Dominique Luchart's Blog, page 718
December 17, 2020
Here are the best Amazon Echo deals right now,
When it comes to the Echo smart speakers, Amazon has a slew of devices to choose from. With so many Echo devices currently available, there is a device for every occasion. Maybe you simply want to add Alexa to a room, or you are looking for an Echo device that will allow you to easily manage your other smart home products. Regardless of the reason, these are the best Echo deals currently available right now.
Amazon Echo Dot with LED displayPhoto by Dan Seifert / The VergeEcho Dot
This year, Amazon released the 4th generation of the Echo dot, which looks more like a sphere than an actual dot. But if you prefer the previous design, don’t worry — Amazon has not discontinued the 3rd-gen Echo Dot, which still retains the familiar dot shape.
Currently, the 3rd-gen Echo Dot gets frequent price drops, and right now you can get it for $25 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.
During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we saw the 4th-gen Echo Dot go down to its lowest price of $30. That deal is still available at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. If you buy the fourth-gen Echo Dot at Amazon, you get six months of Amazon Music Unlimited at no extra cost.
$30
$50
40% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
The fourth generation of the Echo Dot features a more spherical design than an actual dot.
$30
at Amazon
$30
at Best Buy
$30
at Target
The 4th-gen Echo Dot Kids Edition is by far the most adorable smart speaker on the market right now. The Kids Edition is as spherical as its adult version but is designed to look like a tiger or panda. The device also comes with a year of Amazon’s Kid Plus service, which provides access to a slew of kid-friendly content, like audiobooks and games.
Right now, you can get this device for $40 at Amazon, Best Buy (Tiger only), and Target (Panda only). If you purchase it on Amazon, you can also get six months of Amazon Music Unlimited at no additional cost.
$40
$60
34% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Amazon’s kid-centric Echo Dot device with parental controls and one year of Amazon’s Kid Plus service at no extra cost.
$40
at Amazon
$40
at Best Buy (Tiger only)
$40
at Target (Panda only)
Amazon Echo Dot (left) and Echo (right)Photo by Dan Seifert / The VergeThe 4th-gen Amazon Echo smart home hub has also gotten an updated look. Like the 4th-gen Echo Dot, the 2020 Amazon Echo also includes a sphere-shaped design, but it’s noticeably bigger than the Echo Dot.
If you are looking for just one Amazon Echo, it is down to its lowest price ever of $70 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. If you buy the Echo from Amazon, you also get six months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free.
If you are looking for two Amazon Echo devices, Best Buy is currently selling an Amazon Echo two-pack for $140, which knocks $60 off its normal retail price.
$70
$100
30% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Amazon’s latest Echo speaker takes a new approach to its design, opting for a spherical look rather than a cylinder. More notably, though, for the same price as the previous generation, it sounds much better.
$70
at Amazon
$70
at Best Buy
$70
at Target
Echo Show 5Photo by Dan Seifert / The VergeIf you are looking for an Echo device that functions more as a smart clock than an entertainment speaker, the Echo Show 5 is one of two smart displays to consider. The Echo Show 5 includes a 5.5-inch display, making it easy to fit just about anywhere inside your home. Not only does the device include a built-in camera, but there’s also a physical shutter on the device, allowing you to block the camera’s view while keeping the always-on microphone active.
The Echo Show 5 usually costs $90, but right now, you can buy the device at its best-ever price of $45 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.
$45
$90
50% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Amazon’s fully functional smart display that is more than just an alarm clock.
$45
at Amazon
$45
at Best Buy
$45
at Target
Echo Show 8Photo by Dan Seifert / The VergeAmazon’s Echo Show 8 features an eight-inch display; it costs $40 more than the Echo Show 5. When stacked up against the Google Nest Hub, which is its closest competitor in terms of price and functionality, the Echo Show 8 is the better option for a few reasons: it has a slightly larger display, better speakers, and a camera, allowing you to use it as a video chatting device.
Normally, this device costs $130, but it has seen some good price reductions in the past. We have seen the device go down as low as $65. But if you are looking to buy the device now, you can get it for just $80 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.
$80
$130
39% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Amazon’s $130 smart display featuring a bright and sharp eight-inch display. You can get this product for $105 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target right now.
$80
at Amazon
$80
at Best Buy
$80
at Target
Amazon’s Echo BudsPhoto by Chris Welch / The VergeLast year, Amazon released its first pair of true wireless earbuds: the Echo Buds. The Echo Buds offer superb sound quality, a comfy fit, and Bose’s noise reduction features. And of course, they also include Alexa.
