Canoo said on Friday night that it has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and “will cease operations effective immediately,” after failing to secure enough funding to keep it going. The writing was on the wall for the EV startup leading up to the announcement; the company has lost multiple executives in recent months, announced furloughs and reported to the SEC in November that it had just $700,000 in the bank, per TechCrunch.
In a press release announcing the filing, Canoo said it was unable to get funding from the Department of Energy’s Loan Program Office or from “foreign sources of capital” that executives had been in talks with. “In light of the fact that these efforts were unsuccessful, the Board has made the difficult decision to file for insolvency,” it said. Canoo owes a total of over $164 million to hundreds creditors, and has about $126 million in assets, according to TechCrunch. Under the filing in Delaware, Canoo’s assets will be liquidated and the proceeds will be distributed to its creditors. In a statement, CEO Tony Aquila said, “We are truly disappointed that things turned out as they did.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ev-startup-canoo-has-filed-for-bankruptcy-and-stopped-all-operations-232719895.html?src=rss
Kids and younger teens might soon be unable to play Genshin Impact'sgachas. The developer behind the game has agreed to block players under 16 years old from making in-game purchases without parental consent in order to settle a complaint from the Federal Trade Commission. It has also agreed to pay a $20 million penalty. Samuel Levine, the director of FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said "Genshin Impact deceived children, teens, and other players into spending hundreds of dollars on prizes they stood little chance of winning."
The developer's marketing actively targeted children, the commission said in its complaint, and the company also violated COPPA by collecting personal info from kids under 13. HoYoverse, the developer's US entity, allegedly deceives players "about the odds of winning" its rarer loot box prizes and uses a confusing virtual currency system that's unfair to kids and younger teens. The FTC says this misleads players on how much they actually have to spend to be able to get rarer prizes. Genshin Impact uses a gacha system instead of a traditional loot box mechanic, wherein players can "pull" on banners to win a random item or character.
Under the FTC's proposed order, it wants to prohibit Genshin Impact from selling loot boxes using virtual currency unless it also provides an option to purchase them directly with real money. It wants to prohibit the developer from misrepresenting loot box odds and processes, and it wants to require the company to disclose gachas' odds and the virtual currency exchange rate. The commission wants to order HoYoverse to delete personal information collected from kids until 13 unless it was obtained with parental consent, as well. A federal judge still has to approve the proposed order with all these requirements, though, so they won't be enforced immediately.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ftc-orders-genshin-impacts-developer-to-block-young-teens-from-making-in-game-purchases-221532729.html?src=rss
Just one day before TikTok is expected to shut down in the US, startup Perplexity AI has submitted a bid to TikTok’s parent company ByteDance proposing a merger that would allow it to continue operating, CNBC reports. Citing an anonymous source, CNBC reports that the proposed merger would “create a new entity combining Perplexity, TikTok US and New Capital Partners.” It comes after the Supreme Court on Friday ruled unanimously to uphold a law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok or it will be banned in the US. The company has so far resisted the idea of a sale.
According to CNBC’s source, Perplexity — which currently offers an AI-powered search engine and is being sued by news organizations for copyright infringement — is hoping a merger rather than a sale will be more appealing to ByteDance. “The new structure would allow for most of ByteDance’s existing investors to retain their equity stakes and would bring more video to Perplexity,” CNBC reports. If ByteDance were to accept the proposal, there’s a chance the company would be given a 90-day extension by Trump to work out a deal, which he told NBC News' Kristen Welker that he would “most likely” do when he takes office on Monday. But there is as yet no indication that ByteDance will go this route.
Despite rampant speculation about potential buyers, TikTok said it will “be forced to go dark on January 19” when the law takes effect unless “the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement.” The outgoing administration, however, reportedly says it’s leaving all that for the Trump team to deal with. Per MSNBC, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s claim about shutting down “a stunt,” and said “we see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump Administration takes office on Monday.”
“We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration,” Jean-Pierre said, according to MSNBC. “So TikTok and other companies should take up any concerns with them.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/perplexity-ai-has-reportedly-submitted-an-11th-hour-bid-to-save-tiktok-in-the-us-215012514.html?src=rss
Instagram is rolling out a bunch of changes this weekend that will conveniently make it look a lot more like TikTok, which could go dark in the US on Sunday now that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the law banning the app if parent company ByteDance doesn’t sell it. Those changes include extending Reels to three minutes long and changing the longstanding square grid on your profile to a rectangular layout, as Adam Mosseri announced in an Instagram post and on his Story, respectively. Considering how some users have crafted a specific look for their pages around the square grid, the latter isn’t likely to go over well with everyone.
Nor is the third thing: there’s now a tab in your Reels feed that shows you videos your friends have liked or added Notes to, Mosseri shared on Threads. Which means, of course, that your friends can more easily see what you’ve been liking and interacting with, too. Didn’t we already agree this was kind of invasive back when Instagram had — and eventually removed — a whole feed dedicated to seeing the activity of the people you follow? In any case, the changes have already begun rolling out. You'll now see a button showing your friends' activity at the top right of the Reels tab, which will bring you to the new feed.
Addressing the switch from the square grid in his Stories, Mosserri chalked it up to aligning with users’ posting habits. “I know some of you really like your squares, and square photos are kind of the heritage of Instagram, but at this point most of what’s uploaded — both photos and videos — are vertical in their orientation, so portrait versus landscape or square, and it just is a bummer to overly crop them,” he said. “So I know it’s a change, I know it’s a bit of a pain, but I think it’s a transitional pain.” He went on to say, “I think that people will over the long run be excited” not to have their posts appear “aggressively cropped.”
Instagram already had offered a somewhat TikTok-like view of users’ profiles under the Reels tab, but the latest move gives photos on the main grid the rectangular treatment too (only on the grid though, they’ll expand to normal size when you click them individually). On making Reels longer, Mosseri said in a separate post that while Instagram has long focused on short-form video, “we’ve heard the feedback that this is just too short for those who want to share longer stories.” Instagram previously only allowed Reels of up to 90-seconds long, though you could work around this by sharing a longer video as a non-Reel post.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-swoops-in-with-3-minute-reels-and-rectangular-profile-grids-as-the-tiktok-ban-gets-real-201316339.html?src=rss
A still from Instagram Heaad Adam Mosseri's story where he speaks into the camera selfie-style while explaining that Instagram is rolling out a rectangular grid
Bang & Olufsen announced its new $499 premium earbuds, the Beoplay Eleven, back in November, touting among other things their replaceable batteries “for sustainability” and alignment with the EU’s impending device repairability requirements. But an iFixit teardown tells a more complicated story about actually replacing those batteries, describing the process of just getting the case open as “a very onerous and labor intensive task… even for a trained technician.” And inside, the battery is affixed to other components in ways that require heat to remove it, which in itself wouldn't comply with the EU's upcoming rules. Given all the work involved, the earbuds scored an abysmal 1/10 on iFixit’s repairability scorecard.
