ArduinoMania

Shark makes some of the best robot vacuums around and you can currently save quite a bit on a self-emptying model. The device is 50 percent off as it has dropped to $300 at Amazon. That's the lowest price we've seen for it to date.

Robot vacuums are an excellent quality of life upgrade for many people compared with having to clean floors manually with a standard vacuum. Shark's RV1001AE model has several features that make it a strong option. It has a bagless, self-emptying base that Shark says can hold up to 45 days worth of muck. You won't need to buy disposal bags like you would with other models.

The vacuum is able to map out your home. You can schedule cleanings for your entire home or ask the robot to take care of a certain room or area immediately using the SharkClean app, Alexa or Google Assistant.

Shark says the vacuum has powerful suction as well as a self-cleaning brushroll that can pull debris and hair from carpets and hardwood floors. The Shark IQ Robot uses a row-by-row cleaning method. When it's done, it returns to its dock to recharge.

You knew it was just a matter of time before Polestar echoed Volvo's adoption of Tesla's charging technology. The EV-oriented brand has confirmed that it will use Tesla's NACS connector in North America. You'll see "convenient" CCS-to-NACS adapters for existing cars in mid-2024, and cars released in 2025 onward will have the standard built-in. An adapter will help those future models charge at CCS stations.

The news complicates the expansion of Polestar's lineup. The Polestar 3 SUV and Polestar 4 SUV coupe are expected in 2024, while the Polestar 5 grand tourer and Polestar 6 roadster are coming later. In other words, some models will have as little as one year of CCS-native charging before moving to Tesla's port while others will ship with NACS from the outset. You may have to decide if it's worth dealing with an adapter just to get an EV as soon as it's available.

The reasoning behind the switch is the same as for Volvo: using NACS gives Polestar drivers access to Tesla's much larger (not to mention more reliable) Supercharger network in North America, with over 12,000 charge points available so far. This could "greatly increase" EV uptake in the area, Polestar chief Thomas Ingenlath argues. You could buy a Polestar 3 knowing you'd have enough charging stations to complete a long-distance trip.

Volvo and Polestar aren't alone. Ford, GM and Rivian have also committed to using Tesla's tech in North America, while Hyundai and Stellantis have said they're evaluating that move. For Polestar, however, the decision may be more symbolically significant than for other marques. It's considered one of the closest competitors to Tesla — the Polestar 2 is an obvious Model 3 alternative. This isn't an outright capitulation to Tesla, but it is an acknowledgment that access to the Supercharger network is a major advantage that sways customers.

After years of testing and delays, Virgin Galactic's first commercial spaceflight is finally taking off — today, if the company's plan goes as intended. Galactic 01 is scheduled to launch from the company's Spaceport America facility in New Mexico past 11AM Eastern time, and you can stream the event live on Virgin Galactic's website or through the video below.

The mission will carry a three-person crew from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of Italy to suborbital space aboard the VSS Unity. That's Virgin Galactic's second SpaceShipTwo space plane, which first reached space back in 2018. The flight will last for 90 minutes, during which the crew will conduct 13 scientific experiments. A particular experiment requires one of the passengers, Col. Walter Villadei, to wear a state-of-the-art smart suit to measure his physiological responses and biometric data in space. 

Virgin Galactic posted a net loss of $159.4 million for the quarter ending in March 31st this year, almost twice the loss it posted for the same period a year ago. Galactic 01's success will lead to more and frequent launches in the future, and that could eventually lead to profitability. If this mission goes off without a hitch, the company plans to launch Galactic 02 with a private crew in early August. After that, the company plans to launch suborbital flights on a monthly basis, charging passengers $450,000 a seat. 

A decent smartphone used to cost upwards of $500, but those days are thankfully over. Now it’s possible to find something that meets most of your needs for as little as $160. However, navigating the budget phone market can be tricky. Many options that look good on paper often aren’t great in use, and some handsets will end up costing you more when you consider many come with restrictive storage. This guide will help you find a bargain and highlight our top picks for the best cheap phones you can buy right now.

What to look for in a cheap phone

For this guide, our recommendations cost between $100 and $300. Anything less and you might as well go buy a dumb phone or high-end calculator instead. Since they’re meant to be more affordable than their flagship and midrange siblings, entry-level smartphones involve compromises; the cheaper a device, the lower your expectations around performance and experience should be. For that reason, the best advice I can give is to spend as much as you can afford. In this price range, even $50 or $100 more can get you a dramatically better product.

Second, you should know what you want most from a phone. When buying a budget device, you may need to sacrifice a decent camera for a long-lasting battery or trade a high-resolution display for a faster processor. That’s just what comes with the territory, but knowing your priorities will make it easier to find the right phone.

