Jul 30
Dolly Parton Says Her ‘I Will Always Love You’ Royalties Went Into A Black Community
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe country singer said of a Nashville office complex she purchased, “This is the house that Whitney built.”
Jul 30
The QR code system was originally invented back in the year 1994, pre-dating the smartphone by a decade and a half. The QR code (Quick Response code) that was once mainly aimed at identifying products for stores in a way that was more versatile than the more popular barcode system – UPC barcodes. It doesn’t take much more than a … Continue reading
Jul 30
As July comes to a close, a number of laptops, earbuds, games and more have gone on sale across the web. Students planning their back-to-school shopping list have a few ways to save on Apple products — the latest MacBook Air M1 is $150 off at Amazon (that’s better than Apple’s own education discount) and the iPad Air remains $100 off as well. All capacities of Samsung’s T7 portable SSD have been discounted, so you can grab one for as low as $70, while Microsoft’s Xbox Ultimate Game Sale knocks up to 80 percent off console and PC titles. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
MacBook Air M1
The latest MacBook Air M1 is down to $850 at Amazon, or $150 off its regular price. The 512GB model has the same discount, so you can grab it for $1,099. It’s one of the best laptops for most people, and it’s a great option for students going back to school. The Air M1 earned a score of 94 from us for its incredibly fast performance, excellent keyboard and trackpad, good battery life and lack of fan noise.
Buy MacBook Air M1 (256GB) at Amazon – $850Buy MacBook Air M1 (512GB) at Amazon – $1,099
iPad Air
The latest iPad Air is down to the best price we’ve seen it, just $500 for the base model. That’s $100 off its normal price and a great deal on what we think is the best iPad for most people. We gave the slab a score of 90 for its fast performance, speedy WiFi, healthy battery life and support for the second-generation Apple Pencil.
Buy iPad Air (64GB) at Amazon – $500Buy iPad Air (256GB) at Amazon – $639
Buy iPad Air (64GB, cellular) at Amazon – $629Buy iPad Air (256GB, cellular) at Amazon – $780
AirPods Pro
The AirPods Pro are back on sale for $190, or $60 off their normal price. While not a record low, it’s still one of the best prices we’ve seen all year. The AirPods Pro earned a score of 87 for their improved audio quality, comfortable fit, solid ANC and IPX4 water resistance.
Buy AirPods Pro at Amazon – $190
10.2-inch iPad
Apple’s 10.2-inch iPad is still on sale for $299, or $30 off its normal price. It’s arguably the best iPad for new tablet owners and we liked its improved performance, familiar design and support for the first-generation Apple Pencil.
Buy 10.2-inch iPad at Amazon – $299
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Nintendo
Nintendo’s Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit game for the Switch is down to $75, or $25 off its normal price. This add-on set lets you bring the action of Mario Kart into your real-life living room, creating your own racetracks and zooming around them using a tiny kart driven by either Mario or Luigi.
Buy Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit at Amazon – $75
Samsung T7 SSD (500GB)
Samsung
Samsung’s T7 portable SSD in 500GB is down to a record-low of $70, or $30 off its normal price. Other capacities are on sale, too — you can get a 1TB model for $150 and a 2TB model will set you back $300. We like these drives for their portability, durable design and speedy performance.
Buy Samsung T7 (500GB) at Amazon – $70Buy Samsung T7 (1TB) at Amazon – $150Buy Samsung T7 (2TB) at Amazon – $300
Echo Buds (2nd-gen)
Billy Steele/Engadget
Amazon’s latest Echo Buds are on sale for $80, which is a discount we saw last during Prime Day. You can also get the buds with their wireless charging case for only $100. We gave these a score of 80 for their improved sound quality, good ANC and smaller, comfortable design.
Buy Echo Buds at Best Buy – $80Buy Echo Buds (wireless charging case) at Best Buy – $100
Echo Show 5 (1st-gen)
Nicole Lee / Engadget
Amazon’s first-generation Echo Show 5 returned to its all-time-low price of $45 at Best Buy. If you’re looking for a smart alarm clock of sorts, this is the best option if you already use Alexa as your primary voice assistant. The second-generation Echo Show 5, which came out recently, has a few minor differences, but we think the first-generation remains a solid buy — especially at half off its original price.
Buy Echo Show 5 (1st-gen) at Best Buy – $45
Xbox Ultimate Game Sale
Xbox
Microsoft’s Xbox Ultimate Game Sale is still ongoing, knocking up to 80 percent off console and PC titles. On the console side, you can get FIFA 21 Ultimate Edition for $25, NBA 2K21 for $15, Battlefield 1 Revolution for $8 and more. And for PC gamers, you can get Gears 5 for $16, Yakuza: Like a Dragon for $36, Control for $15 and more.
Shop Ultimate Game Sale at Microsoft
Roku sale
A bunch of Roku devices are on sale at Amazon, including the Roku Streambar, which is down to a record low of $99. This compact soundbar is a convenient gadget to get if you want to upgrade your home theater system without spending a ton of money. We gave it a score of 86 for its space-saving design, Dolby Audio support and built-in 4K streaming technology. If you want to spend even less, a handful of Roku streamers have been discounted, including the Express ($25) and the Streaming Stick+ ($39).
Buy Roku Streambar at Amazon – $99Buy Roku Express at Amazon – $25Buy Roku Express 4K+ at Amazon – $29Buy Roku Streaming Stick+ at Amazon – $39
ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4
The Thermapen Mk4 has been discounts to $69 as ThermoWorks makes room for the new Thermapen One thermometer. The Mk4 is the best instant-read thermometer we’ve used so far —the backlit display makes it easy to read in almost any situation and the display rotates depending on how you’re holding the pen. Plus, you never have to remember to turn it off because the pen automatically turns on when you pick it up and will shut off after some time of no use.
