While it's a bit early to be thinking about the holidays, retailers jump on the opportunity to remind us that we're six months out from the festivities. Black Friday in July sales have been ongoing this month, but Best Buy's just began and will run through this weekend. A plethora of gadgets have been discounted across the site, but there are a number of sales on TVs that are worth highlighting. Best Buy slashed hundreds off TVs big and small, including some of the latest OLED sets from LG, Sony and Samsung. Amazon's matching many of the deals, too, so you have options when it comes to where you spend your money. Here are the best smart TV deals we found in Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale.
55-inch LG A1 OLED 4K TV
LG
The latest LG OLED lineup just became available a few months ago and now you can grab the 55-inch A1 model for $1,300. The A1 series is the most affordable of the bunch, making these sets good options for anyone looking to upgrade to OLED while on a tight budget.
The 55-inch, mid-tier LG C1 OLED TV is down to $1,500, or $300 off its normal price. It uses LG's a9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K and supports HDMI 2.1, G-SYNC and FreeSync for gaming and voice commands using Alexa or the Google Assistant.
Sony's 48-inch Bravia A9S OLED TV has been discounted by $300, bringing it down to $1,500. It runs on the company's Processor X1 Ultimate and supports HDR and Dolby Vision, Acoustic Surface Audio, X-Motion Clarity technology, AirPlay 2 and more.
Last year's flagship LG GX OLED TV is on sale for $1,500 for the 55-inch mode, or $500 off its normal price. While the latest G1 flagship is also on sale (see below), it'll set you back an additional $500. If you can deal with a slightly older processor and fewer bells and whistles, this remains a solid OLED set to invest in.
This massive 82-inch Samsung Q60T smart TV is on sale for $1,580, or $420 off its regular price. You're getting Quantum Dot technology here with HDR support, a refresh rate up to 60Hz, Game Enhancer for a better gaming experience and support for multiple voice assistants including Alexa and the Google Assistant.
One of Sony's premium OLED TVs, the 55-inch Bravia XR A80J set, is down to $1,800 in this sale, or $500 off its normal price. It packs most of Sony's best TV technology into one set, including the Cognitive Processor XR, HDMI 2.1 support, 4K upscaling, XR Motion Clarity and improved sound with Acoustic Surface Audio+ and built-in subwoofers. It also runs the Google TV operating system, so you can call upon the Assistant for all your entertainment needs.
The 65-inch The Frame set from Samsung is down to $1,700, or $300 less than normal. This is the TV to get if you'd prefer to look at something more interesting than a black box when not actually watching a TV show or movie. Its art mode lets you select art to display on the screen whenever you want, and it also supports 4K AI upscaling and truer colors using Quantum Dot technology.
A 55-inch LG G1 OLED TV will set you back $2,000 if you grab it during this sale, saving you $200 off its normal price. It's part of the "gallery" series and it uses OLED evo panel technology, which provides better brightness and clearer whites than standard OLED displays. It also runs on LG's a9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K and supports features like G-SYNC, FreeSync, OLED Motion Pro and voice commands via Alexa and the Google Assistant.
If you're keen on investing in an 8K TV, this 75-inch Samsung Q900T QLED 8K set is $1,500 off, bringing it down to $3,000. It includes Quantum HDR 32X, precisely controlled LED backlights and 8K AI upscaling. Just keep in mind that there isn't a ton of 8K content available just yet, so it may be a while before you experience the full benefits of this smart TV.
Football Manager developer Sports Interactive has a history of inclusive gameplay, and that now extends to women. The company has revealed that it's adding women's soccer (aka football) to its management sim. This will likely be a "multi-year" project, SI warned, but this also isn't a simple character model swap. The studio wants to offer the same kind of depth it has for men's sport while accounting for the differences between players and leagues.
There will be new models and databases, of course. However, SI noted that it also has to account for different league rules, gender differences in text translations (the most expensive part of the project) and tweaks to different player attribute systems. The company also has to decide whether or not it accounts for certain practical realities of women's soccer, at least at first — does it factor in menstruation and pregnancy, for example?
The team recently hired coach and research expert Tina Keech to lead its women's soccer efforts, and there are already motion capture sessions underway.
