When Battlefield 2024comes out in about a week on November 19th, it won’t ship with built-in voice chat. Series developer DICE told Polygon the feature won’t be available until sometime after launch. The studio didn’t provide a reason for the decision. Whatever the case, the absence of voice chat will likely be keenly felt by Battlefield fans, especially on PC, Xbox Series X and S, and PlayStation 5 where matches will include as many as 128 players.
For what it’s worth, you can still use Discord or the party chat feature on your console to communicate with friends, but that won’t help you when you’re trying to play with strangers. In those instances, you’ll need to rely on the ping system, which is apparently on the cumbersome side. According to Polygon, you have to navigate through multiple menus before you can get to the right ping. All told, it sounds like Battlefield’s already chaotic matches will be a tad more unpredictable in the first few weeks that 2042 is available.
The PC version of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition seems to have some serious issues at the minute. The bundle — a remastered collection of GTA III, GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas — arrived on Thursday. However, at the time of writing, the Rockstar Games website says "this title is currently unavailable in your country or region." Console players can still buy it on the Xbox, PlayStation and Switch digital stores.
Rockstar Games
According to Kotaku, those who bought the title on PC before it disappeared are unable to play it at the minute. Rockstar removed the older versions of the three games from PC storefronts before the collection arrived.
Adding to the publisher's woes, the Rockstar Launcher has been out of commission for around 24 hours "for maintenance" — not a great look when Rockstar just released a new collection of some of its most notable games. That means Rockstar's PC games like Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online are unavailable. The store, cloud services, downloads and authentication systems are also down.
We thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work on restoring services for the Rockstar Games Launcher and supported titles.
"We thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work on restoring services for the Rockstar Games Launcher and supported titles," Rockstar wrote on Twitter early Friday morning. Engadget has contacted Rockstar Games for comment.
Some fans have expressed disappointment at the quality of remasters, with screenshots of glitches and videos of bugs popping up. One player posted a video of a rainstorm in San Andreas that made it difficult to see anything around CJ.
Disney held its first-ever Disney+ Day on Friday, and wouldn’t you know it, new content from Marvel Studios dominated the slate, with the company announcing or providing updates on 12 different live-action and animated shows. You can see an early look at footage from some of the upcoming shows on the Disney+ website.
X-Men`97
Let’s start with the news nearly everyone is excited about. Disney is bringing back X-Men: The Animated Series as part of a new project called X-Men ‘97. It will pick up where the original series ended following its five-year run between 1992 and 1997. X-Men ‘97 will debut in 2023.
Moon Knight
Disney
Following his excellent performance in Duneas Duke Leto Atreides, Oscar Issac will star as Marc Spector in Moon Knight. Much like in the comics, Spector has a dissociative identity disorder that sees believing that he’s the human incarnation of the Egyptian Khonshu. Moon Knight will also star Ethan Hawke. Moon Knight will debut next year, according to Disney.
She-Hulk
Disney
In She-Hulk, Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, The Other Half) plays Jennifer Walters, a lawyer who inherits Hulk-like powers. If you love Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, worry not. Disney has already confirmed he’ll reprise his role. She-Hulk will hit Disney+ sometime in 2022.
Ms. Marvel
Disney
Since her solo debut in 2016, Kamala Khan has had an amazing run as Ms. Marvel. Not only have her comics been some of the best from Marvel in recent years, but she was one of the few highlights in the otherwise dismal Marvel’s Avengers video game from Square Enix. Now she’s about to get her own live-action series that will debut in the summer of 2022.
Echo
Disney
Hawkeye won’t debut until later this month, but Disney already has plans for a live-action spinoff starring Alaqua Cox’s character Maya Lopez. We’ll learn more about Lopez when Hawkeye starts streaming on November 24th.
Ironheart
Disney
Dominique Thorne will star in this live-action series that sees Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, create the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.
Agatha: House of Darkness
Disney
As expected, Kathryn Hahn’s WandaVision character Agatha Harkness will star in her own live-action spin-off series. Jac Schaefer will produce and write the series.
Secret Invasion
Disney
After guest appearances in nearly every Marvel film, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury finally gets his own time in the spotlight courtesy of Secret Invasion. Ben Mendelsohn will star opposite Jackson as Skrull Talos in the live-action series.
What If…?
Disney
Whether you liked the first season of What If…? or felt, like we did, that it didn’t live up to its potential, Disney is moving forward with a second season. The Watcher will return to meet new heroes and explore more of the MCU multiverse, with AC Bradley set to return as head writer.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year
Disney
In another animated series, Marvel plans to tell the story of Peter Parker before he became the Spider-Man of the MCU. The studio says this one will celebrate the character’s early comic book roots.
I Am Groot
Disney
It’s time for Groot to shine.Everyone’s favorite Guardians of the Galaxy characters will star in his own animated series titled I Am Groot. Again,no release date on this one, but Kirsten Lepore — best known for short films like Sweet Dreams and Bottle — will direct the project.
Marvel Zombies
Disney
“You know what the MCU is missing? Zombies,” said no one ever, but that didn’t stop Disney from greenlighting an animated series that will pit some of your favorite heroes against an endless undead tide.
Here's one thing we know for sure about Obi-Wan Kenobi: we'll finally see another showdown with Darth Vader. We got our first glimpse at the series during Disney+ Day, the streaming network's extended birthday celebration. While there's no actual footage from Obi-Wan available, a behind-the-scenes clip streaming through the app and concept art reveals some familiar and new territory for the franchise. Ewan McGregor confirms the show will start off with Obi-Wan trying to keep Luke Skywalker safe — as you'd expect — but that's just the launching point for a whole series of new adventures, according to director Deborah Chow.
