Save $215 on a bundle package of NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV

SAVE $215: A bundle package of NFL Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV will save viewers a total of $215. The year-long NFL Sunday Ticket price is coming in at a discounted $179 per year in combination with YouTube TV on sale for $57.99 per month for the first three months.

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Credit: YouTube TV

NFL Sunday Ticket (annual subscription) + YouTube TV

$352.97 at YouTube TV
$576.97 Save $224.00

We're a few quick months away from kickoff of the 2024-2025 NFL season. If you struggled last year with watching out-of-network games and have promised yourself that this year will be different, today's deal at YouTube TV is about to make your life much easier.

Until May 16, a bundled package of NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV saves you a total of $215. The annual membership to NFL Sunday Ticket package is just $179, marked down form the usual price of $349, while the first three months of YouTube TV is $57.99, marked down from the normal price of $72.99 per month. In total, you'll be saving $215 on the bundled package compared to buying the two separately.

Instead of inviting yourself over to a friend's house to watch this season's games, NFL Sunday Ticket gives you access to over 160 out-of-market Sunday games per season. Fair warning that your friends might now all be piling into your living room once you have access!

On top of NFL Sunday Ticket, this deal discounts the monthly fee of YouTube TV for the first three months. Not only does YouTube TV include over 100 live channels like NBC, ABC, and CBS, it gives you access to NFL pre-season content you'll want to tune into. YouTube TV also includes 36 Sunday and Monday night football games per season as well as playoffs and the Super Bowl.

Instead of fumbling to figure out how to watch this season's games, sign up for the bundle of NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV to catch hundreds of games, the playoffs, and the Super Bowl — all from the comfort of your own home.

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How to watch the Women's Super League online for free

The Women's Super League continues to grow in popularity, and it's easy to see why. There are so many intense rivalries, star players, and intriguing storylines playing out every week. And you can watch some of the biggest fixtures without spending anything.

If you're interested in watching the Women's Super League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Women's Super League?

The Women's Super League (WSL) is the highest level of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features 12 professional teams. Chelsea are the current WSL champions after winning their sixth title last year.

How to watch the Women's Super League for free

Sky Sports has the rights to show two games a week, but it's not free. That's frustrating news for fans without a subscription, but the good news is that there are free alternatives on offer.

The BBC will broadcast one game from each round of fixtures, with free streaming available on BBC iPlayer.

And it gets better, because any games that are not shown on BBC or Sky Sports will be available to watch for free on the FA Player. All you have to do is sign up at www.faplayer.tv or via the app to gain full access to live matches.

The FA Player is available internationally, so anyone can watch the WSL with this free streaming platform. The same can't be said for BBC iPlayer. This popular service will block your access if you attempt to connect from outside the UK, so if you want to watch the WSL on BBC iPlayer from abroad, you'll need to use a VPN.

VPNs can hide your digital location and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can access BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world. The process is actually really simple:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch the Women's Super League on BBC iPlayer

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free)

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By making the most of these offers, you can unblock BBC iPlayer without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch multiple WSL fixtures on BBC iPlayer before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking BBC iPlayer. There are decent alternatives like NordVPN and Surfshark, but ExpressVPN leads the way. This high-speed service is the top choice for streaming, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 94 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to five simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This heavily discounted plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch the Women's Super League from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

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The excellent and customizable Arc Browser is now fully available on Windows

The popular Arc Browser has been wowing macOS and iOS users for years, and now it’s finally available for Windows users. The Windows version of The Browser Company’s software had been in beta since December. The only caveat? The web browser is only available for Windows 11, though a Windows 10 version is on the way.

While a direct competitor to browsers like Chrome and Edge, Arc is actually quite unique. It features a collapsible sidebar with vertical tabs and bookmarks, so there are no tabs up top. This gives users a clean view of the actual website they’re visiting, without any unnecessary clutter. It also lets people build spaces to keep things organized, which kind of works like folders on a desktop. Looking for recipes and applying for jobs at the same time? Just dump tabs and research from the former into one space and the latter into another space.

The Peek feature lets users preview a link before opening it and Little Arc opens up a lightweight browser window for viewing something quickly and with minimal memory usage. There’s a bit of a learning curve with Arc, given we’ve been using browsers in the same exact way for decades, but that’s been worth it for many users.

