Ring has announced a refresh of its popular Battery Doorbell Plus outdoor camera. The Battery Doorbell Pro is an upgrade in nearly every way, as is usually the case when companies slap “Pro” at the end of a name.

Ring says this new model is its “most advanced battery powered doorbell” ever and that it’s packed with features that exceed even its wired doorbells. It boasts radar-powered 3D motion detection, which was also included with the company’s Stick Up Cam Pro. Otherwise called “Bird’s Eye View”, this technology tracks an object’s path through the camera’s field of view so you can monitor where visitors are going and the route they took to get there.

This is paired with an algorithm that sets more nuanced and discrete motion alerts, so you won’t get pinged every time a cat or shadow crosses your yard. You also get something called “Bird’s Eye View” that translates this information into a series of dots on an aerial image of your property.

The visuals have received an upgrade. The camera records 1546p HD+ video and there’s some upscaling features to make the image more crisp. Ring says the doorbell’s dynamic image processing and high-efficiency compression delivers “life-like color and sharpness whether you’re watching in Live View or a video recording from the night before.” To the latter point, there’s a new tool called Low-Light Sight that provides “clear color” videos even in the dark.

The Ring Battery Doorbell Pro also includes a noise-canceling algorithm so you can actually hear who’s at the door, and not just a truck passing by. As the name suggests, it’s powered by a rechargeable battery and not by splicing into your home’s electrical system. Ring is owned by Amazon, so you get Alexa functionality and Echo Show integration. The company would also very much like you to sign up to its Ring Alarm Pro subscription plan for cloud storage, package alerts and backup internet for when the power goes out.

If you've been hesitant about Ring products because of where your data might go, the company recently walked back its police-friendly stance regarding video sharing. Amazon says that Ring’s home doorbell unit would stop acquiescing to warrantless police requests for footage from users’ video doorbells and surveillance cameras. 

The doorbell goes on sale on Mach 6 for $230, with pre-orders going live today. A Ring Alarm Pro subscription costs $20 per month or $200 per year. 

Akai just officially announced the MPC Key 37, a standalone workstation and groovebox. This is the latest standalone MPC device, following last year’s larger Key 61. The Key 37 has everything you need to make a beat or song from scratch without having to use an actual computer and DAW, with some limitations. 

There are 37 full-size keys, complete with polyphonic aftertouch. There aren’t that many standalone devices out there with a full keybed, so this should excite musicians who lack experience with Akai-style pads. This device does have 16 velocity-sensitive pads for laying down drum parts and triggering samples, so it’s a “best of both worlds” type situation.

The Key 37 ships with 32GB of on-board storage, though 10GB is used up by the OS and included sound packs. Thankfully, there’s a slot for an SD card to expand the storage — these standalone devices fill up fast.

You get the same color 7-inch multi-touch display and four assignable Q-Link knobs as the company’s Key 61 workstation. This is great for making system adjustments and for controlling effects plugins and the like. As a matter of fact, the entire layout recalls the Key 61, though this new release is slightly less powerful.

Akai

The Key 37 features 2GB of RAM, compared to 4GB with the Key 61. This is going to hamper the number of tracks that will play simultaneously without any hiccups. It also lacks the two microphone inputs and associated preamps. There are, however, stereo 1/4-inch inputs and outputs, USB Midi, 5-pin MIDI In/MIDI Out, 4 TRS CV/Gate output jacks and a USB host port. This keyboard also boasts Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity for wireless streaming with platforms like Ableton Link.

Beyond the iconic 16 pad layout, the highlight of any MPC machine is the software. To that end, the Key 37 ships with Akai’s MPC2 desktop software and its standalone suite. You get eight instrument plugins out of the box and a voucher for a premium plug from the company’s ever-growing collection. You even get that cool stem separation software, though it’s not available on the Key 37 yet.

Akai’s latest and greatest may not be as full-featured as 2022’s Key 61, but it’s around half the price. The Key 37 costs $900 and is available to order right now via parent company inMusic and authorized retailers.