Lucas Film/Disney
Disney previously revealed that Hayden Christensen would be returning to play Darth Vader, and judging from the concept art (and some training footage), he'll definitely be ready to throw down once again. (The live-action footage in today's promo is just some clever editing from the previous Star Wars films.) Given the relatively tepid response to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it makes sense for Disney to lean more on TV productions, like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett,, where it can explore new aspects of the franchise.
Perhaps not as hotly anticipated, there's also some footage from Baymax!, a show dedicated to the lovable healthcare robot from Big Hero 6. It's the second series for the franchise — following the sequel show that ran for three seasons — and from the looks of it, there'll be more focus on comedy than superhero antics. But really, it's not like we're lacking in super-powered action these days.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Baymax! will hit Disney+ sometime in 2022.
Agatha Harkness is returning to Disney+. A WandaVisionspinoff centering on the show's breakout character has been confirmed, with Kathryn Hahn reprising her role in Agatha: House of Harkness. Jac Schaeffer, the head writer of WandaVision, will take on that same position for the upcoming series, according to Variety.
No other details have been confirmed, and it's not clear when the Marvel Cinematic Universe show will debut. For now, Disney says it's "coming soon." Rumors started swirling about the spinoff last month.
As part of Disney+ Day, the company announced a swathe of new shows and movies that are coming to the streaming service, including a whole bunch of Marvel shows. If you're anything like me, you're probably most looking forward to a continuation of the classic '90s X-Men animated series.
New streaming services are a dime a dozen. By now, their debuts are met with an eye roll. Viewers might wonder what beloved shows or movies are now leaving Netflix to be siloed off in some walled garden of a service. But the hype around Disney+ was a bit different when it launched two years ago today, mostly because it started off with a sizable library of well-loved content, much of which had never been available on streaming before. Add in some buzzworthy new shows from big-name franchises and 116 million subscribers, and it’s safe to say that Disney+ has become a must-have channel for your streaming lineup.
Disney has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to finding new ways to distribute its content. In 1983 it launched The Disney Channel, a premium network that showcased Disney-owned and other family-friendly content. (The channel would later make the shift to basic cable starting in 1990.) Other corporate-content-specific cable networks like Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network wouldn’t debut until a decade later. Disney was also well-known for how it would re-release classic animated films in theaters every seven years or so and, once home video was a thing, would consign those same movies to the “Disney Vault” until that period of time had passed. With the advent of DVD and later Blu-ray, Disney would loosen its grip on content, making movies available through subscription services like the Disney Movie Club, and adding free digital copies with every physical media purchase.
The launch of Disney+ promised an end to the Disney Vault, with every Disney animated film available to stream. Well, almost — Song of the South is still not available on Disney+ due to its racist content, and other shows and films have been held due to licensing restrictions. But it’s still an impressive lineup. If you wanted to give yourself a crash course in animation history Disney+ is a good service to have, home to some of the earliest Walt Disney Animation Studio films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio and Fantasia, all the way to recent releases like Ralph Breaks the Internet and Frozen II. Plenty of shorts are available on the service, too, allowing kids and adults to check out all-time classics like Steamboat Willie and The Brave Little Tailor.
But while parents were happy to have a streaming service they didn’t need to put on parental lock with their kids, Disney was making a play for older folks with two franchises it had acquired over the previous decade: Marvel and Star Wars. Right out of the gate the company promised fresh content from both, with The Mandalorian debuting only weeks after the service’s launch. Alongside later Marvel Cinematic Universe shows like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki, Disney could lay claim to having “water cooler” shows, ones that would light up social media and hopefully win a few awards in the process. Though the company hasn’t been entirely successful in the latter category and subscriber numbers have stalled, it at least has programs that generate as much excitement as Netflix’s Stranger Things or Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
So what’s next for Disney+? The service continues to add more programming from its big franchises, with shows like The Book of Boba Fett and Hawkeye not far over the horizon. I’ve talked before about how Disney+ can facilitate franchise world-building thanks to the ability to have all its content in one place, though both Star Wars and Marvel risk growing to the point where audiences may not be able to keep up with it all. The new shows and service definitely benefited from people having a lot of free time in 2020 and 2021 — it’ll be interesting to see if Disney+ can maintain its cachet as more businesses open back up. After gettingmixed results with offering new movies on “Premier Access” streaming for $30 a pop, Disney has switched to offering films “only in theaters” again, with even a divisive film like Eternals pulling in over $70 million on its opening weekend.
Disney+’s biggest strength today is its back catalog of content, namely the shows and movies that are still missing from the service. Some programs were held back to promote future releases. One easy example I can think of is how the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King showed up a week or two shy of the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The short film was the last appearance of the character Trevor Slattery, who would go on to play a part in Shang-Chi. One can hope this means the other One-Shots will make their way to Disney+ as their characters reappear in the Marvel films.
The same, however, cannot be said for the Hulk, whose film rights are still tangled up with Universal, making 2008’s The Incredible Hulk the only MCU movie still missing from Disney+ — even with a She-Hulk series on deck for 2022. But if Marvel could patch things up with Sony over the rights to Spider-Man to the point where the new film seems to be bringing back previous actors and introducing the older films as part of a multiverse, there’s certainly room to be surprised over on Planet Hulk.
