Engadget

Engadget

LG halts all shipments to Russia

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 01:31 PM PDT

LG is joining other tech heavyweights in halting Russian sales following that country's invasion of Ukraine. The company said in a statement it was "suspending" all product shipments to Russia. The firm didn't say how long this would last, but noted it would keep a "close watch" on the situation. LG is "deeply concerned" about everyone's welfare and "committed" to humanitarian relief, according to the notice.

It's not clear just what prompted the timing of the decision, which comes weeks after the late February invasion. There's a lot of pressure to act, however. Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and others have already frozen shipments and sales in Russia — LG wasn't going to look good if it continued to serve the Russian market despite that country's war against Ukraine.

This move could be particularly damaging. While LG has left the phone industry, it's still a major force in electronics that makes everything from TVs through to air conditioners and refrigerators. Between LG's move and Samsung's, Russia will have lost two of the largest device brands on the planet. Russians are likely to still have options thanks to brands from China and elsewhere, but their choices will be considerably narrower.

Xbox Cloud Gaming now works on Steam Deck through the web

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 01:25 PM PDT

Your Steam Deck can now double as an Xbox Cloud Gaming handheld, provided you're willing to put in some work. The Vergereports Microsoft has brought Xbox Cloud Gaming support to the Steam Deck through a beta release of the Edge browser. You'll need to run some command line tasks on top of installing Edge (Microsoft recommends a mouse and keyboard during the install), but after that you can play Halo Infinite and other titles anywhere you have a reasonably fast internet connection.

Community Manager Missy Quarry made clear this was "just the beginning" of gaming on Edge, suggesting the experience might get better. Microsoft's team is open to feedback on Edge and the Xbox Cloud Gaming experience.

Microsoft has devoted significant energy to Steam Deck Support in recent days. On top of game streaming support, it outlined first-party game support for Valve's handheld with word that titles like Deathloop and Psychonauts 2 are verified to play properly. Separately, Valve enabled basic Windows support by offering drivers.

It's not shocking that Microsoft would support the Steam Deck despite its use of a Linux-based platform. Microsoft not only makes money from the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription you'll need to play, but gets you to try Edge and games you might have otherwise ignored. What the company might lose in immediate Windows sales it could gain in long-term customers.

Delivery apps are stepping in to help drivers hit by high gas prices

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 01:09 PM PDT

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting economic sanctions against the aggressor nation are already causing economic havok the world over. Inflation is on the rise, causing the price of essentials like food, medicine and fuel to spike. Domestically, these additional financial strains are being deeply felt by gig economy workers and delivery drivers who are now struggling to stay on the road as gas averages $4.41 a gallon nationwide. In response, some delivery apps have extended financial lifelines to the "independent contractors" that their businesses rely upon — but not all of them and not entirely without a catch.

Instacart is the latest service to adjust its pricing in response, announcing on Friday morning that it will institute a 40-cent per order surcharge "over the next month" to help offset the increased costs to its drivers, which have seen a 71-cent increase since February 28th. 

Uber has already imposed a fuel surcharge of its own, though the amount depends on which state the driver is in and how far the trip is going. Roughly, the surcharge for a passenger Uber ride will be between $0.45 to $0.55 per trip while having the food brought to you instead of the other way around will see a $0.35 to $0.45 per trip charge added on. The charge went into effect on Wednesday and will be reevaluated in 60 days, according to the company. Uber, beacon of fair labor practices that it is, has made assurances that the added charges will go directly to drivers. And yes, cheapskates, the surcharge applies even if you and/or your food is riding in an EV. 

Nearly identically, Lyft announced on Monday that it will charge a flat $0.55 per trip fee — ICE vehicle or not — starting next week and leave it in place for 60 days. Additionally drivers can get 4 - 6 percent cashback on gas through June if they use the company-branded debit card. 

