Amazon’s Project Kuiper is reportedly way behind schedule, according to an investigation by Bloomberg. This is the company’s satellite internet service, which intends to rival SpaceX and Starlink. The issue seems to be one of scale, as the company has had trouble increasing production of the actual satellites.

The reporting indicates that the Kuiper team has only managed to manufacture a few dozen of these satellites. As a comparison, there are currently over 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit. The initial production of the Kuiper satellites was delayed until the tail-end of last year, so Amazon hasn’t had too much time to ramp things up.

Beta testing didn’t start until earlier this year. Amazon had planned for an initial launch on April 8 for 27 satellites, but that got delayed until April 28.

Project Kuiper hopes to eventually provide broadband connectivity to at least 400 million households, in addition to providing service in remote areas. However, it needs to launch over 3,000 satellites to reach that goal. Additionally, it secured a government contract with a deadline to put 1,600 satellites in orbit by next summer. Insiders suggest that it will probably have to seek an extension from the FCC.

"We’ve designed some of the most advanced communications satellites ever built, and our primary objective is to build and launch enough of them to begin delivering service to customers later this year," an Amazon spokesperson told Seeking Alpha. "Our manufacturing schedule is on track to support this target, and we’ll continue to increase our production and launch rates as we begin a full-scale deployment of our network."

It did manage to launch a pair of prototype satellites into space in late 2023. This was followed by successful tests of an optical mesh network that linked the two satellites in low Earth orbit. 

The company is scheduled to conduct a number of launches throughout the year, with help from Arianespace, Blue Origin and SpaceX. United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, will handle the April 28 launch. Amazon hasn’t indicated why satellite production has hit this hiccup. We reached out to the company and will update this post when we learn more.

More people worldwide will be seeing ads on Threads in the future. Back in January, Meta launched a small test of ads visible to a subset of users in the US and Japan, which included a handful of brands. Threads was completely ad-free since it became available a year-and-a-half before that, though Meta had been planning to put ads on the service months before the test began. Now, Meta is rolling out ads on Threads to over 30 countries globally. That means the advertisements will reach a bigger percentage of its 300 million users, though it will be interesting to see if their rollout will have any impact on the service's steady growth. 

Meta didn't list out those 30 countries, and it also didn't say how often ads will show up in people's feeds. Like in the initial test period though, the advertisements will appear in between organic content or posts from people and friends users follow. Meta is opening up ads on Threads to all its eligible advertisers around the world, as well, so users will be seeing placements from more companies, including ones local to their countries. The company told us that it's adopting a phased approach to its rollout, so advertisements might appear more and more frequently on the service as time goes on. 

WhatsApp is introducing a new feature called Advanced Chat Privacy that can block participants from sharing the contents of a conversation. This is an opt-in tool that’s available for both traditional chats and groups.

Once selected, the toolset will prevent anyone in the chat from sharing anything outside of the app. This means it’ll block all chat exports, but that’s just the beginning. The software also prevents a smartphone from auto-downloading media and will stop integration with AI assistants. Basically, what happens on WhatsApp stays on WhatsApp. However, it's unclear if it prevents screenshotting. We've reached out to Meta and will update this post when we hear back. 

The platform says this is "best used when talking with groups where you may not know everyone closely but are nevertheless sensitive in nature." It gives examples like a support group about health challenges and a chat about community organizing.

WhatsApp says this is just the first version of the tool and that it’ll be adding "more protections" in the future. It’s rolling out right now across the globe, though it could take a month or two to reach everyone. 

The platform is already known for being privacy-focused, as it uses end-to-end encryption. It also leverages related software tools like disappearing messages and chats that require device authentication.

Roku is wading deeper into the smart home space with two new security cameras, which can run on batteries. As such, you'll be able to place the Roku Battery Camera and Roku Battery Camera Plus pretty much anywhere. 

The former is said to run for up to six months on a single charge, while the Roku Battery Camera Plus can operate for up to a couple of years before you need to juice it up. There's an optional solar panel attachment so you might never have to manually recharge the batteries.

These cameras are designed for simplicity. A step-by-step guide on your phone walks you through how to set them up. They provide 1080p full-color visuals and there's a color night vision mode. Other features include motion detection and notifications. You can create schedules for the cameras too. 

Of course, you can monitor what the cameras see via the Roku Smart Home app or the web, as well as Roku TVs and streaming devices. Through the Roku Cameras app on your TV, you can view a carousel of camera feeds that cycle either periodically or based on motion events. There's a picture-in-picture option in case you want to watch TV and keep and eye on what's happening in and around your home too. The cameras lack microSD card support for local storage, though; if you want to store video clips in the cloud (or receive object-specific detection alerts), you'll need to pay a subscription fee.

