While nothing can replicate holding a new hardcover book in your hands, you can't beat the convenience of an e-reader. Devices like Amazon's Kindles let you take your whole library with you, so you're never without options when picking your next read. They also make good student devices if you have a lot of digital textbooks available to you. Those looking to pick up a new e-reader for work or play can get a Kindle for less right now — Amazon just knocked the price of its Kindle Paperwhite down to $80 and its standard Kindle down to $65. While not a record low for the Kindle, the $50 discount on the Paperwhite brings it back down to its Prime Day price.
The Paperwhite may be three years old at this point, but it remains one of the best e-readers you can buy. Not only is it compact, but it has a waterproof design that will protect it against accidental splashes. Amazon updated it a few years ago with a higher-contrast display plus Audible support, which means you can listen to audiobooks when you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones connected to the device.
While we recommend the Paperwhite to those that can afford it, Amazon's standard Kindle is a much better buy now than it was a couple of years ago. When last updated, the Kindle received a higher-contrast display, a new front light that makes reading in dark places much easier and a smaller, sleeker design. It may not have the bells and whistles that the Paperwhite has, but it does its one and only job of displaying ebooks well.
That said, if you're still happy with your old yet trusty e-reader, it's probably not necessary to upgrade. Kindles have received some convenient new features over the past few years, but none fundamentally change the experience of reading an ebook. But for those that haven't yet taken the plunge, Amazon's latest sale is a great one to consider if you want to bring an e-reader into your life. The biggest caveat to keep in mind is that these discounts are on the ad-supported Kindles, so you'll have to deal with Amazon's "special offers" and lock screen ads on your e-reader.
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Intel has chosen a name for its high-performance consumer graphics products: Intel Arc. The branding will cover the hardware and software sides of its high-end graphics cards, as well as services.
The first Arc GPUs, code-named Alchemist, will arrive in the first quarter of 2022 for desktops and laptops as Intel looks to take on NVIDIA and AMD. Intel also revealed the codenames for later generations of the hardware: Battlemage, Celestial and Druid.
Alchemist GPUs will support hardware-based ray tracing, mesh shading, variable rate shading and Direct12 X Ultimate. Intel claims they'll be capable of "artificial intelligence-driven super sampling" as well. That certainly seems to be the company's spin on NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Super Sampling upscaling tech, which boosts resolution while lessening strain on GPUs.
The Alchemist cards are based on the Xe-HPG microarchitecture, a blend of Xe LP, HP and HPC microarchitectures. Intel says Xe-HPG will "deliver scalability and compute efficiency with advanced graphics features." Intel's Iris Xe dedicated graphics cards, which were primarily geared toward laptops and pre-built desktops, are based on Xe LP architecture. Intel says it will share more details about the first Arc products later this year.
With major phone manufacturers like Apple, Google and (in some regions, at least) Samsung building their own processors, Qualcomm's premium Snapdragon CPUs are facing stiffer competition than ever. But there are still some companies that still need those chipsets — ASUS being a notable example. The Taiwanese electronics giant's ROG phones have high-end components aimed at the most demanding users and mobile gamers.
That's exactly the audience for the new "Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders," a phone that Qualcomm built with help from ASUS "for its fans". It boasts features like a 6.8-inch screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, comprehensive 5G support, fast charging and special audio enhancements. Clearly, this $1,499 device is a showcase for Qualcomm’s strengths, and though its name says it’s for Snapdragon Insiders, anyone can buy it. But should you?
Design
That depends on a few things, one of which being your preference on phone sizes. This is a big phone. At 210 grams (or 0.46 pounds), the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (which I’m going to call SSI from now on) is one of the heavier phones I’ve used recently. Many devices with such large screens tend to weigh about the same — the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is lighter, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra are actually even heavier.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
The SSI also looks notably different from the iPhones and Galaxies which, depending on your taste, could be a good or bad thing. Its rounded rectangle body has a matte blue finish with shiny red accents on the camera bump and volume button. And you know how bezels for selfie cameras went away over the last two years on most flagships? That’s not the case here — there’s still a thin border above the screen where the sensor sits. That, combined with the silhouette and finish, make the SSI look pretty outdated.
Another polarizing feature on the SSI is an illuminated Qualcomm Snapdragon fireball icon on the rear, below the fingerprint sensor. You can set the light to “breathe” (i.e., glow on and off), turn it off altogether, or have it stay on all day. Even when it’s not lit, though, the logo is pretty obvious. It adds clutter to the phone, and made feeling for the fingerprint scanner confusing whenever I wanted to unlock the device without looking at its back.
