Space weather has been known to cause disruptions to GPS and communications systems, and perhaps no one is feeling those headaches more than farmers this weekend. reports that the heightened solar activity over the last few days has led to outages in the GPS navigation systems that guide some modern tractors from John Deere and other brands. The technology has allowed farmers to plant more efficiently in ultra-tight, straight lines, but they’ve been advised to temporarily stop using it due to the potential for inaccuracies that could cause havoc down the line come harvesting time.
John Deere’s tractors connect to what are known as Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) systems, 404 reports, which allow for precision planting down to the centimeter level. If farmers were to go ahead and plant without their usual accuracy, “we expect that the rows won’t be where the AutoPath lines think they are” when it’s time to tend and harvest the crops, Landmark Implement, owner of some John Deere dealerships, told 404 Media.
The timing is terrible — it’s peak planting season for corn, and one Nebraska farmer, Kevin Kenney, told 404, “All the tractors are sitting at the ends of the field right now shut down because of the solar storm.” Many farms have had to pause planting, while others are carrying on and just hoping for the best.
The geomagnetic storm we’re currently experiencing is the strongest observed in the last 20 years, and reached G5 levels on Friday and Saturday morning, which is considered to be “extreme.” It later died down some to , but is expected to on Sunday evening when some intense but slower-moving coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun reach Earth. That’s great , but not so much if your livelihood depends on the technology the storm is interfering with.
Paramount+ with Showtime annual subscriptions are half off right now, bringing the yearly cost down to $60 down from $120. You have to pay for the year up front, which is never fun, but the offer is available to both new and returning subscribers. That’s not a bad deal, considering you get content from two streaming services that have joined in a blessed union to become one.
Paramount+ with Showtime
Paramount+ is home to all things Star Trek, yet that particular bonusseems to be shrinkingall of the time. It’s also home to the surprisingly funny Sonic-adjacent Knuckles TV show, which has a crazy fight scene featuring the 80-year-old, yet still iconic, Stockard Channing. Other notable releases on the streamer include the dad-approved Tulsa King, Jeremy Renner’s Mayor of Kingstown and that Halo adaptation that people compare unfavorably to Fallout. It’s one of our favorite streaming services, even if Halo isn’t quite up to snuff.
Showtime has been around for decades and has a diverse lineup of shows, like Yellowjackets, Billions, Dexter, House of Lies and the list goes on and on. It’s also home to Twin Peaks: The Return, my favorite show of the 2010s. The Chi just returned, which is a big deal to fans, and Ewan McGregor’s A Gentleman in Moscow looks decent. It’s Showtime. You know the deal.
This offer ends on July 14, so you have plenty of time to think about if you want to revisit Shameless or check out that Frasier reboot. Just remember to cancel once the year is up, as the subscription will auto-renew at the full price of the plan.
Last year Amazon upgraded its Echo Show 8 to make it look better, sound better and respond more quickly to Alexa commands. It made our best smart display list, and if you’ve been eyeing one, it’s on sale at a steep discount. The third-gen, 2023 Echo Show 8 is 33 percent off, bringing it down to just $100 ($50 off), only $10 off the all-time low. Amazon also has stellar deals on the Echo Dot and Echo Pop, offering them for $28 and $20 respectively.
Amazon
Amazon’s Echo Show 8 (3rd generation) has a new design and new features that make it more responsive to Alexa commands.
The 2023 Echo Show 8 has a new design with edge-to-edge glass and softer curves that help it blend into your decor. Inside, it comes with new spatial audio with room calibration that allows for fuller sound than previous model. Meanwhile, video calling benefits from crisper audio and a 13-megapixel camera.
The new Adaptive Content feature changes what’s shown on the screen based on where you are in the room. If you’re standing far away, it’ll display easily digestible information in large font, like the weather or news headlines. As you get closer, it’ll switch to a more detailed view. It can also show personalized content for anyone enrolled in visual ID, surfacing your favorite playlists and other content.
It also boasts 40 percent faster response times for Alexa thanks to its upgraded processor. For privacy-conscious buyers, it has a physical camera shutter that’s controlled with a slider on the top of the device. There’s also a button to turn off the mic and camera. As mentioned, the Echo Show (3rd gen) is on sale for $100 in either charcoal or glacier white.
