Apple might use its now-customary spring event to update its most affordable smartphone. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed in his latest newsletter that Apple is expected to introduce a third-generation iPhone SE this spring through a virtual presentation "likely" happening in March or April. In an echo of past rumors, Gurman understood the new SE would still cling to the iPhone 8-era design but add 5G and a new processor — possibly the A15 from the iPhone 13, if Apple's history of using last year's high-end chip is any indication.

There was no mention of other changes. It wouldn't be surprising if Apple increased the storage to 128GB or updated the camera sensors (again borrowed from the iPhone 8), but those aren't guaranteed given Apple's low-cost focus for the iPhone SE. A larger battery might be necessary to compensate for 5G's typically higher energy drain.

If the leak is accurate, the new iPhone SE would be disappointing for those wanting a modern nearly-all-screen design. You'd still have a relatively small screen, thick bezels and a button-based fingerprint reader. As we just mentioned, though, price is everything for the SE. The current model's $399 price helps Apple reach some customers who otherwise couldn't justify an iPhone. The company might not want to do anything that could prompt even a small a price hike, if just to maximize the SE's potential audience. 

Radar might soon find its way into more personal technology than Google's phones and smart speakers. 9to5Googlenotes Google, Ford and four other partners have published specs for a Ripple standard that could bring small radar to more devices in a "privacy-respecting" fashion. The framework, hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, theoretically lets any device maker use small-scale radar for tasks ranging from existing uses like touch-free gesture control and health monitoring through to exercise tracking and even occupancy detection in buildings.

The early details are currently available through GitHub, with a focus on interoperability between radar types. Developers will initially have to add special use cases through extensions, but the Ripple team hopes to build those add-ons into later versions of the standard.

The involvement of Google and Ford is logical. Both have already used radar in shipping products like the Nest Hub or Ford's Co-Pilot 360 driver assists. The more industry-wide support there is for radar, the more customers are likely to seek it out in the companies' products. Still, it might be genuinely useful if radar becomes more than a rare-but-inessential bonus feature.

You all know what they say about the best-laid plans. Though Engadget intended to send a few editors to cover CES in person, we later decided amid surging covid cases that it would be best if our entire staff just stayed home and covered the show remotely. In the end, too, we also decided it would be easiest, under these very fluid circumstances, to do our own thing for our annual CES Awards, which since 2014 we have produced in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association, the trade group that organizes CES itself. Though we can’t hand out awards in person this year, we do still have opinions. And we're about to share them with you.

What follows are all of our favorites from CES 2022 which, despite some stormy press, turned out to be a surprisingly busy show (if not in foot traffic, then certainly in hard news). As in years past, we arrived at these picks by first asking the editors who cover these categories year-round to weigh in on a shortlist. Then our wider team voted using a ranked-choice system. Maybe one day we'll also tell you about the dark-horse favorites that almost, but didn't quite, make the cut. — Dana Wollman, Editor-in-Chief

Best Accessibility Product

OrCam MyEye Pro

OrCam

For people with low vision or difficulty reading, camera-based gadgets with object recognition can make life a little easier. OrCam’s MyEye Pro is a wearable camera module that can be attached to any pair of glasses. Like previous generations, the MyEye Pro can read text, identify objects and faces and tell the wearer what it sees via an onboard speaker or paired Bluetooth headphones. In addition to a touch-sensitive control panel, OrCam offers voice control via the company’s own assistant with the “Hey OrCam” hotword. The Pro also features a faster processor than older models, an additional microphone, stronger magnets and improved tactile cues. It has a new interactive “Smart Reading” feature that lets users ask their MyEye to quickly find specific information like phone numbers, the total on a bill, a particular word on a page and more.

MyEye Pro is one of a few assistive devices built specifically to help people with vision impairments or reading disabilities. Though smartphones can arguably perform similar tasks, the fact that the OrCam can be mounted on spectacles makes it easier for extended reading or all-day use. The company needs to address some usability issues, and like most assistive devices the MyEye is very expensive starting at $3,990. But with greater awareness of the existence of such products, perhaps more insurance providers will consider covering some of the cost. — Cherlynn Low, Deputy Editor / Reviews

Best Health and Fitness Product

Withings Body Scan

Withings

Withings has been doing all it can to push the boundaries of what a bathroom weighing scale can do for a long while now. This year at CES, the company unveiled the Withings Body Scan, which aims to bring a number of new health-monitoring technologies into your home. The Body Scan’s most obvious new feature is the pull-out handlebar that you’ll hold in front of your waist while you’re standing on the deck. This allows the device to run an ECG to check on your heart health, offer up sequential body composition data and, most intriguing, analyze your nerve activity.

