There are tons of smart locks on the market now, but one of our favorites remains August's 4th-gen WiFi smart lock. Normally priced at $230, the IoT gadget is on sale for $150 for Prime Day. That's $80 off and the best price we've seen it. There's also a bundle with the lock and its keypad on sale for 30 percent off, for a total of $189.
The smart lock earned a score of 80 from us when we reviewed it in 2020. August improved upon the previous version by making this model slimmer and WiFi-connected, which means you don't need a bridge to use it in your home. Setup is pretty easy as the lock fits over most existing deadbolts, but be sure to check out the company's support page to make sure it'll work with your lock. We also like that the setup process forces you to turn on two-factor authentication, adding a much-needed extra layer of security. This version of the smart lock also supports Bluetooth encryption along with AES 128-bit and TLS encryption.
The whole point of a smart lock is to be able to control entry into your home when you're not around. August's device lets you remotely lock or unlock your door using the companion smartphone app, allowing you to let friends and family members into your home even when you're not around. You can also send them limited-time entry keys so they can get in on their own. We appreciate the device's Auto-Lock feature, too, which automatically secures the door when the device detects that it's been shut. And you don't have to worry if you're not ready to part with your old-school, physical keys — they'll still work even with the August smart lock installed, so you always have another way to get into your home.
In addition to e-readers, cameras and smartwatches, you can also get streaming devices at a huge discount this Prime Day. NVIDIA's Shield streamers, for instance, are currently listed for the lowest prices we've seen for them on the website. You can get the base NVIDIA Shield TV streaming media player for $125, or $25 less than its original retail price. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro will now only set you back $170, which gives it a discount of $30 and is $9 lower than its previous all-time low.
Both devices are powered by Android TV and come with built-in Google Assistant, allowing you to control them with voice commands through a Google Home speaker. That said, they're also compatible with Alexa and work with Amazon's Echo speakers. In addition, they're bundled with remote controls that enable voice search and have motion-activated, backlit buttons. The NVIDIA Tegra X1+ devices also support 4K HDR Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos audio and Chromecast streaming, making it easy to cast videos and other content from your mobile device to your TV. If you have a GeForce Now account, you can turn the Shield TVs into gaming rigs to stream games from the cloud service, as well.
At the moment, the latest Apple TV 4K is also being sold at an all-time low of $109 for Prime Day, which could make it a more enticing option than these two. However, the Shield TV Pro has something to offer that the Apple TV doesn't have: You can set it up as a Plex server, so you can create your own home streaming service for your personal video, movie, show and photo collection.
While Prime Day deals have discounted most of Amazon's gadgets, one of the most affordable you can get is the Echo Dot. The company has knocked 60 percent off the small smart speaker, bringing it down to a new record low of $20. The Echo Dot with Clock is also cheaper than ever right now at only $33, while the full-sized Echo speaker has dropped to $60.
We've recommended the Echo Dot in many gift guides because it combines Alexa chops with decent audio quality in an attractive, compact package. The fabric-covered orb is small enough to fit on a nightstand easily and we like that you can control it via Alexa commands or the few touch options on the device itself. In addition to supporting numerous music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and others, the Dot works as a Bluetooth speaker, too, if you prefer to connect to it that way. Its 1.6-inch front-firing speaker sounds pretty good considering the device's overall size, and it pumps out sound with decent bass and clarity.
The Dot can also work as an alarm clock, and you can snooze your alarm with just a tap to the top of the device. If you spring for the Clock version, you'll be able to glance at the device's LED display to see the time. And if you ask Alexa to tell you about the weather, the display will briefly show you the current temperature.
The Echo Dot is best for those that don't have a ton of space to work with but want a capable Alexa gadget in their homes. But if you have a bit more space and are willing to spend more, the regular Echo speaker is a good upgrade. We gave it a score of 89 when it first came out thanks to its solid Alexa capabilities, great sound quality and the ability to pair two of them together for stereo audio. We also appreciate that the larger Echo has a similar orb-like design, plus light indicators on the bottom to show things like volume adjustments.
