The latest software update for the Nintendo Switch has arrived, and it comes with new ways to upload your screenshots to a phone or a computer. You can now wirelessly transfer both photos and videos of your game to phones or tablets by using the smart device’s camera to scan the QR code your Switch will generate every time you use the feature. All you need to do is go to Album on your console and choose up to 10 photos and one video capture, which is the maximum number of files you can send per batch. After that, just select “Sharing and Editing” and then “Send to Smartphone.”
If you want to transfer files to a PC instead, just get a USB cable that supports data transfer to access the new “Copy to a Computer” feature. The new option lives in the “Manage Screenshots and Videos” section under “Data Management” in Settings. While the new methods still require a bit of effort, they can make transferring screenshots a whole lot easier. In the past, you’d either have to upload your files on Twitter or Facebook or save them to your microSD card first to be able to access them on another device.
The latest software update also adds Nintendo Switch Online to the Home menu to make it easier to view its services. It also comes with a new feature that automatically downloads back—up save data added to the Save Data Cloud that you may want to turn on if you have multiple systems. A Trending section added to the User Page will show you what your friends are playing. Finally, you’ll now be able to prioritize downloads when there are several in progress.
SAVE 89%: A five-year subscription to PureVPN is on sale for £0.99 per month as of Dec. 2, saving you over £400 on list price.
Black Friday has been and gone, but some of the best VPN deals are sticking around. You can still save 89% on PureVPN, but this deal is expiring soon.
A five-year subscription to PureVPN is on sale for £0.99 per month as of Dec. 2, saving you over £400 on list price. This plan also includes a 31-day money-back guarantee, so you walk away with your cash if you're not totally satisfied.
SAVE OVER £20: A three-month subscription to Amazon Kids+ is on sale for £2.99 until Dec. 23, saving you 88% on list price.
We're all looking for things to do at the moment, and this task is even tougher if you've got kids. Keeping them entertained is always a struggle, but as with everything in life, there is a subscription service that can help.
Amazon Kids+ provides endless fun for kids and peace of mind for parents. This all-in-one subscription gives kids access to thousands of kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, Audible books, and games on compatible Fire and Kindle devices. Read more...
With a little bit of training, even a total amateur can build things like home automation devices, robots, and more. Get started with the Ultimate Raspberry Pi and ROS Robotics Developer Super Bundle.
The training packs 15 extensive courses into a bundle designed to help you understand the basics of robotics and Raspberry Pi. Yes, there's a lot of content, which can be a bit overwhelming for newcomers. But there are a handful of courses specifically designed for beginners, like the Complete Raspberry Pi Bootcamp, Raspberry Pi Essentials and Extras, and ROS2 For Beginners courses. Read more...
If you're not actively monitoring your website's analytics, you're likely missing vital information on which pages on your site work and which don't, the types of people who visit, what they're clicking, what they're interested in, and what they want more of. This is the kind of data you can leverage to make your website better. And understanding Google Analytics can help you access and read that data.
For beginners, this Google Analytics Master Class Bundle (that happens to be on sale) is a solid starting point. It features five courses on Google Analytics, Data Studio, SEO, and more, and focuses particularly on monitoring your site's growth and traffic. Read more...
‘Tis the season for top 10 lists, so nearly every streaming service or content-hosting website will release its “best of” roundups between now and the end of the month. Spotify is one of the regulars, and as part of its annual Wrapped festivities, the company has revealed its top charts for the year. For 2020, Bad Bunny is the most-streamed artist on the platform globally with over 8.3 billion streams, followed by Drake, J Balvin, Juice WRLD and The Weeknd — in that order. Billie Eilish is the most popular female artist for a second straight year with Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Halsey rounding out the top 5.
The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” is the most-streamed song globally with almost 1.6 billion streams this year, while Bad Bunny’s YHLQMDLG is the top album — amassing over 3.3 billion streams. Other popular albums, in order of global rank, include The Weeknd’s After Hours, Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding, Harry Styles’ Fine Line and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia. When it comes to the rest of the top-five singles, “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I, “The Box” by Roddy Ricch, “Roses - Imanbek Remix” by Imanbek and SAINt JHN and “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa finish up that list.
