance for the Switch 2 (though its still not likely to be on par with the SSDs in the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S). But again, these rumors are far from concrete. Its also worth noting that microSD Express cards cost significantly more than what we usually see today the SanDisk card we tested, for instance, starts at $45 for just 128GB of storage.Recently-unearthed FCC filings also indicate that the console will support Wi-Fi 6 and NFC. The latter indicates that the Switch 2 will continue Amiibo integration.How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?We don't have too much information regarding price but we do have plenty of history to work with. The original Nintendo Switch launched at $300, which is pretty much the "magic number" when it comes to Nintendo console releases in recent years. The Wii U also came in at $300.However, there are plenty of rumors circulating that Nintendo could be upping the asking price for the Switch 2. Several analysts are expecting Nintendo to hike the price to at least $400 and possibly even as much as $500. Rising costs of components and development, as well as US tariffs, are likely to mean that the Switch 2 is more expensive than its predecessor.Dipping back into history, there is some precedence for a price uptick. The GameCube was $200 and the Wii was $250. The Wii U and Switch increased to $300 and, well, numbers like to go up. A $400 price tag would make the Switch 2 nearly as expensive as a PS5 and Xbox Series X. That would also put it at the same price as the 256GB LCD Steam Deck.Again, we should get confirmation of the price during the April 2 Nintendo Direct.How well will the Nintendo Switch 2 sell?Even with an expected price increase, Nintendo is likely to sell boatloads of Switch 2 consoles. The company seems to be positioning itself to shatter sales records. Reports suggest that Nintendo wants to have as many units ready to sell as possible on release day. One analyst told Bloomberg that they expected Nintendo to have an inventory of between 6 million and 8 million units at the outset.As Bloomberg notes, the company sold 2.7 million Switch units in that console's first month. Sony's PS4 and PS5 each sold 4.5 million units in their first quarter on the market, though it's worth noting the PS5's early momentum was hindered somewhat by shortages.Nintendo has sold more than 150 million Switch units. Given that many fans are more than ready for an upgrade (and to perhaps give their old Switch to a young relative or sell it on the cheap), the Switch 2 is very likely to go gangbusters right out of the gate.Do we know about any launch games?Not so much. The reveal trailer offered a peek at a new Mario Kart game. Nintendo released Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U over a decade ago and it's been milking that cash cow ever since, having sold more than 64 million copies of the game across that console and the Switch. It's definitely time for a new entry!It's certainly been a long time since weve gotten a proper 3D Mario adventure as well, so a new one could be a launch title. That would be one heck of a system seller. Other than that, your guess is as good as ours. Past as prologue, we can expect something from Ubisoft and an off-the-wall title like 1-2-Switch. One report suggested that PowerWash Simulator 2 is bound for the Switch 2, so that's something.If theres a gimmick or hook involved with the console, well also get a game that takes advantage of that. A dual release of Metroid Prime 4, just like Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess before that, is also a possibility.It's all but nailed on that we'll learn much more about the Switch 2 launch lineup during the April 2 Nintendo Direct, which starts at 9AM ET. You'll definitely want to set your Alarmo for that one.That's everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 today. We'll update this article with rumors we trust and with information we gather directly from sources. Any changes made to the article after its initial publishing will be listed below.Update, January 24, 2025, 12:36 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about price, potential game enhancements and the taste of cartridges.Update, February 5, 2025, 9:30AM ET: This story has been updated to note the time when the April 2 Nintendo Direct starts.Update, February 24, 2025, 12:30 PM ET: This story has been updated to include speculation about storage and information about the new microSD Express standard.Update, March 6, 2025, 2:30PM ET: This story has been updated to note recent FCC filings to indicate the presence of Wi-Fi 6 and NFC support.Update, March 14, 2025, 12:15PM ET: This story has been updated to include pricing and sales speculation from analysts.Update, March 20, 2025, 12:45PM ET: Updated to include a note about the Seattle Mariners new jersey patches featuring Nintendo and the Switch 2.Update, March 27, 2025, 3:50PM ET: Updated to add details about the C button, Nintendo Today! and Virtual Game Cards.Jeff Dunn contributed to this report.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-we-know-about-pre-order-plans-specs-pricing-games-and-more-195136485.html?src=rss

An Arkansas law requiring social media companies to verify the ages of their users has been struck down by a federal judge who ruled that it was unconstitutional. The decision is a significant victory for the social media companies and digital rights groups that have opposed the law and others like it.Arkansas became the second state (after Utah) to pass an age verification law for social media in 2023. The Social Media Safety Act required companies to verify the games of users under 18 and get permission from their parents. The law was challenged by NetChoice, a lobbying group representing the tech industry whose membership includes Meta, Snap, X, Reddit and YouTube. NetChoice has also challenged laws restricting social media access in Utah, Texas and California.In a ruling, Judge Timothy Brooks said that the law, known as Act 689, was overly broad. Act 689 is a content-based restriction on speech, and it is not targeted to address the harms the State has identified, Brooks wrote in his decision. Arkansas takes a hatchet to adults and minors protected speech alike though the Constitution demands it use a scalpel. Brooks also highlighted the unconstitutionally vague applicability of the law, which seemingly created obligations for some online services, but may have exempted services which had the "predominant or exclusive function [of]... direct messaging" like Snapchat.The court confirms what we have been arguing from the start: laws restricting access to protected speech violate the First Amendment, NetChoices Chris Marchese said in a statement. This ruling protects Americans from having to hand over their IDs or biometric data just to access constitutionally protected speech online.Its not clear if state officials in Arkansas will appeal the ruling. I respect the courts decision, and we are evaluating our options, Arkansas Attorney general Tim Griffin said in a statement.Even with NetChoices latest victory, it seems that age verification laws are unlikely to go away anytime soon. Utah recently passed an age verification requirement for app stores. And a Texas law requiring porn sites to conduct age verification is currently before the Supreme Court.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/arkansas-social-media-age-verification-law-blocked-by-federal-judge-194614568.html?src=rss

TikTok's deadline to sell off or cede its US operations is once again approaching. The 75-day extension delaying the enforcement of a nationwide TikTok ban is set to run out Saturday, April 5, unless the company finally reaches an agreement to find a new owner. Who might buy it, and what happens if no deal is reached? Here's the shape of things right now:Potential buyersPresident Donald Trump has suggested that a deal is imminent and could be reached before that deadline. What such an agreement will look like is still extremely unclear. A number of interested buyers have come forward, including YouTuber MrBeast, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and Perplexity AI. Oracle, which almost bought TikTok in 2020 and was a key part of TikToks earlier negotiations to address national security concerns, is also in the running.Depending on which bid wins out, TikTok could end up looking very different. ByteDance, TikToks Chinese owner, wont allow another company to take control of the apps coveted recommendation algorithm. That means a new owner would have to rebuild TikToks central feature. Perplexity AI, for example, has said it would take on this task of reverse-engineering the app's For You feed, making it open source and implementing some kind of Community Notes-style fact checking feature. Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, who joined a group of investors known as Project Liberty, has hinted at a vision for TikTok that somehow ties in with blockchain technology.Option 2Theres also another, potentially less disruptive option on the table. The White House is also considering a deal that would allow TikToks existing US investors to roll over their stakes into a new independent global TikTok company, according to The New York Times. Under this arrangement, Oracle could also end up overseeing TikToks US data while ByteDance hangs onto its algorithm, as the Financial Times reported in March.This would likely be a smoother transition than a full-on sale that would require a new owner to rebuild a significant part of the app. Aspects of it are also very similar to terms TikTok already agreed to under a previous agreement with Oracle known as Project Texas. However, this sort of deal may also not be entirely legal, as Politico recently pointed out. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the law passed by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden last year, calls for a divestment of TikTok and its algorithm.Its also not clear whether Chinese officials would be willing to sign off on such an arrangement, though Trump has suggested he could use the threat of tariffs as negotiating leverage. Were dealing with China also on it because they may have something to do with it. And well see how that goes, Trump told reporters over the weekend.No dealSo what happens if Trumps deal isnt finalized by Saturday? The answer, it seems, is probably nothing. Trump has said he would likely extend the deadline again if the clock runs out on the current extension. (Once again, it's not entirely clear if another extension is legal, but CNN reports that a second extension might be an uphill battle if challenged in court.) In the meantime, TikTok is unlikely to go dark like it (briefly) did in January when the ban law first went into effect.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktoks-ban-deadline-is-coming-what-happens-next-162420478.html?src=rss