Apple is trying to reshape the way people work on Macs. Stage Manager in macOS Ventura might seem like a quick visual way to swap between your recently used applications, but according to Devindra Hardawar, who’s been testing the first Ventura public beta over the past week, Apple may have solved the window management issues that have plagued Macs since OS X.
I’m particularly intrigued by Stage Manager’s ability to group apps together and, crucially, remember exactly where you position your windows. I’m sure Windows users are rolling their eyes as they read this.
And if you’re intrigued, Apple's iOS 16, macOS Ventura and watchOS 9 public betas are ready to download. The usual warning applies with OS betas: There may be some bugs Apple hasn't detected and resolved. Be sure to back up your data before installing, please! And let us know how you fare.
Nothing has helped WhatsApp feel more contemporary than emoji reactions to messages, ensuring your group chats don’t descend into barrages of heart or crying-laughing icons. Now, the messaging app is boosting that number to the entire emoji lexicon, an increase from six to 3,500.
Amazon's free Prime Gaming downloads for Prime Day include BioWare's Mass Effect Legendary Edition. The compilation bundles all the single-player base games of the original Mass Effect trilogy, remastered with improved 4K graphics and adjusted gameplay. It also comes with over 40 items of downloadable content, including some pretty substantial DLC story campaigns. Amazon’s barrage of free games also includes Need for Speed Heat, and threeStar Wars games, namely Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy,Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Republic Commando.
The tool could one day allow editors to correct footnotes at scale.
Meta has developed an AI model to automatically scan Wikipedia citations at scale to verify their accuracy. It can also suggest alternative citations when it finds a poorly sourced passage. When Wikipedia's human editors evaluate citations, they rely on common sense and experience. When an AI does the same work, it uses a Natural Language Understanding (NLU) transformation model that attempts to understand the various relationships of words and phrases in a sentence. Hopefully, such AI tools will help avoid problems like when a US teen wrote 27,000 Wikipedia entries in a language they didn’t speak.
Whether you’re heading to a physical campus, taking classes online or a mix of both, a laptop is sure to be the control center for your studies. Getting a new machine can help you stay on top of your schedule and handle your furious multitasking with dozens of tabs devoted to research while you write your essays.
Given we’re still dealing with ongoing inflation and the global chip supply shortage, you might be concerned about rising prices or what might be in stock. The good news is companies are still making a ton of new laptops, and there are plenty of models for you to consider. We compiled this guide to help you make the right choice, alongside a list of this year’s best laptops.
Amazon Prime Day is officially here and a number of our favorite gadgets are on sale. If you're a Prime member, you can save hundreds on devices from Sony, Razer, Samsung and others over the next 48-hours, plus Amazon has discounted most of its own devices, too. Prime Day can be somewhat tricky — yes, there are thousands of deals, especially across the consumer electronics category, but a good portion of them are not worth your time. We've collected the best tech deals for Prime Day 2022 here so you don't have to go searching for them.
Sony WH-1000XM4
Engadget
Sony's excellent WH-1000XM4 headphones are down to a new low of $228 right now. We gave these cans a score of 94 for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.
The AirPods Pro with the MagSafe case have been discounted to $170. These remain Apple's best sounding earbuds, and we liked them for their solid sound, powerful ANC and hands-free Siri capabilities.
The original AirPods are down to $90. While they're a bit outdated at this point, these are still decent earbuds that we liked for their improved wireless performance and good battery life.
The latest Apple Watch Series 7 has dropped to $279, which is a new all-time low. That's the starting price on the GPS-only models, but you can pick up a GPS + Cellular model for as low as $379, too. It's the most comprehensive wearable Apple makes and it earned a score of 90 from us for its larger screen, faster charging and handy features in watchOS 8.
The latest Apple TV 4K has dropped to $110. While on the expensive side, it's a set-top box that Apple lovers will appreciate. We gave it a score of 90 for its speedy performance, Dolby Vision and Atmos support and much improved Siri remote.
Amazon's standard Kindle has dropped to $45, which is half off its normal price. We gave this e-reader a score of 91 for its improved contrast display, extra front lights and sleeker design.