It’s not just the breadth of data the Body Scan promises to analyze, but the claimed depth that impressed us. Withings says that its six-lead ECG will produce medical-grade results and that its output can easily be read by a cardiologist. Meanwhile, the nerve activity tracking will look for signs of nerve degeneration, which can be caused by obesity (and treated with appropriate remedial action). It’s a hell of a lot of tech to pack into one consumer device, and if Withings makes good on its promises, it may become the bathroom scale of choice for anyone who wants to keep tabs on their health. — Daniel Cooper, Senior Editor

Best Wearable

Razer Zephyr Pro

Razer

In a year where many CES attendees decided to stay home amid rising COVID cases, it feels fitting that our favorite wearable at the show was a smart mask. Tech companies had already started to put their spin on face coverings, with Razer’s original $100 Zephyr mask and LG’s PuriCare Mask. With a gamer steampunk-inspired design, the first–gen Zephyr combined N95 filters, dual-fan active air filtration system and (of course) RGB lighting all in one striking device.

Razer followed up this year with the Zephyr Pro and one new feature in particular is worth highlighting: the ability to amplify your voice by 60 decibels up to one meter away. It solves a problem most of us have experienced at some point over the past couple of years: You try to order a coffee and the barista behind the counter can't hear you over your mask, not to mention the protective plastic wall separating you both. In theory, if you're wearing the Zephyr Pro, you shouldn't have this problem. Whenever you don't want to use the feature (or maybe just want to conserve battery), you can turn off voice amplification.

We don't know exactly when the Zephyr Pro will come out, but Razer has said it will cost $150, or $200 for the starter pack with 100 days worth of filters. Is the Zephyr Pro a bit excessive? Yes. Will the RGB lighting make you look ridiculous? You bet. But even so, we have to hand it to Razer for making masked interactions just a little easier. — Valentina Palladino, Commerce Editor

Best Transportation Tech

Chevrolet Silverado EV

Chevrolet

2022 is already shaping up to be the year of the electric pickup, so it was no surprise that GM CEO Mary Barra took to the CES stage on Wednesday to officially unveil the American automaker’s second electrified truck, the Chevrolet Silverado EV. We shouldn’t need to explain why Chevy’s best-selling vehicle going electric is a big deal.

The new Silverado joins the Hummer EV in GM’s burgeoning electric truck lineup (soon to be accompanied by Blazer and Equinox EVs) and will arrive in two versions: the RST First Edition, a limited-run production with an MSRP just north of $100,000, followed by the far more affordable WT fleet edition and standard RST – both of which start at around $39,900.

Positioned to compete directly with Ford’s forthcoming F-150 Lightning, the Silverado EV RST will offer a GM-estimated 400 mile range, up to 664 horsepower and 811 ft-lb of torque with the ability to tow up to 10,000 pounds. The WT version will be slightly less powerful but still boasts 510 hp, 615 lb-ft of torque and 8,000 pounds of towing capacity. Both the RST and WT versions will enter production alongside the Hummer EV line at GM’s new Factory ZERO electric vehicle production facility in 2023. — Andrew Tarantola, Senior Editor

Best Home Theater Product

Samsung Eco Remote (2022)

Samsung

At CES last year, Samsung debuted an Eco Remote that uses indoor or outdoor light to recharge via a solar panel. This year, the company took things a step further. The 2022 model brings back the solar panel and adds the ability to recharge using radio frequency (RF) signals from your WiFi router. Since you don’t need to replace the battery, this eliminates the need to hunt for AAAs (which would eventually be destined for a landfill).

