Posts with «technology & electronics» label

The Google Pixel 7a drops to a new low of $399 for Prime Day

During Amazon's Prime Day this year, Google is offering some of the most enticing deals on its phones and products, including the Google Pixel 7a. The Google Pixel 7a, which we crowned “the best midrange Android phone,” is now available for just $399. This price represents a new all-time low, making it even more affordable than it was during July’s Prime day when it was $450.

Although the Pixel 7a is only slightly over a year old and has recently been upstaged by the newly launched Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro at last week's Made by Google event, it still offers impressive features like wireless charging and a 64-MP camera, making it a worthwhile purchase at its current price point.

The Google Pixel 7a offers 8 GB of RAM that helps the phone operate both smooth and fast, with internal storage up to 128 GB. Our review suggests that the Pixel 7a has outperformed competitors in its category, including the 3rd generation Apple iPhone SE and the Samsung Galaxy A54. The Pixel 7a boasts a 90Hz OLED screen and a powerful Tensor G2 processing chip, setting it apart from earlier Pixel models. Unless you're determined to splurge on the latest model, this Prime Day offer could be a great fit for you.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-google-pixel-7a-drops-to-a-new-low-of-399-for-prime-day-102820729.html?src=rss

The best October Amazon Prime Day Fire Stick deals for 2023

As with most other Amazon devices, Fire TV gadgets have been deeply discounted for October Prime Day. Whether you're looking for a streaming device to upgrade an old TV or you need to pick one up as a holiday gift, now is a great time to buy one of Amazon's devices. Fire TV gadgets hold their own against the Rokus and Chromecasts of the world, and one even makes an appearance on our list of best streaming devices. But arguably one of the best things about the lineup is that there's an option for every budget — and most of them are down to record-low prices for this sale event. Here are the best deals on Amazon Fire TV Sticks (and more) that we could find.

Fire TV Stick Lite

The entry-level Fire TV Stick Lite has dropped to $18 for this sale, which is close to its record-low price. It's a bare-bones dongle that provides FHD streaming, Wi-Fi 5 connectivity and access to all of the apps you'd want like Netflix, Disney+, Max and, of course, Prime Video. It also comes with a basic Alexa remote that lets you search for content using voice commands.

Fire TV Stick

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is down to $20 for Prime Day. It includes all of the same features that the Lite dongle has, but it adds Dolby Atmos into the mix for better audio. The Alexa Voice Remote that comes with this model lets you control your TV with voice commands, and it has power and volume buttons as well.

Fire TV Stick 4K

The Fire TV Stick 4K has dropped to $23 for this sale. It has the same processor, RAM and storage as the standard Fire TV Stick, but it can stream 4K HDR content in all its glory. It also supports Dolby Vision and Atmos, plus picture-in-picture live view that can show you feeds from compatible security cameras right on your TV screen. We should note that this is the previous model of the streaming stick — Amazon's newly announced Fire TV Stick 4K is available now as well.

Fire TV Stick 4K Max

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the company's most powerful streaming dongle and it's down to $60 right now. It has a faster processor than the other sticks, a bit more memory and Wi-Fi 6 support. It can stream 4K HDR content with Dolby Vision and Atmos, and it comes with a full-feature Alexa Voice Remote that can control you're entire setup.

Fire TV Cube

The Amazon Fire TV Cube has been discounted to $110 for October Prime Day. It's the most powerful streaming device in Amazon's lineup, with a 2.2GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. It streams 4K HDR content with Dolby Vision at Atmos, supports picture-in-picture live view as well as hands-free Alexa commands and you can connect other devices like your cable box or game console directly to it.

Amazon Fire TVs

Most of Amazon's Fire smart TVs are on sale for Big Deal Days. You'll find a number of different sized TVs in this sale made by brands like Toshiba, TCL and Insignia, so you should be able to find a model that's the size you need and also within your budget. Arguably the best of the bunch are Amazon's own Omni OLED Fire smart TVs, which support 4K HDR content with Dolby Vision IQ, hands-free Alexa and the Fire TV Ambient experience. The latter lets you display artwork, photos and more on the TV screen when you're not actively using it.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/october-amazon-prime-day-fire-stick-deals-182130379.html?src=rss