The Kindle Paperwhite is on sale for $95, which is a new record low for the e-reader. The updated model has 17 front lights, a sleeker design, an adjustable warm light, weeks of battery life and Audible support.
The Echo Dot is on sale for $20 while the Echo Dot with Clock is down to $33. We like these tiny smart speakers for their good audio quality, compact design and tap-to-snooze feature.
The Echo Show 5 has dropped to $35, or $50 off its usual price. If you want a smart alarm clock, this is the smart display to get. We like its sharp 5-inch display, ambient light sensor, smart home controls and tap-to-snooze feature.
The Echo Show 8 smart display is on sale for a record-low price of $75. It earned a score of 87 from us for its attractive design, stellar audio quality and improved camera for video calls. The first-generation Show 8 is also on sale and you can get a bundle with it and a Blink Mini camera for only $65.
The Fire HD 10 has dropped to only $75 for Prime Day. It's the Fire tablet to get if you want the best performance possible. We like its 1080p display, 12-hour battery life and its Show Mode feature.
You can pick up Amazon's most affordable streamer, the Fire TV Stick Lite, for only $12 right now. It supports 1080p streaming and gives you access to some of the most popular services like Netlfix and Disney+.
The higher-end Fire TV Stick 4K Max has dropped to $35, which is $20 less than usual. On top of all of the features in the standard Fire TV Stick 4K, the Max version also supports WiFi 6 and live picture-in-picture viewing.
Elgato's Stream Deck is down to $110 for Prime Day, or $40 off its normal price. This is a handy accessory to have for game streamer because you can customize its 15 LCD keys to do things like open apps, switch scenes, adjust audio and more.
LG's 65-inch B1 OLED TV is 30 percent off for Prime Day and down to $1,500. This 2021 version runs on LG's a7 Gen 4 AI Processor 4K, works with G-Sync and FreeSync technologies and has Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support built in.
A combo pack that includes the DJI Mini 2 drone plus a bunch of accessories has dropped to $479 for Prime Day. While DJI is on the Mini 3 at this point, this pack is a good option if you want all of the extra things you could ever need for your drone.
August's 4th-gen WiFi smart lock is down to a new low of $150 right now, or nearly $100 off its usual price. We gave it a score of 80 when it first came out thanks to its minimalist design, easy installation and mandatory two-factor authentication setup.
Crucial's MX500 in 1TB is on sale for $85, or 15 percent off its usual price. It’s a good option if you need a standard 2.5-inch drive that works with both laptops and desktops. It also has AES-256 bit hardware encryption and integrated power loss immunity to protect your data.
All of Samsung's Galaxy S22 smartphones are cheaper than usual for Prime Day. The biggest deal among them is on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is down to a new low of $840. The Galaxy S22+ and the standard S22 are on sale for $700 and $600, respectively. We consider these to be some of the best Android phones you can get right now, so they're worth snatching up while they're deeply discounted.
Ninja's dual-zone air fryer has dropped to $160, which is 30 percent off its usual price. It earned a spot in our best air fryers guide for its large capacity, quick heat-up time and Smart Finish feature, which lets you prepare two different things at once and have them finish cooking at the same time.
A two-pack of Thermacell E-Series repellers is $20 off and down to $60. It gives you a 20-foot zone of mosquito protection and each of them can last for 5.5 hours before they need recharging.
iRobot's Roomba i7+ is half off and down to $500 for Prime Day. This is slightly less advanced than the s9+, which is our current favorite premium robo-vac, but it remains one of the most powerful Roombas you can get. It also comes with a clean base, so the robot vacuum will empty its dustbin into the base automatically after each job.
Shark's AI robot vacuum is down to only $380 right now, which is 42 percent less than usual. Shark robo-vacs are generally good picks thanks to their solid cleaning power and easy to use mobile app. This one also comes with a clean base, so you don't have to empty the robot's debris bin after each job — it handles that on its own.
Samsung's new T7 Shield portable SSDs have been discounted for Prime Day. You can pick up the 1TB model for $100 or the 2TB model for $200 — both new all-time-low prices. Samsung just came out with these drives back in April, and they're designed to be more durable versions of the standard T7 series with extra drop protection and an IP65-rated design.