Roku hasn't announced pricing for the cameras as yet. They'll be available in the coming months and will join the likes of the Indoor Security Camera in Roku's lineup. The company also unveiled its latest streaming sticks and announced new TVs and feature updates at an event on Wednesday.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

On Wednesday, Roku revealed two new streaming devices at an event in New York City. The company says its Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus are the most compact on the market, measuring 35 percent smaller than other brands' models, so they shouldn't prevent you from hooking other devices into nearby HDMI ports. However, Roku says there's no compromise on performance despite the small size. 

The entry-level Streaming Stick costs $30 and knocks the wedge-shaped Roku Express out of the company's lineup. Like the older model, it's a 1080p player aimed at folks who just want a cheap way to add streaming apps to a slower TV. It has many of the features you'd expect from a Roku device, such as personalized recommendations, access to thousands of streaming channels, Apple AirPlay support, a voice-enabled remote (something the Express lacked) and Backdrops — a way to display art and photos on your TV when you're not streaming anything. It makes a few significant sacrifices to hit its low price, though: There's no HDR whatsoever, and Wi-Fi connectivity is limited to a barebones 802.11 b/g/n, not even the old Wi-Fi 5 standard.

The $40 Streaming Stick Plus, meanwhile, replaces the Roku Express 4K+. Naturally, this has all of the features of the Streaming Stick, plus support for 4K streaming, HDR and Wi-Fi 5. That said, it still lacks Dolby Vision HDR and a longer-range Wi-Fi radio — for those, you need the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, which will remain at the top of Roku's streaming stick lineup at $50. Roku notes the small size of the new sticks makes it easy to bring either with you when you travel, so you can plug one into a TV at your hotel or vacation rental and keep watching your shows. The company says the new devices can be powered directly by the USB port on most TVs as well. 

The Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus are coming to the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama. US pre-orders are open today and the sticks will become available from Roku directly and major retailers on May 6.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Beyond that, the company previewed new TVs with "under-the-hood enhancements." Roku is promising richer and more vivid visuals, along with improved audio quality and faster app launches in its 2025 lineup. The company pledged to deliver custom factory calibration for its top-end Roku Pro Series models, along with more local dimming zones and better bass response from the built-in speakers. 

The middle-tier Roku Plus Series TVs are getting a feature called Roku Smart Picture Max, which automatically adjusts picture settings on a scene-by-scene basis to help you avoid fiddling in menus more than you need to. (Previously, this was limited to the Pro models.) The Plus Series will also come with mini-LED backlighting with the aim of improving contrast without increasing prices. The built-in remote finder button and integrated cable management that were first introduced with the Pro Series will be there as well. The budget-level Roku Select Series TVs, meanwhile, will support Bluetooth headphones for remote listening and include a new 85-inch model.

Roku also announced software updates, which it claims will make streaming on Roku OS "smoother and more personalized." Meanwhile, revamped content discovery features include personalized sports highlights and a "Coming soon to theaters" row for movies. (Hey, cinemas need all the help they can get.) There's a new daily trivia game, too, and the oddly popular "Roku City" screensaver will now be available through its own tile if you don't want to wait for your screen to timeout. The aforementioned Backdrops feature is also coming to all Roku TVs and streaming devices in Canada starting today.

The updates come as Roku has received pushback from some users over its approach to ads built into Roku OS. Last month, for instance, Ars Technica reported that the company had started testing auto-playing video ads that run before a user reaches their home screen. At the event in NYC, Roku ad marketing head Jordan Rost declined to confirm whether the company plans to implement that particular feature on a permanent basis, saying generally that decisions like those are based on the data and feedback it receives from its users and advertising partners. 

Elsewhere, a patent filing unearthed by Lowpass last year suggested that Roku had explored ways of displaying ads on third-party devices connected to Roku TVs. When asked about that, Rost reiterated that the company is focused on ad experiences in Roku OS specifically right now. 

Google will not make any to changes to how third-party cookies work on the Chrome browser at all. Anthony Chavez, Google VP for Privacy Sandbox, has announced that the company has "made the decision to maintain [its] current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome." It will also "not be rolling out a new standalone prompt for third-party cookies" that would have allowed users to opt out of being tracked by advertisers. Google has made the announced a few days after a federal judge ruled that it has an illegal monopoly on online advertising. 

The company originally announced that it was going to phase out third-party tracking cookies in 2022 as part of its Privacy Sandbox initiative, which aims to make the web more secure and private to use. But due to a series of delays and regulatory hurdles — the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the US Department of Justice both looked into Google's initiative out of concerns that it could harm smaller advertisers — the planned deprecation got delayed to 2024 and then again to 2025. 