Bang & Olufsen said the earbuds’ design “allows for battery replacement by service,” which, as iFixit notes, suggests that this isn’t meant to be a repair you can do yourself at home. It did ultimately turn out to be possible to take one of the earbuds apart without damaging any of the electronics inside, but the laborious teardown calls into question how feasible — and sustainable — battery replacement would be even when carried out at a B&O service center. After opening up the case and finding “a plastic weld mark barring access to the battery,” iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari notes in the video that, “at a minimum, any battery replacement service would need to dispose of the plastic housing completely.”
“I’d love to see B&O’s process for changing these batteries out,” Mokhtari wrote in the blog post. “I’m willing to bet it’s neither cheap nor waste-free but I would love to be proven wrong.” The teardown also revealed the Beoplay Eleven to be a “carbon copy” of the 2022 Beoplay EX internally. “Even the peel-away film on the rear of each earbud says ‘Beoplay EX’ — not ‘Beoplay Eleven,’” Mokhtari wrote. Yikes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/bang-and-olufsens-new-earbuds-with-replaceable-batteries-dont-seem-to-be-very-repairable-174949894.html?src=rss
Amazon's drones won't be making any deliveries in the foreseeable future. According to Bloomberg, the company has paused all commercial drone deliveries in Texas and Arizona after a previously undisclosed event in which two of Amazon's MK30 drones had crashed at the Pendleton, Oregon airport it uses for testing. MK30 is the company's next-gen drone model, which is lighter and has a longer range than its predecessor, the MK27. The incidents took place in December, with one of the drones even catching fire after it fell. Amazon reportedly determined that its drones crashed due a software issue that's linked to the light rain drizzling at the time the tests were being conducted.
The company said, however, that the crashes weren't the "primary reason" why it's putting its drone deliveries on hold. Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told Bloomberg that it's "currently in the process of making software changes to the drone" and that the operational pause is voluntary. After the updates are completed, Amazon still has to secure an approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before it can resume its operations. "Employees at the drone sites, who were told of the action Friday, will continue to be paid during the pause," Stephenson added.
In addition to the crashes in December, two MK30 drones collided during another test a few months earlier. Stephenson explained that Amazon expects to see incidents like these during testing and that they help the company improve the service's safety. Amazon has been sending out non-medical shipments via drones in Texas since 2022 before adding prescription medication a year later. In 2024, Amazon halted drone deliveries in California, but it also launched the service in Phoenix, Arizona.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-puts-its-drone-deliveries-on-hold-following-two-crash-incidents-140026835.html?src=rss
The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering SpaceX to conduct a mishap investigation into what caused the company's Starship rocket to explode mid-flight on January 16. Until the FAA approves SpaceX's investigation reported, the company won't be allowed to proceed with future Starship missions.
SpaceX's launch seemed to be going as planned prior to the explosion. Starship successfully made it off the launch pad and SpaceX was even able to catch the ship's boosters. But then, only eight and a half minutes after taking off, the Starship spacecraft exploded, according to SpaceX's post-launch blog post. In response to the sudden explosion, the FAA activated a "Debris Response Area" and slowed or diverted nearby flights to prevent further accidents, severely delaying flights from multiple airlines, according to CNBC.
The FAA's statement says that no one was injured by the falling debris but that its working "to confirm reports of public property damage on Turks and Caicos." The mishap investigation SpaceX performs will have to determine not only what caused the explosion, but also what corrective actions the company needs to take to prevent it from happening again. "Initial data indicates a fire developed in the aft section of the ship," SpaceX says.
This isn't the first time Starship has met an explosive end. Multiple Starship launches have ended with either SpaceX's boosters, the Starship spacecraft or both exploding. The company does appear to be getting better at catching and reusing its Super Heavy boosters, however. The successful catch that preceded the January 16 explosion is only the second time SpaceX has pulled it off. Its first successful Super Heavy catch was in October 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-faa-is-grounding-spacexs-starship-after-its-latest-explosion-223535001.html?src=rss
On Thursday, The New York Times published a lengthy story about the rise in power of Stephen Miller, a longtime loyalist of Donald Trump known for his hardline views on immigration. Normally, a story like that wouldn’t get much attention in the tech press. But the piece opened with an anecdote about Mark Zuckerberg that immediately raised eyebrows.
The story detailed a recent meeting Miller had with Zuckerberg when the Meta CEO traveled to Mar-a-Lago last year. According to The Times, Zuckerberg — who would soon renounce Meta’s prior fact checking efforts and ditch corporate diversity programs — “blamed his former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, for an inclusivity initiative at Facebook that encouraged employees’ self-expression in the workplace.”
That line set off a fresh round of speculation (and some outrage) in tech circles. Sandberg, who left Meta in 2022 and rose to fame after authoring her women in the workplace manifesto Lean In, was known for her once close partnership with Zuckerberg at the top of Facebook. That Zuckerberg would blame his former top lieutenant for fostering “inclusivity” at his company, raised eyebrows even among longtime observers of the company.
“She always knew who Mark Zuckerberg and covered for him,” New York Times reporter Sheera Frankel, who co-wrote a book about Facebook’s dominance, observed on Bluesky. “ The question is whether she will continue to do so when he so blatantly throws her under the (Trump) bus.” Journalist and longtime tech pundit Kara Swisher likewise noted that “folks I talked to tonight from the Mark/Sheryl Facebook era are shocked but not surprised by his blaming her.”
I also weighed in on my Threads account, sharing a link to a Business Insiderstory from February that quoted an interview in which Zuckerberg said that Sandberg had raised him “like a parent.” I joked that the comment hadn’t aged well.
But on Friday, Zuckerberg decided to let me (and I guess everyone else) know that he and Sandberg are still cool, after all. “Sheryl did amazing work at Meta and will forever be a legend in the industry,” he wrote in a reply to my post. “She built one of the greatest businesses of all time and taught me much of what I know.”