The best Amazon Prime Day Apple Watch and smartwatch deals for October 2023

Apple doesn't often have a sale on its own site, but Amazon regularly lists Apple Watches at significant discounts — and that’s never more true than during a Prime sale. During July’s event, we saw the Apple Watch 8 dip down to its lowest price ever. Following Apple's iPhone event last month, there are two new Apple Watches on the scene, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the high-end Apple Watch Ultra 2. The Apple Watch SE didn't see an update this time around, so the second generation is still the newest. We've also included smartwatch deals from Samsung and Google as well as sales on a few fitness trackers. Here are the best October Prime Day deals on Apple Watches we could find.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the brand’s newest high-end watch and has the same list price as last year’s model, which is $799. For Amazon’s sale, it’s down to $749 or $50 off, which is a new low. The new Ultra has the same S9 SiP (system-in-package) as the Series 9, which allows for on-board processing of Siri requests and will help offer more intuitive answers to questions about your health and activity data. The Ultra 2 comes with GPS and cellular connectivity and has a large 49mm case to accommodate its always-on Retina display and battery with a claimed 36-hour lifespan. Engadget's Cherlynn Low particularly liked the new Modular Ultra watchface, which manages to make the most of the watch’s vast screen real estate.

Apple Watch Series 9

It only arrived last month, but the new Apple Watch 9 has already handily beaten out other contenders for the top spot in our guide to the best smartwatches. And now it’s on sale for $10 off the list price, thanks to Amazon’s second Prime Day. That makes the 41mm case $390 and the 45mm size $420. One of the most notable updates to this model is the upcoming Double Tap feature that will let you answer calls or dismiss an alarm just by tapping your thumb and forefinger together.

Apple Watch SE

Apple didn’t release a new version of the Apple Watch SE, which makes the second generation the current budget watch in the brand’s official lineup. It’s usually $250 for the GPS-only model and 40mm case but October’s Prime sale brings that base model down to $199. If you want more room on the screen, you can grab the 44mm version, which is usually $270 but down to $229 during the sale.

In our Engadget review, we called the SE “the best smartwatch $250 can buy." It doesn’t have the new Double Tap and on-board Siri features of the new watches, and it's missing a few of the sensors you get with the higher-end models, such as blood oxygen, temperature sensing and EKG readings. You also don’t get an always-on-display.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

For those who don’t carry an iPhone, the Galaxy Watch 6 is our favorite Android smartwatch. Samsung’s latest wearable was released a few months ago and typically goes for $300, but is down to $269 during Amazon’s sale. It’s lighter than the previous model with a brighter display, better battery life and a processor upgrade. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic returns the spinning bezel which Samsung removed on the Watch 5. That model usually sells for $400, but the sale brings it down to $369 instead.

Google Pixel Watch

The Google Pixel Watch 2 was announced last week and will ship this Thursday. That's probably why the first generation of the Google Pixel Watch is 40 percent off. That brings it to $210 and an all-time low. While we liked the overall design, we found the rather short battery life concerning. Since the newer generation promises a slightly larger battery and more efficient use of it, you may want to go with the Google Pixel Watch 2, which we had a moment to try out during Google's event. But it looks like that one isn't discounted for Amazon's sale and is currently selling for the full $350.

Fitness trackers:

Withings Steel

You can get the look of a classic analog watch combined with the health tracking features of a smartwatch by opting for Withings Steel HR Sport. The hybrid watch is usually $200, but the Prime sale brings it down to $160. Instead of displaying your health and workout stats on the watchface, the Steel HR Sport sends everything to the companion app on your phone. It can track heart rate, activities and workouts as well as monitor your sleep. Since it has no screen, Withings claims the battery can go for up to 25 days on a charge.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-watch-prime-day-deals-181301809.html?src=rss

The best October Amazon Prime Day iPad and tablet deals for 2023

Amazon’s second sales event for Prime members this year is underway, and it’s brought a few noteworthy tablet deals along with it. Prime Big Deal Days, as Amazon calls it, includes discounts on various iPads, Amazon Fire slates and the Google Pixel Tablet. For your convenience, we’ve rounded up the best iPad and tablet deals we could find during the event below.

Note that not every discount is exclusive to Prime members, and there’s always a chance we see lower prices come Black Friday. Some recent reports say that Apple may release new iPads in the coming months as well, with updates possible for the iPad Air and iPad mini in particular. Nevertheless, if you need a new slab right now, here are the best bargains we’re seeing.