Other odd omissions: Disney+ has the original animated Aladdin film and its two direct-to-VHS sequels, but not the TV show that the two latter films bookended. At this point we don’t know if it’s a rights issue, an indication of future plans or someone just forgot the show existed. And you can only watch five episodes of the Mickey Mouse Club right now, from its classic black-and-white ‘50s period and nothing from the ‘90s reboot that launched the careers of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. The service may just be holding those in reserve for a potential relaunch, or just something to promote if and when the content dries up.
But right now, things are strong for Disney+. It’s got five new MCU shows on the horizon, while also planning a second season for Loki. Star Wars has a whopping seven live-action shows on deck, along with more of the animated The Bad Batch for the kids. It’s plenty to keep subscribers on the hook week after week and, alongside its massive back catalog, those things have catapulted Disney+ into the top tier of streaming services only two years after launch.
Early Black Friday sales are in full swing and some of our favorite gadgets remain discounted — with a few at record-low prices. Our current favorite wireless earbuds, Sony's WF-1000XM4, are 11 percent off and down to an all-time low, while Apple's AirPods with the MagSafe case are $60 off their normal price. Through November 14, you can grab one month of Disney+ for just $2, plus Solo Stove's fit pits are up to $200 off. Also, be sure to check out Best Buy's latest sale, which discounts smart TVs, soundbars and smart home devices — including many Google gadgets. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Sony WF-1000XM4
Billy Steele/Engadget
Sony's excellent WF-1000XM4 earbuds are down to $248 during this sale. We gave them a score of 86 for their great sound quality, powerful ANC and improved battery life.
The updated AirPods Pro with the MagSafe charging case are down to $190 right now, or $60 off their normal price. These remain Apple's best sounding wireless earbuds and we gave them a score of 87 for their better fit, IPX4 water resistance and hands-free Siri controls.
Disney+ Day is November 12th and to get people excited about the streaming service, Disney is offering one month of Disney+ for only $2. The promotion is available for new and returning subscribers, and you'll be charged the standard $8-per-month rate after the first month is up.
Solo Stove's early Black Friday sale knocks up to $200 off its fire pits. The midrange Bonfire is on sale for $225, which is $125 off its normal price. These stainless steel fire pits have made it into some of our outdoor-focused guides, and we like them for their attractive designs and their ability to create a cozy fire that doesn't emit tons of smoke.
Apple's 512GB Mac Mini M1 is on sale for $750 thanks to an automatically applied coupon. This is the desktop to get if you want a relatively compact device, plus one with the power of Apple's M1 chipset.
The second-generation Apple Pencil is on sale for $100 right now, which is an all-time-low price. It works with all iPads except for the latest 10.2-inch entry-level model, which still supports the first-gen stylus. It's a must-have if you plan on taking notes or creating artwork with your iPad.
The Galaxy Buds 2 are on sale for $100 right now at Woot. We gave them a score of 84 for their small and comfortable design, improved sound and wireless charging capabilities.
Google's Pixelbook Go is on sale for $749 right now, which is a record low. That price gets you a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage — but you can opt for the model with 16GB of RAM if you think you'll need a bit more and you'll save $150 as its down to $849. We gave the Pixelbook Go a score of 84 for its excellent keyboard, good performance and strong yet lightweight build.
The Nest Learning Thermostat is on sale for $179 right now when you use the code THERMOENGADGET at checkout. While not an all-time low, it's the best price we've seen on the gadget in months. This model has an attractive metal design, a hi-res display and it monitors your home while suggesting ways to save energy.
iRobot's latest robot vacuum, the Roomba j7+, is on sale for $699, or $150 off its normal price. The robo-vac without the clean base is also on sale for $499. In addition to the company's standard vacuuming technology, these models have AI-driven computer vision technology that lets them detect obstacles — including pet poop — and move around them as they clean.
The THX Onyx DAC is on sale for $150, or $50 off its normal price. It supports master-quality audio content and it has LEDs that indicate which format you’re listening to. Barely larger than a thumb drive, the Onyx has a THX AAA-78 amplifier chip inside, which is the highest-powered mobile THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier configuration.
Fitbit's Charge 5 has dropped to $130, which is $50 off and a new record-low. This is Fitbit's most capable fitness band and we gave it a score of 82 for its full-color display, built-in GPS and EDA sensors, comfortable design and multi-day battery life. The sleeker Fitbit Luxe is on sale for $100 right now, too.
Amazon's new Omni TVs have been discounted to record-low prices — now you can get the 50- and 55-inch models for $360 and $410, respectively. Both run on the company's Fire TV OS and support HDR10, HLG and Dolby Digital Plus, and you'll be able to see and speak to your visitors directly from the TV if you have a Ring doorbell cam.
Roku's new Streaming Stick 4K+ is on sale for $60 right now, or $10 off its normal price. This is one of the company's latest devices and it supports 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and long-range WiFi. It also comes with the Voice Remote Pro, which includes a headphone jack for private listening, a personal shortcut button and lost remote finder.
A few configurations of the SanDisk Extreme portable SSD are up to $230 off ahead of Black Friday. The 2TB version is half off and down to $230 while the massive 4TB model is on sale for $500. This palm-sized drive supports read speeds up to 1,050 MB/s and write speeds up to 1,000 MB/s, and it has an IP55-rated design that can withstand water, dust, drops and more.
Dyson's Outsize Absolute+ cordless stick vacuum is $150 off, bringing it down to $750. It's one of the newer models available and has a laser that illuminates particles on hard floors so you don't miss any, a full-sized bin, an anti-tangle conical brush bar and a 120-minute run time.
