If youre in the market for a color ereader, one of Rakuten Kobos latest models is on sale for Black Friday. Today, you can order the Kobo Libra Colour, which has a seven-inch color e-ink screen and physical page-turn buttons, for $200. If youre content with black-and-white reading, two of the companys other models the Sage and Elipsa 2E are also discounted.
Although not everyone needs a pop of color while reading, the device can enhance the visual presentation of book covers, highlights and comics on its seven-inch 1,264 x 1,680 E Ink Kaleido 3 display. Unlike tablets such as the iPad, it doesnt add glare from sunlight. The device includes Kobos ComfortLight Pro, which automatically adjusts the front lights blue levels for a more comfortable reading experience. It also has a dark mode for night reading.
One way the device stands out from Amazons new Kindle Colorsoft is physical page-turn buttons. Although reaching your thumb slightly to tap the screen isnt exactly a chore, I prefer the satisfying feel of physical buttons: Keep your thumb rested on it and press when its time to flip the page.
The Libra Colour supports note-taking, annotating and highlights all in color with the Kobo Stylus 2. Unfortunately, the pen-like accessory isnt included in the box; youll need to pony up an extra $70 if you want a more notebook-like experience.
The ereader has 32GB of storage, enough for 24,00 ebooks or 150 audiobooks. Rakuten Kobo rates the device for up to 40 days of battery life, although that will vary with usage. The Libra Colour has an IPX8 rating, meaning it can handle immersion in over 6.5 ft of water for an hour. As a welcomed perk, the ereader is self-repairable through a partnership with iFixit.
On the black and white ereader front, Kobos Sage and Elipsa 2E are also on sale for Black Friday. The Sage has a larger eight-inch display with deep contrast and fast page turns. Typically ringing up for $270, its on sale for $240. Finally, the Kobo Elipsa 2E has a tablet-sized 10.3-inch screen and software built around note-taking (including handwriting conversion). It has a $400 MSRP but is discounted to $350.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-kobo-libra-colour-ereader-is-20-off-in-this-black-friday-deal-150004882.html?src=rss
Launched this week, Deep Risings The Worlds Largest Ocean Dispute is raising awareness about deep-sea mining, specifically in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). Spanning 4.5 million square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean, roughly eight times the size of France, the zone is estimated to hold over 21 billion dry tons of critical minerals like copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese essential components for low-carbon tech like solar panels and EV batteries.
If youre looking to stock up on PS5 controllers, now is the time. Theres an early Black Friday deal that discounts the wireless DualSense controller down to $55. These gamepads typically cost between $75 and $80, so this is quite the sale. Even better? The deal applies to a whole bunch of colorways to suit whatever wacky aesthetic you got going on, though some colors are selling for a bit more at $60.
A brand-new PS5 ships with one of these controllers, but you need two to enjoy some sweet couch co-op. We called out the gamepad in our official review of the PS5, saying it had some of the most advanced haptic controls weve ever experienced.
The analog triggers can be manipulated to emulate various sensations, like pulling an arrow back or running out of ammo with a gun. Its a gimmick, sure, but a fun one. The built-in haptics also allow for more realistic rumble, which is heads and shoulders above what the DualShock 4 offered.
Theres a built-in microphone, a headphone jack, a tried-and-true button layout and a pair of joysticks. Its a really well-designed controller. Its a DualSense. It is not, however, a DualSense Edge. Thats Sonys ultra-premium controller that costs nearly $200. That one offers extra features like easy button remapping, multiple joystick nubs, customizable rear paddles and more.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ps5-dualsense-wireless-controllers-are-on-sale-for-55-for-black-friday-150028471.html?src=rss
Black Friday is in the air, gently blowing breezy deals our way. Case in point? The PS5 Slim is available for $75 off at Amazon, Walmart, Sony and other retailers. This brings the price of the disc-based version down to $425 and the digital-only model down to $375. This is a fairly budget-friendly way to see what all the PS5 fuss is about.
Despite the moniker, theres nothing slim about the specs. This is a regular PS5, with the same horsepower as the original unit. However, the PS5 Slim is 30 percent smaller and around 25 percent lighter. When it comes to tech, smaller is typically a good thing.