Apple iPad Air

The iPad Air is on sale for $500, which is $99 less than buying from Apple directly. We may see a refresh at some point soon, but for now, we think the existing iPad Air is the best blend of price and performance in Apple’s tablet lineup. It gets you a similarly elegant design as the iPad Pro for less cash, with an M1 chip that’s powerful enough for work and heavy games, a pleasing 10.9-inch display, a USB-C port and support for the latest Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. This model only has 64GB of storage, however, and its display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. We gave the iPad Air a review score of 90 last year.

Apple iPad (9th gen)

The 10.2-inch iPad is down to $249, which is one of the best prices we've seen as it comes in $80 lower than Apple’s list price. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide, and we gave it a score of 86 when it arrived in late 2021. It uses Apple’s older design language, so it’s stuck with thick bezels, a Home button, a Lightning port and a non-laminated display. This model comes with just 64GB of non-upgradeable storage as well. That said, it’s still fast enough for casual media consumption, gaming and multitasking, and its display is still a step up from the screens on most cheaper tablets. It can last more than 10 hours per charge, plus it’s the last iPad with a headphone jack. Most importantly, it gets you access to Apple’s wide app library, strong customer support and years of OS updates at the lowest price possible.

Apple iPad (10th gen)

The 10th-gen iPad is available for $399, which is $50 off its usual street price. We gave this 10.9-inch slate a review score of 85 last year. It sits in something of a middle ground between the 10.2-inch iPad and iPad Air: It’s not as cheap as the former, but it lacks the laminated display, M-series chip and accessory support of the latter. Notably, it only works with the first-gen Apple Pencil. Nevertheless, it looks and feels almost identical to the Air, it’s far from slow, and its landscape-oriented selfie camera makes it more convenient for FaceTime calls. If you absolutely can’t pay up for the iPad Air, it’s a fine compromise.

Apple iPad mini 

The smallest iPad in Apple’s lineup, the 8.3-inch iPad mini, is currently on sale for $400. That’s $99 below Apple’s list price. This is another iPad that’s due for a refresh, but for now it remains the best compact tablet on the market, with all the usual perks of modern iPads in a design that’s easier to hold with one hand. We gave it a score of 89 back in 2021. As with the other non-Pro iPads, the big downside is its 64GB of default, non-upgradeable storage.

Amazon Fire HD 8

Amazon’s Fire HD 8 is down to $60 for the Prime Big Deal Days event, which is $5 more than the tablet’s all-time low but still $40 off its list price. This discount applies to the model with 32GB of storage; if you need more space, the 64GB version is on sale for $75. Either way, the Fire HD 8 is likely the cheapest competent tablet for most people: It’s slower than the Fire HD 10 and its display is limited to a 1,280 x 800 resolution, but it’s lightweight, it can last more than 10 hours on a charge and it’s still quick enough for basic streaming and reading. It’s not the best value at its standard going rate, but for $60, it’s hard to do better.

Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus

The base Fire HD 8 is good enough for most budget buyers, but if you’re willing to spend a little more, the Fire HD 8 Plus adds an extra gigabyte of RAM (3GB total) and wireless charging support. It’s down to $70 for a 32GB model, which is $5 more than the lowest price we’ve seen but $50 off its typical going rate. The Plus model still isn’t outright fast or capable of serious gaming, but the extra GB can make navigating Fire OS just a bit smoother. The wireless charging support, meanwhile, is best utilized with Amazon’s own dock, which helps if you want to use the tablet like a pseudo smart display.

Google Pixel Tablet

The 128GB Google Pixel Tablet is down to $409, which is $90 off and a new low. The 256GB model is also on sale for $509. While we think Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 works better purely as a tablet, Google’s 11-inch slate still gets you a sharp LCD display, a speedy Tensor G2 chip and an easy-to-hold design that weighs just over a pound. Its big hook, however, is that it can attach to an included charging speaker dock and double as a Nest Hub Max-style smart display. Android still isn’t as optimized for large screens as iPadOS, but if that extra functionality sounds useful to you, the Pixel Tablet is worth a look. We gave it a score of 85 in June. (The Galaxy Tab S9, meanwhile, isn’t on sale as of this writing.)

Amazon Fire Max 11

The Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s largest and most performant tablet, with an 11-inch 2,000 x 1,200 resolution display, an aluminum frame, a respectable octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM. It has the same software limitations and lock-screen ads as any other Fire slate, so it’s a tough sell at its usual $230, but now it’s on sale for $150, which matches its all-time low. If you already use a bunch of Amazon services and don’t want to shell out for an entry-level iPad, it could make sense — just don’t expect to get any real work done with it.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/october-amazon-prime-day-ipad-deals-180354594.html?src=rss

The best Amazon Fire tablet deals for October Prime Day 2023

Amazon’s latest storewide sale for Prime members, dubbed Prime Big Deal Days, has brought several discounts on the company’s Fire tablets. We’ve rounded up the best Fire tablet deals of the event below, with lower-than-usual prices on the Fire HD 8, Fire Max 11 and more. Many of the offers are available to everyone, not just Prime subscribers, but note that we aren't seeing any discounts on the recently refreshed Fire HD 10 as of this writing.

