Spotify's string of recent acquisitions now includes a potentially huge text-to-speech upgrade. The streaming music service is acquiring Sonantic, a startup that uses AI to produce "stunningly realistic" voices from text. While Spotify didn't divulge its exact plans for the purchase, it teased multiple potential improvements.
Sonantic's tech could provide context for upcoming recommendations even when you aren't looking at your screen, Spotify said. The AI voice platform could also "reduce barriers" for new audio experiences. We'd add that this could help with accessibility. You might have an easier time navigating Spotify without relying on the visual interface.
Spotify didn't say when it expected the deal to close. The move makes sense in light of broader trends, however. Social networks like Instagram and TikTok already use text-to-speech for robotic voiceovers. Meld this with Spotify's TikTok-style discovery feed and the company may have a better chance of reeling in listeners used to finding their tunes on social networks.
While the AirPods Max are Apple's most advanced headphones to date, they're also the company's most expensive. Normally priced at $549, all of the colors of the AirPods Max are on sale right now. Most of them are $100 off and down to $449, while currently the pink and the space gray models are $120 off and down to $429.
These headphones will be most useful to Apple diehards as the combine the conveniences of the H1 chipset with remarkable audio quality and ANC. We gave them a score of 84 and found them to have excellent, balanced sound with Adaptive EQ and spatial audio support, plus ANC that's strong enough to block out most surrounding noises. They have a uniquely "Apple" design, complete with aluminum earcups and a mesh headband, and it's actually quite comfortable despite being on the heavier side. We also appreciate their reliable onboard controls: you can use the rotating crown to adjust the volume, and there's a dedicated button that switches between ANC and Transparency mode.
Inside the AirPods Max is Apple's H1 chipset, which means these headphones have all of the conveniences that the company's wireless earbuds do. They'll pair quickly with iPhones and other Apple devices, and you can switch seamlessly from taking a call on your iPhone to listening to music on your MacBook. The chip also powers hands-free Siri access, so you can ask the virtual assistant to do things for you without lifting a finger. Admittedly, they're still high-priced headphones even when on sale — you could pick up the new Sony WH-1000XM5 for less — but the AirPods Max are a good choice for those that live within the Apple ecosystem.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Google has helped app creators make better use of Assistant voice commands over time, but its longstanding Conversational Actions framework for those commands has had its limits. It's primarily meant for conventional Android mobile devices, and it's voice-only — the technology won't help much on your smartwatch, or when you need some on-screen interaction. The company is taking steps to make voice control more useful across all its platforms, though. It's expanding the App Actions framework to be more helpful for the entire Android ecosystem, and it's phasing out the old system in the process.
The company is in the midst of integrating App Actions across all Android-based platforms, including automotive platforms and wearables. Assistant can now point you to the relevant apps for a given command even when you don't mention an app's name, or when you're looking for the right software in "All Apps" on a Pixel 6. And if you don't have the app necessary for a command, you'll be taken to the appropriate Play Store page. These will help developers by boosting demand for their apps, of course, but they'll also help you focus on accomplishing tasks rather than crafting the exact phrase you need.
Developers will have a strong incentive to embrace the newer technology. Google is sunsetting Conversational Actions in June 2023, and plans to "turn down" features like console analytics at that point. The extra year will give app producers the time to learn App Actions and otherwise transition away from the earlier approach.
You might have seen this shift coming. Conversational Actions was introduced five years ago, only to be supplemented by App Actions (in an initially limited form) in 2019 — Google has been priming itself for a handover like this for a while. And with Google committing to major expansions of platforms like Android Auto and Wear OS, upgraded voice functionality is that much more important for the company.
Apple's 2021 iPad Mini tablet is a popular choice thanks to its portability and excellent specs, but it's not exactly an impulse purchase at $500. If you've been eyeing one, the 64GB model is now on sale at Amazon for $400 (20 percent off) matching the lowest price we've seen. And if you need more storage, the iPad Mini 256GB model is discounted by 17 percent, dropping the price to $540.
The 2021 model has similar specs to the iPhone 13, with the same speedy A15 Bionic chip that delivers a big jump in performance over the fifth-gen model. It comes with a larger 8.3-inch display with higher 2,266 x 1,488 resolution and eliminates the physical home button, moving the Touch ID sensor to the power button. The volume buttons, meanwhile, are at the top to make room for Apple Pencil 2 that can be attached to the side magnetically.
Other features include USB-C charging and upgraded cameras with support from Apple's Center Stage feature, keeping you in the center of the frame during video calls. The main downsides are the lack of a headphone jack, limited 64GB of storage on the base model and fairly high price compared to tablets with comparable specs. Amazon has certainly taken the edge off the price, but it's best to act soon before the deal ends.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Amazon's Fire HD tablets are on sale at the second-lowest prices we've seen across a range of 8-inch and 10-inch models. If you're looking for the lowest price possible, the Fire HD 8 is available for just $50, and for the biggest discount, the the Fire HD 8 Plus is on sale for $60, or 45 percent ($50) off the regular price — the second-best deal we've seen so far.