Right now, you can get the Echo Buds, plus six months free of Amazon Music Unlimited, for just $80 at Amazon.
$80
$130
39% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Amazon’s Echo Buds offer features like Bose noise reduction, a customizable fit, and great audio at a lower price than options like the AirPods Pro.
$80
at Amazon
Amazon’s Echo StudioPhoto by Dan Seifert / The VergeIf you’re interested in an Alexa smart speaker with better audio quality and Dolby Atmos support, the Echo Studio is the Amazon product you may want to purchase.
There are no active deals right now for a new Echo Studio, but you can get it right now for its usual price of $200 at Amazon and Best Buy. There is, however a deal on a bundle at Best Buy, which includes an Echo Studio and a Fire TV Stick 4K for $240.
Echo Studio (Fire TV Stick 4K bundle)
$230
$250
8% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
A great-sounding smart speaker that features support for a slew of streaming music services. Right now, you can get the smart speaker, plus a Fire TV Stick 4K device at Best Buy for $230.
$230
at Best Buy
The post Here are the best Amazon Echo deals right now, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Watch live @ 3 pm ET: NASA’s ‘Great Conjunction’ guide to the Saturn-Jupiter ‘Christmas Star’, ,
NASA will broadcast a NASA Science Live episode at 3 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) to offer a detailed guide on how to see the “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn on Dec. 21. The event, a rare meeting of the planets, has been billed as a “Christmas Star” celestial sight.
Saturn and Jupiter will be at their closest in the night sky for the first time since 1623 on Dec. 21, but their last pairing was not visible to most observers on Earth. The event next week will be the first visible to most areas since 1226, nearly 800 years ago.
Video:
‘Great conjunction’ of Jupiter and Saturn is closest since 1623
Related:
Get ready for the ‘Great Conjunction’ of Jupiter and Saturn
Skywatchers are in for an end-of-year treat. What has become known popularly as the “Christmas Star” is an especially vibrant planetary conjunction easily visible in the evening sky over the next two weeks as the bright planets Jupiter and Saturn come together, culminating on the night of Dec. 21.
In 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope to the night sky, discovering the four moons of Jupiter – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. In that same year, Galileo also discovered a strange oval surrounding Saturn, which later observations determined to be its rings. These discoveries changed how people understood the far reaches of our solar system.
Thirteen years later, in 1623, the solar system’s two giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, traveled together across the sky. Jupiter caught up to and passed Saturn, in an astronomical event known as a “Great Conjunction.”
“You can imagine the solar system to be a racetrack, with each of the planets as a runner in their own lane and the Earth toward the center of the stadium,” said Henry Throop, astronomer in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “From our vantage point, we’ll be able to be to see Jupiter on the inside lane, approaching Saturn all month and finally overtaking it on December 21.”
The planets regularly appear to pass each other in the solar system, with the positions of Jupiter and Saturn being aligned in the sky about once every 20 years.
What makes this year’s spectacle so rare, then? It’s been nearly 400 years since the planets passed this close to each other in the sky, and nearly 800 years since the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter occurred at night, as it will for 2020, allowing nearly everyone around the world to witness this “great conjunction.”
The closest alignment will appear just a tenth of a degree apart and last for a few days. On the 21st, they will appear so close that a pinkie finger at arm’s length will easily cover both planets in the sky. The planets will be easy to see with the unaided eye by looking toward the southwest just after sunset.
From our vantage point on Earth the huge gas giants will appear very close together, but they will remain hundreds of millions of miles apart in space. And while the conjunction is happening on the same day as the winter solstice, the timing is merely a coincidence, based on the orbits of the planets and the tilt of the Earth.
“Conjunctions like this could happen on any day of the year, depending on where the planets are in their orbits,” said Throop. “The date of the conjunction is determined by the positions of Jupiter, Saturn, and the Earth in their paths around the Sun, while the date of the solstice is determined by the tilt of Earth’s axis. The solstice is the longest night of the year, so this rare coincidence will give people a great chance to go outside and see the solar system.”
Want to learn when and where to look up? Join Throop as he talks about the “Great Conjunction” on #NASAScience Live Thursday, Dec. 17. Submit your questions by using #askNASA. The NASA Science Live episode will air live at 3 p.m. EST Thursday on NASA Television and the agency’s website, along with the NASA Facebook, YouTube, and Periscope channels.
For those who would like to see this phenomenon for themselves, here’s what to do:
Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park. Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even from most cities.
An hour after sunset, look to the southwestern sky. Jupiter will look like a bright star and be easily visible. Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and they will reverse positions in the sky.