As a refresher, a Fire tablet is worth considering if you just want a slab for basic media consumption at a low price. None of them is as fast or well-built as an iPad, and Fire OS's app support is much weaker than iPadOS and Android, with Google apps omitted entirely. It also displays lock-screen ads unless you pay an extra fee. But if you frequently use Amazon services like Prime Video or Kindle and only need a large screen for the essentials, a Fire slate can provide decent value — especially when it's on sale.

Amazon Fire HD 8

The Fire HD 8 is down to $60 for Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event, which is $5 more than its all-time low but still $40 off its list price. This discount applies to the model with 32GB of storage; if you need more space, the 64GB version is on sale for $75. Either way, the Fire HD 8 is likely the cheapest competent tablet for most people: It’s slower than the Fire HD 10 and its display is limited to a 1,280 x 800 resolution, but it’s lightweight, it can last more than 10 hours on a charge and it’s still quick enough for basic streaming and reading. It’s not the best value at its standard going rate, but for $60, it’s hard to do better.

Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus

The base Fire HD 8 is good enough for most budget buyers, but if you’re willing to spend a little more, the Fire HD 8 Plus adds an extra gigabyte of RAM (3GB total) and wireless charging support. It’s down to $70 for a 32GB model, which is $5 more than the lowest price we’ve seen but $50 off its typical going rate. The Plus model still isn’t outright fast or capable of serious gaming, but the extra GB can make navigating Fire OS just a bit smoother. The wireless charging support, meanwhile, is best utilized with Amazon’s own dock, which helps if you want to use the tablet like a pseudo smart display.

Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids and Kids Pro

The Fire HD 8 Kids and Kids Pro are each down to $75, which matches the best prices we’ve tracked. Normally, these tablets retail for $150, with occasional drops to $100. The Kids versions of each Fire tablet have the same base hardware as the standard models, but add a large protective case with a built-in kickstand, a longer two-year warranty, and a one-year subscription to Amazon’s Kids+ service, which includes a selection of child-friendly apps, books and games. They also ship with a simplified, kid-friendly UI by default, with a range of robust parental controls and no lock-screen ads. (If you already own a normal Fire tablet, note that you can still set up a child profile on those devices as well.)

Between the two, the Kids model comes with a large rubbery case, while the Kids Pro has a slimmer hard plastic case designed for older children. Both devices have the same middling performance and limited app library as the standard Fire HD 8, but they’re decent options if you can’t trust your little one to handle an iPad carefully, or if you just want to save cash.

Amazon Fire Max 11

The Fire Max 11 is Amazon’s largest and most performant tablet, with an 11-inch 2,000 x 1,200 resolution display, an aluminum frame, a respectable octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM. It has the same software limitations and lock-screen ads as any other Fire tablet, so it’s a tough sell at its usual $230, but now it’s on sale for $150, which matches its all-time low. If you already use a bunch of Amazon services and don’t want to shell out for an entry-level iPad, it could make sense — just don’t expect to get any real work done with it.

Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021)

The last-generation version of the Fire HD 10 is on sale for $75, which ties its all-time low. We can’t recommend this one too forcefully, as Amazon released an updated model of its 10.1-inch tablet just last month with faster performance, a lighter design, slightly improved cameras and stylus support. The new model isn’t discounted as of this writing, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see a deal by Black Friday. If you just can’t wait until then, however, the old Fire HD 10 is still an upgrade over the Fire HD 8, with a more spacious 1080p screen and snappier performance. It’s typically retailed around $120 in recent months.

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids and Kids Pro

The last-gen Fire HD 10 Kids and Kids Pro are also on sale for $120 each, which matches their all-time lows. As with the base Fire HD 10, Amazon recently launched new versions of these devices, so Amazon is offloading old stock here. Nevertheless, if you need a large tablet for a child today, these two come with all the same features (and shortcomings) as the Fire HD 8 Kids series, plus larger displays and improved performance.

