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For as long as I can remember, my primary keyboard has been the standard wireless model from Apple. I even upgraded to the Magic keyboard when it was introduced in 2015. After all, I thought, it works with my MacBook Pro, I type relatively well on it, and that’s what I need from a keyboard.

Yet, I harbored a secret lust for mechanical keyboards. There’s a part of me that misses the tactile feel of the chunky keyboards of my youth, especially as someone who spends so much time typing like I do. Plus, since I’m working from home full-time now, I no longer have to worry about annoying cubicle neighbors with the sound of my typing.

So, a few months ago, I decided on a whim to look into the whole mechanical keyboard thing a little more. It took me weeks of research, but I finally found one that seems to fit all my needs: the NuPhy Air75. As it turns out, I fell down a rabbit hole when researching this space. I ended up reading lots of reviews, watching dozens of YouTube videos and diving deep into the product category. I learned about different kinds of keyboards (full-size, tenkeyless, 75 percent, 65 percent), various switches (linear, tactile, clicky), keycaps and so much more. To be honest, I was a little intimidated by it all, but after all this research, I was sold. That luscious sound of clicky keys finally got me to consider getting one.

Engadget

My research helped me set a few important criteria for the keyboard I wanted. First and foremost, I wanted one with a Mac-specific layout. I know that most keyboards will work with both Macs and PCs, but not all have Mac layouts and I really just prefer the keys to match the OS that I’m using. Next, it needs to be wireless — I don’t like cords and cables messing up my desk. I also wanted the keyboard to support multiple devices so that I could easily switch it between my work and personal laptops. Additionally, I prefer hot-swappable switches and keycaps so that I could have the freedom to swap them out if I wanted. Last but not least, I wanted a relatively low-profile keyboard, as I didn’t want to use a wrist rest.

That’s how I settled on the NuPhy Air75. It’s Mac friendly, low-profile, has hot-swappable switches and it’s wireless, with the ability to connect up to four devices – three via Bluetooth and one via a 2.4GHz receiver. I also really like the 75-percent size, as the layout is similar to what I’m already used to with the Apple keyboards. Importantly, I could also purchase it right away from Amazon instead of having to wait for a group order, which is a common practice in the mechanical keyboard market. As for the switches, I chose the Gateron Brown tactile ones as I’ve read reviews that suggest they’re a good middle ground between the smooth linear Red switches and the clickier Blue switches.

I’ve now been using the Air75 for months, and I adore it. I’ll admit that it took me a while to get accustomed to it at first. The keys have a relatively short travel distance thanks to how low-profile they are and I made a lot of typos in the beginning. But I soon got used to the layout, and typing on it is now second nature to me. I love the feel of the Brown switches, too.

Engadget

I also really like the overall build quality of the Air75. The aluminum frame is solid, and the default PBT (Polybutylene terephthalate) keycaps have a great look and feel as well. I like that the spacebar and Enter keys are yellow and orange respectively. The keyboard has two LED light strips on either side that I find quite attractive, plus they’re functional; you can customize them so that they light up if the keyboard is low on battery, or when the caps lock is engaged. In addition, it’s super easy to connect via Bluetooth, and swapping the keyboard between my two laptops is simple as well (it’s just a matter of pressing the Function key and an assigned number).

I do have a couple of nitpicks, though. The NuPhy Air75 has a RGB lighting feature, but because the keys are low-profile and not translucent, it’s pretty hard to notice them. I ended up not using it at all because it does drain the keyboard’s battery. Another is that due to the low-profile nature of the keyboard, it’s difficult to find third-party keycaps that will fit in the aluminum frame (there just aren’t that many low-profile keycaps on the market). One of the features of customizable mechanical keyboards like these is that you can easily swap out keycaps to whatever color and design you want, but that’s not so easy here.