Wellbots has a sale going on right now on Garmin smartwatches where you can get hundreds off the Fenix 6 and Forerunner collections. The Fenix 6S and 6X wearables are $200 off, while Forerunning devices including the 245 and the 745 are $100 off. The Fenix series is one of Garmin's most capable, with advanced features like blood oxygen monitoring, ClimbPro and Expedition Mode. Runners will gravitate to the Forerunner series for perks like running dynamics, built-in GPS, daily suggested workouts and more.
Moft's early Black Friday sale knocks up to $35 off depending on how much you spend. Use the code BF10 to get $10 off $50 or more, the code BF20 to get $20 off $100 or more and the code BF35 to get $35 off orders of $150 or more. The company makes a bunch of slick mobile accessories, including a magnetic stand and wallet for the latest iPhones.
NordVPN has a promotion going on right now that gets you two years of the service for $89. That's 68 percent off its normal price. We like NordVPN for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.
It’s dangerously easy to go over budget during the holidays when, especially when your gift list seemingly gets longer with each passing year. It’s even easier to do so when you have a bunch of gearheads in your life. We don’t have to tell you that gadgets are expensive (hello, $1,000-plus smartphones), but not every piece of tech will put a huge dent in your bank account. To make things easier for our budget-minded readers, we’ve collected everything in our gift guide that you can buy for $100 or less here.
In addition to our favorites listed below, a few other roundups in our holiday gift guide are almost entirely filled with frugal- gifts: our digital gift guide includes services like Disney+ and Skillshare, while our media roundup has books, movies and TV shows that we think would make great gifts. You’ll find that inexpensive options make up most of our tech toys and board games guides as well, and our annual tech stocking stuffers guide focuses on gifts you can grab for under $50 this year. What we’re trying to say is, you don’t have to go broke to get solid tech for your friends and family; you just have to know which affordable items are actually worth your money.
Adagio Simplicitea starter set
Adagio
A dedicated tea vessel is a great gift for the tea lover in your life, or even those experimenting with coffee alternatives. Adagio’s Simplicitea kit includes a 12-ounce Borosilicate glass container with a stainless steel mesh strainer top, along with a sampler pack of 12 teas of your choosing. Since Adagio has a wide selection of loose and bagged tea, you’ll likely be able to find a box that includes the exact type your giftee prefers.
Frequent travelers can get their coffee fix more easily with the Aeropress Go. We’ve often recommended it to outdoor enthusiasts because its compact size makes it great for hiking and camping trips, but anyone who travels often can easily bring the Go with them. It’ll brew one to three cups of coffee at a time and it comes with 350 micro filters that capture excess grit.
There’s a special peace of mind that comes from checking in on your home even when you’re away, and Blink’s Indoor Cam lets you do that for only $80. The tiny square camera records video at up to 1080p resolution and has customizable motion alerts and two-way audio. And its AA batteries make it a wireless camera, so you can place it anywhere in your home and leave it for two years before the batteries need replacing.
We’re big fans of Brumate’s can-and-bottle insulator, the Hopsulator, but the Toddy is the mug to get for all your fall and winter drinks. The insulated, 16-ounce mug keeps drinks hot for hours and it has a leak-proof lid with a magnetic opening that’s easy to open but will also keep all of your drink inside the cup. We also like its non-slip base, which keeps the mug in one spot on your desk.
This Cosori kettle is a no-fuss machine that will quickly become a staple in anyone’s kitchen. Sure, something like this is necessary to make good coffee or tea, but it’s also handy when you want to make ramen, reconstitute dried vegetables and more. This model has a gooseneck, which gives you more control when brewing pour-over coffee; a stainless steel interior; temperature presets for multiple drinks; and a hold button that keeps the water at the exact temperature you want until you’re ready to use it.
This mug is for the coffee nerd in your life. Its wide mouth is ideal for brewing directly into the cup, plus it makes it easier to drink from while also enjoying the aroma of your favorite coffee. The inside is coated in ceramic for an “unpolluted” tasting experience, plus it has a leak-proof seal to prevent spills when they inevitably toss it in their bag before rushing out the door.
The right lighting can change the whole mood of a room and Govee’s Glide wall light is one of the most interesting smart lights we’ve come across. It includes seven segments for you to connect into the shape you want and, once installed, it can shine in up to 57 colors at once. Lighting effects and scenes are available in Govee’s companion app, so you can manually change up the feel of your living room or office any time you want — or you can let the light do the work for you as it reacts to music or gaming sounds in real time.
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget / Hangtime Gear
Extreme activities like backpacking, snowboarding and the like call for extreme protection for your smartphone. The Koala smartphone harness clips to whatever’s on your person, be it a jacket, backpack or vest, while the wrap at the other end of the tether secures around your smartphone. Plus, the tether itself can stretch up to four feet — so even if your phone does take a tumble, you’ll probably catch it before it gets close to the ground.
If you know someone who drinks cold brew in the dead of winter, Hario’s Mizudashi will make their lives even easier. The tall, slim coffee pot is made of heat-resistant glass and has a washable filter that fits neatly into it. Available in 600ml and 1000ml sizes, it also has a convenient pour spout and a handle, so don’t be surprised if this pot quickly earns a permanent spot in your giftee’s refrigerator.
This illuminated sign could be the most unique prop in your loved one’s streaming setup. You can customize it with their name, handle or a short catch phrase they’re known for. And it’s not just for TikTokkers — if your giftee spends hours on Twitch or uploads to YouTube every week, Illuminated Dreamz has customizable signs for those platforms, too.
J-Lab’s Go Air Pop are the wireless earbuds to get if you have very little to spend on gifts. They cost only $20 and offer onboard controls, EQ presets, IPX4 moisture resistance and eight-hour battery life. They also come in fun colors like lilac and rose, so you’ll probably find one that suits your recipient.
