The Amazon Big Spring Sale is here, and though not exclusive to its products, some of its devices are touting great discounts. Take Amazon's Echo Dot, which is 30 percent off, dropping to $35 from $50. The fifth-generation device is one of our picks for the best smart speakers of 2024, and the more affordable price makes it all the more tempting.
The fifth-gen Echo Dot came out in 2022 but is still Amazon's latest edition in the series. It has similar capabilities to other smart speakers but at a fraction of the cost. It's a small but mighty device, with excellent sound and clarity for the price point. It utilizes Alexa for most actions but has physical buttons for adjusting the volume and muting the mic.
Amazon's Echo Dot with a clock is also on sale, with a 17 percent discount dropping its price to $50 from $60. If you're looking for a slightly more advanced option, then check out Amazon's fourth-generation Echo. The device is down to $65 from its usual $100. It offers additional features like Dolby audio and a built-in camera shutter.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pick-up-an-echo-dot-for-only-35-during-the-amazon-big-spring-sale-150712728.html?src=rss
Your keys (bags, jackets, purses) may soon become easier to find, thanks to the Big Spring Sale at Amazon. Right now a four pack of Tile Pro Bluetooth trackers are down to $80 instead of the $100 full price for the pack. The deal looks even better when you consider a single Tile Pro goes for $35. That's not quite an all-time low, as we saw the set drop to around $70 for the shopping holidays in 2022 and again last year. Still a decent savings over buying our favorite trackers for Android phones separately and at full price.
The Tile Pro lets you swap out the battery, unlike other Tile models where you need to replace the whole unit. It's also louder than other Tile trackers and Apple's AirTag. While Tile trackers will work with Apple and Android phones, we found the connectivity to be much more reliable with an Android device. Like AirTags, the tags rely on the millions of other Tile users to anonymously ping your lost items when they're out in the world. At home, you can make them ring using the app to help you figure out which couch cushion your keys have fallen between. One caveat is that some features, like the alerts that let you know when you've left your items behind, are only available with a monthly subscription.
Other Tile trackers are on sale as well, including the smaller Tile Mate and the Mate paired up with a Tile Slim, our pick for the best wallet tracker. If you're interested in our top overall Bluetooth tracker, it's worth noting that the Chipolo One is on sale for $60 for a four-pack. It was the loudest tracker and the quickest at letting you know when you were leaving the house (or restaurant, coffee shop, grandma's house) without your things. Though it's wider finding community is nowhere near as vast as Apple's or even Tile's.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-four-pack-of-tile-pro-bluetooth-trackers-is-on-sale-for-80-in-the-amazon-big-spring-sale-150033881.html?src=rss
They have only been around for a matter of weeks, but Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphones are already on sale for record-low prices in the Amazon Big Spring Sale. Perhaps you've been waiting for a solid deal on the top-end Galaxy S24 Ultra, which usually starts at $1,300 for a version with 256GB of storage. That variant is currently $150 off at $1,150.
We gave the Galaxy S24 Ultra a score of 89 in our review. We found it to be very expensive (this sale helps mitigate that!) and the design and lack of Qi 2 support were drawbacks. However, we appreciated the camera upgrades and felt the S24 Ultra delivered great performance and offered terrific battery life. It often had a 50 percent charge remaining after 24 hours of regular use, thanks to the large battery and power efficiency gains afforded by the new processor.
One other major thing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset powers is a host of on-device generative AI (GAI) features, the big selling point for the Galaxy lineup this year as Samsung tries to compete with Google Pixel devices on that front. An interpreter mode can translate languages during calls, while the Chat Assist tool can check the grammar, spelling and tone of your messages before sending them. There are also AI-powered options for image editing and search. While the AI tools more or less work as expected, we felt that they're not quite as polished as Google's versions. Nevertheless, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is our pick for the best premium Android phone.
The Galaxy S24+ is also $150 off. That too marks a record low for a version with 256GB of storage — the handset currently costs $850. Like its smaller sibling, the S24, the S24+ earned a score of 87 in our review. We appreciated the battery life and (for the most part) the GAI tools, though we felt that low-light photography performance was somewhat lacking.
