Apple's 2021 iPad mini falls back to a low of $400

With a solid blend of power and portability Apple’s 2021 iPad Mini tablet is a popular choice — but it’s not exactly an impulse buy at $500. If you’ve been eyeing one, the 64GB model is now on sale at Amazon for $400 (20 percent off) in three colors, matching the lowest price we’ve seen. 

Buy iPad Mini models at Amazon

With its fresh and modern design, solid performance and improved cameras, the iPad mini 2021 earned a solid 89 Engadget review score. It has similar specs to the iPhone 13, with the same speedy A15 Bionic chip that delivers a big jump in performance over the fifth-gen model. It comes with a larger 8.3-inch display with higher 2,266 x 1,488 resolution than the previous models, and eliminates the physical home button, moving the Touch ID sensor to the power button. The volume buttons, meanwhile, are at the top to make room for Apple Pencil 2 that can be attached to the side magnetically.

Other features include USB-C charging and upgraded cameras with support from Apple’s Center Stage feature, keeping you in the center of the frame during video calls. The main downsides are the lack of a headphone jack, limited 64GB of storage on the base model and fairly high price compared to tablets with comparable specs. Amazon has certainly taken the edge off the price, but it’s best to act soon before the deal ends.

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Thailand Mourns After Mass Shooting Leaves Dozens Dead, Including 24 Children

Seven of the 10 people who were wounded were still hospitalized Friday.

Pixel 7's Google Assistant updates let you silence calls with your voice

Google is fond of introducing Assistant features alongside new devices, and that’s true for the Pixel 7. Among other upgrades, the new phone now lets you mute incoming calls just by saying “silence.” You don’t have to let the call ring if you can’t (or just don’t want to) reach for your handset.

You’ll also get transcription directly in Messages, so you don’t have to play an audio clip in a quiet room. It should be easier to record your company meetings, too. The Pixel 7’s Recorder app will “soon” provide speaker labels to transcribe each person’s words separately. You’ll know if it was your boss or a coworker who suggested an idea.

It’s not clear when or if these features will reach non-Pixel hardware. Google sometimes keeps them as exclusives, but is known to sometimes make them more broadly available to Android users after a few months’ wait.

Other phone-oriented improvements are subtler. Voice typing now automatically suggests emoji, and supports French, Italian and Spanish. Arguably, the biggest improvements to Assistant at this event are linked to new hardware — the Pixel Watch finally brings the AI helper’s latest incarnation to your wrist, while the upcoming Pixel Tablet doubles as a smart display. Still, you might appreciate the phone-oriented tweaks if you’re tired of telemarketers or keeping office minutes.

Follow all of the news from Google’s Pixel 7 event right here!

Google's $899 Pixel 7 Pro has 5x optical zoom and a metal trim

The Pixel 7 Pro was first teased back in May 2022, but it’s finally time for every single detail. The 7 Pro takes the big design refresh of last year, and adds an aluminum frame and camera bar. Unfortunately, the eye-catching two-tone color options haven’t made it to 2022, which is a shame. We’re back to single-colored Pixel phones, sadly, even if there are three different colors to choose from.

The 6.7-inch screen (the same size and resolution as the Pixel 6 Pro) is coated with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus, and the phone has IP68 protection against water and dust. The display itself is QHD+ LTPO OLED and can reach refresh rates up to 120Hz, which should ensure smooth browsing and swiping. It also tops out at 1,500 nits of brightness – notably brighter than the Pixel 6 Pro, if not quite as bright as the iPhone 14 Pro, which can peak at 2,000 nits outdoors.

The 7 Pro, gets some camera upgrades too. Two of the three camera sensors are all-but identical to the Pixel 6 Pro. Once again there’s a 50-megapixel wide camera, with f/1.85 aperture and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera with f/2.2. The latter comes with a 125.8-degree field-of-view, which is an upgrade from the 114-degree ultrawide camera on last year’s Pixel.

The telephoto camera, however, has been substantially upgraded. The 48MP sensor features up to 5X optical zoom and a Samsung-ish 30X Super Res Zoom (up from 20X zoom last year) that combines multiple exposures to improve image quality.

