Sonos may have an intriguing new addition planned for its product lineup. In a Reddit post spotted by Android Police, a Sonos user recently noticed the S2 app mentions a "Sub Mini" speaker if you tap the "More information" prompt when adding a second Sub to an existing home theatre setup.
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Sonos does not sell a product called the Sub Mini currently. In the screenshot that was shared online, the company describes the speaker as a "smaller, cylindrical subwoofer" that can't be paired with a third-generation Sub for a dual subwoofer setup. All of that suggests the Sub Mini will cost less than the pricey $749 Sub (Gen 3). Unfortunately, the screenshot doesn't offer definitive details on pricing and release date. Still, the idea of Sonos offering a more affordable subwoofer, even if it has some limitations, is one that will be attractive to fans.
We've reached out to Sonos to see if it has anything to say about the screenshot. We'll update this article if we hear back from the company.
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FIFA is building on the video assistant referee (VAR) technology that's playing an increasingly important role in soccer. At this year's edition of the Arab Cup, which starts on Tuesday, the organisation will test tech designed to help officials assess whether players are offside, marking the most important trial of the system to date.
The offside rule is supposed to prevent players from lingering too close to the opponent's goal. In a nutshell, if an attacking team plays the ball forward when a teammate is ahead of both the ball and the second-to-last defender (including the goalkeeper), that's a foul. In the 2020-21 English Premier League season, 32 goals were ruled out for offside after VAR review.
Semi-automated offside technology explained ahead of FIFA Arab Cup. Pierluigi Collina and Johannes Holzmüller explain the advancement of the tests to date. This technology will be tested at the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ #FIFArabCup#FootballTechnology
The semi-automated offside system collects up to 29 data points 50 times per second for each player, according to the BBC. Between 10 and 12 cameras will be installed under the roof of each stadium. The system will use limb-tracking data to calculate the offside line at the moment the ball is played (i.e. the "kick point"). If it detects an offside offence, it will alert a replay operator, who can review the incident almost in real-time.
“The replay operator then has the opportunity to show it immediately to the VAR,” Johannes Holzmüller, FIFA's football technology and innovation director, said. “At the FIFA Arab Cup, the Assistant VAR, at a dedicated offside station, can immediately validate and confirm the information.” The VAR can then tell the match referee about the decision.
The system could catch offside fouls faster than the current VAR setup, helping games to flow more smoothly. All going well, the tech could be used at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The system has been trialed in England, Spain and Germany. There were plans to test it more broadly last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those.
“Technology is very important and useful in both the pre-match preparation and the decision-making process during matches,” FIFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina said. “In an offside incident, the decision is made after having analysed not only the players’ position but also, their involvement in the move. Technology – today or tomorrow – can draw a line but the assessment of an interference with play or with an opponent remains in the referee’s hands.”
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The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is expected to reverse Facebook parent company Meta's purchase of Giphy in the coming days, according to the Financial Times. If so, it would mark the first time that the country's competition regulator has unwound a major tech acquisition.
Meta (or Facebook, at the time) announced in May 2020 that it bought the GIF platform with the goal of rolling it into Instagram. Reports pegged the price of the deal at $400 million.
The CMA raised concerns about the acquisition, however. It opened an investigation into the deal the following month. The regulator ruled in August that the deal could prevent rivals such as TikTok and Snapchat from accessing Giphy's library of GIFs. It also said the deal could remove a potential competitor to Meta in the UK advertising sector. Meta ended Giphy's paid ad partnerships, which the CMA said halted the company's ad expansion, including to other countries.
The watchdog suggested Meta could be forced to sell the service. A CMA spokesperson told Engadget that it hasn't published it's final decision, but it has until December 1st to do so.
Meta has previously argued that because Giphy doesn't have any operations in the UK, the CMA has no jurisdiction in this case. In addition, it claimed Giphy's paid services couldn't be classed as display advertising according to the CMA's market definition.
The issue between Meta and the CMA grew more contentious in October, when the authority fined the company almost $70 million for breaking rules related to the deal. The CMA said it was the first time it determined a company breached one of its orders by "consciously refusing to report all the required information."
Engadget has contacted Meta for comment.
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Whistleblower Frances Haugen will once again appear before Congress. On Wednesday, December 1st, the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on communications and technology will hold a hearing dedicated to discussing potential “targeted reforms” to Section 230 of The Communications Decency Act.
