A bunch of 8Bitdo controllers are on sale for Prime Day, and you can get one for as much as 38 percent off if you're looking to buy one for console-specific, laptop or mobile gaming. The brand's Ultimate Wired Controller for Xbox and Windows is currently on sale for $28, down 20 percent from its list price of $45. That's an all-time low for the device, which is officially licensed by Xbox and is compatible with the Series X and Series S, the Xbox One and Windows 10 computers and above.

While it has to be plugged into the console or the computer with its three-meter cable, it can pair wirelessly with iOS and Android devices, as well. A wireless version of 8Bitdo's Ultimate Controller for Windows 10 and above, Android 9 and above, Raspberry Pi and Steam Deck is also on sale for 10 percent less at $27. It uses wireless 2.4G connectivity and can last up to 25 hours on a single charge. 

You can also get the 8Bitdo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad in black, gray and classic color options for 20 percent less than usual at $48 instead of $60. It's compatible with Switch, Steam Deck, Windows PCs, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, Mac computers, Apple TV and Raspberry Pi. The controller lets you customize buttons and vibration, as well as adjust stick and trigger sensitivity. You can also create and save up to three controller profiles and then switch between them anytime. In addition, it has a four-way mode-switching button that lets you easily switch its connection between multiple devices. 

If you want the most portable (or cutest) controller from the list, though, you can get an 8Bitdo Zero 2 Bluetooth Gamepad instead. It's currently on sale for $16, down 20 percent from its retail price. We named the keychain-sized device as one of the best mobile controllers you can buy, though it probably won't work if you have large hands. There's also the 8Bitdo Lite SE Bluetooth Gamepad for those with limited mobility, which you can get right now for $31, or $4 less than retail. It lays flat on top of a surface and was designed for accessibility, with buttons that have less resistance for easy pressing and joysticks that are more sensitive than typical controllers. 

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

On the same day a US federal judge denied the Federal Trade Commission's request for a preliminary injunction to prevent Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, the tech giant and the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said they have agreed to take a break from their legal battle to negotiate a compromise that could allow the deal to move forward. 

"After today’s court decision in the US, our focus now turns back to the UK. While we ultimately disagree with the CMA’s concerns, we are considering how the transaction might be modified in order to address those concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA,” Microsoft President Brad Smith posted to Twitter. "In order to prioritize work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect."

The CMA said it would block Microsoft's bid to buy Activision Blizzard at the end of April. At the time, the regulator argued the deal would harm the nascent cloud-gaming market by creating a monopoly player in Microsoft. It added, if the acquisition were to move forward as planned, Microsoft would have an "incentive to withhold [Activision Blizzard] games from competitors and substantially weaken competition in this important growing market." Microsoft had planned to challenge the decision, with a preliminary hearing before the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), the body that hears appeals on CMA decisions, set for July 28th. In a statement the regulator shared with The Verge, it said it was "ready to consider any proposals from Microsoft to restructure the transaction in a way that would address the concerns set out in our Final Report.” The CAT still needs to allow the two sides to negotiate, but the tribunal is more than likely to rubber stamp the request.

Intel is bowing out of making its own mini PCs. The chip designer has confirmed to Engadget that it's ending its "direct investment" in its Next Unit of Compute (NUC) business. Instead, the company will rethink its approach to help partners foster the NUC PC market. The firm will honor its existing commitments, including support for NUC systems already in customers' hands.

The company doesn't explain why it's ending production of first-party NUC machines. However, there's little doubt the company is reeling from a bleak computer market prompted by both a rough economy and the early pandemic surge in sales. Intel's revenue has plunged by more than a third in the past two quarters, and its PC-oriented Client Computing Group has been one of the worst-hit divisions. As ServeTheHomenotes, a move like this lets Intel offload a non-essential business and focus on making chips. The company sold its server business to MiTAC earlier this year.

Intel launched the first NUC in 2013 as a tiny, barebones PC kit meant to showcase both the latest processors as well as the possibilities for compact desktops. Over time, they evolved into more complete systems with robust performance and, in some later incarnations, dedicated GPUs. You could use them at home, but they also had a following in business — they were useful for compute clusters and other situations where size and simplicity mattered.