Threads
A few minutes later, Sandberg jumped in to helpfully let me know there are no hard feelings on her side, either. “Thank you, @zuck. I will always be grateful for the many years we spent building a great business together - and for your friendship that got me through some of the hardest times of my life and continues to this day.”
I asked Zuckerberg if he felt Sandberg was too focused on DEI initiatives at Meta, or whether she took away from the “masculine energy” he recently told Joe Rogan corporations should embody. Notably, he has not denied The Times’ reporting about his comments regarding Sandberg, though he claimed they are being misconstrued.
"I answered a question about where the phrase 'bring your whole self to work' came from, and now there's a whole bogus narrative saying I blamed Sheryl for a bunch of stuff that I never did and never will," he said. (Bringing your "whole self" to work is a slogan popularized by Sandberg in Lean In. Similar language often appeared on Meta's careers site when the company highlighted diversity among its employees. "Being your authentic self is the foundation of who we are as a company," Meta wrote on a since-deleted page of its corporate website where it shared its internal diversity reports.)
So, I guess that settles it. Nothing to see here, folks. Mark and Sheryl are definitely still friends. They may not work at the same company anymore, but they are still able to come together to head off a potential PR crisis. What could be more inspiring than that?
Update, January 17, 2025, 4PM PT: This post was updated to reflect an additional comment from Zuckerberg.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-and-sheryl-sandberg-want-you-to-know-theyre-still-friends-and-definitely-not-mad-at-each-other-222145203.html?src=rss
SUN VALLEY, IDAHO - JULY 08: CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg walks with COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg after a session at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 08, 2021 in Sun Valley, Idaho. After a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s most wealthy and powerful businesspeople from the media, finance, and technology worlds will converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive week-long conference. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Greta Gerwig's follow-up to Barbie, an adaptation of one of C.S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia books, will be exclusively viewable in theaters for four weeks before it hits Netflix on Christmas, according to a new report from Puck. Netflix is historically anti-theater, but it seems like it can set that aside for the right filmmaker.
Theaters will have a four-week exclusive window on the film globally — longer than the week Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery got — but it will only be available to watch on IMAX screens to start. IMAX is guaranteeing the film will be shown in the format for two weeks, according to Puck, and is willing to add another week if there's demand. After that, the film could come to non-IMAX theaters, too.
Netflix, while owning a few theaters itself, is philosophically-opposed to theatrical exclusivity. It'll put Netflix movies in theaters for the amount of time required to qualify for awards season, but otherwise avoids them like the plague. That might be nice for subscribers who've become accustomed to watching everything at home, but most filmmakers want their films to be seen on the big screen. For example, Netflix reportedly lost the chance to distribute Saltburn director Emerald Fennel's next film, an adaptation of Wuthering Heights, because it refused to give the film time in theaters, according to The New York Times.
Rumors circulated that IMAX, Gerwig, and Netflix were discussing a deal in October 2024, and it seems the director got her way. It's strange to have to fight tooth and nail for what could be a blockbuster movie to be seen by a paying audience. There's plenty of evidence that putting films in theaters makes money, but it's a lesson that even company's like Disney have had to relearn after the streaming boom. Moana 2 started as a Disney+ filler before it was tweaked and turned into a theatrical release that made over $200 million in December 2024.
It's impossible to say if this decision signals a longterm change at Netflix, but future filmmakers working with the company now have interesting precedent to point to for their own theatrical deals.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/greta-gerwigs-narnia-movie-will-get-up-to-four-weeks-in-theaters-203920581.html?src=rss
Greta Gerwig, Jury President of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, poses during a photocall for the 2024 Kering Women In Motion Awards and Cannes Film Festival Presidential Dinner as part of the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 19, 2024. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
The seven-year wait is finally over. Nintendo has officially revealed its next console, the Switch 2. Now that the reveal has actually happened, after months of speculation, we can all move onto something else, right? Not so fast. The short introduction video actually created more questions than answers. There’s a whole lot we don’t know about Nintendo’s forthcoming hybrid console, so let’s get into it.
When will it come out?
We don’t know! Nintendo has a Direct livestream planned for April 2, in which we’ll probably get that information. It’ll be sometime after that, but during 2025. Maybe they’ll do a quick turnaround and have it ready for sale by the end of April, but a summer release is far more likely. It’s also possible the company will wait until the beginning of the lucrative holiday season. Folks will be able to play it in the near future, however, as Nintendo is holding in-person events throughout the world in April through June.
What are the internal specs?
This is another mystery. The introduction video merely showed the exterior of the console, along with the updated controllers. There was no mention of internal specs. Of course, there are plenty of rumors regarding the power of Nintendo’s next console, but nothing concrete. Some analysts predict the console will include an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal eMMC storage, while others say it’ll be powered by an NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip). Most people seem to agree that the system will include some version of NVIDIA’s DLSS “deep learning supersampling" upscaling tech.
What about the screen?
Nintendo
We’ve seen the screen in action, likely running some version of an upcoming Mario Kart game. The video gave us some insight into the size of the display, as it looks to be around 30 percent larger than the current model. This tracks with rumors indicating an 8-inch screen. However, we don’t know the type of display that accompanies the console. Rumors vary here. Some analysts predict a Mini-LED screen, while others expect a traditional LCD. It probably won’t be an OLED, as the company will likely save that for a future upgrade.
What’s the battery life?
There aren’t even any credible rumors on this one, but there was some speculation last year regarding the company’s adoption of a performance mode feature with the Switch 2. Nintendo likes to hit that mass market sweet spot, so I’d be very surprised if the battery life didn’t match the Switch OLED’s 4.5 to nine hours of playtime per charge. The console will be more powerful than the OG Switch, certainly, but it’s also bigger. That extra room can house a beefy battery.
How much will it cost?
This is yet another unknown. Nintendo will likely reveal pricing information on April 2. The original Switch launched at $300, as did the Wii U. However, inflation is real and supply chains are rickety. Rumors have been circulating that the price could shoot up to $400, or even higher. Nintendo does tend to increase base level console prices every couple of generations. The GameCube originally cost $200 and the Wii was $250.
Do the controllers feature optical sensors?