You could call Shinichiro Watanabe's Lazarus a retread of his masterpiece, Cowboy Bebop. Thats not to say the show is bad based on the five episodes Ive seen so far, Lazarus is still an entertaining and stylish ride. But Ive just come to expect more from a legendary creator like Watanabe.Its set in the year 2052, a near-future when a renowned neuroscientist released Hapna, a drug that can erase all pain. If that sounds too good to be true, it is: Hapnas creator Dr. Skinner reveals to the world that everyone who took the drug will eventually die. And then he disappears. Like an evil Willy Wonka, he announces one hope for survival: Find him in 30 days, or humanity is doomed.To help find Skinner, the government sets up a covert group named Lazarus made up of convicted criminals. And thats where the similarities come in. Theres the lead, Axel Gilberto, a parkour junkie who resembles Bebops reckless and carefree Spike Spiegel. Rounding out the team is Christine, a gorgeous femme fatale; Eleina, a bright young hacker; and Doug, a gruff investigator who has little patience for Axels shit. Those are all clear analogs to the Bebop crew of Faye, Ed and Jet. The one new element of the team is Leland, a cute college student who takes on various roles during the show (perhaps hes just an anthropomorphized version of Bebops adorable pup Ein).Theres a bit of Suicide Squad in the idea of using criminals to find humanitys greatest villain, but Lazarus doesnt really justify why thats the case (that may be answered later in the shows 13-episode run). And youd think there would be more government efforts beyond a group of misfits to accomplish a humanity-saving mission. The Lazarus crew get a few chances to bond throughout each episode, but their interpersonal dynamics feel less organic than the Bebop characters, whose relationships were enriched by the pressure-cooker environment of an interplanetery spaceship, ever-present economic struggle and compelling backstories. By episode five of Lazarus, I didn't have any real understanding of these characters, whereas Bebop delivered the seminal episode Ballad of the Fallen Angels by then.Like Watanabe's Samurai Champloo, Lazarus is best enjoyed if you dont look too closely at its plot holes or contrivances (Axels inhuman parkour abilities make Spike Spiegels antics seem tame in comparison). Its better to sit back and enjoy the incredibly stylish vibes. That includes wonderfully fluid animation by Mappa; a catchy soundtrack by Kamasi Washington, Floating Points and Bonobo (with a great ending theme, Lazarus by The Boo Radleys); and bone-crunching action choreography by John Wick director Chad Stahelski. Its hard not to appreciate all of the talent involved.Adult SwimBut again, I just wish the whole project felt more original. Lazaruss premise isnt far off from Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, which involved a terrorist plot to deploy nanomachines that would kill everyone on Mars. Its also funny to see the show arrive alongside a more inventive show like Maxs Common Side Effects, which deals with the real-world consequences of miracle drugs that could heal any illness or injury. That shows characters are more grounded and relatable, and it explores why pharmaceutical companies would stop at nothing to kill such a miracle drug.The story began with Dr. Skinner... Is he a saint or a devil? Watanabe said on the Engadget podcast via a translator (while he relaxed in shades with a mountain of records behind him, like the absolute boss he is). Exactly what does he want to do? That was a big initial driving part of the story. ... What you initially thought of Skinner at [the] start may change throughout the 13 episodes.Adult SwimIts not a huge spoiler to say that Dr. Skinner isnt always portrayed as a villain in the show. Before the release of Hapna, he was a famous neuroscientist who pushed humanity to respond to the climate crisis. But instead of listening to him, the worlds countries chose to pursue profit over the future of humanity. With that in mind, it's no shock Watanabe says the inspiration for Hapna was, in part, the opioid crisis.Throughout flashbacks and short opening monologues, Lazarus gives us glimpses into Hapnas effect on our main characters, all of which is more compelling than the actual quest to find Dr. Skinner. Did the pill really heal everyones pain, or did it just close off their ability to feel true emotions?Im sure newcomers to Watanabes work wont have the same reservations with Lazarus as I do, I just wish the show had the same distinctive identity as his other series. Cowboy Bebop is a jazz-soaked noir; Space Dandy is a hilarious riff on the space opera genre; and Carol and Tuesday is a touching story of two young girls pursuing a pop music career. Lazarus is basically another action thriller, but this time its scored to modern jazz and electronic music.Im holding out hope that Lazarus matures into a more thoughtful show in its second half. But even if it doesnt, its still worth celebrating anything new from Shinichiro Watanabe. There arent many anime directors and writers with his sense of style and excellent taste in music and action cinema. Even if its a lesser Watanabe project, its still more entertaining and creative than the vast majority of shows bombarding us in the streaming TV era, anime or otherwise.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/lazarus-review-wildly-stylish-but-its-no-cowboy-bebop-170300198.html?src=rss

If you ever needed a definitive example of how money doesnt necessarily buy you success or taste, take a look at Amazons studio arm. The mega-retailers production division, now known as Amazon-MGM, has been making movies for more than a decade. Very few of the entries in its lineup have been world-beaters, but that hasnt deterred the outfit from persisting. The New York Times is today reporting that under its new head, Courtney Valenti, Amazons movie division has plans to own the in-person cinema experience.Amazon is apparently gearing up to release up to 14 big, broad commercial films a year to theaters nationwide and around the world. Each film would spend 45 days in the theaters before heading to pay-per-view and then to Prime Video at some point after. The move comes in the face of shrinking box office receipts and fewer people heading to the cinema in general. Not to mention its also planning to produce an equal number of films thatll go direct to Prime, which seems counter-intuitive given the desire to push people toward theaters.That doesnt recognize the shift in viewing habits, especially among younger people, whod much rather sit and watch YouTube for hours at a time. Or that the box office took a hit because of COVID-19 that it never really bounced back from. Or that a lot of people would rather wait for a film to become available for free on a service they already pay for.It also doesnt take into account the fact cinemas are becoming increasingly unaffordable, and not that nice a place to sit for multiple hours. Last year, the cinema industry said it would spend $2.2 billion renovating their facilities to lure wary customers back. The planned additions included renovations for chairs and carpets, as well as the construction of ziplines and pickleball courts. Nowhere on the list was mentioned make cinema tickets cheaper or dont make viewers sit through half an hour of TV adverts before the trailers.At the risk of sounding obvious, thats one hell of a lot of material for one company to put out in a year. Especially when so many competitors with better track records are putting out far fewer films and seeing success. On paper, 14 movies a year feels like the sort of strategy you could last get away with in the 1980s. After all, people had fewer options, cinemas were busier and studios could rely on the triple-whammy of the box office, rental and VHS markets.It doesnt help Amazon isnt pledging to make quality movies, just lots of them, which suggests a mindset that doesnt value scarcity. After all, there are many instances of things made and sold in small, limited quantities that garner far more attention than something mass-produced. Think about how hard it is for one of those latter-day Marvel movies to stick in the consciousness when you know therell be another one along in a month or two.It calls to mind Amazons battles with the Broccolis, until recently the custodians of the James Bond franchise. Lets not overthink this, they are just silly spy movies but ones made with a level of craft and attention rarely seen in the modern era. The fact there can be a multi year gap between entries in the series means each film gets far more attention. That was in conflict with Amazons apparent desire to use the Bond name to push out a thousand different streaming series, game shows and movies on a regular basis.And, at the risk of sounding uncharitable, its not as if Amazons movie slate has been a hit parade thus far. Many of the studios buzzier hits were picked up at film festivals rather than coming from inside, while its homegrown fare has floundered. Thats not to say its rivals are doing any better on this front just read the reviews of The Electric State to show you how badly Netflix is throwing mad money at C+-tier projects.I often wonder if people look at the success of Disneys big Marvel tentpoles and assume that its easy to replicate. A film like Avengers: Endgame was the payoff to a decade-long plan built from the ground-up on the backs of less successful films. Across 2024, Disney put 15 films into cinemas, but even a mega-behemoth like Disney does it across its seven or eight different divisions.In terms of attractive pitches, 14 films a year from the people who spent more than $200 million on Red One isnt particularly compelling. Amazons going to have to give people a reason to get out to the theaters, but thats going to be a challenge if the emphasis is on putting more raw material into the pipeline rather than making anything halfway considered or compelling.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/amazons-new-cinema-plan-is-perfect-for-the-80s-150653674.html?src=rss

Apples Find My feature has finally been enabled in South Korea, according to a company announcement translated byApple Insider. This comes after years of public demand in which the finding network tool was absent from the country. The omission was especially odd when you consider that Apple sold AirTags throughout the region. Without Find My, they are basically just puck-shaped paperweights.The company never explicitly stated why it limited access to Find My in South Korea, but it appeared to be related to local laws that could have allowed the government access to the location data. The service first appeared during a beta test of iOS 18.4, but the official software update makes it available to everyone in the country. Find My has long been functional in South Koreas outlying territories like Baengnyeongdo and Ulleungdo."Find My is an important tool that allows users to grasp the location of the most precious things to them, such as friends, family and personal items, and I am very happy to be able to introduce this function to Korea," said David Dorn, senior director of Apple's service products, in a statement on the company's local website.The modern iteration of Find My launched in the US in 2019 as part of iOS 13. However, the tool actually dates back to a service called Find My iPhone that started in 2010. Apple recently expanded functionality to let users share the location of a lost item with other people on the network. This is helpful when negotiating the return of a lost item with a stranger.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apples-find-my-has-finally-launched-in-south-korea-151437244.html?src=rss