The NUC faced a number of challenges, however. While some models were better-suited to gaming and other demanding tasks, it became a challenge to stuff increasingly power-hungry CPUs and GPUs into compact cases. Intel also faced increasingly stiff competition. In the home market, the Mac mini is arguably the best-known mini computer. At work, brands like Dell and Lenovo offer more flexible configurations and stronger support for the corporate crowd. Simply put, there's not as much reason for the NUC to exist as there was a decade ago.

Lots of Apple products are discounted for Amazon Prime Day, including the latest generation iPads, AirPods, MacBooks and Apple Watches. If you’ve had your eye on a brand new MacBook Air or want to get Apple’s budget SE smartwatch for even less, the sale is a good time to act. You won’t find new, unlocked iPhones or Apple’s HomePod speakers as Amazon doesn't tend to carry those, but most of Apple's current-model tech is seeing some of the best discounts so far this year. Here are the best Prime Day deals on Apple products we could find.

AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

Apple’s second generation AirPods Pro are on sale for $199 during Prime Day. That’s a $50 and the best price we've seen. They are our top pick for iPhone users in our earbuds guide and represent a big improvement over the first iteration, with better noise canceling and overall improved sound. They have an excellent transparency mode that lets you listen to music while still keeping aware of the sounds around you and they pair nicely with iPhones, iPads and Macs and make good use of Siri’s assistance.

AirPods (3rd gen)

Apple's updated AirPods have been discounted to $140 for Prime Day. Released in 2021, these wireless earbuds improve upon their predecessors in nearly every way. They have better sound quality, a more comfortable design and a longer battery life. They don't have ANC like the AirPods Pro do, but it's hard to beat the third-gen AirPods at this price for iPhone users.

AirPods (2nd gen)

The second-generation AirPods are down to $89 for Prime Day. These wireless earbuds are a bit old at this point, but if you have less than $100 to send and want a pair that work seamlessly with iPhones and other Apple devices, these are a good option. They fit similarly to Apple's EarPods and they have improved wireless range.

iPad Air

The latest iteration of Apple’s iPad Air is $500 after a $100 discount. We think it’s the best iPad for most people. It came out in 2022 and features Apple’s own M1 system-on-a-chip processor and a bright and sharp 10.9-inch display. We gave it a review score of 90, noting that the updated chip and 5G capabilities (on the cellular model) make it “almost future-proof.”

iPad (9th gen)

Apple's 9th-generation iPad is down to $250, which it's best price yet as it normally sells for $329. It’s the budget pick in our guide to the best iPads. Though it doesn’t have the thin bezels and as much accessory support as our favorite, the iPad Air, it's the most affordable way to snag an iPad. It’s a great couch companion that performs well for casual browsing, binge streaming and light gaming. 

The latest (10th) generation of Apple’s standard iPad in the 64GB size is down to $380 after a $70 discount. It’s got a slightly larger screen and a newer chip (though not Apple’s own M-series silicon). The latest gen also ditches the home button, which is nice, but does away with the headphone jack, which isn’t as great.

iPad mini

A smaller tablet like the iPad mini can do a lot of what your phone can while giving you more screen real estate. For Prime Day, Apple’s diminutive slate is $380 instead of its usual $499. We gave the mini an 89 in our review because of its fresh design and solid performance. It also pairs nicely with the second generation Apple Pencil, turning the mini into a portable digital notebook.

Apple Pencil (2nd gen)

The latest Apple Pencil is usually $129 but Prime Day is making it just $89. The second generation of the stylus works with the most recent models of the iPad mini, the iPad Air and both sizes of the iPad Pro. The standard iPad, even the latest iteration, still works with the first generation Apple Pencil, which is $79 right now. The Apple pencil lets you draw, sketch, take handwritten notes and even write in search boxes. The second gen pencil magnetically attaches to and charges from all compatible iPads.