The expansion will likely prove costly. SI expects adding women will "cost millions," and it's looking for sponsorship deals that could help fund the project. However, the company believes there's a moral imperative to add women to the game — it wants to "smash" the glass ceiling for women's soccer and help it get the same attention given to men's leagues. In other words, Football Manager will be part of a larger sports equality campaign that includes games like FIFA as well as better TV coverage of real-world matches.
If you've been on the hunt for a capable Android phone that won't break the bank, there's a solid deal over at Woot that's worth checking out. Google's Pixel 4 is on sale for $380, down from the usual $800 for the 64GB model. It's the lowest price we've seen for the smartphone in quite some time. Woot's parent company Amazon and B&H Photo were both selling the Pixel 4 for $400 earlier this month.
As you might expect from a Google smartphone, the Pixel 4 has great cameras. It has a "smooth" display system that can boost the refresh rate from the typical 60Hz to 90Hz. The device will also support Android 12 and it's quick enough for most use cases.
Overall, the Pixel 4 might be better value than the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 right now. The Pixel 4a, meanwhile, costs $350 and arrived a year after the Pixel 4, but Google downgraded some of the specs — the display only has a 60Hz refresh rate and there's just a single rear camera, rather than two.
There are a few provisos to bear in mind with the Pixel 4. Google will provide Android and security updates for the Pixel 4 until October 2022, but there's no guarantee it will continue to do so after that time. Phone and online support might not be available after then either. Meanwhile, the device's screen brightness and battery life don't quite match up to equivalent flagships from Apple and Samsung.
It's worth noting Woot's return policy is more limited than that of Amazon. You can send back most goods within 30 days and Woot will reduce the refund amount by the cost of return shipping (as long as the product isn't defective or damaged). So, if you do snap up a Pixel 4 while it's on sale, it's probably best to decide quickly if you want to hang onto it.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Alphabet has launched another company in its X moonshot factory, and this one may be its most ambitious robotics project to date. The just-opened firm, Intrinsic, plans to make industrial robots more accessible to people and businesses that couldn't otherwise justify the effort involved to teach the machines. You could see robotic manufacturing in more countries, for example, or small businesses that can automate production that previously required manual labor.
Intrinsic will focus on software tools that make these robots easier to use, more flexible and more affordable. To that end, the company has been testing a mix of software tools that include AI techniques like automated perception, motion planning and reinforcement learning. Company chief Wendy Tan-White has relevant experience, too. She started the "world's first" software-as-a-service site builder to make web development more accessible, launched early online banking and lending services, and helped nurture startups as a VP at X.
The technology is still early, but there are already promising results. During its development time at X, the team trained a robot to make a USB connection in two hours (instead of programming it over hundreds of hours) and had robotic arms build simple furniture (shown below). Automation wouldn't be "realistic or affordable" for efforts like these using existing technology, Intrinsic said.
Intrinsic/X
The new company still has much work to do. It's now focused more on creating a practical product and "validating" its tech. It's also hunting for partners in car manufacturing, electronics and healthcare that currently use industrial robots. If Intrinsic succeeds, though, it could make robotics more equitable and fill gaps in production. The company even suggests that its work could help the environment — the closer robotic factories are to people, the lower the emissions needed to transport goods to customers.
This might prove challenging. Rethink Robotics spent years developing collaborative robots that learn through simple human guidance, only to shut down as sales fell short. X moonshot companies also aren't guaranteed to succeed — look at Loon's fate as an example. Alphabet's money could help where companies like Rethink struggled, however, and Intrinsic is focused more on solving overall robotics problems rather than specific scenarios. This effort might stand a better chance than most.
The HTC Vive Pro 2 is a VR enthusiast's dream. Its 5K 120Hz display delivers the sharpest desktop VR experience I've ever seen. And while its design hasn't changed from the 2018 model, it's still very comfortable to wear for extended sessions. But its high price and reliance on old controllers make it a tough sell. And let's be honest, it'll take a lot to dethrone the $299 Oculus Quest 2 as the ideal VR headset for mainstream users.
That's not who HTC Vive is really targeted at, though. Like the standalone Vive Focus 3, this headset is clearly geared towards professionals. But unlike that device, it also has plenty to offer gamers. For them, spending $1,399 on the entire Vive Pro 2 package would be worth it to play Half Life: Alyx in the best quality possible. And if you've already invested in the previous Vive Pro or Valve Index, you can nab the new headset on its own for $749.