The prices of several other Samsung products have dropped as part of the Amazon Big Spring Sale. Those who prefer foldables may be more interested in the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Again, that's $150 off at $850 for 256GB of storage. However, it's $50 more than the lowest price we've seen for the handset thus far.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-galaxy-s24-smartphones-drop-to-record-low-prices-for-the-amazon-big-spring-sale-144742649.html?src=rss
Apple’s second-generation Apple Pencil is down to one of the best prices we’ve seen yet in an Amazon Big Spring Sale deal. You can grab one for just $79, which is a 39 percent discount and $50 off its normal $129 price tag. This is the pencil that's used with most of the latest iPads (except for the 9th-gen tablet) and we consider it to be one of the best iPad accessories you can get.
The second-generation Apple Pencil is great for artists and note-takers who make heavy use of their iPads. It works with the iPad mini (sixth generation), iPad Air (fourth generation and later), the 12.9-inch iPad Pro from the third generation on, and all 11-inch iPad pro models. When it comes to choosing a stylus for your iPad, you really can’t do any better than the Apple Pencil, as it’s designed specifically to be used with Apple’s tablets. It boasts pressure sensitivity for a more realistic drawing experience and has a hover feature that will preview your pen marks to improve precision.
The second-generation Apple Pencil also has a customizable double-tap feature so you can have easier access to the tools you use the most. It charges wirelessly as well, when it’s magnetically attached to a compatible iPad. Apple’s second-generation Pencil was also designed with a more practical flat edge on either side, so it’s less likely to roll off the table when you set it down.
This model of the Apple Pencil came out a few years ago, but it’s still the best of the current lineup. There have been rumors for months that Apple is planning to release new Apple Pencils, possibly as soon as this spring, but that has yet to be confirmed by the company itself. In the meantime, the second generation Apple Pencil is as cheap as the less feature-rich USB-C Apple Pencil.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-second-generation-apple-pencil-is-on-sale-for-79-during-the-amazon-spring-sale-162232269.html?src=rss
Spring is officially here and if you've been itching to get back outside for a run, or you want to start a new workout regimen, the Amazon Big Spring Sale might have just what you need to upgrade the music portion of your routine. A number of Jabra earbuds have been discounted for the sale, including a couple of our top picks for the best headphones for running. Key among them is the Jabra Elite 8 Active, which is on sale for $160 — only $10 more than its record-low price. The same sale price can be found direct at Jabra as well.
These nearly bested the Beats Fit Pro for the top spot in our guide. Not only are the Elite 8 Active buds comfortable and secure when doing any kind of workout, but they're also IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. Jabra also put these earbuds through military-grade testing to protect them from extreme humidity, high temperature, rain and altitude, so it's fair to say these buds can take a beating (probably way more than what you'd put them through even during your sweatiest runs).
The Elite 8 Active have solid sound quality and ANC out of the box, but you can customize EQ settings using its companion mobile app. If you prefer bassy sounds to get you in the zone before a workout session, you can change the sound profile to accommodate that. They also support spatial sound with Dolby Audio, which is a great perk to have and it will make the Elite 8 Active an even better option for those who want just one pair of buds to use all day, every day, not only during workouts. Jabra's HearThrough transparency mode is also handy, especially for runners who often train outside, since it lets some sound in so you can stay more aware of your surroundings.
Our biggest gripe with the Elite 8 Active buds is that HearThrough doesn't sound quite as natural as the transparency mode on our top pick, the Beats Fit Pro. Otherwise, they're a fantastic option for runners or anyone else who wants a solid pair of wireless earbuds that provide a complete package when it comes to sound quality, ANC and protection against sweat and the elements.
If you're looking to spend even less, it's hard to find a better value in Jabra's lineup than the Elite 4 Active earbuds. Those are on sale for $90 right now — not a record low, but close to it. They're our budget pick in the same guide thanks to their comfy, IP57-rated design, good sound quality and ANC, solid battery life and support for multipoint connectivity. And even though you don't get spatial audio on the Elite 4 Active, they do support custom EQ with the Jabra mobile app.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/one-of-our-favorite-headphones-for-running-is-20-percent-off-in-the-amazon-big-spring-sale-141545370.html?src=rss
A lot of EVs aren’t that fun to drive, built as they are to glide around a highway like a swan on a river. Sure, like the swan’s manic paddling, there’s a lot of hardware and software sweating in the background to maintain that serenity. But the feeling can be so soporific that you wind up lusting for the day full autonomy comes and puts us out of our misery.