One last note on design: The bump for the SSI’s triple-camera array on the back is a surprisingly compact horizontal row that’s neatly tucked away in the top left. It’s smaller and thinner than those on the Galaxy and iPhones, though it still protrudes enough that the handset doesn’t lie flat when you put it on a table.
Display
Topping the list of the SSI’s premium specs is its display. The AMOLED panel is from Samsung, and it runs at 2,448 x 1,080. It also refreshes at 144Hz, which is one of the fastest on modern smartphones, beating the Galaxy S21 and Note series, not to mention the iPhone family. To ensure that you’re shooting at your enemies as quickly as you can tap on them, the display also offers a 1ms response time.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
I furiously scrolled up and down on the Engadget homepage, as well as my Instagram feed, and the display kept pace with my finger. Shooting at my enemies on League of Legends Wild Rift was similarly responsive, and a first-person shooter like Call Of Duty was also satisfyingly speedy.
Since it’s an AMOLED panel, it also delivers vibrant colors and deep blacks on videos and photos. Its peak brightness of 1,200 nits also makes for easy viewing under sunlight. It’s worth noting, though, that the 20.4:9 aspect ratio causes some content to be cut off — the ends of long messages in Telegram, for example, disappear into the edges of the screen. Qualcomm doesn’t appear to have optimized its display to accommodate all apps.
Audio
The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is one of the first to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound technology, which promises low Bluetooth latency, multiple listening profiles and smart amplifier software. It also has four mics and Qualcomm’s “High Dynamic Range Audio Record,” which the company says is capable of delivering studio-quality recording. The SSI comes with a pair of wireless Master and Dynamic earbuds, too, but most of the audio enhancements will work through the phone’s speakers too.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
The Master & Dynamic headphones were built using Qualcomm’s Bluetooth Audio SoC and will support high-res 24-bit 96kHz audio with active noise cancellation. Qualcomm also said these should stay connected to your phone even if there are lots of other RF devices around, so audio drop-outs should be minimal.
I haven’t visited many busy places during my testing, so I can’t vouch for how well these headphones stay connected in those situations. Plus, the headphones that Qualcomm sent reviewers were pre-production and do “not reflect commercial-ready Snapdragon sound quality.” The company said that when the devices do ship later this month, they’ll have features like high-res audio and super wide band voice for greater call clarity. For now, though, all I can say is the earbuds perform fine. Songs like “Say So” by Doja Cat and “Next Level” by aespa also sounded richer than on the Pixel Buds 2.
The SSI itself also delivered loud and clear audio, though I don’t usually expect great quality from phone speakers since I rarely play music through them. Sound effects and background tracks on games and YouTube videos rang out nicely, and that’s pretty much all I need from a phone’s sound system.
Cameras
Like many modern flagships, the SSI has a trio of cameras on its rear. The 64-megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 aperture is accompanied by a 12-megapixel ultrawide option and an 8-megapixel telephoto. That’s a pretty typical setup, though the main camera here is sharper than those you’ll find on iPhones and Pixels.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Qualcomm said an over-the-air update is coming later this month that will enable, among other things, a full resolution mode for better “snapshot performance.”
Other enhancements that the update is supposed to bring include “better texture/noise performance,” “improved night shot quality,” “Video Super Resolution,” “upgraded camera tuning” and “best autofocus experience.” The company said it will also “fully optimize” HDR via the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras and multi-frame noise reduction. That’s far too many things coming that could sway how I feel about the camera, and I wish they were available to test before the phone hits shelves later this month. For now, I’m supposed to take Qualcomm’s word for it and that’s not how reviews work.
Without the updated software, the SSI delivered lackluster photos that paled in comparison to the Note 20 Ultra and Pixel 5’s. The Qualcomm phone’s images had a blue (sometimes green) cast and weren’t significantly sharper or clearer than the Pixel’s, which costs hundreds less. Google’s portrait mode is also superior, and it never failed to keep the lantern fly I was taking pictures of in focus. Meanwhile, the insect came out blurry in 90 percent of the shots on the SSI.
Screenshot (Cherlynn Low / Engadget)
One thing I was able to test is a unique Auto Tracking mode. Qualcomm re-architected its AI engine to run machine-learning-based tasks better, and one of these features is an Auto Zoom tool in the camera. When you use the Auto Tracking mode, you can tap on the viewfinder to designate a subject, and the camera will automatically adjust framing to make sure your pet or loved one is always in the scene.