I saw a YouTube video a few months ago that compared the feeling of typing on a mechanical keyboard to that of writing with a fountain pen, and I have to agree. Fountain pens make handwriting such a joy thanks to how fluid and smooth it feels. Similarly, typing on the NuPhy Air75 is a pleasure because of that tactile and satisfying feedback. Now that I’ve tried mechanical keyboards like the NuPhy Air75, I don’t think I can ever go back to the standard Apple models.

Now's a good time to buy if you're still hoping to gift true wireless earbuds this holiday. As part of a larger sale on Beats earbuds, Amazon is offering the Beats Fit Pro for just $160, or $40 off. That's as good as the Black Friday price, and the buds will arrive before Christmas if you order quickly. You'll find a comparable discount for bundles with AppleCare+ or an $25 Amazon gift card.

The wider sale also sees black, red and white variants of the Beats Studio Buds drop to $90, or a whopping $60 below the usual price. You can expect at least some savings for other Studio Buds colors, the PowerBeats Pro and the Beats Fit Pro's Kim Kardashian variants.

In some ways, the Beats Fit Pro remain the best kept secret of Apple's earbud lineup. They offer a comfortable fit, balanced-yet-strong bass, workout-ready water resistance and active noise cancellation at a lower price than some AirPods models. Throw in a healthy six-hour battery life and a choice of colors and these may be the best balance between capability and price.

There are a few catches worth noting. While the Beats Fit Pro are more Android-friendly than AirPods, they're still optimized for Apple devices. There's no wireless charging, and some users might accidentally push buttons on occasion. You'll want the second-generation AirPods Pro for the best in-ear audio Apple has to offer. At $160, though, the Beats represent better value for money.

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After multiple delays, Square Enix’s next big game is almost here. Forspoken is the first title to come from the development team that made Final Fantasy XV – a game that came out in 2016. I spent over five hours working my way through several of the early game chapters, exploring the mystical land of Athia as Frey, attached to a sassy British-accented bangle that talks into her brain. Almost immediately they have to fight off mutated monsters and zombies and figure out how to get back home – probably saving this world on the way.

While we know the magical attacks in Forspoken are spectacular, my one-on-one battle with Sila, the Tanta of Strength, made the biggest impression during my preview session – and the best showcase for all the attacks and moves you’ll be able to master.

What are the Tantas? They are a handful of sorceresses that rule the medieval, but shattered, land of Athia. Yes, be prepared for a barrage of lore and encyclopedic entries on the history, flora and fauna of Athia – but at least I could look up everything in the menu if I ever got lost. The protagonist Frey comes with emotional baggage, some misdemeanors and a mysterious origin story of being abandoned at a train station – something that I’m sure will be revisited later in the game. She’s just as new to this world as you, but she still loves dropping the f-bomb and assorted swear words at every opportunity. I’m not a prude, it just feels excessive and immature. Hopefully, this angst tempers as the game progresses.

The world of Forspoken is a mixture of natural beauty, paranormal detritus and towns, buildings and structures from when the world hadn’t been turned upside down by what Frey calls the Break. And you can see why: It’s a huge, broken world, with glowing crystal formations jutting out of cliffs and hills. Animals and people have been transformed into fearsome beasts and zombies. Your first interaction with the locals (after hiding from a dragon), is some sort of dog-bear... thing with teeth from top to bottom. This confrontation leads to you discovering some magical gifts from Cuff – a mysterious bangle that tags along for your adventure (and is almost definitely critical to the story).

There’s a connection between the aforementioned Tanta, a war, and whatever went wrong with, you know, with the entire world. And probably a good reason why a portal opened to our Earth when Frey got her hands on that magical bangle.

Cuff isn’t only around for the (often shoehorned) narrative exposition. It offers a degree of defense (your health bar comes from the bangle, not Frey herself), but also imbues the character with an array of plant- and earth-based magical spells. These translate to support (plant) and attack (earth).