Except, of course, if you’re driving a new Lotus.
You see, when you’re driving an electric Lotus, there’s a sense of cognitive whiplash you don’t often get these days. EVs are quick and have plenty of torque thanks to their electric motors but they rarely have anything close to a personality. But even when you’re driving its new two-plus ton SUV, you’re capable of zooming around a race track as if you were driving a go-kart. It’s this unity of electric smarts and old-school drivability that Lotus hopes will return the perpetually beleaguered manufacturer to its former glory.
Lotus
Lotus Cars
If you’re not a car person, I wouldn’t blame you for not knowing Lotus was a big name in manufacturing and F1 – emphasis on was – responsible for many innovations that shaped how we build, drive and race cars today. “We talk about [having] this pioneering and rebellious spirit,” says Mike Johnstone, Lotus’ new VP of Commercial Operations. For the last 75 years, Lotus has been a left-field car manufacturer, with customers who want something that is “not necessarily part of the status quo.”
Lotus is a company defined by, and proud of, its idiosyncrasies. It’s idiosyncratically based in rural Norfolk, a hundred miles or more from the rest of the UK’s automotive industry. It’s idiosyncratic co-founder Colin Chapman (pictured, above), whose famous mantra was “simplify, then add lightness.” It’s idiosyncratic technical innovations, like monocoque bodies, ground-effect aerodynamics and the early use of carbon fiber. Its cars' idiosyncratic obsession with perfect handling and speed rather than creature comforts.
It was this idiosyncratic reputation that made it a draw for pop culture figures who wanted to stand out from the crowd. Patrick McGoohan chose a Lotus Seven to be The Prisoner’s car in 1996 because it showed a “touch of the rebel.” The Avengers’ Mrs. Peel drove a Lotus Elan, while James Bond drove a Lotus Esprit underwater in The Spy Who Loved Me and a Turbo Esprit in For Your Eyes Only. And Richard Gere drove a Lotus Esprit in Pretty Woman because Porsche and Ferrari, who were asked first, objected to the film’s subject matter. I doubt Lotus has ever uttered the phrase “brand safety” with a sincere face.
Since Chapman’s death in the early ‘80s, Lotus has become a byword for stagnation, passed from one corporate parent to another. Its model line suffered: It sold the Elise from 1996 until 2021, while the Exige was in production from 2000 to 2021. Its newest car pre-Geely was the Evora, and its 12-year lifespan made it the youngest and freshest ride in the range. All three were discontinued in 2021 when the Emira made its debut as the company’s last gas-powered car.
Lotus remained alive because of its small but passionate fanbase, which happened to include a number of automotive executives. But while demand for its own cars waned, the rest of the industry continued to rely on its expertise in making cars drive well. Lotus’ fingerprints are visible in so many high-profile cars, from the DeLorean DMC12, Aston Martin DB9 and even Sinclair’s C5. More importantly, the first Tesla roadster was developed on Lotus’ platform, with the first run of cars built at its Hethel, England base.
In 2017, Geely — the Chinese EV giant that owns Volvo and Polestar — bought a 51 percent stake in the company. It’s spent the last few years and a considerable amount of cash to push the company into the 21st century. The existing gas-powered product line was cleared out, the HQ revamped and a new electric-only facility built in China. I was able to visit the company’s Hethel plant to see the fruits of this investment, and also to try all of the new vehicles. The headline-grabbing model, of course, is the Evija, the company’s $3 million all-electric hypercar.
The Evija
Lotus Cars
Emeya, Eletre, Emira, Evija, Evora, Exige, Elise, Elan, Esprit: It’s tradition, or something, that all Lotuses have incomprehensible faux-Latin names beginning with an E. The Evija will, hopefully, lodge itself in your memory as the company’s hypercar, of which only 130 will be built. One of the first is owned by former Formula One world champion Jenson Button with a Brawn GP paint job in honor of his 2009 win.
Lotus opted to put a lot of hardware in the middle of the car behind the two seats to retain that mid-engined weight distribution. The body is a single piece of carbon fiber, and it’s obvious to all that this is a race car first, with Lamborghini-esque styling. To save weight, there’s little sound dampening, so you can hear the roar of the gear, and the road, as you slice through the air. Put your foot down and you’ll hear the power unit spin up to push juice to those four wheel-mounted 500W motors.