Nintendo
There’s been a long-standing rumor that the Switch 2 will incorporate mouse-like functionality via optical sensors on the Joy-Cons. We don’t have exact confirmation on that, but the introduction video sure seems to imply it. Eagle-eyed viewers probably spotted a segment that featured the Pixar-like controllers moving around a table like, well, two computer mice. If true, Nintendo will likely develop some wacky software that combines mouse and controller inputs. In any event, this addition will certainly make stuff like Civilization VI easier to play. It could also hint at a new Mario Paint.
What’s that unmarked button on the right side?
Nintendo
Viewers also likely spotted a new button on the bottom of the right Joy-Con. This was previously rumored to be a “C” button, but it's unmarked in the introduction video. We don’t know what it does, so your guess is as good as ours. Maybe it calibrates controllers or initiates voice chat. We’ll probably find out on April 2.
What’s the deal with backwards compatibility?
Nintendo
Yes, the Switch 2 is backwards compatible with original Switch games. This is fantastic news, but the intro video did note that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2." We don’t exactly know what that means or how many titles it will impact. It’s a fair bet that it refers to some of the wackier stuff from the previous generation, like Nintendo Labo or Mario Kart: Home Circuit.
Will stick drift be a problem?
We’ll have to wait and see on that one, but the reveal video did take some time out to show a joystick doing cute little full circles. Previous leaks have indicated that Nintendo has learned its lesson regarding stick-drift and the new console will include Hall effect joysticks. We sure hope so.
What will the UI be like?
The Switch’s user interface, for better or worse, is extremely minimal and bare-bones. This carries over to the online shopping experience. We don’t know if the Switch 2 will incorporate some Nintendo-grade wackiness when it comes to the UI. My hope is that it brings back its long-forgotten social network Miiverse. It was silly and fun. Modern social media apps are a lot of things, but I wouldn’t exactly call them silly or fun.
Will there be any Nintendo weirdness?
From the headache-inducing 3DS to the, well, equally headache-inducing Virtual Boy, Nintendo has always marched to the beat of its own drum. The Switch 2, however, seems to be an extremely conservative release for the company. It's a more powerful and slightly bigger Switch.
Will there be any of that Nintendo weirdness that saved the company in the age of the Wii and nearly ruined it during the Wii U era? We don't know yet. It's entirely possible the aforementioned optical sensors or "C" button could lead to wild and wacky gameplay experiences. It's also possible that there are features yet to be announced. This is Nintendo we are talking about here.
What are the launch games?
Nintendo
This is a total unknown, though fans hoping for a new Mario Kart certainly got a jolt by that reveal video. It included a fair amount of footage from what looked to be a brand-new Mario Kart, complete with revamped character designs and the potential for 24-person races.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/everything-were-still-dying-to-know-about-the-nintendo-switch-2-195606756.html?src=rss
With CES behind us and Samsung's Unpacked ahead, the Engadget crew had a quick chance this week to catch its collective breath. But we still kept one eye on the deals machine to see what tech sales are worth your dollars. Right now, we're seeing a few good Apple deals — one on the latest iPad mini and another on the new 15-inch MacBook Air — as well as a first-time discount on the Kindle Colorsoft ereader. There's a couple of Bluetooth tracker discounts to help you keep tabs on your keys and bags. And Best Buy is still running a promotion for three free months of Apple TV+ so you can start watching the just-dropped season two of Severance. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Anker Prime Power Bank 20,000mAh Portable Charger with charging base for $110 ($75 off): This matches the price this set hit for Black Friday. This is our current favorite premium power bank thanks to the sleek design, easy-to-read display and fast charging capabilities. But what really sets it apart is the charging base. Magnets align the base with the battery so it's easy to plonk down and recharge. The base also provides extra USB ports so you can charge other stuff at the same time.
Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (32 GB) $230 ($50 off with Prime): If you're a Prime member, you can save $50 on the recently released Colorsoft Kindle, aka the first Kindle with color. This is the first discount we've seen since this model's debut. We experienced the "yellow band" issue with our review unit, but subsequently received an updated reader, to which Amazon made the “appropriate adjustments” to resolve the issue. The software and display adjustments the company implemented worked — and we actually liked the overall effect better. Check out our review for the full story.
EcoFlow Delta Ultra inverter and battery set for $5,199 ($899 off): It's no casual investment, but if you're in the market for an all-in-one home battery, you can save around $900 on a 6.1kWh single battery and inverter set. We checked out the EcoFlow Delta Ultra at last year's CES (this year we checked out the brand's dapper solar hat). The battery can fill up from solar panels or the grid and feed power back to your house on demand or when there's an outage.
JBL Clip 5 for $50 ($30 off): Those in the market for a decent-sounding but highly portable music box may want to check out this sale on the JBL Clip 5. This model isn't on our list of the best Bluetooth speakers, but many other JBL options are. This waterproof unit has an integrated carabiner, goes for 12 hours on a charge and can pair with other Clip speakers via the Auracast feature in the JBL app.
Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Wireless Gaming Controller for $98 ($32 off): The Core version of the Elite Series 2 controller is one of our top picks for Xbox accessories. It gives you some of the key features of the $180 Xbox Elite Series 2 controller for a more approachable price. The Core has a rubberized grip and sturdier triggers, joysticks and directional pad. It also has up to 40 hours of battery life on a charge. It doesn't come with the different joysticks, directional pads and back paddles that the full-priced Elite controller does, but you can buy those separately later down the road.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Meta Quest 3S 256G for $349 ($51 off): Here's the lowest price yet on our favorite cheap VR headset. It also comes with a copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow and a three-month free trial of Meta Quest+. Both freebies have a combined value of $70. A Meta Quest+ subscription grants access to around 25 games, as well as multiplayer support for some titles. Also at Walmart
Anker Nano Power Bank with Built-in USB-C for $20 ($10 off): This super small battery has a built-in USB-C so you don't need to remember a cable to give your phone an emergency refill. We named it the best portable charger for Android devices (though it's also great for the USB-C-enabled iPhone 15 and 16). In our tests, the 5,000mAh battery had enough juice to charge a Galaxy S23 Ultra to 65 percent in about an hour.
Jeff Dunn for Engadget
Soundcore by Anker Space A40 earbuds for $45 ($35 off): These earbuds are our top pick for the best budget wireless earbuds you can buy. You can customize the sound via the Soundcore app and the buds can swap between connect to two devices. The active noise cancellation (ANC) blocks out background noises and is surprisingly effective, particularly for headphones in this at this price range.