Both versions ship with a DualSense controller and a 1TB SSD. These consoles also come with Astros Playroom pre-installed, which is the precursor to the incredible Astro Bot. They dont, however, come with a vertical stand. Thatll cost extra. The digital-only model, obviously, doesnt ship with a disc drive, though theres a standalone drive available for those who would rather make that decision later.
Otherwise, this is a PS5. Theres no other way (right now) to play games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. It also runs cross-platform hits like Star Wars Outlaws and Elden Ring, in addition to pseudo-exclusives that made their way to PC like God of War Ragnarök.
This sale is not for the recently-released PS5 Pro, so you wont get all of those graphical upscaling bells and whistles. However, that new console is a whopping $700, whereas these PS5 Slim consoles are just over half that.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-75-off-playstation-5-slim-consoles-for-black-friday-150017389.html?src=rss
Mens care brand Harrys is leveling up mental health access with Talk Squad, an initiative blending therapy with gaming. In collaboration with mental health service Shout, Talk Squad offers UK gamers free and confidential counseling sessions while they play Fall Guys, Apex Legends or Halo. All they need to do is fill out a Google form to book a 1-on-1 session with a qualified Shout clinician, during which theyre invited to talk about anything thats bothering them.Harrys and Shout are taking aim at two of mens biggest mental health barriers accessibility and stigma. Embedding support into a gaming environment makes therapy feel less like an intimidating leap and more like an easy power-up. Talk Squad launched with a Twitch livestream where UK gaming influencers showcased the service in action, helping normalize mental health conversations in gaming culture.The bigger picture? While the sessions are only on offer from 28 November through 18 December 2024, this is no one-off CSR play. Harrys has an ongoing commitment to mens mental health, donating 1% of its sales to organizations supporting that goal. With Talk Squad, the brand is showing up in a space where its audience already gathers. Cause if you want to connect, youve got to play the game ;)
Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking told Last Week Tonights John Oliver a chilling but memorable hypothetical story a decade ago about the potential dangers of AI. The gist is a group of scientists build a superintelligent computer and ask it, Is there a God? The computer answers, There is now and a bolt of lightning zaps the plug preventing it from being shut down. Lets hope thats not what happened with OpenAI and some missing evidence from the New York Times plagiarism lawsuit.
Wired reported that a court declaration filed by the New York Times on Wednesday says that OpenAIs engineers accidentally erased evidence of the AIs training data that took a long time to research and compile. OpenAI recovered some of the data but the original file names and folder structure that show when the AI copied its articles into its models are still missing.
OpenAI spokesperson Jason Deutrom disagreed with the NYTs claims and says the company will file our response soon. The Times has been battling Microsoft and OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement with its AI models since December of last year.
The lawsuit is still in its discovery phase when evidence is requested and delivered by both sides to build its case for trial. OpenAI had to turn over its training data to the Times but hasnt publicly revealed the exact information it used to build the AI modes.
Instead, OpenAI created a sandbox of two virtual machines so the NYTs legal team could conduct its research. The NYTs legal team spent more than 150 hours sifting through the data on one of the machines before the data was deleted. OpenAI acknowledged the deletion but the companys legal team called it a glitch. Although OpenAI engineers tried to correct the mistake, the restored data was missing the NYTs work. This led the NYT to essentially recreate everything from scratch. The NYTs lawyers said they had no reason to believe the deletion was intentional.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-new-york-times-says-openai-deleted-evidence-in-its-copyright-lawsuit-231805285.html?src=rss
2025 could be a tense year for Amazon. Reuters reports that, according to its sources, Amazon will likely be investigated by the European Union (EU) for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by allegedly promoting and offering its own products ahead of others in its online store.
The decision to launch the investigation will be made by incoming EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera. Her term will start next month following outgoing chief Margrethe Vestager, who is stepping down after serving two terms.
Amazon denies that it violated the DMA. The EUs antitrust regulators launched an investigation into Apple, Meta and Google in March over issues such as fees and preferential presentation of its own apps on its online stores. The European Commission also hinted that it might be looking into Amazons business practices under the new laws.