I enjoyed mixing them up. Attack spells are the showstoppers: cinematic elemental attacks that are usually ranged. There’s a skill tree to unlock upgraded spells, as well as more attack options. Some of the earth spells can deal consistent damage, like magical machine guns, while others will deal charged-up burst damage, or even create an earthen shield that will counter some physical attacks. Each one seems to have a use case.

When you’re facing a particularly tough foe, effective use of your spells will build up a special surge magic meter. Once that’s full, you can unleash a devastating attack that can hit (and hopefully kill) multiple enemies.

Square Enix

While some support skills are set-and-forget, like a flower ‘turret’, others require a bit more strategy. You can hit an enemy with a slow-burn seed attack to gradually seep their strength, which is useful on slower, high-defense enemies. A leech attack will lash out in a wide arc, returning health depending on how much damage it does. If you use it against multiple enemies, you’ll get more in return. These all come with a cooldown compared to the attack skills, so you’ll have to use them all strategically. (My timing and skill definitely improved as I played the game.)

Forspoken will even grade your battles, like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. At the start of my preview demo, with limited skill (and options) I struggled to get beyond C-rank fights but in moments near the end of my demo, I’d somehow claim ‘star’ rankings – the top grade. These ranks take into account how long fights took, the amount of damage taken, damage dished out and the creative range of attacks used. You’ll get bonus points for a surprise attack, among other things. If I just gunned enemies down from afar, it was not going to get a good grade. Skilled play is rewarded by bigger loot payouts and even an experience point boost, making leveling up (and upgrading) even quicker.

As you might expect from an action RPG, there are all kinds of ways to strengthen Frey. Beyond leveling up and expanding the spell repertoire, there are equipment slots for both a necklace accessory and cloak. These can both be upgraded once you find the right resources and also customized with boons to improve health, defense and attack. I was able to even automate healing with one accessory I found during my playthrough. I could also customize Frey’s nails to beef up certain spell families, helping magic to recharge faster or simply deal more damage.

Around the same time as Frey learns she can hurl boulders and summon vines, she’s also gifted with magical parkour skills, which are a mix of parkour, wall climbing and ice skating. This really helps get across the vast landscape at a fair clip – it’s like having a horse without, well, having a horse. Forspoken tries to make the most of the PS5’s DualSense, too – Sony has a two-year exclusive with Luminous Productions’ first game. As I magically skated and jumped around, the controller subtly vibrated; when Cuff had a quip about my battle skill (or lack of), they spoke out of the DualSense speaker. The most satisfying part was the force feedback on the triggers as I charged up spells, especially if they were the big, explosive ones.

These traversal skills are sewn into the fights, too. While dodging can be a little too forgiving – Frey will sometimes arc and leap off air to avoid attacks ad infinitum– combining magical dodges and dashes with earth spells and vine attacks will amp up the power of some of Frey’s moves. Timing, however, is crucial.

The battle system did throw up some difficulty spikes. At one point, before facing off with the aforementioned sorceress Sila, I found myself being repeatedly humbled (and killed) by a herd of demon goats. Was I under-leveled? Possibly. Did I lack accessories and equipment upgrades? Definitely. But it was a choke point where the fights seemed suddenly harder than everything that came before it (including a few boss fights). In fact, it was harder for me than the eventual showdown with the Tanta of Strength, Sila.

The lock-on system seemed a little temperamental (often an issue when it’s assigned to the L3 or R3 stick buttons), and while many attacks can affect multiple enemies at once, the system leans toward one-on-one fighting – otherwise a lot of target-switching. This was still an early build of the game, however. There’s time for this to be finessed – something that’s also true of a few graphical glitches, like invisible spell effects and missing objects during a few cutscenes.

While groups were often an issue, the controls come together well in the bigger battles. Once I’d made it to the throne of the fire, sword and fiery sword-wielding Sila, I had to swap around my spells and keep my distance. Sila could soak up plenty of damage and was incredibly lethal up close. Once Frey was able to whittle down her health enough, she was joined by a platoon of her soldiers (ugh, a group battle) and went through another two ‘levels’ of fury. Without giving everything away, eventually, Frey’s left in a fiery battleground, trying to dodge molten floors and sword attacks while flinging her own earth spells and trying to restrain the raging boss with vine sorcery. It felt like the right balance of skill and cinematic magical warfare – and fun. Sila comes across as an off-kilter monster, making it easy to want to beat her.