When we reviewed the iPhone 16 Pro last year, Apple Intelligence was barely available. Since then, the iPhone 16 series has benefitted from several new features, apps and improvements. Some (or most) of them were Apple Intelligence features that were teased back at WWDC 2024, months before the iPhone 16 Pro launched.AI features weren't the only changes this time around, with the iPhone 16 getting an entirely new button. The so-called Camera Control wasnt just a simple app shortcut, but an elaborate multifunction button that offered a haptic half-press and the ability to swipe across to adjust camera settings and options.Managing Editor Cherlynn Low said we were still waiting on Apple Intelligence in our initial review. Now, as we hit iOS 18.4, was it worth the wait?iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence so farMat Smith for EngadgetApple Intelligence was late, arriving as part of iOS 18.1 back in October 2024. Initial generative AI features included writing tools like proofreading and rewriting, as well as text summaries and live transcription for phone calls and voice notes in the Notes app. A few months later, iOS 18.2 gave us the Apple Intelligence features that made most of the headlines when first announced at WWDC. That included ChatGPT integration, AI image generation in Image Playgrounds and Genmoji.Starting with iOS 18.1, one of the most controversial Apple Intelligence features is actually my favorite: Notification Summaries. Its a good attempt at taming the wild west of countless group chats across multiple messaging apps, calendar reminders, Substack pings and everything else.You don't need to update every individual app for Notification Summaries to kick in. As soon as iOS 18.1 landed, my messy WhatsApp chats were streamlined. I thought it cute when my iPhone told me a friend had laughed at my comment, and suggested where we could meet and a date. That was distilled from a ten-message barrage theyd sent.Mat Smith for EngadgetIts not perfect, though. Apple had to clarify that notification summaries are AI-generated, and make that clearer beyond a small Apple Intelligence icon. This was after the BBC complained about multiple summaries that twisted the content of some of its headlines. Ive also had notification summaries that incorrectly guessed the subject of a sentence or entire topic of a thread, but on the whole, its a useful utilization of AI smarts.There are more natural language hooks across most of iOS 18, too. You can now search for images in the Photos app with descriptions, dates, location and more. Those natural-language smarts take on a different function with writing tools, courtesy of Apple Intelligence. Even though Im not a particularly clean writer (hey, Cher), these writing tools are not all that useful. I havent used them much beyond quick email responses to work requests and events, but the ability to proofread, rewrite or check tone may prove useful to some.The writing tools also work inside the Voice Memos app, which can now transcribe conversations, meetings and more. Here, it helps make things more concise, with options to turn transcripts into summaries, key points, lists and even tables. If the recording is clear enough and theyre not too long, iOS 18 does well on these transcriptions. Several times, the iPhone 16 Pro straight-up declined to summarize a transcript. Why? All I got was a notification that the tools arent designed to work with this type of content.Elsewhere, Apple struggles to catch up with AI innovations on rival devices. Like Google Pixels Magic Eraser (and all the other Android riffs), Clean Up now allows you to scrub out distracting elements and photo bombers from your pics. However, the results arent quite up to the standard of the competition. Sometimes, however, it nails it.Some Apple Intelligence features have faded into the background after an initial buzz. Image Playground offers the ability to AI-generate your own images and had plenty of users itching to get off the beta waitlist to play around with the app. After a bit of testing, however, I havent used it in the months since it launched.There might be a future for Playgrounds within iOS, though. For instance, Apples Invites app lets you embed Image Playground results within your events, which is helpful if you dont have a photo to illustrate the invitation. As a standalone app, however, it doesnt quite deliver enough to live on my home screen. Its gone the way of GarageBand, Pages and Apple Maps on my iPhone.Genmoji, on the other hand, is easier to use, and I use it often. With it, you can create your own emoji reactions with specific people, objects and backgrounds. I already have several established favorites, like me eating cereal and a chronically late friend with clocks in the background, and Ill probably continue to make emoji as life demands it. For example, a passenger behind me on a flight to Barcelona last month had three cats with her. So, I made a cats-on-a-plane Genmoji. Exactly what Tim Cook intended.Mat Smith for EngadgetSome software features are also specific to the iPhone 16 Pro series (and the 15 Pro). Camera Control aside, the new button also offers access to Visual Intelligence with a long press. Visual Intelligence is Apples take on Google Lens, tapping visual AI smarts to analyze what your iPhone is pointing at. It can recognize text, like words on menus, and even translate for you. If you get lucky, itll even identify the outside of a restaurant and (with some ChatGPT power) tell you the opening hours and what kind of cuisine it offers. Its particularly effective in identifying landmarks, but busy scenes can quickly derail it. Unfortunately, you cant tap on a particular object in the frame to clarify specifics. However, the ability to create calendar events from a poster is pretty cool even if I usually forget to use it.Thats Apple Intelligence, for now. There are a lot of smart touches, but so far, it isnt remarkable. I credit Apples attempts to make most of its AI features either processed on device, or connected to the companys Private Cloud Compute, which uses larger server-based models. Apple has reiterated that your data is never stored during these requests. Even with ChatGPT integration, if you dont use an account with OpenAI, only your request and attachments are sent to ChatGPT. Your Apple Account and IP address are not shared with OpenAI. Apples deal with OpenAI means the latter cant use your request to improve or train its models, either.The patchy arrival of iOS features, especially Apple Intelligence, isnt a good look for the company.However, the rest of iOS 18 continues to deliver valuable new features and upgrades to the iPhone experience, like the aforementioned Invites app, additional content (and games) for News+ subscribers and my favorite feature since the AirPods introduced noise-cancellation, the ability to nod or shake your head to halt Siri announcements, Fitness prompts and even decline calls. Im a busy guy!Cameras and Camera ControlMat Smith for EngadgetWith Camera Control, Apple has introduced its most intriguing interface change since the short-lived 3D Touch. That tech, if you forgot, offered haptic feedback on your screen tapping during the iPhone 6 era. Camera Control acts like a proper manual camera button, even when I know it combines a physical button with elaborate touch sensors. This enables deeper controls by swiping across it or semi-pressing.Instantly, it works as a basic camera app launcher, just like the iPhones Action button has done in recent years. Already, its better placed, though, lower on the right edge of the phone, ready for your thumb if held vertically, or index finger when held horizontally. It goes beyond being a launcher, though. Swiping across it lets you adjust zoom, exposure and even toggle the new Photographic Style options. Then, a half-press works as a way to confirm your settings.Depending on how you use the iPhones camera, a lot of the settings might not deserve their place within the Camera Controls menus. While I often tinkered with Exposure and Zoom, Photographic styles are easier to adjust from the iPhone in the normal touchscreen way. Im also not going to meddle with simulated f-stops when taking candid shots of my friends and family.Like Apple Intelligence, Camera Control launched incomplete. When the iPhone 16 Pro first went on sale, it lacked a half-press focus like ye olde traditional cameras, and it took till January 2025 for an AF-AE lock to arrive through iOS 18.3. The feature, however, remains buried in settings and has to be toggled on.It works well though. You tap on an object youd like the iPhone to focus on, hold the button halfway, and itll lock exposure and focus for as long as you keep your finger down like a camera. Its frustrating that we had to wait this long for what seems like a core function of Camera Control.To be devils advocate and its an argument regularly leveled at AI features, both Apple Intelligence and elsewhere did you need Camera Control? Given how much I use my phones cameras, I'd argue that a camera launcher is worth factoring into the hardware. But the Action Button covered that.Camera Control also seemed like a pro iPhone feature, so its surprising to see it across the entire device lineup, barring the more recent iPhone 16e.Another change worth noting is that the iPhone 16 Pro got camera parity with the larger Pro Max this year, with a 5x optical zoom I use most of the time. Of course, this isn't a remarkable feature if you were already using an iPhone 15 Pro Max. But if you prefer the smaller of the two Pro options, aside from battery life, theres no reason to stop you getting the cheaper iPhone 16 Pro.Repairability and longevityI havent had to repair my iPhone 16 Pro so far, and there are no pronounced scratches on the 6.3-inch screen or body. While I am also a case dweeb, I dont use screen protectors I havent needed to. The latest iPhones do come with even more repair-friendly hardware and policies if the worst were to happen. Anecdotally, according to my experience the titanium body and Apple's Ceramic Shield treatment on the display do seem to make this generation of 'pro' iPhones tougher than its predecessorsApples new Repair Assistant, designed to address parts pairing issues, lets both you and repair professionals configure new and used Apple parts directly on the device, with no need to contact Apple personnel on the phone to ensure iOS plays with new parts.Another improvement, while not part of the 16 Pro, is battery removal. On both the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the battery can be released from its enclosure by running a low-voltage current through the iPhones battery adhesive. However, the iPhone 16 Pros battery is now encased in aluminum, making repairs less fraught, and protecting the battery more when exposed to repair tools. I havent had to put it to use yet, but the companys increased willingness to embrace right-to-repair is headed in the right direction, especially after its sluggish response in the past.Six months on, the 16 Pros slightly bigger battery is holding up, with the one I have still showing its at full health. I am a heavy phone user, and 256 charge cycles later, iOS says its still at 100 percent capacity, which I found impressive. If I need to replace the battery, Im heartened that its easier than ever on an iPhone.Wrap-upMat Smith for EngadgetThe iPhone 16 Pro is one of the best smartphones available. But if theres a particular area where Apples phones are lacking compared to the flagship competition, it might be the messaging and the marketing. It took too long for Apple Intelligence to land on devices. If Apple Intelligence hadnt been so key to Apples presentation both at WWDC and the iPhone 16 launch event, the delay wouldnt look so bad.Intriguingly, were at a time when the likes of the Galaxy and Pixel series have never felt more like iPhones. Or do iPhones feel like Android phones? Im not sure anymore. Either way, we havent seen rival devices mimic the Camera Control button.I appreciate that a lot of the new features and additions dont seem to clog up the iPhone experience. Dont care for camera filters? Youll rarely see them. Want to swap the Camera Control button for another function? Go ahead. Want to prioritize Messages notifications, but not WhatsApp messages? Go wild.With a light, strong titanium build, theres still a tangible premium feel to the iPhone 16 Pro, compared to the aluminum iPhone 16. The same can be said about the cameras, with a 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor and 5x optical zoom, which the base iPhone cannot match. Functionality-twise, the base iPhone 16 now delivers the Dynamic Island and Camera Control, which makes a pro iPhone a little harder to define. For the iPhone 16 series, it boils down to more premium materials and a powerful zoom camera.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-16-pro-longterm-review-apple-intelligence-134517480.html?src=rss

The Amazon Spring Sale might be over, but there are still lots of great deals to shop. For instance, there's a 33 percent discount on one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers for 2025. The Beats Pill is down to $100 from $150 a record-low price for the speaker. Let's be honest, that first glimpse of warm weather is here and it's making us dream of sitting by the beach or picnics with friends. The Beats Pill is a solid option to provide the soundtrack to your summer. We gave it in 83 in our review thanks, in part, to its durability. The speaker has an IP67 waterproof rating, so you shouldn't have to worry at all if it gets a bit wet. The Beats Pill also offers 24-hour battery life and improved sound quality from its predecessor. However, we have found that the audio does hurt a bit when at loud volumes and it can have an inconsistent bass tone. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-the-beats-pill-speaker-while-its-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-140306981.html?src=rss