Hackers use ransomware to go after every industry, charging as much money as they can to return access to a victim's files. It’s a lucrative business to be in. In the first six months of 2023, ransomware gangs bilked $449 million from their targets, even though most governments advise against paying ransoms. Increasingly, security professionals are coming together with law enforcement to provide free decryption tools — freeing locked files and eliminating the temptation for victims to pony up.

There are a couple main ways that ransomware decryptors go about coming up with tools: reverse engineering for mistakes, working with law enforcement and gathering publicly available encryption keys. The length of the process varies depending on how complex the code is, but it usually requires information on the encrypted files, unencrypted versions of the files and server information from the hacking group. “Just having the output encrypted file is usually useless. You need the sample itself, the executable file,” said Jakub Kroustek, malware research director at antivirus business Avast. It’s not easy, but does pay dividends to the impacted victims when it works.

First, we have to understand how encryption works. For a very basic example, let's say a piece of data might have started as a cognizable sentence, but appears like "J qsfgfs dbut up epht" once it's been encrypted. If we know that one of the unencrypted words in "J qsfgfs dbut up epht" is supposed to be "cats," we can start to determine what pattern was applied to the original text to get the encrypted result. In this case, it's just the standard English alphabet with each letter moved forward one place: A becomes B, B becomes C, and "I prefer cats to dogs" becomes the string of nonsense above. It’s much more complex for the sorts of encryption used by ransomware gangs, but the principle remains the same. The pattern of encryption is also known as the 'key', and by deducing the key, researchers can create a tool that can decrypt the files.

Some forms of encryption, like the Advanced Encryption Standard of 128, 192 or 256 bit keys, are virtually unbreakable. At its most advanced level, bits of unencrypted "plaintext" data, divided into chunks called "blocks," are put through 14 rounds of transformation, and then output in their encrypted — or "ciphertext" — form. “We don’t have the quantum computing technology yet that can break encryption technology,” said Jon Clay, vice president of threat intelligence at security software company Trend Micro. But luckily for victims, hackers don’t always use strong methods like AES to encrypt files.

While some cryptographic schemes are virtually uncrackable it’s a difficult science to perfect, and inexperienced hackers will likely make mistakes. If the hackers don’t apply a standard scheme, like AES, and instead opt to build their own, the researchers can then dig around for errors. Why would they do this? Mostly ego. “They want to do something themselves because they like it or they think it's better for speed purposes,” Jornt van der Wiel, a cybersecurity researcher at Kaspersky, said.

For example, here’s how Kaspersky decrypted the Yanluowang ransomware strain. It was a targeted strain aimed at specific companies, with an unknown list of victims. Yanluowang used the Sosemanuk stream cipher to encrypt data: a free-for-use process that encrypts the plaintext file one digit at a time. Then, it encrypted the key using an RSA algorithm, another type of encryption standard. But there was a flaw in the pattern. The researchers were able to compare the plaintext to the encrypted version, as explained above, and reverse engineer a decryption tool now made available for free. In fact, there are tons that have already been cracked by the No More Ransom project.

Ransomware decryptors will use their knowledge of software engineering and cryptography to get the ransomware key and, from there, create a decryption tool, according to Kroustek. More advanced cryptographic processes may require either brute forcing, or making educated guesses based on the information available. Sometimes hackers use a pseudo-random number generator to create the key. A true RNG will be random, duh, but that means it won’t be easily predicted. A pseudo-RNG, as explained by van der Wiel, may rely on an existing pattern in order to appear random when it's actually not — the pattern might be based on the time it was created, for example. If researchers know a portion of that, they can try different time values until they deduce the key.

But getting that key often relies on working with law enforcement to get more information about how the hacking groups work. If researchers are able to get the hacker’s IP address, they can request the local police to seize servers and get a memory dump of their contents. Or, if hackers have used a proxy server to obscure their location, police might use traffic analyzers like NetFlow to determine where the traffic goes and get the information from there, according to van der Wiel. The Budapest Convention on Cybercrime makes this possible across international borders because it lets police request an image of a server in another country urgently while they wait for the official request to go through.