Eventually, I prevailed and received the fire-based spells of Sila for myself, creating an entirely new skill tree of spells and charms centered around strength (buffs) and, of course, fire. If Frey is going to pick up several more skill trees from the other three Tantas, knowingly referenced in wall paintings ahead of that confrontation, that’s going to mean a lot of spells and a lot of upgrades. While I didn’t get a chance to mix up my new fire spells with earth at this demo, I wonder if there might be too many. There’s a reason Square Enix has uploaded extensive videos on Forspoken’s magic system, even if it whets the appetite with huge lightning strikes and giant explosive orbs of water. But how will all these tricks interplay? Do we really need so many spells? We’ll have to wait to see — and you can now test out a few of Frey's tricks yourself in the free demo, available now.

Forspoken launches January 24th 2023 on PC and PS5.

If you have any regrets about pass on Google Pixel smartphone deals during this year's Black Friday sales, worry not. Nearly all of the same devices discounted last month are back on sale at the same prices, with up to 33 percent off the Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds A-Series, along with home products like the Nest Thermostat, Nest Security Cam and Nest Doorbell.

For smartphone shoppers on a budget, Google's Pixel 6a is on sale for just $299 (33 percent off the regular $449 price), matching the Black Friday deal. It has top-notch performance, while giving you the purest Android experience possible. At the same time, you get excellent camera quality, thanks to the two 12-megapixel rear cameras and 8-MP front sensor delivering bright, colorful pictures and video. It also comes with a distinctive design, sharp 6.1-inch OLED screen covered with Gorilla Glass 3, long-lasting battery, IP67 water/dust protection and more.

Google's latest phones are also on sale. The Google Pixel 7 128GB (5G, unlocked) is available for just $499 instead of $599 (17 percent off), while the top-end Pixel 7 Pro (5G, unlocked) is priced at $749, or $150 off the regular $899 price. Both models have the new Tensor G2 chip, excellent cameras and new software and features like Direct My Call and Photo Unblur — helping them both achieve high scores in our Engadget review. The main differences between the two are in the display, with the Pixel 7 Pro being better for mobile gaming thanks to the 120Hz display, compared to 90Hz on the Pixel 7.

Engadget

Though it only recently came out, Google's sleek Pixel Watch is on sale for $300, or $50 (14 percent) off the regular price. It's easily one of the prettiest Wear OS watches out there, offers excellent health and fitness tracking and useful new faces. Meanwhile, Google's Pixel Buds A-Series are discounted by 30 percent, bringing the regular $99 price down to $69. We called them "Google's best earbuds yet," thanks to the solid ANC performance, punchy bass and reliable touch controls.

Finally, multiple Google Nest products are available at some of the lowest prices we've seen. You can grab the Google Nest Thermostat for $90, a savings of $40 (31 percent) off the regular price. The Google Nest Security Cam (wired) has been reduced by 30 percent to $70, and if it's a Google Nest Doorbell you're after, that item is on sale for $120, for a savings of $60 (33 percent). All of these will make great Christmas gifts, but it's best to act soon before the sale ends.

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

Anker makes some of the most desirable charging products out there, but the extra quality comes at a price. If you've been waiting for a sale, you can now grab a number of Anker chargers and other smartphone accessors at Amazon with discounts of up to 50 percent. Some of the key items include the Anker 735 Charger GaNPrime 65W ($40 or 33 percent off), the Anker 622 Magnetic Battery ($40 or 43 percent off) and the 347 Power Bank, priced at $60 instead of the usual $100. 

