Like many parents, I have a kid that loves playing games on his tablet. He's gone through several iPads over the years. One tablet has managed to survive his rough-and-tumble lifestyle, and it's a budget-friendly option from Amazon. The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro has proven itself as a perfect match for a rambunctious youth.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro offers a blend of durability, parental control, and entertainment that's hard to beat. With a 34% early Black Friday discount, it's a no-brainer for budget-minded parents like myself.
The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is essentially a child-proof version of the standard Fire HD 10. It's housed in a durable, comfortable case designed for small hands, complete with a built-in kickstand handle. This feature is not only useful but also provides additional protection against the occasional drops and spills that are inevitable in the hands of children.
One of the most impressive aspects of the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is its suite of child-friendly software and robust parental controls. The Fire OS 8, a customized version of Android 10, is designed to integrate seamlessly with Amazon’s services like Alexa, Prime Video, Kindle, and Audible. The Kids mode simplifies navigation, making it easy for children to use. Additionally, the tablet comes with a free 1-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, offering a variety of kid-friendly content from brands like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Marvel.
While not built for intensive gaming or multitasking, the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro handles basic web browsing, social media apps, video streaming, and casual games without issues. It offers good performance, and its affordability makes it an attractive option for parents. Priced at $189, it's significantly cheaper than other 10-inch tablets like the iPad 10th Gen or Pixel Tablet, providing a great value for its price.
The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is more than just a tablet with a fun case. It's a well-rounded device that balances entertainment and education, wrapped in a durable design that can withstand the rigors of everyday use by kids. Its combination of affordability, user-friendly software, and robust parental controls make it an excellent choice for parents looking to introduce their children to the digital world safely and responsibly.
]]>Not everyone wants a multi-hundred-dollar smartwatch on their wrist, but they may still want to monitor their heart, activity, and other fitness goals. The FitBit Charge 6 fits that need just right. With deep discounts appearing so soon after its launch, the question remains: Is it worth the price?
Known for its robust health tracking capabilities, it’s a gadget that appeals to both fitness enthusiasts and casual users alike. Currently, there's an exciting development for potential buyers: a significant 34-38% discount on Amazon, making it an even more tempting purchase.
Originally priced at $160, the Charge 6 sits at a slightly higher price point compared to its predecessor and other models in the Fitbit range. However, the current discount on Amazon significantly increases its value for money.
The FitBit Charge 6, with its current discount, represents a good deal for those seeking a comprehensive health and fitness tracker. Its advanced features, combined with the reliability of the Fitbit brand, make it a compelling choice for fitness enthusiasts.
However, potential buyers should consider the additional cost of a Fitbit Premium subscription and how it affects the overall value before making the purchase. You certainly can get away with using the FitBit without a Premium subscription, though if you want to get the most out of your purchase, would you want to?
]]>The Raspberry Pi 5 marks a significant leap forward in the world of single-board computers. In this blog post, we delve into its specifications, comparing it with its predecessor, the Raspberry Pi 4, to highlight the advancements made.
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
The micro-computer brand has long been known for its cost-to-performance value, with the Raspberry Pi 5 starting at $60 for its 4GB variant and $80 for 8GB. This low price point makes it a popular choice among hobbyists and professionals working with Internet of Things (IoT) applications, networking tools (such as PiHole), education, and for budget-conscious consumers that need a capable PC at under $100.
The specifications of the Raspberry Pi 5 are improved across the board from its predecessor.
The Raspberry Pi 5 features a Broadcom BCM2712 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, a notable upgrade from the Raspberry Pi 4's Broadcom BCM2711B0 quad-core A72 (ARMv8-A) 64-bit CPU running at 1.5GHz. This new processor brings enhanced speed and efficiency, making the Pi 5 over twice as fast as the Pi 4. The inclusion of cryptography extensions, 512KB per-core L2 caches, and a 2MB shared L3 cache further boosts its processing capabilities.