If you only need a small Echo speaker device for an extra room, Amazon is also selling the 5th-generation Dot for just $28, a steep 44 percent off the regular $50 price. That device has the best sound yet for a Dot device, while offering Alexa, smart home features and more. Amazon’s smallest device, the Echo Pop, also offers Alexa features and is on sale for just $20.
X is using Grok to publish AI-generated summaries of news and other topics that trend on the platform. The feature, which is currently only available to premium subscribers, is called “Stories on X,” according to from the company’s engineering account.
According to X, Grok relies on users’ posts to generate the text snippets. Some seem to be more news-focused, while others are summaries of conversations happening on the platform itself. One user a screenshot that showed stories about Apple’s earnings report and aid to Ukraine, as well as one for “Musk, Experts Debate National Debt,” which was a summary of a “candid online discussion” between Musk and other “prominent figures” on X.
If any of this sounds familiar, it’s also remarkably similar to Moments, the longtime Twitter feature that curated authoritative tweets about important news and cultural moments on the platform. The feature, which was overseen by a team of human staffers, was killed
Like other generative AI tools, Grok’s summaries come with a disclaimer. “This story is a summary of posts on X and may evolve over time,” it says. “Grok can make mistakes, verify its outputs.” Grok, of course, doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to accurately interpreting current events. It previously generated a suggesting that NBA player Klay Thompson went on a “vandalism spree” because it couldn’t understand what “throwing bricks” meant in the context of a basketball game.
Crunchyroll, like many other streaming services recently, is raising its subscription prices. The anime streaming service has announced its first price hike since it was acquired by Funimation in 2020. Subscribers in Argentina, Colombia, France, Portugal, the United States and select additional countries will now have to pay $12 for the Mega Fan tier, up $2 from $10. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Fan tier will now be $1 more expensive at $16 a month.
Both options give subscribers access to offline viewing and the Crunchyroll Game Vault, which contains a library of mobile games. The Mega Fan tier allows streaming on up to four devices at a time, while the Ultimate Fan tier allows streaming on up to six. People subscribed to the most expensive option also get a swag bag if they keep paying for the service for 12 consecutive months. The basic Fan Tier doesn’t come with the perks these two have, but its price remains unchanged at $8 a month. Unfortunately, those who haven’t decided whether to pay for a subscription yet can now only test the service out for seven days instead of 14 like before. But if they don’t mind watching their anime with ads, they can still view more than 1,000 hours of content for free.
Sony’s Funimation purchased Crunchyroll from WarnerMedia for $1.175 billion back in 2020, but it took a while before they were able to complete their transformation into a unified anime subscription service under the latter’s name. Funimation didn’t shut down its old app and website until April 2 this year after it moved its available titles to Crunchyroll’s service.
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The latest generation of Apple’s eternally popular AirPods Pro are back down to their all-time low price of $180 at Amazon. The deal takes $10 off the typical sale price of $190 and a solid $69 off the $249 MSRP. The last time we saw this price tag was during Amazon’s spring sale in March. Apple updated the charging case when the iPhone 15 came out last year to give both devices a more universal USB-C port (both can also charge wirelessly). If you have an iPhone, we think these are one of the better bits of audio gear you can stick in your ears.
Billy Steele for Engadget
This matches the all-time low price we saw for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale back in March.
The second-generation AirPods Pro (with the Lightning case) came out towards the end of 2022 — the case refresh didn’t alter the buds themselves too much, other than adding some improved dust resistance. That makes these a little older at this point, but new AirPods are not one of the things we’re expecting to see announced at Apple’s upcoming “Let Loose” event in May (we’re mostly anticipating iPad news). A more likely time for a new AirPods reveal is during the company’s annual iPhone event in September. But if you don’t want to wait around to see if such a debut materializes, this deal is a decent time to get your first pair. Or replace the pair you left on the train.
We gave the AirPods Pro a score of 88 when they came out. Engadget’s Billy Steele praised the effective active noise cancellation (ANC) and called the ambient sound mode one of the best on the market. Plus they work fairly seamlessly with all your Apple devices, offering quick pairing, fast device switching and hands-free Siri support. The audio itself is richer with more depth and clarity than with previous Pro generations.
All of that lead us to name them the best wireless earbuds for iPhones in our buying guide. Of course, they don’t work with non-Apple devices. Our current top pick from our guide for Android phones are the Google Pixel Buds Pro, which are currently down to $140 at Amazon after a 30 percent discount.