It’s also ultra-customizable, making for the kind of personalized experience that isn’t available with rival browsers. Arc actually lets users customize the look of any website they visit, so people can take their aggression out on Engadget by turning the site neon green or changing the font to something hideous. Folks can even highlight entire sections and delete them from view. As an added bonus, Chrome plugins work with Arc, making for an easy migration.

Engadget / Nathan Ingraham

Another big thing here is Swift integration. Arc actually runs on Swift, which is a programming language created by Apple for building apps for iOS, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch. So by bringing Arc to Windows, the Browser Company is also bringing Swift to Windows for the first time.

This means that third parties will, eventually, be able to build Windows applications using Swift. This programming language is considered by some to be faster and more efficient than, say, Python and the like. The company’s been working on bringing Swift to Windows computers for six years, with company engineer Saleem Abdulrasool calling it “an effort of love.”

The Browser Company promises this is just the beginning of Arc on Windows. It says there will be regular performance improvements and new features “dropping in the coming weeks and months.” In the meantime, the browser’s free if people want to give it a looksie.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/a2wNKbn
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iOS 18 tipped to redesign 4 apps — 'Photos' is one of them

The iOS 18 hype train is building up speed.

Apple's next iteration of iPhone software is set to be announced at WWDC 2024 in June, but as always, we're learning a lot about it ahead of time. The latest scoop comes from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who claimed in his latest Power On newsletter that four key iOS apps are getting revamped or redesigned for iOS 18.

Which iOS 18 apps are getting big changes?

According to Gurman, the following built-in apps are getting significant updates:

• Fitness

• Mail

• Photos

• Notes

SEE ALSO: iPhone password reset attacks are real – how to protect yourself

Unfortunately, Gurman didn't go into specific details about what to expect from the aforementioned changes. However, that doesn't mean we're completely out of luck. Thanks to leaks and industry whispers, we can make some educated guesses. Recent rumors suggest that the Notes app could get mathematical notation and built-in voice memos, putting it more on par with Microsoft's OneNote app.

Between that and a rumored partnership with OpenAI for on-device AI features, Apple seems to be building toward changes that could fundamentally affect how one uses an iPhone. Or, they could be features you use once and never think about again. We'll find out later this year.

via IFmashable.com

The iPad Air is $200 off — its lowest price ever

Save $200: The Apple iPad Air is available for its lowest price ever at Best Buy. This limited time deal saves you 33% off the 5th generation tablet.

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Credit: Apple

iPad Air 2022 (64 GB)

$399.99 at Best Buy
$599.99 Save $200.00

A new generation of iPad is hotly anticipated, and expected to finally drop on May 7th after its release was pushed back several months. In the meantime, the iPad Air 5th generation is still available, offering powerful performance at a lower price than the iPad Pro.

The already affordable model is now available at its lowest price thanks to this Best Buy deal of the day. Today only, you can save $200 on the 64 GB tablet.

The iPad Air, which debuted in 2022, comes outfitted with an M1 chip that also powers the Apple Macbooks. In other words, this small tablet has all the power of a laptop in a compact size.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPad Air (2022) review: Sweet spot

Mashable's Stan Schroder applauded the device, awarding it a Mashable Choice Award, for its processing speed, high-quality selfie camera, and large displays. It possesses all the key features of the iPad Pro, but comes at a lower price.

What the iPad Air lacks is storage. 64 GB might be fine for most, but gives limited space for downloading shows and movies to stream off of WiFi. You can upgrade to a model offering 256 GB, but it'll cost you. Unfortunately, Best Buy's deal only covers the 64 GB model.

With the release of the next generation iPad Air right around the corner, now is the time to grab Apple's current model for its lowest price at just $399.99.

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OpenAI hit with another privacy complaint over ChatGPT’s love of making stuff up

OpenAI has been hit with a privacy complaint in Austria by an advocacy group called NOYB, which stands for None Of Your Business. The complaint alleges that the company’s ChatGPT bot repeatedly provided incorrect information about a real individual (who for privacy reasons is not named in the complaint), as reported by Reuters. This may breach EU privacy rules.

