Amazon Satellite Experiment Puts the Cloud in Low Earth Orbit

Satellite operators are often challenged by the horrendous amounts of data that satellites collect and transmit back to Earth. A recent experiment with prototype Amazon Web Services (AWS) software suggests cloud-based solutions, when used way above Earth’s actual clouds, can lessen the data load.

Read more…

It's Time to Make Apple Pay for Its Faulty Butterfly Keyboards

Apple’s poor keyboard design, which the company spent half a decade shoving into its MacBooks has finally, officially, come to bite the company in the posterior, at least financially.

Read more…

Andor Was Ready to Drop Star Wars' First F-Bomb

One thing that always confused me about Andor was why Fiona Shaw—a Shakespearean actor extraordinaire and multiple award-winning star of stage, screen, and TV—would have accepted the small, muted role of Maarva Andor, Cassian’s adoptive mother. That is, until I saw the series finale, where Shaw’s massive talents were…

Read more…

Amazon bundles the Echo Show 8 with an Echo Show 5 Kids for only $70

Cyber Monday has come and gone, but if you’re still looking to pick up a new smart display or two ahead of the holidays, a newer deal on Amazon’s Echo Shows may be of interest: The retailer is currently offering a bundle that pairs its Echo Show 8 with the Kids edition of its Echo Show 5 for $70. 

Buy Echo Show 8 + Echo Show 5 Kids at Amazon – $70

We’ve seen the Echo Show 8 alone go for $70 for much of the last two months, but that still equals the lowest price we’ve tracked. Normally, it retails closer to $100. With this deal, you’re effectively getting an Echo Show 5 Kids thrown in at no extra cost. That device is currently available on its own for $40, but its average street price over the last few months has sat closer to $60.

Most people don’t need a smart display, but for those who like using a voice assistant to pull up the weather, control smart lights and doorbells, stream podcasts and so on, it can provide more context than a screenless smart speaker. Amazon and Google are really your only options in this market, but if you’re already partial to Alexa, the Echo Show 8 is your best bet. 

We gave the 8-inch display a review score of 87 last year and currently recommend it in our guide to the best smart displays: It can’t double as a smart home hub like the bigger Echo Show 10, but its display is big and sharp (1,280 x 800) enough to comfortably stream video or display photos around the house, its speakers are powerful enough to fill a room, its processor can keep up with most tasks and its 13-megapixel camera is suitable for video calls. And while no Alexa or Google Assistant device is ideal for the privacy-conscious, there’s at least a physical camera shutter and mic mute button built in.

The Echo Show 5 isn’t as quick, spacious or loud, and its 2-megapixel camera is a noticeable downgrade. Still, it can do just about everything the larger models can do, and its 5.5-inch screen makes it a better fit for bathrooms or bedside tables. We gave it a score of 85 last year. The Kids version has the same hardware as the normal model, but it comes with a two-year warranty, a year of Amazon’s Kids+ content service and a more child-friendly interface. Whether you’re okay putting an Amazon mic and camera in your kid’s room is up to you, but there is a camera cover and various parental controls for limiting and monitoring how the device is used.

If you’re not beholden to Alexa, we’ll note that Google’s Nest Hub, our top pick among Google displays, is still on sale for $50. We generally find the Google Assistant to be a little smarter than Alexa, particularly for web queries, and it naturally plays nicer with widely-used Google services like Gmail, Google Calendar, YouTube and the like. The Nest Hub also lacks a camera, which may be a positive if you don’t care about video calling. That said, if you already own a bunch of Alexa-enabled devices and want a couple new displays for around the house, this is a good deal, regardless of Alexa’s broader struggles.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Drug Slows Alzheimer’s But Can It Make A Real Difference?

The drug delayed patients’ worsening by about five months over the course of the study, Japanese drugmaker Eisai’s Dr. Michael Irizarry said.

Here's What Make Chrysler's HEMI Engines So Special

Chrysler’s HEMI engines are a work of art. They are some of the highest horsepower producers in the market, and the history of the HEMI is fascinating.

Honda Announces Big Expansion For Sensing Driver Assistance System

Honda’s Sensing driver-assistance suite (and AcuraWatch) will be receiving major updates in the next few years. Here’s what the expanded system will include.

Here's What Makes The 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible Such A Big Deal

The 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 is a stunning car. There were only 20 L88 models produced that year, and the convertables are a particularly coveted specimen.

SpaceX Is Launching The First Commercial Lander On The Moon

SpaceX will be launching Japan’s ispace HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander on December 1, and it will be the first commercial moon lander. Here’s what that means.

Fascinating Cars That Were Made By Non-Car Companies

Some interesting companies have attempted to enter the automobile market over the years. These are the most fascinating cars made by non-car companies.