Tile trackers are up to 30 percent off for Prime Day and you have a few different designs to choose from. The standard Tile Mate is down to $18, the Tile Slim is on sale for $24 and the Tile Sticker is down to $21. These Bluetooth chips help you keep track of your things digitally and they can lead you to your lost items by emitting a chime.
The Beats Fit Pro are 20 percent off and down to $160. We gave them a score of 87 for their comfortable, water-resistant design, good sound quality and ANC and long battery life.
Sony's affordable WH-CH710N wireless headphones have dropped to a new low of $68 for Prime Day. These are a great option if you want deep, punchy bass, solid ANC and 35-hour battery life all in a budget-friendly package.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 has dropped to $150 for Prime Day, or 40 percent off its usual price. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for Android users right now, and we gave it a score of 85 for its comprehensive health tracking, bright screen and improved third-party app support.
Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 have dropped to $100, or 33 percent less than usual. These much-improved earbuds impressed us with their better audio quality, adjustable ambient sound mode and tiny, comfortable design.
Samsung's high-end Galaxy Buds Pro are on sale for $120, which is 40 percent off their normal price. They earned a score of 85 from us for their comfortable fit, wireless charging and good sound quality.
Jabra's Elite 85t earbuds are on sale for $120, or a whopping 48 percent off their normal price. We like these true wireless earbuds for their strong ANC, comfortable size and wireless charging case.
Jabra's excellent Elite 3 earbuds have dropped to $50, or $30 off their normal rate. These already affordable buds earned a score of 88 from us for their impressive sound quality, good battery life, reliable touch controls and comfortable fit.
The Roku Streambar is down to $90 right now. It's a compact soundbar that will upgrade any living room relying on an old TV with weak audio. We gave it a score of 86 for its solid audio quality, Dolby Audio support and built-in 4K streaming technology. The more advanced Streambar Pro is on sale for $150, too.
Samsung's latest smartphones are some of the best Android devices you can get, and they've been made even better thanks to Prime Day deals. The entire Galaxy S22 lineup has never been cheaper — right now, you can get the Galaxy S22 Ultra for $840, or 30 percent off its normal price. Also, the Galaxy S22+ and the standard S22 are down to $700 and $600, respectively. Those are all the starting prices for the models with the base amount of storage, but you'll find discounts on all versions, including those with higher amounts of storage.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has dropped below $1,000 before, but this is the best price we've seen on the flagship. If you want all of the latest features a Samsung phone has to offer, this is the handset to get. The S22 Ultra runs on Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, 12GB of RAM and at least 128GB of storage. Its rear camera setup includes a 108-megapixel main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide shooter and two 10MP telephoto lenses, which work together to take excellent shots. The phone's overall performance is top-notch, and we appreciated Samsung's new photography features like Adaptive Pixel, better auto-framing and improved video stabilization.
Samsung married its S- and Note-families to create the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It has a 6.8-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,750 nits, plus a built-in S Pen. The display is big and bold and we like the fact that Note lovers have not been forgotten. You can use the S Pen to take notes and doodle on the screen with more precision and less latency than ever before.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is arguably the best phone Samsung makes at the moment, and there isn't much we found to complain about. It has a slightly lackluster battery life, but it's not so short as to take away from all of the other great things about the handset. But if you're looking to spend a bit less without sacrificing too much when it comes to quality, the S22+ or the S22 are both great choices. Each of them earned a score of 87 from us for their slick designs, lovely displays and solid performance. With the S22+, you'll get a few extra perks not found on the standard S22, namely a longer battery life, UWB and WiFi 6E support, plus fast WiFi speeds overall.
The Apple TV 4K has seen its second price drop in as many days and the 32GB model is now available on Amazon Prime Day for $109, the lowest price we've seen yet. That's a steal for Apple's premium streaming device that offers features like 4K Dolby Vision movies, 120Hz gaming, the Siri Remote and more. And if you need more storage, the 64GB model is also on sale $129, a generous discount of $70.