The chatbot allegedly spat out incorrect birthdate information for the individual, instead of just saying it didn’t know the answer to the query. Like politicians, AI chatbots like to confidently make stuff up and hope we don’t notice. This phenomenon is called a hallucination. However, it’s one thing when these bots make up ingredients for a recipe and another thing entirely when they invent stuff about real people.

The complaint also indicates that OpenAI refused to help delete the false information, responding that it was technically impossible to make that kind of change. The company did offer to filter or block the data on certain prompts. OpenAI’s privacy policy says that if users notice the AI chatbot has generated “factually inaccurate information” about them that they can submit a “correction request”, but the company says that it “may not be able to correct the inaccuracy in every instance”, as reported by TechCrunch.

This is bigger than just one complaint, as the chatbot’s tendency toward making stuff up could run afoul of the region’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which governs how personal data can be used and processed. EU residents have rights regarding personal information, including a right to have false data corrected. Failure to comply with these regulations can accrue serious financial penalties, up to four percent of global annual turnover in some cases. Regulators can also order changes to how information is processed.

“It’s clear that companies are currently unable to make chatbots like ChatGPT comply with EU law, when processing data about individuals,” Maartje de Graaf, NOYB data protection lawyer, said in a statement. “If a system cannot produce accurate and transparent results, it cannot be used to generate data about individuals. The technology has to follow the legal requirements, not the other way around.”

The complaint also brought up concerns regarding transparency on the part of OpenAI, suggesting that the company doesn’t offer information regarding where the data it generates on individuals comes from or if this data is stored indefinitely. This is of particular importance when considering data pertaining to private individuals.

Again, this is a complaint by an advocacy group and EU regulators have yet to comment one way or the other. However, OpenAI has acknowledged in the past that ChatGPT “sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers.” NOYB has approached the Austrian Data Protection Authority and asked the organization to investigate the issue.

The company is facing a similar complaint in Poland, in which the local data protection authority began investigating ChatGPT after a researcher was unable to get OpenAI’s help with correcting false personal information. That complaint accuses OpenAI of several breaches of the EU’s GDPR, with regard to transparency, data access rights and privacy.

There’s also Italy. The Italian data protection authority conducted an investigation into ChatGPT and OpenAI which concluded by saying it believes the company has violated the GDPR in various ways. This includes ChatGPT’s tendency to make up fake stuff about people. The chatbot was actually banned in Italy before OpenAI made certain changes to the software, like new warnings for users and the option to opt-out of having chats be used to train the algorithms. Despite no longer being banned, the Italian investigation into ChatGPT continues.

OpenAI hasn’t responded to this latest complaint, but did respond to the regulatory salvo issued by Italy’s DPA. “We want our AI to learn about the world, not about private individuals,” the company wrote. “We actively work to reduce personal data in training our systems like ChatGPT, which also rejects requests for private or sensitive information about people.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/iBRqmjZ
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Rabbit R1: 7 things it can do that steals ChatGPT's shine

The Rabbit R1 shook up the tech world as it hit the scene with a bright orange chassis and a promise to save us from the chaos of navigating countless apps.

If you don't know what the Rabbit R1 is, or why the internet is going crazy over the device, it's an AI assistant that can fit in your palm. However, what makes it different from ChatGPT and Gemini is that it's designed to take action on your behalf.

For example, ChatGPT and Gemini can answer, "What's the best pizzeria in my area?" However, if you were to ask, "Can you place an order for a pepperoni pizza from this place?", you'd get the equivalent of a blank stare from those assistants.

Conversely, in addition to an LLM (large language model), an LAM (large action model) underpins Rabbit R1. So if you were to ask it that same question, it would actually take action — and order it for you. I'll dive into the Rabbit R1's capabilities, but first, let's take a step back.

SEE ALSO: Humane Ai Pin reviews: Top 5 common complaints about the 'smartphone killer'

Rabbit R1 price

The Rabbit R1 is just $199, making it relatively inexpensive compared to other AI assistant devices (e.g., the $699 Humane Ai pin).

Unlike the Humane Ai pin, the Rabbit R1 doesn't require a monthly subscription.

Rabbit R1 release date

The first batch of Rabbit R1 orders are expected to start shipping some time "around April 24."