Dyson Digital Slim Cordless Vacuum for $250 ($250 off): In our guide to the best cordless vacuums, we recommend a number of Dyson vacs. The Digital Slim isn't on the list, but it's still worth considering, particularly since it's half price (that's not a record low, it went for $230 over Black Friday). It has a 40 minute run time and is 30 percent lighter than the Dyson V11, which should make it easy to move around your floors. Also at Amazon and Dyson directly.
Audible Premium Plus (3-month) for $3 at Amazon ($30 off, new and returning users only): From now through January 21, new and returning customers can get three months of Audible Premium Plus for a dollar a month, or $3 total. After that, it will automatically renew at the standard $15 per month. This is Audible's highest tier that lets you listen to anything in the Audible Plus library and lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month.
Apple TV+ (3-month) for free at Best Buy ($30 off, new and select returning users only): Even if you just get this deal to watch the first season of Severance, followed by the first episodes of the just-released second season, it'll be more than worth your time. Slow Horses,Ted Lasso and Siloare worth checking out too. The service usually goes for $10 monthly after a seven-day trial. And, as with all free subscriptions, this will auto-renew at full price so remember to cancel before then if you don't want to get charged.
Samsung The Frame (2024) 55-inch QLED TV for $868 at Woot ($630 off): Looks like there's still some time left to pick up the art-when-its-off Frame TV set. Samsung showed off a new "Frame Pro" model at CES last week with improved contrast and brightness, and support for a wireless connection. But that one isn't likely to go on sale when it is launched. The picture quality isn't the best you can get for the price, but if having a TV that looks like a framed piece of art is appealing, you may like what you get.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-anker-prime-battery-with-a-charging-base-is-40-percent-off-plus-the-rest-of-this-weeks-best-tech-deals-183037062.html?src=rss
Amazon expanded its ereader lineup a few months back with the Kindle Colorsoft, its first model with a color display. However, at $280, it was certainly on the pricier end — especially compared with similar devices from competitors. That equation has changed a bit, at least for Amazon Prime members. They're currently able to pick up the Kindle Colorsoft for $230.
That equates to a discount of 18 percent. It's the first time that Amazon has reduced the price of the Colorsoft, though you do need to be a Prime member to take advantage of the deal.
There were some teething issues with the Colorsoft, with reports that some customers were seeing a yellow band at the bottom of their display. That issue emerged on our review unit as well. Amazon offered refunds or replacements for affected devices.
The company sent us a second review unit on which the yellow band wasn't present. The display seemed warmer in general too, which makes it look more like physical book pages. We have removed the score from our review until we've been able to test the replacement unit for a longer period and made sure the yellow-band problem doesn't reoccur.
Page turns are swift on the seven-inch display, which has a 300 pixel-per-inch (ppi) density for black-and-white material and 150 ppi for color content. The device has 32GB of built-in storage and it supports Audible audiobooks. The Kindle Colorsoft will run for up to eight weeks on a single charge and you can top up the battery wirelessly or via USB-C.
The ereader has an IPX8 rating. That means it can withstand immersion in up to two meters of freshwater for up to 60 minutes and 0.25 meters of seawater for three minutes, according to Amazon. So, you can take the Kindle Colorsoft to the pool or beach without worrying too much about it getting wet.
There's a pinch-to-zoom feature that should be helpful for those who read graphic novels on the Colorsoft. The auto-adjusting front light is handy too. Another major positive is that, unlike other Kindle models, the Colorsoft doesn't feature lock screen ads by default.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/prime-members-can-now-get-50-off-the-kindle-colorsoft-173501943.html?src=rss
UK EV startup Charge Cars has been acquired by a group of private investors. The company will continue development of the ‘67, which is an all-electric replica of the iconic 1967 Ford Mustang.
CEO Paul Abercrombie said in a statement that the acquisition will allow “final development at our new global HQ” in the UK and that the company will be “rapidly delivering this exciting luxury vehicle to consumers.” He also noted that more details would be forthcoming.
The ‘67 is hand-crafted, with a body licensed by Ford. It will include central floor-mounted batteries, for an optimized center of gravity, with quad-motor technology that offers 400kW of peak power and 1,520 Nm of torque. The company promises the “highest standards of safety and vehicle dynamics.”
The car will boast an “all-new fully bespoke digital touchscreen interface,” which is the first time I’ve ever read the word “bespoke” in reference to a touchscreen. The infotainment system will offer Apple and Android compatibility.
Charge Cars started this project all the way back in 2016, but has run into a series of hiccups along the way. The company has long-been linked to the EV company Arrival, sharing a founder in Denis Sverdlov and certain technologies. Arrival had a promising start, inking a deal with UPS to supply delivery trucks throughout the US and Europe.
Unfortunately, Arrival went belly up. Charge Cars struggled on, but the reliance on Arrival’s tech and components became a real problem. It looks like this cash injection will solve that particular issue. Charge originally planned on making around 500 of the ‘67 replica EV, but we don’t know if it plans on sticking to that. The company says that further news will be “revealed imminently.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/charge-cars-rescued-by-private-investors-so-bring-on-that-electric-67-mustang-replica-171205211.html?src=rss
The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally official, and while we still don't know when anyone will be able to own the new console, we do know when some lucky people will get to try one for themselves. Nintendo is holding hands-on events starting on April 4 and running through June where you'll be able to try the Switch 2 for yourself in select cities in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia.
You can register for a "Nintendo Switch 2 Experience" event starting today, January 17 from 3PM ET / 12PM PT through January 26 at 11:59PM local time for each event location. If you're planning on registering, you'll need to be 18 years or older and have either a free Nintendo Account, or a Nintendo Account Family Group if you're planning on going with a group. There's no need for any kind of paid Nintendo Switch Online membership and you don't have to worry about family members under six having an account as long as they're accompanied by an adult that does.
Nintendo says the hands-on event should last two hours and 20 minutes, but didn't share what ticket holders will actually get to try during the experience. Maybe some Mario Kart?
It's important to also stress, heading to Nintendo's website and registering for tickets doesn't mean you'll actually get to attend. Nintendo refers to the process as a drawing because attendees or groups of attendees will be chosen randomly. Signing up early doesn't guarantee you'll have a better chance of getting in.
Where Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events are being held
Nintendo is hosting its Switch 2 events for around three days in each city, though it's only announced hands-on locations in the first three cities.
