Google hasn't completely given up on RSS. Earlier this year, it started testing a Follow button in Chrome on Android, which allows users to get updates from websites on the new tab page. As of today, the feature is available in the browser's stable build, so all Android users can try it.
Starting today, we're experimenting on Chrome stable with a Following feature. You can choose websites to follow, and their RSS updates will appear on Chrome's new tab page. We've been working on this for a while & I'm super excited to hear what people think 👇 pic.twitter.com/GUcdSQTv3E
If you're running Chrome 94 or a pre-stable version, you might already see the Follow button in the menu. Otherwise, as Chrome director of engineering Adrienne Porter Felt wrote on Twitter, you can switch on the feature manually. Go to chrome://flags, search for "web feed" and enable the setting. Although the Follow button is only available on Android for now, Felt suggested it's coming to iOS next year.
The feature won't quite have the same level of utility as dedicated RSS readers, of course. It might not make up for the terrible decision to kill Google Reader all those years ago either, but it could be a handy way to stay on top of updates from your favorite websites.
October kicked off with a bunch of good tech deals across the web. All of Apple's wireless earbuds remain on sale at Amazon, so you can pick up the AirPods Pro for $179 or even the standard AirPods with the wireless charging case for $129. The new Beats Studio Buds are $25 off while a couple of Kindle models are on sale for as low as $60. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
AirPods Pro
Billy Steele / Engadget
The AirPods Pro, Apple's best sounding wireless earbuds, are back down to $179. That's $70 off their normal price and close to a record low. These buds earned a score of 87 from us for their IPX4 design, improved audio and solid ANC.
Amazon has standard AirPods for $109 right now and AirPods with the wireless charging case for only $129, too. The buds themselves are the same in both models, but you'll get the a case with wireless charging capabilities if you're willing to spend $20 extra. We gave the AirPods a score of 84 for their improved wireless performance and good battery life.
Apple's latest TV 4K set-top box is down to $159 at Adorama, or $20 off its normal price. It earned a score of 90 from us thanks to its speedy performance, support for Dolby Vision and Atmos, handy integration with iOS devices and the much improved Siri remote that comes with it.
The 512GB Mac Mini M1 is $100 off right now, bringing it down to $799. Although we may see a redesigned Mac Mini sometime this year, this is a good machine to get if you need an upgraded desktop with a slim profile and the power of Apple's M1 chipset.
Amazon discounted the new Beats Studio Buds to $125, which is $25 off their normal price. These are arguably the best Beats earbuds for most people, earning a score of 84 from us for their balanced sound, small, comfortable design and quick-pairing with iOS and Android devices.
The excellent Razer Blade Stealth gaming laptop is $600 off right now, bringing it down to $1,400. It's the 2020 machine, but it remains a powerful laptop that's light enough to take wherever you go. This particular model has a 10th-generation Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 4K touchscreen.
Amazon's sale on Fire Kids Pro tablets is still ongoing, knocking up to 40 percent off some models. The cheapest slab is the Fire 7 Kids Pro, which is down to $60, but you can also get the most powerful model, the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro, for only $140. Along with additional parental controls and more content for kids aged six and up, these tablets come with a protective case, a two-year warranty and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+.
Amazon's Kindle is down to $60 right now, which is only $5 more than the all-time-low price we saw during Prime Day. We gave the e-reader a score of 91 when it came out in 2019 for its new front lights, slimmer design and higher contrast display. If you're willing to spend a bit more, you can get the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite, which was just replaced by a brand new Paperwhite, for $75.
Master & Dynamic is having a fall favorites sale that knocks up 20 percent off some of their most popular devices when you use the code TAKE20 at checkout. Discounted items include the MW07 Plus wireless earbuds and the MW65 wireless headphones with ANC.
NordVPN, one of our favorite VPNs, is running a sale on a two-year subscription. You can sign up and pay $99 for two years, plus you'll get an extra three months free. We like NordVPN for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.
Those on the hunt for the next gaming laptop should check out the discounts on Razer Blade machines that Amazon has right now. Most notable among them is the 2020 Razer Blade Stealth, which is down to a record low of $1,400. That's $600 off its normal price and, given that one of our biggest complaints about the laptop was its high price tag, a great deal if you're looking for a powerful gaming machine in an ultra-portable shell.
We were impressed by the Blade Stealth's versatility — it's a gaming laptop that's powerful enough to run Overwatch in 1080p 70fps, but light enough to slip into a backpack and take to a coffee shop to do some work. It has a sleek yet sturdy design and weighs just three pounds, which is much lighter than most gaming machines. The particular model on sale has a 10th-generation Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. All of that should provide plenty of power in most situations, and the package is made better by the 13-inch 4K touchscreen that comes with it. Depending on how you use it, you should get around eight hours of battery life with the Stealth, too.
A few other 2020 models are on sale at Amazon, and they appear to be different sales than those available on Razer's own site right now. There's the Razer Blade Pro 17, which is $900 off and down to a record-low of $2,300. That's for a model with a 10th-gen Core i7 octa-core processor, NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 17.3-inch 1080p display with a 300Hz refresh rate. The Razer Blade 15 Advanced with 10th-gen Core i7 octa-core processor, RTX 2070 Super Max-Q graphics, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 15.6-inch 1080p 300Hz display is down to just under $1,800 as well. We have seen it drop lower in the past, but that's still a good deal at over $800 off.