Rabbit hosted a "pick up party" on April 23, allowing some buyers, even if they're not within the first batch, to grab their new Rabbit R1 at a location in New York City — but only if they RSVP'd in time.

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If you are in batch 2, orders will begin shipping in early May, with batch 3 shipping "shortly thereafter," according to a Rabbit support post.

Orders after batch 3, including batch 4, batch 5, batch 6, and batch 7, will begin shipping in between June and July.

Rabbit R1 design

The Rabbit R1 is a compact, cute, pocketable gadget with a 2.88-inch screen. This bright-orange device is striking, featuring a rotating camera (i.e., the "Rabbit Eye"), an analog scroll wheel, and a push-to-talk button.

Credit: Rabbit Inc.

If I were to get the Rabbit R1 in my hand, I'd instinctively want to play 8-bit games on it. It looks like a retro-esque handheld gaming device à la the Playdate, another brightly colored, squarish gadget.

Rabbit R1 specs

Here's a quick rundown of the Rabbit R1's specs:

• 2.88-inch touchscreen

• 360-degree rotating camera

• 2.3GHz MediaTek processor

• 4GB of RAM

• 128GB of storage

• Speaker (on the back)

• SIM card slot (for a 4G LTE connection)

• All-day battery life (reportedly) via USB-C charging

Rabbit R1: 7 cool things it can do

Now here comes the fun part. What, exactly, can the Rabbit R1 do? The list appears to be endless.

Credit: Rabbit Inc.

However, based on the X account of Jesse Lyu, the CEO of Rabbit Inc., here are some of its most noteworthy capabilities.

1. Generate AI images

Lyu boasts that you can use Rabbit R1 to generate AI images (via Midjourney) without shelling out a monthly fee.

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2. Identify objects and answer questions about them

Watch Lyu point his Rabbit R1 at a pair of sneakers and ask who makes them.

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3. Listen and summarize

Lyu commands the Rabbit R1 to listen to his own lecture and summarize it an easy-to-digest manner.

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4. Problem solving with the 'Rabbit Eye'

In this mind-blowing use case, Lyu tells the Rabbit R1 that he's having trouble with his Nest thermostat — and the AI device proceeds to identify the issue.

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5. Translate text

Watch the Rabbit R1 translate text on a KitKit bar into English. This could be a useful tool for travel, particularly while visiting countries with languages that are foreign to you.

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6. Order DoorDash

Putting the LAM to the test, Lyu shows how the Rabbit R1 ordered KFC on his behalf.

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7. Play music

The Rabbit R1 can play music and podcasts via voice commands.

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And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Mashable will be at the Rabbit R1 pick-up party. Expect a review on the Rabbit R1 soon — we'll be testing how well these features work in the real world.

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Credit: Amazon

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

$299.00

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Thousands of explicit AI 'girlfriend' ads found on Meta platforms

Meta has begun pushing AI on Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp — so much so that you can't turn Meta AI off. As it turns out, the tech giant's own features aren't the only AI proliferating on Meta's platforms. Explicit ads for AI "girlfriends" are populating Facebook and Instagram, Wired reported.

Searches by Wired found that at least 29,000 ads for explicit AI "girlfriends" have been published on Meta platforms, most with sex-related messaging; at least 19,000 ads have the term "NSFW" and 14,000 "NSFW AI." Wired conducted searches on Meta's ad library, which can display all ads currently on its platforms; all ads shown in the EU in the last year; and ads from the past seven years related to elections, politics, or social issues.

SEE ALSO: Here's how the TikTok ban will likely play out in the courts

These explicit ads appear to violate Meta's adult content advertising policy, which bans advertisers from running ads that "contain adult content, such as nudity and depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions, or activities that are overly suggestive or sexually provocative." Facebook and Instagram's community guidelines ban nudity and anything the platform sees as "offering sexual services." These platforms also ban sexual language in instances of sexual solicitation (or perceived solicitation), even "commonly sexual emojis."