Using energy that otherwise goes to waste, the new Eco Remote’s low power requirements make it a good choice for harvesting RF waves. The device, available with either a black or white finish, is also equipped with dedicated buttons for streaming services to give you one-touch access. Sure, you’ll need a Samsung TV to use it, but the greener power sources certainly help the device live up to its name. And hopefully, Samsung’s clever use of RF waves can serve as inspiration for other TV manufacturers. — Billy Steele, Senior News Editor

Best Smart Home Product

TP-Link Archer AXE200 Omni

TP-Link

It wouldn’t be CES if we didn’t see some crazy routers, and TP-Link delivered this year. The TP-Link AXE200 Omni router has the over-the-top design that the company typically saves for its most expensive and powerful devices, but this model has a trick we’ve never seen before. It packs four mechanical antennas that can rotate automatically based on the placement and location of devices using your WiFi connection.

Sure, this feature looks cool in action (almost anthropomorphic, even), but TP-Link’s history-making top-flight routers means this likely isn’t a gimmick. And the rest of its specs are top of the line, too. It has tri-band WiFi 6E, capable of delivering speeds of up to 11 Gbps. There are also 10 Gigabit ethernet ports for wired connections. Given how many devices most households have these days, having a powerful, reliable router is crucial to keeping everything online. TP-Link’s latest should be able to do that no matter how many gadgets you need to connect. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor / News

Best Phone or Tablet

Asus ZenBook 17 Fold

Asus

There was no shortage of mobile devices at CES this year, ranging from OnePlus’ new flagship to Samsung’s latest value-for-money phone. If the award should go to the most memorable, though, there was one clear pick. We’ve chosen ASUS’ ZenBook 17 Fold for attempting to redefine tablets, foldables and laptops in one fell swoop.

The foldable tablet category isn’t exactly novel, given past entries like Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold. ASUS’ offering is decidedly bolder, though, with a 17.3-inch OLED screen that offers a huge canvas and various usage possibilities (think: a book-like reader or a desktop PC). You’ll even have a usable laptop thanks to an included Bluetooth keyboard that allows the folded tablet to function as a 12.5-inch Windows laptop. All told, this is one of the most versatile tablets we’ve seen, and it could replace more than just your notebook depending on how you use it. — Jon Fingas, Weekend Editor

Best TV Tech

Samsung QD-Display

Samsung Display

We've praised LG's OLED TVs for years, mainly because they represent a huge upgrade over LCDs in almost every way. Their one big weakness is brightness: LCDs rely on backlights that can reach far beyond a single OLED, which can't burn too hot or they risk failure. OLEDs also lose a bit of color accuracy the brighter they get. Now Samsung believes it has a solution: QD-Display, an updated OLED technology that relies on quantum dots to supercharge colors and deliver more brightness. On paper, it seems like the biggest advancement in TV technology we’ve seen in years.

While Samsung isn't showing off its own QD-Display TVs yet, Sony leapt at the chance to adopt the technology for its new A95K premium TV. That proves it’s more than just an expensive tech demo for the super rich, like Samsung's MicroLED-equipped "The Wall." It's certainly ironic that Samsung is heralding OLED now, after downplaying the technology in TVs for years and pushing QLED sets instead. But no matter: It's better for consumers, and the industry overall, if there's more than one company producing OLED TVs. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Editor

Best Gaming Product

Sony PlayStation VR2

Sony

Among the souped-up graphics cards, laptop chips, desktop concepts and console accessories on display at CES 2022, the most exciting gaming announcement involved no actual product at all. Sony revealed the name, logo and specs for its next virtual reality headset, PlayStation VR2, and even though the device didn’t make an appearance, the details were enough to get us excited about the upcoming headset.

The PS VR2 has a display resolution of 2,000 x 2,040 for each eye, a 110-degree field of view, 4K HDR capabilities and frame rates of 90Hz or 120Hz. The new device has upgraded eye-tracking software and it also supports foveated rendering, a gaze-based feature common in high-end PC headsets. The addition of inside-out tracking means it doesn’t require an external camera – a nice step up from the original PS VR. The most surprising detail about the PS VR2 is the fact that it includes an internal motor that can make the headset vibrate, providing a new level of haptic feedback (or maybe just a headache).