Jabra’s Elite 3 earbuds impressed us with their sound quality, which is better than some expensive buds we’ve tried, and their tiny, comfortable design. They’ll last all day with their seven-hour battery life, too, and we appreciate their reliable onboard controls. At only $80, it’s hard to find a pair of earbuds that pack as much value as these do.
Joby’s GorillaPods have been popular with photographers and other creators for years, and for good reason. The 3K kit is compact enough to fit easily in a backpack, and it can hold up to 6.6 pounds on its time frame. You can bend, twist, wrap and otherwise articulate its legs to get the right position for your shot, and it has a 360-degree panning bed and a 90-degree tilt and bubble level for even more control.
While Kivetai’s half face mask will be most useful for winter sports lovers, plenty of others will want to wear it this winter. Made of a breathable cotton fabric, it covers the mouth and ears and it has non-slip sections throughout to keep the mask in place. Whether you’re going for a chilly morning run or going out to run errands, this mask keeps the cold out and the warmth in.
If you’re looking for an SD card with even faster speeds, Lexar’s Professional 2000x lineup is a good place to start. These cards support 300MB/s transfer rates, 120MB/s write speeds and 4K video recording, plus they also have durable designs that are water, temperature, shock, vibration and x-ray proof.
Logitech’s C922 is the webcam to get if your giftee could use one camera for both Zoom meetings and game streaming. It can record at either 1080p/30fps or 720p/60fps, the latter option being the better choice for smooth video. It also has HD autofocus and light correction, which keeps the user looking sharp and well lit regardless of their environment, plus two built-in mics so voices always come through loud and clear.
This palm-sized LED panel can help you get the right lighting anyway thanks to its built-in magnets that make it easy to mount almost anywhere. You can adjust the light’s temperature and hue, or use any one of its 15 pre-programmed presets. Plus, its built-in battery runs for 1.5 hours at full brightness and it means there are no cords to fuss with either.
Sure, this adorable glowing bunny is technically for kids, but you don’t have to be under the age of 10 to enjoy it. The charmingly kawaii character can glow in seven different colors or in multicolored mode and will last up to 10 hours on its rechargeable battery. It’s also pleasantly squishy thanks to its silicone body, a feature that your child will also love since it makes it even easier to tote around their new bunny BFF.
The Apollo thermal case is for those who want their phones to be as protected as possible from the elements. The small, insulated sleeve has multiple layers inside that protect against various hazards like overheating, extreme cold, water damage and more. Not only does that keep your phone safe from accidents, but it also helps keep the battery healthy even in extreme conditions.
These headphones are basically part of the standard streamer uniform at this point. The pink color and cute cat ears are a welcome change of pace compared to the all-black aesthetic that most consumer electronics adhere to, plus it has customizable Chroma RGB lighting on the earcups. But it doesn’t just look good: the Kraken Kitty headset supports a 40ms low-latency connection, 40mm drivers for solid audio quality and built-in mics that focus on your voice and minimize environmental sounds around you.
Creatives looking to improve the sound quality of their videos can do so with Rode’s VideoMic Go. It attaches to most DSLR cameras and has a focused pickup area, minimizing surrounding noise to pick up a subject’s voice clearly. It also has an integrated shock mount that protects the mic from bumps and vibrations, limiting the amount of unwanted interference in your audio. We also appreciate that it doesn’t require separate batteries to work — just plug it into your camera and hit record.
The Roku Ultra is one of the best ways to up someone’s streaming game. It’s the company’s most powerful device, supporting 4K streaming with Dolby Vision and Atmos. It comes with a voice remote and the whole system supports commands from Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant, so you can pick your favorite and run with it. That remote also lets you control both the Ultra and your TV together, so you won’t have to fiddle with multiple clickers anymore.
It’s widely accepted that SanDisk makes reliable storage devices, making it a good name to turn to if you have a creator in your life and don’t know what to get them as a gift. Extra storage, like this Extreme Pro SDXC card, is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does it have fast 170MB/s transfer speeds, but it can record 4K video with ease and the card itself is temperature, water, shock and x-ray proof.
A one-year subscription to Slopes Premium can help your loved one up their skiing or snowboarding game. The app uses the GPS in their iPhone (or Apple Watch) to track things like speed, vertical and distance while they’re on the mountain, so they can more easily monitor their progress. And even when they’re not following a specific training routine, they can use Slopes’ seasonal challenges and leaderboards to compete against friends.
Is this perfect for a rave, as the name suggests? Yes. Is it also a perfect accessory to spruce up your next stream? Also yes. We think the holographic option has the most potential on and off Twitch, but there are a number of other fun colors and patterns like outer space, rainbow triangles and sequin.
For those new to the smart home lifestyle, TP-Link’s Kasa smart plugs are some of the easiest devices to start with. Plug them into outlets around your home, plug in “dumb” appliances like lights, coffee makers, fans and more and then control those regular gadgets from your smartphone with Kasa’s app. You can turn devices on and off with a few taps, set schedules and timers to control usage and activate Away Mode to automatically turn appliances on and off so it looks like someone’s home even when you’re on vacation.
Whether you’re meme-ing on Instagram Live or in private with a group of friends, the TikTok version of this trendy card game will be a crowd pleaser. Just like the standard version, you’re competing to create the best caption for the meme card that’s been pulled. You may want to try playing this version with those in your life unfamiliar with TikTok — it could produce the best (or the worst) results.