In 2019, Spotify bet big on podcasts and it continued to do so in 2020. This year, future Spotify exclusive show The Joe Rogan Experience is the most popular podcast globally. That’s a pretty impressive feat considering it just debuted on Spotify in September. And of course, that’s a great sign considering the podcast will become exclusive to the service at the end of the year and reports indicate the agreement is worth over $100 million. Interestingly, Rogan’s show falls to number two on the US chart, with NPR News Now eclipsing it for the top spot in the States. TED Talks Daily, The New York Times’ The Daily, The Michelle Obama Podcast and Barstool Sports’ Call Her Daddy also make up Spotify’s year-end top five. As far as podcast genres are concerned, Society & Culture is number one, followed by Comedy, Lifestyle & Health, Arts & Entertainment and Education.
In typical Spotify fashion, the company also noted some trends for 2020. Unsurprisingly, the service saw 1,400+ percent increase in work-from-home-themed (WFH) playlists between April and May. What’s more, the company says about 65,000 playlists were created by users with the title “Black Lives Matter” or “BLM.” Perhaps as a coping mechanism, Spotify users contributed to a 180 percent increase in health and wellness podcast listening in 2020. And overall, the most popular time to listen to a podcast this year on the platform was between 6AM-9AM.
While the US top charts stack up similarly to the global lists, there are some interesting changes. The full collection of top-five charts for the US are as follows:
US Most Streamed Artists:
Juice WRLD
Drake
Lil Uzi Vert
Post Malone
Taylor Swift
US Most Streamed Female Artists:
Taylor Swift
Billie Eilish
Ariana Grande
Halsey
Megan Thee Stallion
US Most Streamed Songs:
“The Box” by Roddy Ricch
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
“Blueberry Faygo” by Lil Mosey
“ROCKSTAR (feat Roddy Ricch)” by DaBaby, Roddy Ricch
“Life Is Good (feat Drake)” by Drake, Future
US Most Streamed Albums:
Legends Never Die, Juice WRLD
Eternal Atake (Deluxe) - LUV vs. The World 2, Lil Uzi Vert
Hollywood’s Bleeding, Post Malone
After Hours, The Weeknd
Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, Roddy Ricch
TL;DR: Until Dec. 28, you can listen to Audible's top picks of 2020 for free by downloading the Audible app.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, and you might be thinking that the deals would end with them. Fortunately, there are still plenty of opportunities to save out there.
You can still listen to Audible's top picks of 2020 for free by following a few simple steps. All you need to do is purchase a title for free, download the Audible app, log in with your Amazon account, and your free title will be waiting in your library. It's that easy.
TL;DR: Sign up for a trial of Amazon Prime to watch Premier League games for free in December.
Amazon has bagged the rights to absolutely loads of Premier League games in December, and you can watch all of them for free if you sign up for a trial of Amazon Prime.
The final round of games takes place on Dec. 30, which means a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime would grant you access to everything on offer over the festive period. What we're saying is that this is the best time to sign up, so what's stopping you?
If you choose to continue with Amazon Prime after the trial period, it will cost you £7.99 per month or £79 a year. Your subscription will automatically renew for the full price at the end of the 30-day trial period, but you can cancel this at any time. There is no pressure to continue with the service, but you might be tempted given all the benefits. Read more...
SAVE OVER £20: A three-month subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited is available for free, saving you over £20 on list price.
Amazon really delivered the deals this Black Friday, and we really hope you walked away from the massive shopping event with what you wanted at a great price. If you didn't bag the best bargain, there is still time to save.
A three-month subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited is available for free until Jan. 11, so you still have plenty of time to secure this impressive deal. This service usually costs £7.99 per month, so this deal saves you over £20 on list price.
Sega is giving you a chance to prove just how big of a fan you are. The video game developer is holding an exam on everything Sega next year as part of its 60th anniversary celebration. Dubbed the “Sega Test,” the exam will have 60 multiple choice questions, and you’ll only have 60 seconds to answer each one. It will cover everything about the developer, including the history of its arcade games, its video game titles and hardware, the way its games were marketed overseas and even its company operations. As the event’s official page says, the test is for “diehard Sega fans” out there.