Haugen is among a handful of witnesses House Democrats have called to testify. She’ll be joined by Rashad Robinson, the president of Color of Change, as well as James Steye of Common Sense Media. The subcommittee’s Republicans will also call forward a witness. A second panel later in the day will feature additional testimony from organizations like Free Press Action.
The last time Haugen testified before Congress was in October when she appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee. In her opening statement, Haugen urged lawmakers to impose new regulations on her former employer. “The choices being made inside of Facebook are disastrous for our children, our public safety, our privacy and for our democracy,” she said at the time. Haugen’s second testimony will come just days before Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, will take part in a series of Senate hearings dedicated to online protections for kids.
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Maybe you've crossed all of the big items off your gift list for the year, but you're still on the lookout for stocking stuffers that aren't the typical picks. There are plenty of options in the tech space that are both small and affordable, and Cyber Monday deals have made a good number of them even more budget-friendly. Everything from microSD cards to streaming sticks to wireless earbuds are cheaper than ever, so we gathered the best tech deals under $50 here so you don't have to go searching for them.
Samsung EVO Select microSD
Samsung
Samsung’s EVO Select microSDXC card in 256GB is down to $25, or 38 percent off its normal price. This is the latest model and while you can find microSD cards for less, EVO is a reliable brand and you're getting a full-sized adapter with this one.
A number of SanDisk memory cards are on sale for Cyber Monday, including this Ultra microSD card in 128GB for $16. While not all items are under $50, most are and any of the microSD cards on sale would make a good option for extra smartphone or Nintendo Switch storage.
Nintendo's Switch Pro Controller is $20 off for Cyber Monday, bringing it down to a record low fo $50. It's a good choice for anyone who wants more control than Joy-Cons can provide, and we like that it preserves features like an infrared sensor and vibration that are often lost on third-party controllers.
A bunch of Belkin accessories have been discounted for Cyber Monday, including most of the company's AirTag cases, which are down to $10 each. The Secure Holder keeps Apple's Bluetooth trackers secure and protected, and we like the strap it comes with, which makes it easier to hook the AirTag to a water bottle, luggage handle and other things.
Razer's Kishi mobile controller is 44 percent off, bringing it down to $45. Touchscreens are fine for casual games, but when you’re tackling something a little more hardcore like Fortnite the Kishi is just the thing you need. It adds d-pads and shoulder buttons to your gaming experience, and folds up nicely when not in use. Since it connects to your device directly via Lightning port or USB-C, not via Bluetooth, you don’t have to worry about keeping it charged — though you do need to make sure you buy the right one for your device.
SteelSeries' Arctis 3 headset for consoles is 51 percent off right now, bringing it down to $34. These wired cans have balanced audio, a clear cast mic and an attractive design.
Anker's portable battery pack in 20,000mAh is on sale for $37, or 15 percent off its regular rate. This brick can charge two devices at once thanks to its multiple ports and its trickle-charging mode provides optimal charging to low-power devices like wireless earbuds,
The new Fire TV Stick 4K Max has dropped to $35. This has all of the features of the standard Fire TV Stick 4K plus support for WiFi 6 and picture-in-picture live view.
The Chromecast with Google TV has dropped to $40, which is $10 cheaper than usual. We gave the device a score of 86 for its 4K HDR streaming capabilities, Dolby Vision and Atmos support plus its much needed and very handy new remote.
The tiny Echo Dot has dropped to $30, and you can grab the Echo Dot with Clock for only $35. We gave it a score of 88 for its good audio quality for the price, compact design and tap-to-snooze feature.
The Nest Mini is down to $25. It's the affordable speaker to get if you want to put the Google Assistant in your home without dropping too much money, or taking up too much space.
Anker's wireless charging stand is on sale for $15 right now, or 22 percent off its normal price. It's a handy accessory to have next to your computer or on your nightstand since it can change your smartphone either in landscape or portrait mode, and it's compatible with cases up to 5mm thick.
JLab's already affordable Go Air Pop earbuds are down to only $13 right now. These colorful true wireless buds sport an eight-hour battery life, a small and comfortable design and touch controls.
Anker's impressive Soundcore Spirit Dot 2 earbuds have been discounted to $40. We consider them to be the best budget buds out there right now thanks in part to their punchy base, IPX7-rated design and affordable price.
