The rise of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has been nothing short of remarkable. After surpassing ChatGPT on the App Store, DeepSeek sent shockwaves to the tech world, triggering a frenzy in the market. But the attention hasnβt all been positive. [β¦]
The Lenovo Legion Tab is finally available in the US, but we missed out on a white variant thatβs sold in China. At the very least, though, you can still import the case.
MultiVersus will go offline at the end of its next season, Warner Bros. Games announced on Friday. The free-to-play brawlerβs fifth and final season starts on February 4th and runs through May 30th, 2025, after which youβll only be able to play against AI opponents or through local co-op. It will also no longer be available to download.
To gain access to the offline version of MultiVersus, you need to download the latest version of the game and log in during season five. From there, youβll get a local save file connected to your PlayStation, Microsoft, Steam, or Epic Games account, βallowing you to enjoy the game offline with all earned and purchased content moving forward.ββ
The Super Smash Bros.βlikeMultiVersus first launched in an open beta in 2022, but it went offline in 2023 after its player count dropped. It relaunched in May 2024, adding characters from across Warner Bros. Discoveryβs intellectual property, like Samurai Jack, the Powerpuff Girls, and Beetlejuice. The fifth season will add the gameβs final characters: Aquaman and the Looney Tunesβ Lola Bunny.
MultiVersus is also ending in-game purchases starting today, which means you can no longer buy Gleamium. You can still use any remaining Gleamium or character tokens until the end of season five, however.
Ugreenβs new Finder Slim tracker is just 1.7mm thick. | Image: Ugreen
Ugreen has announced another Apple AirTag alternative with its new Finder Slim wallet tracker. Itβs not only much thinner than an Apple AirTag, at just 1.7mm thick, the Finder Slim is also thinner than the 2.4mm Chipolo Card Spot, the 2.8mm Pebblebee Card Universal, the 2.5mm Tile Slim, and the 2.6mm Eufy SmartTrack Card E30.
Like Eufy and Pebblebeeβs wallet trackers, Ugreenβs Finder Slim features a rechargeable battery instead of a disposable one. Battery life is claimed to be up to 12 months between charges, which is much shorter than the three years Tile says its wallet tracker will work, but you can potentially keep using Ugreenβs for even longer than that.
The downside to ultra-thin rechargeable wallet trackers like the Finder Slim is that theyβre too thin to use a standard USB-C charging port. It instead relies on a proprietary charging cable with a magnetic connector youβll need to make sure you donβt misplace before needing it again in another 12 months. On top of that, if product imagery is accurate, the proprietary charging cable Ugreen includes is only USB-A compatible.
The Finder Slim works with Appleβs Find My network but skips support for Googleβs Find My Device network entirely. Remote tracking allows you to see the Finder Slimβs last reported location on the network, and it will also trigger left behind reminders when itβs initially separated from your iPhone. A built-in 80dB alarm should make it easy to pinpoint the exact location of the tracker when itβs nearby and within earshot β even when itβs stuffed inside a wallet β and itβs IP68 rated, so it can survive a complete dunking for up to 30 minutes. Just donβt expect to be able to track it down if it ends up in the drink.
A longtime Treasury Department official is leaving his job after a dispute with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has reportedly been seeking access to federal payment systems.
"The highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department is departing after a clash with allies of billionaire Elon Musk over access to sensitive payment systems," The Washington Post reported today, citing three people familiar with the matter.
The departing official is Fiscal Assistant Secretary David Lebryk, who has served in nonpolitical Treasury Department roles during his career of more than 30 years. President Donald Trump named Lebryk the acting secretary of the Treasury, an additional role he held for a week before political appointee Scott Bessent was confirmed by the Senate. But Lebryk "announced his retirement Friday in an email to colleagues obtained by The Washington Post," the newspaper reported.
There have been a lot of films and television series exploring sentient AI, consciousness, and identity, but there's rarely been quite such a unique take on those themes as that provided by Love Me, the first feature film from directors Andy and Sam Zuchero. The film premiered at Sundance last year, where it won the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, and is now getting a theatrical release.
(Some spoilers below.)