The Anker 622 Magnetic Battery (MagGo) snaps right on to your iPhone 12/13/14, boosting range by a 5,000mAh. It's relatively thin at 12.8mm, attaches using a super-strong magnet and charges either wirelessly or via the USB-C port and included cable. It also doubles as a kickstand, letting you prop up your phone for video chats, movie watching and more. It's normally priced at $70, but you can now grab one for $40 for a savings of $30 (43 percent).

Meanwhile, Anker's 735 GaNPrime charger offers an impressive 65W of charging power in a small size, thanks to the GaN technology. That lets you charge a single device quickly or up to three at a time via the two USB-C and one USB-A ports. Normally priced at $60, you can pick it up now for $40 ($20 off).

And if you need portable power for up to four devices, the 347 Power Bank delivers 40,000 mAh with USB-C high-speed charging for MacBooks, iPhones or Android smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and more. You can connect devices via the two USB-C and two USB-A ports to ensure they stay charged on the go. It's on sale for $60 right now, saving your 40 percent off the full price. 

Finally, Anker's USB-C to Lightning cable is available in a two-pack for $19.19, or 36 percent off the regular $30 price. That gets you two six-foot cables compatible with USB-C chargers up to 87 watts. They also allow you to connect your iPhone to a Mac for seamless sync and charging. Plenty of other Anker devices or on sale too, including a charging dock for Meta's Quest 2, magnetic desktop charging stations and more.

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

Juul has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits – including 8,500 personal injury cases. If you think that’s a huge amount for a relatively young company, it’s got substantial financial backing: Marlboro owner, Altria, invested $12.8 billion in Juul back in 2018.

In 2018, Juul was the leader in the US e-cigarette market, but after a string of controversies, it slipped to second place behind Vuse. The US Food and Drug Administration ordered e-cigarette brands to stop selling flavored pods if they can't prove they can keep them out of minors' hands, and it attempted to ban the sale of Juul items.

Still, California sued Juul in 2019, accusing the company of targeting minors in the state, failing to verify the age of its customers and failing to warn users of their exposure to chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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NASA’s Artemis 1 Moon mission has returned to Earth

The Orion crew vehicle landed in the Pacific Ocean.

NASA's Artemis 1 mission has returned to Earth following a successful trip around the Moon. On Saturday, at approximately 12:40 PM ET, the uncrewed Orion vessel landed off the coast of Baja, California. Its almost 26-day journey included a new spaceflight record and some stunning photos of Earth's natural satellite.

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A new self-driving tractor prototype has an electric motor

Another tractor can run on manure gases.

CNH

CNH Industrial has unveiled what it says is the "first" electric light tractor prototype with self-driving features. The machine promises zero emissions, quieter operation than diesel models and, according to CNH, lower running costs. Sensors and cameras on the roof help the vehicle complete tasks, dodge obstacles and work in harmony with other equipment. You can even activate it from your phone.

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Engadget Podcast: AI chat and avatars dominated our socials this week

Plus: This year in drones and action cams.

This week, many of us saw our social media feeds taken over by colorful, surreal pictures of people we follow, except they don’t quite look like themselves. Lensa AI generated the imagesI, the latest in what feels like a now-annual trend to use a new app to create mockups of your face in various scenarios. This week’s Engadget Podcast discusses the fascination with them, and Engadget Editor-at-Large James Trew joins the team for a check-in on the state of action cameras.

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Chevy's first hybrid Corvette leaks ahead of summer 2023 arrival

The E-Ray could pair a V8 with an electric motor to offer all-wheel drive.

Chevy

Fans on CorvetteBlogger and Corvette Forum discovered GM briefly made the 2024 Corvette E-Ray hybrid available through Chevy's online visualizer tool. The design combines the wide body of the C8 Z06 with the regular model's exhaust pipes. There are some new colors (Cacti green, anyone?) and model-specific wheels. The biggest changes, as you might guess, are in the engine. Images of the engine bay suggest the E-Ray will use the regular C8 Corvette's LT2 V8 engine. The absence of a charging port suggests this is a conventional hybrid rather than a plug-in.