After iOS 14 really shook up the iPhone’s interface with stackable widgets and an app library, iOS 15 at launch didn’t seem so dramatic. Given that several major features, like SharePlay were delayed, little seemed different from the public beta. But now, with iOS 15.1, everything seems to be in full working order. It’s time to put Apple’s latest mobile OS through its paces.
SharePlay is finally here
Mat Smith/Engadget
We had to wait until iOS 15.1 for SharePlay — one of the few significant features inside this otherwise quiet update. All things SharePlay are underpinned by the FaceTime app. We’ve got a guide on using SharePlay right here, but the major point is that not all apps are compatible.
You need to start a FaceTime call before doing anything SharePlay. Then, once connected to someone, you can open a supported app and you'll see an alert at the top of the screen asking if you want to stream your content to your FaceTime contact. They will then see a pop-up, asking them to join you.
Shared shows and content are impressively lag-free and can be navigated by anyone watching, so your friends can pause a TV show if they need to make a snack run. A picture-in-picture box offers a view of all the callers. It’s a little tight on an iPhone, but works well on Apple TV and iPads. When shows offer multiple subtitles and audio options, everyone can listen/read in their chosen languages.
There are also a few games compatible with SharePlay, but you’ll probably tend toward the free-to-play options, like the charades-based game, Heads-Up. (Testing it out with other Engadget editors was far more fun than it had any right to be.)
Fitness Plus, Apple’s on-demand workouts service, also works with SharePlay. Of course, you’ll need an Apple Watch to participate, but it’s a fun way to share a workout, and have someone to complain along with you. The app did an excellent job dipping out the Fitness Plus audio when my companion talked. Sometimes it’d pick up ambient noise, like distant door slams, but it was cool to be able to hear that someone else was sweating (and swearing) along with me, while still being in the privacy of my apartment.
Unfortunately, your favorite streaming service may not work on SharePlay. There’s currently no YouTube or Netflix, but Apple has managed to rope in TikTok, HBO Max, Hulu, Showtime, Paramount Plus, and the NBA. There are some third-party fitness apps (including SmartGym), but nothing hugely notable.
There is potential here, I just wish it wasn’t joined at the hip to FaceTime. I would have appreciated the ability to SharePlay from say, Apple TV+, and then put in the details of whoever I wanted to share with once I’d picked something — That order would make more sense.
While I might not be a FaceTime regular, I can appreciate the upgrades in iOS 15. For example, you can share your FaceTime calls beyond Apple’s walled garden, to anything with a web browser. This works best on Apple devices, but it’s relatively stable compared to the open beta we tried earlier this year. You’ll also immediately notice the new grid view that brings Apple up to parity with other video call services, like Google Hangouts or Zoom.
There’s also spatial audio — which makes each person on your FaceTime call sound like they’re coming from a particular direction. It’s not life-changing, but it’s a nice flourish. What’s even better are the new voice isolation and wide modes, the latter of which intentionally draws in more ambient noise. Those are also available outside of Apple’s own video call app. I inadvertently turned it on for some WhatsApp video calls with family while trying to console a cranky toddler — the caller had no idea that my niece was having a complete meltdown. Naturally, noise-cancellation effectiveness can vary, but in general, I found it impressive.
Focus modes
Mat Smith/Engadget
Apple’s attempt to help us claw back some of our life from our smartphones is a welcome one. Compared to Screentime, which came along with iOS 12, Focus seems more robust. It’s better equipped to help you steer away from your phone, and less about telling you about what you already know — you spent over 40 minutes reading Reddit when you should have been sleeping.
Focus offers multiple different profiles, evolving the single Do Not Disturb toggle from before. There are three placeholders to start with: Work, Bedtime and Personal, but there’s no stopping you from adding more focus modes to cover perhaps, gym trips or when you offer your phone to your kids.
There’s also a toggle within the Focus menus that allows compatible apps (there aren’t many) to notify anyone trying to contact you that messages were “delivered quietly.” If it’s very important, they can “send anyway” and it’ll still ping you. Of course, this is only when dealing with iOS users. Android users won’t have any hint that their message won’t be read.
In iOS 15, you can automate the transitions so that your device ‘locks you out’ when you should be filing your review draft and not mired in the latest Apple Arcade game. This can be based on location, time or even on AI smarts. The phone learns from when you manually switch between modes and will suggest the same transition, hopefully, before you do it yourself.
Mat Smith/Engadget
Inside the Focus settings, you can approve both apps and contacts. If they’re not on the list, notifications are corralled away until you swap modes.
You can also use Focus modes to customize your interface. Inside the settings for each mode, you’ll need to make each new home screen page as an additional panel. Once enabled, you’ll only see the panels enabled in that particular Focus mode — though the app drawer is always just a few swipes away…
If it’s any kind of endorsement, I set up a ‘sleep’ focus mode that interrupts messages and most things after 10 PM, protecting myself from some of the chaos of an international Engadget team and friends that are very much night owls. So far, it’s worked well.
A smarter iOS, again
Apple’s machine learning takes a few more steps forward in iOS 15. They’re small additions, but they point to where Apple is taking its mobile OS.
A handful of them are based on imaging. Visual Look-up will, er, look up photos on your iPhone, identifying people, places and more. It’s something that Google’s done for years on Lens — which you could also have used on your iPhone.
Live Text is a little more compelling. It can identify and pull text from a photo, which you can then paste into emails or notes. You can even translate this text in real-time, making it useful for menus and signs as we gradually venture beyond our own borders again.
Spotlight in iOS 15 has also been given some machine-learning smarts. You can now search your Photos app without having to open the app. Type in dog, ramen or baby and you’ll see your own images of whatever you type in, if you have them. This also works for people, if you’ve assigned their faces to photos. Even more impressive, it’ll search the text within your photos, although I haven’t needed it yet. This can backfire though: I have a photo of a Lulu Lemon tote bag (don’t ask), which is covered in random words. Apple has indexed all of them.