In addition to all those details, Sony confirmed an original game in the Horizon universe is heading exclusively to the headset, and developer Guerrilla gave us a quick tease of first-person robot-dino hunting. Console gaming news at CES is a rarity, which makes Sony’s showing this year stand out, even without any actual hardware. — Jessica Conditt, Senior Editor

Best Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad Z Series

Lenovo

Come for the lid; stay for the sustainability. Or maybe it’s the other way around. When we first saw the ThinkPad Z series at a private demo ahead of CES, we were immediately charmed by its lid, which is designed to be openable with just one hand. But as we learned more about these sleek laptops, available with 13- and 16-inch screens, we were impressed with their focus on sustainability, including materials like recycled aluminum and vegan leather, and a charger made of 90 percent recyclable material. Even the packaging is 100 percent recyclable, thanks to compostable materials like bamboo and sugarcane.

We haven’t even talked about the potentially solid performance. The Z13 and Z16 are the result of a collaboration with AMD. In fact, these are among the first machines with AMD’s high-performance Ryzen PRO 6000 Series laptop processors. On the outside, the Z13 boasts a 2.8K OLED display while the 16 has a 4K screen, also OLED. Both machines support Dolby Vision, along with Dolby Atmos and Dolby AI noise cancellation. We look forward to reviewing them closer to when they go on sale in May. — Dana Wollman, Editor-in-chief

Best Sustainable Product

Goodyear 70% Sustainable-Material Tire

Goodyear

Whether it’s powered by an internal combustion engine or an electric battery, a vehicle’s tires remain one of its least eco-friendly components. Traditional tires are resource intensive to produce and difficult to dispose of, with only a small fraction of them ending up actually being recycled. As such, Goodyear two years ago set an ambitious goal for itself: develop a 100-percent sustainable tire by 2030. Two years into this project, the company is already well on its way toward meeting that goal.

Earlier this week, the company unveiled its 70-percent sustainable concept tire, which features 13 ingredients across nine different tire components that were formerly made with petroleum and other non-renewable resources. For example, carbon black and other petrol-based rubbers are typically used as filler materials to enhance a tire’s durability and usable lifespan. Goodyear has substituted these with more eco-friendly methane, carbon dioxide and plant-based oil, all of which are produced in ways that generate fewer greenhouse gasses than carbon black. Additionally, Goodyear employs silica, which increases a tire’s grip on the road, that has been derived from rice husk ash, a common by-product of the rice milling process.

Whether Goodyear releases a tire utilizing all of its sustainable technologies by 2030, or simply works individual materials into upcoming models, the environment still stands to benefit. — Andrew Tarantola, Senior Editor

Best Wildcard

BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink

BMW

When it comes to CES, there are so many left-field products on display that it can sometimes be hard to define a “wildcard.” Is it a futuristic concept, a bizarre novelty, or simply something you had no idea would be good until it was presented to you? This year, BMW’s iX Flow featuring E Ink ticked the “well, we didn’t expect that” box the hardest, and it’s certainly a striking concept. Essentially, BMW coated the skin of its iX car with the same electrophoretic coating you’ll find in most e-readers. The pitch being that, at the touch of a button, you can change the color of your vehicle to reflect your current mood. You know, as one does.

Of course, while the BMW iX itself is a road-ready car, the E Ink coating isn’t something you can expect to buy in the near future. But even being able to switch from black to white makes plenty of sense in these more energy-conscious times. In warm weather, you can paint the car white and help reflect some of the sun’s heat, reducing the drain on your AC. And when it gets cold, you can reverse the process, helping to store up more warmth to keep you, and your battery, nice and cozy. Even better, if the company gets a color E Ink version working, then we never need to worry about being stuck with someone else’s idea of a good paint job. — Daniel Cooper, Senior Editor

Best of the Best

Chevrolet Silverado EV

Chevrolet

CES 2022 brought us a bevy of innovative announcements from the automotive industry, from chameleon-skinned BMWs to a sun-soaked 600-mile electric Mercedes. But as ranked-choice systems are wont to do, there can be only one overall winner. This year, the king of the CES hill is Chevrolet’s Silverado EV, an electrified pickup that is sure to give both global warming and rival EV, the Ford F-150 Lightning, a run for their money.

The Silverado is already one of America’s most popular pickup models, having sold more than half a million US units in 2021 alone. Pickups and SUVs in general are far and away the best selling vehicle types in the US but those same buyers have historically been reticent to adopt more eco-friendly alternatives to conventional internal combustion cars and trucks — heck, just a few years ago many diesel owners were giddily “rolling coal” for the social media clout. But as fuel prices and sea surface temperatures continue to rise, the prospect of driving up to 400 miles (or more!) using nothing but a battery has become a compelling feature for drivers and automakers alike.