Just be sure to keep track of which Vive Pro is which, because they look practically identical. The Pro 2 features a black and purple color scheme, but its front facia, strap and headphones all look the same as before. The difference becomes clear once you put on the Vive Pro 2, though: Its 5K screen offers 2,448 by 2,448 pixels per eye, a huge leap ahead of the 1,440 by 1,600 pixels from the Pro. Plus the Pro 2's LCDs have RGB sub-pixels, which helps make everything look sharper still. The screen can also refresh at up to a 120Hz, which is noticeably smoother than the previous 90Hz panel, and I appreciated the wider 120-degree field of view, which makes virtual worlds feel all the more immersive.
These specs may sound familiar, because the Vive Focus 3 also has the same 5K screen, it just happens to have a slower 90Hz refresh rate. But I came away far more impressed with the Pro 2, because it can easily run any PC VR game or app. The Focus 3, meanwhile, has a limited selection of mobile titles, and I was never able to successfully stream higher-end VR from my gaming PC. And, honestly, even if I got that to work, streaming is still a clear step down from running natively.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
I revisited old and newer games on the Pro 2, and everything just looked fantastic. I kept getting distracted by the detailed environments in Half Life Alyx — a game that looked great on the Index, but has an extra level of polish with the Pro 2's resolution bump. It's sort of like the jump from 1080p video to 4K. You might not notice the difference at first glance, but once you start inspecting the finer details like grass and wood grain you can tell you're working with more pixels.
Hopping back into Superhot almost felt like I was playing Superhot 2. I could make out plenty more detail in the game's cyberpunk introductory room. And even though its aesthetic is relatively simple, the game's enemies, weapons and environments all looked more detailed than I remembered. I also spent more time than I expected gawking at just about everything in the VR version of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. That game already looked impressive on a normal monitor, but in 5K VR I could appreciate Senua's intricate character model even more.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
As impressive as everything looked, though, I really wish HTC had upgraded the Pro 2's controllers. Its full kit includes the same enormous wands that came with the original Vive in 2016. They work decently enough, but they're not nearly as ergonomic as Oculus's touch controllers, or even the Focus 3's gamepads. They're particularly archaic after experiencing Valve's hand-tracking Steam VR controllers, which are bundled with the Index. Since it's a SteamVR headset as well, you could always use the Index gamepads with the Pro 2, but that's another $280 on top of an already expensive headset.
It also would have been nice to see HTC Vive upgrade the Pro 2's design a bit. It's still very comfortable, thanks to its plush cushioning along the front and back, as well as its balanced weight distribution. But the company could have taken a few cues from the Valve Index. Near-field speakers would have been a solid upgrade from on-ear headphones, especially since the Pro 2's cans tended to make my head feel warm. The headset's displays also generate a decent amount of heat as well, which led to some sweaty play sessions.
Setting up the Vive Pro 2 also takes a bit of work, but that shouldn't be a surprise to VR heads. It requires having two SteamVR base stations set up in opposite corners of your room, as well as USB 3.0 and DisplayPort cables running to a breakout box. If you've already got base stations from the original Vive Pro or Valve Index, they'll still work. And if you don't, be sure to pick up the full Pro 2 kit, which includes the base stations and VR wands.
To get the most out of the Vive Pro 2, you'll also need to make sure you've got some serious graphics power. I tested it on a system running an NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti, AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and 32GB of RAM. That was enough to get smooth performance at the headset's full resolution, though I couldn't tell if I was always reaching 120fps to fill its refresh rate. I didn't notice any stuttering or slowdown, though. True VR aficionados typically stuff even more absurdly powerful hardware in their systems, so I'd wager they'd have a similar experience. But you can probably forget about getting anything truly usable out of the Vive Pro 2 using its minimum system requirements (a GTX 1060 and 4th-gen Intel CPU).