There's already a lot to like about the Fire HD 8, like Alexa support, a USB-C port that allows for faster charging, good build quality, 32GB of storage that's upgradeable via a microSD slot, a sharp 1,200 x 800 display, 2GB of RAM, a big 4,850 mAh battery and a quad-core processor. The main drawback is the lack of Google apps, unless you're willing to side load them. As mentioned, the Fire HD 8 is on sale for $50, or 44 percent off the regular $90 price, and is available in four colors including black and white.
The Fire HD 8 Plus gives you all of those features, but boosts the RAM from 2GB to 3GB, while including wireless charging and a fast 9W charger in the box. The Fire HD 8 Plus is on sale for just $60 or $50 (45 percent) off the regular price.
If you need something bigger than 8 inches, a pair of 10-inch tablets are on sale as well. The Fire HD 10 gives you a lot of tablet for the money, including a 1080p display, 32GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, an octa-core battery and fast USB-C charging. It's on sale for $100, or 33 percent off the regular price. And finally, the Fire HD 10 Plus boosts those specs to 4GB of RAM, along with wireless charging and a fast 9W charger. It's on sale for $130, or $50 off the regular price.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
E3 might not be happening this year, but Summer Game Fest kicked off on Thursday and today is arguably its biggest event: the Xbox and Bethesda games showcase.
The stream starts at 1pm ET, and should feature a bunch of new Xbox exclusives from Microsoft's many, many internal studios. We already got some news on the company's cloud gaming TV app early this week, and today we're hoping to hear more about Starfield and Redfall — two Bethesda games that have been delayed into 2023. It'd be nice to get some more news on Elder Scrolls VI, which was announced almost exactly four years ago.
Away from Bethesda, Microsoft has a bunch of exclusives we're waiting to hear more on. There's the next-generation Forza, the new Fable and that gorgeous looking Hellblade sequel all on the way, and plenty more beyond that. Given it's Xbox, there's a 99-percent chance we'll hear something about Halo as well. The stream is available on Twitch and YouTube, or you can watch it in the embed below.
The Apple TV 4K has never been cheaper on Amazon. The 32GB version of the device is now available for $130, or $49 less than its retail price of $179. The 64GB is at $150, also $50 lower than retail. That's the lowest price we've ever seen for Apple's premium streaming boxes.
Devindra Hardawar gave the 2021 Apple TV 4K a score of 90 in our review, noting its revamped Siri remote with more physical controls as a top selling point. We found its directional pad easier to use for making fine-tuned selections compared to the prior remote's touchpad. You can even use the pad as an iPod-style touch wheel to scrub backwards and forwards in a video. Siri interprets voice commands well if you don't feel like giving your fingers a workout.
While there are many less expensive streaming devices on the market, we think Apple TV 4K is the best premium option around. It has support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, and it runs on an A12 Bionic chip (which is also used to power the third-gen iPad Air and iPhone XS). You can use AirPlay to share video, photos and more from your other Apple devices to your TV. There's the option to see a live feed of HomeKit-enabled cameras and to control smart home devices through Apple TV 4K, and, if you have the relevant subscription, an ever-growing library of games available through Apple Arcade.
Of course, the main reason most folks will pick up an Apple TV 4K is so they can watch shows and movies. The device supports a plethora of streaming services, including Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, ESPN, Disney+, Sling TV, Hulu and Twitch.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Those unlockable Telegram features that showed up with the app's beta version in May will soon be available for paying users. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has confirmed that the app is launching a subscription plan called Telegram Premium sometime this month. While Durov didn't discuss the specific benefits that come with the plan, he said it will give paying users extra features, speed and resources, as well as first access to the app's latest offerings.
Durov explained that a lot of people have been asking the service to raise the limits on its chats, media and file uploads. However, doing so for everyone would lead to massive traffic and server costs beyond what it could afford. Telegram apparently came to the conclusion that the only way it could give its "most demanding fans" more while keeping its existing features free is to offer those raised limits as a paid option.
The service's founder has also assured users in his announcement that Telegram will still be releasing new free features despite having a paid tier. Further, even free users will be able to enjoy some of the Premium option's new futures, including being able to view larger-than-usual documents, media and stickers sent by paying members. A previous report by tech publication Beebom says Premium subscribers will have the capability to upload files up to 4GB in size and will enjoy up to twice a non-paying users' limits when it comes to the number of channels they can join, among other things. Beebom also says a Premium subscription will cost $5 a month, though we won't know for sure until the option launches.
