Techtober isn’t over yet! Today, we’re gearing up to cover Microsoft’s Surface device event at its NYC store. Senior Editors Sam Rutherford and Devindra Hardawar will be watching the stream and jotting all of their thoughts down in this live blog. And once the stream is over, they’ll be on the ground to churn out some hands-on coverage of these new Surface devices. Stay tuned for some deeply nerdy (and hopefully fun!) Surface commentary.
It seems like Microsoft just can’t stop confirming Xbox partnerships this week. On Tuesday, Xbox Cloud Gaming support for Meta Quest 2 and some new Chromebooks was announced. Now, Microsoft has linked up with Apple to finally offer an Apple Music app on Xbox consoles.
As spotted by Eurogamer, you can snag the app on an Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S console by searching for it on consoles, or download it remotely from the Microsoft Store. As with other music apps on Xbox, such as Spotify and Pandora, you can listen to Apple Music in the background while you’re gaming. In the Apple Music app, you can watch music videos, follow time-synced lyrics while you listen and create playlists. You’ll be able to access curated gaming-focused playlists too.
Although Apple Music has been available on PlayStation 5 for the last year, Xbox users have had to wait until almost two years into the Xbox Series X/S lifecycle for the app. Apple TV, on the other hand, has been available on Xbox consoles since the Series X/S debuted in 2020.
The timing of Apple Music’s arrival on Xbox is definitely interesting. It comes just ahead of Microsoft’s big Surface event. Perhaps there will be a little more Xbox news to come out of that showcase.
Kindle e-readers are already on sale for Prime Day, but the offer just got sweeter if you’re looking to buy more than one. Amazon is offering an additional $20 off if you buy two of the latest Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle Oasis devices, including variants like the Kids models. You can get a reader for a loved one at a steep discount, for instance, or start your holiday shopping early.
We called the Kindle Paperwhite the best e-reader you can get, and for good reason. It offers an exceptionally easy-to-read display and wireless charging in a high-quality design. You have your choice of capacities, too, while the Kids editions include a 2-year “worry-free” warranty, a cover and a year’s subscription to Kids+ content. The Kindle Oasis, meanwhile, is the higher-end model with an auto-adjusting light, page turn buttons and free cellular data for grabbing books away from WiFi.
If there’s a catch, it’s that these e-readers won’t appeal to everyone. The upcoming Kindle Scribe is the spare-no-expense option with pen support and a big 10.2-inch display. At the other end of the spectrum, the new base model is easier to carry. At sale prices, though, the Paperwhite and Oasis are easy choices if you’re eager to share your love of reading with someone else.
Like furniture and other home essentials, IoT devices are often expensive and it can be hard to figure out which are right for your space. Thankfully, sales like this October Prime Day can help out with the first problem. A number of smart home devices…
It’s Microsoft’s turn to host a big fall hardware event and we’ll be following it every step of the way. You can keep up with the news as it happens by joining Engadget deputy editors Nathan Ingraham and Cherlynn Low on our livestream, which you can watch below. The event starts at 10AM ET.
On top of that, Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford will offer real-time insight and analysis on our liveblog. Of course, we’ll have full, in-depth coverage of the event on Engadget as well.
Unless something completely unexpected happens, Microsoft will have a bunch of Surface devices to show off. We’re expecting the company to reveal the Surface Pro 9. Rumors suggest you’ll be able to choose between a 12th-gen Intel Core CPU or a custom version of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 to power it. We’re anticipating the Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Studio 3 as well. Perhaps we’ll get a peek at the previously teased Project Volterra mini PC and some accessories as well. In any case, you’ll get your first look at what’s on offer right here:
Roku is expanding beyond home theater setups and into smart home devices. The initial batch of Roku Smart Home products, on which it collaborated with Wyze, includes a smart doorbell, cameras, smart bulbs, smart light strips and smart plugs.
The company didn’t reveal specs for the devices in advance, but previous reports suggested they are rebadged versions of Wyze products, including Cam v3, Cam Pan V2 and Bulb Color. The floodlight camera, video doorbell and indoor plug, for instance, look just like Wyze’s own offerings.