The planets can be seen with the unaided eye, but if you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter’s four large moons orbiting the giant planet.
Each night, the two planets will appear closer low in the southwest in the hour after sunset as illustrated in the below graphic:
Learn these tips and trick on how to photograph planets:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1615/how-to-photograph-the-conjunction-of-saturn-and-jupiter/
Night Sky Network:
https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/
Visitors to Both Jupiter and Saturn:
https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/news-display.cfm?News_ID=931
Want to learn more about planetary conjunctions? Take a look at some of these resources:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2015/06/30/jupiter-and-venus-conjunction/
https://youtu.be/sofRYcfaqy0
Read these skywatching Tips from NASA:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/whats-up-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/
Update for 11:10 am ET: SpaceX has called off today’s launch attempt for the NROL-108 spy satellite due to higher than expected pressures in the Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage. The next launch attempt will be Friday, Dec. 18, at 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT). There is a 3-hour launch window for the mission.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office on Thursday (Dec.17).
The mission, designated NROL-108, will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, in a 3-hour launch window that opens at 9:45 a.m. EST (1445 GMT).
You can watch the launch live in the window above, courtesy of SpaceX, or tune in via the company’s website. The live broadcast will begin approximately 15 minutes before liftoff.
Read more: SpaceX will launch a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office Thursday. Watch it live!
[image error]
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch the NROL-108 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The mission is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Dec. 16, 2020. (Image credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX is targeting Thursday, December 17 for launch of the NROL-108 mission, which will launch from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The three-hour launch window opens at 9:00 a.m. EST, or 14:00 UTC, and a backup launch opportunity is available on Friday, December 18 with a three-hour launch window opening at 9:00 a.m. EST, or 14:00 UTC.
Falcon 9’s first stage booster previously supported launch of SpaceX’s 19th and 20th cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station, a Starlink mission, and the SAOCOM 1B mission. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
You can watch the launch webcast live starting about 15 minutes before liftoff.
Find out what the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station are up to by tuning in to the “ISS Live” broadcast. Hear conversations between the crew and mission controllers on Earth and watch them work inside the U.S. segment of the orbiting laboratory. When the crew is off duty, you can enjoy live views of Earth from Space. You can watch and listen in the window below, courtesy of NASA.
“Live video from the International Space Station includes internal views when the crew is on-duty and Earth views at other times. The video is accompanied by audio of conversations between the crew and Mission Control. This video is only available when the space station is in contact with the ground. During ‘loss of signal’ periods, viewers will see a blue screen.
“Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it experiences a sunrise or a sunset about every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but can sometimes provide spectacular views of lightning or city lights below.”
Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
The post Watch live @ 3 pm ET: NASA’s ‘Great Conjunction’ guide to the Saturn-Jupiter ‘Christmas Star’, , appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Google accused of search manipulation in third major antitrust lawsuit,
A coalition of 38 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google Thursday focusing on the design of the tech giant’s search engine. It’s the third major antitrust lawsuit filed against the search giant this year.
Colorado’s Democratic Attorney General Phil Weiser and Nebraska’s Republican Attorney General Doug Peterson led the bipartisan group of states’ suit accusing Google of anticompetitive behavior like designing its search engine in a way that leverages the company’s own products over those of its competitors.
“Google sits at the crossroads of so many areas of our digital economy and has used its dominance to illegally squash competitors, monitor nearly every aspect of our digital lives, and profit to the tune of billions,” New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement Thursday.
According to a press release from the New York attorney general’s office, the states are asking the court to stop Google’s illegal conduct and “restore a competitive marketplace.” They are also seeking to “counter any advantages that Google gained as a result of its anticompetitive conduct,” including possible divestitures.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The states’ lawsuit specifically takes aim at Google’s market power and ability to push specific sites and services out of its search results. “Google sells advertisements to some specialized vertical providers, but, depending on the commercial segment involved, unnecessarily limits their utility,” the lawsuit says. “And by virtue of its monopoly power, Google extracts from some specialized vertical providers massive amounts of proprietary customer data that Google can them use to compete against them.”
Thursday’s lawsuit is just the latest in a stream of court challenges for Google. On Wednesday, Texas’ state attorney general announced new antitrust charges against the search giant. However, the Texas-led lawsuit focused on Google’s ad tech practices, primarily taking issue with the company’s requirements for publishers. The Justice Department also filed its own suit in October, along with 11 Republican state attorneys general, focusing on Google’s exclusive contracts with Android smartphone manufacturers and Apple to set its own search engine as the default option on these devices.
Shortly after the DOJ filed its Android case this fall, Kent Walker, Google’s senior vice president of global affairs, said that Google planned to contest the suit.