Buy Thermapen Mk4 at ThermoWorks – $69
Comic-Con 2022 sweepstakes
Through December 8, you can enter to win four-day passes to San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Along with the passes, you’ll get access to a special preview night, reserved seating in Hall H, a personal concierge, a private tour of the Comic-Con Museum, dinner in Balboa Park and tickets to the “Night at the Comic-Con Museum” event. It’s free to enter, but funds from this sweepstakes will go to the San Diego Comic Convention.
Virgin Galactic sweepstakes
In this Omaze giveaway you can win two seats on one of the first Virgin Galactic flights to space. In addition, you’ll go on a tour of Spaceport America in New Mexico with Richard Branson. You don’t have to pay to enter, but funds from all paid entries will support Space for Humanity, an organization that hopes to make space more accessible for all.
Gaming PC sweepstakes
Omaze is giving away another $20,000 to build your ultimate gaming PC. This sweepstakes is free to enter, but funds donated with purchased entries will benefit Schools on Wheels, an organization that provides free tutoring and mentoring services to children experiencing homelessness across Southern California.
Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes.See official rules on Omaze.
New tech deals
DJI OM4
DJI’s OM4 smartphone gimbal is $20 off right now, bringing it down to $129. It uses 3-axis stabilization to let you shoot smooth video with your smartphone, and it’s new, magnetic quick-release makes it easy to snap your phone in and out of it. It also supports gesture control and Active Track 3.0, which lets you lock on to the subject you’re filming with better accuracy.
Mirror
Mirror’s summer sale knocks $400 off its high-tech fitness system when using the code JULY400 at checkout. The discount breaks down to $150 off the mirror device itself, plus free delivery and installation. Just know that the sale is only on the product itself, not on the subscription needed to take the Mirror’s fitness classes.
Arturia Destination: Sound sale
Arturia has knocks 50 percent off all of its individual software titles through August 8. That means you can get some of our favorite music software, including Pigments and Analog Labs, for $99 each. This is a good opportunity to add new synths and other software instruments to your collection for less.
NordVPN
One of our recommended VPNs is running a good sale on a two-year subscription. You can sign up for NordVPN for only $89 for the first two years, which comes out to $44.50 per year — and an additional summer promotion adds three free months on top of that. We like NordVPN for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.
Sign up for NordVPN (two years) – $89
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Jul 30
Samsung's 'history of electronics' animated videos seem like great sleep aids
Posted in: Today's ChiliSamsung wants to teach you about the history of electronics, as long as you can stay awake long enough to sit through the dull lessons. Through its Innovation Museum, the company is releasing five animated videos about inventions that shaped society. If the first episode is anything to go by, they might as well be classified as sleep aids.
The series premiere delves into the history of telecommunications, starting with Morse code and how it paved the way for more recent innovations such as smartphones, 3G, 4G and (would you believe it?) 5G. The tone and narration is Atacama Desert dry, though. Even the name of the series is melatonin-inducing: “The History of the Electronics Industry That Changed the World.”
There’s no denying the importance of Morse code, including how it’s helped save the lives of many who were able to send an SOS message when they were in peril. But Samsung could have presented the story in a much more interesting way. For what it’s worth, the episode is educational. But, if you’re going to create a video in which “some aspects have been fictionalized,” at least make it fun.
Upcoming installments will cover John Logie Baird’s TV, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell, James Harrison’s refrigerator and William Shockley and the semiconductor. Perhaps those will be more compelling, but it’s hard to imagine anyone excitedly dashing off a telegram to a friend about it.
Jul 30
Following its Q2 earnings call this week, Tesla representatives confirmed previous reports that its commercial EV project, Semi, will be delayed until 2022. The company cites both the ongoing global processor shortage and its own currently-limited battery production capability for the new 4680 style cells as contributing to its decision.
On the plus side, Tesla executives also confirmed that development of the highly-anticipated Cyber Truck continues apace. What’s more,they explained that once production fully ramps up for the Model Y in the new Berlin and Texas plants, Tesla intends to launch production lines to begin the Semi line. For the full story, watch the video above, and for continuing coverage of all things Tesla, stay tuned to Engadget!
Jul 30
Fukushima’s wildlife has been intensely studied since the tsunami and nuclear disaster struck the region a decade ago. But in a new paper, scientists detail how wildlife are being enlisted to monitor the region itself.
Jul 30
Windows 11 is on the way, bringing with it a fresh design and eliminating some features while adding new ones. One of the technologies that Microsoft’s next operating system is bringing with it is DirectStorage, promising super-fast loading times for next-gen SSD storage. Here’s everything you need to know about the…
Jul 30
Amazon says it intends to challenge a record $886 million fine imposed by a European Union privacy regulator over what the company says are perceived privacy violations related to its advertising technology.
Jul 30
As one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s newest heroes, the responsibility to save the world (presumably) will fall to Shang-Chi in director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. But unlike many of Marvel’s other upcoming projects that have previously-established roots in the MCU, Shang…
Jul 30
Russia Says Software Glitch Caused New ISS Module to Accidentally Fire Thrusters After Docking
Posted in: Today's ChiliRussian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station are continuing to sort through an issue that caused the newly arrived Nauka module to inadvertently fire its thrusters after docking to the orbital outpost.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.