The Raspberry Pi 5 introduces the VideoCore VII GPU, supporting OpenGL ES 3.1 and Vulkan 1.2, a step up from the VideoCore VI GPU in the Pi 4. Both models support dual 4Kp60 HDMI display output, but the Pi 5 adds HDR support, offering better color and contrast in visual outputs.
In terms of memory, the Pi 5 offers LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM with 4GB and 8GB SKUs available at launch, which is a continuation from the Pi 4’s options of 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB (in the Model B) LPDDR4 SDRAM. The Pi 5 also boasts a high-speed microSD card interface with SDR104 mode support, enhancing storage capabilities and data transfer speeds.
Both models feature Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Bluetooth 5.0, but the Raspberry Pi 5 adds Bluetooth Low Energy for more efficient wireless communication, a feature only present in the Model B variant of the Raspberry Pi 4. Additionally, the Pi 5 maintains the Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, ensuring reliable wired network connections.
The Raspberry Pi 5 also includes several smaller improvements, such as a power button for easier operation, a faster SD card slot, and higher bandwidth USB 3 ports, enhancing user experience and device versatility.
The Raspberry Pi 5 represents a substantial upgrade over its predecessor, the Raspberry Pi 4, with improvements in performance, RAM, graphics options, and connectivity. It maintains the historically low price point shared by its predecessors and continues to target the hobbyist market with its small size and expandability.
]]>Valve has recently announced the release of new OLED models of the Steam Deck, marking a significant update to its popular handheld gaming device. These new models are slated to be available from November 16th, 2023.
The lineup now includes a base 256 GB LCD model, priced at $399 USD (or £349 GBP), and two OLED models with enhanced screens, offering 512 GB and 1 TB of storage. The 512 GB OLED model is priced at $549 USD (£479 GBP), and the 1 TB model at $649 USD (£569 GBP).
The OLED models boast several key improvements over the previous versions. They feature a larger 7.4-inch OLED display compared to the original 7-inch screen, and this new display promises more natural colors and deeper blacks, enhancing the overall visual experience of games. Additionally, these models come with improved battery life, offering between 3-12 hours of usage on a single charge, depending on the games being played. This enhanced battery performance is a result of the lower power draw of the OLED screen.
Besides the display and battery enhancements, the OLED Steam Deck models also offer better Wi-Fi capabilities, supporting Wi-Fi 6E compared to the Wi-Fi 5 in previous models. Despite these upgrades, the new OLED models maintain compatibility with all existing accessories and feature a more efficient processor, although the performance remains similar to the previous versions. This positions the new OLED Steam Deck as more of an upgrade than a completely new model, akin to the Switch OLED in the Nintendo lineup.
Interestingly, for customers in the US and Canada, Valve is also releasing a limited edition OLED Steam Deck in very limited quantities. This special edition will feature a unique colorway and is part of a test to gauge consumer interest in such exclusive editions. If successful, Valve may consider releasing more limited edition Steam Decks in the future.
For those less concerned with the OLED screen, Valve is offering the 64GB and 512GB LCD models at a reduced price of £309 and £389, respectively, available only while stocks last. This presents a great opportunity for gamers looking to purchase a Steam Deck at a more affordable price point.
In summary, the new OLED Steam Deck models bring significant improvements in display quality, battery life, and Wi-Fi capabilities, making them an attractive option for both existing fans and newcomers to the Steam Deck experience. The addition of a limited edition model in select regions further adds to the appeal, offering a unique choice for collectors and enthusiasts.
]]>Alibaba is known around the world for its marketplace filled with knock-off goods, low-cost cloud servers, and wide range of products and services that echo offerings by larger American firms. Now, the Chinese technology giant is attempting to break into the AI chatbot space with its own rival to ChatGPT, Tongyi Qianwen.
China’s Alibaba has a long history of attempting to duplicate successful ventures by large American technology giants. From copying Amazon’s very logo and marketplace strategy to providing cloud service solutions in an echo of Amazon, Microsoft, and Google’s offerings, Alibaba has shown time and time again that it will do anything it can to compete with its American rivals.