"We've been closely monitoring rising gas prices and their impact on our driver community," Lyft senior communications manager CJ Macklin told Engadget in a statement. "Driver earnings overall remain elevated compared to last year, but given the rapid rise in gas prices we'll be asking riders to pay a temporary fuel surcharge, all of which will go to drivers." 

DoorDash has enacted a similar cashback scheme for its drivers as well, though you'll want to grab a pencil and calculator before trying to navigate it. 

"Beginning on March 17th, drivers for Doordash will be able to receive 10% cashback on gas purchases, though only if they're enrolled in the company's own DasherDirect Visa cards," Engadget reporter Amrita Khalid explains. "On top of that, drivers who drive a certain amount of miles per week will qualify for weekly gas rewards, ranging from $5 to $15 per week. Unlocking the $5 discount requires drivers to complete at least 100 miles worth of trips in a week. Drivers who total more than 225 miles worth of trips will earn a $15 weekly bonus."

That translates into around $2 of rewards per gallon, depending on the distance a Dasher drives. 

Amazon Flex workers — drivers who use their own vehicles to make deliveries for the online retailer's Prime, Whole Foods and Fresh branded orders — have, not unsurprisingly, largely been left to their own devices in navigating these higher fuel prices. "We've already made several adjustments through pricing surges in impacted areas to help ease some of the financial challenges," an Amazon spokesperson told MSNBC on Thursday. "As the situation evolves, we'll continue to make changes where we can to help support our partners." The company is "closely monitoring the situation," said the spokesperson.

Engadget has reached out to Caviar (owned by DoorDash), GrubHub, Postmates (owned by Uber) and Shipt for comment and will update this post upon their replies.

Humble Bundle unveils Stand with Ukraine charity game bundle

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 12:54 PM PDT

Humble Bundle has put together a charity game bundle with all proceeds going to humanitarian crisis relief efforts in Ukraine. For a minimum donation of $40, you can pick up more than 120 games, books, apps, game asset packs and other goodies worth a total of over $2,500 through the Stand with Ukraine bundle.

The bundle includes Back 4 Blood, Metro Exodus, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Max Payne 3, Sunset Overdrive, PGA Tour 2K21, Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons and Superhot. You'll also get rulebooks for Pathfinder and Warhammer, one year of access to GameMaker Studio 2 Creator and a volume of the first six issues of graphic novel series The Boys (which Amazon turned into a Prime Video show).

Creators on Itch.io also rallied to put together a bundle of almost 1,000 games, books, magazines, comics and game dev tools. The Bundle for Ukraine raised $6.3 million from almost 450,000 contributors.

Humble Bundle last week stopped sales in Belarus and Russia, which invaded Ukraine last month. Other notable companies in the gaming space have stopped selling games or shut down services in Russia (and in many cases Belarus). Those include Niantic with Pokémon Go, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Bungie, Ubisoft, Take-Two, CD Projekt Red, EA, Activision Blizzard and Epic.

Instacart is the latest service to add a temporary fuel surcharge

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 12:03 PM PDT

Instacart is joining Uber, Lyft and other car-centric internet services in adding a temporary fuel surcharge to cover rising costs at the pump. The company will charge customers an additional 40 cents per order "over the next month," with all the extra money going directly to delivery workers. The higher pricing will arrive sometime in the days ahead.

The company also pointed to existing tools drivers could use to soften the blow, including cashback perks for gas and advance information that makes it clear which order batches will make the most income. Fuel surcharges will appear as tags on those batches.

As with other surcharges, this hike was prompted by a spike in fuel prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Whether or not it's enough is another matter. While Instacart's workers "spend more time" shopping than driving, as operations VP Tom Maguire said, 40 cents per order isn't huge. Prices have climbed 19 percent since late February, according to the Energy Information Administration — the extra expenses could easily outweigh the benefits of the surcharge.