The company will host three sessions of the same test over a couple of days: first one will be held on January 23rd, 2021 8PM Japan time/6AM ET, second is on January 24th 10AM Japan time (23rd 8PM ET), and the last one will take place on the 24th 5PM Japan time/3AM ET. You can choose which schedule works for you, but you can also take the test three times — only your highest score will be recorded. Take note that you’ll have to register in advance to be able to participate, and you can do so starting on January 12th.
Wondering if you’ll win anything if you get a high score? Well, let’s just say acing the Sega Test mostly just gives you bragging rights. You’ll be christened as a “Sega 60th Master” and get an icon with the title that you can display. The company will be giving away Aime (the company’s arcade service) cards and signed photos of Sega Shirou (the fictional character created to promote the developer), but those can only be shipped to addresses in Japan.
On Facebook, each single serving of truth comes with a heaping side of bullshit.
Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Anthony Fauci talked all things coronavirus Monday afternoon, but if you tuned in to the Facebook livestream you'd be forgiven for missing the finer points of the discussion. That's because the often deranged user comments, running alongside the conversation and overflowing with COVID-19 misinformation, had a tendency to distract.
As the coronavirus death toll continues to climb in the United States — passing 266,000 as of this writing — Dr. Fauci took the opportunity to speak with the Facebook CEO about the efficacy of Pfizer and Moderna's coronavirus vaccines as well as the timeline for their availability in the U.S. And while he was encouraging on both points, you wouldn't know it had you taken a moment to avail yourself of the broader connection Facebook makes possible. Read more...
If you’re still on the hunt for a gift or a good deal on a gadget you’ve been pining for, today might be the day you find it. While Black Friday brought a slew of deals on TVs, headphones, smartwatches and more, Cyber Monday has brought a new round of sales on some of the latest devices. Also, don’t fret if you think you missed a killer Black Friday deal — some of the best ones are still around for Cyber Monday, but you likely only have today to grab them before they’re gone. We collected all of the best Cyber Monday tech deals here so you don’t have to go searching for them.
Samsung Galaxy S20+ - $900
Cherlynn Low / Engadget
The base models of a few of Samsung’s newest smartphones have hit new all-time lows for Cyber Monday. The Galaxy S20 is down to $750 and the S20+ is down to $900. We gave these scores of 85 and 87, respectively, and we praised them for their long battery lives and beautiful displays. If you’re looking for a one-hand friendly phone, go with the S20, but the S20+ has a slightly more versatile camera system.
Google’s Pixel 4 XL is down to $550 for Cyber Monday, which is $50 cheaper than its previous record low. It may not be the newest Pixel smartphone, but there remain numerous reasons to like the 4 XL. It earned a score of 85 from us for its 90Hz display, speedy performance and great camera experience. You can also snag a Pixel 3a XL for only $300 today, too.
Both the Sonos One and Sonos One SL are on sale today — the One is down to $149 and the One SL is even cheaper at $129. These two speakers are almost identical, but the One SL doesn’t have any microphones, making it better for those that don’t care to use voice assistants like Alexa or the Google Assistant. We gave the Sonos One a score of 90 for its excellent audio quality, attractive design and multi-room audio experience when connected to other Sonos speakers. But if you want an even richer sound experience, you can pick up the Sonos Five today for $100 less.
The high-end Roomba i7+ is down to $599 for Cyber Monday. You can pick it up at Amazon or use the code ENGADGET200 to get the same price at Wellbots. We gave the i7+ a score of 87 for its extra features and included Clean Base, which is an attached garbage of sorts into which the vacuum automatically empties its bin after each cleaning. If you don’t think you’ll need the Clean Base, you can get just the robo-vac (dubbed the Roomba i7) for $399 today, too.
Samsung’s EVO Select microSDXC card in 256GB is down to $25, which is $3 cheaper than it was during Amazon Prime Day last month. While you can find microSD cards for less, EVO is a reliable brand and we like you also get a full-sized adapter with this one. There are also discounts on the same cards in 512GB and 128GB capacities.
