As Amazon's spring sale rolls on, we're seeing deals on some of the Logitech gear we recommend, including the Logitech Brio 500 webcam. It's down to $96 after a 26 percent discount off its $130 list price. That's not an all-time low — just this January, it dipped about $13 lower, but this is still a decent savings on the webcam we named the best for most people. If the camera included with your laptop isn't making your video appear as bright or clear as you'd like on video calls, this can help.  

The Logitech Brio 500 shoots in 1080p at 30fps and has a wider field of view than the previous model. We were most impressed with the light correction that made a dark office look bright. It also works with Logitech's customizing software for adjusting field of view, autofocus, contrast, brightness and more. The cam also features ShowMode which lets you present items on your physical desktop, and RightSight that keeps you in frame even when you move around. 

Even at $96, the Brio 500 may be too much for some to spend. We suggest the smaller Brio 300 in our same buyer's guide. It's a pared down version without HDR or an adjustable field of view. It also can't do ShowMode. But it does shoot in 1080p resolution, supports auto light correction and has a noise-reducing mic. Right now, that one is on sale for the lowest price yet. A 33 percent discount brings it to $40, instead of the $60 list price.  

Another notable deal is a combo set that bundles the latest model of one of our favorite mice for productivity with the next generation of one of our recommended keyboards. The Pebble 2 Combo keyboard and mouse is now $50, which is $10 off and matches its all time low — a price we've seen it hit a few times this year. 

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

The Amazon Spring Sale will continue through Monday, and right now it's bringing a $30 discount to the company's upgraded e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature — but unlike most of the savings we're seeing this week, this Kindle deal is only for Prime members. The sale makes the E-Ink slab just $160 instead of its $190 list price. While we've seen it go lower, dropping to $125 for last July's Prime Day, this is still a rare chance to save on a device that doesn't go on sale often. Engadget's Nathan Ingraham called the Paperwhite Signature the "best e-reader. Period." when he reviewed it upon its debut a couple years ago. 

The Paperwhite Signature Edition is an upgrade over the standard Kindle: It has a larger, 6.8-inch screen, 32GB of storage, auto-adjusting warm front lights and wireless charging capabilities. It also comes standard without lockscreen ads — it costs $20 to disable those on other Kindles.

In his review, Nathan particularly appreciated the premium feel of the device. The flush-front touchscreen is responsive, quickly recognizing taps and swipes with little lag when typing on the on-screen keyboard. The bottom bezel is a good size for keeping a grip on the reader, but the thin bezels on the sides give plenty of room for the 300 pixel-per-inch content. The warm front lights adjust in response to the light in the room and can also be programmed to shift to a more amber hue at night.  

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Just as it did in the US last year, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is transitioning HBO Max to just Max in Europe, folding in Discovery+ content and live sports in the process. Max will first be available on the continent in the Nordics, Iberia and central and eastern Europe on May 21. It will hit Poland, the Netherlands, France and Belgium shortly afterward (curiously, the streaming service will still be called HBO Max in the Netherlands and Belgium, even though it includes Discovery and sports content there).

This will be the first time that WBD's streaming service will be available in France and Belgium, and those are the first new territories for the platform in over two years. All told, Max will soon be available in 25 European countries and 65 countries and territories globally as it aims to compete with the global reach of Netflix.

In the countries where Max is available in Europe, that will be the only place where viewers can watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympics (Peacock is streaming more than 5,000 hours of live action from the event in the US). The Olympic Games will be available on all Max subscription plans on the continent.

As in the US, Max will be available in several tiers in Europe. There will be a basic ad-supported plan in select countries and a standard plan, with the option to stream on two devices simultaneously in Full HD resolution and up to 30 downloads for offline viewing. The premium plan offers 4K streaming with Dolby Atmos on up to four devices at once, and up to 100 downloads for offline viewing. Pricing will vary by country.

There will be a sports add-on that includes Grand Slam tennis, cycling’s Grand Tours, 24 Hours of Le Mans, livestreams of linear networks Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 and lots more. Max will also offer live linear networks in some countries on select plans, including CNN International in France and Poland.

In many cases, HBO Max will update to Max automatically, though some users will be prompted to download the new Max app. Current HBO Max subscribers will retain their profiles and viewing history after the switch. Eurosport and Discovery+ subscribers will receive details on how to sign up for Max.

Meanwhile, WBD revealed that the second season of Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon is coming to HBO and Max in the US on June 16, and the following day in Europe. The company also released a pair of "dueling" trailers for the season that show the story from the perspectives of the Green and Black Councils, respectively.