The server provides information on the hacker’s activities, like who they might be targeting or their process for extorting a ransom. This can tell ransomware decryptors the process the hackers went through in order to encrypt the data, details about the encryption key or access to files that can help them reverse engineer the process. The researchers comb through the server logs for details in the same way you may help your friend dig up details on their Tinder date to make sure they’re legit, looking for clues or details about malicious patterns that can help suss out true intentions. Researchers may, for example, discover part of the plaintext file to compare to the encrypted file to begin the process of reverse engineering the key, or maybe they’ll find parts of the pseudo-RNG that can begin to explain the encryption pattern.

Working with law enforcement helped Cisco Talos create a decryption tool for the Babuk Tortilla ransomware. This version of ransomware targeted healthcare, manufacturing and national infrastructure, encrypting victims' devices and deleting valuable backups. Avast had already created a generic Babuk decryptor, but the Tortilla strain proved difficult to crack. The Dutch Police and Cisco Talos worked together to apprehend the person behind the strain, and gained access to the Tortilla decryptor in the process.

But often the easiest way to come up with these decryption tools stems from the ransomware gangs themselves. Maybe they’re retiring, or just feeling generous, but attackers will sometimes publicly release their encryption key. Security experts can then use the key to make a decryption tool and release that for victims to use going forward.

Generally, experts can’t share a lot about the process without giving ransomware gangs a leg up. If they divulge common mistakes, hackers can use that to easily improve their next ransomware attempts. If researchers tell us what encrypted files they’re working on now, gangs will know they’re on to them. But the best way to avoid paying is to be proactive. “If you’ve done a good job of backing up your data, you have a much higher opportunity to not have to pay,” said Clay.

This may be a good time to buy one of Amazon's latest tablets as many of them are on sale, with discounts of up to 35 percent. The sale brings the 2023 Fire HD 10 down to $95, which is only $15 more than its record low and 32 percent off the $140 list price. This model comes with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a speedier processor than the last time around. The 1080p HD screen is touch- and stylus-compatible and there's a 5 megapixel camera up front and another in back. Note that this model displays ads on the lockscreen. If you'd rather not see those promos, the ad-free version is also on sale and currently $15 more at $110. 

All Fire tablets are budget slates that let you browse the web, watch shows and play casual games; They probably aren't the best pick if you're looking for a workhorse productivity tablet, which tend to cost significantly more. You won't be able to run Apple apps, which seems obvious, but Fire tablets also don't natively support the Google Play store — even though Fire OS is a fork of Android. Readily available apps come from the Amazon app store, which include most major streamers like Netflix, Max, Peacock, social apps like TikTok and Instagram, and plenty of casual games. If you're just looking for a way to entertain yourself after a day of being productive, Fire tablets offer one of the few ways to do so for under $100. And like all Amazon devices, Alexa is built in to answer questions and control your smart home lights, cameras and doorbells. 

Elsewhere in the sale, the Fire HD 8 is down to $65, which is 35 percent off and around $10 more than its record low. This is an 8-inch version of Amazon's tablet, with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a 1280 x 800 screen at 189 ppi. There's a 2MP front camera and a claimed battery life of 13 hours. This is also a model with lockscreen promos, the ad-free version is $80. 

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

GoPro is going back to desktops with a new editing app for Mac. While the company has long offered GoPro Studio and Player + ReelSteady desktop apps, much of its attention has on mobile since it bought Quik in 2016.

The latest desktop program is also based on Quik and it ties into the GoPro mobile apps. You'll be able to start editing in the Quik mobile app and finish up on your Mac — or vice-versa. Features include a beat sync tool that matches your edit to the rhythm of the backing track. There's an auto-highlight editing function too. Although the Mac editing suite could certainly use more features, GoPro says all the key tools from the Quik mobile app will make their way to desktop by the time a Windows version arrives later this year.

GoPro charges those who don't use its devices $10 per year to use the Quik mobile app. Subscribers to its other tiers will get access to the desktop app at no extra cost. On that note, the company is rebranding its GoPro Subscription to GoPro Premium. It still costs $50 per year (though newcomers get a 50 percent discount for the first year) and it includes perks such as unlimited cloud backups, livestreaming, discounts on equipment and guaranteed camera replacements.