The film is set long after humans and all other life forms have disappeared from the Earth, leaving just remnants of our global civilization behind. Kristen Stewart plays one of those remnants: a little yellow SMART buoy we first see trapped in ice in a desolate landscape. The buoy has achieved a rudimentary sentience, sufficient to respond to the recorded message being beamed out by an orbiting satellite (Steven Yeun) overhead to detect any new lifeforms that might appear. Eager to have a friendβeven one that's basically a sophisticated space chatbotβthe buoy studies the vast online database of information about humanity on Earth the satellite provides. It homes in on YouTube influencers Deja and Liam (also played by Stewart and Yeun), presenting itself to the satellite as a lifeform named Me.
It's time for another edition of Engadget's weekly deals roundup where we bring together worthwhile tech deals from the past week. If you're in the market for home entertainment gear, you're in luck thanks to Super Bowl-adjacent sales. Even if you don't care about the repeat clash between the Eagles and Chiefs, you can still save up to 25 percent on Sonos speakers and get discounts on a number of decent TV sets. You can check those out in our separate TV deals roundup or browse a few highlights below. As for non-sports-related tech deals, a bunch of Apple gear is on sale right now, including AirTags, the Apple Watch and three models of iPads (the Pro, Air and mini). Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.Β Β
Sonos Era 100
Sonos
Sonos Era 100 smart speaker for $199 ($50 off) at Sonos: One of our favorite smart speakers has returned to its lowest price yet. As part of a wider sale at both Sonos and Amazon, the Era 100 is $50 off. We gave it a score of 88 in our review thanks to its great audio that can reach loud volumes. We're also fans of connectivity options that include Bluetooth and line-in. Sonos simplified its Trueplay tuning feature that optimizes the audio output for the room and the speaker will work with Alexa and Sonos' own voice assistant (which just handles music duty, and the speaker doesn't support Google Assistant).
Sonos Beam Gen 2 for $399 ($100 off) at Sonos: We named the Beam the best midrange soundbar and right now it's $100 off. That's $30 more than it was for Black Friday, but still a decent deal on a quality TV speaker that will make movies more immersive and dialogue more clear. You can also pick up the original Arc soundbar for $250 off β that version is likely being discontinued in favor of the Arc Ultra, which unfortunately is still full price.Β
Apple AirTag (4-pack) for $70 ($29 off) at Amazon: A new model of Apple's AirTag is likely coming this year with predicted upgrades that include a longer range. But as it stands now, these are the best way for iPhone users to keep track of their bags, keys, luggage and more, according to our testing. AirTags rely on other iPhones to anonymously ping lost tags and we found that system almost spooky in its accuracy. This is a return to the record-low price the 4-pack of tags has hit many times over the past few months. Also at Best Buy.Β
Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro) for $399 ($100 off) at Amazon: We saw this deal a couple weeks ago and now it has returned. It represents an all-time low on Apple's latest small-scale tablet. The iPad mini 7 is our pick for the best compact iPad β in part because it's the only one βand we gave it a score of 83 in our review. Apple refreshed it last October with a faster chip and support for the Apple Pencil Pro. This configuration has 128GB of storage and Apple's A17 Pro chip. It also boasts 8GB of RAM, which is enough to support Apple Intelligence features.Β
Apple iPad Pro 13-Inch (M4, 256B) for $1,099 ($200 off) at Amazon: Apple's latest high-end iPad is back down to a record-low price. The smaller 11-inch M4 iPad Pro is on sale for $899, though it's been that price for much of the past few months. The M4 is Appleβs latest chipset β Apple put it in the iPad Pro before putting it in a MacBook. The Pro is an absurdly powerful tablet, handling tasks as demanding as video editing alongside the usual streaming, gaming and browsing people usually use tablets for. In our review, we called it one of the nicest portable screens weβve seen with extremely fast performance, but also called it "prohibitively expensive," especially when you factor in the accessories needed to get the most out of its potential.
Apple Watch Series 10
Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off) at Amazon: This is a return to a record-low price for Apple's latest smartwatch. The Series 10 is our pick for the best smartwatch overall . It has everything we like about the Series 9 but has a bigger screen thatβs easier to see from different angles and an overall thinner design. It received a score of 90 from us in our review. Also at Best Buy.