Creatives in the UK are once again speaking out against AI developers accessing copyrighted material. The Society of Authors have published an open letter calling for UK Secretary of State Lisa Nandy to hold Meta accountable for possible copyright infringement regarding its LLM, Llama 3. Signatories of the letter include successful British authors Richard Osman, Kazuo Ishiguro, Val McDermid and Sarah Waters.A March 20 article in The Atlantic served as the letter's impetus. It reported that Meta had used LibGen, a pirated collection of over 7.5 million books, to train its AI models. Anyone on the internet over the last few weeks has likely seen videos of distraught authors learning that their work is available on the database (and potentially used by Meta without their permission). A lawsuit in the US alleges Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg approved the use of LibGen's data to train its AI. The lawsuit's plaintiffs include writers Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates."These cases are shining a light on the unscrupulous behaviour exhibited by global tech companies which seemingly exploit copyright-protected material, safe in the knowledge that they will not be held to account," the Society of Authors' letter stated. "This must change, and global tech companies must now be held accountable and pay for the use they make of authors works."The authors implore Nandy to bring Meta senior executives before Parliament and make them commit to respecting copyrights and compensating authors for any previous infringements."Authors are almost powerless given the enormous cost and complexities of pursuing litigation against corporate defendants with such deep pockets," the letter continued. "We call upon you and the UK Government to take all action available to ensure that the rights, interests and livelihoods of authors are adequately protected. Failure to act without further delay will unquestionably have a catastrophic and irreversible impact on all UK authors given that from development through to output, creators rights are being systematically and repeatedly ignored."Artists across the creative industries have also recently protested the UK government's December 2024 proposal to change copyright law. The shift would provide AI developers with a copyright exemption and require creatives to "opt out" or allow access to their materials.In February, over 1,000 musicians released an album called Is This What We Want?, with 12 songs spelling out, "The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies." It coincided with the UK News Media Association's Make It Fair campaign calling on the government to support creative industries and compensate those individuals if allowing AI to train on their work.That same week creatives, from Paul McCartney to Helen Fielding, also shared an open letter against the proposal. Published in The Times, it stated, "There is no moral or economic argument for stealing our copyright. Taking it away will devastate the industry and steal the future of the next generation."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/british-authors-want-meta-to-answer-for-alleged-copyright-infringement-114501800.html?src=rss

ChatGPT's built-in image generation feature is now available to everyone. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last week that the company is delaying its rollout to free tier "for a while," because the tool was way more popular than they had expected. But the company made the feature available to free users over the weekend, allowing them to generate images from within ChatGPT and without having to switch to OpenAI's DALL-E generator. Prior to its rollout to the free tier, the tool was only available to Plus, Pro and Team subscribers.Altman previously said that free users will get a limit of three images per day. Based on our experience trying it out, some accounts are limited to just one a day. Those who find themselves able to generate more than one will still have to wait anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours. One of the tool's most popular uses that we've seen so far is the creation of Ghibli-style images using real-life photos. Users simply have to upload the photo they want to use and then instruct ChatGPT in natural language to create a Ghibli-style version of it. The trend had raised concerns, yet again, about the legality of using copyrighted work as training data for artificial intelligence. It also resurfaced the reaction of Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli's founder, upon being shown AI-generated animation years ago. "I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself," the director said.In a tweet, Altman said that the tool could still exhibit erratic behavior and could refuse some generations that should be allowed. OpenAI is still fixing the issue. The company also told TechCrunch that it "takes action" if a generated image violates company guidelines, though it didn't exactly detail about what those actions are.Creating and customizing images is as simple as chatting using GPT4ojust describe what you need, including any specifics like aspect ratio, exact colors using hex codes, or a transparent background. pic.twitter.com/fnen1aDjNZ OpenAI (@OpenAI) March 25, 2025 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-built-in-image-generator-for-chatgpt-is-now-available-to-free-users-120003146.html?src=rss

Levoit's Core 400S air purifier is down to $190 from its usual $220 price, thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale. While its not the lowest price weve seen the air purifier briefly hit $177 last year its still a solid discount on one of the most convenient air purifiers for large spaces. Just clip the $30 on-page coupon to get the discount. This deal is part of a larger Levoit sale during the Spring Sale that includes other air purifiers, humidifiers and more. Weve featured Levoit in our list of the best air purifiers for its strong performance and smart features. The Core 400S can cover rooms up to 1,980 square feet using a three-stage filtration system to capture allergens, dust, pet dander and smoke. It also includes a smart sensor that adjusts fan speed based on air quality, so youre not running it at full blast when you dont need to. One of the Levoit Core 400S biggest selling points is its low noise output, which makes it a good fit for bedrooms or home offices. If you need to knuckle down and get some work done without distraction whilst keeping your rooms air clean and fresh, even at higher speeds, it stays relatively quiet compared to bulkier purifiers. It also supports smart controls via the VeSync app, allowing you to tweak settings, set schedules or monitor air quality from your phone. If you have a smart home ecosystem in place, you can connect the purifier to third-party voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant an added layer of convenience that allows you to control the Core 400S with simple voice commands. Its 360-degree filtration system uses activated carbon to remove gases and odors, while an efficient middle filter captures 99.97 percent of pollutants as small as 0.3 microns. The built-in air quality sensor continuously monitors pollution levels, automatically adjusting performance as needed. You can track real-time air quality data on the LCD screen or through the VeSync app, which is handy (and interesting) to have access to at all times. At night, sleep mode keeps things extra quiet and subtle, dimming the display and operating at the lowest settings or you can turn off the display completely for total darkness. If youve been looking for an air purifier that can handle larger spaces without taking up too much room, this deal is worth considering, saving you over $30 on its usual price thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-air-purifiers-is-still-down-to-a-near-record-low-price-for-the-amazon-spring-sale-133052953.html?src=rss

How can we push CPUs forward? That's the question the computing industry has been asking since the Intel 4004 processor launched in 1971. Chipmakers have tried cranking up clock speeds, adding multiple cores and miniaturizing chip architectures to make them faster and more efficient. The conflict between RISC and CISC chip instruction sets (ISAs) "reduced" designs versus "complex" ones rages on to this day with RISC-V.For the past few years, AMD has been exploring a unique approach to speeding up some of its processors with 3D V-Cache, a technology that stacks more L3 cache on top of Ryzen cores. By doing so, the company avoids crowding the 2D plane of its chips, and it's able to cram in more memory without making its CPUs larger. With the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, AMD has now evolved 3D V-Cache to the point where every hardcore gamer will want one even if few people actually need a $700 CPU.3D V-Cache first appeared in the Ryzen 5800X3D in 2022, and AMD brought it to laptops in 2023. While there were some obvious downsides initially the 5800X3D had slower clock speeds than the standard Ryzen 5800 AMD has steadily improved the technology. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D were both notable for reaching the same maximum clock speeds as their 2D counterparts. While AMD's second-generation 3D V-Cache technology isn't as big of a leap in the 9950X3D (and other recent chips like the 9900X3D and 9800X3D), the company has managed to overcome the few compromises it's had to make so far. Simply put, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a beast of a CPU for gaming and productivity work alike.What's new in the Ryzen 9 9950X3D?The 9950X3D is a 16-core processor with a 4.3GHz base clock speed and a boost speed of 5.7GHz, just like its 2D sibling the 9950X. The big difference between the two is in their total L2 and L3 cache: the 9950X has 80MB, while the 3D V-Cache technology crams 144MB in the 9950X3D. By having more cache, the 9950X3D is able to tackle more processing loads without hitting RAM, which could take eight to 10 times as long, according to Robert Hallock, AMD's director of technical marketing.The major upgrade in the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, in addition to being powered by AMD's new Zen 5 cores, lies in the positioning of its 3D V-Cache layer. Previously, it sat on top of Zen 3 and Zen 4 cores, which slightly hindered cooling and overall performance. Now, the 3D V-Cache layer sits below the 9950X3D's Zen 5 cores, which gives those hotter elements direct access to your CPU fans heatsink. The 9950X3D has the same 170 Watt TDP (Thermal Design Profile) as its 2D variant, so cooling shouldn't be a huge problem, and unlike most other 3D V-Cache chips, it's also fully overclockable.Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetIn-use: An absolute powerhouseI expected the Ryzen 9 9950X3D to wallop every other PC CPU I've tested, but I didn't expect the leap to be so dramatic. In the Geekbench 6 single-threaded CPU benchmark, it was 20 percent faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X I was previously using. The 9950X3D was also 33 percent faster in the same benchmark's multi-threaded test. (I didn't have a 7950X3D for direct comparison, but based on a median of scores from 3DMark users, it hits 14,290 points. The 9950X3D reached 17,025, or 19 percent faster, in my testing)CPUGeekBench 6 CPU3DMark CPU ProfileCinebench 2024AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D3,366/18,95017,025 Max134/2,124AMD Ryzen 9 7900X2,822/14,21612,553 Max113/1,103Apple M4 Max4,090/26,394N/A190/2066Apple M2 Ultra2,776/21,403N/AN/AI've only seen better scores from Apple's hardware. The M4 chip is slightly faster for single-threaded tasks, while the M4 Max and M2 Ultra chips in the Mac Studio trounce AMD's multi-threaded Geekbench 6 scores. Still, you could build a solid Ryzen 9 system for far less than the Mac Studio M4 Max's $2,000 starting cost, even while accounting for the 9950X3D's $700 price tag.Apple doesn't always come out ahead. In the Cinebench 2024 multi-threaded benchmark, the 9950X3D slightly surpassed the M4 Max chip. That result is also a sign that AMD's flagship chip will be a big help for Windows-based content creators. The 9950X3D and the M4 Max both took 14 seconds to transcode a 4K clip into 1080p, which is the fastest result we've ever seen.The major appeal of the 9950X3D is that it'll also be able to handle demanding games over the next few years without bottlenecking high-end GPUs like NVIDIA's RTX 5080 and 5090. On my system, which is using an RTX 5090 and 64GB of RAM, the 9950X3D reached 195 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 while playing in 1080p with high graphics settings. The Ryzen 9 7900X, on the other hand, hit 166 fps with the same GPU and RAM. You'll see less of an immediate uplift at higher resolutions, where your video card is doing more of the work. Cyberpunk hit 64 fps in 4K without DLSS upscaling on the 9950X3D, while it struggled to reach 56 fps on the 7900X with the same settings.For 4K, in particular, the 9950X3D could be useful for scaling performance for monitors with faster refresh rates. On the 7900X, Dragon Age: The Veilguard ran at a smooth 250 fps in 4K with graphics settings and frame generation cranked up, but with the newer chip I saw 270 fps. If youre running a 4K 240Hz monitor with a less powerful GPU, youll likely have a better shot of edging close to 240 fps thanks to 3D V-Cache.Given all of its power, I was surprised to find that the 9950X3D ran at a relatively cool 81.5 Celsius at 100 percent load. It also idles between 30C and 35C, depending on what youre doing. Those results are pretty impressive for a CPU that can push up to 170 Watts.Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetShould you buy the Ryzen 9 9950X3D?Much like NVIDIA's $2,000 RTX 5090, I can't easily recommend the $700 Ryzen 9 9950X3D to most people. Most gamers would likely be better off with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which sells for a more reasonable $479. Sure, it has half as many cores, but the majority of titles don't tap into many of those to begin with. There's also the $600 12-core 9900X3D, which could be more useful for people who actually need a healthy amount of CPU cores.You could of course consider AMD's current chips without 3D V-Cache, like the Ryzen 7 9700X, which has an MSRP of $359 but is currently selling for under $300. But if you're already in the market for an expensive video card, it's likely worth paying a bit extra to get more L3 cache. When AMD first debuted the 5800X3D, the company claimed 3D V-Cache alone boosted 1080p performance by 15 percent. As games get more complex and demanding, having more available cache could be even more useful. (And it's also easier to pay more for a better chip now than buying a new one in a few years.)As for Intel, it only has plans to bring its version of the technology, dubbed Local Cache, to next-generation Xeon server chips, according to der8auer and Bens Hardware (via Tom's Hardware). Intel's current high-end desktop chip, the 24-core i9-14900K, is no gaming slouch, but it's saddled with just 36MB of L3 cache.Wrap-upIf anything, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is yet another sign that AMD is on a hot streak. After releasing a pair of excellent midrange GPUs, which showed that the company can genuinely go toe-to-toe with NVIDIA, this CPU and its accompanying 3D V-Cache technology is a reminder of how AMD is far ahead of Intel in many ways. And lets not forget that it was also the first x86 chipmaker to include NPUs in laptop and desktop CPUs. While its certainly not the best deal around, if you can afford it, the 9950X3D is the best desktop CPU you can buy today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/amd-ryzen-9-9950x3d-review-a-no-compromise-cpu-for-demanding-gamers-152452811.html?src=rss

