Aug 18
Get a sneak peek of Halloween Kills’ soundtrack. Some familiar faces are coming to American Horror Stories season one finale. Plus, what’s coming on Stargirl, and Eric Kripke teases the first spinoff from The Boys. To me, my spoilers!
Aug 18
“Wine moms represented motherhood as revolutionary refusal, as ‘who cares,’ as ‘don’t judge me,’ as ‘get out now.'”
Aug 18
IKEA is a name many people know around the US for its iconic blue building, meatballs, and furniture that can be complicated to build. IKEA is branching out in Sweden with the announcement that it will begin offering electricity generated through wind and solar via STRÖMMA. IKEA Sweden has added STRÖMMA to its existing Clean Energy Services offering. The Clean … Continue reading
Aug 18
2022 Mercedes C-Class Estate All-Terrain is packing rugged genes and mild-hybrid technology
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe 2022 Mercedes C-Class Estate All-Terrain is another reason why Americans are missing out on the station wagon craze. The latest C-Class All-Terrain is debuting at this year’s German Auto Show and will start rolling into European showrooms later in 2021, just in time for winter. The 2022 Mercedes C-Class Estate All-Terrain will never make it to the USA (at … Continue reading
Aug 18
Ford has shown off a new Bronco concept that would be easy for anyone who likes how it looks to create with their own Bronco. None of the major components used on the Bronco Riptide Concept vehicle are one-of-a-kind products. They’re all accessories available to buy at your local Ford dealership. The Bronco is Velocity Blue in color and has … Continue reading
Aug 18
DTS has found a way to integrate TV speakers into a surround sound setup. The Play-Fi Home Theater system connects TVs to external speakers over WiFi. The first compatible TVs should arrive in the third quarter of 2021 (in other words, by the end of October).
The company says Play-Fi Home Theater won’t require manufacturers or customers to add any additional hardware to their TVs. If you’d rather not use the TV’s built-in speakers, you can still wirelessly output the center channel audio to a compatible soundbar or front speakers. The system can automatically adapt to the number of speakers you connect to the TV, and you can build out your setup with more speakers later.
The system, which builds on DTS’ long-standing Play-Fi protocol, can connect several other speakers, including up to two subwoofers, for surround sound. You can also play audio from your TV elsewhere in your home if you have a multiroom setup. In addition, you can listen to audio from your TV through headphones via an app.
The Play-Fi Home Theater approach isn’t entirely new. Sony has enabled customers to use compatible TVs’ built-in speakers as their surround sound setup’s center channel for a while. Competition is almost always a good thing, though, and if DTS can lower the cost barrier for multi-channel audio with its system, so much the better.
Aug 18
There are three Pokémon games on the way to Nintendo Switch in the coming months: Pokémon Legends Arceus, a brand-new, open-world entry in the series, and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, remakes of two gen-four Nintendo DS titles from 2006. The Pokémon Company (TPC) is offering fans a deeper look at what’s in store during a Pokémon Presents stream this morning on its YouTube channel.
TPC didn’t give away too much about what to expect from the showcase, which starts at 9AM ET. However, it will include a peek at all three games. Perhaps we’ll learn exactly when Pokémon Unite is coming to mobile devices too. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl land on Switch on November 19th, and Pokémon Legends: Arceuswill be released on January 28th.
Aug 18
As more and more venues and events, including CES, require proof of vaccination against COVID before granting entry, Samsung is working to make it easier to keep your records on hand. The company has today announced that it has partnered with non-profit The Commons Project to help digitize people’s vaccination records. Once a user has authenticated their record through the CommonHealth app, they can add the details to their Samsung Pay wallet for “convenient access and use.”
The feature is rolling out to a small number of devices initially, but Samsung says that every compatible device will have access by the end of the week. Both parties say that the data will be secure and the transfer from the CommonHealth app to Samsung Pay will be quick and painless.
Aug 18
Samsung’s insistence on shoving ads into its stock apps has detracted from its otherwise stellar phones. If the pop-ups inside Samsung Pay and Music irked you, we have good news: They’ll soon be axed for good. “Samsung has made a decision to cease the advertisement on proprietary apps including Samsung Weather, Samsung Pay, and Samsung Theme,” the company confirmed in a statement to The Verge. “The update will be ready by later this year.”
The move to cull in-app ads was first reported by Korean media who attributed it to TM Roh, president and head of mobile communications business, Samsung Electronics. In response to a question by an employee at the company’s online town hall, the exec said that ads would go away in future versions of apps like Samsung Pay, Samsung Themes and Samsung Weather. Roh hinted that the reversal was made in response to user and staff feedback.
We were never fans of the in-app ads here at Engadget. In our recent reviews of the flagship S21 Ultra and mid-range A52 5G, we noted that the “lousy” ads in Samsung’s Weather and Daily news apps felt “unpleasant and weird.” It seems Samsung finally took heed of the criticism, especially from irritated users, and decided to ditch them altogether.
Aug 18
Last month, we saw a number of Roku streaming devices receive big discounts on Amazon — including the Roku Streambar, which went down to $99. Now that sale is back, making it a good time for those who missed it last time to snag an updated streaming gadget. The Roku Streambar is back down to $99, or 24 percent off its normal price, while the Streaming Stick+ and the Express 4K+ are down to $40 and $29, respectively.
Buy Roku Streambar at Amazon – $99Buy Roku Streaming Stick+ at Amazon – $40Buy Roku Express 4K+ at Amazon – $29
If you have an older TV in your home or a smart TV with software that you’re not a huge fan of, Roku’s Streambar can revamp your system when it comes to audio as well as streaming. It earned a score of 86 from us thanks to its compact size — it’ll easily fit into almost any setup — solid audio quality with Dolby Atmos support and its built-in 4K HDR streaming tech.
You’re essentially getting a soundbar that doubles as a Roku Ultra (albeit without Dolby Vision support), so movies and TV shows will sound better and you’ll have access to all of the streaming services on the Roku platform including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max and more. It also works as a Bluetooth speaker as well, but we found the device sounded better when watching action movies than when playing our favorite pop playlists.
The other discounted Roku products are best for those aren’t as interested in an audio upgrade as they are in streaming power that comes in a small package. The Streaming Stick+ has ended up in many of our home entertainment guides thanks to its affordability and relatively comprehensive feature set. It supports 4K HDR streaming, long-range wireless connectivity and voice commands with Alexa and the Google Assistant. The Express 4K+ is very similar, but it supports smooth wireless connectivity instead of long-range. Both dongles also come with Roku’s voice remote as well.
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