For understandable reasons, people feel worn down by the volume and composition of the media coming at them. This simple but powerful tool can address precisely the media consumption ills that many find most aggravating,
Women in Tech: 20 Trailblazers Share Their Journeys
Successful women in the tech trenches share their insights and tackle subjects ranging from how to search out a strong mentor to how to be one -- from how to advance in a large company to how to start your own firm.
This book is an excellent guide for students considering STEM courses, graduates pondering job choices, and career changers at any stage in life. It's also a useful tool for school and career counselors, recruiters, and HR pros eager to diversify their workplaces.
Some 50 editors working for Microsoft's news operation have learned their contracts won't be renewed and their jobs will be performed by artificial intelligence software, according to reports.
Linuxfx 10: A Smart, Easy Way to Transition From Windows
Linuxfx 10 could provide businesses and consumers with a Windows 7-like experience that puts users on a smooth downhill path to Linux adoption. This OS offers a collection of specialized tools that make this unusual Linux desktop a very functional and easy-to-use option over other Linux distributions.
Jack Dorsey is CEO of not one company but two. In addition to Twitter, he runs Square, the leading mobile payments company. If you are buying services, you probably are paying for them over Square. Currently, one of the most powerful investors in Twitter is moving to have Dorsey fired, so he is also at personal risk.
A new virtual reality headset designed for mobility will serve as an entry point into a new virtual world. The $599 Mova headset from XRSpace, founded by former HTC chief Peter Chou, will support 5G.
For many people stuck at home, Internet connectivity issues became more troublesome in recent months. Does flaky Internet connectivity have you scrounging for solutions? Here are some tips to improve your home WiFi.
How to Stay Safe on the Internet: Fighting the Power
Any software or operator handling your communication controls it. Information security comes down to breaking this hold. To do that, you either excise intermediaries when that is possible, or you encrypt your connections through them when it isn't.
If your contact center agents are working from home, download this Remote Agent Checklist to ensure they can provide exceptional customer experience, no matter where they're based.
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After another extremely regular week, it's not really a surprise to be comforted by something familiar -- even if that something is a real-time strategy war game.
EA
I think my first Command & Conquer experience was on Sega Saturn, which quickly opened the door for its sequels and other games like Starcraft. While my reflexes are a little too slow to make an esports team at this point, this seems like a perfect time to take the 4K-ready Command & Conquer Remastered Collection for a spin now that it's available via Origin and Steam.
-- Richard
The Engadget Podcast: Twitter and Facebook's showdown with Trump
What a year this past week has been.
Engadget
Devindra and Cherlynn chat with Karissa Bell, Engadget's Senior Editor focusing on social media, about how Twitter and Facebook approached explosive posts by the president very differently.
Weber's SmokeFire smart grills just got a lot better
It's that time.
Baby Back Ribs cooked with SmokeBoost for about two hours.
Billy Steele/Engadget
Ready to go outside while still staying at home? A grill is a good excuse that still provides some social distance, and Billy Steele spoke to Weber CEO Chris Scherzinger about some updates that are making its smart grills better than ever. Most importantly, now you can set the temperature from your phone, and even shut the grill off remotely. Other tweaks have made push notifications more informative, and the algorithm won't freak out if you lift the lid to make a small change. Continue reading.
How to protect your identity while protesting police brutality
Don't forget your umbrella.
While there isn't a whole lot you can do against a cop with a can of mace and an itchy trigger finger, there are plenty of ways to protect your safety, identity and personal data when you're out exercising your First Amendment rights. Andrew Tarantola explains. Continue reading.
Our readers find Nintendo's Joy-Con controllers a crushing disappointment
Most of the writeups you submitted mention one major problem.
Engadget
We asked for Engadget readers to tell us about the experience with Nintendo's Joy-Cons, and you did not hold back. Kris Naudus has pulled together your entries to find some consensus, and while many of you liked them, joystick drift is just too frustrating. Continue reading.