DoorDash just announced the launch of a drone delivery pilot program, in partnership with Alphabet’s Wing. The testing began in Christiansburg, VA (approximate population 22,000), and is limited to only "eligible items" from fast food chain Wendy's. Whether that includes the iconic Frosty dessert/fry condiment is as yet unclear.

There’s only one affiliated Wendy’s location, but local consumers should see a “deliver by drone” tab on the DoorDash checkout page. The company says orders should arrive in 30 minutes or less, making high-flying drones about as fast as a standard pizza delivery in the 1980s.

DoorDash also says that Wendy’s is just the first restaurant partner, suggesting that more are on the way. The company believes that drones will offer more “efficient, sustainable, and convenient delivery options for consumers.” To that end, the online food delivery platform plans on opening up the program to more US cities throughout the year.

If all of this sounds eerily familiar, you aren’t imagining things. These types of pilot programs have been popping up all over the place. This isn’t even DoorDash and Wing’s first partnership. The companies teamed up in 2022 to do something similar in Australia. The program was a success, eventually expanding to 60 participating restaurants in Queensland.

Wing is the clear leader in this field. The company recently began offering drone deliveries from Walmart to Dallas consumers. Earlier this year, Wing unveiled a new delivery drone that reaches speeds of 65 MPH, with a maximum payload capacity of five pounds. That’s, according to my math, nearly six Wendy’s Baconators.

A year ago, I visited TikTok’s US headquarters to preview its new “transparency center,” a central piece of its multibillion-dollar effort to convince the US its meme factory isn’t a national security threat. That effort has failed. The company’s negotiations with the government stalled out and the company is now facing its most serious threat to a future in the United States yet.

Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that, if passed into law, would force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face an outright ban in the US. That lawmakers view TikTok with suspicion is nothing new. Because TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China, they believe the Chinese government could manipulate TikTok’s algorithms or access its users’ data via ByteDance employees. But what has been surprising about the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is that it managed to gather so much support from both sides of the aisle seemingly out of nowhere.

After a surprise introduction, the bipartisan bill cleared committee in two days with a unanimous 50 - 0 vote, and was approved by the full House in a 352 - 65 vote less than a week later. Of the dozens of bills attempting to regulate the tech industry in recent years, including at least two to ban TikTok, none have gained nearly as much momentum.

But the renewed support for banning or forcing a sale of TikTok doesn’t seem to be tied to any newly uncovered information about TikTok, ByteDance or the Chinese Communist Party. Instead, lawmakers have largely been rehashing the same concerns that have been raised about the app for years.

One issue often raised is data access. TikTok, like many of its social media peers, scoops up large amounts of data from its users. The practice has gotten the company into hot water in the past when many of those users were discovered to be minors. Many lawmakers cite its large cache of user data, which they claim could be obtained by Chinese government officials, as one of the most significant risks posed by TikTok.

“Our bipartisan legislation would protect American social media users by driving the divestment of foreign adversary-controlled apps to ensure that Americans are protected from the digital surveillance and influence operations of regimes that could weaponize their personal data against them,” Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, on the bill’s co-sponsors, said in a statement.

TikTok has repeatedly denied sharing any data with the Chinese government and says it would not comply if they were requested to do so. However, ByteDance has been caught mishandling TikTok user data in the past. In 2022, ByteDance fired four employees, including two based in China, for accessing the data of reporters who had written stories critical of the company. There’s no evidence those actions were directed by the Chinese government.

In fact the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would do little to address the data access issue, experts say. Even if the app was banned or controlled by a different company, Americans’ personal information would remain readily available from the largely unregulated data broker industry.

Data brokers gain access to vast troves of Americans’ personal data via scores of apps, websites, credit card companies and other businesses. Currently, there are few restrictions on what data can be collected or who can buy it. Biden Administration officials have warned that China is already buying up this data, much of it more revealing than anything TikTok collects.

“The data that's been collected about you will almost certainly live longer than you will, and there's really nothing you can do to delete it or get rid of it,” Justin Cappos, an NYU computer science professor and member of the NYU Center for Cybersecurity, told Engadget. “If the US really wants to solve this, the way to do it isn't to blame a social media company in China and make them the face of the problem. It's really to pass the meaningful data privacy regulations and go after [data] collection and go after these data brokers.”

The House recently passed a bill that would bar data brokers from selling Americans’ personal information to “adversary” countries like China. But, if passed, the law wouldn’t address the sale of that data to other entities or the wholesale collection of it to begin with.