“People use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives,” Walker said at the time. “This lawsuit would do nothing to help consumers.”
In 2019, the Justice Department announced a broad antitrust investigation into the tech industry, including companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. In the months following this announcement, the DOJ has worked alongside states to build cases on some of these companies. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission and dozens of states filed separate suits looking to break up Facebook, unwinding the social media company’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
The post Google accused of search manipulation in third major antitrust lawsuit, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Here’s where you can buy a Nintendo Switch,
The Nintendo Switch, like everything else that can lighten the mood during this incredibly tough time, is in short supply. And as soon as retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart get it in stock, it quickly sells out. It can be disheartening to miss out on the opportunity to buy a Switch — but fear not! The purpose of this article is to help you do just that without paying more than it would usually cost at retail.
We’re keeping a lookout across the web to find where, when, and how you can buy a Nintendo Switch (the one you can dock to your TV or remove for portable use) or a Switch Lite (the portable-only version of the console) as well as any bundles that seem like good deals.
Keep in mind that stock — even Switch consoles that are preowned or refurbished — will likely continue to sell out quickly during the pandemic. But we’ll do our best to keep this article up to date with the latest in-stock offers, and we’ll tell you when each offer was posted. When something gets sold out, we’ll try to let you know.
The Switch Lite is the smaller, portable-only version of the console that comes in a few different color options.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeWhere can I buy a Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite right now?
Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Walmart have the Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Switch consoles. Unlike the regular Switch, this model has a few standout features that make it one of the best-looking Switch models to date. It includes pastel green and blue Joy-Con, a white dock adorned with images of the Nook family, and the back of the Switch has an embossed design with little icons associated with the game.
Over at Amazon, you can buy an updated Nintendo Switch model with neon and blue Joy-Cons, plus a 128GB SanDisk MicroSD card for $325.
Amazon, GameStop, and Target have the Nintendo Switch with gray Joy-Cons for $300.
You can buy the updated Nintendo Switch model with red and blue Joy-Cons for $300 at Amazon, GameStop, Target, and Walmart.
GameStop currently has stock for the Nintendo Switch Lite in different colors.
GameStop and Best Buy receive new supplies of the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite consoles fairly regularly, and it’s a good strategy to keep these pages open so you can quickly add one to your cart when they come back in stock.
Special edition Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch.Image: NintendoIf you’re not against buying a preowned or refurbished console, you’ll want to check out GameStop. Another good place to look is Nintendo’s own online store where it sells refurbished Switch consoles. Those have been sold out recently, but there’s no telling when it will restock the page with some repaired, refreshed consoles.
Oddly enough, Nintendo has its own official seller page on eBay, which usually hosts refurbished Switch consoles, though it has been closed “until further notice” due to the pandemic. Still, that’s worth keeping an eye on, too.
You can buy games on Switch cartridges or store several digital downloads purchased through the eShop on a microSD card.Photo by James Bareham / The VergeWhat accessories do I need to buy for the Nintendo Switch?
Frankly, the Switch comes with everything that you need to get started and have fun. However, a few extra purchases can help you get a little more out of your console, and in some cases, help it weather the wear and tear that it’ll undoubtedly endure.
First off, a microSD card will help you extend your Switch’s default 32GB of storage. Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers regularly sell cards with up to 512GB of storage for around $70. A 400GB microSD card will cost you around $45, and with each game ranging in download size from 1GB to tens of gigabytes, the card has enough space to store several of them.
The Nintendo Switch does not include a Pro Controller.Photo by James Bareham / The VergeLet’s talk quickly about controllers. The Switch Joy-Cons have a somewhat unconventional look. Nevertheless, the Pro Controller is a great alternative to play most Switch games, though some Super Mario Party titles require the Joy-Cons to play. If you are looking for a Switch Pro controller, Walmart also has the normal Switch Pro controller for $59, knockings $11 off its normal retail price.
The Switch doesn’t include a screen protector, so make that one of the first things you buy.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeNext up, get a tempered glass screen cover. The display on the Switch and Switch Lite is covered in plastic, and it’s just asking to get scratched as soon as you take it out of the box. Save the heartbreak by getting an affordable, easy-to-apply glass cover at Amazon.
A two-pack of amFilm tempered glass protectors for the Nintendo Switch is $8
A three-pack of amFilm tempered glass protectors for the Switch Lite is $7
If you want to play online with friends, ensure that your saves are backed up in the cloud, and get access to a slate of on-demand games from the original Nintendo console and SNES console era, you’ll want to get a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. It’s $20 per year for a single user on a console or $35 a year for up to eight users on different consoles.
