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The Surface Pro 7 vs. the Pro 6: What's changed?
Surface Pro devotees can rejoice, for the Pro 7 is here, bringing with it a new 10th-gen processor. But is that enough to get Pro 6 owners to upgrade, or for shoppers to ignore a recent discount on last year's machine? You can take a peek at the changes in the table below and, for a deeper dive into Microsoft's newest hybrid, check out our hands-on today as well as our upcoming review in a few weeks.
Sony puts PlayStation's 'Games of a Generation' on sale
Some of the most notable PlayStation games are available at a decent discount over the next two weeks. Sony has put over a hundred titles on sale as part of its "Games of a Generation" event, with deals that include half off the original price. The company says the sale highlights "the most memorable games to date," such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Marvel's Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition, Call of Duty Black Ops 4, Uncharted the Nathan Drake Collection, Crash Bandicoot, Bloodborne and Skyrim.
VW's Electrify America starts selling its first home EV charger
Electrify America isn't focused solely on public charging stations. The VW outfit is now offering its first home unit, the simply titled Electric Vehicle Home Charger, on Amazon. The $499 box provides Level 2 charging at up to 7.6kW for "all" EVs sold in North America, or about 25 miles per hour depending on the car. That's not going to make you skip Electrify's own 150kW or 350kW chargers. It should, however, ensure that your car is topped up before you leave for work in the morning.
Join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and get six months of Spotify Premium free
At $15 per month, an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription could be a no-brainer for gamers who play on both PC and Xbox One. The service provides over 100 games for download, including hits like Gears 5 and Monster Hunter: World. An Xbox Live Gold membership (which otherwise costs $10 per month) also comes with the subscription, enabling you to join online multiplayer sessions. Microsoft is sweetening the deal even more with a free six-month trial of Spotify Premium when you join the service.
Get a free Echo Show when you buy a Ring Video Doorbell
If you've been thinking about adding a smart doorbell to your home, then Amazon's latest deal may tempt you. The company is currently offering a free Echo Show 5 smart display to people who buy a Ring Video Doorbell 2 or Video Doorbell Pro through Amazon.com. Prime subscribers can save an additional $40 off the Video Doorbell 2 and $50 off the Video Doorbell Pro, making them $159 and $199 respectively. Otherwise, the two devices will set you back $199 and $249. The Echo Show 5, meanwhile, currently costs $89.99.
Sony slashes PlayStation Now subscription prices worldwide
PlayStation Now is getting a hefty price drop. Today, Sony announced that its video game subscription service will cost $9.99 per month in the US, down from $19.99 per month. A quarterly plan, meanwhile, will set back you $24.99, rather than $44.99, and the 12-month option will be $59.99, instead of $99.99. Similar price cuts are being introduced in Europe, Japan and the UK. Sony, which has offered PlayStation Now subscription plans since 2015, is clearly feeling the heat from some of its publisher and platform rivals. To name but a few, it's competing with Xbox Game Pass, EA Access, Uplay+, Apple Arcade and, starting next month, Google Stadia.
Apple's News+ subscription comes to the UK and Australia
Apple's News+ all-you-can-eat magazine and periodical subscription service has made its way to the UK and Australia. It launched in the US and Canada this March for $10 a month, with publications that include Esquire and The Wall Street Journal. In the UK and Australia, it will set subscribers back £9.99 and AU$14.99, respectively, after a month-long free trial. And while the countries' versions feature publications the US and Canadian versions have -- such as WSJ, LA Times, National Geographic and Rolling Stone -- they also offer local titles.
Vizio's best TV from last year is on sale for $1,080
As usual, one of the biggest questions about buying a new TV is whether to buy a "new" model or grab one of last year's editions for a little bit less. It's been more than a year since Vizio debuted the P Series Quantum line that we loved at first sight and which quickly became a highly-recommended 4K TV. It launched with a sticker price of $2,100 and quickly dropped below that, but now Amazon's Woot is selling refurbished 65-inch models for $1,079.99. That's a decent price for a display The Wirecutter called "the best overall LED/LCD TV" when prices for a 65-inch ranged from $1,200 - $1,300. Unfortunately it's difficult to find a brand new model now that they've been discontinued to make room for 2019's TVs. Thanks to software updates, grabbing this one doesn't mean missing out on new features like AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support.
Save $330 on a Surface Pro 6 and Type Cover ahead of Microsoft's event
Ahead of Microsoft's fall hardware event on Wednesday, Microsoft has discounted its entire Surface Pro 6 lineup, and Amazon has taken things one step further. You can currently get the black model with 256GB of internal storage, 8GB of RAM and included Type Cover for $899. With this deal, you're essentially getting the Type Cover ($129.99) for free, plus another $200 off the full price.