Wacom's compact Intuos drawing tablet is down to a new all-time low of $50, which is $30 off its normal price. Artists and doodlers are typically drawn to Wacom's tablets, but those who just want a bit more control over their computer may also like them. It comes with a 4k pressure-sensitive pen that's battery free, and the tablet itself has a few customizable shortcut keys. And since it plugs into your machine via a USB-A port, it will work with almost any computer, including Chromebooks.
The Echo Show 5 has dropped to $45, or $40 off its normal price. This is the best Echo smart display if you want one as a smart alarm clock. We like its ambient light sensor, smart home controls and tap-to-snooze feature.
Amazon's standard Kindle has been discounted to $50, which is its best price yet. We gave this e-reader a score of 91 for its improved contrast display, extra front lights and sleeker design.
The Fire 7 tablet is on sale for $35. If you're looking for a cheap tablet to be a couch device, or to give your kid without worry, this is a good option. While it doesn't have the Google Play Store, you can still use it to check email, watch videos, play music and more.
The Fire HD 8 tablet is on sale for $45, or half off its normal price. We gave it a score of 79 for its decent performance, good battery life, wireless charging capabilities and USB-C port.
Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K is on sale for $25 right now. It's one of the easiest ways to get 4K streaming TV into your TV, plus it supports Dolby Audio and Alexa voice commands.
The Fire TV Stick Lite has dropped to $18. It provides 1080p streaming, access to services like Netflix and Prime Video and can stream music from services like Spotify and Pandora.
The new Roku Streaming Stick 4K is on sale for $30, or $20 off its normal price. It builds upon the technology in the Streaming Stick+, supporting 4K HDR10+ content, Dolby Vision, long-range WiFi, voice search and TV controls with the included remote.
The Blink Indoor one-camera kit is on sale for $50 and the cam itself is totally wireless, so you can place them almost anywhere. It supports 1080p recording, motion alerts, two-way audio and temperature monitoring. The Blink Mini wired camera is also on sale for only $20.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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If you’ve been patiently waiting for Apple’s new MacBook Pros to go on sale, Cyber Monday has delivered. Adorama and B&H have discounted the base 14-inch model by $200. That’s a 10 percent discount off its usual $1,999 starting price. We’ve seen price reductions on the new MacBook a handful of times since launch — most notably when Amazon discounted both the 14- and 16-inch variants by $50 the week they came out. However, $200 off is an all-time low for a computer that only went on sale at the end of October
We'll note here only the Space Gray model is part of today's promotion. If you want the computer in Silver, it’s $1,999. You also can’t upgrade any of the components without paying the full price of the computer. Thankfully, the base model is plenty powerful with its 8-core M1 Pro processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.
We gave the new MacBook Pros a score of 92. Apple addressed a lot of the issues that made the previous generation so divisive. To start, unlike its predecessor, the 14-inch model comes with almost all the ports you could want. It features three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI connection, a MagSafe power port, a headphone jack and an SD card slot. Another standout feature of the 2021 MacBook Pro is its Liquid Retina XDR display. The one on the 14-inch model features a resolution of 3,024 x 1,964 and is capable of reaching 1,600 nits of brightness. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes using the computer feel smoother. The only downside of the display is that unsightly notch. But if you don’t mind it, there’s a lot to like about the 2021 MacBook Pro.
While the Switch's Joy-Cons are perfectly suitable for casual gaming, those who want a bit more control and comfort should consider springing for the Switch Pro Controller or something similar to it. Naturally, being an official accessory from Nintendo, the Pro Controller comes in at a steep $70 — but now it's on sale for $50 at Amazon, which is $20 off and an all-time low.
The design of the Pro Controller will be familiar to most gamers, and immediately recognizable as more comfortable than Joy-Cons with its side grips and left-side D-pad. It pairs wirelessly with the Switch and it comes with its own charging cable, too. Plus, since it's a first-party accessory, features like an infrared sensor and vibration aren't lost like they often are with third-party controllers.
The Pro Controller's $70 price tag is its biggest downside, which is why we recommend waiting for a sale like this one to grab the accessory. And if you're not on the market for a new controller for yourself, it also makes a good gift for the Switch fan in your life. Those looking to spend a bit less should check out 8BitDo's Pro 2 controller, which is on sale for $45 right now.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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