Tongyi Qianwen comes hot on the heels of another Chinese tech giant’s announcement around AI chats: Baidu’s Ernie Bot. Baidu launched with mixed response after a series of brief pre-recorded video presentations in a scripted event was followed by a drop in share prices.
Alibaba announced Tongyi Quanwen through its WeChat page, inviting businesses to try out the AI chatbot rather than showcasing it in a pre-recorded demonstration.
The announcement included a simple quote from the chatbot, "Hello, my name is Tongyi Qianwen, this is our first time meeting, I welcome your feedback.”
]]>On Wednesday, Google announced that it has stopped selling its Glass Enterprise smart glasses. The company will also stop supporting its software in September of 2023. This marks the end of a smart glasses product that made waves back in 2013 as the first real augmented reality product from a big tech company.
Glass Enterprise was the successor to Google Glass, which featured a tiny rectangular screen that sat in the corner of the wearer’s field of view.
The initial price of $1,500 and limited availability hampered Google Glass’ ability to catch on as a mainstream product. The term “glasshole” was coined, making the Google Glass product less of a cool fashion statement and more of a fashion faux paus.
In 2017, Google pivoted to enterprises and dropped the price of the product to under $1,000. Glass Enterprise was repositioned as a training and organizational tool.
The timing of Google’s announcement comes at a curious time. Apple’s rumored upcoming VR/AR headset is expected to come soon.
Google Glass may be another victim of Google’s long list of failed and cancelled products, but it received a decade of support before its ultimate demise.
In the end, Google Glass was ahead of its time. Its high initial price point, limited capability, and lack of consumer awareness doomed it as a mainstream product.
Could another AR product from Google succeed where Glass failed? Only time will tell.
]]>The Acer 516 GE is one of the latest generation of Chromebooks targeted at gamers that want all the power and simplicity of a Chromebook without giving up the games they love to play the most. A cloud streaming service like Nvidia's GeForce Now is necessary, but what Acer accomplished here is nothing short of remarkable.
The idea of a gaming Chromebook sounds ridiculous on the surface. Especially when you consider that gaming Chromebooks don't have discrete graphics, run desktop-class games locally, or support applications made for Windows or macOS.
But, underneath its underwhelming gaming pedigree is something special. At its most basic level, the Acer 516 GE Gaming Chromebook is a brilliantly-designed productivity powerhouse with a brilliant display perfectly designed for game streaming.
Simply put, Acer nailed it. It created a laptop that does what it sets out to do better than just about anything else on the market.
When it comes to Chromebooks, system specs are rarely top of mind. Chrome OS, the operating system that Chromebooks run, is optimized to work smoothly on even the least impressive hardware. However, when it comes to a gaming-class product, specs do help.
Let's start with the most impressive part of the laptop: the screen. The 516 GE features a 120Hz 16-inch WQXGA (2560 X 1600) IPS narrow-bezel display with 100% sRGB coverage. The 16:10 aspect ratio is a boon for productivity. The high refresh rate and pixel density are a perfect fit for Nvidia's GeForce Now service. On its new "Ultimate" tier, gameplay is buttery smooth.
One noticeable exception is touch support. Android apps, which run on Chromebooks, are made for a touchscreen. Not having one on this laptop makes it inherently less useful for mobile gaming.
With a Core i5 or i7 processor and 8GB of RAM, it's a capable machine in places it doesn't need to be.
The keyboard isn't quite the typists' dream, but it does hit all the right notes one would expect from a premium laptop. The keys aren't too mushy, and they're spaced out enough to keep missed keystrokes to a minimum.
The trackpad is also impressive for one without the usual glass covering it. Instead, it's made with a material based on recycled materials collected from oceans called "ocean glass". To the touch, the Acer's trackpad is every bit as smooth and responsive as the one featured on the MacBook Pro.
The speakers are pretty solid. Sure, they won't be powering your neighborhood block party, but they sound good enough to provide a decent gaming experience when headphones aren't an option.