Amazon Fire 7

The Amazon Fire 7 is down to $40 for Prime Big Deal Days, which is another all-time low and $20 below its typical street price. We strongly recommend paying extra for the Fire HD 8 if you can; by comparison, this 7-inch tablet has a lower-resolution (1,024 x 600) display, a slower processor and less RAM. But if you just want a second screen for dirt cheap, this is a $40 tablet that’s actually functional, so it might work for (very) light use cases.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-amazon-fire-tablet-deals-for-october-prime-day-180836598.html?src=rss

The best Prime Day Kindle deals for October 2023

When winter rolls around, a new ereader may make the gray skies easier to bear — they also make excellent gifts. During July’s Prime Day sale, many Kindles dropped to the lowest prices we’ve seen yet, and October’s Prime sale is doing it again, with sizable deals on the company's e-readers. The company is also promoting a free trial on Kindle Unlimited, which gives you access to a selection of around four million titles. We found a few deals on non-Kindle ereaders, too. Here are the best Amazon October Prime Day deals on Kindles (and other ereaders) we could find.

Kindle (2022)

If you’re on a budget (or looking for a relatively affordable gift) the standard Kindle is an excellent entry point to buying or borrowing ebooks and audiobooks. Usually $100, the October Prime sale has dropped it to $75, which is $10 more than it went for during July's Prime Day. We named this one the best budget option in our guide to ereaders. The latest model saw healthy improvements over the previous generation. You now get a crisper 300 ppi screen and the capacity is up to 16GB, which will come in handy if you want to keep audiobooks on your device.

Kindle Paperwhite

The Kindle Paperwhite gives you a few extra perks over the standard version, such as a bigger 6.8-inch screen, a warm front light and a waterproof build. Right now the 8GB model is down to $95 which is $5 more than it went for last Prime Day, but still $45 off the $140 MSRP. That's the price on the ad-supported version (which displays ads for Kindle books and services on your lock screen). If you want no ads on your device, you’ll pay around $20 more.

Kindle Paperwhite Signature

When Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham reviewed the Signature edition Kindle Paperwhite, he called it “the best ereader. Period.” For the sale it’s down to $140 instead of its standard $190. It went for $125 last Prime Day. You get the warm light, larger screen and waterproof build of the regular Paperwhite, but the capacity jumps to 32GB, it’s ad-free by default and the front lights automatically adjust according to the lighting around you.

Kindle Scribe

The Kindle Scribe is Amazon’s newest ereader. It introduces the ability to read and write on your Kindle and comes with a large 10.2-inch screen and a stylus for just that purpose. The model with 16GB of storage and the Basic Pen typically goes for $340 but October Prime drops it to $265, or about $10 more than last Prime Day. We think the Scribe is the best E Ink tablet that’s also an ereader and awarded it an 85 in our review.

Kindle Essentials Bundles

A number of Essentials Bundles that combine Kindles with covers and charging accessories are on sale for October Prime. You can get a Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition with a fabric cover and wireless charging dock for $194, which is $64 less than buying the three separately at the MSRP.

Kindle Kids

With the Kindle Kids edition, you get the standard Kindle with a colorful protective case, a two-year warranty, and a year of Amazon Kids+, which grants access to thousands of kid-appropriate titles and hundreds of audiobooks. The Kids edition also syncs up with a handy parent dashboard that lets you set time limits, add books and track your kid’s reading progress. It usually goes for $120, but now it’s $80 instead. That's $5 more than last Prime Day, but the lowest price we've seen outside of that sale. 

Kindle Paperwhite Kids

For a kids version with a few more features, you can grab the Kindle Paperwhite Kids for $110, which typically goes for $160. In addition to the case, two-year warranty and free year of Amazon Kids+, the reader itself features a larger 6.8-inch screen, a waterproof build and a warm front light, which tends to be easier on the eyes when reading at night.

Kindle Unlimited

To ensure that you never run out of things to read on your new Kindle, Amazon is also offering Prime members a month of Kindle Unlimited for free. It’s usually $12 per month and will auto-renew once the trial is over (so set a reminder if you don't want that to happen). A subscription lets you read as many ebooks as you want from a selection of four million ebooks. Bigger new releases and some of the more popular bestsellers aren’t included. It also includes a few thousand audiobooks, which all models of Kindle support via Bluetooth and headphones.