If you're stuck with slower hardware, and you don't want to fight to the death for a new GPU, you'll be better off with a less demanding VR headset. The Oculus Quest 2 remains my main recommendation for most people, since it offers excellent standalone virtual reality, as well as a simple way to connect it to your PC to stream high-end experiences. HP's Reverb G2 is another solid option based on its resolution alone, though I'm not the biggest fan of its controllers.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
I’ll admit, the Vive Pro 2 doesn’t sound like a great deal if you compare it to practically any other VR headset on the market, especially at its full $1,399 price. It’s in many ways an example of the greatest issue facing VR today: To get the best experiences, you’ll have to shell out a ridiculous amount of money, not to mention deal with a clunky setup process and annoying cables. That’s not stopping true virtual enthusiasts though — for them, and for businesses who need the highest quality VR around, the Vive Pro 2 is the new benchmark.
The Tokyo Olympics opening kicked off early this morning, and the parade of nations, where athletes walk through Japan's Olympic stadium, had a Japanese twist. A medley of videogame music, orchestrated, formed the soundtrack for the parade.
It all kicked off with the main theme from Dragon Quest — which sounds pretty Olympian outright — followed by hits from Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter, Nier, Sonic, Chrono Trigger and, er, eFootball. (That's the new name for Pro Evolution Soccer, in case you missed it.)
There are some notable omissions — no Nintendo songs (Pokemon? Mario? Zelda?) being the biggest one — but some Street Fighter II songs might have fitted well into the competitive theme. Maybe the latter was too violent?
The march hasn't quite finished, but we'll try to embed a video here when we can. The USA will be the third-to-last country to march, as it's hosting the Olympics soon in LA. You might be able to catch the final parts of the march on the NBC live stream.
Nikkan Sports offers a full tracklist here. Hopefully, a kind soul will make a Spotify playlist for us. Please?
Chromebooks have earned a reputation for being cheap and limited, but that hasn’t been true for a while now. The combination of years worth of software updates and laptop manufacturers making more powerful and better-built Chromebooks means there are a ton of good Chrome OS machines that work well as everyday drivers. Of course, there are an unnecessary number of Chromebooks on the market, so choosing the right one is easier said than done. Fortunately, I’ve tried enough of them at this point to know what to look for and what to avoid.
What is Chrome OS, and why would I use it over Windows?
That’s probably the number one question about Chromebooks. There are plenty of inexpensive Windows laptops on the market, so why bother with Chrome OS? Glad you asked. For me, the simple and clean nature of Chrome OS is a big selling point. If you didn’t know, it’s based on Google’s Chrome browser, which means most of the programs you can run are web based. There’s no bloatware or unwanted apps to uninstall like you often get on Windows laptops, it boots up in seconds, and you can completely reset to factory settings almost as quickly.
Of course, the simplicity is also a major drawback for some users. Not being able to install native software can be a dealbreaker if you’re, say, a video editor or software developer. But there are also plenty of people who do the vast majority of their work in a browser. Unless I need to edit photos for a review, I can do my entire job on a Chromebook.
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Google has also added support for Android apps on Chromebooks, which greatly expands the amount of software available. The quality varies widely, but it means you can do more with a Chromebook beyond just web-based apps. For example, you can install the Netflix app and save videos for offline watching; other Android apps like Microsoft’s Office suite and Adobe Lightroom are surprisingly capable. Between Android apps and a general improvement in web apps, Chromebooks are more than just a browser.
What do Chromebooks do well, and when should you avoid them?
Put simply, anything web based. Browsing, streaming music and video and using various social media sites are among the most common things people do on Chromebooks. As you might expect, they also work well with Google services like Photos, Docs, Gmail, Drive, Keep and so on. Yes, any computer that can run Chrome can do that too, but the lightweight nature of Chrome OS makes it a responsive and stable platform.
As I mentioned before, Chrome OS can run Android apps, so if you’re an Android user you’ll find some nice ties between the platforms. You can get most of the same apps that are on your phone on a Chromebook and keep info in sync between them. You can also use some Android phones as a security key for your Chromebook or instantly tether your laptop to use mobile data.
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Google continues to tout security as a major differentiator for Chromebooks, and I think it’s definitely a factor worth considering. The first line of defense is auto-updates. Chrome OS updates download quickly in the background and a fast reboot is all it takes to install the latest version. Google says that each webpage and app on a Chromebook runs in its own sandbox, as well, so any security threats are contained to that individual app. Finally, Chrome OS has a self-check called Verified Boot that runs every time a device starts up. Beyond all this, the simple fact that you generally can’t install traditional apps on a Chromebook means there are a lot fewer ways for bad actors to access the system.