Digital rights and free speech advocates like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have also raised the possibility that the US forcing a ban or sale of TikTok could give other countries cover to enact similar bans or restrictions on US-based social media platforms. In a letter to lawmakers opposing the measure, the EFF, American Civil Liberties Union and other groups argued that it would “set an alarming global precedent for excessive government control over social media platforms.”

David Greene, a senior staff attorney at the EFF notes that the United States has forcefully criticized nations that have banned social media apps. “The State Department has been highly critical of countries that have shut down services,” Greene told Engadget, noting that the US condemned the Nigerian government for blocking Twitter in 2021. “Shutting down a whole service is essentially an anti-democratic thing.”

Intelligence officials held a classified briefing with members of Congress about TikTok shortly before the vote on the House floor. That’s led some pundits to believe that there must be new information about TikTok, but some lawmakers have suggested otherwise.“Not a single thing that we heard in today’s classified briefing was unique to TikTok,” Representative Sara Jacobs told the Associated Press. “It was things that happen on every single social media platform.” Likewise, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Jim Hines, said that TikTok is “largely a potential threat … if Congress were serious about dealing with this threat, we would start with a federal privacy bill.”

There's some positive news on the accessibility front coming out of today's Microsoft event. Alongside the business-oriented Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10, the company has revealed the first Surface Pro Keyboard with bold keys. Compared with its other keyboards, Microsoft says this one has a brighter backlight that, combined with the bold font, should make the keyboard easier to read and reduce eye strain. Of note, the keyboard will only be available in US English and exclusively in the US and Canada.

As with other new Windows keyboards, this one has a dedicated Copilot key. The AI chatbot will allow you to enable accessibility features without having to traipse through menus for the option you're seeking. You might ask Copilot to "switch on live captions" or "enable the magnifier," and it will carry out that action for you.

In addition, Microsoft is making its Adaptive Accessories available to commercial customers for the first time. The company released the modular mouse, hub and other accessories for consumers back in 2022. The aim of the Adaptive Accessories is to help those who have difficulty using a standard keyboard and mouse to create a setup that works for them, so they can be more productive and more easily get the most out of their favorite apps.

Two devices conspicuously missing from Microsoft's Surface and AI event last fall are finally here — and they're both what we expected and a bit surprising. Today, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, sporting the same designs as the previous models but now with the AI smarts of Intel's new Core Ultra CPUs. You won't be able to buy them at Best Buy, Target or any other retailer selling Surface Devices, though. Both of these computers have the foreboding words "for business" attached to their names, so you'll only be able to buy them from the Microsoft's website or commercial resellers.

If you're a bit baffled by this, you're not alone. It almost seems like Microsoft is gearing up to leave the consumer PC market, but a spokesperson tells us that's not the case. "We absolutely remain committed to consumer devices," they said in a statement. "Building great devices that people love to use aligns closely with our company mission to empower individuals as well as organizations. We are excited to be bringing devices to market that deliver great AI experiences to our customers. This commercial announcement is only the first part of this effort."

Microsoft

It sounds like new consumer hardware is on the way eventually, but keeping two long-awaited devices out of retailers doesn't inspire confidence. Alongside the Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Laptop Go 3 last year, Microsoft also quietly revealed the Surface Go 4 for business, aiming that budget tablet towards enterprise and education customers. That wasn't exactly a death sentence for that machine, but it did kill much of the buzz we typically see when new Surface hardware arrives.

So what does all of this mean for the Surface Pro 10 for business and the Surface Laptop 6 for business? For diehard fans of Microsoft's PCs, they offer some notable upgrades alongside those new Intel Core Ultra chips, but they'll be a bit harder to buy than before. The average consumer likely won't even realize they exist, especially since older Surface hardware will still be at Best Buy and other retailers.

Let's dive into what's new: The Surface Pro 10 comes with the Core Ultra 5 135U or Ultra 7 165U CPU, and it can be equipped with up to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. While its tablet case is the same as before, Microsoft also shoved in a new 1,440p webcam with an incredibly wide 114-degree field of view. Microsoft calls this an AI enhanced camera, but that just means it can tap into Windows Studio effects using the Core Ultra's NPU for AI workloads.