There may come a point where you want to break ties with Amazon maybe youre cutting down on impulse buys, trying to escape the subscription rabbit hole or just rethinking where your money goes. Whatever the reason, Amazon gives you two main options: you can cancel your Prime membership to stop the monthly (or yearly) payments, or you can go all in and delete your entire Amazon account including your order history, personal data and access to services like Kindle and Prime Video. This guide will walk you through both processes step by step so you can take control of your Amazon presence.How to cancel your Amazon Prime membershipCanceling Amazon Prime is a lot easier than you might think especially if youre looking to save money or youre not using the perks much anymore. Prime comes with benefits like free shipping, access to Prime Video, Prime Reading and more, but if youre not using those, you may want to let it go.Go to Amazons End Your Amazon Prime Membership help page, or sign into your Amazon account and select Account & Lists then Prime Membership.Select End Membership.Amazon may prompt you with offers to stay (like reminders of what you'll lose or a discounted rate). If you're sure, keep clicking Continue to Cancel.Confirm your cancellation.Once canceled, your membership will run until the end of your current billing period. If you cancel during a free trial, your Prime benefits will end immediately and you wont be charged.How to delete your Amazon account entirelyIf you want to take things a step further and permanently delete your Amazon account along with all your personal data, order history and any associated services you can request full account closure. While this will irreversibly delete account details like your order history, you can always sign up again from scratch if you change your mind. Once your account is gone, you wont be able to access anything tied to it again. This includes your:Order history and invoicesAccess to digital content (like Kindle books, Prime Video purchases or Amazon Music)Saved payment methods and shipping addressesAmazon Photos, Amazon Drive and Alexa voice historyAny remaining Amazon gift card balances or promotional creditSo, before you go through with it, make sure you download anything you want to keep, spend any remaining credit and cancel open orders or subscriptions.Head to the Close Your Amazon Account help page, or sign into your Amazon account and select Account & Lists then Account, and navigate to the Manage your data section then Close Your Amazon Account.Review the list of services associated with your account. This helps you see what you'll lose access to, such as Audible, Alexa devices, Kindle purchases or Amazon-owned services in other countries.If you're sure you want to continue, select a reason for leaving from the drop-down menu.Check the box confirming: Yes, I want to permanently close my Amazon account and delete my data.Click Close My Account.Georgie Peru for EngadgetAfter submitting the request, Amazon will send a confirmation message to your email or phone number. Youll need to reply within five days to verify the deletion request. If you dont, the request expires and your account stays active.If you have multiple Amazon accounts, youll need to go through this process for each one individually. Once your account is deleted, you cant get it back. If you want to use Amazon again in the future, youll have to create a brand-new account. Also, your account will be deleted across all Amazon sites globally so if you also use amazon.co.uk, amazon.de or amazon.co.jp with the same login, those will be gone too.FAQsCan you get a refund on your Prime membership?Yes, in some cases. If you havent used any Prime benefits during the current period for example, if you havent placed an order with free Prime shipping or streamed anything on Prime Video Amazon will typically give you a full refund. It usually takes three to five business days to process.What happens to your Prime add-ons?If youve signed up for Prime Video Channels like Paramount+ or Showtime, those will also end when you cancel your Prime membership. These subscriptions wont renew once Prime is canceled.Also, if you subscribed to Prime through Google Play on an Android device, you'll need to cancel through Google Subscriptions instead. Similarly, if your Prime came bundled with a third-party service like Metro by T-Mobile, youll need to contact that provider directly to cancel.For more general tips on managing and canceling subscriptions youre no longer using, check out our guide to finding and canceling unused subscriptions.What if you cant log in to your account?If youre having trouble accessing the account you want to close, Amazon has a help page that walks you through password recovery, identity verification and other troubleshooting steps.And if you're helping someone else delete their account for example, if you're an authorized agent Amazon recommends contacting it via email with legal proof of authorization under your state's privacy laws.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/how-to-cancel-your-amazon-account-160046999.html?src=rss

Regular YouTube users have likely noticed an abundance of AI-generated fake movie trailers this past year or so. This annoying AI slop is all over the platform. As it turns out, major movie studios have actually been making money from the videos, according to reporting by Deadline.The scheme worked sort of like a mob shakedown. Hollywood studios would not enforce copyright on these videos. Instead, they struck a deal with YouTube to ensure they got the ad revenue instead of the people that typed in a couple of prompts and did some light editing.One of the most famous of these videos is a bogus trailer for the upcoming Superman reboot. This one actually tricked French national television, leading director James Gunn to post three puking emojis on X. He likely didnt know that Warner Bros. Discovery was one of the companies racking up cash for these pale imitations. https://t.co/O17n3VuSx0 James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 20, 2024 Theres a question here as to why major film studios would allow their brands to be diluted by AI-generated nonsense. After all, these fake trailers exist right next to the actual teasers and its been proven that they can confuse people. We dont have any actual monetary figures, but the videos have racked up billions of views. Maybe thats enough for short-sighted companies. The actors union SAG-AFTRA has called the whole thing a "race to the bottom."In any event, the gravy train has run out of steam. YouTube has turned off ad revenue for these kinds of videos, which was likely done because of Deadlines reporting. Popular channels that distribute this content, like Screen Culture, have been removed from the partner program. Now nobody will make money from a slightly-off Leonardo DiCaprio making his way through a season of Squid Game.The channels can appeal YouTubes decision. The founder of a channel called KH Studio, which has amassed hundreds of millions of views, has said that they never intended to mislead viewers. They just wanted to create "what if" scenarios."Ive been running KH Studio full-time for over three years now, putting everything into it. Its tough to see it grouped under 'misleading content' in the demonetization decision, when my goal has always been to explore creative possibilities not to misrepresent real releases," they added.We contacted Screen Culture for comment and will update this post if we hear back. That channel has over 1.4 million subscribers and has posted a whopping 1,800 videos. If something exists, Screen Culture has likely made a fake trailer for it. For instance, the channel has posted over 20 AI-generated trailers for the upcoming Marvel film Fantastic Four: First Steps.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/movie-studios-have-been-making-serious-money-from-ai-slop-on-youtube-160434252.html?src=rss

The Looney Tunes film Coyote vs. Acme wont be rotting away in David Zaslavs basement for the next 50 years. Warner Bros. Discovery has sold the rights to the movie to Ketchup Entertainment, the same company that just released The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.Ketchup ponied up around $50 million for the film and itll hit theaters in 2026, according to reporting by Deadline. Warner Bros. funded the creation of the movie but then shelved it for a tax write-off. You know the drill. Its pretty much the same thing it did with the Batgirl movie and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. Nobody loves scrapping finished projects more than WB.This one, at least, has a happy ending. Coyote vs. Acme always seemed like a pretty nifty concept. It stars Will Forte and John Cena and follows Wile E. Coyote as he sues notorious manufacturer Acme after he repeatedly fails to catch his arch-nemesis, the roadrunner. Directing duties fell to Dave Green, who made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. It was produced by Chris deFaria and James Gunn, with a screenplay by May December scribe Samy Burch.This hasnt stopped Warner Bros. Discovery from feverishly hitting the delete key. It just pulled all of the original Looney Tunes shorts from the streaming platform Max. This happened just as The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie was hitting theaters. To be fair, that film didnt exactly blow up the box office.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/warner-bros-has-officially-sold-the-looney-tunes-film-coyote-vs-acme-170346994.html?src=rss