What comes out the other side is eye-bleeding acceleration and enough g-force that you feel your lunch shift from one side of your stomach to the other. Yes, other EVs can go quickly, and some accelerate ludicrously fast, but the Evija is playing in different water. For car people, Lotus has always been synonymous with fast-twitch driving dynamics and slightly lackluster reliability. But the Evija feels mature, solid, stable and able to harness all of the pure grunt that only an electric motor can provide.
I’d go further and say that the Evija is terrifying, especially when Karl Eaton, one of the minds behind the vehicle, took me around the track in one. He waited until the car reached 201 miles per hour to start explaining all of the smart choices embodied in its design. I didn’t recall much of what he said at the time since I was trying to keep all the fluids in my body.
The Eletre and Emeya
Lotus Cars
Of course, the Evija is the standard bearer for Lotus as a luxury EV maker that stands out from the crowd. It’s not likely you’ll have a few million lying around, but its existence will make you aware of the relatively more reasonably-priced options in its lineup. The Eletre is the first real Lotus EV, priced around $100,000 and again, something of a departure from the norm. Whereas Lotus prides itself on making zippy, mid-engined sports cars, this is a two-and-change ton SUV that just happens to be as capable on a race track as its E-named predecessors.
On my first few laps around the track, I drove the Eletre like a high-sided SUV, which is to say, gently. After all, I didn’t want to flip this thing over when I’d need to save three years worth of paychecks just for a chance to look at the sales brochure. My co-pilot kept urging me to go harder, and eventually I did, realizing that Lotus has done something amazing. It’s a car that you can fling around a track and feel like you’re Lewis Hamilton, and then drive it home without missing a beat.
Lotus Cars
The Eletre is already on sale, but we won’t need to wait a decade to see what follow-up Lotus has planned. Next on the docket is the Emeya, a luxury hyper-grand tourer based on the same platform as the Eletre. You can see the shared design language and the emphasis on active aerodynamics in the body to help the cars zoom around the corners. There are gaps and vents all around the body to help push air past the cabin and keep all four wheels planted on the road.
As for the interiors, Lotus is a company that has traditionally avoided fripperies like comfort and ease of use. These, after all, aren’t conducive to Chapman’s mantra of simplifying and adding lightness. But the Eletre and Emeya have gloriously un-Chapmanesque cabins full of luxurious materials and physical dials and switches more reminiscent of a high-end camera. When you look at the price and see that the luxurious excesses of this cost the same as a Tesla Model X, you feel as though the incumbents need to get a lot better quickly.
The Spirit of Lotus
Lotus Cars
You could argue that Lotus is just a badge under which Geely can slap components it’s using elsewhere. But Mike Johnstone said the parent company has no interest in diluting what makes Lotus Lotus. “More than 99 percent of all of our development is done ourselves,” said Johnstone, “where we benefit [from being owned by Geely] is access to a supply chain.”
Much has been made about what Lotus’ role in the automotive firmament should be in the new world of electric vehicles. Colin Chapman’s famous principles were to simplify and add lightness so aren’t bulky EVs, shorn of their gas-powered engines, an insult to his memory? Thankfully, I only needed to cross the road that runs alongside Lotus’ Hethel HQ to ask an expert: Chapman’s son, Clive (pictured, left). Clive is the head of Classic Team Lotus, a heritage brand that keeps the company’s former gas-powered F1 cars working. Despite the shared name and proximity, there’s no financial relationship between Lotus and the Classic Team.
Clive showed me around the facility, which maintains those classic F1 cars and races them at heritage events, like the Historic Grand Prix at Monaco. If you’re a one-percenter with an old Lotus, you can also send it here to be restored by specialists. On the upper floor, there’s a collection of classic Lotuses of every stripe. It’s a rare and beautiful sight to see. I asked Clive how his father would feel about the shift to electric. “Dad was never sentimental,” said the younger Chapman, and directed me to a pristine Lotus 56 in the collection. He explained that his father was never wedded to one technology or philosophy, despite what some Lotus fans may claim. The Lotus 56, after all, was equipped with a gas turbine engine more commonly seen in aircraft than vehicles, but Colin Chapman was very interested in the speed advantage it could have offered.