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro remain one of our favorite pairs of true wireless earbuds, offering robust active noise cancellation (ANC), punchy bass, reliable touch controls and a host of convenient features for Android users in particular. That said, given how competitive the wireless market is these days, they aren’t the greatest value at their standard list price of $200.
Today, though, Wellbots is running a sale that brings the pair down to a more palatable $135 with the checkout code ENGPIX65. This isn’t an all-time low — the buds fell as low as $117 in a similar deal last October and went for $119 for much of the holiday season — but it’s the best price we’ve tracked in 2024. For reference, the device dropped to $139 last month. This offer applies to each of the set’s colorways.
Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget
This is the lowest price we’ve seen this year for Google’s highest-end wireless earbuds.
Engadget’s audio expert Billy Steele gave the Pixel Buds Pro a review score of 87 back in 2022. By default, they have a sculpted, hyped-up sound with thumpy bass and elevated treble. It’s the kind of signature that won’t suit audio purists but should work well with modern pop music. As with many pairs, though, you can tweak the sound with a graphic EQ. The earbuds themselves have an IPX4 water-resistance rating, so they should be able to withstand typical workouts. Battery life is solid at roughly seven hours with ANC on or 11 hours with it off, while the case supports wireless charging. You can connect to two devices at once, and the pair supports in-ear detection, so it’ll automatically pause when you remove an earbud.
Maybe the biggest reason to consider the Pixel Buds Pro is how tightly they integrate with Android. It’s somewhat similar to how Apple’s AirPods work with iOS: You can call on the Google Assistant hands-free, quickly swap between paired devices, utilize adaptive and spatial audio modes, ring the earbuds remotely and access Google Translate, among other OS-specific features. Last fall, Google also added a “conversation detection” mode that automatically pauses your music and turns off ANC when you start talking to someone. All of this functionality is natively available on Google’s Pixel phones; with other Android devices, you can access most of the same tricks through a separate Pixel Buds app.
There are still issues to note. While we didn’t have any comfort issues in testing, the fit may be tricky for those with smaller ears. Call quality isn’t great, nor is the included transparency mode. For more discerning listeners, there’s no support for higher-quality Bluetooth codecs like aptX or LDAC. And again, this is a busy market: Other pairs like the Sony WF-1000XM5, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 or Anker Soundcore Space A40 can provide better noise isolation, sound quality or overall value in a vacuum. It wouldn’t be a huge shock if we saw a new model at Google’s I/O conference next month, either. Still, the current model remains a well-rounded choice for Android fans today, and this discount brings them down to a more appropriate price.
Apple has scheduled its next product showcase for May 7, a few weeks before the Worldwide Developers Conference gets under way. While the company is, as usual, being a bit coy about what’s on deck, the signs are all there. It had been rumored for months that Apple would refresh its iPad lineup in May. Sure enough, the image on the announcement for this “Let Loose” event includes an illustration of a hand holding an Apple Pencil.
Various reports over recent months have offered some insight as to what Apple has up its sleeves. So, with that in mind, here’s what to expect from the upcoming iPad event:
M3 iPad Pro
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
It’s been about 18 months since Apple updated any of its iPads, so its tablet lineup is due for a refresh. It won’t exactly come as a surprise to see Apple slot M3 chips into the latest iPad Pro models, since the most recent versions run on M2 chipsets.
Otherwise, the biggest update is expected to come in the form of OLED displays, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. That should bring richer colors and deeper blacks to the iPad Pro.
Since OLED panels are thinner than LCD panels, that should allow Apple to reduce the thickness of the iPad Pro. According to 9to5 Mac, the 11-inch iPad Pro will be 0.8 mm thinner at 5.1 mm, while the 12.9-inch model will be more noticeably slender, as the thickness is expected to drop by 1.5 mm to 5 mm. A leaker has suggested that the bezels could be up to 15 percent thinner than previous models as well.
Rumors have been swirling for a while that Apple may offer a glass-backed iPad Pro this year to enable MagSafe charging. Meanwhile, there have been hints that Apple will solve one of our biggest iPad bugbears and move the front-facing camera to the landscape edge of the Pro, as it did with the entry-level iPad in late 2022. That means the camera will be more optimally placed for those who use a Magic Keyboard or folks who simply prefer a landscape orientation.
