Apple’s AirPods Max might finally be within reach if you were waiting for them to reach a price threshhold. Woot is selling the over-ear headphones in pink for just $400 to Amazon Prime members, or a steep $149 below their official sticker. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen yet, and even the $460 for gray (the only other color option at Woot right now) is a solid deal. Just remember that Woot’s return policy isn’t the same as Amazon’s.
The AirPods Max represent a considerably better value at this price. They pack a superb balanced sound, quality active noise cancellation and clever controls. In the Apple ecosystem, you’ll also get perks like simple pairing and spatial audio. Throw in solid battery life and you’ll likely be happy.
The caveats are familiar. Some of the advantages disappear if you use Android or Windows, and you may be better off with more universal alternatives like Sony’s WH-1000XM4. Apple’s included case offers little protection, too — you’ll really want to buy a third-party shell if you routinely stuff the AirPods Max into your bag. If those aren’t obstacles, though, you’ll have few reasons to complain.
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France has taken a unique step to remind people cars suck. In December, the country passed a law requiring the creators of car commercials to encourage viewers to try not driving a car—at least, whenever it’s possible.
The world’s cutest submersible is about the visit the world’s most dangerous glacier. An international team of researchers set off from Chile on a 65-day voyage to Antarctica. There, they’ll deploy Boaty McBoatface and a host of other instruments to explore what’s going on underneath Thwaites Glacier, one of the…
First revealed way back in 2018 when the world was only slightly less out of control, the TinyNES was a miniaturized clone of the original Nintendo Entertainment System that, like the original, could play authentic NES carts, while taking up much less space in your entertainment center. Three years later, you can …
” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/hyundai-plug-and-drive-valet-1280×711.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/hyundai-plug-and-drive-valet-1280×711.jpg” />Typically we think of automotive manufacturer Hyundai, its cars and SUVs that come to mind. Hyundai is on hand at CES 2022, and it has revealed something that isn’t automotive-related but is aimed at ushering in a new type of mobility. The product is called the Plug & Drive (PnD) Robotic Module, and Hyundai says it’s designed to enable the … Continue reading
Nobody knew quite what to expect from CES 2022 but, even for the most part virtual, the Consumer Electronics Show has had its fair share of big news. TVs, cars, laptops, and the smart home all featured strongly this year, often with a nod to green technology and a new era where we’re spending more of our time at home. … Continue reading
If the base iPad doesn’t have all of the power or bells and whistles you’re looking for, your next best bet is the 2020 iPad Air. We gave the tablet a score of 90 when it first came out thanks in part to its speedy performance, healthy battery life and fun colors. Normally $599, the iPad Air is back on sale at Amazon right now for $539, or $60 off its normal price. Only the silver model has been discounted at the time of writing this, but if you don’t mind skipping out on one of the more unique color options, this sale price is one of the best we’ve seen in months.
The Air sits in between the 10.2-inch iPad and the iPad Pros as Apple’s mid-tier option. It runs on an A14 Bionic chipset with a six-core CPU and a four-core GPU, and this particular model on sale has 64GB of storage and WiFi 6 capabilities. Apple refreshed the tablet’s design to make it look more like the Pros, complete with flat edges, a USB-C port for charging and a lovely 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display. You won’t get FaceID on this machine, but you will get TouchID thanks to the fingerprint reader on the device’s power button.
Overall, we found the Air to be zippy both in performance and WiFi speeds, and its battery lasted up to 12.5 hours in our testing. While the latest iPad Pros are better if you’re looking for a laptop replacement, you could use the Air as a 2-in-1 while on the go thanks to its compatibility with Apple’s Magic Keyboard. It also supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, allowing it to be a digital notebook for those that prefer writing things out by hand.
A discount like this is a good one to consider if you want an all-purpose tablet that’s one step up from the base iPad. However, there are a few noteworthy discounts on the 10.2-inch tablet right now, too. The 256GB WiFi model is $30 off and down to $449, while the 256GB, WiFi + Cellular model has hit a record low fo $580.
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The following contains minor spoilers for episode six of ‘Star Trek: Prodigy.’