A black Pixel 7 Pro phone, alongside other Pixel hardware including the Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds Pro.
Google

Both Pixel 7 phones feature Google’s second-generation Tensor chip, the G2. The company claims the new chip will allow for more advanced voice recognition and machine learning features. This should translate to a faster, more efficient Pixel, especially for processor-intensive tasks related to photos and image processing.

That includes boosting photos captured at the new 30x Super Res Zoom, up to two times faster Night Sight low-light photography processing and even sharper photos with Face Unblur. The new Pixel 7s will also be able to capture video with a new artificial bokeh effect, in a mode Google is calling Cinematic Blur. It says thanks to its new Tensor chip, it can achieve a realistic blur with low latency and low power draw. The Pixel 7 Pro also includes a Macro Focus feature, which can shoot from as close as three centimeters away.

Security-wise, Google has included a Titan M2 security chip, alongside fingerprint and face unlock features. Matching its predecessor, the Pixel 7 Pro has a 5,000mAh battery and can fast-charge up to 50 percent full in around half an hour – but you will need to buy the compatible 30W charger separately. The Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899, and will come in Obsidian, Snow and Hazel color options. It’s available to preorder now and will launch on October 13th.

Follow all of the news from Google’s Pixel 7 event right here!

How to pre-order the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro

Google’s Pixel event today delivered exactly what we expected: a couple of new smartphones and a brand new Pixel Watch. The previously teased Google Pixel 7 was officially debuted, and while it doesn’t look dramatically different from its predecessor, it includes a number of important changes. Key among them is Google’s new Tensor G2 chipset, which promises speedier performance, improved efficiency and more for both the Pixel 7 and its larger sibling, the Pixel 7 Pro. As for the Pixel Watch, it looks right at home next to the new smartphones and it takes a lot of health-and-fitness prowess from Googled-owned Fitbit. Here’s how to pre-order the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro and the Pixel Watch.

Google Pixel 7

Google Pixel 7
Google

Google’s Pixel 7 smartphone is available for pre-order today starting at $599. It comes in three colors — snow, obsidian and lemongrass — and it’ll be widely available on October 14th. Those who pre-order through Amazon can get a free $100 gift card with their new Pixel 7.

Pre-order Pixel 7 at Google – $599Pre-order Pixel 7 at Amazon – $599

The company’s latest flagship doesn’t look too different from last year’s model, but the changes Google made are nothing to scoff at. The Pixel 7 features an always-on 6.3-inch FHD, 90Hz display made with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Victus, plus an IP68-rated body made of recycled aluminum. It runs on Google’s new Tensor G2 chipset, which promises better machine learning capabilities, increased efficiency and improved photography features like Night Sight. It’ll also come with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage.

The cameras on the Pixel 7 have been updated to include a 10.8-megapixel front shooter, which is now the same as the front-facing camera on the higher-end Pixel 7 Pro. There’s also a new feature called Guided Frame, which helps those with low vision take better selfies by using audio and haptic prompts. As for the rear array, that includes a 50MP wide camera and a 12MP ultrawide lens. Google promises improved Real Tone photography and low-light images, plus better video features like Cinematic Blur, 4K Cinematic Pan and 240fps slo-mo.

Google also promises five years of security updates for the Pixel 7, plus an “adaptive battery” feature that will let the handset last for over 24 hours. Extreme Battery Saver adds to that, allowing the phone to last up to 72 hours.

Google Pixel 7 Pro

Google Pixel 7 Pro
Google

Google’s Pixel 7 Pro is available for pre-order today starting at $899. It comes in three colors — snow, obsidian and hazel — and it’ll be widely available on October 14th. Those who pre-order through Amazon can get a free $200 gift card with their new Pixel 7 Pro.

Pre-order Pixel 7 Pro at Google – $899Pre-order Pixel 7 Pro at Amazon – $899

As to be expected, the Pixel 7 Pro is an upgrade from the standard model in a few ways. It’s larger, with an always-on 6.7-inch QHD+, 120Hz display and a body with the same IP68 durability level as the Pixel 7. It also runs on the new Tensor G2 chipset and it has an upgraded triple rear camera system that includes a 50MP wide camera, a 12MP ultrawide lens and a 48MP telephoto shooter with a 5x optical zoom and support for up to 30x Super Res Zoom. Other internal specs include 12GB of RAM and a choice of 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of onboard storage.

