Hasta La Gadget!

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is only in its second year and, so far, we’ve found it to focus less on tech deals and more on home, cleaning and fashion discounts. That perhaps makes sense considering its timing, spring is a time for renewal and a refresh after all. But luckily, tech and home cleaning neatly intersect in the category of robot vacuums. We’ve tested dozens of these handy automatic floor cleaners and put the results in our buying guides. Right now, a number of our picks and related models are on sale so we’ve rounded up the best deals on vacuums Amazon’s latest sale has to offer.

The best Amazon Spring Sale robot vacuum deals

• Shark’s Matrix Plus robovac for $400 ($350 off): In our testing, we’ve been consistently impressed with Shark vacuums — but they’re not cheap. This machine can mop in addition to vacuum and is nearly half price at 47 percent off.

• Shark Robot PowerDetect NeverTouch vac and mop combo for $500 ($400 off): This is the non-pro model of our runner up pick for the best combo bot. It mops and vacuums, quickly making a map of your home on its first run. The app easily lets you program where your hard and carpeted surfaces are, as well as set schedules. The base empties the dry debris and dirty water, then refills it with new water. The difference between this model and the Pro version is that this one doesn’t clean the mop with each use, so you may need to manually perform that task more often — but the price difference may make up for that lack.

• iRobot Roomba Combo Vac and Mop for $150 (45 percent off): This “essential” Roomba is relatively no-frills, but it has the added benefit of being a mopping robot in addition to a vacuum. It includes a washable mopping pad and a water reservoir so you can clean hard floors, and it will autonomously vacuum just like all of iRobot’s other basic robovacs.

• Anker Eufy Robot Vacuum 3-in-1 E20 for $400 ($200 off): If you can’t decide between a robot vacuum or a lightweight stick vac, you don’t have to. The new Eufy E20 combines a robo vac, cordless upright and handheld vacuum in one machine. Plus the automatically emptying base holds a lot of debris for its size. While we found the robot performance to be better than the stick vac suction, it’s still impressive and convenient for an all-in-one model.

• Anker Eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX for $140 (44 percent off): The “S” in the model name stands for “slim” and it was one of the more low-profile machines we tried. It’s a pick in our guide to budget robot vacuums and has a long battery life and good suction power for its price. The main drawback is the lack of Wi-Fi, so instead of programming it with your phone, you’ll use the included remote.

The best cordless vacuum deals

• Tineco Pure ONE Station 5 for $349 ($110 off): This vac earned an honorable mention in our tests. The self-emptying base is a big selling point. We also liked the auto-adjusting suction and single-button start feature. The fact that it doesn’t require proprietary bags helps keep down the long-term cost, too.

•  Tineco Pure ONE S11 cordless vacuum for $205 ($95 off with coupon): Click the coupon to get $95 off our top pick for a budget stick vac. We like that it automatically adjusts suction depending on what it’s picking up and is relatively lightweight when you’re pushing it around your floors. The bin is on the small side and the battery life isn’t as good as on other models, but it’s an easy-to-use, no-frills way to clean floors.

• Dyson V15s Detect Submarine for $800 ($150 off): This Dyson cordless stick vacuum and mop is a top pick in our best cordless vacuums guide thanks to its sleek design and included mop attachment that easily swap in so you can clean tile, hardwood and other flooring with liquid solution. Yes, it’s expensive, but you’re essentially getting two cleaning machines in one — plus, when used as a vacuum, it has excellent suction power and great battery life.

• Levoit Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (LVAC-200) for $150 ($50 off): The lowest price we’ve tracked on this stick vac is $130 but this matches the lowest price we’ve seen this year. It’s our runner up budget pick for a stick vac in our guide. It doesn’t have a storage base and the bin is smallish, but it’s lightweight and super affordable. It also disassembles easily for storage making its lack of base less of a deal breaker.

• Tineco Pure ONE Station FurFree for $400 ($300 off): Of all the stick vacs our reviewer tried for our guide, this is the one she wanted to use the most. It’s super convenient with a dock that charges and empties and cleans all parts of the machine — brush, tube and dustbin — after each use. Plus the suction power is great and the iLoop smart sensor kicks up the suction when needed.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-robot-vacuum-deals-the-best-sales-from-shark-irobot-dyson-and-others-092652375.html?src=rss

OpenAI has announced significant improvements to ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode, aiming to make conversations more natural and fluid. These updates enhance the AI’s ability to simulate real-time dialogue and emotions while minimizing interruptions when users are speaking.