GM has already pledged to sell “30 new global electric vehicles by 2025” starting with the Hummer EV, which is already being delivered to early buyers. The Chevy Silverado, Blazer, Equinox and GMC Sierra all poised for production runs of their own starting in 2023. And once these EVs roll off their respective assembly lines, they’ll be faced with stiff competition from Ford, Tesla, Rivian, Toyota and other car makers eager to cash in on America’s newfound love affair with electrified pickups. — Andrew Tarantola, Senior Editor

Meta has announced a new Privacy Center that provides users with information about data collection, sharing, security, data use and ads. The hub includes details on the approach to privacy across apps like Facebook and Instagram, the Data Policy and how to use the multitude of privacy and security settings.

Users can find out how to set up two-factor authentication, get clarity on who's able to see their posts, what types of data Meta collects, how it uses that information and much more.

At the outset, the Privacy Center is only available to a small number of Facebook users in the US on desktop. It plans to roll it out to more apps and people in the coming months. If you have access, you can find the Privacy Center in the Settings and Privacy section. Meta will offer other ways to access it in the future. It plans to update the Privacy Center with more sections and controls.

Meta has added a number of safety and/or privacy-focused updates across its apps over the last year or so. It can be hard to keep track of everything, so establishing a single hub to detail all of those features should be useful. For instance, Instagram started requiring folks to share their birthday as part of an effort to shield younger users from "sensitive" content. In September, WhatsApp added end-to-end encryption for chat backups.

Although Apple's AirTags can be useful for helping find lost belongings, ever since the tracker went on sale last spring, critics have raised concerns that bad actors could use it to stalk people. Brooks Nader, a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, claims someone secretly placed an AirTag in her coat and tracked her movements for several hours.

Earlier this week, Nader was waiting alone for someone at a crowded bar in Tribeca with her coat on the chair behind her. She then visited a couple of other bars with friends.

Nader, who shared her experience on Instagram Stories, said that while she was walking home alone, her phone alerted her to the fact that "someone's tracking you and has been for a while." She then found the AirTag. Nader, who wasn't aware of AirTags beforehand, called the incident "the scariest moment ever and I just want everyone to be aware that this exists."

It's not the first time that AirTags have been used to track other people's movements. Reports have emerged about thieves using them to follow and steal high-end cars. However, the Nader incident is a high-profile one that should draw more attention to the issue.

"We take customer safety very seriously and are committed to AirTag’s privacy and security. AirTag is designed with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking — a first in the industry — that both inform users if an unknown AirTag might be with them, and deter bad actors from using an AirTag for nefarious purposes," an Apple spokesperson told Engadget. "If users ever feel their safety is at risk, they are encouraged to contact local law enforcement who can work with Apple to provide any available information about the unknown AirTag.”

Soon after Apple launched the AirTag, it rolled out the iPhone notification Nader mentioned to inform users that someone may be tracking them. In December, the company released an Android app called Tracker Detect, which alerts users to nearby AirTags that are away from their owner and could be on their person. However, since Find My isn't part of Android, you'd need to know about the app and have it installed to detect a hidden AirTag.

Despite the holidays being behind us, there are still some good tech deals floating around on the internet. While we likely won't see the deep discounts we saw in November and December for some time, the deals that are currently available are noteworthy for this time of year. A number of Google smart devices are on sale, including the second-generation Nest Hub for $60 and the Nest Audio for $75. Apple's Mac Mini M1 is as low as $600 for the base model, while the iPad Air is $60 off. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

Mac Mini M1

Engadget

The base Mac Mini M1 is $100 off thanks to a sale and an additional coupon, bringing it down to $600. This model runs on the M1 chipset along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This is Apple's most affordable M1 machine, making it a good option if you're in need of an upgraded desktop. If you'd rather invest in a more powerful version, Adorama has the Mac Mini M1 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $750, or $150 less than usual.

iPad Air

Engadget

The 2020 iPad Air is on sale for $539 right now, or $60 off its normal price. We gave the tablet a score of 90 for its fast performance and WiFi speeds, healthy battery life and attractive, updated design.