Unlike the latest iPads and iPhones, the Apple Watch Series 7 didn't immediately open up for pre-orders after it was announced in mid September. Apple only said the wearable would be coming "later this fall," and it seems that time is now. The Apple Watch Series 7 is available for pre-order today starting at 5am PT / 8am ET from Apple as well as Amazon and other retailers, and it will be widely available starting October 15. The wearable starts at $399 and comes in two sizes, 41mm and 45mm, as well as five colors: green, blue, midnight, starlight and Product Red.
The biggest changes come in the Apple Watch's screen this year, which is 20 percent larger with bezels surrounding it that are 40 percent smaller than those on the Series 6. The always-on Retina display is also 70 percent brighter, which should make it easier to see even when your wrist is turned downward. The Series 7 is also the first Apple Watch to have an IPX6 certification for resistance to dust, and it remains water-resistant as well. Battery life remains the same — roughly 18 hours — but the Series 7 will charge up to 33 percent faster than the Series 6 thanks to its new magnetic charger with USB-C connector.
As usual, Apple's bringing a lot of updates to multiple Watch models with watchOS 8. The software update will include a new mindfulness app, sleep respiratory rate tracking, fall detection updates and new workouts like Tai Chi. Series 7 users will be able to access a new QWERTY keyboard on the Watch as well, so you can more easily type (or swipe) a message.
We have yet to give the Series 7 the full review treatment, so be sure to check Engadget in the coming weeks for all of our thoughts on Apple's latest smartwatch.
Smartphones have made it easier than ever to tune your guitar. All you have to do these days is find a decent tuning app or ask Google Assistant to tune your instrument. Now Google has made the process even more painless by launching a chromatic tuner right within Search. The tech giant has told Android Police that it has just rolled out the new Search feature, which can be accessed on pretty much any device.
Unlike the Assistant function that needs, well, a device that can access the voice assistant, you can summon this tuner simply by doing a query in Search on mobile or desktop. Just type in "google tuner" to see it right on top of the results page. Of course, the device you're using must have a functional microphone to be able to hear your instrument, and you'll need to give the feature permission to access it.
This is what the tuner looks like on desktop:
Engadget
According to Android Police, its effectiveness depends on the microphone of your device. Some devices might need you to play loudly or really, really close to them, and smartphones might work better than computers for this particular purpose. After you get it to work, the tuner will let you know whether your instrument is in tune or if you need to adjust it with the help of a visual indicator. This built-in Google tuner joins other music-related features in the tech giant's search engine, including "Hum to Search," which can help you identify songs stuck in your head.
Browsing the internet has gotten better in many ways. Richer design, more interactivity, embedded media, faster speeds for doing everything. But the internet is also worse in places: more attempts to illegally steal your personal information or legally track your footprints through the web. I click on one Pokémon plushie an Engadget colleague shared with me (guess who), and my embedded ads across sites are now mired in Pokémon detritus.
The Internet Archive has concocted a thought experiment to celebrate its 25th anniversary, imagining how the web might look another 25 years from now. Paste a site’s URL into the Wayforward Machine and you'll see a version of that page covered in pop-ups. The messages include one reading "Classified content. The website you are trying to access features information that the owner(s) have opted to restrict to users that have not shared their personal information."
Another, in Orwellian wording, says: "This site contains information that is currently classified as Thought Crime in your region." The Internet Archive created a subsite that features a timeline of fictional changes, including a law allowing corporations to copyright facts, leading to Wikipedia moving to the Dark Web, which would be pretty incredible.
Sony Pictures has provided a taste of what's in store with the first trailer. Writer and director Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down) said earlier this year he was taking the franchise back to its horror roots, and well, the trailer backs up those comments. Expect lickers, zombie dogs and plenty of good old-fashioned zombies.
Automatic captions are now available for streams of any size, too.
YouTube is expanding video accessibility for viewers with sight issues and those beyond the English-speaking world. It’s currently testing the option of adding multiple audio tracks to videos. While this will help international viewers — if you have the ability to add other language dubs — it should also enable descriptive audio for people with little-to-no vision. YouTube said the feature will land in the next few quarters.
In more good news, YouTube has confirmed its annual Rewind video won’t be returning. Rewind debuted in 2010 but struggled in recent years. In particular, with Rewind 2018, many felt the video ignored major creators on the platform, like Pewdiepie, while elevating people who were famous outside of YouTube. Never forget that Will Smith, er, moment.
Microsoft plans to celebrate the birthday of its first-ever home system by putting out a handful of translucent accessories, including the Xbox Series X/S controller you see here.
According to Microsoft, the translucent design is a reference to the see-through controllers it shipped with the original Xbox debug kit. I have all the time in the world for translucent gadgets, having already installed see-through cases for my Switch’s Joy-Cons. This is a good way to celebrate a console’s milestone.