Alienware 32-inch 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor for $765 ($435 off with code) at Dell: Enter the code MONITORS15 at checkout for an additional 15 percent off the $900 sale price. The 34-inch model is $250 off, but there's no available coupon code. This is one of our favorite gaming monitors and we called it βan incredible ultrawide OLED.β The curved QD-OLED panel features 4K resolution and a max refresh rate of 240Hz.
Google 2024 Nest Learning Thermostat for $240 ($40 off) at Amazon: The latest iteration of Google's smart thermostat is $40 off, which is about $10 more than the lowest price we've seen. Google says this latest model delivers more accurate readings thanks to the help of AI, offering suggestions on how to lower your energy usage and automatically adjusting your settings based on schedules, ambient temp, weather and more.
Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $28 ($17 off) at Amazon: A couple of Anker's Soundcore speakers made our list of the best Bluetooth speakers, proving that the company is good at making more than just charging accessories. This one has an IPX7 waterproof rating, 24-hours of play time on a charge and 12 watts of output. The sale price is a return to a low we've tracked many times over the past year or so.Β
Anker USB C to USB C cable for $7 ($2 off) at Amazon: If your puppy also likes to chew on cables she finds on the floor, you may be in the market for a new one (cable, not puppy). Anker accessories number among our favorites on countless buying lists and this one is down to just $7. The 60 watt rating should be more than enough to fast charge any smartphone or tablet out there.Β
Anker USB C Charger (Nano 65W) for $30 ($26 off) at Amazon: For an equally speedy wall adapter, you can snag this 65 watt Anker charger for nearly half price. The compact brick sports three ports, two USB-C and one USB-A so you can charge up three different devices at once.Β
Sasmsung PRO Plus microSD Memory Card for $90 ($30 off) at Amazon: Our pick for the best microSD card is once again 25 percent off. We like this one for its consistent and quick read/write performance and excellent value, particularly when it's on sale. Just note that there are faster cards out there, but this should serve you well if you're looking for a good pick to free up more space on your Switch or add some speedy storage to a camera.Β Β Β
Anker PowerConf C200 2K Webcam for $48 ($12 off) at Amazon: Our favorite budget webcam is even more budget friendly with a $12 discount. We like the crisp 2K resolution, dual mics and customization options. If you need something to make your video meetings look better, this is a good place to start.Β
TV deals ahead of the Super Bowl
LG
Engadget's Jeff Dunn put together a roundup of TV deals that retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and others are offering ahead of the Super Bowl. These sales aren't necessarily tied to the game β TV prices often fall around this time of year as manufacturers get ready to reveal new models in the spring. Still, there are some decent prices on TVs from LG, Sony, Samsung, TCL and Hisense that other trusted reviewers have deemed worthy (we don't formally review TVs here at Engadget). A few picks are detailed here, but you can head here to see full list.Β
LG B4 OLED TV (48") for $600 at Best Buy ($200 off MSRP): This ties the lowest price we've seen for the 48-inch LG B4, which is the entry-level model in LG's 2024 OLED lineup. While it's not as bright or color-rich as some higher-end alternatives, it still offers the essential perks of any good OLED TV: superb contrast with deep black tones, clear motion, wide viewing angles and the like. It's also a nice value for gaming, as it has four HDMI 2.1 ports that support refresh rates up to 120Hz. It's just better off in a darker room, and this particular model is relatively small. β Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter, Buying Advice
Hisense U7N QLED TV (65") for $698 at Amazon ($300 off): Severalreviewerswetrustsay that the U7N delivers better brightness, contrast and HDR performance than most TVs in its price range. It's built with most of the features expected from pricier LED sets, including quantum-dot color, mini-LED backlighting and a 144Hz refresh rate. It also runs on the handy Google TV platform. Its viewing angles are poor, so it's not great for watching shows with a large group, and you may need to tinker with settings to get an optimal image. But the 65-inch model should be a strong value at this price, which is only about $20 more than the all-time low we saw briefly around Cyber Monday. Also at Walmart and Best Buy. β J.D.