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Just three months after announcing a partnership with Mercedes to manufacture commercial electric vans in Europe, Rivian now says its pausing those plans to concentrate on its own business. "At this point in time, we believe focusing on our consumer business, as well as our existing commercial business, represent the most attractive near-term opportunities to maximize value for Rivian," it said in a press release. 

The company said it will "no longer pursue the memorandum of understanding with Mercedes-Benz," but the parting appears to be amicable and potentially not permanent. "Exploring strategic opportunities with the team at Rivian in the future remains an option, as we share the same strategic ambition: accelerating the EV adoption with benchmark products for our customers," Mercedes-Benz's head of vans Mathias Geisen said in a statement. It added that Rivian's decision wouldn't change its commercial electrification strategy.

Rivian has seen some setbacks in the past year. Despite being one of the best of funded EV startups, the company announced last summer that it would lay off six percent of its workforce in an effort to cut costs. Earlier, it revealed that it would hike prices on vehicles already on pre-order, before backing off and applying the increases only to future orders. On the plus side, its R1S SUV and R1T pickup EVs have generally received good reviews.

Other EV startups have also run into problems this year due to inflation, higher interest rates and other issues. Arrival, for one, was forced to put its electric bus and car projects on hold due to struggles with cash. And Faraday Future delayed the launch of its first EV, the FF91, also over cash flow issues. 

Xiaomi's 13 series flagship smartphones are here, and as usual, they're loaded with the latest technology and features. With the 13 and 13 Pro, Xiaomi is the second manufacturer to use Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, following Vivo with the X90 Pro and IQOO 11 series. They also have new camera modules with improved image quality, ultra-fast charging and more. 

As with the previous models, the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro have separate designs. The 13 Pro uses a wrap-around 6.73-inch 2K+ AMOLED screen (3,200 x 1,400) with vegan leather or ceramic back versions. Meanwhile, the 13 has a flat 6.36-inch 2,400 x 1,080 AMOLED display, iPhone-like aluminum sides and either glass or leather back options. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform offers hardware accelerated ray-tracing and improved gaming performance, so both phones have 120Hz displays to keep up.

Xiaomi

The Xiaomi 13 Pro has top-flight camera specs, too. It packs a 50-megapixel (MP) f/1.9 main camera with a Type 1-inch sensor (like other Type 1-inch sensors it's really only 8.8 x 13.2mm, but still significantly larger than on most smartphones). It also includes a 50MP 3.2 zoom camera (75mm equivalent) with optical image stabilization (OIS) and a floating lens, as pictured above. Finally, it has a 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera (14mm equivalent), and 32MP punch-hole selfie cam. 

The Xiaomi 13 (below), meanwhile, has the same selfie camera, a 50MP f/1.8 OIS main camera with a smaller sensor, a 10MP 3.2x zoom OIS zoom camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide (15mm equivalent) camera.

Xiaomi

The 13 Pro offers impressive 120W charging (more than many laptops), bringing the 4,820mAh battery from zero to a 100 percent charge in just 19 minutes. That's fast, but still significantly slower than Redmi's Note 12 Discovery Edition. Wireless charging happens at "just" 50 watts, or 36 minutes to a full charge. The Xiaomi 13, has a slightly smaller 4,500 mAh battery and is limited to 67W wired charging (38 minutes to 100 percent) and 50W wireless charging (48 minutes to a full charge). 

Other features include LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage on both models (8GB and 128GB up to 12GB and 512GB on both models), Dolby Atmos on the Pro model and Leica camera tech. For the latter, Xiaomi and Leica built a color model based on 4,700 scenes, presumably allowing for improved accuracy. Prices start at 4,999 yuan ($720) for the Xiaomi 13 Pro and 3,999 yuan ($570) for the Xiaomi 13. Those are seriously good prices for such high spec phones, but as usual, you likely won't be able to buy them in North America. 

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