If you missed the Black Friday sale on Apple's AirPods 4 with ANC, you're in luck they're back on sale at the same $99 price for a substantial $80 savings (45 percent). What's more, if you're one who frets about damaging your gear, you can grab them with AppleCare+ for $118, saving 43 percent from the normal price.
We think that the AirPods Pro 2 are the best AirPods overall, but the ANC-enabled AirPods 4 are also a solid choice, especially at this price. We gave them a score of 86 in our review.
Apple's AirPods 4 come in two variants, with and without ANC. Though the base model is solid, the version on sale here with ANC offers a number of advantages like Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio and Transparency mode. They also have a charging case that supports MagSafe and Qi-compatible wireless charging, along with a built-in speaker that emits beeps when you activate Find My. And as Apple recently announced, AirPods 4 with ANC supports the company's Live Translation feature.
Our main reservation with the AirPods 4 with ANC is that the Airpods Pro 2 are a better noise-cancellation option when they go on sale. At this price, though, the AirPods 4 with ANC are a real bargain if you're looking for new buds especially if you prefer the open-ears type. As mentioned, for extra peace of mind you can also get the Airpods 4 with ANC plus AppleCare+ protection for $118, or 43 percent off.
Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/apples-airpods-4-with-anc-are-back-on-sale-for-99-140903670.html?src=rss
The UK has fined a porn operator called AVS Group 1 million ($1.33 million) for failing to have strong enough age checks, regulator Ofcom announced. The company which was also hit with an additional 50,000 fine for its failure to respond to information request and now has 72 hours to introduce effective age checks or face a further penalty of 1,000 a day.
In July, the UK government announced it would start checking compliance by websites that publish or display pornographic content to implement a system for "highly effective age checks." Methods approved by Ofcom include credit card checks, photo ID matching and even estimating a user's age with a provided selfie. However, users have been circumventing the age checks via methods like using a VPN and providing a fake ChatGPT-generated photo ID.
The fine is the third such penalty arising from the UK's Online Safety Act designed to protect children and adults from harmful content. In October, 4Chan was also hit with a 20,000 ($26,700) fine for failing to comply with the internet and telecommunications regulator's request for information under the same law.
The UK isn't the only region to have implemented age checks. Around half of US states now require it, as do France, Italy, Australia and China. Australia took things a step further by banning social media use by children under 16, including sites popular with young people like Twitch and YouTube.
Ofcom's safety director, Oliver Griffiths, said the crackdown on weak age verification for adult sites would continue. "The tide on online safety is beginning to turn for the better. But we need to see much more from tech companies next year and well use our full powers if they fall short."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/uk-fines-porn-company-%C2%A31-million-for-weak-age-checks-130056578.html?src=rss
The latest addition to Proton's workplace suite is a spreadsheet tool called Proton Sheets. It will offer real-time collaboration, and users can control who has access to view and edit files. Proton Sheets can also be accessed on any device, including mobile ones. It supports importing CSV and XLS files, and the spreadsheets also support commonly used formulas for calculations.A big part of Proton's pitch is privacy, promising that users' information won't be used for training AI. The company also protects user data with end-to-end encryption by default; the press release pointedly notes that products like Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel don't do the same.The Sheets app will be a part of Proton Drive, which already includes a Docs platform with several features similar to those offered by other productivity tools from big tech brands. Proton also offers a VPN and a Mail app. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/proton-sheets-joins-the-companys-productivity-suite-110000344.html?src=rss
Since reality TV can generate as much daily conversation as any sporting event, Samsung has opened a temporary venue in Stockholm that treats unscripted drama with the same communal reverence typically reserved for soccer matches. Verkligheten Swedish for "the reality" is a pop-up bar in the Södermalm district that responds to a straightforward observation: sports bars are ubiquitous, yet no equivalent exists for fans of reality shows. The concept emerged from social media chatter in Sweden questioning this disparity, prompting Samsung to partner with local bar Lykke Nytorget and create a dedicated space where fans can gather to watch curated reality programming on Samsung screens.Running through mid-December, the venue offers a rotating schedule of iconic and contemporary reality shows, including content from Samsung TV Plus, the company's free ad-supported streaming service. The platform has recently expanded its Swedish catalog to include reality-focused channels such as "World of Love Island" and "Project Runway," underscoring Samsung's push in unscripted entertainment. By integrating Samsung TV Plus into the physical space, the initiative highlights the service's growing offerings while demonstrating that communal viewing experiences shouldn't be confined to sports.TREND BITEBy transforming solitary screen time into a shared social event, Verkligheten challenges the assumption that home entertainment must remain at home. Reality TV thrives on conversation the dissection of drama, the debate over contestants, the collective gasp at plot twists yet most fans experience these shows alone on their couches before taking to social media to find community. Samsung recognized the format's inherent social currency and brought it into the physical world. The pop-up demonstrates how brands can create genuine value by facilitating the human connections their products enable but don't always deliver.