It seems that what mattered to Colin Chapman then is the same as what matters to Lotus now: Pushing automotive design forward, no matter how unusual the method. Before I tried any of Lotus’ EVs on its test track, I tried the (gas-powered) Emira and used that as my benchmark. My expectation was that the subsequent cars would all pale somehow in comparison to the last “true” Lotus to be made at Hethel. And yet, the new cars, despite their batteries and electric motors, are just as lithe and energetic as ever. This, I suspect, is why Lotus has a good chance of making a mark in the new world, because it remains enough of that uncompromising spirit to stand out from the crowd and make sure that, for those who need it, you can still feel connected to your car.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lotus-secret-weapon-is-evs-with-personality-140013839.html?src=rss
Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 debuted in October as a significant upgrade to its predecessor. The entire shape has also changed: where the previous model resembled a high tech coat check ticket, the SmartTag 2 looks more like a standard keyring USB drive. Its overall durability also improved with the addition of IP67 dust and water resistance to allow for outdoor tracking.
Internally, the Galaxy SmartTag 2 also has a range of improvements, like combining Bluetooth and ultra-wideband (UWB) into a single model. It also offers 500 days of battery or 700 days in Power Saving Mode — a 50 percent improvement from the original. The only downside is that it only works with Samsung devices, but this is a good choice if you have one.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-big-spring-sale-discounts-samsung-galaxy-smarttag-2-to-only-21-each-131600168.html?src=rss
Nineteen years after Jawed Karim uploaded the very first YouTube video, the awkward, 19-second clip in front of San Diego Zoo’s elephant enclosure is memorable today only because of what it represents: the start of a multibillion-dollar juggernaut that defines so much of what it means to be an online creator.
Today, YouTube is the most dominant social media platform by a sizable margin, especially among teenagers. Its influence is so vast it feels almost impossible to define. The service has birthed thousands of memes and internet personalities. Its recommendation algorithm has been credited with supercharging bizarre trends and viral misinformation.
But one of the most powerful ways YouTube has wielded its influence is through its Partner Program. The revenue sharing arrangement has generated billions of dollars for its most popular users and helped define the multibillion-dollar industry we now call the creator economy. Today, there are dozens of platforms and business models for making money via content creation, but it’s difficult to imagine any of them existing without YouTube’s Partner Program.
While YouTube is hardly the only platform that has made becoming an online creator feel like a viable career path, it has played an outsized role in creating and fueling the industry. When Google first introduced the Partner Program in 2007, there weren’t many ways to make a living from online content. The blogging industry was well established, but online media dynamics were already shifting away from independently run operations in favor of established platforms and brands.
YouTube, on the other hand, was a rising upstart in online media. Google had acquired the video service in 2006, before it had ads or even a mobile app. And when it announced it would make some of its most popular creators “partners“ in its business, it promised some of Google’s ad money could flow directly to the people making content.
It would take several more years for the Partner Program to grow into the money-printing machine it is now. But the Partner Program arrived, in 2007, when there was a growing demand for online video. Between 2006 and 2009, the audience for online video doubled, according to Pew Research, and YouTube was the biggest beneficiary. By the fall of 2009, YouTube was seeing more than one billion views a day.
That same year, YouTube made another important change to its monetization policies. It decided to spread the wealth so any single viral video could be eligible for revenue sharing, even if the creator wasn’t a partner, affirming that YouTube was the place to make money from viral content. In 2012, the Partner Program officially opened to everyone, and by 2014 there were one million creators making money from YouTube, according to The New York Times.
The flood of creators looking for a payout (and the sometimes scammy tactics that drove them) eventually led YouTube to again tighten its requirement for partner status in 2017. But YouTube had already cemented itself as the platform for amateur creators to turn their videos into a steady income. Today, there are more than three million channels with partner status, and the company has paid creators more than $70 billion in the last three years alone.
Of course, creators starting out now have many options available besides YouTube. Nearly every social media app offers some kind of monetization opportunity, though few have generated anything close to the eye-popping eight-figure sums made by YouTube’s top talent.
Other companies' creator funds, in which all creators draw payouts from the same pool of money fronted by the platform, have been underwhelming. YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr. Beast, regularly tops the lists of YouTube’s highest earners. In 2022, he shared that he was making less than $10,000 a year from TikTok’s creator fund. And other apps’ monetization features, like tipping, subscriptions and virtual gifts, are difficult to scale.