M2 iPad Air
Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
As for the iPad Air, which Apple has left in stasis for over two years, that’s expected to get an upgrade to M2 chips from the M1 that the tablets currently use. There are rumblings that Apple will go with the older chip in the iPad Air to differentiate it from Pro models and ensure that the latter devices clearly remain its highest-end tablets. Reports suggest that the iPad Air’s front-facing camera is also blessedly moving to the landscape edge.
There is one other big change we’re expecting for the iPad Air, and I mean that in the most literal sense. Apple is rumored to be prepping the first 12.9-inch iPad Air. It’s likely to be the least expensive option for a large-screen iPad, even though that would run somewhat against the “Air” part of the name.
Display analyst Ross Young previously suggested that the 12.9-inch iPad Air screen would have a mini-LED display, but that no longer appears to be happening — at least for now. However, Young says that Apple may release an iPad Air with such a display later this year. Meanwhile, the new iPad Air models may have a larger camera bump, perhaps so Apple can add a flash.
New Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil
Engadget
Gurman reported last year that Apple was working on a revamped Magic Keyboard, but only for the iPad Pro, not the Air lineup. The updated keyboard is said to make the iPad Pro look more like a laptop, with a larger trackpad. It’s said to be made of aluminum to make it sturdier than previous models, though “the exterior shell of the Magic Keyboard will retain the cover material of the current model,” Gurman says.
In addition, Apple is expected to unveil a new Apple Pencil to replace the second-gen model. Dataminers have suggested that an updated peripheral could include a squeeze gesture to carry out certain actions and have Find My support. Some reports have indicated the next Apple Pencil could work with Vision Pro drawing apps too.
What not to expect: A new iPad or iPad mini
Even though the iPad mini in particular is getting very long in the tooth — the most recent model arrived in September 2021 — you probably shouldn’t expect a new model to show up at the Let Loose event. Not are we expecting to see a new base iPad. Reportssuggest an 11th-gen iPad and an updated iPad mini may arrive later this year, but maybe don’t hold your breath for them.
has revealed a feature that both helps users share their excitement about a date with loved ones and acts as a safety tool. The Share My Date feature lets users share details about a planned date with a single link.
The URL can point to details including the location, date and time of the rendezvous along with a photo of your match and a link to their profile. The page can include some notes too. You can edit your date plans so those you share that link with have the most up-to-date info. Dates can be set in the app up to 30 days in advance. For those lucky folks out there who have a bunch of matches they make IRL plans with, you can create an unlimited number of dates and share those with your loved ones.
Tinder says that around 51 percent of users under 30 already share date details with their friends, while 19 percent of users do so with their mom. It’s always a good idea to let someone know where and when you’re going on a date and details about the person you’re meeting up with, just to be safe. Share My Date could simplify the process a bit. Back in 2020, Match.com that let users send details about their date to emergency contacts if things weren’t going well.
Tinder will roll out Share My Date over the coming months. It’ll be available in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, India, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Switzerland, Mexico, Netherlands, Italy, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.
In this installment of what we’re listening to, Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low dives into new releases from Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, and explores what music means to us when songs are consumed more like books and journal entries.
Cherlynn Low, Deputy Editor, Reviews
April 19 should have been declared a global holiday. It was, after all, the release day of Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated album, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD). How could we be expected to work on this most hyped of Fridays, when there were lyrics to overanalyze and melodies to emo-walk to?
Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
I’ll admit: I hate myself a bit for the eagerness with which I hit play on albums like TTPD and Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine (ES). Both musicians had recently left long-term relationships and got together with new beaus, amid rabid press coverage and relentless speculation on Reddit. I usually prefer to hear from the people involved instead of reading tabloid articles based on what “friends close to” said, and for Swift and Grande, songs are usually as close as we’ll get to primary sources.
I saw these albums as opportunities to get their takes on what went down. Granted, it’s always wise to take their words with generous helpings of salt, the same way therapists tend to remember that their patients’ retelling of stories can be skewed or unreliable.
Both Grande and Swift have made their lives the subject of their music for years, and they often have an air of defensiveness. Titles like “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Yes, and?” make me think of people who blame others or don’t care about the consequences of their actions. Even songs like Swift’s “Anti-Hero” from her last album and Grande’s “Thank U, Next” seem at first glance to be about taking accountability, but really continue the theme of dodging real responsibility.