Kindle Oasis

Kindle Oasis has a seven-inch screen, a waterproof build and is the only Amazon ereader with page turn buttons. Typically $250 for the 8GB model, it’s $200 right now. You can get the 32GB model for $220 instead of $280. It came out in mid-2019 so it’s not the newest reader on the scene, but the auto-rotating screen and handy buttons may make it more comfortable as you read.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-prime-day-kindle-deals-182506538.html?src=rss

The best October Prime Day AirPods deals for 2023

There's no shortage of headphones and earbuds on sale for October Prime Day, and included among them aire Apple's AirPods. Whether you need to pick up a pair as a holiday gift for a loved one or you need to replace an aging pair of your own buds, AirPods are some of the best options out there for iPhone users. These are the best deals we found on AirPods for Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event.

Apple AirPods Pro

The second-generation AirPods Pro with USB-C have dropped to $189 for Prime Day, which is a new record low. Apple made a ton of small but noticeable improvements to these models, so now they have better sound quality, noise cancelation and Transparecy Mode. There remains no competition if you have an iPhone and live within the Apple ecosystem — these are the best earbuds to get if you fall into that category.

Apple AirPods (3rd gen)

Apple's third-gen AirPods are on sale for TK right now. These buds are leaps and bounds better than their precedessor, with big improvements in sound quality, battery life and overall comfort. While they lack ANC, they are a good option for any Apple lover who just wants a reliable pair of wireless earbuds.

Apple AirPods (2nd gen)

The second-generation AirPods have dropped to $89 for Prime Day, which is close to their record-low price. These earbuds are a bit old at this point, but if you have less than $100 to send and want a pair that work seamlessly with iPhones and other Apple devices, they fit the bill. They fit similarly to Apple's EarPods and they have decent wireless range, but we ultimately recommend spending a tad bit more and getting the 3rd-gen AirPods if you can afford them.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple's high-end AirPod Max headphones are on sale for TK right now. While there are better wireless headphones out there at prices that won't empty your wallet, the AirPods Max are good for Apple lovers and those who want a comfortable yet unique design, excellent sound quality and good battery life. And since they cost $550 normally, it's always better to wait until they're on discount like they are now to buy them.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/october-prime-day-airpods-deals-181657149.html?src=rss

The best October Amazon Prime Day deals for 2023

Amazon's second Prime Day-like sale event is here, and if you're a Prime member, you could use it to get some of your holiday shopping done early. Arriving about three months after the main Prime Day in July, this year's "Prime Big Deal Days" has brought back some of the steep discounts we saw during the summer as well as some new sales that are worth considering. The holidays are right around the corner, so if you see things like headphones, tablets, TVs, video games and other gadgets on your gift list on sale today, now's a good time to pick them up so you won't be pressed for time or funds when Black Friday and Cyber Monday come around next month. If you're a Prime member and want to take advantage of tech deals now, here are all of the best deals we found for October Prime Day.

Apple AirPods Pro

The second-generation AirPods Pro have dropped to $189 for Prime Day. Apple made a ton of small but noticeable improvements to these models, so now they have better sound quality, noise cancelation and Transparency Mode. There remains no competition if you have an iPhone and live within the Apple ecosystem — these are the best earbuds to get if you fall into that category.

Apple Watch SE

The Apple Watch SE is on sale for $199 right now. It's the best smartwatch to get if you're new to the wearable world, or you just want a basic, relatively affordable watch that has all of the basic features you'd need. On top of comprehensive health and fitness tracking, iPhone notifications and dozens of fun watch faces, you'll get features like crash and fall detection, noise monitoring and Emergency SOS.

Apple 10.2-inch iPad

Apple's most affordable tablet, the 10.2-inch iPad, is on sale for $249 right now. It may have an old-school design, but it's certainly the best iPad for people on a budget and it has most crucial features you'd expect in an Apple tablet. It earned a score of 86 from us for its solid performance, sharp screen, TouchID-capable Home button and good battery life. The only major downside to this model right now is that it still sports Apple's old Lightning port rather than USB-C.

Apple iPad mini

The Apple iPad mini has dropped to $400 for October Prime Day. It's the best small tablet on the market right now and really your only option if you want a true one-hand-friendly iPad. It's powered by Apple's A15 Bionic chip and sports a Touch ID-toting power button, solid cameras, a good battery life and a USB-C port for charging.

Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony's WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds are on sale for $278 for Prime Day, which is their best price yet. These are the best wireless earbuds on the market right now, and Sony improved upon it's already remarkable buds with a more comfortable fit, better sound quality and features likes adaptive sound and Speak-to-Chat.