The company is adding a higher subscription tier as well, GoPro Premium+. It includes all of the perks of Premium, along with HyperSmooth Pro video stabilization and up to 500GB of cloud storage for footage captured with non-GoPro cameras (compared with 25GB for Premium). Premium+ costs $100 per year, and Premium users can upgrade for $50.

If you're already onboard with Alexa and have decided you want a smart display, a new deal on Amazon's latest Echo Show 8 may be of interest. The 8-inch display is currently down to $90 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy and other retailers, which matches the lowest price we've seen since the device was unveiled last September. Amazon normally sells the smart display for $150, though we saw it drop to $105 for much of the holiday season. Amazon's offer also includes a Sengled color smart bulb for no extra cost. That bulb is compatible with the Matter smart home standard, and we recommend a similar model in our guide to the best smart lights.

We haven't formally reviewed the latest Echo Show 8, but it's largely similar to the second-gen model from 2021, which we previously called the best smart display for Alexa users. It still offers a 1,280 x 800 resolution panel and a 13-megapixel front-facing camera. The design is mostly the same, though the new model's rounded back is a little less pronounced, and the glass on its front stretches edge-to-edge. Its front camera is also located in the center of the top edge, not off to the right, so it's a bit more convenient for framing yourself during video calls. Internally, there's an upgraded octa-core processor that should make it faster to complete Alexa requests, and the new model can work with other smart home devices using the Zigbee and Thread protocols in addition to Matter. Amazon promises improved sound quality, too, though you still shouldn't expect deep sub-bass or ultra-spaciousness with a smallish speaker like this.

All of this should keep the Echo Show 8 as the sweet spot in Amazon's smart display lineup. It's not as affordable as the Echo Show 5, but it's faster and louder, with a superior camera and more spacious display for showing photos and making video calls. It's not as big as the Echo Show 10, but it's significantly less expensive and easier to fit in more rooms around the house. Either way, you can use it to check the weather, pull up recipes or stream music, among other typical Alexa tasks. And while no smart display like this will truly be comfortable for those protective of their privacy, the Echo Show 8 at least has a camera cover and mic mute button built in. Google's Nest Hub remains a better buy for those who heavily use services like Gmail, Google Calendar and YouTube — and there are still questions regarding Alexa's long-term outlook — but this should be a solid deal if you're looking to build a smart home through Amazon's assistant. 

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

Ever since the Vision Pro went on sale last week, Apple's pricey AR/VR headset has been spotted in all sorts of unusual places: from the gym to airplanes and everywhere in between. However, after one owner was seen wearing it while driving down the highway in a Tesla Cybertruck, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg issued a warning reminding people to use some common sense. 

In a post on X alongside a snippet from the original video, Buttigieg reiterated that "ALL advanced driver assistance systems available today require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times." Similarly, Apple's headset ships with multiple warnings advising users not to use it while "operating a moving vehicle" or in "any other situations requiring attention to safety." 

Following Secretary Buttigieg's response, the creator of the video, Dante Lentini, told Gizmodo that the footage was a "skit" made with friends and that the headset was only worn for 30 to 40 seconds while driving. Additionally, Lentini says footage suggesting that he got arrested for his prank was staged. But what makes the video even more irresponsible is that while the Cybertruck comes with Tesla's Autopilot system as standard, that feature has yet to be activated for the first wave of Founder's Edition vehicles. That means Lentini was going down the highway while wearing a headset without the help of any advanced driver-assistance systems.

In some respects, it's a bit sad that Buttigieg's warning even needs to be said. However, given the massive amounts of hype and pre-orders nearing 200,000 units, it was probably only a matter of time until someone got caught driving while wearing Apple's pricey headset. 

Bluesky, the open-source Twitter alternative, is getting rid of its waitlist and opening its decentralized platform to everyone. The service, which opened in beta last spring, currently has a little over 3 million users, though that number could rise quickly now that prospective users don’t need an invitation to join.

It’s a significant moment for Bluesky, which began as an internal project at Jack Dorsey’s Twitter (Bluesky ended its association with the entity now known as X after Elon Musk’s takeover, though Dorsey is on Bluesky’s board.) The company is part of a growing movement for decentralized social media, which proponents say could address many of the shortcomings of centrally-controlled platforms like Facebook, X and TikTok.