Roku’s versions, however, will tie into its other products and services. You’ll be able to use the Roku Voice Remote to bring up live camera feeds on your TV, for instance. Roku says the devices will support third-party voice assistants as well as its own.
Roku
In terms of security, Roku Smart Home devices will support two-factor authentication, user data encryption, secure boot and other features (Wyze came under flak when it emerged the company knew about a camera security flaw for three years). Roku is also offering a camera subscription plan that includes cloud video recording history, package delivery notifications, smart alerts and more.
Wyze products have become popular in part because of their relatively low prices. It doesn’t seem like Roku is drifting too far away from that approach. Roku didn’t offer a breakdown of pricing, but said its cameras “start below $27.”
Roku Smart Home devices are available starting today from the Roku and Walmart websites. They’ll also be in Walmart stores starting on October 17th.
Netflix ranks shows on its platform to give you an idea of what people have been watching recently — and sometimes, it releases hours viewed data for its most popular titles — but it’s been keeping its viewership numbers close to the vest. Starting in November, though, it will finally reveal how many people stream its shows, at least in the UK. The streaming giant has teamed up with BARB, a non-profit organization that measures TV ratings in the region, to give us a look at concrete streaming numbers. “BARB is the first industry-owned audience currency in the world that Netflix has joined,” the organization said in its announcement.
While Netflix shows regularly make an appearance in Nielsen’s streaming rankings, the two entities aren’t officially working together. In fact, Nielsen’s list doesn’t seem to match Netflix’s own Top 10 rankings at times. Reed Hastings, Netflix co-CEO said: “Back in 2019, at the RTS conference in Cambridge, I welcomed the idea of Netflix audiences being measured independently. We’ve kept in touch with BARB since then and are pleased to make a commitment to its trusted measurement of how people watch television in the UK.”
BARB will publish viewing figures for Netflix that can be compared to traditional broadcasters starting in the second week of November. The organization will report the service’s monthly reach and its share of total identified viewing. In addition to showing how the service is doing compared to traditional TV, BARB will also include shows across all the traditional channels and the streaming service providers that it works with in its weekly report of top 50 shows starting in November.
As The Guardian notes, this move suggests that Netflix believes being more forthcoming with its viewer numbers will show the company in a good light. People have long criticized the service for not publishing any viewership metric for flops. The secrecy surrounding its viewership numbers also means program creators (and fans) aren’t always sure if their shows are being watched or are in danger of being canceled.
Based on BARB’s preliminary figures from September, Netflix isn’t doing poorly in the UK at all. It’s the most accessed streaming service in the region. And while it’s nowhere near as watched as the BBC, it accounts for 8 percent of all TV viewing in UK, which is higher than some linear channels’, including Channel 4 and Sky.
Amazon’s October Prime Day on today is a good opportunity to grab deals ahead of Christmas, and Samsung products are particularly well represented. The company has a raft of products on sale ranging from smartphones to Watches to robovacs, along with monitors, TVs, appliances any other gadget you can think of. Highlights include all-time-lows on the Galaxy Flip 4 and Watch 5/Buds 2 bundles, a great sale on the Smart Monitor M8 and the cheapest prices we’ve seen yet on the 2TB 980 Pro SSD with heatsink.
Samsung’s arguably nicest foldable smartphone is the Galaxy Z Flip 4, and it’s on sale at some of the lowest prices we’ve seen yet. You can grab the 128GB unlocked version for just $800, or 20 percent off, an all-time low price. And if more storage is needed, the 256GB version is on sale at $860, also the lowest price we’ve seen so far.
Samsung’s other folding smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, is its best Fold model yet thanks to upgraded cameras, a brighter screen and a sleeker hinge. It’s also on sale for $1,390 for a very nice $410 (23 percent) discount.
Samsung’s Watch 5 is one of the best Android smartwatches available, while the Buds 2 are a solid upgrade over the previous model. You can grab both of those items in a bundle at an all-time low price of $300, for a savings of $130 or 30 percent.
If it’s more the Watch 5 Pro your looking for, with its extra battery life and chunky design, that’s also on sale in a bundle with the Galaxy Buds 2. Those two items are also on sale in a bundle at the lowest prices we’ve seen, just $470, for a savings of $130 or 22 percent.