The post Here’s where you can buy a Nintendo Switch, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Here are the best Apple Watch deals right now,
Thinking about picking up a new Apple Watch? It’s never a bad idea to wait until there’s a good deal, and thankfully, those happen with some regularity. There are currently three models to choose from.
The latest model, and the highest end, is the Apple Watch Series 6 with GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity, which starts at $399. If that’s a little too expensive, you can drop at least another $120 off the price by buying an Apple Watch SE, which also launched this fall. The three-year-old Series 3 is the most affordable Apple Watch model to date. It has a starting retail price of $199, but it frequently goes on sale.
Regardless of which model you choose, all three models support watchOS 7. If you’re looking for something to last a few years, though, it’s probably worth looking at the Watch SE, as it’s not clear how much longer Apple will deliver software updates to the Series 3.
While deals are a fairly regular occurrence, there will be times where there are no price drops on new models. But for those times, we also include some deals on refurbished models.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeThe regular price for the 38mm Series 3 is $199 ($229 for the 42mm), which is a decent deal. It’s a great entry-level Apple Watch if you are looking for a smartwatch with reliable battery life and don’t want to burn a massive hole in your wallet.
Currently, the 38mm Series 3 is $169 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, which knocks $30 off its usual price of $199. If you are looking for the Series 3 in 42mm, Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart have knocked $30 off its price, bringing it down to $199.
Apple Watch
Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm, GPS)
$169
$199
16% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Starting at $199, the Apple Watch Series 3 is the most affordable device and a good entry-level Apple wearable.
$169
at Amazon
$169
at Best Buy
$169
at Walmart
Apple Watch SEPhoto by Dan Seifert / The VergeStarting at $279 for a 40mm version or $309 for the 44mm, the Apple Watch SE is a good midrange wearable and shares some features also found on the flagship Series 6 model, such as a built-in accelerometer and hand-washing detection. But it doesn’t have the always-on display found on the Series 5 and Series 6.
The best deal right now on the Apple Watch SE 40mm with GPS, you can get it for $250 at Target. This configuration is also on sale for $269 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.
The 44mm with GPS is also on sale at several retailers right now as well. The lowest you can get this model is $250 at Amazon; Walmart also has this model on sale for $250, but you to buy the black sport band model to get this discount. Or you can buy it at Target for $280 or $299 at Best Buy.
If you are looking for the GPS and cellular configuration, Best Buy has a 40mm size for $319. Usually, this model costs $360. If you are looking for the 44mm size (plus cellular), Target has the model in space gray for $330 (usually $359), or you can buy this model at Amazon for as low as $330 if you buy it in black or $340 in the other colors. Best Buy also has discounted this model, bringing the price down to $349.
$250
$279
11% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Apple’s midrange wearable. Starting at $279, the Apple Watch SE serves as a step up from the Series 3, with similar features and design as the flagship Series 6.
$250
at Target
$269
at Amazon
$269
at Best Buy
The latest high-end model of the Apple Watch comes in two sizes, 40mm and 44mm, with respective starting costs of $399 and $429. The Apple Watch Series 6 features more sensors than previous models, including a sensor that allows the device to detect your body’s blood oxygen levels.
If you are looking for the 40mm with GPS, Amazon and Walmart have the watch on sale for $350. Best Buy has discounted this model as well, knocking $20 off its usual $399 price.
Amazon has the 44mm size with GPS or $380. If Best buy is your preferred retailer, you can snag this model for $409.
Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm, GPS)
$350
$399
13% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Apple’s latest flagship wearable features an always-on display and new sensors that provide the ability to monitor your blood oxygen levels.
$350
at Amazon
$350
at Walmart
$379
at Best Buy
The post Here are the best Apple Watch deals right now, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Epic Games Store now offers Spotify, signaling app store ambitions beyond just games,
Spotify is now available on the Epic Games Store, signaling developer Epic’s ambitions to turn what has so far been strictly a games store into a more general app distribution platform. The Spotify app is free to download on the Epic Games Store, just like it is on the App Store, Google Play, or as a direct download for your PC or Mac.
Spotify’s availability on the Epic Games Store arrives as Epic is in prolonged legal battles with Apple and Google over the business models of each company’s respective app store. Epic has sued both companies over the removal of the mobile version of Fortnite, alleging antitrust violations and arguing that developers can and should be able to process their own payments and circumvent giving 30 percent of all in-app revenue to the store owner.