“We really believe that the future of social is, and should be, open and decentralized,” Bluesky CEO Jay Graber tells Engadget. “This is something that we think is good for the public conversation overall.”

For those who missed Bluesky’s first hype cycle last spring, the service is functionally similar to X and Threads. Its posts — lovingly referred to by some early users as “skeets” — default to a chronological timeline, though users can also follow numerous other algorithmic feeds created by fellow users. Soon, the company will take a similar approach to content moderation, allowing third-parties to create their own “labeling services” for Bluesky content.

The service is still much smaller than most of its counterparts and doesn’t yet have a direct messaging feature. But it has become a haven for a number of once high-profile Twitter users and others looking for more Weird Twitter vibes and less Elon Musk.

Much like how Mastodon and other services in the fediverse are built on the ActivityPub protocol, Bluesky runs on its own open-source standard called AT Protocol.Right now, the only Bluesky is the version of the service created by Bluesky, the company. But that will soon change, as the company plans to start experimenting with federation, which will allow other developers and groups to create their own instances of Bluesky.

“The protocol is like an API that's permanently open,” Graber says. “And that means that developer creativity can kind of go wild.”

Of course, the world of Twitter alternatives looks considerably different since Bluesky first launched. Meta’s Threads app has grown to 130 million users since last summer. Meta has also started to make some Threads posts available on Mastodon, the first step toward making it compatible with the rest of the fediverse.

But while Threads may be showing some support for open-source protocols, that’s not the same as decentralization, Graber argues. “If they integrate with ActivityPub, you would still be on a Facebook-owned app with this little window into a more open world, and it wouldn't be as easy to leave. We hope that the AT Protocol universe lets people get in between different apps, different services a lot easier.”

Anker makes some of the most-recommended charging products out there, but the extra quality comes at a price. If you've been waiting for a sale, you can now grab a number of Anker chargers and other smartphone accessories at Amazon with discounts of up to 52 percent. Standout products include the Anker Prime Power Bank ($90, the lowest price we've seen by far), iPhone 15 portable charger ($20 instead of $30), Nano II 30W fast charger ($16, 33 percent off) and a USB-C Cable 3-pack for $18, saving you 40 percent. 

To start with, the Anker Prime 20,000mAh 200W power bank is our pick for the best premium power bank. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port capable of delivering a total charging output of 200W. That means you can charge two laptops at 100W each simultaneously. That 100W charging goes the other way too, so you can fully recharge the power bank in just 75 minutes.

Another great deal is on the iPhone 15 portable charger (Nano Power Bank), so called because of the USB-C connector. It attaches to the bottom and offers 5,000mAh hours of charging at a relatively quick 22.5W and of course works with other USB-C devices including iPad Pro/Air, AirPods, Android smartphones and more.  

The Anker Power Bank 10,000mAh portable charger can charge an iPhone 14 twice and an iPad Mini up to 1.3 times, according to the company. It also has the benefit of two ports, so it can charge two devices at once. Meanwhile, the Anker Nano II 30W GaN II compact fast charger has enough juice to charge a 2020 MacBook Air at full speed and apply a relatively quick charge to smartphones, tablets and more. 

Finally, if it's cables you're after, Anker has those, too. You can grab the Anker 333 USB-C to USB-C 3-pack (3.3-, 6-, and 10-feet lengths, 100W limit) for just $18, for a savings of 40 percent. This is one of the better off-season Anker sales we've seen, but it's always best to act soon if you're looking to buy. 

Apple Pay is one of the most popular digital payment services in the world, allowing users to buy stuff on iOS apps, the web and in real life. You can use it to pay with your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac, and it's accepted by thousands upon thousands of retailers. The cool thing about Apple Pay is that it actually digitizes debit/credit card chips, giving people the option of contactless payments. All you have to do is put your phone or watch up to the terminal.

However, you can’t do any of that stuff until you set up Apple Pay on your device. Here’s how to do just that.

