Apple's AirPods Max offer excellent sound, solid active noise cancellation (ANC) and good battery life, but the regular $549 price is a bit hard to swallow. Now, you can pick a pair up at Amazon for just $439, or $110 (20 percent) off. That's close to the lowest price we've seen at Amazon, and you can choose between three colors: Sky Blue, Silver and Pink.

The AirPods Max achieved a solid 84 Engadget review score and made our latest list of favorite headphones, thanks to their high sound quality, effective noise-cancellation and reliable controls. They offer a uniquely Apple-esque design, and despite being slightly heavier than Sony’s WH-1000XM4 cans, are comfortable to wear. Once you get used to it, the rotating crown makes it easy to adjust sound.

Audio quality is more natural than other headphones we've tried with bass that's accurate and not overpowering. Sony's WH-1000XM4 headphones have more effective ANC, but the AirPods Max come close. Meanwhile, the Transparency Mode lets you quickly disable ANC if you need to hear what's going on. The biggest drawback is the lack of lossless audio support, but they work great with Dolby Atmos surround sound on most Apple devices. 

The AirPods Max are ideal if you're in the Apple ecosystem, with the H1 chip letting you quickly switch between an iPhone and a Mac, for example. There's no question that they're very expensive at the regular $549 price, so Amazon's latest discount presents a good buying opportunity if you've been eyeing a pair. 

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Three years and three days after it was first unveiled, Apple TV+ has captured the first ever Best Picture Oscar for a streaming service with CODA. The film also took a historical win for Best Supporting Actor, as Troy Kotsur became the first Deaf male actor to win an Oscar. Writer and director Sian Heder also won for Best Adapted Screenplay. 

The film, with a mostly Deaf cast, follows Ruby (played Emilia Jones), a high school student who navigates life as the only hearing member of a Deaf family in Gloucester, Massachusetts. "This is a really big moment for the Deaf community. It’s a really big moment for the disability community," said Heder in a backstage ABC interview, via an ASL interpreter, as Variety reported. "Marlee Matlin won an Oscar 35 years ago, and not that much has changed in Hollywood, so I want to thank the Academy for making that change. Let this one be the first of many, many films to come out of this beautiful community."

Apple paid $25 million for the distribution rights to the film, which made a limited theatrical run and is currently streaming on Apple TV+. It beat out Netflix's The Power of the Dog, which was another favorite in that category.

After a record 27 nominations, Netflix didn't go away empty-handed, though. Jane Campion took a historic Best Director Oscar for The Power of the Dog, becoming only the third woman to win the award. (Chloé Zhao took the prize last year for Nomadland, while Katheryn Bigelow previously won for The Hurt Locker.) The Power of the Dog was nominated for 12 Oscars, including in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor/Actress categories, but Campion was the only winner. 

Brian Snyder / reuters

Sci-fi fared particularly well at this year's Oscars. Dune, released simultaneously in the US on HBO Max and in theaters, won no less than six Academy Awards. The highlight was Greig Fraser's win for Best Cinematography, presented live during the telecast (above). However, the film's other awards were presented prior to the ceremony for the first time in Oscar history, something decried by several attendees including Steven Spielberg. They include wins for Best Production Design (Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipod), Best Film Editing (Joe Walker), Best Sound (Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill, Ron Bartlett), Best Visual Effects (Paul Lambert) and Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer).

Dune doesn't count as a streaming release, though, nor do others like Disney's Encanto, which won Best Animated Feature. Overall, streaming films fared poorer than last year, taking four statues compared to seven at the 2021 Oscar ceremonies.

Google is working on a new Nest Hub with a removable tablet that's due to be released in 2022, according to a report from 9to5Google. The screen could be detached from the hub/speaker base, then presumably be used like any other tablet. The idea would make a lot of sense in terms of boosting Nest functionality, especially since Google recently made the 2nd-gen Nest screen more tablet-like with a new shortcut launcher for web apps and games. 

It's not yet clear which operating system the device would run, as the 2nd-gen Nest Hub runs the lightweight Google Cast system, and the original Nest Hub was recently updated to Google's mysterious Fuchsia OS. However, a detachable tablet would likely have the most functionality with Android. As 9to5Google points out, Lenovo offers an Android tablet that docks to a speaker bar, runs Alexa and sells for $270. 

The latest 2nd-gen Nest Hub ($100) and Nest Hub Max ($230) come with 7-inch and 10-inch screens, respectively. Both offer features like sleep tracking, media playback and, of course, control of connected home devices. The Nest Hub Max also comes with a camera that allows for video calls (Duo only) and lets you use it as a Nest camera. The new Nest Hub with a detachable tablet will reportedly launch in 2022, but until it's official, take this rumor with a megadose of salt. 

With an improved camera, boosted performance and excellent battery life, Apple's 2021 256GB 10.2-inch iPad is already a solid deal at the regular $479 price. However, you can now pick one up at Amazon in silver or space gray for $429, an all-time low and a full $20 less than the lowest price we've seen so far. 