Our favorite pair of ANC headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM4, is on sale for $278, an all-time low since they debuted a few months ago. These are some of the best wireless noise-cancelling headphones you can get, but they’re quite expensive at their normal $348 price tag. We gave them a score of 94 for their excellent active noise-cancellation tech, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.
Is this technically a deal? No, but it’s a good opportunity to grab a special Switch console while it’s still available. This Fortnite Wildcat edition was previously only available in Europe , but now you can grab it at Best Buy. It includes a Switch with yellow and blue Joy-Cons, a dock with a unique design, Fortnite already installed, 2,000 V-Bucks, and a download code for The Wildcat Bundle.
Amazon updated the Echo Dot this fall and now we’re seeing its first major discount. The new Echo Dot is down to $29, which is 42 percent off its normal price. It has a new spherical design that’s refreshing to see after years of the hockey-puck design on the previous generation. We also liked its improved sound quality, 3.5mm audio jack and tap-to-snooze feature. If you want the convenience of a glanceable clock, the Echo Dot with clock is also on sale for $39.
Sony’s WHCH710N earned a spot on our list of favorite wireless headphones for their affordability, but they’re a steal at this Cyber Monday price of $88. Normally $198, these cans have dropped to $88 before but they’ve never been this low. We like them for their excellent, automatic noise-cancellation technology, good sound quality and 35-hour battery life.
The Kindle Paperwhite is one of our favorite e-readers and now it’s cheaper than ever at $85. It normally costs $129 and this is the same price it was during Amazon Prime Day in October. We gave it a score of 95 for its lovely, high-contrast display, waterproof design and new Audible support.
The original Lenovo Smart Clock is on sale for $35, which is the lowest we’ve seen it. It’s a compact Google Assistant smart display that also works well as a smart alarm clock. We gave it a score of 87 for its charming design, sunrise alarm feature and lack of a camera for extra privacy. If you want something a bit more basic, the Lenovo Smart Clock Essential is down to $25, which is another record low.
Amazon’s biggest and most capable Fire tablet is down to $80, which is a new all-time-low price. Normally priced at $149, we gave the Fire HD 10 a score of 88 for its 1080p display, solid performance and convenient hands-free Alexa support. Not only does the Fire HD 10 make a good media consumption devices, but with Show Mode, it can also double as an Echo Show-like device, responding to all of your Alexa commands.
A special GoPro Hero8 Black bundle is on sale for $299, down from $357. It includes the action cam, Shorty, a head strap, a 32GB SD card, and two rechargeable batteries, so it’s a good option if you want to get everything you might need to take killer videos in one go. We gave the Hero8 Black a score of 90 for its practical new design, improved stability and easy of use.
The Echo Show 5 has dropped to $45 again, which is 50 percent off its normal price. It’s one of the most versatile Alexa smart displays thanks to its compact size that features a 5-inch touchscreen. We gave it a score of 85 for its sunrise alarm feature (which helps it work as a smart alarm clock), great sound quality and physical camera shutter. You’re also able to bundle it with a Blink Mini camera for only $5 extra.
Roku’s new Streambar came out last month and it’s already on sale for $100, which is $30 off its normal price. It’s a smaller version of Roku’s full-sized smart soundbar, which ups the ante of your TV’s audio while also including 4K HDR streaming technology inside. It earned a score of 86 from us for its compact design, great audio quality for movies and TV, Dolby Audio support and Bluetooth-speaker capabilities.
The Sonos Beam is $100 off right now, which is an all-time low. That brings it down to $299, which is a record low price. If you don’t have the space to spare for the full-sized Sonos Arc, this is the next best thing to get. We gave it a score of 85 for its excellent sound quality and AirPlay 2 plus Alexa support.
This $969 sale price is an all-time low for the 65-inch Vizio P-Seres 4K smart TV. It will reach up to 1,100 nits of brightness and it supports Full Array with local dimming, Dolby Vision HDR and the company’s Quantum Color technology. If you go through GameStop, you’ll get a $50 GameStop e-gift card with your purchase.
LG’s 55-inch CX OLED smart TV is down to $1,399, which is the lowest we’ve ever seen it. The 65-inch model is at an all-time low, too. LG launched both of these TVs earlier this year and, in addition to giving you all the great features OLED has to offer, they also have 120Hz refresh rates and support for NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync.