Microsoft

The Surface Laptop 6, once again, comes in 13.5-inch and 15-inch models and can be equipped with the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and Ultra 7 165H CPUs. Those chips are far more powerful than the U-variant options in the Surface Pro 6, so they're better options for more demanding tasks. (The 14-inch Surface Laptop Studio 2 remains the most powerful Microsoft laptop, but its not an AI PC since its 13th-gen Intel CPU doesn't have an NPU.) The Laptop 6 can also be configured with up to 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It offers more graphics options than its tablet sibling: The 8GB RAM model has plain Intel graphics, but if you go for more memory you'll get Intel's more powerful Arc graphics.

Oddly, the Surface Laptop 6 doesn't share the Pro 10's sharp new camera, it's stuck with a 1080p HD option instead. If, for some reason, you need to use smart cards regularly, you can also configure the Laptop 6 with a built-in smart card reader. (But still no SD card slot? Come on, Microsoft.)

Microsoft

Both the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 also come with a new Copilot key, which we've also seen on Dell's new XPS laptops and a few other AI PCs. I haven't found the key particularly useful on other systems, but at this point Microsoft is so committed to putting its Copilot AI everywhere that it would be embarrassing not to have it on new Surface machines.

Microsoft claims the Surface Pro 10 is 53 percent faster than the Pro 9 in the 3DMark TimeSpy benchmark, while the Surface Laptop 6 is twice as fast as the previous model. (That's mostly due to Intel's beefier Arc graphics.) These aren't machines you'd want to rush out to buy if you have a Pro 9 or Laptop 5, but thanks to the AI-powered Intel CPU and refined webcam, the Surface Pro 10 could be a compelling leap forward if you have an older Surface tablet.

While it's unclear if focusing on business users will actually pay off for Microsoft, the Surface Laptop 6 and Pro 10 are a sign that the company is still trying to make a mark in the PC market. If anything, though, we're more intrigued by what Microsoft has cooking next for consumers. By shoving its aging tablet and laptop design towards corporate users, the company may have room to innovate a bit more. Perhaps we'll actually see a Surface foldable PC this year? 

Catch up on all the news from the Microsoft Surface and AI event right here!

The Meta Quest 2 may not be Meta's latest and greatest virtual reality headset, but it remains a strong value for those who want to give VR a try without spending a ton of cash. Now, it's even more affordable: A new deal has dropped the headset down to $199 at several retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Meta's own online store. That's $50 below the device's standard going rate (after a permanent price cut earlier this year) and the largest discount we've seen.

At Walmart, the discount comes with a $50 credit to the Meta Quest Store. The retailer says that you'll need to redeem the credit in VR within 90 days of activating the headset, but it's still a nice way to save on any games or apps you plan on using first. Best Buy, meanwhile, is throwing in Logitech's Chorus add-on speaker for no extra cost. (Though we haven't tested that accessory.) There are no special bonuses at Amazon as of this writing, but the deal comes as part of the company's wider Big Spring Sale event.

We gave the Quest 2 a review score of 89 when it was released back in 2020, and it's now the top budget pick in our guide the best VR headsets. To be clear, if you can afford the newer Meta Quest 3, you should still buy that instead: It has better screens, a faster processor, more RAM and a modicum of mixed reality functionality. Its full-color passthrough makes it easier to interact with the real world while keeping the headset on, and the whole thing should hold up better with new games going forward.

But it costs $500. For far less cash, the Quest 2 can still run just about all of the platform's best games and apps, from Asgard's Wrath 2 to Walkabout Mini Golf. It's still completely wireless and relatively comfortable — insofar as a VR headset can be comfortable — and it gets around the same two to three hours of battery life. Compared to the Quest 3, its LCD screens aren't as sharp (with a 1,832 x 1,920 resolution per eye instead of 2,064 x 2,208) and have a narrower field of view, but they should still be sufficient for most people getting into VR for the first time. With a link cable, it can still hook up to a gaming PC and play VR games like Half-Life: Alyx as well. If you've been curious about VR but aren't sure if you'll use your headset as anything more than a toy for occasional gaming, the Quest 2 should be enough, and this deal makes the upfront investment a little less daunting.

Your Spring Sales Shopping Guide: Spring sales are in the air, headlined by Amazon’s Big Spring sale event. Our expert editors are curating all the best spring sales right here. Follow Engadget to shop the best tech deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, hear from Autoblog’s car experts on the best spring auto deals on Amazon, and find spring sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Samsung just provided availability details for a full range of new TVs as part of its Unbox & Discover event. These include Neo QLED 8K models, Neo QLED 4K models and various OLED boxes. Many of these TVs were originally teased at CES, but now preorders are actually open for consumers looking for a new way to watch that upcoming Star Wars show.