As I just said (checks calendar) yesterday, the latest Apple TV 4K model garnered a 90 score in our Engadget review. That's thanks to the extra refinement, updated Siri Remote and a more powerful A12 Bionic chip that delivers HDR video at up to 60 fps, while also offering improved gaming performance.
It's certainly true that you could do much the same with, say, a $40 Roku stick with the Apple TV app. However, Apple's own device has a nicer interface, better remote and superior experience for folks in the Apple ecosystem. Siri in particular handles voice commands very well, and the remote feels nice in hand.
You can use AirPlay to share video, photos and more from your other Apple devices to your TV. There's the option to see a live feed of HomeKit-enabled cameras and to control smart home devices through Apple TV 4K, and, if you have the relevant subscription, an ever-growing library of games available through Apple Arcade.
Naturally, it also supports all manner of streaming content including Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon prime Video, Disney+, Hulu and of course, Apple TV+. The biggest drawback is the price, but a $70 discount on both the 32GB and 64GB models is a perfect balm for that pain point. As usual with Amazon Prime deals, it's best to act soon as deals like this get snapped up right quick.
Sony's WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones have been some of our favorites since they first came out in 2020. While the company has since moved on to the XM5, which build upon the solid foundation of the XM4, the 2020 version remains a great options for those who prefer over-ear headphones and want strong ANC in a comfortable package. Thanks to Amazon Prime Day deals, you can pick up the WH-1000XM4 for only $228, which is a new record-low price and $120 off their usual rate. Those who like wireless earbuds more can also snag the WF-1000XM4 buds for only $198 right now, too.
We gave the WH-1000XM4 a score of 94 when they first came out. We liked their comfortable design with padded earcups and headband, and the new matte finish they have. You'll be able to wear them for hours on end, and their battery life will support that, too. The XM4 should last up to 30 hours on a single charge, so you could wear them a few hours a day for more than a week before they'll need more juice.
These headphones also excel when it comes to sound quality and ANC. Audio is immersive with excellent clarity and detail, plus these cans support Sony's 360 Reality Audio as well. ANC is strong and adjustable via the companion app, and you can even turn on a feature that will automatically change the ANC levels depending on your location.
Sony added a few new features when it debuted the XM4, namely multi-device connectivity and Speak to Chat. The former lets you connect to two devices at once, switching between them as needed. This feature works quite well as you can seamlessly go from listening to music on your laptop to taking a call on your smartphone. Speak to Chat, when enabled in the mobile app, will automatically pause audio when the headphones' mics sense that you're speaking.
We should note that Sony's new XM5 did dethrone the XM4 as our current favorite pair of wireless headphones. The $398 cans have all of the same features as the XM4, but they have a more refined design, additional mics and even better sound quality and ANC. But those upgrades do come at a hefty price, so if you're willing to skip them, you can get an excellent pair of cans for much less right now.
As for the WF-1000XM4, they are the true wireless earbud equivalents to Sony's over-ear headphones. You'll get a lot of the same features on these buds too, including 360 Reality Audio support, solid ANC, great sound quality and a formidable battery life.
Amazon Prime Day is officially here and a number of our favorite gadgets are on sale. If you're a Prime member, you can save hundreds on devices from Sony, Razer, Apple and others over the next 48-hours, plus Amazon has discounted most of its own devices, too. Prime Day deals can hard to navigate, and a good portion of them are not worth your time. That's why we've collected the best tech deals for Prime Day 2022 here so you don't have to go wadding through the bad ones.
Sony WH-1000XM4
Engadget
Sony's excellent WH-1000XM4 headphones are down to £209 right now. We gave these cans a score of 94 for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.
The latest Apple Watch Series 7 has dropped to £298, which matches its all-time low price. That's the starting price on the GPS-only models, but you can pick up a GPS + Cellular model for as low as £379, too. It's the most comprehensive wearable Apple makes and it earned a score of 90 from us for its larger screen, faster charging and handy features in watchOS 8.
Amazon's standard Kindle has fallen to just £35, which is half off its normal price. We gave this e-reader a score of 91 for its improved contrast display, extra front lights and sleeker design.