The other difference between the Pixel 7 Pro and the standard model is that the 7 Pro has a slightly larger battery (5,000mAh) than the regular handset (4,355mAh), but both share the same battery life estimates. Both also support fast charging that provides 50 percent juice in just 30 minutes when using Google’s 30W power adapter, which you can pick up separately.

Google Pixel Watch

Google Pixel Watch
Google

The new Google Pixel Watch is available for pre-order today starting at $350 for the WiFi models and $400 for the WiFi + LTE models. It’s available in three colors and will be widely available on October 14th.

Pre-order Pixel Watch at Google – $350Pre-order Pixel Watch at Amazon – $350

Google’s first smartwatch in the Pixel family takes a lot of design nods from its phones and health-tracking chops from Fitbit. The circular case has a nearly invisible bezel along with an always-on 320ppi AMOLED, slightly domed display. It has a 294mAh battery built in that Google claims will last for 24 hours before it needs a recharge, and the watch comes with a USB-C magnetic charging cable. The Pixel Watch runs on an Exynos 9110 SoC and has sensors including a heart rate monitor, GPS, accelerometer, altimeter, gyroscope and others built in.

Many of those sensors power the watch’s health and fitness tracking abilities, all of which build upon Fitbit’s expertise in that area (Google completed its purchase of Fitbit back in 2021). The Pixel Watch tracks daily activity and sleep, plus it has 40 workout modes and an ECG app for additional measurements. Those familiar with Fitbit will notice that the watch also supports metrics like Daily Readiness Score, Active Zone Minutes and more, plus it works with the paid service Fitbit Premium. Also, Google plans on bringing fall detection to the Pixel Watch in the coming months.

Follow all of the news from Google’s Pixel 7 event right here!

The Pixel Tablet will attach to a speaker base to double as a smart display

After some stops and starts, Google is returning to tablets, but with a smart home twist. The company first teased the upcoming Pixel Tablet at I/O this year, saying the device would be launching in 2023. Though that release window is at least several months away, Google was eager to share more details at its hardware launch event today.

Google’s vice president of product management Rose Yao said during the keynote that the company thinks of the tablet as part of its Pixel portfolio of products, and that it didn’t feel complete without a “large screen device”. That might be confusing if you recall the ill-fated Pixel Slate and Pixelbook, which were “large screen” Pixel-branded devices.

Like other Pixel gadgets, the tablet will be a canvas for Google’s own expression of Android. And as the company already hinted at its developer conference this year, the tablet will be powered by the same Tensor G2 chip that’s in the flagship phones. Since this is still just a tease, the company is still keeping details like screen size, resolution, RAM and more under wraps.

Google Pixel Tablet
Google

Google is ready, however, to share more about the Pixel Tablet’s design. It looks similar to older phones like the Pixel 3, with a rounded rectangle shape and a matte-ish glass back. In fact, Yao said the company developed a new “nano-ceramic coating” that she said is inspired by “the feel of porcelain.”

In an interview with Engadget, Yao said the best way to think about this finish is to imagine the coating on a Le Creuset dutch oven. She said that the Pixel Tablet’s coating should feel similarly durable and premium, and that it’s basically embedding tiny pieces of ceramic onto the device’s frame, which is made of recycled aluminum. This creates what she said is a “soft matte finish” with a “grippy feel” that should alleviate what her team believed was a pain point of tablets: “They’re really big devices that are kind of slippery.”

The Pixel Tablet will also run Android, complete with Material You personalization and big screen-friendly features like split screen and stylus support. When I asked for more information about stylus support, Yao said “We’ll talk about the more next year,” though she added that “you can use a third-party stylus.”

Google Pixel Tablet
google

The fact that the Pixel Tablet is powered by Tensor, which Yao said is the first time Google is bringing its own processor to a different type of product than a phone, enables a few different things.

“I have so many stories I want to share about what that means,” Yao said. But she can’t at the moment, besides alluding to speech recognition, video calls, photo editing and image processing as areas to look out for.