And by the way, this isn’t an autofocus tool that makes sure your kids or fur babies always look clear. Qualcomm’s method will actually zoom in and out to give your selected subject the spotlight. When this worked, like when I shot a clip of our video producer, Brian Oh’s adorable dog Zen as she ambled around the room, it was lovely. The camera zoomed in till Zen’s face took up half the screen and we were staring into her soulful eyes, and zoomed out when she moved out of frame so we always saw her.
But in my testing, the system was not always good at identifying people’s faces and separating them from the background. That would be fine if it simply didn’t do anything in those cases, but the resulting footage was nauseatingly jerky and looked like the camera was searching for the subject. This is a nice tool in theory, but even if it worked perfectly I’m not convinced I’d use it much.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Another thing I’m not sure I like is the 24-megapixel front camera. Sharper sensors are nice in general, but the better clarity here didn’t make a big difference over selfies shot on other phones. Again, I don’t know if the coming OTA update will be effective so I can only evaluate the selfie camera as I’ve experienced it.
Performance and battery life
With a Snapdragon 888 CPU, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, the SSI has plenty of muscle and ran smoothly for most of my time with it. I encountered occasional hiccups when shooting portrait mode pictures in rapid succession and when trying to shift focus in auto-tracking mode, but those are pretty specific to the camera. When I played League of Legends Wild Rift with screen recording on, the phone never lagged.
It’s worth noting that the SSI often ran hot, though. After a couple of minutes of concurrent gaming and screen-recording, or a few attempts at capturing video in auto-tracking mode, or even just a round of Settlers of Catan, the area below the fingerprint sensor got noticeably warm.
The 4,000mAh battery here typically got me through a day and a half, and sometimes more, which is impressive given its screen size and refresh rate. That’s also in line with most devices in this class, like the Note 20 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and better than the S21 Ultra.
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
I didn’t go out a lot so I wasn’t using 5G much — if you’re a heavy data user or you set the logo on the back to stay lit all day, the runtime will likely drop. Speaking of, the SSI supports both mmWave and sub-6 5G, though your experience of the speed improvements this brings will depend largely on your carrier and service area.
When you do run out of juice, it won’t take too long to get recharged. Qualcomm includes a Quick Charge 5 adaptor in the box that it says will get you up to 70 percent in 30 minutes or a full charge in 52 minutes. I did get the phone fully charged in under an hour, which is impressive given the generous battery size.
Wrap-up
On paper, the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders seems like a spec chaser’s dream. But headline features like Snapdragon Sound aren’t ready yet, 5G performance is reliant on your carrier and coverage, while the camera is still pending a major update that may improve performance. Not only does this phone seem like it’s not ready for review, it also feels far too niche. Even demanding users who might like a smartphone like this will get more out of a Galaxy Ultra or the OnePlus 9 Pro. Unless you’re a rabid Qualcomm fan or need a beefy, long-lasting honker of a phone with a 144Hz screen, few people should get the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders.
Amazon is known for making affordable tablets that get the basics right. As of now, the retailer is offering discounts on a range of its own-brand slates that cut up to 33 percent off its biggest and best devices. You can grab last year's 8-inch Fire HD 8 with 32GB expandable storage for just $60, down from $90. If you want something larger and more powerful, the latest 10-inch Fire HD 10 (also with 32GB storage) is available for $100, $50 off its typical price. You should note that barring the Kids tablets (see below) these are all ad-supported versions of the devices and opting-out of lockscreen adverts comes at a cost.
If you're looking for an affordable tablet for work, you should check out Amazon's Productivity Bundle, which is currently discounted by $100. With it, you get the Fire HD 10 along with a Bluetooth keyboard and a 12-month subscription to Microsoft 365 for $170. The latter gives you access to Office apps and 1 terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage for up to five devices. Though it's far from a true laptop replacement, Amazon's biggest tablet should be fine for creating and editing Work or Excel documents.
Overall, both the Fire HD 8 and HD 10 are suitable for browsing the web and social media, watching Netflix in HD and accessing Amazon's ecosystem of shopping, music, reading and video streaming services. On the downside, they come with a paltry selection of apps compared to iOS or Android tablets, including a lack of Google services like YouTube.