Unsurprisingly, the number of YouTube-made multimillionaires has drastically changed teens’ ideas for career paths. In 2005, the year YouTube came online, teens said their top career aspirations were to become teachers or doctors, according to a poll conducted by Gallup. By 2021, YouGov found becoming a YouTuber or streamer was the top aspiration for Gen Z. In 2023, Morning Consult reported that 57% of Gen Z would like to pursue a career as an online creator “if given the opportunity.”
Polls like this often prompt a lot of eye rolls and snarky headlines. But it’s never been easier or more lucrative to be an online creator. At least one university offers a major in content creation and social media. Whether we like the idea of influencing as a career path, the industry of independent streamers, vloggers, newsletter writers, podcast producers, VTubers and others is worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-created-the-creator-economy-130028016.html?src=rss
Better weather is on the horizon and that means more time outside using your phone to capture all the beautiful blooms — but you don't to run out of battery mid-snapshot. Thankfully, Amazon's Big Spring Sale has proven to be a boon for Anker deals. A range of the company's products are currently on sale, including the Anker Prime Power Bank, down to $125 from $180. The 31 percent price cut makes one of our best power banks for 2024 much more accessible.
Anker's Prime Power Bank is a great choice if you're sick of guessing how much juice your power bank has left. This premium portable charger digitally displays its battery percentage. The device can charge your iPhone to 75 percent in 47 minutes and to 100 percent in an hour and 48 minutes. An iPad clocks in at 54 percent after 47 minutes and 100 percent after two hours and 11 minutes. The charger has a sleek look for a high price point but the screen seems easily scratched.
Notably, the Prime Power Bank's sale doesn't include the charging base (that will cost you $235 for both), but it's not necessary. You can fully recharge the power bank in 37 minutes with a USB-C cord at 140W — faster than the base's 100W charging capabilities.
Other notable power banks included in Amazon's sale are Anker's 622 Magnetic Battery and 737 Power Bank. The 622 touts the largest discount of the group with a 43 percent cut bringing it's price to $40 from $70. It snaps right onto the back of an iPhone and provides up to 17 hours of battery life. The device, which is available in blue, also comes with a PopSockets attachment.
The Anker 737 Power Bank is a bit more expensive, with a 38 percent discount dropping its price to $80 from $130. However, it offers three charging ports (two USB and one USB-C) and works with laptops, iPhones and Androids. USB connections have 18W of power while the USB-C provides 60W.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-power-banks-and-wireless-chargers-are-up-to-43-percent-off-for-the-amazon-big-spring-sale-132737510.html?src=rss
Getty has flagged another photo captured by the Princess of Wales as digitally altered that was released back in 2022, featuring Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "Getty Images is undertaking a review of handout images and in accordance with its editorial policy is placing an editor's note on images where the source has suggested they could be digitally enhanced," a spokesperson told CNN. This comes on the heels of a recent controversy, where a photo of Kate Middleton was revealed to be doctored.
The publication found 19 alterations in the photo that most people likely wouldn't notice unless they zoom in very closely and examine every pattern. It found a few misalignments in the subjects' clothing, random floating artifacts, cloned hair strands and heads that looked like they were pasted in from another photo due to the difference in lighting. Kate, or whoever edited the picture, might have simply been looking to create the best version of it possible, but agencies like Getty only allow minimal editing for the photos in their library to avoid spreading misinformation.
Today would have been Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday.
This photograph - showing her with some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren - was taken at Balmoral last summer.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 21, 2023
The princess' absence from public events since Christmas last year has, as you might have expected, spawned all kinds of conspiracy theories. It even gave rise to a whole Wikipedia article entitled "Where is Kate?" because people around the world are apparently that invested in the British monarchy and can't quite believe that she'd undergone abdominal surgery.
In the midst of it all, William's and Kate's social media accounts posted the aforementioned doctored photo of the Princess of Wales with her children on Mother's Day in the UK. But when the Associated Press and other news agencies pulled the photo because they found that it had been edited, those conspiracy theories became even more outlandish. The wildest claim we've heard so far is that the video of her out shopping with the Prince of Wales wasn't her at all but a body double. Or a clone, apparently, because that's the way it goes on the internet.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/getty-flags-another-british-royal-family-photo-for-being-digitally-altered-121856385.html?src=rss