The Epic Games Store is still a relatively new digital distribution platform, having launched in December 2018 as a rival to Valve’s Steam. But from the jump, Epic offered more generous payouts to developers, taking only 12 percent of a developer’s revenues for its cut instead of the 30 percent taken in many cases by Valve, as well as Apple and Google.
The Epic Games Store now stores more than games! https://t.co/RRvivqimsx
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic)
As of January, the Epic Games Store has more than 100 million users, and presumably, that number has grown due in part to Epic’s plentiful sales and giveaways. (A GTA V giveaway in May was so popular that it resulted in a multi-hour store outage.)
With the Epic Game Store’s growing user base, developer-friendly fee structure, and the fact that it now hosts one of the most popular apps in the world, Epic seems to be making the case that non-gaming developers should consider its distribution platform as a viable alternative to other app stores.
The post Epic Games Store now offers Spotify, signaling app store ambitions beyond just games, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Get two years of PlayStation Plus for only $60 today,
I always enjoy this time of the year. Usually, I take some time off of work and use it as a golden opportunity to tackle my ever-growing backlog of games. With the year wrapping up and a ton of great games already available (and even more coming over the next few years), it’s truly a great time to be a gamer.
Today’s deals spotlight an incredible deal for PS4 and PS5 owners, a sale on Dell’s 27-inch 1440p gaming monitor, plus a few deals on some great headphones and wireless earbuds.
Get two years of PlayStation Plus for less than $60
If you were one of the lucky ones to grab a PS5, I recommend taking advantage of this PlayStation Plus subscription deal, which is $32 at Eneba.com. However, if you want the most bang for your buck, I strongly advise picking up two one-year PlayStation Plus subscriptions. You can get it for $60 by using code DECEMBERPLUS at checkout. This is a great deal, considering one-year of PlayStation Plus when purchased through a retailer like Sony is $60.
This is a great price if you want online multiplayer, free monthly games, and access to the PlayStation Plus Collection, a digital compilation of “generation-defining” PS4 games available exclusively for PS5 users with an active PlayStation Plus membership.
And yes, this membership will still work on PS4 consoles.
PlayStation Plus membership (one year)
$32
$60
47% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
One year of PlayStation Plus allows PS4 and PS5 gamers to play games online and receive perks such as free games each month and exclusive discounts on the PlayStation Store. You can get two years for $60 with code DECEMBERPLUS at checkout.
$32
at Eneba
Grab a 27-inch Dell 1440p gaming monitor for $450
If you recently upgraded your PC gaming rig to deliver a 1440p resolution gaming experience and need a monitor to support the higher resolution, Dell’s S2721DGF gaming monitor is down to $450 (usually $610) on the company’s direct website. This monitor supports Nvidia G-Sync, includes a 16:9 aspect ratio IPS panel, and supports HDR400 with a 98 percent DCI-P3 color gamut.
Dell 27 Gaming Monitor: S2721DGF
$450
$610
27% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
A 27-inch 1440p gaming monitor with a design that looks like a blend of Dell’s Alienware and XPS styles on the rear. This monitor is also compatible with Nvidia’s G-Sync software.
$450
at Dell
Save $100 on Sennheiser’s Momentum 3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
If you want a comfortable pair of noise-canceling headphones and are okay with spending a pretty penny for better sound quality, Sennheiser’s third-generation Momentum Wireless headphones are excellent. Over at Amazon, you can get these wireless headphones for as low as $300 in black or white.
Sennheiser Momentum Wireless (third gen)
$300
$400
25% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
The third generation of Sennheiser’s Momentum Wireless headphones that offer detailed, bass-rich sound quality and wear comfortably on the ears if you plan to use them for an extended period of time.
$300
at Amazon (black)
$300
at Amazon (white)
$350
at Best Buy
Apple’s AirPods Pro are under $200 (again) at Woot
This is not the lowest price we have seen Apple’s flagship wireless earbuds go, but getting these for under $200 is still a great bargain. The AirPods Pro are on sale at a few places, but the lowest right now is $190 at Woot. If you have an active Amazon Prime membership, you can get free shipping.
$190
$250
24% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Apple’s flagship earbuds with better sound quality, noise cancellation, and spatial audio.
Update, 12:15PM ET December 17th, 2020: Eneba has slightly increased the price of the promotion on two years of PlayStation Plus from $58 to $60. The article has been updated to reflect this change.
The post Get two years of PlayStation Plus for only $60 today, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
November 24, 2020
Amazon partners with the US government to stop the sale of counterfeit goods,
Amazon announced a joint operation with the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) on Tuesday, focused on stopping counterfeit goods from entering the US. The partnership will rely on intelligence gathered from Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit, logistics company DHL, and US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to proactively stop the sale of counterfeit products.