Alongside the regular Fire tablets, Amazon is also offering all-time low deals on some of its Kids range. The cheapest of the lot is the Fire 7 Kids Pro, down to $60 from $100, which makes up for its non-HD screen and lack of USB-C (micro-USB instead) with a bevy of parental controls and age-appropriate web and app content for kids. You get all of those pros, plus HD resolution and USB-C, for $30 more on the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro, which is on sale for $50 off. The last time we saw Amazon's children's tablets drop this low was in July.
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Beyond its ownaccessibility apps, Google offers a powerful API that lets developers create tools for people with disabilities. The beta version of the Android Accessibility Suite — which was part of the fourth Android 12 beta that recently arrived on Pixel handsets — includes a neat new way to control your phone. "Camera Switches" essentially lets you use face gestures to complete a number of actions. For instance, you can set the app to detect when you smile or raise an eyebrow in order to open your notifications panel or quick settings. You can also open your mouth to scroll forward or backward. As spotted by XDA Developers, the update lets you map around six face gestures to over a dozen phone controls. These can also be tweaked based on gesture size to prevent the app from constantly initiating actions.
Camera Switches builds upon the Switch Access feature in Android Accessibility Suite, which lets you interact with your device without using the touchscreen. Depending on the context, this can be done using an external device, such as a keyboard, via a USB or Bluetooth connection, or by pressing the built-in buttons on your phone. In that sense, Camera Switches takes the feature up a notch by introducing gestures to the mix. Seeing as most people are already accustomed to unlocking their phones with their face, the new additions shouldn't seem completely foreign.
While using Camera Switches, you'll see a persistent notification icon that indicates your camera is being used. However, as Android 12's privacy dashboard already includes a status indicator for both the camera and mic, this feature may be unnecessary. XDA was also able to sideload the app's APK to get the new feature on Android 11.
We knew Google was readying another phone ahead of its new own-chip Pixel 6 flagships, but the company’s cheaper A series might reappear earlier than we thought. The Pixel 5a could appear any day now, according to the latest reports from, of all places, repair shops. The latest rumors include a larger battery (4,680mAh battery up from 3,800mAh) and an August 17th release date — which would be tomorrow.
We’re already expecting the Pixel 5a to land with a dual-camera system and a headphone jack, the latter of which is rare in 2021. Older rumors suggested the 5a might cost $450, a hair less than the Pixel 4a 5G but well above the $350 of last year’s Pixel 4a.
I’ve said it before, but Google’s Pixel A series is often a more compelling device than its highest-priced phones, striking a good balance between specs and performance — especially when it comes to camera performance. Similarly priced phones may look the same on paper, but the Pixel’s imaging capabilities, which lean hard on AI and software, typically produce great images in most situations. I’m sure the Pixel 5a is likely to continue this winning formula — even if it lacks that homemade Google chip.
— Mat Smith
NASA sends a 3D printing system for lunar soil to its space station
It could help plan for future Moon and Mars habitats.
NASA's latest International Space Station resupply mission included a machine meant to demonstrate 3D printing regolith (loose soil or rock) on the Moon and similar extraterrestrial surfaces.
The Redwire Regolith Print (RRP) project will work in tandem with an existing printer system (ManD) to try 3D printing simulated regolith. If that succeeds, the ISS crew will gauge the strength of the resulting material to see if it can handle the harsh conditions beyond Earth and work as a possible building material for future habitats.
The promo for Warner Bros.’ upcoming Reminiscence movie uses deepfake technology to embed you into a short video sequence with its star, Hugh Jackman. You can upload the photo of anybody you want, and the experience will conjure an animation for the face in it. You might have to wait your turn, however. When I tried it out, I got stuck at the waiting screen for a while. Test it for yourself here.
The Connectivity Standards Alliance has delayed Matter's rollout from late 2021 to the first half of 2022. Smart home standards (and a lot of smart home news) can be a snoozy affair, but Matter could be what we need to get anything with WiFi and/or Bluetooth to speak to each other in our homes. Amazon, Apple, Google and many smart home device makers (such as Nanoleaf and Signify) are already committed to it, so you can see why a smart home standard like this might… matter.
Every game on Famitsu's August 8th weekly Top 30 chart was a Switch title, ranging from Super Mario Maker 2 in 30th place to Minecraft at the top. It's reportedly the first time a platform has swept the chart since November 1988, when Nintendo's own Famicom (the NES for the rest of us) dominated the list.