As for when to avoid them, the answer is simple: If you rely heavily on a specific native application for Windows or a Mac, chances are good you won’t find the exact same option on a Chromebook. That’s most true in fields like photo and video editing, but it can also be the case in fields like law or finance. Plenty of businesses run on Google’s G suite software, but more still have specific requirements that a Chromebook might not match. If you’re an iPhone user, you’ll also miss out on the way the iPhone easily integrates with an iPad or Mac, as well. For me, the big downside is not being able to access iMessage on a Chromebook.
Finally, gaming is almost entirely a non-starter, as there are no native Chrome OS games of note. You can install Android games from the Google Play Store, but that’s not what most people are thinking of when they want to game on a laptop. That said, Google’s game-streaming service Stadia has changed that long-standing problem. The service isn’t perfect, but it remains the only way to play recent, high-profile games on a Chromebook. It’s not as good as running local games on a Windows computer, but the lag issues that can crop up reflect mostly on Stadia itself and not Chrome OS.
What are the most important specs for a Chromebook?
Chrome OS is lightweight and usually runs well on fairly modest hardware, so the most important thing to look for might not be processor power or storage space. That said, I’d still recommend you get a Chromebook with a relatively recent Intel processor, ideally an eighth-generation or newer M3 or i3. Most non-Intel Chromebooks I’ve tried haven’t had terribly good performance, though Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet 2-in-1 runs surprisingly well on its MediaTek processor.
As for RAM, 4GB is enough for most people, though 8GB is a better target if you have the cash, want to future-proof your investment or if you’re a serious tab junkie. Storage space is another place where you don’t need to spend too much; 64GB should be fine for almost anyone. If you plan on storing a lot of local files or loading up your Chromebook with Linux or Android apps, get 128GB. But for what it’s worth, I’ve never felt like I might run out of local storage when using Chrome OS.
Things like the keyboard and display quality are arguably more important than sheer specs. The good news is that you can find less expensive Chromebooks that still have pretty good screens and keyboards that you won’t mind typing on all day. Many cheap Chromebooks still come with tiny, low-resolution displays, but at this point there’s no reason to settle for anything less than 1080p. (If you’re looking for an extremely portable, 11-inch Chromebook, though, you’ll probably have to settle for less.) Obviously, keyboard quality is a bit more subjective, but you shouldn’t settle for a mushy piece of garbage.
Google has an Auto Update policy for Chromebooks, and while that’s not a spec, per se, it’s worth checking before you buy. Basically, Chromebooks get regular software updates automatically for about six years from their release date (though that can vary from device to device). This support page lists the Auto Update expiration date for virtually every Chromebook ever, but a good rule of thumb is to buy the newest machine you can to maximize your support.
How much should I spend?
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Chromebooks started out notoriously cheap, with list prices often coming in under $300. But as they’ve gone more mainstream, they’ve transitioned from being essentially modern netbooks to the kind of laptop you’ll want to use all day. As such, prices have increased a bit over the last few years. At this point, you should expect to spend at least $400 if you want a solid daily driver. There are still many budget options out there that may be suitable as couch machines or secondary devices, but if you want a Chromebook that can be your all-day-every-day laptop, $400 is the least you can expect to spend.
There are also plenty of premium Chromebooks that approach or even exceed $1,000, but I don’t recommend spending that much. Generally, that’ll get you better design quality with more premium materials, as well as more powerful internals and extra storage space. Of course, you also sometimes pay for the brand name. But, the specs I outlined earlier are usually enough.
Right now, there actually aren’t too many Chromebooks that even cost that much. Google’s Pixelbook Go comes in $999 and $1,399 configurations, but the more affordable $650 and $850 options will be just as good for nearly everyone. Samsung released the $1,000 Galaxy Chromebook in 2020; this luxury device does almost everything right but has terrible battery life. Samsung quickly learned from that mistake and is now offering the Galaxy Chromebook 2 with more modest specs, but vastly better battery life at a much more affordable price (more on that laptop later). For the most part, you don’t need to spend more than $850 to get a premium Chromebook that’ll last you years.