The Kindle Paperwhite is on sale in the UK for £85, which is a new low for the Amazon e-reader. The updated model has 17 front lights, a sleeker design, an adjustable warm light, weeks of battery life and Audible support.
The Echo Dot is on sale for £20 while the Echo Dot with Clock is down to £30. We like these tiny smart speakers for their good audio quality, compact design and tap-to-snooze feature.
The Echo Show 5 has fallen to £35, or £40 off its usual price. If you want a smart alarm clock, this is the smart display to get. We like its sharp 5-inch display, ambient light sensor, smart home controls and tap-to-snooze feature.
The Echo Show 8 smart display is back on sale at a record-low price of £80. It earned a score of 87 from us for its attractive design, excellent audio quality and improved camera for video calls.
The Fire HD 10 has dropped to £80 for Prime Day. It's the Fire tablet to get if you want the best performance possible. We like its 1080p display, 12-hour battery life and its Show Mode feature.
You can pick up Amazon's most affordable streamer, the Fire TV Stick Lite, for only £13 right now. It supports 1080p streaming and gives you access to some of the most popular services like Netlfix and Disney+.
The higher-end Fire TV Stick 4K Max has dropped to £33, which is £22 less than usual. On top of all of the features in the standard Fire TV Stick 4K, the Max version also supports WiFi 6 and live picture-in-picture viewing.
Razer Book 13 is Razer's take on a professional laptop, with a 16:10 display and Intel Evo certification, it's focused more on productivity than gaming, though Intel's XE graphics can keep up with some casual gaming. As you'd expect from an Evo laptop, its battery life is strong, and it should get you through a whole day of web browsing or light work. This one is pink with an 11th-gen Intel i7 processor, 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM, and is £500 cheaper than it's ever been on Amazon.
Prime Day always provides an opportunity to grab some PC accessories for much less than you normally would. Logitech is one such company offering solid discounts across the board, including its best keyboard, the G915 Lightspeed, which at just £100 is a full £110 (or 52 percent) lower than its usual price.
If you need a mouse to go with that, you can't go wrong with the Logitech G Pro Wireless mouse, which is 58 percent off at £55. Enjoying a similar discount is Logitech's powerful StreamCam, providing Full HD capture at 60 FPS, facial tracking and auto-focus.
A combo pack that includes the DJI Mini 2 drone plus a bunch of accessories has dropped to £449 for Prime Day. While DJI is on the Mini 3 at this point, this pack is a good option if you want all of the extra things you could ever need for your drone.
Ninja's dual-zone air fryer has dropped to £180, which is 28 percent off its usual price. It earned a spot in our best air fryers guide for its large capacity, quick heat-up time and Smart Finish feature, which lets you prepare two different things at once and have them finish cooking at the same time.
iRobot's Roomba i7+ is 28 percent off and down to £579 for Prime Day. This is slightly less advanced than the s9+, which is our current favorite premium robo-vac, but it remains one of the most powerful Roombas you can get. It also comes with a clean base, so the robot vacuum will empty its dustbin into the base automatically after each job.
Tile trackers are up to 30 percent off for Prime Day and you have a few different designs to choose from. The standard Tile Mate is down to £13, while the Tile Starter Pack is now just £31.50. These Bluetooth chips help you keep track of your things digitally and they can lead you to your lost items by emitting a chime.
Sony's more affordable WH-XB910N wireless headphones have dropped to a new low of £114 for Prime Day. These are a great option if you want deep, punchy bass, solid ANC and 30-hour battery life all in a budget-friendly package.
Jabra's Elite 85t earbuds are on sale for £119, or a whopping 46 percent off their normal price. We like these true wireless earbuds for their strong ANC, comfortable size and wireless charging case.
Jabra's excellent Elite 3 earbuds have dropped to £50, or £30 off their normal rate. These already affordable buds earned a score of 88 from us for their impressive sound quality, good battery life, reliable touch controls and comfortable fit.
The Roku Express 4K is just £20 right now, down from £39. It's powerful Ultra HD streaming box that will upgrade any living room that offers access to nearly all of the major streaming services.