Apple's AirPods Pro are back down to $180, their best deal barring Black Friday lows. That's $70 off the normal price of the popular wireless earbuds, which remain our top pick for iOS users. The Amazon deal currently lists the Pro for $190, but an extra $10 discount is automatically applied at checkout. We gave Apple's high-end earbuds an excellent 87 review score with praise for their improved audio, comfortable fit and IPX4 water resistance.
They essentially offer several upgrades over the standard $150 AirPods, hence the higher price tag. Chiefly, the Pro deliver superior sound thanks to their active noise cancelation and support for spatial audio. Apple even claims the buds can customize your listening experience by using Adaptive EQ to tune music to the shape of your ear.
They look different to the AirPods, too. The Pro have shorter stems and are a bit wider, making for a more crowdpleasing design. While the addition of silicone ear tips in different sizes results in a more comfortable fit compared to the regular AirPods. They're also better gym buddies courtesy of their sweat and water resistance.
Seeing as the Pro dropped in 2019, you may be wondering about new upgrades. Rumors indicate that new AirPods could be imminent this holiday season. Reports also claim that the next AirPods Pro will focus on fitness tracking. Of course, none of that matters if you want to upgrade right away. In which case, you can't go wrong with the current Pros, especially if you're an iPhone owner. The lower price is the icing on the cake.
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More evidence has surfaced that the Google Pixel 5a might be right around the corner. Android Police has obtained what it says are repair shop photos (pictured below) of Pixel 5a parts that appear to confirm rumors swirling around the budget phone, including its release date. The device really would be a spruced-up Pixel 4a 5G (above), according to the leak. You'd get a similar dual rear camera setup and size, just with a much larger 4,680mAh battery (up from 3,800mAh) and a grippier plastic shell.
The scoop also supports talk of a headphone jack. The mainboard and other components are missing, although Google is expected to rely on a Snapdragon (possibly the 765G from the Pixel 4a 5G) rather than a variant of the custom Tensor chip coming to the Pixel 6.
The source claims Google will unveil the Pixel 5a on August 17th. Past rumors have suggested the 5a might reach stores on August 26th at a $450 price, $50 lower than the Pixel 4a 5G but well above the $350 of the base 4a. If accurate, you won't have to wait long to learn full details for this mid-range phone — even if you'll have to wait a short while to get one in your hands.
T-Mobile is grappling with yet another reported data breach. The carrier told Motherboard in a statement that it's investigating an "underground forum" member's claims that they're selling data for over 100 million customers, including social security numbers and device IMEI numbers. While the scale of the breach hasn't yet been verified, Motherboard has confirmed the authenticity of at least some of the data.
The intruder is selling data for about 30 million customers for the equivalent of $270,000 in Bitcoin. The rest of the data is reportedly being sold through private channels.
It's not certain how the perpetrator obtained the info. T-Mobile supposedly booted the attacker out of the servers, but not before they downloaded and purportedly backed up the content.
The network has a less-than-stellar history of breaches in recent years. Hackers compromised sensitive customer info in late 2019, while a late 2020 attack scraped limited data for about 200,000 users. If the forum claims are accurate, though, this is much more serious. T-Mobile had over 104.7 million customers as of the second quarter of 2021 — this breach might affect virtually every user. While it's not certain just how much real damage has been done, you might want to watch out for suspicious activity if you're a magenta subscriber.
Apple will have to pay another company a handsome amount to keep using certain wireless tech. Bloomberg and The Register report that a Texas jury has determined that Apple must pay patent firm Optis $300 million for allegedly violating patents covering LTE cellular service in devices like the iPhone and iPad. A jury had awarded Optis just over $506 million in 2020, but the judge in the case ordered a damages-only trial over concerns the earlier jurors hadn't considered whether the demand was fair for standards-based patents.
Optis is also chasing Apple in the UK, where it hopes to set a global royalty rate that could net up to $7 billion. Its patents come from other companies, including LG, Panasonic and Samsung.
Apple still intends to fight back. The tech giant accused Optis of being a patent troll in a statement, noting that the firm exists solely to sue companies using purchased patents. Apple would keep resisting Optis' efforts to obtain "unreasonable payments" for patents, the iPhone maker said.
As The Register notes, the $300 million payout will barely make a mark on Apple's finances. The company made $21.7 billion in net income just in its latest quarter — the Optis payment will represent slightly over one day's profits. The concern, of course, is that Optis will succeed in getting regular payments that could add to Apple's costs and drive hardware prices upward.