How to set up Apple Pay on an iPhone

Apple Pay was originally envisioned as a mobile-only platform, so getting it set up on your iPhone will help you with every other device you own. To set up Apple Pay on your phone, add a debit or credit card to the Wallet app.

1. Open the Wallet app on your iPhone. Look for a colorful wallet icon or search the phone’s contents to find it.

Engadget/Lawrence Bonk

2. Tap the Add Card button. You may be prompted to sign in with your Apple ID, so do that.

3. Select the card. The app will ask you what kind of card you’re entering, so click on Debit or Credit.

4. Enter the card information. You can do this manually or by positioning the card so that it appears in the camera frame. This enables the phone to snap a photo of the card. 

5. You can also click on Previous Cards. Clicking on Previous Cards lets you choose any cards you’ve used in the past to bring them into Apple Pay. You’ll get a list of possible cards via purchases made with your Apple ID and Safari AutoFill. Once you tap on a card, authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID.

Apple

6. Consider other options. Apple Pay also lets you enter driver’s licenses, state IDs and transit cards.

7. Finish up. Once finished, head to Settings to make final adjustments. Tap your preferred option as to how you want your card to appear. You can make it so cards show up on the screen when you double-click the side button or the home button.

8. That’s it. Now you can buy stuff by pulling up a digital replica of your card.

How to set up Apple Pay on an Apple Watch

Apple Watch integrates with Apple Pay for an incredibly convenient payment option, as you don’t even need your phone nearby. Here’s how to get set up on your smartwatch.

1. Grab your phone. This process is quicker if you already have a card entered into your iPhone, but we’ll walk you through both procedures.

2. Head to the Watch app. If you already have a card stored, open up the Watch app. Tap My Watch and then Wallet & Apple Pay.

Apple

3. You should see a list of available cards. Tap Add next to the card you want and then enter the CVV, which is the number on the back. That’s it. You should be able to use your watch to make payments.

4. Open the Wallet app on your watch. If you’re entering a card manually on the actual watch, start by opening up the Wallet app. Tap the More Options button and then Add Card.

5. Enter card details. Follow on the on-screen prompts to enter your various card details.

6. Finish up. Once finished, head back into the Wallet app. Tap More Options, followed by Default Card. Look for the card you just entered and tap it to set it as the default. You’re good to go.

How to set up Apple Pay on an iPad

The iPad is basically a big iPhone, so the set-up process is similar. You can’t use Apple’s tablet at a physical payment terminal, but it’s a great option for making online purchases.

1. Open up Settings. Head to Settings and tap Wallet & Apple Pay.

Engadget/Lawrence Bonk

2. Tap Add Card. You may be asked to sign in with your Apple ID. Have your login credentials handy. 

3. Tap Debit or Credit Card and then Continue. Just like with the iPhone, you can enter card details manually or let the tablet’s camera snap a photo of the card.

4. Consider previously-used cards. You can also click on Previous Cards and select cards that you’ve used in the past. This will bring up a list of possible cards. Tap on a card and authenticate with Touch ID.

How to set up Apple Pay on a Mac

Mac laptops and desktops are also a no-go for physical sales terminals, for obvious reasons. However, it’s still useful to have Apple Pay as an option when buying stuff online. Here’s how to get set up.

Engadget/Lawrence Bonk

1. Head to System Settings. On your Mac, head to System Settings. Next, click Wallet & Apple Pay.

2. Click on Add Card. You’ll be asked to sign in with your Apple ID. Enter your credentials and then return to Wallet & Apple Pay.

3. Enter card details. Click Enter Card Details Manually and input your payment information in the appropriate fields, or position the card in front of your computer’s camera so it appears in frame. The computer will snap a photo and record all relevant data. Double-check to make sure everything looks right.

4. You can also use a card that’s already on file with Apple. You should see a list of cards you previously entered for use on the iTunes Store or the App Store. Click on the desired card and enter the security code when asked.

5. That’s all there is to it. Keep an eye on your Apple ID account. If you sign out of your account to let someone else use the computer, you may have to set up Apple Pay again.

That’s it. Apple Pay is set up and ready to go. We also whipped up a guide on how to use the service once set up.