Star Trek: Discovery may have gone on an unexpected hiatus, but the new year does mean the return of its franchise stablemate Prodigy. When we last left the young crew of the USS Protostar, they had just left the Murder Planet and successfully fled the Diviner’s ship thanks to the activation of the ship’s secret experimental engine. Episode six, Kobayashi, picks up this thread, pushing the story… and possibly the timeline forward in some significant ways this week.
The title is a dead giveaway to one of the threads running through the episode, at least: “Kobayashi” is the name of the ship from the infamous “Kobayashi Maru” test (“Maru” means ship in Japanese). It’s basically a no-win scenario that cadets at Starfleet Academy are run through to test their readiness for command, except this time it’s self-proclaimed captain Dal in the big chair via a holodeck simulation.
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That plot in itself is a fairly predictable set of circumstances, as Dal refuses to accept failure and tackles the holographic test again and again… and again. Aside from the absolute hilarity as Dal’s frustration mounts, it’s a pretty standard character study, designed to flesh out Dal and craft him more into the leader he wants to be.
There’s also some fan service here thanks to cameos from some favorite characters brought to life thanks to the wonders of CGI and well-chosen sound clips. As with Janeway, the show being animated keeps the older characters from having that creepy Rogue One Princess Leia look, but the audio samples could have used a lot more processing to have them match up. And why a show designed for newcomers needed this much fan service, I don’t know, but at least it’s not Rise of Skywalker bad.
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The real progress in the episode occurs in the B-plot, where Gwyn is sulking after her father’s betrayal and she and Zero try to learn more about the protostar engine at the heart of their ship. Janeway has the files, except they’re classified and it’s up to Gwyn and Zero to try to open them up. And, though the initial reveal from them is a bit of a shocker (to be delved into next week), it’s the flashback sequence early in the episode that yielded the juiciest info for now.
We’re shown the Diviner 17 years earlier, in horrible health and already looking for the USS Protostar. He decides to create a “progeny,” in the hopes of continuing his race, even though it is against the rules. (Whose rules? That’s another unanswered question.) But the interesting reveal here is that the Diviner was already looking for the Protostar 17 years ago, suggesting that this series may not occupy the 2383 time frame we were given in press materials (though never mentioned on-screen).
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Star Trek: Voyager returned from its Delta Quadrant trip in 2378, meaning that in order for a holographic recreation of Kathryn Janeway to exist (and the captain of the Protostar to be who it is) the earliest the Protostar could have disappeared is 2379. Even assuming the Protostar is built and launched in a year (which I doubt), Prodigy can’t take place any earlier than 2396, placing it firmly around the time of Picard, which is set in 2399. It’s possible that Prodigy is actually a few years later, however, making it the first Star Trek series set in the 25th century. Or the Protostar traveled through time, complicating things even further.
But assuming the time period is, in fact, the 25th century, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen the future of the Federation or Starfleet: Discovery is now set in the 32nd century, after all. But being much closer to the time period of earlier shows like The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and, of course, Voyager makes Prodigy more of a direct continuation of that era. The inclusion of Janeway as a training hologram already gave us a peek as the vaunted status the Voyager crew holds after their Delta Quadrant sojourn, but now the advanced tech seen in episode three “Starstruck” suddenly makes a lot more sense knowing it might be a few years… or decades since Voyager.
With the exception of Picard, the live-action shows have largely stayed away from the immediate future of the TNG-DS9-Voyager era, choosing instead to retread the 23rd century or even jump forward nearly a thousand years. It’s certainly odd given the popularity of those shows, but in leaving it be Paramount+ has left a lot of room for Prodigy and Lower Decks to do something interesting there, experimenting with new genres while still appeasing hard-core fans. This may be the future we’ve been waiting to see on Star Trek.
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.
Nobody knew quite what to expect from CES 2022 but, even for the most part virtual, the Consumer Electronics Show has had its fair share of big news. TVs, cars, laptops, and the smart home all featured strongly this year, often with a nod to green technology and a new era where we’re spending more of our time at home. … 