Engadget picks
Best overall: Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Look beyond the awkward name and you’ll find a Chromebook that does just about everything right that’s also a tremendous value. It gets all the basics right: The 13-inch 1080p touchscreen is bright, though it’s a little hard to see because of reflections in direct sunlight. It runs on a 10th-generation Intel Core i3 processor, the eight-hour battery life is solid, and the backlit keyboard is one of the best I’ve used on any laptop lately, Chromebook or otherwise. The Flex 5 is now a little over a year old, but it still holds up well and is even cheaper than it was when it first launched. It can now regularly be found for well under $400 on Amazon. (As of this writing, it’s priced at $329.) That’s an outstanding value for a Chromebook this capable.
Naturally, Lenovo cut a few corners to hit that price. Most significantly, it only has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy a computer with those specs — but Chrome OS is far less dependent on local storage. Unless you were planning to store a ton of movies or install a huge variety of Android apps, 64GB is enough for moderately advanced use. I was concerned about the non-upgradeable 4GB of RAM, but my testing showed that the IdeaPad Flex 5 can run plenty of tabs and other apps without many hiccups. If you push things hard, you’ll occasionally have to wait for tabs to refresh if you haven’t viewed them recently, but other than that this is a solid performer, particularly for the price.
Other things in the IdeaPad Flex 5’s favor include that it has both USB-C and USB-A ports and a 360-degree convertible hinge. I personally don’t find myself flipping laptops around to tablet or stand mode very often, but it’s there if you like working in those formats. At three pounds and 0.66 inches thick, it’s not the lightest or slimmest option out there, but those specs are also totally reasonable considering the price.
Ultimately, the Ideapad Flex 5 hits the sweet spot for a large majority of potential Chromebook buyers out there, providing a level of quality and performance that’s pretty rare to find at this price point. That said, given this laptop has been out for over a year now, we’re keeping an eye out for any potential replacements Lenovo offers, as well as comparable options other manufacturers release.
Premium Chromebooks with more power, better design and higher prices have become common in recent years. If you want to step up over the excellent but basic Lenovo Flex 5, there are two recent options worth considering: Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook 2 and Acer’s Chromebook Spin 713.
The Galaxy Chromebook 2 is infinitely more stylish than most other Chromebooks, with a bright metallic red finish and a design that looks far better than the utilitarian Flex 5 and Chromebook Spin 713. As I mentioned earlier, Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook 2 fixes some of the serious flaws we identified in the original. Specifically, the 2020 Galaxy Chromebook had terrible battery life and cost $999; this year’s model starts at $549 and can actually last seven hours off the charger. That’s not great, but it’s far better than the lousy four hours the original offered.
Samsung cut a few corners to lower the Galaxy Chromebook 2’s price. Most noticeable is the 1080p 13.3-inch touchscreen, down from the 4K panel on the older model. The good news is that the display is among the best 1080p laptop screens I’ve seen in a long time, and the lower resolution helps the battery life, too. The Galaxy Chromebook 2 is also a bit thicker and heavier than its predecessor, but it’s still reasonably compact.
Finally, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 has a 10th-generation Intel Core i3 processor rather than the Core i5 Samsung included last year. All these changes add up to a laptop that isn’t as ambitious, but is ultimately much easier to recommend. Instead of pushing to have the best screen in the thinnest and lightest body with a faster processor, Samsung pulled everything back a bit to make a better-priced but still premium laptop.
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Acer’s Chromebook Spin 713, by comparison, doesn’t look like much from the outside — it’s a chunky gray slab with little to distinguish it from many other basic laptops. While it doesn’t seem exciting, the Spin 713 is just as well-made as the Galaxy Chromebook 2, with a sturdy hinge and body. But what’s most interesting is the display, a 13.5-inch touchscreen with a 3:2 aspect ratio. That makes it a much better option than 1080p displays when you’re scrolling vertically through documents and webpages. It has a somewhat unusual resolution of 2,256 x 1,504, thanks to the taller aspect ratio, but it makes for a more pixel-dense display than you’ll find on your standard 13.3-inch, 1080p laptop. Long story short: The screen is great.