Mat Smith/Engadget
Across iOS 15, you’ll notice a new “Shared with You” section that’s based entirely on your Messages app and what content and links people have sent you. You’ll see it across Safari, Photos, Podcasts, Apple Music, and more.
Any content that someone shares with you on Messages will populate in the corresponding app. It works seamlessly, but it’s also only for all things Apple. I got the most use from sending and receiving photos, but I could see the utility being heavily tied to how many of my friends and family are watching TV Plus — or are iPhone users to begin with.
Safari got some surprising changes too. Yes, the address bar has now been relocated to the bottom of the screen — closer to fingers on ever bigger iPhones. While it’ll take a while to remember that’s where the URL box lives now, it makes sense. And, if you absolutely can’t tolerate it, you can turn off this design change. It’s a rare bit of flexibility from Apple.
Mat Smith/Engadget
Safari on iOS 15 also introduces extensions, like Safari has on Macs. Sadly, the best extension (and the only one I’m using) is Noir which tries to force a ‘dark mode’ effect on any websites you browse on Safari. It’s another area that could be more compelling in a year’s time.
Many of Apple’s other apps have picked up subtle upgrades too. Apple Maps continues its slow path to redemption with improved transit instructions and augmented-reality walking instructions. There’s a deeper level of detail for several cities, including New York, San Francisco and London, including bike lanes.
With the Weather app, you can now set up notifications for when it’s about to rain or snow, borrowed from Dark Sky, a weather app that Apple recently bought. And the Health app does a better job of notifying you of trends, like weight and physical activity. This week, I got a notification saying that my VO2 levels have improved since taking up daily HIIT classes, meaning that regardless of weight loss or what I see in the mirror, my cardiovascular system is getting stronger.
If you’re paying for iCloud, or Apple’s One service, you’ll get a few extras with iOS 15. It now includes a baked-in private relay that will scramble traffic at both ends of your internet connection — iOS will flag when it is turned on or off. It’s useful simply because it’s so entrenched within the OS, with no need to toggle it on or off. The paid-for service also adds the ability to make your own “burner” email addresses that auto-forward to your main email account. These work in places where the Sign in with Apple feature, which does a similar thing, isn’t supported.
Supported devices
Like iOS 14 before it, Apple supports devices from the iPhone 6s onwards, including the first iPhone SE and the 7th generation iPod touch. However, some features, especially ones that rely on AI and machine learning, depend on more modern mobile chips. You’ll need a device with an A12 chip, first used in 2018’s iPhone Xs, to use FaceTime’s new voice-isolation mode, spatial audio and its blurred-background Portrait mode. Offline Siri support and further Siri performance upgrades also need the same A12 chip or newer. The fancy cinematic video recording mode also remains exclusive to the iPhone 13 Pro models.
Wrap-up
Mat Smith/Engadget
iOS 15 is a quiet update. It can be hard to spot what’s changed unless you’re actively seeking out the differences. This isn’t a getting-rid-of-the-home-button edition of iOS.
Instead, Apple is both focusing on sharing as a way to court people outside of iOS while keeping those already committed to its apps deeply entrenched.
With FaceTime web links, SharePlay, and those new Shared With You sections, the company is coaxing you into sharing photos in Messages, stretching in a Fitness Plus yoga session with friends, or watching the latest season of Ted Lasso with family hundreds of miles away.
Apple wants you doing all those things Apple’s way, instead of through WhatsApp, Netflix or Peleton. That’s still a big ask, but Apple has weaved all these often disparate parts together so well, it’s easy to see what it’s trying to achieve, even if the content or flexibility isn’t quite there.
Bose has done exactly that with its QuietComfort line of noise-cancelling headphones — and for good reason. The QC35 and QC35 II set the bar for active noise cancellation (ANC) when it comes to wireless over-ear cans. Bose’s powerful ANC blocks out more ambient roar than nearly all of the competition and the QuietComfort’s reliable controls meant they were a joy to use on long flights. Still, the QC35 II debuted in 2017 and technology has progressed a lot since then. Still, Bose managed to keep most of what made the line so popular while making a few minor updates with the QuietComfort 45 ($329). As it turns out, you don’t need fancy new features to make your headphones unique.
Design
In terms of aesthetics, there’s almost nothing new to report here. Bose was clear that the idea was to keep the trademark QuietComfort series design intact. The company did remove the pleats around the ear pads to clean things up, and it closed open spaces for a smoother look. It also swapped out the micro-USB port for modern USB-C charging. Overall though, you could easily mistake the QC45 for a pair of QC35 or QC35 II headphones.
The QC45’s ear cups still rotate and fold in for easy storage, and both the ear pads and headband remain soft and cushiony. On the right, the power and pairing slider is on the outside of the ear cup while on-board controls are along the back edge. These physical buttons give you the ability to play/pause, take calls, skip tracks and adjust volume. In the same spot on the left, what used to be the Google Assistant and Alexa button now cycles between active noise cancellation (Quiet mode) and ambient sound (Aware mode). If you press this button during a call, it will mute the mics. You can still summon your assistant of choice, but you now do so by holding down the center multi-function button on the right side instead.
If you want something that’s a bit less of a “dad on a business trip” vibe, but still desire Bose’s sound quality and ANC chops, you’ll want to look at the Bose 700 (more on those in a bit). Those have a more modern design. However, the entire point of the QuietComfort series is to keep you comfy for hours at a time while blocking out the world. The QC45 continues to do just that with its lightweight design that packs easy and is an excellent travel companion.