Sure, the 2021 iPad has rocked the same design for quite some time now, but that also means Apple has had a long time to polish and refine it. At the same time, there are some significant improvements. The wide-angle front camera works better for video calls, performance gets a big boost thanks to the A13 Bionic chip, and it delivers a solid 10-plus hours of battery life. It even has a headphone jack, and best of all, it's relatively cheap compared to other iPad models. 

The drawbacks are the lack of a USB-C port, a rather stodgy design (those thick bezels) and no second-gen Pencil support — for that, you'll need an iPad Air, mini, or Pro. But most of us use an iPad for browsing the web, reading and watching video content. The 256GB model is a better choice than the 64GB version for things like that, so the $50 discount makes it an easy choice. 

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The world never run out of bad 'B' movies to mock, apparently, because Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) is back for a 13th season, Variety has reported. Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign last year that raised $6.52 million, a full 13-episode season of the series will arrive on a dedicated streaming platform called Gizmoplex starting on May 6th.

As usual, some ordinary humans have been kidnapped by mad scientists (played by Felicia Day, Patton Oswalt and Mary Jo Pehl) and are forced to watch some terrible B-movies. To survive the process, they create companion robots to help provide a continuous stream of taunting and jokes throughout the entire running length of the films. 

This year there will be three hosts: Jonah Heston, Emily Connor, and original host Joel Robinson. They'll "be forced to endure some of the cheesiest movies ever to appear on MST3K, including our first-ever Halloween special, our first-ever 3D movie, and a holiday special finale so big it’ll take all three hosts to riff it," according to the team. The B-movies on the slate include Robot Wars, Santo in the Treasure of Dracula and The Million Eyes of Sumuru. 

The show was created by Joel Hodgson and debuted in 1988. It ran for 10 seasons on Comedy Central and the Sci-Fi Channel until 1999, and was later revived by Netflix in 2017 for two seasons, following another Kickstarter campaign. However, Netflix declined to pick it up for a third season. 

The latest revival will thus air independently on a dedicated MST3K platform called Gizmoplex, which offers a website and apps (iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, and Amazon FireTV). It'll premiere on May 6th with three episodes released daily from Friday to Sunday. After that, new episodes and one of 12 shorts will arrive every two weeks. The platform will also offer classic MST3K episodes from season 1-10, and for a limited time, they'll be free and ad-free.

If you want the new episodes, though, you'll have to sign up (unless you pledged support on Kickstarter). Individual episodes will cost $10, a three-month pass is $50, and a full season from May 22 to February 23 is $135. The latter includes a digital download of season 13. 

We already liked Kobo's Libra 2 e-reader at the full $180 price, thanks to the physical buttons, high-resolution e-Ink display and support for multiple formats. Now, we're seeing the first good discount on it, making it all the more attractive. You can pick one up at Amazon for $160, for a savings of $20 or 11 percent.

The Libra 2 features a large "chin" that houses a pair of physical page buttons, a feature that's also available on the Kindle Oasis, but for a lot more money. We found that the physical buttons stop hand cramping because it's easy to switch from one hand to another.

The 7-inch E-Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen is sharp and easy on the eyes. The "ComfortLight Pro" automatically adjusts the brightness and color temperature to match the room, and becomes less blue as the day goes on to help keep you calm before bedtime. It can charge up in a couple of hours and go for days at a time, is waterproof for use in the tub or pool, lets you save articles to Pocket and supports more file types than Kindle.

Finally, the Libra 2 includes Bluetooth functionality, letting you connect a pair of headphones and listen to audiobooks. As for drawbacks? The lack of a plastic cover means that crumbs or particles can get trapped between the screen and bezel, and some users have noticed hiccups while trying to use the highlighting feature. Still, it's far and away one of the best eReaders out there and a very attractive option at this price.

If you're looking for a more basic reader, or want to stick with Amazon's ecosystem, don't forget that the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle are still on sale as well, for $105 and $55, respectively. You'll also find the corresponding Kids tablets for $115 and $65. 

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GIF inventor Stephen Wilhite has died from COVID-19 at the age of 74 with his wife Kathaleen at his bedside, NPR has reported. He worked at CompuServe when he developed the "Graphics Interchange Format," designed to allow photo transfers over slow modem connections. GIFs have since become synonymous with short meme videos, regardless of how you pronounce it (though it's "JIF" with a soft "G," according to Wilhite himself). 

Wilhite invented the GIF in 1987 virtually on his own, according to his spouse. It was designed as an "exchange and display mechanism for graphic images" at a time when internet speeds were glacial compared to today. "He actually did that at home and brought it into work after he perfected it,” Kathaleen told The Verge. “He would figure out everything privately in his head and then go to town programming it on the computer.”