In North America, you'll be able to register for a hands-on in:
New York, April 4-6, 2025 at Center415
Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025 at Television City
Dallas, April 25-27, 2025 at Embarcadero Building at Fair Park
Toronto, April 25-27
For the events in Europe, you'll be able to pick from:
Paris, April 4-6, 2025
London, April 11-13, 2025
Milan, April 25-27, 2025
Berlin, April 25-27, 2025
Madrid, May 9-11, 2025
Amsterdam, May 9-11, 2025
In Oceania, there's only one event location:
Melbourne, May 10-11, 2025
Finally, in Asia, you'll be able to choose from:
Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025
Seoul, May 31-June 1, 2025
Hong Kong, To be announced
Taipei, To be announced
How to sign up for a Nintendo Account
Nintendo
If you want to register to try the Switch 2, you'll need to have an a Nintendo Account, and if you don't already have one, they're pretty easy to set up.
Head to the Nintendo Account website to get started. Then click on "Create a new Nintendo Account." From there, enter in your date of birth and decide if you want to create your account using an existing Google or Apple account, or by entering in your information from scratch.
If you choose the latter, enter in a nickname, an email address, your date of birth, country of residence and timezone. Then agree to Nintendo's User Agreement and Privacy Policy by checking their respective boxes and hit "Submit." You'll receive a verification code via email that you should then enter into the empty verification code field and click "Verify." Once you do, you'll be all set up.
The process is similar if you use an Apple or Google account. Nintendo will ask you to enter a nickname, date of birth, country of residence and timezone. You'll also have to agree to the User Agreement and Privacy Policy, and submit a verification code. The key difference is once you do, you'll be able to use your Apple or Google account to log in instead of an email.
How to add a child to your Nintendo Family Account Group
If you plan on checking out the Switch 2 with younger friends or family who aren't old enough to have a Nintendo Account of their own, you can create one for them under a Nintendo Family Account Group.
To start, you'll need to log in to your own Nintendo Account. Then click on "Family group" and then "Add a member." From there you can select "Create an account for a child." Enter the child's date of birth, and then enter your Nintendo Account password and click on "OK."
You'll then have to enter a nickname, a child account sign-in ID (a username, essentially) and a sign-in password. Agree to the User Agreement and Privacy Policy, then click "Submit, and then "OK" to create the account.
Update, January 17, 2:20PM ET: Added details on the duration of the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-sign-up-for-the-nintendo-switch-2-experience-170052140.html?src=rss
Apple’s excellent 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is on sale in a rare promotion that features discounts on more than just a single model. Amazon has cut the price of the 512GB version by 17 percent or $250, making it $1,249 for a limited time. With all four colors — midnight, silver, space gray and starlight — included in the sale, alongside the 24GB RAM variant, there’s no need to settle for the base model either. Indeed, if your budget allows for it, this is a great opportunity to pick up the 24GB model for $1,449 or 15 percent off its usual price.
As the proud owner of an M3 MacBook Air, I agree with everything my colleague Devindra Hardawar wrote in his review last year. The latest Air is a tremendous laptop, offering plenty of performance for all but the most demanding tasks. It also features a great keyboard and trackpad that make the laptop a joy to use. For those reasons and more, it's why Engadget recommends the M3 MacBook Air as the best MacBook for most people. Moreover, now that 16GB of RAM is standard on all of Apple's new laptops, it’s easier to recommend a base model without the usual caveats.
My only wish is that the MacBook Air had more ports. In my mind, it’s an SD card slot away from being a perfect computer. Apple could also offer more reasonable pricing for SSD upgrades. Amazon’s current sale doesn’t address those issues, but it does make a great computer more affordable.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-latest-15-inch-macbook-air-is-250-off-right-now-163029482.html?src=rss
As part of an ongoing investigation into X, the European Commission has requested documents from the company related to how its recommendation systems work. The European Union's regulatory arm is particularly interested in any recent changes to the algorithm. The EC said it asked X to provide the information by February 15 as it steps up the Digital Services Act (DSA) probe.
On top of that, regulators asked for access to certain APIs that X provides so it can conduct “direct fact-finding on content moderation and virality of accounts.” The Commission has also slapped X with a retention order. This requires the company to retain internal documents related to future changes to the algorithm through the rest of 2025 (or earlier if the investigation wraps up before then).
“Today, we are taking further steps to shed light on the compliance of X's recommender systems with the obligations under the DSA,” Henna Virkkunen — the Commission’s executive vice-president for sovereignty, security and democracy — said in a statement on Friday. ”We are committed to ensuring that every platform operating in the EU respects our legislation, which aims to make the online environment fair, safe, and democratic for all European citizens.”
The EC opened the investigation in December 2023 to look into potential violations of the DSA. Companies that are deemed to have breached the law face fines of up to six percent of their global annual revenue.
Thierry Breton, the former European commissioner for internal market, said the bloc was looking into whether X failed to live up to its obligations regarding transparency and tackling illegal content. Possible deceptive design practices are also under the Commission's microscope.
Regulators stepped up their investigation after X owner Elon Musk publicly backed the Reform party in the UK, as well as the far-right Alternative for Germany party ahead of an election in February. As Reutersnotes, some European politicians have claimed that Musk is meddling in elections. He decried the criticism as an attack on free speech and democracy.
To that end, the Commission is looking into whether X's algorithms shadowban certain perspectives while amplifying a single narrative. However, it said that Musk is free to speak as he wishes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-eu-wants-to-know-just-how-xs-recommendation-algorithm-works-161000963.html?src=rss
This illustration photograph shows Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) account displayed on a smartphone in front a European Union flag in Brussels on January 7, 2025. European leaders have expressed growing frustration with the US tech billionaire Musk, a key ally to the US President-elect Donald Trump, amid his increasingly strident interventions into their domestic politics. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
If you've been waiting for a deal on Apple’s flagship AirPods Max, now is the time to buy a pair. Amazon has discounted the USB-C model to $449, or 18 percent off their suggested $549 price. The retailer doesn’t have every color available, but all those in stock — blue, midnight, orange and purple — are part of the promotion.
The AirPods Max need no introduction, but it’s worth taking a moment to consider if they make sense to buy in 2025. No doubt, they sound great and offer tight integration with other Apple devices, but if you don’t count the minor refresh Apple made this past September, the AirPods Max are now more than four years old. In that time, the competition has only gotten better; in fact, the AirPods Max aren’t even on Engadget’s list of the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy in 2025. Even taking into account their current $100 discount, there are options like the Sony WH-1000XM5 that are better and cheaper.