Bose QuietComfort 45

The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones have dropped to $219 for October Prime Day, which is even cheaper than they were in July. These cans earned a spot in our best wireless headphone guide thanks to their comfortable, if a little dated, design, excellent ANC and balanced audio.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

The Google Pixel Buds Pro have dropped to $120 for Prime Day. The company got a lot of things right after years of making pretty standard earbuds; the Pixel Buds Pro are Google's best wireless earbuds yet. These will be great for Android users who want buds with punchy bass, good ANC, reliable touch controls and wireless charging.

Amazon Echo Dot

Amazon has knocked the price of the latest Echo Dot down to $23 right now. It’s one of the best smart speakers you can get thanks to its orb-like design, surprisingly good sound quality for its size and handy Alexa integration. The Dots can also act as Eero WiFi boosters, adding up to 1,000 square feet of coverage to your existing Eero system.

Amazon Echo Show 5

The latest Echo Show 5 is on sale for a record low of $40. The Show 5 has been one of the best smart displays available for quite some time, and it’ll be particularly good for anyone who wants an Alexa-capable smart display that won’t take up a lot of space. It also makes for a good alarm clock thanks to its sunrise alarm and tap-to-snooze features.

Amazon Kindle

The standard Kindle has dropped to $75 for October Prime Day. This model saw a lot of improvements when it was updated in 2022. Capacity was doubled to 16GB and the screen resolution jumped up to 300 ppi for much clearer text. We named it the best budget option in our ereader guide because its perfect entry point to reading and borrowing ebooks and audiobooks.

Amazon Fire 11 Max

Amazon's powerful Fire Max 11 tablet is on sale for $150 right now. It came out this May and sits at the top of Amazon's Fire tablet lineup. The slab has an 11-inch 2000 x 1200 touchscreen, an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, up to 128GB of built-in storage and up to 14 hours of battery life.

Google Pixel 7a

The Google Pixel 7a is down to a new low of $399 for this sale event. It's the best midrange phone you can get right now thanks to its speedy Tensor G2 chip, smooth 90Hz display and support for wireless charging. The 7a also has solid cameras and an IP67 water-resistant design.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The entire Samsung Galaxy S23 series is on sale for Prime Day, including the S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra. These are some of the best Android phones you can buy right now, and we recommend springing for the S23 Ultra if you want all of the latest features from Samsung. The Ultra runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and has a big, bold 120Hz display, built-in S Pen and an excellent main camera.

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

Our favorite streaming stick, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, has dropped to $38 for this sale. It packs a ton of features into an affordable package, including 4K HDR streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision, AirPlay 2 and private listening when you have a pair of headphones. And since it's so small, it makes a great travel entertainment device, too.

iRobot Roomba 694

iRobot's Roomba 694 has dropped to $199 for Prime Day. It's our favorite cheap robot vacuum thanks to its strong suction power, attractive design and easy to use app. It'll be a good option for robo-vac novices, or anyone that doesn't want to fuss too much with an automatic dirt sucker. It clears hard and carpeted floors well, and it automatically returns to its base once a cleaning job is finished so it can recharge.

Samsung Pro Plus microSD

The Samsung Pro Plus microSD card is on sale for $20 right now. It's our top pick in our best microSD card guide because it was the most consistent of the ones we tested, with some of the best overall speeds and all of the important ratings that a good card should have: U3, V30 and A2. It'll be a great pick for your tablet, smartphone or Nintendo Switch, and it comes with a full-sized adapter in case you need to use it with a camera or connect it to your computer.

Crucial MX500

The Crucial MX500 internal drive is on sale for $46 right now. It's been an Engadget favorite for a while thanks to its sequential read speeds of 560MB/s and a standard 2.5-inch design that should make it easy to swap in for your desktop's or laptop's used-up drive.

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-october-amazon-prime-day-deals-100020186.html?src=rss

Bastle’s Outsidify app lets you capture and transform sounds via a smartphone

Popular audio gadget maker Bastle just released an iOS app called Outsidify that lets you capture and transform audio directly from your iPhone’s speakers and microphone. Despite the slightly cringey app name, it looks pretty darned fun, allowing users to explore the ambient noise around them to create some truly unique soundscapes.

Once you capture some audio via the app, use Bastl’s latest creation to make harmonious or discordant feedback, manipulate responses, apply resonant filters and more. You can even use your mouth, speaking directly into the phone’s microphone, to create your own resonant filter.