Samsung The Frame TV
Amy Skorheim
Samsung The Frame 2024 QLED TV (55") for $868 at Woot ($630 off): This deal from Amazon subsidiary Woot has been live for a few weeks, but it ties the best price to date for the 55-inch version of Samsung's stylish Frame TV outside of a one-off eBay coupon deal. You'd buy this set for its design above all else: It can't match the contrast and color volume of other TVs in its price range, as it lacks local dimming altogether, but it's convincingly built like a framed piece of wall art that can blend in with your home decor. Its matte panel helps it fend off glare in a bright room, and you can display actual artwork onscreen when you're not watching something. It's worth noting that Samsung unveiled a new and improved "Frame Pro" TV at CES, but we'd expect that to cost more whenever it arrives. β J.D.
Deals from last week that are still live today
We assemble this deals roundup each week β and sometimes discounts from the previous week are still going strong when we put together the new one. If you didn't catch last week's post or were waiting to jump on an item or two, here are the sales that are still active today:
Crucial X9 Pro (1TB) for $70 at Amazon ($31 off MSRP): The X9 Pro is our pick for the best portable SSD, as it combines steady performance for most needs with a rugged, super-compact design that's easy to take on the go. We saw this deal earlier this month, but it matches the largest discount for the 1TB model since late 2023. Also at Best Buy. β Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter, Buying Advice
Meta Quest 3S (256GB) + $15 Newegg gift card for $350 at Newegg ($65 off): The Quest 3S is the budget recommendation in our guide to the best VR headsets. While its older fresnel lenses aren't as crisp or clear as the pancake lenses in the superior Quest 3, they're good enough for most people just getting started with VR, and the headset as a whole is just as fast as the pricier model. More importantly, it supports all the same apps and games. The 256GB model has been $50 off at several retailers for a little over a week, but at Newegg you can now get a $15 gift card thrown in for no extra cost. Also at Amazon, Meta and others without the gift card. Meta says the price drop will end on February 8. β J.D.
Astro A40 TR gaming headset
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Astro A40 TR gaming headset for $100 at Amazon ($30 off): The Astro A40 TR is the top wired choice in our guide to the best gaming headsets. Its open-back design helps it sound wider and more spacious than most options in this market, which makes it better for picking out enemies in online shooters or just feeling more immersed in a big action game. Being open-back means it leaks and lets in a good chunk of outside noise, so you shouldn't buy it if you often play in a noisy environment. The built-in mic isn't the best, either. Still, the enveloping sound makes it worthwhile. This deal is only $10 more than the all-time low we saw around Black Friday. Also at Logitech and Newegg. β J.D.
SanDisk Ultra (1TB) microSD card for $69 at Amazon ($16 off): The SanDisk Ultra is slower than the top recommendations in our microSD card buying guide, especially when it comes to write speeds, so you wouldn't want to stress it with large file transfers. If you can afford one of our main picks, get that instead. But if all you want is a big chunk of storage for as little cash as possible, it should be fine enough in a cheap tablet or gaming handheld. This ties the lowest price we've seen for the 1TB model. It's a dollar more at SanDisk and B&H. β J.D.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (PC) for $15 at Steam ($45 off): Its mission structure is dated, the movement is clunky and some of the writing can be, let's say, less than graceful. But Rockstar's Old West epic remains an achievement in maximalist world design: painstakingly detailed (literally), filled with stories and shot with unusually cinematic flair. You may not finish it until 2026, but if you've been waiting to take the plunge, this is a new low for the Steam copy and only $2 more than the lowest price we've seen overall. Other Rockstar games are also on sale. β J.D.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection (PC) for $10 at Steam ($30 off): We've seen this deal multiple times over the past year, but it ties the all-time low for Microsoft's Halo compilation, which gathers six of the iconic FPS series' essential games in one package. (Well, five essentials, plus Halo 4.) We include this one in our list of the best couch co-op games, but note that the PC version here only supports online co-op, not local play. β J.D.
Super Mario RPG for $30 at Target: Super NES classic Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars didn't necessarily need a remake, but this Switch version thankfully adheres the original's oddball spirit while sprucing up the visuals for true 3D. If you're in the market for a breezier, lower-stress RPG, it should fit the bill. This deal matches its all-time low. β J.D.