For years, sex workers — and also sex educators, LGBTQ users, erotic artists, and the like — have said that Meta unfairly targets their content and accounts due to these policies. Such users have told Mashable that they feared targeting under Meta community guidelines; Instagram shadowbans LGBTQ and sex educator accounts; and that Whatsapp bans sex worker accounts. In one experiment conducted by sexual wellness brand Unbound last fall, Meta repeatedly rejected sex toy ads targeted for women, while approving ones targeted for men. Last November, Mashable reported that Meta allegedly rejected a period care ad for being adult or political.

Yet, these NSFW AI "girlfriend" ads apparently skate through. Wired's report isn't the first instance of ads for explicit AI apps showing up on Meta: Deepfake ads featuring Jenna Ortega and other celebrities ran on Meta platforms as well.

When Wired contacted Meta about this, 2,700 AI "girlfriend" ads were active. Meta spokesperson Ryan Daniels told Wired that the company prohibits such ads and were reviewing them, and would remove those that violated its policies. "When we identify violating ads we work quickly to remove them, as we're doing here,” he told Wired. "We continue to improve our systems, including how we detect ads and behavior that go against our policies."

Still, the publication found that thousands of these ads were still active days later.

Mashable has reached out to Meta for comment.

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FTC accuses Amazon executives of using Signal to auto-delete messages

For years, Signal has been the go-to messaging app for private communications. The federal government now believes Amazon was using that power inappropriately.

According to the Washington Post, the Federal Trade Commission accused top Amazon executives, including former CEO Jeff Bezos, of using Signal's automatic message deletion feature to hide communications, even after the FTC ordered it to keep those messages around. Amazon was apparently supposed to stop deleting messages after it was notified that the FTC was investigating it for antitrust violations.

SEE ALSO: What is Signal? The basics of the most secure messaging app.

The FTC's allegation centers around the fact that these deleted messages are indeed gone forever, even if it's possible to see when a user did or didn't turn on the message deletion feature.

"From the messages that were not deleted, it is apparent that Amazon executives used Signal to talk about competition-related business issues," the court document read, per Engadget.

Signal has been widely used by activists and data security enthusiasts to conceal communications from prying eyes for years now. Messages benefit from end-to-end encryption on the app, meaning that only the users in the chat room can see them. Disappearing messages are set to automatically go away after a certain amount of time, in the event that the device with the messages on them is taken or compromised.

From a purely self-serving point of view, Bezos and company did the smart thing. In terms of cooperating with the FTC, however, they may have messed up a bit.

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Google asks court to reject the DOJ’s lawsuit that accuses it of monopolizing ad tech

Google filed a motion on Friday in a Virginia federal court asking for the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against it to be thrown away. The DOJ sued Google in January 2023, accusing the company of monopolizing digital advertising technologies through “anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct.” Per Bloomberg, Google is now seeking summary judgment to avoid the case going to trial in September as planned.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said at the time the lawsuit was first announced that Google “has used anticompetitive, exclusionary, and unlawful conduct to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies.” The lawsuit alleges that Google controls digital advertising tools to such an extent that it “pockets on average more than 30 percent of the advertising dollars that flow through its digital advertising technology products,” according to a press release from the agency last year.

Google now argues that that the DOJ hasn’t shown that the company controls at least 70 percent of the market, which some previous cases have used as the threshold for qualifying as a monopoly, and that the agency “made up markets specifically for this case,” according to Bloomberg, excluding its major competitors like social media platforms. The company also claims the DOJ’s case goes “beyond the boundaries of antitrust law,” Reuters reports.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/TCUwW2o
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Random Apple ID password resets are plaguing the internet

Apple got the weekend off to a weird start for some of its users.

As has been reported at 9to5Mac and The Verge, a strange problem is occurring for some users of Apple devices. Namely, folks are finding that their Apple ID accounts have been logged out and they need to log back in. For at least some of these users, logging back in with the original password actually locks you out of the account until you change the password to something else.

SEE ALSO: iPhone password reset attacks are real – how to protect yourself

The especially unusual part is that Apple's system status webpage doesn't show anything wrong with its services, and the company hasn't said anything about this publicly yet. But something is clearly wrong if this many people on social media are complaining about it.