Moving over the display products, Samsung’s popular Smart Monitor M8 offers not only high 4K HDR10+ quality, but works as a smart TV and smart home hub. It’s discounted $230 (32 percent) to $500.
Switching to storage, we have a number of interesting deals. Samsung’s 2TB 980 Pro SSD with Heatsink is discounted 48 percent to $210, tying its all-time-low price. And the 1TB model is marked at $122 or 47 percent off if you’re needs are more modest.
Meanwhile, there are several T7 portable SSD sales of note. The T7 Touch Portable SSD 500GB (1,050 MB/s) is available for just $70, for a savings of 33 percent. And the more rugged T7 Shield 2TB (also 1,050 MB/s) is priced at $171, for a savings of $119 or 41 percent. Finally, for microSD storage for phones, drones or action cams, the Samsung Pro Plus 128GB microSDXC card with 160MB/s read speeds is on sale for only $18, or 49 percent off the retail price.
TVs
Engadget
Last but not least, Samsung’s got a pair of solid deals on TVs. The 32-inch Class Frame QLED model with HDR and Alexa has dropped to $398 (17 percent off), to start with. And numerous other models, including Neo QLED QN series models from 55-75 inches, are seeing discounts up to 30 percent. And finally, Samsung’s Premiere Ultra Short Throw 2020 has dropped 29 percent to $2,498 for a savings of a cool $1,000.
Meta’s next-gen VR headset is here. With the Quest Pro, Meta is trying to combine the best things about both PC and standalone headsets to create a powerful, comfortable self-contained unit. With a per-eye resolution of 1,800 x 1,920, the Quest Pro has a higher pixel density than the Valve Index (1,440 x 1,600 per eye) and Meta’s own Quest 2. Meta has almost completely eliminated the usual visual artifacts of standalone VR displays. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford has tested it out, and he’s impressed. You can pre-order the Quest Pro now.
Engadget
The price might give you pause, though. At $1,500, it’s five times the price of a Quest 2. If you currently own a Quest 2, Meta has announced you’ll be able to play Xbox Cloud Gaming on your VR headset, displayed on a huge virtual screen. You won’t need to use the Quest controllers – your Xbox controller will work just fine.
Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale is on. This Prime Day “part two” is the second members-only sale of the year, and Prime subscribers will find thousands of items at record-low prices. Sure, there’s the usual barrage of Amazon hardware, but some of our top-rated tech is also heavily discounted. For example, Sony’s incredible noise-canceling headphones, the WH-1000XM5, are currently $348, the cheapest we’ve seen them so far. Click through for our curated highlights.
You probably don’t need all this power, but you will covet it.
Engadget
The RTX 4090 is a beast of a GPU, delivering the fastest performance we’ve ever seen in a consumer graphics card. In fact, it’s kind of hard to push it to its limits in 2022. But you’ll pay dearly for the privilege of owning one. If you’re looking for a good deal, it may be worth waiting to see the rest of NVIDIA’s 40-series lineup.
‘NASA has proven we are serious as a defender of the planet.’
NASA announced its experimental Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully altered the orbit of Dimorphos, a distant asteroid. The agency said DART’s impact shortened the asteroid’s orbit by 32 minutes. Before the September 26th collision, NASA estimated DART needed to change the orbital period of Dimorphos by 73 seconds or more to call the test a success. The spacecraft beat that benchmark by more than 25 times.
GM Energy will encompass home and office battery systems.
GM announced yesterday it’s expanding its battery portfolio into energy management services — think big stationary batteries to store rooftop-generated solar power on a home or business. The new venture will comprise three smaller ones: Ultium Home, Ultium Commercial and Ultium Charge 360. GM will work with companies like SunPower to develop and market an integrated home energy storage system that incorporates EVs with solar panels and battery banks to enable easy Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) power transfers.
Overwatch 2‘s launch was riddled with bugs, DDoS attacks and other issues. While the company has made progress to make the game playable — a lot of players couldn’t even log in at first — its work is far from done. It will hold several Double Match XP weekends to give players the chance to rack up points and rank up to unlock skins and other gear. It will also give players who log in from October 25th until season one ends a Reaper Legendary skin and a Health Pack Weapon Charm. Both items will automatically be added to people’s collections when they log in.