Samsung calls the NEO QLED QN900D the “slimmest, most premium 8K TV to ever hit the market.” It’s got everything you can think of, including AI to upscale content to 8K. This should lure in curious, yet wary, consumers into the world of 8K televisions. Most content providers lack native 8K streaming options, which can be a major bummer. Samsung’s AI Upscaling Pro feature can also upscale HD / SD media into 4K.

Another algorithmic feature, Real Depth Enhancer Pro, helps boost the contrast between the foreground and background, which should make fast-paced content like F1 races easier to follow. The TVs also include Samsung’s Gaming Hub, Dolby Atmos audio and support for Wi-FI 6E. Finally, it boasts the company’s proprietary Infinity Air design language, which ensures that the image reaches all edges for increased immersion. The 8K QLED QN900D is available in 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch versions, with prices starting at $5,000. Yeah, they aren’t cheap.

Samsung

The 8K NEO QLED QN800D models are slightly cheaper, starting at $3,500. These TVs are still plenty capable, with the same AI upscaling features found in the QN900D. As a matter of fact, it’s got nearly everything found with its more expensive sibling, including Dolby Atmos audio, the same depth enhancing tech, Samsung’s Gaming Hub and more. The QN800D, however, isn’t quite as slim and it doesn’t feature the Infinity Air edge-to-edge design. The refresh rate maxes out at 165Hz, compared to 240Hz with the QN900D. It’s also available in 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch models.

There are also a pair of Neo QLED 4K sets that boast much of the same tech, with some limitations. The QN90D and QN85D offer AI upscaling, but only to 4K, for obvious reasons. They include the same entertainment software, including Samsung’s Gaming Hub, and feature Dolby Atmos audio. The primary difference between the two is that the QN90D boasts a 144Hz refresh rate, while the QN85D maxes out at 120Hz. These sets range in size from 43 inches all the way to 98 inches, with prices starting at $1,400.

Samsung

Finally, there are the OLED TVs. The S95D and S90D both offer pristine OLED panels, AI upscaling to 4K, depth-enhancing tech, a host of smart features and Dolby Atmos audio, among other tools. There are some subtle differences between the two models. The S95D features the company’s HDR Pro technology, while the S90D includes HDR+. Generally speaking, HDR Pro sets are brighter, which leads to a richer and more natural contrast. The S95D is available in sizes up to 77 inches, with prices starting at $2,600. The S90D is available in sizes up to 65 inches, with prices starting at $2,000. All of the above TVs are available right now for preorder.

When Samsung announced its unique Music Frame speaker at CES, the company left out two key pieces of information: price and availability. It's following up now that the device is nearly ready to ship. The Music Frame is up for preorder starting today for $400. Samsung says it's planning to starting shipping the speaker the week of April 8, so you shouldn't have to wait too long to use it. 

While the Music Frame will complement Samsung's Frame TVs, the speaker holds printed artwork rather than housing a display. But, you can swap the bezels for a different color as needed. Still, the idea if for otherwise obtrusive home theater gear to blend in rather than stick out. Music Frame is equipped with two woofers, two tweeters and two mid-range drivers and offers Dolby Atmos sound. The company says that having the woofers fire out the back and the other drivers face the front leads to a clear, natural sound profile. 

Samsung's SpaceFit tech is used to calibrate the audio to the room you place the speakers in so that their "wide radial sound range" stays in prime operating condition. Plus, Music Frame is compatible with the company's Q-Symphony tech that utilizes TV speakers as part of a home theater setup. You can also install two of them beside your TV for a stereo pair, with the ideal companion being the Frame. Samsung says Music Frame can also be used as rear speakers in the living room or as a standalone subwoofer. 

The Music Frame is a smart speaker too, offering access to Bixby and Alexa with a spoken cue. Plus, it's ready to be wall mounted or can sit on a table using the built-in stand. What's more, Music Frame can be used as a standalone Bluetooth or Wi-Fi speaker. That connectivity enables wireless Dolby Atmos, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Chromecast and AirPlay. Samsung's Tap Sound feature allows you to play whatever is on a compatible phone on the Music Frame by gently tapping the device on the speaker.

During my brief demo at CES, I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality of this speaker. It's more powerful than I expected, with crisp, clear highs and mids. The bass was more subdued, but that could've been due to the clamor of the crowded demo area, so I'll reserve judgement there. I was also only able to hear selected music tracks, not the speaker being used with a TV. 

As part of the preorder process, Samsung is offering a $50 credit on its website if you preorder there before April 11.