Compensation at rivals might also be better in some cases. Uber Eats deliveries, for instance, now include surcharges between 35 cents to 45 cents. That's clearly worse in some cases, but Uber's offering will also last for at least 60 days. If prices remain high, Instacart's couriers may either have to hope for an extension or swallow the full transportation costs.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can claim 30 days of free access to Paramount+

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 11:48 AM PDT

Nine years after it first emerged a live-action Halo TV series was in the works, the show is only a few days away from premiering on Paramount+. To celebrate its debut, Microsoft is giving Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers a free 30-day trial to the streaming service via Perks.

The offer will be available on March 23rd, the day before Halo arrives. There's a catch, though. Given that only one installment of the nine-episode season is scheduled to drop each week, you might need to subscribe to Paramount+ to watch the entire season (unless you activate the offer a bit later). Paramount+ costs $5 per month with ads or $10 per month to go commercial free and gain access to a feed from your local live CBS station.

Earlier this week, Paramount+ released the final trailer for the show, which has a separate plot from the games and is already renewed for a second season. Along with some story beats, the two-minute clip shows an Elite with an Energy Sword and several shots of Master Chief in action.

Twitter is testing a way to create audio clips in Spaces

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 10:44 AM PDT

Some Twitter Spaces hosts are now able to create clips from recorded discussions as part of a test. A small number of hosts on iOS have access to the feature for now, though some Android and web users will be able to try it in the near future.

Hosts will be able to clip up to 30 seconds of audio. They can, of course, tweet out that snippet. All iOS users can check out the clips.

All hosts have been able to record their Spaces since January. Being able to tweet small snippets of their discussions could let them give other Twitter users some insight into what their Spaces are all about, and perhaps expand their audiences.

Clubhouse has offered its own clipping feature since September. Users of that platform have been able to clip shareable 30-second chunks of audio from public rooms.

Twitter might be missing a trick by only allowing hosts to clip audio from Spaces. All Twitch and YouTube users can clip highlights, meaning that viewers can help draw attention to a creator with snippets of their videos. However, given that Twitter's only testing its clipping tool for now, it could open up the feature to listeners in the future.

'Gran Turismo 7' is back online following botched update

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 09:31 AM PDT

Don't worry about making progress in Gran Turismo 7 this weekend — after more than a day, the lengthy maintenance downtime is over. The racing sim's vital online component is back online after Polyphony Digital resolved issues with the flawed 1.07 update by releasing 1.08 to gamers. As studio chief Kazunori Yamauchi explained, the earlier patch had a "rare" and previously undetected problem that prevented the game from starting properly for some PS4 and PS5 owners. The company decided to halt the 1.07 release to protect players' save data, Yamauchi said.

The 1.08 update also tackles complaints about Gran Turismo 7 microtransactions by adjusting event rewards. While Yamauchi wants in-game car prices to bear some correlation to their real-world counterparts, he also wants players to enjoy the title without microtransactions or grinding some events "over and over again." There will also be more content, events and features to "constructively resolve" gripes about real-money purchases, the executive said, although details aren't yet available.

The return will likely be appreciated by fans who've wanted to dive into Gran Turismo 7's main GT mode, which needs an internet connection whether or not you're playing with others. However, it also comes too late to avoid some damage to the game's reputation. Users have been review-bombing the game throughout the downtime, and it now sits at 3.3 on Metacritic. Like it or not, Polyphony and Sony may have to rebuild the trust of enthusiasts burned by the outage.

NASA's SLS Moon rocket arrives at launch pad for the first time

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 08:55 AM PDT

NASA's Space Launch System has finally reached the pad — although an actual launch is still some ways off. The SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft it carries arrived at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B for the first time at 4:15AM Eastern today (March 18th) for one last test before the uncrewed (and delayed) Artemis I mission to the Moon. The team will conduct a "wet dress rehearsal" that replicates the mission short of liftoff, including the propellant load, countdown procedures and draining tanks.