It’s also worth noting some features can be hard to find on cheap handsets. For instance, you won’t need to search far for a device with all-day battery life — but if you want a great camera, you’re better off shelling out for one of the recommendations in our midrange smartphone guide, which all come in at $600 or less. Wireless charging and waterproofing also aren’t easy to find in this price range and forget about a fast processor. On the bright side, all our recommendations come with headphone jacks, so you won’t need to get wireless headphones.

iOS is also off the table, since the most affordable handset Apple sells is the $400 iPhone SE. That leaves Android as the only option. Thankfully, in 2023, there’s little to complain about Google’s OS – and you may even prefer it to iOS. Lastly, keep in mind most Android manufacturers typically offer far less robust software support for their budget devices. In some cases, your new phone may only receive one major Android update and a year or two of security patches beyond that. That applies to the OnePlus and Motorola recommendations on our list. If you’d like to keep your phone for as long as possible, Samsung has the best software policy of any Android manufacturer in the budget space, offering four years of security updates on all of its devices.

The best budget phone: OnePlus Nord N30 5G

The recently announced $300 OnePlus Nord N30 5G offers the best value of any of the smartphones on our list. No other phone in the price bracket features a processor as fast as the N30’s Snapdragon 695 5G. Moreover, OnePlus has specced the N30 with a generous 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, meaning you probably won’t need to budget for a microSD card or cloud storage. It also comes with a 120Hz IPS display, a feature that’s great for both gaming and everyday use. Best of all, the N30 ships with a 50W power adapter that you can use to get a full day of battery life in 30 minutes. The N30 would be almost perfect if it had waterproofing and OnePlus had committed to pushing more than one major Android update to the phone.

Another great option: Samsung Galaxy A14 5G

Don’t let the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G’s modest price and uninspired design fool you — it has a lot to offer. For $200, you get a phone that is surprisingly fast and features a competent camera. Additionally, it has NFC connectivity for contactless payments, something you won’t find on a lot of phones in this price range. Battery life is also excellent, coming in at two days with moderate use. Plus, there’s that great software policy I mentioned above, with Samsung promising to support the A14 with two major Android updates and four years of security patches. The only thing missing from the A14 is waterproofing, so you may want to opt for something sturdier if you live by the beach or like to doomscroll in the tub.

An ultra-budget pick: Samsung Galaxy A03s

If you want to spend as little as possible but still want something from a reputable brand, the $160 Samsung Galaxy A03s is your best bet. Thanks to its MediaTek Helio P35 processor, the A03s performs better than you would expect. Unfortunately, the phone feels about as cheap as it costs and the camera isn’t much better. Oh, and did I mention the A03s ships with a measly 32GB of internal storage? In other words, be prepared to buy a microSD card to store all your photos and music. Thankfully, the A03s, like its more expensive sibling, will receive four years of security updates from Samsung. You won’t find that kind of software support on any other handset in the sub-$200 category.

Honorable mention: Motorola Moto G Stylus

The $200 Motorola Moto G Stylus offers something none of the other picks on this list do: a built-in stylus. If you love doodling and jotting down notes, then this is the cheap phone to buy. Thankfully, it has a few other things going for it too. The Moto G Stylus sports a big and responsive 6.5-inch display and a long-lasting 5,000mAh battery. Plus, it’s available in two lovely colors: midnight blue and glam pink.

As with other options in this price range, it would be nice if the Moto G Stylus came with a more capable camera, a fast charger and better protection against water. One word of advice: steer clear of Moto G Stylus 5G. It doesn’t offer enough of an upgrade to justify costing $400.

Apple's rumored Beats Studio Pro headphones may be more compelling than AirPods for some listeners. 9to5Macclaims to have leaked specs indicating the Studio Pro will be the first Beats earphones to support head-tracking spatial audio. Until now, only more recent AirPods (such as the AirPods Pro, AirPods Max and third-gen base model) offered the feature. If you like the thought of sounds seeming to have fixed positions, these new over-ears may be worth considering.

The Beats Studio Pro might also have an edge over the AirPods Max for some of the fundamentals. They'll reportedly last up to 24 hours with active noise cancellation enabled (40 without ANC) versus the 20 hours of the Max. You may also get both a 3.5mm jack and a USB-C port, and the 3.5mm cable could even be included in the box. On top of previously rumored personalized spatial audio, you'd get adaptive, environment-sensitive ANC and microphones that improve call quality versus the Studio 3 Wireless (pictured above).

The design is said to be similar to the Studio 3, but with improved ear cushions that promise better comfort and durability. Metal sliders may also deliver a more adjustable fit.

While the Studio Pro won't use Apple's self-branded chips, it will supposedly use a custom Beats chip that bolsters support for both Apple devices and Android. Both platforms will apparently support easy pairing, seamless device switching and lost-item tracking. Apple hardware may also support hands-free "hey Siri" voice commands.