She also shouted out the Assistant, which will be able to “work seamlessly between a tablet and the phone” thanks to Tensor. But not just that, Google wants you to think of its tablet as a place for an always-listening Assistant, much like you would with a Nest speaker. Yao said that her team observed how people used tablets and learned that “tablets are homebodies.” According to her, most tablets are home 80 percent of the time and are only active for a small portion of the time.

Google Pixel Tablet
Google

Another thing Yao said was that though tablets tended to remain in people’s homes, they “don’t really have a home at home.” They’re often left in drawers or by charging outlets, and can either be forgotten or get in the way. To make a tablet that’s “truly useful 24/7” and that would “bring together the best of Pixel and home,” Yao said her team made a charging speaker dock.

The base doesn’t just charge the device, Yao said it also “unlocks a ton of new experiences and makes the tablet helpful all the time.” Her favorite feature is the photo frame, which is similar to that on the Nest Hub smart display. But the Pixel Tablet also has front and rear cameras, making it useful for video calls.

Yao said the angle “is just really perfect for me,” though based on the pictures Google has shown so far it appears the camera might shoot at an unflattering upwards angle. She also confirmed that the base won’t allow for adjustable angles, so if you don’t like the position you likely won’t be able to change it.

“I really think it’s one of the most versatile tablets on the market,” Yao said, adding “We’ll talk more next year.” While Google still hasn’t shared information like screen size and pricing, we’ll likely find out more closer to launch.

Follow all of the news from Google’s Pixel 7 event right here!

Google Pixel 7 camera app adds ‘Cinematic Blur’ and accessibility features

Google just launched its Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones, and as expected, the cameras haven’t changed much from the previous model, hardware-wise. As usual though, Google has introduced a bunch of new and useful AI software camera tricks powered by the new Tensor G2 chip, including updates to Real Tone, along with the new Super Res Zoom, Photo Unblur and Cinematic Blur features. It also unveiled the very cool “Guide Frame” feature that helps visually impaired people take selfies.

One that’s bound to be popular (and maybe overused) is Cinematic Blur. This gives you the same portrait-like blurred backgrounds for video that you get in photos, helping the subject stand out better. It’s apparently made possible by the high speed and low latency of the Tensor G2 chip, delivering a “beautifully shallow depth of field,” Google said. 

The Google Pixel 7's latest camera feature helps the visually impaired take selfies
Google

Also new is Photo Unblur, essentially a version of the Pixel 6’s Face Unblur feature that works on any type of photo — and will only be available on Pixel 7 devices for now. With just a few taps, you can remove blur and other issues from older photos, potentially giving them a new life.

Next up is an update to Real Tone, first introduced last year, that improves skin tones on a diverse range of people. Google has added thousands of new sample images to its dataset to improve the feature for a wider range of skin tones. And now, it works with Google’s low-light Night Sight mode and Portrait mode as well. 

The Google Pixel 7's latest camera feature helps the visually impaired take selfies
Google

The Super Res Zoom, meanwhile, doubles the optical resolution at a given zoom range, while letting you zoom up to 30x. It fixes potential noise by “remosaicing” the image to maximize sharpness. The result is a full 12.5-megapixel resolution photo at a 2x on the Pixel 7 and 10x on the Pixel 7 Pro. The aim is to provide the highest quality across the zoom range, rather than having only certain zoom levels (2x, 5x, etc.) looking good.

Zoom stabilization is another new feature that effectively upscales wide zoom photos while providing steadier shots than you’d get on. It also added 10-bit HDR capture, letting you capture brighter and more colorful photos and take best advantage of the HDR display. And finally, for the Pixel 7 Pro, Google introduced a new Macro focus that takes advantage of the wider field of view to allow for improved closeup shots. 

Finally, Guided Frame is a new accessibility feature that tells visually impaired users exactly where to move their device to take a well-composed selfie. The voice coach will ask you to go up, down, or to the side, until its AI believes you’re in the best place to shoot. Along with True Tone, it’s one of the new features Google revealed to burnish its accessibility and inclusivity.

Apart from that, both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro still come with 50-MP main and 12-MP wide cameras, with the Pixel 7 Pro using the same 48-MP telephoto camera as before. Both the pro and regular models have the same 10.8-MP front camera, compared to the 8-megapixel camera on the Pixel 6 Pro. 