One of the most critical fixes addresses an issue where the AI would frequently interrupt users mid-conversation. With this update, interruptions should happen far less often, making interactions smoother and allowing users to continue their queries seamlessly. This change is expected to improve the overall user experience, making ChatGPT a more effective and enjoyable conversational tool.

These enhancements are available to both free and paid users. However, premium subscribers receive additional refinements, such as a more concise, direct, and engaging personality in the AI’s responses. These optimizations aim to provide a more human-like interaction, especially for those who rely on ChatGPT for professional or in-depth conversations.

Manuka Stratta, a researcher from OpenAI’s post-training team, showcased the improvements in a demonstration video. In the video, she asked the AI for suggestions on conversation topics to fill awkward silences. The AI responded smoothly and without interruptions, highlighting the effectiveness of the new updates. This demonstration reinforced OpenAI’s commitment to refining its AI models for more natural and intuitive interactions.

To use ChatGPT’s voice mode, users must open the app and tap the lower-right corner of the home screen;Once activated, a blue icon appears at the center, indicating that voice mode is enabled. Users can also choose from nine different voice options, each offering a distinct tone and style. These options allow for a more personalized experience, catering to individual preferences in voice interactions.

In addition to these voice mode enhancements, OpenAI has made other advancements in its AI ecosystem. ChatGPT can now be set as the default assistant on Android devices, as seen in recent beta updates. This integration further solidifies the AI’s role in everyday digital interactions, making it more accessible and convenient for users.

These updates follow OpenAI’s launch of GPT-4.5 in late February, which introduced various new features and optimizations. The continuous development of ChatGPT demonstrates OpenAI’s dedication to improving AI-driven communication. By addressing user feedback and refining the model’s capabilities, OpenAI aims to make AI conversations more seamless, responsive, and human-like.

OpenAI Enhances ChatGPT Voice Mode For Smoother, Natural Conversations

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Amazon has rolled out another sitewide sales event. The Big Spring Sale, as this one is called, is focused on apparel and outdoor goods more than electronics, but we’ve cut through the noise and found a few tech deals anyway. If you’re looking for a new Apple device specifically, good news: A handful of AirPods, iPads and Apple Watches are at or near their lowest prices to date. Many of those discounts aren’t explicitly tied to the sale, but if you just want to save a little cash, that shouldn’t matter much. We’ve rounded up the best Spring Sale Apple deals we could find below. As a refresher, Amazon says the event will run through March 31, and none of the deals below are exclusive to Prime members.

Best Amazon Spring Sale Apple deals

Apple AirPods 4 with ANC for $150 ($29 off MSRP): This version of the AirPods 4 is nearly identical to the base model, only it supports active noise cancellation and comes with a wireless charging case. It also supports other listening modes like Adaptive Audio, and that case can tap into Apple’s Find My tracking network if you ever misplace it. The ANC isn’t as effective as what you can get with a pair that fully seals off the ear canal, but it makes the earbuds a little more useful in noisy environments all the same. We gave the device a score of 86 in our review. This discount is $11 higher than the best price we’ve seen, but it’s about as low as the earbuds have fallen outside of that.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $170 ($79 off): The AirPods Pro 2 remain Apple’s best set of wireless earbuds, as they offer the full set of Apple-focused features, strong ANC, onboard volume controls, a (generally) comfy in-ear design and a warm sound profile that most should find agreeable. They can even work as a hearing aid, though their six-hour battery life still isn’t the best, and you should only get them if you’re all-in on Apple hardware. If that’s the case, though, we call them the best choice for iPhone owners in our wireless earbuds buying guide. We saw this pair drop as low as $154 back in December, but this deal comes within a dollar of its best price since then.

Cherlynn Low for Engadget

Apple Watch Series 10 for $299 ($100 off): The top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches, the Series 10 is a mostly iterative update, with faster charging, a slightly slimmer profile and a marginally larger display compared to the previous Series 9. That said, it remains a comprehensive fitness tracker, and no other smartwatch can integrate as neatly with iPhones and other Apple devices. It should be a welcome upgrade if you’re looking to upgrade from an older Apple Watch (think pre-Series 7) — just keep in mind a patent dispute has locked it out the blood oxygen detection features found on those older models. This $100 discount matches the lowest price we’ve seen for the non-cellular model with a 42mm case.