“Operation Fulfilled Action” relies on Amazon’s dominant positioning as both a distributor and marketplace for products. Because of the amount sold on Amazon’s various storefronts, IPR Center and Amazon have shared information previously, even collaborating on a crackdown on fraud related to COVID-19. This new operation marks a more long-term partnership, however.
Prior to Amazon’s involvement, IPR Center’s focus on “securing the global supply-chain” might be unfamiliar to the average person, but you’ve actually seen a bit of the Center’s work before — the government warning that plays before every DVD and Blu-ray was created by the organization.
IPR Center’s antipiracy warning for DVDs and Blu-rays.As far as counterfeit products are concerned, Amazon says it already investigated and removed potentially fraudulent offenders. A partnership with these new agencies should allow the company to go further and “stop counterfeits at the border, regardless of where bad actors were intending to offer them” said Dharmesh Mehta, vice president of customer trust and partner support at Amazon.
Amazon’s more aggressive stance started in earnest with its launch of the Counterfeit Crimes Unit earlier this year, part of a move from the company to proactively investigate sellers offering counterfeit goods, rather than removing them after the fact. Counterfeit products are a known issue on Amazon’s various marketplaces and the Counterfeit Crimes Unit has already taken legal action against some sellers this month for offering counterfeit products on both Amazon Marketplace and Instagram.
Because of just how many counterfeit goods are sold every year ($1.7 trillion worth in 2009), this joint operation might not have the reach necessary to make a dent, but something is better than nothing.
The post Amazon partners with the US government to stop the sale of counterfeit goods, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
Ninja’s newest gamer hoodie features a ‘patent-pending’ headphone-compatible hood,
Popular streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has announced his next piece of branded gear — a custom $60 hoodie with a “patent-pending” system that’s designed to let customers wear a headset over the hood while still enjoying their music or games uninterrupted.
The hoodie works by featuring a “polymesh” ear hole on each side of the hood, allowing for sound from the headset to pass through instead of getting muffled by the (usually) thick material of a sweatshirt hood.
I’ve always loved wearing my hood up with my headphones whether I’m traveling & listening to music or gaming. So excited to be releasing my patent pending hoodie that allows you to do either of those without changing your sound quality. TOMORROW NOON PST https://t.co/GbfYE4nQgV pic.twitter.com/xiDEI0sSo4
— Ninja (@Ninja)
The idea isn’t a new one: this year has already seen an also patented gamer hoodie from Champion, albeit one that featured an oversized hood for wearing headphones inside the hood instead of over it. And the concept of using mesh hoods for wearing headphones over a sweatshirt dates back to Betabrand’s Audio Engineer’s Hoodie from 2014.
The Ninja headphone hoodie appears to only be available in a pullover style, with relatively restrained branding when compared to Blevins’ other Ninja hoodies — the headphone model seems to only feature his “Ninja” branding on the pocket and the same icon near the sleeve.
The hoodie will be available in black, pink, and gray colors, with sales set to begin on November 25th at 3PM ET / 12PM PT through Ninja’s website for $60, which is $10 more than the “standard” Ninja hoodies.
The post Ninja’s newest gamer hoodie features a ‘patent-pending’ headphone-compatible hood, appeared first on NEWDAWN Blog.
The best Black Friday deals on Microsoft products,
Black Friday week has arrived, and that means you can pick up some Microsoft products at their lowest prices of the year. Whether you’re looking for Surface Pro tablets, Xbox accessories, Windows laptops, or PC games, you’ll find discounts left and right at the Microsoft Store and other retailers such as Best Buy.
We’ve collected the best deals you can find on Microsoft products, and they’re all significantly lower-than-usual prices. We’ve also included some deals on Windows computers that are available for a good price. As more deals appear as the big day approaches, we’ll add them to this post.
If you’re looking for even more Black Friday sales, be sure to check out our article rounding up all of the best deals across a variety of categories.
Microsoft Surface deals
Black Friday is a great time to shop for laptops and tablets. Microsoft is already offering discounts on several of its Surface laptop devices.
For one: you can save on every Surface Pro 7 model. The Surface Pro Signature Type Cover (which you’ll want to buy if you want to use the Pro 7 as a laptop, rather than just a tablet) is also discounted, and the sleeve (which you can use protect the thing in your backpack or briefcase) is being thrown in for free.
The base model (which includes an Intel Core i3, 4GB of memory, and a 128GB SSD) is also on sale at Best Buy for $599 ($360 off the original price of $959). Some other models are discounted at Amazon and Best Buy as well.