The test will help NASA set an exact target launch date for Artemis I. The SLS won't stay out for very long., though, as the agency plans to roll it back to the Vehicle Assembly Building several days after the test. There, crews will remove rehearsal sensors , top up batteries, add "late-load" cargo and conduct final checks. The rocket will return to the launch pad about a week before the real launch, tentatively slated for May or later.

The preliminary deployment still marks a few important milestones. NASA officially began development of the SLS in 2011, and spent over $23 billion (in 2021 dollars) on the project in roughly a decade — the launch pad rollout shows the investment is finally bearing fruit. It's also an important moment for Orion, which is edging closer to crewed flights.

More importantly, the arrival indicates that the next chapter of NASA's exploratory missions is about to begin. The SLS will not only be used for Artemis missions, but is expected to serve as NASA's primary deep space exploration launcher throughout the 2020s. As important as private rockets like SpaceX's Starship may be, it's likely the SLS that will carry the most historic missions in the years ahead.

Apple's AirPods Max are $100 off, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 08:45 AM PDT

This week was a good one if you were looking for a good deal on the latest Apple gadgets. Not only are the AirPods Max still $100 off, but you can also grab the Apple Watch Series 7 for $339 and the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro for $200 less than usual. Elsewhere, Sony's WH-1000XM4 headphones remain on sale for $278 and Amazon's Echo Show 5 is 47 percent off and down to only $45. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

AirPods Max

AirPods Max
Billy Steele/Engadget

Apple's AirPods Max are $100 off right now, bringing them down to $449. We gave the premium headphones a score of 84 for their excellent sound quality, good ANC and reliable onboard controls.

Buy AirPods Max at Amazon - $449

16-inch MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch sitting on a table(2021)
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The 512GB version of the 16-inch MacBook Pro is $200 cheaper than usual right now, bringing it down to $2,299. This is one of Apple's latest and most powerful laptops and we gave it a score of 92 for its blazing fast performance, fantastic keyboard, lovely Liquid Retina XDR Display and array of ports.

Buy 16-inch MacBook Pro at Amazon - $2,299

iPad mini

Apple iPad mini 2021
Valentina Palladino / Engadget

Apple's latest iPad mini is on sale for $459, which is $40 off its normal price. We gave the small tablet a score of 89 for its lovely display, refined design and excellent battery life.

Buy iPad mini at Amazon - $459

Apple Watch Series 7

Certain colors of the Apple Watch Series 7 are down to $339, or $60 off their normal price. Apple's latest flagship smartwatch earned a score of 90 from us for its slightly larger display, faster charging and handy watchOS8 features.

Buy Apple Watch Series 7 at Amazon - $339

Sony WH-1000XM4

Our current favorite pair of ANC headphones, Sony's WH-1000XM4, are down to $278 right now. That's $72 off their usual price and close to an all-time low. They earned a score of 94 from us for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.

Buy WH-1000XM4 at Amazon - $278

Bose QuietComfort 45

The Bose QC45 headphones are on sale for $279, which is their all-time-low price that we saw last Black Friday. We gave the cans a score of 86 for their excellent sound quality, strong ANC and comfortable fit.

Buy QC45 at Amazon - $279

Amazon Echo Show 5

Amazon Echo Show 5
Amazon

The second-gen Echo Show 5 is on sale for $45, or 47 percent off its normal price. You can also pick up the Kids version for only $55. It earned a score of 85 from us for its great sound quality, tap-to-snooze feature and compact design.

Buy Echo Show 5 at Amazon - $45Buy Echo Show 5 Kids at Amazon - $55

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)

Google Nest Hub 2021 (2nd gen) photo. Picture of Google's newest smart display on a nightstand.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Google's second-gen Nest Hub is down to $55, or $45 off its usual price. We gave it a score of 89 for its minimalist design, clearer audio quality and bright display.

Buy Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) at Best Buy - $55Buy Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) at Walmart - $55Buy Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) at Adorama - $55

Google Nest WiFi

A two-pack of the Google Nest WiFi system is on sale for $189 across the web. That's only $10 more than the pack was during the holiday shopping season last year, so this is a solid sale. We gave the mesh WiFi system a score of 84 for its minimalist design, simple installation process and built-in Google Assistant smart speaker.