What we're listening to: Death Cab for Cutie and The Appleseed Cast
Fall is here, and with it came a bunch of new music. In this week's column, deputy managing editor Nathan Ingraham offers some thoughts on the new Death Cab EP. Senior news editor Billy Steele reminisces on when he discovered The Appleseed Cast and praises the band's 2019 album that arrived over the summer.
Tesla's first major V3 Supercharger rollout is taking place in Canada
If you want to top up your Tesla using an extra-speedy V3 Supercharger, your best bet may be to embark on a Canadian road trip. Tesla told The Verge that 26 of the 46 Supercharger stations under construction along the Trans-Canada Highway (a set of routes running the East-West length of the country) will be V3 models. That's the first large-scale deployment of the faster chargers -- there are only a handful of them in the US, including one in Las Vegas.
Google Assistant is now available for most Chromebooks
Google has started rolling out Chrome OS 77, and it makes Assistant widely available to the devices the platform powers. The voice AI used to be a Pixel exclusive, though adventurous users have been able to switch it on as a hidden feature for a while if they're in one of Chrome OS' beta channels. The platform's latest version makes Assistant available "on most Chromebooks," and all users need to do to summon it is to say Hey Google" or click the Assistant logo from the Launcher.
The best free-to-play games
Gone are the days where free games equated to ropey puzzle games and knock-off clones of games that had a price tag. These days, courtesy of in-app payments and the ease of offering both a sample of title alongside its full-fat version, there's actually plenty of great games to play without spending a dime. Put your card away, and consider this your starting point.
Tech that helped me fall back in love with birdwatching
A few months ago a friend of mine mentioned on Twitter she was getting into birding. And I thought, "I used to love birdwatching when I was little!" I'd go out and wander around with my little Golden Nature Guide and record sightings of the avians that made my large backyard their home. I rarely saw any birds and when I did see them, I had no idea what they were. I was a terrible birdwatcher. But now that I want to get back into the hobby, I don't have to be, thanks to modern technology that makes it feel more like playing a really advanced game of Pokémon Go. Here are some of the tools I've found most useful while walking through parks and forests searching for feathered friends.
Apple releases fix for iOS 13's battery drain and Siri issues
Apple is still racing to fix iOS bugs days after the release of its latest iPhones. The tech giant has released an iOS 13.1.1 update (plus a corresponding iPadOS 13.1.1 version) that tackles a number of glaring problems. The most notable is a fix for a battery drain issue plaguing users across the board, but there's also a solution for Siri's problems recognizing requests on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. This addresses issues with restoring your device from a backup, too, so you won't want to skip this if you're interested in safeguarding your data.
The best games for your smartphone
Sorry, but mobile gaming is the biggest player in the video game market. In 2018, it made almost half of the industry's global revenue. Smartphone games once existed separately from console and PC titles, but in the wake of titles like Fortnite, it's all got a little blurry. You'll find several games in our selection that are also available on your home consoles and PCs, but most of them sing on your smartphone, and the fact that you can play them absolutely anywhere makes up for any other pitfalls. Whether it's Android or iOS, here's some crucial games to start with. We'll be updating this list regularly -- this time, we welcome Pocket City to the fold.
Why are there so many TV streaming services?
The days of television streaming with limited choices are long gone. The list of options grows longer almost daily, and some big names have plans to launch new services that will further silo the content you want to watch. Exclusives are the new streaming currency, and to get everything you desire, you have to hand over a lot more money than you probably want to.
How to get the most out of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services
A Netflix or Hulu subscription alone won't cut it anymore. The streaming landscape is fracturing as bastions of old media rise up with their own services, offering a blend of originals and library material. Over the coming months, the streaming video options will multiply like Gremlins, as the likes of Disney, Apple, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal and mobile platform Quibi hop into the game.
Sony adds 'God of War' and six other games to its PlayStation Hits lineup
Sony has been making the best of its most popular games for the PlayStation 4 with its PlayStation Hits program which offers iconic titles for $20. When the program launched in June last year it included a range of older best-sellers like Uncharted 4, Bloodborne and Metal Gear Solid V.
Fitness buffs: Tell us how you like your Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
In the search for a truly great fitness smartwatch, reviews editor Cherlynn Low tested the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, the lower-cost version of last year's Galaxy Watch. At $200 the Galaxy Watch Active eschews the rotating bezel found on the higher-priced model. It's also 20 percent smaller and 60 percent lighter. This makes for a comfortable fit, but it means shorter battery life and more time spent swiping through Tizen to interact with notifications and apps. Overall, though, the Active scored a point higher than the standard Galaxy Watch, with a rating of decent 83.