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE is a stellar Chromebook. It packs the power and screen of a laptop priced at double the cost.
This value pricing makes sense, though, when you consider how locked down the Chromebook is. You give up the ability to run Windows, have to jump through hoops to run Linux applications, and Android...
]]>Elgato, a prolific device manufacturer targeting streamers and gamers, released a new product in its Stream Deck family: Stream Deck Pedal. The $90/£80 footpad enables users to trigger an action or series of commands through three customizable pedals.
Unlike the Stream Deck, which includes a series of programmable buttons, the Stream Deck Pedal can be activated hands-free, enabling the gamer/streamer/programmer to trigger actions without taking their hands off the controller.
Use cases highlighted by Elgato in its marketing include:
In Elgato's Stream Deck software, a single pedal press can trigger one action, or a chain of actions assigned to the individual pedal. Actions, which can include direct commands to supported third-party software, key combinations, etc. can be chained together and separated by delays.
In addition to the new Stream Deck Pedal, Elgato added Discord integration to the Stream Deck software. This enables simple commands such as push-to-talk to be linked directly to a pedal press.
]]>Intel's Alder Lake processor is rolling out to OEMs as it heads to market, and early benchmarks of an MSI GE76 Raider laptop sporting a 12th-gen Intel 13-core Core i9-12900HK put it ahead of Apple's flagship M1 Max.
PCWorld recently ran benchmarks against three laptops powered by three different processor classes in order to determine if the new Alder Lake CPU from Intel held up against its fiercest competition. The results of those benchmarks were no surprise to the Windows-based PC market.
Intel's Core i9-12900HK beat out both the 8-core Ryzen 9 5900HX and 8-core Core i9-11980HK. What raised eyebrows in the Mac world was how well it performed against the powerful M1 Max which handily dominated benchmark charts in 2021.
PCWorld's sister publication, MacWorld, analyzed the findings and compared them to Apple's M1 Max and M1 Pros, both in 14-inch MacBook Pros from 2021. In both single and multicore Geekbench 5 tests, the Intel chip outperformed the ones made by Apple.
These results were solidified in additional tests run using Geekbench 5's OpenCL tests and Cinebench R23. In each case, the Intel Core i9-12900HK came out ahead of its Mac counterpart.
These benchmark victories are not without their caveats. In terms of power efficiency, the M1 Pro and M1 Max are clear victors. At a maximum power draw of 39.7 watts, the M1 Max proved much more efficient than the 100-140 watts drawn by the Intel-powered laptop.
Apple may have given up its bragging rights for sheer power, but it managed to keep a firm grip on its top marks for efficiency. At least, for now.
]]>The Raspberry Pi has long been an inexpensive, miniature alternative to a traditional PC. While underpowered by comparison to most modern personal computers, recent editions including the Raspberry Pi 4 have introduced multi-core processors and increased on-board RAM.
These improvements made them a reasonable low-cost PC for simple tasks such as browsing or media viewing.
One of the hurdles to using a Raspberry Pi has been the necessity for a second PC in order to flash an operating system onto an SD card so the Raspberry Pi can operate. This requirement has limited the Pi's ability to serve as a low-cost entry to the PC world in emerging markets.
A recent blog post by Peter Harper outlined a new beta of network install support for Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 400 devices. During the beta, users will need to load a bootloader that enables network installation.
The bootloader searches any connected media (SD card or USB drive) for an operating system. It also checks to see if a keyboard is connected. If no operating system is discovered, a network install screen is displayed, prompting the user to choose an OS, storage, and initiate the network install.
After the initial beta period, Raspberry Pis will begin shipping with the new feature baked in to the boards.
Theoretically, all you will need to do to get up and running with a new Raspberry Pi is purchase a new Pi, insert a blank SD card (or USB drive), and connect it to the Internet via ethernet. Once this is done, the bootloader will check for any installed OS, and if none is found, it will fire up the network install screen just as it did during the beta. However, this time, it will be loaded from memory rather than from the SD card.
The Network Install feature is documented in the Raspberry Pi documentation.
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