Buy Google Nest WiFi at Best Buy - $189Buy Google Nest WiFi at Adorama - $189Buy Google Nest WiFi at B&H - $189

Tile Bluetooth trackers

Tile Bluetooth trackers
Tile

A number of Tile trackers are up to 20 percent off at Amazon. You can pick up the 2022 Tile Mate Essentials pack for $68, a two-pack of Tile Stickers for $45 or a single Tile Mate for only $20. These tiny gadgets attach to your belongings so you can keep track of them using Tile's companion mobile app.

Buy Tile Mate Essentials pack at Amazon - $68Buy Tile Stickers (2 pack) at Amazon - $45Buy Tile Mate at Amazon - $20

Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 mini-LED monitor

Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 mini-LED curved gaming monitor
Samsung

A number of Samsung gaming monitors are on sale again, including the Odyssey Neo G9 mini-LED display, which is $500 off and down to $2,000. If that's still a bit too far outside your budget, you can grab the 34-inch Odyssey G5 gaming monitor for $430; the 32-inch Odyssey G3 monitor for $230 or the 24-inch Odyssey G3 gaming monitor for $180.

Buy 49-inch Odyssey Neo G9 mini-LED monitor at Amazon - $2,000Buy 34-inch Odyssey G5 gaming monitor at Amazon - $430Buy 32-inch Odyssey G3 gaming monitor at Amazon - $230Buy 24-inch Odyssey G3 gaming monitor at Amazon - $180

Shark AI Robot Vacuum with Base

Shark AI Robot Vacuum with Base AV2501AE
Shark

Shark's robot vacuum with self-cleaning base is down to $500 right now, or $150 off its normal price. You're getting a powerful robo-vac that can clean carpets and hard floors easily, and it has support for UltraClean Mode, LiDAr navigation, home mapping and more. Plus, you'll only have to empty its clean base about once every two months.

Buy Shark AI Robot Vacuum with Base at Amazon - $500

Amazon Fire TV Cube

The Fire TV Cube is back down to a record low of $70, or 42 percent off its normal price. We gave it a score of 84 when it came out for its 4K streaming with Dolby Vision and HDR+, speedy performance and hands-free Alexa controls.

Buy Fire TV Cube at Amazon - $70

Samsung T7 Touch (1TB)

The T7 Touch portable SSD in 1TB is on sale for $140 right now. This palm-sized drive works with most devices thanks to the duo of cables it comes with, and it supports 1,050 MB/s read speeds, 1,000 MB/s write speeds, AES 256-bit encryption and Dynamic Thermal Guard.

Buy T7 Touch (1TB) at Amazon - $140

New tech deals

Kobo Libra 2

Kobo's Libra 2 e-reader is $20 off and down to $180. We like its ergonomic, waterproof design, its sharp 7-inch display and ability to play audiobooks.

Buy Libra 2 at Kobo - $160

Kohler Moxie Alexa-enabled shower head

Kohler's high-tech shower head is down to a record low price of $99. It works as a regular shower head but it's Alexa-enabled, so you can do things like play music and add things to your shopping list while you're bathing. It also has a magnetic, removable speaker so you can take it with you around the house.

Buy Moxie shower head at Amazon - $99

Beats Studio Buds

The Beats Studio Buds are 20 percent off and down to $120. We gave these true wireless earbuds a score of 84 for their tiny, comfortable design, good sound quality and quick-pairing on both Android and iOS.

Buy Beats Studio Buds at Amazon - $120

55-inch Sony A90J Bravia XR OLED 4K TV

Sony's 55-inch Bravia XR OLED set is $600 off right now, bringing it down to $2,200. In addition to deep blacks and the improved contrast that comes with OLED TVs, this set also supports XR Motion Clarity, HDMI 2.1, Acoustic Surface Audio+ and Alexa voice commands.