Last year, Google ultimately decided that it wasn't going to kill third-party cookies and will instead introduce "a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing." That new experience isn't coming. In his new announcement, Chavez said that a lot has changed since the Privacy Sandbox initiative debuted, and Google has taken new developments in privacy-enhancing technologies that secure people's browsing into consideration when it made its decision.

Despite killing all its plans to remove third-party cookies from Chrome, Google will keep the Privacy Sandbox initiative alive. Chavez said it will continue enhancing tracking protections in Chrome's incognito mode, such as launching IP Protection later this year, and will continue working on features like Safe Browsing, Safety Check and built-in password protections.

Amazon has sold Kindle ereaders for almost two decades but it wasn't until last year that it went beyond black and white. The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition came out in October and — despite a previous screen issue that seems fixed — it's a great product overall. Our biggest quip is the price, $280 for the 32GB edition, compared to $200 for the 32GB Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, for example. 

Now, a new sale is easing the strain on our wallets, dropping the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition to $225 — a 20 percent discount and record-low price. The deal is the same whether or not you opt for three months free of Kindle Unlimited. The seven-inch display touts "paper-like color," up to eight weeks of use in one charge and has an an IPX8 waterproof rating. Plus, it's especially nice for graphic novel readers who want to get the full effect. 

Amazon is also running two types of book sales. If you have one of their ereaders, then you can get three times the amount of points every time you buy a Kindle book between today and Friday, April 25. If ereaders aren't your thing then you can check out Amazon's Book Sale, on through Monday, April 28. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Those looking to upgrade from an aging tablet to a new iPad should consider the new iPad A16. Not only do we consider it the best affordable iPad, but it's also on sale for even less right now. A few colorways of the iPad A16 are down to $320, which is $29 off the normal price and a record low. The deal is for the entry-level configuration with 128GB of storage, 6GB of RAM and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

The A16 iPad, which Apple released earlier this year, is our pick for the best budget iPad. It's not as sleek or powerful as the iPad Air, but as things stand it'll run you $234 less than that tablet. It's a good device in its own right, as we gave it a score of 84 in our review.

Apple didn't increase the price of the latest base iPad compared with the previous model, but it added 2GB of RAM, doubled the storage and slotted in a more powerful chipset that's fast enough for most common tasks, including casual gaming and light photo editing. However, the iPad doesn't support Apple Intelligence — which is either a positive or negative, depending on your perspective or feelings about generative AI.

The build quality is still solid, while the 11-inch tablet runs for around 10 hours on a single charge, depending on the taks you carry out with it. On the downside, the accessory situation isn't ideal. The Apple Pencil doesn't charge wirelessly when you attach it magnetically to the iPad — you'll need a USB-C cable and a USB-C to Lightning adapter to juice up the original Pencil's battery from the tablet. The Magic Keyboard support isn't great either, as the model that works with the base iPad is tough to stabilize on your lap.

Still, if the accessory fussiness doesn't bother you, this might be the right iPad for your needs. Sure, the iPad Air and Pro lineups have models with more powerful chipsets, but if all you're looking for is an iPad to watch some movies on while you're flying or to read the news on without breaking the bank, this could be the way to go.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Apple TV+ has a ton of popular originals like Ted Lasso, Severance, Slow Horses, For All Mankind, Foundation and Silo. If you've been meaning to check them out, you can do so for less right now. Apple TV+ is on sale right now for $3 per month for the first three months, bringing the total cost to just $9 for the entire period. That saves you a total of $21 off the standard $10 monthly cost of the subscription that we consider to be one of our favorite streaming services. But the deal expires on April 24, so you only have a bit more time to grab it.

Apple's shows won 10 Emmy Awards in 2024, including a Slow Horses victory for outstanding writing in a drama series. Although its films weren't up for anything at this year's Oscars, it received 13 nominations in 2024, including Best Picture nods for Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon.

Both new and qualified returning subscribers (those who haven't been subscribed for the past 30 days) are eligible for this deal. You also must sign up via Apple directly and not through a third-party provider or your mobile wireless provider. If you don't want to pay full price after three months, just remember to cancel before the renewal date.

Check out our coverage of the best streaming deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

You can sink a lot of money into your kitchen without even realizing it. There’s no doubt that some of the best kitchen gadgets are on the pricey side, but there are also plenty of budget-friendly tools that can make your time meal prepping, cooking for a party and reheating leftovers much easier. All the recommendations on this list are either products I use currently, or more affordable versions of something I decided to splurge on after years of food prep. You may not consider every single item an essential for your kitchen, but all of them can save you time when you need to get dinner on the table quickly.

Best cheap kitchen gadgets for 2025