Apple iPad (A16) for $329 ($20 off): The newest entry-level iPad only arrived three weeks ago, but Amazon is currently selling it for $20 less than Apple direct, which is a decent little savings if you planned on grabbing the tablet early anyway. This one is another small update, but it now comes with a faster A16 chip, more RAM and 128GB of storage as standard. Our review is coming soon, but TL;DR: If you only need an iPad for media consumption and lighter work, it’s still a fine value.

Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M3) for $549 ($50 off): Much like the deal on the base iPad above, this isn’t a huge discount, but it’s a nice chance to save a few bucks compared to buying from Apple directly. The new iPad Air was released on the same day as the iPad (A16) and is a similarly minor update; the only big addition is a more powerful M3 chip. However, we still prefer the Air over the base model if you can swing it: Its display is more color-rich and better at fending off glare, its speakers are more robust, it works with Apple’s best accessories and its performance should hold up better in the years ahead. The older M2-powered model is an even better value if you can find it on sale, but either way the Air is the iPad we recommend to most people.

Nathan Ingraham for Engadget

Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M3) for $738 ($61 off): We gave the 13-inch iPad Air a review score of 89 earlier this month. It has a bigger and slightly brighter display than its 11-inch counterpart; otherwise, the two slates are the same. If you plan to keep your iPad hooked up to a keyboard, the extra screen space is lovely for taking in movies and multitasking for work. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the 128GB model.

Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) for $1,099 ($200 off): The iPad Pro is more tablet than most people need, but it’s the ultimate iPad for those who can stomach its price tag. It’s wonderfully thin, its OLED display is one of the best we’ve seen on a consumer device and its M4 chip can handle virtually anything you’d ever do on an iPad. It’s also the only Apple tablet with Face ID, plus it has a better speaker setup than the iPad Air. We gave it a score of 84 in our review, with the only real drawback being how expensive it all is. This deal on doesn’t truly lessen that — and it’s another deal we’ve seen multiple times in recent months — but it still ties the 13-inch model’s all-time low.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-apple-deals-save-up-to-200-on-airpods-ipads-and-more-092050968.html?src=rss

Amazon kicked off its latest Big Spring Sale today, and though the week-long event mostly focuses on things like apparel and outdoor goods, it still includes a few notable discounts on electronics. We have a big roundup with the best of those, but if you’re on a tighter budget, below we’ve dug up a few decent tech deals that are available for less than $50. Generally speaking, this sale doesn’t emphasize tech nearly as much as Black Friday or Prime Day, but the offers below bring several accessories we recommend near their all-time lows. As a reminder, the event runs through March 31, and you don’t need to be an Amazon Prime member to see most of the price drops.

Best Amazon Spring Sale deals under $50

Anker PowerConf C200 for $48 ($12 off MSRP): The PowerConf C200 is our favorite webcam for those on a tighter budget due to its crisp video quality, easy setup, solid microphones and built-in privacy cover. Its USB cable is on the shorter side, and it can’t match the overall accuracy of our top pick, but it’s still a clear upgrade over a built-in laptop camera for a much lower price. This is another deal we’ve seen numerous times in the last year, but it’s as low as the camera usually goes.

Anker 525 Charging Station for $30 ($36 off): We recommend this reliable desktop charging station in our remote worker gift guide. It can’t provide the absolute fastest charge to your smartphone or laptop (topping out at a quick enough 67W), but it packs four USB ports — two USB-C, two USB-A — and three AC outlets in a frame that’s small enough to fit on a crowded desk. This deal ties the lowest price we’ve seen.

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Anker Nano Charger 30W for $13 ($10 off): It’s hard to have too many portable wall chargers on standby. This one from Anker should be particularly useful for traveling: At just over an inch thick, it’s small enough to fit in a pocket, while its 30W USB-C port is enough to top up recent iPhones at full speed. (That’s not enough for some newer Android phones, though.) This discount matches the lowest price we’ve seen.