A long-time favorite, the Roku Streaming Stick+, has dropped to $30. That’s only $1 more than a previous all-time-low price and a great deal if you’re looking for a compact yet powerful streaming device. It earned a spot in our holiday gift guide for its pocket-able design, 4K HDR streaming abilities and solid performance. If you don’t mind a larger device if it means getting more power, the new Roku Ultra is also on sale, down to $70 from $100.
The all-new Fire TV Stick is discounted to $28, which is 30 percent off its normal price. This streaming stick only came out a few months ago and it features a faster processor, Dolby Atmos audio support and an Alexa voice remote. Both Fire TV Sticks on the other sides of the spectrum are on sale, too. The even more affordable Fire TV Stick Lite is now $18 and the Fire TV Stick 4K is on sale for $30.
The Fitbit Charge 4 is on sale for $100, which is $50 off its normal price. Fitbit released this wearable in the spring and it’s the best fitness tracker (not a smartwatch) that you can get from the company. We gave the Charge 4 a score of 82 for its accurate built-in GPS, standard Fitbit Pay and multi-day battery life.
Look, there's a slim chance we'll actually be riding anything at the soon-to-open Super Nintendo World, but we can still marvel at it from afar.
Set to open Feb 4. at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, the brand new Mario-themed park – which has been several years in the making – has a shiny new trailer to go with the date announcement. You'll spy several of the park's areas including Bowser's Castle, where you'll find Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, the world's first interactive Mario Kart theme park ride.
IGN Japan took a walk around the park, and noted that each kart has four seats, an AR headset for each rider, and a steering wheel that allows you to "drive" through the Mushroom Kingdom, where you can "throw shells" at other racers, just like the game. Read more...
UK cellular operators will be banned from installing Huawei 5G equipment after September 2021, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has announced. The government also released a roadmap to eliminating Huawei-built telecom gear by 2027.
"Today I am setting out a clear path for the complete removal of high risk vendors from our 5G networks," said Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden in a statement. "This will be done through new and unprecedented powers to identify and ban telecoms equipment which poses a threat to our national security."
The UK has reversed tack on its Huawei strategy, having said earlier this year that it wouldn’t yield to US pressure to block Huawei tech from its 5G networks. In July 2020, the government revealed that it was working on proposals to ban the use of new Huawei 5G gear and accelerate the removal of equipment already in place. That decision followed the introduction of US sanctions in May that banned American technology from Huawei products.
Earlier this month, Huawei asked the UK to backtrack on that decision, with VP Victor Zhang saying the decision was “motivated by US perceptions of Huawei and not those of the UK.” The company added that the restrictions will negatively affect Britain by increasing costs and “deepen[ing] the digital divide.”
The UK government also unveiled a new “5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy” designed to bring new vendors into the 5G telecom market. That includes the establishment of a £250 million ($332 million) National Telecoms Lab among other measures. “We are also publishing a new strategy to make sure we are never again dependent on a handful of telecoms vendors for the smooth and secure running of our networks,” Dowden said.
If you're on a romantic hiking trip through the snowy wilderness, the last thing you want is company — especially if that company comes in the form of an unseen shooter aiming their laser sight at your chest.
In the Netflix teaser above for Alain Darborg's Swedish thriller, a young couple and their dog are out camping when a red dot appears on the canvas of their tent. But when they shout into the darkness outside, there's no reply.
Cue a desperate dash through the snow as they try and outrun an unseen hunter who's stalking them through the remote wilderness. Just please don't tell us the dog dies, OK? Read more...
TL;DR: Boost your home's WiFi signal with a Google WiFi Router, on sale for $84.99 as of Nov. 30.
It’s 2020 and many of us are still struggling with slow internet speeds. Until now, it might not have been a big deal. But now that many of us rely on our WiFi to connect to our work servers, communicate with friends and family, and even work out, it’s more important than ever to have a strong signal.
Google WiFi is a scalable connected system that replaces your existing router to provide you a consistently strong signal and ensure that your entire home is covered in WiFi. If your internet speed is slower than 250Mbps or if you have a home with a lot of dead zones, this is an excellent way to get better coverage throughout your entire space. Read more...