Software and features
Like other Bose headphones and earbuds, the QuietComfort 45 work with the company’s Music app. The software doesn’t offer much in terms of customization, but it will guide you through the on-board controls, display battery life, allow you to change ANC modes and switch between connected Bluetooth devices. There’s also a volume slider and a basic media controller, both of which you probably won’t need. What you are able to adjust does actually come in handy though. You can choose between four levels of Self Voice, or the amount of yourself you can hear in the headphones during calls (off, low, medium and high). This helps you be less shouty on Zoom, which is always nice. You can also adjust how long the QC45 will sit idle before automatically powering off to conserve battery.
Billy Steele/Engadget
That’s really it. Bose doesn’t offer the ability to tweak the EQ or even a select of presets to adjust the sound profile. Instead, the QC45 is equipped with a volume-optimized Active EQ feature that automatically adjusts highs and lows to maintain performance at all levels. There’s really no need to reassign any of the controls and features like automatic pausing or voice recognition aren’t available. This means the Music app is potentially something you’ll visit during initial setup, and never again.
Lastly, there’s one thing with the multi-device connectivity that I found frustrating. You can connect the QC45 to both your phone and your computer at the same time. This way when you’re working, you’re tuned into Slack and Spotify, but the headphones automatically switch over when you get a call. However, when that call is finished, the QC45 remains connected to your phone and you have to tap to get your computer back to the active stream. It’s a small nuisance, but when competitors do this automatically, it sticks out.
Sound quality
You might be considering a set of Bose headphones just for their noise cancelling chops, but don’t overlook the sound quality. The company has a decent track record with tuning, typically offering warm, balanced sound with good clarity that highlights details of the music. That continues with the QuietComfort 45 as these headphones handle all genres well, offering crisp highs, robust mids and deep bass when a song demands it. The tuning here is more even-handed than what Sony offers on its flagship model, so don’t expect booming low-end.
That being said, there’s ample bass for albums like Run The Jewels’ RTJ4 and Chvrches’ Screen Violence. The difference with Bose is that the low end doesn’t have the same depth or detail as other sets. The basslines of “Walking In The Snow” and “Asking For A Friend” don’t drone or oscillate with the same immersive quality as the competition. With more balanced tuning, and thanks to how well they handle details, the QC45 is well-suited for all genres — from metal to bluegrass and everything in between. They can get loud when you need them to and there’s enough depth to keep things from any semblance of flat or boring.
The most notable changes to sound on the QC45 were actually made to the active noise cancellation. Bose says a combination of external and internal microphones work with a "proprietary digital chip” to detect and silence more mid-range frequencies. The company explains that this should cover things like office noise, the roar of a train or the hum of a coffee shop. Indeed, these headphones are better at blocking the distractions the competition struggles with. I noticed the QC45 handled things like the TV and other sounds around the house with ease — including human voices on their own work calls. ANC performance was never an issue with Bose headphones, but the company has managed to improve on what was already top tier.
Ambient sound or Aware mode is also a new addition to the QC45. Something like this is a staple of most headphones nowadays, so it’s nice to see Bose include it. It doesn’t sound anywhere close to as natural as the AirPods Max, but it gets the job done when you need to hear what’s going on around you. The ability to adjust how much of your voice you hear on calls is also handy, since it looks like we’ll still be spending a good portion of our lives on video calls.
Battery life
Bose promises up to 24 hours on a charge with the QC45, four more than the QC35 II. Obviously, that’s long enough to take any commercial flight in the world, or to get you through a few full work days with ease. During my tests using a mix of ANC and ambient sound for both music and calls, I managed 22.5 hours before having to plug in. That’s slightly under the stated figure, but still quite a long time.
If you find yourself in a pinch, Bose has included a quick-charge feature that gives you three hours of playtime in 15 minutes. It’s more than enough to get you through your commute home, a workout or a Zoom call.
The competition
Billy Steele/Engadget
Bose has an attractive alternative to the QC45 in its own product lineup: the Bose 700. The 2019 model offers the company’s robust ANC along with impressive voice quality for calls, even in noisy environments. You can also set the level of noise cancellation between 0 and 10. The 700 has reliable touch controls instead of physical buttons and a design that’s more modern than the QC series. They’re more expensive at $379 and the treble can be harsh at times, which isn’t great when there’s no option in the app to adjust it. Still, if looks are important to you, these are a worthy alternative.
Sony has been giving Bose a run for its money over the last few years. The company’s latest flagship noise-cancelling headphones, the WH-1000XM4, keeps that pace. Sony packs in so many handy features on top of powerful ANC and excellent sound quality. The WH-1000XM4 can automatically adjust noise cancelling based on your activity or location and speak-to-chat, along with quick-attention mode, offers a convenient way to have a quick convo. Plus, automatic pausing, multi-device connectivity and support for Sony’s 360 Reality Audio may sweeten the deal. When you consider you can sometimes find these available for $100 less than the full asking price of around $350, the 1000XM4 becomes even more enticing.
Wrap-up
Bose is clearly catering to QuietComfort fans with the QC45. The new model maintains everything that makes this line of headphones so popular with noteworthy upgrades to noise cancellation. It’s also apparent that Bose is content to put its latest tech to work in entirely separate models like the 700, keeping the QC family going as long as there’s still demand for it. And if I had to guess, the clamoring will remain for quite some time. If Bose can manage to get the price closer to $300, future QuietComfort headphones become an even more intriguing proposition.