The best deals we found this week: 16-inch MacBook Pro, PS Plus and more
Also on sale: Xbox Game Pass, SN30 Pro Wireless controller and the Tuff Nano SSD.
Engadget
June kicked off with a few good discounts on Apple products. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is $300 off at Amazon right now and the Apple Watch Series 3 costs only $180 at both Amazon and Walmart. Gamers will want to consider new deals on Sony's PlayStation Plus or PlayStation Now, as well as a Pixel 3a deal on Amazon that drops the price to $280.
Valentina Palladino has the full rundown for you, and for more updates on Twitter, be sure to follow the @EngadgetDeals account. Continue reading.
Unfortunately, I don't have a pair and can't offer an opinion. I made the poor choice of following Devindra Hardawar's advice and opted for the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones. Even though they're every bit as good as he said they would be, and they were on sale, a leaked listing from Walmart suggests an improved follow-up model is just around the corner. Don't you hate when that happens?
— Richard
Sonos Arc review
An upgrade worth the wait
Engadget
Meet the Arc, a completely redesigned soundbar that offers all that we've come to expect from recent Sonos products, plus Dolby Atmos audio. Billy Steele found the automatic setup was a breeze and that it delivered "stellar" sound for music and TV.
The only downsides? There's just one HDMI input, so we hope your TV has eARC technology or else you won't get most of the benefits. The soundbar by itself starts at $799, and as we've come to expect from Sonos, expanding your setup with satellites and a subwoofer can push the cost to over $1,800. Check out the full review to find out if it's worth it or if you may do better with a cheaper option. Continue reading.
Sony's next noise-canceling headphones have leaked early at Walmart
They were due an update.
Sony's 1000XM3 (left) vs the 1000XM2
Engadget
Sony's WH-1000XM3 headphones are due an upgrade, and there are hints it might be worth the wait. Walmart has prematurely listed the WH-1000XM4 with multiple major feature additions. To start, it would finally support multiple devices with easy switching — you'd only have two devices, but that might be fine if you just want to jump between your phone and PC.
Bluetooth makes the leap from 4.2 to 5.0 as well. Precise Voice Pickup, meanwhile, would address the XM3's lackluster voice quality using five microphones and "advanced audio signal processing" to improve sound for your call recipients. While they might well be listed by Walmart, there's no mention of a release date, but the $348 price is about what we'd expect these to retail at. Continue reading.
Riot is testing 'Valorant' on consoles — but don't get your hopes up
It's not yet sure if the experience 'translates completely to console play.'
Riot Games
Riot's next big hit, Valorant, is still PC-only, for now. The developers are currently prototyping a console version, however. The team is non-commital on whether it'll ever exist on your Xbox or PlayStation, but they're looking into it. The main challenge might be the disadvantage of playing a FPS-style game with a controller instead of the precision offered with a mouse and keyboard setup.
Many first-person and third-person shooters offer controller players aim-assist options to compensate for this — but some top Fortnite players recently raised concerns that aim assist in that game was far too powerful. For Valorant, which places a strong emphasis on aim and mechanical ability, striking the right balance for controller players might prove a problem. Continue reading.
Cowboy upgrades its e-bike with a carbon belt and puncture-resistant tires
The app has a load of new features, too.
Cowboy
Cowboy released its first e-bike last year, launching a ride with a unique removable battery. Now it's had an upgrade. First up, there's a new carbon belt (no oily chain, as per usual), this time provided by transmission supplier Gates. This is a well-known brand, so bike shops should be able to maintain the belt more easily.
Cowboy says it's good for 30,000 kilometers (18,641 miles), compared to the original bike's 15,000 (9,320 miles). The company has also tweaked the gears, with a lower gear ratio making it easier to get up hills, and introduced puncture-resistant tires. The trim had an upgrade, too, and the bike is now available in three colorways — absolute black and two shades of gray: anthracite and mineral. It's not a broad color range, but it's a range... I guess. Continue reading.