Apple has released iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS 15.4 and visionOS 2.4, bringing a grab bag of new features to the companies devices and expanding Apple Intelligence to new countries and languages.As previously announced by Apple iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4 include a new Apple News+ Food section in the News app that collects recipes and food-oriented articles, including exclusive recipes for Apple News+ subscribers. The updates also introduce new emoji, AI-sorted Priority Notifications in Notification Center, new ways to filter photos in the Photos app and lossless audio on the AirPods Max. That's on top of a random assortment of other quality-of-life features like:AI-generated summaries of App Store reviewsAn Ambient Music tool in Control CenterThe ability to add and control Matter-compatible robot vacuums to the Home appNew widgets for the Podcasts appA new "Sketch" style for images in Image PlaygroundAppleThe update to visionOS 2.4 will add Apple Intelligence features like Writing Tools and Image Playground to the Vision Pro for the first time, on top of a streamlined process for sharing your headset with another person, a new Apple Vision Pro app for the iPhone to download apps and experiences to your Vision Pro remotely, and a Spatial Gallery app for the headset itself that features a rotating collection of spatial videos and photos curated by Apple.After a bit of a delay, Apple says Apple Intelligence will be available in the European Union for the first time on iPhone and iPad. The suite of AI features will now also work in several new languages "including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified) as well as localized English for Singapore and India," Apple says.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ios-18-4-available-now-175358838.html?src=rss

If theres one thing you can count on with AI tools is that theyll launch without most of the promised features. It happened with Apple Intelligence. It happened with Galaxy AI. Now, its happening with Alexa+, Amazons AI-heavy upgrade to its virtual assistant. The tool is officially available but it doesnt do a whole lot, according to reporting by The Washington Post.The paper reviewed a number of internal company documents that noted the delay of many features. These documents suggest that a bunch of tools wont be available for two months or longer. Alexa+ users wont be able to use the platform to order takeout on Grubhub or identify family members via camera to remind them to do chores.The same goes for that neat-sounding tool that the company says will auto-generate a story to entertain kids. Also, Alexa+ cannot be used to brainstorm gift ideas or order groceries. Finally, there isnt a browser-based version available. The company says these delays are because the features do not meet Amazons standards for public release.So what can Alexa+ do right now? I havent gotten a chance to fool around with it, but the early access page suggests customers can use it to order an Uber, identify objects and draft emails. Thats something, I guess.Alexa+ is included with Amazon Prime but non-members have to pony up $20 per month. It may not be accessible to everyone just yet, as availability is expanding over the coming weeks and months. Also, it only works on devices with screens. These include the Echo Show 8, 10, 15 and 21.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/alexa-is-out-but-missing-a-lot-of-features-amazon-demoed-last-month-180741504.html?src=rss

OpenAI has been doubling its audience for ChatGPT at a rapid rate, and the addition of its latest image generation feature has increased the AI assistant's popularity. Today, CEO Sam Altman posted to X that the service "added one million users in the last hour," calling it a "biblical demand" for the image generation.the chatgpt launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments i'd ever seen, and we added one million users in five days.we added one million users in the last hour. Sam Altman (@sama) March 31, 2025 When the company announced the rollout of image generation in ChatGPT last week, the tool was meant to be available to all user tiers. However, the high degree of interest meant that access for free users was walked back. Now, the company is reporting "issues with new signups," which has been its status for more than a day.While ChatGPT's ability to create original images has been a delight (and occasional horror show) for users, the AI platform continues to draw the ire of artists and creatives. Many of these people have their work taken, either as training material for the large-language model scraped from the internet or improperly taken and modified by ChatGPT users, without any credit or compensation. One of the more visible examples have been the many memes image inspired by the animation style of Studio Ghibli. Altman is currently using one such image as his X profile photo, but other users have used ChatGPT to apply the look of the studio's films to violent or triggering content, raising a fresh round of questions about how creators can protect their work from misuse.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-gained-one-million-new-users-in-an-hour-today-201314746.html?src=rss

With a Tomodachi Life sequel teased and the last few Switch 1 games announced, the deck is cleared for Nintendo's next video presentation on the Switch 2. The appropriately titled "Nintendo Direct: Switch 2" presentation is slated for April 2 at 9AM ET / 6AM PT, and will stream on Nintendo's YouTube channel.Nintendo revealed what the new console looks like in a short teaser video in January, which confirmed details like the device's larger screen, and teased things like a new Mario Kart and some sort of mouse functionality for the Switch 2's Joy-Con controllers. The company's April 2 presentation should answer even more questions about what's exactly different about the Switch successor, how much it'll cost and when it'll launch.Join us on April 2nd at 6am PT for #NintendoDirect: Nintendo Switch 2 4.2.2025, where we will share a closer look at #NintendoSwitch2. https://t.co/XCecVa9Zid pic.twitter.com/ACu5pZUd0D Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 5, 2025 You can read our article collecting Switch 2 rumors and reports for a preview of what Nintendo might cover. Particularly pertinent for anyone thinking about buying the new console, recent leaks indicate that Nintendo could open up pre-orders for the Switch 2 as early as April 9, and ship out the device in June.We'll have to wait for the Nintendo Direct to fill in those details, and hopefully learn more about the launch lineup of Switch 2 games in the process. You can watch along on Nintendo's YouTube channel or right in this article once the stream goes live.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-watch-the-switch-2-nintendo-direct-210632411.html?src=rss

Riot Games has unveiled new details for its upcoming tabletop game, called Riftbound - The League of Legends Trading Card Game. We first got a look at this TCG under the codename Project K in December. The latest trailer showed off new artwork for the cards, including fresh takes on the LoL characters that aren't just copies of their in-game champion portraits. The card UI has also gotten some extra polish compared with what was showed late last year.The team at Riot has been incorporating player feedback into the game's first set, called Origins. This set will have more than 300 different cards, and familiar LoL champions including Jinx, Viktor and Lee Sin will star in pre-built decks for this inaugural set. For the serious collectors, there will also be secret rare versions of the champion cards with unique art.In addition to the previously revealed multiplayer aspect, Riftbound offers a path for reaching fans who don't have experience in this card game genre. Riftbound will have a box called Proving Grounds where champions like Lux, Annie, Master Yi and Garen will help newer players to get acclimated to TCG basics.The timeline for the Riftbound is also starting to firm up, with its China launch is scheduled for summer 2025. Some English speaking countries will also see the game arrive this year, but other markets will have to wait until 2026; the devs didn't specify which regions will be on which timeline.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/riot-games-league-of-legends-tcg-is-officially-called-riftbound-212507458.html?src=rss

The Amazon Big Spring sale may not be as huge as the company's Prime Day events but it lasted longer. Now on the final day, we're continuing to track the best robot vacuum deals. Of course, the big news in robot vacuums right now is iRobots announcement that its not confident in its ability to continue operating. Thats surprising considering the Roombas dominance in the automated floor-bot market, with top picks in our budget and standard robo vac buying guides. Fortunately, a number of other brands make great vacs and Roombas are still available. We also found deals on a few of our recommended cordless stick vacs, which make great spot-cleaners to supplement the bots' automated runs. The best Amazon Spring Sale robot vacuum deals Shark's Matrix Plus robovac for $400 ($350 off): In our testing, weve been consistently impressed with Shark vacuums but theyre not cheap. This machine can mop in addition to vacuum and is nearly half price at 47 percent off. Anker Eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX for $140 (44 percent off): The S in the model name stands for slim and it was one of the more low-profile machines we tried. Its a pick in our guide to budget robot vacuums and has a long battery life and good suction power for its price. The main drawback is the lack of Wi-Fi, so instead of programming it with your phone, youll use the included remote. Anker Eufy Robot Vacuum 3-in-1 E20 for $400 ($200 off): If you cant decide between a robot vacuum or a lightweight stick vac, you dont have to. The new Eufy E20 combines a robo vac, cordless upright and handheld vacuum in one machine. Plus the automatically emptying base holds a lot of debris for its size. While we found the robot performance to be better than the stick vac suction, its still impressive and convenient for an all-in-one model. Shark PowerDetect cordless stick vacuum for $299 ($130 off): This is a variant of the runner-up pick in our guide to cordless vacuums. It lacks the auto-empty base of the model we tested, but its the same basic machine, which we found to have excellent suction power, plus a bright light and an articulating arm that helps suck up dirt in harder-to-reach places. The best cordless vacuum deals Levoit Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (LVAC-200) for $150 ($50 off): The lowest price weve tracked on this stick vac is $130 but this matches the lowest price weve seen this year. Its our runner up budget pick for a stick vac in our guide. It doesnt have a storage base and the bin is smallish, but its lightweight and super affordable. It also disassembles easily for storage making its lack of base less of a deal breaker. Tineco Pure ONE Station 5 for $349 ($110 off): This vac earned an honorable mention in our tests. The self-emptying base is a big selling point. We also liked the auto-adjusting suction and single-button start feature. The fact that it doesnt require proprietary bags helps keep down the long-term cost, too. Tineco Pure ONE S11 cordless vacuum for $200 ($100 off with coupon): Click the coupon to get $95 off our top pick for a budget stick vac. We like that it automatically adjusts suction depending on what it's picking up and is relatively lightweight when youre pushing it around your floors. The bin is on the small side and the battery life isnt as good as on other models, but its an easy-to-use, no-frills way to clean floors. Tineco Pure ONE Station FurFree for $400 ($300 off): Of all the stick vacs our reviewer tried for our guide, this is the one she wanted to use the most. Its super convenient with a dock that charges and empties and cleans all parts of the machine brush, tube and dustbin after each use. Plus the suction power is great and the iLoop smart sensor kicks up the suction when needed. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-robot-vacuum-deals-the-best-sales-from-irobot-tineco-shark-and-anker-092652460.html?src=rss