The Oversight Board is getting ready to tackle a new pain point for Facebook and Instagram users. Up to now, users have been able to appeal content moderation decisions related to specific posts to the board, but haven't been able to ask the group to intervene in other situations that affect their accounts. That could soon change. The board says that it will weigh in on individual account-level penalties in a pilot next year. The board noted the change in an impact report recapping its five-year history and what lies ahead in the year to come. "In 2026, our scope expands once more as we pilot the ability to review Metas decisions removing and impacting accounts, something that has created ongoing frustration for platform users," the report says. It's not clear how this process will work, but if the board plans to take on account-level issues like suspensions, it would be a significant expansion of its purview. In an interview with Engadget, board member Paolo Carozza said that Meta is expected to refer a case to the board in January that will deal with an account-level issue. The handling of that case will allow the board to explore how it might take on similar cases in the future. "We're really excited to take it on because we think it's an important area that really affects a lot of users and their interests," he told Engadget. "We all know how many people are constantly coming forward complaining about account-level restrictions or blocking or whatever else, and so if we get it right and it's going to be important to work it out this first pilot we're really optimistic that it's going to help open up a whole new avenue for us to be helpful to the users of [Meta's] platforms."Carozza added that there are a number of "technical aspects" and other questions still being worked out between the board and Meta. So for now, it's too soon to say whether there will ever be an official appeals process for suspensions, like there currently is for post removals. But he says Meta is equally invested in the effort. "It's something we've been talking about with Meta for well over a year," he said. "They've been expressing an openness and a willingness to give us access to those kinds of questions."The Oversight Board's report hints at another way its influence could potentially expand. It notes that the group's work has made it "well-positioned to partner with a range of global tech companies as they navigate issues arising from free speech debates globally." Both Meta and Oversight Board officials have previously floated the idea that "other companies" might want to take advantage of its expertise. Up to now, most other platforms have had little incentive to do so. But Carozza says the rise of generative AI has created some new interest from non-Meta affiliated platforms, and that there have been "really preliminary" conversations with other companies. "It feels like quite a different moment now, largely because of generative AI, LLMs, chatbots [and] the way that a variety of retail-level users of these technologies are facing a whole new set of challenges and harms that's attracting a lot of scrutiny," he said. "We have had conversations in recent months with other tech companies in this space about the possibility that the board might be able to contribute helpful services to them to help navigate some of these really thorny questions."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/metas-oversight-board-wants-to-expand-its-powers-in-2026-100000385.html?src=rss
The Department of Transportation under President Donald Trump is moving to reverse more of the climate policies that had been enacted by President Joe Biden. Under a proposed rulemaking by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks in model year 2031 will be reduced to an average of 34.5 miles per gallon, down from the standard of 50.4 miles per gallon that was part of Biden's plans to encourage more adoption of electric vehicles among US drivers. The move was expected since Trump re-took office. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered the NHTSA to review fuel efficiency standards in January a day after he assumed the title. The current administration also ended a tax credit for buying electric vehicles over the summer. In the meantime, international manufacturers are racing ahead in their progress on building better EVs, offering other markets more exciting models that wont arrive in the US thanks to tariffs.While Trump's announcement today claimed that the change would reduce the average cost of a new car by $1,000 and offer a savings of $109 billion over five years, gas prices are on track to increase if the Environmental Protection Agency does successfully repeal the finding that climate change causes human harm. Plus there's the incalculable financial and human cost of a growing number of catastrophic weather events that have been predicted if the planet continues to get warmer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/us-department-of-transportation-doubles-down-on-gas-cuts-fuel-efficiency-standards-234542939.html?src=rss
It's time for the annual Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting! The Christmas in Rockefeller Center tree lighting special will air tonight, Dec. 3 from 8-10 PM ET though coverage will start an hour prior, at 7 PM ET. The Voice and Happy's Place star Reba McEntire will host and perform at the Rockefeller Tree lighting, which will also feature performances from Halle Bailey, Michael Bublé, Kristin Chenoweth, Laufey, the Radio City Rockettes and more. Heres how to tune into the 2025 Rockefeller Tree lighting.
When is the 2025 Rockefeller Tree lighting?
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be lit on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
2025 Rockefeller Tree lighting time:
Coverage of the 2025 Rockefeller Tree lighting will start at 7 p.m. ET. The official Christmas in Rockefeller Center tree lighting special will air from 8-10 p.m ET.
2025 Rockefeller Tree lighting channel:
The Christmas in Rockefeller Center special will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.
How to watch the 2025 Rockefeller Tree lighting without cable:
Who is hosting the 2025 Rockefeller Tree lighting?
Reba McEntire will host NBC's annual holiday special, and perform throughout the evening.