Magic Keyboard

The Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air or the 11-inch iPad Pro is now just $250 as opposed to the $300 list price. The keyboard wraps around and magnetically attaches to your iPad, acting as a case when closed, then when it’s time to type, your tablet “floats”above the keyboard. It’s one of our favorite iPad accessories and in our review of the iPad Pro, we noted the Magic Keyboard “provides the best typing experience” for Apple’s tablets. The keyboard for the 12.9 inch iPad Pro is also on sale and going for $299 for Prime Day.

AirTags

Apple’s AirTags are discounted $90 for the four-pack. Compared to the usual $28.50 per-tag price, that’s a decent savings. We named the AirTags the best bet for iPhone users because they tap into Apple’s vast Find My network, pinging off nearby Apple phones to anonymously locate the tracker if it's ever lost out in the city.

Apple Watch Series 8

Apple’s flagship smartwatch is the Apple Watch Series 8 and Prime Day is giving it a $120 discount. Usually $399, the 41mm GPS model is now $280. The Series 8 is our favorite smartwatch thanks to its detailed health and fitness tracking along with a seamless integration with your iPhone’s apps and notifications. New features like temperature sensors, ECG and blood oxygen readings and improved sleep metrics give you more data than ever, while the crash detection can call for help if you’re ever in an accident. The upcoming WatchOS 10 will add widgets and expanded features including ways to track your mood in the Mindfulness app.

Apple Watch SE

The Apple Watch SE is Apple’s budget smart watch that’s usually listed at $250. Prime Day discounts are making it just $200 for the 40 mm size. The 44mm version is usually $270 but down to $230 for the sale. We called the SE “the best smartwatch $250 can buy” in our Engadget review. It makes surprisingly few sacrifices over the Series 8 and shares the same looks, processor and 50-meter water resistance. It doesn’t have an always-on display and lacks the sensors for blood oxygen, temperature and EKG readings. If you don’t need all that, you can still get scads of fitness and health data plus seamless integration with your iPhone.

MacBook Pro (M2, 14-inch)

The MacBook Pro offers music makers, video producers and other heavy users a lot of processing power with the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. Amazon is selling the base model 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro chip, 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage for $1,799, which is $200 off the usual $1,999. The base model 16-inch MacBook Pro with the same specs is down to $2,299 instead of $2,499. When the new MacBook Pros came out in January of this year, we gave the 14-inch model a 92 review score, praising the Liquid Retina XDR display, sturdy design and plethora of ports including three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, HDMI, a headphone jack and a full-sized SD card slot.

The 2022 13-inch MacBook Pro is also on sale for $1,099 after a $200 discount, but we’re not as impressed with this machine. If you’re happy with a 13-inch screen, you’re probably better off going with the 13-inch MacBook Air.

AirPods Max

Apple’s over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max are on sale for $450, which is $100 off the usual $549. They earned an 84 in our review when they came out at the end of 2020. We liked the balanced sound, solid active noise cancellation and long 20-hour battery life with a unique low-power mode that leaves the headphones in standby so they’re ready to play as soon as you put them on.

Apple Studio Display

The usual $1,599 for the Apple Studio Display is pretty steep. Prime Day has brought the price down to $1,499, which makes it a little more palatable, but we still think the display is ideal only for true Apple devotees. The A13 Bionic chip inside makes it a little smarter than most displays, but the 60Hz refresh rate is disappointing. Still, it’s got a nice build with good speakers and a bright and accurate screen.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for the best Amazon Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In the Know. Hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

You'll find tons of deals on headphones and earbuds for Amazon Prime Day, and thankfully Apple's AirPods are included in that group. Whether you're looking for a gift to give a student in your life ahead of the back-to-school season, or you need to upgrade your aging pair of buds, there are a bunch of Prime Day AirPod deals to consider. As long as you have an iPhone, you'll be able to get the most from Apple's earbuds, which are packed with iOS and macOS conveniences. Here are the best Amazon Prime Day AirPod deals we could find.

AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are on sale for $199 for Prime Day. These buds are a huge improvement over their predecessors, offering improved sound quality, ANC and transparency mode. We still consider these to be the best earbuds for iPhone users thanks to their Apple-specific features like quick pairing and switching and hands-free Siri.