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All of this is to say: Don't be surprised if your Apple device starts acting funky this weekend.

via IFmashable.com

Some Apple users say they’ve been mysteriously locked out of their accounts

Something is up with Apple ID this weekend. As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple users started complaining online last night that they’d been logged out of their Apple IDs on all of their devices without explanation. Upon trying to log back in, some say they were locked out of their accounts despite entering the correct details, and had to reset their passwords. Engadget has reached out to Apple for more information.

I was mid FaceTime with @milesabovetech and my Apple account got locked and signed out of all of my Apple products

tf is happening

— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) April 26, 2024

Apple hasn’t said anything publicly about what’s going on, and its System Status page makes no mention of problems with Apple ID or any other systems in the last 24 hours. In a Mastodon post spotted by The Verge, one person said Apple support told them only that “sometimes random security improvements are added to your account.” It’s unclear how many users have been affected, though people have piled onto social media threads about the issue to say they’ve experienced it too. According to 9to5Mac, some of the publication’s own team have run into the problem.

While the issue seemed to have heightened on Friday night, there have been sporadic reports of similar problems in the recent past. Software developer Michael Tsai published a blog post about the latest incident and referenced a time just last fall when the same thing happened.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/vXdkjtH
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Grab a Fitbit fitness tracker at Amazon for up to 53% off

Whether you're new to fitness tracking or are looking for an upgrade from your current model, Amazon has several Fitbits on sale today.

Best Fitbit deals at Amazon today

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Best deal on an advanced Fitbit

Fitbit Sense 2

$139.96 at Amazon with on-page coupon (save $159.99)

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Best deal on a smaller-sized Fitbit

Fitbit Charge 6

$139.95 at Amazon (save $20)

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Best deal on a Fitbit for kids

Fitbit Ace 3 (black/racer red)

$39.95 at Amazon (save $39.05)

Fitness trackers do far more than just count your steps. These days, the devices can help determine if you're getting enough sleep, give an overview of average heartrate, and track your workouts with GPS.

If you've been considering buying a Fitbit fitness tracker, Amazon's discounted prices might help out with your decision. Here are some great Fitbit deals to shop today.

Best deal on an advanced Fitbit

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Credit: Fitbit

Our pick: Fitbit Sense 2

$139.95 at Amazon
$299.95 Save $160.00

Why we like it

The Fitbit Sense 2 is on sale for just $139.95 at Amazon with the on-page coupon, marked down from the normal price of $299.95, which translates to a 53% discount. This model comes with some pretty special extras like insights into sleep, a smart wake alarm, and a stress-management score.

Of course, you'll get other fitness tracker features like heart rate readings, GPS, and a daily readiness score to help you plan the day's workout. In addition to the Fitbit Sense 2, you'll also get a six-month Fitbit Premium membership for more advanced analysis.

Best deal on a smaller-sized Fitbit

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Credit: Fitbit

Our pick: Fitbit Charge 6

$139.95 at Amazon
$159.95 Save $20.00

Why we like it

If you prefer the look and feel of a smaller fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 6 could be perfect, and it's currently on sale for just $139.95 at Amazon. While smaller in size, it performs well in terms of function. You'll get up to seven days of battery life while the watch tracks your fitness goals, sleep, and heart rate. The Fitbit Charge 6 has automatic exercise tracking, so you don't have to worry about starting or stopping tracking while out on a run, walk, or bike ride. It's also water resistant up to about 150 feet, so you'll have no trouble with taking this watch to swim laps at the local pool this summer.

Along with the Fitbit Charge 6, this deal includes two watch bands, size small and size large, so you can find the most comfortable fit.

Best deal on a Fitbit for kids

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Credit: Fitbit

Our pick: Fitbit Ace 3 (black/racer red)

$39.95 at Amazon
$79.00 Save $39.05

Why we like it

If your kids notice your fitness tracker and want in on the fun, the Fitbit Ace 3 is designed for kids ages six and up. Today's deal brings the black/racer red colorway of the Ace 3 to just $39.95, down from the normal price of $79, which means you'll be saving 49%.

Fitbit animated the clock face of the Fitbit Ace 3 to grow and develop as kids move around throughout the day and get closer to reaching personal goals. The fitness tracker also monitors sleep, helping kids with bedtime reminders and silencing alarms. The tracker is also water resistant so a summer day spent at the pool or the beach is no problem.

via IFmashable.com

Threads is getting its own Hidden Words feature

Meta is bringing some of its existing safety features to Threads, including the Hidden Words tool. The platform — which recently hit more than 150 million users — will now allow you to filter out words, phrases and even emojis, just like you can on Instagram.