Amazon Music Unlimited 3-month trial for free ($24 off): Amazon is offering new subscribers three months of its Music Unlimited streaming service for free. Normally, it gives new users a one-month trial. Though Music Unlimited isn’t a top pick in our guide to the best music services, it still gets you lossless streaming quality and an extensive library of both music and podcasts. You could do worse if you just want to bum a few months of music streaming for no cost. Just note that your subscription will auto-renew once the trial period ends until you cancel.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget

Blink Mini 2 for $20 ($20 off): This deal ties the lowest price to date for the Blink Mini 2, which is the budget pick in our guide to the best security cameras. This one comes with its share of trade-offs for the low price — its image quality isn’t the best, it locks certain features behind a paywall and it won’t automatically arm when you leave the house — but it still provides functional 1080p video, color night vision, motion alerts and Alexa support in a weather-resistant frame. It’s fairly simple to set up, too, though you’ll need to buy an external module if you want to store clips locally.

Chipolo One for $20 ($5 off): The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers. While Apple’s AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, we’ve found the One to send separation alerts faster when you’ve left an item behind and ring louder when you’re back in its vicinity. Unlike the AirTag, it can also attach directly to a keychain. It probably isn’t the safest choice for long-distance travel, but it’s a convenient security blanket if you, say, leave your keys or wallet behind at a restaurant. This is another discount that’s been available for a few weeks, but it’s just 10 cents more the best price we’ve seen.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-under-50-the-best-sales-on-our-favorite-budget-gear-091512204.html?src=rss

Amazon kicked off its latest Big Spring Sale today, and though the week-long event mostly focuses on things like apparel and outdoor goods, it still includes a few notable discounts on electronics. We have a big roundup with the best of those, but if you’re on a tighter budget, below we’ve dug up a few decent tech deals that are available for less than $50. Generally speaking, this sale doesn’t emphasize tech nearly as much as Black Friday or Prime Day, but the offers below bring several accessories we recommend near their all-time lows. As a reminder, the event runs through March 31, and you don’t need to be an Amazon Prime member to see most of the price drops.

Best Amazon Spring Sale deals under $50

Anker PowerConf C200 for $48 ($12 off MSRP): The PowerConf C200 is our favorite webcam for those on a tighter budget due to its crisp video quality, easy setup, solid microphones and built-in privacy cover. Its USB cable is on the shorter side, and it can’t match the overall accuracy of our top pick, but it’s still a clear upgrade over a built-in laptop camera for a much lower price. This is another deal we’ve seen numerous times in the last year, but it’s as low as the camera usually goes.

Anker 525 Charging Station for $30 ($36 off): We recommend this reliable desktop charging station in our remote worker gift guide. It can’t provide the absolute fastest charge to your smartphone or laptop (topping out at a quick enough 67W), but it packs four USB ports — two USB-C, two USB-A — and three AC outlets in a frame that’s small enough to fit on a crowded desk. This deal ties the lowest price we’ve seen.

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Anker Nano Charger 30W for $13 ($10 off): It’s hard to have too many portable wall chargers on standby. This one from Anker should be particularly useful for traveling: At just over an inch thick, it’s small enough to fit in a pocket, while its 30W USB-C port is enough to top up recent iPhones at full speed. (That’s not enough for some newer Android phones, though.) This discount matches the lowest price we’ve seen.

Amazon Music Unlimited 3-month trial for free ($24 off): Amazon is offering new subscribers three months of its Music Unlimited streaming service for free. Normally, it gives new users a one-month trial. Though Music Unlimited isn’t a top pick in our guide to the best music services, it still gets you lossless streaming quality and an extensive library of both music and podcasts. You could do worse if you just want to bum a few months of music streaming for no cost. Just note that your subscription will auto-renew once the trial period ends until you cancel.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget

Blink Mini 2 for $20 ($20 off): This deal ties the lowest price to date for the Blink Mini 2, which is the budget pick in our guide to the best security cameras. This one comes with its share of trade-offs for the low price — its image quality isn’t the best, it locks certain features behind a paywall and it won’t automatically arm when you leave the house — but it still provides functional 1080p video, color night vision, motion alerts and Alexa support in a weather-resistant frame. It’s fairly simple to set up, too, though you’ll need to buy an external module if you want to store clips locally.

Chipolo One for $20 ($5 off): The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers. While Apple’s AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, we’ve found the One to send separation alerts faster when you’ve left an item behind and ring louder when you’re back in its vicinity. Unlike the AirTag, it can also attach directly to a keychain. It probably isn’t the safest choice for long-distance travel, but it’s a convenient security blanket if you, say, leave your keys or wallet behind at a restaurant. This is another discount that’s been available for a few weeks, but it’s just 10 cents more the best price we’ve seen.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-under-50-the-best-sales-on-our-favorite-budget-gear-091512204.html?src=rss