Amazon's latest Big Spring Sale ends tonight, and while the week-long event hasn't been as heavy on tech as Black Friday or Prime Day, it's still had a few noteworthy discounts on Apple devices. If youre looking for a new iPad, set of AirPods or Beats speaker, weve rounded up the best Apple deals that are still kicking right now. Truthfully, most of the offers below arent explicitly tied to the Spring Sale, and several of the deals we saw last week have expired. Still, a handful of Apple gadgets we recommend remain cheaper than usual. Note that you don't need to be a Prime member to access these discounts. Best Amazon Spring Sale Apple deals Apple iPad (A16) for $329 ($20 off): The newest entry-level iPad only arrived three weeks ago, but Amazon is currently selling it for $20 less than Apple direct, which is a decent little savings if you planned on grabbing the tablet early anyway. This one is another small update, but it now comes with a faster A16 chip, more RAM and 128GB of storage as standard. It earned a score of 84 in our review if you only need an iPad for media consumption and lighter work, it's still a fine value. Also at B&H and Best Buy. Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M3) for $549 ($50 off): Much like the deal on the base iPad above, this isnt a huge discount, but its a nice chance to save a few bucks compared to buying from Apple directly. The new iPad Air was released on the same day as the iPad (A16) and is a similarly minor update; the only big addition is a more powerful M3 chip. However, we still prefer the Air over the base model if you can swing it: Its display is more color-rich and better at fending off glare, its speakers are more robust, it works with Apples best accessories and its performance should hold up better in the years ahead. The older M2-powered model is an even better value if you can find it on sale, but either way the Air is the iPad we recommend to most people. Also at B&H, Best Buy and Walmart. The Apple iPad (A16). Jeff Dunn for Engadget Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M3) for $738 ($61 off): We gave the 13-inch iPad Air a review score of 89 earlier this month. It has a bigger and slightly brighter display than its 11-inch counterpart; otherwise, the two slates are the same. If you plan to keep your iPad hooked up to a keyboard, the extra screen space is lovely for taking in movies and multitasking for work. This is the lowest price weve seen for the 128GB model. Also at Walmart. Expired deals Apple AirPods 4 for $100 ($29 off): Apples wireless earbuds are far from the richest-sounding or longest-lasting pair out there, and this entry-level model lacks wireless charging, Find My tracking and onboard volume controls. But it still gets you a host of Apple-friendly features from fast pairing with iCloud devices to spatial audio to hands-free Siri and its lightweight design should fit most ears better than past AirPods. If you truly hate the feeling of headphones that jut into your ear canal, they still sound a bit cleaner and more balanced than most open-back alternatives as well. Just keep in mind that this design inherently wont block much outside noise. This discount ties the lowest price weve seen outside of select in-store only deals. Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $170 ($79 off): The AirPods Pro 2 remain Apples best set of wireless earbuds, as they offer the full set of Apple-focused features, strong ANC, onboard volume controls, a (generally) comfy in-ear design and a warm sound profile that most should find agreeable. They can even work as a hearing aid, though their six-hour battery life still isnt the best, and you should only get them if youre all-in on Apple hardware. If thats the case, though, we call them the best choice for iPhone owners in our wireless earbuds buying guide. We saw this pair drop as low as $154 back in December, but this deal comes within a dollar of its best price since then. Apple Mac mini (M4 Pro) for $1,199 ($200 off): It's still not cheap, but here's the lowest price we've seen for this higher-spec configuration of the latest Mac mini, which includes an M4 Pro chip, 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This specific model is overkill for casual users, but it should be a decent buy for those with more professional needs who want a compact Mac but cant spring for the top-end Mac Studio. We gave the Mac mini a score of 90 in our review last November, praising its performance, pint-sized design and port selection, though it can get noisy under load and it still lacks an SD card reader. If you do only need a desktop for basic tasks, the entry-level model with a standard M4 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD has also dropped back to $499. That $100 discount matches the best price weve tracked. Apple Watch Series 10 for $299 ($70 off): The top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches, the Series 10 is a mostly iterative update, with faster charging, a slightly slimmer profile and a marginally larger display compared to the previous Series 9. That said, it remains a comprehensive fitness tracker, and no other smartwatch can integrate as neatly with iPhones and other Apple devices. It should be a welcome upgrade if youre looking to upgrade from an older Apple Watch (think pre-Series 7) just keep in mind a patent dispute has locked it out the blood oxygen detection features found on those older models. This $100 discount matches the lowest price weve seen for the non-cellular model with a 42mm case. Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) for $1,099 ($200 off): The iPad Pro is more tablet than most people need, but its the ultimate iPad for those who can stomach its price tag. Its wonderfully thin, its OLED display is one of the best weve seen on a consumer device and its M4 chip can handle virtually anything youd ever do on an iPad. Its also the only Apple tablet with Face ID, plus it has a better speaker setup than the iPad Air. We gave it a score of 84 in our review, with the only real drawback being how expensive it all is. This deal on doesnt truly lessen that and its another deal weve seen multiple times in recent months but it still ties the 13-inch models all-time low.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-apple-deals-airpods-ipads-and-more-are-still-up-to-100-off-092050849.html?src=rss

Amazon's Big Spring Sale ends tonight, and though it's been far less focused on electronics than something like Prime Day or Black Friday, it still includes a few tech deals worth calling out. If youre looking to grab a new gadget on the cheap, weve rounded up the best of those that are available for less than $50. The highlights include a handful of wireless earbuds, chargers and other accessories we recommend in our various buying guides. As a reminder, you don't need to be a Prime member to access most of the deals below. Best Amazon Spring Sale deals under $50 Anker PowerConf C200 for $48 ($12 off MSRP): The PowerConf C200 is our favorite webcam for those on a tighter budget due to its crisp video quality, easy setup, solid microphones and built-in privacy cover. Its USB cable is on the shorter side, and it cant match the overall accuracy of our top pick, but its still a clear upgrade over a built-in laptop camera for a much lower price. This is another deal weve seen numerous times in the last year, but its as low as the camera usually goes. Also at Anker. The Anker 525 Charging Station. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Anker 525 Charging Station for $30 ($36 off): We recommend this reliable desktop charging station in our remote worker gift guide. It cant provide the absolute fastest charge to your smartphone or laptop (topping out at a quick enough 67W), but it packs four USB ports two USB-C, two USB-A and three AC outlets in a frame thats small enough to fit on a crowded desk. This deal ties the lowest price weve seen. Also at Anker. Anker Nano Charger 30W for $13 ($10 off): Its hard to have too many portable wall chargers on standby. This one from Anker should be particularly useful for traveling: At just over an inch thick, its small enough to fit in a pocket, while its 30W USB-C port is enough to top up recent iPhones at full speed. (Thats not enough for some newer Android phones, though.) This discount matches the lowest price weve seen. Also at Anker. Blink Mini 2 for $20 ($20 off): This deal ties the lowest price to date for the Blink Mini 2, which is the budget pick in our guide to the best security cameras. This one comes with its share of trade-offs for the low price its image quality isnt the best, it locks certain features behind a paywall and it wont automatically arm when you leave the house but it still provides functional 1080p video, color night vision, motion alerts and Alexa support in a weather-resistant frame. Its fairly simple to set up, too, though youll need to buy an external module if you want to store clips locally. Also at Best Buy and The Home Depot. The Blink Mini 2. Amy Skorheim for Engadget Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $20 ($15 off): This is the budget pick in our guide to the best streaming devices. It can only play up to 1080p, so its really meant for older or smaller TVs that you want to modernize with streaming apps. Its a bit more sluggish than Amazons higher-end 4K sticks, too, and all Fire TV devices tend to promote Amazon-owned services like Prime Video above all else. Still, it works with nearly all the major streaming apps, and its remote has Alexa built-in, so you can control your TV and certain smart home devices with voice commands. It also supports basic HDR10 but not Dolby Vision plus it can pass-through Dolby Atmos audio to a compatible soundbar or receiver. You could do worse if you just want the cheapest streamer possible. This deal is $2 higher than the all-time low we saw during the holidays, but it matches the best price weve tracked otherwise. Amazon Music Unlimited 3-month trial for free ($24 off): Amazon is offering new subscribers three months of its Music Unlimited streaming service for free. Normally, it gives new users a one-month trial. Though Music Unlimited isnt a top pick in our guide to the best music services, it still gets you lossless streaming quality and an extensive library of both music and podcasts. You could do worse if you just want to bum a few months of music streaming for no cost. Just note that your subscription will auto-renew once the trial period ends until you cancel. Chipolo One for $20 ($5 off): The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers. While Apples AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, weve found the One to send separation alerts faster when youve left an item behind and ring louder when youre back in its vicinity. Unlike the AirTag, it can also attach directly to a keychain. It probably isnt the safest choice for long-distance travel, but its a convenient security blanket if you, say, leave your keys or wallet behind at a restaurant. This is another discount thats been available for a few weeks, but its just 10 cents more the best price weve seen.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-under-50-the-best-discounts-you-can-still-get-on-chargers-earbuds-accessories-and-more-091512018.html?src=rss