Leaker Myke Hurley claims the Beats Studio Pro will arrive on July 19th, and 9to5 believes they'll match the $349 price of the Studio 3. If so, they could be a compelling option if you're looking for advanced Apple-made headphones but can't justify a $200 premium to get the design and sound characteristics of the AirPods Max.

Unless you count flip foldables, there aren't many options left when it comes to true compact smartphones these days, but somehow, ASUS has remained in this niche market. The freshly announced Zenfone 10 looks like a carbon copy of its predecessor, and even its 50-megapixel main camera has remained unchanged. Still, the company claims that this is now powered by a new version of 6-axis gimbal stabilization — a combination of hardware optical stabilization, upgraded electronic stabilization algorithm and fast auto-focus. This apparently lets you capture smoother videos and less blurry photos while on the move.

As you'd expect, the Zenfone 10 is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and now with faster LPDDR5X ROM of up to 16GB, along with faster UFS 4.0 storage option of up to 512GB — doubling that of the previous gen. While the battery remains at an impressive 4,300mAh, it is now supported by 15W wireless charging in addition to the original 30W wired charging. This does mean a gentle bump in thickness — from the old 9.1mm to 9.4mm, but the footprint remains at 146.5 x 68.1mm. The AMOLED display is again specced at 5.9 inches with a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution, though its top refresh rate has been boosted from 120Hz to 144Hz for slicker gaming.

ASUS

The ultra-wide camera has been swapped out with a 13-megapixel sensor, along with a bump in field of view — from 113 degrees to 120 degrees. The old 12-megapixel front punch-hole camera now uses a 32-megapixel RGBW sensor instead, and this apparently gives an 8-megapixel output with vastly improved low light selfies, thanks to the extra white sub-pixels on the sensor.

Like before, you still get stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack, along with dual microphones with support for Nokia's OZO Audio spatial capture and wind noise reduction. Other familiar goodies include the ZenTouch customizable unlock button (namely for toggling the camera or scrolling in a browser), NFC and IP68 ruggedness for resistance against dust and liquids.

ASUS has extended its "Connex" modular case system to the Zenfone 10, which lets you snap either a kickstand or a silicone cardholder into the grid of holes on the back of the case. You can even assign an app — YouTube, by default — to auto-launch whenever the kickstand is flipped out. If you'd rather go with thicker cases, ASUS has also partnered with Rhinoshield and DevilCase for some more rugged options.

ASUS

The Zenfone 10 will be available for pre-order in Europe from June 29, starting from €799 (about $870), with color options including "Aurora Green," "Midnight Black," "Comet White," "Eclipse Red" and "Starry Blue." As before, US availability to follow later, so stay tuned.

Meta's Oversight Board has called for a six month ban on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's Facebook and Instagram accounts for inciting violence, it wrote in a news release. It's the second time in the last week that the Board has reversed a high profile Meta review, after a Brazilian user posted a video asking followers to "besiege" government. However, it's the first time the Oversight Board has asked for a head of state to be banned, a decision that may have ramifications for future policy decisions. 

Hun Sen, who has led Cambodia since 1985, is facing an election this month. Earlier in the year, he posted a video of a speech telling political opponents he'd "gather CPP (Cambodia People's Party) people to protest and beat you up." Following several user reports and appeals, Meta policy and subject matter experts recommended leaving the post up based on newsworthiness, even though it violated the company's community standards for violence and incitement. 

"Given the severity of the violation, Hun Sen’s history of committing human rights violations and intimidating political opponents, as well as his strategic use of social media to amplify such threats, the Board calls on Meta to immediately suspend Hun Sen’s Facebook page and Instagram account for six months," it wrote. The suspension is non-binding, but Meta must take down the contested video within 60 days. 

In explaining the decision, the Board said that the "harm caused by allowing the content on the platform outweighs the post's public interest value," particularly given the prime minister's reach on social media. The original moderation decision, it added, "results in Meta's platforms contributing to these harms by amplifying the threats and resulting intimidation." 

Such behavior should not be rewarded. Meta should more heavily weigh press freedom when considering newsworthiness so that the allowance is not applied to government speech in situations where that government has made its own content more newsworthy by limiting free press.

On top of Hun Sen's ban, the Board advised Meta to make clear that its moderation policies are not restricted to single incidents of civil unrest or violence. It also recommended removing the newsworthiness allowance policy in cases involving incitement of violence, and prioritize reviews involving heads of state and senior members of government. Finally, it asked Meta to reveal the reasoning behind its decision for Hun Sen "and in all account-level actions against heads of state and senior members of government." 