I’m not sure if music has always been rooted in scrutinizing the artist’s life, but it certainly seems to have become more popular in recent years. The level of interest and analysis around things as simple as word choice or order has probably never been as high, either. It’s also worth considering that these two much-hyped albums were released within two months of each other. Granted, Swift’s new music has only been out for about 40 hours, and there are 31 whole songs spanning a full 65 minutes and 8 seconds, so I will need to listen to it a few more times for it all to sink in.
Grande’s album, which dropped last month, was scrutinized by fans and critics alike. It was released shortly after her divorce from Dalton Gomez and her budding relationship (reportedly) with fellow Wicked cast member Ethan Slater.
When I first played through ES, I was mostly underwhelmed and annoyed. There was, as expected, no accountability for what her actions did to the mother of a newborn and a lot of romanticizing of her latest man. But even on just my second listening, I knew I had a few favorite tracks. Other Engadget staff members agree with me: ES is a solid album with quite a few bangers.
Ariana Grande – Eternal Sunshine
I may not endorse Grande’s behavior — and no one asked me to — but damn, I can’t help liking her music. And it’s probably because I’m hooked on the melodies and production, not the lyrical content.
Swift, on the other hand, seems more of an aspiring wordsmith. Much has been said about her lyricalabilities, and I have no desire to retread those waters. I’ll just say that as an occasional aspiring poet myself, I have to admire the laissez faire approach of rhyming “department” with “apartment.”
I’m more intrigued by what seems to me like the priority of a song’s words over its tune and sound. Like Billboard states, TTPD’s title alone “calls even more attention to her lyricism than usual.”
Swift’s music has always felt like journal entries meant for the public, chock-full of inside references, Easter eggs and thinly veiled digs at former lovers. Her earlier works were therefore highly relatable for scores of teenagers around the world. But as her success ballooned, so has she grown out of touch with the average person, and her songs have consequently become more like glimpses into a life that mere mortals can only dream about. While her pieces continue to feel like blogs or Tumblr posts, Swift controls the narrative by carefully orchestrating not just synths, guitars and lyrics, but also pap walks and delicately timed public appearances.
Unlike Grande, who has mostly avoided appearing with Slater at high-profile events and also hasn’t hidden as many Easter eggs in her songs, Swift has not been afraid to show off and show up for her new partner. She’s not publicity-averse; she seems to anticipate and almost courts it.
With the general strategy around TTPD, like announcing it at the Grammy’s and slow teases of lyrics and cover art, it certainly seems like these days, the billionaire with a private jet problem is more focused on her myth and financial value than the art of songwriting.
Swift surprised everyone at 2AM on April 19 by releasing a whole 15 more songs alongside the initial 16 people were expecting for TTPD. This meant that anyone who pre-ordered the original album would miss out on basically an entire second album worth of tracks and need to spend more. The Swift team also made several versions of the physical album available, like collectors’ editions — all blatant cash grabs designed to maximize revenue.
Grande is guilty of this too, making so many different iterations of “Yes, and?” when that single was released in what seemed like an attempt to place the song at the top of streaming charts. ES also has different versions of cover art for fans to spend their hard-earned money on.
Here’s the thing. Do I care deeply about either of these albums? Nope. Did I eagerly listen to them, hoping to glean insight on their seemingly messy and chaotic relationships? Yes. But despite Swift’s marketing and positioning herself as a poet — and TTPD offering more of a look at her fling with Matty Healy from The 1975 — I realized I just didn’t quite like her album musically. In fact, my favorite Swift songs like “Wildest Dreams” and “Delicate” are beautiful symphonies of atmospheric synths and instrumentation.
Maybe I’m just learning that I care more about music than lyrics. Or maybe I think good songs are a combination of the two and should speak for themselves without having to rely on hype, gossip and marketing tactics. To be fair, that’s true of all art, whether it’s film, photography or poetry. And while the irony of my being sucked into playing TTPD and ES due to the promise of learning about their lives isn’t lost on me, I guess I just wish I could listen to music (and read books and watch movies) without having to worry or be so concerned about the creator’s choices and actions. But in 2024 (and beyond), that seems no longer feasible.