As for the rest of the hardware, the 11th-generation Intel Core i5 processor is more than enough power for most tasks, and the keyboard and trackpad are solid, if not the best I’ve used before. The same can be said for battery life: I got about the same six to seven hours using the Spin 713 as I did using the Galaxy Chromebook 2. I wish it were better in both cases, but it’s in line with other premium Chromebooks I’ve used lately.
The Spin 713 configuration that I tested costs $699, the same as the Galaxy Chromebook 2. Because I’m such a fan of the 3:2 display, I prefer the Spin 713 (which also has a more powerful processor), but the Galaxy Chromebook 2 is worth a look if you want a laptop that has a little more style and a better keyboard.
Last year, Google’s Pixelbook Go was our pick for the best premium model. It’s still an excellent choice and one of my favorite Chromebooks to use, but it’s almost two years old. Its age coupled with its aging 8th-generation Intel processor make it tougher to recommend. That said, it’s still one of the thinnest and lightest Chromebooks around, and it still handles everything I can throw at it. It also has the best keyboard I’ve used on any recent Chromebook. There’s still a lot to like, but it’s harder to justify spending $650 or more on it. Hopefully Google will release an updated version this fall.
While Lenovo’s Flex 5 is inexpensive enough that you could get one for your kid, Acer’s Chromebook 512 might be a better option for young ones in your life. First off, it’s specifically built to take abuse. In addition to the military-rated (MIL-STD 810G) impact-resistant body, you can spill up to 330mL of liquid on the keyboard. A drainage system will flush it out and keep the insides working. (Note that I haven’t actually tried that.) The keyboard features “mechanically anchored” keys that should be harder for kids to pick off, too. Regardless of exactly how much water you can pour onto that keyboard, the Chromebook 512 should handle a child’s abuse better than your average laptop.
This computer isn’t a speed demon, but the Intel Celeron N4000 chip coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage should be fine for basic tasks. The 12-inch screen isn’t a standout either, but it has the same taller 3:2 aspect ratio as Acer’s Chromebook Spin 713. That means you’ll get more vertical screen real estate than you would on the 16:9, 11-inch panels typically found in laptops of this class. (The Chromebook 512’s screen resolution is 1,366 x 912, whereas most 11-inch Chromebooks use a 1,366 x 768 panel.)
All in all, it’s a fairly modest computer, but grade-school kids, a computer that can take some abuse and runs an easy-to-use OS that’s well supported in education should fit the bill well. The Chromebook 512 is priced at $249.99 direct from Acer, but it's going for $219.99 as of this writing at other retailers.
Google has gone all-out on today's doodle to mark the start of the Tokyo Olympics. Select the modified logo and you can play 'Doodle Champion Island Games,' an anime-infused title featuring sports mini-games. Google says it's the largest interactive doodle it's ever made.
You control Lucky the cat in a pixel-art landscape dotted with Japanese landmarks. Once you join one of several color-coded teams, you can take part in mini-games including table tennis and skateboarding. The controls are relatively straightforward, relying on various combinations of the arrow keys and spacebar. We won gold in the table tennis and pulled off kick-flips and fakies while skateboarding with ease. The doodle will stick around for the coming weeks, adding new games along the way.
The cut scenes are pretty lush, too. According to Google, the interactive doodle was made in collaboration with STUDIO4°C, the Tokyo-based animation house behind feature films like Tekkonkinkreet. It also worked on action-adventure puzzle gameCatherine. You can find out more about Doodle Champion Island Games in the behind-the-scenes video below.
You no longer have to spend upwards of $200 on a quality pair of active noise-canceling (ANC) headphones. If you don't mind settling for a slightly older model, we highly recommend the Sony WH-1000XM3. Weeks after they dropped to $190, the wireless headphones are down another $20 at Best Buy to a new low of $170.
We gave the XM3 a review score of 94 in September 2018 due to their excellent sound and comfort. Inside is a dedicated noise-canceling chip, the QN1, which does the heavy-lifting in terms of blocking background noise and boosting audio. For those unaccustomed to ANC, you may even notice new sounds on the tracks you love. Audiophiles will also take to the customization offered through Sony's app that lets you fine-tune audio.
We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the XM3's successors, the XM4. The newer headphones feature two major additions: Auto-pause and seamless multi-device listening. Hardly a deal-breaker when you consider they currently cost $348.