Additionally, you can capture impulse responses from just about anything, with Bastl using a coffee cup or a construction site pipe as examples. These IRs can then be used to run other audio sources through to create custom reverbs and the like, via a DAW or a standalone piece of hardware. The only caveat here is the phone has to fit inside of the object or the space it's capturing, so your dreams of having an impulse response from the inside of a toilet paper roll are, sadly, quashed.

The integrated media player allows for full looping and lets you adjust the start and end points. There’s also a speed slider, from ¼ speed to 4x, and a cropping function. As for the recorder, it saves wav files to pass on to other devices, again with adjustable start and end points. You can also speed match recordings, so the recorded speed automatically matches the tempo set in the player while preserving the pitch. Of course, there’s also a countdown timer so you can get in position before the app starts recording.

The audio gets transformed via a feedback pad with adjustment options for amount and tone. There’s even an adjustable delay that changes how long it takes the microphone to reach the feedback pad.

Outsidify is an iOS exclusive that costs $6 when purchased from the official App Store. This app is unique for Bastle, as the company typically manufactures analog gadgets like the battery-powered Kastle portable synthesizer. We’ve also praised Bastle’s Microgranny Monolith granular sampler and the Bestie portable mixer.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bastles-outsidify-app-lets-you-capture-and-transform-sounds-via-a-smartphone-185421887.html?src=rss

The best Walmart Prime Day deals you can get right now

Just one day before Amazon kicks off its October Prime Day, Walmart has launched a Holiday Kickoff sale. We’ve seen retailers host “anti-Prime” sales before, offering their own discounts that go live on or just before the big Amazon sales. We dove in to the deals and searched for the tech savings that are worth your time. One notable plus is that Walmart carries some devices that Amazon doesn’t, like the Google Nest Hub. Other worthwhile deals include the 9th generation iPad for $1 less than it sold for during Amazon's July Prime Day and an Xbox Elite Series 2 core controller for just $88. 

Apple 10.2-inch iPad (Wi-Fi, 64GB, 9th gen)

Apple's 9th-generation iPad dropped down to $250 in July for Amazon's first Prime Day of 2023, and it was one of the top sellers. Now Walmart's sale has dropped that price by a dollar, which makes it the new lowest prices o far. This is the budget pick in our guide to the best iPads and while it doesn’t have the thin bezels and as much accessory support as our favorite, the iPad Air, it's excellent for light gaming, streaming and browsing the web — and it's the most affordable way to snag an iPad. 

iRobot Roomba j7+ 

iRobot's Roomba j7+ is down to $300, which is a huge, $400 discount over the regular price. We named this the runner up model in our robot vacuum tests, though the version we recommended didn't have a clean base, this one does. It has strong suction power and utilizes advanced obstacle avoidance, which helps it steer clear of furniture and other objects while it's cleaning. 

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)

The second-generation Google Nest Hub is down to $60, which is about $5 more than Walmart sold it for last time it did a Prime-adjacent sale. This is the top pick for a Google smart display in Engadget’s Engadget's guide The seven-inch screen lives in an unobtrusive exterior and through it you can watch YouTube, access the Google Assistant, control your smart home devices, and even check in on your cameras around the house. But it doesn't have a built-in camera itself, so you won't be able to make video calls from it. 

Microsoft Xbox Elite Series 2 Core

The Xbox Elite Series 2 Core wireless controller is down to $88. That beats the low price we saw a few months ago by a healthy $12 and is a $42 discount overall. The Core version of this gamepad is just like the regular Elite Series 2, except without the additional accessories (like extra joysticks and triggers). Both are designed for competitive gamers with a wrap-around grip, 40 hours of rechargeable battery life, adjustable tension sticks and hair-trigger locks. 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

If you haven't bought Nintendo's acclaimed 2023 Zelda game, TOTK for your Switch yet, here's a good opportunity. It's a game we thought unlocked "a ton of creative potential" and is now 31 percent off, bringing it down to $48 which is just $2 more than the lowest price we've tracked. This is the standard, physical copy of the game. 

Apple iPad (Wi-Fi, 64GB, 10th gen)

The 10th generation standard iPad is down to $399. While that's a $40 savings, it's still about $20 more than the all time low price we've tracked for this model. This one didn't make the cut in our list of the best iPads. Though it has a bigger screen and a newer chip than the 9th generation, it's still not Apple’s own M-series silicon and it does away with the home button and headphone jack, which the earlier version retains. 

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-walmart-prime-day-deals-182730464.html?src=rss