Still, there’s a case to be made for the AirPods Max, particularly for someone deeply invested in Apple’s ecosystem. As easy as Sony’s app makes pairing, the process is still nowhere near as easy and seamless as Apple’s native integration. If you’re a frequent Siri user, the AirPods Max win there too. Just keep in mind Apple is likely to release a proper update to the AirPods Max later this year.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-max-with-usb-c-drop-to-their-lowest-price-yet-154204100.html?src=rss
The Supreme Court has sided with the Biden Administration on a law that could ban TikTok in the coming days. In a unanimous ruling, the court upheld the law, writing in an unsigned opinion that "TikTok’s scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects, justify differential treatment to address the Government’s national security concerns."
The ruling marks the end of TikTok’s many legal challenges to a law, passed last spring, that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the United States. It comes amid mounting tensions between the US and China, and just days after the Biden Administration moved to restrict the export of GPUs used for AI applications.
In a statement, TikTok said that "unless the Biden Administration...provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement" immediately, it will unfortunately be forced to go dark on January 19. "The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million Americans," it said.
White House officials said Thursday that the Biden Administration would not enforce the ban on President Joe Biden's last day in office. Incoming President Donald Trump, who will be sworn in one day after the ban is supposed to take effect, has suggested he wants to “save” the app. That’s caused some speculation that he could instruct the Justice Department not to enforce the law or find some other arrangement that would allow the app to remain accessible.
"The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation." He also said that he had discussed TikTok with China's Xi Jinping on Friday, but did not provide details. Earlier in the week, The Washington Post reported that Trump was considering an executive order that would give TikTok an additional "60 or 90 days" to comply with the law. TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump's inauguration where he will sit alongside Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
In a brief statement shared on TikTok, Chew thanked Trump, but didn't say whether the app would go dark this weekend when the ban goes into effect. " I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States," he said. "This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship." Representatives for TikTok, Google, Apple and Oracle (which hosts TikTok's US data) have not responded to questions about their plans to comply with the law.
In a concurring opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding TikTok's future. "Even what might happen next to TikTok remains unclear, " he wrote. "All I can say is that, at this time and under these constraints, the problem appears real and the response to it not unconstitutional."
Free speech groups have denounced the law and the Supreme Court's decision to uphold it. “The Supreme Court’s ruling is incredibly disappointing, allowing the government to shut down an entire platform and the free speech rights of so many based on fear-mongering and speculation,” Patrick Toomey, deputy director of ACLU’s National Security Project, said in a statement. “By refusing to block this ban, the Supreme Court is giving the executive branch unprecedented power to silence speech it doesn’t like, increasing the danger that sweeping invocations of ‘national security’ will trump our constitutional rights.”
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, said in a statement that "the ban or forced sale of one social media app will do virtually nothing to protect Americans' data privacy – only comprehensive consumer privacy legislation can achieve that goal."
TikTok users have also vocally opposed the ban. Before the law was passed, legions of fans called their Congressional representatives’ offices, urging them to not support the bill. The move may have had unintended consequences as some members of Congress accused TikTok, which had encouraged users to make the calls, of “interfering with the legislative process.” More recently, TikTok fans have pushed a number of previously unknown apps, including a Chinese social media app known as “RedNote” or Xiaohongshu, to the top of the app stores as they search for alternatives.
Update, January 17, 2025, 9:45 AM PT: This post has been updated to add details from a statement made by Shou Chew.
Update, January 17, 2025, 10PM ET: Added TikTok's statement.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/supreme-court-upholds-tiktok-ban-150901494.html?src=rss
Sarah Baus, left, of Charleston, S.C., and Tiffany Cianci, who says she is a "long-form educational content creator," livestream to TikTok outside the Supreme Court, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The Qi2 wireless charging spec was originally announced back in early 2023. However, Android phone makers haven’t exactly been rushing to add Qi2 support to their latest devices since then. That’s made finding a compatible handset rather difficult, which is a bummer for anyone who has seen the wealth of accessories and power banks that iPhone owners have had for several generations.
On top of faster charging speeds (up to 15 watts or higher in later revisions), Qi2 dictates the inclusion of embedded magnets designed to make aligning and attaching peripherals a cinch.
But what makes the slow rollout a bit more frustrating is that Apple is a member of the Wireless Power Consortium (the governing body in charge of Qi2) and its MagSafe tech was used to help define the spec and ensure that compliant add-ons work seamlessly with Qi2, so it’s not like there’s a lack of compatible peripherals.
Regardless, to help you figure out which Android phones officially come with Qi2, we’ve compiled a list of supported devices. (Note: Due to the complexities of the Chinese market, this list is primarily focused on gadgets available in North America and the EU.)
Google has also seemingly pledged to throw its hat to the ring. That said, things are a bit less concrete with the company saying that it will play “a leading role in the development of the upcoming Qi v2.2 standard, which includes Google's contribution of its own high-power wireless charging technology to WPC."
Looking further ahead, with Mobile World Congress 2025 starting on March 3, we’re expecting to see updates from even more major manufacturers.
As new phones with Qi2 hit the market, we will try to keep this list as up-to-date as possible. Or at least until the spec becomes a much more mainstream standard.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/here-are-all-the-android-phones-that-support-qi2-150052702.html?src=rss
Temperature is a crucial aspect of grilling. Whether you’re searing steaks and burgers or slow smoking brisket, you need an accurate reading of both your grill’s heat levels and the internal temperature of your food. There are tons of options, from instant-read thermometers to probe-based devices that keep tabs on your cook the entire time. Of the latter, some are wired and some are wireless, and the lack of cords criss-crossing your grates can be a real upgrade.
Wireless grilling probes aren’t new, but they are for a big name in grill thermometers that only launched one this year. ThermoWorks, the company behind the popular Thermapen, finally debuted its take on wireless temperature tracking with the RFX Meat ($159). For the sake of supreme accuracy, the company takes a different approach than many of its competitors, giving both backyard and commercial grill masters a reliable and versatile sous chef.
The RFX technology
ThermoWorks’ RFX series relies on sub-GHz radio frequency (RF) wireless tech instead of solely using Bluetooth. This enables 1,500 feet of line-of-sight range between the probe and the receiver, although you’ll likely want to keep the latter close to your grill just to be safe. Like previous ThermoWorks probe-based grilling thermometer sets, there are magnets on the back of the probe’s charging cradle and receiver, so they’ll stick on a cool side of your grill with ease. The RF signal is strong enough to consistently beam though the thick walls of an offset smoker or the confines of a Dutch oven even when it's inside the grill.