Durov ended his announcement with:
"While our experiments with privacy-focused ads in public one-to-many channels have been more successful than we expected, I believe that Telegram should be funded primarily by its users, not advertisers. This way our users will always remain our main priority."
How can Dell improve on its already excellent XPS 15? By adding the latest hardware from Intel, whose new hybrid chips promise far better multitasking performance than before. We loved the XPS 15's updated design when it debuted two years ago, and last year, Dell added an OLED screen option, which led us to call it “practically perfect” in our review. At this point, we're running out of superlatives. Still, it's worth noting that the XPS 15 continues to be the 15-inch notebook that every PC company aspires to make.
A big reason for that is the XPS 15’s recent redesign, which dramatically narrowed the bezels and gives the entire computer a more modern look. You can practically date laptops by the thickness of their ugly display borders. Even though I've seen it in various forms over the last few years, I still love the way the screen just flows into the lower keyboard area. And while it sounds like a cliche, those razor-thin borders truly make the screen look like it's floating.
Every other aspect of the XPS 15's case also feels like it's honed to perfection, from the aluminum exterior to the smooth carbon fiber around the keyboard. I'm sure Dell will eventually give us an XPS 15 Plus that takes design cues from the newer XPS 13 Plus, but the standard model still has a level of polish that goes beyond most Windows laptops.
The big selling point for the XPS 15 this year is Intel's new 12th-gen hybrid processors. Thanks to their combination of high performance and efficient cores, they're far more capable than last year's when it comes to juggling a bunch of work. And those low-power cores come in handy for saving battery life. Together with NVIDIA's 45-watt RTX 3050 Ti GPU (which was also in the model we covered last year), the XPS 15 is now even more of a genuine powerhouse.
ASUS ZenBook Duo (Intel Core i7-1165G7, Xe graphics)
4,704
15,315
1,410/4,539
Our review machine, equipped with a Core i7-12700H, 16GB of RAM and that NVIDIA GPU, scored 17 percent higher than last year's model in the PCMark 10 benchmark and 40 percent faster in Cinebench's multithreaded test. In the real world, those scores mean that the XPS 15 could end up saving you hours when it comes to editing huge video files or rendering 3D projects. The new CPU also gave the XPS 15 a slight leg up in some complex games like Halo Infinite. I reached a steady 60fps while playing in 1080p with medium settings, whereas the last XPS 15 struggled with complex shooters while using the same GPU. (It was fine for a low-impact game like Overwatch, but that was about it.)
The XPS 15's 3.5K OLED display remains a knockout, with excellent color reproduction, black levels and all of the bonuses you'd expect. Still, I'd love to see Dell push this display further, especially after both Apple and Microsoft squeezed high refresh rate screens in competing notebooks. Having that extra bit of smoothness while scrolling through websites (and taking on the occasional enemy Spartan in Halo Infinite) would make the already great XPS 15 experience even better. (Not to mention more future-proof.)
Everything else we loved about the XPS 15 last year remains intact. The keyboard feels comfortable and responsive, the trackpad is luxuriously smooth and large, and the quad-speaker system sounds great. The XPS 15 also has most of the ports you'd need to get some serious work done. That includes three USB-C ports (two of which support Thunderbolt 4), an SD card reader and a headphone jack. There's a USB-C to HDMI and USB Type A adapter in the box, but you'll still need additional dongles (or a USB-C mini-hub) if you want Ethernet and multiple Type-A ports.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
I'm glad Dell is sticking with the SD card slot, which will make it easy to offload photos and video. It’s also nice to see the XPS 15 make some battery life improvements. In our benchmark, it lasted 13 hours and 12 minutes, a huge improvement from last year when it clocked under 10 hours.
Despite my gushing, there's still some room for improvement. While the keyboard, trackpad and wrist rest feel great, they also look a bit gross after light use. I'd love to see some sort of oleophobic coating that doesn't need so much wiping down. And of course, having more useful ports wouldn’t hurt either.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The XPS 15 starts at $1,449 with a Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, but as usual, we'd recommend bumping up those specs a bit. You'll want at least 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a Core i7 CPU to make this computer last for several years. Our review unit came in at $2,253 – a relatively modest price given the hardware you get. Still, I'd spend a bit more to squeeze in a larger SSD and potentially more RAM, especially if you're constantly juggling large files.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
At this point, the XPS 15 is the closest Dell has come to delivering a near-perfect workhorse machine. It's beautiful exterior hides tremendous power for serious tasks, but it can also handle games when you need some downtime. And on top of that, it packs pretty much every feature we'd want in a modern laptop, especially if you opt for that gorgeous OLED display. Just like Apple, Dell proves that a good design can last for years.