The Board's review could set a bar for moderation of other authoritarian leaders in Asia, Human Rights Watch director Phil Robertson told The Post, while calling the takedown request of Hun Sen "long overdue." Facebook famously banned former US president Donald Trump from the platform (and restored his account earlier this year), but has caved to censorship demands in nations including Vietnam. Twitter owner Elon Musk recently justified censorship in Turkey ahead of an election, saying the company has "no actual choice" but to comply with such requests.

The Cambodian government hasn't responded yet to the board's decision, but previously said that the remarks were "only a confirmation of the legal process" in the nation. Hun Sen, who has 14 million Facebook followers, said today that he would halt any active posting on Facebook and use Telegram instead. 

Video games have been competitive for as long as people could land their three-character initials on a digital scoreboard. The fighting game genre got its start in the 1970s, but it was when Street Fighter 2 hit the arcades in the '90s that the genre would ascend to a whole new level. Since then, many groundbreaking series have graced the genre, such as Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Super Smash Bros. and much more. 

While fighting games may never have the same mass-market appeal they did in the '90s, 2023 is proving to be a mini-rennaisance for the genre. We've already had Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat 1 is arriving this fall, and there's Tekken 8 still to come. That's without mentioning the upcoming reboot of Dead or Alive or Riot Games' League of Legends spin-off Project L. It's a good time to be a fighting game fan — watch the video below for the full story.

• Read more about Samsung Lays Out Roadmap Of Expanding Chip Manufacturing Business To Defeat TSMC
• Log in or register to post comments

With Google Glass, the company was the major player to push augmented reality wearables into the world. After shelving that early hardware, the company moved onto new internal projects, including Iris AR glasses. These were supposed to look like a pair of ordinary glasses, with early versions reportedly resembling a product called "Focals" by North, a Canadian startup that Google acquired in 2020. Google even demoed a newer version in a video showing a real-time AR translation feature.

The company has now reportedly shelved Iris following waves of layoffs and company reshuffles. Another event that factored into Google's decision was the departure of Clay Bavor, the company's former chief of augmented and virtual reality. Now, instead of building its own hardware, Google has apparently chosen to focus on creating an "Android for AR" ecosystem instead. Currently, that includes working on Android XR for Samsung's "extended reality" wearable device.

If we take Google’s approach to Android as a template, add another five years, and maybe we’ll see Pixel XR glasses?

– Mat Smith

You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

The biggest stories you might have missed

Film director Roland Emmerich is creating a shared universe of TV, gaming and Web3 tomfoolery

DoorDash will start offering couriers an hourly rate while they're fulfilling orders

‘Final Fantasy XVI’ has already sold over 3 million copies

The best music streaming services in 2023

Shokz OpenFit delivers open-ear audio without bone conduction

Bloober Team is done making psychological horror games

Kia EV9 first drive: Adding a third row to the EV market

North America’s first hydrogen-powered train debuts in Canada

It’s a three-month loaner designed to encourage adoption across the continent.

Alstom

This summer, North America’s first hydrogen-powered train began traveling across the Canadian countryside. The French passenger train, the Coradia iLint, is a short-term demonstration, running through the end of September, that aims to spark adoption in Canada and the US. The Coradia iLint uses roughly “about 50 kilograms of hydrogen a day,” says Serge Harnois, CEO of Hanois Énergies, the train’s hydrogen fuel supplier. The same journey using a standard engine would burn around 500 liters of diesel fuel. It only emits water vapor along its journey as a byproduct of combining hydrogen with oxygen. Sounds good, right? Well, there are caveats. It requires a diesel-powered truck to transport the hydrogen to the train every time it refuels, and let’s not forget about the emissions made by the train’s trip from Europe to Canada for a mere three-month demo.

Continue reading.

'The Password Game' might break you

A game where you have to jump through hoops to make a new password.

Alstom

The goal of the game is to create a password no one hacker could possibly crack, and the experience starts out simple enough. “Your password must be at least 5 characters,” states rule one, while rule four asks that all the digits in your password add up to 25. Then, things start to become progressively more unhinged. Rule seven demands you include a Roman numeral, only for rule nine to demand that a handful of Roman numerals must multiply to make 35. If you want to test your mental resilience, you can try it out here.

Continue reading.

Microsoft is already offering a generative AI certification program

It includes free courses from LinkedIn.

Microsoft has announced a new program to train workers on generative AI. Microsoft’s AI Skills Initiative will include free courses created by (Microsoft-owned) LinkedIn, offering learners “the first Professional Certificate on Generative AI in the online learning market.” The company says the courses will cover introductory AI concepts and “responsible AI frameworks,” culminating in certification. Given that generative AI is so simple to use, it’ll be interesting to see what the courses entail. They could still provide tips for composing the most effective prompts – and we all know someone at work that struggles with even basic software functions.

Continue reading.