Beyond the wireless tech, ThermoWorks offers some key features that stack up well with the wireless probe competition. For example, by charging the RFX Meat probe in its skinny charging block for just 10 minutes, you’ll get up to 52 hours of cook time. The Gateway receiver provides the necessary Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to monitor the grill remotely from anywhere. It also can connect to up to 70 wireless probes at once, which makes it suitable for commercial environments.
The RFX Meat is IP69K rated, so it’s dishwasher safe and built for deep frying and sous vide cooking. The probe can also withstand temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which means you can use it to precisely monitor steaks during a high-heat sear.
Lastly, the RFX Gateway supports ThermoWorks’ Billows BBQ temperature control fan. This device turns smokers — offset, ceramic, barrel or drum — into smart grills by maintaining the desired temperature. Billows gets temperature updates from the Pro-Series Air Probe via the RFX receiver. It’s great when you prefer to use wood or charcoal for low-and-slow cooking instead of a pellet grill and still want a slightly hands-off workflow.
The RFX starter kit and standalone options
Since you need both the RFX Meat and the RFX Gateway to get started, the best initial option is to get one of ThermoWorks’ bundles. Dubbed the RFX Starter Kit, this package includes the Gateway receiver and the wireless probe. It also includes a Pro-Series Air Probe for ambient grill temperatures, a grate clip, charger (for the Gateway) and colored probe rings.
The company gives you the choice of one, two or four-probe bundles, all of which will save you money over buying each item separately. They currently cost $159, $239 and $349 respectively, but ThermoWorks notes these are the “introductory lowest price,” so I expect everything to get slightly more expensive soon. If you really need to purchase the RFX Meat or RFX Gateway separately — if you lose one or encounter some other culinary tragedy — the wireless probe is $89 while the receiver is $79. Again, those are initial prices that I anticipate will go up.
Using the RFX Meat on the grill
Billy Steele for Engadget
The RFX Meat is the fourth ThermoWorks product I’ve tested. I’ve used two models of the Thermapen instant-read thermometers as well as the Smoke X. The Thermapen One remains a kitchen and patio staple at my house, especially for checking the internal temperatures of meat and fish. I’m consistently amazed by how the company builds devices that are reliable, easy to use and highly accurate. All three of those traits also apply to the RFX duo.
Like some of the competition, ThermoWorks put multiple sensors in the shaft of the probe. Those four components give you a more accurate reading for the internal temperature of your food within 0.9 degrees. The company opted for the separate, wired Pro-Series ambient temperature probe that plugs into the RFX Gateway receiver for keeping tabs on the grill. There are a couple of benefits to this.
First, the separate probe moves the sensor away from your meat, so that the initial cool zone or evaporation around larger cuts of meat doesn’t skew your readings. Second, you have the freedom to move the probe around since it’s not attached to the main wireless device. Even if your grill has a built-in sensor inside the cooking chamber, ThermoWorks’ Pro-Series option is a good secondary sanity check because most grill companies don’t position their probes level with the cooking grates where food sits.
The RFX system provided a consistent connection during my test sessions, which included an all-day, low-and-slow smoke for a pork butt and a quicker, three-hour cook for my Thanksgiving turkey. I didn’t experience any drop-outs, and in the case of that bird, I was able to keep the RFX Meat probe in place during the rest phase. This was crucial since I pulled the turkey off the grill at 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast, so I needed to make sure that it hit 165 with carryover cooking before I carved it up.
ThermoWorks
ThermoWorks’ app won’t win any design awards, but it gets the job done. Frankly, I’ll take reliability and ease of use over aesthetic polish any day. There are plenty of grilling apps that look better but don’t work as well, and when you’re trying to cook a $100 brisket, any source of uncertainty can be stressful. Similar to the competition, ThermoWorks’ app lets you set high and low alarms for any of the probes, and you can also choose how often the app updates its readings. This means that when you’re searing a steak, you can track every degree, but for longer cooks you can opt for three-degree intervals. RFX sends updates based on temperature changes, not time, so you’ll want to give this some attention.
True grilling nerds will also appreciate temperature graphs and the ability to add notes as needed. The company recently added an Advanced Mode that plots temperature data for all four internal RFX Meat sensors on a graph. Each line is a different color, giving you an in-depth look at changes over time during the entire session.
One of the first things I noticed about the app’s main (Devices) screen is that a carousel of the company’s products and cooking tips appears by default. This was off-putting to me, taking up space in an area where I just wanted my valuable cooking data. Thankfully, you can hide that box, and I’m sure I won't be alone in desiring to do so.
The competition
There are a few companies that make wireless grilling probes, but the brand I’ve spent the most time with is Meater. The Traeger-owned company has several different options with the Meater Pro ($99.95), formerly the Meater 2 Pro, being the best Bluetooth tool for most backyard cooks. It has multiple sensors for internal meat temperatures as well as an embedded ambient sensor on the opposite end. The Meater Pro is extremely durable and can withstand both high-heat searing and deep frying. It’s also dishwasher safe like the RFX Meat, which is a big perk. If you want Wi-Fi built in though, you’ll need to splurge for the two-probe Pro Duo, which is $100 more. Meater’s app also provides estimated completion times, which is nice to have, but the guesses are not always accurate.
Wrap-up
Meater 2 Plus and RFX went head-to-head on my Thanksgiving turkey.
Billy Steele for Engadget
ThermoWorks’ initial RFX bundle is a reliable and simple way to keep tabs on your grill without standing right in front of it. The devices ensure that you’re cooking at the correct temperature and that you achieve the exact doneness you desire. I like the separate wired ambient probe for the RFX gateway for its increased accuracy, and it’s easy enough to route the cable out of the way.
Sure, the RFX starter kit is more expensive than the likes of the Meater Pro, but ThermoWorks has already confirmed that more products that work with the Gateway are coming soon. The company does need to deliver on its promise to offer an offline mode via Bluetooth quickly though, so grillers who aren’t in range of a Wi-Fi network can still use the RFX to cook. But having both is a key advantage over some of the company’s rivals. And no matter how you connect to it, the RFX starter kit is further proof why chefs and pitmasters rely on ThermoWorks’ accuracy for their cooking needs. The company simply does not miss.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/thermoworks-rfx-review-a-wireless-grilling-tool-with-unparalleled-accuracy-140056393.html?src=rss