Google Pixel Watch hands-on: Possibly the prettiest smartwatch I’ve touched

We’ve been waiting years and years for the Pixel Watch to finally be real. Because it’s taken so long for Google to show us its own smartwatch, expectations are high for the company to deliver something impressive. We were able to get a preview of the Pixel Watch ahead of its full launch at the Made By Google event in Brooklyn today, and honestly I’m very taken by its design.

The device is only available in one size: 41mm, though there are various band options. It’s fairly dainty, at about the same size as the small Apple Watch, but even on wrists larger than mine it didn’t look comically tiny. More importantly, its design is clean and attractive. The case without its strap feels like a polished pebble and I flipped it over and over in my hand, all while caressing its smooth edges and curves. I didn’t attempt to scratch or break the screen during my time with it, but the fact that it’s covered in a custom “3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5” gives me some assurance that it’ll survive a fall.

The case on its own has no lugs. To attach straps, you’ll have to twist attachments into grooves on the side like you’re screwing a lens onto a DSLR’s body. You’ll have to find the spot where they line up, push the head of the band slightly into the slot, then slide it in horizontally. It takes a bit of learning, but once you get it the action is easy to master.

The Google Pixel Watch on a person's wrist.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Because it doesn’t have lugs, the Pixel Watch offers plenty of variation in design and can also fit more snugly on your wrist. The stainless steel case is available in matte black, polished silver and champagne gold, and the last one is my favorite. Loads of straps are available too, from the typical rubbery sports bands to those made from leather, metal mesh and links. Some of these come with lugs, so you can add a classic touch back to the timepiece.

Google’s stretch/woven band is pretty low profile, and wearing it is like gluing a pebble onto a rubber band and pulling it over your wrist, except elegant. I liked this combination — not only was it easy to wear, it was also light enough that I imagine it would be comfortable to wear to bed.

That’s important because Google has built in sleep-tracking features to the Pixel Watch, which runs what the company calls Wear OS 3.5. It’s a variation of the software that it co-engineered with Samsung last year, with some tweaks that incorporate Fitbit’s health and fitness tracking tools. You’ll get background heart rate monitoring at a rate of once every second, auto workout detection and more, thanks to the onboard blood oxygen sensor and a “multipurpose electrical sensor.”

The Pixel Watch with a silicon band on a person's wrist.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

But that’s not all that’s different about Wear OS 3.5. Google has made some new watch faces — 18 families altogether — that allow for different views and customizable complications. You can add things like your steps progress, the weather and more. Features you’d expect, like GPS, LTE, Google Pay and third-party app support are all available. There’s also an Always On Display, and in spite of this and the higher rate of pulse reading, Google says the Pixel Watch’s 294 mAh battery should last 24 hours, thanks to a dedicated low-power co-processor for these types of tasks. When you run out of juice, the Pixel Watch should get up to 50 percent charged in 30 minutes, using Google’s USB-C magnetic cable.

For more intensive actions, the Watch taps its Exynos 9110 processor, and with 32GB of storage onboard, there’s plenty of room for apps or saving music for offline playback.

From my brief time with the Pixel Watch so far, the new Wear OS feels very similar to Apple’s watchOS. That’s not a bad thing — Android users have long lacked a smartwatch that’s comparable to the Apple Watch. Though Google’s Watch works best with Pixel phones, it’s also compatible with phones running Android 8 or newer.

So far, the Pixel Watch is one of the most beautiful smartwatches I’ve seen, and I’ve seen many. Though some Fossil wearables look nicer, I’m excited by what Google is offering with the new Wear OS and Fitbit app. We’ll need to spend more time with it in the real world for me to know if it’s a decent Apple Watch competitor, but for now, color me intrigued.

Follow all of the news from Google’s Pixel 7 event right here!

Jimmy Kimmel Slaps DeSantis With Perfect Will Smith-Chris Rock Callback

Kimmel shows how the Florida governor’s migrant stunt is about to backfire in a big way.

Today's Wordle Answer #475 – October 7, 2022 Solution And Hints

Buckle up, Wordle fans. Today’s puzzle is a hard one, and we came close to running out of guesses. We have some hints to help you avoid that same struggle.