The ASUS ROG Ally
Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
ASUS ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme) gaming handheld for $450 at Best Buy ($200 off): The original ROG Ally isn't as powerful or long-lasting as the newer ROG Ally X, and all Windows gaming handhelds are saddled with less optimized software than Valve's Steam Deck, which remains the top pick in our buying guide. However, when it's discounted to this extent, the older Ally is worth considering if you really want a handheld PC that can play games from any client, be it Steam, the Epic Games Store or the Xbox app. It's still a touch more powerful than the Deck, too, and its 120Hz VRR display does wonders to keep games looking smooth. And for as slipshod as Windows can be, ASUS has made its Armoury Crate app at least a little easier to navigate over time. Just don't expect more than a couple hours of battery life, and don't bother using the microSD slot. This deal ties the all-time low for the model with a Z1 Extreme chip. β J.D.
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What do you do if a web address you printed on a physical flyer contains a typo, and you send that flyer to more than 100,000 households? Well, if youβre the Swiss canton (βstateβ) of Basel-Stadt, you buy the domain that contains the typo, and create a redirect to the correct URL. As Swiss news [β¦]
Microsoft says that itβs creating a new unit, the Advanced Planning Unit (APU), within its Microsoft AI business division that will help the company understand the societal, health, and work implications of AI the company hopes to build. Microsoft AI, which encompasses Microsoftβs Copilot, Bing, and Edge products, is becoming core to Microsoftβs growth strategy [β¦]
Galaxy AI is one of Samsungβs biggest draws on its flagship phones, and writing assist is a huge part of that. While most of Samsungβs Galaxy AI features are locked into its own apps, thatβs no longer the case for Writing Assist, which is now available outside of Samsung Keyboard
Apple TV+ kicked off 2025 with two big returning seriesβSeverance and Mythic Questβthat will continue airing new episodes throughout February. But the streamer also has a varied lineup of fresh debuts coming in the month ahead. Highlights include the Anya Taylor-Joy movie The Gorge, medical drama Berlin ER, a new season of Surface, a sports docu-series, new childrenβs show, and more. Hereβs everything coming to Apple TV+ in February.
Dell is calling much of its workforce back into the office five days a week starting on March 3. The technology giant is framing the mandate as a business strategy, but thereβs reason to believe the policy may drive employee turnover.
Business Insider detailed an internal memo today from CEO and Chairman Michael Dell informing workers that if they live within an hour of a Dell office, theyβll have to go in five days a week.
"What we're finding is that for all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction,β Dell wrote, per Business Insider. "A thirty-second conversation can replace an email back-and-forth that goes on for hours or even days."
A startup called Graze, which lets you build your own feeds for the Bluesky social network, has caught investorsβ attention. In addition to offering tools to easily build, customize, publish, and manage Bluesky feeds, Graze will soon allow feed creators to monetize their efforts with advertising, sponsored posts, and subscriptions. In other words, Graze has [β¦]
Last year Wind and solar energy overtook fossil fuels to provide 30% of the EUβs electricity. With that in the background, startups in the solar space have been riding a generational change in how we get our power. In 2022 we covered how a small B2C European startup planned to bring solar to homes via [β¦]
The secret to saving during the Super Bowl: Brands can still reach millions of viewers without shelling out $8 million for a national ad. Regional ad buys have led to nationally memorable moments in the past. The Farmer's Dog topped the USA Today Ad Meter in 2023 with its emotional regional spot. Other regional ads,...
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss AI's boom or bust, trying Github's Copilot, and making time for good ideas.
JASON:Β When we started 404 Media, I bought a macro lens for my camera and used it to take pictures of leaked documents, things we had FOIAed, things like that. Sometimes I printed out the documents and took pictures of them, other times I took pictures of my computer screen. The thinking was that it was a cooler visual style than just screenshotting them, which obviously takes half a second. It wasnβt a policy or anything, but I took pics for the first few weeks, and they did look cool. I only have one camera, and I mainly use it as a webcam for our podcast. So it was definitely a pain in the ass to take it off a tripod, change the lens, take the photos, put them on my computer, and so on. So after a few weeks, I stopped doing it, and now we use screenshots like everyone else on the entire internet.