Buy 55-inch Sony A90J OLED TV at Amazon - $2,200

UK deals

Fitbit Sense

Fitbit's most advanced smartwatch, the Sense, is down to £189 right now. That's not a record low, but it's still 37 percent off its usual rate. We gave it a score of 82 for its comprehensive health tracking features and big, bold display.

Buy Fitbit Sense at Amazon - £189

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Arturia's MiniLab MkII and software bundle is 25 percent off

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 08:41 AM PDT

Arturia is offering a solid deal on its MiniLab MkII, which may lower the barrier to entry for those who want to try making music with a MIDI keyboard. Not only has the company dropped the price to $99, a reduction of 25 percent, it bundled the MiniLab MkII with software worth over $400.

Buy MiniLab MkII bundle at Arturia - $99

The MiniLab MkII is a portable, 25-key MIDI keyboard controller. It has 16 velocity and pressure-sensitive pads, the same number of rotary encoders and two touch strips for modulation and pitch bend. The USB-powered device has eight user control presets too.

The MiniLab MkII comes with Ableton Live Lite, a version of one of the most popular DAWs around. It offers dozens of instruments and effects. With Analog Lab Intro, you'll get access to 500 presets, while UVI Grand Piano replicates the sound of the Steinway Model D grand piano. The bundle also includes Mini V, Stage-73 V and Rev PLATE-140 plugins.

At 3.3 lbs, the MiniLab MkII isn't the most portable MIDI controller around. Still, it's a great option for beginners.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

'A Plague Tale: Innocence' is the latest game being adapted for TV

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 07:28 AM PDT

Another game has joined the increasingly long list of titles that are being adapted for TV. A show based on Asobo Studios' A Plague Tale: Innocence is in the pipeline, joining the likes of The Last of Us and Twisted Metal.

As spotted by Eurogamer, French website Allocine reported that US production studios interested in the project were rebuffed in favor of keeping things close to Asobo's home of Bordeaux with Merlin Productions. Details about casting, the production schedule and where you'll be able to watch the series haven't been revealed, though director Mathieu Turi (who was an assistant director on Inglourious Basterds) is working on the show.

A Plague Tale: Innocence has all the right ingredients for a good TV series, including an atmospheric, striking setting and a solid premise. It's a stealth and puzzle-heavy adventure in which Amicia de Rune and her brother Hugo flee from French Inquisition soldiers and rats spreading the Black Plague in 14th-century France. A sequel to the cult hit, A Plague Tale: Requiem, is scheduled to arrive this year.

Flickr is putting explicit content sharing behind a paywall

Posted: 18 Mar 2022 07:18 AM PDT

Flickr is continuing to nudge users toward paid accounts under SmugMug's ownership. The photo host has told users they'll soon need Pro accounts to share "restricted and moderate" content. The company claimed the move would help Flickr provide "safer spaces for everyone" (including not-safe-for-work creators) and free up "resources" to improve Pro communities.

The service also wants to steer its more introverted users toward subscriptions. Flickr plans to restrict free users to 50 non-public shots (limited to private, friends or family). Any photos beyond that cap are "at risk of deletion," Flickr said. The firm characterized this as a way to encourage sharing and socialization, but was quick to suggest Pro memberships to anyone affected.

Flickr said it would share timelines and other details as the relevant terms of service rolled out. The company also noted that deletions aren't guaranteed. It hasn't deleted a single over-the-limit image since it instituted the 1,000-photo cap for free users in 2018.

The paywall might have its advantages by discouraging spammers and others who might dump racy content on Flickr without caring about quality. However, it also raises barriers for newcomers looking to post risqué photography — they'll have to shell out for Pro (ranging from $8.25 per month to $133 for two years) just to make their content available. This is, effectively, a bet that the increased number of paying customers will make up for anyone who leaves for alternative platforms.
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