$550
$750
27% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Microsoft’s 12-inch Windows tablet with a detachable keyboard.
$550
at Microsoft
$599
at Best Buy
If you’re looking for a traditional clamshell notebook, all configurations of the Surface Laptop 3 are also on sale. The base model starts at $799.99 ($200 off its original price of $999.99) and contains an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, but it’s only available in platinum at the moment. Two Core i7 models (with 256GB and 512GB of storage, respectively) are also on sale at Amazon. You can find other models on sale at Walmart.
$800
$1,000
21% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
A stylish ultraportable laptop with an excellent keyboard and trackpad.
$800
at Microsoft
If you’re shopping on a tighter budget, the most expensive model of the new Surface Laptop Go is $100 off. That configuration includes an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.
The same configuration is on sale for $749.99 on Amazon in platinum; the ice blue and sandstone models are $799.99. All three were originally listed at $899.99. Walmart has the two $100 discounts as well, and a number of bundles that include an Arc Mouse, the Surface Pen, or other accessories.
$800
$900
12% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
An affordable laptop from Microsoft with the signature Surface design.
$800
at Microsoft
$750
at Amazon
$799
at Walmart
It’s not a laptop, but you can also buy an unlocked Surface Duo for as low as $1,199.99 ($200 off its original price of $1,399.99).
Xbox deals
Pick up an Xbox controller for $20 off.Photo by Tom Warren / The VergeOn the Microsoft Store, you can snag an Xbox wireless controller in black, white, or blue for $39.99 ($20 off the original price of $59.99). These controllers work with the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One as well as Windows 10 and Android. Microsoft says iOS support is coming in the future as well.
$40
$60
34% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
These Xbox controllers come in “carbon black,” “robot white,” or “shock blue.”
$40
at Microsoft
Game deals
Hundreds of Xbox games are on sale for Black Friday, as are a number of PC games. If you’ve been meaning to pick up Control for Xbox, the Ultimate Edition is on sale for $19.99, half-off its original price of $39.99. The bundle contains the Xbox One version of the game as well as the Xbox Series X / S version that you’ll be able to download in early 2021.
$20
$40
51% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Control is a third-person shooter set in a unique cinematic world.
$20
at Microsoft
Another popular offering is The Outer Worlds from Obsidian Entertainment. The game is $29.99, half-off its original price of $59.99.
$30
$60
51% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
An action-packed single-player RPG.
$30
at Microsoft
Windows laptop deals
A number of other laptops that run Windows are discounted if you buy them through the Microsoft Store. A solid purchase is the Razer Blade Pro 17, one of the most powerful portable gaming laptops you can buy, which is $200 off.
$2,500
$2,700
8% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Razer’s Blade Pro 17 is one of the most portable 17-inch gaming laptops, with Razer’s subtle and sleek design. This configuration includes a 17.3-inch FHD display, an Intel Core i7-9750H, 16GB of memory, a 512GB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super.
$2,500
at Microsoft
Gamers who are looking for something smaller can check out the Razer Blade 15 instead. It’s normally $1,599.99, but you can buy it for $100 off right now from the Microsoft Store or Razer’s website.
$1,500
$1,600
7% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This Blade 15 configuration includes an FHD display, a 10th Gen Intel Core i7, 16GB of memory, 256GB of storage, and an Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti.
$1,500
at Microsoft
$1,500
at Razer
Gamers on a tighter budget can consider the Acer Nitro 5. It’s a capable 15-inch gaming laptop that delivers great value for its price even when it’s not discounted. It’s on sale for $1,099, $50 off its original price of $1,049.
$1,049
$1,099
5% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
The Acer Nitro 5 is a great value gaming laptop. This configuration includes a 15.6-inch FHD display, a 9th Gen Intel Core i7, 16GB of memory, a 512GB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060.
$1,049
at Microsoft
Those who aren’t interested in gaming might prefer the Asus ZenBook 14 UX434FL, an excellent portable laptop for work and productivity. Its touchpad includes ScreenPad software, which can turn the touchpad into a touchscreen display allowing you to toggle brightness, resolutions, and other settings. It’s on sale for $1,099, $300 off its original price of $1,399.
Amazon also has a 10th Gen model (with a 512GB SSD) on sale for $1,049.99, $150 off its original price of $1,199.99.
$1,099
$1,399
22% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This ZenBook 14 configuration includes a 14-inch FHD display, an Intel Core i7-8565U, 16GB of memory, a 1TB SSD, and an Nvidia GeForce MX250.
$1,099
at Microsoft
$1,050
at Amazon
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