2025 Rockefeller Tree Lighting performers:
Alongside Reba McEntire, the tree lighting ceremony special will feature performances from Marc Anthony, Halle Bailey, Michael Bublé, Kristin Chenoweth, Laufey, New Edition, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Gwen Stefani and the Radio City Rockettes, who are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year.
Ways to watch the Rockefeller Tree lighting for free:
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-watch-the-christmas-in-rockefeller-center-tree-lighting-special-tonight-111504725.html?src=rss
Alan Dye, Apple's Vice President of Human Interface Design, has been poached by Meta, Bloomberg reports. The designer played a pivotal role in the look and feel of Apple's products since Jony Ive left the company in 2019, and now hell be taking his talents to Meta.Dye will reportedly work under Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth as the head of a new studio that will oversee the design of hardware, software and AI products. The studio will also include former Apple designer Billy Sorrentino, Metas interface design lead Joshua To, an industrial design team led by Pete Bristol, and metaverse design and art teams led by Jason Rubin, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Threads. The new studio will bring together design, fashion, and technology to define the next generation of our products and experiences, Zuckerberg shared in the post. Our idea is to treat intelligence as a new design material and imagine what becomes possible when it is abundant, capable and human-centered.Apple, meanwhile, is replacing Dye with Stephen Lemay, Bloomberg reports, a senior designer at the company who's worked on all of the companys interfaces since 1999. Considering the secrecy of Apple as a company, it's hard to credit individual breakthroughs to individual designers, but Dye worked on several of Apple's major new platforms and design changes, including things like the interface of visionOS and its new Liquid Glass design language.Meta has had success with its Quest virtual reality headsets and more recently, its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, but the company clearly hopes to release many more consumer hardware products with Dye and its new design studios help. Those will likely include future versions of the Meta Ray-Ban Display and its Neural Band accessory.Dye isn't the first designer Apple has lost to a competitor. Evans Hankey, the companys former head of industrial design, left Apple in 2022 to work with Ive. Hankey is now one of several former Apple employees building OpenAI's upcoming hardware device. Dye joining Meta is particularly interesting in this case because Apple is rumored to be working on products that will bring the company in even closer competition to the social media giant. The Vision Pro could be considered to be a high-end competitor in VR, but Apple is reportedly working on its own pair of smart glasses, too.Update, December 3, 5:54PM ET: Added information from Mark Zuckerbergs Threads post on hiring Alan Dye and Metas new design studio.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-design-lead-alan-dye-is-heading-to-meta-214449944.html?src=rss
Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment appear to have settled the plagiarism scandal that rocked Marathon before the game was indefinitely delayed in June 2025. Fern Hook, an artist who goes by the name Antireal online, posted on X that her issues with Bungie using her work without credit in Marathon have been resolved to her "satisfaction."Marathon's distinct art style is one of its charms, but as Hook claimed on X and Bungie later confirmed, a portion of the assets and textures featured in the game's alpha were lifted from Hook's work. At the time, Bungie announced that it was conducting an investigation and hoped to discuss the issue with Hook. It's not clear what kind of agreement Bungie, Sony and Hook came to, but it appears to have solved any outstanding issues.The Marathon art issue has been resolved with Bungie and Sony Interactive Entertainment to my satisfaction. N (@4nt1r34l) December 2, 2025
Bungie delayed Marathon from its original September 2025 launch date in June, and more recently ran closed playtests of an updated version of the game in October. As of Sony's November earnings report, the company now says Marathon will launch by March 2026. Marathon is a reimagining of an older Bungie franchise, but more importantly, it's also the developer's first new game since Destiny 2 was released in 2017. Considering Sony's increased scrutiny of Bungie's performance, settling this issue and hopefully setting up Marathon for a smoother launch is definitely a good thing.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/artist-bungie-plagiarized-for-marathon-alpha-says-the-issue-has-been-resolved-223901094.html?src=rss
In a lot of social media use, the algorithm is an intangible entity, silent and all-powerful in controlling what we see in our feeds. And like supplicants to a deity, sometimes we may find ourselves calling into the void, hoping to receive aid from that mighty being. Seems that for Threads users, at least, those prayers have been heard. Many people on the Threads platform have taken to writing posts with the phrase "dear algo," politely asking the network algorithm to show them more of what they want or less of what they don't. According to a post today from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Threads will try out a feature where that's exactly what happens. Connor Hayes, head of Threads, also posted about this limited test, adding that it will be an AI-powered feature. "When people add Dear Algo to a post, it will tell your feed what you want to see more or less of for up to three days," he wrote. "If your profile is public, people can see your request, connect with you about it, or repost it."There is something satisfying about having users' feedback taken seriously, even if it started as a bit of a joke. Threads has seen rapid growth since its debut in 2023. It had 400 million monthly active users as of August 2025 and in October it reached 150 million daily active users. Update, December 3, 2025, 5:15PM ET: Added more detail from Connor Hayes about the tests.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/your-dear-algo-threads-posts-might-actually-do-something-soon-215448062.html?src=rss