The DMA took effect last year and establishes criteria for large online platforms to behave in a far way online and leave room for contestability, according to the EUs website. The guidelines prevent big tech companies like Amazon from giving preferential treatment to their own products and services on their platforms.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/report-amazon-is-likely-to-face-an-eu-antitrust-investigation-next-year-214556510.html?src=rss
Season passes are one of the most common ways to generate revenue for games such as Fortnite or Call of Duty that want players to keep returning day after day, month after month. This week, PC game platform Steam has rolled out support for this monetization approach. The Valve-owned platform clarified its policy about what it considers a season pass, as well as implementing rules for how developers should communicate with players about pass content.
Steam documentation now states that when a season pass is made available for a game, it must list all of the downloadable content (DLC) included within that purchase. Developers will also need to provide an expected release date for each DLC. Delays are common in game development, but Valve will only allow a studio to reschedule a season pass' release date once; if more changes are needed, Valve has to get involved with making that change. In cases where a season pass is canceled, customers must receive a refund for any unreleased content that they have paid for.
"By offering a Season Pass, you are promising future content," the documentation reads. "In the process of launching a Season Pass you will be asked to commit to a launch timing for each content release in the Season Pass. That launch timing is a commitment to both customers and Steam. If you aren't ready to clearly communicate about the content included in each DLC AND when each DLC will be ready for launch, you shouldn't offer a Season Pass on Steam."
Steam recently revised its language around a few key topics this fall. The platform now clarifies that the hundreds or thousands of games in players' libraries are licenses to those titles rather than outright ownership. Valve has also removed points about binding arbitration from its Steam Subscriber Agreement.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-will-force-developers-to-be-transparent-about-their-season-pass-plans-212313027.html?src=rss
If youve been eyeing the reMarkable 2 for a while, now is a great time to buy one. While the E Ink tablet itself isnt on sale, reMarkable has discounted the two bundles it offers alongside the 2. Until the end of December 2, you can save $89 off the Type Folio and Book Folio bundles. Both include reMarkables Marker Plus stylus, which comes with an eraser feature not found on the regular Marker stylus. Its also black instead of gray and four grams heavier. As for the two folios, the type one is the one to buy if you need a keyboard.
The reMarkable 2 is easily the best E Ink tablet you can buy right now. Its the top pick in our E Ink tablet guide, and for good reason. It boasts a tremendous reading and writing experience, with a responsive, low-latency display that offers the closest pen-and-paper experience among the tablets Engadget tested.
The reMarkable 2 makes accessing your favorite books and files easy, too. It includes support for both PDFs and ePUBs, and you can link your Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox to make transferring those files a cinch. Each new reMarkable 2 tablet also comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to Remarkable Connect, which is great for transferring any notes you write to your other devices.
One of the few downsides of the ReMarkable 2 is how expensive it is to buy. Although reMarkable hasnt directly discounted the tablet, a folio cover and Marker Plus stylus are accessories most people will probably want to buy anyway, so this Black Friday promotion still makes the device more accessible.
Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/black-friday-deals-include-remarkable-2-bundles-for-89-off-210003470.html?src=rss
Amazons Black Friday sale has record-low prices on the Ember Smart Mug 2. The accessory heats your beverage to a set temperature (and keeps it there until youre done), ensuring your coffee, tea or hot chocolate is just right. In this sale, you can get the 10-oz. model, which usually retails for $130, for as little as $75.49. The larger 14-oz. Smart Mug 2 (typically $150) is on sale for as low as $91.49.
The second-generation Ember mug is one of our favorite gifts for moms and teachers. The self-heating mug lets you set a preferred temperature in the iOS or Android app. It will then remember that the next time you fire it up, keeping your beverage at your ideal temp without any extra fuss. You can also add presets for different kinds of drinks. It can keep drinks anywhere from 120 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on your preference.
The Smart Mug 2 has an auto-sleep feature that senses when its empty and stops heating. So, you shouldnt have to worry about coffee residue burning to a crisp in the bottom after youve finished. (Ew.) The mug is IPX7-rated, meaning its submersible in up to a meter of water. However, its a hand-wash-only product, so dont make the mistake of plopping it in the dishwasher by force of habit.
The Ember mug lasts an estimated 80 minutes on a full charge. It also includes a charging coaster that can keep it heating all day. If you want to use it on the go, Ember sells an optional sliding lid.
The Black Friday sale prices vary by color. For example, the white variant is the cheapest in both sizes, followed by black ($79.49 for 10 oz., $96 for 14 oz.). Meanwhile, the popular copper model costs $110 and $127.49, respectively.
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