Threads will have the setting on by default and filter out anything that it deems offensive, along with content that could be irrelevant or uninteresting. You can then add other things that you want to be filtered out, such as "weight loss," "assault" or a derogatory term. To add your own options, go to "manage custom words and phrases" and type in anything you're sick of seeing on Threads.

The platform is also testing two additional features: muting and quote controls. The first would allow you to mute notifications specifically for any interactions with your posts. This way, you could still get alerts about new followers or tags without seeing every response. Quote controls would let you choose who can quote your post and even let you unquote yourself. Meta has yet to announce when these two features might be available to all Threads users.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/L05rxJm
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FCC votes to restore net neutrality protections

The Federal Communications Commission has voted to reinstate net neutrality protections that were jettisoned during the Trump administration. As expected, the vote fell across party lines with the three Democratic commissioners in favor and the two Republicans on the panel voting against the measure.

With net neutrality rules in place, broadband service is considered an essential communications resource under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. That enables the FCC to regulate broadband internet in a similar way to water, power and phone services. That includes giving the agency oversight of outages and the security of broadband networks. Brendan Carr, one of the Republican commissioners, referred to the measure as an "unlawful power grab."  

Under net neutrality rules, internet service providers have to treat broadband usage in the same way. Users have to be provided with access to all content, websites and apps under the same speeds and conditions. ISPs can't block or prioritize certain content — they're not allowed to throttle access to specific sites or charge streaming services for faster service.

The FCC adopted net neutrality protections in 2015 during the Obama administration. But they were scrapped when President Donald Trump was in office. Back in 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to bring back the Obama-era rules, but the FCC was unable to do so for quite some time. The commission was deadlocked with two Democratic votes and two Republican votes until Anna Gomez was sworn in as the third Democratic commissioner on the panel last September. The FCC then moved relatively quickly (at least in terms of the FCC's pace) to re-establish net neutrality protections.

The issue may not be entirely settled. There may still be legal challenges from the telecom industry. However, the FCC's vote in favor of net neutrality is a win for advocates of an open and equitable internet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/DO24K3t
via engadget.com

Google has delayed killing third-party cookies from Chrome (again)

Google keeps promising to phase out third-party cookies on Chrome but not actually doing it. The company vowed to deprecate cookies back in 2020, pushing the date back to 2023 and then 2024. We did get some traction earlier this year, when Google disabled cookies for one percent of Chrome users, but those efforts have stalled. Now, the company says it won’t happen until next year.

It’s easy to drag Google for this but it’s not entirely in the company’s hands. The tech giant is working closely with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ensure that any tools it implements to replace the cookie’s tracking and measurement capabilities aren’t anti-competitive. These tools are known collectively as the Privacy Sandbox and Google says it has to wait until the CMA has had “sufficient time to review” results from industry tests that’ll be provided by the end of June.

Google’s Privacy Sandbox has stirred up some controversy in recent years. The proposed tools have drawn complaints from adtech companies, publishers and ad agencies, on the grounds that they are difficult to operate, don’t adequately replace traditional cookies and give too much power to Google. To that end, the company said that it recognizes “ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers.” This is another reason given for the delay until next year.

The CMA isn’t the only regulatory agency giving the side-eye to the current iteration of these Privacy Sandbox tools. The UK-based Information Commissioner’s Office drafted a report that indicated these tools could be used by advertisers to identify consumers, as suggested by the Wall Street Journal.

Those in the ad industry want to see cookies given the heave-ho, despite complaints about Privacy Sandbox. Drew Stein, CEO of adtech data firm Audigent, told Engadget that it’s time for Google “to deliver on the promise of a better ecosystem” by implementing its plans to eliminate third-party cookies.