With limitations like 256 colors per animation, the format could easily have died out a long time ago. It had another trick, though — it was designed by Wilhite to store multiple frames, making it natural for short animations. It took on a life of its own after AOL purchased CompuServe and let the patent expire, particularly with artists and Tumblr users, according to a Daily Dot explainer.

Besides developing GIFs, Wilhite made other key contributions to CompuServe that helped it become the internet juggernaut of its time. "I greatly admired his intelligence and perseverance as he consistently created software products that were woven into CompuServe's tapestry of offerings for corporate, hobbyist, and home consumers," said co-worker Ty Wait on Wilhite's obituary page. 

Wilhite retired in 2000 to pursue his hobbies and interests, including travel and model trains. He always came back to his first love of programming, however — he was still doing that just weeks before he was struck ill with COVID, Kathaleen told NPR. ""He was probably one of the kindest, humble men you've ever met," she said. "I've been reading about [the responses online] all afternoon, and I can't even tell you how it comforts you."

IKEA has unveiled the Vappeby Bluetooth speaker with a Spotify Tap button that doubles as an outdoor lamp, confirming an FCC filing we saw last year. With IP65 dust and water splash resistance, it's designed to illuminate outdoor parties, barbecues, etc. with LED light while delivering 360 sound, the company said. 

When you press the Spotify Tap button, it will start streaming from wherever you left off and another press will play a different recommendation based on your Spotify history. It also works with other streaming services or any media stored on your smartphone or other connected device. 

Vappeby offers up to 12 hours of music streaming, presumably without the light turned on. It charges via USB-C with a cable, but not a charger, included in the package. The lamp offers two LED light modes (IKEA didn't specify which), and has a grip and lantern-like design.

IKEA/Miguel Perez

Spotify Tap rolled out in September last year and was available at launch on Bluetooth headphones from Samsung, Microsoft Surface, Bose, Skullcandy, and Jabra, Spotify said at the time. The company already has a range of Vappeby Bluetooth speakers (known as Eneby in the US) priced from $25 to $90. It also offers the Symfonisk bookshelf speaker build in collaboration with Sonos, available for €99 in Europe only. 

The company said that Vappeby is "an important step on IKEA's journey to democratize music... increase user experience, lower the thresholds and make music and light easily accessible." The new model is now available to order for $65 in blue or grey, though as mentioned, the USB power adapter is sold separately. 

With great speed, security and reliability, Samsung's T7 Touch SSDs are among the best storage expansion options for PCs and mobile devices alike. Now is a great time to pick one up, as both the 1TB and 2TB models are available on Amazon at all-time low prices. You can pick up the 1TB model in silver or black for $130 (a savings of $60), or grab the 2TB version for $260, or $110 off the regular $370 price.

When it launched, the T7 Touch SSD won a CES Innovation Award thanks to its built-in fingerprint scanner feature with 265-bit AES hardware encryption. It supports read and write speeds of 1,050 MB/s and 1,000 MB/s thanks to the USB 3.2 connectivity, considerably faster than most portable SSDs. In addition, it comes with an LED status indicator and can withstand shocks from drops up to six feet. 

Fingerprint setup is relatively simple thanks to the included software. And while some portable SSDs are stingy with cables, the T7 Touch includes both USB Type C-to-C and Type C-to-A cables so you can connect it to PCs, Macs and portable devices. Finally, it offers a sleek and compact style, fitting in the palm of your hand and weighing just 2 ounces or 57 grams. As mentioned, these are the lowest prices we've seen on the T7 Touch models, so if you've been looking, now's the time to act.

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Variable refresh rate (VRR) is coming to the PlayStation 5 in the "coming months," Sony announced. If you have an HDMI 2.1-compatible TV or PC monitor, it will dynamically sync the refresh rate of the display to the PS5 console's graphical output, Sony explained in a blog post. The feature is long overdue, as VRR has been available on the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles since they debuted. 

As you're no doubt aware, VRR helps minimize visual artifacts like screen tearing. "Gameplay in many PS5 titles feels smoother as scenes render instantly, graphics look crisper, and input lag is reduced," Sony explained. "Previously released PS5 games can be fully optimized for VRR through a game patch and future games may include VRR support at launch."

Sony

You'll also be able to apply VRR to PS5 games that don't support it, something that "may improve video quality for some games," Sony said. The results may vary depending on the TV and game you're playing, it added.

Sony only recently unlocked VRR on its HDMI 2.1-equipped TVs in the US and Europe. The PS5 offers 4K at 120Hz, but it's arguably not as well implemented as the Xbox Series X/S consoles. 

Sony didn't specify an exact date for the VRR patch, but will share more details as the feature gets closer to release. In the meantime, the latest PS5 release includes a few other new features. That includes the ability to test drive a Voice Command feature that lets you control media playback or find open games, apps and settings; join open or closed parties through the PS App; and enable a dark mode on PS Remote Play. All of those are rolling out later today.