The XM3's design is also a crowdpleaser. The over-ear headphones come in black with bronze accents on the Sony logo and USB-Cport. In our tests, we found the plush cushioning around the pads and headband to be significantly more comfortable than some of the alternatives. You can also fold them up when you're not using them, making them great for travel. The XM3 offer around 30 hours of battery life, more than enough for regular commuters. A well-powered USB-C connection also provides five hours of charge after just 10 minutes.
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Remember the high-tech face masks teased during the relatively early days of the COVID-19 pandemic? Not many have made it into stores (or on to our faces) just yet, but that’s given companies even more time to build in upgrades. Like LG, which has used the Tokyo Olympics (and the Team Thailand) to showcase its improved wearable air-purifying mask.
Still packing three fans and a pair of HEPA-style filters, it now also features a smaller, lighter motor and a built-in mic, speaker and voice amplifier. LG says its VoiceOn tech will detect when you're talking and boost the sound so others can hear you — a common issue when you’re trying to communicate while wearing any kind of mask. This new version will arrive in Thailand in August.
Starting at approximately 11:20 AM ET yesterday, Downdetector began logging a spike in outage reports across a variety of online services and websites. Some of the more notable platforms people couldn’t connect to included, PSN, LastPass, TikTok, Steam and UPS. Visiting the PlayStation Store and other affected websites would return a DNS error. Akamai said it implemented a fix for the issue it was having with its Edge DNS service, and most sites and services returned to normal. Continue Reading.
A new analysis of the security expenses racked up by Silicon Valley giants shows they collectively spent $46 million to safeguard their top brass last year. Of that, $23.4 million alone was spent on Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg's personal security, up from $20.4 million in 2019, according to a report by Protocol. In comparison, Jeff Bezos paid $1.6 million in personal security costs. Continue Reading.
Activision Blizzard is facing a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing for fostering what the agency describes as a "frat boy" workplace. The DFEH sued the company that owns the Call of Duty series and Overwatch after a two-year investigation. It said at the company, in addition to receiving smaller salaries than their male counterparts, female employees were allegedly subjected to constant sexual harassment. Activision Blizzard, denies DEFH's allegations, adding that the lawsuit "includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard's past." Continue Reading.
Messaging app Slack is now officially a part of Salesforce after completing a deal worth $27.7 billion. The IRC-style client, which cost 27.7 times as much as Instagram when bought by Facebook, will now operate as a standalone unit inside the computing giant. Salesforce intends to use the $27.7 billion Slack as the new interface of Customer 360, its tool for managing its many apps. It also puts Salesforce, which paid, I repeat, $27.7 billion for Slack, into an antitrust war with Microsoft, after the Windows maker bundled Microsoft Teams with its Office suite. Continue Reading.
The right to repair movement is all about giving users the right to make basic repairs to their devices without too much fuss. But many companies make it very difficult to get your smartphone or laptop screen replaced after a bump. Framework is a company that has designed its first laptop to be entirely user-serviceable, and easy enough that anyone can do so. Dan Cooper put the machine through its paces, and what it lacks in battery life and sound, it more than makes up for in repairability. Continue Reading.
OnePlus has an unusual problem. It’s making very good flagship smartphones these days, but at the same time, it’s still chasing status as a flagship phone killer. That’s where its Nord series comes in, offering premium-looking (and feeling) smartphones at the fraction of a price of flagship devices. The Nord 2 5G is a similar proposition to the original Nord, with some camera improvements and a new processor rounding out the biggest changes. The £399 (roughly $458 before tax) Nord 2 has a slightly more premium style similar to its expensive relatives, like the $729 OnePlus 9. But while it might look the part, is it as good? Mat Smith tested the phone out for a few days. Continue Reading.
Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey has long been a bitcoin enthusiast. In fact, he's so optimistic about the cryptocurrency, he reckons it could bring about a more peaceful planet. During a video discussion on cryptocurrency with Elon Musk, another vocal cryptocurrency figure, and Cathie Wood, chief executive of Square stakeholder ARK Invest, he said:
“My hope is that it creates world peace or helps create world peace. We have all these monopolies off balance, and the individual doesn’t have power, and the amount of cost and distraction that comes from our monetary system today is real and it takes away attention from the bigger problems.” Continue Reading.