AirPods (3rd gen)

Apple's updated AirPods have been discounted to $140 for Prime Day. Released in 2021, these wireless earbuds improve upon their predecessors in nearly every way. They have better sound quality, a more comfortable design and a longer battery life. They don't have ANC like the AirPods Pro do, but it's hard to beat the third-gen AirPods at this price for iPhone users.

AirPods (2nd gen)

The second-generation AirPods are down to $89 for Prime Day. These wireless earbuds are a bit old at this point, but if you have less than $100 to send and want a pair that work seamlessly with iPhones and other Apple devices, these are a good option. They fit similarly to Apple's EarPods and they have improved wireless range.

AirPods Max

The high-end Apple AirPods Max are on sale for $450 for Prime Day this year. Since these over-ear headphones cost $550 normally, it's always wise to wait for a sale like this to buy them. We gave them a score of 84 in our review for their comfortable design, excellent sound quality, strong ANC and good battery life.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for the best Amazon Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In the Know. Hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Late last month, Apple uploaded the debut episode of Silo to Twitter to promote the show's season one finale. Now it's doing the same with its other tentpole sci-fi series. Starting Monday, you can watch Foundation's first episode on YouTube ahead of season two'sJuly 14th premiere.

Apple's live-action adaptation of Issac Asimov's classic novel series of the same name premiered in 2021 following a pandemic-related production delay. As 9to5Mac notes, you can already watch the first episode of the series for free on Apple TV, but that requires access to the app and not everyone might want to install Apple's streaming service on their smart TV. Season two of Foundation sees some of season one's original cast, including Lee Pace and Jared Harris, return. Filming of season three is rumored to be already underway. In the meantime, you can watch the show's first episode on Monday at 2PM ET, followed by a live Q&A with showrunner David Goyer.

Google has expanded an existing feature for Calendar to give users an easy way to let their co-workers know where they can be reached at different times of the day. The company first launched "working locations" that allows users to indicate where they're working through their schedules back in 2021. But now, they can set their working locations in Calendar for specific portions of the day in order to more accurately reflect their availability. 

As Google said in its announcement, working from different locations is common for those with hybrid work environments. This feature could make it easier for co-workers to figure out if they can meet for in-person collaboration or if they have to schedule a video conference instead. To use the feature, they can create an event and choose Working Location before selecting a time frame and indicating their location for those hours. The upgraded Working Location feature is now available for all Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade and Nonprofit users. 

Google

The tech giant is also making Google Docs more creator-friendly. When users fire up the app and open a Docs file on an Android device, it will now start in edit mode. There's no need to tap on the edit button anymore — they can now go straight into document and immediately start typing or changing things up. Tapping on the open document will instantly bring up the on-screen keyboard unless they have a physical keyboard connected to their device. 

In a baffling move over the weekend, Elon Musk said the company would restrict unverified accounts to reading 600 posts per day – and new accounts to only 300 tweets daily. Meanwhile, Twitter will allow verified accounts to read 6,000 posts each day. For most people, that means, short of paying for Twitter Blue, they can spend about a minute or two on Twitter before encountering a "rate limit exceeded" error. Less than two hours later, Musk said Twitter would "soon" ease the limits to 8,000 for verified accounts and 800 for those without Twitter Blue.

Musk claimed the "temporary" limits were in place to address "extreme levels of data scraping" and "system manipulation." The day before, Twitter began preventing people not logged into the site from viewing tweets. Musk did not say what "new" means in the context of an account, nor did he say how long Twitter plans to restrict users.

It’s a challenging change to Twitter when it’s courting advertisers and paid users. Fewer eyes for ads and fewer benefits for paying users.

– Mat Smith

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

The biggest stories you might have missed

AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton isn't convinced good AI will triumph over bad AI

Europe’s Euclid space telescope launches to map the dark universe

Hitting the Books: How SNAP's digital services became an online quagmire

Apple's next AirPods Pro could feature a built-in temperature sensor

The company is also reportedly working on new hearing-health features.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple is working on bringing new health features to its AirPods family. The first could be a hearing test. Already, AirPods support audiogram profiles, so iOS can tune earbuds to adjust for hearing loss. Some apps, like Mimi, already tap into this feature. Gurman added Apple is exploring how to market the AirPods Pro as a hearing aid since the FDA made it easier for Americans to buy over-the-counter options last year.