Apple Watch Series 7

Apple

The 45mm, GPS + Cellular Series 7 smartwatch is $120 off, bringing it down to a record low fo $629. You're getting the latest and great from Apple in the Series 7, and we gave the Watch a score of 90 for its larger display, speedier charging and usefulness of watchOS 8.

10.2-inch iPad

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Apple's latest iPad with 256GB of storage and cellular connectivity is on sale for $579, or $30 off its normal rate. This model earned a score of 86 from us for its improved front camera, better performance and excellent battery life.

24-inch iMac M1

Apple

The silver 24-inch iMac M1 is $50 cheaper than usual at Amazon, so you can get it for $1,249. We gave the thin-and-light desktop a score of 89 for its speedy performance, stunning display and easy to move body.

Google Nest Audio

Engadget

The Nest Audio smart speaker is down to $75, which is $25 off its regular price. While not as good as its Black Friday price, it's still a good discount on one of our favorite smart speakers. It earned a score of 87 from us for its excellent audio quality, stereo mode and minimalist design. You can also pick up the Nest Mini for only $25. 

Google News Hub (2nd gen)

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

The second-generation Nest Hub has been discounted to $60, or $40 off its normal price. That's also only $10 more than it was during the holiday shopping season. We gave it a score of 89 for its nice 7-inch display, improved performance and audio quality plus its new sleep tracking feature.

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2

Walmart has the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 for $140, or $40 off its normal price. This is only $5 more than its Black Friday price, too, making it a good opportunity to grab a new controller at one of the best prices we've seen. This accessory has a number of premium features including six adjustable-tension thumbsticks, four paddles, two D-pads and support for up to three custom profiles.

New tech deals

Fitbit Charge 5

The Charge 5 fitness tracker is down to $130 at HSN, which is a return to its Black Friday pricing. We gave the wearable a score of 82 for its accurate GPS, improved design and multi-day battery life.

Logitech Streamcam

Logitech's streaming-focused webcam, the Streamcam, is on sale for $150. While not a record low, it's still $20 off its normal price and a decent deal. It made it into our best webcams guide thanks to its excellent 1080p/60fps video quality, solid built-in mics and the ability to record in landscape or portrait orientation.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

OrCam, a company that makes products to aid accessibility for the visually impaired, has won a CES innovation award for its glasses-mounted MyEye Pro device. It aids the blind and visually impaired by reading out printed and digital text, recognizing people, identifying products, and more. OrCam took the prize in both the CES innovation accessibility and health and wellness categories. 

"We are living in uncertain times, yet... our users’ challenges related to access have not stopped during the pandemic. If anything, they have intensified,” said OrCam co-founder and co-chairman Prof. Amnon Shashua in OrCam's blog post.

MyEye Pro mounts on a pair of eyeglasses and communicates visual information audibly. A key new feature is "Smart Reading" that works much like the Crtl-F/CMD-F (Find) functions on a PC or Mac, allowing users to get specific information — something that helped sway the CES panel "The interactive smart reading capability allows users an experience tailored specifically for them," the judges wrote.

Another recent feature that arrived last year is the OrCam voice assistant. Users can speak to MyEye Pro (or the company's handheld OrCam Read) to activate facial recognition, or tell the device to read pages in books, newspapers, and restaurant menus. "Newly released 'Hey OrCam' enables control of all device features and settings hands-free, using voice commands," as the CES judges noted. 

As for the hardware itself, the OrCam Eye Pro is an update over the previous OrCam Eye product with a faster processor, two microphones instead of one, longer battery life, improved eyeglass attachment and more. Thanks to the processor improvements, it powers on quicker and "responds faster and with heightened accuracy [for] pointing gesture responsiveness, bar code and banknote identification, and face recognition," OrCam wrote.

Just ahead of CES 2021 last year, we noted that accessibility in tech had improved but that more had to be done. Adding functionality to existing products and software is an important part of that, but purpose-built devices play a role as well. "Both OrCam MyEye and OrCam Read have been instrumental devices in ensuring our users have been able to continue their academic, professional and personal pursuits and remain connected to family, friends and society at large," Shashua said.

Since its debut in 2020, joining a conversation on Clubhouse has involved opening the app. But that’s no longer the case. Starting today, if you live in the US, you can listen to replays and live rooms with replays enabled using a web browser. What’s more, you don’t need to log in to use Clubhouse in this way.