In 2020, Panasonic announced the BGH1, its first-ever box-style camera. This was pretty much its GH5S rehoused in a body better suited for video production. Now, it’s time for an upgrade. Panasonic has announced the DC-BS1H. It’s the full-frame S1H in a new body.
Specifications include a 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor that can capture footage up to a 6K resolution. Panasonic claims the BS1H’s sensor features more than 14 stops of dynamic range and includes an optical low-pass filter along with dual native ISO, all aimed at reducing moiré and noise.
Apple's 2020 iPad Air was a big improvement over the previous year's model, thanks to the nicer iPad Pro-like design, great performance and strong battery life. The main problem with it was the $599 price that's creeping up into iPad Pro territory. Now, you can pick up the 64GB and 256GB models at Amazon for the lowest prices we've seen yet, $489 and $639 respectively — $110 off the regular prices.
In our Engadget review, we called the 2020 iPad Air "the best tablet for almost everyone," and even the best high-end tablet. Apple transformed the design considerably with the flat edges used on the iPad Pro, while adding a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display, USB-C charging port and a side button with TouchID technology.
With the latest A14 Bionic chip, WiFi 6 technology and a16-core Neural Engine, it's delivers both strong performance and healthy battery life (10-12 hours). It also supports Apple's second-gen Pencil and accessories that essentially transform it into a laptop replacement, though those will obviously jot up the price.
The iPad Pro does offer some features not found on the iPad Air, like the M1 chipset and 120Hz screen that's slightly brighter (500 nits versus 600). If you've been taking a look at the Air model, though, act soon because the sale is on for today only. As a reminder, Amazon has several other deals on Apple products this week, particularly the Apple AirPods and AirPods Pro wireless earbuds — the latter are discounted 28 percent to $179.
Apple has opened its Developer Academy in Detroit, first announced early this year as part of its Racial Equity and Justice initiative. The project, done in collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU), has welcomed its first 100 students aged 18 to 60 for a 10-month "comprehensive app development and entrepreneurial training" program, Apple wrote in a newsroom post.
The custom-designed space is located in the First National Building in downtown Detroit. Apple noted that enrollment is free and that students don't need any previous coding experience. "Students in this year's class bring a breadth of personal, professional and academic experience to the program," it said.
The Academy will run two courses. The first is a 30-day introductory program, and the main, 10-month course teaches iOS app development and associated fields, such as design and marketing. Technically, it actually opened a bit earlier this fall for a four-week basic coding course run for a "smaller cohort of community partners," Apple said. The academy expects roughly 1,000 people to complete the courses annually.
In 2020, Panasonic announced the BGH1, its first-ever box-style camera. The company took the internals of its well-liked Micro Four ThirdsGH5S and rehoused them in a body better suited for video production workloads. Almost exactly one year later, Panasonic has announced the DC-BS1H. Like its predecessor, this latest release from the company takes an existing Panasonic camera, the full-frame S1H, and puts it in a new body.
At the heart of the BS1H is a 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor that can capture footage at up to a 6K resolution. Specifically, it’s capable of recording 6K video at up to 24 frames per second, 5.4K at 30 frames per second with a 3:2 crop and 5.9K at 30 frames per second with a 16:9 framing. Panasonic claims the BS1H’s sensor features more than 14 stops of dynamic range and the inclusion of both an optical low pass filter a Dual Native ISO feature help reduce moire and digital noise.
But if you’re looking at a box-style camera for yourself, you want one for the added connectivity options the format promises. On the front, the BS1H is no slouch. Notably, it includes a USB 3.1 Type-C connection, an HDMI Type-A port and a 3G serial digital interface. It’s also possible to connect 12 BS1H cameras together to create a multi-camera setup. Additionally, you’ll find the usual assortment of 3.5mm and XLR microphone connections, on top of a LAN port. Oh, and it comes with dual SD card slots for worry-free redundancy.
Panasonic will sell the DC-BS1H for $3,500 when it becomes available in November.
On November 15th, 2001, Microsoft released the original Xbox, in the process, it changed the console landscape forever. Twenty years later, the company plans to celebrate the birthday of its first-ever home system by putting out a handful of translucent accessories, including the Xbox Series X/S controller you see above.
According to Microsoft, the translucent design is a reference to the see-through controllers it shipped with the original Xbox debug kit — though I imagine for most people it’s more likely to remind them of the N64’s iconic Atomic Purple controller, and that’s a good thing. A nifty touch here is that Microsoft made the internal components silver to make them easier to see. The brand’s signature green color is used for accent details, including the rear grips. Outside of those visual flourishes, it’s functionally the same as any other Xbox Wireless controller you can buy from Microsoft. Expect Bluetooth for PC and mobile pairing, support for button mapping and a better d-pad than found on controllers from past Xbox generations.
Microsoft
You can pre-order the 20th Anniversary Special Edition controller for $69.99 starting today through the Microsoft Store. Come November 15th, it will also be available through various retailers. If you can’t justify adding another controller to your collection, Microsoft also plans to release a 20th Anniversary Special Edition Stereo Headset that will retail for $69.99. Unfortunately, it doesn’t lean into the translucent aesthetic quite as much as its counterpart but still looks like it would be a decent showpiece.