Apple is also working on an earbud feature to measure your body temperature. The company already introduced a built-in temperature sensor with the Watch Series 8 and Watch Ultra. But a sensor can get a more accurate temperature reading from the ear canal than the wrist. However, Gurman warns both features are “several months or even years away.”

Continue reading.

Cowboy Cruiser e-bike offers a more upright ride

The new model allows for a Dutch riding style and has a wider saddle.

Cowboy

When Cowboy introduced its Adaptive Power update earlier this year, I wondered when a new model would arrive. The answer is, well, today. The new variant encourages a more upright design for a relaxed Dutch riding position. It also has a wider saddle — a feature at the top of our wish list for the Belgian company’s latest iteration. The e-bike has a wireless charging phone mount, and, like all its models, its companion app integrates with Google Maps. The Cowboy Cruiser is available for an “introductory price” of £2,690 (roughly $3,400) in black or white.

Continue reading.

Gfycat is shutting down on September 1st

Nothing lasts forever on the internet.

Gfycat is shutting down. Snap, Gfycat’s parent company, said it plans to shut down the GIF database and delete all user content in a few short weeks. “The Gfycat service is being discontinued,” a notification at the top of the website reads. Gfycat’s impending demise won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has tried to use the site in recent months. In May, Motherboard reported Snap had allowed Gfycat’s security certificates to expire. The oversight meant the platform temporarily became inaccessible to most internet users.

Continue reading.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports Apple is working on new health features for its line of audio products. The first of those would allow your AirPods to conduct a hearing test. As The Verge notes, AirPods already support audiogram profiles, which iOS can use to tune the output of the earbuds to adjust for hearing loss. Right now, you can generate those profiles through third-party apps like Mimi, so if Apple were to move forward with its own test, it would be another instance of the company “Sherlocking” a feature from a third-party developer.

Separately, Gurman writes Apple is exploring how to position and market the AirPods Pro as a hearing aid after the FDA made it easier for Americans to buy over-the-counter options last year. He reports the company recently hired engineers with experience working on traditional hearing aids as part of that initiative.

The other new AirPods feature Apple is working on is a way for the earbuds to measure your body temperature. A built-in temperature sensor was one of the features the company introduced with the Watch Series 8 and Watch Ultra. As for why Apple would replicate a feature already found on one of its existing products, a sensor can get a more accurate temperature reading from the ear canal than the wrist. 

Gurman warns both features are “several months or even years away.” In the more immediate future, he reports Apple plans to refresh the AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case, adding that all of the company’s audio products will eventually move away from Lighting as well. All of that is part of a move Apple must make to comply with the EU’s new common charging standard. “Despite the USB-C shift, I wouldn’t anticipate the imminent launch of all-new AirPods Pro hardware,” Gurman notes, pointing to the fact Apple only just refreshed the earbuds last year.

Before then, AirPods users can at least look forward to the new software features Apple said it would introduce alongside iOS 17. Those include a new button press to mute yourself on calls and improvements to device switching. Gurman speculates Apple could also permanently lower the price of its second-generation AirPods to $99, down from $129, to make them more competitive against low-cost options from Samsung, Sony and Amazon.

Twitter has begun aggressively limiting how many tweets users can view per day. On Saturday afternoon, Elon Musk said the company would restrict unverified accounts to reading 600 posts per day, and new accounts to only 300 tweets daily. Meanwhile, Twitter will allow verified accounts to read 6,000 posts each day. For most people, that means short of paying for Twitter Blue, they will be able to spend about a minute or two on Twitter before encountering a "rate limit exceeded" error.      

Musk claimed the "temporary" limits were put in place to address "extreme levels of data scraping" and "system manipulation." The day before, Twitter began preventing people who aren't logged into the site from viewing tweets. Like the usage limit, Musk has claimed the login restriction will only be temporary, and that it was done in response to data scrapers. “Several hundred organizations (maybe more) were scraping Twitter data extremely aggressively, to the point where it was affecting the real user experience,” Musk said Friday. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.