Clubhouse notes the feature is experimental, so expect bugs. However, the company says it will roll out to more countries if people find it “useful.” Similarly, it will consider supporting more room types and other parts of the Clubhouse experience over time.

Separately, the company is updating its share sheet. When you’re in a guest room, you can tap the Share button, located at the bottom of the interface, to post a link to a session through Clubhouse, a social network or messaging app. When you pick the first option, you can add a comment to describe the room. If it’s a live room, your followers will get notification so that they can join.

Notably, both updates see Clubhouse making its app more widely accessible. When the app first launched, you had to obtain an invite to join. But as companies like Facebook and Twitter have moved to add live audio to their platforms, it has been forced to adapt in a bid to stay relevant.

In 2020, Spotify revealed that it was testing an ad setup that would make promo codes and special URLs during podcast ads a thing of the past. Starting today, those in-app advertisements are starting to roll out. The company says its call-to-action (CTA) cards will begin showing up on its original and exclusive shows when the corresponding ad or offer is mentioned during an episode. 

The new CTA cards will show up in the Spotify app as soon as the ad plays during a podcast on the player interface as well as on the show and episode pages. If you leave any of those places to do something else — like stream music, for example — the ads will display when you return back to that podcast in those three locations. Essentially, Spotify sees this as a way to not only relieve you have having to remember a promo code or specific URL, but it also argues you'll be able to interact with ads or brands you're interested in when you have the time to do so. There's no doubt a simple tap, if you're interested in what you've just heard, is much more convenient than manually typing in the usual info. Of course, the downside is you'll now see ads in the app when listening to certain podcasts — even if you're a paid subscriber. 

Spotify doesn't see this as a potential issue, since even paid users hear ads on podcasts when listening to shows through its app. The advertisements keep podcasts afloat after all, and have turned the medium into a lucrative tool for businesses to promote goods and services. However, some might argue seeing an ad in the app and listening to one during a show are two very different things. Brands will probably be willing to jump on board quickly though since Spotify says the clickable ads have generated twice as many site visits during the early adoption phase than the "traditional" ad reads for companies like Ulta Beauty, Athletic Greens and Squarespace.

The CTA cards are powered by Spotify's Streaming Ad Insertion, a powerful analytics platform for podcast ads that automatically slots in pre-recorded promotional reads in the ideal spot for each listener. This is how the app knows when to begin showing the corresponding card for the ad when you hear it during a show. Of course, Spotify is promoting the CTA method as the first "interactive" podcast ads, and there's no doubt brands will be excited to have a more visible and, most importantly, clickable way to reach audiences. But it will be interesting to see how listeners respond to visual ads in their streaming app, especially those who pay a monthly premium so they don't have to hear them on non-podcast content. 

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

If the base iPad doesn't have all of the power or bells and whistles you're looking for, your next best bet is the 2020 iPad Air. We gave the tablet a score of 90 when it first came out thanks in part to its speedy performance, healthy battery life and fun colors. Normally $599, the iPad Air is back on sale at Amazon right now for $539, or $60 off its normal price. Only the silver model has been discounted at the time of writing this, but if you don't mind skipping out on one of the more unique color options, this sale price is one of the best we've seen in months.

The Air sits in between the 10.2-inch iPad and the iPad Pros as Apple's mid-tier option. It runs on an A14 Bionic chipset with a six-core CPU and a four-core GPU, and this particular model on sale has 64GB of storage and WiFi 6 capabilities. Apple refreshed the tablet's design to make it look more like the Pros, complete with flat edges, a USB-C port for charging and a lovely 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display. You won't get FaceID on this machine, but you will get TouchID thanks to the fingerprint reader on the device's power button.

Overall, we found the Air to be zippy both in performance and WiFi speeds, and its battery lasted up to 12.5 hours in our testing. While the latest iPad Pros are better if you're looking for a laptop replacement, you could use the Air as a 2-in-1 while on the go thanks to its compatibility with Apple's Magic Keyboard. It also supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, allowing it to be a digital notebook for those that prefer writing things out by hand.

A discount like this is a good one to consider if you want an all-purpose tablet that's one step up from the base iPad. However, there are a few noteworthy discounts on the 10.2-inch tablet right now, too. The 256GB WiFi model is $30 off and down to $449, while the 256GB, WiFi + Cellular model has hit a record low fo $580.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.