This years Amazon Spring Sale is almost a wrap. For the past week or so, a ton of household, fashion and outdoor gear dropped to record-low prices. Tech wasn't a big focus this time around, but a decent number of our favorite gear received noteworthy discounts and remain on sale right now. The selection may not be as good as that of Amazon Prime Day in July, but it still provides a good opportunity to save on things like headphones, robot vacuums, air purifiers and more. Weve collected the best Amazon Spring Sale deals on tech gear here so you dont have to go searching for them if you're keen on getting some last-minute shopping done in the final hours of the sale. Best Amazon Spring Sale deals Dyson AM09 heater and fan for $300 (36 percent off): The AM09 has been around for ages, and for good reason. It's an excellent heater during cold months and fan during warm months, so you can use it all year round. Jet Focus control lets you choose from Focused or Diffused for personal or whole-room heating or cooling, and the handy sleep timer lets you set when the device turns off in intervals from 15 minutes up to nine hours. Dyson V15s Detect Submarine for $849 ($100 off): This Dyson cordless stick vacuum and mop is a top pick in our best cordless vacuums guide thanks to its sleek design and included mop attachment that easily swap in so you can clean tile, hardwood and other flooring with liquid solution. Yes, it's expensive, but you're essentially getting two cleaning machines in one plus, when used as a vacuum, it has excellent suction power and great battery life. Levoit Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (LVAC-200) for $150 ($50 off): The lowest price weve tracked on this stick vac is $130 but this matches the lowest price weve seen this year. Its our runner up budget pick for a stick vac in our guide. It doesnt have a storage base and the bin is smallish, but its lightweight and super affordable. It also disassembles easily for storage making its lack of base less of a deal breaker. Sonos Ray for $179 ($100 off): This is our favorite midrange soundbar thanks to its compact, attractive design and easy setup. It's best for those who have a smaller living room or den they want to outfit with better TV sound. Also available at Sonos in their March Madness sale. Bose QuietComfort headphones for $249 ($100 off): These Bose over-ear headphones provide excellent noise cancellation, a comfortable fit and up to 24 hours of listening time on a single charge. A quick-charge feature will net you 2.5 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging, so you'll rarely have to go without them, too. Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $349 ($80 off): These hold the top spot in our best wireless headphones guide for excellent noise cancellation. These cans will give you a step up in ANC, blocking out most noise and chatter of those around you. General audio quality has been improved as well, and they have a comfy fit. Beats Studio Pro for $180 (49 percent off): These Beats headphones have improved sound quality, good Transparency mode and USB-C charging, plus decent mic quality for phone calls. They support wired USB-C audio, plus they have solid ANC as well. Beats Fit Pro for $169 (15 percent off): These are the best wireless earbuds for working out thanks to their comfortable, secure fit, good sound quality with thumping bass and handful of convenient features provided by Apple's H1 chipset. It provides quick-pairing and switching between Apple devices (and quick pairing with Android phones), Find My compatibility and hands-free Siri. Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones for $318 (20 percent off): These top our list of the best wireless headphones you can get right now thanks to their supreme comfort, excellent sound quality and ANC, multipoint connectivity and 30-hour battery life. Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer for $260 ($90 off): A version of one of our favorite air fryers, this air fryer toaster oven has 11 cooking modes including air fry, broil, bake, roast and more, and it has a large capacity that can fit up to six slices of bread at once or a 13-inch pizza. The Pro model is also on sale, down to $320 from $400. Spigen Spring Sale deals: Spigen makes some of our favorite tech accessories, and a number of the brand's products have been discounted as part of the Spring Sale. Key among them is one of our favorite iPhone cases, the Spigen Ultra Hybrid MagFit case; Prime members can pick up an iPhone 16 case for only $12. Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4) for $949 ($50 off): The latest version of the MacBook Air tops our list of the best MacBooks you can get right now, period. It's plenty powerful for most people, plus it has a lightweight but sturdy design, a bright display and excellent battery life. Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): Apples flagship wearable is the best smartwatch you can buy, period. While the Series 10 was an iterative update, thats not necessarily a bad thing. It sports a slightly longer battery life, a slimmer design and wide-angle OLED screen for better viewing angles. It tracks workouts accurately and delivers alerts to your wrist efficiently. Apple Watch SE for $199 (20 percent off): Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know theyre getting the core Apple wearable experience with few compromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies. Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $199 (20 percent off): The AirPods Pro 2 remain Apples best set of wireless earbuds, as they offer the full set of Apple-focused features, strong ANC, onboard volume controls, a (generally) comfy in-ear design and a warm sound profile that most should find agreeable. They can even work as a hearing aid, though their six-hour battery life still isnt the best, and you should only get them if youre all-in on Apple hardware. If thats the case, though, we call them the best choice for iPhone owners in our wireless earbuds buying guide. We saw this pair drop as low as $154 back in December, but this deal comes within a dollar of its best price since then. iPad Air M3 for $549 ($50 off): The latest version of the iPad Air now runs on the M3 chipset, and it continues to hold the top spot in our best iPads guide. It has the best combination of power, design and extra features, so you can use it primarily as a media consumption device if you wish, or you can add iPad accessories like an Apple Pencil or a Magic Keyboard to turn it into a true workhorse. 10th-gen iPad for $279 (20 percent off): The previous version of most affordable iPad gives you an A14 Bionic chip, a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, TouchID built into the lock button and more. Its compatible with the first-gen Apple Pencil and the keyboard folio, plus we found it to have solid performance and a matching battery life. Chipolo One for $20 ($5 off): The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers. While Apples AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, weve found the One to send separation alerts faster when youve left an item behind and ring louder when youre back in its vicinity. Blink Mini 2 for $20 (50 percent off): Blink's latest wired, indoor security camera is one of our favorites, particularly if you're just starting out building a security camera system. It's easy to set up and use, and it works seamlessly with Amazon's Alexa. Plus, if you want a local storage option, you can buy the Blink Sync Module 2 and a thumb drive to store video clips locally. Audible (three months) for $3 ($42 off): This deal gives you access to Audible Premium Plus, which includes one credit each month that you can spend on any book you'd like, along with listening access to thousands of other books, podcasts and Audible Originals. You also get to take part in Audible's exclusive member sales. Only US customers who are not already subscribed to Audible can take advantage of this deal. Eufy 3-in-1 E20 robot vacuum for $400 ($200 off): If you cant decide between a robot vacuum or a lightweight stick vac, you dont have to. The new Eufy E20 combines a robo vac, cordless upright and handheld vacuum in one machine. Plus the automatically emptying base holds a lot of debris for its size. While we found the robot performance to be better than the stick vac suction, its still impressive and convenient for an all-in-one model. Cosori 9-in-1 air fryer for $90 ($30 off): One of our favorites in our best air fryers guide, this Cosori model has nine preset cooking modes and a spacious cooking basket that can handle more food at once than you might expect. It's not too large, so it can sit on your countertop all the time, and the basket has a safety release button that prevents accidental pulls. Levoit Core 400S air purifier for $190 ($30 off with coupon): Our top pick for the best air purifier for most people, the Core 400S has easy-to-use onboard controls, powerful filtering technology that isn't too loud and relatively affordable replacement filters. It reliably improved air quality in our testing, and even though its mobile app is a little overstuffed, it gives you another way to control and monitor the device. TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh Wi-Fi system for $280 (30 percent off): Our current pick for the best mesh Wi-Fi system you can get, this TP-Link bundle may be no-frills, but it gets the job done nicely. It's easy to set up and provides excellent Wi-Fi 6E performance, plus the three included nodes can cover up to 7,200 square feet. Samsung Evo Select microSD card (512GB) for $35 ($5 off): A value pick in our best microSD cards guide, this Evo Select card provides respectable read and write speeds, and it comes with a full-sized adapter. Samsung T7 portable SSD (2TB) for $140 (48 percent off): We're on the T9 series now, but if you're looking to save a bit of cash, the T7 remains a great option for on-the-go storage. It supports read and write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s and sports a pocket-friendly design. Amazon Spring Sale FAQs When is the Amazon Spring Sale? The Amazon Spring Sale 2025 runs from March 25 through March 31. What is Amazon's Spring Sale? The Amazon Spring Sale is a multi-day sale event that has taken place at the end of March since 2024. Do I have to be a Prime Member to shop the Amazon Spring Sale? No, Amazon Spring Sale deals are available to all, including those who do not subscribe to Prime. What types of deals can I expect to find during the Amazon Spring Sale? In the past, we've seen a lot of spring cleaning and fashion items in sale during the Big Spring Sale. We expect this year to be no different. We at Engadget in particular will be on the lookout for discounts on our favorite spring cleaning tech, including robot vacuums, cordless vacuums and air purifiers, along with deals on kitchen and smart home gear. Are there deals I can shop now ahead of the Amazon Spring Sale? Yes, check out our list of the best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can get right now above. How long does the Amazon Spring Sale last? The Amazon Spring Sale lasts seven days this year, running from March 25 through March 31. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-the-best-sales-from-apple-bose-irobot-dyson-and-others-130607743.html?src=rss

The only real way to increase the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a specialized expansion card. Luckily, a really good one is heavily discounted right now. The WD 1TB C40 storage card is down to $110 as part of the Amazon Spring Sale. This is a discount of 30 percent, as the regular price is around $158. This is an officially-licensed product, so itll be a plug-and-play experience. It also delivers roughly the same performance as the internal drive. Its important to note that this allows for both the storage and playing of games. Most external drives can only store, and not play, titles on an Xbox Series X/S. Most modern AAA games require at least 50GB of available space. In other words, this drive will accommodate around 20 of these titles. Indie games tend to be much smaller, so the drive could conceivably house hundreds of smaller releases. The 2TB model is also on sale, for $200 instead of $260. The 512GB version is still at the original $80 asking price. This is a handy drive that gets the job done. The only drawback is the price. Most 1TB external drives are cheaper than $110. It sucks that Microsoft went this weird route with storage, but thats certainly not WDs fault. On the positive side, this is a small and light card that wont add any real weight to the already bulky Xbox consoles.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/wds-1tb-c50-xbox-storage-card-is-30-percent-off-in-the-amazon-spring-sale-184918803.html?src=rss