If you're still looking for the perfect Father's Day gift, you have a bunch of options that you can get for less right now. A rare sale on the Sonos Roam and Move speakers discounts them both by 20 percent, while a number of Apple devices are on sale, too. The Google Pixel 6 Pro smartphone is still $100 off, plus Solo Stove's fire pits are up to 43 percent off. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Sonos Roam
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Sonos' portable Roam speaker remains 20 percent off and down to just over $143. We gave it a score of 87 for its great audio quality, compact and durable design and ability to play stereo audio when two are paired together.
The outdoor-friendly Sonos Move is also 20 percent off and down to just under $320. It earned a score of 80 from us for its excellent sound quality, Bluetooth connectivity, weather-resistant design and great battery life.
Sonos has discounted a bunch of refurbished speakers and soundbars. You can pick up the Arc soundbar for $718, or $180 less than the cost of a new model, and the Sonos Five speaker for $439, or $110 less than a new unit. Sonos' refurbished program tests all devices to make sure they're as good as new and these devices come with the same one-year warranty as new products do.
Both the 41mm and 45mm versions of the Apple Watch Series 7 are $70 off right now and down to record lows: $329 and $359, respectively. We gave the wearable a score of 90 for its larger display, faster charging capabilities and powerful watchOS 8 features.
The Apple Watch SE in 44mm is down to a record-low of $229 right now, or $80 off its normal price. We gave it a score of 88 for its powerful performance, comfortable design and handy watchOS features.
The latest AirPods are $30 off and down to $150, which is only $10 more than their all-time-low price. We gave the buds a score of 88 for their improved audio quality, more comfortable design and longer battery life.
A pack of four AirTags is down to $89 right now, or $10 off its regular price. If you have a few things you want to keep track of, this is a good opportunity to pick up a few AirTags that can help you do so. AirTags show you the location of your things in Apple's Find My app, and if you have an iPhone that supports Precision Finding, it can lead you directly to your stuff.
You can still get half off a bundle that includes a 12-month membership to Nintendo Switch Online's Family plan and a 128GB SanDisk microSD card. Nintendo's subscription includes cloud backup for game data, online gaming and access to a bunch of NES and SNES titles, while the microSD card will let you easily add more space to your Switch.
The Beats Fit Pro earbuds are back on sale for $180, or $20 off their usual price. We gave them a score of 87 for their good sound quality, strong ANC and handy features provided by Apple's H1 chipset.
The battery-powered Nest Doorbell is on sale for $130 at Amazon right now, or nearly 30 percent off its normal price. This IoT device is easy to install since you don't have to hardwire it, and it'll send you alerts when someone shows up at your doorstep. You can also pick up the Nest Cam Outdoor for $129 or the Nest Cam Indoor for $80.
Google's Pixel 6 Pro smartphone remains $100 off and down to $799. We gave the flagship a score of 91 for its excellent cameras, lightweight design and clever voice software.
The 2022 Roku Ultra is 20 percent off and down to a new low of $80. The updated set-top box just came out last month and it includes the new Voice Remote Pro with a rechargeable battery and a remote-finder feature, plus support for 4K, HDR10+ streaming. It's also worth noting that the Roku Streambar remains on sale for $99.
You can get up to 43 percent off fire pits at Solo Stove right now.You'll find the deepest discount on the big Yukon, which is $320 off and down to $400. We like these fire pits because they create much less smoke than their cheaper competitors and, out of the three models available, two of them are pretty portable, too.
iRobot's Roomba j7+ is down to $599 at Amazon, or $200 off its normal price. We included the Roomba j7 in our best robot vaccums guide because it did a good job cleaning both carpeted and hard floors, plus it has good obstacle avoidance and an easy to use companion app. The j7+ adds a clean base into the mix, so the robot will automatically empty its bin into the clean base after every job.
Sony's Days of Play sale on Amazon discounts a bunch of PlayStation accessories, including all six PS DualSense controllers. You can pick up any of them, including the vibrantly colored ones, for $59, which is up to 21 percent off their normal prices.
Anova's Precision Cooker sous vide machine is down to $133 right now, or 39 percent off its normal price. We like its easy to use onboard controls, WiFi connectivity and 1,000 watts of power.
Sony's WH-1000XM4 headphones are down to $278, which is 21 percent off its normal price. While Sony just came out with the XM5 headphones, these cans remain a good option for those that want excellent sound quality and ANC to match. Plus, you'll save more than $100 compared to the XM5 if you pick up the XM4 while they're on sale.
Fitbit has discounted most of its wearables ahead of Father's Day, and if you spend $125 or more, you'll get $20 off your next purchase before the end of June. The Charge 5 tracker is down to $130, while the Versa 3 is on sale for $170 and the Sense smartwatch has fallen to $200.