The CMA, on the other hand, has indicated a willingness to keep third-party cookies in play, particularly if Google’s solution does more harm than good. Craig Jenkins, the CMA’s director of digital markets, recently said the organization would delay implementation of Privacy Sandbox tools if “we’re not satisfied we can resolve the concerns”, as reported by Adweek. We’ll see what happens in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/ykA3j50
via engadget.com

The 4 most advanced Roombas are at their lowest prices ever

SAVE UP TO 44%: As of April 23, several j Series Roombas have dropped to record low pricing at Amazon:

Best Roomba deals this week

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Most advanced Roomba

iRobot Roomba Combo j9+

$999 at Amazon (save $400.99)

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Next best mopping Roomba

iRobot Roomba Combo j7+

$699 at Amazon ($400.99)

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Most powerful Roomba under $600

iRobot Roomba j9+

$599 at Amazon ($300.99)

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Cheapest mopping Roomba with obstacle avoidance

iRobot Roomba Combo j5+

$449 at Amazon (save $350.99)

Many robot vacuum deniers are of the mindset that you shouldn't have to babysit your robot vacuum. And we don't blame them — the need to tidy up any rogue personal items before sending your robot vacuum out to clean is definitely a case for going the cordless vacuum route altogether.

SEE ALSO: Roomba models, explained: The 2024 guide to deciding which Roomba to buy

Amazon's current Roomba deals are your answer to that problem. As of April 23, four j Series Roombas with obstacle avoidance technology have dropped down to record-low pricing — one of them hitting this low for the first time ever. (This is all according to Amazon price tracker Camelcamelcamel.)

All of your options are less than $1,000, with the most affordable robovac dipping below $450. If you're on the fence about which one to buy, we're unpacking the differences between the Roomba Combo j9+, Roomba Combo j7+, Roomba j9+, or Roomba Combo j5+ below:

Most advanced Roomba

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Credit: iRobot

iRobot Roomba Combo j9+

$999.00 at Amazon
$1,399.99 Save $400.99

Why is it such a big deal to be able to score the best Roomba under $1,000? Let's unpack. While the Combo j9+ keeps the best parts of the older Roomba Combo j7+ that we loved during hands-on testing, like the retractable mopping pad that never needs to be removed or the ability to avoid small, pesky obstacles like cords and socks, the Combo j9+ also solves several gripes that we had with the Combo j7+.

First, it's simply better at cleaning: its new four-stage cleaning system delivers 100% stronger suction than the i Series Roombas, while its mopping pad scrubs back and forth with pressure to eat away at stubborn stains. Besides stellar cleaning, we'd also be remiss not to mention the dock — it's a chic end table on the outside and a home for self-emptying rubbish and a self-refilling water tank on the inside. It's got function and style.

Next-best mopping Roomba

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Credit: iRobot

iRobot Roomba Combo j7+

$699.00 at Amazon
$1,099.99 Save $400.99

If you'd rather save yourself an extra $300, the Combo j7+ will still be a solid addition to most homes, especially ones that don't have a ton of carpeting that needs to be deep cleaned. With the OG true hybrid Roomba, you're still securing iRobot's two best features: the mop that knows to levitate when it senses carpet and the technology that knows to steer clear when it senses small obstacles that it would get stuck on.

(Admittedly, the record-low pricing on the Combo j7+ is $698.99, so feel free to wait until Black Friday if you want to save an extra cent.)

Most powerful Roomba under $600

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Credit: iRobot

iRobot Roomba j9+

$599.00 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $300.99

Or maybe your home does have more carpeting than hard floors that would need to be mopped. In that case, your best bet is the Roomba j9+. Like the Combo j9+, this one vacuums with iRobot's strongest suction power yet — unlike the Combo j9+, it skips the water tank and mopping pad system completely to save you several hundred dollars.

Cheapest mopping Roomba with obstacle avoidance

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Credit: iRobot

iRobot Roomba Combo j5+

$449.00 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $350.99

The most affordable j Series Roomba in our list also happens to be the one at a price we've never seen before. For the first time, you can bring home iRobot's obstacle avoidance and mopping for less than $450.

The main differences between the Combo j5+ and the other mopping Roombas we just mentioned are that the Combo j5+ is a Swap and Mop model that requires you to manually click a water tank on and off to differentiate between mopping mode and regular vacuuming mode. The obstacle avoidance technology here is also slightly less meticulous, though the big pests (cords and pet waste) are still in the clear.

via IFmashable.com